The reason is a game design one. If Wild Growth didn't give excess mana it would be a spell that literally does nothing for two mana on turn 10. It would feel horrible to draw it late game, and it would push the card towards quite bad (though maybe not unplayable). Excess Mana has to happen to get rid of those bad feelings. The reason it has to be Excess Mana is because Wild Growth being "Choose one: Gain an empty mana crystal OR Draw a card" ups the power substantially, you get to have your cake and eat it being able to get rid of it on late game turns when you have no plays - the early ramp bonus has to be balanced by a reduced late game utility and the possibility that it can clog your hand. Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Violet Teacher and others make things a bit more interesting by providing interesting combos to exploit - good for deck-building and creativity.
All other cards that affect mana are still effective late game - Nourish can always get you cards, Innervate gets you to 12 for a turn. Arcane Golem on the other hand is pretty bad come turn 10 meaning the mana disadvantage is effectively irrelevant. I can see an argument for giving your opponent 1 extra mana for one turn, but mana is hard-capped at 10 (try innervating at full mana!).
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The reason is a game design one. If Wild Growth didn't give excess mana it would be a spell that literally does nothing for two mana on turn 10. It would feel horrible to draw it late game, and it would push the card towards quite bad (though maybe not unplayable). Excess Mana has to happen to get rid of those bad feelings. The reason it has to be Excess Mana is because Wild Growth being "Choose one: Gain an empty mana crystal OR Draw a card" ups the power substantially, you get to have your cake and eat it being able to get rid of it on late game turns when you have no plays - the early ramp bonus has to be balanced by a reduced late game utility and the possibility that it can clog your hand. Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Violet Teacher and others make things a bit more interesting by providing interesting combos to exploit - good for deck-building and creativity.
All other cards that affect mana are still effective late game - Nourish can always get you cards, Innervate gets you to 12 for a turn. Arcane Golem on the other hand is pretty bad come turn 10 meaning the mana disadvantage is effectively irrelevant. I can see an argument for giving your opponent 1 extra mana for one turn, but mana is hard-capped at 10 (try innervating at full mana!).