A question, can we use the Magnetic Keyword? Technically standard is still Basic, Classic, Witchwood and Boomsday (Since the year isn't over yet)
You may use Magnetic...but be cautious. We have no guarantee that Magnetic is an evergreen Keyword; it might be exclusive to The Boomsday Project. We don't have a solid reason to tell you No, but it's not a complete Yes either.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
Gonna do a brief look at all the guys who passed and give my opinions. Can't be bothered to talk about Hall of Fame choices unless they're relevant to any of the cards.
Doctor Whoops' Year of the Frog
Right off the bat, the sets are quite diverse and well presented. The Infiltrate keyword is nice, I imagine there's quite a lot of potential design space for it and it only makes sense. Feed is already easy to imagine in-game because it's already in the game and Surface Hunter is a fine card to show off. Those two keywords are fine, but you've walked into an issue Tek found himself in while working on Treasures, which was why the inclusion of the Sandy Shores card was made. Essentially, if the Guest cards included in your deck actually count against card count without any chance of actually being drawn, then what you effectively have is a deck that has less cards in it. The vast majority of decks in the game would take a 28 card, 26 card, 24 card etc deck over a 30 card one if that was freely available. It's just more consistent, and there's absolutely no reason not to do it. This would lead to players using Guests purely as cards to lower deck sizes rather than making actual Guest decks.
The Guest keyword is very interesting thematically and I like the flavor of the Stormwind City set the most, so I'd like to see it still, I just think it should be reworked maybe in a similar way to Treasures. Of course, there's also the chance that I've misinterpreted the keyword and missed something like an idiot, so I'm sorry if that's the case. Overall I can definitely see why this was the most highly voted set, but I think Guest is a genuinely big issue.
Linkblade91's Year of the Kodo
The flavor for the first set is fantastic, I'm quite fond of the Burdens. They're a way of introducing massive changes to a deck that remain simple. I do feel like The Vigilant Crusader could be made more simple with just one keyword, the textbox is getting a little packed there, but with how much that would impact you don't need to worry too much. The cards showcased for the War of Sea and Sky could have been better. Though I like the idea of the expansion, I'm indifferent with Terror Drake, kinda unsure how it has Stealth thematically, but I dislike the Naga Siren. What you've said about the Naga is that they provide benefit to the 'Biggest' Naga in terms of Attack, Health or Cost, so a card with "The Naga with the highest X has..." should be a common occurrence. Despite that, the first Naga you show is a 5/5 that does that with Taunt which is Epic. That sounds more like a Common and it doesn't really show what the potential of the Naga's tribal shenanigans could be. It doesn't feel too different from a 5 mana 5/5 Taunt, and feels so boring and bad considering giving minions taunt isn't really valued very highly. Metal and Mayhem seems nice, the flavor's good. Encore is a great keyword, I like it a lot. Power Up is a little more meh, kinda odd to revisit spare parts in general. The cards you showcased are good for them, with Spirit Bouncer showing off some fantastic possible synergy with Encore effects off the bat by allowing its effect to be used by a much bigger minion, and Treant Harvester being flavorful and useful.
Overall, all three sets are very good but I'd really like to see the potential of the Naga tribe and the Challenge keyword.
