Scrolls alpha reset and the introduction of shards

 

 

So the Scrolls alpha players have had a few surprising changes to some Scrolls in recent patches. Ducal Spearman’s attack has been reduced to 1, Cannon Automaton now takes 1 less damage from all combat damage, and Unleash Inner Power now reduces health to 2. Tool Initiate has got a new skin, and his scrolls design has also changed to better reflect his ability.

Yesterday the big reset took place, meaning that all Scrolls, rankings and player statistics were wiped clean. When you log back into Scrolls now you will be asked to pick one of the three precon decks as your starter deck. Unlike previous patches, you will not have access to all three precons from the start. My understanding is that the alpha reset was designed for Mojang to test out their latest feature, shards.

Shards are Scroll's currency which you can buy with real life money to buy Scrolls from the store. The scrolls which you can buy with shards are unique to each player and will change each week. This adds an element of randomness and encourages players to trade with each other more. It also means that buying a large amount of shards won’t immediately mean you can buy a decent deck straight off the bat. 

From what I’ve seen of the reset so far, many alpha players are taking advantage of this. For my first couple of games after the reset I decided to play with the precon as it was. I went with the Energy precon as I have grown to really like playing Energy recently. I was pleased to see that not all players had chosen Energy and I actually played games against all three resources.

My first encounter was rather surprising, I had played an Iron Orge and while I sat there all pleased with myself my opponent cast Violent Dispersal on him. Poof, gone ! It hadn’t occurred to me that people may have brought shards already, and that I shouldn’t play so recklessly on the pretence that everyone is still using precons.

Overall I think the introduction of shards will add an interesting element to the game. They are fairly priced and well worth the money if you are a big Scrolls player. Considering that alpha players will also be entitled to 10% credit back on any shards they buy between now and beta release, I will definitely be investing in some !