Life Brings Changes - A Steemmonster Guild Update
Life Brings Change
First, I want to thank @everyone that has participated in @teampossible in the first 5 seasons. It has been an awesome experience in so many ways and I think all of us were rewarded together which is how it should be! And the guild itself has many packs and tons of common reward cards that will one day come in handy as a result of everyone's efforts to use to help the guild grow.
Second, I believe there have been so many changes (as we knew there would be) that its time to make an update. That is what this is.
UPDATE - Season 5
The game has continued to develop in both good and bad ways and we need to adjust as a result. The good is the game itself, as they have blown my mind in the creativity by the addition of new cards, abilities, and possibilities. I am super impressed and actually find it very fun to play, so if anything had to be good, this would be my 1st priority and I'm happy as hell they have excelled here.
Also we were "given" the opportunity to make a very very good return on our decks and cards bought in the first 5 seasons. The packs were huge in the first few seasons, but even the reward cards turned out to be a very profitable endeavor. I think we did really well as a group and certainly got our fair share... I have seen many of our people build their decks for free through this method and I think SM did a more than fair job of rewarding us.
Now with Season 6 it is clear that those results are going to be less going forward. And frankly I think the results of the 1st 5 seasons were so huge, it seems like a pittance comparatively. And in some ways it is. But...
The 1st 5 season are over. They are finished and there is no going back. I'm happy for all of us that participated, but we are now in season 6 and its a new deal. The rewards will be less for various reasons, but "why" is not as important as accepting that fact. So if anyone wants to give back their team or delegated decks, it is perfectly fine and we all would understand. Last season we got many back and now we will get more, its ok and no one should ever play a deck if they don't enjoy it and think its worth their time. Remember that first and foremost we are here to have fun, and you should always seek that as it regards teampossible.
Addressing Issues Head-on
Next, we also have discovered issues that maybe people find distasteful so I am going to address them head-on here.
1. Bots
First the bots. There are definitely bots that have invaded the system and they are very apparent now and I don't see them going away. Whether they are SM bots, linked to SM bots, or not even tied to SM is irrelevant; they will be there for a long time. I think the developers of the system don't see a problem with the bots as long as people are able to win games in the league levels they are "intended" to be playing in. In some ways we were spoiled by those bots letting us take level 3s into the fully maxed diamond league for instance, so after further reflection I am not sure we have much complaint if we stay in our intended league levels.
In addition, some people will also find the idea of playing a bot versus a human to be "not fun". I completely understand and I think that is a choice that all people have based on their own description of fun. Many video games are purely against a computer, so while it might take adjustment it is certainly not a travesty. But if you don't like it, then its ok too, so no worries if you don't want to play in the season rankings or get the daily quests.
2. Rich vs. Poor
The other issue to address is the fact that the "little guy" takes a back seat to the "big guy with money". It is clear that the skewing of the rewards in the direction they've gone has shown that the SM owners will prioritize the big guys at a greater rate than the small guy. Also in regards to tourneys, the people that have spent the money will get a far larger share of the prizes over time than the people that have not spent much. And while the owners of SM have tried to include everyone in getting rewards, if they have to choose which to care about most, it will definitely be the people with big money in the game.
This may lead to smaller to no rewards for many players at the low end, but until the game goes viral, there is simply no other way for it to be. There is not enough money to make everyone happy all the time and honestly they have done a wonderful job of getting the masses rewarded through 5 seasons, so they clearly care about the "average" person. They may care MORE about the rich guy, but they have done a remarkable job of showing their intent.
3. Overproduction of Cards
Finally, the last issue to address is the overproduction of cards. I don't really understand why they are doing this, but the bottom line is they are. They have the right to do what they like and while it isn't what I would do, it certainly is their game. The reward cards are cards like every other card so the cumulative impact of this overproduction will affect the entire population of cards (Alphas, Betas, Promos). I think we have already seen the impact and we may or may not see further degradation over the coming months. There is obviously a negative to the card values for any card holders, however there is also a positive that occurs from this happening: we can buy new (and old) cards at much cheaper prices. So people looking to play the game and get better cards now have that opportunity. The bottom line: there is a big dump of cards being released and it is affecting the prices, so whether you are buyer or seller obviously your opinion will be skewed to that bias. The point is, it is happening and time to move on and deal with it as it is.
