Version 4.2 ALL balance changes! | Invokation Akademy Review Session | Genshin Impact TCG

Welcome to the Invokation Akademy Review Session, where I go over all the changes to GITCG from the latest update, and give you my first impressions to get you better prepared for the new metagame.
This is part 1 of 2 for Version 4.2, covering only the balance changes on existing cards. The new cards will get their own video after the patch is out and some decks have been tested. There are a huge set of balance changes though, starting with nerfs to 3 of the most meta characters - Shenhe, Oceanid, and Itto, along with a whole lot of buffs to underused talents. The meta is certainly going to see some shakeup, so let me take you through all the changes and give you my predictions on which ones will matter the most.
This series assumes you've been keeping up with GITCG. If you're a newer player, I'd recommend you check out my TCG-101 series which is aimed at beginners. You can find the playlist at • TCG-101
#genshinimpact #geniusinvokationtcg
00:44 - Action cards
01:15 - Shenhe nerfs
01:36 - Oceanid nerfs
02:06 - Itto nerfs
02:53 - Talent card changes - reduced costs
05:38 - Talent card changes - reworked effects
07:09 - Character changes
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Credits
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Bleps and backgrounds drawn by / kolo.creates
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About me
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GITCG caster, player, and content creator.
Visit the @Astra_Carnival to see previous events I've casted, and subscribe to be notified as future events happen!
Watch me cast high level games in the Prince Cup SEA top 8:
• The Prince Cup (SEA/HK... (semifinals)
• The Prince Cup (SEA/HK... (finals)
Twitter: / blepthecat
Discord: @blepcat
Find more Genius Invokation players at the GITCG discord server at / discord
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What is Genius Invokation?
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Genius Invokation TCG (GITCG) is a card game inside Genshin Impact! To unlock this game mode, you will need to reach AR32 in Genshin and complete the associated quest. The entire game is free to play.

[@blepthecat]

IMPORTANT! I missed the change to Cyno's talent in the notes, so it doesn't appear in the video. Cyno's talent has the same cost but was updated so that he receives the +1 DMG buff for his skill at any even stack (0, 2, or 4) instead of previously at 3 or 5 stacks of his passive. This is actually quite a good buff, as the even stacks are more often when he would be taking the field, and lining this up with his damage buff at 4 stacks means it is online a full round earlier which is pretty important. Overall, great change for any Cyno deck and I would consider adding it.

[@hyacynth2182]

I'm honestly most excited for Yanfei. Maybe I'm biased since she was my first real main DPS character in the normal game, but I was always kind of disappointed that her TCG card felt like "Klee but clunkier/worse." Giving her a card draw mechanic seems really unique, and being able to stack seals is much appreciated. Yanfei and Beidou decks are probably what I'm most excited to mess with in 4.2.

[@blepthecat]

Yes! Yanfei's changes definitely separate her out a bit from Klee and there's now reasons for one over the other, super glad for the change. You'll definitely see a some Beidou decks from me in 4.2 as well haha. I really believe in that talent card being very good

[@KHksf]

I love Genshin tcg, playing it almost everyday It was a shock to me when i saw the new stormterror card and the 3cost talent for Xianling, she was one of my favorites but i couldnt never use her talent. Now is OP on the summons teams

[@blepthecat]

Yeah I haven't had a chance to try Xiangling's talent yet since I'm working on the new chars, but I'm willing to bet it's really good. Particularly because she has a 4 cost burst that can then get discounted again by Stormterror the next turn too.

[@mariohumbertomorfinmarin5173]

Me too, for me is really fun, just I wish there would be some ranked sistem

[@cybershadow4422]

My ningguang has been ignored again, owful energy cost ultimate and useless talent card. Now I'm crying in the corner of my room again

[@20DX00]

Honestly, Ningguang's pretty balanced, she has a niche in double hydro Ningguang and her talent + sac frags is often run to make her actually a threat with a 10 dmg burst. Double hydro with barbara and kokomi/mona is pretty difficult to play but can be really difficult to crack if you know how to cleanse and keep everyone healthy

[@blepthecat]

Ningguang still is seeing play with her talent but definitely niche. We'll have to see if they decide to buff more talents later - I think buffing a few characters at a time and not all at once is a good way to do it, so maybe we'll see changes in an upcoming version

