I feel you are SEVERELY undervalueing N'Zoth's First Mate. I would even go as far as to call it Tier 1. Its definitely one of the most immediately efficient 1-drops in the game and crushes aggressive decks very quickly.
I feel you are SEVERELY undervalueing N'Zoth's First Mate. I would even go as far as to call it Tier 1. Its definitely one of the most immediately efficient 1-drops in the game and crushes aggressive decks very quickly.
But how would you increase the weapon's attack? You will want to equip your "win axe" very soon to remove beefier minions. Are you thinking control?
Let's say, best case scenario, you get this out after opponent plays a 1 health minion and remove it with the weapon. Next turn you deal with a 2 health minion with the help of the 1/1. Wouldn't you rather have coined Armorsmith or Cruel Taskmaster which accomplish more in CW and removed the 2 health with Fiery War Axe or the 2/2 body?
You don't really need to buff its attack.
As for your best case scenario, Having the turn 1 N'Zoth's First Mate is WAY stronger than just coining out one of those 2 drops. For one, you're still lift with a 1/1 Rusty Hook after that exchange and nothing is stopping you from playing Armorsmith turn 2 when you're trading into that 2 health minion. And Cruel Taskmaster not only wastes your coin but leaves you with nothing else after trading into the 2 Health minion. The capability of N'Zoth's first mate is SO great in fact, that it you may not even need the Fiery War Axe. Not even to mention the fact that you don't always have the Axe every game and this card is capable of accomplishing the same thing, sometimes even MORE efficiently. Also, unlike something like Elven Archer, you can play N'Zoth's First Mate preemptively and just having the weapon up may even deter your opponent from even playing any minions which is also a powerful effect.
A lot of people have compared N'Zoth's First Mate to Upgrade but its definitely much more similar to Living Roots. Instead of one of the Saplings you instead get a Heavy Axe which essentially also acts as the deal 2 damage half of the Roots. Roots sees play even in none token based Druid decks and Druid decks without combo because the 2 1/1s are just so efficient at dealing with aggressive decks and can also simultaneously be aggressive themselves. Not to mention the weapon also helps as an execute enabler in the late game now that Death's Bite isn't in standard.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with me, I would hardly call N'Zoth's First Mate "Tier 4 - Why in heaven's ****?! Holy cow this card sucks!"
I feel you are SEVERELY undervalueing N'Zoth's First Mate. I would even go as far as to call it Tier 1. Its definitely one of the most immediately efficient 1-drops in the game and crushes aggressive decks very quickly.
Sorry but I don't see the point of this thread really.
It's all just guess work, you have absolutely no idea about the remaining cards as to how they'll effect the game, nor about which cards are going to be nerfed.
Pretty sure some lock decks will run Renounce Darkness as well if the meta gets slower like Blizzard want, late game with a decent sized hand you're getting a 1 mana discount on every card and have a way to cycle all of your garbage cards. Works on the same principle as monkey decks, but it's obviously not as good as they get minions, however not all legendary minions are good just like not all cards from renounce would be.
Why should you ever go outside or plan to do anything in real life? You never know, a meteor could destroy the Earth at any moment so even trying is completely pointless.
- Warrior seems to have good options early and it hurts the deck to add one just for that.
For now I will leave it where it is but you have reasons to think its good so I appreciate your suggestion.
-You can still run both Axe AND N'Zoth's First Mate. Nothing is stopping you from it. In fact having more "Axes" just makes your deck more consistant asgainst aggro.
-At the very least it should be listed as a good tech card against aggro heavy metas.
Infest is probably better than you give it credit for.
Think about it: if you do Unleash the Hounds + Infest it's almost like the old Buzzard combo for 1 more mana, plus it also affects what you already had in play.
It's maybe not the strongest thing you could be doing but it sure as hell isn't on the same tier as Tentacles for Arms.
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Its fangs are in your flesh before its hiss leaves your ears.
Infest is probably better than you give it credit for.
Think about it: if you do Unleash the Hounds + Infest it's almost like the old Buzzard combo for 1 more mana, plus it also affects what you already had in play.
It's maybe not the strongest thing you could be doing but it sure as hell isn't on the same tier as Tentacles for Arms.
I play a tempo hunter deck with Cult Master, and Infest is as good or better than that in some situations. Yeah, you lose the body, but you were going to lose that body anyway on your opponent's next turn, probably to a 2/2 or 2/1. It's also one mana cheaper and... okay, if you have to worry about fatigue in Hunter something has gone horribly wrong, but you could end up with a fist full of Dreadscales or Highmanes or something crazy like that. Druid has a few very solid beast cards (and I expect at least a couple more this set, what with Mark of Yshaarj), and you might get one of those. I'll probably drop a Cult Master for an Infest to see how it does.