Moving Forward
If you know of people that are new to SM that want to play a level 1 starter deck to learn the game and enjoy the pure fun of playing, then let me know. We will have decks available for those people.
Once our members get good and show their dedication and love for the game, we also will have opportunities to play higher level delegated decks from our team members. These decks will be not as available as the starter decks, but when available we will certainly use them to help people deepen their knowledge and experience (and of course rewards). In the future, please let me know your intent to play these decks if you wish.
Finally, remember the first goal is to have fun and hopefully everyone keeps that in mind. Steemmonsters is a game and should be treated as such. I think there is a tremendous long term potential of this game, but if we get ourselves too focused on the negatives we may miss the big picture as well. By remembering its a game, we can enjoy it; and if it turns out successful, then of course we can be rewarded. If the focus is only on the short-term financial impact, then we will do ourselves a big disservice. So I would ask everyone to consider how much fun they have and play accordingly!
im @kakakk
steemmonsters challeng sorry!!
cool, nice to meet you and good job on the tourney! :)
A very good write up. If there was one thing that needs to be prioritized to be fixed it is the League Levels and match ups. If they (Steem Monsters), feels the rewards are to generous, (they keep cutting back on them), then the first place they need to cut back on them is in the Champion League. Just because a person hits the Champion league should not entitle them to the name nor the reward. If the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders play the first game of the Season and Seattle wins, that fact does not entitle them to a season Super Bowl Ring. Steem Monsters seems to think it does.
The Ranking system is broke and has been broke for a long time with no apparent repair attempts. In no other sport ranking system do you have number 5 seed battling number 535 seed. To much chance of a one off mistake and or injury. The Super Bowl is not between and NFL team and a High School team. It is between two teams in the same league. Bots are not a major problem and would never be a major problem if they fixed the ranking system.
I will still watch the developments, and even still play the odd game or two, but when I got to the point of clicking skip to end button over 85% of the time it simply means the challenge was not there, the fun was not there, and that it was nothing more than an exercise in futility.
I loved the concept of a game of chance that was backed with skill, a very good concept they had, they have lost direction on the skill part and so have the players in the Champion League. It is unlikely any of the so called Champion League Players would play in a challenge where if they lost; they lost two of their fully maxed Legendary Cards, or even just a fully maxed Regular Card.
It started out as Poker/Chess combo, now it seems as if it is nothing but a game of dice, no skill involved just luck.
Lol, I would never enter into a challenge where I am putting my maxed cards on the line. Do you know how much I had to pay for them? ;) Perhaps some of the champion players would, but for me, I'm not a gambler and my skill level is not good enough to gamble at that high stake.
I do think skill is involved, but the cards you have do make a difference as well, i.e., it would be difficult to beat someone with speed 6 cards if you don't have any of your own. They will always be first to attack. Only way to beat them would be through sheer anticipation that they would play those cards, and if they don't, then you've lost the gamble.
There is definitely a bit of skill involved, but when you have level 3,4,5 and a few level 6 cards, against maxed cards you are going to lose. Many of the choices made if they were of the same level cards as the opponent would have won the game. Beating higher level cards is not always impossible, just very unlikely, I have beat level 7 and 8 cards a couple of times with my level 5 and 6 cards, purely because of card choice, they went with magic, I went with reflect, type of thing. But it only happens rarely.
I do understand the cost of the game, I too have spent money for booster packs, perhaps not as much as some, but still I have spent some. I had hopes of the tournaments, I still hold some hope out for them. I even came in third on a recent tourney with 14 players ten of which I am pretty sure were in the top 50 season ending, so maxed deck does not equate to skilled. Lack of maxed decks does also not equate to un-skilled at the game, but right now it is a fishing game with dynamite used as the bait, toss it out there let it blow then go get the stunned fish.
I am glad to see you keep your mind open and I understand your point... I think they are going to be working on that, but when they can fix the matching issue I don't know. I do think you are right about this game intended to be a game of chess and I think we will get there, but might take some time for sure. Thanks for everything you've done and your complaint is different than most btw... Most people only care about the rewards and you cared about the experience only. To me that makes your opinion super valuable and I hope they listen to your frustration!
I enjoy both chess and poker, this game initially was a very good blending of the two, at least I thought so. Now it feels like it is neither of them. More of a "Go Fish" kind of game now.
