This is my opinion on each card. Some get more talk than others for good Reason. Card that can come out of Piloted Shredder, Piloted Sky Golem and Sneed's Old Shredder all have a small comment about how it relates to that card. Bane of Doom is also covered, however Unstable Portal, Nefarian and Burgle aren't. I do think Nefarian was weakened in general, since most spells added weren't particularly constructed stong. I would also say on the whole Webspinner got hit the most with only one good Beast in this set and multiple bad ones.
Druid - Living Roots - Hands down the best 1 mana deal 2 damage spell. The second mode is super awesome, and has potential to see play in almost any druid deck. This is also another card that could make that Miracle/Malygos Druid a thing, a cheap spell that can go face and also just does a lot of work in the early game.
Druid of the Saber - This is the kind of card that makes Beast Druid seem real to me. If a deck doesn't have good 2 drops its just not a real deck and this is one of the best so far. A Stealth 3/2 is great, and the times you'll want a 2/1 Charge will make this one of the best 2 drops in the game period. Its nice to see druid get cards that go away from Ramp/Combo. This can see play in any druid deck obviously because its just another great versatile Druid card. (This lowers the strength of Piloted Shredder)
Wildwalker - This is one of the worst cards with this effect. Not being a Beast itself definitely hurts, and obviously since this doesn't increase attack or give Taunt it is on the weak side for such a specific effect. Its still a fine 4/4 for 4 and may see fringe play if Beast Druid is a thing but I don't see it being a staple. (This is about average in maintaining the power of Piloted Sky Golem)
Darnassus Aspirant - Another strong 2 drop for Druid. This fits Ramp a bit better than most other decks, but its likely to see play in any Druid deck that is willing to play Wild Growth. This is the card we wanted Grove Tender to be. Druids class version of Pint-sized Summoner is pretty sweet. (This dramatically lowers the strength of Piloted Shredder)
Savage Combatant - This card seems pretty sweet. Generally the 4 mana 5/4 seems weaker than the 4/5 but I think here its generally great. You're either playing this onto an empty board early or you're playing this later and throwing out an amped up hero to hopefully clear off anything that could trade up for the cost. This is obviously a beast, though I'm still not sure this makes Beast druid a thing, I think pulling druid away from its rampy self just isn't that likely, but this is certainly a great start and great that you can run a solid 4 drop into a Druid of the Fang if you really want to. (This increased the power of Piloted Sky Golem)
Knight of the Wild - This card is interesting. The fact its effect only triggers while you're hold it definitely sucks. The fact that there aren't really any cards that summon a large number of beasts for Druid like Unleash the Hounds means you're likely only lowering its cost by 1 a turn anyway, and you've got to get at least 1 trigger to feel ok about casting this and really even 2 isn't the greatest deal in the game. Also, obviously this isn't a Beast itself meaning you lose some natural synergy. Its not unplayable by any means but I think its a bit too much work to make it out of the testing phases.
Mulch - I love this card, you should love this card. Its kind of a bad Sap, but most of the time its just a great tempo removal. Its not a card that every Druid deck wants, but its certainly going to see far more play than Recycle ever did. Cost effective hard removal is a great thing to see for Druid players, even if sometimes it gives them a much better game winning card. Isn't that just how Hearthstone works?
Astral Communion - This is a crazy card. I think it will see some fringe play and like Ancestor's Call this will be a great card to have super fun games with, however for the most part its just totally unplayable. Discarding your hand is a serious drawback and ramping to 10 isn't that huge of an advantage unless the majority of your deck is 7+ Mana bombs.
Aviana - This is the kind of super fun legendary Druid needed if they weren't going to get a good midgame Legendary. People are already talking about the cool things this card does, but it may not have a lasting impression on the format because of how late game it is and how low impact it is on its own. (This likely strengthens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Hunter - Brave Archer - This is probably the cheekiest card in the new set. I mean come on, they leaked this art and people were like, "Its Merida, from Brave!" and sure enough that's who it is. The Hunter empty hand Mechanic is fine, but its just not great. This is likely only dealing 2 extra damage once later in the game and if you try to just vomit your hand to make this work you'll likely find that harder than you think. Even the current Face Hunter doesn't draw cards off of Quick Shot until are least turn 7 most of the time, its really not that easy to empty your hand, especially when it means you're likely giving up Hero power value to do that. Don't fall into this pretty ladies trap. She's not good!
Bear Trap - Now this is the trap you want to fall for. The Mor'du to go with Merida. This card is sweet. A 3/3 taunt for 2 is already a great deal it being a secret your opponent has to now figure out how to play around is awesome. Figure out which traps to play and play around got a bit tougher.
King's Elekk - This is a fine value card, but there are 2 main problems I have with it. First, it pretty much tells your opponent the exact flavor of Hunter you're playing. Its a total give away and information is very important to hunters with 2 already very established archtypes. Second, it only draws you a card if your card is expensive. That means while it may draw you a card it might also be a card you never get the chance to play. Its great that its a cheap efficient card advantage minion, and I guess if you're going to play some vanilla 3/2 this is probably better but I just don't see this locking up a spot in Control Hunter. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Powershot - A proactive AoE for hunter is certainly a good thing, and a solid control card this will prove to be, and in fact the ability to target with this, and leave Nerubian Eggs or Haunted Creepers whole while clearing off other more directly troublesome minions might make this a very very good card. Its effecient cost also makes trying to play a touch of Spell Damage quite possible. This card isn't a game breaker but its certainly another great push for Control Hunter.
Ram Wrangler - This card has tons of potential, and obviously any time you can get something for nothing its probably good, but this does have a decently strict requirment and awful stats. I'm not sure even in a Beast deck I'd pick this over Bomb Lobber. I feel like you can only run this or Houndmaster and Houndmaster wins that pretty easily if you ask me. This can be a lot more dynamic. Obviously all the beast that cost 6 or more out there are great, but there are just as many low cost Beasts that are effectively misses.
Ball of Spiders - There has already been a lot of shade thrown towards this card. It does have the same cost as Savannah Highmane and has much much less impact on the board. However, I do think in the right deck this a just a 6 mana draw 3 style card is very decent for Hunter. I don't think its a constructed all star by any means but I do think there is some chance you'll see it show up as a 1 of in a control deck. Obviously this is pretty strong in Arena, value is value no matter how you slice it and as long as you aren't just losing this will keep you in most games if not take over.
Lock and Load - Its kind of a bummer this only counts spells, because it hard to imagine you wanting to play an excess of spells just to make this card good and its also not always likely you can sandbag the spells you do have until you combo off with this. That being said the effect is generally strong and obviously playing this and then 2-3 cheap spell and getting 2-3, or if you're lucky 4-5 cards off this could be a huge effect and obviously is another of the cards that pushes hunter toward control. We'll have to see if that succeeds or fails, but I like the attempt either way. Its a shame this is very likely another bad Arena Epic, like most class epics in Arena.
Stablemaster - If this was the Bestial Wrath effect with the extra attack and not just the Immune this would probably be playable, but as it a 3 mana 4/2 that needs a Beast and isn't a Beast probably just misses. Its odd they put this weak of an effect on it when you have the more dynamic one on Ram Wrangler at rare.
Dreadscale - The first of our 2 part Legendary duo, and the most playable of the 2. I wish both of these had slightly better bodies, as this just dies to everything. It does great work against Paladin I guess but I'm not sure its good enough to play in most cases. It does work with its Jormungar brother but its sad it kills him off in just 2 turns. I'd love to know how Blizzard came up with the stats and abilities for these 2. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Acidmaw - Wow does this card have a bad statline. The text is certainly Legendary but the mana cost to stat ratio is soooooooo miserable. No matter how many synergies you make with this its just not good. You're going to hate getting this from Webspinner, because here's the deal. Even when you play this and combo it with Dreadscale or Unleash the Hounds you only have a 4/2. That's not any sort of game ender, and since the effect is symmetric you're likely to lose anything you have and then lose him as well. (This drastically weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Mage - Spellslinger - This expansion generally lowered the overall power of the spell base, but it did also bring in a few cool ones. I'm not sure Tempo mage wants this, but if it needs a value minion this might work. It will likely be fine in Arena, but this is very much so a card that is going to lead to any number of Trollden clips giving someone the most perfectly ridiculous card.
Dalaran Aspirant - Stacking Spell Damage is a cool effect, but the rate at which you get it and the body its tied to are a touch disappointing. This card is fine, and it will probably be good to great in Arena. The art is spectacular. (This is either neutral or an improvement to Piloted Sky Golem based on the deck)
Flame Lance - This card is getting some serious heat for being bad. Which is funny, because its really totally fine. Its pretty much 5 mana kill a minion, which is good. Yes, its poor in constructed, but honestly could they make another spell for Mage that can go face without breaking the game? No. Simple as that, they had to make something and this is great for Arena balance.
Fallen Hero - Mage needed a 2 drop you wanted to play on 2 and I think this fits the bill. This card is great at almost any stage of the game, and it has some very obvious combo potential that could push mage in a new direction or at least modify an existing deck. I hope the other classes get similarly strong early game drops that have late game potential. (This is an improvement for Piloted Shredder unles you're a Warlock)
Effigy - This is obviously a great tempo secret. While Duplicate is very likely more powerful than this, its not nearly the same tempo. This could push a secret mage into existence, though obviously the most likely home is just in tempo mage.
Polymorph: Boar - What a great card. This is a super double duty card. It can transform a troublesome enemy minion (IE mostly to silence it and lower its health) or be a psuedo-burn spell turning one of your minions into a 4/2 charge. I could easily see this finding a home in Tempo Mage, but I'm not sure how many other decks want this.
Arcane Blast - The second Minion only damage spell for Mage this set. Its a bit of a bummer this can't go face, but let's be real, the OTK Malygos Mage is already a deck and this makes that way too good. This is a fun card but the base rate isn't quite good enough for it to see play since Spell Damage minions aren't in a great spot.
Coldarra Drake - We already got to see a bit of this cards power in the show matches, but this cards strength is going to be largely based on the speed of the game. a 6/6 for 6 is totally fine and if you stick this at any point its going to pay some kind of dividends. Some people feel like you never want to spend a turn just pumping hero powers and that might well be true, but when that option is there and you can take it while maintaining control its effectively like drawing multiple free cards. I don't see not taking this in Arena often, especially since its a super strong epic.
Rhonin - This guy is sweet. He's not the greatest value, he's probably slightly worse than Ragnaros or Dr. Boom, but since Mage has so much spell synergy this card actually seems very playable in any deck that wants Archmage Antonidas. (This card improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Paladin - Seal of Champions - You know, if you glue two cards together, especially 2 decent ones its awesome. This card is awesome. This compares very well to Blessing of Kings or even Velen's Chosen. 3 exta power allows for good up trades and Divine Shield ensure your guy is surviving which Kings and Velen's can't.
Warhorse Trainer - I'm not sure how far you can push Silver Hand Recruit synergy but I'm game to try. The only thing standing in this cards way is Silver Hand Regent, since you're not likely to cut Aldor Peacekeeper you likely can't run both of these 3s, though maybe just maybe the synergy is enough to push Peacekeeper out of the mix for the first time.
Murloc Knight - I guess Paladin is the new Murloc Class. This is a pretty sweet value minion, and certainly outshines Siltfin Spiritwalker. If Pally wasn't so loaded at 4 already this would maybe even be playable with no other Murlocs. (This is neutral with Piloted Sky Golem in most cases.)
Competitive Spirit - This card seems really strong for the already hated Aggro Pally. Its not often they print strong cards for existing decks, just mediocre ones but I think this is a legit threat in that deck. Buffing both attack and health is a big deal, and the value you can get for this 1 mana is pretty awesome. Even getting just a simple +1/+1 isn't the end of the world, but anything more than that is great value.
Argent Lance - Pally didn't need another cheap weapon if you ask me, but I do like the overall flavor of the card. This has potential to be fine when you take it in Arena but you're still not picking it over many other rares. Weapons didn't get much love this expansion.
Tuskarr Jouster - Joust obviously is a control oriented mechanic and this card hits all those notes. A respectable body, a decent pretty solid heal, but I'm not sure if you have room for this unless the meta has a fair amount of aggro. Against midrange and control you're probably going to get much better value from other 5 drops, but this likely replaces Antique Healbot in most Pally decks until the meta settles.
Enter the Coliseum - This is a very interesting Brawl varient. Pally already has Aldor Peacekeeper, and Eadric the Pure is coming, so its likely you can get the advantage you want out of playing this if you are playing a very slow control deck.
