As collectible as LoR might be, as friendly as it is to craft “Tier 1” decks, if the gameplay isn’t fun, then I’m not going to keep playing it.
Which is a shame because LoR does a lot of things right, and Riot even improved on my initial gameplay gripes with the game (showing the top 40% of cards in hand as opposed to top 15%, spells displaying their text for longer, if only marginally).
Something LoR is said to do “better than Hearthstone”, is being able to counter spells played by your opponent during their turn - like in MTG. Unlike MTG however, in LoR, they feel deceptively meaningful. As in, it might affect the outcome of that turn, but it doesn’t affect the outcome of the game very much. LoR is still very much minion/board-control based and every card is a resource. Sure, you might have an OHHHHHHHH!! moment Denying some spell, but you’re still facing down 4 minions that you can’t kill (and blocking only stalls that), so you lose. In MTG, creatures are spells too, so you can potentially block an opponent’s entire tempo on that turn.
But after playing many digital CCGs, a main factor for me personally to stick with a CCG, is in how you play on tempo. There is some decision-making in choosing to attack right away or play a card first, but again, it feels deceptively meaningful. I’ll just cash in that damage right away before my opponent can spend their mana on something to block. Oh, they’re below 10? They’re just dead. Well that was fun.?
Now, I could go through and argue why MTGA and Eternal, which both have blocking and counterspells, feel more fun and meaningful to play. But this is more about LoR. LoR’s spells are simply overcosted for the effect they have on the game. They are a huge tempo loss, and spells are already supposed to be a tempo loss. Now this is a generalisation, as I’m aware of cheap buff spells that can be quite effective, and LoR can save up to 3 spell mana. But let’s look at their single target removal. For 3 mana you can kill 1 unit with 3 or less power. For 7 mana you can kill a unit. In Eternal you have spells that do the same thing for 1 and 4 mana, respectively. With how easy it can be to swarm the board with 1/1s and 2/2s in LoR, Culling Strike is just meaningless beyond the current turn, and you’re down a card afterwards. I have more satisfaction playing something like an Avarosan Marksman or even a Mystic Shot.
I just don’t get much satisfaction winning abruptly, as lots of games with developed boards go, or losing abruptly too, with no meaningful gameplay to swing the outcome. The other CCGs have more back and forth and change in decisions depending on the situation. I play against a friend who has played more and got Level 13 vaults. I win 2 games because I tempo out and “cash in the damage” at the start of the round. They didn’t have anything they could do. In HS I can hold against a Pirate Warrior and feel satisfaction as I hold from 3HP and claw my way back. In LoR I just hope my opponent only gets to have 2 minions on board max every turn and then I drop Hecarim and whatever and win. Hmm… that was abrupt. Fun?
I just watched Swim play, they had 4 minions out, attacks right away to “cash in the damage”. Opponent had 2, chooses to only block with 1, BOOM, Swim buffs up with Transfusion and something else, 13 damage for the win. Fun?
Anyway, I might just be singling LoR out here, but the back and forth is important to me. LoR has it, but I don’t feel it. So, yes it can be a good CCG for people, but it is not just a “objectively better you should switch from HS now” sort of CCG.
