Because of the inspiration I received from some of the newly revealed cards, I decided to do an Arena guide in addition to my Standard guide. While I know that neonangel already has an Arena analysis (found here) I wanted to see if I could give a different perspective on the cards for Arena, since its possible that I'm playing more Arena than Constructed right now.
Copied from my other guide:
To give a quick background, I'm a monthly Rank 5 player (since the addition of the bonus chest) with 9 golden classes. I've been playing since early GvG and I've never missed a Tavern Brawl. I made Legend for the first time in October 2016 and the second time in May 2017. My favorite classes are Priest and Mage and my favorite decks of all time are Secret Paladin and N'zoth Reno Priest. I have also reached 12 wins twice with Hunter and Paladin.
On to the actual guide info, I will be analyzing for Arena only, so the cards will be analyzed for Year of the Mammoth and will not include any Constructed factors. Please keep in mind that this is all based on my opinions and the opinions of others that have posted on this site and others, and please read the Disclaimer below as that will be updated as more of the set is revealed.
Cards will be sorted by Class and rarity. I will give each a star rating out of 5☆ (5☆ is auto-pick, 0☆ is a never-pick).
All the cards are revealed, so the guide is done aside from proofreading.
Druid
Malfurion the Pestilent - 3.5☆ - Doesn't need combos to work and upgrades your original hero power for the rest of the game. If you have a good turn to play this, the 1/5 Scarabs can protect your face for a bit. The new hero power can remove weak stuff every turn or it can improve your survivability alongside your other topdecks. If you play this card and your opponent is out of cards in your hand, you can probably snowball to a win. Despite this, the high volume of games that end before this card can get value will make it useless, and Druid's lack of presence in Arena is mostly due to a simultaneous lack of early game and large removal.
Hadronox - 2☆ - While I'm extremely hyped for this card in Standard, I don't know if the effect will be worthwhile in Arena. While Taunts are usually the best cards to play, playing this and then getting it silenced or transformed will be very sad and probably game-losing.
Fatespinner - 3☆ - Might turn out to be bad because I assume it is pretty easy to play around the Deathrattle since it will usually be obvious to your opponent which you want to pick. It is still a powerful effect, however, so I wouldn't doubt its power and the ability to outvalue other Epic cards.
Ultimate Infestation - 4.5☆ - Think of this like Firelands Portal except it costs 3 more and does A LOT more. I can't give it a 5☆ because it costs 10 but Druids love this when they're slightly behind and even a little ramp makes this card much stronger. This is the first power card for Arena Druids for a while.
Spreading Plague - 2☆ - Just slows your opponent down. Doesn't really impact the board that much unless you combo it with board buffs.
Druid of the Swarm - 3☆ - Stubborn Gastropod is better than this in Arena but a 1/5 Taunt on 2 is pretty good, and a 1/2 Poisonous in the late game is very strong as well. I don't think this is an auto-pick because 1 attack is so irrelevant in the late game, but this is a start for Druid in Arena.
Strongshell Scavenger - 1☆ - Synergy is tough to come by and comboing this is strong but difficult to do. I would choose it more often if I already have a good number of Taunt minions.
Webweave - 0☆ - I would never pick this in Arena, especially while Mage and Rogue are the strongest classes and have ways of removing this card for basically nothing.
Crypt Lord - 2☆ - Self-buffing is very strong, and if you can play this on an empty board on 3, its likely to stick for a long time. Even better if you can coin it out. Despite this, it gets inconsistent value and doesn't hit other minions that hard, so I might not draft it very often.
Deathstalker Rexxar - 3☆ - In Arena, Hunters are almost always aggressive, and a big part of their difficulty in winning is sustain, much like Constructed. This card gives a ton of sustain, and Zombeasts might make Hunter able to compete with the top classes next expansion.
Professor Putricide - 3☆ - Vanilla stats make this a good pick even without Secrets, but with Secrets, if you can get any value to make this better than a vanilla 5/4 then it can be really strong. I doubt that there will not be a better Legendary out of the three however, so I would be hesitant to pick this without at least 2 or 3 Secrets already.
Abominable Bowman - 5☆ - The Deathrattle has value as long as a Beast died prior (even if it is a 1/1) and it will almost always be the best Epic (only Call of the Wild is better imo).
Toxic Arrow - 3☆ - Removal is removal, and this card threatens to remove basically anything
Corpse Widow - 4☆ - Vanilla stats and a positive effect make this a strong pick in Arena. If you get any value it can win the game, but just the body and the threat of a combo can cause some very bad trades.
Venomstrike Trap - 3☆ - Snake Trap gets drafted a lot so this might get drafted more because its a Rare from the new set. It also impacts the board a lot and might be very good for Hunter.
