You could immobilize the bribed unit for 1 turn and/or raise the cost to something that people usually dont have lying around, something like the cost of a lth where you have to plan ahead whether you want to use the card or not

Too damn costly, will rendered the card useless

I think to raise the prize or to debuff it alone wont make it fairer

How bout pacify it for one turn AND reducing its prize to be about 80 gold

Sounds fair since you practically lose one more turn to make your bribed unit useful and this way the opponent can at least react



I don't really care much about whether it make sense or not but if you want justification i can make one
The merc can't attack for one turn because its still in the middle of transition of changing allegiance so its choose to not attack to not risking attacking the payer before it can fully identify who's enemy and who's ally



Oh you still alive, eh

maybe give range -1? or range -1 and vision-1? then a heli would just have 1 range and 2 vision....and raise the prise to 110?

yeah thor, I'm on the forums till single player is out then im gonna play again :p

I think those who want to keep it as it is don't see the full effect of the card.
Let's go through the most common scenario if you get this card in sealed:
The enemy starts with 1-2 mercs and maybe an artillery and AA. Your forces meet in the middle of the map. Now if you use bribery on let's say a light tank you
a) get a strong unit with full range/dmg/movement close to the enemy's forces
b) "gain money" with half of the mercs (art,ht,heli,fighter)
c) can block the enemy's units from getting in range of your own units
d) suck up a large amount of damage
e) deal a large amount of damage
f) provoke use of cards to debuff the now hostile merc, evac own units, etc.

-> There simply is no negative effect, you can only win when using this card (not necessarily the game but it's worth far more than the 100g no matter how you use it).

The only cards that have equal qualities are light tank- and fighter-hero. But those cost a lot more and more importantly the enemy doesn't lose a unit. And there is no other card that has the (not even low) possibility of "changing finances" if you know what I mean. And it should stay that way.
The "risk" of taking this card without being able to use it in sealed hardly exists. And if you take it in constructed then you are either a gambler or don't have any useful cards.
I think the facts and opinions are strong enough that something has to be done. Even the simple pacify 1 turn only erases point e).

I am totally in favor of new, unusual cards that change some aspects of gameplay or introduce new ways of playing. But only if they are balanced and possible to counter.
Sniper is a good example. This card has a narrow gap of usefulness. Effective especially in team games and can be very powerful when played half way through the game. But this usefulness comes at a high price which is totally fair: 60g and 1 movement.

Name: Bribery
Cost: 100g
Text: Gain control of a mercenary unit and move him to your starting area with its duration reset.

Thoughts?

You said it well yourself. If you use Bribery in constructed, you are a gambler.

My thought is, if you use Mercs in sealed, or constructed, then you are a gambler as well.

Bribery is devastating, it's true. If you are so afraid of it, then DON'T USE MERCS! Don't CHOOSE to gamble on something that can be taken away from you. No one is forcing you to take that risk. Pony up and buy regular troops and sleep easy at night.