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Original pls?
First pic on my HS page (Italian): HearthstonianoIgnorante Unstable Portal Pic
This would be the best time to get him as he keeps the mana reduction. It was confirmed on the battle.net forums. Now don't get me wrong I'm saying getting him on turn two from portal would be good for him. However, it would be better than a wisp but worse than a 2 drop.
idc what people say about this card. it is adorbz.
One simple change could make this card playable: Zerus can only shift to a minion with mana cost equal to or less then your total mana crystals.
That way it gets some of the annoying RNG out of the way, such as getting a good 7 drop when you are on turn 6, so you don't have enough mana to play it and you can't wait till next turn to play it cuz it will turn into a different card, possibily a 8-10 mana card and you can't play it again...
if Shifter Zerus transform... let's say... on Alexstrasza, would it count as a dragon on your hand?
Alexstrasza is a dragon, so yes.
Hmmm, what happens if this ally get copied by Shadowcaster? What happens if it gets copied after being played as a 1/1 "shifter-zerus". And then, what happens if it gets copied as another minion after being transformed.
So many grey areas with this card...
Shadowcaster will copy the minion as it is on the battlefield; seems pretty obvious. I don't see any grey areas with this card in that regard.
So, if the minion gets returned to your hand for example, it is simply the minion you played? Or it keeps being shifter and will start to change again?
Do you know of any card that function just like this or are you just guessing there? Let me know if so, because I don't know of any minion that works exactly like this. The only similar effect I know is faceless manipulator, yet I'm not sure what happens in that case.
Edit: I did some reading, looks like transform is permanent normally (yet this card breaks every rule while it is in your hand), so yes it should be simple, you get the minion it copied, or, if you copy it while it was a 1/1 it should change... or at least seams the logical way to go... yet I'm not sure until I see this get play tested.
The one one copy from shadow caster would transform however it will stay a 1/1 for 1. He would change art and abilities but would not become an 8/8 rag for 1, however, he would be a 1/1 rag for 1. Which isn't bad.
As it is, a BAD card! Would be great if was "transform it into a random LEGENDARY minion"
So it will change twice until your next turn? Like Micro Machine gains attack?
no it only changes at the START of YOUR own turn
Let the essence flow! For the Swarm!
This is my analysis of the reality of playing Shifter Zerus in an actual game of Standard, including Whispers of the Old Gods.
There are currently 474 minions in Standard:
291 (61%) are Neutral minions.
22 (5%) are Druid minions.
21 (4%) are Hunter minions.
18 (4%) are Mage minions.
15 (3%) are Paladin minions.
19 (4%) are Priest minions.
22 (5%) are Rogue minions.
21 (4%) are Shaman minions.
26 (5%) are Warlock minions.
22 (5%) are Warrior minions.
Of the 474 minions, 87 (~18%) are Legendary (both Neutral and Class).
That means that, on average, every ~6 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a Legendary.
183 of the 474 (~39%) minions are class cards.
Given the relatively even spread of class minions (3% lowest for Paladin, 5% highest for Warlock, 4% on average amongst all classes), this means that 35% (100% of the cards - 61% Neutral - 4% your class) of the cards in Standard are minions from the other 8 classes that you cannot put in your deck.
That means that, on average, every ~3 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a minion that is not Neutral and is not from your class, i.e. a card that is impossible to place into your deck.
182 of the 474 (~38%) minions have a Battlecry.
That means that, on average, every ~3 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a minion with a Battlecry.
41 of the 474 (~9%) minions have a Deathrattle.
That means that, on average, every ~11 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a minion with a Deathrattle.
39 of the 474 (~8%) minions have Taunt.
That means that, on average, every ~13 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a minion with Taunt.
All of the other keywords have less than 20 of the 377 (~7%) minions each, and around 10 on average (~3%).
That means that, on average, every ~33 turns Shifter Zerus will transform into a minion with a specific keyword other than Battlecry, Deathrattle, or Taunt.
What about curve? If you're holding Shifter Zerus from your opening hand and it is the only minion you want to (or can) play on your turn..
73 of the 474 (~15%) minions have a cost of 2 mana so, on average, every ~7 games you will be on curve on turn 2.
87 of the 474 (~18%) minions have a cost of 3 mana so, on average, every ~6 games you will be on curve on turn 3.
87 of the 474 (~18%) minions have a cost of 4 mana so, on average, every ~6 games you will be on curve on turn 4.
56 of the 474 (~12%) minions have a cost of 5 mana so, on average, every ~8 games you will be on curve on turn 5.
52 of the 474 (~11%) minions have a cost of 6 mana so, on average, every ~9 games you will be on curve on turn 6.
27 of the 474 (~6%) minions have a cost of 7 mana so, on average, every ~17 games you will be on curve on turn 7.
15 of the 474 (~3%) minions have a cost of 8 mana so, on average, every ~33 games you will be on curve on turn 8.
19 of the 474 (~4%) minions have a cost of 9 mana so, on average, every ~25 games you will be on curve on turn 9.
10 of the 474 (~2%) minions have a cost of 10 mana so, on average, every ~50 games you will be on curve on turn 10.
You are way more likely to play Shifter Zerus to fill your curve on any given turn than you are to ever play it on curve.
So, what are the chances a given class (Mage) will draw a given minion (Mysterious Challenger)? None of your business! Wait, no, umm..
Each turn there is a 1/474 chance. That is about a 0.2% chance. So, if every game lasts 11 turns and you have Shifter Zerus in your opening hand / mulligan for it every game (nb: it doesn't transform until the start of your turn, so it would transform 10 times, not 11) there is a ~2% chance you will see a specific minion (this cumulative percentage does not account for the fact that Zerus can transform into the same minion twice etc).
That means that, on average, with "perfect" conditions (11 turn length games and holding Shifter Zerus in your hand from the start of the game), a Mage would see Shifter Zerus transform into Mysterious Challenger every ~50 games.
More than likely, you won't be holding Zerus in your hand from the beginning and your games won't last 11 turns (hello C'Thun, I'm looking at you!), so the likelihood of seeing the EXACT minion you are wishing for from Zerus is probably going to happen maybe once in 150 - 200 games. But oh, what a game that will be! ;)
Happy to have my math corrected!
Added 29/04/2016: There is some circumstantial evidence floating around that Zerus may not just transform while he is in your hand, he possibly could be doing it while he is in your deck, too. When Priests play their stealing cards - Thoughtsteal, Shifting Shade, and Mindgames - they MAY get a copy of the minion Zerus has transformed into and not Shifter Zerus itself. Hopefully Blizzard can clarify. In the meantime, beware of Priest shenanigans! :)
it is important to say that the possibility of getting an relevant minion ON CURVE is low, getting a Mysterious Challenger would only be relevant after turn 6, so... if Shifter Zerus transforms in to it before would only be a huge desappointment. Seeing the minion you want and don't beeing able to play it sure is Trollden material but... yeah...
How is that different from getting Challenger from Unstable Portal?
Fixed. Enjoy :)
Fixed. Enjoy :)