Exploding Bloatbat - 2☆ - Its just fine as AoE but its such a weak body that your opponent can play around and just ignore. Giving it charge can be strong though.
Bearshark - 4☆ - This card was made for Arena. This will be drafted a lot, as there are very few better 3-drops for just raw power, and the curve potential with Houndmaster is insane.
Stitched Tracker - 3☆ - Kabal Courier sees play, so this can see just as much play, maybe more. Granted, the cards you can Discover from Courier can be on a much higher power level than anything you get from this card, but Hunter has basically zero card draw and this is common, so it has to see play.
Play Dead - 0☆ - Combo cards rarely work in Arena and this is only a spell so you can't even play it for tempo.
Mage
Frost Lich Jaina - 3☆ - While this might be a little slow, I think that it can be very impactful. If you don't immediately die after playing this, it can win the game, especially if you have several other Elementals in the deck. The healing will force your opponent to trade into them and this will put them in a position that the ping can give you another Water Elemental. This card is nutty, I can't give it 5☆ because you can just immediately die after playing it.
Sindragosa - 4☆ - A very powerful card, and the random legendaries give you some amazing value. Unfortunately, it could be hard to activate the Deathrattles without pinging them yourself, but cards like Defender of Argus and Ticking Abomination could kill the Frozen Champions for you.
Glacial Mysteries - 1☆ - Even if I had 5 different secrets in my deck, I still wouldn't pick this card. The tempo loss is rarely worth it, and if you draw all of your secrets you're screwed.
Simulacrum - 2☆ - Copying something good in the late game can be good but this does very little early and doesn't help if your topdecks are bad.
Doomed Apprentice - 3☆ - The stats are bad so if you're behind on board this will do nothing. If you play it on an empty board on turn 3 (or 2) then it can hold spells off for a long time.
Ghastly Conjurer - 3☆ - This card is probably going to see a lot of Arena play, just because it is a Rare in the best class. Its also a very good card by itself, since Hozen Healer sees play even when you don't get value off its Battlecry.
Ice Walker - 2☆ - While the effect is powerful in a late-game situation against either big minions or weapons, the body is just so bad that I don't see this being the best card in your draft. Frost Nova just delays your death, just like this.
Coldwraith - 4☆ - I expect this card to never activate its Battlecry, but to always be a good pick, because a Vanilla 3/4 is great, and its a common, so it'll be difficult to miss this card, at least until the KoFT Arena boost ends.
Frozen Clone - 3☆ - This could ruin Arena balance even more, as it makes it nearly impossible to play around Mage Secrets effectively as playing a minion into a Mage Secret will always be a leap of faith. I don't know if this is good enough to pick without one or two Arcanologist already but getting it off a random effect is great.
Breath of Sindragosa - 3☆ - Early removal is great and this card is the earliest removal Mage has right now. If your opponent plays a 1-mana 2/3 or 3/2, then this (or this and a hero power) can prevent efficient trades from your opponent and possibly begin to snowball into the midgame for an easy win.
Paladin
Uther of the Ebon Blade - 4☆ - Most 9-mana cards are fine in Arena and a 5/3 Lifesteal weapon is already worth about 7-mana, and the upgrade to the hero power with the extra armor makes this an extremely snowbally card. 80 gold to the first person who wins with the auto-kill in Arena.
Bolvar, Fireblood - 2☆ - This is the kind of insane synergy that you want to work in Arena, but it is so difficult to work that I don't think Bolvar will be too good in Arena, even though after he loses his shield he becomes a 3/7. I just think there are a lot of better legendary minions, especially for Paladin. This changes if your deck already has 10 or more Divine Shield minions or buffs, but I wouldn't pick this early.
Blackguard - 4.5☆ - Paladin didn't need any help, but wow they really got it. 12 stats for 6 mana is just under vanilla, and if you can get the effect to trigger just once then it is well worth the mana. Along with that, the body is so difficult to remove that playing this when your opponent can't just trade into it can win the game.
Light's Sorrow - 2☆ - This is a little better than Bolvar, because it is a weapon with a lot of durability, but I still think its too conditional to work well.
Howling Commander - 3☆ - If you have multiple Divine Shield already then this card can be a good pick.
Desperate Stand - 1.5☆ - This card is extremely underwhelming, especially compared to Ancestral Spirit, which already sees no play in Arena. This gets the rating it has because the effect is strong in Paladin, and resurrecting the right minion can win the game.
Arrogant Crusader - 4☆ - If you buff this and you just go face with it, your opponent will be forced to deal with it. I compare this to Piloted Shredder, which saw a lot of play in Arena. Expect to see this card a lot.
