Hearthpwn

Do you guys ever thought about what happens when you play this on an even/empty board in a control match?

This card is definitely boring and "meh" at the first glance, but it is far from bad, I actually kinda like that it doesn't have taunt because it creates an interesting mindgame for opponent: "Should I clear it or ignore it?".

This is a kind of a card that makes difference between skillful and mediocre players, and that's why I like it.

Mage is defined by their powerful spells and the classic legendary already interacts with it. It's an interesting card

It's a card with 8 attack that has an extreme downside to removing. If they decide not to remove it, your opponent can die in 2 turns from 30 health when combined with spells. 

I think it is very likely to see play in freeze mage. It is a reverse freeze-doomsayer - if they don't kill it, you can either do 8 face damage per turn until they do, or wipe their board at any time by fireballing or trading and using a lower damage spell. If you have an ice block up, you can play this and it will rule the board. Either you will be doing too much damage to them for them to feel safe, or you will remove their board. 

It's not amazing, but it's potentially very good in niches. 

Quote from EU_Auro >>

Chillmaw did not see play, this won't see play and do not have taunt.

Art is nice, that's all.

You can fireball it for sick effects, not quite sure if it's worth it though.

Quote from C0py_P4st3 >>

Might see play in freeze mage IMO.

I can't see how this possibly could see play in freeze mage tbh.

First of all, you just don't have time to play it in most games. Second of all, if you're going to use it for its effect (which would be the only logical reason to even consider it in freeze mage), you need to be able to kill it. To be able to kill it, you need big minions on your opponents board. Big minions on your opponents board means you're in a matchup where cone of cold is very likely to be strictly better. Plus, what would you even cut for this?

No, this will not see play in freeze mage. At least not in an optimized version of it.

This card will get the most value in a Control Mage deck. This card will not work in a N'zoth deck because of obvious reasons.

Quote from Gallis >>

I guess you shouldn't play this card when you are ahead, maybe this card should have taunt, but then It will broken, right?

I think the key to this card is to play it on an empty board and make your opponent afraid to play minions.  That kind of play can buy you time.

@uwillontilt

I have well over 300 wins with freeze mage (maybe 400, I don't really know) and, as I've said earlier in the thread, my opinion is that this has no chance at all at seeing competitive play in freeze mage. There are tons of reasons as to why, but this is the gist of it:

• Most of the time, you simply don't have time to play it. It can be hard to even find time for Alex a lot of times. Another high drop that can't be comboed with nova or ice block, just doesn't work.
• The decks it would even work against, are control (and possibly midrange) decks. Against these decks, cone of cold is just strictly better in the absolute majority of cases. Most control decks are also slow enough that additional stall or AoE is not even needed in the first place.
• Related to the above point, it's completely useless against aggro decks.
• What would you even cut for this? There are probably at least 5 cards that I would rather add to a freeze mage deck, but I don't because there's simply no room for them.

Quote from hebbe84 >>

I can't see how this possibly could see play in freeze mage tbh.

First of all, you just don't have time to play it in most games. Second of all, if you're going to use it for its effect (which would be the only logical reason to even consider it in freeze mage), you need to be able to kill it. To be able to kill it, you need big minions on your opponents board. Big minions on your opponents board means you're in a matchup where cone of cold is very likely to be strictly better. Plus, what would you even cut for this?

No, this will not see play in freeze mage. At least not in an optimized version of it.

Quote from Delekii >>

Quote from hebbe84 >>

I can't see how this possibly could see play in freeze mage tbh.

First of all, you just don't have time to play it in most games. Second of all, if you're going to use it for its effect (which would be the only logical reason to even consider it in freeze mage), you need to be able to kill it. To be able to kill it, you need big minions on your opponents board. Big minions on your opponents board means you're in a matchup where cone of cold is very likely to be strictly better. Plus, what would you even cut for this?

No, this will not see play in freeze mage. At least not in an optimized version of it.

 

It very definitely could. 

It is a card that fits somewhere in the space between alexstraza and flame strike. If your opponent cannot straight up kill you or proc your block and you play this card, it will 100% buy you another turn or threaten your opponent enough to force removal (which will in most cases also buy you atleast a turn). 

Lets say we're in a situation like you say, where "cone of cold is likely to be strictly better". If you can survive that turn while playing anomalus, you are in a position to control the board if he ignores it. So, you play anomalus, he attacks your face. He might even proc your block. He cannot, however, safely play any other minion that doesn't have more than 8 health or divine shield.

The next turn, you can play your second block and cone of cold, leaving your anomalus free to attack, and leaving your opponent in the same position where any minion he plays is likely to be removed. Rinse and repeat. 

If we repeat this sequence without anomalus, your only way out is to either use spells to burn down the threats instead of your enemy, or have the exact right combo to burn before you run out of ice blocks and control. It is a one card, one of, turn buyer, that makes the opponent choose between accelerating your burn damage by leaving it alive, or losing their board by killing it. If they leave it alive for a turn, you could very well have potential lethal if you played an earlier emperor. It is a card that will be very problematic for many opponents of freeze mage. 

Freeze mage is losing mad scientist, which is a big blow, but the meta will slow down (even if only slightly). That spot doesn't necessarily have to fill with early board prescence. 

