I decided to try my hand at this, since I love to make lists and there has been a ton of “Which legendary should I craft?” discussion. I know Foo already made a thread to have those discussions, but I was hoping this could serve either as a helpful guide for newbies, or a fun, hopefully somewhat useful discussion point (hopefully this hasn’t been done before). I made a list of what I think are the different tiers of legendaries. These are arranged from general usefulness, from “OMG I need this card in my deck” (tier 1), to “You put that card in your deck because it’s the only legendary you have, right?” (tier 8). Cards like the class-specific legendaries obfuscate these rankings slightly; obviously if you have a favorite class its class specific legendary might be a little more important to you. But in general, the goal of this is if you draw a legendary in a lower tier (8), you should disenchant it for a card in a higher tier (1), and not disenchant a card in a higher tier (1) for a card in a lower tier (8) – assuming we aren’t talking about doubles. The number of tiers and number of cards in each tier is completely arbitrary. Again, this is just IN GENERAL – just my opinion – feel free to disagree. I sat on the fence about several cards, which I will outline, and some I just don’t have experience with.
(Edited for hyperlinks, spelling, and a few comments 1/21)
I think all of these are pretty easy includes. The only one I am leery on is BT, because it is so dissatisfying to spend 1600 dust on a 2/1/1 haha. I still think there is enough taunt to make TBK worthy of inclusion.
Tier 2 was tough. I think Ysera has the biggest argument to be made for Tier 1. Tirion Fordring is probably the best class-specific legendary. Cairne and NP are overall very strong. The gap between Tier 1 and 2 is pretty small.
The gap between Tier 2 and 3, however, is much bigger. Again, the class specific legendaries were kind of hard to deal with – I don’t love how this tier shook out. Grommash got bumped into this category with the death of warrior OTK, I think he will see more playing time.
Here is where we start falling over the side of a cliff in terms of awesomeness. I would call tier 4 useful, but not great. I think Harrison Jones is pretty undervalued. I might have been a little high on him - pushed down to tier 6. There are also some cards in tier 6 (the beast and king mukla) that I could see jumping up here, simply because of great stats. I moved King Mukla up from tier 6 - great stats and definitely seeing more playing time in aggro decks.
This tier is best of a bad bunch. These cards just need a little more oomph. I moved Malygos way up, as he seemed to be the card people disagreed with most.
Not going to place my opinion here but hyperlinking the cards would really help your post a lot. Just highlight the name with your mouse and click the little card symbol in the bar at the top, like this:
thanks for the tip; i plan on sexying this up tomorrow with some hyperlinks and a little more analysis; i kinda ran out of steam and my son woke up from his nap. i'm all for getting some feedback / discussion going though, even if it's a rough draft.
Thanks for making this list. I'd like to make a case for a few cards.
First Thanlos is overrated. Yes he is the best "value", but there are other cards that give you the same effect at the same mana cost. If you want SD, play Kobol. If you want card draw play. Loot Hoarder. It's VERY rare he's ever dropped on turn 2, because then he basically become a Novice Engineer. Most of the time he's used as a combo into a spell, but you can do that easily with another card. He's still cool and has very good value but I don't think he should be Tier 1. Tier 2 yes.
Nat Pagle is overrated. He's a really fun turn 1 coin but he's too RNG. I have went multiple games not getting a single card from him in 3/4 turns. At best he is a decoy that can fish out a counter and MAYBE a card. He's hard to plan around because you don't know what you'll get with him. He is basically useless late game and is just a damage sponge so either you play him earl/mid or he's just a dead card in your hand. I do admit its fun to drop a taunt on him after he's been silenced though. And understand I don't think he's a "bad" card. I just don't think he belongs in the same Tier as any of the others in tier 2. Tier 3 seems about right.
Harrison Jones is underrated. With the rise of all the new rush hunters that use (I think it's called Gladiator bow) and tons of spells this cards value has skyrocketed In my eyes. You get a turn 5 5/4 creature who breaks the weapon and gives you card draw. WORST case he gets you one card draw, but he can get you so much more. Plus he's out of range of explosive trap, multi-shot, slam, etc, and so requires harder removal than Acidic Swamp Ooze. He can usually trade 2-1 too because you will most likely be using him right after the opponent plays a weapon which means they shouldn't usually have a creature on the board that can swap with him. Personally I'd put him Tier 2, but at least Tier 3.
