# The issue with Bone Dragon **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests and Game feedback\ **Created:** [November 17, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409 "2016-11-17T04:00:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![htismaqe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/htismaqe/32/23893_2.png) [@htismaqe](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/htismaqe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/1 "2016-11-17T04:00:52Z")
I know there’s a ton of threads about this already but I wanted to call attention to this again, in it’s own thread. When Bone Dragon completely fills the board with skulls, it should NOT count as dozens of individual matches. It’s as simple as that. I’ve been facing more and more double-Courage teams with Bone Dragon on the back end and it’s getting to the point where I just want to quit. Not only does Bone Dragon completely destroy the first troop, Courage buffs Attack MULTIPLE times, as if there were multiple skull matches at once, so that the enemy troops all have attack stats over 80 and sometimes higher. This game is getting to the point where it’s no longer fun. Something needs to be done about Bone Dragon and fast or this long-time vet will be moving on to something else… ---
**Author:** ![Mekkalyn](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/mekkalyn/32/21868_2.png) [@Mekkalyn](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Mekkalyn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 4:28am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/2 "2016-11-17T04:28:35Z")
I agree with you completely (Him and manticore bah!) ---
**Author:** ![DonBoba](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/donboba/32/25457_2.png) [@DonBoba](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/DonBoba)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/3 "2016-11-17T05:43:07Z")
Yeah courage could be nerfed in the way that if the bone dragon makes 5 different skull matches and they all hit at once Courage should give buff only 1 time. All the matches happened in one turn. 1 buff per turn is enough. If there are enough skulls for another match in the next turn another buff. So only limited to 1 buff per turn. ---
**Author:** ![ONOPALAVER](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/onopalaver/32/46403_2.png) [@ONOPALAVER](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/ONOPALAVER)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/4 "2016-11-17T05:52:25Z")
I´m agree with you @DonBoba, the real problem is courage and every buff of skull attack. I don´t understand really why people obsessed in Manticore, and Bone Dragon. Nothing similar to Sacrifice probably the most unusual troop of the guardians, because is so limited to implement in a team, and normally only have one good troop to attack. (what happened if you lose it). Courage must have a review, and ¿Sacrifice?, I think also. ---
**Author:** ![htismaqe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/htismaqe/32/23893_2.png) [@htismaqe](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/htismaqe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/5 "2016-11-17T05:53:37Z")
3, 4, 5 or 25 skulls is still one match. That’s the way I see it. If they’re all touching that’s one match. Courage is arguably more broken than Bone Dragon. Add in Orion’s 3rd trait and well…\*\*\*\* off GoW. ---
**Author:** ![htismaqe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/htismaqe/32/23893_2.png) [@htismaqe](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/htismaqe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:55am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/6 "2016-11-17T05:55:13Z")
Bone Dragon is broken. A clump of contiguous gems/skulls should never count as multiple matches. ---
**Author:** ![Jainus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jainus/32/34949_2.png) [@Jainus](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jainus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:57am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/7 "2016-11-17T05:57:37Z")
Devs know about this, pretty sure it’s a bug, not deliberate, but very hard to correct because of the game’s design / code base. ---
**Author:** ![Gouki](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/gouki/32/22405_2.png) [@Gouki](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Gouki)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/8 "2016-11-17T06:11:01Z")
On the note of Courages and other guardians or base mythic troops absurdly powerful legendary traits, i really hope in the near future the Devs rebalance a ton of older troops who have not just fallen behind but whos legendary traits seem like an actual joke_cough_Darkfall_cough_ compared to what Courage and the likes offer. ---
**Author:** ![ZooKeeper](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/zookeeper/32/30875_2.png) [@ZooKeeper](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/ZooKeeper)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 6:38am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/9 "2016-11-17T06:38:15Z")
The thing with courage is the attack buff applies before the attack land. Courage 3rd trait is triggered on skull gem matches instead of skull damage. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/gemsofwar/original/2X/f/f238f44df1095239f768b2b5df2df7c7fffb48bf.png) There’s only 3 skull matches on board (4 matches on the left, 5 matches on the bottom right, and 3 matches on top right). It should buff enemies 3 X 6 attack and life (2 courage) = 18 attack and 18 life. Enemy BD attack before buff was 24. As you can see, BD has 50 (24+18) attack after buff. So the buff is working as it should be. It is really powerful trait. And I said it when they just released guardians: they’ll nerfed guardians before we can even mythic them. As for bone dragon, its mechanic is really simple for AI. You only need to set the banner to brown purple, and 2 surge of either color can fill BD instantly. Even if we use mana drainer like Spirit fox or manticore, it only need 1 surge to get his mana back. The skull he created also much more guaranteed to give extra turn than KoS. So I think up the mana for BD to maybe 16 (like KoS) might slow him down. ---
**Author:** ![Jainus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jainus/32/34949_2.png) [@Jainus](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jainus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 6:46am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/10 "2016-11-17T06:46:56Z")
> [@ZooKeeper](#): > > So I think up the mana for BD to maybe 16 (like KoS) might slow him down. +1 to this, as a minimum! ---
**Author:** ![ZooKeeper](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/zookeeper/32/30875_2.png) [@ZooKeeper](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/ZooKeeper)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 7:02am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/11 "2016-11-17T07:02:47Z")
Hmm my math seems off there. I forgot the initial BD attack. But I’m pretty sure the buff was working as it should be. Does the extra skull from 4 and 5 skull matches count as extra attack and life (from courage 3rd trait)? ---
