History YMMV / Shadowverse

* TierInducedScrappy: Part and parcel of being a card game. [[TierInducedScrappy/{{Shadowverse}} Now has its own subpage.]]

** With the launch of ''Verdant Conflict'' comes the Card Pack Point system, which slowly accumulates for each pack the player purchases. After opening a total of 400 packs from a single set, the player can redeem the Pack Points for a legendary of their choice from that set. This includes the coveted and incredibly rare leader skins, ensuring that all that investment will not be for nought.

** A series of permanent missions/achievements require you to get perfect 5-win streaks in Take Two Mode. While it can be possible in theory with proper knowledge of the cards, what actually makes it difficult is that in Take Two, you cannot use your own decks and must randomly choose among 3 given classes, with each card of your deck coming from a draft system - You are given two pairs of cards, choose one pair and discard the other. Do this 15 times to make a deck for that Take Two campaign only. So it's all up to the RandomNumberGod to decide whether you get an excellent deck or a terrible one, while pitting you against opponents who ''may'' have better decks and draws than you. A simple defeat can invalidate your current run's attempt. The first of this series requires you to go 5-0 three times, but ''[[UpToEleven the challenge does not stop there]]'', as you reveal more of the series that requires you to perform this feat many more times. The last of the rewards is at ''twenty'' 5-0 runs.

** Of the infamously strong decks that have come and gone in the game, no deck is more absurd than Neutral Blood. It was so strong and popular that a lot of its games ended up being mirror matches. It's telling when one looks at a list of Neutral Blood in its prime and notices that, by the time the next expansion rolled out, ''half the deck'' had been subject to nerfs.

** Of the infamously strong decks that have come and gone in the game, no deck is more absurd than Neutral Blood. It was so strong and popular that a lot of its games ended up being mirror matches. It's telling when one looks at [[https://i1.wp.com/manasurge.team/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wd-Neutral-Abyss-Bloodcraft.png?resize=1728%2C605 a list of Neutral Blood in its prime]] and notices that, by the time the next expansion rolled out, ''half the deck'' had been subject to nerfs.
** Some say the strength of Neutral Blood lay in its powerful early game supplemented by the "Alice package," involving playing several good Neutral followers on curve followed by Alice to buff them if they were not answered at every opportunity. After Neutral Blood got nerfed off the ladder, the Alice package became the skeleton of Neutral Rune and then Neutral Haven in the subsequent months of the format before finally dying when Alice got nerfed. The Neutral support theme of ''Wonderland Dreams'' was agreed to be a bad move on the developers' part, as nearly every opponent having the same exact same opening plays regardless of what class they were got boring fast with the exception of Shadow and Dragon (mainly because the neutral synergy they have gotten was pretty bad).
** With the release of ''World Uprooted,'' Cygames accidentally pushed the Machina Forest archetype a bit too hard, with [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/116141020 Damian, Drillarm Brawler]] providing both board clear and face damage, [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/116131020 Ironglider Elf]] giving discounts to Machina followers along with a decent body, along with [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/116041020 Natur Al'machinus]] to reduce the costs of Machina cards by 3. Along with [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/112111030 Robotic Bagworm]], which fits the Machina Forest playstyle perfectly (many Machina cards get bonuses from playing another Machina follower in the same turn), the deck skyrocketed to a staggering 61.2% winrate and a 31.5% usage rate. Cygames had to nerf the deck on the '''second day''' after the expansion's launch.

** Illganeau not only gets a tragic storyline in-game, but her representative card got nerfed so hard she fell out of relevance, she didn't even make the 5th anniversary leader poll (unlike most of the other Rivayle characters), and even Zecilwensche snatched away hopes of being a Battle Pass leader! Poor girl can't catch a break in-universe and out. She eventually got her leader status by the 6th anniversary, though.

** [[https://sv.bagoum.com/cards/109041020 Legendary Fighter]] [[labelnote: Explanation]]Legendary Fighter is just [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/100011020?lang=en Fighter]] with a more manly build. Players were quick to mock the ''very name'' of the follower due to [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment the redundancy of his name]] and [[AwesomeButImpractical the difficulty in making the most of him.]][[/labelnote]]

** Ambush was initially glossed over due to it applying only to weak followers and its protective effects disappearing once the follower attacks. However, later sets printed potent cards protected by Ambush, and players started to complain of their inability to deal with them barring planting Ward followers and hoping it forces a trade.

