Going first is mainly good because it allows you to pick the best card out of the starting tavern - sometimes there aren't any, sometimes there are several and the player going second actually gets to pick the better, 6 cost card.

I like the idea of giving the 2nd player a writ, though it's possible that this just flips the advantage (e.g. in TES Legends, going 2nd and getting the bonus Magicka is the prefered option). I'd like to see this at least tested on PTS, though.

The underlying problem is that the game tends to snowball hard.

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Really? I find it quite the opposite. I prefer going second.

The extra coin gives me more options, and if my opponent buys a card from the tavern, I'm armed with more info than he/she did on their first turn.

If you want to sacrifice for a writ:

• 1st player can buy a single card worth 2 or 3 coin.
• 2nd player can buy a single card worth 2, 3, or 4 coin. Or even 2x 2 coin.

If you're going to forego generating a writ:

• 1st player can buy a single card up to 5 coin. Or 2 cards worth 2 or a 2 and a 3.
• 2nd player can buy a single card up to 6 (which is typically significant), 3 cards worth 2, 2 cards worth 2 and 3, or 2 cards worth 3.

The only advantageg that playing st gets you is that you get firt crack at any card that you know you want. But even then the odds are against you that it shows up on the first flop. Too often a player will snatch a card first is because all they saw was that it was the color of the deck they prefer and grabbed it solely to make sure their opponent doesn't. But then they find themself with a card of the color they know they want, but no way to play it unless they're luck holds out and more support cards come out. But then it can be too late because they tipped their hand to their opponent that's now going to use patrons or contract cards to remove those cards from the table (or snatch them for themselves).

Given that your experience seems to be different from most people's -- what mix of patrons do you usually play?

If you are going first, the meta is that you MUST pick a patron with a power generating starter card. This way there is at least a 50% chance your opponent can't get 6 gold to buy the "winning cards" on turn one. Its not that the player who goes 2nd always gets a bad deal, its that players who go first know what decks to pick to specifically disadvantage the second player while having it not usually impact the first player as much. This becomes especially true for card options in the tavern that are 5 gold or less. With few exceptions, most cards less than 5 gold are not going to be massive game changers, so the first player can often take his pick OR burn their power generation card. Meanwhile, the second player can't usually buy a card for 2 gold (that would have been sniped by the first player already), and is forced to also burn their power generation card instead of buying a powerful 6 cost card.

One way as a player going second can perhaps mitigate this is to pick druids, since most of their strongest cards (agents) are 5 gold or less.