Malygos is underrated. It is in the sweep spot damage wise that means it can't be BGHed or SWDed and has a ton of health so it would take quite a bit to kill. In spell control decks it can be just absolutely SICK. It's high mana cost means it usually has to survive a round but if played turn 10 you can still get some amazing 1 mana plays with it. Usual case it is silenced and you still have a creature with a ton of HP to deal with. It's limited usage means it isnt high Tier, but in some decks like control Shaman it's a sicker play than Rag, if he survives one round it's GG. I'd put it at least tier 6 and I could see an argument for as high as 4.
Thanks for making this list. I'd like to make a case for a few cards.
First Thanlos is overrated. Yes he is the best "value", but there are other cards that give you the same effect at the same mana cost. If you want SD, play Kobol. If you want card draw play. Loot Hoarder. It's VERY rare he's ever dropped on turn 2, because then he basically become a Novice Engineer. Most of the time he's used as a combo into a spell, but you can do that easily with another card. He's still cool and has very good value but I don't think he should be Tier 1. Tier 2 yes.
Nat Pagle is overrated. He's a really fun turn 1 coin but he's too RNG. I have went multiple games not getting a single card from him in 3/4 turns. At best he is a decoy that can fish out a counter and MAYBE a card. He's hard to plan around because you don't know what you'll get with him. He is basically useless late game and is just a damage sponge so either you play him earl/mid or he's just a dead card in your hand. I do admit its fun to drop a taunt on him after he's been silenced though. And understand I don't think he's a "bad" card. I just don't think he belongs in the same Tier as any of the others in tier 2. Tier 3 seems about right.
Harrison Jones is underrated. With the rise of all the new rush hunters that use (I think it's called Gladiator bow) and tons of spells this cards value has skyrocketed In my eyes. You get a turn 5 5/4 creature who breaks the weapon and gives you card draw. WORST case he gets you one card draw, but he can get you so much more. Plus he's out of range of explosive trap, multi-shot, slam, etc, and so requires harder removal than Acidic Swamp Ooze. He can usually trade 2-1 too because you will most likely be using him right after the opponent plays a weapon which means they shouldn't usually have a creature on the board that can swap with him. Personally I'd put him Tier 2, but at least Tier 3.
Malygos is underrated. It is in the sweep spot damage wise that means it can't be BGHed or SWDed and has a ton of health so it would take quite a bit to kill. In spell control decks it can be just absolutely SICK. It's high mana cost means it usually has to survive a round but if played turn 10 you can still get some amazing 1 mana plays with it. Usual case it is silenced and you still have a creature with a ton of HP to deal with. It's limited usage means it isnt high Tier, but in some decks like control Shaman it's a sicker play than Rag, if he survives one round it's GG. I'd put it at least tier 6 and I could see an argument for as high as 4.
Harrison Jones is a really bad supplement for Acidic Swamp Ooze vs rush Hunter. Their weapon usually only has a single charge when you play it (since they attack with it instantly) and a 5/4 body in round 5 doesn't do s**t against them. I'd much rather play a DotC against them. Furthermore, when they coin their weapon on the second turn and play the bow and traps in the consecutive turns, they can deal much more damage with it than they would've in case you had the Ooze.
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that Jones is sort of underrated but he's simply not a good card to play vs bumrush Hunters.
I'm sorry I just don't see it That way. They attack immediately the FIRST play, but they sit on it until they can place secrets after that.since they can't set off secrets it means if they have one or two on the board turn 5 you can fish them out and then play him. I always get two card draws against hunters and sometimes even 3 if I'm Fortunate enough to get them to play two secrets. Two card draws, a broken weapon, and a 5/4 body for 5 mana is insane value. And it does another thing too. I see turn 6 as when they are going for their killing blow, they are expecting you to spend your turn 5 putting minions out and trying to get you to tap after an explosive trap. Instead you play one card that destroys their weapon, gives you more cards, and is out of the range or arcane shot, explosive traps, multi-shot (if your side isn't cleared), and all the regular clears. They aren't going to UTH against you turn 6 anymore when they only get 1 minion from you. He will at least force some harder removal and extend the game another round which gives you a chance kill the hunter before he gets you.
i usually follow him up on turn 6 with an argent commander. So now 9 damage on the board with 2 cards and they can't 1 hit kill them next turn with UtH even with dire wolf. It puts them in a bad place. usually they pop the bubble, set an explosive trap, and try to hurry and force a rush against you Which isn't good. he usually causes the other player to tap by forcing too early rush too. By that point you should have the game in hand. Honestly I think Harrison Jones gives you his best value against Hunters and Paladins.