** Few players are fond of the means of getting leader cards. These are alternate arts of popular cards which, when obtained, also unlock themselves as an alternate leader for their class on top of a special emblem and card sleeve. However, they cannot be crafted, and the chance of obtaining one in a pack is incredibly small -- lower than that of other legendary cards. Stories abound where players have opened hundreds of packs (even going as far as to spend large amounts of actual money) without getting even a single copy of a leader card they were after. The frustrations have been abated after the introduction of the Pack Point system, but the steep cost of '''400''' packs to redeem a leader skin means that you still have to ''work'' for it -- you're only given the solace that such a huge investment will never be for nought.

** Illganeau not only gets a tragic storyline in-game, but her representative card got nerfed so hard she fell out of relevance, she didn't even make the 5th anniversary leader poll (unlike most of the other Rivayle characters), and even Zecilwensche snatched away hopes of being a Battle Pass leader! Poor girl can't catch a break in-universe and out.

** Urias' flashbacks with Balthazar drip with this along with a hefty dose of FoeYay, at least from Urias' part.

** [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/101021010 Bellringer Angel's]] enthusiastic "Ding Dong!" has captured the hearts of Shadowverse players from both the English and Japanese fandoms, despite being SoOkayItsAverage and not always warranting a spot in most decks. Later, [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/107031010 Shining Bellringer Angel]] - her older version, was released in the Chronogenesis patch.

*** [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/103441010?lang=en Imperial Dragoon]] happened to be the top picked character for Dragoncraft's leader because he is [[Creator/KenjiroTsuda voiced by the same Japanese voice actor]] of [[Anime/YuGiOh Seto Kaiba]].

** Chapter 1 of the story mode met lukewarm reception due to its tedious, uninteresting battles, repetitive story scenes that frequently required replaying the same moment as a different character, and its slow pace where not a whole lot interesting was really happening. For English-language players, the localization was rather subpar as well. Perceptions of the story mode among those who stuck with it quickly changed during chapter 3, the Guild War, which had a much better localization, a faster pace involving multiple interesting new characters scheming to achieve their goals, a ton of character development, and overall much more engaging writing. By the time arc 5, Gears of Rebellion, was released most issues people had with the story were gone.

** Rowen's smile [[labelnote: Explanation]]Refers to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Shadowverse/comments/60uifr/rowens_face_when_the_expansion_drops/ this photoshopped image]] from a particular Imageboard. Initially, this joke was intended to further his MemeticLoser status, especially at the time when Dragoncraft only had mediocre upcoming cards revealed. When Tempest of the Gods released and Dragoncraft's new additions were found to be incredibly powerful, the use of this image was flipped on his head, now indicating Rowen enjoying the massive buff.[[/labelnote]]

** The ''Shadows Over Vellsar'' set features a lot of returning characters, with twists in their aesthetic and card design as if corrupted into a dark form. Anne and Grea, who have an incredibly strong RomanticTwoGirlFriendship that has been fuelled by ''Anime/MysteriaFriends'', make a return, and under the "corrupted" aesthetic of the set, the two strongest individuals within Mysteria Academy are crossing swords, ripping the academy (and your own deck) apart with each blow. If you look into their flavor text, Grea's enacted on a [[GreenEyedMonster fit of jealousy]] and betrayed Anna, leaving her completely heartbroken as she renounces their friendship.

** From late September to early October 2019, the dev team teased a "big announcement", with a site showing a countdown and updating with silhouettes of never-seen-before figures with each passing day. Many suspected it was new game content, ranging from balance changes to new cards or characters. When it was revealed to be [[https://anime.shadowverse.jp/ the announcement of an anime adaptation]], it's safe to say many were disappointed. The fact that is is meant to center around the card game itself rather than the its in-game plo around it only added more fuel to the fire.

* GeniusBonus: The non-standard stats of [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/117441010?lang=en Erntz, Justice]] being 11/8 and 8/11 while evolved are tied to how the Justice tarot card is assigned to either number 8 or 11 of the major arcana depending on the variant of deck you're using.

** Illganeau not only gets a tragic storyline in-game, but her representative card gets nerfed so hard she falls out of relevance, she doesn't even make the 5th anniversary leader poll (unlike most of the other Rivayle characters), and even Zecilwensche snatched away hopes of being a Battle Pass leader! Poor girl can't catch a break in-universe and out.

** The climax of the ''Fate's Trigger'' chapters is wrought with tragedy as Zecilwenshe [[spoiler:kills Baron and manipulates Maiser to take his own life. Both Bunny and Selena are struck by grief as their reasons to live are taken from them -- Bunny at least has Arisa to console her and direct her rage at Icey, but Selena shoots herself after losing Maiser. In a short span of time, three protagonists are killed off, which is a stark contrast to the previous arcs where most of the named characters see their arcs through to the end.]]

