Ahoy Blitzers!

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve just rolled out another massive update to start off the year right that addresses numerous bug fixes, interesting card changes and adds three playable mercenaries to Tusk Tales. We can’t thank you enough for your unwavering support and the wealth of feedback provided since day one!

As you know, community feedback is essential, especially for an early access title like Cross Blitz! The more you share feedback, the more it helps us in the process of crafting the best deck-builder experience possible. Thus, feel free to reach out to the Cross Blitz crewmates and share your first impressions and suggestions on our official Discord: https://discord.gg/takoboystudios

We’ve recently updated our Early Access Roadmap. After assessing the game’s launch and working to address various feedback, we’ve adjusted our development schedule for future updates. You can check out the new Roadmap below!



This early access journey has just begun and we cannot wait to unveil everything we have in store for you!

Changelog - Update 0.7.5:

Bug Fixes:

• [Battles] Fixed a bug showing red pixels after using Blade Bomb.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug where Dungeon Keeper's effect would sometimes fail or only give half a Death effect.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug causing Petal Mage's selection effect to display over her sprite.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug that allowed the player to activate their Blitz Burst during combat.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug that allowed the player to activate their Blitz Burst using right-click.
  
• [Battles] Fixed several bugs related to Transform effects.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug where Mimicking Melody incorrectly put Autocast cards in the player’s hand.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug where Lilly Lulls incorrectly put Autocast cards in the player’s hand.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug that caused crashes when loading matches with old save files.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug where Brigade Traps could give you Autocast cards.
  
• [Battles] Fixed bugs relating to Chaotic Cauldron and targeting.
  
• [Battles] Fixed a bug where Bello incorrectly Lifesteal sometimes.
  
• [Fables] Fixed a bug in the “Save Admiral Brass” accolade where it sometimes wouldn't trigger.
  
• [Fables] Fixed a bug in the “Trigger 2 Riff effects” accolade.
  
• [Fables] Fixed a performance issue when moving to the match results screen from Fables.
  
• [Tusk Tales] Fixed text formatting issues with the cursed spirit.
  
• [Tusk Tales] Fixed a bug where Drivel would reward the Boogie Blues Axe even if you didn't beat him by generating more sound.
  
• [Tusk Tales] Fixed a bug that allowed the player to duplicate their Blitz Burst at Campfires.
  

Balance Changes & Improvements:

• - [Battles] Minions that are evolved will not gain summoning sickness.
  
• - [Tusk Tales] Balance across Tusk Tales battles improved.
  
• - [Tusk Tales] The likelihood of a specific card appearing across a run is now decreased based on the number of copies of that card already present in your deck.
  

Developer Note: We've fine-tuned the card appearance rates to enhance deck diversity and strategic gameplay. Now, the probability of receiving a specific card as a reward will dynamically decrease the more copies of that card you already have in your deck. This change aims to encourage players to diversify their decks and explore a wider variety of card combinations, promoting a more balanced and engaging experience for everyone from beginners to Tusk Tales veterans.

• [Tusk Tales] The cost of adding a trinket to a card will now increase 50g with each trinket already equipped to that card.
  

Developer Note: We've noticed a trend where players were heavily investing in trinkets for lower-cost cards, skewing the intended game balance and strategy. To address this, we're introducing a new pricing model for trinkets. The cost of adding a trinket to a card will now increase 50g with each trinket already equipped to that card. We're hoping this increase in cost will encourage players to distribute their trinket enhancements more evenly across their decks, rather than overloading a single card with multiple trinkets.

• [Tusk Tales] The cost of selling a card will now double from the last sell price (20g, 40g, 80g, 160g)
  
• [Tusk Tales] An additional Cost requirement has been put on some Trinkets (see cards section).
  
• [Tusk Tales] Relic slots on new mercenaries are now unlocked from the start, replaced by unlocking new relics which are added to run pools.
  

Developer Note: Now all mercenaries will start with 4 relic slots, and the upgrade section will unlock new Relics for all future Tusk Tales runs. If you’ve already purchased the slot upgrades, the relics will be unlocked automatically.

Improved Tusk Tales UI Flow

• [Tusk Tales] The hover tooltip was moved to the side, shown over your deck, allowing you to see the map more clearly.
  
• [Tusk Tales] Removed the pointer hands that would display over nodes you were able to click on. Now, a more clear arrow sprite is shown.
  
• [Tusk Tales] When hovering over a future node, you'll see all potential routes highlighted that can lead you to that node.
  

• [Fables] The player can now change their deck with arrows on the Fables Map Screen.
  
• [Fables] Adjusted accolades in Redcroft and Violet's stories for enhanced engagement and to promote diverse deck building.
  

Developer Note: We're motivating players to explore various deck strategies for completing accolades. We recognize that deck building can be challenging, and not all players may prefer experimenting with different decks. To balance this, we're increasing the Dawn Dollars reward for initial victories. We feel if we encourage a wide variety of decks, players will have more success with harder modes, leading to a more rewarding gameplay experience.

• [Fables] Decks now keep their cards after a respec and are shown as missing.
  