First of all “Life brings changes”. Truer words never spoken! Everything constantly evolves, including teampossible and steem monsters. Everything is also give and take – and as you say, we all need to adjust to any changes made to the best of our abilities, whilst still enjoying the game with the company of friends. Let’s not forget that steem monsters has already come a hell of a long way in a short period of time, and we can expect the gaming experience to get even better as automation for tournaments comes into play and all the add-on experiences that will come with it. I am certainly looking forward to seeing a future interface which includes a tournament lobby with prize pools and payouts, player/observer chat, as well as watching other matches being played as a viewer and supporter - not only as a player. This would be a great advertising tool in itself. Having more eyeballs watching matches in real time and giving easy access to interested and/or new viewers has the potential to turn those interested viewers into future players and investors into the game. Wouldn’t it be great to rail another team member or friend during a match? I would absolutely love that!
There are always going to be ‘mistakes’ along the way…there is simply no way of avoiding this, as long as the makers listen to the concerns of their base and can also adjust with some of the concerns being voiced, then we can only expect a lot more positive to come from the constructive criticism floating around. In the long run, the changes (and adjustments) will improve the overall gaming experience at different levels. It’s a case of having some patience and sticking to a level you are comfortable with and moving up when you either feel you are ready and have improved your skill level and/or are willing to buy your way up the ladder, just like it is in the real world. Yes, buying your way up the ladder is a real thing and just a reality around the game as well. Apart from season rewards, winning prizes and tournaments is the best way to re-invest that money into a higher deck. That will be the most common way for people to move up. At the same time, it’s not what everyone wants either.
In general, the possibilities are still huge and varied – if the game can grow and expand to a wider audience, then all criticisms we have now will be forgotten and a thing of the past! The criticisms are mostly justified on certain issues, but let’s also not forget that most of us are playing a game with little to no financial investment. It depends on how you value your ‘time’.
Although the bots can be frustrating (especially at the lower levels), they won’t be going anywhere, and that is guaranteed unless there are specific and drastic changes made to address that issue going forward. I mean, who the hell would I play against in my time zone if there were no bot accounts to play against? :P:P:P It’s also nice when they give us a free ride to complete our daily quests and move up in levels! So it goes both ways I suppose….To be honest, I am a lot more concerned with bot accounts that are hoarding/and or taking away rewards from human players (which in turn stunts real growth) and have the potential to create security issues, rather than how to beat them in a match. Just as the bot accounts adjust to certain conditions, we can also adjust and beat them at their own game.
So let’s look forward to the future and hope the game grows its player base. That’s the most important issue of all. Without that, there is no game and it will all fall apart and all money invested will go with it.
Awesome reply PK... Very awesome! Thanks for making it and you should turn it into a post... I think its a very very good thing for many to read! Great perspective for such a young guy too :D
I'm building my own SM bot...when it's finished, you will be playing ;-
In a different time zone :P
lol... made me laugh PK
Well, @davemccoy. Good to hear from you, even if I've yet to make it over to STEEM Monsters and therefore have no first hand knowledge of what any of you are talking about.
It sounds like times have been good, and now, maybe not so good, or not as good, and maybe won't be for a while. Something like that. From the number of posts I was seeing daily about SM, it sounded like it was more or less issue free. I didn't see how that could be possible, so I guess now I'm finally seeing what those are.
I take it the game play itself is still automated—you choose the cards you want to battle with ahead of time and then the game takes over how the cards will play out, right?
It sounds like people have been throwing some money at the game, too, which I guess is good for business, but now people are wanting some kind of return on investment and they're finding that time doesn't make value go up. Interesting.
Also, @bashadow's mentioning of the ranking system being broken: sounds like that's some kind of universal problem. Why is that? And can it be that hard? Seems like other types of games manage to overcome it.
Anyway, I'm sure there's plenty of people having fun, but now that I see where all the old leaguers have gone, it's good to have a reunion of sorts on this post. Still able to rally the troops. :)
Hey Glen! Always good to get a message from you... I may have to start posting more often just for that reason alone :D
Yes the game is still a "draft" a team game based on a set of rules that you are given ahead of the match. They have done an incredible job of coming up with different scenarios so this part of the strategy is important. The cards themselves have rules of how the do different things (like attack or defend), so the computer just speeds up the processing of that and makes it look like a boxing match. So you are right :)
On your point about people investing, you have pulled the right message out of that. Many people invested small amounts and they have done well on their investment because the amount of rewards that were given over 5 seasons was very generous by SM themselves. On the other hand, there have been people that put much larger amounts of money in the thousands of dollars and they are not getting any kind of return at this time. Plus the card market has softened for various reasons (some self-inflicted and some external forces like the crash in steem). So when people are losing money or losing freebies, then the bitching is coming from both sides (rich and poor)... I think it is what it is and will be something that will pass, but for now its the talk of the moment.