Mysterious Challenger- The Battlecry here is potentially very strong by the time you can play this you also might have just drawn a bunch of your secrets and if this isn't hitting a high number its likely not good enough to see play, and most Pally secrets are so low impact they aren't great all slammed into one deck. It will be fun to play, but it probably won't be good.
Eadric the Pure - The effect here is very strong, however the body is mediocre and its also a sloooooow effect. When this is hitting a bunch of guys you might already have lost anyway, so I see this being a giant Aldor Peacekeeper most of the time, maybe a giant double Peacekeeper, but that might be good enough. (This is about neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder, though a touch toward weak)
Priest - Flash Heal - The first of two 1 mana heals given to priest at common this set, and by far the more interesting of the two. First of all, this rate is pretty busted. In terms of value and tempo this is a huge heal for almost no effort, and because Priest has Auchenai Soulpriest this is also much better than cards like Holy Light and Healing Touch. 5 is a pretty huge amount of health for 1 mana, and I know they felt like they had to make 5 because at 4 you'd never play this over Light of the Naaru but damn this breaks the metric pretty badly. I could see this getting fringe play, but unless you are trying to burn your opponent out with this and Auchenai its not likely to take the place of Light of the Naruu in terms of overall vaule.
Power Word: Glory - I actually find it odd they decided to make this a 1 mana spell, I feel like it could have been a great chance to move up the cost and be dynamic. Making this cost 3 and heal you for 8 might make this playable over similar options but otherwise this is strictly an Arena card you aren't going to be overly happy about having to take.
Holy Champion - I think this card is great. Outside of games you are just losing that turn this is effectively a better Sen'jin Shieldmasta, because you're opponent is going to have to deal with this. I know that Light of the Naaru is a great card and likely higher value for the cost, also since its only 1 mana its just generally a very low impact card, this is a midrange card that stands strong on its own. The times this lives til your turn are likely games you're taking pretty solid control of. At common this is going to be a very high pick for priests in Arena, and I think people are going to dread seeing it when they are behind. (This is neutral to slightly under for Piloted Sky Golem)
Convert - In a slower meta this is pretty sweet. In a fast meta this is pretty bad. Drawing your opponents best minion is pretty decent as long as you have time to play it. However, this is still at best 2 mana draw 1 card. Yes you get to choose that card and try to make it as good as you can, but realistically spending 2 on a non-Legendary is probably not good enough so this cards playability is based on the meta, and still likely not quite strong enough value. It will likely be fine in any Arena deck, even if your opponent doesn't have any strong late game minions that is probably good for you anyway. It won't be as good as just having a good minion of your own but it will probably be better than most below average minions.
Wyrmrest Agent - Well, they are really pushing Dragon Priest. As one of the only classes to have a class Dragon, getting another cheap Dragons matter card does a lot to make that viable. Not being a Dragon here doesn't matter as much because you're hopefully playing this before you get to the higher cost dragons. The rate is good, and obviously high health is great for Priest. (This weakens Piloted Shredder.)
Spawn of Shadows - This is a very very aggressive 4 drop, and might be just the curve topper a Suicide/Aggro Priest is looking for. 4 is a huge chunk of life, so as long as you're in the drivers seat this is going to help you close a game out pretty quickly, if you're on the back foot this is pretty bad, but not awful, and easy enough to work around. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem, but that is the average, some times this will be amazing and win you the game, other times it will screw you and lose you the game.)
Confuse - The name is fitting because this card isn't easy to judge. The Swap effect is an odd one and most of the time it doesn't really do anything. Pay 2 mana just to do a big swap likely doesn't mean much, but that tends to be a standard thing for epics. Card that do nothing most of the time. Even though priest favors high health minions and so this could be some sort of odd psuedo Bloodlust I doubt a situational effect like this sees play.
Shadowfiend - As interesting as this card is, a 3/3 for 3 just doesn't cut it anymore. Also, Priest has the lowest number of Draw a Card mechanics, so since this doesn't work with Mind Vision, Convert, or Thoughtsteal its hard to play it, get multiple draws and get some sweet tempo/value.
Confessor Paletress - This is similar to Sneed's Old Shredder. It costs you 1 more to get your first legendary, but its less weak to silence and gets you an advantage right away. The average TGT legendary does bring down the overall power of Random Legendaries, but not enough that in a slowish meta this won't definitely see play. I don't think its high enough pure value to be an auto include, but its definitely very solid. (This likely improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Rogue - Buccaneer - This card isn't getting much respect, but I think its pretty decent. Pirates in general just needed a bit more mass, and the effect here is actually something at least some of the time. This is far better than playing Bloodsail Corsair in most cases, and I actually think this would have been really sweet as a neutral. I don't think this really makes Pirate Rogue a real deck all the sudden but its another decent playable. This isn't terrible as a weapon buff either just because of its cheap cost to play before you weapon.
Undercity Valiant - Mini-SI:7 Agent is obviously not quite as good, but this is a lot closer to what rogue has needed as a 2 drop. It doesn't feel as bad not combo'ing this and when you do get to combo it and the 1 damage matters it will feel a lot better than Goblin Auto-Barber did. If Face Hunter continues to be a deck this card will be fairly decent, otherwise it is probably going to get pushed out by other 2 drops. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Shado-Pan Rider - This is an interesting one. In Arena this will likely be pretty strong, any time you get a to Combo this off The Coin or with a Backstab on turn 4 and 5 respectfully this likely turns the game dynamically in your favor. Having the play this as a 3/7 will feel pretty miserable, but that is likely to only keep it out of constructed play by a slight margin. Rogue prefers value/sticky minions, so this doesn't have a place in constructed atm, but maybe a pure Control deck pops up that makes you want a cheap Boulderfist Ogre.
Cutpurse - Having to hit with this guy is definitely a bummer. I really wish this had stealth. It almost makes sense that it should, but maybe they tested that and it was just too strong. Either way having to not only attack, but attack the enemy hero means this likely doesn't have a place in constructed even if the effect is super sweet. (This weakens Piloted Shredder)
Burgle - This is another card that only makes sense in a pure Control Rogue, which isn't a thing atm. Rogue is a Combo class, not just because of its class ability, but also just because of how synergistic the cards are, and this is a non-synergy value card. Its probably sweet in Arena, class cards are typically stronger than neutrals, so you have a much better chance of getting something good, and this will probably yield higher value than Thoughtsteal.
Shady Dealer - Ah, the theme of Race dependant minions that don't have the racial tag continues. This has a huge upside. If an Aggro Pirate rogue shows up I can't see wanting to pass in a 5/4 for 3, but that deck probably isn't good enough. Its nice that this is a completely average 3 drop that has pure upside and that makes this card fine in Arena too.
Beneath the Grounds - This seems so sweet in Mill Rogue, and really in just about any Rogue deck. Shuffling in 3 means you'll likely get at least 1 of the 4/4s at some point, and a 4/4 for 3 mana is already ok, getting more than 1 of these in a game is huge tempo and value. Its true it doesn't do anything the turn you play it, but I think this is likely to show itself to be very strong.
Poisoned Blade - Well, I think if this does anything its show people how powerful an infinitely growing damage source is. Blizzard has decided to clock this in at 1/3 for 4 mana because if you play this on turn 4 and then pump it over and over without losing board control it wins the game by itself. I think a lot of people think this card is garbage and unplayable, and I think if that is the case its exactly where it needs to be. In a situation where this was already as close to effective with its powerful effect it would surpass every weapon and rogue strategy currently available. Its not likely to see tons of play, but I also expect to see it show up at some point and prove to everyone how broken it can be.
Anub'arak - This is an interesting value Legendary. I feel like its very similar to Malorne. Its just a touch too slow and low impact to see play in any but the slowest grindiest deck, except Rogue isn't really a "grindy" class. Most rogue spells are cheap and efficient but that also means you need to draw a lot of cards to win, meaning you likely don't need this fatigue battling bug. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Shaman - Ancestral Knowledge - This card is a great step in the right direction for Shaman but I wish they'd have picked a different rate. I'd have loved to see this as a 3 mana Draw 3 Overload 3. Shaman doesn't have the most spell synergy ever, and it doesn't seem like you have room to Overload while not affecting the board for just 2 cards.
Totem Golem - Obvioulsy this card has gotten a fair amount of hype, and a bit of negative feedback somehow also. This is a huge tempo play that gives a lot of life to Totems, maybe even giving Totemic Might some play, since buffing this and any 2 other totems probably makes that card good. Overload has shown itself to be one of, if not the weakest class mechanic, only allowing a few cards with it to be played, but cards like this and Crackle are the types of overload cards that really push the mechanic and therefore class in the right direction. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
Tuskarr Totemic - I've noticed that some people seem to be devaluing this because they don't consider the hero power totems as worth more than 1 mana, however its notable that this is still a 3/2 for 3 that gives you that second body that is always worth at least the 1 mana and 50% of the time its worth more than that, and on occassion, as with any random shaman totem, even getting a Stoneclaw Totem or Wrath of Air Totem can turn a game pretty sharply.
Healing Wave - This card is getting tons of hype and its pretty deserved. 14 is an insane amount of life, and Shaman has been so historically weak to aggro because it couldn't stay in the game, but this keeps you in almost any game. I'm not sure you keep playing this if the meta becomes really slow, but it might be fine as a hedge card.
Draenei Totemcarver - This is getting plenty of comparisons to Frostwolf Warlord, and for a good reason. It is a touch on the weak side, only catching the buff on totems, but a 4 mana 4/4 is totally playable and even waiting to 6 to get a 5/5 and a totem is definitely still value. That is the thing, the slightly more aggressive cost makes this fine, and with the other new totem synergies at common its likely you can get an easy 2 triggers off this and getting a 4 mana 6/6 even when it could have been say a 5 mana 8/8 is still just fine, you'd never pass it up. (This is about neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Thunder Bluff Valiant - Boy, is this a spicy one. a 3/6 for 5 is decent, a tad weak, but waiting and playing this on 7 likely makes it worth it. Again, like all Inspire cards, this living until your next turn is a total beating. Turning totems into real minions is a huge deal, and left unchecked this ends the game quickly.
Elemental Destruction - This card is pretty crazy. It obviously blows up both sides of the table, but this offers you some great chances to swing a game. At just 3 mana in the late game you can play this into another large threat, and while the turn after you'll be a bit tight on mana, 5 isn't so bad that you'll be left without plays. I don't think you'll want 2 copies but I can see any Midrange/Control Shaman wanting at least 1.
Charged Hammer - This is an odd card. I'm not sure where it fits or wants to be played most, but it seems like it could show up at a 1 of in any number of decks. Changing your hero power to Deal 2 Damage is just a very strong effect and seems very strong for closing out games where totems are just good for prolonging them. That being said this is a low impact 4 cost weapon that takes a long time to use up and replacing it just to get the Deathrattle means you still likely over paid for it.
The Mistcaller - This card a very strong and unique effect, but I'm not sure I'm really feeling all the hype. Similar to Wilfred Fizzlebang, this is really bad for its cost and the value comes later. That means you have to give up a strong play a some point in the game so you can hopefully make strong ones later. The fact this doesn't affect you hero power or otherwise summoned minions is a bummer, and this will be a miserably bad topdeck in the later stages of the game. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Warlock - Demonfuse - Giving mana crystals, especially when they have given many classes a number of stronger control elements is likely to be a really bad idea, but this might still see play in a few very aggressive Demon decks for casual players. The buff is pretty strong after all, and that tempo alone might just make it work.
Wrathguard - In an aggro meta I don't think this card is great, but in a slower one I think it could actually be pretty good. Yes, this can make you take a large amount of damage, but its probably not making you take more than 3-4 on average, and for the up front power this has it seems reasonable to me. (This is about neutral for Piloted Shredder though the body is good, its true the drawback is real)(This is also about Neutral for Bane of Doom)
Fearsome Doomguard - This isn't a constructed card, but it seems sweet as an Arena fatty, especially if you pick up a few random Demon synergy cards. (This improves Bane of Doom)
Tiny Knight of Evil - Its hard to see a place where this is great, but it might be "fine" enough that it seems play. This is one case where at 2/3 would have probably made this more of a card you could build into. Its pretty much a basic 3/2 but it does have the Demon tag. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)(This weakens Bane of Doom)
Fist of Jaraxxus - This card is super interesting and I want it to be good enough. Its very likely not. A card that is pretty much only ever good and good is used as loosely as possible, when discarded probably isn't where you want to be. Obviously there are awesome dream scenarios with this, but a 4 mana random 4 damage is just so bad as a base card I don't think Zoo or some other weird deck are going to show up trying to make this work.