The first legendary I ever got was Gruul. While he is not nearly as good as Ragnaros the Firelord or The Black Knight, or ever Bloodmage Thalnos, for instance, he is pretty decent for what he is. And unless he gets taking out quickly, he can get really strong, really fast.
After watching the ESGN fight night and some really good arguments by Savjz I believe Al'akir should be way higher than T6, I'd propably rank it T4 at worst propably 3 or 2. Although the stats may seems bad and it looks like the wet dream of every silence card it makes for an awesome "hidden-lethal" in combination with the shamans class specific cards like Rockbiter Weapon. I also dont understand why you would rate King Mukla this lowly, ive seen it a lot lately in all these hyper aggro decks and I think if played at the right moment (wich is surely in the early game) this card can do absolutely amazing, again T4 at worst.
One guy thinks it's not shit, cuz it can give shaman a win condition if they have a bunch of other cards in hand, ok... In other words, charge + wf makes a good combo to the face, and the rest of the stats on the card are meaningless. Which makes him a dust devil with charge. Totally worth the additional 5 mana!
I am not saying he is worthless, but a fucking magma rager could be not worthless!
good thoughts all. it seems like there's been a lot of contention with the ends of the spectrum, do people feel like the middle tiers are alright? hoping to get some edits and explanations into the original thread tonight, but i have a newborn to care for :)
great list! it definitely makes me feel better about how much dust I spent crafting Thalnos lol. I kinda feel like tiers 5 and 6 could be switched around, the specificity of usefulness in tier 5 makes it seem weaker to me, but other than that I agree with most of it :D
I'd say for the most part your ratings are on track with how I rate most of the legendaries. The only ones I think should be higher are Malygos, Al'akir, and King Mukla. Each of these can be useful in their own particular archetype, and I'd put them in Tier 5, maybe even low Tier 4.
I think Antonidas is undervalued, though he certainly doesn't fit every deck. If you keep him alive for your next turn, it is almost always a won game. He's for the most part fairly easy to deal with compared to Sylvanas, but he does get a lot of value when coupled with a secret like counterspell or spell bender on the same turn.
@arcanlol, i agree with you now that pyroblast is nerfed. before that i thought he was alright but just more cumbersome a win condition than a second pyroblast. now, i think he could be another end game for mages - i would want to drop him with a coin or mirror image aka something cheap on the same turn so you know you are getting at least one fireball out of it.
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Hi all,
I decided to try my hand at this, since I love to make lists and there has been a ton of “Which legendary should I craft?” discussion. I know Foo already made a thread to have those discussions, but I was hoping this could serve either as a helpful guide for newbies, or a fun, hopefully somewhat useful discussion point (hopefully this hasn’t been done before). I made a list of what I think are the different tiers of legendaries. These are arranged from general usefulness, from “OMG I need this card in my deck” (tier 1), to “You put that card in your deck because it’s the only legendary you have, right?” (tier 8). Cards like the class-specific legendaries obfuscate these rankings slightly; obviously if you have a favorite class its class specific legendary might be a little more important to you. But in general, the goal of this is if you draw a legendary in a lower tier (8), you should disenchant it for a card in a higher tier (1), and not disenchant a card in a higher tier (1) for a card in a lower tier (8) – assuming we aren’t talking about doubles. The number of tiers and number of cards in each tier is completely arbitrary. Again, this is just IN GENERAL – just my opinion – feel free to disagree. I sat on the fence about several cards, which I will outline, and some I just don’t have experience with.
(Edited for hyperlinks, spelling, and a few comments 1/21)
Tier 1
The Black Knight
Tinkmaster Overspark
Ragnaros the Firelord
Sylvanas Windrunner
Leeroy Jenkins
Bloodmage Thalnos
I think all of these are pretty easy includes. The only one I am leery on is BT, because it is so dissatisfying to spend 1600 dust on a 2/1/1 haha. I still think there is enough taunt to make TBK worthy of inclusion.
