Low Level PvP Is Valid!

[JaredSpellFrost]

So on KI live yesterday, this was said:

What I'd like to focus on in this post is the fact that KingsIsle is against low level PvP, an opinion which I personally find to be ridiculous. To be clear, when I say "low level PvP" I refer to levels 1-19, but the "leagues" for these levels should be 1-9 and 10-19, to keep things fair.
For some context, during the 4th Age I managed to get my level 17 Balance up to the Veteran rank and managed to get a Level 3 Storm geared up for some PvP. I quit once Treasure Card level cap* were introduced though, as that ruined my strategies and I couldn't find any guides that took these changes into account. For me, low level PvP is the ideal since the strategies are simpler, prep work is easier, the matches go by faster, and overall it's less stressful!


So to see KingsIsle so callously delete low level PvP from the face of the Spiral with the 5th Age update and then turn around and rub this salt in the wound is just excruciating. I want to be able to enjoy low level PvP, but now I can't even practice against other Players since Ratbeard removed that too! I don't possess the knowledge nor the gear to "level up" to the nearest league, and I shouldn't be forced to do so either. There are plenty of Players like myself enjoy this simpler (Yet no less valid) form of dueling, so what's the point in actively taking options away from us?



I honestly don't understand why KingsIsle is so openly prejudiced against low level PvP. From banning us in Tournaments to letting Deckathalon decks, Spellements, Lore spells, and item cards ruin the meta, the only thing more neglected nowadays is Derby (@Caspeen). The simple facts of the matter are that low level duelists exist and we enjoy what we do, so a PvP centric update should respect that! I mean at this point, all the villains in the Spiral can't compare to what Ratbeard has destroyed.

@Sparck @Ratbeard @Eric Stormbringer




*This was a positive update for us low level Duelists, as it made the playing field a bit more fair. However, it opened up an unhealthy reliance on niche and OP item cards such as Royal Triton which was never addressed.

[Sierra SeaSong]

I believe what they said is it was too gimicky as evidenced by the fact TC level restrictions, niche item cards, etc. impacted it so heavily.

By only having a few bands hopefully queues will be more active. Time will tell I guess.

[JaredSpellFrost]

I believe what they said is it was too gimicky as evidenced by the fact TC level restrictions, niche item cards, etc. impacted it so heavily.

"Gimicky" is a good word to describe the state of low level PvP before it was erased. But to just get rid of it entirely to "solve" these issues feels like twisted Thanos logic to me.. And I think everyone can agree that gimicky PvP is better than none at all!

By only having a few bands hopefully queues will be more active. Time will tell I guess.

I don't think that excluding entire leagues of Duelists from the Arena will improve queue time. And even if it does, this is hardly fair to Players who PvP outside of the available leagues! Plus, removing the Membership/Crown requirement for ranked is sure to keep queues moving fast across all level bands, so I would say it's worth sacrificing some potential efficiency for greater accessibility.

[RookieRecurve]

I am bummed to see low level PVP disappear too. I enjoyed farming for gear for my low level accounts, and the small deck size. It definitely needed some changes to balance it out, but it was an unfortunate choice to eliminate it all together. I really don't know what to do with some of those characters. Starting over in a new bracket, and getting new gear is not appealing.