Void Crusher - The rate on this body isn't great, but the effect can certainly be powerful. If the slower Demonlock continues to be a deck this might find a home, but at the same time it will likely show itself to be on the weak side. (This improves Bane of Doom)
Dreadsteed - The infinte 1/1 Demon is a cool idea, but paying 4 for it seems very sad. Its not likely you want to play this, but you'll randomly have it from time to time and it will probably be ok. This is a massive liability against Patron Warrior. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem) (This weakens Bane of Doom)
Dark Bargain - This card is to weird. Its the only card that makes Fist of Jaraxxus seems viable, but even then a really expensive removal spell that makes you discard 2 cards doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Its too expensive for Aggro, and its too much value loss to be good in control.
Wilfred Fizzlebang - Well, at least the card is exciting. That line of text is pretty damn wild. The cost and stats are obviously low, and the variance a card like this creates is super high. People willing to run this are going to have those times you totally whiff, just like Unstable Portal, but the times you hit big man does this pay off. Regardless of how good it turns out to be in the end there are few cards more exciting than this, so its definitely a win there. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder for everyone but Warlocks)
Warrior - Bolster - The rate for this to buff is ok, but the Taunt requirement is a bit of an odd place. Warrior only has one class Taunt, and its in this set, so unlike Druid, you don't have a bunch of built in synergy. Also, this only buffs minions with Taunt, which makes it hard to hit more than 2 minions with this because you can't hide your minions you want to buff behind Taunt, they are the Taunts, so your opponent is just going to kill them. The upside is certainly there, but the requirements are too strict.
Bash - This is interesting. Its worse on damage than a weapon, but it does give you a touch of reach, and it does that while inceasing your Armor. I don't think this card has any chance of becoming a staple, but it will be sweet in Arena.
Orgrimmar Aspirant - I actually really like this card. It seems like it could give Tempo/Aggro Warrior another good 3 drop. Buffing Warrior weapons is different than buffing Rogue ones, but it still seems strong, though lets be honest, the days of 3 mana 3/3s is over.
Alexstrasza's Champion - This is a very sweet 2 drop for Dragon Warrior, but I'm not sure the current Dragon Warrior is really looking for an strong 2 drop, but it very well could be. It makes me want to play try it that is for sure. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Sparring Partner - I guess this is Blizzards attempt to really make Bolster a card. This is a pretty decent 2 drop, either way with a fairly versatile Battlecry. I'm not sure Warrior is looking for this as a 2 drop, but its certainly more interesting than most. I think it could easily see play, but how much is up in the air. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
King's Defender - This is one of the most disappointing cards in the set. Mostly because its so comparable to Fiery War Axe, and once the true text was confirmed, where you'll only get 1 extra durability tops this card lost all its chances of seeing constructed play. You might pick this on occassion in Arena just to have any weapon, but you're likely never happy about it.
Magnataur Alpha - This card is cool, but probably just not good enough since its got low health and has to attack to be good. Its still cool to see the ability spread around a bit, and there will be time in Arena where this owns the mid game. (This probably improves Piloted Sky Golem, but its close)
Sea Reaver - This card just doesn't seem good. If it were a Whirlwind it might actually be playable, but as just a one sided spin I don't know what deck has room for this. Some sort of Enrage based Aggro thing doesn't want this, Control decks certainly don't want this, Patron doesn't have room for this. Its such an odd card.
Varian Wrynn - Holy snikies! This is the value minion to be all value minions. Control Warrior just got one hell of a top end. Even when you miss this isn't bad, and when you hit its soooo good. This card is sweet, even if I don't understand it at all from a flavor standpoint. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Neutral - Gadgetzan Jouster - This is very much the oddest of the Jousters. It is nice to see another potential 2/3 for 1, but its funny that this makes your other Joust cards worse. The other issue is how bad this is when it misses. A 1/2 is pretty much unplayable, meaning even if you want a 1 drop for you Midrange/Control deck this probably isn't it.
Lowly Squire - This seems slightly better to me than Gadgetzan Jouster, but obviously its still pretty bad. The growth rate is slow and its doesn't increase in health. Undertaker pretty much fell completely out of favor when it lost its toughness growth, and since this leads you to giving up tempo to grow it its likely you don't want this.
Tournament Attendee - This card is getting a fairly negative light, and its true that its not the best 1 drop ever, but it does have a few things working for it. First off, its good against most of the current aggro decks because it forces them to trade into it rather than you having to trade after they go face. Also, its a cheap Taunt if somehow a Bolster Warrior is a thing. I'm not saying its a 5 star card but I think its better than a 1 star card.
Boneguard Lieutenant - This is the prime cheap Inspire minion. This seems like it could be good in a number of decks without a huge Inspire focus, just as a potential Value 2 drop. It punishes 2/3s and has potential to get really good value. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
Flame Juggler - In an Aggro meta I think this card is awesome. It can kill their 1 drop, and trades well in general with 1 drops even if the Battlecry misses. Also, the 1 random damage can matter in some situations. Its probably not replacing cards like Knife Juggler, but it gives decks that don't want that but need a decent 2 drop something to do. (This is neutral with Piloted Shredder)
Lance Carrier - A permanent buff is nice with some cards, but in general you are only getting 1 hit in from this. It does do a bit of extra damage if the opponent has to use a weapon or more expensive minion to trade, but most of the time that probably won't be the case. The 1/2 base body is pretty miserable, so yeah there's that. (This weakens Piloted Shredder)
Argent Horserider - 3 drops have gotten a lot better, and regretably this combination of stats and abilities isn't that impressive. The card will probably be ok in Arena, functioning similarly to Ironforge Rifleman, but its not a card you'll clamour for.
Dragonhawk Rider - Another weak 3 drop. This only being good when attacking and only if you also want to use your hero power means this is generally worse than Raging Worgen and therefore most other 3 drops a well. Fine in Arena, not for constructed.
Ice Rager - The power creep is real. This card makes me sad. Its a card. It does things. Blah.
Silent Knight - This is another minion with a weird set of abilities and stats. All these kind of weak minions with Divine Shield just make Blood Knight better in Arena. I barely want to pay 2 mana for this, 3 isn't very appealing at all. There will be times this is probably fine, but you won't be happy about it.
Silver Hand Regent - Now this is sweet. Some times you'll have to play this on 3 and it will just die, but otherwise its pretty nice. The extra Paladin synergy is great also. Yay, a good 3 drop!
Frigid Snobold - This isn't a great card, but its not awful either. Its very similar to Oasis Snapjaw with a bit more upside at the cost of that extra health point. (This improves Piloted Sky Golem)
Maiden of the Lake - Obviously this is a key card for the expansion just in terms of helping to push Inspire, but I'm not sure how great it will be. I don't know that every Inspire deck even wants this. Mage obviously has a much higher base synergy, but I think many other decks will be fine without this. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Refreshment Vendor - I think this card is interesting against Aggro, but otherwise its just a mediocre 4 drop. Healing both players in obviously interesting, but unless you're facing heaps of Face Hunter, pack your own snacks. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Tournament Medic - Another card that I think is great against Aggro. The stat are pretty awful but the ability means aggro decks almost always have to kill it or lose to the Inspire. I think in that regard its better Refreshment Vendor agaisnt aggro, but much worse against control. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Clockwork Knight - This is an interesting Midrange Mech, the first real one of its kind. Most Mech decks are fine just playing Fel Reaver, but I could see this actually making a Mech Warlock more viable. This is a totally fine average 5 drop but TGT actually improves the Common 5 drop a lot.
Kvaldir Raider - This card is a sweet one. Its almost always coming down on turn 7 as a 6/6 and that is a pretty fine place to be. When this gets to grow again its even sweeter. Its not quite on the same synergy level as Floating Watcher, but its better than the average 5 drop.
Mukla's Champion - This on the other hand is weaker than the average. The upside is ok, but you need 1 trigger on 2 minions to make this worth it, making it mostly viable for Shaman and Paladin excpet they have better constructed options for Inspire 5 drops.
Pit Fighter - Finally the vanilla 5 drop has arrived. This means a lot for Arena, though much less for constucted. Its nice to see this, since its not really a power creep its just a missing link filled in. Its also nice that 5 drops are finally decent in Arena. Thanks TGT.
Captured Jormungar - This Bizarro Core Hound is way better than its brother. It doesn't contest other 6+ drops that well, but it does heaps of work against anything that costs 5 or less, which is a much better place than the previous 7 drop options.
North Sea Kraken - Obviously cards like this aren't important to constucted but they are very important to Arena. This is a decent 9 drop in that regard. Yes, its outshined by pretty much every non-common 9 drop, but you don't always get large minion/legendary.
Injured Kvaldir - I think this card is sweet. Yes, a lot of deck can deal with this if you play in on turn 1 before you can heal it. Yes, it likely still just trades on turn 2 with most 2 drops, however the most notable thing about it for me is how good it is as a 1 drop with Resurrect. At the moment that is something that hurt that cards playability, but this gives you a decent early play that isn't awful for 2 mana. I mean a 2 mana 2/4 is actually pretty good. I don't think its a game changer or anything, but its a cool card for sure.
Argent Watchman - You know, I was just saying a 2/4 for 2 seems pretty good, but this isn't the case with this card. If the Inspire silence this minion it might be playable, but only getting 1 attack per activation is pretty bad. (This weakens Piloted Shredder.)
Coliseum Manager - A lot of people are hating on this card but I really like it. Its the Inspire minion a Rogue would want, or maybe a Druid. The body here is good and getting this guy back at the right time is great. Its not the most insane thing ever for a reason, if it were much better it'd be too good. Its definitely tuned toward weakness, but I think that's ok.
Fencing Coach - I think this is almost more important to the Inspire decks than Maiden of the Lake. Its not the strongest tempo play, but its a tempo play none the less. I really like this card and what it sets up. Its probably a bit to situational and gimmicky, but Inspire seems to be that in general.
Light's Champion - I don't get this card at all. I didn't think Demons were something people were complaining about. Also, I'm not sure playing a slightly cheaper but extremely situational silence will ever make be better than average even in Arena. I don't know where these card ideas come from some times.
Saboteur - This is a great anti-Inspire minion, and might just be good enough tempo against certain decks, like Paladin, Rogue, and Warlock (in particular handlock) that is might just be playable. Its probably not that great, its be much more interesting as a 3/4.
Armored Warhorse - Another oddly aggressive Joust minion. This is pretty strong when its active, but it feels like you don't want/need that in your Joust deck, especially since when you miss the Joust it seems really bad. It will be ok in Arena, and definitely pressures the Health pool. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Master Jouster - Talk about a fitting name. Winning the Joust with this guy is big game, as the Body is almost passable without the buffs and the buffs make this thing scary. This is the reason you think about building a deck fit for Jousting.
Mogor's Champion - Man, this card is sad. If this cost 5 it might be passable, but this is so much worse than Venture Co. Mercenary. The real upside to this is sometimes your opponent will decide this isn't worth killing and you get your 50/50 and smash them for 8 and win the game shortly thereafter. Otherwise I could think of many other cards I'd like to spend 6 mana on, even in Arena.
Garrison Commander - There aren't a great number of important 2 drops in Inspire, so this likely fills a space in some brew, but you also probably have to throw this out early if you draw it so you don't just lose control of the game. Even then setting a turn where you have the extra mana and this and an Inspire guy is a pretty long shot, but will be sweet when it happens.
Master of Ceremonies - For a card that is kind of pushing Spell Damage its a bummer there weren't more good Spell Damage minions added with this set. There are actually only 2 and both cost 4 mana and aren't great. Its really weird to me. If this also worked if your opponent had one, like Blood Knight, this might actually be decent in Arena, but the way it is this is just a vanilla 4/2 most of the time.
Crowd Favorite - This card is pretty fun. I could certainly see some weird Aggro/Zoo Battlecry deck. I mean Zoo doesn't really need a weird 4 drop, but it could be fun. This is probably average in Arena, and any time you get a trigger it will feel sweet. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Twilight Guardian - Now this is a sweet medium cost Dragon. This is weak to silence, but not as weak as Twilight Drake and probably makes almost all the Dragon Decks, if any of those are a thing. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Recruiter - This is generally worse than Silver Hand Knight, but its actually a decent epic to pick up in Arena. I'd like this way more as a 4/5.
