While I understand and respect your opinion on scenarios being too easy, I think there's a fundamental difference between skewing scenarios harder or easier and letting mod sets do the rest. The difference is skill floor. Having an easy scenario with the option to crank up the difficulty lets way more people enjoy the game than the other way around. I also think that there are way more options to make the game harder than easier, and the harder options tend to be more effective anyway. Between, expert mode, heroic, standard 2 expert 2, infinity gauntlet, and the dozens of hard mod sets (which have generally gotten harder imo), you can make even the easiest scenario a decent challenge. Meanwhile, tossing a bomb scare into ronan, loki, or venom goblin will definitely make it easier, but it won't be transformative.
I would be fine with that if it’s the same difficulty as mutant genesis which I don’t think is that hard. Making it easier than mutant genesis (which I don’t think anyone complained about difficulty) I think is the wrong move. Also important note. Obviously all is my opinion! Not right or wrong.
@D20Woodworking For sure! I wouldn't have complained if it was a little harder, either. I'm just challenging the notion that we have fewer options to raise the difficulty than lower them.
Funny enough, my buying order has been pretty close to your ranking. The one difference is that I got NE before RoRS. But if I were to get the last two boxes I would buy them in that order
For a long time I was wondering why people hate Loki so much, as I didn't find him that hard, it's probably because he scales terribly between normal and expert: in my opinion when you play expert extra difficulty does not come from fighting stage 3 (not the most at least), it doesn't come from extra 3 cards, shadows of the past and advance are already in the deck, the real challenge comes from having to build up with villain already in stage 2, I don't play standard, my stage 1 villains are next to all excessive copies of resource cards, unsleeved, so for me Loki feels normal, but I understand why people might struggle - you basically start the same way in standard and expert, and having to defeat him two or three times does not change that much
Having played the box with other characters, it’s a average villain with STRONG heroes. However, the Expert side is harder than most box. I have harder time in this box than most box (except sinister and mutant). Also, you might be a bit bias because you were expecting a really difficult villain to close out the cycle.
Agreement: Loki is just a grind, he has too many hit points and if you are playing campaign, the campaign card gives him even MORE hp? No thank you. While you make fair points about "Next Evolution", I have to say that if they are going to err, I prefer they err on the easy side rather than the difficult side. After GMW, Loki, Venom Goblin, and even Magneto (to a certain extent), a more relaxing, "fun" campaign was a nice change of pace. Although having said that I do feel Stryfe is just annoying & frustrating. Trying to remember "Oh yes my cards cost 1 more, unless it's a 3 cost which is the same because I have the campaign card that reduces their cost" just gets tedious. Basing his attacks on the types of cards you had in hand was an interesting mechanic, but they should have left it at that. Great video, may not always agree with your views but always enjoy hearing them, keep up the good work. 👍
I played mostly canpaigns with my wife . And mad titan shadow is by far the most enjoyable . Not a single other box has atleast 4 out of 5 amazing encounters . And loki was way way way easier than ronan or venom goblin for us .
She’s a lost condition for all the scenarios. Can’t be dropped. I don’t think she is optional with anyone? I have to double check. Stryfe is the only one I’m not 100% on but I’m pretty sure.
@D20Woodworking True, but i don't think she's actually named on any of the cards. From what i can tell, she'll only ever be defeated if you chump block with her (which you'll never do) or through indirect damage (which you can always distribute differently). So even if you play without her, you should theoretically be ok. I haven't tried it though.
Agreed with this overall. I'd probably swap Next Evolution and Red Skull just because of my love and bias for Juggernaut, Mr. Sinister and X-Men stuff in general. I also wish they gave Colossus two thwart events or something. His tough status protection build is unbelievably fun to play, but he can't handle threat whatsoever which is so sad lol.
Agreed with regard to the final review of NeXt. FFG went too hard on the powercreep for the heroes while at the same time makingthe scenarios too easy. Funnily enough this is the exact opposite complaint people have of GMW. Hopefully Apocalypse finds that middle-of-the-road sweet spot again.
I think Caleb over the years as learned the perfect balance. I have a lot of faith in him (I do think for Tony it’s just a thing he has to learn still but definitely will)
U think hela is a good scenario??? Is the most boring thing i ever played, i actually think loki is the better villain from that box, thanos is a less memorable version of loki
While I understand and respect your opinion on scenarios being too easy, I think there's a fundamental difference between skewing scenarios harder or easier and letting mod sets do the rest. The difference is skill floor. Having an easy scenario with the option to crank up the difficulty lets way more people enjoy the game than the other way around. I also think that there are way more options to make the game harder than easier, and the harder options tend to be more effective anyway. Between, expert mode, heroic, standard 2 expert 2, infinity gauntlet, and the dozens of hard mod sets (which have generally gotten harder imo), you can make even the easiest scenario a decent challenge. Meanwhile, tossing a bomb scare into ronan, loki, or venom goblin will definitely make it easier, but it won't be transformative.