Chillblade Champion - 3☆ - Immediate impact and marginal healing make this a very strong card, but I don't know if its a must pick, or if Paladins needed another strong 4-drop for Arena, especially since this probably just trades for a 3-drop like Hired Gun most of the time.
Righteous Defender - 5☆ - As good as Voidwalker which is an extremely strong card in Arena. This has a good chance to trade into two 1-drops which is game winning, and its impossible to remove without hitting it twice or hard removing it.
Dark Conviction - 3☆ - Serves as removal or just neutralizing certain minions. A strong card even if it gives little tempo.
Priest
Shadowreaper Anduin - 3☆ - If you get value off of the Battlecry, then the Hero power can snowball a lot. Combo this with Raza the Chained and you can win a lot of games. It still costs a lot, and if it doesn't clear any minions it can be game losing. The hero power is strong in Arena, and in topdeck mode, two triggers a turn can remove everything your opponent tries to play.
Archbishop Benedictus - 4☆ - This card has the potential to swing the game in your favor, assuming your opponent is playing a good deck, and the cards remaining in his deck are good cards. If you have a nice hand full of removal, or possibly cards that have synergy with each other, and those cards can carry you a bit, this can give you enough deck advantage to get you to fatigue, and some of your opponent's unfair cards can do it for you. This card is not an autopick, however, and it requires a pretty good understanding of Arena meta and what your opponent likely has left in their deck.
Obsidian Statue - 5☆ - Likely to be pulled from Free From Amber and an extremely strong Taunt that needs to be answered very quickly or it will snowball and win the game. If this trades for two cards then you win.
Embrace Darkness - 3☆ - Certainly better in Arena than Constructed. If you use this to try to take their 5-drop, you might get them to do something dumb like Fireball it, and at that point its a 2-for-1. Despite this, if you have a board, it probably just makes them trade into you when they normally wouldn't. I can see this being a fringe card but its hard to predict an unpredictable card like this one.
Shadow Essence - 3☆ - Summoning a vanilla 5/5 for 6 is very underwhelming, but summoning anything with text (Obsidian Statue) can win the midgame and snowball to a win.
Devour Mind - 4☆ - Compare to Cabalist's Tome. And this is a rare. The late-game value is what makes this card strong, and I can see Priests picking this a lot.
Eternal Servitude - 3☆ - As long as you don't get an Aggro Priest in Arena, and you can get enough big cards to make this card valuable, then this will see play. It will be inconsistent, but I'm glad they're experimenting with Resurrect effects again.
Acolyte of Agony - 3.5☆ - Strong minion for its cost and threatens to heal for a lot in the mid-late game. Not quite Kabal Talonpriest level but still a good vanilla-ish minion.
Spirit Lash - 2☆ - Not a good AoE card, but Arcane Explosion gets drafted sometimes, so we'll see. Arena Priests don't need the healing, but it can have synergy with some Priest cards, and some neutrals, like Acolyte of Pain.
Shadow Ascendant - 4☆ - Strong on curve if you get a 1-drop. Extreme powercreep over Master Swordsmith, and an extremely strong Tempo Priest play in Arena if you get value.
Rogue
Valeera the Hollow - 0☆ - Don't pick this card in Arena. Rogues didn't need it.
Lilian Voss - 3.5☆ - Tough to get a lot of value from but vanilla stats with an upside is always fine, and its effect makes some bad cards look a lot better (Razorpetal Volley, for one). Pick your Yetis.
Doomerang - 4☆ - Removal is removal, and weapons win you the game. Recycling a Shadowblade or an Assassin's Blade gives a lot of value and tempo.
Spectral Pillager - 1.5☆ - This card could be okay as long as you can get at least three cards in before it, but combos like that are difficult to get in Arena. Piling up your hand to dump in with this card is weak, and you can probably pick a different Epic.
Runeforge Haunter - 2.5☆ - A bad body with a mediocre effect in Arena. I gave it a 2.5 because curving out of Shadowblade is strong but you can't bet on synergy like that.
Roll the Bones - 2☆ - Hard to get crazy value in Arena but even a cantrip can give good enough tempo to continue to pressure the opponent.
Shadowblade - 5☆ - This card is an auto pick. This card is so good that Rogues will want 3 in every deck (more might get a little bad). This card is so good for Arena Rogue.
Leeching Poison - 2☆ - I don't see this being the best pick unless you already have a lot of weapon buffs. Feel free to prove me wrong.
Plague Scientist - 4☆ - Not quite as good as SI:7 Agent but its of a similar power level. I could see this making waves in Arena, though it is very underwhelming if you fail to land the Combo.
Bone Baron - 4☆ - Nearly vanilla stats and comes with cards that help combo your other cards. This card makes a lot of other cards like Sherazin and Edwin better.
