The pick, the fight, and the final bow all take the stage.
This patch rebuilds the two screens you spend the most time in. Drafting your team is now the full-viewport Theater Stage, and the end of every battle is a cinematic curtain call, with the wallet, shop, and claim screens getting the same premium pass. Underneath it all, a full-wheel affinity rebalance reshapes the meta from fire to divine.
Building your team is now a single cinematic screen. The ranked picker fills the whole viewport with a hangar-stage backdrop: your matchup and live mana count sit across the top, a full-height filter rail runs down one side, and your team locks into a slot dock at the bottom that shows real card art. The filter rail got a full overhaul too, with stat range sliders, an ability search box with autocomplete, and tag filters that only show what you can actually sort by right now. No more scrolling, everything you need to draft is on one stage.
The end of a match is now a full-composition curtain call instead of a small box. Both teams' rosters line up with their commanders, fallen Fighters wear a slammed-down FALLEN stamp in the order they went down, and a metallic VICTORY or DEFEAT rises over the winner as their side sweeps in and the loser greys out. A stat strip reads out the numbers that mattered, and hovering any Fighter in the roster pulls up its full card. Rewatch, open it in the Lab, or head back, all from one screen.
Your wallet got rebuilt into the Grand Vault. Balances now show with their proper currency icons everywhere, staking earnings tick up live and no longer jump backward when you reload, and every tab is a shareable link that restores exactly where you left off. Deposits show a single clear status, transfers get quick-send chips for the people you already talk to, and every bit of jargon has a help tooltip. There is finally a plain-language explainer for what KRED store credit is and how it is used.
The shop is rebuilt from the ground up into one cinematic storefront: a hero header, an auto-cycling presale showcase, the Genesis pack and potions, a curated card fan, and your balances along the bottom. Checkout is a two-column modal where you pick SGC or KRED right there, choose a quantity with presets and bulk tiers, and open Gladiator packs in place. Purchase quantities are capped now, so a fat-finger cannot run away with your balance.
Every reward you have waiting now lives on a single Claim page under the Bazaar. It is one sorted ledger of what is claimable, pending, and already claimed, with a live badge in the nav that counts your outstanding rewards and clears the moment you claim. You can claim a whole bundle in one tap. After a ranked match there is also a redesigned reveal window that verifies your opponent and settles into a clean waiting state.
When you are in a match, a full-width bar now rides under the top nav as a clear way back into it, for ranked, custom, and brawl games alike. It appears and disappears live across every tab you have open the instant you enter or leave a match, and it steps aside on the draft picker itself so the stage stays clean.
The SGC, STEL, and KRED chips in the header got the reference treatment: per-currency colored pills with a circular icon badge and a desktop add-funds button, and the whole chip is one clickable target. They now sit inline wherever they fit and only wrap to a second row on tight screens. The language selector moved out of the header and down into the footer as plain locale links.
The signed-in profile menu got trimmed of duplicate rows (the pages are still reachable directly from other surfaces), and the language switcher now shows proper country flags in the footer and the mobile menu.
During the alpha you can now queue into any league family regardless of Collection Power. Most alpha players draft from the shared card pool and own almost nothing, so the old Collection-Power entry gates were quietly locking everyone into Bronze. Those gates are off for now, so Silver, Gold, and Champion are all playable.
Some Fighters used to gain nothing at their final level, and ability unlocks sat on odd in-between levels. Now every Fighter is guaranteed a gain at its last level, and ability unlocks land on the league-border levels where they matter, so pushing a card to the top always feels like it did something.
Thorns and return-fire reflects now route through armor the same way a normal hit of that type would: melee and ranged reflects chip the attacker's armor first, while magic reflect keeps bypassing armor unless the attacker carries the shield for it. It is the canonical rule, and it makes armor read consistently whether a Fighter is attacking or counter-punching.
The player search box is now open to visitors who are not logged in, matching the already-public player directory and profiles it points at.
Fighters no longer slide into a new slot or vanish before their death animation has finished playing. Poison wipes now play the full dissolve on the last Fighter to fall, and Fighters killed by reflected damage dissolve properly instead of freezing on the board.
