MAGIC: PUZZLE QUEST 1.9 UPDATE IS HERE!

Posted on December 8th, 2016 / Arthur

Hi Everyone –

The next update for Magic: The Gathering – Puzzle Quest is scheduled to go live today (December 8th) and it’s a big one!  Let’s take a look at what’s planned for inclusion.

Holiday Update

In preparation for the Holidays, we’ve planned a handful of festive changes:

  • Further improvements to the UI (with some Holiday flare)
  • Each day, claim an extra Holiday Bonus card from the Free Boosters section in the Vault – guaranteed to be an uncommon or better!

In addition, December has better daily rewards than ever before!

New Features / Content

Happy 1-Year Anniversary of Magic: The Gathering – Puzzle Quest!

Kaladesh card expansion!

The Kaladesh expansion is now live! 184 new cards lets you explore the world of Kaladesh, Chandra’s home plane. Battle with vehicles, massive constructs and harness the plane’s energy to gain the upper hand on your opponents!

This expansion features 4 brand-new mechanics: Energize, Overload, Fabricate and Crew.

Energize and Overload go hand in hand. When a card performs Energize, it adds Energy to gems on the board. By itself, Energy doesn’t do anything, but when you match gems that contain Energy, ANY card you control on the battlefield with the Overload keyword will activate and the Energy is then removed from the matched gems.


Overload comes with a number – Overload 1, 2 or 3. The number is the amount of Energized gems you need to match in a single match to trigger the ability. For example, a card with Overload 3 needs 3 Energized gems in a single match to trigger. Overload 1 only requires a single Energized gem. Note that doing a Match-4 or 5 and hitting those gems through the line counts as matching them. Overload is particularly effective when you have multiple abilities that can benefit from a single match – if you have three creatures and a support which trigger on Overload 1 and you match an Energized gem, all four of those effects would trigger.

Next up is Fabricate. When a card triggers Fabricate, it summons the listed amount of support gems that give +1/+1 to the first creature you control. Fabricate is an interesting ability as it scales very well with support counting abilities as well as helps to make your creatures stronger.

Last but not least is Crew, which is an ability exclusive to Vehicle creatures. It works as such: When a creature with Crew is in your hand, it gains mana equal to the listed amount when a non-token creature enters the battlefield. This greatly helps ramp up your vehicles as they will always cast much faster than your other creatures if you prioritize them correctly.

 

New Planeswalker: Dovin Baan

We’re also introducing a brand new Planeswalker to the game: Dovin Baan!

Dovin Baan is a White and Blue Planeswalker, which is a brand new color combination in the game. His card limitations are quite lax (5 Creatures, 5 Supports and 8 Spells at level 60) so you will be able to build interesting decks with him.

His design is based around the Kaladesh Energize -> Overload cycle, and as such all three of his abilities make ample use of it.

His first ability, Tap the Aether, is very straightforward. You’ll Energize 1 (up to 4 at max rank) gems then gain 3 (up to 6 at max rank) mana, for 9 Loyalty. With this you can ensure there’s Energized gems on the board, and you’ll also gain mana to boot to help you speed up your cards.

His second ability, Aether Siphon, creates a Support that Energizes for 1 (2 at max rank) at the beginning of your turn, and also has Overload 3 (down to 1 at max rank): Draw a card. With this Support on the board, you’ll be able to load up on Energy as well as ensure you have plenty of card draw to fuel your duel. This ability costs 12 Loyalty.

His third ability, Aether Innovation, is very powerful. It creates a Support with Overload 1: Each of your creatures gets +3/+3 (up to +6/+6 at max rank!). This is a permanent buff, which means that your creatures on the battlefield will gain massive power every time you Overload, not to mention the other Overloads you might trigger. The ability costs 21 Loyalty, and will definitely help you win quickly and decisively!

Events

We’ve been working hard to rebalance Events to make them fair and fun for everyone. We’ve adjusted the length of events, the rewards and many secondary objectives. In addition:

  • Events will begin with Nodes partially charged; Nodes will automatically begin charging when an event starts – allowing you get to the top of the leaderboard even if you start an event late.
  • Nodes now have a recharge timer of 8 hours.

Brand New Events

These are just a few of the brand-new events in the 1.9.0 update:

 

Fateful Showdown

Join the Gatewatch and try to prevent Tezzeret and his allies from confiscating all the wondrous inventions at the Grand Exhibition of the Inventors’ fair. You will need the support of your Coalition for this event. Be quick! Players from across the plane are also battling to bring down Tezzeret. Similar to the Avacyn’s Madness event, you and your Coalition are ranked by the total damage dealt during the time of the event. Reach the top brackets before the event ends and earn the best rewards. The event ends when the boss’s health reaches 0%.

Details

Node 1 – Encounter 1

  • Optional Objective 1: Win in 12 or less rounds.
  • Optional Objective 2: Win in 6 or less rounds.

