Developer Balance Log

Official development record. Every card stat and mechanic is rigorously tested against millions of AI-simulated matches. Radical Transparency. No Guesswork.

Last Updated

Dec 26, 2025

Current Status

Stable Release 🔒

Ready for Alpha

System Version

Core V35.5 + Smart GA V36.3

Reverted Logic + Advanced AI

Total Matches Simulated

~106,500,000+

Across all versions

Latest Hotfixes

Patch Dec 26, 2025

Patch V36.3 - The Strategic Pivot

Final Decision (Stable)
Context:After attempting multiple aggressive rule changes to curb Red Faction's dominance, we observed that tampering with the Core Engine caused violent balance swings (Pendulum Effect).
Decision:Instead of endlessly nerfing cards, we decided to REVERT the engine back to Patch V35.5(The "Realix Nerf" state), which was the most mechanically sound version. We hypothesized that the issue wasn't the cards, but the AI's inability to pilot Control decks effectively.
Action Taken (GA V36.3)
  • Increased Evolution Cycles: Extended Genetic Algorithm from 50 to 100 Generations to allow deeper strategy discovery.
The Result:
  • Gen 1-50: Red continued to dominate with ~60% Win Rate.
  • Gen 70-100: Blue AI began to adapt, discovering complex defensive synergies we hadn't hard-coded.

Final Outcome: Blue successfully countered Red through strategy, not buffs.

"Key Insight: The fact that Blue could bounce back without engine changes proves the game has Strategic Depth. Control decks can beat Aggro if piloted correctly."

Failed Experiments

The Graveyard of Ideas

Exp V35.9 - Spot Nerf

Targeted Magmaros & Salamander with "Half-Pitch" rule.

Result: Red Faction collapsed (41% Win Rate). Deck lost identity.

ROLLED BACK

Exp V35.8 - Global Buff

Changed pitch calc from floor() to ceil().

Result: Massive resource inflation. Turn 3 felt like Turn 6.

DISCARDED

Exp V35.7 - Pitch Cap

Capped max mana gain from pitching to 3.

Result: High-cost Boss cards became unplayable "dead weight".

DISCARDED

System Overhaul Marathon (Dec 25 - Dec 26)

Patch V36

The "Smart Brain" Update (GA Sync)

Verified

Problem (Logic Conflict): Game Engine enforced Unique Limits (1 copy for UR), but GA didn't know this and kept stacking 3 copies. Engine penalized this as "illegal deck", causing AI to think good cards were bad.

Action Taken: Updated Deck Generation & Mutation logic to strictly respect rarity limits. Tuned "Mix Ratio" to 1.0 (Pure Strategy).

Result: 100% legal decks. Win rates now reflect true power levels.

V35.5

The "Pitch Abuse" Hotfix

Fixed "Realix Turn-1 Boss" exploit. Realix cards now provide half pitch value (Rix/2). Combo patched.

V35.4

Complete Skill Integration

Engine now supports complex keywords: SKIP_PHASE (Time Leap), SHUFFLE_INTO_DECK, COST_SACRIFICE.

V35.3

Aura & Tax Fix

Fixed Glacius's "Attack Tax" passive not triggering. AI now calculates tax before attacking. Win Rate +13.5%.

Meta Evolution Log (GA Findings - V36.3)

Based on 100 Generations of AI training

Red Faction (Aggro Kings)

Strategy"All-In Ramp"
PlaystyleAI attempts to stuff deck with massive units (Magmaros) hoping to ramp and end game early.
Weakness"Gas Out" - If Blue survives the first wave, Red runs out of resources due to heavy pitching costs.

Blue Faction (Frozen Wall)

Strategy"The Iron Curtain"
EvolutionBy Gen 100, AI learned to discard "greedy" cards and prioritize Survival Tools like Wind Mage (Bounce) and Living Statue (Taunt).
MVP CardIce Lance (Freeze) - Used surgically to stop Red's biggest threats.

Grand Summary Report (Batch V36.3)

Training Sims

300,000

Validation Sims

1,000

Total Matches Run

301,000 Matches

🏆 Final Showdown (1,000 Matches)

Red 45.6%
Blue 54.4%
Avg Turns: 26.2

"While Blue holds a slight advantage, this represents a Healthy Meta. Control is the natural predator of All-In Aggro. The game is balanced by counters, not coin flips."

🎲 Baseline Random (100,000 Matches)

Red 49.2%
Blue 50.8%
Avg Turns: 27.5

"49.2% vs 50.8% is the definition of Perfect Balance. The game no longer favors a specific faction; victory is determined by skill."

🏛️ The Archive: Evolution of Balance

Dec 21 - Patch V20
Flying & Reach Update: Rewrote combat logic. Flying units bypass Guardians but are intercepted by Reach units.
Dec 21 - Patch V13
Effect Engine Overhaul: Fully supported DAMAGE, HEAL, SUMMON, FREEZE, BOUNCE logic.
Pre-Alpha 1.11
Blue Awakening: Buffed Sapphire Dragon and Ice Block to fix "Stall but no Kill" issue.
Pre-Alpha 1.5
Aggro Speed Tweak: Nerfed Fire Lizard (Removed Haste) to curb 78% win rate.