Grand Crusader - The average Paladin card is not great, really this either hits on of the good ones, which are more like great ones, or one of the bad ones, which are generally really bad. Some times this will hit a fringe card like Blessed Champion, Holy Wrath, Solemn Vigil, or Seal of Light and it will be really good, some times it will hit those and they'll do almost nothing. Its quite passable but not exceptional.
Kodorider - This is good when you get to Inspire once, and great if you get to Inspire twice, but its slow and still somewhat low impact. That means it probably doesn't quite have the chops to make it in constructed, but it will be fun in Arena.
Sideshow Spelleater - I don't know what to think about this card. Its got a bad body and a weird effect. Most classes use their hero power for a reason, and switching to you opponents isn't even always good. Find a deck that would be willing to change is only likely to be Warlock, where you do get to a point you just can't tap anymore, but decks that might play this are probably already just playing Jaraxxus and I don't think you can play those together.
Frost Giant - Its a shame the base cost for this guy didn't come in at 9. 10 is just on the point where its hard to use enough hero powers to get this into the value range. I mean it will be fine, it will still almost ways be a 5-7 mana 8/8 which isn't something to scoff at, but you'll probably just play a sweet legendary instead of a vanilla big guy.
Eydis Darkbane - Well, obviously these of the Twin Val'Kyr this one is the more dynamic. I think both of these can see play in Priest or Pally but aren't likey to see much play outside of that. Since they are fine without text though they could surprise. More fun than anything but worth playing around with in the least. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Fjola Lightbane - The less exciting sister is still very good. Reacurring Divine Shield is serious business and when you get this to proc even once and trade you're probably way way ahead. It probably doesn't close the game out as quickly or flashily as Eydis, but who cares as long as you're winning. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Gormok the Impaler - The most win more aggro minion ever. When this is good you probably automatically win, but you were probably pretty close to that anyway. When it doesn't its extremely medium. (This is neutral with Piloted Sky Golem and weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Nexus-Champion Saraad - There has been plenty of discussion about this guy. I don't think he's worth crafting even if there is a good Inspire deck with him in it, but if you have him and there is a deck that wants him he's probably fine. He's a huge variance card, so some people will love him and others will hate him. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder unless you trigger Inspire at least once, and even then it might give you garbage.)
Bolf Ramshield - Its odd to me that this is the stat allocation they decided worked best for this card. Its only got 12 stats for 6, but its legendary. This could have so easily been a 3/10 or 11 and been totally fine. It also could have just cost 5 mana. The effect is indeed unique but the body is just not good enough, especially since 9 minion damage does kill this without the minions actually taking damage like if this had Taunt. (This is neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder)
Justicar Trueheart - The decks that this is good in its great in, and it seems playable in quite a few control decks. Its obviously not for every class or deck but that's fine. On a side note I think this is good in Control Shaman. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder.)
The Skeleton Knight - I'm not sure how many times you even want to get this back. Much like Anub'arak or Malorne replaying high cost minions that die easily can lead to a tempo loss. In a long Control Mirror without access to the other 2 I mentioned you might decide to play this, but you could also just lose the Joust and then you just played a really bad minion and didn't get any value out of it. Yeah this card isn't good. (This is actually neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder)
Chillmaw - I like that this guy has a Taunt and doesn't have 7 attack but I wish his Deathrattle was a Battlecry. This is pretty close to just being a Flame Strike that can be silenced, but I do see the merits of it against Patron Warrior in particular. (This is neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder, even if you're holding a Dragon)
Skycap'n Kragg - This is sweet. If there is a pirate deck I don't see how you could ever not play this. Even though at its full cost its pretty bad, its got Charrrrrrge DAMNIT!!! I think this card is good enough if a Pirate deck is real. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Icehowl - This is a sweet one. I'm not sure what decks and play the silences to have one always have one for this guy, but if there is deck that can do that this is great. Its going to kill there best guy, almost certainly live the turn or eat another good card, and then if you can Silence it, it just munches a huge chunk of health. The most likely times you'll see this in Arena and it will probably get enough value by trading to win its caster the game, which is sweet. (This probably improves Sneed's Old Shredder.)
I think I finally got all the card links working properly. Some cards names changed since I started writing this up before the full set was spoiled and I didn't notice the links weren't all working. Hopefully that helps smooth out reading.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
A very good overview of the cards, although some cards I might not entirely agree on (but I am usually wrong so whatever). Helps me familiarize myself with the new cards.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Are you not entertained?! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"
"What we do in life, echoes in eternity." - Maximus Decimus Meridius
A very good overview of the cards, although some cards I might not entirely agree on (but I am usually wrong so whatever). Helps me familiarize myself with the new cards.
I'm certainly not saying I have nailed everything to the letter haha, but I think my perspective is slightly different from some for sure. I have more hope for cards that just under playable. I still think most of the obviously weak cards are weak. Many reviewers, especially streamers tend to talk in exaggerated terms about cards. Its how cards get under valued, like Sludge Belcher, Glaivezooka, Tinker's Sharpsword Oil, or Grim Patron. While the community on the whole tends to over value cool cards they want to be good. I try to ride the line and discuss all the merits of a card that has any, and I hope to catch all the clever interactions even if they end up not being good enough.
Its also fun to actually do a review like this and look at every card and the set as a whole. Individual spoilers and cards are excited but seeing the whole set and thinking about each card and the goals of the set, its focus for each class and the way it might shape the game is certainly more interesting than brewing off one card.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
One other thing I forgot to mention, because I just hadn't thought about it, but man did Blingtron 3000 take a hit. None of the weapons this expansion are great. Charged Hammer could be ok, but some decks might actually be hurt from randomly getting this.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Amazing Post OP. I agreed with most of what you said, but, even better it was well written. Made it easy to digest top to bottom. Well done.
I'll comment a bit where we disagreed.
Arcane Blast I kinda like this spell in Tempo mage. Heck, any mage running Sorcerer's Apprentice really. I think it's a pretty strong tempo play to be able to drop a Sorcerer's Apprentice and Blast your opponent's Knife Juggler. Sure, Arcane Missles can do the same thing, but, you know for sure what you are going to get with this.
Competitive Spirit - I really hate the trigger for this. You have to wonder how often this card will activate on an empty board. I think it's going to be too unreliable to be played. I prefer Avenge.
Mysterious Challenger - 6/6 for 6 is fine. Getting a free secret or two is gravy. I think this is much better than folks give it credit for. I mean Mad Scientist is amazing. This is maybe even better. I know they are paladin secrets, but, I think you find the right balance and it'll rock.
Burgle - Disagree here. Random class cards < 2 random cards from your opponent's deck IMHO.
Frost Giant - I'm thinking I'll see this Duplicated and Echo'd a ton.
Amazing Post OP. I agreed with most of what you said, but, even better it was well written. Made it easy to digest top to bottom. Well done.
I'll comment a bit where we disagreed.
Arcane Blast I kinda like this spell in Tempo mage. Heck, any mage running Sorcerer's Apprentice really. I think it's a pretty strong tempo play to be able to drop a Sorcerer's Apprentice and Blast your opponent's Knife Juggler. Sure, Arcane Missles can do the same thing, but, you know for sure what you are going to get with this.
Competitive Spirit - I really hate the trigger for this. You have to wonder how often this card will activate on an empty board. I think it's going to be too unreliable to be played. I prefer Avenge.
Mysterious Challenger - 6/6 for 6 is fine. Getting a free secret or two is gravy. I think this is much better than folks give it credit for. I mean Mad Scientist is amazing. This is maybe even better. I know they are paladin secrets, but, I think you find the right balance and it'll rock.
Burgle - Disagree here. Random class cards < 2 random cards from your opponent's deck IMHO.
Frost Giant - I'm thinking I'll see this Duplicated and Echo'd a ton.
I'll reply a touch here.
Arcane Blast - I think you are right, this could be ok in Tempo Mage, but I actually think its more likely to replace Flame Cannon, since both only target minions and Arcane Missles is good at dealing with a few common annoyance minions/cards like Muster for Battle, Argent Squire, and Worgen Infiltrator. We'll just have to see how it pans out.
Competitive Spirit - This can only trigger if you have at least one minion, it will not trigger on an empty board.
Mysterious Challenger - This might be one I'm way off on. Strifecro thinks this card could be one of the best in the set so maybe I'm missing something, but my take is this. You need to get at least 2 secrets for this to really be worth playing IMO. In that case you have to play at least 1 copy of 2 different secrets but you're probably playing anywhere between 3-4 different secrets, meaning 4-5 copies total between them on average. Much like Mad Scientist if you draw all or most of your secrets the trigger stops being useful, also though, if have drawn the majority it also means you draw a bunch of low impact 1 cost cards in your probably midrange deck, and you're likely behind, so even playing this and getting the last 2 secerts free might not be good enough. There are some ok pally secrets but literally none of them get people to play Mad Scientist and he only requires 2-3 secrets to make the deck and this requires a lot more. That is the disconnect for me. You have to over populate your deck with low value cards to try to get a high value out of a 6 drop. It is true though that getting 2-3 secrets with this is probably going to shift the game if you aren't just dead.
Burgle - My comment on this card was solely related to Arena, not constructed play. I think Thoughtsteal is clearly better in constructed, but I don't think Burgle is that great unless some new rogue deck really comes out.
Frost Giant - I don't think this card is bad, but I'm not sure it will find a permanent home. I think it will find a temporary one and I think it will be fine, especially since the cost never gets increased back up which no other giant can say. If the meta does indeed slow down to all games going into the 12-15 turn mark this is one of the best big minions, even among legendaries but the game has to go long to get this to free. The real factor will be the viability initially of Inspire Mage when we really see it against Freeze Mage, Tempo Mage, or Grinder Mage. Mage probably has more decks than any other class, you still see fringe play of Echo Giants and Mech Mage, so maybe Inspire will just be there like those, we knows.
Again, most of this is based on where the meta might or might not go, and we won't know until the cards actually come out. I'd pretty much love to be wrong on any card I don't think is good enough, because that means the game is in a really cool space where things have changed a lot.
HAHA that just makes me wish I were more active on the forum. I mostly just post set reviews and occasionally a card creation thing. I could easily be a forum junky though, but I have a newborn daughter that eats up most of my non-gaming time. I used to play and write about Magic about 10 years ago, but that is ancient history.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Great post, Sir. The effort is highly appreciated. Even if I beg to differ in some details, this was an entertaining and in some places enlightning read. Thanks, mate!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight.
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. I think too many similar posts are focused on just saying a card is playable or unplayable without a decent evaluation or explanation. I've seen a number of lists and the like and people will argue after the fact about why they think what they think about something but I definitely like getting a few points out about the cards so if people have something to say they already kind of know where I'm at. Someone's weird unexplained opinion of the set certainly doesn't provide much insight haha. Obviously playing the cards means more than talking about them, and that is also why I try not to rate cards, even if I do say some aren't likely to see play.
I know for a fact that some streamers have been much more excited about certain cards that I didn't give as much merit to, so it will be fun to see how it all pans out and shakes up. The real issue will be how long it takes for the meta to really settle in. Since the season will still have a bit of time left in it it seems like a lot of higher ranked players could be unwilling to experiment on ladder with new decks meaning it will take a bit longer to see the big picture of the impact.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Great write up thanks. I'll use this as my basis for which cards to use/keep or not.
I wouldn't base anything solely on what I have to say. I do believe my opinions are fairly open minded and relatively accurate but I'm just one guy. Its certainly nice to know you valued what I had to say but I'd suggest looking into multiple posts and ideas not just mine.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Bolf Ramshield can indeed be used "aggressively", if you want to call it that. However, unless you have 24 or more life its likely Antique Healbot will do more for you net than Bolf for 1 less mana. As, its heals you for 8, has 3 health itself and still has 3 attack. Also, if your opponent doesn't have a spell and has to use minions it actually deal at least 3 damage to 1 minion, unlike Bolf who unless you're attack with him yourself isn't dealing any damage to any minions. Its generally outclassed by Shieldmaiden, though it does keep you alive in a few cases that Shield Maiden will fall short it also doesn't help Shield Slam. It does have some potential in some control decks but I think its just out classes since the stat allocation is bad.
