[edited retort to weenie]
OK, so raw data here for my case. Please weigh in, especially if you are thoughtful and maybe have some math skills.
This is what you can expect as a pirate these days in response to a simple HN raid.
Please realize the turns that it cost to cast all this--let alone the cost in cards. And that the caster had all this available AT ANY RANDOM MOMENT.
CAST:
Sabotage--This card needs to be looked into and explained better. Does de fleeting work? As I'm looking it up during this battle, I see that its 50% flip which is why I allowed it to continue hoping to drain the undrainable turn stock, still he cast 83 of these cards.
Call Leviathan--OK this whole counterattack only sunk two cutters and a sotl. The cost of 32 Call Leviathan cards in my mind is far more. Win for me?
Spy- 2, Ambush, confuse, swarm & disfavor--normal, fine.
Thieving Magpie--Oh, throw in 12 of these just to be annoying, also fair enough.
Time Spiral--156. 156!!!! No words needed.
SO, just in cards thats 290...total turn cost? well you'd have to also add a million attacks on my fleets. This was actually my fourth raid of the day, so my raiders had high danger. With the disfavor, he had gosh, quite a few attacks (should be in the port history of ps/ak).
Anyway, to conclude, my sole goal was to bump JB from top spot (someone had to), that was accomplished. My secondary goal was to keep my capital fleets, accomplished (if somewhat bruised). I probably lost a million or two, but gold isn't really an issue for me these days (despite Trixi always digging up my treasure, lol).
As game balance goes though, jeeez--I'd hate to be a starting pirate these days.