There is now a long awaited Quick Play button! Great, things will be interesting! I hope we can see both 1v1 and 3v3 formats in the future.
For Ranked, it looks good, but... It honestly feels like you've recreated the old and abandoned Destruction gameplay. The vital post-holocaust resource is your unit availability, not deployment points. An even game with a balanced deck can last 80 minutes or more - in the end you are trying to assault with hand pulled artillery pieces, bombers and recon planes. For half an hour, or possibly longer
Do I need to say that if you actually start tailoring your deck the game can last several hours - depending on whether your guesses on the game length/deck tuning are correct. It may be a side effect of the phase mechanic but something needs to be done.For starters, a competitive mode should be fast and furious. It should be fun to play and fun to watch. It doesn't matter that much if it's slightly unforgiving (Quick Play is different but maybe not that much), it should be fun and exciting, not the equivalent of tearing your eyes out while you watch paint dry for hours. Compact games also mean that it's possible to find a regular player's true ELO rating in less than 4 weeks of real time.
You could start with a hard time limit of 30-40 minutes as the first safety valve. The fix enhancing core gameplay is probably much less obvious. You could increase phase B and C availabilities especially for certain key ground units which are used to capture. Tanks, infantry, low tier anti-tank+support units. That way you can make balanced decks still viable in longer games and you don't need a massive deck redesign for every mode.
The maps is also too large for 1v1 - the front line is very broad and not suitable for a single player. The maps would work nice for 2 or 3 players per side. Also Axis-vs-Allies setup would hang better with the theme of the game, even if it's a bit tricky to design for Ranked. But that is somewhat minor and perhaps a matter of taste.
I'm a bit at a loss for words to express my deepest feelings about the current state of Ranked. Swallowing bitter tears, I cannot help but think you have taken my premium triple malt highland grain whiskey aged for 20 years in ancient oak barrels with brass rims and then mixed it with the cheapest china made 'vodka' you could find on the market + some teen liquoir for the banal, and gross, enjoyment of the uneducated masses.