KingKuba's Year of the Lion
I felt quite happy looking through all of this. I'm not generally going to talk about the people behind the cards that much in these reviews but you seem like the kind of person who's quite new to making custom cards but has some really good ideas. What I mean by that is that you've got some really fantastic concepts here among some simple mistakes and I'm excited to see this set potentially flourishing. Obviously the place to start with is Storage, which I think is a potential UI nightmare and unsure on how good it is CURRENTLY, but it has some serious potential. I think you should go over a brief summary of how you use Storage cards during deckbuilding and through that find a way to include as many copies of Storage cards as you want so I can run a warehouse deck (that's only 30% a joke) and I'd love this keyword and the set. I love the flavor behind all the sets by the way, just wanted to go over Storage first. Then I'm going to go onto the third expansion for a reason that'll be obvious soon after. I like the flavor of this set the most, it's quite light and jovial. Rent could have a lot of potential as a keyword, especially if you throw some Rent (1 turn) cards in there, which could be quite interesting for designs. I dislike Buyout however, it doesn't feel like it has too much of a purpose. Making a way of keeping your Rent minions feels uninteresting more than anything else as well as quite parasitic. I think just having the Rent cards is preferable. Right, set 2 is the one I have the most problems with by far. The faction mechanic just isn't interesting, it's just a tribe that locks you out of playing certain cards. The two cards you've showcased aren't doing it any favors either. Garona Halforcen is a legendary class tech card, which you really want to avoid. The general issue with that is that legendary cards, especially class cards, are cards that you put into your deck to promote an archetype in an interesting or powerful way. Tech cards are cards you use to counter OTHER archetypes. It's straight up just an overpowered assassinate with a body in most cases and that's not the reason why I dislike it. She doesn't do anything to help your Horde deck, she just might do something against Alliance minions with Deathrattles. That's probably not many cards. Othmar Garithos is far and beyond the most overpowered card in the game. He's an autoinclude in every paladin deck due to the way purely positive Start of Game cards work. When you don't actually have to draw the card nor use the card, it just provides a benefit to your deck unconditionally at the start of the game, the card shouldn't be printed. You don't even have to account for the technical risk of drawing this minion which is understatted in comparison to almost all the other broken start of game cards that people have made, it's an Alliance minion, it just draws itself at no cost when the game begins, as well as whatever other Alliance card you put in there is. I'd suggest a complete rework of the second expansion but if you don't want to do that at least just fix those two cards up. Sorry the review got negative towards the end, it's just that your first and third sets are on completely different levels to your second. I genuinely meant what I said about the year having some serious potential and I look forward to seeing what you make.
Tomerick88's Year of the Butterfly
I'm going to be blunt...
That is not an interesting keyword. It's not flexible, it's not got any potential design space, more than anything it's just a boring and bad version of taunt. I do not like the pet keyword, not at all. Keywords can mean so many potential different things depending on the cards they're on, and how singular this keyword is is mundane. Hemet's Petting Zoo itself could be interesting with good flavor but I'm not feeling it so far. Going into the second expansion, Fate's fine, there's some design space for it and it fits the expansion, though I'm starting to think you've rushed through all this a bit. The presentation for your cards isn't great and the actual cards are similar. Veteran Tracker is missing capitalization and is literally just using the Tracking art. Tactical Retreat is a great card that utilizes your rotation of Divine Favor well. The terrain cards aren't very aesthetically pleasing, I once again think you could have spent more time and precision with this. Regardless I do feel that the terrain should last for a set amount of turns and shouldn't be countered by enemies playing terrains. Having it last infinitely is insane value that forces people into playing terrains, and playing a really expensive terrain that goes away immediately isn't fun.
CheeseETC's Year of the Scorpion
First set is good. The factions are alright and I don't really have a lot to say about it other than I'm fond. Could open up a lot of interesting new decks. I'm not fond of the second set at all. Dividing things into a bunch of guys who generate resource and then a bunch of things that need resource is parasitic and hard to manage before you even account for the fact that the things that take your resource take up board slots. It's hard to manage in a simple manner, simple being one of Hearthstone's core themes, and it feels more like a nostalgia trip than a fun or functional expansion. Don't want to include more than 4 buildings in my deck because I don't want to ever collect dead buildings in my hand but then I want to have enough resource to play them otherwise they're just dead anyway so better distribute a bunch of resource gatherer's into my deck. Draw dependency is rampant here. In comparison I really like recipes. They're flavorful and quite similar to buildings in that they're permanent benefits except way more interesting and better because they don't take a parasitic new resource to exist, you just need to fulfill certain conditions to repeat effects. I certainly wouldn't include both buildings and recipes into the year, in my eyes one's just better than the other. I will say though, the way you've formatted the recipe card is stylish and cool but I think you might have to change it unless you don't want to write much on the cards. Small Drink is the epitome of a common of the effect with literally three words and then a basic condition, yet it ended up with 4 lines. How are you going to make Epic recipes?