On the 3rd point, the elo ranking system is great, but the bots came in and messed it up.. basically when 2 players play, one wins and goes higher and the other loses and goes lower... if you have enough players then its a "true system"... What happened is that an abnormal amount of bots were introduced that can play thousands more games than us humans... THey then skewed the results because many of their matches were against each other. So 2 shitty teams play each other and one will move up... well if all of them are shitty then eventually it helps the others move up too... the system gives a special extra to teams that win more than 2 in a row and that extra bonus propels everything higher. So bottom line, it is screwed up and they need to find a way to fix it, but I don't think its a long term issue. But bashadow is definitely right in that it makes it not fun and in a sense makes a mockery of the game itself.
And yes there are many that love the game... I really like the strategy part of it and I am really enjoying watching the development of the whole project. There are many awesome aspects that I didn't get into, because the message of the post was not really conducive for that. But if you ever decide you want to get involved, just let me know and I will get you a deck and give you personal training on how it works. I think its going to end up like a combination of chess and poker in the final stages.
I hope all is well with you Glen and besides getting your message, I think I'm happiest to know you are still around. I plan on getting back a little more to steemit again. I have just had my hands full getting all the aspects of this clear in my mind!
Talk to you later and happy new year btw!
Oh, I've been around. Not always productive, and for the last couple of months more on Musing, but still scanning the feed for interesting posts and whatever scandals/news of the day there might be.
Musing lost its delegation, and in the process, its VP was shot, so its been waiting to upvote with its remaining SP, which will be less than a tenth of what it had. So, the 900-plus SP I was able to accumulate (helped by other earnings from blog posts, contests, etc.), in a little over two months time probably won't continue, unless musing gets its delegation back, or something else comes along.
It seems like we can't do anything around here without bots showing up and doing something—mainly screwing things up. Why can't people just be happy with what they can do on their own, or move on to something else? And why does it always have to be at the expense of everyone else, as well as the game play? It's just wrong, and people who are inclined to build these bots should just not.
re: well with me
Oh, I suppose they are. Other than musing's hiccup, and people wanting to fork Steemit stake out of the picture, and aggroed essentially wanting Steemit to hand over their stake while he and the community take over (which isn't good or bad yet, just adding to the mix of uncertainty currently abounding around here), I'm doing okay. :) I mean, I could complain, and still do, but so far, it's not really done me much good.
if you noticed one thing, I quit complaining publicly about steemit... the reason is simple, they don't listen and why waste my energy. I tried but they seem like a rudderless ship. The good thing is that I think a lot of people have been cut down to size and the reset is happening. I have no idea how it will come out, but too many have lost too much for things to stay the same. Usually its out with the old and in with the new though.
As far as aggy's comments, I saw them... no comment. And I have heard that musing was awesome and now you tell me its gone before I even got the chance to show up. Damn I am either getting too old or things are moving too fast. Its seems like yesterday I said I'd give it a look :P
I'm glad to see you are knocking on the door to 1000 SP and that in an of itself will be helpful to add more. I plan on coming back to being more active soon. The whole SM thing is a great experience, but the bulk of the groundwork has now been laid from my end. In otherwords, I know what I need to know and set up what I feel is necessary, so now it should require far fewer convos to get things done. That will free up time and then maybe I can explore again what is happening in this every shrinking society we are part of! Even though its far from perfect, its still where my friends are and I have no plans on leaving it (even though I hope Ned does).
Good to see you again and hopefully I'm more active with you very soon Glen!
Oh, I did notice you stopped, but wasn't sure if that was so much deliberate as it was a byproduct of turning your attention to STEEM Monsters and TeamPossible. :) Sounds like it was probably both.
Interesting. No comment. :) Sounds like a conversation for another time, then, and probably off the record.
I don't know if musing is over, or its delegation, but for now, smaller rewards.
