Preview Eternal – breath of fresh air in the genre of TCG

Eternal is still in the early access, and its creators are remarkable because they have already released two very successful CCT: of The Elder Scrolls Legends and the Pokemon the TCG . In Russia, it publishes a company of Mail.ru , and about the fourth of August, will start closed beta test of the Russian version. What this is a card game?

The easiest way to explain it as an ideal and quite balanced symbiosis of Magic The Gathering and the Hearthstone . Gameplay component takes a lot more from the first: there are many similar classes, abilities and spells, but instead of the usual for casual TCG accumulation of “mana” is necessary to spread the runes on a par with the creatures. But in terms of interface, visual performance, animation and even playing field – it is very similar to the Hearthstone . All for the sake of casual fans Hartstouna feel at home and penetrates much deeper mechanics without difficulty. And I must say, this hybrid works quite well, because it takes into account both achievements and mistakes spiritual ancestors.

The beginning and the basic information

Let’s start with the basics. The game meets a rather pleasant and intuitive menu that interactively “alive”, playing stylish backdrop. For beginners it is strongly recommended to go to a campaign training, and without it to understand the basics of Eternal is really not so easy, especially if your experience is limited to the CCT any kazualschina. With the passage of the campaign explains all the basic mechanics, types of cards, and even some tricks, but then pops up and the main disadvantage – the original universe. Understand the disassembly (sorry) regular fictional knights, court jesters and witches have absolutely no desire, but for an understanding of meta is, thank God, it is not necessary. In addition, most creatures anyway is another standard for the combination of high-fantasy archetypes.

During the passage of campaign you will unlock all the basic “one-color” deck. Set of runes (ie land) there is quite standard: red – fire rune, green – order, purple – shades, blue – the elements, and the yellow – time. But, as in the of MTG, the real masters will be able to collect a deck of two, and sometimes three runes, good standard of its size – 75 cards, including cards of power (because for some reason translated the runes, when these are referred to in the third person) about 25.

the tide of battle

In combat, each player has 25 life, and no special characters in the Hearthstone , is not here – just no noncommittal avatar and totem decoration to your taste. Starting hand can be replaced, but only completely and once, so make it worth only in extremely unfavorable conditions. If the deck a lot of cheap things, in the beginning to have enough for two or three runes.

The combat system is virtually identical to the system of MTG and thus differs significantly from the HS.

First laid Fleece (one per turn), then, if they have enough, everything else: creatures, spells and weapons. Attack phase here simultaneously for all player’s units, first select creatures that want to put on board the ship, then click the button “Attack”.

The defender can choose: to beat his creatures (which can be multiple units “pile” at one of the enemy), or keep them for a counterattack.

Choose whom you attack specific (character or a creature), it is impossible, so it is always necessary to carefully calculate the amount of damage and the lives of their wards. Moreover, damage to the attacker in the case of an unequal struggle is not duplicated and divided: you will choose whom to strike first and who will receive the blocking of “remnants”.

All the attackers lose the “force” on the next move, and have to be protected by others (with the exception of certain types of creatures, as later) or receive juicy slap in the face. But, fortunately, all surviving creatures fully compensate health at the end of the course, so there is often necessary to save “meat” than to try to change everyone.

From personal experience I can say that “HSery” Getting to be constantly trying to pull his arm being yourself, and forget about the distribution of damage in attack and defense, but at the end of training can be successfully reconstructed.

creatures

Types of creatures here a lot, but in contrast to the same the HS, they do not matter – at least at first glance. I did not come across the cards that could give a bonus to all the “beasts” or delete the “demon” to choose from. But at the creatures have special “skills”, which is 3-4 per capita.

Basic will not list, focus on just those on mechanics differ from the Hearthstone (sorry for example HS explain and compare the easiest):

Flight – one of the most important abilities, which to some extent compensates for the lack of the two lines in the TES: Legends (find this gameplay I really liked). The bottom line is that the flying creatures can not be blocked by ground, but do attack and block anyone want;

• Poison – a creature kills any defender with one blow;
• Flash Attack – being does not receive a response damage if damazhit tightly;
• Suppression – when is “unspent” Done after the block, he flies through the hero;
• Stealing Life – “vampirism”, but treating the hero, not the “Vampire”;
• Intrigue – bonus (like “a + 1 / + 1” or “draw a card”) is activated when the first attack of the hero this creature;
• Stealth – allows you to attack without the ability to block;
• Readiness – being does not lose “power” for the attack, it is impossible to pin down (frosts analog) or zaminusovali;
• Aegis – being can be hurt only physical damage;
• hand of fate – a bonus is triggered when the card is taken from the deck;
• Ambush – being can enter the field even during the attacks of the enemy;
• Echo – you draw a card and get a copy of it (works great in combination with cards like “Draw two cards and remove one hand from the top of the deck”);
• Hunting – allows you to select any one time being a target for enemy attack (even fly);
• Hellbent – creature can not attack;
• Rock – being right out on the battlefield in the selection of the deck and then takes another card (something similar happened in the TES Legends at runes loss)
• Evocation – Bonus is triggered when the output power of your map (runes);
• Lost Girl – a bonus is triggered when your character will regenerate.

Perhaps a partial list, but 90% are listed here accurately. Also there are creatures and spells, worse, if you have already competed for a certain number of specific runes, and the effect can grow with new runes even after the cards on the battlefield.

Weapons and spells

Is the game and the weapons, and given it is not on the n-Noe number of moves or strikes, and with a certain amount of “armor”, so that the enemy would first have to destroy all your creatures, and then the weapons to start inflict damage directly to your hero .

However, if these weapons to beat the enemy creatures, and not a defenseless opponent, “armor” will act accordingly attack these creatures. Beat, incidentally, can be both before and after the attack phase.

With regard to all spells and bonuses, they are almost less than the units themselves. And there is a classic spell in the spirit of “lightning strike damage by 2” and “fast” – they can be applied already after identified the attackers and defenders ligament beings in the midst of the attack phase.

For example, attacking a 2/2 creature, I come across an enemy 4/4, but added quickly spell +2 damage, get profitable, and most importantly for an unexpected enemy exchange.

Anyway, remember how in Hearthstone , you can arrive just in time for a long time combination, neatly spread one after the other creatures, and then because of the cheat spells or enemy combination of losing the whole army and lose the battle? Here you will not see this, but the local tricks here in abundance.

modes

In addition to the campaigns you expect two more PvE mode and three PvP. In Test mode, in turn, offer to fight with the family growing in complexity bots, and more and takes away, the richer you get trunks.

By the way! For victories in regular fights here, too, give these same trunks varying degrees of high cost, from Gold tumbled, new maps, and sometimes whole boosters. So, your humble servant at the first attempt but stumbled on the last “boss”, so that, as long as the suit was.

Mode “Forge of the Worlds” – this is a draft, that is, first collect a deck of cards offered to choose from, and then are fighting against bots. But with all the favorites you take away the card itself, so entering this mode is not free, but for once, for the passage of campaign and tests, give it a try.

Among PvP modes, too, everything is standard: normal “friendlies” and rank fights again draft.

League system in grades usual – at the beginning of the game “kvalifaery” to determine your level of skill, and then you go to rot in the lower bronze league, because he lost all Koreans, who began Donato in the Eternal before, how did you know about the existence of the CCT.

In general, if you like card games and have the time to patiently build a winning deck – throw everything in that you play there, and welcome to the Eternal !