You seem to have been reading this for a long time or decided all my opinions where perfectly correct and didn't need to say anything else! No, I'd love some extra discussion on things you see differently. I generally am open to the idea of something being playable in some way.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Well, if the pros are right, I'm way off on Argent Horserider. The funny thing to me about it is that I don't think most Face Hunters are happy to be running Wolfrider, its just a card they are running, and so even if Argent Horserider is a slightly better Wolfrider that that actually mean you want to play it, or do you want to replace it altogether with something stronger. I'm not sure there is a stronger option, so maybe I've miss judged.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
This is my opinion on each card. Some get more talk than others for good Reason. Card that can come out of Piloted Shredder, Piloted Sky Golem and Sneed's Old Shredder all have a small comment about how it relates to that card. Bane of Doom is also covered, however Unstable Portal, Nefarian and Burgle aren't. I do think Nefarian was weakened in general, since most spells added weren't particularly constructed stong. I would also say on the whole Webspinner got hit the most with only one good Beast in this set and multiple bad ones.
Druid -
Living Roots - Hands down the best 1 mana deal 2 damage spell. The second mode is super awesome, and has potential to see play in almost any druid deck. This is also another card that could make that Miracle/Malygos Druid a thing, a cheap spell that can go face and also just does a lot of work in the early game.
Druid of the Saber - This is the kind of card that makes Beast Druid seem real to me. If a deck doesn't have good 2 drops its just not a real deck and this is one of the best so far. A Stealth 3/2 is great, and the times you'll want a 2/1 Charge will make this one of the best 2 drops in the game period. Its nice to see druid get cards that go away from Ramp/Combo. This can see play in any druid deck obviously because its just another great versatile Druid card. (This lowers the strength of Piloted Shredder)
Wildwalker - This is one of the worst cards with this effect. Not being a Beast itself definitely hurts, and obviously since this doesn't increase attack or give Taunt it is on the weak side for such a specific effect. Its still a fine 4/4 for 4 and may see fringe play if Beast Druid is a thing but I don't see it being a staple. (This is about average in maintaining the power of Piloted Sky Golem)
Darnassus Aspirant - Another strong 2 drop for Druid. This fits Ramp a bit better than most other decks, but its likely to see play in any Druid deck that is willing to play Wild Growth. This is the card we wanted Grove Tender to be. Druids class version of Pint-sized Summoner is pretty sweet. (This dramatically lowers the strength of Piloted Shredder)
Savage Combatant - This card seems pretty sweet. Generally the 4 mana 5/4 seems weaker than the 4/5 but I think here its generally great. You're either playing this onto an empty board early or you're playing this later and throwing out an amped up hero to hopefully clear off anything that could trade up for the cost. This is obviously a beast, though I'm still not sure this makes Beast druid a thing, I think pulling druid away from its rampy self just isn't that likely, but this is certainly a great start and great that you can run a solid 4 drop into a Druid of the Fang if you really want to. (This increased the power of Piloted Sky Golem)
Knight of the Wild - This card is interesting. The fact its effect only triggers while you're hold it definitely sucks. The fact that there aren't really any cards that summon a large number of beasts for Druid like Unleash the Hounds means you're likely only lowering its cost by 1 a turn anyway, and you've got to get at least 1 trigger to feel ok about casting this and really even 2 isn't the greatest deal in the game. Also, obviously this isn't a Beast itself meaning you lose some natural synergy. Its not unplayable by any means but I think its a bit too much work to make it out of the testing phases.
Mulch - I love this card, you should love this card. Its kind of a bad Sap, but most of the time its just a great tempo removal. Its not a card that every Druid deck wants, but its certainly going to see far more play than Recycle ever did. Cost effective hard removal is a great thing to see for Druid players, even if sometimes it gives them a much better game winning card. Isn't that just how Hearthstone works?
Astral Communion - This is a crazy card. I think it will see some fringe play and like Ancestor's Call this will be a great card to have super fun games with, however for the most part its just totally unplayable. Discarding your hand is a serious drawback and ramping to 10 isn't that huge of an advantage unless the majority of your deck is 7+ Mana bombs.
Aviana - This is the kind of super fun legendary Druid needed if they weren't going to get a good midgame Legendary. People are already talking about the cool things this card does, but it may not have a lasting impression on the format because of how late game it is and how low impact it is on its own. (This likely strengthens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Hunter -
Brave Archer - This is probably the cheekiest card in the new set. I mean come on, they leaked this art and people were like, "Its Merida, from Brave!" and sure enough that's who it is. The Hunter empty hand Mechanic is fine, but its just not great. This is likely only dealing 2 extra damage once later in the game and if you try to just vomit your hand to make this work you'll likely find that harder than you think. Even the current Face Hunter doesn't draw cards off of Quick Shot until are least turn 7 most of the time, its really not that easy to empty your hand, especially when it means you're likely giving up Hero power value to do that. Don't fall into this pretty ladies trap. She's not good!
Bear Trap - Now this is the trap you want to fall for. The Mor'du to go with Merida. This card is sweet. A 3/3 taunt for 2 is already a great deal it being a secret your opponent has to now figure out how to play around is awesome. Figure out which traps to play and play around got a bit tougher.
King's Elekk - This is a fine value card, but there are 2 main problems I have with it. First, it pretty much tells your opponent the exact flavor of Hunter you're playing. Its a total give away and information is very important to hunters with 2 already very established archtypes. Second, it only draws you a card if your card is expensive. That means while it may draw you a card it might also be a card you never get the chance to play. Its great that its a cheap efficient card advantage minion, and I guess if you're going to play some vanilla 3/2 this is probably better but I just don't see this locking up a spot in Control Hunter. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Powershot - A proactive AoE for hunter is certainly a good thing, and a solid control card this will prove to be, and in fact the ability to target with this, and leave Nerubian Eggs or Haunted Creepers whole while clearing off other more directly troublesome minions might make this a very very good card. Its effecient cost also makes trying to play a touch of Spell Damage quite possible. This card isn't a game breaker but its certainly another great push for Control Hunter.
Ram Wrangler - This card has tons of potential, and obviously any time you can get something for nothing its probably good, but this does have a decently strict requirment and awful stats. I'm not sure even in a Beast deck I'd pick this over Bomb Lobber. I feel like you can only run this or Houndmaster and Houndmaster wins that pretty easily if you ask me. This can be a lot more dynamic. Obviously all the beast that cost 6 or more out there are great, but there are just as many low cost Beasts that are effectively misses.
Ball of Spiders - There has already been a lot of shade thrown towards this card. It does have the same cost as Savannah Highmane and has much much less impact on the board. However, I do think in the right deck this a just a 6 mana draw 3 style card is very decent for Hunter. I don't think its a constructed all star by any means but I do think there is some chance you'll see it show up as a 1 of in a control deck. Obviously this is pretty strong in Arena, value is value no matter how you slice it and as long as you aren't just losing this will keep you in most games if not take over.
Lock and Load - Its kind of a bummer this only counts spells, because it hard to imagine you wanting to play an excess of spells just to make this card good and its also not always likely you can sandbag the spells you do have until you combo off with this. That being said the effect is generally strong and obviously playing this and then 2-3 cheap spell and getting 2-3, or if you're lucky 4-5 cards off this could be a huge effect and obviously is another of the cards that pushes hunter toward control. We'll have to see if that succeeds or fails, but I like the attempt either way. Its a shame this is very likely another bad Arena Epic, like most class epics in Arena.
Stablemaster - If this was the Bestial Wrath effect with the extra attack and not just the Immune this would probably be playable, but as it a 3 mana 4/2 that needs a Beast and isn't a Beast probably just misses. Its odd they put this weak of an effect on it when you have the more dynamic one on Ram Wrangler at rare.
Dreadscale - The first of our 2 part Legendary duo, and the most playable of the 2. I wish both of these had slightly better bodies, as this just dies to everything. It does great work against Paladin I guess but I'm not sure its good enough to play in most cases. It does work with its Jormungar brother but its sad it kills him off in just 2 turns. I'd love to know how Blizzard came up with the stats and abilities for these 2. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Acidmaw - Wow does this card have a bad statline. The text is certainly Legendary but the mana cost to stat ratio is soooooooo miserable. No matter how many synergies you make with this its just not good. You're going to hate getting this from Webspinner, because here's the deal. Even when you play this and combo it with Dreadscale or Unleash the Hounds you only have a 4/2. That's not any sort of game ender, and since the effect is symmetric you're likely to lose anything you have and then lose him as well. (This drastically weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Mage -
Spellslinger - This expansion generally lowered the overall power of the spell base, but it did also bring in a few cool ones. I'm not sure Tempo mage wants this, but if it needs a value minion this might work. It will likely be fine in Arena, but this is very much so a card that is going to lead to any number of Trollden clips giving someone the most perfectly ridiculous card.
Dalaran Aspirant - Stacking Spell Damage is a cool effect, but the rate at which you get it and the body its tied to are a touch disappointing. This card is fine, and it will probably be good to great in Arena. The art is spectacular. (This is either neutral or an improvement to Piloted Sky Golem based on the deck)
Flame Lance - This card is getting some serious heat for being bad. Which is funny, because its really totally fine. Its pretty much 5 mana kill a minion, which is good. Yes, its poor in constructed, but honestly could they make another spell for Mage that can go face without breaking the game? No. Simple as that, they had to make something and this is great for Arena balance.
Fallen Hero - Mage needed a 2 drop you wanted to play on 2 and I think this fits the bill. This card is great at almost any stage of the game, and it has some very obvious combo potential that could push mage in a new direction or at least modify an existing deck. I hope the other classes get similarly strong early game drops that have late game potential. (This is an improvement for Piloted Shredder unles you're a Warlock)
Effigy - This is obviously a great tempo secret. While Duplicate is very likely more powerful than this, its not nearly the same tempo. This could push a secret mage into existence, though obviously the most likely home is just in tempo mage.
Polymorph: Boar - What a great card. This is a super double duty card. It can transform a troublesome enemy minion (IE mostly to silence it and lower its health) or be a psuedo-burn spell turning one of your minions into a 4/2 charge. I could easily see this finding a home in Tempo Mage, but I'm not sure how many other decks want this.
Arcane Blast - The second Minion only damage spell for Mage this set. Its a bit of a bummer this can't go face, but let's be real, the OTK Malygos Mage is already a deck and this makes that way too good. This is a fun card but the base rate isn't quite good enough for it to see play since Spell Damage minions aren't in a great spot.
Coldarra Drake - We already got to see a bit of this cards power in the show matches, but this cards strength is going to be largely based on the speed of the game. a 6/6 for 6 is totally fine and if you stick this at any point its going to pay some kind of dividends. Some people feel like you never want to spend a turn just pumping hero powers and that might well be true, but when that option is there and you can take it while maintaining control its effectively like drawing multiple free cards. I don't see not taking this in Arena often, especially since its a super strong epic.
Rhonin - This guy is sweet. He's not the greatest value, he's probably slightly worse than Ragnaros or Dr. Boom, but since Mage has so much spell synergy this card actually seems very playable in any deck that wants Archmage Antonidas. (This card improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Paladin -
Seal of Champions - You know, if you glue two cards together, especially 2 decent ones its awesome. This card is awesome. This compares very well to Blessing of Kings or even Velen's Chosen. 3 exta power allows for good up trades and Divine Shield ensure your guy is surviving which Kings and Velen's can't.
Warhorse Trainer - I'm not sure how far you can push Silver Hand Recruit synergy but I'm game to try. The only thing standing in this cards way is Silver Hand Regent, since you're not likely to cut Aldor Peacekeeper you likely can't run both of these 3s, though maybe just maybe the synergy is enough to push Peacekeeper out of the mix for the first time.
Murloc Knight - I guess Paladin is the new Murloc Class. This is a pretty sweet value minion, and certainly outshines Siltfin Spiritwalker. If Pally wasn't so loaded at 4 already this would maybe even be playable with no other Murlocs. (This is neutral with Piloted Sky Golem in most cases.)
Competitive Spirit - This card seems really strong for the already hated Aggro Pally. Its not often they print strong cards for existing decks, just mediocre ones but I think this is a legit threat in that deck. Buffing both attack and health is a big deal, and the value you can get for this 1 mana is pretty awesome. Even getting just a simple +1/+1 isn't the end of the world, but anything more than that is great value.
Argent Lance - Pally didn't need another cheap weapon if you ask me, but I do like the overall flavor of the card. This has potential to be fine when you take it in Arena but you're still not picking it over many other rares. Weapons didn't get much love this expansion.
Tuskarr Jouster - Joust obviously is a control oriented mechanic and this card hits all those notes. A respectable body, a decent pretty solid heal, but I'm not sure if you have room for this unless the meta has a fair amount of aggro. Against midrange and control you're probably going to get much better value from other 5 drops, but this likely replaces Antique Healbot in most Pally decks until the meta settles.