As far as the SP goes, I passed 1,000 earned SP in November. Right now, I'm knocking on the door of 1,700. I was hoping to reach 2,000 SP by the end of the month, but it doesn't look like that's possible now. The 900-plus SP was earned over the last two and half months of 2018. I had nearly 700 SP earned in the 9.5 months prior to that.
It'll be nice to see you more out and about. I will probably be, too, though I am still splitting time on musing, because I like it, but as far as stake goes, I need to get back into posting and the contests.
Thanks for your perspective @davemccoy.
I'll be taking a bit of a back seat this season as far as playing is concerned but I'm not planning on selling my cards. I will be trying to put together some higher level decks that others can play I think.
I'm going to take the time to inventory my cards and I'll follow the progress of the team members that are still playing so I can keep up to date with the cards and changes.
Let's see where this season takes us! 😁
You're welcome Gillian and I'm that sounds like a good strategy for sure! And yes, we take each step together one at a time! :)
It appears aggroed is a student of the federal reserve, print to the moon... overpromise under deliver. Does anyone remember when tournaments were going to be last September, or that cards would level through combat experience, or when strategy was priority instead of a pay to play model? I know that there were several unforeseen obstacles through the process of developing this game, but doing the exact opposite of what you promised early investors is not a great way to build a product. Why the hell do they need sponsors? they raised well over 1 million dollars already.
Hey @gunsmithing, thanks for the honest and direct response. I think you made some very tough, but valid points. I do think they should remember these things at all times, and while of course things change, they should do their best to address them on a regular basis. I do believe that both @aggroed and @yabapmatt are trying their best to make everyone happy, but sometimes will err on one side or the other (and everyone seems unhappy). To make matters worse, if the markets drop too, then everyone is upset in some way with that too. I believe that your memory is good and you are right about the many changes, but I do cut them a lot of slack for 3 reasons:
They are new to this and learning as they go. So things said one day can change and they may have forgot they said it. (or Matt didn't know Aggy said it or vice versa)
I have seen an incredible effort to give everyone stuff, sometimes too much. This shows me they are trying, even though I might not always agree with who gets it. So when I see "effort", then I have hope they will strike the right balance over time.
The game itself is damn good and could still be a homerun. I think they are very serious about making a fun and exciting experience and this fact shows me that they have substance going forward. Yes they made some mistakes, but those will fade and will "hopefully" not be repeated in the future.
So the bottom line is I do agree with your memory and definitions of what has been forgotten or ignored. In fact I could add at least 20 more to that list too. But I also have some understanding when I also see people "try" and I recognize that what they have done is not easy. I have built 3 different companies from scratch to over $100 million in sales and I can tell you that there is always a "learning moment". The biggest advice I could give them is to LISTEN to all your customers and reach out to them for ideas and suggestions. I know that you probably could give them a list of things that many people feel, so instead of ignoring you, I'd be asking you for a list of problems and also if you have any recommendations. (and sincerely). By doing this they would speed the process of healing from any mistakes, plus have the added benefit of actually getting more honest feedback.
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to write me and thank you for playing the matches we play (even though I think you kicked my ass today!) :)
You are probably right about them being new to this, and you're definitely right that I have a list of many more concerns. I have been invested in steem monsters since damn near the beginning and EVERYTHING @aggroed described in the early days has been abandoned, seemingly to chase a few dollars in the short term. It seems when people get restless waiting for tournaments to come out they divert resources and attention to come out with a new gimmick (super exclusive cards, new game modes, etc) instead of working on tournaments. Some of the issues seem innocent enough and perhaps oversights, but there is a strange pattern of actions that to an outside observer don't look great such as aggroed's bot buying tons of cards when they were cheap as hell right before announcing card stats (insider info being monetized at the expense of the players). Several of their announcements could be seen as deliberately misleading.
That being said I still see potential in the game, just not thrilled with the behavior of it's founders.
Thanks for your thoughtful response and continued efforts to pull @aggroed @yabapmatt 's heads out of the sand.
I know you've been there all along, me too... We both remember many things I'm sure the same. Let's hope they keep evolving and learn each time so this game is all it could be!
I forgot how well you write Dave. This post deserves a HUGE curie vote.
All of your points are valid and relatable.
My fear is that it will take a growing money pit to get to or stay at the TOP where all the nice rewards are distributed. Too bad the rewards are not spread out for all levels.