Scrubbing, pausing, and seeking through a replay no longer trip over each other or over the death sequence. A couple of first-frame stat glitches are gone too: a commander's bonus health and a suppressed Fighter's reduced health now read correctly the instant the replay loads.
Fixed the class of bug where a custom match could strand you. Draft deadlines and invite timeouts now enforce for custom games, and matches that got stuck mid-flight after a restart now recover on their own. If you were ever parked in a match that would not resolve, it will now clear.
The closed-alpha countdown banner no longer leaks onto the replay viewer, the full chat page, or the open wallet. The nav stays put, only the banner steps aside.
The cookie consent banner now stacks above the terms-acceptance modal instead of hiding behind it, and the terms gate no longer leaves a long encoded return address sitting in your URL bar.
Cleaned up the landing page on small screens, including the hero text overlapping the scroll cue, plus a handful of other narrow-viewport rough edges.
Closed a rare timing window where the same card could be put up for sale and for rent at the same moment. Listing a card is now an all-or-nothing action.
Removed a redundant hover popover in the collection grid and made the card preview tear down properly when you open the vault, so previews no longer linger over the wrong card.
The biggest balance pass yet reaches across all eight affinities. Wind and fire come up, water, divine, and light come down from the top of the meta, and a batch of long-dead cards get lifted toward being fieldable again. Mana costs are frozen across the board, so every change lands on stats, abilities, and roles rather than price. Each card below shows exactly what moved and why.
Plague Volunteer (buff)
Plague Volunteer is a cheap Thorns body meant to trade its life for
reflected damage, but at 2 health it popped before it reflected anything.
More health lets it soak a swing or two, so the Thorns actually pay off.
Half-Wired Conscript (buff)
Conscript wants to sit up front, poison what hits it, and reflect the
rest, but it folded on the first exchange. The extra health keeps it
alive long enough to do both.
Rim-Walker Sharpshooter (buff)
A sniper doing 1 damage a shot was no threat, so the enemy simply ignored
it. A stronger ranged attack gives it a real reason to be feared from the
back line.
Spore-Grown Quartermaster (buff)
The Quartermaster is a Protect wall, but at 1 attack the enemy could
safely walk past it and kill the rest of your team. A real swing forces
them to deal with the wall instead of ignoring this signature fighter.
The Capeless One (buff)
The Capeless One only pays off once the board thins to a single survivor,
and it kept dying before it got there. Two more health lets this signature
fighter live to land its finisher, which is the whole point of the card.
(Also softened visually in this patch's homage art pass.)
Twin-Sun Berserker (buff)
This Bloodlust brawler snowballs once it starts scoring kills, but it died
before landing the first one. More health buys it the round it needs to
get rolling.
Coronet Breaker (buff)
Coronet Breaker is a glass finisher built around Shatter and Deathblow,
and it kept dying before it could combo. Extra health lets it survive to
land the hit it exists for.
Sundered Marshal (buff)
A legendary sniper on a 5-health frame folded the moment anything looked at
it. The health bump keeps it firing instead of dying on turn one.
Cresthowl Reaver (buff)
A 3-health aggro body evaporated before it could act. More health lets
this glass cannon survive long enough to swing.
Cinderskin Eternal (buff)
This front-line tank had Void and a counter-punch but no bite, so it was
free tempo for the enemy. A stronger swing makes it a fighter they have to
respect.
Ashfield Runner (buff)
Ashfield Runner is a signature sneaker built around Piercing, but its low
health meant it rarely lived to strike twice. The extra health keeps this
gem in the fight.
Anvil-Beard Marshal (buff)
The Marshal is a Protect tank that was the single weakest fighter in the
affinity: no threat and not enough bulk to matter. It gets both a bigger
swing and more health so it stops being free attrition.
Forge-Bound Brawler (buff)
The heaviest Ironkin chassis carries Bloodlust but kept dying in the early
game before its kills fed the fight. More health lets it survive to
snowball, which is its entire identity.
Sapline Pathwalker (buff)
A Taunt tank pulls every enemy attack onto itself, but at 1 attack and 4
health it just popped and gave the enemy free hits. More health lets it
survive the fire it invites, and a real swing means it fights back.
