The wild swings this card gives rarely ever feels like you get a balanced option. It's either something incredibly good or something awful. Either you get to feel like you wasted 2 mana or your opponent feels like he just lost the game, and in a lot of cases he probably did. I.E turn 4 obsidian or a kel'thuzad or boom etc.
Also, if you can, give me a card you think is very WELL designed.
I'll start
Keeper of Uldaman is in my opinion one of the most well designed cards in the game. The amount of excellent options you get from it makes the card never feel bad in your hand but it never really feels overpowered.
I agree with the Unstable Portal being a horribly designed card. The ramp that you get is what makes it so disgusting, especially in arena where you don't have enough removals to deal with your opponent's creature. GvG was to me, worse than TGT because all of its RNG bullshit.
I've always thought of Zombie Chow to be well designed. Cool stats for cost with a deathrattle that will make aggro decks not want to run it.
Now hear me out, I don't actually think the card is OP or anything, but it promotes an element in Hearthstone I don't want to see. That is, "allowing mistakes". You can play badly and still do perfectly fine when you play Reno. That doesn't only include plays, but deckbuilding as a whole. If you refuse to build a proper deck that does well at every stage of the game, your deck isn't really fine tuned. Just dumping mid/lategame cards into your deck and ignoring the early game is a design flaw of your deck. Reno circumvents that by a large degree. Again, I have no problem directly with the card, just what it stands for.
Something similar, although less severe can be seen with Mysterious Challenger. You don't build your deck very efficent, you just "dumb all the secrets" into it and hope that you don't draw them and draw into Challenger until turn 6.
edit: The best designed card is imo Nerubian Egg. That card embodies great card design. It's balanced by being weak on its own, but having so much potential IF you can make it work. It can't be thrown into every deck, but does well if you have a smartly designed deck where it fits. You can use it as meat shield with taunt, buff it to get an efficent trade or simply as AoE deterrent. You have to play smart to use it, and play smart around it. The latter part is crucial important here, since you actually CAN play around it.
I'd have to say Bolvar Fordragon was really disappointing, especially because it's frustrating to play him right. Maybe it's safer to play him now, what with the lack of silence being played, but he's just so ridiculous to play.
Also I'd have to say that Hobgoblin is a great card, it allows you to get amazing value with any early game minions you happen to draw late in the game, or you can play him in a combo midgame for a great board.
Yeah Unstable Portal and Ram Wrangler are probably the worst designed cards in the game, the variance is just too high.You can get from a 1/1 to any other minion on the game (in this matter Portal is probably more broken because the variance is even greater)
In a lot of cases these cards give you something bad and you fell like a idiot or you get something broken and your opponent end up feeling cheated. That isn't healthy for the game.
Now hear me out, I don't actually think the card is OP or anything, but it promotes an element in Hearthstone I don't want to see. That is, "allowing mistakes". You can play badly and still do perfectly fine when you play Reno. That doesn't only include plays, but deckbuilding as a whole. If you refuse to build a proper deck that does well at every stage of the game, your deck isn't really fine tuned. Just dumping mid/lategame cards into your deck and ignoring the early game is a design flaw of your deck. Reno circumvents that by a large degree. Again, I have no problem directly with the card, just what it stands for.
Something similar, although less severe can be seen with Mysterious Challenger. You don't build your deck very efficent, you just "dumb all the secrets" into it and hope that you don't draw them and draw into Challenger until turn 6.
edit: The best designed card is imo Nerubian Egg. That card embodies great card design. It's balanced by being weak on its own, but having so much potential IF you can make it work. It can't be thrown into every deck, but does well if you have a smartly designed deck where it fits. You can use it as meat shield with taunt, buff it to get an efficent trade or simply as AoE deterrent. You have to play smart to use it, and play smart around it. The latter part is crucial important here, since you actually CAN play around it.
200% Disagree. Reno Jackson is actually one of the best designed cards in the game. The fact that the card allows for mistake is just totally wrong. I think by now most people can tell if it is a reno deck or not and if you're playing an aggro deck and do not bait Reno out it is totally your fault. If you go all in with your spells and ignore board leaving the opponent with a few HP hoping to finish him next turn. He Renos... it is your fault. The game is still all about board control so if the opponent Renos and cannot take back the board, he will still lose.
