I thought I might start compiling a list of some of the cards that will be missed / have an impact on the meta when they get rotated out. This isn't by any means exhaustive and feel free to add some of your own. There's no "right answer".
This is mostly a way to start thinknig about what will be heading off and ways to replace / counter the problems that arise. I'll start with cards from the WotOG and if the discussion picks up, will start listing the other 2 expansions as well.
If I've missed anything, or got anything wrong in this list, just tell me and I can fix. :-)
SET: Whispers of the Old Gods
C'Thun - let's start with the obvious one here. C'thun decks will no longer be around. As much as I couldn't stand them personally, I will actually be a little sad to see them go. They have fettered out in the last 2 expansions, but they've been around a little now and then.
Flamewreathed Faceless - The good old 4-Mana 7/7 is hanging up his Standard boots! Which I think could be problematic for Shamans. They are already struggling in the meta right now and the loss of some of their power cards is probably going to hurt. I am interested to see what new stuff they might get. I've never thought much of the whole Evolve package. It is so meme-y and heavily RnG based that Shaman feels like a joke-class these days.
Darkshire Councilman - One of Zoolock's most staple cards (at least for a time). Is there much hope for Zoolock to compete with other aggro decks withuot this card?
N'Zoth's First Mate - Pirate Warrior will take a hit with the loss of this card and Patches. is it finally the end of the PW cancer in Standard? (Not that it's been around this last couple of seasons)
Patches the Pirate - So much to be said about this card, it probably deserves its own discussion thread elsewhere. I think we are all pretty much rejoicing in the knowledge he will no longer be in chaaaaarge!
Ravaging Ghoul - this has always been an interesting card for Warrior, I feel. It enabled some great control combos which I think Warrior will struggle to lose for the late game decks.
Southsea Squidface - Kingsbane Rogue is already a difficult deck to get to work well. Without this guy I think the deck will really struggle. And may turn to more specialised mill deck style instead.
Eater of Secrets - The loss of what is essentially the only neutral anti-secret tech is going to hit hard, I think. I know that some of the more cancerous secrets like Ice Block are on the way out as well, thank goodness - but burn mage is still powerful and without a means to tackle them, we may find secrets becoming uncontrollable - Hunt Alone Hunter is also a concern here too.
Evolve - As mentioned further up, Shaman is already going to struggle with the loss of some of their stronger cards. The loss of this card takes away an aspect of the evolve shaman archetype. Perhaps it will kill it off for good?
Master of Evolution - Just as above with Evolve. Though this card sees less play in the Evolve Shaman decks, it's still run in some that I've seen.
Shadow Word: Horror - Part of the Razakus package, but equally really important for keeping priests alive against weenie decks like Aggro Paladin. I think losing this card might be pretty hard for priests. They will be without a mid-range board clear for the 4-mana area.
Thing from Below - Shaman can't catch a break in the rotation. I don't know whether Priest or Shaman are going to be hit the hardest right now. This is a major loss for most Shaman decks that I'm aware of.
Cabalist's Tome - Tough one for Exodia Mages to lose this card. I wonder if we will see more mages leaning on the Elementals package to use their spellstone as a replacement maybe?
Renounce Darkness - I have always been quite sad to never see a really good Renounce Darness deck emerge. Obviously it's all about the memes there, but it looked so much fun to play!
Deathwing, Dragonlord - The dragons are leaving! Well, some of them at least. I'll be interested to see how this affects the "Big" archetype decks.
N'Zoth, the Corruptor - it seems like this card has been around since the dawn of Hearthstone! Its been played so much. I'm actually sorry to see it go - but it might help alleviate the strength of Control-Lock decks right now.
Y'Shaarj, Rage Unbound - It's about time that Barnes's best friend moved on, I think. Another card that could see the end of at least Big Druid - and maybe Big Priest too.
Yogg-Saron, Hope's End - Noooooo! Not Yogg! :-P It's so weird. I hated Yogg with a passion when he first came out. But since he got nerfed, I've fallen in love with this card. It's one of the most sad-to-see-go cards of this set for me. Which is weird, because it epitomises everything I hate about Hearthstone in terms of it's sheer gut-busting RnG board swinging and back-stabbing. But at the same time it's been the core of some of the most wild and enjoyable games of Hearthstone I have ever played.
Well, that's my hilighted cards from this set. Are there any important ones you think I've missed out? Do you think it's good to see the back of all these? Or will you miss some?
Added:
Devolve - Yet another loss for Shaman this one. Though it has started seeing a lot less play with the arrival of cards like Bonemare and Corridor Creeper, the latter of which can be spammed out early and make a devolve board more dangerous.
