I did end up getting Artifact. In the patch notes they said something that made me very hopeful, which was something like “players want a good game above all else.” Balancing cards makes the game itself better, therefore you should do it—that is, if you’re trying to appeal to players like me who care less about treating the cards as physical objects or investments. I agree that balancing cards is going to reduce incentive to trade, and will happily bet that cosmetic monetization is coming.
I did end up getting Artifact. In the patch notes they said something that made me very hopeful, which was something like “players want a good game above all else.” Balancing cards makes the game itself better, therefore you should do it—that is, if you’re trying to appeal to players like me who care less about treating the cards as physical objects or investments. I agree that balancing cards is going to reduce incentive to trade, and will happily bet that cosmetic monetization is coming.