Shatterstar1998 and Demonxz95's Year of the Dragon
Year of the Dragon sounds generic but whatever. Nightmare on the Nether is cool, though you could go over what makes the actual expansion itself interesting a little more, because I didn't really see anything about the expansion itself in the cards. I just got the context of the area and how it has a bunch of tribal minions. Legacy could be cool but King Arthur feels like a really bad way of showing it off. If I play three cards in a turn I get to change the Health of all minions to 1! Oh wait they've already all got 1 Health because I played the card. I'll wait till next turn and THEN use his effect. Alright, there, my opponent's played some new minions, now I can use his Legacy. Oh actually I think I'll just trade him in, that seems more efficient because I don't want to set my minions Health to 1. Why does Legacy feel so much like a redundant extra on the Legacy showcase card? Prince Charming well... I don't like him. How is he a start of game support card and how was he supposed to show off how each class is getting a start of game card? Wouldn't showing off a start of game card be more helpful for that? Why do I care about drawing my start of game cards, that's not what's interesting about those cards, the interesting part already happened. At the start of the game. Because it's a start of game card. Sure it thins my deck and I can play it to get like a 9 mana 7/8 body but that's hardly that supportive. Prince Charming just feels like a Curator card you made because you've got some new keywords. It's not got nearly as much connection between the themes as The Curator nor its Witchwood counterpart. It's boring. Caverns of Time seems alright, I like Future Strike, it's a very nice card. Temporary dormant cards are something I've seen a lot, in fact my favorite version of them I've seen was from DKPaladinMDL's Caverns of Time expansion that he finished some time ago. I feel like the showcase card you chose for it wasn't that interesting. In general I kinda wish there was more you were showing in your year, I've not been able to criticize a lot because I've not got a good grip on the expansions. Nether on the Nightmare will be dark and have demons and dragons and stuff as well as an effect that exists already. Once upon a Time will have legacy but you haven't provided a good example of a legacy card and start of game cards for every class but you haven't shown a start of game card. Caverns of Time has future stuff that could be quite cool, I'm fond of that, as well as collectible temporary permanents which are nice. I don't know, I just think your presentation was lacking with ideas that have already been explored a lot.
ThisOtherGuyTox, Cogito and Otovent's Year of the Chimera
Stitched cards could be cool, the one presented is simple and gives a good idea of what to expect, and I think I remember Tox talking about the choose one at the start of the game thing some time before and I've quite liked it as an idea. Border Patrol is also a nice simple idea for showing off how things are. Can't really see any faults so far, things look good. Weathers seem fine. I'd like to see cards that benefit off of weathers but it's understandable not to considering you only had two cards to show which did well to establish the flavor. Because I don't want to get through 2 sets without at least suggesting something I want to put in a personal request for you guys to include my favorite pokemon ludicolo in there somewhere, maybe something like this.
You don't have to call him Ludicolo or anything just please man I love ludicolo so much you'd be doing a great service for my family. Script is flavorful and quite nice, it's reminiscent of the new card type thing introduced to Magic recentlyish. I love the flavor of the set as a whole and I'm sorry that the new expansion kinda takes away some of the uniqueness of the set. In general this set seems the most refined so far... Suspiciously so. Gosh dang the mods and their ability to prepare three sets with unique flavor and keywords in a space longer than two weeks we need a revolution around here or something. For real though, looking forward to seeing the third set the most so if you go out before then I'll be angry. Good luck.
WaterwaIker's Year of the holy shit I'm only 8 submissions through this is taking so long I'm gonna end it all also why is your name spelled with a capital i rather than an l what Hydra
Starting off, Lights, Cards, Action! is gonna be a set I greatly look forward to. Great humor, very light, all good with me. Van Hellscream is a really nice card with a cool effect, though he honestly feels absurdly strong. He's got a really well statted 5 mana body for 6 that replaces your hero power with one that's worth about 2 mana, which is nuts. That said it obviously carries the downside of not working with Deathstalker Rexxar which you'd probably want to play in a more control focused Hunter so I imagine it's fine but it's certainly stronger than most hero power upgrade cards. I don't like Mildly Annoyed Max, punishing your opponent for not playing on curve isn't that fun for them, and if they do play on curve this is just a 5 mana 5/3 which isn't very fun for you. In general it kinda just doesn't feel like a fun card. Alleria Windrunner is fun but honestly I don't think trample is a good idea. Hearthstone's been existing for a while under the idea that trample isn't a thing so as you might expect stuff like Arcane Channeler suddenly being added can cause problems. What kind of problems? Problems of Meteoric proportions is what. For the next expansion, Marsh Seer is massively unfun as it can ruin so many decks. Oh, it appears I've discovered my opponents C'Thun/N'Zoth/Bloodreaver Gul'Dan/Emeriss/Alexstraza/BigGamechangingMinion/Yogg'Saron. Guess they lose. Also go to my Year of the Lion and/or Year of the Frog reviews for my stance on Tyr. I would include this in every deck because it's free consistency. I don't need to actually draw the card or use it, nor do I have to gimp my deck, yet I get benefits.
