This card is straightforward, but has been met with a lot of questions and a surprising amount of hate for being "Worse than Arcane Intellect". Let us try to unpack this card a bit to see how good it is. What is the value of overload, anyway? Do you think of Lava Burst as a 3 cost or a 5 cost? What is this?
First things first. If you have 2 mana 2 overload, that's still 4 mana. 4 mana is 4 mana, so you have to compare this card to other 4 cost cards. However, the fact that part of that cost is overload is a slight upside inherent to the card; the more of the total cost is overload, the more the advantage. Outside of warlock, for instance, 2 mana buys 3 damage and a slight upside (Quick Shot, Frostbolt). Shamans have this in the form of Lightning Bolt. Two mana, 3 damage with the upside of 1 mana of the cost being overload. Alternatively, a 3 mana class minion is worth 3/4 stats and an upside (Dark Cultist); Shamans have Totem Golem, which is a 3/4 for 3 with an upside of 1 cost being in overload. 3 mana buys a 2/3 weapon with an upside (Coghammer); Shamans have Stormforged Axe, which is a 3 mana 2/3 weapon with overload as an upside.
The reason that Overload is actually an upside is because paying mana next turn is better than paying mana this turn. Why? If you pay a card with a partial overload cost, you can use the mana you would have had next turn on the current turn. If you play a minion with this mana, it can attack the next turn, rather than the turn after if you had paid the overload cost up front. Alternatively, you can use Overload cards far sooner than the curve. If you play Earth Elemental on turn 5, you can use it to change the game FAR sooner than if it were an Ironbark Protector. You can play Earth Elemental against Face Hunter and at least they'll have to use their Ironbeak Owl to deal with it, but by turn 8 for Ironbark Protector, Face Hunter usually is either in kill range with direct damage spells and hero powers, or completely out of steam. This part is also why Totem Golem is an insane card; you play your three drop turn 2 and eat your opponent's two drop, giving a safe board to play your own two drop.
I've heard clamoring for this to be 1 overload, but that's insane. At 1 overload this is Arcane Intellect, plus the overload upside. However, is the advantage of 2 overload worth the fact that it costs 1 more than Intellect? The advantage of playing this earlier than the curve is naught because (A) this does the same thing whether played turn 1 or turn 10, (B) it does nothing to change the board, and (C) having exactly 1 mana on turn 3 is tremendously awkward. Playing this on turn 2 is forfeiting the game in most cases. In fact, unlike with Intellect, playing this on turn 3 is also forfeiting the game, which is a massive disadvantage. The only real advantage of this card is leaving 1 more mana open the turn you play it when played later. The obvious use of this is to combo with Chromaggus, but another use for this card is as an "Oh my gosh, I need ONE more burst card for lethal. Can draw into it?" tool. You'll have 1 more mana the turn that you play it to make it more likely you can afford whatever you draw. These are fairly uncommon advantages, however, and the disadvantages are far clearer.
I'd call this generally worse than Arcane Intellect; however, the fact that is for Shaman gives Shaman something. Darkbomb's strict inferiority to Frostbolt and Quick Shot never stopped its usefulness in Warlock decks. However, this probably is only good in decks that really have good use for the card draw, such as Malygos based decks; it isn't like Arcane Intellect where you can simply stick it in any old Mage deck and expect it to do work.
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Such a ............ TRASH CARD!!
3
A hard to master card with a ok stats which can be great if timed nicely or can be worst if you didnt .... hearthstone is going in nice direction
Good Job HS team
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Great art and golden animation ... Nice work whoever made this !!!
1
You are one of a kind Loatheb ........ You will be MISSED !!
4
Won 7 matches continuously with priest in order to do total domination 100 gold quest
bought a TGT pack .. and witness the father is proud of Anduin
Dr 10!! ......... oh ya!!
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1 c 2 r 1 e 1l
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<3 Feeling lucky !!!
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My client does not show any update in Americas......
2
Best Pack Ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 legendary ...... 1 Epic ......... 1 rare .......... 1 common ............. 1 shit
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My first TGT legendary card and I do not use Hunter