Hello, developer. I am Ofey, a loyal player of this mod, having cleared A20 tens of times. I would like to discuss the balance of the card High Noon.

I am not a native English speaker, so please bear with me if there are any awkward expressions or odd choices of words.


The Hermit mod is very interesting, whether in terms of gameplay, art, or the overall balance. I've beaten A20 with almost all the build strategies, but I rarely pick cards from the Strike/Defend Archetype, and I've never picked the core card High Noon.

High Noon's effect in version 1.54 is to draw a card whenever you play a Strike or Defend. It's a 2-energy skill card, 1-energy after upgrade.

In version 1.54, the power level of High Noon is insufficient for A20. It's neither a good early game card nor does it have potential for the future. The Strike/Defend Archetype has many interesting designs, but due to High Noon being too weak, it's barely playable. If High Noon can't be played, the pick rate of these cards also decreases.

Therefore, I made a balance adjustment to High Noon and tested it in over 10 A20 games. It effectively improved the experience and didn’t create an overpowered situation. (I decompiled the Hermit mod and modified the effect of High Noon for testing purposes only. I won’t distribute it and I mean no disrespect.)



Even if we reduce the cost of High Noon to 1-energy or 0-energy, it wouldn't make much difference. So, I changed it to an X-energy card.

High Noon:

1 Energy: Whenever you play a *Strike or *Defend, draw a card.
2 Energy: Gain X - 1 *Maintenance.

High Noon+:

Whenever you play a *Strike or *Defend, draw a card.
Gain X *Maintenance.

• Before upgrade, it costs 0-energy but has no effect; 1-energy gives the original effect of High Noon; 2-energy provides X-1 layers of protection.
  
  
• After upgrade, it gives the ability of High Noon at 0-energy, then provides X layers of maintenances, which means X*(3 points of Strike damage, 1 point of Dexterity).

Now it's a flexible early game card with a high upgrade priority.

Before upgrade, it can be played at 0-energy for nothing to save a draw. After upgrade, it can reliably provide card draw, or utilize the extra card draw to boost some 0-energy cards.

It’s a good pick at the start, with a lower priority than gold damage cards. You can consider picking it as a boss relic card in Act 1, depending on your deck. For example, if you have already picked up some cards from the Strike/Defend Archetype, or if your deck needs card draw and you haven't removed too many Strikes.

Another hidden benefit is that it frees up some card removal slots, which can save some gold for other purposes.




Looking at the card's impact through its numerical values:

• Early game, 3-energy consumption for 3 Dexterity and 9 Strike damage. It's like investing in Demon Form when fighting bosses. The effect is acceptable for the cost, not overpowered.
  
• Late game, 5-energy (if you have) provides 15 Strike damage and 5 Dexterity. Strikes become big Pommel Strikes dealing 21 damage for 1-energy, which is useful. But it can't solely carry a Heart fight. Drawing a blank could be a problem if this card's positioning is bad - Strike and Defend would choke you badly.

It's now a small system which can stand. Not strong enough to single carry a Heart fight, but at least it's not completely unpickable.

You need other systems for beating Act 3. From Act 1 to Act 2, it's consistently a useful card.


One of the most distinctive games I played had Showdown play all Strikes, then triggering High Noon's effect to fill the hand again, and finally Magnum to empty the hand.

It felt very much like a gunslinger, very romantic and fun. Plus, the card effects and sound-light coordination were excellent. This combo could provide around 150 burst damage, enough to defeat the Act 2 boss.

The problem is it only has one wave of damage, and it's not easy to initiate. After it's played, it affects subsequent rotations and requires other cards to supplement the hand limit. Eventually, I died due to the contradiction in this setup.

These shortcomings are also part of the balance, and I appreciate them.




High Caliber, Showdown... These cards are excellent early game cards, but the original High Noon dragged them down and left them with no future, no chance to be picked.

There are a bunch of cards similar to the Ironclad's Perfected Strike- The picker would suffer strong offensive pressure in the early game, ant these cards need to be removed later).

The X-energy High Noon design gives these cards a certain degree of future, making them pickable. Originally, these cards had strong effects but had to be given a low priority in pick order. Now they have some growth potential, which I believe is a healthier game experience.




At first glance, the combination with Take Cover seems OP, like a big Finesse, but in practice, it's not that great and certainly not a pick to win. Both are X-energy cards, so they require at least two turns to activate and require ample energy.

Don’t worry about this combo being overly OP.




The pick rate of Chemical X has increased. This has a fun role-playing feel to it: a desperado whose performance can be greatly enhanced by drugs.




High Noon has some cultural significance. Since this card bears this name, it should have some performance to match. It can be somehow weak, but it needs to be comfortable/interesting to use, or at least useful.

Even after my modifications, it's still not strong. In over half of the cases, I still wouldn't pick it, but the unique experience it provides can still bring a lot of joy. After all, enhancing the Strike/Defend is a simple, elegant design space that hasn't been explored in the original game.




This change revitalizes the cards in the Strike/Defend Archetype, adding more depth to deck building and making it more fun. I hope you will consider my proposal. The numbers might be reconsidered, but I believe this direction in mechanics is valuable.