oh, I’ve been saying there is a problem with power creep for ages now. But I don’t see the power creep stopping, so I cup drop to continue enjoying the game because THAT, at least, is something I can control.
What’s my other option? a) Quit. b) rage against SG and play every day with a lot of anger and frustration. or c) cup drop so I can enjoy…
or d) stage a takeover of Zynga and make them change the game for me. 
nah, I’ll go with C
After the Big Balance Update it will go above 6300+ in few weeks…
Does the big update also affect the team power?
Yes, the most recent heroes will get the biggest power increase:
I am not sure if this is the best thread for my post (if not, please move it). This is maybe a bit late, but I have been waiting to see how sources of Alpha Aethers would be introduced in the game. Seeing how very few Alpha Aethers you can get as F2P or C2P it is clear to me that this is by far the largest imbalance introduced in the game so far. There is simply no way to compete on the 5* level without spending a lot. With LB1, if you do the Mirages of Omega quest and put some effort into tournaments (and war) you can roughly get enough aethers to do LB1 for one 5*, one 4* and one 3* per month. This is fine IMO, even if big spenders can put LB1 on many more heroes this allows you to compete with them pretty well in tournaments and events. But with LB2 you are very far from this, to get ~15 Alpha Aethers for one hero of each rarity seems to take more like a year than a month.
I started off as F2P, but as I found the game more and more fun and challenging I also started to pay a little bit for it. I have payed for the (Standard) Valor Pass, the Dragon Magic VIP offers, Mythic bundles plus a few of the cheaper offers here and there. This typically gives you some bonus (color-specific) aethers, emblems and coins/tokens/gems for portals compared to F2P and has historically allowed me to compete not so far from the top players. But this spending does not give a single Alpha Aether and I can no longer keep up anywhere near the big spenders (on 5* level at least). So I have decided to go back to F2P for now, what’s the meaning of moderate spending if it now has so little effect on your level in practice? I know several alliance members who have done the same, and we can see that the number of bought Mythic Bundles have dropped sharply in the alliance as an example. And the discussions on the motivation to keep playing the game at all has now become one of the larger topics in our alliance chat.
IMO, if the player base in this game should not sharply decrease, losing a lot of F2P and C2P players (who also generate money for the developers through MV ads), Alpha Aethers possible to obtain for free must be introduced at a much higher rate. There would need to be several Alpha Aethers in each Mirages of Omega, or alternatively a monthly separate Alpha Aether quest. And very importantly, it should be possible to get them from tournaments (at least from the higher loot tiers), this would be a high motivator for performing well there. Then the prices for Alpha Aethers would have to be lowered, and introduced e.g. into the Valor Pass (without raising the price for it). Then I and others might be inclined to start spending a bit again.
I have said this elsewhere, but so far I have 19 total AAs, with none coming from purchase.
I cant say whether i have been unaturally lucky with that, or if that is the average, but from a personal standpoint I have been pleasantly surprised at how regularly I seem to pick up an Aether.
Its not enough for me to compete with whales, who are already running full 2LB 5* teams and pushing team TP into the 6k range, but at least I have options regards my 4* and 3* teams (so far I have 2LB Treevil and Shrubbear, and all that seems to have done is get me matched against full 2LB 3* teams in the tournie, so Im actually getting dumped out faster than I was before 2LB - clearly im going to have to burn AAs on the 3* team to have any chance of maintainingmy former level).
The bigger issue for me today is the Balance Update and the new OP heroes they are releasing (im looking at you, Hurricane) despite nerfing so many others.
Yes, I believe you have been very lucky (perhaps pulling one of those 5x Alpha Aethers from the summon?) compared to the average player. I have received a few single Alpha Aethers through the specific summon portal, and only one other (from a war chest). Nothing from MV (despite viewing a lot of ads), nothing from Elemental Chests and nothing from Rare titans (despite being A or A+ on 14* in most cases).
Regarding the Big Balance Update, that’s a separate issue (for a different thread). I know many are upset about it, but we have seen a lot of both nerfs and buffs to heroes before. To me, this time they have just made a large take on it, and the little I have read about it looks like some of your heroes will suffer a bit, others will benefit.
No 5x Aether rewards. Ive had at least 2 from MV. Pretty sure 1 was from a War Chest. Unfortunately im not organised enough to track these things and my memory sucks.
I know for certain that I havent paid for any because I refuse to do so on principle.
Will the V58 to remove Blue book as a alternative item to 4* ascension material and aethers for ascending to L89?
If yes, i will better LB2 a 5* hero by now.
Yes, on V58 you will not be able to spare the Aethers and Ascension matterials if you use the Tome of Experience.
I suspect all of this will be enabled, when the V58 update is forced on June 5th.
It’s a sad thing.
Thanks
Reaaaalllly lucky -
I have yet to receive one big aether from anything other than when purchased.
Well its now 20 for free. Sorry to rub it in 
——
geezy, wish they’d stop with this 20 characters thing
Worst addition in this game ever, nothing fun just a money grab
Did you win? 
I DNA’ed. My yellow stack wasn’t that good. Just intrigued about the ham amount