Dropdead's Year of the Manticore
Transforming effects already fulfill the purpose of Banish elegantly, include more transform cards rather than adding in a new yet redundant keyword. It might fit in the game better if Hearthstone had an actual graveyard and not a pool of cards being tracked for Big Priests sake, but as of right now it's just taking an effect that shows up in every card game with a graveyard and putting it into a game without one. If you're in Shadowform is a terrible idea that gets passed around a lot, can't wait to get this card in a pack when I don't actually own that epic card from the classic set. Oh well I guess I could still use it as a 6 mana deal 5 spell, fantastic. For 6 mana couldn't it just banish the minion regardless of anything else? Priest already got Entomb why is this a card? Your location card is okay. I think you should have done a better job showing off themes of the expansions because some of the cards just feel irrelevant to showing the actual expansion off. Yeah Hogger's Faithful is a pretty cool card but what does it tell me about the expansion?
Phoenixfeather's Year of the Phoenix
First expansion seems alright. Soulcast is nice, Elusive is Elusive. Rise from the Grave is a cool card that does well to show off the expansion. Apatheia's one of the least interesting ways of adding neutral decks theoretically possible. The thing is, I like the idea of neutral decks, but I think a game like Shadowverse is a game that could show you a good way of going about implementing neutral synergy. Rewarding you for having disproportionate amounts of neutral cards over only running them. Running decks without spells, only minions, with no class identity, very few interesting gimmicks and such is just uninteresting. What makes the matches involving this lady more uninteresting than most? Well let me briefly say why I like Elusive. It does well in countering an enemy who relies on spells to counter minions by making it harder to deal with your elusive minions, yet it doesn't make half their deck pointless because I still have the rest of my deck to go through and it's not like they're ALL going to be Elusive so they can just use their spells on those ones! Oh wait, my entire deck IS Elusive, guess my opponents hand is just filled with dead cards now. Boy, this game of minions slapping into eachother and nothing else sure is interesting. At least AoE's still exist. Second expansion is a lot better, love Solais, it's a great weapon with good flavor. Deus Ex Machina is also good flavor and a cool card. I don't know how much I like the return of Inspire but I don't hate it. Burn is a keyword that belongs in a class and not an expansion. Removing the top one or two cards of your deck is widely irrelevant outside of decks that go to fatigue because they're exceptionally slow, are running Aluneth or rely on specific cards like C'Thun and sometimes they're on the bottom and have to dig deep. The rare cases in which removing the top card of your deck is used as a downside do so in a way where it's escalated to the point where your deck might be shredded in seconds like with Fel Reaver. Being able to include a few cards that have above average power level in exchange for burn just means I'm running cards which are too good at no extra cost.
Vilegloom's Year of the Ram
I've been really indecisive of your stuff. I don't know what it is about it. Regardless I don't trust myself to force a review on this because I don't have an opinion of it really. I'm not trying to wuss out I swear, it's just that my input would be redundant. Take that all as you like.
ShadowsOfSense's Year of the Serpent
I don't like Ambush. I remember Phoenix explored it's potential some time before with Impulse and cards which manipulate how you draw it that makes it more skilled but even then it's still the "Did you topdeck this" keyword. It's good flavor and I'm happy about its use with Cephalopirate due to it not being objectively better, but I don't really like it. Explore is a nice keyword, one thing I think a lot of people make mistakes with while making Hearthstone cards is creating cards that give information for the sake of information, yet this uses it practically. Well, at least in the case of Murloc Pathfinder. If all the Explore cards will be like that, I'm very happy with it. If you make cards which just Explore and nothing else, I'll be sad. That's just not very Hearthstone. One thing of note, with both Ambush and Explore existing, deck manipulation better exist, it just makes them both so much better. Revenant is a keyword that feels nice due to how Undead synergy works, I like it. Mount is nice but obviously unfortunately timed due to Magnetic. Flanked is nice also, no real criticisms.
