The Balancing Phase is a period of time where newly released cards are tested in a live environment so we can track how these cards perform. We currently balance these internally before release, but seeing them in action is incredibly helpful thanks to our community’s ingenuity and all round big-brain plays. Often things go to plan, but sometimes we’ll see a card combination that we never dreamed of, which can make or break the way the game works.
The Balancing Phase runs for 60 days, with the potential to introduce additional 30-day terms if needed. Once the Balancing Phase is over, those cards’ stats and abilities will be locked-in forever. (Important: We may slightly reword or rename effects even after the Balancing Phase, and add support for non-English translations, but the card’s essential functionality will not change.)
Why do we this? Card games are difficult to balance. Even some of the most talented teams in the world with decades of experience get it wrong from time to time. In centralized games, this means that cards get nerfed. In physical games, this means that cards get banned from competitive play. While nerfing and banning cards is never great for anyone, sometimes it's important to keep the meta fun and dynamic. So when something slips through our internal testing process, we plan to catch it during the Balancing Phase.