Usually I feel like I understand the value people place on certain cards, but this one leaves me scratching my head.
I get that it's 3/4 worth of stats for 2 mana, but it's so easy to just ignore it. Sort of like how if you can't kill both parts of a golem, you are usually equally well off if you just leave it alone, except in this case you're better off by leaving it alone.
Although I may be a little biased since I play Priest, so getting hit for 1 three times is a lot less worrisome to me than being hit once for 3 damage.
It gets a lot of value with cards like Savage Roar and Bloodlust. Hunters can use it effectively because it's a beast. Zoo can use it because it gives them something to fall back on if their board is cleared.
Your observation that you ignore it unless you can clear it is kind of the point, because early in the game (barring wild pyro shenanigans) there are few efficient ways of clearing it, so it tends to stick around. It is popular in Zoo, Token Druid and Hunter for that reason, and when it's buffed by Argus, Power of the Wild or Houndmaster it suddenly becomes that much harder to ignore; it's good for the same reason Harvest Golem is good i.e. board presence.
For hunters they are amazing. If you have a starving buzzard and you run your creeper in, it will spawn 2 beasts and net you two cards from the get go. There is also opportunity if you have a scavenging hyena and you have two little spiderlings you won't have many quarrels with sacrificing. Hunters love that synergy. I've also seen people do interesting things with it "token druid" decks as power of the wild and savage roar offer nice opportunities. It's also as others have said, it's a new card so people will be experimenting, and it certainly does have that board presence.
*Edit* My bad, I must have been hullucinating one of my games because I swore the spectrals counted as beasts. :( Well at least the normal spider is still a beast.
I'm with the OP here, I very much like when a zoolock drops a Haunted Creeper, it only gains value when it gets destroyed, and guess what, I'm not in a rush to destroy it. So many better 2 drops for zoo, it just feels like such a tempo loss (but I ain't complaining, I feel it's a win if they drop it on turn 2). The only time I see it working well is when combined with a knife juggler.
It's a bit like Argent Squire, you put it on the board and it won't be oneshot. It's also nice if you have Power of the Wild, have it attack once, and then buff the two 1/1 spiderlings. For token druid, the most important part about a minion is staying power, so you have something to buff the next turn after filling the board. Anrything with Deathrattle that summons a followup minion is good.
Almost every other 2 drop is dead after you deal 2 damage to it. You can say 3/2 is better, but it often won't do anything at all. 3 times 1 damage is more versatile.
Like everyone above mentioned, Haunted Creeper was played because it is a sticky minion (either your opponent ignores it, or you get tokens when your opponent clears your board, giving you some much needed tempo) that can benefits from various buff like Abusive Sergeant, Flametongue Totem, Argus, ect. It is the same reason why so many people runs Argent Squire in Zoo or Shaman deck, as it is a horrible card on it's own but are able to trade very well when buffed.
It is really quite simple. It is unnecessary if your opponent cannot clear the board. It doesn't matter if its the Haunted Creeper or ANY other 2 drop. If your opponent is not board wiping, you are most likely, if not certainly winning the game anyway. With a Lightning Storm, Flamestrike, Hellfire, etc and the sudden appearance of 2 1/1's, it makes a difference. In Zoo, it guarantees 2 damage for an additional turn (at minimum) when you are otherwise possibly screwed (after a board clear.) That can be the difference in the game.
Hunter pulls this out turn one with coin. Turn two he drops a hyena while the spider kills a leper gnome. Hunter now has a 4/3 and 2 1/1's headed into turn 3.
Against zoo. Kill 1 health and now you have two 1's to kill others.
As zoo board is removed and there are still two creatures there. Drop a dire wolf in the middle for 4 quick damage to face.
Paladin sword of justice. couple of quick 2/2's in early game could be a game changer
Warrior armor smith potential 4 armor + removal by 3 creatures, or how about a frothing beserker
dark cultist, flesh eating ghoul, knife juggler, 2 quick taunts with a cheap sunfury can stall to the late game for a control deck
I could go on and on. I was a bit skeptical myself at first at how awesome this card would be but I love it more with each game because of it's versatility and synergy with so many other cards.
I agree that it shouldn't be used in zoo. It's too slow and there usually are other targets for buffs. However, In Shaman and Token Druid the spiders are useful. For a Shaman, it's a 1/2 that spawn 3/1 missiles. The two 1/1 spiders and a random totem threaten a mountain giant even with a flametongue.
Usually I feel like I understand the value people place on certain cards, but this one leaves me scratching my head.
I get that it's 3/4 worth of stats for 2 mana, but it's so easy to just ignore it. Sort of like how if you can't kill both parts of a golem, you are usually equally well off if you just leave it alone, except in this case you're better off by leaving it alone.
Although I may be a little biased since I play Priest, so getting hit for 1 three times is a lot less worrisome to me than being hit once for 3 damage.
