Anyone want to talk about how amazing the golden version of this card is going to look? Also, anyone else actually have this armor in WoW for their shaman? I totally remember getting this stuff!
It won't be very difficult to wait to play this until you have lava shock. The same isn't true for minions - who you need to get out onto the board to prevent yourself from dying. Same logic applies to removal. Draw is a luxury early game. Late game, you don't mind the overload so much. This is good.
Overload is bad on every turn. It's just bad mechanic.
Overload is a drawback. It allows you to gain tempo this turn, by playing stronger effects, but you have to lose some on the next turn. Like Flame Imp, but it costs extra mana instead of health. While the cards may be bad, that's just because Blizzard undervalued the tempo loss of overload. Not because the mechanic is bad.
Any midrange shaman player knows that he is gonna need to draw cards when the game goes for 8+ turns and that is when this card is needed instead of early game. I have lost against Handlock many times because they drew card but I couldn't when the game went for 10+ turns.
Okay I get why this card has two overload instead of 1. Blizzard is aware that Shaman has huge burst dmg potential and they don't want players to run two of these, draw 4 cards and only have 2 overload the following turn. I'm guessing that in testing Shaman drew into combos too easily without much of a penalty. Giving card draw to shaman (cheap powerful spells that can be cast in one turn) is much different than giving good card draw to a Mage that has more expensive spells.
At 1 Overload it would be strictly better as Arcane Intellect because you can Play it one turn earlier while paying same Mana total. The Way it i now it has one upside (early Play) and ne downside (1 more Mana). Sounds fair.
Still not sure if ist good enough
yeah... as if mages dont have enough synergy with arcane int, right? only like apprentice, flamewaker, antonidas...
I think this is one of those cards which is bad on paper, but will actually be good enough in practice. This is a rare occurrence, but sometimes it happens. For example Wolf Rider is very weak in terms of stats, but it makes the cut in face hunter just because it fulfils the required niche. And so does Ancestral Knowledge. Shaman's are lacking in reliable card draw so even though you're paying one mana more than you should it's acceptable (especially as getting to play it for two mana initially takes some of the sting away).
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I like it, probly will switch 1x azure for it in my control shammy (also trying justicar to get the wrath of air if needed). I see it as a card that you dont play if you have minions to play on curve and if you don't, who cares about overload. + Shaman tends to run flame tongues, creepers now totem golems and probly tuskers (1x ferals?) So we have a lot of minions still to play with that overload and that doesn't even count our removal options.
Pretty good lategame draw, you can play this and still have enough mana for Al'Akir. Plays well with lava shock in an overload deck, where this is designed for. Totem Decks will go with manatide for sure.
You're going to play this totem shaman so you don't run out of steam, and you probably won't need the mana as much in the late game, or as Zeus shaman and burst bitches down
I just want to say this to try and give some perspective. Shaman's are meant to fill the "jack of all trades, master of none" style of play. Of course this card is over all worse than arcane intellect, but it's the reliable card draw that Shaman needs. And who plays arcane intellect on turn 3 anyway? Only unlucky people who didn't draw any minions or useful spells. Drawing early in the game is terrible for tempo or board control.
Shaman has a very solid (almost overpowered by some accounts) 4 drop minion, he's going to be getting a very strong 2 drop minion with the expansion, and a possibly very good 3 drop minion. He's got Hex which is arguably the best hard removal in the game, and any mixture of rock biter, lightning bolt, crackle, or lava burst give him solid damage spells. And then there's the grandaddy Fire Elemental which is a very powerful mid/late game minion that ALSO gives good tempo when played correctly.
Now, off the top of my head at least, the only thing shaman really needs is some better weapons (not a huge deal, but it would help) and a decent AoE to replace lightning storm which is generally too expensive and not reliable enough. Ancestral Knowledge is quite possibly my favorite card from this whole expansion simply by virtue of finally balancing out my favorite class, at least a bit.
IMO this is balanced. On the surface is seems strictly worse than Arcane Intellect but let's look closer. Because it is a turn earlier it has a tempo equivalent of 3 mana meaning its even with AI. But in addition it has synergy with unbound elemental. But even better you can team it with lava burst to make it waaay better than AI. Think on T6 to play two of these and a lava bust to draw 4 cards deal 2 damage with no overload on T7! Thats considerably better than drawing 4 cards for 6 mana with AI. Yes it is a combo card but thats the only way to balance it. Also in the late game the overload means very little.
It galls me to say it... but I actually like the thought Blizz put into this card. Clearly, it is an inferior Arcane Intellect, but previously, all we Shammys had to go on was the Mana Tide Totem. And that is part of the Shaman playstyle. A noted lack of draw power.
Therefore, adding a form of steady, though slightly overpriced, draw power is Blizz's way of giving Shamans a swift kick in the behind while not blurring the playstyles between classes, which I find much more important.
ehhh...I don't know. Maybe Malygos/Ancestor's Call Shaman could use this? Even then I feel like you'd just be playing a strictly worse version of Freeze Mage.
Shaman needs board. Spending 4 mana and not developing any minions or removing any opponent minions just doesn't seem like a viable strategy. Even Mana Tide is at least a body of sorts.
Hard to say, I've been playing with a tempo overload shaman thats been doing well, but TWO overload? looking forward to seeing what happens with this card. Yay for draw nay for overload! :D
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Anyone want to talk about how amazing the golden version of this card is going to look? Also, anyone else actually have this armor in WoW for their shaman? I totally remember getting this stuff!
wish the meta will be so slow. so we can play heavy control shaman
and this card will shine in late game, especially with Chromaggus
Heroes never die.