The reason why Reno Jackson is one of the best designed cards in the game is because it fully utilizes the digital capability of HS. It is something that physical decks can never do. It also sparks new archetype decks and it is a much needed hard counter card against aggro. It is a card that many players seek. It is also why the meta to me is very healthy. There is a wild range of deck types on ladder now because we have a paper, scissors, rock system.
200% Disagree. Reno Jackson is actually one of the best designed cards in the game. The fact that the card allows for mistake is just totally wrong. I think by now most people can tell if it is a reno deck or not and if you're playing an aggro deck and do not bait Reno out it is totally your fault. If you go all in with your spells and ignore board leaving the opponent with a few HP hoping to finish him next turn. He Renos... it is your fault. The game is still all about board control so if the opponent Renos and cannot take back the board, he will still lose.
The reason why Reno Jackson is one of the best designed cards in the game is because it fully utilizes the digital capability of HS. It is something that physical decks can never do. It also sparks new archetype decks and it is a much needed hard counter card against aggro. It is a card that many players seek. It is also why the meta to me is very healthy. There is a wild range of deck types on ladder now because we have a paper, scissors, rock system.
Since the obvious hasn't been dropped into this thread yet: Divine Favor is the epitome of poor design. Not bad in the sense that it's OP, useless, or power creep, but the actual design of the card being BS.
Along with Divine Favor, I would say Battlerage is pretty poorly designed as well. Wasn't that hard to make it as good as an Arcane Intellect by comparison and can get out of control quickly with many of Warrior's natural synergies.
As for well designed cards, I think Mechanical Yeti is very interesting because the choice to put it in your deck comes from being able to utilize the spare part you receive better than your opponent will in addition to it being a very strong, well costed body in its own right.
I hate cards that are almost good. Alarm-O-Bot for instance. It's got a very cool design, but, at 3 health just isn't durable enough to be played. Other more recent examples are cards like Summoning Stone, Curse of Rafaam, or that 4/4 that only lets you take one damage to your face at a time. Very cool cards, that were just gimped due to stats. I think it's poor design to have a very cool card that is unplayable due to cost/stats. It's a slap in the face, really.
As for good design I'll say Dreadsteed. Cool card, priced right, and can be played. Will only get stronger as the card pool give it more things to synergize with.
Very Well-Designed Cards Due to Conditions and Board State: Crackle
Crackle has to be one of the worst designed cards.You can get a vanilla 3 damage for 2 mana (that isn't worth 2 mana on any class but warlock) and 1 overload or a fireball for 2 mana and 1 overload it can swing the game just on pure RNG.
It can give you lethal,kill a 6 mana minion or it can fail to kill something with 4 health on turn 3 and make you fall behind really bad since not only you failed to do a 1x1 trade you are also overloaded next turn.
Both of these cards are picked over other rogue cards for one reason. Mechanically, they don't work as you would expect simply by reading their name. Poisoned Blade has nothing to do with poisons. When I first read the name and even looked at the stats, I was expecting for it's effect to be sth like "Destroy any minion damaged by this weapon". Same thing with Kidnapper. You see the card and it's stats and you expect sth really good in it's effect. Not only is his effect below mediocre, it doesn't work as it should be. If you kidnap someone, you expect a ransom in return. Or at least some Stealth synergy. For example "If you have a Stealth minion, return an enemy minion to your opponent's hand" or "Battlecry: Return an enemy minion's to your opponent's hand. Combo: Put 2 Coins to your hand."
These cards show the flavor of Rogue. Eviscerate is either a little worse than Darkbomb or a little better if you combo it. Tomb Pillager is a solid 4-cost body with a great loot. Just what Rogue should have been getting, instead of the other shitty unrelated minions (e.g. Anub'ar Ambusher).
Piloted shredder. It takes the 4 drop slots in many decks simply because it's the best 4 drop while not even having synergy with the rest of the deck.
