Hello everyone! To start this off, I would like to talk about game balance.

To have a well rounded off game that people enjoy playing, it needs to be fair. I have done game design myself, I know how difficult it is. If a game is the right amount of challenging and rewarding, players will enjoy playing!

However, I have seen too many a hybrid base (kiman and mandarin) give up on breeding bases because it isn't worth it. After they were nerfed (and even after the buff), people give up on breeding these gorgeous bases.
EDIT: Its been brought to my attention that it appears that theres been ONLY 15 natural born mandarins (without a crunchy worm.) Only FIVE of those have been born from a mother who isnt a tigon.

I've noticed two reasons.

1. The base is too difficult to breed.

On top of being special, it has a hard pass rate. Special bases are already quite tricky to breed, even if they're light or dark. However, mandarin is MEDIUM. This makes it EVEN HARDER to breed. So, mandarin has 2 hits already: a nerf, and it's a medium.

I understand that it has recieved a "double" passrate, but without the numbers, that double could very well (and statistically seems to be) a bump from .05% pass to .10% pass. Words can be deceiving.

2. The golden base group has too few colors to realistically breed.

Compared to base groups like black and red, which have a plethora of pretty bases and applicators, gold is an absolute wasteland.

Let's compare kiman to celestial. Both are older, special bases. One is black countershaded dark special, one is gold countershaded light special. In this group, these is 1 applicator only base to assist, and that is anubis. Celestial, however, has 3. Divine, ice, and penumbra. Having applicable special bases GREATLY benefits breeding efforts.

Now mandarin to sunset. Both are countershaded specials, while one is gold and one is red. It also has one, bast, while sunset has 2, inferno and brimstone. However, if you compare it to sidereal... there are FIVE applicators to pair to assist breeding sidereal. Aufeis, hematite, arctic, moonstone, and murk.


"But gold has special ncl bases!"
This may be true, however, there are a few truths that come along with that:

1. Ncls essentially value at nothing. If you look right now, just about every special ncl base is at 200sb in the trading center.

2. You are not able to obtain the same amount of special marks by just using ncls. Let's consider this: Ncls come with 2 random common marks when generated. These generated marks do not include the special breed only marks found on raffle bases. The intention right now is that you breed your first gens almost exclusively to get the base. Okay, so I crunchy worm a first gen leopon and get a copy lion, then king it. I can now breed it to ncls. Fantastic. I cannot obtain any of the special raffle markings, because ncls only general with common markings.

Since it's such a trouble to get good markings on hybrid bases, there needs to be more golden applicators. (One of the gold applicators does not even pass its color, green.)

I have a pretty feline onyx 7 cub, I want to breed it to my celestial to get a celestial with feline onyx 7. The only problem is, the cub is rust. Well, now, I can put a penumbra applicator, a divine applicator, or an ice applicator on the cub and now its compatible!

I do not have as much variety and ease to do this with gold bases. Hoarding the same applicator gets old, and with the change to anubis being a purchase base instead of free one, it's now trickier to get.


My suggestion

To counter problem 1, the base being too hard to obtain:

Remove the nerf from hybrid bases and add it to first gens.

They're one of the only viable, pretty base colors in the gold group. I understand they're supposed to be special because of hybrids and first gens, and they are. I have had 3 first gens myself, they are nice to have, but I don't think it's fair for anyone to struggle to breed them.

First gens have done a good job of putting the base out there! But once it's out, it usually dies within the second generation because that second generation cannot breed it. If anyone had noticed, a lot of people have changed their first gens bases because it is hard to breed manadrin, kiman, and they would rather just try for something easier entirely.

I think if we make the pass rate normal on all lions, the first gen passing as much as a regular lion, it would be better.

OR

2. Theres not enough gold base applicators:

This one is easy! Add more special gold base applicators into the game!

I think if we do either of these, gold bases, specifically hybrid bases, will be seen a lot more.

If you dont support I'd love to know why :) I'd love to have a discussion because I personally believe a .06% passrate for kiman is a little too low!

"No base should have less than a 1% pass rate. Full stop.

1% is as rare as it should get. After that, you're entering high risk/no reward territory."