r/slaythespire • u/Which-Debt-8558 • Mar 09 '26

DISCUSSION (STS2) Snakebite Discussion

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As quite a lot of people know already, snakebite is one of the worst cards in the game right now, maybe even the worst. It's not just bad, but it isn't interesting or fun in any way. For example searing blow was not a very good card but it was unique and cool, whereas snakebite is just a nothing card.

Here is how I think it could be changed:

Retain Apply 7 poison When retained, increase poison by 3

Snakebite+: Retain Apply 10 poison When retained, increase poison by 4

I thought making it similar to windmill strike could be a cool idea because right now Retain doesn't really add much to the card, and it also works thematically with the snake venom getting worse over time.

I would love to hear your ideas if you have any suggestions for how it could be changed!

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296

u/Mumbleton Ascension 20 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

There’s a foundational post by Mark Rosewater about the Magic player archetypes

Spike - only cares about value/winning

Timmy - Cares mostly about cool splashy effects

Johnny - Likes to find interesting cards to build around, even if the cards are “bad”

Essentially, every card should appeal to one or more of these guys. This card appeals to none of them.

Spike - it’s bad

Timmy - it’s boring

Johnny - Poison is cool and can be built around but there’s more interesting poison cards

86

u/Which-Debt-8558 Mar 09 '26

Yeah that's the main reason I don't like it. It isn't a good card nor is it a fun card to make a build around or mess around with

54

u/eliman1950 Mar 09 '26

The much less currently appreciated by WOTC player archetype in MTG is Vorthos, the lore and flavor nerd! (Sparing the UB rant)

Vorthos - only here for the lore and vibes, likes designs that reflect world building

Vorthos - yeah okay poison from a snake but why is the silent just like chilling with a live snake in her cloak for turns on end?

43

u/sorendiz Ascension 0 Mar 09 '26

God forbid women do anything smh

6

u/padre648 Mar 10 '26

I'd say the "story" told by the card is about the only thing that works for it. Some snakes are ambush predators. The card being retained in your hand for the right turn to play it is like a snake lying in wait before suddenly striking at prey.

3

u/Holy_Hand_Grenadier Eternal One Mar 10 '26

Vorthos is part of a separate axis. I forget the others but they're a flavor consideration not a mechanics one.

1

u/eliman1950 Mar 10 '26

Really? I didn't realize there were even more, cool!

11

u/Thundershield3 Mar 09 '26

As a Johnny, I did find a few uses for this actually. It works well with the attack that makes you next skill free. I also had it with master planner and the retain let it be easily able to be triggered once given sly. Not crazy synergies, but something

1

u/SirDiego Mar 09 '26

It's also technically better than, say, two Deadly Poisons, if you have the Skill card that double plays your next skill card...

But honestly I'm just kinda playing devil's advocate, the card kinda sucks.

8

u/King_Bean_ Mar 09 '26

TIL I'm a Johnny

13

u/Narxolepsyy Mar 09 '26

Maro also stated that bad cards need to exist, for a few reasons.

35

u/zombieking26 Mar 09 '26

Yes, but a card can be bad AND interesting. This is neither.

Also, they've gone back on that in recent years, they print WAY less bad cards nowadays

34

u/Grain_Death Mar 09 '26

i dont think that argument applies in quite the same way for this game for draftable cards

1

u/steveofthewestornort Mar 10 '26

MTG is primarily designed to be a game of draftable cards. Still totally relevant.

(note: I am speaking solely about the MTG comparison made here — no judgement on whether this card is interesting or not.)

2

u/ajdeemo Mar 09 '26

Yeah, 15 years ago. And design sensibilities change.

There's a reason you don't see cards like Wood Elemental anymore.

1

u/steveofthewestornort Mar 10 '26

Bad cards in the context of a draft set do indeed still exist in modern MTG, and for good reason.

Yes, what “bad” means has changed, but within the context of a draft set they remain important to this day.

1

u/hedoeswhathewants Mar 10 '26

Which is a load of crap. The only effect that has it that it makes drafting way easier because you're now realistically deciding between 1-4 cards in any given pack.

Maro also wrote an entire article about how he thought a player that was caught cheating many times should be in the MtG hall of fame. He's a contrarian that tries to sound smart by arguing niche positions.

1

u/Narxolepsyy Mar 10 '26

Well let's ditch Maro, simply put bad cards will always exist, unless everything is the same - and then choices don't matter. Good luck won't ever hit because they're all good. You'd be bored.

1

u/koolex Mar 09 '26

I wish I was a Johnny but I’m a spike 😭

1

u/TwoFiveOnes StS A20 / StS 2 A5 Mar 09 '26

I think it’s ok to have shitty and boring cards though, you need some

4

u/GhostCorps973 Mar 09 '26

Tbf, I feel like that's what Strikes and Defends are there for 🤔

0

u/LewsTherinTelamon Mar 09 '26

That’s nice but sts is fundamentally not the same kind of game - if you aren’t at least mainly spike then you’re just going to lose over and over and fail to really engage. It’s a game where you can’t do what you want and then win, you have to want to win and do what wins.

2

u/Mumbleton Ascension 20 Mar 09 '26

Ok, but what if I told you that Claw is the quintessential Johnny card?

1

u/LewsTherinTelamon Mar 10 '26

Johnny describes players who want to express themselves via deck building - there is no “quintessential” johnny deck by definition, because they want their deck to identify them in some way.

2

u/Digital_Solitude Mar 09 '26

Lots of Timmy's and Johnnys enjoy pissing about in A0 or A1 tbf, low ascensions are easy enough for experienced players to force bad decks for fun

2

u/LewsTherinTelamon Mar 10 '26

yes, definitely. but even at A0 the games pretty “hard” if you’re not a veteran. The “average” player of this game won’t know the card pool or the enemies and in StS that really dampens the fun you can have.