I'm going to go over a few of your placements I disagree with, by tier:
Tier 0:
Ancient Shieldbearer: This really isn't fair. Ancient shieldbearer is a card that requires a specific deck to function in. It is very good in that deck, but can't possibly be anywhere close to Dr. Boom level of impact because of that restriction.
Thing from Below: Don't get me wrong, I think this card is amazing. But it's way too early to be calling it a tier 0 card. Its primary issue is going to be that midrange shaman tends to be lacking in draw, so mana cost isn't especially relevant late game.
Tier 1:
N'Zoth: I think this is ambitious. He has the potential, but he could also very easily just be too slow. And you have to have time to draw and play your deathrattles before you can play him, which means he could be dead for a very long time if you draw him early. And polymorph/hex/entomb all block his effect.
C'thun / Beckoner of Evil: I would definitely put these at tier 2. But really, it's hard to say. C'thun MAY be good, but either the entire package sees play, or none of it sees play (except perhaps c'thun's chosen...). I'm certainly not yet willing to bet on the archetype. Also, I don't think beckoner of evil is an especially powerful c'thun buffing minion.
Tier 2:
Corrupted Healbot: This guy seems much more like tier 4 material. It's hard to justify playing vanilla minions for 5 in constructed, and the upside is only 1 stat point. Pit fighter is nowhere near being constructed viable, I can't imagine the 1 attack being that much of a difference.
Tier 3:
Hogger, Doom of Elwyn: I actually think this guy is being underestimated. He's a big imp gang boss, very difficult to deal with on the board, and going to eat a lot of minions if you leave him alone. He has the issue of being slow, but being able to generate taunts helps.
Ragnaros, Lightlord: This card is way better than tier 3. I wouldn't hesitate to put it in tier 1. It's healbot level healing, with a persistent effect if your opponent doesn't deal with it. Assuming BGH gets nerfed, this guy could easily be a huge win condition in slower paladins.
Steward of Darkshire: Not even quite sure what to say on this one, I think it is clearly one of the best cards shown thus far. There are so many ways to utilize the effect, and divine shielded boards are obnoxious to deal with.
Klaxxi Amber-Weaver: It's incredibly unfair that you put ancient shieldbearer in tier 0 and klaxxi amber-weaver in tier 3. This card is nuts in c'thun druid, it is a fully buffed twilight drake that is less vulnerable to silence. He should be in the same tier as ancient shieldbearer. Especially since, with ramp, druid is one of the more likely classes to do well with c'thun.
N'zoth's First Mate: Definitely fits your definition of tier 2. I'm not sure what deck this card goes in right now, but the value it provides for 1 mana is nuts. Sort of a mini muster for battle. The only question is finding a warrior deck that wants to play 1 cost cards.
Tier 4:
Skeram Cultist: Definitely tier 3. It's not great, but it's probably better than boulderfist in a c'thun deck. I expect a lot of newer players will be using it, for lack of better big drops. And I even think there is a small chance it will find its way into optimized c'thun lists.
Mark of Y'Shaarj: This card is extremely strong. The value it gives beast druid is ridiculous, comparable to power word shield. If beast druid isn't a thing, it won't see play. But if beast druid becomes popular, this card will be in it. Needs to be tier 2.
Stand Against Darkness: This card deserves to be tier 3. It is a token generation effect, and if your opponent really needs to deny your board, it might eat up an aoe all on its own. It's no muster for battle, but there could easily be a deck in standard that wants it.
Hi. Thanks for taking the time, I really appreciate it. I'll try to go over all your suggestions (maybe in different posts to make it worthwhile).
Ancient Shieldbearer: This really isn't fair. Ancient shieldbearer is a card that requires a specific deck to function in. It is very good in that deck, but can't possibly be anywhere close to Dr. Boom level of impact because of that restriction.