* ThatOneAchievement: A series of permanent missions/achievements require you to get perfect 5-win streaks in Take Two Mode. While it can be possible in theory with proper knowledge of the cards, what actually makes it difficult is that in Take Two, you cannot use your own decks and must randomly choose among 3 given classes, with each card of your deck coming from a draft system - You are given two pairs of cards, choose one pair and discard the other. Do this 15 times to make a deck for that Take Two campaign only. So it's all up to the RandomNumberGod to decide whether you get an excellent deck or a terrible one, while pitting you against opponents who ''may'' have better decks and draws than you. A simple defeat can invalidate your current run's attempt. The first of this series requires you to go 5-0 three times, but ''[[UpToEleven the challenge does not stop there]]'', as you reveal more of the series that requires you to perform this feat many more times. The last of the rewards is at ''twenty'' 5-0 runs.

*** The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls second iteration of Quest Mode has its Gold Pina Colata which is almost downright unfair. From its third turn it starts getting random amulets or worse yet, Rivayle Maneuver vehicles, which are deadly Tokens that have no right showing up on-board that early. They have great stats, strong effects, and it would take a lot of effort to take them out as soon as turn 4 or 5. But if you hold out the golden cat mascot starts generating never-before-seen amulets -- golden versions of the Rivaylan buff amulets that, for instance, give +5/+5 or +4/+0 and '''Storm'''. Gold Pina can literally pull lethal on you out of thin air.

* TearJerker: The ''Anime/FateStayNightHeavensFeel'' collab introduces alternate art cards based on characters from the anime, complete with new lore flavor text. The lore for [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/702721010 Berserker]] [[spoiler:are part of Illya's FamousLastWords from ''Unlimited Blade Works'' after Berserker's ill-fated battle against Gilgamesh, and the evolved text from the start of that same battle.]]

** Crafting a Rotation deck can cost tens of thousands of vials due to the number of Legendary and Gold cards one needs, so to help ease a new player into ranked play, Cygames made one of the prebuilt decks free to obtain until the next set launches, and all the cards involved would manifest as temporary cards that expire with the deck. Since everyone gets access to this feature, expect to see one of the prebuilt decks ''everywhere'' shortly after the launch of a new set, and doubly so if a variation of that decklist happens to be very successful on the ladder.

* AwardSnub: In 2017, a community poll was held to decide the next set of leader skins. Bloodcraft's winner wasn't an iconic gold/legendary card like Emeralda or Beast Dominator, but Dark General, an unremarkable bronze basic. A lot of the Western fanbase realized she won because her Japanese voice actress is the popular Creator/KanaHanazawa, and were dissatisfied with this.

** Quest Mode was introduced in early January 2020, allowing the player to challenge AI opponents to earn rewards. Bonus objectives impose additional restrictions for greater returns. While the standard opponents use legal decks, the special opponent who can only be defeated once per day is Omniscient Kaiser, who uses an illegal deck filled with overpowered tokens. Whiles he only has single copies of each card, Kaiser has an uncanny ability to draw the right cards consistently. If that's not enough, from turn 5 onwards, Kaiser gains a random special effect ranging from free card draw to free healing or damage, and if you manage to hold her off until long enough, on turn 10 she ''will'' get [[https://shadowverse-portal.com/card/115841020?lang=en her own card]] in her hand and play it, causing a big swing in life totals (provided you don't immediately lose) and creating a monstrous threat you need to deal with. Defeating her normally tends to take a fair bit of luck -- but accomplishing the bonus objectives as well[[note]]Defeat without using evolves, defeat by turn 8, defeat with a deck full of singleton cards[[/note]] will involve a lot of retries.

*** [[{{Nosebleed}} A little blood]] [[DestructoNookie won't stop me!]]
*** [[SomethingElseAlsoRises Saber Strike!]] [[RagingStiffie Saber Strike!]]