 

Quote from LucasPassado >>

I didn't get why this is a mage card

Quote from hebbe84 >>

Quote from Delekii >>

Quote from hebbe84 >>

I can't see how this possibly could see play in freeze mage tbh.

First of all, you just don't have time to play it in most games. Second of all, if you're going to use it for its effect (which would be the only logical reason to even consider it in freeze mage), you need to be able to kill it. To be able to kill it, you need big minions on your opponents board. Big minions on your opponents board means you're in a matchup where cone of cold is very likely to be strictly better. Plus, what would you even cut for this?

No, this will not see play in freeze mage. At least not in an optimized version of it.

 

It very definitely could. 

It is a card that fits somewhere in the space between alexstraza and flame strike. If your opponent cannot straight up kill you or proc your block and you play this card, it will 100% buy you another turn or threaten your opponent enough to force removal (which will in most cases also buy you atleast a turn). 

Lets say we're in a situation like you say, where "cone of cold is likely to be strictly better". If you can survive that turn while playing anomalus, you are in a position to control the board if he ignores it. So, you play anomalus, he attacks your face. He might even proc your block. He cannot, however, safely play any other minion that doesn't have more than 8 health or divine shield.

The next turn, you can play your second block and cone of cold, leaving your anomalus free to attack, and leaving your opponent in the same position where any minion he plays is likely to be removed. Rinse and repeat. 

If we repeat this sequence without anomalus, your only way out is to either use spells to burn down the threats instead of your enemy, or have the exact right combo to burn before you run out of ice blocks and control. It is a one card, one of, turn buyer, that makes the opponent choose between accelerating your burn damage by leaving it alive, or losing their board by killing it. If they leave it alive for a turn, you could very well have potential lethal if you played an earlier emperor. It is a card that will be very problematic for many opponents of freeze mage. 

Freeze mage is losing mad scientist, which is a big blow, but the meta will slow down (even if only slightly). That spot doesn't necessarily have to fill with early board prescence. 

 

 The thing that most of you don't seem to understand is that you're actually sacrificing a turn to play this. And that's ignoring the fact that you would rarely have the time to play it at all and  that it will actually be a bad card even if you do in a ton of matchups.

The only matchups where you care about board control at all as freeze mage, is aggro matchups. The very matchups where this card is utterly useless.

Cant be used in freeze mage. Use this---> die or lose your block next turn. A second blizzard/flamestrike and even a cone of cold is way better than this card

Quote from The_pagliacci >>

Cant be used in freeze mage. Use this---> die or lose your block next turn. A second blizzard/flamestrike and even a cone of cold is way better than this card

Quote from Delekii >>

Quote from hebbe84 >>

Quote from Delekii >>

Quote from hebbe84 >>

I can't see how this possibly could see play in freeze mage tbh.

First of all, you just don't have time to play it in most games. Second of all, if you're going to use it for its effect (which would be the only logical reason to even consider it in freeze mage), you need to be able to kill it. To be able to kill it, you need big minions on your opponents board. Big minions on your opponents board means you're in a matchup where cone of cold is very likely to be strictly better. Plus, what would you even cut for this?

No, this will not see play in freeze mage. At least not in an optimized version of it.

 

It very definitely could. 

It is a card that fits somewhere in the space between alexstraza and flame strike. If your opponent cannot straight up kill you or proc your block and you play this card, it will 100% buy you another turn or threaten your opponent enough to force removal (which will in most cases also buy you atleast a turn). 

Lets say we're in a situation like you say, where "cone of cold is likely to be strictly better". If you can survive that turn while playing anomalus, you are in a position to control the board if he ignores it. So, you play anomalus, he attacks your face. He might even proc your block. He cannot, however, safely play any other minion that doesn't have more than 8 health or divine shield.

The next turn, you can play your second block and cone of cold, leaving your anomalus free to attack, and leaving your opponent in the same position where any minion he plays is likely to be removed. Rinse and repeat. 

If we repeat this sequence without anomalus, your only way out is to either use spells to burn down the threats instead of your enemy, or have the exact right combo to burn before you run out of ice blocks and control. It is a one card, one of, turn buyer, that makes the opponent choose between accelerating your burn damage by leaving it alive, or losing their board by killing it. If they leave it alive for a turn, you could very well have potential lethal if you played an earlier emperor. It is a card that will be very problematic for many opponents of freeze mage. 

Freeze mage is losing mad scientist, which is a big blow, but the meta will slow down (even if only slightly). That spot doesn't necessarily have to fill with early board prescence. 

 

 The thing that most of you don't seem to understand is that you're actually sacrificing a turn to play this. And that's ignoring the fact that you would rarely have the time to play it at all and  that it will actually be a bad card even if you do in a ton of matchups.

The only matchups where you care about board control at all as freeze mage, is aggro matchups. The very matchups where this card is utterly useless.

 No; the thing that YOU don't seem to understand is that you AREN'T sacrificing a turn to play this. You are delaying a turn, with the prospect of gaining more than one turn, AS WELL AS board clearing and/or face damage. 

If you will survive your opponents next turn, you have time to play this card. At worst, it is turn neutral in that case. At best, it does 8 damage to face, forces a board clear from your opponent, and gains 2 or more turns. The potential loss is very small, the potential gain is very large.