I think this one deserves a more thorough discussion. Assuming C'thun Warrior will work, Ancient Shieldbearer brings 10 armor for about 5.5 mana worth of stats (assuming vanilla valuations), meaning 10 armor for ~ 1.5 mana. If we take into account the armor value of Shieldmaiden its priced at ~ 1 armor per 0.3 mana, meaning 10 armor should be worth 3 mana. You can run 2 of them and 10 armor for Shield Slam at this stage is much more impressive than 5 since you can remove big threats without worrying about stacking lots of armor. Should Brann Bronzebeard be included in this deck it has a small chance of building 20 armor in one turn. This card seems to almost singlehandedly seal the game against faster archetypes (you still need board clears and to buff your C'Thun) while enabling Shield Slam against slower decks and also putting you out of range of enemy's C'Thun. The value is restricted to C'thun Warrior but that shouldn't be part of our evaluation if we assume it has as much claims to be competitive as any other deck.
Thing from Below: Don't get me wrong, I think this card is amazing. But it's way too early to be calling it a tier 0 card. Its primary issue is going to be that midrange shaman tends to be lacking in draw, so mana cost isn't especially relevant late game.
I have played midrange Shaman a few times when it was still around and I see your point. It could very well be "Summon a 5/5 with taunt and use your hero power" due to lack of card advantage. I will demote it to tier 1 because its not clear that it will be game breaking.
N'Zoth: I think this is ambitious. He has the potential, but he could also very easily just be too slow. And you have to have time to draw and play your deathrattles before you can play him, which means he could be dead for a very long time if you draw him early. And polymorph/hex/entomb all block his effect.
I see your concerns. Do you think Corrupted Healbot will add value to this guy? I would like to see him in value Rogue more than anything. So Mage, Priest and Shaman threaten to diminish him. I understand this is a "value wars" kind of card and you need to exhaust midrange decks before you can play him, but Sylvanas Windrunner and Tirion Fordring are fine cards to do just that. I should like to keep it here because control Paladin has Keeper of Uldaman now and, as you mention later, Ragnaros, Lightlord could turn out to be decent. Add in Cairne Bloodhoof maybe but the potential is already great for this archetype alone. I will leave it at tier 1 for now.
C'thun / Beckoner of Evil: I would definitely put these at tier 2. But really, it's hard to say. C'thun MAY be good, but either the entire package sees play, or none of it sees play (except perhaps c'thun's chosen...). I'm certainly not yet willing to bet on the archetype. Also, I don't think beckoner of evil is an especially powerful c'thun buffing minion.
I am assuming C'thun will be viable, meaning you can finish your opponent with it which is what we should expect. Hence these 2 have to go together since this is a sweet mana slot to develop your win condition and +2/+2 as battlecry is fine I believe.
Corrupted Healbot: This guy seems much more like tier 4 material. It's hard to justify playing vanilla minions for 5 in constructed, and the upside is only 1 stat point. Pit fighter is nowhere near being constructed viable, I can't imagine the 1 attack being that much of a difference.
I agree. It needs compensation so it has to be tier 3. It could be good in value wars tho, it can be revived by N'Zoth and has some potential in Priest. We can't say its unplayable but its value is not clear yet.
Hogger, Doom of Elwyn: I actually think this guy is being underestimated. He's a big imp gang boss, very difficult to deal with on the board, and going to eat a lot of minions if you leave him alone. He has the issue of being slow, but being able to generate taunts helps.
Ragnaros, Lightlord: This card is way better than tier 3. I wouldn't hesitate to put it in tier 1. It's healbot level healing, with a persistent effect if your opponent doesn't deal with it. Assuming BGH gets nerfed, this guy could easily be a huge win condition in slower paladins.
Hogger just seems too slow for the job, and I don't see him spawning that many taunts against slow decks. If you find the tempo to play this by turn 7 against an agressive deck chances are you have already taken the game. We didn't get to play Dr. Boom a lot against hunters. Imp Gang Boss is in a sweet mana slot for that job so we can't compare the 2 of them. I feel like tier 3 is already a generous evaluation.
I agree with you on Ragnaros, Lightlord except for the part where you assume BGH will be nerfed. I will make it tier 2 and add an asterisk until said nerf is confirmed. I don't see this Paladin running more than one 7 atk target except for maybe Baron Geddon. It costs 8 mana so its competing with both his brother and Tirion Fordring. If you run it, chances are you will not run his big brother.
Steward of Darkshire: Not even quite sure what to say on this one, I think it is clearly one of the best cards shown thus far. There are so many ways to utilize the effect, and divine shielded boards are obnoxious to deal with.
Klaxxi Amber-Weaver: It's incredibly unfair that you put ancient shieldbearer in tier 0 and klaxxi amber-weaver in tier 3. This card is nuts in c'thun druid, it is a fully buffed twilight drake that is less vulnerable to silence. He should be in the same tier as ancient shieldbearer. Especially since, with ramp, druid is one of the more likely classes to do well with c'thun.