Teknician's Year of the Gryphon
Treasure's are looking nice and appropriately scary and the Plunderer is a good example of a Treasure fetcher, so I'm happy with how it's developed thus far. This might just be me but Sandy Shore looks a little too realistic, I think a wide shot of a beach would be better. Overall, good first set. Unsure about the second set, Sacrifice is an alright keyword, Plague is quite questionable. Not in the "This is probably bad" sense but the "I have literally no idea how to evaluate this" sense. I will say though that the Blood Beetle's Sacrifice option feels surprisingly low impact, considering you lose both an attack and the minion. I've gone over Red Mana briefly with you already I believe, waiting to see how you handle it, I think you can make it work well.
Mrobjectionman's Year of the Pegasus
I'm a strong believer that Hearthstone's RNG isn't as bad a problem as many like to say and that it's actually quite beneficial for the game, but having it as a core theme for an expansion doesn't seem like a great idea. GvG had that as a core theme and people hated it, so I'm unsure if people will like that. Good flavor though. Good flavor for the next set also, this version of Mount is pretty good, it's like reverse Magnetic. I don't like Dominance, seems very win more. Generally the person with the biggest minion is the one winning, so to me it kinda reads like "If you're winning, has an extra effect.", which means the cards don't benefit you while losing and benefits you while winning, which polarizes the game rather than having it be a back and forth.
Aaro54's Year of the Mech
You know my opinion on your shit man go ask me things in the Discord or something
Soulbattle's Year of the Cat
Hethiss is nice, does well to show off multiple potential themes of the expansion with both poisonous and death, and I like Invoke despite not really feeling like a keyword, though I can't really explain why. I like the idea of the Grimoire of Eternity and I'm willing to see how the mage spell tribe thing works out, though I think you've not exactly got the casual and goofy vibe down in the submission. I feel like Brutallus probably isn't that hard to build a deck around and stomps aggro into the ground, though that's obviously a card that'd need playtesting. Blazing Infernal doesn't really feel like a "Positioning matters" card all that much honestly, I feel like a card that requires a lot of pre-planning would be best to show it off. This is more of a "Place between two minions and attack" card that you want to play minions around.
Wailor's Year of the Tortoise
Draenei Wanderer feels like it could do something relevant to the swap beyond just swapping, like the actual swap being a necessity that functions as a bonus. Like Curious Glimmeroot giving information or something similar. I think a card which has the pure function of swapping feels too non-Hearthstoney, too niche, yet as a secondary effect it could fulfill its intended purpose elegantly while being more interesting. I think Dive has a similar issue, Hearthstone doesn't tend to have many effects that do nothing by themselves. If Dive actually did something minor for your hero and then synergies existed on top of that, I'd like the mechanic more. Fate and Future seems fine, but giving a minion Charge allows it to attack on its first turn, it doesn't allow a minion that already attacked to attack again. Everything seems pretty well connected in this year though.
NOVEX0R's Year of the Scarab
Not too fond of Ancient, it feels like it could be done more elegantly. Tracking digits in the cards text usually isn't how things in Hearthstone work. Also I'm not sure if I like that this encourages a less than active form of play. Active playing should be encouraged even in control decks in my opinion and Hearthstone typically favors it also in comparison to most card games. Tomb Relic is a boring card in standard and absolutely game breaking in wild. Shadowboxer exists ya know. Hearthstone effects tend to do something by themselves so I'm not really fond of the nightmare/dream mechanic, I think it could be better if the Dream or Nightmare states did something regardless of the synergy cards. Stolen Plans is insanely overpowered and would be included in 100% of rogue decks because there's no reason not to. As soon as you draw it you immediately cast it and draw another card. If it didn't reveal the opponents hand it'd still be included 100% of rogue decks, it's just a way of making your deck one which only effectively contains 28 cards, which is more consistent than a 30 card one.
Electronite's Year of the Serpent
Hibernate is a keyword that comes up a lot, but I strongly believe that it's a bad one. Hearthstone is a very active game and making cards that encourage you to not attack are only a few steps away from cards that encourage you to not attack. Attacking is already a very big part of the decision making in the game, one of the most important elements. Making cards that make you not want to do that isn't something I like. Royal Archivist is a nice card, I like it. Knowledge Corrupt could probably do with a better name but in general the second set seems way healthier than the first. Dreamwalker's not that interesting to play nor does it do much special, yet it still feels odd to have the word Immune on a common neutral card.