It gets a lot of value with cards like Savage Roar and Bloodlust. Hunters can use it effectively because it's a beast. Zoo can use it because it gives them something to fall back on if their board is cleared.
My read is that it was designed as an anti-rush card.
Your observation that you ignore it unless you can clear it is kind of the point, because early in the game (barring wild pyro shenanigans) there are few efficient ways of clearing it, so it tends to stick around. It is popular in Zoo, Token Druid and Hunter for that reason, and when it's buffed by Argus, Power of the Wild or Houndmaster it suddenly becomes that much harder to ignore; it's good for the same reason Harvest Golem is good i.e. board presence.
Should be seeing it in warrior after their class card comes out, synergiezes with their armorsmith and berserker, also knife juggler.
Not sure if hyped yet.
Like several deathrattle cards, Argus and Sunfury protector are it's friends.
Works with Knife Juggler too. Also Bloodlust/POTW/token stuff.
Sometimes, it's fine to hit for 1 - hit and mortal coil, and you've now traded a 2 drop for a 2 drop, and got 2 1/1s for "free".
For hunters they are amazing. If you have a starving buzzard and you run your creeper in, it will spawn 2 beasts and net you two cards from the get go. There is also opportunity if you have a scavenging hyena and you have two little spiderlings you won't have many quarrels with sacrificing. Hunters love that synergy. I've also seen people do interesting things with it "token druid" decks as power of the wild and savage roar offer nice opportunities. It's also as others have said, it's a new card so people will be experimenting, and it certainly does have that board presence.
*Edit* My bad, I must have been hullucinating one of my games because I swore the spectrals counted as beasts. :( Well at least the normal spider is still a beast.
The spectral spiders are not beasts.
I'm with the OP here, I very much like when a zoolock drops a Haunted Creeper, it only gains value when it gets destroyed, and guess what, I'm not in a rush to destroy it. So many better 2 drops for zoo, it just feels like such a tempo loss (but I ain't complaining, I feel it's a win if they drop it on turn 2). The only time I see it working well is when combined with a knife juggler.
Pretty simple:
Sticks to the board, so you can gain maximum value from buffing battlecries.
It's a bit like Argent Squire, you put it on the board and it won't be oneshot. It's also nice if you have Power of the Wild, have it attack once, and then buff the two 1/1 spiderlings. For token druid, the most important part about a minion is staying power, so you have something to buff the next turn after filling the board. Anrything with Deathrattle that summons a followup minion is good.
Almost every other 2 drop is dead after you deal 2 damage to it. You can say 3/2 is better, but it often won't do anything at all. 3 times 1 damage is more versatile.
Like everyone above mentioned, Haunted Creeper was played because it is a sticky minion (either your opponent ignores it, or you get tokens when your opponent clears your board, giving you some much needed tempo) that can benefits from various buff like Abusive Sergeant, Flametongue Totem, Argus, ect. It is the same reason why so many people runs Argent Squire in Zoo or Shaman deck, as it is a horrible card on it's own but are able to trade very well when buffed.
It is really quite simple. It is unnecessary if your opponent cannot clear the board. It doesn't matter if its the Haunted Creeper or ANY other 2 drop. If your opponent is not board wiping, you are most likely, if not certainly winning the game anyway. With a Lightning Storm, Flamestrike, Hellfire, etc and the sudden appearance of 2 1/1's, it makes a difference. In Zoo, it guarantees 2 damage for an additional turn (at minimum) when you are otherwise possibly screwed (after a board clear.) That can be the difference in the game.
agreed, easily one of the worst cards in the set IMO
"Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear turns into a cat and eats you." - Anonymous Druid
Versatility and Synergy. For example.
Hunter pulls this out turn one with coin. Turn two he drops a hyena while the spider kills a leper gnome. Hunter now has a 4/3 and 2 1/1's headed into turn 3.
Against zoo. Kill 1 health and now you have two 1's to kill others.
As zoo board is removed and there are still two creatures there. Drop a dire wolf in the middle for 4 quick damage to face.
Paladin sword of justice. couple of quick 2/2's in early game could be a game changer
Warrior armor smith potential 4 armor + removal by 3 creatures, or how about a frothing beserker
dark cultist, flesh eating ghoul, knife juggler, 2 quick taunts with a cheap sunfury can stall to the late game for a control deck
I could go on and on. I was a bit skeptical myself at first at how awesome this card would be but I love it more with each game because of it's versatility and synergy with so many other cards.
I agree that it shouldn't be used in zoo. It's too slow and there usually are other targets for buffs. However, In Shaman and Token Druid the spiders are useful. For a Shaman, it's a 1/2 that spawn 3/1 missiles. The two 1/1 spiders and a random totem threaten a mountain giant even with a flametongue.
Definitely a strong card in token druid and better than Argent Squires.
I wouldn't play in a Zoo deck.