N'zoth's First Mate: Definitely fits your definition of tier 2. I'm not sure what deck this card goes in right now, but the value it provides for 1 mana is nuts. Sort of a mini muster for battle. The only question is finding a warrior deck that wants to play 1 cost cards.
The thing worrying me about Steward is the fact that it costs 3 mana and only works with 1 health minions. However when comparing it to Argent Horserider which costs 3 mana and saw some play (but has charge) I am sold on its potential, dependent on a good archetype. I need to see more to make it tier 1 tho.
Klaxxi is a big minion without taunt that you will almost never play on turn 4 for the Battlecry. I've gone through plenty of Ancient of Wars with my Zoo but I don't need to go through this one to hit your face. Its a value minion that is played maybe at turn 5. I don't know how good it is just yet, but its not very impressive. At least its nowhere near what Ancient Shieldbearer does for Warrior. It seems to do a great job at trading with 4- health minions so I'll make it tier 2, assuming C'thun Druid will be a thing.
I've already discussed N'Zoth's First Mate. The archetype is at the very least questionable for the time being. I am mostly impressed with aggro match ups and its synergy with Upgrade! for a cheap weapon with 8 damage output. Could be quite good, but it isnt clear yet. Leaving it at tier 3.
Skeram Cultist: Definitely tier 3. It's not great, but it's probably better than boulderfist in a c'thun deck. I expect a lot of newer players will be using it, for lack of better big drops. And I even think there is a small chance it will find its way into optimized c'thun lists.
Mark of Y'Shaarj: This card is extremely strong. The value it gives beast druid is ridiculous, comparable to power word shield. If beast druid isn't a thing, it won't see play. But if beast druid becomes popular, this card will be in it. Needs to be tier 2.
Stand Against Darkness: This card deserves to be tier 3. It is a token generation effect, and if your opponent really needs to deny your board, it might eat up an aoe all on its own. It's no muster for battle, but there could easily be a deck in standard that wants it.
Skeram Cultist has worse stats than Boulderfist Ogre and the latter isnt even played. Its just bad. The Battlecry isnt impressive either, it has the same has the far cheaper Beckoner of Evil which you don't even seem to like.
The Mark was designed for a very questionable archetype. I don't think it will ever see the light of day. It needs to be where Dragon Priest is and the latter isn't even played at high legend. Priest can also heal his minions where Druid has to rely on buffing and better trades. I just don't see it.
Stand Against Darkness I don't see how this will help you. By turn 5 it is very likely your opponent will have an answer to this crap and you probably don't want to lose a turn over this.
Infest is probably better than you give it credit for.
Think about it: if you do Unleash the Hounds + Infest it's almost like the old Buzzard combo for 1 more mana, plus it also affects what you already had in play.
It's maybe not the strongest thing you could be doing but it sure as hell isn't on the same tier as Tentacles for Arms.
Thing is midrange Hunter is a very well planned deck that can't take a hit on tempo or afford a combo for random cards which is generally a value type of play. You want most of your turns to go right on the mana curve and threaten lethal as soon as you can. I agree its better than Tentacles for Arms which is a ludicrous idea from a world where a match lasts for an infinite amount of time, but I don't think its playable in midrange Hunter and I don't see a viable archetype where it could be played.
Did you just put Y'Shaarj and renounce the darkness on the same tier as tentacles4arms?
U craezey
N'Zoth's First Mate could be really good. Don't just think about Control Warrior. Think face warrior or tempo pirate warrior.
Turn 1 N'Zoth's First Mate. Turn 2 Bloodsail Raider, or Turn 2 Coin + upgrade + Bloodsail Raider work, especially with the added pirate synergy. The latter would leave you with a 2/2 to 2/3 weapon, a 1/1, and a 4/3 on turn 2.
You've made me think it through but I am not sold. My reasons are:
- 3 attack is more consistent against decks other than aggro and through the course of the game.
- Execute seems to have enough enablers (Slam, Cruel Taskmaster, Acolyte of Pain) which do more for Warrior (draw a card, synergy with Acolyte of Pain, Grommash Hellscream or just dealing 1 extra damage when your weapon atk isn't enough).
- Warrior seems to have good options early and it hurts the deck to add one just for that.
For now I will leave it where it is but you have reasons to think its good so I appreciate your suggestion.
AGree that renounce darkness is bad,I think it sucks even if it costs 0
Infest is probably better than you give it credit for.
