I have a quick suggestion for the good people at KingsIsle:
As I sit here passing each round and hoping my crown-minions will eventually whittle down the remaining 9049 hit points of the boss I am currently "fighting", I realize that I shouldn't have discarded my one reshuffle card (I was hoping the fight would be over by then, but he knocked me out and took off my blades). Sure, it was totally my fault- I should have kept more than one reshuffle, I should have discarded less judiciously, I should have managed my HP better, I should have read up on the boss fight...
But that is where my idea comes in. A purchasable 'Reshuffle' available while in combat. It could be an elixir as I mentioned in the title, or another thought occurs to me for an entire new mechanic: instant spells on demand!
What if say in the Henchmen category there were additional items available for purchase, cheaper than the existing helpers, and good for only one spell? You need a little health and can't draw the right cards? BAM! Spend 25 crowns and cast a Pixie. Need to replenish your deck? KACHOW! 50 crowns gets you a reshuffle. Need an extra powerful attack and don't have the pips? ZORK! You could have a whole range of spells available- they could even be spells that we've never been able to cast before- mutations of some of the fan favorites or even previews of upcoming content (they could cost 5-10 crowns per pip).
With such limited options if you run out of cards (flee, call a friend, or hire a henchman), I think an elixir option would be a simple and welcomed addition.
KI would stand to make more profit with minimal programming effort. Think of all the people who flee, of all the people whose friends won't show up when called, and of the potentially many turns you have to wait for a henchman to do anything remotely smart. Those are all target groups who would probably buy a reshuffle, if only they had one.
I think both heals and reshuffle for crowns in PvE only would be a great addition. I think the 20-50 crown range cost is perfect too. As a player, I wouldn't use them much, but I could see plenty of emergency uses. I've been in that situation where I could really use another reshuffle just to finish off those last couple hundred health, have to flee and start over. Would be a win win for players and KI.