Node 1 – Encounter 2

  • Optional Objective 1: Take 45 or less damage.
  • Optional Objective 2: Take 25 or less damage.

Node 1 – Encounter 3

  • Optional Objective 1: Cast 4 or less Spells.
  • Optional Objective 2: Cast 2 or less Spells.

Node 2 – Encounter 1

  • Optional Objective 1: Lose 3 or less Creatures.
  • Optional Objective 2: Lose 1 or less Creatures.

Node 2 – Encounter 2

  • Optional Objective 1: 50 HP or more remaining.
  • Optional Objective 2: 70 HP or more remaining.

Node 2 – Encounter 3

  • Optional Objective 1: Cast 4 or less Creatures.
  • Optional Objective 2: Cast 2 or less Creatures.

Node 3 – Encounter 1

  • Optional Objective 1: Take 40 or less damage.
  • Optional Objective 2: Take 20 or less damage.

Node 3 – Encounter 2

  • Optional Objective 1: Cast 4 or less Spells.
  • Optional Objective 2: Cast 2 or less Spells.

Node 3 – Encounter 3

  • Optional Objective 1: Cast 4 or more Supports.
  • Optional Objective 2: Cast 8 or more Supports.

Dovin Baan’s Challenge

Dovin Baan, Senior Consulate Inspector, has arrived in Magic the Gathering: Puzzle Quest. Fight against Dovin Baan in a series of four challenges. Winning encounters and completing secondary objectives will earn you a wide variety of rewards.

Details

Encounter 1

  • Optional Objective: 25 HP or more remaining.

Encounter 2

  • Optional Objective: Lose 4 or less Creatures.

Encounter 3

  • Optional Objective: Take 25 or less damage.

Encounter 4

  • Optional Objective: Cast 8 or more Spells.

Holiday Showdown

The Holidays are fast approaching; time for a mighty brawl! Assign your strongest Planeswalker to this event’s single node. There’s only one objective – trounce your opponent. Oh, and all mana gained is doubled in the brand-new Supercharge Mode.

Old Events

Over the next few months, you’ll see a variety of classic events return to Magic the Gathering: Puzzle Quest. These events are short and sweet, lasting less than 24 hours. In addition, we’ve rebalanced many of the optional objectives.

Nodes of Power

This classic Event has a brand new set of optional objectives that will test your deck-building prowess.

  • Black Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Win the fight with 50 or less HP remaining.
    • Optional Objective 2: Win the fight with 20 or less HP remaining
  • Red Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Win the fight within 10 rounds
    • Optional Objective 2: Win the fight within 5 rounds
  • Green Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Summon 5 or less creatures during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Summon 2 or less creatures during a single fight.
  • Blue Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Take 30 or less damage during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Take 10 or less damage during a single fight.
  • White Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Lose 4 or less creatures during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Lose 2 or less creatures during a single fight.

Terrors in the Shadows

The final optional objectives for Terrors in the Shadows have been partially reworked. In addition, this is no longer a Coalition event, meaning that your score will not count to your Coalition’s overall score. The new optional objectives are:

  • Black Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Win the fight and summon 2 Vampires or Horrors.
    • Optional Objective 2: Win the fight with 80 or more HP remaining.
  • Green Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Win the fight and summon 2 Wolves or Werewolves.
    • Optional Objective 2: Lose 2 or less creatures during a single fight.
  • White Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Win the fight and summon 2 Spirits or Zombies.
    • Optional Objective 2: Kill 2 or less enemy creatures during a single fight.

Emrakul’s Corruption

To help shorten matches, we’ve updated several objectives in Emrakul’s Corruption. Similar to Terrors in the Shadows, this is no longer a Coalition event. The new optional objectives are:

  • Blue Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Summon 2 or more Eldrazi during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Cast 2 or less spells during a single fight.
  • Green-Red Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Summon 2 or more Werewolves during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Summon 2 or less creatures during a single fight. (Make those Werewolves count!)
  • White-Black Node:
    • Optional Objective 1: Summon 2 or more Vampires during a single fight.
    • Optional Objective 2: Cast 2 or less supports during a single fight

Special Offers

Kaladesh will have a selection of special offers – including brand new Planeswalkers, Mythic cards and special bundles. Keep an eye out for Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Chandra is back in Kaladesh – and stronger than ever!

The 1.9.0 update also makes changes to some older Special Offers. Check out the new Starter Packs and Epic Packs!

Check in every week for new limited-time offers!

Changelog (Planeswalkers & Cards)

Saheeli Rai changes

With the release of Kaladesh, we’ve tweaked Saheeli Rai a bit so that she has a bit more synergy with the card set.