Think about it: if you do Unleash the Hounds + Infest it's almost like the old Buzzard combo for 1 more mana, plus it also affects what you already had in play.
It's maybe not the strongest thing you could be doing but it sure as hell isn't on the same tier as Tentacles for Arms.
Its fangs are in your flesh before its hiss leaves your ears.
Golden Heroes: Druid -> Rogue -> Shaman -> Hunter -> Warlock
Largely agree with Tier 0 & 1.
Cabalist's Tome is Tier 4 imo because it's way too slow and it's rare to have 5 extra mana lying around. Eater of Secrets may not be relevant in Standard. I might be overhyped but I predict Master of Evolution will be Tier 0. Ragnaros, Lightlord and Forbidden Healing may be Tier 2. Mark of Y'Shaarj Tier 3 unless Beast Druid viable. Corrupted Healbot Drawback too great for only 1 extra pt of stats, esp in later game.
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I'm going to go over a few of your placements I disagree with, by tier:
Tier 0:
Ancient Shieldbearer: This really isn't fair. Ancient shieldbearer is a card that requires a specific deck to function in. It is very good in that deck, but can't possibly be anywhere close to Dr. Boom level of impact because of that restriction.
Thing from Below: Don't get me wrong, I think this card is amazing. But it's way too early to be calling it a tier 0 card. Its primary issue is going to be that midrange shaman tends to be lacking in draw, so mana cost isn't especially relevant late game.
Tier 1:
N'Zoth: I think this is ambitious. He has the potential, but he could also very easily just be too slow. And you have to have time to draw and play your deathrattles before you can play him, which means he could be dead for a very long time if you draw him early. And polymorph/hex/entomb all block his effect.
C'thun / Beckoner of Evil: I would definitely put these at tier 2. But really, it's hard to say. C'thun MAY be good, but either the entire package sees play, or none of it sees play (except perhaps c'thun's chosen...). I'm certainly not yet willing to bet on the archetype. Also, I don't think beckoner of evil is an especially powerful c'thun buffing minion.
Tier 2:
Corrupted Healbot: This guy seems much more like tier 4 material. It's hard to justify playing vanilla minions for 5 in constructed, and the upside is only 1 stat point. Pit fighter is nowhere near being constructed viable, I can't imagine the 1 attack being that much of a difference.
Tier 3:
Hogger, Doom of Elwyn: I actually think this guy is being underestimated. He's a big imp gang boss, very difficult to deal with on the board, and going to eat a lot of minions if you leave him alone. He has the issue of being slow, but being able to generate taunts helps.
Ragnaros, Lightlord: This card is way better than tier 3. I wouldn't hesitate to put it in tier 1. It's healbot level healing, with a persistent effect if your opponent doesn't deal with it. Assuming BGH gets nerfed, this guy could easily be a huge win condition in slower paladins.
Steward of Darkshire: Not even quite sure what to say on this one, I think it is clearly one of the best cards shown thus far. There are so many ways to utilize the effect, and divine shielded boards are obnoxious to deal with.
Klaxxi Amber-Weaver: It's incredibly unfair that you put ancient shieldbearer in tier 0 and klaxxi amber-weaver in tier 3. This card is nuts in c'thun druid, it is a fully buffed twilight drake that is less vulnerable to silence. He should be in the same tier as ancient shieldbearer. Especially since, with ramp, druid is one of the more likely classes to do well with c'thun.
N'zoth's First Mate: Definitely fits your definition of tier 2. I'm not sure what deck this card goes in right now, but the value it provides for 1 mana is nuts. Sort of a mini muster for battle. The only question is finding a warrior deck that wants to play 1 cost cards.
Tier 4:
Skeram Cultist: Definitely tier 3. It's not great, but it's probably better than boulderfist in a c'thun deck. I expect a lot of newer players will be using it, for lack of better big drops. And I even think there is a small chance it will find its way into optimized c'thun lists.
Mark of Y'Shaarj: This card is extremely strong. The value it gives beast druid is ridiculous, comparable to power word shield. If beast druid isn't a thing, it won't see play. But if beast druid becomes popular, this card will be in it. Needs to be tier 2.
Stand Against Darkness: This card deserves to be tier 3. It is a token generation effect, and if your opponent really needs to deny your board, it might eat up an aoe all on its own. It's no muster for battle, but there could easily be a deck in standard that wants it.
Hi. Thanks for taking the time, I really appreciate it. I'll try to go over all your suggestions (maybe in different posts to make it worthwhile).
