Hello Everyone, We’ve collected all the feedback and requests about Combo Mastery and several areas of the game and would like to share with you some answers and upcoming plans. Please note that this is early information that may change, but we want the community know there are some great improvements in the works. Of course, this does not include all of the [things being worked on](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/726779-animation-throwdown/topics/938095-official-game-requests-qol-improvements), but some key areas that were brought up recently. ### BALANCE and POWER CARDS *** We’re aware that some cards have received a little extra heat for being very strong due to their skill synergy or the way the card’s stats interact with BGEs. As an alternative to simply nerfing these cards or combos, we do plan to address this through new skills, more legendary characters and object cards, more recipes, and new, different BGEs that encourage a greater variety in deck composition. Many players have inquired about the value and strength of their Power Cards. Although Power Cards have an advantage by requiring one less turn to form a combo, we are discussing changing Combo Mastery to include a buff to Power Cards. ### MORE VARIETY, MORE VALUE, and ACCESS to MORE CARDS *** As mentioned above, we agree that creating more value in the cards you acquire is important. We’ll work on a revamp to how the BGE system works and how they cycle in order to reduce the feeling that you should only focus on Combo Mastery or feeling that your cards are losing value. To help Combo Mastery and your decks grow, we may see some changes to the shop in the coming months. This includes options that let people get cards for the combos in the Mastery Shop that day, new options for using Golden Turds, and ways to explore traits outside of the current BGE. Shop improvements do not only include plans for bundles and Gem purchases, but improvements that will benefit a variety of players. Our goal is to widen the meta and increase the number of viable deck archetypes, so people will have more options for powerful combos and focus less on the few that are currently quite popular. More detail on this will be shared later, as we get closer to updates or server pushes that contain any changes. ### COMBO MASTERY LEVELS, COST, and RESEARCH TIMES *** Players have requested details about the cost increase per purchase as well as the token quantity, boost percentage, and research time needed for each level of Combo Mastery. Here are the details! | Level | Tokens Required | Boost % | Research Time | Gem Speedup Cost | |-|-|-|-| |1|5|10%|24 Hours|254| |2|25|20%|48 Hours|443| |3|100|30%|72 Hours| 771| Every time you purchase a Mastery Token pack in the same day, the price will increase. Gem packs increase by 250 Gems with each purchase. Stone packs increase by 500 Mastery Stones with each purchase. The price resets every day at 18:00 GMT at the same time that new offers become available in the Mastery Shop. This information has been added to the [Throwdown FAQ - Combo Mastery](https://animationthrowdown.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002130851-Combo-Mastery). ### MASTERY RESEARCH SPEED-UPS *** We don’t have plans to allow regular speed-ups to be used for mastery. However, mastery-specific speed-ups are in the works and will be made available as special event rewards. ### COMBO AVAILABILITY, EXCLUSIONS, ETC. *** We don’t plan to make any exclusions to which combos will be offered in the Mastery Shop. Four Combos per day is already fairly limiting, and further restricting or excluding cards is not ideal. However, for those concerned about combos that currently only have an Epic form at its highest, know that we will be adding more Legendary forms of combos! Combos from the Standard, Reward, and Premium sets are all possible in the shop’s random selection, both as Gem packs or Stone packs. If any changes are to be made, both Gem and Stone packs will be treated the same way. ### IMPROVED INTERFACE and EXPERIENCE *** Feedback and confusion over how Combo Mastery works has been noted. We’re discussing the combo preview screen and the way combo buffs are calculated, exploring ways to improve the system and make it easier to understand. We hope that you’ve taken the time to read through this and are as excited as we are about these improvements. Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions and we’ll do our best to address them. **Thank you all for playing, Animation Throwdown would truly not be what it is without each one of you! **

Caving pretty fast to applying Combo Mastery to power cards. I'm against it at this time. Seems better to wait and see how combo mastery for combos affects the overall game and viability of PCs before giving PCs a mastery boost too.

> _Originally posted by **[crimsontiger](/forums/726779/topics/1653053?page=1#12684758):**_ > Caving pretty fast to applying Combo Mastery to power cards. I'm against it at this time. Seems better to wait and see how combo mastery for combos affects the overall game and viability of PCs before giving PCs a mastery boost too. I agree. Like Modhi said, precombos (power cards) already have an advantage. They don't need to be buffed on top of that by adding Combo Mastery to them, at least not at this time.

> *Originally posted by **[FatAndy8012](/forums/727066/topics/1653053?page=1#12684761)**:* > > _Originally posted by **[crimsontiger](/forums/726779/topics/1653053?page=1#12684758):**_ > > Caving pretty fast to applying Combo Mastery to power cards. I'm against it at this time. Seems better to wait and see how combo mastery for combos affects the overall game and viability of PCs before giving PCs a mastery boost too. > > I agree. Like Modhi said, precombos (power cards) already have an advantage. They don't need to be buffed on top of that by adding Combo Mastery to them, at least not at this time. I agree with this sentiment as well. The question is who is complaining and who has the ear of the devs? I've not seen any threads or comments indicating such a need expressed by the community on the forums

Thanks for the replies so far. We've received a good amount of feedback on both sides of the concern. For now, they are evaluating the possibility of adding Mastery to Power Cards, but the plans aren't yet set in stone.