• [Fables] Added Sub-cards to shops.
  

Card Changes

NEW CARDS

:

Puff Platoon Flag [Relic]

The first card you add to any deck each turn adds a second copy.

Pirate Prince's Crown [Elder_Relic]

Your Puff Caps are Golden Puff Caps.

Golden Puff Cap [Spell]

Autocast: Give a random friendly minion +1/+1 or a random enemy minion -1/-1.

Banshee Boomstick [Relic]

After you play your first Spell in a turn, give a minion in your hand +1/+1 and Flux.

Blood Bangles [Relic]

Once per turn, when your minion takes damage during your turn, negate it.

Chromatic Keyboard [Relic]

After you play a normal Groupie, transform it into a random special Groupie.

Rumble Ring [Relic]

Old: After you cast a spell, deal 1 damage to the enemy hero.
New: Start of Game: Add 2 Fists from a random spell school to your hand.

Blaze Fist [Spell] [Token] (1)

Give a minion +1 Power. If it has Hothead, give it Relentless.

Demon Fist [Spell] [Token] (1)

Deal 2 Draconic Damage. Excess hits the enemy hero.

Workshop Table [Elder_Relic]

After a friendly Golem dies, add a Blueprint to your hand.

Pluckbot [Minion] (3/1/4) [Golem]

Can block Flying minions. Played: Steal a Trap from your opponent.

Pyre Stone [Relic]

Your minions have Hothead.

CHANGES:

Blade Bomb

Old: Deal 5 Pyro damage to all minions. Add a bomb to your opponent's deck for each destroyed.
New: Deal 3 Pyro damage to all minions. Add a bomb to your opponent's deck for each destroyed.

Developer Note: This change has been asked for since EA launched. We've been hesitant to alter a core card for War. However, we felt the power increase overall was significant enough to warrant it.

Dozing Drake

Old: When this minion is damaged, give it +2 power.
New: While this minion is damaged, it has +3 Power.

Developer Notes: With Blood Boil gaining so many more options, Dozing Drake became too strong. We've prematurely balanced him to fix this issue.

Blood Crusade

Old: Control 2 unique classes at the start of your turn. Reward: Give your minions, in enemy occupied columns, +1 Power. Force them to attack.
New: Your minions take 10 Damage on your turns. Reward: Revive a Pirate Cannon Dragon Golem & Sprout Elf. Give them Hothead.

Developer Note: To alleviate confusion for new players, we've revised Blood Crusade. The original card's terminology and reward structure were unclear, especially to those unfamiliar with the concept of "Classes" in the game. The updated version simplifies the mechanics and makes the reward more intuitive.

Bomb Barrage

Old: Gain 10 armor.
New: Gain 12 armor.

Cindersoot Monkey

Old: Hothead Play: Fire a friendly cannon, it can target the enemy hero.
New: Hothead Play: Target an enemy minion and fire your Cannons at it.

Developer Note: Changed in 2 patches in a row. Cindersoot Monkey now feels like it's in a great spot. Providing a more niche way to use your Cannons and deal with bigger threats. The targeting aspect will be a nice change of pace for players who don't like the randomness of Cannons.

Pyre Wisp

Old: Pyro Damage +1. Death: Give a friendly Cannon +1 Power, +1 Damage, and Fire it!
New: Death: Fire your Cannons. If you don't control any, add one to your hand.

Developer Note: Pyre Wisp saw little to no play. Its impact was too dependent on the presence and longevity of Cannons on the battlefield, leading to its underutilization in broader Cannon-based strategies. To address this, we've retooled Pyre Wisp's Death effect to provide immediate board impact or to ensure value even when the player has no Cannons.

Ship Cannon

Health Decreased: 5 -> 4

Pyre Cannon

Health Decreased: 5 -> 4

Bokobobin Cannon

Health Decreased: 5 -> 4

Ancient Lullaby

Old: Silence all enemy minions then do 1 Draconic damage to them.
New: Destroy all enemy Traps. Silence all enemy Minions, then deal 1 Draconic Damage to them.

Developer Note: Trap counters are something we've been wanting to put into the game, we feel they're very strong with no counterplay. Speaking of, Ancient Lullaby can be countered by Mana Diffuser.

Tiny Ancient

Power Increased: 1 -> 2
Health Increased: 1 -> 2
Old: Play: Give a minion +1 Power.
New: Play: Discard a random card.

Developer Note: Tiny Ancient's redesign as our first 1-cost 2/2 minion with a downside is aimed at providing a viable option for Discard archetypes, filling a previously unoccupied niche.

Mosh Pit

Old: Summon 4 Groupies, give them +1/+1 & Rush. Add any that don't fit to your hand.
New: Summon 4 Groupies, give them +1/+1, Fleeting & Rush. Add any that don't fit to your hand.

Torpedo

Health Decreased: 6 -> 4

Gizmo Provisions

Old: When a friendly minion is attacked, give it +2/+2 and Barrier.
New: Before a friendly minion is attacked, give it Barrier.

Brigade Trap

Old: Autocast: Summon a Brigade Thief for your opponent and give them a copy of a card from your deck, reduce its cost by 2.
New: Autocast: Summon a Brigade Thief for your opponent and give them a copy of a card from your deck.