Enter the Coliseum - This is a very interesting Brawl varient. Pally already has Aldor Peacekeeper, and Eadric the Pure is coming, so its likely you can get the advantage you want out of playing this if you are playing a very slow control deck.
Mysterious Challenger- The Battlecry here is potentially very strong by the time you can play this you also might have just drawn a bunch of your secrets and if this isn't hitting a high number its likely not good enough to see play, and most Pally secrets are so low impact they aren't great all slammed into one deck. It will be fun to play, but it probably won't be good.
Eadric the Pure - The effect here is very strong, however the body is mediocre and its also a sloooooow effect. When this is hitting a bunch of guys you might already have lost anyway, so I see this being a giant Aldor Peacekeeper most of the time, maybe a giant double Peacekeeper, but that might be good enough. (This is about neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder, though a touch toward weak)
Priest -
Flash Heal - The first of two 1 mana heals given to priest at common this set, and by far the more interesting of the two. First of all, this rate is pretty busted. In terms of value and tempo this is a huge heal for almost no effort, and because Priest has Auchenai Soulpriest this is also much better than cards like Holy Light and Healing Touch. 5 is a pretty huge amount of health for 1 mana, and I know they felt like they had to make 5 because at 4 you'd never play this over Light of the Naaru but damn this breaks the metric pretty badly. I could see this getting fringe play, but unless you are trying to burn your opponent out with this and Auchenai its not likely to take the place of Light of the Naruu in terms of overall vaule.
Power Word: Glory - I actually find it odd they decided to make this a 1 mana spell, I feel like it could have been a great chance to move up the cost and be dynamic. Making this cost 3 and heal you for 8 might make this playable over similar options but otherwise this is strictly an Arena card you aren't going to be overly happy about having to take.
Holy Champion - I think this card is great. Outside of games you are just losing that turn this is effectively a better Sen'jin Shieldmasta, because you're opponent is going to have to deal with this. I know that Light of the Naaru is a great card and likely higher value for the cost, also since its only 1 mana its just generally a very low impact card, this is a midrange card that stands strong on its own. The times this lives til your turn are likely games you're taking pretty solid control of. At common this is going to be a very high pick for priests in Arena, and I think people are going to dread seeing it when they are behind. (This is neutral to slightly under for Piloted Sky Golem)
Convert - In a slower meta this is pretty sweet. In a fast meta this is pretty bad. Drawing your opponents best minion is pretty decent as long as you have time to play it. However, this is still at best 2 mana draw 1 card. Yes you get to choose that card and try to make it as good as you can, but realistically spending 2 on a non-Legendary is probably not good enough so this cards playability is based on the meta, and still likely not quite strong enough value. It will likely be fine in any Arena deck, even if your opponent doesn't have any strong late game minions that is probably good for you anyway. It won't be as good as just having a good minion of your own but it will probably be better than most below average minions.
Wyrmrest Agent - Well, they are really pushing Dragon Priest. As one of the only classes to have a class Dragon, getting another cheap Dragons matter card does a lot to make that viable. Not being a Dragon here doesn't matter as much because you're hopefully playing this before you get to the higher cost dragons. The rate is good, and obviously high health is great for Priest. (This weakens Piloted Shredder.)
Spawn of Shadows - This is a very very aggressive 4 drop, and might be just the curve topper a Suicide/Aggro Priest is looking for. 4 is a huge chunk of life, so as long as you're in the drivers seat this is going to help you close a game out pretty quickly, if you're on the back foot this is pretty bad, but not awful, and easy enough to work around. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem, but that is the average, some times this will be amazing and win you the game, other times it will screw you and lose you the game.)
Confuse - The name is fitting because this card isn't easy to judge. The Swap effect is an odd one and most of the time it doesn't really do anything. Pay 2 mana just to do a big swap likely doesn't mean much, but that tends to be a standard thing for epics. Card that do nothing most of the time. Even though priest favors high health minions and so this could be some sort of odd psuedo Bloodlust I doubt a situational effect like this sees play.
Shadowfiend - As interesting as this card is, a 3/3 for 3 just doesn't cut it anymore. Also, Priest has the lowest number of Draw a Card mechanics, so since this doesn't work with Mind Vision, Convert, or Thoughtsteal its hard to play it, get multiple draws and get some sweet tempo/value.
Confessor Paletress - This is similar to Sneed's Old Shredder. It costs you 1 more to get your first legendary, but its less weak to silence and gets you an advantage right away. The average TGT legendary does bring down the overall power of Random Legendaries, but not enough that in a slowish meta this won't definitely see play. I don't think its high enough pure value to be an auto include, but its definitely very solid. (This likely improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Rogue -
Buccaneer - This card isn't getting much respect, but I think its pretty decent. Pirates in general just needed a bit more mass, and the effect here is actually something at least some of the time. This is far better than playing Bloodsail Corsair in most cases, and I actually think this would have been really sweet as a neutral. I don't think this really makes Pirate Rogue a real deck all the sudden but its another decent playable. This isn't terrible as a weapon buff either just because of its cheap cost to play before you weapon.
Undercity Valiant - Mini-SI:7 Agent is obviously not quite as good, but this is a lot closer to what rogue has needed as a 2 drop. It doesn't feel as bad not combo'ing this and when you do get to combo it and the 1 damage matters it will feel a lot better than Goblin Auto-Barber did. If Face Hunter continues to be a deck this card will be fairly decent, otherwise it is probably going to get pushed out by other 2 drops. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Shado-Pan Rider - This is an interesting one. In Arena this will likely be pretty strong, any time you get a to Combo this off The Coin or with a Backstab on turn 4 and 5 respectfully this likely turns the game dynamically in your favor. Having the play this as a 3/7 will feel pretty miserable, but that is likely to only keep it out of constructed play by a slight margin. Rogue prefers value/sticky minions, so this doesn't have a place in constructed atm, but maybe a pure Control deck pops up that makes you want a cheap Boulderfist Ogre.
Cutpurse - Having to hit with this guy is definitely a bummer. I really wish this had stealth. It almost makes sense that it should, but maybe they tested that and it was just too strong. Either way having to not only attack, but attack the enemy hero means this likely doesn't have a place in constructed even if the effect is super sweet. (This weakens Piloted Shredder)
Burgle - This is another card that only makes sense in a pure Control Rogue, which isn't a thing atm. Rogue is a Combo class, not just because of its class ability, but also just because of how synergistic the cards are, and this is a non-synergy value card. Its probably sweet in Arena, class cards are typically stronger than neutrals, so you have a much better chance of getting something good, and this will probably yield higher value than Thoughtsteal.
Shady Dealer - Ah, the theme of Race dependant minions that don't have the racial tag continues. This has a huge upside. If an Aggro Pirate rogue shows up I can't see wanting to pass in a 5/4 for 3, but that deck probably isn't good enough. Its nice that this is a completely average 3 drop that has pure upside and that makes this card fine in Arena too.
Beneath the Grounds - This seems so sweet in Mill Rogue, and really in just about any Rogue deck. Shuffling in 3 means you'll likely get at least 1 of the 4/4s at some point, and a 4/4 for 3 mana is already ok, getting more than 1 of these in a game is huge tempo and value. Its true it doesn't do anything the turn you play it, but I think this is likely to show itself to be very strong.
Poisoned Blade - Well, I think if this does anything its show people how powerful an infinitely growing damage source is. Blizzard has decided to clock this in at 1/3 for 4 mana because if you play this on turn 4 and then pump it over and over without losing board control it wins the game by itself. I think a lot of people think this card is garbage and unplayable, and I think if that is the case its exactly where it needs to be. In a situation where this was already as close to effective with its powerful effect it would surpass every weapon and rogue strategy currently available. Its not likely to see tons of play, but I also expect to see it show up at some point and prove to everyone how broken it can be.
Anub'arak - This is an interesting value Legendary. I feel like its very similar to Malorne. Its just a touch too slow and low impact to see play in any but the slowest grindiest deck, except Rogue isn't really a "grindy" class. Most rogue spells are cheap and efficient but that also means you need to draw a lot of cards to win, meaning you likely don't need this fatigue battling bug. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Shaman -
Ancestral Knowledge - This card is a great step in the right direction for Shaman but I wish they'd have picked a different rate. I'd have loved to see this as a 3 mana Draw 3 Overload 3. Shaman doesn't have the most spell synergy ever, and it doesn't seem like you have room to Overload while not affecting the board for just 2 cards.
Totem Golem - Obvioulsy this card has gotten a fair amount of hype, and a bit of negative feedback somehow also. This is a huge tempo play that gives a lot of life to Totems, maybe even giving Totemic Might some play, since buffing this and any 2 other totems probably makes that card good. Overload has shown itself to be one of, if not the weakest class mechanic, only allowing a few cards with it to be played, but cards like this and Crackle are the types of overload cards that really push the mechanic and therefore class in the right direction. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
Tuskarr Totemic - I've noticed that some people seem to be devaluing this because they don't consider the hero power totems as worth more than 1 mana, however its notable that this is still a 3/2 for 3 that gives you that second body that is always worth at least the 1 mana and 50% of the time its worth more than that, and on occassion, as with any random shaman totem, even getting a Stoneclaw Totem or Wrath of Air Totem can turn a game pretty sharply.
Healing Wave - This card is getting tons of hype and its pretty deserved. 14 is an insane amount of life, and Shaman has been so historically weak to aggro because it couldn't stay in the game, but this keeps you in almost any game. I'm not sure you keep playing this if the meta becomes really slow, but it might be fine as a hedge card.
Draenei Totemcarver - This is getting plenty of comparisons to Frostwolf Warlord, and for a good reason. It is a touch on the weak side, only catching the buff on totems, but a 4 mana 4/4 is totally playable and even waiting to 6 to get a 5/5 and a totem is definitely still value. That is the thing, the slightly more aggressive cost makes this fine, and with the other new totem synergies at common its likely you can get an easy 2 triggers off this and getting a 4 mana 6/6 even when it could have been say a 5 mana 8/8 is still just fine, you'd never pass it up. (This is about neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Thunder Bluff Valiant - Boy, is this a spicy one. a 3/6 for 5 is decent, a tad weak, but waiting and playing this on 7 likely makes it worth it. Again, like all Inspire cards, this living until your next turn is a total beating. Turning totems into real minions is a huge deal, and left unchecked this ends the game quickly.
Elemental Destruction - This card is pretty crazy. It obviously blows up both sides of the table, but this offers you some great chances to swing a game. At just 3 mana in the late game you can play this into another large threat, and while the turn after you'll be a bit tight on mana, 5 isn't so bad that you'll be left without plays. I don't think you'll want 2 copies but I can see any Midrange/Control Shaman wanting at least 1.
Charged Hammer - This is an odd card. I'm not sure where it fits or wants to be played most, but it seems like it could show up at a 1 of in any number of decks. Changing your hero power to Deal 2 Damage is just a very strong effect and seems very strong for closing out games where totems are just good for prolonging them. That being said this is a low impact 4 cost weapon that takes a long time to use up and replacing it just to get the Deathrattle means you still likely over paid for it.
The Mistcaller - This card a very strong and unique effect, but I'm not sure I'm really feeling all the hype. Similar to Wilfred Fizzlebang, this is really bad for its cost and the value comes later. That means you have to give up a strong play a some point in the game so you can hopefully make strong ones later. The fact this doesn't affect you hero power or otherwise summoned minions is a bummer, and this will be a miserably bad topdeck in the later stages of the game. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Warlock -
Demonfuse - Giving mana crystals, especially when they have given many classes a number of stronger control elements is likely to be a really bad idea, but this might still see play in a few very aggressive Demon decks for casual players. The buff is pretty strong after all, and that tempo alone might just make it work.
Wrathguard - In an aggro meta I don't think this card is great, but in a slower one I think it could actually be pretty good. Yes, this can make you take a large amount of damage, but its probably not making you take more than 3-4 on average, and for the up front power this has it seems reasonable to me. (This is about neutral for Piloted Shredder though the body is good, its true the drawback is real)(This is also about Neutral for Bane of Doom)
Fearsome Doomguard - This isn't a constructed card, but it seems sweet as an Arena fatty, especially if you pick up a few random Demon synergy cards. (This improves Bane of Doom)
Tiny Knight of Evil - Its hard to see a place where this is great, but it might be "fine" enough that it seems play. This is one case where at 2/3 would have probably made this more of a card you could build into. Its pretty much a basic 3/2 but it does have the Demon tag. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)(This weakens Bane of Doom)
Fist of Jaraxxus - This card is super interesting and I want it to be good enough. Its very likely not. A card that is pretty much only ever good and good is used as loosely as possible, when discarded probably isn't where you want to be. Obviously there are awesome dream scenarios with this, but a 4 mana random 4 damage is just so bad as a base card I don't think Zoo or some other weird deck are going to show up trying to make this work.