Mire Keeper - Druid Ramp Packages are going to be less prominent in Ze New World. :-) Woot!
other than that: There is Fandral Staghelm which you left out. Didnt see as much play recently, nontheless a strong card and probably the best class legendary in WotOG
Losing the old gods set is going to be really bad for the game, when you see them listed out like this, so much 'flava', though I guess Y'shaarj has turned into a problem, but I blame Barnes for that. :(
Can't they just do the rotation tomorrow? another 3 months of this is going to make me want to quit the game, can barely play 4 games in a row before the salt from my bad rng and perfect turns from my opponent is overwhelming.
ah... my golden Yogg-Saron, Hope's End is going to leave standard forever... well I am a wild player anyways but still... I absolutely love that bastard. After the nerf he became a risky and fun rng simulator. He saved me a lot of the times... but sometimes he just casted Purify on himself... well here's a funny story
Not so long ago I decided to bring Yogg into my Warlock deck just in case. I fought another warlock and it was a really hard battle I ended up with 5 health when my opponent had 7... the problem was he had 7/7 with taunt and another minion on the board wile I only had The Black Knight It was not looking good... I had only one choice... I deployed the god of RNG on the board hoping for some boardclear... it did not happen... however everything changed when I got Misdirection! "This is my chance" I thought Sacrificing my Knight to increase my chances of survival.
As I ended my turn I was forced to watch 7/7 Attack The crosshair appear and travel in a random direction and then
BAM!
Deadly 7/7 betrayed his owner and effectively killed him winning me the game... I was amazed! I was in shock!
Yogg may not be the most consistant minion... but sure he is fun Yogg-Saron, Hope's End will always have a special place in my collection and my heart
Yogg-Saron, Hope's End - Noooooo! Not Yogg! :-P It's so weird. I hated Yogg with a passion when he first came out. But since he got nerfed, I've fallen in love with this card. It's one of the most sad-to-see-go cards of this set for me. Which is weird, because it epitomises everything I hate about Hearthstone in terms of it's sheer gut-busting RnG board swinging and back-stabbing. But at the same time it's been the core of some of the most wild and enjoyable games of Hearthstone I have ever played.
Could it be because initial reactions are often purely emotional, having little to do with a complex card's true impact?
Could it be that you've finally realized that "Luck" is not a sentient entity that will work against you whenever a card with RNG enables it?
Could it be that players finally understand that managing random effects (and the statistics behind them) is a valid and necessary skill in Hearthstone?
Probably not. Unseasoned players love an easy scapegoat, and "luck" is one of the easiest.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose nor a body to kick." -- Lady Saba Holland
Yogg-Saron, Hope's End - Noooooo! Not Yogg! :-P It's so weird. I hated Yogg with a passion when he first came out. But since he got nerfed, I've fallen in love with this card. It's one of the most sad-to-see-go cards of this set for me. Which is weird, because it epitomises everything I hate about Hearthstone in terms of it's sheer gut-busting RnG board swinging and back-stabbing. But at the same time it's been the core of some of the most wild and enjoyable games of Hearthstone I have ever played.
Could it be because initial reactions are often purely emotional, having little to do with a complex card's true impact?
Could it be that you've finally realized that "Luck" is not a sentient entity that will work against you whenever a card with RNG enables it?
Could it be that players finally understand that managing random effects (and the statistics behind them) is a valid and necessary skill in Hearthstone?
Probably not. Unseasoned players love an easy scapegoat, and "luck" is one of the easiest.
I'm not entirely sure what your point is here. Which unseasoned player/s are you referring to?
I've been playing RnG-based games long enough to understand the value of "luck" in any game and how to leverage it to my own advantage where possible. Yogg is something different. It's not just "Roll a dice and see if you win". It's much more complex than that - and you have opportunities to swing the effects in your favour by board management, etc.
I personally think that shaman is one of the only classes that currently needs a few cards added to the classic and/or basic set to provide them with non-horrible cards to fall back on and scrounge up a real archtype during new expansions that offer shaman themes that fall flat on their face. They are almost entirely reliant on the new expansion(s) providing a near entire deck to get them into the meta or not.
I personally think that shaman is one of the only classes that currently needs a few cards added to the classic and/or basic set to provide them with non-horrible cards to fall back on and scrounge up a real archtype during new expansions that offer shaman themes that fall flat on their face. They are almost entirely reliant on the new expansion(s) providing a near entire deck to get them into the meta or not.