Shaman
Thrall, Deathseer - 2.5☆ - Evolve sees some Arena play and this is a super evolve that changes your hero power. There are most likely going to be better picks but consideration should always be put towards this card based on your deck composition, especially since Doppelgangster sees Arena play as well.
Moorabi - 1☆ - The potential of this card is good but the requirement of a lot of cards to synergize makes this a very meh card in Arena. Shamans have better legendary minions.
Cryostasis - 2☆ - If you can drop this on a Tar Creeper or other high health Taunt minion then this card can be very good. I think you can find a better Epic but I think this will be the right pick sometimes, especially since if your opponent plays just one big minion you can freeze it and try to build a board while they topdeck.
Snowfury Giant - 4☆ - Getting at least 3 Overload before you play this card gives strong tempo and I see no reason not to pick this card if you already have a few Overload cards.
Avalanche - 3☆ - Removal is removal. This is a weird removal but it can work well and it forces your opponent to think about their positioning which can cause some issues.
Voodoo Hexxer - 4☆ - This will be a very strong card in Arena since Freezing an enemy minion can be as good as removing it, and the body is just good enough to kill a few 1 or 2 drops that are still up.
Drakkari Defender - 1☆ - Still a bad card in Arena, unless you have an old incomplete draft with 5 Tunnel Trogg. Lategame its fine but 2 attack does nothing to big minions.
Brrrloc - 3☆ - Compared to Glacial Shard, this card is bad, but its still good for early tempo.
Ice Fishing - 2☆ - The added pressure from the Murlocs can do some damage to your opponent but most Murlocs are underwhelming by themselves in Arena and drawing less than two is so bad.
Warlock
Bloodreaver Gul'dan - 3☆ - If you resurrect any Demons with his battlecry, he gets value, and the armor and the infinite healing gives so much lategame value that he can carry you to a win. The problem is that the good Demons have Discard effects and so you risk discarding him which would be abysmal. Two Despicable Dreadlord can win the game, however.
Blood-Queen Lana'thel - 2☆ - With just one discard, this will probably heal you for 4 or 6 damage. With two, that becomes 6 or 9. I think this card can be the best pick of the legendaries if you have a few discards, though you can't guarantee lining the effects up properly.
Gnomeferatu - 4☆ - Vanilla stats with an upside, and its a 2-drop. Yeah, the only thing holding this card back is that its an Epic in Warlock. Digging through your opponent's deck for them usually doesn't matter and it gets them to fatigue that much quicker.
Treachery - 0☆ - I don't think I need to explain this one.
Despicable Dreadlord - 4☆ - Hitting your opponent's minions can cause some unfortunate situations, and the body is good enough to trade well.
Defile - 3☆ - This is a good boardclear that can frequently be a full clear. I don't know how well it will be in practice but I think this is a good card.
Unwilling Sacrifice - 1☆ - This card can be good if you get a lot of chumps out but there's a good chance it does nothing.
Howlfiend - 0☆ - Discarding any cards in Arena is bad, but discarding more than one is going to lose the game every time.
Sanguine Reveler - 2☆ - Reliably using its effect to your benefit is difficult, since you have to kill something with less than 2/2 stats, or a very strong Deathrattle (Devilsaur Egg anyone?) in order to work it to your advantage.
Scourgelord Garrosh - 3.5☆ - The hero power is unfortunately not a strict upgrade in the lategame. The weapon can gain an incredible amount of tempo, and the hero power synergizes with a lot of different minions, so like I said it isn't a strict upgrade but it has its uses.
Rotface - 3.5☆ - Terribly slow, but if you get at least one random minion off of this, you can snowball a lot and possibly edge out a win. This isn't what Warriors needed in Arena but its a start, even if its a legendary.
Bring It On! - 0☆ - An obvious never pick. If you play this card in Arena, you will lose. I promise.
Dead Man's Hand - 1☆ - This has application in Arena, and if you can get two you never fatigue and you can win but Control Warrior isn't real in Arena yet so this probably won't see play.
Death Revenant - 2☆ - If you get this up to 6/6 its good but without that its terrible. Probably too inconsistent to pick.
Mountainfire Armor - 4☆ - Vanilla stats with an upside will always see play.
Val'kyr Soulclaimer - 2.5☆ - Trash stats can only see play with a ridiculously strong effect. The fact that this can very easily die without doing anything will seriously hold this card back in Arena, especially if you go second and your opponent plays their 3-drop first. I could be wrong and this could end up being amazing, but unless you can ping it yourself, this card is a risky pick and a risky play.