Tier 2
Ysera
Tirion Fordring
Nat Pagle
Cairne Bloodhoof
Alexstrasza
Lord Jaraxxus
Tier 2 was tough. I think Ysera has the biggest argument to be made for Tier 1. Tirion Fordring is probably the best class-specific legendary. Cairne and NP are overall very strong. The gap between Tier 1 and 2 is pretty small.
Tier 3
Baron Geddon
Edwin VanCleef
Grommash Hellscream
Cenarius
The gap between Tier 2 and 3, however, is much bigger. Again, the class specific legendaries were kind of hard to deal with – I don’t love how this tier shook out. Grommash got bumped into this category with the death of warrior OTK, I think he will see more playing time.
Tier 4
Prophet Velen
Archmage Antonidas
Hogger
Deathwing
King Mukla
Here is where we start falling over the side of a cliff in terms of awesomeness. I would call tier 4 useful, but not great. I think Harrison Jones is pretty undervalued. I might have been a little high on him - pushed down to tier 6. There are also some cards in tier 6 (the beast and king mukla) that I could see jumping up here, simply because of great stats. I moved King Mukla up from tier 6 - great stats and definitely seeing more playing time in aggro decks.
Tier 5
Old Murk-Eye
Captain Greenskin
Oddball tier – you are either running murlocs and pirates, or you probably aren’t playing these.
Tier 6
Harrison Jones
Malygos
Al'Akir the Windlord
Onyxia
The Beast
Gruul
This tier is best of a bad bunch. These cards just need a little more oomph. I moved Malygos way up, as he seemed to be the card people disagreed with most.
Tier 7
Illidan Stormrage
Lorewalker Cho
King Krush
Tier 7 has some corner case usefulness (lorewalker cho in a no spell murloc rush deck might not be bad), but overall you can do better.
Tier 8
Millhouse Manastorm
Nozdormu
Gelbin Mekkatorque
Elite Tauren Chieftain
I legit haven’t seen these cards be played, except for new people playing their foil GM because he looks cool.
Not going to place my opinion here but hyperlinking the cards would really help your post a lot. Just highlight the name with your mouse and click the little card symbol in the bar at the top, like this:
Malygos
It makes the post more entertaining, gives it better looks and lets people re-read the cards in case they do not know them all by heart.
May your draws be plenty.
thanks for the tip; i plan on sexying this up tomorrow with some hyperlinks and a little more analysis; i kinda ran out of steam and my son woke up from his nap. i'm all for getting some feedback / discussion going though, even if it's a rough draft.
Maly is at worse tier 6 no where near as bad as some of those in 7 and 8.
Yea I agree maly should be higher up. Tier 8 should be cards that are almost unusable in regular play such as lorewalker or Manahouse.
Isn't it Gelbin Mekkatorque?
Millhouse Manastorm deserves his own special tier of bad.
And King Krush will 90% of the time be better than Al'Akir the Windlord
Thanks for making this list. I'd like to make a case for a few cards.
First Thanlos is overrated. Yes he is the best "value", but there are other cards that give you the same effect at the same mana cost. If you want SD, play Kobol. If you want card draw play. Loot Hoarder. It's VERY rare he's ever dropped on turn 2, because then he basically become a Novice Engineer. Most of the time he's used as a combo into a spell, but you can do that easily with another card. He's still cool and has very good value but I don't think he should be Tier 1. Tier 2 yes.
Nat Pagle is overrated. He's a really fun turn 1 coin but he's too RNG. I have went multiple games not getting a single card from him in 3/4 turns. At best he is a decoy that can fish out a counter and MAYBE a card. He's hard to plan around because you don't know what you'll get with him. He is basically useless late game and is just a damage sponge so either you play him earl/mid or he's just a dead card in your hand. I do admit its fun to drop a taunt on him after he's been silenced though. And understand I don't think he's a "bad" card. I just don't think he belongs in the same Tier as any of the others in tier 2. Tier 3 seems about right.
Harrison Jones is underrated. With the rise of all the new rush hunters that use (I think it's called Gladiator bow) and tons of spells this cards value has skyrocketed In my eyes. You get a turn 5 5/4 creature who breaks the weapon and gives you card draw. WORST case he gets you one card draw, but he can get you so much more. Plus he's out of range of explosive trap, multi-shot, slam, etc, and so requires harder removal than Acidic Swamp Ooze. He can usually trade 2-1 too because you will most likely be using him right after the opponent plays a weapon which means they shouldn't usually have a creature on the board that can swap with him. Personally I'd put him Tier 2, but at least Tier 3.