LarryMoments' Year of the Wendigo
Getting a new keyword and then making two new cards with the keyword to show off an expansion feels like a way better idea when the new keyword was already a mechanic in the game, I mean the flavor's nice but I hope to see some more themes than just minions killing minions. Possession is flavorful enough and the flavor of the set as a whole is quite good, but it's really a pretty small effect and I'm not really sure what to expect out of the expansion because of it. It's not a particularly debilitating effect but I think it works perfectly with other effects as more of a marker than anything, a chance for some richly flavored cards to flourish like perhaps a minion that moves into a minion, possessing it, and comes out when the minion dies. Silver Mirror is also quite good. Lots of flavor potential in that set, I must say. You're not gonna showcase murlocs for your murloc focused expansion? Odd, and the cards you've shown haven't given me much of a view on what the expansion is all about, if I'm being honest. They're good cards however.
TheProjenitor's Year of the Fox
I like Plan, it's a common concept that's been executed well here. I'm glad you've given such a clear example of what the expansion's all about. A simple common plan card and a card that has a trade off involving the information your opponent obtains, it works nicely. Seems promising. There seems to be a broken imgur link on the next set, don't know if that's just me. Regardless, I don't like the way you've set up the keyword. Iterating Battlecry just feels too wordy. I think if you were to put (Iterate) or (Iterates) in brackets after the battlecry, kind of like Fatespinner, it might look neater. Regardless, every card with Iterate is kind of like a more restrained Shudderwock, which means it's probably really hard to manage the power level. Even a weak common Iterating battlecry minion that does 1 damage will also summon a 3/3 golem, draw a card, maybe kill a couple of minions and burn the board in a firestorm or something similar, and it escalates with every card printed. Rebuilding Dalaran is really interesting yet Enter the Legion is really uninteresting. Obviously your legendary spells are going to be very bottom-up from a design standpoint but I definitely think a stronger focus on how interesting Enter the Legion is mechanically would be good. Destroying mana crystals at later turns just isn't much of a downside so it kinda feels like summoning a bunch of guys with an overload.
I was a little exhausted near the end because it's gotten late, so I apologize if I've said much that's nonsensical or too crude, I'm not quite myself just yet. Regardless, I hope the competitors in question at least read it, I've spent a lot of time on it even if a lot is just gibberish, and if any of your works were to improve due to all this effort it'd all have been worth. A lot of promising entries this comp, many with small mistakes made here and there (that might have came from having to make a three-set concept in the space of two weeks) and I'm hoping to see some great stuff by the end. Including Ludicolo, mostly that. Tox, this is a genuine threat, I will send over 7 spammy messages to you via Discord and Hearthpwn that'll contain some kind of puzzle that'll insinuate you smell bad when you eventually solve it unless you throw Ludicolo in as a minion in Set Fire to the rain. It doesn't have to be a Legendary, though he deserves to be one, not even an Epic, and he doesn't have to be called Ludicolo but... Just please you have to do it I need it.
Gonna give this a big ol' bump, sorry if that's annoying, but in the time it took me to edit it moved onto page 3 because it took a slight while to write all this out, and I finally finished it. I just want to make sure everyone who this would pertain to gets a chance to read it because I'm hoping it could be a help to some. I'm mostly just hoping Tox reads it so that he adds Ludicolo but also for the other guys to read also. Anyway I'll be back after I inevitably distance myself for another weeks or so maybe because I'm consistently inconsistent.
Hey, congratulations to everyone who made it! I'm not gonna waste any time so let's jump right to the first round of feedback:
@teknician As a Miracle Rogue player who got bored with the deck long ago, I couldn't be less excited for the whole Coin Rogue thing. I think one card, MAYBE two is fine, but I definitely don't like the idea of focusing on this, even if the flavor supports it.
I like the idea of the cycle a lot though, but I think that apart from the Shaman card, the other ones are just too weak. The Hunter spell is basically useless in Standard and the Priest costs too much.
The Treasures are pretty cool as well, but the first two just seem really slow and weak, especially knowing they're the last cards in your deck.
@Tomerick88 I do like this idea of using alternative resources like Armor and your opponent's unused Mana. I myself made a card somewhat similar to Vogrin, a neutral minion, and I couldn't stop thinking this mechanic belongs in Druid. That's just something to think about; I see how your cards fits in with the flavor of Rogue.