Animated Berserker - 1☆ - While you can get synergy with this, I don't see it working unless you get a lot of synergy for it, which is why its 1 and not 0. Its still a 1-mana 1/3 which makes it potentially strong just for the body but since Arena is Curvestone, taking advantage of this is unlikely.
Blood Razor - 3☆ - The effect might make the card worth picking if you have synergy but the stats are just so bad that it might not matter.
Forge of Souls - 4☆ - Draws your removal. If you already have 3+ weapons, which is easy thanks to the buff to Arena weapon drafts, then this card can give a ton of tempo across at least 4 turns.
Neutral
The Lich King - 5☆ - Best card in the set for Constructed and Arena. Every single Death Knight card is great for Arena, and obviously the body with Taunt is insane.
Arfus - 3☆ - The body is bad but as long as you get an incredible Death Knight card you'll be happy with the card.
Prince Valanar - 1☆ - Unless you have no 4-drops and you're in the last 5 picks I would never pick this card. There are definitely better legendary minions for every class.
Prince Keleseth - 1☆ - You will have to take no 2-drops in a format that requires curving out in order to stay in the game. I give it a 1 because there will be "that one draft" where the effect is useful but it won't happen consistently.
Prince Taldaram - 1☆ - A little better than Keleseth but not good enough to be a sure pick or anything. Runs the same issue of needing to curve out.
Furnacefire Colossus - 3.5☆ - I wouldn't be sad to get this in any class, but if you can take advantage of weapons that are bad in the mid-lategame then there should be no complaints about this card.
Corpsetaker - 4☆ - If you have any of the effects in your deck then this is the Hail Mary to end all Hail Mary's. If you can get at least two of the buffs then this card is ahead of the curve by a lot. If you get more then you can win the game off of this card.
Nerubian Unraveler - 1☆ - It could be that this is the best pick of your epics but the effect is so meh and the body is so bad that it might just be a waste.
Tomb Lurker - 3☆ - Low tempo but drawing this during topdeck wars can give you the advantage you need to close out the game.
Meat Wagon - 1☆ - There's obviously some meme potential by pulling out Validated Doomsayer or Alarm-o-bot, but I wouldn't pick those cards unless I already have this, and I wouldn't pick this unless I can get value off it. Buffing makes it more relevant but you're just thinning your deck and you can potentially waste a valuable Battlecry as well.
Skulking Geist - 4☆ - Clears your terrible draws and helps you keep pressure on in the lategame. I would take some serious thinking before picking this card in Arena but it is potentially going to win some games.
Rattling Rascal - 1☆ - Its possible that this is the best pick but giving your opponent a 5/5 makes this an effective 2/2 for 4.
Deathaxe Punisher - 3☆ - If you get the buff off then this is an extremely powerful card.
Drakkari Enchanter - 1☆ - You need this card to get its effect to be worth it and that is difficult to do in Arena. I could see this being the best pick if the others are garbage but I also wouldn't try and hurt your chances of winning by holding this.
Keening Banshee - 4☆ - Better than vanilla stats can make this strong. Trades favorably with Yetis which is a rare trait for 4-drops. I would be careful playing too many cards, but if this scares your opponent then you can win.
Bone Drake - 5☆ - Extremely strong pick, and might be complained about similarly to Stonehill Defender, because the chance of getting a legendary minion from the deathrattle is 9/17, if you count Primordial Drake, and the only really bad drops are occasionally Faerie Dragon or Midnight Drake. Multiple can lead to Book Wyrm or Drakonid Operative triggers, and getting Sindragosa or more copies of Bone Drake can sustain you for a long time.
Saronite Chain Gang [/card]- 4☆ - Compare this to [card]Infested Tauren. This card is much stronger ignoring Deathrattle synergies. Think of it as a neutral Feral Spirit that costs 1 less.
Corpse Raiser - 2☆ - Saving one of your minions is a strong effect, and reusing deathrattles can be relevant, but the body on this is so bad that it will be difficult to bring the board back with it if you're already behind.
Ticking Abomination - 2☆ - I think the effect is moot if you can trade your minions away, and he's pretty much guaranteed to be able to attack twice so this is a very valuable card in Arena. Might be okay if you have bad draws or if you're playing Mage and you have a lot of spells.
Phantom Freebooter - 2.5☆ - With the recent increase to weapon drops in Arena, I could see getting decent value on this to be fairly consistent. I would not pick it without multiple weapons already, however, or if I'm playing Rogue and I have the hero power anyway, but having to play around this card might get annoying.
Happy Ghoul - 3☆ - Vanilla 3/3 is fine in Arena, and getting to play it for 0 will be an insane tempo play. Some classes are more likely to pick this over others but consistent stats is fine.
