I was really thinking how we could buff Shaman, since I honestly think they are underpowered now. But what if the Overload mechanic was changed a bit? What if we are given the option to pay the Overload mana cost on the same turn? Imagine a 5 mana Lightning Storm on turn 5 or a 2 mana Lightning Bolt at turn 2. I would like to know your opinions, fellow Shamans.
Overload is a problem, but it is not the biggest reason Shaman has mired at the bottom of the food chain for a while. I think worse offenders are bad draw mechanics and the hero power - and the hero power is public enemy #1. It is too unpredictable to get any real use out of it. The only Shaman card that really has any synergy with it is Flametongue totem, but hero powering in an aggro deck is typically a bad play (most of the totems don't help you) and Flametongue has a lot less value in midrange and especially control decks (as do random, easily kill-able tokens that usually don't affect the board). I suppose Bloodlust has synergy too, but it is pretty overcosted and seems to sit in your hand as a win-more or a dead card too often.
I think Blizzard's first step should be to rework the hero power. Randomly reroll the hero power totem at the beginning of the player's turn so they know what totem they would roll by pressing the hero power button. If this doesn't seem to help much, remove Searing Totem from the totem list (or rework it). But the unpredictability of Shaman's hero power usually makes it the worst in the game.
As much as I hate the randomness of our Hero Power, i really don't want to change it since it belongs to us so well in terms of lore. Totems are iconic to us Shamans. Maybe some better interactions in the future will help. Look at Paladins when GvG came out.
Overload is a problem, but it is not the biggest reason Shaman has mired at the bottom of the food chain for a while. I think worse offenders are bad draw mechanics and the hero power - and the hero power is public enemy #1. It is too unpredictable to get any real use out of it. The only Shaman card that really has any synergy with it is Flametongue totem, but hero powering in an aggro deck is typically a bad play (most of the totems don't help you) and Flametongue has a lot less value in midrange and especially control decks (as do random, easily kill-able tokens that usually don't affect the board). I suppose Bloodlust has synergy too, but it is pretty overcosted and seems to sit in your hand as a win-more or a dead card too often.
I think Blizzard's first step should be to rework the hero power. Randomly reroll the hero power totem at the beginning of the player's turn so they know what totem they would roll by pressing the hero power button. If this doesn't seem to help much, remove Searing Totem from the totem list (or rework it). But the unpredictability of Shaman's hero power usually makes it the worst in the game.
My suggestion : allow shamans to pick totem they want, then set 2 turns cool down period on that totem. Nothing more annoying when they spew out one taunt totem after another. On the other hand, getting searing totem when you REALY, REALY need spell power one is also pretty crap.
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Face hunters and mech/tempo mages, please see my avatar.
Yeah the variance is what massively hurts the class, you lose to a coin flip a large majority of the time and that is insanely frustrating. The hero power is by far the worst of all classes hands down. I have played a total of 4 ranked games with shaman since i started and hundreds with other classes, thats an issue on its own
I like the idea of DamiRahl, we could choose our totem, but we can't summon the totem we chose until after 2 turns it was summoned. This makes our Hero Power tactical, not just a button you press when you have 2 mana.
Lightning storm definitely needs a tweak. In most cases b/c of the random 2-3, you have to hope for spell totem, and with the overload you are actually paying 7 mana (due to totem) for a 2.5 damage aoe. And when facing aggro your next turn is also dead if you have to play it early. It's vastly overcosted compared to other aoe in the game. With this change, i could be onboard with the rest of the overload costs, we'll just never see earth elemental as playable.
I play a lot of shaman and I do not think changing the overload mechanic will change anything. Shaman were viable, when feral spirits were op, but now most 3 drops can trade for it. This weakens the early game far too much. Shamans need a strong early game card that easily trades 2 for 1 to be viable.
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''With great power comes great electricity bill.''
''I am Malganis. I am a TURTLE!''
Best card: Malygos
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I was really thinking how we could buff Shaman, since I honestly think they are underpowered now. But what if the Overload mechanic was changed a bit? What if we are given the option to pay the Overload mana cost on the same turn? Imagine a 5 mana Lightning Storm on turn 5 or a 2 mana Lightning Bolt at turn 2. I would like to know your opinions, fellow Shamans.
Overload is a problem, but it is not the biggest reason Shaman has mired at the bottom of the food chain for a while. I think worse offenders are bad draw mechanics and the hero power - and the hero power is public enemy #1. It is too unpredictable to get any real use out of it. The only Shaman card that really has any synergy with it is Flametongue totem, but hero powering in an aggro deck is typically a bad play (most of the totems don't help you) and Flametongue has a lot less value in midrange and especially control decks (as do random, easily kill-able tokens that usually don't affect the board). I suppose Bloodlust has synergy too, but it is pretty overcosted and seems to sit in your hand as a win-more or a dead card too often.
I think Blizzard's first step should be to rework the hero power. Randomly reroll the hero power totem at the beginning of the player's turn so they know what totem they would roll by pressing the hero power button. If this doesn't seem to help much, remove Searing Totem from the totem list (or rework it). But the unpredictability of Shaman's hero power usually makes it the worst in the game.
As much as I hate the randomness of our Hero Power, i really don't want to change it since it belongs to us so well in terms of lore. Totems are iconic to us Shamans. Maybe some better interactions in the future will help. Look at Paladins when GvG came out.
My suggestion : allow shamans to pick totem they want, then set 2 turns cool down period on that totem. Nothing more annoying when they spew out one taunt totem after another. On the other hand, getting searing totem when you REALY, REALY need spell power one is also pretty crap.
Face hunters and mech/tempo mages, please see my avatar.
Yeah the variance is what massively hurts the class, you lose to a coin flip a large majority of the time and that is insanely frustrating. The hero power is by far the worst of all classes hands down. I have played a total of 4 ranked games with shaman since i started and hundreds with other classes, thats an issue on its own
I like the idea of DamiRahl, we could choose our totem, but we can't summon the totem we chose until after 2 turns it was summoned. This makes our Hero Power tactical, not just a button you press when you have 2 mana.
Lightning storm definitely needs a tweak. In most cases b/c of the random 2-3, you have to hope for spell totem, and with the overload you are actually paying 7 mana (due to totem) for a 2.5 damage aoe. And when facing aggro your next turn is also dead if you have to play it early. It's vastly overcosted compared to other aoe in the game. With this change, i could be onboard with the rest of the overload costs, we'll just never see earth elemental as playable.
The Way i got raped every time by shaman´s telling me everything is fine :D
I play a lot of shaman and I do not think changing the overload mechanic will change anything. Shaman were viable, when feral spirits were op, but now most 3 drops can trade for it. This weakens the early game far too much. Shamans need a strong early game card that easily trades 2 for 1 to be viable.
''With great power comes great electricity bill.''
''I am Malganis. I am a TURTLE!''
Best card: Malygos