I would be fine with that if it’s the same difficulty as mutant genesis which I don’t think is that hard. Making it easier than mutant genesis (which I don’t think anyone complained about difficulty) I think is the wrong move. Also important note. Obviously all is my opinion! Not right or wrong.
@D20Woodworking For sure! I wouldn't have complained if it was a little harder, either. I'm just challenging the notion that we have fewer options to raise the difficulty than lower them.
Funny enough, my buying order has been pretty close to your ranking. The one difference is that I got NE before RoRS. But if I were to get the last two boxes I would buy them in that order
For a long time I was wondering why people hate Loki so much, as I didn't find him that hard, it's probably because he scales terribly between normal and expert: in my opinion when you play expert extra difficulty does not come from fighting stage 3 (not the most at least), it doesn't come from extra 3 cards, shadows of the past and advance are already in the deck, the real challenge comes from having to build up with villain already in stage 2, I don't play standard, my stage 1 villains are next to all excessive copies of resource cards, unsleeved, so for me Loki feels normal, but I understand why people might struggle - you basically start the same way in standard and expert, and having to defeat him two or three times does not change that much
Great video. Totally agree with you on Warlock. There is one deck to rule them all.
Great video again D20! Haven't played or been in discord in a little bit but still watch the videos! Keep it up!
Having played the box with other characters, it’s a average villain with STRONG heroes. However, the Expert side is harder than most box.
I have harder time in this box than most box (except sinister and mutant). Also, you might be a bit bias because you were expecting a really difficult villain to close out the cycle.
Agreement: Loki is just a grind, he has too many hit points and if you are playing campaign, the campaign card gives him even MORE hp? No thank you.
While you make fair points about "Next Evolution", I have to say that if they are going to err, I prefer they err on the easy side rather than the difficult side.
After GMW, Loki, Venom Goblin, and even Magneto (to a certain extent), a more relaxing, "fun" campaign was a nice change of pace. Although having
said that I do feel Stryfe is just annoying & frustrating. Trying to remember "Oh yes my cards cost 1 more, unless it's a 3 cost which is the same because I
have the campaign card that reduces their cost" just gets tedious. Basing his attacks on the types of cards you had in hand was an interesting mechanic,
but they should have left it at that. Great video, may not always agree with your views but always enjoy hearing them, keep up the good work. 👍
I played mostly canpaigns with my wife . And mad titan shadow is by far the most enjoyable . Not a single other box has atleast 4 out of 5 amazing encounters . And loki was way way way easier than ronan or venom goblin for us .
I’m here for the Loki hate.
I agree with most of the rankings but i would swap 1 and 2 in my ranking
This might be obvious but have you tried next evolution without hope for juggernaut and the other later scenarios where she can be dropped?
She’s a lost condition for all the scenarios. Can’t be dropped. I don’t think she is optional with anyone? I have to double check. Stryfe is the only one I’m not 100% on but I’m pretty sure.
@D20Woodworking True, but i don't think she's actually named on any of the cards. From what i can tell, she'll only ever be defeated if you chump block with her (which you'll never do) or through indirect damage (which you can always distribute differently). So even if you play without her, you should theoretically be ok. I haven't tried it though.
Nvm I saw a couple references for hope in mr Sinister and stryfe. But those handful of cards can easily be removed. juggernaut is fine.
alternatively, you could just give hope a 0 0 stat line. that might be the cleanest house rule
@@awesomeanimal this is what we did, turned her into a senator Kelly type card
Agreed with this overall. I'd probably swap Next Evolution and Red Skull just because of my love and bias for Juggernaut, Mr. Sinister and X-Men stuff in general. I also wish they gave Colossus two thwart events or something. His tough status protection build is unbelievably fun to play, but he can't handle threat whatsoever which is so sad lol.
Agreed with regard to the final review of NeXt. FFG went too hard on the powercreep for the heroes while at the same time makingthe scenarios too easy. Funnily enough this is the exact opposite complaint people have of GMW. Hopefully Apocalypse finds that middle-of-the-road sweet spot again.
I think Caleb over the years as learned the perfect balance. I have a lot of faith in him (I do think for Tony it’s just a thing he has to learn still but definitely will)
U think hela is a good scenario??? Is the most boring thing i ever played, i actually think loki is the better villain from that box, thanos is a less memorable version of loki