It's kind of weird to think about how Shaman dominated the meta for so long and for a good amount of time was considered the most cancerous deck. At that time, Priest was a joke class and couldn't buy a win for love nor money.
How the tables do turn. I have never really liked any of the Shaman classes much - the closest to enjoyable was the Overload Shaman, which at least felt vaguely consistent. So, I do hope they will do something a bit more interesting with Shaman soon. As a class in WoW, they have always been a bit more like a Druid-Paladin hybrid. I would expect to see something more to this end for them soon.
Do you really see Shadowstrike played like, ever, though? I'm generally curious, because I don't recall the last time I saw that card outside of Arena...
Do you really see Shadowstrike played like, ever, though? I'm generally curious, because I don't recall the last time I saw that card outside of Arena...
It's a 2-of in the second most poplar (200+ upvotes) Rogue deck right now.
I thought I might start compiling a list of some of the cards that will be missed / have an impact on the meta when they get rotated out.
This isn't by any means exhaustive and feel free to add some of your own. There's no "right answer".
This is mostly a way to start thinknig about what will be heading off and ways to replace / counter the problems that arise.
I'll start with cards from the WotOG and if the discussion picks up, will start listing the other 2 expansions as well.
If I've missed anything, or got anything wrong in this list, just tell me and I can fix. :-)
SET: Whispers of the Old Gods
C'Thun - let's start with the obvious one here. C'thun decks will no longer be around. As much as I couldn't stand them personally, I will actually be a little sad to see them go. They have fettered out in the last 2 expansions, but they've been around a little now and then.
Flamewreathed Faceless - The good old 4-Mana 7/7 is hanging up his Standard boots! Which I think could be problematic for Shamans. They are already struggling in the meta right now and the loss of some of their power cards is probably going to hurt. I am interested to see what new stuff they might get. I've never thought much of the whole Evolve package. It is so meme-y and heavily RnG based that Shaman feels like a joke-class these days.
Darkshire Councilman - One of Zoolock's most staple cards (at least for a time). Is there much hope for Zoolock to compete with other aggro decks withuot this card?
N'Zoth's First Mate - Pirate Warrior will take a hit with the loss of this card and Patches. is it finally the end of the PW cancer in Standard? (Not that it's been around this last couple of seasons)
Patches the Pirate - So much to be said about this card, it probably deserves its own discussion thread elsewhere. I think we are all pretty much rejoicing in the knowledge he will no longer be in chaaaaarge!
Ravaging Ghoul - this has always been an interesting card for Warrior, I feel. It enabled some great control combos which I think Warrior will struggle to lose for the late game decks.
Southsea Squidface - Kingsbane Rogue is already a difficult deck to get to work well. Without this guy I think the deck will really struggle. And may turn to more specialised mill deck style instead.
Eater of Secrets - The loss of what is essentially the only neutral anti-secret tech is going to hit hard, I think. I know that some of the more cancerous secrets like Ice Block are on the way out as well, thank goodness - but burn mage is still powerful and without a means to tackle them, we may find secrets becoming uncontrollable - Hunt Alone Hunter is also a concern here too.
Evolve - As mentioned further up, Shaman is already going to struggle with the loss of some of their stronger cards. The loss of this card takes away an aspect of the evolve shaman archetype. Perhaps it will kill it off for good?
Master of Evolution - Just as above with Evolve. Though this card sees less play in the Evolve Shaman decks, it's still run in some that I've seen.
Shadow Word: Horror - Part of the Razakus package, but equally really important for keeping priests alive against weenie decks like Aggro Paladin. I think losing this card might be pretty hard for priests. They will be without a mid-range board clear for the 4-mana area.
Thing from Below - Shaman can't catch a break in the rotation. I don't know whether Priest or Shaman are going to be hit the hardest right now. This is a major loss for most Shaman decks that I'm aware of.
Cabalist's Tome - Tough one for Exodia Mages to lose this card. I wonder if we will see more mages leaning on the Elementals package to use their spellstone as a replacement maybe?
Renounce Darkness - I have always been quite sad to never see a really good Renounce Darness deck emerge. Obviously it's all about the memes there, but it looked so much fun to play!
Deathwing, Dragonlord - The dragons are leaving! Well, some of them at least. I'll be interested to see how this affects the "Big" archetype decks.
N'Zoth, the Corruptor - it seems like this card has been around since the dawn of Hearthstone! Its been played so much. I'm actually sorry to see it go - but it might help alleviate the strength of Control-Lock decks right now.