Shallow Gravedigger - 3☆ - Good value combined with okay tempo makes for a good card. The problem is of course that the body is unimpressive and the effect has a chance to whiff pretty hard. Definite highroll potential though.
Mindbreaker - 3.5☆ - An excellent 3-drop. Playing this on curve means your opponent needs to answer it with cards, and not being able to Hero Power could lead to some infuriatingly bad turns early. Since Coliseum Manager saw decent Arena play, and Carrion Grub still does, this card could be extremely strong.
Bonemare - 4.5☆ - This card was made for Arena, but needing a minion on board can be more difficult than expected and so this card doesn't get the 5 star rating. To those saying its the next Bog Creeper, Bog Creeper can be played in topdeck mode outside of Paladin and Shaman (and in those classes its a definite 5).
Necrotic Geist - 2☆ - This is a win-more card, but it definitely wins more. In an ideal situation, you're free to play this and trade the board you already have into the giant minion your opponent just played and technically not lose any board advantage. That is a real situation in Arena, but there are better cards to use 6 mana on, like actual removal. That being said, this is a neutral common from the newest set. I can see Kripp complaining about it at some point.
Spellweaver - 0☆ - Filler even by Arena standards.
Skelemancer - 3.5☆ - Not an easy card to take advantage of, but if you can buff it enough or give it Taunt, the 8/8 can snowball.
Venomancer - 3☆ - Strong if you get a positive trade.
Bloodworm - 2☆ - Stats are fine sometimes and healing is relevant. If you can buff it this card can be very threatening.
Cobalt Scalebane - 4☆ - A bad topdeck, but its a neutral 5/5 with a large upside. If you have any board at all, this can spiral out of control quickly. Its also common so there will usually be opportunities to pick this over other bad common cards. Also of note, the only 5 mana 5/6 minions in Standard are class cards.
Sunborne Val'kyr - 3.5☆ - Requiring another minion or two to get value is risky, but being able to make favorable trades is much more valuable in Arena than Constructed, and this card is a lot like Defender of Argus in that regard. Being a common, this will be drafted often, and I can see it winning some games.
Deathspeaker - 4.5☆ - Nearly vanilla stats are enough to make this a consistent pick, and the combo potential is so strong that it can make so many other minions into 2-for-1 trades very easily. Also, rest in peace, Stablemaster.
Nighthowler - 2☆ - Not bad stats but its a terrible card so there are probably better picks.
Grim Necromancer - 3☆ - Above vanilla stats across three bodies is strong in Arena. A good pick.
Grave Shambler - 3.5☆ - For Rogue, this is a 5☆ card, and for other classes its still strong. The nearly vanilla stats are fine.
Tuskarr Fisherman - 3☆ - Vanilla stats with an upside in the common slot is always fine.
Tainted Zealot - 1.5☆ - Most of the time this is worse than Argent Squire, but certain classes can take advantage of either the Divine Shield or the Spell Damage so I don't think this is a dead pick.
Acherus Veteran - 3☆ - Vanilla stats with an upside. This doesn't ruin Arena but its a very strong effect.
Wretched Tiller - 0.5☆ - Poor stats and extra face damage isn't worth it.
Fallen Sun Cleric - 4☆ - I don't know how this made it into the game, because technically its powercreep on Shattered Sun Cleric because of the identical effect. Zoo or Aggro decks in Arena can pick this every time.
Snowflipper Penguin - 0.5☆ - This will be picked about as much as Murloc Tinyfin and Wisp are. Maybe a little more because Hunter and Druid have Beast synergy.
They both require combos, whereas Ticking Abom works on an empty board. I'm honestly hyped a bit for the meme but I think its going to do well in Arena.
They both require combos, whereas Ticking Abom works on an empty board. I'm honestly hyped a bit for the meme but I think its going to do well in Arena.
The problem of Ticking Abomination is the same as Venture Co. Mercenary, it is going to limit your next turn play, so the best thing to do, if your opponent plays it, you go face, he won't be able to play any minions next turn, and even worse if your opponent freezes it or puts a small taunt in the way to prevent good trades. Is it really worth it to play a tiny better Chillwind Yeti that can lose you the game just by itself ? The answer is pretty obvious.
The question is, can Ticking Abomination have a good rating simply for the "fun" that comes when all the stuff that can spawn a random 4 drop leads to this bad boy popping up.
Oh lol. I thought when it said guide it would be someone who knew what they were talking about, not someone who got 12 wins a couple times. That explains the terrible card evaluations. I guess it's better than your standard guide where you evaluate cards based on seeing 25% of them
Props for doing this, it's fun to have a one-stop place for thus discussion!
Here are my thoughts on a few ratings I disagree with (mind, I ain't a pro or anything, so I'm certainly wrong on a few of these).
