Hello Travelers, and welcome to the latest update for GI:GA.

No new content this time, but there are a number of character and system changes that should shake the game up quite a bit. Quite a few of these changes are meant to answer some concerns brought to my attention about the current state of the game, while others are intended more for experimentation.

I've got my eye on some other potential changes in the future, but I'd like to let this set ruminate a bit more before touching anything. In a perfect world, we shouldn't need any more updates until I have new content to add. But, that's enough of me, let's talk about the changes.

Scoring System

• The game is now won when a player reaches 20 points, instead of 18.

I'm extending the point requirement to get it up to a nice even number, and also to curb some of the off-the-wall explosivity that occurs. While a 2-point increase probably won't extend the game by more than 1 round in most cases, that 1 extra round should be monumentally helpful for teams that want to play a more reactive or methodical strategy.

Elemental Reactions

• Overload (Pyro + Electro) reworked: "Deal 1 damage to the target. This damage cannot be prevented."
  
• Superconduit (Electro + Cryo) reworked: "Deal 1 damage to the target. You may push that target up to 1 space."
  
• Barriers made through Crystallize are now limited to one per ally.

Elemental Reactions were always meant to add small instances of advantage when you triggered them, not absolute game swinging effects that turn the match on their heads. Overload's ability to just wipe entire teams out of an area and Superconduit's ability to nuke almost any full health with ease were both impacting the game far more than they should, and force team comps to need to run them. The changes to Barrier are made with a similar intent, to stop any elemental reaction from swinging the axis of power too prolifically.


Amber

• "It's Baron Bunny!" got some minor wording fixes.
  
• Fiery Rain launches 2 attacks instead of 3.

Diluc

• Flowing Flames and Blessing of Phoenix both got minor wording fixes.
  
• Conviction (talent) now grants the bonus when attacking undamaged enemies, instead of enemy characters (now works on tokens).

Hu Tao

• All the art on Hu Tao's skills have been shuffled around.
  
• Lingering Carmine's repeat trigger (when an ally is on your bench) now only repeats the initial effect, rather than the entire action (with the health pay effect, this would've been a little nutty).
  
• Lingering Carmine health payment now also places a Blood Blossom on an enemy in your space afterward.
  
• Butterfly's Embrace health payment now gives you the option to repeat the skill instead of gaining an extra action.
  
• Spirit Soother now also performs the extra attack if there's an ally on your bench.
  
• Garden of Eternal Rest (talent) allied death trigger now draws 2 skills instead of 1.

Hu Tao's skills, burst and talents often ask her to pay rather high costs in exchange for their benefits, and right now I don't feel that she's being rewarded enough for doing so. Most of her alternative costs now have stronger or more flexible benefits to actually make these high costs worth the investment.

Mona

• Waterborne Destiny slightly reworked: "When you draw any skills, draw 1 extra. If you do, place a skill from your hand on the bottom of your deck, or trash a skill." Overall this should be a buff.

Ningguang

• Trove of Marvelous Treasures no longer discards Jade Stars when Ningguang is defeated.

Ningguang is already putting herself dangerously close to the front line to acquire her alternate resource, so I don't believe she should be punished for having an active playstyle.

Razor

• All instances of "marked" have been made more pronounced.

Rosaria

• Regina Probationum wording fixed to address where the gem is gained from (the supply, not thin air).
  
• Divine Retribution (talent) wording adjustment to indicate that the turn doesn't end until the skill finishes resolving (this was always the intent, but it's still effectively a nerf).

Xingqiu

• Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen wording adjusted to prevent confusion.

Other Changes

• All Tokens and Markers that are character specific now have stock numbers in the bottom right. These numbers indicate how many copies of that card would exist in a physical version of the game, and the maximum number of allied copies that you can produce at a time.
  
• The Feedback Form has been updated with more precise response opportunities. Thanks for all the feedback so far, everyone!

That's all for today. Until we meet again, stay safe, stay well, and stay sharp.