@Demonxz95 Jesus Christ, you guys are fast. I can't possibly say something about each card so I'll just talk about the ones that stand out the most, but first, I have a suggestion.
See, I believe someone already told you to try and make twists to the source of your flavor so it fits within the Warcraft universe; this is what I'm trying to do with my own expansion. I could just slap some fan art of every movie and character I'm going to reference on my cards and call it a day, or I could search for legit Warcraft official artwork or fan art that reminds me of them and conveys the same feelings. Kinda like what you did with Snow White.
If you don't know where to find good WoW art, try this Russian website. I get almost all of mine from there. Now on to the actual cards:
- A Marriage of Life and Death seems stupid with Auctioneer. I don't recall whether you decided to HoF it but judging by that, you probably did. I hope so.
- I like what you're doing with Hunter. The cards are really cool, especially the Legendary, but damn is Three Little Pigs broken. It's like way better than Muster for Battle and Call to Arms. lol
- I'm not sure what to think of Legend of Camelot and how the sword interacts with your other cards, forcing you to run this specific spell, which is really bad.
- Shouldn't Ali Baba be a Legendary like all the other minions with proper names?
- Tooth Fairy WTF
- Slumber of Azeroth is pretty cool, good job on that one.
- Blood of Baba Yaga + Defile in Wild = 1-mana Reno Jackson lol
- Wicked Witch looks annoying as fuck. I kinda like it in a sense but dislike it in another. The whole Frog thing just feels too Shaman-y in my opinion.
- Mjolnir is quite a deceptive card. At first glance, I thought it was bonkers, but now that I think of it, it might just be fine.
@Vilegloom Dual tribes just look so ugly and there's nothing I can think of that could solve this problem. The cards are overall pretty cool and convincing; most of the artworks fit nicely, except Liliana and Furnace Fire.
@maxlot Hey man, thanks for the feedback. The name's written with a capital i 'cus every time I try to sign up to anything and I write it with an L, it says the name's already being used, so I've taken to write it like that. More inside the spoiler:
I agree with you that Van Hellscream seems a bit too powerful. I'll tone it down a little bit. I'd just like to point out that, by the time this card is printed, DK Rexxar will have already rotated out.
I like the concept behind Annoyed Max, but I have to agree that it doesn't seem like a very fun card to play against, which is why I made it pretty weak with a reciprocal effect. I need to work more on this whole idea.
To be honest I didn't take into account the damage to adjacent minions when I thought of the Channeler + Meteor combo. I think I'll bump the cost up to 5 'cus I really wanna keep the card.
I stand by my decision to introduce unfun cards like Marsh Seer because that allows me to introduce combo cards that could create some problems if left unchecked. Combo is always fun to play with and normally infuriating to play against, so I think it's fair to give players the means to counter them, even if the game ends in a frustrating way for one of them.
You're right about Tyr; I should make the effect conditional. I probably will 'cus it's also a card I'd like to keep.
@dropdead Moonkin is ok but Scratch is just a bad Wrath. There's absolutely no reason to play it over Wrath.
@linkblade91 The flavor and the story behind the Trials is pretty cool, nice job there. Let's pick them apart one by one:
- Permanently giving your hero Attack is a dangerous concept and with Cleave, I don't think the burden is enough to make this balanced.
- Nice touch there, "deals 1 more damage TO THEM". I like how the burden synergyzes with UtH. Do you plan on introducing more cards like that which would benefit from your opponent getting these tokens?
- Erm... I take it Addiction's Toll should damage you, not your opponent. Anyway, I don't like this design too much. I was never really a fan of getting burned to death by Mage. It took me over a year to accept Freeze Mage was not so stupid as it seemed and could be a cool deck, at least for the guy playing it.
- I believe I already told you my thoughts on the Paladin card, so I'm just gonna say I like the Priest one a lot. It looks like the most balanced so far.
- Hm, more Coins for Rogue. I'm not impressed. :/
- The Shaman cards are cool. I don't really know how to balance Besieged by Doubt but I like the idea of mass transform and it costs so much it's probably fine.
- The benefit and the drawback would kinda cancel each other out as the game went on. Will there be ways to increase your max Health?
