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First of all, great card. It's effect is slightly overpowered even for a class card. However not sure if the current mage secrets are that great. I wonder if they have a new secret card for mages.
There will be a more powerful version of a currently existing Secret mage, but, I bet there will be archetype that will use this card more efficiently.
2 mana 2/3 draw a card
yay...
Well I guess something strong for mage was expected, since Freeze mage is completely rotating out soon. Poor wild though :D
However, it's random and it does not make the secret free. It's more powerful mid to late game than earlier. So it's a 100% if you only run 1 type of secret(only draw) but closer to 50/50 as peoples suggest when you run more than one type(only a draw).
Still very good though, 2/3 for 2 that draws a specific card is amazing.
That's kindda true, but secret mage decks are not that great. The curve will work, you can play arcanologist on 2 and play that secret you just got on 3, but again, is that secret necessarily worth playing that turn. If you're a Freeze mage, it's just quicker access to Ice Block but outside of that, it's still pretty slow but consistent. This card will force secret mages to show up in Ranked Play.
As for King's Elekk, you have a chance of getting a Savannah Highmane, which might be the game right there.
Fair enough, I'm not the biggest fan of Mage either, but consider what the class is losing in the upcoming standard rotation: Ice Lance, Forgotten Torch, Emperor Thaurissan, Reno Jackson, and Flamewaker just to name a few. So that's no more Freeze Mage, Reno Mage, or Aggro/Tempo Mage. What do they even have left that some other class doesn't do better? Even some of their more creative/interesting cards like Rhonin and Effigy are going to Wild.
Mages, druids, priests and warlocks need good cards since they don't have weapons.
Weapons are the most important thing on hearthstone.
don't see how this would be chosen over MAd scientist in wild (since it basically does the same thing except you have to pay extra mana to play the secret as well)
Good for tempo secret mage if that ever makes it...and if it becomes too strong there'S always Eater of Secrets.
Mad scientist was way too good for what it did. Not only did it draw a specific card, it would also play it for free. I feel like this is what mad scientist should have been in the first place.
Also, there is the niche situation where you have a secret played, and the only other secret you have in your deck is another copy of the one already played, in that situation this card would be better
Maybe not instead, but quite possibly with.
Combine it with Kabal Lackey or something and it's free anyways, AND you get to pick if you want to play the secret or not (you dont want Duplicate when your only card IS the Kabal Lackey on the board).
Even if a full hog secret deck isn't competitive, I can imagine it being fun.
Does this count towards two card reveal bingo squares?
op vanilla stats class card
&
Arena God tier mage common.
I went with secret mage forced archetype as well
"Overpowered tempo or value cards; sometimes both" *Cough* Drakonid Operative *Cough*
Some people think that making a gimmick viable is a tedious task that involves carefully making all cards subpar individually but synergistic enough that when put together, they form a viable yet balanced deck.
Blizzard tells these people to go f*ck themselves and just follow this easy 2-steps algorithm :
Is the archetype viable ?
_ No -> Print broken card.
_ Yes -> Print meme card.
Now of course this is just poking fun, since the actual Team 5 (TM) algorithm factors in things much more complex such as flavour of the month classes and making sure a lobotomized monkey has a deck they can pilot to a 50% winrate.
See you in a month when mages play a 2 mana 2-3 "Battlecry : Draw a card", then a 3 mana 4-3 "Battlecry : Play that 3-mana card for free", so they can hit you with their own Thing from Below next turn in the form of Kabal Crystal Runner.
Of course you might think "Yeah but that's not so bad, I could go first and get'em !", except then you'll eat a nice lil' Mana Wyrm buffed by the coin and joined by Kabal Lackey, effectively giving them a 3-3, a 2-1 and a secret on turn 1 ( Said secret also working as a delayed Innervate to play 2 Kabal Crystal Runners, because the cheese doesn't end ).
No indication except a 3 mana 4/3 "Battlecry : Cast a 3 mana card for free", a 2 mana 2/3 cantrip, their own version of Thing From Below, one of the best if not the best 1-drop in the game, the largest reach out of all classes, a HP that can go face readily.
Oh, and also, it's all that as we are about to hit rotation, i.e the moment when Classic matters the most. And remember mage has some of the strongest classic cards of all.
But you know what, even if it's not this expansion, it'll be the one after that. Blizzard is pushing secret mage, and you're gonna eat it, mark my words, it was the same with shaman ; Buff it 'til it's broken.
Also, yes, there are ways to make an archetype viable without printing broken cards, that's called buffing, the one advantage of digital card games. But it doesn't sell packs, packs that suddenly got more expensive recently. But yeah, apart from that, I'm the lobotomized monkey, not the people defending stupid design practices.
As to Kirin Tor Mage not being broken, mate, stop playing midrange shaman, you've forgotten what the average power level of cards were, because I assure you a 3 mana 4/3 that also allows you to play another 3-mana card for free ain't average, and before you spew bullsh*t about "But team 5 gotta make up for bad secrets, how else are we gonna play cards that don't deal damage face ?", remember this card was printed in Classic.
Hex didn't see competitive play before the broken shaman era, yet it's one of the most powerful cards around.
Your arguments revolve around fallacies like "If that situational card doesn't see play, it's obviously because it's bad, not because the situation it's good in hasn't happened yet".
Like, legit, try to argue a 4/3 for 3 that makes another 3-mana card free ain't broken. And no "Oh, it's obviously not broken, hur dur", no, make the actual case, from a card balance perspective. I'll give you an argument : The cards it makes free aren't the best, but said cards also reduce the cost of 2 5/5s in your deck by 2, give you a 3 mana 4/4 that will grow over time, and can be drawn via a 2/3 for 2.
While I don't necessarily think secret mage will be some OP deck, I agree with his sentiment. If not the archtype, its clear blizz is pushing secret usage with this card. I mean, just look at it. An on curve statted two drop with an effect better than card draw. Exact same type of thing as drakonid op. Its ridiculous that they feel the need to release blatantly broken cards like this.
Mmmmh, gets asked a question, doesn't answer and diverts to another subject while throwing copious amounts of insults around.
Might want to take your own advice.
Also, I talked specifically about competitive play ; After Naxxramas, Shaman wasn't seen again in competitive play ( i.e not where bots strived ) for a very very long time. But hey, you did have to find another subject to evade my question, so I guess it's fair to resort to that kinda thing.
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