Bramble Magister (buff)
The Magister is built to outlast enemy casters with layered magic
mitigation, but it never had the bulk to actually outlast anything. Two
more health lets the wall do its job.
Iron-Vein Marshal (buff)
Earth's only ranged legendary was a toothless sniper. A stronger ranged
attack finally gives its Snipe and Blast kit real reach into the back line.
Headwind Plunger (buff)
A 2-cost chip body with no abilities and almost no health was one of the
deadest cards in the game. It gets both stat points: a real swing and
enough health to land it.
Salvage-Foundry Marshal (buff)
The only Wind tank chassis was still soft enough to get farmed as fodder.
More health lets it actually anchor the front line the way a tank should.
Patched-Frame Recon (buff)
The deepest-losing Wind fighter is a ranged chip body whose whole value is
its damage. A stronger shot plus more health let it keep chipping instead
of dying first.
Galeport Runner (buff)
A glass sniper with zero armor died before it could snipe. The extra health
keeps it alive long enough to earn its keep.
The Skyblade Captain (buff)
This signature diver kept throwing itself in and dying before its Piercing
paid off. A bigger swing and more health lift it toward the impact a
signature card should have. (Also softened visually in this patch's homage
art pass.)
Umbra-Tide Acolyte (buff)
A fragile Void caster that folded instantly. More health lifts it back to
playable.
Pressure-Thought Lancer (buff)
This Reach fighter died before it could poke from the second rank. Extra
health keeps it in range to matter.
Wake-Reader Runner (buff)
A back-line sniper doing 1 damage was no threat at all. A stronger shot
lets this signature fighter actually snipe.
Abyss-Sigil Cutter (buff)
One of the closer-to-playable weak cards, held back by a paper-thin frame.
More health nudges it over the line.
Deep-Vent Bulwark (buff)
A threatless Protect tank the enemy walked right past. It gets both more
bulk and a real swing so it can actually hold a line.
Manta-Silhouette Archon (buff)
This signature Stun-and-Affliction fighter was dying before its control
kit landed. More health keeps it alive to lock the enemy down. We are
watching it and may lift it further.
Pressure-Sealed Hydrokin (buff)
A Protect tank with real hit points but no punch. A bigger swing lets this
signature body threaten while it guards. We are watching it and may lift
it further.
Trench-Voice Adept (nerf)
Magic attacks never miss and cut straight past armor, so a high-magic body
on a durable frame was just guaranteed damage every turn. Trimming its
magic keeps the threat without making it unbeatable, since Water as a whole
was winning far too much.
Mantle-Wave Silencer (nerf)
Same story across Water's casters: guaranteed magic damage on sticky
control bodies was warping every game. A point off its magic reins it in
while keeping its Silence and Void control intact.
Tide-Mind Seer (nerf)
Another Water control caster leaning on always-hits magic. Dropping its
magic by one cools it down without touching its Void, Stun, or Dispel kit.
Umbra-Riptide Magus (nerf)
This Slow-and-reflect caster was another piece of Water's overtuned magic
core. A point off its magic pulls it back toward fair.
Pressure-Lock Adept (nerf)
Part of the same Water magic cluster that was ending games on chip alone.
Its magic comes down a point; its Weaken debuff stays.
Brackish-Tide Magistrate (nerf)
This was a high-magic body that never missed and ignored armor. We turned
its attack into a ranged strike, which can miss and is stopped by armor,
and set it to 2. It still hits hard when it connects, but it no longer wins
on unavoidable damage the way Water's casters were.
Fracture-Sworn Magistrate (buff)
This reflect-wall wants enemies to hit it so Return Fire punishes them, but
it died before the plan came together. Two more health lets it survive to
reflect.
Pride-Lord (buff)
A ranged support fighter with no real shot was easy to ignore. A stronger
ranged attack gives it a threat to back up its Strengthen buffs.
Two-Sun Magistrate (buff)
This Bloodlust body could never land the first kill to start its snowball.
A bigger swing gives it the opening hit it needs.
Prime Reflection (nerf)
Prime Reflection is a reflection fighter, but it was also carrying a strong
heal that let Light grind out wins on pure sustain. We removed the Heal and
kept its Protect and Last Stand identity, so it defends without also
out-healing the whole board.