[@daiwang8111]

Ningguang is still good stall char on zhongli deck, noelle need 6 dice to deal 8 dmg while ningguang only need 3

[@cybershadow4422]

@@daiwang8111 totally, but Noelle is tank and consistent, ningguang Is a burst character, after the burst she is pretty useless. Like anemo, geo element is not very versatile, but anemo has shenhe, geo has nothing as a specific buffer in this patch. Ningguang talent does not justify the one die higher cost and the burst has 3 energy cost, Noelle has 2. Also, in game ningguang has a nice C.A. mechanic that is TCG has not been considered, she is just a burst character, not very different from diluc o chongiung, but with a less versatile element.

[@daiwang8111]

@@cybershadow4422 i tried both noelle and ningguang on zhongli deck, ningguang is more consistent because she can do offensive without sacrificing defense which noelle cant do

[@Tecco273]

Finally A shenhe nerf Also kokomi beidou electrocharge might be more viable now with the clam set Before it felt very ankward

[@blepthecat]

Yeah it got much better with this patch, but I don't think clam set is really needed. Both their talents got great buffs, so I'd give it a go using Stormterror's Lair and their talents to really power out their bursts and skills!

[@ofcitszen]

thanks for condensing everything into a nice, easy to follow video :D

[@blepthecat]

My pleasure! Glad you liked it

[@Kalx-Kobalt]

I'm happy wanderer didn't get changed, I started to play more giTCG a few days ago and realized update would change this side of the game too. Wanderer has been my favorite character ever since I first saw him in a video about the event he was in and I was excited to finally get into tcg more since his card was added recently.

[@blepthecat]

Definitely very strong right now. Would recommend the Wanderer Mona Eula deck I featured not too long ago - check out that vid if you're interested!

[@cardnacn6704]

While Shenhe's nerf would hurt my main deck a bit(Ganyu, Zhongli, Shenhe), it's very nice that they did something to OP character cards like Shenhe or Itto. If I want another character to get hit in the next patch, it would be Wanderer, I just really hate that there's no way to play around when Wanderer(or other Anemo) get just 1 swirl. Also, the burst hit too hard, imo. I still like the gimmick of attack standby character tho. So, if they gonna hit him, I think his skill should be somewhat similar Hu Tao or Yoimiya where it change NA but doesn't deal damage.

[@blepthecat]

Wanderers raw numbers on his skills are definitely very high, could definitely see a nerf coming later!

[@TheRovingPunster]

There is a very easy way to play around wanderer post swirl, though not all decks can do so productively. If you swap left, it forces him to use his skill again to get a swirl, running through anemo dice and cards at an incredible rate while also dealing less damage. However, this does usually require entering the round with dice advantage to not waste your own turn doing so

[@trottinettesauvage]

​@@TheRovingPunster idk man, the skill still doing 3 dmg in addition to the double swirl makes any of your character ready to die on a potential next turn burst, the only way to counter scara is either freez or killing him before he can make a move 😭

[@TheRovingPunster]

@trottinettesauvage2055 if you swap left, the char that would get hit with the NA would have no aura. They can get 2 damage + 2 swirl by doing a skill costing 3 anemo dice in a deck that already suffers from diceofcringe or 3 damage no swirl by doing an NA that lets you remain on that character and hit back. You are essentially trading 1 black die for 2 damage while also taxing their hand.

[@trottinettesauvage]

@@TheRovingPunster it happened to me more than I'd want to admit, unless they have critical dice of cringe they CAN and WILL do 2 elemental skills (that may or may not be buffed by a weapon, so more than likely doing 3 dmg instead of 2) if you switch. Letting them get away with 2 swirls. They now have 2 charges for their burst and can very much une a mona card to be ready to burst with the skill +2dmg buff next round with your characters all sitting at 6/7 HP at most. You're forced to sacrifice 1 character, (sometimes even two when the opponent play well) if you dont have +35 mega ton of shields and you cant do anything about it unless you can place well timed freezes, or kill him asap lmao

[@ceciliamusic]

Pog summary. What a TALENTED guy. Get it

[@blepthecat]