I think the power of Spikeridged Steed has proven that having a minion alive for a late game drop to be effective is not that hard (at least for Paladin). Bonemare is (at least in some classes) an insane arena card, limited only by decks usually not wanting too many 7+ drops. It is the Bog Creeper of this set - I expect to see way way too many of these in the coming months.
Ticking Abomination is average at best. It can backfire, a lot, and doesn't offer enough in return, in my opinion.
Blood Queen Lana'thel will usually be pretty bad. She requires synergy to even reach what I'd consider a playable rate (3 attack). With the right deck she could shine, but I'd rate her as below average for now.
Bearshark and Abominable Snowman sound good, and they're definitely above average, but I don't feel either deserves a 5-star. Bearshark trades with most 2-drops, and the Snowman requires synergy and is somewhat slow.
Comparing Ghastly Conjurer to Hozen Healer is not a good thing for it. The Healer is an awful card if you don't get value from its battlecry... I feel like it's easier to get value out of a Mirror Image than out of a minion heal, but I'd be hesitant to put Ghastly Conjurer as being better than average, for now.
Props for doing this, it's fun to have a one-stop place for thus discussion!
Here are my thoughts on a few ratings I disagree with (mind, I ain't a pro or anything, so I'm certainly wrong on a few of these).
I think the power of Spikeridged Steed has proven that having a minion alive for a late game drop to be effective is not that hard (at least for Paladin). Bonemare is (at least in some classes) an insane arena card, limited only by decks usually not wanting too many 7+ drops. It is the Bog Creeper of this set - I expect to see way way too many of these in the coming months.
Ticking Abomination is average at best. It can backfire, a lot, and doesn't offer enough in return, in my opinion.
Blood Queen Lana'thel will usually be pretty bad. She requires synergy to even reach what I'd consider a playable rate (3 attack). With the right deck she could shine, but I'd rate her as below average for now.
Bearshark and Abominable Snowman sound good, and they're definitely above average, but I don't feel either deserves a 5-star. Bearshark trades with most 2-drops, and the Snowman requires synergy and is somewhat slow.
Comparing Ghastly Conjurer to Hozen Healer is not a good thing for it. The Healer is an awful card if you don't get value from its battlecry... I feel like it's easier to get value out of a Mirror Image than out of a minion heal, but I'd be hesitant to put Ghastly Conjurer as being better than average, for now.
For Paladin and Shaman, Bonemare is obviously much stronger since you have a target even in topdeck mode, but in other classes, if you topdeck it with no minions you lose (I added this to the OP). That's why its difficult to give it a 5☆ rating overall since I'm rating the neutrals across all classes.
Ticking Abomination can help. I know its not a great card, but I think it can be okay since it comes in a turn before Venture Co. and it doesn't lose the game if it backfires. It excites me to play Arena in the next expansion and I think it will be picked sometimes.
If Blood-Queen Lana'thel isn't in the first ten picks and you already have some good Discards, she can work. I wouldn't pick her then look for Discards but any healing at all can be the difference between winning and losing.
Bearshark has vanilla aggressive stats and can't be removed by spells. Hired Gun also dies to 2-drops but he's still picked very often (albeit neutral). Abominable Bowman is slow and requires synergy but its Hunter. There's almost always going to be several Beasts in the draft somewhere, and he's sticky. Also, since he drops a beast, he allows you to use more synergistic cards after he dies. He may prove to be unreliable but Un'Goro gave us enough good Beasts for this to work in Arena.
I'm comparing Ghastly Conjurer to Hozen Healer because that card sees play in Arena, and sometimes you play it without the Battlecry. This card's immediate impact is the same, and Hozen is usually fine. Not great, but fine. Ghastly Conjurer is going to see play because its in Mage and there's a good chance its the best Rare you get shown.
Also, its still early. All of this can change or be wrong.
They both require combos, whereas Ticking Abom works on an empty board. I'm honestly hyped a bit for the meme but I think its going to do well in Arena.
I dont think u play arena that often or that u know how the top classes perform. Yes, in fringe cases, Bonemare and Plague Scientist will be bad topdecks, but that will be in like 5% of the games. There will be a significantly bigger percentage of games, where those cards alone, especially Bonemare, will win u the game on its own on the spot, u will see. This card is gonna be the worst thing since Bog Creeper.
Btw Ticking Abomination will be basically something like Hungry Dragon, but significantly worse. It will be better in like mage, where u can slap this on the board and chill with one minion until it trades for 2 of your opponents, but thats about it.