Thank you Mello, that is a very nice compliment... :)
And yes I know that is an issue, but I think over time that is to be expected but mitigate-able... For instance, there will be a new starter deck with the next release, and even more cards to own. Everyone will not be able to have every card ever released, let alone maxed out. I don't think there will be special combinations that will always work, as more cards get released then many combinations will be used and that is where the skill comes in. At least that is how I view it, and I have a feeling that Matt would concur as he has said many times that he tries to keep every card relevant.
Thanks for the reply and always good to see you Mello! :)
Lucky me 😂 i don't care about the bots or high level cards.. dunno how to sell but good on trade 😊 so.. I'll keep playing to have fun. Just like when ned powerdown 1,5 billion steem 😂
You are amazing Captain Cici! You have earned everyone's respect and we admire your fantastic attitude :)
can i use the teampossible tag fo any steemmonsters post?
of course you can... you are the Captain and are welcome to do as you wish! :)
Valid points, Dave.
I've been reading ghe comments too and i think I agree with @gillianpearce when she says keeping a level 1 alpha deck has become pretty useless. Same for my gold cards. Since I'll never be able to level them up, I don't see any use to keep them. In fact, I just put some of the higher priced for sale.
It's like @beeyou said: the prices of czrds keep dropping. Even the alpha, wvile you would expect that since the 'convert to beta' feature was introduced, they would go up in price.
For now I'm considering either selling my level 2 account, or maybe use my two level 4s and the level 2 to build another level 6. I'd have less accounts, ut would be perfectly happy to play some higher level delegated accounts.
T
Personally, I think the lower level accounts aren't worth the time I have to put in anymore.
Imo, things are going downhill instead of upward. Keep playing the smaller accounts becomes less interesting with every new change.
I still enjoy playing my level 6, and most of the time my level 4s, but the lower ones I consider to be a chore.
So I'm going to.update my inventory and see how far I can get. I'll never get passed level 6, because with all the new developments, I'm not prepared to spend any more money on the game. It's more like the opposite. I have the feeling I have to get as much of my investment back while I still can.
Personally, I think it would be useful if some stats would be made public. They are looking for sponsors and advertisers - which probably means their reserve is as good as gone - but there is nowhere to be found if they are actually onboarding new players which are not alts.
I find it hard to believe sponsors would be interested in a userbase that is so small that we need bots to keep the gameplay going.
I do undersgtand that growing the userbase and attracting people from.the outside is kind of diffucult when you are still tweaking the game to find the right balance. But this is season 6 FFS. How long is it going to take before they find that balance?
I just had a conversation about how it would be smarter to run the bots themselves, instead of letting a player run them. If they would be running the bots themselves, there would be a truckload of reward cards that doesn't have to be paid out. I think that would make a big difference when it comes to financing.
we have talked about much of this in discord since this comment, but I think one thing is important for me to pass along to you is that they said they have enough money on hand for 1 year's worth of tournaments... And that is a long time considering they are getting new sales everyday too... Plus they have 400k+ steem that is visible in their account, so I don't think the cash is in bad shape IMO.
I do think you are absolutely right about the userbase needing to expand and they can do things better of course with retention of actual users. As far as the game goes, like you I really like the quality of it. I also think the fact that it would be better to have their own bots is a good idea, not sure if I have heard that mentioned anywhere else before.
Thanks for the comment and honesty and also thanks for being a great teammate too :)
As standard Beta's are now not given out as rewards, it may be that they will now increase in value over time.
I completely agree they will increase over time... I think all of this is temporary as they juiced everyone in the beginning to get the word out. I am very bullish long term about the prices, but in the short run the number of cards is going to put a lot of supply and we are just absorbing it! Thanks for stopping by @slobberchops, I don't see you often but always like to see you show up on my post! :)
It may not be the same with the reward cards, as they are flooding as you say. Whether I will keep playing now, I dont know.
Taking away things is never good, and I now only get 2 cards for a Silver DQ, a substatial reduction.
The game does have something though, I have to give it to them. I hope they can improve the level of strategy. I am a long term Magic the Gathering player, and though it doesnt compare, I see similarities.
I agree they have something good and they are adding new things on a regular basis to the gameplay. I particularly like that all cards become relevant in certain situations, even at the highest levels. On the prices, I think they will find the right balance on supplying the market as they get more experience so I'm not too concerned about that.