>>96788060
>wouldn't the most efficient method of combat become stacked memes with narrative boosts to target the manifest avatar?
Currently, Memes have 2 forms of combat:
1.) They can -1 a card.
2.) You can reduce the Meme's stat by X+1 to do X damage.
Increasing the Meme's stat via the Narrative is useful, but it's actually slower than Frenning cards into Memes. If you want to do a lot of damage with a direct Meme to Avatar attack, it will come at the expense of the Memes themselves (since you have to -X them to do X damage).
In playtesting, this strategy is similar to an MTG burn/short range deck (with its pros and cons), it does high damage up front, but you run out of cards quickly, and if the other player is able to last until to mid+ game, usually they run out of steam.
> With the four different decks
There are only 2 different decks. Yours and the other player's.
>and four different movable zones
There is about the same number of zones as MTG, if creatures, sorceries, and artifacts had their own zones (and those were the only card types). The different zones are to keep track of Types, you could theoretically play it like MTG with everything in the same zone but it would be hard to keep track of.
> I missing something that couldn't abuse fren heals or zone movements for direct attacks
Sort of. You can heavily exploit transmutation/frenning for healing/resetting, but not for direct attacks.
When you Manifest a Frenned card, it has Autism (summoning sickness) - a full turn cycle of not being able to use effects or conduct combat. This includes the Transmutation of a composite (Frenned) card. This also applies to the Narrative if you were to Transmute a Fren or composite card into the Narrative.
Additionally, you can only invoke effects during the combat phase in response to the other player's effects. If you Transmute during the combat phase, it will put you in Main Phase 2, and you will be locked out of combat for the rest of the turn.