Btw there is an "official" thread - Knights of the Frozen Throne: Arena Impact. I guess u wanted to have your own, nothing wrong with that, but u can join the discussion there, if u want ;-) But beware the ratings, the best is 1, not 5 :)
Your ratings are a little inconsistent I feel. 5* for me is on the power level of Meteor, Spikeridged Steed, Envenom Weapon, Primordial Drake looking at the current top cards for example.
I agree with this and it was an oversight I made when initially making the guide. Because of this, I toned back a few cards and toned up a few others.
Btw there is an "official" thread - Knights of the Frozen Throne: Arena Impact. I guess u wanted to have your own, nothing wrong with that, but u can join the discussion there, if u want ;-) But beware the ratings, the best is 1, not 5 :)
Yes, I'm aware of the "official" thread. That's why I mentioned it in the OP, so I guess you didn't read the whole thing. I'm using the system that more streamers use (Trump specifically) which is a rating out of 5 stars for viability.
I can link you my stats if it makes you feel better (http://www.heartharena.com/profile/eddiefiv) so go ahead and tell me I don't play Arena. Sure, I don't make the top 100 list but I am above average and I know how to play Arena.
Now if you're against the use of HearthArena then that's a whole different story and a debate for another thread.
Click here for my Standard Guide to Frozen Throne
Because of the inspiration I received from some of the newly revealed cards, I decided to do an Arena guide in addition to my Standard guide. While I know that neonangel already has an Arena analysis (found here) I wanted to see if I could give a different perspective on the cards for Arena, since its possible that I'm playing more Arena than Constructed right now.
Copied from my other guide:
To give a quick background, I'm a monthly Rank 5 player (since the addition of the bonus chest) with 9 golden classes. I've been playing since early GvG and I've never missed a Tavern Brawl. I made Legend for the first time in October 2016 and the second time in May 2017. My favorite classes are Priest and Mage and my favorite decks of all time are Secret Paladin and N'zoth Reno Priest. I have also reached 12 wins twice with Hunter and Paladin.
Here is a link to my HearthArena Profile: http://www.heartharena.com/profile/eddiefiv
On to the actual guide info, I will be analyzing for Arena only, so the cards will be analyzed for Year of the Mammoth and will not include any Constructed factors. Please keep in mind that this is all based on my opinions and the opinions of others that have posted on this site and others, and please read the Disclaimer below as that will be updated as more of the set is revealed.
Cards will be sorted by Class and rarity. I will give each a star rating out of 5☆ (5☆ is auto-pick, 0☆ is a never-pick).
All the cards are revealed, so the guide is done aside from proofreading.
Druid
Hunter
Mage
Paladin
Priest
Rogue
Shaman
Warlock
Warrior
Neutral
U think Ticking Abomination is better than Bonemare and Plague Scientist ... ok bro, ok :DDDD
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The question is, can Ticking Abomination have a good rating simply for the "fun" that comes when all the stuff that can spawn a random 4 drop leads to this bad boy popping up.
Perhaps so.
Oh lol. I thought when it said guide it would be someone who knew what they were talking about, not someone who got 12 wins a couple times. That explains the terrible card evaluations. I guess it's better than your standard guide where you evaluate cards based on seeing 25% of them
Props for doing this, it's fun to have a one-stop place for thus discussion!
Here are my thoughts on a few ratings I disagree with (mind, I ain't a pro or anything, so I'm certainly wrong on a few of these).
I think the power of Spikeridged Steed has proven that having a minion alive for a late game drop to be effective is not that hard (at least for Paladin). Bonemare is (at least in some classes) an insane arena card, limited only by decks usually not wanting too many 7+ drops. It is the Bog Creeper of this set - I expect to see way way too many of these in the coming months.
Ticking Abomination is average at best. It can backfire, a lot, and doesn't offer enough in return, in my opinion.
Blood Queen Lana'thel will usually be pretty bad. She requires synergy to even reach what I'd consider a playable rate (3 attack). With the right deck she could shine, but I'd rate her as below average for now.
Bearshark and Abominable Snowman sound good, and they're definitely above average, but I don't feel either deserves a 5-star. Bearshark trades with most 2-drops, and the Snowman requires synergy and is somewhat slow.
Comparing Ghastly Conjurer to Hozen Healer is not a good thing for it. The Healer is an awful card if you don't get value from its battlecry... I feel like it's easier to get value out of a Mirror Image than out of a minion heal, but I'd be hesitant to put Ghastly Conjurer as being better than average, for now.
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Bumping for the recent updates to this and the Standard guide in my signature.
I feel that Ticking Abomination will simply be terrible on arena. Not comparable to huge stats minions such as Frozen Crusher, Corrupted Healbot or Bittertide Hydra. Probably worse than even Venture Co. Mercenary.
Just saw that u have that on 2 stars. That makes more sense for me.
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Thank you for this guide