Void Crusher - The rate on this body isn't great, but the effect can certainly be powerful. If the slower Demonlock continues to be a deck this might find a home, but at the same time it will likely show itself to be on the weak side. (This improves Bane of Doom)
Dreadsteed - The infinte 1/1 Demon is a cool idea, but paying 4 for it seems very sad. Its not likely you want to play this, but you'll randomly have it from time to time and it will probably be ok. This is a massive liability against Patron Warrior. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem) (This weakens Bane of Doom)
Dark Bargain - This card is to weird. Its the only card that makes Fist of Jaraxxus seems viable, but even then a really expensive removal spell that makes you discard 2 cards doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Its too expensive for Aggro, and its too much value loss to be good in control.
Wilfred Fizzlebang - Well, at least the card is exciting. That line of text is pretty damn wild. The cost and stats are obviously low, and the variance a card like this creates is super high. People willing to run this are going to have those times you totally whiff, just like Unstable Portal, but the times you hit big man does this pay off. Regardless of how good it turns out to be in the end there are few cards more exciting than this, so its definitely a win there. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder for everyone but Warlocks)
Warrior -
Bolster - The rate for this to buff is ok, but the Taunt requirement is a bit of an odd place. Warrior only has one class Taunt, and its in this set, so unlike Druid, you don't have a bunch of built in synergy. Also, this only buffs minions with Taunt, which makes it hard to hit more than 2 minions with this because you can't hide your minions you want to buff behind Taunt, they are the Taunts, so your opponent is just going to kill them. The upside is certainly there, but the requirements are too strict.
Bash - This is interesting. Its worse on damage than a weapon, but it does give you a touch of reach, and it does that while inceasing your Armor. I don't think this card has any chance of becoming a staple, but it will be sweet in Arena.
Orgrimmar Aspirant - I actually really like this card. It seems like it could give Tempo/Aggro Warrior another good 3 drop. Buffing Warrior weapons is different than buffing Rogue ones, but it still seems strong, though lets be honest, the days of 3 mana 3/3s is over.
Alexstrasza's Champion - This is a very sweet 2 drop for Dragon Warrior, but I'm not sure the current Dragon Warrior is really looking for an strong 2 drop, but it very well could be. It makes me want to play try it that is for sure. (This is neutral for Piloted Shredder)
Sparring Partner - I guess this is Blizzards attempt to really make Bolster a card. This is a pretty decent 2 drop, either way with a fairly versatile Battlecry. I'm not sure Warrior is looking for this as a 2 drop, but its certainly more interesting than most. I think it could easily see play, but how much is up in the air. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
King's Defender - This is one of the most disappointing cards in the set. Mostly because its so comparable to Fiery War Axe, and once the true text was confirmed, where you'll only get 1 extra durability tops this card lost all its chances of seeing constructed play. You might pick this on occassion in Arena just to have any weapon, but you're likely never happy about it.
Magnataur Alpha - This card is cool, but probably just not good enough since its got low health and has to attack to be good. Its still cool to see the ability spread around a bit, and there will be time in Arena where this owns the mid game. (This probably improves Piloted Sky Golem, but its close)
Sea Reaver - This card just doesn't seem good. If it were a Whirlwind it might actually be playable, but as just a one sided spin I don't know what deck has room for this. Some sort of Enrage based Aggro thing doesn't want this, Control decks certainly don't want this, Patron doesn't have room for this. Its such an odd card.
Varian Wrynn - Holy snikies! This is the value minion to be all value minions. Control Warrior just got one hell of a top end. Even when you miss this isn't bad, and when you hit its soooo good. This card is sweet, even if I don't understand it at all from a flavor standpoint. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Neutral -
Gadgetzan Jouster - This is very much the oddest of the Jousters. It is nice to see another potential 2/3 for 1, but its funny that this makes your other Joust cards worse. The other issue is how bad this is when it misses. A 1/2 is pretty much unplayable, meaning even if you want a 1 drop for you Midrange/Control deck this probably isn't it.
Lowly Squire - This seems slightly better to me than Gadgetzan Jouster, but obviously its still pretty bad. The growth rate is slow and its doesn't increase in health. Undertaker pretty much fell completely out of favor when it lost its toughness growth, and since this leads you to giving up tempo to grow it its likely you don't want this.
Tournament Attendee - This card is getting a fairly negative light, and its true that its not the best 1 drop ever, but it does have a few things working for it. First off, its good against most of the current aggro decks because it forces them to trade into it rather than you having to trade after they go face. Also, its a cheap Taunt if somehow a Bolster Warrior is a thing. I'm not saying its a 5 star card but I think its better than a 1 star card.
Boneguard Lieutenant - This is the prime cheap Inspire minion. This seems like it could be good in a number of decks without a huge Inspire focus, just as a potential Value 2 drop. It punishes 2/3s and has potential to get really good value. (This improves Piloted Shredder)
Flame Juggler - In an Aggro meta I think this card is awesome. It can kill their 1 drop, and trades well in general with 1 drops even if the Battlecry misses. Also, the 1 random damage can matter in some situations. Its probably not replacing cards like Knife Juggler, but it gives decks that don't want that but need a decent 2 drop something to do. (This is neutral with Piloted Shredder)
Lance Carrier - A permanent buff is nice with some cards, but in general you are only getting 1 hit in from this. It does do a bit of extra damage if the opponent has to use a weapon or more expensive minion to trade, but most of the time that probably won't be the case. The 1/2 base body is pretty miserable, so yeah there's that. (This weakens Piloted Shredder)
Argent Horserider - 3 drops have gotten a lot better, and regretably this combination of stats and abilities isn't that impressive. The card will probably be ok in Arena, functioning similarly to Ironforge Rifleman, but its not a card you'll clamour for.
Dragonhawk Rider - Another weak 3 drop. This only being good when attacking and only if you also want to use your hero power means this is generally worse than Raging Worgen and therefore most other 3 drops a well. Fine in Arena, not for constructed.
Ice Rager - The power creep is real. This card makes me sad. Its a card. It does things. Blah.
Silent Knight - This is another minion with a weird set of abilities and stats. All these kind of weak minions with Divine Shield just make Blood Knight better in Arena. I barely want to pay 2 mana for this, 3 isn't very appealing at all. There will be times this is probably fine, but you won't be happy about it.
Silver Hand Regent - Now this is sweet. Some times you'll have to play this on 3 and it will just die, but otherwise its pretty nice. The extra Paladin synergy is great also. Yay, a good 3 drop!
Evil Heckler - See my comments on Ice Rager. (This improves Piloted Sky Golem)
Frigid Snobold - This isn't a great card, but its not awful either. Its very similar to Oasis Snapjaw with a bit more upside at the cost of that extra health point. (This improves Piloted Sky Golem)
Maiden of the Lake - Obviously this is a key card for the expansion just in terms of helping to push Inspire, but I'm not sure how great it will be. I don't know that every Inspire deck even wants this. Mage obviously has a much higher base synergy, but I think many other decks will be fine without this. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Refreshment Vendor - I think this card is interesting against Aggro, but otherwise its just a mediocre 4 drop. Healing both players in obviously interesting, but unless you're facing heaps of Face Hunter, pack your own snacks. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Tournament Medic - Another card that I think is great against Aggro. The stat are pretty awful but the ability means aggro decks almost always have to kill it or lose to the Inspire. I think in that regard its better Refreshment Vendor agaisnt aggro, but much worse against control. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Clockwork Knight - This is an interesting Midrange Mech, the first real one of its kind. Most Mech decks are fine just playing Fel Reaver, but I could see this actually making a Mech Warlock more viable. This is a totally fine average 5 drop but TGT actually improves the Common 5 drop a lot.
Kvaldir Raider - This card is a sweet one. Its almost always coming down on turn 7 as a 6/6 and that is a pretty fine place to be. When this gets to grow again its even sweeter. Its not quite on the same synergy level as Floating Watcher, but its better than the average 5 drop.
Mukla's Champion - This on the other hand is weaker than the average. The upside is ok, but you need 1 trigger on 2 minions to make this worth it, making it mostly viable for Shaman and Paladin excpet they have better constructed options for Inspire 5 drops.
Pit Fighter - Finally the vanilla 5 drop has arrived. This means a lot for Arena, though much less for constucted. Its nice to see this, since its not really a power creep its just a missing link filled in. Its also nice that 5 drops are finally decent in Arena. Thanks TGT.
Captured Jormungar - This Bizarro Core Hound is way better than its brother. It doesn't contest other 6+ drops that well, but it does heaps of work against anything that costs 5 or less, which is a much better place than the previous 7 drop options.
North Sea Kraken - Obviously cards like this aren't important to constucted but they are very important to Arena. This is a decent 9 drop in that regard. Yes, its outshined by pretty much every non-common 9 drop, but you don't always get large minion/legendary.
Injured Kvaldir - I think this card is sweet. Yes, a lot of deck can deal with this if you play in on turn 1 before you can heal it. Yes, it likely still just trades on turn 2 with most 2 drops, however the most notable thing about it for me is how good it is as a 1 drop with Resurrect. At the moment that is something that hurt that cards playability, but this gives you a decent early play that isn't awful for 2 mana. I mean a 2 mana 2/4 is actually pretty good. I don't think its a game changer or anything, but its a cool card for sure.
Argent Watchman - You know, I was just saying a 2/4 for 2 seems pretty good, but this isn't the case with this card. If the Inspire silence this minion it might be playable, but only getting 1 attack per activation is pretty bad. (This weakens Piloted Shredder.)
Coliseum Manager - A lot of people are hating on this card but I really like it. Its the Inspire minion a Rogue would want, or maybe a Druid. The body here is good and getting this guy back at the right time is great. Its not the most insane thing ever for a reason, if it were much better it'd be too good. Its definitely tuned toward weakness, but I think that's ok.
Fencing Coach - I think this is almost more important to the Inspire decks than Maiden of the Lake. Its not the strongest tempo play, but its a tempo play none the less. I really like this card and what it sets up. Its probably a bit to situational and gimmicky, but Inspire seems to be that in general.
Light's Champion - I don't get this card at all. I didn't think Demons were something people were complaining about. Also, I'm not sure playing a slightly cheaper but extremely situational silence will ever make be better than average even in Arena. I don't know where these card ideas come from some times.
Saboteur - This is a great anti-Inspire minion, and might just be good enough tempo against certain decks, like Paladin, Rogue, and Warlock (in particular handlock) that is might just be playable. Its probably not that great, its be much more interesting as a 3/4.
Armored Warhorse - Another oddly aggressive Joust minion. This is pretty strong when its active, but it feels like you don't want/need that in your Joust deck, especially since when you miss the Joust it seems really bad. It will be ok in Arena, and definitely pressures the Health pool. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Master Jouster - Talk about a fitting name. Winning the Joust with this guy is big game, as the Body is almost passable without the buffs and the buffs make this thing scary. This is the reason you think about building a deck fit for Jousting.
Mogor's Champion - Man, this card is sad. If this cost 5 it might be passable, but this is so much worse than Venture Co. Mercenary. The real upside to this is sometimes your opponent will decide this isn't worth killing and you get your 50/50 and smash them for 8 and win the game shortly thereafter. Otherwise I could think of many other cards I'd like to spend 6 mana on, even in Arena.
Garrison Commander - There aren't a great number of important 2 drops in Inspire, so this likely fills a space in some brew, but you also probably have to throw this out early if you draw it so you don't just lose control of the game. Even then setting a turn where you have the extra mana and this and an Inspire guy is a pretty long shot, but will be sweet when it happens.
Master of Ceremonies - For a card that is kind of pushing Spell Damage its a bummer there weren't more good Spell Damage minions added with this set. There are actually only 2 and both cost 4 mana and aren't great. Its really weird to me. If this also worked if your opponent had one, like Blood Knight, this might actually be decent in Arena, but the way it is this is just a vanilla 4/2 most of the time.