Y'Shaarj, Rage Unbound - It's about time that Barnes's best friend moved on, I think. Another card that could see the end of at least Big Druid - and maybe Big Priest too.
Yogg-Saron, Hope's End - Noooooo! Not Yogg! :-P It's so weird. I hated Yogg with a passion when he first came out. But since he got nerfed, I've fallen in love with this card. It's one of the most sad-to-see-go cards of this set for me. Which is weird, because it epitomises everything I hate about Hearthstone in terms of it's sheer gut-busting RnG board swinging and back-stabbing. But at the same time it's been the core of some of the most wild and enjoyable games of Hearthstone I have ever played.
Well, that's my hilighted cards from this set.
Are there any important ones you think I've missed out? Do you think it's good to see the back of all these? Or will you miss some?
Added:
Devolve - Yet another loss for Shaman this one. Though it has started seeing a lot less play with the arrival of cards like Bonemare and Corridor Creeper, the latter of which can be spammed out early and make a devolve board more dangerous.
Mire Keeper - Druid Ramp Packages are going to be less prominent in Ze New World. :-) Woot!
You forgot Devolve which is a great counter for Shaman
--Alfi--
Ta! Updated - though Jade Blossom was Mean Streets I think?
Patches is mean streets too...
patches is from gadgetzan.
other than that: There is Fandral Staghelm which you left out. Didnt see as much play recently, nontheless a strong card and probably the best class legendary in WotOG
Ragnaros, Lightlord
Call of the Wild
Shadowcaster (if renounce darkness is worth being mentioned...)
Fandral Staghelm
Rallying Blade
Bloodsail Cultist
Losing the old gods set is going to be really bad for the game, when you see them listed out like this, so much 'flava', though I guess Y'shaarj has turned into a problem, but I blame Barnes for that. :(
Goodbye gadgetzan, you will not be missed.
Can't they just do the rotation tomorrow? another 3 months of this is going to make me want to quit the game, can barely play 4 games in a row before the salt from my bad rng and perfect turns from my opponent is overwhelming.
Maelstrom Portal, Counterfeit Coin, Vilefin Inquisitor, Swashburglar, Arcane Giant
Great cards, pretty sad that they will rotate out
I hope there are bad spells introduced to retain the balance of Primordial Glyph, with Shatter leaving Standard.
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ah... my golden Yogg-Saron, Hope's End is going to leave standard forever... well I am a wild player anyways but still... I absolutely love that bastard.
After the nerf he became a risky and fun rng simulator. He saved me a lot of the times... but sometimes he just casted Purify on himself... well here's a funny story
Not so long ago I decided to bring Yogg into my Warlock deck just in case. I fought another warlock and it was a really hard battle I ended up with 5 health when my opponent had 7... the problem was he had 7/7 with taunt and another minion on the board wile I only had The Black Knight It was not looking good... I had only one choice... I deployed the god of RNG on the board hoping for some boardclear... it did not happen... however everything changed when I got Misdirection! "This is my chance" I thought Sacrificing my Knight to increase my chances of survival.
As I ended my turn I was forced to watch 7/7 Attack The crosshair appear and travel in a random direction and then
BAM!
Deadly 7/7 betrayed his owner and effectively killed him winning me the game... I was amazed! I was in shock!
Yogg may not be the most consistant minion... but sure he is fun Yogg-Saron, Hope's End will always have a special place in my collection and my heart
"Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose nor a body to kick." -- Lady Saba Holland
Yogg is something different. It's not just "Roll a dice and see if you win". It's much more complex than that - and you have opportunities to swing the effects in your favour by board management, etc.
After the rotation shaman will need a big present from Blizzard.
Jade package will be no more.
Evolve archetype will say goodbye to Doppelgangster and Evolve.
Hallazeal the Ascended won't heal anymore.
Early boards will be a struggle without Maelstrom Portal.
Quest shaman loses Call in the Finishers and Finja, the Flying Star, not sure how it will complete the quest.
Lastly, overload shaman, something that came up pretty recently, will lose Eternal Sentinel.
Rogue is losing Shadow Strike and Undercity Huckster.
The loss of Shadow Strike is particularly concerning unless Corridor Creeper gets nerfed.
I have never really liked any of the Shaman classes much - the closest to enjoyable was the Overload Shaman, which at least felt vaguely consistent. So, I do hope they will do something a bit more interesting with Shaman soon.
As a class in WoW, they have always been a bit more like a Druid-Paladin hybrid. I would expect to see something more to this end for them soon.
I'm generally curious, because I don't recall the last time I saw that card outside of Arena...