I think this one deserves a more thorough discussion. Assuming C'thun Warrior will work, Ancient Shieldbearer brings 10 armor for about 5.5 mana worth of stats (assuming vanilla valuations), meaning 10 armor for ~ 1.5 mana. If we take into account the armor value of Shieldmaiden its priced at ~ 1 armor per 0.3 mana, meaning 10 armor should be worth 3 mana. You can run 2 of them and 10 armor for Shield Slam at this stage is much more impressive than 5 since you can remove big threats without worrying about stacking lots of armor. Should Brann Bronzebeard be included in this deck it has a small chance of building 20 armor in one turn. This card seems to almost singlehandedly seal the game against faster archetypes (you still need board clears and to buff your C'Thun) while enabling Shield Slam against slower decks and also putting you out of range of enemy's C'Thun. The value is restricted to C'thun Warrior but that shouldn't be part of our evaluation if we assume it has as much claims to be competitive as any other deck.
I have played midrange Shaman a few times when it was still around and I see your point. It could very well be "Summon a 5/5 with taunt and use your hero power" due to lack of card advantage. I will demote it to tier 1 because its not clear that it will be game breaking.
I see your concerns. Do you think Corrupted Healbot will add value to this guy? I would like to see him in value Rogue more than anything. So Mage, Priest and Shaman threaten to diminish him. I understand this is a "value wars" kind of card and you need to exhaust midrange decks before you can play him, but Sylvanas Windrunner and Tirion Fordring are fine cards to do just that. I should like to keep it here because control Paladin has Keeper of Uldaman now and, as you mention later, Ragnaros, Lightlord could turn out to be decent. Add in Cairne Bloodhoof maybe but the potential is already great for this archetype alone. I will leave it at tier 1 for now.
I am assuming C'thun will be viable, meaning you can finish your opponent with it which is what we should expect. Hence these 2 have to go together since this is a sweet mana slot to develop your win condition and +2/+2 as battlecry is fine I believe.
I agree. It needs compensation so it has to be tier 3. It could be good in value wars tho, it can be revived by N'Zoth and has some potential in Priest. We can't say its unplayable but its value is not clear yet.
Hogger just seems too slow for the job, and I don't see him spawning that many taunts against slow decks. If you find the tempo to play this by turn 7 against an agressive deck chances are you have already taken the game. We didn't get to play Dr. Boom a lot against hunters. Imp Gang Boss is in a sweet mana slot for that job so we can't compare the 2 of them. I feel like tier 3 is already a generous evaluation.
I agree with you on Ragnaros, Lightlord except for the part where you assume BGH will be nerfed. I will make it tier 2 and add an asterisk until said nerf is confirmed. I don't see this Paladin running more than one 7 atk target except for maybe Baron Geddon. It costs 8 mana so its competing with both his brother and Tirion Fordring. If you run it, chances are you will not run his big brother.
The thing worrying me about Steward is the fact that it costs 3 mana and only works with 1 health minions. However when comparing it to Argent Horserider which costs 3 mana and saw some play (but has charge) I am sold on its potential, dependent on a good archetype. I need to see more to make it tier 1 tho.
Klaxxi is a big minion without taunt that you will almost never play on turn 4 for the Battlecry. I've gone through plenty of Ancient of Wars with my Zoo but I don't need to go through this one to hit your face. Its a value minion that is played maybe at turn 5. I don't know how good it is just yet, but its not very impressive. At least its nowhere near what Ancient Shieldbearer does for Warrior. It seems to do a great job at trading with 4- health minions so I'll make it tier 2, assuming C'thun Druid will be a thing.
I've already discussed N'Zoth's First Mate. The archetype is at the very least questionable for the time being. I am mostly impressed with aggro match ups and its synergy with Upgrade! for a cheap weapon with 8 damage output. Could be quite good, but it isnt clear yet. Leaving it at tier 3.
Skeram Cultist has worse stats than Boulderfist Ogre and the latter isnt even played. Its just bad. The Battlecry isnt impressive either, it has the same has the far cheaper Beckoner of Evil which you don't even seem to like.
The Mark was designed for a very questionable archetype. I don't think it will ever see the light of day. It needs to be where Dragon Priest is and the latter isn't even played at high legend. Priest can also heal his minions where Druid has to rely on buffing and better trades. I just don't see it.
Stand Against Darkness I don't see how this will help you. By turn 5 it is very likely your opponent will have an answer to this crap and you probably don't want to lose a turn over this.