> *Originally posted by **[oilmanq](/forums/727066/topics/1653053?page=1#12684769)**:* >The question is who is complaining and who has the ear of the devs? I've not seen any threads or comments indicating such a need expressed by the community on the forums The mega whales. They're pissed their PC's are "being devalued." IMO it doesn't matter, PC's will always be useful on defense regardless.

I personally feel that applying Mastery to PC's would be a step in the wrong direction. If a player doesnt have any PC's in their deck, it's already pretty difficult to win against a deck that has several PC's. Buffing the PC's with Mastery would make it nigh impossible to beat those decks. If you are going to buff PC's, I would like a way to see PC's become more available for the general (F2P) population.

For the record, I'm also of the opinion that PCs already have their own advantages and don't need mastery buffs.

Modchi cough syrup drunk didn’t show up in the combo mAstery chamber

I also think it's a horrible idea to add combo mastery to pc cards. But I'm sure enough whale tears caused that thought. Also nerfing the OP cards/combos would be so much better. But this other solution guarantees more money being spent in game, obviously. New skills and bge's when you have too many currently will definitely take the fun out of this game and make it feel like work instead of fun. This confirms I'm done spending in this game.

If combo mastery speed ups are in the works how about putting them in the mom box or challenges.

Maybe it is a good idea to make it easier to buff epic power cards, so they will be useful a longer time. It's a huge potential which is nearly lost since unfused legs are often better than an epic PC. Would love to see more usage of the existing stuff since i'd say 80% of all combos/power cards are useful in the early game but later no one uses it anymore.

while you are updating the shop please allow us to tell you up front that we want to buy multiples of things that can purchased multiple times. For example a $5 pack that we can buy 10 of I end with my credit card getting shut down with so many small purchase in short time but have no issue with single $100 purchase. please let me tell you I want ten and make it a single $50 purchase.

Let the Combo Mastery research pod work as the 4th research pod for usual combos. People with lots of gems can research Combo Masteries all the time gaining advantage. Doing a little bit more research would let everyone else stay not so far behind.

As a whale I would also like to say that PC's should not get the combo mastery buff. If you would like to relook at some of the older PC's on an individual base that seem much weaker and give a SLIGHT (talking like 10% increases or maybe even add a 3rd skill to some, unlike combo master that could go up to 30%) buff to those older cards only to make them keep value that would be a much better thing to do rather then adding combo mastery buff to all PC. Not every PC would need the buff as they are already strong, but some of the older ones could stand to updated.

> _Originally posted by **[ModchiKopi](/forums/726779/topics/1653053?page=1#12684725):**_ > We’re aware that some cards have received a little extra heat for being very strong due to their skill synergy or the way the card’s stats interact with BGEs. As an alternative to simply nerfing these cards or combos, we do plan to address this through new skills, more legendary characters and object cards, more recipes, and new, different BGEs that encourage a greater variety in deck composition. Legendary characters? Please Lois and Dale are a must...probably Haley as well.

> _Originally posted by **[urza7772003](/forums/726779/topics/1653053?page=1#12684799):**_ > I personally feel that applying Mastery to PC's would be a step in the wrong direction. > > If a player doesnt have any PC's in their deck, it's already pretty difficult to win against a deck that has several PC's. Buffing the PC's with Mastery would make it nigh impossible to beat those decks. > > If you are going to buff PC's, I would like a way to see PC's become more available for the general (F2P) population. I agree with this. If you are going to buff power cards with combo mastery, please do it so that the boost only counts when attacking, not when defending. Otherwise pcs will become way too strong in defense decks.

> *Originally posted by **[ModchiKopi](/forums/727066/topics/1653053?page=1#12684792)**:* > Thanks for the replies so far. We've received a good amount of feedback on both sides of the concern. For now, they are evaluating the possibility of adding Mastery to Power Cards, but the plans aren't yet set in stone. PLEEEEASE do not do this to Legendary PCs! The Epic PCs should defintely get a boost, to have a fairer chance vs. their Legendary counterparts

PCs are strong enough. Don't add the mastery to it. And STILL don't see how this is really adding anything to the game. Add some depth or variety to the game, not just another way to blow gems. As a former light spender turned f2p, my gems are precious, and now I have to decide between buying cards or an occasional mastery boost to help my deck? Forcing me to choose to do some dumb mastery so I can't buy more cards? So arbitrary and unnecessary in this game.

I agree with the chorus of opinion to *NOT* add mastery to precombos/powercards.

Politely, to those who are upset about potential for pre combo cards to get a smaller buff I respectfully say this. If you spent 10,000 dollars to make an extremely powerfull siege deck, how is it fair if, for example, someone spent 300 dollars and can then just smash through and win most every match negating the pre combo. Its not a cry for more power, simply a balance. The big spenders dont post on the forums usually, we just directly email the team.a Yes precombo get an extra turn advantage, but I can surely attest that pc are already becoming very weakened by the strength of the best combos. If high school bill or diarahma gene had been maxed out in mastery now with the bge buff, no precombo in the game even has a chance. Robot fry has for the longest time dominated anything regardless of the bge, with frybot maxed in mastery pre combo are moot. Not looking for an advantage, simply a balance. Personally without having done math, i feel if a combo get 30% and pre combo should maybe get 10% or so.

No we don't, directly email the same link everyone here has. You're fishing for a conflict but I bring none sir. I'm truly sorry that people complain whales never talk, and when they do politely give their opionon... Wish you well sir.

Here's my secret weapon that no one else in the game has https://animationthrowdown.zendesk.com/hc/en-us