Dr.Boom. Too often used in the 7 slot with no other deck synergy simply because it's value is too high.
Good design:
Mysterious challenger, Patron, Reno, Unearthed raptor. Designed so they aren't OP by themselves, but strong enough that it's worth building decks that cater to them.
Now hear me out, I don't actually think the card is OP or anything, but it promotes an element in Hearthstone I don't want to see. That is, "allowing mistakes". You can play badly and still do perfectly fine when you play Reno. That doesn't only include plays, but deckbuilding as a whole. If you refuse to build a proper deck that does well at every stage of the game, your deck isn't really fine tuned. Just dumping mid/lategame cards into your deck and ignoring the early game is a design flaw of your deck. Reno circumvents that by a large degree. Again, I have no problem directly with the card, just what it stands for.
Something similar, although less severe can be seen with Mysterious Challenger. You don't build your deck very efficent, you just "dumb all the secrets" into it and hope that you don't draw them and draw into Challenger until turn 6.
edit: The best designed card is imo Nerubian Egg. That card embodies great card design. It's balanced by being weak on its own, but having so much potential IF you can make it work. It can't be thrown into every deck, but does well if you have a smartly designed deck where it fits. You can use it as meat shield with taunt, buff it to get an efficent trade or simply as AoE deterrent. You have to play smart to use it, and play smart around it. The latter part is crucial important here, since you actually CAN play around it.
Hear hear. The trend on "big and shiny" in HS lately is very sad for the game... MC and Reno are both high impact, low skill cards that make for more boring and bland games. Reno should have been to counter aggro, but in reality it just became a warlock class card to enable a slightly gimped handlock to live past turn 7.
Though my prize for worst designed card in HS is "Anyfin can happen".
"Here is a card that punishes your opponent for killing minions that are based on really punishing the opponent for not clearing them".
This card shows one of the reasons why TGT failed and was so unfocused on what it wanted to deliver. Blizzard thought to themselves that if they add only one card that has synergy with spell damage, people will start creating a new type of deck, a spell damage deck. They probably forgot that to make a deck like this playable you have to add atleast 3-4 more cards that have synergy with spell damage and each other. I mean how are we supposed to play this card? There are only 2 Spell damage minions in the game that cost less than 3 (Bloodmage Thalnos and Kobold Geomancer), both of them will probably get removed because there way to easy to remove and to dangerous to leave on the board. It's just an unplayable card unfortunately.
And this card shows why LOE is just awesome. This is the card that I always wanted. Not only he is a 1/3 Murloc which is great, he is also a card that makes a lot more fun decks viable. Aggro Warrior, Aggro Shaman, Control Hunter, Murloc decks... All this weird decks are much more playable because of Finely. He also improves other decks like Mill decks and any Warlock deck that relies on Life Tap and drawing cards by changing there hero power to a more protective one at any time. Plus it's a murloc with a monocle, how can you not like him?
This card shows one of the reasons why TGT failed and was so unfocused on what it wanted to deliver. Blizzard thought to themselves that if they add only one card that has synergy with spell damage, people will start creating a new type of deck, a spell damage deck. They probably forgot that to make a deck like this playable you have to add atleast 3-4 more cards that have synergy with spell damage and each other. I mean how are we supposed to play this card? There are only 2 Spell damage minions in the game that cost less than 3 (Bloodmage Thalnos and Kobold Geomancer), both of them will probably get removed because there way to easy to remove and to dangerous to leave on the board. It's just an unplayable card unfortunately.
And this card shows why LOE is just awesome. This is the card that I always wanted. Not only he is a 1/3 Murloc which is great, he is also a card that makes a lot more fun decks viable. Aggro Warrior, Aggro Shaman, Control Hunter, Murloc decks... All this weird decks are much more playable because of Finely. He also improves other decks like Mill decks and any Warlock deck that relies on Life Tap and drawing cards by changing there hero power to a more protective one at any time. Plus it's a murloc with a monocle, how can you not like him?
I certainly see why people like Finley, it opens a lot of crazy possibilities and crazy games. Personally I don't like it. I think removes one of the things that really made HS special, the hero power differences.