Aurora Silencer (nerf)
Aurora Silencer's Silence and always-hits magic made it a sticky control
piece Light leaned on too hard. Its magic is already at the floor, so we
cut its health instead: now it can be killed before it locks you out.
Cathedral Spectrum-Mender (nerf)
This caster's guaranteed magic made it another pillar of Light's dominance.
We turned its attack into a ranged strike that can miss and be blocked by
armor, which reframes it as a sniper rather than an unkillable damage font.
Mycelium-Light Voice (nerf)
Same fix for another Light caster: its magic never missed, so we moved its
attack to ranged, which can be dodged and stopped by armor. It keeps its
Flying and Thorns, but no longer chips for free.
Lattice Magistrate (nerf)
A durable Void and Last Stand body that also poured out unavoidable magic.
Converting its attack to ranged means it can miss and be blocked, pulling
one of Light's biggest engines back to fair.
Umbra Initiate (buff)
A cheap sneaker doing 1 damage was pure filler. A stronger swing gives it a
real reason to slip into the back line.
Derelict Volley-Frame (buff)
A glass sniper that died before firing. More health keeps it alive to
shoot.
Code-Silenced Crusader (buff)
This Reach tank still had no threat and kept losing anyway, even after
earlier buffs. More health lets it hold the line long enough to matter.
Umbra-Tongue Inquisitor (buff)
A dead caster that hit too softly. A point of magic gives it a real payoff
for surviving to cast.
The Last Light's End (buff)
One of the deepest-losing cards in the set, a legendary finisher that died
before it could finish. Two more health lets it live to swing.
Heat-Death Patriarch (buff)
A massive Last Stand wall with no offense was just free real estate for the
enemy. A real swing means the wall actually threatens back.
Sky-Choir Cluster (buff)
A fragile flying sniper that died before it fired enough. More health keeps
it in the air and shooting.
Furnace-Crown Vanguard (buff)
A Last Stand and Thorns tank that could survive forever but never win,
because it did no damage. A bigger reach swing gives it a way to actually
close games.
Furnace-Belt Reaver (buff)
This signature Reach fighter was landing well below the impact a signature
card should have. A stronger swing lifts it toward its intended power while
keeping its Reach and Thorns kit.
Nebula-Crest Sovereign (nerf)
Divine was the strongest affinity in the game, and its apex casters led the
way. Magic never misses, so a point off this fighter's magic is the
cleanest way to cool it without changing what it does.
Progenitor Wyrm (nerf)
A magic front-tank that was nearly unbeatable. Trimming its always-hits
magic pulls it back toward fair while it keeps its tanky, Void-shielded
identity.
Quiet-Bearer (nerf)
Quiet-Bearer's team-wide front heal was a big part of why Divine ground out
so many wins on sustain. We removed the Tank Heal and kept its Void magic
mitigation, so it shields against casters without also out-healing the
board.
Harmonic Verdict-Conductor (nerf)
This support caster was double-buffing your whole team, which stacked into
Divine's dominance. We dropped its Strengthen and kept its Inspire
broadcast, so it still supports but no longer supercharges.
Aurelian Lattice-Magister (nerf)
An always-hits Blast caster feeding Divine's overperformance. Its magic
drops to the floor so it stops chipping for free, while it keeps its Blast
splash.
First Wyrm Awakened (nerf)
This Divine commander was handing your whole team both extra health and
extra armor, piling onto Divine's overperformance. We removed the team-wide
Armor buff and kept the Health buff and its Flying grant, so it still
supports without stacking too much survivability on an already-strong
affinity.
Five cards that leaned a little too close to their anime and sci-fi inspirations got an art-and-flavor pass so they read as their own characters. New portraits on four of them and reworded text on the fifth, with no change to stats, abilities, or how any of them play.
More of the core loop gets this treatment next. Thanks for playing the alpha, and keep sending us your replays.
Read the full illustrated patch notes -> https://stellarch.io/en/changelog/v0.13.0
@stellarch on Hive -> @stellarchStellarch is a deterministic trading-card game on Hive, draft a 7-card team, outplay your opponent, climb the ranked ladder. Browse the cards · Read the docs · See the leaderboard
