Rivals pre-alpha patch 15 June 2018

The 15 June 2018 for Command & Conquer: Rivals was the game's first official patch, which affected the game's balance but not the build number.

Announcement
On 14 June 2018, game designer Greg Black announced the focus points of the patch.

Rhino

 * Damage vs Infantry increased to 70 (was 65).

The Rhino was given a slight damage increase primarily to help against Flame Troopers.

Sandstorm

 * Damage vs Infantry reduced to 15 (was 20)
 * Cost Increased to 130 (was 100)

Sandstorms, especially in pairs, are extremely efficient at killing enemy infantry due to their high rate of fire. This damage decrease versus infantry should make them much more vulnerable to being countered by Missile Squads and Laser Squads.

Zone Trooper

 * Cost Increased to 120 (was 100)

The Zone Trooper cost increase is part of a more general tier 4 unit cost increase.

Confessor

 * Cost increased to 110 (was 80)

Confessors are too efficient for cost, especially when paired up with Cyborgs.

Cyborg

 * Cost increased to 130 (was 100)

Cyborgs are arguably fine from a power standpoint but are far too easy to get out in large numbers late in the game. We will continue to monitor this guy closely.

Flame Trooper

 * Damage vs Vehicles reduced to 15 (was 20).
 * Health reduced to 280 (was 300)

Flame Troopers are very good right now in general but specifically against light vehicles. This nerf is intended to make them more vulnerable to things like Rhinos without impacting their utility against enemy infantry and structures too much. We feel like the Flame Trooper’s power is contributing to the dominance of Cyborg / Confessor comps.

Matchmaking
We have made improvements to matchmaking that will help prevent high level players from matching with much lower level players. This may result in slightly longer wait times for players with high medal counts to find a match.

Unlocking Nod
This is an exciting part of the progression through C&C: Rivals, but right now, when players unlock The Brotherhood of Nod, their ability to level up units is far behind that of their GDI army. This change gives players the ability to quickly level their early Nod units. Below are the specific changes to the Nod Starter Crate:


 * The number of total cards is increased from 7 to 31
 * Players are guaranteed 7 of each common unit (Militants, Buggy, Scorpion Tank)
 * Players are guaranteed 3 of each rare unit (Laser Troopers, Attack Bikes).

General Economy
We have made slight adjustments to card drop rates to get them more inline with our progression goals.