I won't say that it is poorly designed however, this is just my personal taste speaking.
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Give me a list of cards you think are poorly designed and your reasoning behind it.
i'll start
Unstable Portal
The wild swings this card gives rarely ever feels like you get a balanced option. It's either something incredibly good or something awful. Either you get to feel like you wasted 2 mana or your opponent feels like he just lost the game, and in a lot of cases he probably did. I.E turn 4 obsidian or a kel'thuzad or boom etc.
Also, if you can, give me a card you think is very WELL designed.
I'll start
Keeper of Uldaman is in my opinion one of the most well designed cards in the game. The amount of excellent options you get from it makes the card never feel bad in your hand but it never really feels overpowered.
I agree with the Unstable Portal being a horribly designed card. The ramp that you get is what makes it so disgusting, especially in arena where you don't have enough removals to deal with your opponent's creature. GvG was to me, worse than TGT because all of its RNG bullshit.
I've always thought of Zombie Chow to be well designed. Cool stats for cost with a deathrattle that will make aggro decks not want to run it.
It's actually Reno Jackson.
Now hear me out, I don't actually think the card is OP or anything, but it promotes an element in Hearthstone I don't want to see. That is, "allowing mistakes". You can play badly and still do perfectly fine when you play Reno. That doesn't only include plays, but deckbuilding as a whole. If you refuse to build a proper deck that does well at every stage of the game, your deck isn't really fine tuned. Just dumping mid/lategame cards into your deck and ignoring the early game is a design flaw of your deck. Reno circumvents that by a large degree. Again, I have no problem directly with the card, just what it stands for.
Something similar, although less severe can be seen with Mysterious Challenger. You don't build your deck very efficent, you just "dumb all the secrets" into it and hope that you don't draw them and draw into Challenger until turn 6.
edit: The best designed card is imo Nerubian Egg. That card embodies great card design. It's balanced by being weak on its own, but having so much potential IF you can make it work. It can't be thrown into every deck, but does well if you have a smartly designed deck where it fits. You can use it as meat shield with taunt, buff it to get an efficent trade or simply as AoE deterrent. You have to play smart to use it, and play smart around it. The latter part is crucial important here, since you actually CAN play around it.
I'd have to say Bolvar Fordragon was really disappointing, especially because it's frustrating to play him right. Maybe it's safer to play him now, what with the lack of silence being played, but he's just so ridiculous to play.
Also I'd have to say that Hobgoblin is a great card, it allows you to get amazing value with any early game minions you happen to draw late in the game, or you can play him in a combo midgame for a great board.
Victory or Death!
Just wanted to say that Unstable Portal is a broken piece of crap that frequently hands out instant wins
Yeah Unstable Portal and Ram Wrangler are probably the worst designed cards in the game, the variance is just too high.You can get from a 1/1 to any other minion on the game (in this matter Portal is probably more broken because the variance is even greater)
In a lot of cases these cards give you something bad and you fell like a idiot or you get something broken and your opponent end up feeling cheated.
That isn't healthy for the game.
Unstable Portal is bullshit.
Piloted Shredder is a good concept but poorly executed, should have lower stats.
Since the obvious hasn't been dropped into this thread yet: Divine Favor is the epitome of poor design. Not bad in the sense that it's OP, useless, or power creep, but the actual design of the card being BS.
CCGing since '98.
Poorly-Designed Due to Being Too Strong: Piloted Shredder, Mysterious Challenger, Mad Scientist, Voidcaller, Cogmaster, Unstable Portal, Brawl (for the cost), Dr. Boom, Haunted Creeper, Knife Juggler
If I had to pick just one from that group, I think the award goes to Mad Scientist with Knife Juggler in at a close second.
Very Well-Designed Cards Due to Conditions and Board State: Sylvanas Windrunner, Zombie Chow, Reno Jackson, Crackle, Mind Control Tech, Swipe, Keeper of the Grove, Bear Trap, Ethereal Conjurer, Feign Death, Beneath the Grounds, Ysera
Building Quirky Decks Every Week, Loving Life at Rank 15!