Her abilities have been changed to the following:

  • Whirlermaker: Now costs 9 Loyalty, also Energizes 1/2/3/4 gems (per rank)
    • With the increase in Energy, the Loyalty cost also had to be slightly increased.
  • Construct Artistry: Now costs 12 Loyalty. Removes 2 Energy from the board (this is required for the ability to activate) and each Construct you control gets +3/+3, up to +6/+6 at rank 4
    • The increase in Loyalty and the Energy cost also comes with stronger buffs to Constructs. This will let you cheaply make your constructs much stronger.
  • Artifacts Assemble has been renamed to Vehicular Assembly
    • The Loyalty cost remains the same
    • It now fetches the next 1 (up to 4) Vehicles in your Library and puts them on the battlefield
    • This is an incredibly strong ability with Vehicles. It’s strength offsets the slight loss of power with Construct Artistry and the change from Supports to Vehicles should ensure it’s always useful and gives you a very strong battlefield presence.

The rest of Saheeli Rai’s kit remains unchanged.

Menace changes

Menace has changed.

  • It is now an evergreen.
    • It’s functionality show now be normalized amongst all cards. This means that all cards with Menace work exactly the same (this was an internal issue with some cards). It now also shows an evergreen icon.
  • In addition to it now being an evergreen, 2 new changes have been made to the ability:
    • Creatures with Vigilance now also count in the “2 or more creatures” calculation. This means that one Defender creature and one Vigilance creature now block creatures with Menace, whereas before the creature would be unblockable.
    • Disabled creatures with Vigilance, Defender or Reach no longer count for Menace, which means if your opponent had 2 Defenders but one was Disabled, Menace will trigger and the attacking creature will be unblockable.
    • These changes have been made

System Improvements

  • Improvement of the latency issues when starting / ending an event.
  • Improvement of the Profile Management & Messaging tool for Customer Support.

Bug Fixes

Cards, Planeswalkers & Gameplay

  • Menace does not work when Kessig Prowler transforms to Sinuous Predator
  • The creature fails to be blocked when Relentless Dead attacks while two creatures with Defender are on the battlefield.
  • Nettle Drone activates when a colorless creature enters the battlefield.
  • The focus fails to be on the hedron network when viewing Aligned Hedron Network in grid view.
  • The focus fails to be on the grasp when viewing Demon’s Grasp.
  • The focus fails to be on the flames when viewing Radiant Flames in grid view.
  • The focus fails to display the alpha when viewing Somberwald Alpha in grid view.
  • The focus displays a cut off hand when viewing Insidious Mist in full view.
  • The focus fails to be on the healing hands when viewing Healing Hands in grid view.
  • The focus fails to be on the niblis when viewing Niblis of Frost in list view.
  • The focus fails to be on Kytheon’s tactics when viewing Kytheon’s Tactics in grid view.
  • The focus fails to be on the mindbender when viewing Distended Mindbender in list view.
  • The Planeswalker erroneously gains health equal to the defending creature’s toughness when a creature with Deathtouch and Lifelink attacks a creature.
  • An infinite loop occurs when Olivia, Mobilized for War discards a creature card to buff Wharf Infiltrator.
  • Multiple Issues occur when casting a second Planeswalker ability while the initial ability’s special gems are on the board.

UI, UX & Graphics & Localization

  • Placeholder red Xs display when viewing the 1.7.2 Release Notes widget.
  • Placeholder text displays when viewing the New Bracket Rewards Popup.
  • The text states “the event is not started” when viewing the Leaderboards for an upcoming Event.
  • The text displays “Liliana the Last Home” when viewing the New Planeswalker Available FAQ.
  • The text displays “has to the potential to create havoc” when viewing the Mirrorwing Dragon Mythic Exclusive Bundle information.
  • The text is misleading when viewing the Quick Battle Rules.
  • The text is misleading when viewing the Daily Reward Information.
  • The text erroneously displays as “when no spells were cast” when viewing the Transform Tutorial.
  • The User becomes stuck when claiming a daily reward and attempting to make a purchase right after
  • The game does not prompt the User to purchase a planeswalker in Hallow’s Eve PvP if the User does not own that color
  • The badge number fails to update after viewing messages when viewing the Activity Hub button.
  • The “You Qualified in” screen fails to display when tapping the Join Event button of an Event widget.
  • Multiple issues occur when tapping the screen as a support enters the gem board.
  • A “{0}” always appear next to the Inbox button
  • The button turns black when selecting the Purchase button on an IAP.
  • The card fails to be dismissed when tapping the Card Type icon while opening Booster Packs.
  • The background displays solid blue when viewing the full screen Inbox.
  • The artwork displays stretched when viewing the New Planeswalker Available artwork.
  • The Vault header overlaps the notification badge when viewing the loot table for any Booster Pack with a notification badge.
  • A gap erroneously displays between the list and the UI when viewing the bottom of the Leaderboard list.
  • The highlighted text displays a different font compared to the other text when viewing the highlighted Coalition information.

System & Connectivity

  • A Something went wrong… error message displays when the user logs into Facebook from a Guest account.
  • An infinite loading screen occurs when restarting the app after encountering a purchase error.