**Author:** ![Drathas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/drathas/32/7344_2.png) [@Drathas](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Drathas)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 7:08am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/12 "2016-11-17T07:08:00Z")
Use stun - easy mode on. ---
**Author:** ![KingDonaldTrump](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/kingdonaldtrump/32/13877_2.png) [@KingDonaldTrump](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/KingDonaldTrump)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/13 "2016-11-17T07:34:44Z")
Sounds like Bone Dragon got nearly double the attack increase that he should have. Be great if you could try it again and post your result. Also, all this whining over a couple of troops, a lot of babies on here. ---
**Author:** ![Jainus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jainus/32/34949_2.png) [@Jainus](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jainus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/14 "2016-11-17T07:56:46Z")
> [@KingDonaldTrump](#): > > all this whining over a couple of troops, a lot of babies on here Let’s not start that again. You might not agree, but that doesn’t make others wrong, or _babies_… Many of these babies have been here somewhat longer than your \< 2 weeks on the forum and are well familiar with the sides of the nerf / don’t nerf arguments… ---
**Author:** ![NeMEsis916](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/nemesis916/32/11483_2.png) [@NeMEsis916](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/NeMEsis916)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:03am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/15 "2016-11-17T08:03:34Z")
Sounds like an issue with courage not Bone Dragon. ---
**Author:** ![Kurokazna](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/kurokazna/32/11246_2.png) [@Kurokazna](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Kurokazna)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/16 "2016-11-17T08:13:47Z")
I do agree that Bone Dragon should be raised to sixteen mana, but I"m also of the opinion that Khorvash should as well. Is my reasoning for BD having a higher mana cost these teams in particular? No. Is it because of the double Manti variant? Also no. It’s a strong troop with a strong spell and it should have a higher cost. I do not, however, have much trouble with these teams. If anything, it’s just boring to see the same thing every time I queue up to roll someone else’s face down. There is also a point post-balance in invasion teams where you don’t have to worry about almost any defend team any more, and I think addressing that should be a higher priority. I wish I could empathize with the people struggling against this team. I really do. I’m starting to miss the challenge that I got from battles before level 300. The past sixty or so have been… Bleh. Actually, I might make a post on that if I can figure out how to word it. ---
**Author:** ![Fifthelement](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/fifthelement/32/8383_2.png) [@Fifthelement](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Fifthelement)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:24am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/17 "2016-11-17T08:24:04Z")
> [@htismaqe](#): > > This game is getting to the point where it’s no longer fun. Something needs to be done about Bone Dragon and fast or this long-time vet will be moving on to something else… but but but … all you need is to use your brain, did you know?! I’ve had the same problem, but then people way smarter (because using their brain) solved all my life problems for me, you can easily counter everything this way - courage with the bone dragon too! there you go: > [@(!) Spoiler Alert (!) -- \[Any Details Provided are Subject to Change\] (Part 1)](http://community.gemsofwar.com/t/spoiler-alert-any-details-provided-are-subject-to-change/1280/1253): > > Did you know that warhound reduce enemy attack by 22?! Did you know kopeshi pulls enemy troop (read bone dragon) to first slot letting you make manticore attack gain futile (lion and Tiger weapon do the same with dealing decent damage on top but cost slightly more)? Did you know Sylvasi steals 14 attack and can’t be drained by Manti because he has stealth? Did you know gorgotha? So there are ways to counter Manti. The thing is you don’t want to use those counters which is completely on you. Se… easy game, use those tips and no courage or bone dragon or anything else will ever be annoying and make you want to quit again. Easy game. And if you refuse to counter those teams, you are obviously stupid and it’s your own fault. ---
**Author:** ![Fifthelement](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/fifthelement/32/8383_2.png) [@Fifthelement](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Fifthelement)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:30am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/18 "2016-11-17T08:30:41Z")
On a more serious note. The main difference between courage and manticore is that: a) VERY small % of all players have Courage 3-traited and every scrub (like me) has 3-traited manticores, b) you can actually deal with the courage buffs by stunning it, which can’t be said about manticore, because that thing has no counters per se (impervious, empowered, will mana drain the ass of whatever you’re trying to use against it). I agree the bone dragon cost could be higher, possibly along with increasing the armor:skull ratio to 4 from 3. I also agree that Courage could buff only once per “action” (i.e. skull matches happening in the same moment counting as one, then if more skulls happen during the after-cascade, those would trigger the trait too, as separate event - each time the board stops moving for a moment to trigger new matches). That said - I don’t understand why would anyone bother balancing a troop like Courage and BD while not doing anything about obviously overpowered Manticore, but hey that’s just me and my brainless opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Azbra](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/azbra/32/23589_2.png) [@Azbra](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Azbra)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:46am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/19 "2016-11-17T08:46:16Z")
> [@Fifthelement](#): > > easy game, use those tips and no courage or bone dragon or anything else will ever be annoying and make you want to quit again. Easy game. I think you’re off the mark there. Bone dragon spell is too cheap compared to the rest. Doesn’t matter if you work your way around it, it just does too much for its price. ---
**Author:** ![KingDonaldTrump](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/kingdonaldtrump/32/13877_2.png) [@KingDonaldTrump](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/KingDonaldTrump)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 8:51am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409/20 "2016-11-17T08:51:13Z")
Theyre not wrong to voice their opinion but to constantly regurgitate and whine about it … that is exactly what babies do. [Next page](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/the-issue-with-bone-dragon/15409.md?page=2)