Malygos is underrated. It is in the sweep spot damage wise that means it can't be BGHed or SWDed and has a ton of health so it would take quite a bit to kill. In spell control decks it can be just absolutely SICK. It's high mana cost means it usually has to survive a round but if played turn 10 you can still get some amazing 1 mana plays with it. Usual case it is silenced and you still have a creature with a ton of HP to deal with. It's limited usage means it isnt high Tier, but in some decks like control Shaman it's a sicker play than Rag, if he survives one round it's GG. I'd put it at least tier 6 and I could see an argument for as high as 4.
Harrison Jones is a really bad supplement for Acidic Swamp Ooze vs rush Hunter. Their weapon usually only has a single charge when you play it (since they attack with it instantly) and a 5/4 body in round 5 doesn't do s**t against them. I'd much rather play a DotC against them. Furthermore, when they coin their weapon on the second turn and play the bow and traps in the consecutive turns, they can deal much more damage with it than they would've in case you had the Ooze.
Don't get me wrong, I do agree that Jones is sort of underrated but he's simply not a good card to play vs bumrush Hunters.
I'm sorry I just don't see it That way. They attack immediately the FIRST play, but they sit on it until they can place secrets after that.since they can't set off secrets it means if they have one or two on the board turn 5 you can fish them out and then play him. I always get two card draws against hunters and sometimes even 3 if I'm Fortunate enough to get them to play two secrets. Two card draws, a broken weapon, and a 5/4 body for 5 mana is insane value. And it does another thing too. I see turn 6 as when they are going for their killing blow, they are expecting you to spend your turn 5 putting minions out and trying to get you to tap after an explosive trap. Instead you play one card that destroys their weapon, gives you more cards, and is out of the range or arcane shot, explosive traps, multi-shot (if your side isn't cleared), and all the regular clears. They aren't going to UTH against you turn 6 anymore when they only get 1 minion from you. He will at least force some harder removal and extend the game another round which gives you a chance kill the hunter before he gets you.
i usually follow him up on turn 6 with an argent commander. So now 9 damage on the board with 2 cards and they can't 1 hit kill them next turn with UtH even with dire wolf. It puts them in a bad place. usually they pop the bubble, set an explosive trap, and try to hurry and force a rush against you Which isn't good. he usually causes the other player to tap by forcing too early rush too. By that point you should have the game in hand. Honestly I think Harrison Jones gives you his best value against Hunters and Paladins.
The first legendary I ever got was Gruul. While he is not nearly as good as Ragnaros the Firelord or The Black Knight, or ever Bloodmage Thalnos, for instance, he is pretty decent for what he is. And unless he gets taking out quickly, he can get really strong, really fast.
One guy thinks it's not shit, cuz it can give shaman a win condition if they have a bunch of other cards in hand, ok... In other words, charge + wf makes a good combo to the face, and the rest of the stats on the card are meaningless. Which makes him a dust devil with charge. Totally worth the additional 5 mana!
I am not saying he is worthless, but a fucking magma rager could be not worthless!
good thoughts all. it seems like there's been a lot of contention with the ends of the spectrum, do people feel like the middle tiers are alright? hoping to get some edits and explanations into the original thread tonight, but i have a newborn to care for :)
great list! it definitely makes me feel better about how much dust I spent crafting Thalnos lol. I kinda feel like tiers 5 and 6 could be switched around, the specificity of usefulness in tier 5 makes it seem weaker to me, but other than that I agree with most of it :D
I'd say for the most part your ratings are on track with how I rate most of the legendaries. The only ones I think should be higher are Malygos, Al'akir, and King Mukla. Each of these can be useful in their own particular archetype, and I'd put them in Tier 5, maybe even low Tier 4.
I think Antonidas is undervalued, though he certainly doesn't fit every deck. If you keep him alive for your next turn, it is almost always a won game. He's for the most part fairly easy to deal with compared to Sylvanas, but he does get a lot of value when coupled with a secret like counterspell or spell bender on the same turn.
@arcanlol, i agree with you now that pyroblast is nerfed. before that i thought he was alright but just more cumbersome a win condition than a second pyroblast. now, i think he could be another end game for mages - i would want to drop him with a coin or mirror image aka something cheap on the same turn so you know you are getting at least one fireball out of it.