With the Skybound Odyssey Season Patch, we decided to reintroduce Helping Hand and suspend Botfix.

The suspension of Botfix appears to have improved the gameplay experience for a large portion of the player base by removing a frustrating combo from the environment. Treyst decks continue to exist in various forms that we find more appropriate for the current meta.

The reintroduction of Helping Hand, as well as the removal of Kadigiran Mage-Dancer from the Watchlist, went smoothly, and we are pleased to have returned these tools to Yzmir players. Current results reinforce our direction, though we remain vigilant regarding the evolution of the metagame.

The Worlds provided a rich and competitive gaming experience, and we are very satisfied with the high level of play demonstrated throughout the event. The diversity observed in the meta was encouraging, despite the strong presence of certain heroes—notably Sigismar, Treyst, and several Bravos heroes—and the noticeable absence of new heroes from Skybound Odyssey.

Since the event, the situation has been moving in the right direction: new heroes are progressively gaining visibility, and the meta is expanding in an encouraging way. However, some heroes maintain a structural dominance that could limit this diversity in the long term.

With today’s patch, our goal is to share our ongoing balance work and provide insight into our current thinking. As a reminder, adding a card to the Watchlist does not necessarily mean it will eventually receive an erratum or a suspension. For instance, Kadigiran Mage-Dancer left the Watchlist without any suspension or erratum, and Helping Hand was suspended and then reintroduced without changes. Above all, this is about providing some perspective regarding our actions and targeting cards we believe contribute to certain imbalances within the meta.

This time, we have chosen to target a larger number of cards than usual to allow us to evaluate every possible path. While all these cards appear to contribute to the over-representation of their respective decks, our intention remains, as always, to limit the scope of our intervention and ensure the best possible player experience.

The first point of focus concerns Sigismar and Baba Yaga (Ordis). Several paths were considered, ranging from an erratum to a reintroduction without changes. Despite this, Sigismar continues to achieve excellent results over time, largely thanks to consistent access to card advantage, allowing for constant pressure on opponents every single day of the game. The arrival of new Starter Decks in Seeds of Unity now opens the door for adjustments targeting Heroes from the Core Set as well. We believe the problematic factor lies more with Sigismar than with Baba Yaga; therefore, Sigismar is joining the Watchlist while Baba Yaga remains Suspended.

Treyst also remains among the top-performing Heroes since the game’s launch. While his current power level doesn't justify an immediate intervention, we believe action could become relevant in the long run. As the best course of action hasn't been clearly identified yet, several key cards such as The Grems and Dr. Frankenstein, as well as Treyst himself, are being added to the Watchlist. This allows us to explore multiple balancing options.

Finally, regarding Bravos Heroes, much of the feedback has revolved on the impact of The Hunger. Although sometimes frustrating to face, we feel she plays a useful role in regulating some of the top strategies and maintaining overall meta balance. However, her specific over-representation within Bravos appears to stem from the Tiny Jinn + Haven Seiringar core. These two cards, currently the most played in the game, allow Bravos players to secure a powerful late game without losing any tempo, which tends to standardize the available lines of play. For this reason, Tiny Jinn and Haven Seiringar are also being added to the Watchlist.

• No changes : Baba Yaga (Ordis, Rare)
• No changes : Botfix (Axiom, Common & Rare)

• No changes : Moonlight Jellyfish (All Uniques)

• New : Sigismar & Wingspan
• New : Treyst & Rossum
• New : Dr Frankenstein (Axiom, Rare)
• New : The Grems (Axiom, Common and Rare & Bravos, Rare)
• New : Tiny Jinn (Bravos, Rare)
• New : Haven Seiringar (Bravos, Common)

All listed cards above are added to the Watchlist effective now.