I'm posting the Monthly Build a few days early in case, like last month, busted stuff reveals itself in the coming days. One of the biggest changes in this update is somehow kinda small. A card called Vers Aura has been added to most card sets. It's a little 2 cost that I'm hoping will break up the sort of homogeneity of many early-game spread. It allows you to duplicate a resource of another card when played during combat. My intention is for this card to have neither the deck-altering significance of Rethink, nor the temporary, depreciating boost of Caress. Instead, Vers Aura is a card that I think will be mildly useful in combat in the early game, but will improve somewhat as you refine your deck. It's never going to be good-good, but the fact that it can duplicate the resources of a multi-resource card might give it some late-game combat utility that other 2 costs are lacking.
More mechanically significant is the reintroduction of artifact type cards. Artifacts are cards that, when played, are removed from your deck and stored in a tray at the top-left of your game, where their passive effect is monitored. Leg Lengtheners is a good, standard example of how these cards work. While active, its passive effect is "Whenever you complete a combo that includes Vicious (the little brown paddle symbol,) deal an extra point of heat." Most of the artifacts have simple proc -> effect mechanics like this, except for my Favorite one, Borrowed Silver. This artifact has an on-play effect, the only one of the new artifacts that does. It gain you some coins, then removes itself from your deck. When you end a turn (or go to combat) with a certain number of coins left unspent, it discards itself. A fancy coin that's only a 1-off unless you work a little to get it back in your deck.
The last Biggest Deal in this new update is Stage Rewards. Now, when you beat a boss, (presently when you be The boss, since we haven't added content after beating the second boss,) you get to choose a reward with which to enter the next stage. This means healing! Or some other boon! The actual numbers and balance of this system are basically untested, so feedback would be lovely. Anyway, I'm gonna go work on designing the boss of the WIP Stage Three, now! (I'm thinking a ghostly dullahan with a big, spectral cock?) I hope you all enjoy the build! Let me know what you think of it and if you have any ideas for what I should add or change going foreward. Thank you all so much for your support!
New Cards:
Vers Aura
Web of Desire
Borrowed Silver (artifact)
Leg Lengtheners (artifact)
Portable Pole (artifact)
Cursed Jewel (artifact)
Changed Cards:
Brutal Domination - Deals more heat but adds no resource
Host's Oath - cost reduced from 5 to 3
Mechanical Changes:
Gartner Snake and Milksnake penalty reduced from 3 heat to 2 heat
Changes boss timing - Boss appears on turn 6 instead of 5, and advances on turn 12 instead of 6
Card lists adjusted
New art:
added art to Witches Kiss
added art to Extended Foreplay
Other Changes:
Visual and sound effect added for when you take Heat
Stage rewards added
incorrect preview information fixed on Reversal Hex and Mirror Form