Every Animal Its Own: Den Keepers, Sun Rock and the End of the Look-alikes
Deck science · whale shark, atlantic horseshoe crab, desert horned lizard, white stork, laranja killifish, black legged tick, chandgadi caecilian, sun rock
In our last patch we retired seasons and gave cold-blooded creatures Basking, then rebuilt a big part of the mammal and insect pool. This time we went through everyone else: reptiles, amphibians, birds, arachnids, fish, the Pistol Shrimp, and every Habitat and Action.
The rule was the same as last time. If a card is already good, we left it alone. We only touched cards that were bland, that were near-copies of another card, or that cost too much for what they did.
Fewer look-alikes
Wilder had four different 1-Energy 1/2 creatures with Camouflage and Ambush, and a few others that were simply weaker versions of a neighbour. Every animal deserves to play like itself, so several of them picked up a mechanic that fits the real animal.
Reptile changes
Desert Horned Lizard: Blood Squirt (2 Energy). Pacify an enemy creature. It squirts blood from its eyes to send predators packing.
Pig-nosed Turtle: gains Resilient. Its leathery shell takes a beating and keeps on paddling.
Amphibian changes
Chandgadi Caecilian: now has Camouflage and Venom (was Camouflage and Ambush). Caecilians have glands at the base of their teeth that may produce venom.
Lemur Leaf Frog: gains Resilient. One population has held on through the chytrid fungus that wiped out its neighbours.
Arachnid changes
Black-legged Tick: Venom becomes Toxin. Ticks don't kill on the spot. They wear their host down slowly.
Cordyceps Spider: now has Camouflage and Toxin (was Camouflage and Ambush). It looks like a spider taken over by fungus, and now it plays like an infection.
Limagigi Jumping Spider: gains Feast (+1/+1). It stalks insects and pounces from several body lengths away.
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab: Blue Blood (3 Energy). Restore 3 Life to your Den. Its blue blood is used to keep medicines and vaccines safe.
Bird changes
Eurasian Oystercatcher: gains Feast (+1/+0). Its chisel-like bill pries open mussels and cockles.
Ghana Cuckooshrike: now 2/2 with Camouflage and Flock (was 1/2, Camouflage and Ambush). It forages with mixed flocks high in the canopy.
White Stork: now 3/3, draws a card when played, and loses Ambush. In folklore the stork delivers. Here it delivers a card.
Fish changes
Laranja Killifish: when it dies, shuffle a Laranja Killifish into your deck. When the pool dries up, its eggs wait in the mud for the next rain.
Nurse Shark: gains Guardian. Nurse sharks rest in piles on the reef floor, and it's hard to get past them.
Whale Shark: gains Guardian and Filter Feed (2 Energy). Restore 2 Life to your Den. The biggest fish in the sea eats plankton, and small fish shelter in its shadow.
Habitats and Actions
Shed Skin: now 1 Energy (was 2). Shedding is quick work for a reptile, so it should be quick to play.
Sun Rock: your Desert creatures now get +1/+0 (was +0/+1). A warm rock is where reptiles get their strength.
New ways to play
Den Keepers. Whale Shark and Atlantic Horseshoe Crab join the Chimpanzee as Den healers. Put them behind Guardians and see how long your opponent can keep up.
Sun Worshippers. Sun Rock now gives Desert creatures +1 Attack. With Thorny Devil and Desert Horned Lizard holding the line while they Bask, a Desert reptile deck can hit surprisingly hard.
Slow Poison. Black-legged Tick and Cordyceps Spider bring Toxin down to 1 Energy. Every creature they touch is permanently weaker.
Back from the Mud. Laranja Killifish joins the Eastern Cottontail: when it dies, another one goes into your deck.
What's next
Every family has now had its first design pass. Next up are featured decks built around the combinations above, and a closer look at the smallest families. The Pistol Shrimp is still the only crustacean in the wild, and we'd like to give it some company.
Every change in this patch is versioned, so we can measure how the wild shifts and keep tuning. See you out there.