Hopefully they buff your pun game soon because it could certainly use it yeesh 😔 /j

[@justchica3243]

Im excited the characters starting to have abilities with meta effects like drawing a card. More reminiscent of how commanders work in magic the gathering

[@blepthecat]

Yeah! I'd really like to see other chars that can create cards in hand like Keqing, I think it's a cool mechanic that isn't used enough

[@Senorgato029]

Man I was using the one deck that really liked the extra turn on chongs talent, however with the Jean change the deck in question (Chong/Jean/Mona) has way more staling power and the summon nerf doesn’t hurt too much as it can still set up triple hydro aura, many decks im looking forward to, like a yanfei card generator

[@blepthecat]

Heh I think long term you'll be happy with the talent change overall, one die is huge! And yanfei definitely looks sweet

[@StormiGenshin]

Stop! I’m only at the beginning, but 1:48 Oceanid base dmg 4??? HELP TYSM for the quick video, I’m all caught up and ready for anything 😂❤

[@StormiGenshin]

OOOOOH, 2:04 okay phew

[@justchica3243]

Damn trust me I was no itto mega fan but kinda sad to see him unceremoniously uncrowned and dumped on the dumpster outside. I wish rather than making him basiclaly leave the mega, they balanced him more so he could still be good without being so dominant…

[@blepthecat]

That kind of balance is tricky since numbers have to go up and down in 1's. He's still strong, but just not competitively so. I think it's fine though, I'm sure we'll see him back someday

[@vector_619]

I would love it if you made like a not a tier list but like a evaluation of every characters talent cards if they're worth to use or not.

[@blepthecat]

I typically do that for the new chars each patch - but going back and doing all the existing ones would be a lot to get through. Will definitely consider it! I do plan on making a general video on how to help you evaluate cards so you can do it yourself.

[@vector_619]

@@blepthecat ah I see, guess I'll check the older patch vids. And it would be great if you do make that video

[@cardnacn6704]

1 thing I just noticed. Yoimiya's talent card description doesn't add that "+1 usage". It changed "additional 1 pyro damage" to "+1 usage" However, after equip her talent card, the description of talent card has both "+1 usage" and "addtitional 1 pyro damage" So, IDK which one is correct.

[@blepthecat]

A few people have noticed this too - a few people have tested in-game and it works even strange, it does add +1 usage, but you only get the 1 pyro damage for the first 2 hits. I think they messed up changing it so hopefully will be fixed soon!

[@shio5234]

i just started playing two days ago. so i guess it doesnt seem like anything to me. but its good to know! im trying to learn but all older (more reccomended/higher view ) videos are outdated in some way now aah

[@blepthecat]

Ahaha yeah things can shift pretty fast, though there's quite a lot of things from the latest version. If you are just starting out though, take it slow and just try some decks you like. If you want to learn more meta decks you can always tune in to some tournament streams to see what others are playing!

[@20DX00]

Seeing as this was the talent overhaul update, I'm disappointed with no Collei talent buffs #bringback3costsidewinder

[@blepthecat]

Definitely could be fine given that Quicken has been nerfed since

[@TheRovingPunster]

Still wouldn't stop the burn stack (and now nilou bloom) ftks. I'm doubtful they'd play with fire unnerfing it even if it might be fine

[@MylesJacobSwie]

I know it's a silly question, but have they ever discussed having a specific unique Client for Ingenious Invokation TCG? Obviously I assume not, but, it would be interesting to have that as an option to play the game without having to install all of Genshin on a phone or PC.

[@blepthecat]

Unfortunately not - it would definitely be nice though, I know some people that want to try but don't want to put in the time in Genshin to get an account levelled

[@grannycamille5738]

I was expecting worse for my girl Shenhe, but this is quite good !

[@blepthecat]

Yup! It's quite fair and her burst is still strong as ever.

[@magicalduckye2356]

I've been using my Chongyun, Razor, Xaingling deck since TCG came out and it keeps getting buffs, what is this!? xD

[@alicepalisa]

So thats why my itto deck was hitting less than usual, i didnt even read if they made any changes

[@blepthecat]

Yup, the 1 dmg doesn't sound like much but it'll add up. Pretty rough nerf

[@Yami-gv6uk]

insightful video thanks! I sub

[@blepthecat]

Thank you!