Crowd Favorite - This card is pretty fun. I could certainly see some weird Aggro/Zoo Battlecry deck. I mean Zoo doesn't really need a weird 4 drop, but it could be fun. This is probably average in Arena, and any time you get a trigger it will feel sweet. (This is neutral for Piloted Sky Golem)
Twilight Guardian - Now this is a sweet medium cost Dragon. This is weak to silence, but not as weak as Twilight Drake and probably makes almost all the Dragon Decks, if any of those are a thing. (This weakens Piloted Sky Golem)
Recruiter - This is generally worse than Silver Hand Knight, but its actually a decent epic to pick up in Arena. I'd like this way more as a 4/5.
Grand Crusader - The average Paladin card is not great, really this either hits on of the good ones, which are more like great ones, or one of the bad ones, which are generally really bad. Some times this will hit a fringe card like Blessed Champion, Holy Wrath, Solemn Vigil, or Seal of Light and it will be really good, some times it will hit those and they'll do almost nothing. Its quite passable but not exceptional.
Kodorider - This is good when you get to Inspire once, and great if you get to Inspire twice, but its slow and still somewhat low impact. That means it probably doesn't quite have the chops to make it in constructed, but it will be fun in Arena.
Sideshow Spelleater - I don't know what to think about this card. Its got a bad body and a weird effect. Most classes use their hero power for a reason, and switching to you opponents isn't even always good. Find a deck that would be willing to change is only likely to be Warlock, where you do get to a point you just can't tap anymore, but decks that might play this are probably already just playing Jaraxxus and I don't think you can play those together.
Frost Giant - Its a shame the base cost for this guy didn't come in at 9. 10 is just on the point where its hard to use enough hero powers to get this into the value range. I mean it will be fine, it will still almost ways be a 5-7 mana 8/8 which isn't something to scoff at, but you'll probably just play a sweet legendary instead of a vanilla big guy.
Eydis Darkbane - Well, obviously these of the Twin Val'Kyr this one is the more dynamic. I think both of these can see play in Priest or Pally but aren't likey to see much play outside of that. Since they are fine without text though they could surprise. More fun than anything but worth playing around with in the least. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Fjola Lightbane - The less exciting sister is still very good. Reacurring Divine Shield is serious business and when you get this to proc even once and trade you're probably way way ahead. It probably doesn't close the game out as quickly or flashily as Eydis, but who cares as long as you're winning. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Gormok the Impaler - The most win more aggro minion ever. When this is good you probably automatically win, but you were probably pretty close to that anyway. When it doesn't its extremely medium. (This is neutral with Piloted Sky Golem and weakens Sneed's Old Shredder)
Nexus-Champion Saraad - There has been plenty of discussion about this guy. I don't think he's worth crafting even if there is a good Inspire deck with him in it, but if you have him and there is a deck that wants him he's probably fine. He's a huge variance card, so some people will love him and others will hate him. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder unless you trigger Inspire at least once, and even then it might give you garbage.)
Bolf Ramshield - Its odd to me that this is the stat allocation they decided worked best for this card. Its only got 12 stats for 6, but its legendary. This could have so easily been a 3/10 or 11 and been totally fine. It also could have just cost 5 mana. The effect is indeed unique but the body is just not good enough, especially since 9 minion damage does kill this without the minions actually taking damage like if this had Taunt. (This is neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder)
Justicar Trueheart - The decks that this is good in its great in, and it seems playable in quite a few control decks. Its obviously not for every class or deck but that's fine. On a side note I think this is good in Control Shaman. (This weakens Sneed's Old Shredder.)
The Skeleton Knight - I'm not sure how many times you even want to get this back. Much like Anub'arak or Malorne replaying high cost minions that die easily can lead to a tempo loss. In a long Control Mirror without access to the other 2 I mentioned you might decide to play this, but you could also just lose the Joust and then you just played a really bad minion and didn't get any value out of it. Yeah this card isn't good. (This is actually neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder)
Chillmaw - I like that this guy has a Taunt and doesn't have 7 attack but I wish his Deathrattle was a Battlecry. This is pretty close to just being a Flame Strike that can be silenced, but I do see the merits of it against Patron Warrior in particular. (This is neutral for Sneed's Old Shredder, even if you're holding a Dragon)
Skycap'n Kragg - This is sweet. If there is a pirate deck I don't see how you could ever not play this. Even though at its full cost its pretty bad, its got Charrrrrrge DAMNIT!!! I think this card is good enough if a Pirate deck is real. (This improves Sneed's Old Shredder)
Icehowl - This is a sweet one. I'm not sure what decks and play the silences to have one always have one for this guy, but if there is deck that can do that this is great. Its going to kill there best guy, almost certainly live the turn or eat another good card, and then if you can Silence it, it just munches a huge chunk of health. The most likely times you'll see this in Arena and it will probably get enough value by trading to win its caster the game, which is sweet. (This probably improves Sneed's Old Shredder.)
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
I think I finally got all the card links working properly. Some cards names changed since I started writing this up before the full set was spoiled and I didn't notice the links weren't all working. Hopefully that helps smooth out reading.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
A really fun read! Reading this just increased my anticipation for the release of these cards haha
A very good overview of the cards, although some cards I might not entirely agree on (but I am usually wrong so whatever). Helps me familiarize myself with the new cards.
"Are you not entertained?! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"
"What we do in life, echoes in eternity." - Maximus Decimus Meridius
I'm certainly not saying I have nailed everything to the letter haha, but I think my perspective is slightly different from some for sure. I have more hope for cards that just under playable. I still think most of the obviously weak cards are weak. Many reviewers, especially streamers tend to talk in exaggerated terms about cards. Its how cards get under valued, like Sludge Belcher, Glaivezooka, Tinker's Sharpsword Oil, or Grim Patron. While the community on the whole tends to over value cool cards they want to be good. I try to ride the line and discuss all the merits of a card that has any, and I hope to catch all the clever interactions even if they end up not being good enough.
Its also fun to actually do a review like this and look at every card and the set as a whole. Individual spoilers and cards are excited but seeing the whole set and thinking about each card and the goals of the set, its focus for each class and the way it might shape the game is certainly more interesting than brewing off one card.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
One other thing I forgot to mention, because I just hadn't thought about it, but man did Blingtron 3000 take a hit. None of the weapons this expansion are great. Charged Hammer could be ok, but some decks might actually be hurt from randomly getting this.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Amazing Post OP. I agreed with most of what you said, but, even better it was well written. Made it easy to digest top to bottom. Well done.
I'll comment a bit where we disagreed.
Arcane Blast I kinda like this spell in Tempo mage. Heck, any mage running Sorcerer's Apprentice really. I think it's a pretty strong tempo play to be able to drop a Sorcerer's Apprentice and Blast your opponent's Knife Juggler. Sure, Arcane Missles can do the same thing, but, you know for sure what you are going to get with this.
Competitive Spirit - I really hate the trigger for this. You have to wonder how often this card will activate on an empty board. I think it's going to be too unreliable to be played. I prefer Avenge.
Mysterious Challenger - 6/6 for 6 is fine. Getting a free secret or two is gravy. I think this is much better than folks give it credit for. I mean Mad Scientist is amazing. This is maybe even better. I know they are paladin secrets, but, I think you find the right balance and it'll rock.
Burgle - Disagree here. Random class cards < 2 random cards from your opponent's deck IMHO.
Frost Giant - I'm thinking I'll see this Duplicated and Echo'd a ton.
Galavant Animation
I'll reply a touch here.
Arcane Blast - I think you are right, this could be ok in Tempo Mage, but I actually think its more likely to replace Flame Cannon, since both only target minions and Arcane Missles is good at dealing with a few common annoyance minions/cards like Muster for Battle, Argent Squire, and Worgen Infiltrator. We'll just have to see how it pans out.
Competitive Spirit - This can only trigger if you have at least one minion, it will not trigger on an empty board.
Mysterious Challenger - This might be one I'm way off on. Strifecro thinks this card could be one of the best in the set so maybe I'm missing something, but my take is this. You need to get at least 2 secrets for this to really be worth playing IMO. In that case you have to play at least 1 copy of 2 different secrets but you're probably playing anywhere between 3-4 different secrets, meaning 4-5 copies total between them on average. Much like Mad Scientist if you draw all or most of your secrets the trigger stops being useful, also though, if have drawn the majority it also means you draw a bunch of low impact 1 cost cards in your probably midrange deck, and you're likely behind, so even playing this and getting the last 2 secerts free might not be good enough. There are some ok pally secrets but literally none of them get people to play Mad Scientist and he only requires 2-3 secrets to make the deck and this requires a lot more. That is the disconnect for me. You have to over populate your deck with low value cards to try to get a high value out of a 6 drop. It is true though that getting 2-3 secrets with this is probably going to shift the game if you aren't just dead.
Burgle - My comment on this card was solely related to Arena, not constructed play. I think Thoughtsteal is clearly better in constructed, but I don't think Burgle is that great unless some new rogue deck really comes out.
Frost Giant - I don't think this card is bad, but I'm not sure it will find a permanent home. I think it will find a temporary one and I think it will be fine, especially since the cost never gets increased back up which no other giant can say. If the meta does indeed slow down to all games going into the 12-15 turn mark this is one of the best big minions, even among legendaries but the game has to go long to get this to free. The real factor will be the viability initially of Inspire Mage when we really see it against Freeze Mage, Tempo Mage, or Grinder Mage. Mage probably has more decks than any other class, you still see fringe play of Echo Giants and Mech Mage, so maybe Inspire will just be there like those, we knows.
Again, most of this is based on where the meta might or might not go, and we won't know until the cards actually come out. I'd pretty much love to be wrong on any card I don't think is good enough, because that means the game is in a really cool space where things have changed a lot.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Great replies. I followed you. Kinda like a lovelorn stalker. Be afraid.
Galavant Animation
HAHA that just makes me wish I were more active on the forum. I mostly just post set reviews and occasionally a card creation thing. I could easily be a forum junky though, but I have a newborn daughter that eats up most of my non-gaming time. I used to play and write about Magic about 10 years ago, but that is ancient history.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Congrats. I have a 6 and a 4 year old myself. Very familiar with the little time vampires.
Galavant Animation
Great post, Sir. The effort is highly appreciated. Even if I beg to differ in some details, this was an entertaining and in some places enlightning read. Thanks, mate!
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. I think too many similar posts are focused on just saying a card is playable or unplayable without a decent evaluation or explanation. I've seen a number of lists and the like and people will argue after the fact about why they think what they think about something but I definitely like getting a few points out about the cards so if people have something to say they already kind of know where I'm at. Someone's weird unexplained opinion of the set certainly doesn't provide much insight haha. Obviously playing the cards means more than talking about them, and that is also why I try not to rate cards, even if I do say some aren't likely to see play.
I know for a fact that some streamers have been much more excited about certain cards that I didn't give as much merit to, so it will be fun to see how it all pans out and shakes up. The real issue will be how long it takes for the meta to really settle in. Since the season will still have a bit of time left in it it seems like a lot of higher ranked players could be unwilling to experiment on ladder with new decks meaning it will take a bit longer to see the big picture of the impact.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
I wouldn't base anything solely on what I have to say. I do believe my opinions are fairly open minded and relatively accurate but I'm just one guy. Its certainly nice to know you valued what I had to say but I'd suggest looking into multiple posts and ideas not just mine.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Don't forget that Bolf can be used aggressively as well (for weapon classes) or as utility (with cards / abilities that damage the hero).
Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet
Bolf Ramshield can indeed be used "aggressively", if you want to call it that. However, unless you have 24 or more life its likely Antique Healbot will do more for you net than Bolf for 1 less mana. As, its heals you for 8, has 3 health itself and still has 3 attack. Also, if your opponent doesn't have a spell and has to use minions it actually deal at least 3 damage to 1 minion, unlike Bolf who unless you're attack with him yourself isn't dealing any damage to any minions. Its generally outclassed by Shieldmaiden, though it does keep you alive in a few cases that Shield Maiden will fall short it also doesn't help Shield Slam. It does have some potential in some control decks but I think its just out classes since the stat allocation is bad.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Plus what kind of name is Bolf. Makes you hate him already.
Galavant Animation
You seem to have been reading this for a long time or decided all my opinions where perfectly correct and didn't need to say anything else! No, I'd love some extra discussion on things you see differently. I generally am open to the idea of something being playable in some way.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.
Well, if the pros are right, I'm way off on Argent Horserider. The funny thing to me about it is that I don't think most Face Hunters are happy to be running Wolfrider, its just a card they are running, and so even if Argent Horserider is a slightly better Wolfrider that that actually mean you want to play it, or do you want to replace it altogether with something stronger. I'm not sure there is a stronger option, so maybe I've miss judged.
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.