Along with Divine Favor, I would say Battlerage is pretty poorly designed as well. Wasn't that hard to make it as good as an Arcane Intellect by comparison and can get out of control quickly with many of Warrior's natural synergies.
As for well designed cards, I think Mechanical Yeti is very interesting because the choice to put it in your deck comes from being able to utilize the spare part you receive better than your opponent will in addition to it being a very strong, well costed body in its own right.
I hate cards that are almost good. Alarm-O-Bot for instance. It's got a very cool design, but, at 3 health just isn't durable enough to be played. Other more recent examples are cards like Summoning Stone, Curse of Rafaam, or that 4/4 that only lets you take one damage to your face at a time. Very cool cards, that were just gimped due to stats. I think it's poor design to have a very cool card that is unplayable due to cost/stats. It's a slap in the face, really.
As for good design I'll say Dreadsteed. Cool card, priced right, and can be played. Will only get stronger as the card pool give it more things to synergize with.
Galavant Animation
Aldor Peacekeeper: Perfect / over-simplified removal that is annoying.
Seal of Champions: Combine two card great compress deck and easy to play that is annoying.
Oh yeah, I'm Arena player and I hate Paladin again right now. So easy to pick a lot of stressful card this guy....
I like Duelyst, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Poker game
My picks are only for Rogue.
Poorly design cards: Poisoned Blade and Kidnapper
Both of these cards are picked over other rogue cards for one reason. Mechanically, they don't work as you would expect simply by reading their name. Poisoned Blade has nothing to do with poisons. When I first read the name and even looked at the stats, I was expecting for it's effect to be sth like "Destroy any minion damaged by this weapon". Same thing with Kidnapper. You see the card and it's stats and you expect sth really good in it's effect. Not only is his effect below mediocre, it doesn't work as it should be. If you kidnap someone, you expect a ransom in return. Or at least some Stealth synergy. For example "If you have a Stealth minion, return an enemy minion to your opponent's hand" or "Battlecry: Return an enemy minion's to your opponent's hand. Combo: Put 2 Coins to your hand."
Best design cards: Eviscerate and Tomb Pillager
These cards show the flavor of Rogue. Eviscerate is either a little worse than Darkbomb or a little better if you combo it. Tomb Pillager is a solid 4-cost body with a great loot. Just what Rogue should have been getting, instead of the other shitty unrelated minions (e.g. Anub'ar Ambusher).
'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact'
Sherlock Holmes
Bad design:
Piloted shredder. It takes the 4 drop slots in many decks simply because it's the best 4 drop while not even having synergy with the rest of the deck.
Dr.Boom. Too often used in the 7 slot with no other deck synergy simply because it's value is too high.
Good design:
Mysterious challenger, Patron, Reno, Unearthed raptor. Designed so they aren't OP by themselves, but strong enough that it's worth building decks that cater to them.
Poorly designed: Master of Ceremonies
This card shows one of the reasons why TGT failed and was so unfocused on what it wanted to deliver. Blizzard thought to themselves that if they add only one card that has synergy with spell damage, people will start creating a new type of deck, a spell damage deck. They probably forgot that to make a deck like this playable you have to add atleast 3-4 more cards that have synergy with spell damage and each other. I mean how are we supposed to play this card? There are only 2 Spell damage minions in the game that cost less than 3 (Bloodmage Thalnos and Kobold Geomancer), both of them will probably get removed because there way to easy to remove and to dangerous to leave on the board. It's just an unplayable card unfortunately.
Best designed: Sir Finley Mrrgglton
And this card shows why LOE is just awesome. This is the card that I always wanted. Not only he is a 1/3 Murloc which is great, he is also a card that makes a lot more fun decks viable. Aggro Warrior, Aggro Shaman, Control Hunter, Murloc decks... All this weird decks are much more playable because of Finely. He also improves other decks like Mill decks and any Warlock deck that relies on Life Tap and drawing cards by changing there hero power to a more protective one at any time. Plus it's a murloc with a monocle, how can you not like him?