It won't be very difficult to wait to play this until you have lava shock. The same isn't true for minions - who you need to get out onto the board to prevent yourself from dying. Same logic applies to removal. Draw is a luxury early game. Late game, you don't mind the overload so much. This is good.
Overload is a drawback. It allows you to gain tempo this turn, by playing stronger effects, but you have to lose some on the next turn. Like Flame Imp, but it costs extra mana instead of health. While the cards may be bad, that's just because Blizzard undervalued the tempo loss of overload. Not because the mechanic is bad.
Its great when you're topdecking. Other than that its meh
And doesn't have to autoconcede against warriors... owned.
"The light shall burn you!" - heals face.
Any midrange shaman player knows that he is gonna need to draw cards when the game goes for 8+ turns and that is when this card is needed instead of early game. I have lost against Handlock many times because they drew card but I couldn't when the game went for 10+ turns.
This is a good card imo.
Okay I get why this card has two overload instead of 1. Blizzard is aware that Shaman has huge burst dmg potential and they don't want players to run two of these, draw 4 cards and only have 2 overload the following turn. I'm guessing that in testing Shaman drew into combos too easily without much of a penalty. Giving card draw to shaman (cheap powerful spells that can be cast in one turn) is much different than giving good card draw to a Mage that has more expensive spells.
yeah... as if mages dont have enough synergy with arcane int, right? only like apprentice, flamewaker, antonidas...
Auto Include in every Shaman Deck. Very cost efficient (despite taking 2 mana next turn)
I think this is one of those cards which is bad on paper, but will actually be good enough in practice. This is a rare occurrence, but sometimes it happens. For example Wolf Rider is very weak in terms of stats, but it makes the cut in face hunter just because it fulfils the required niche. And so does Ancestral Knowledge. Shaman's are lacking in reliable card draw so even though you're paying one mana more than you should it's acceptable (especially as getting to play it for two mana initially takes some of the sting away).
I like it, probly will switch 1x azure for it in my control shammy (also trying justicar to get the wrath of air if needed). I see it as a card that you dont play if you have minions to play on curve and if you don't, who cares about overload. + Shaman tends to run flame tongues, creepers now totem golems and probly tuskers (1x ferals?) So we have a lot of minions still to play with that overload and that doesn't even count our removal options.
Surprise!
Pretty good lategame draw, you can play this and still have enough mana for Al'Akir. Plays well with lava shock in an overload deck, where this is designed for. Totem Decks will go with manatide for sure.
I would place the card if arcane golem didn't exist
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You're going to play this totem shaman so you don't run out of steam, and you probably won't need the mana as much in the late game, or as Zeus shaman and burst bitches down
I just want to say this to try and give some perspective. Shaman's are meant to fill the "jack of all trades, master of none" style of play. Of course this card is over all worse than arcane intellect, but it's the reliable card draw that Shaman needs. And who plays arcane intellect on turn 3 anyway? Only unlucky people who didn't draw any minions or useful spells. Drawing early in the game is terrible for tempo or board control.
Shaman has a very solid (almost overpowered by some accounts) 4 drop minion, he's going to be getting a very strong 2 drop minion with the expansion, and a possibly very good 3 drop minion. He's got Hex which is arguably the best hard removal in the game, and any mixture of rock biter, lightning bolt, crackle, or lava burst give him solid damage spells. And then there's the grandaddy Fire Elemental which is a very powerful mid/late game minion that ALSO gives good tempo when played correctly.
Now, off the top of my head at least, the only thing shaman really needs is some better weapons (not a huge deal, but it would help) and a decent AoE to replace lightning storm which is generally too expensive and not reliable enough. Ancestral Knowledge is quite possibly my favorite card from this whole expansion simply by virtue of finally balancing out my favorite class, at least a bit.
IMO this is balanced. On the surface is seems strictly worse than Arcane Intellect but let's look closer. Because it is a turn earlier it has a tempo equivalent of 3 mana meaning its even with AI. But in addition it has synergy with unbound elemental. But even better you can team it with lava burst to make it waaay better than AI. Think on T6 to play two of these and a lava bust to draw 4 cards deal 2 damage with no overload on T7! Thats considerably better than drawing 4 cards for 6 mana with AI. Yes it is a combo card but thats the only way to balance it. Also in the late game the overload means very little.
It galls me to say it... but I actually like the thought Blizz put into this card. Clearly, it is an inferior Arcane Intellect, but previously, all we Shammys had to go on was the Mana Tide Totem. And that is part of the Shaman playstyle. A noted lack of draw power.
Therefore, adding a form of steady, though slightly overpriced, draw power is Blizz's way of giving Shamans a swift kick in the behind while not blurring the playstyles between classes, which I find much more important.
ehhh...I don't know. Maybe Malygos/Ancestor's Call Shaman could use this? Even then I feel like you'd just be playing a strictly worse version of Freeze Mage.
Shaman needs board. Spending 4 mana and not developing any minions or removing any opponent minions just doesn't seem like a viable strategy. Even Mana Tide is at least a body of sorts.
Hard to say, I've been playing with a tempo overload shaman thats been doing well, but TWO overload? looking forward to seeing what happens with this card. Yay for draw nay for overload! :D