Shield Scout

Cost Decreased: 3 -> 2
Power Increased: 0 -> 1
Health Increased: 2 -> 3
Old: Barrier Guard Death: Add 2 Brigade Traps to your opponent's deck.
New: Immobile Barrier Guard

Lucky Flip

Cost Increased: 1 -> 2

Parsley

Cost Decreased: 8 -> 4
Power Decreased: 8 -> 3
Health Decreased: 8 -> 3
Old: Tough Play: Add 4 Puff Caps to your deck.
New: Tough. If this minion would be Transformed, summon a Fungus Fleetfoot instead.

Fungus Fleetfoot

[Minion] (3/3/3)
Hothead

Futu

Cost Decreased: 2 -> 1
Power Decreased: 2 -> 1
Health Decreased: 2 -> 1

Toadstool Toot

Old: Add 9 Puff Caps to your deck. Reward: Remove every Puff Cap in your deck to Evolve a random minion.
New: Add 9 Puff Caps to your deck. Reward: Remove Puff Caps in your deck to summon a Fleetfoot until your board is full.

Wartwood Cap

Cost Increased: 0 -> 1

Yellow Toe Jam

Cost Increased: 1 -> 2

RELIC CHANGES

Developer Note: We've reclassified several Elder Relics to standard Relics to address an imbalance that led to a lack of variety in gameplay. Our goal is to prevent runs from feeling monotonous by expanding the variety of Relics you might see on Runs.

Coral Ocarina

Elder_Relic -> Relic
Old: Players draw an extra card at the start of their turn.
New: Once per game, after you play your last card on your turn, draw 4 cards.

Developer Note: Analysis revealed that Coral Ocarina was underutilized in gameplay, primarily confined to a niche role within Bomb decks due to its mirrored effect. Given its status as an Elder Relic, players often opted for more impactful alternatives. The updated ability of Coral Ocarina now addresses card draw challenges, benefiting aggro strategies that struggle to maintain a healthy hand size mid-game. While not without drawbacks, we're hoping this change finds a utility among more archetypes.

Finn Lochley Taiyaki

Old: Your first spell each turn that costs 4 or more costs 2 less.
New: Your first spell each turn that costs 4 or more costs 1 less.

Blood Tusk

Elder_Relic -> Relic
Old: After a friendly Dragon dies, gain armor equal to its power.
New: After your first friendly Dragon dies each turn, gain armor equal to its power.

Bokinstone Powder

Elder_Relic -> Relic
Old: Your Cannons cost 1 less.
New: Your first Cannon each turn costs 1 less.

Combat Earrings

Old: Your 1-cost minions have Rush and Fleeting.
New: After a friendly minion is damaged during your turn, give it +1 Power and Rush.

Developer Note: Combat Earrings saw next to no play. We've adjusted the Relic to align more with a Blood Boil strategy.

Powder Keg

Old: Pyro Damage +1.
New: Your Cannons deal 1 more Damage.

Doggy Biscuit

Old: All players have Pyro Damage -1.
New: All players have -1 Pyro, Frost & Draconic Damage.

Cheater's Badge

Old: When your turn starts, add a random card that costs 2 or less from another faction to your hand.
New: Start of Game: Add two random cards that cost 2 or less from other factions to your hand.

Forging Pendant

Old: After you Redeem a card, add a plain copy of it to your hand.
New: After you Redeem your first card each turn, add a plain copy of it to your hand.

Leviafin Fang

Old: After a minion is Frozen, deal 1 Frost Damage to it.
New: After the first enemy minion is Frozen each turn, deal 1 Frost Damage to it.

Magma Trident

Elder_Relic -> Relic

Mimic Glass

Elder_Relic -> Relic
Old: After you play a minion that costs 4 or more, add a 1/1 copy of it to your deck that costs 1.
New: After you play your first minion that costs 4 or more each turn, add a 1/1 copy of it to your deck that costs 2.

Steel Chomps

Elder_Relic -> Relic

Necro Hammer

Old: After a friendly minion dies, gain +2 armor.
New: After a friendly minion dies, gain +1 armor.

TRINKET CHANGES:

Prickly Scarf
Old: Thorns +1
New: Thorns +2

Cactus Coat
Old: Thorns +2
New: Thorns +3

Developer Note: Thorns was underutilized primarily because it was just a worse +Power trinket. We buffed them to compensate.

King's Crown: Costs 3 less.
New Restriction: Can only be equipped with cards that cost 5 or more.

Mana Drop: Costs 1 less.
New Restriction: Can only be equipped with cards that cost 2 or more.

Mana Sap: Costs 2 less.
New Restriction: Can only be equipped with cards that cost 3 or more.

Developer Note: We added a new mana cost restriction to cards that lower it. This change makes it so you can't equip this trinket to make your cards cost 0.

Sun-shrub Bouquet
Old: Overgrow
New: Costs 1 more. Overgrow

Developer Note: Overgrow is one of the best keywords, we felt increasing the cost of the card it's equipped to will help balance it out more.



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