Rotation list for BLOOD & IRON

Hello friends!

A new expansion is on the horizon with Blood & Iron and as usual it will include us moving cards to the Reserve Pool and returning a few choice ones. In this short dev blog we will take a look at the key highlights of what is happening with rotation this time around.

A total of 107 cards are rotating out. It is roughly the same number from each major nation, though the rarity distribution is not always the same. This is because the cards returning from the Reserve Pool (now and previously) have not always had equal numbers of each rarity for the nations and we are using this opportunity to get closer to equality between the nations. 20 cards are then returning fresh and eager from the Reserve Pool. The returning cards are specifically chosen to align well with the themes explored in the new expansion.

On the cards being reserved front, there are a few overarching themes to note. Brother In Arms is now up for rotation for the first time, so you will find a few cards from that expansion. In Covert Operations we started rotating out Pincer units and the last of them are rotating out now, meaning there will be no Pincer cards left in the active pool. Rotating out whole mechanics is something we are starting to employ more heavily to keep the overall complexity of the game low for new players. This does not mean that these mechanics are necessarily gone for good, but will most likely not return unless we are returning to explore that mechanic some more. You will notice a fair few key Mobilize cards are being rotated this time around. Mobilize is another mechanic we want to give a bit of time on the sidelines in the near future.

Benching cards temporarily is something we also like to do for individual cards. Often these are cards that have become very integral in the meta and need a bit of timeout to give room for other options to be explored. Sometimes these are cards that we intend to rework in the future and we prefer to heavily rework cards returning from the Reserve Pool rather than while they are still active.

Enough ramblings, let us now look at what is rotating out for each nation:

Card Rotation by nation

Britain

Notable cards that have seen some play: 1st Airborne, Secret Operatives, 2nd Para C, ATS, East Surrey Regiment, Sea Patrol, RNZAF Kittyhawk.

Britain is not losing any key cards from their most popular decks this time around. The loss of 1st Airborne and Secret Operative is certainly the final death knell for the Mobilize deck and the loss of 2nd Para C and RNZAF Kittyhawk will sadden those that enjoy shenanigans.

Britain is getting three cards back - MONTY, No. 3 COMMANDO and DOWDING SYSTEM. Two of those cards are seeing a bit of a change though:

The old Monty was one of the terrors of early British Control and made decks like Brit Air significantly stronger. We want to keep Monty an important piece of the meta, but not quite as potent. It is now no longer able to pin the whole enemy board and makes it more important to position your units correctly. The draw is now unconditional however.

The No. 3 Commando sees a very minor facelift. This makes it slightly stronger, and it fits now much better with the 4-attack or more theme of the expansion. We don’t anticipate it to show up regularly despite this buff, but it can be a nasty counter to certain decks.

Germany

Notable cards that have seen some play: Gebirgs-Pionier 95, Propaganda, 1097. Volksgrenadier, Heinkel He 115, 101. Infantry Regiment, 15 cm Autokanone, 989. Infantry Regiment, Me Bf 109 G, Eagle Day.

Germany is losing several important cards, especially the two elites mentioned above - the Heinkel and the Autokanone. Both have seen heavy play. Gebirgs-Pionier 95 is a great accelerator for aggro and some midrange decks and its loss will be felt.

Germany is getting four cards back - FAST HEINZ, WIRBELWIND, RALLY and PANZER II-C. Fast Heinz and Wirbelwind remain the same and are certain to see play in aggressive German tank strategies, just like in days of yore. Rally is back to counter those pesky pin shenanigans, but Panzer II-C sees some changes:

The old Panzer II-C saw very little play except a few times in draft. One of the themes of the new expansion is to explore the Veteran mechanic further and we want to give Germany a solid Veteran payoff card. The new Panzer II-C fits the bill perfectly.

Soviet

Notable cards that have seen some play: Road to Berlin, Bryansk Irregulars, Close Combat, Five Year Plan, Great Patriotic War.

Most Soviet decks are more or less intact, though the loss of Bryansk Irregulars will hurt many slower Soviet decks. The biggest impact is the loss of Great Patriotic War, which has been a lynchpin in several combo-decks in the past, most notably the Push deck.

The Soviets are getting four cards back - ZHUKOV, SIBERIAN TRANSFER, 214th AMUR and MOBILE DEFENSE. None of them are seeing any changes.

Siberian Transfer and 214th Amur are now back from their short vacation, full of vigor and vodka, and ready to support the strong T-34 theme in the new expansion. Mobile Defense is also a solid defensive option that can replace Bryans Irregulars in many decks. The fact it adds tanks can also be helpful, for instance with the recently changed SU 85.

USA

Notable cards that have seen some play: 99th Infantry Battalion, Island Hopping, C-47 Skytrain, M-16 Halftrack, 106th Quartermasters, Battery, Manpower, ASW Patrol.

USA is losing several strong cards. Losing the early power of 99th Infantry Battalion and the versatility of the M-16 Halftrack weakens the strong US frontline deck and it will need to find good replacements. Losing access to 106th Quartermasters and ASW Patrol weakens some ramp builds, but the deck should have enough redundancy for now for the impact to be limited.

The US are getting four cards back - PATTON, M4A1, M4A2 and M4A3R3 ZIPPO. As can be clearly seen, the focus of the returning cards is very much on Sherman tanks. Just in time for more Sherman related goodies in the new expansion! One of the returning cards is seeing a slight change:

The M4A2 was always a bit clunky as a 6-drop, but is a significantly more threat now as a 5-drop.

Japan

Notable cards that have seen some play: Honorable Death, Scouting Party, Bombing Raid, Island Defense, N1K-J Shiden, Ki-100 Goshiken.

Japan is losing some strong cards, especially the two elites above - Bombing Raid and Shiden, which have been mainstay of many Japanese decks for years. Shiden especially will be missed by all OTK aficionados out there. Honorable Death is also a heavily used removal that will be missed.

Japan is getting four cards back - ADMIRAL YAMATO, AICHI D3A-1, 61st INFANTRY REGIMENT, J1N1 GEKKO. The two big additions are Aichi D3A-1 and the solid 61st Infantry Regiment. The latter helps slower Japanese decks, while the Aichi saw heavy play in aggressive decks. It is seeing a bit of a change though:

Coming out on turn 2 the Aichi often completely took over the battlefield. It now comes out a turn later, but is cheaper to operate to compensate. This nerfs it slightly, but it is still a very potent unit. Important Note: This card is still in heavy testing alongside the balance patch that will drop alongside the expansion. It may see some further adjustments.

Minor Nations

Notable cards that have seen some play: Arming the Resistance, Potez 63.11.

The days of resistance have long since passed - Armind the Resistance is the last such card to leave the active pool. Now that all the resistance is all in the Reserve Pool, time to return them reworked? Stay tuned next year. Potez is the key card for the Mobilize deck, which has mostly moved into obscurity now. Perhaps a bit of time on the sidelines allows it to come back stronger later?

The list of reserved minor nation cards is fairly short - Finland for instance has no reserved cards yet. If only minor nations would get more cards than the small amount each expansion…

That is it for now. Stay tuned for the spoiler season of the new expansion and the various other goodies we have to prepare you for the new expansion dropping November 28th. Until then, see you on the battlefield, commander.