[@despacitoking237]

Zhongli needs a buff like just wasted 5 dice on a shield that breaks on the first normal attack 💀

[@blepthecat]

Yeah he's only really strong with Vortex and even then there are better options right now. Definitely could use one

[@despacitoking237]

@@blepthecat 😭

[@ghostwithknife416]

*looking around and waiting after the video ends.* Ok....where's the wanderer nerf?

[@blepthecat]

Probably too new! I don't think they'd want to nerf a headlining character immediately. Honestly he is powerful but not entirely broken - still we might see a nerf a patch or two down the line if he stays dominant

[@ghostwithknife416]

@@blepthecat as someone who has play roughly 20 games last week and 17 of those game I encountered Wanderer, I genuinely question how he isn't already too dominant.

[@testacc9026]

@@ghostwithknife416 He runs into classic anemo problems, his 2 popular decks shenhe or mona eula generally both lose against din last patch due to having low ST damage outside of burst which they can tank anyways with geo reso or food and that deck was the most popular in most tournaments. His general win rate in competitive play is actually quite poor, he's good at stomping people who don't know matchups or decks with inflexible rotations that are not aggro but you can either aggro down him because he has no protection or just do the classic geo stuff(meta last patch with itto) that he really can't break through, in fact him hitting a off field instead of itto on field just means your putting more damage onto fodders with like almost no pressure outside of burst against him and in a ST scenario you pretty much lose outside of a super huge burst and they didn't setup shield + heals already. If anything he's really good against casuals because they don't understand the specific deck matchups and most of them don't even respond properly against something like shenhe anemo which is easy to make them apply at least 2 cryo before they can even successfully get a swirl in as well as the fact that most don't really play meta, but he's just alright in tournament play where people understand his weaknesses and also most people went back to their itto, shenhe SC, EC decks past week 1 in tournaments(you can check GITCG majors or CN tourney from bilibili) WIth the nerf to itto, he has less bad matchups now assuming itto decks are dead and play rate goes down but that really heavily depends on what the new meta is, if it's just getting replaced by more stall decks then prob nothing changes.

[@KleberDKurosaki]

I don't even touched the TCG after 3.3, mostly because was too slow and I didn't have patience to build an good deck to win against Maguu Kenki back then Any deck Ideas to sweep through the PVE battles? I have to clear most of Sumeru, and practically all the 2nd rounds against overworld NPCs and playable characters

[@blepthecat]

Anemo decks with sucrose tend to do really well because you can abuse the AI a lot with the swaps, and swirls work great against shields and slimes for monster based battles. So definitely try any Sucrose deck. Other than that, most PvP decks are well suited to any NPC battle, but if you struggle against a specific one you might need to tailor your elements to suit that fight if it has an elemental totem or immune enemies.

[@YellowishOnion]

Eula mona wanderer breezes through almost all ai battles

[@gilangbaswara9447]

My deck consist Raiden, Ayaka, and Qiqi. Nothing happen for them hahaha

[@Xolents]

I haven't touch tcg in a whileee after maxing the level did they added a ranking system?

[@blepthecat]

No rank system, and I don't think they ever will. Tavern and other servers do host tournaments from time to time but it's all organized outside the game

[@veed.unknown1628]

bruh, where's ganyu's true nerf? still broken as hell...

[@blepthecat]

Uhhh I got bad news - if anything Ganyu got a buff this patch with Stormterror's Lair heh - we're likely going to see more of her. Competitively speaking she's hasn't been great, but definitely can feel unfair to play against sometimes!

[@veed.unknown1628]

@@blepthecat omg then I'm screwed haha. Hey, could you please do a video teaching how to beat some classic of these techniques, just as xingqiu ult + ganyu charged?👀

[@blepthecat]

@@veed.unknown1628 hm... I'll have a think on that, it's a tough video to do. The short answer though is these decks often fall into the Combo archetype, which means they're weak to aggro. So playing fast, pyro based decks is usually a good answer.

[@galaxydar8953]

Is shenhe wanderer still a broken combo? My friend who i play against will still keep complaining when i use them XD. Im purely a swirl TCG user so im not sure now broken they are to other team comps. Is my playing of shenhe + wanderer justified?