** KMR Laugh [[labelnote: Explanation]]One of the memes shared between the ''Shadowverse'' and ''Granblue Fantasy'' fandoms is an image macro of Producer Yuito "KMR" Kimura laughing with his eyes closed. Fans usually bring up the image on several ''Shadowverse''-related news, announcements, or card rebalance posts on the game's social media platforms, referring to KMR as the ScapegoatCreator whom they associate with such decisions and updates. There's also the "Smiling KMR" variant where he faces forward instead, and the "Sasuga KMR" phrase when fans praise the news updates made to the game, again associating him.[[/labelnote]]

* ScapegoatCreator: Yuito "[[FanNickname KMR]]" Kimura of Cygames, thanks to the [[FriendlyFandoms shared fandom]] of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' and ''Shadowverse'' that he is involved in, and his appearances as a Cygames representative in ''Shadowverse'' livestreams. In terms of this card game, both Japanese and English fans love to bring him up and associate him as the one who decides the content, promotions, collaborations, content and card rebalances that happen all around. Several [[MemeticMutation memes and phrases]] from the ''Granblue Fantasy'' fandom were also imported here.

** The ''Shadows Over Vellsar'' set features a lot of returning characters, with twists in their aesthetic and card design as if corrupted into a dark form. Anne and Grea return in this set, but the twisted aesthetic of the set makes them paints a heartbreaking picture, as one of the closest couples in the game's lore has fallen out and they're fighting each other. It's a jarring contrast to every other depiction of the two, especially ''Anime/MysteriaFriends''.

** Players were excited when Cygames hosted a poll to determine the next alternate leaders for each class. They were ''not'' amused when they discovered that, as opposed to simply purchasing them like the other leaders, the alternate leaders would be obtained by pulling their respective card from packs, and cannot be crafted. To twist the knife a little more, an alternate leader card has a mere 0.3% chance of being obtained. Some player still maintain this anger towards the [[LootBoxes gacha mechanic]] that has plagued Japanese mobile games, while others had come to terms with it and note that it's not BribingYourWayToVictory if it's purely cosmetic.
** The concept of mini-expansions introduced at the third month of each expansion was met with mixed reception. At first, players were disgruntled with the fact that the cards introduced will require them to spend more resources on opening packs to acquire them, especially when those cards are Gold and Legendary cards that can become vital to a strong deck. After experiencing the first mini-expansion and experiencing how it can dramatically alter the deck tiers, some people warmed up to it as it broke the monotony and gave hopes for an underperforming craft or archetype to receive cards that revolutionize it, while others maintain their dissatisfaction at a diluted card pool. This would later be tempered much later, when the game added modified card packs that are more likely to yield the new cards from the mini-expansion.
** From late September to early October 2019, the dev team teased a "big announcement", with a site showing a countdown and updating with silhouettes of never-seen-before figures with each passing day. Many suspected it was new game content, ranging from balance changes to new cards or characters. When it was revealed to be [[https://anime.shadowverse.jp/ the announcement of an anime adaptation]], it's safe to say many were disappointed. The fact that is is meant to center around the card game itself rather than the story and lore around it only added more fuel to the fire.

* MemeticMutation:
** "Shadoba tanoshii!" [[labelnote: Explanation]]Quote heavily associated with Hiiro that ended up catching up with the main game fandom to either mock him due to being a VanillaProtagonist or used ironically in metas with prevalent TierInducedScrappy decks[[/labelnote]]
* ShockingMoments: [[spoiler:Portalcraft was subject to mockery for not being featured at all in the anime's promotional material. Cut to episode 23, where Leon and his Shadow Knights test the abilities of the main cast using the traditional Artifact Portalcraft archetype. Bear in mind the main cast is using cards with power levels scaled to those of the game's first three expansions; this scenario can easily showcase how decks from the game's early days would contend with ''Chronogenesis''.]]
* VanillaProtagonist: A common criticism towards the anime is Hiiro's whole character basically boiling down to just loving Shadowverse, making him uninteresting in the eyes of the viewers in contrast to the other main characters, which have more developed personalities and backstories. This in turn makes the limelight episodes dedicated to them being more highly regarded by the fanbase than Hiiro's.

* ShockingMoments: [[spoiler:Portalcraft was subject to mockery for not being featured at all in the anime's promotional material. Cut to episode 23, where Leon and his Shadow Knights test the abilities of the main cast using the traditional Artifact Portalcraft archetype. Bear in mind the main cast is using cards with power levels scaled to those of the game's first three expansions; this scenario can easily showcase how decks from the game's early days would contend with ''Chronogenesis''.]]

** Few players are fond of the means of getting leader cards. These are alternate arts of popular cards which, when obtained, also unlock themselves as an alternate leader for their class on top of a special emblem and card sleeve. However, they cannot be crafted, and the chance of obtaining one in a pack is incredibly small -- lower than that of other legendary cards. Stories abound where players have opened hundreds of packs (even going as far as to spend large amounts of actual money) without getting even a single copy of a leader card they were after.