[@blepthecat]

It's still quite strong - you maybe lose 1 or 2 dmg here or there due to the nerf, but otherwise unchanged. With Itto decks gone as well it's an even better pick right notw, though the meta is very much on flux right now

[@Ashler-zb1fn]

What’s your take on a dori / Raiden / flex deck? I’ve slotted in Diluc and wanderer for a pretty consistent burst nuke deck. Dori’s equipment is important for constant bursting.

[@Ashler-zb1fn]

Not me forgetting about Childe 😭 his burst with energy refund is an interesting gimmick

[@blepthecat]

I think using both Dori and Raiden is going way too hard on energy - i would probably just use one or the other. Overall though Raiden is still much better I think, as she also buffs bursts. Dori is in a really weird spot it'll take some time to figure out where she would be best, but her kit is kinda stuck between two functions and is only medium at either one.

[@Coldene]

Damn my boi Itto got rolled over by truck TnT

[@blepthecat]

Yeah he hasn't shown up competitively, though the deck is still strong just not as consistent against the top decks! If you enjoy playing him, you should still do so.

[@goodnic3]

Why they didn't nerf Tenacity and shield's stack😭

[@blepthecat]

Well, Itto decks were the best user of it, so perhaps with the Itto nerf it will also fall off a little bit. Will have to see

[@adityarizkyandana7129]

Nice video ❤ but please change your bgm next time. I dont wanna cry to lantern rite music while watching balance card 🥲.

[@blepthecat]

Haha no gotta get you EMOTIONAL about these balance changes!

[@SilentVinyl]

Ganyu is the same so I will be high rolling or failing still the same

[@blepthecat]

She actually got better with the addition of Stormterror Lair hehe. I'll cover that a bit in the new cards video soon

[@tglbohne7785]

Yayyy can you please tell me the best new decks so i dont lose anymore?

[@blepthecat]

I usually share new decks when I look at the new characters - which should be in about a week or so, once I've had some time to play with the characters and see. Right now though many players are playing around with Stormterror and talent cards, so it's a good time to experiment!

[@Ajax420]

Kokomi hyper carry could work wait

[@blepthecat]

It was already a somewhat real deck and Beidou/Kokomi talents both got buffed... maybe!

[@geneticallygamer]

When are tbey gonna buff hu tao

[@artgon9023]

We still need a Nahida, Klee nerfs, they are really Over Power and really competitive option in decks, we need a better balance for the game and a lot of character need a rework or buff.

[@blepthecat]

Some characters are defintely very weak competitively, but as with any TCG there will always be some cards that are the best and some that are the worst - you really can't get to perfect balance. Honestly though you can play most chars if you have a good synergy deck and have your fundamentals down. Chars like Nahida and Wanderer do have a lot of raw power in their kits though

[@CoolGrovyle]

Oni won't be missed, but Noelle will (by me anyway, I know that pro players couldn't care less if it is not good enough to be competitive :D ) :( Not gonna lie, I always loved how Noelle still somehow holds her own in meta, now without Itto being meta, no one probably will use Noelle :( But good thing is that I often saw players just sac her for the sake of preparing Itto, which always felt kinda bad, so at least she will get some break from that :D

[@blepthecat]

If anything, the Itto change makes Noelle carry decks better, as before you would always prefer to play Itto. If you like her, defintely try with like Lawachurl as a second Geo. You could even use oceanid to get abyssal summons. Shes always been quite effective, just overshadowed by Itto

[@CoolGrovyle]

@@blepthecat I do like her and I do not play almost anything else. Noelle is my main through and through :3 And yes I am trying some other decks too and they are fun :3 But it always feels nice to play my main in TCG. I was actually using her a lot with Lawachurl, but since Lawachurl becomes useless very easily through piercing damage, I am trying to ride her with Albedo and flex thrid unit to apply Crystalizable element. One variant was also Raiden Shogun, because she instantly gives burst to Lawachurl / Albedo and Noelle, but... I found her to be very expensive to play dice-wise.

[@lightsandesune3761]

SHENHE NERF!!!!!!!

[@blepthecat]

Yes! Slight though - I already lost to a Shenhemo deck so she is still plenty powerful