- Blood Curse is really nice. Fits the class perfectly.
- The neutrals seem fine.
I'm sorry but I'm gonna make a double post to show my own cards now. lol
Nope, we didn't HoF Gadgetzan Auctioneer, although we did realize how powerful Marriage of Life and Death is and we did nerf the spells a bit.
It's funny that you say Three Little Pigs is broken because the pigs were originally 1/1s and Shatter said it was too weak.
My justification for Wicked Witch is that most class tokens use their class border (i.e, Silver Hand Recruit), whereas the class border for Frog is Neutral. I don't really understand how witches fit with Shaman either.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click the image to go to my custom Time Traveler class.
Been hiding my WIP in the Staff Work Area again lel :/ Removing most of the flavor-fluff, I'd love to get some feedback on my Trials and their Burdens. I've got other cards completed, but the Trials are the most important pieces of my expansion: if they need changing, everything related to that class might need another look. There's a couple main things to consider:
Do the Start of Game benefits outweigh the Burden's negatives? They should, but not overly so.
Are the Burdens even that much of a Burden? If they're a weak slap-on-the-wrist, that's not enough.
Are the Trials relatively balanced when compared to each other? They're not all as dramatic as the Paladin's "you can only have 1 minion", but they should all still be significant enough to warrant building around.
Just to be forthcoming, I'm the least confident with the Shaman and the Warlock. Anyway, here they are:
Druid/Fear: A Druid who lacks control over their primal tendencies should be afraid. Are they masters of the wild, or does the wild rule over them?
Enhanced hero and permanent +1 Attack, but forced to attack each turn (unless Frozen). Focused on buffing the hero and clearing a path for the player's attacks, but dangerous if not well managed when dealing with Taunts.
Hunter/Hatred: Her desire for vengeance pushes Alleria beyond the Dark Portal. She will come to know a thousand years of war, in the Twisting Nether.
Steamwheedle Sniper+, but hounded by constant Voidlings. Control archetype focused on clearing with the Hero Power and generating momentum from enemy kills.
Mage/Gluttony: Dependent on the power of the Sunwell for centuries, the "Blood Elves" are addicted to magic. What lengths will they go to sate their appetite?
Permanent Spell Damage bonus, but they must continue to use magic (in the form of mana) or die from withdrawal. Adding more Spell Damage raises the stakes. Archetype supports (and demands) mana efficiency.
Paladin/Despair: Being solitary crusaders against endless evil, a Paladin must not lose hope as the fight continues everlasting.
Bonus stats + Keywords, but can only ever have one minion. 1-vs-Many Control archetype, outlasting the opponent behind high-value Taunt walls and healing.
Priest/Arrogance: Tempted by the Shadow ways, a Priest must strike a balance with the Light or fall victim to their own arrogance.
Immediate improved-Shadowform, but it reciprocates damage back at the player. Constant, dramatic juggling of their Health; an all-in evolution of the Shadow Priest. Think cards like Spawn of Shadows and Blackguard.
Rogue/Zeal: Drawn to wealth, but ambition will be their undoing: the golden glint of greed shines a light upon the shadows they seek to hide in.
Gain free copies of the Coin, but so can the opponent if not careful. New ways to generate and interact with the Coin, spending them for bonus effects.
Shaman/Doubt: Doubt can paralyze the mind and Freeze the body, prior failures haunting one's thoughts like apparitions. How does one escape such a prison?
Your army is cheaper, but each friendly loss slows you down. Archetype focuses on pro-Freeze elements and summoning multiple minions to help sustain your forces through the long, cold war.
Besieged by Doubt is unique, as the only non-minion member of the Sha cycle (the art doesn't fit in the minion window lel). The token is a collectible card, described below. Transform is a powerful effect, but it costs triple that of Devolve so hopefully it's okay.
Warlock/Violence: Binding his soul to the Burning Legion, Gul'dan will know power and blood as Darkness Incarnate. The price for failure will be severe.
Constant destruction sustains the player, but the Burden introduces a ticking clock: the Warlock must win before the cost becomes too great. Archetype follows a similar style, permanently pushing yourself closer to losing in exchange for greater power.
Warrior/Anger: In pursuit of strength, the orcs submit themselves to Mannoroth's Blood-curse. However, rage is a double-edged sword; will the fire consume them as well?
Minions have bonus Attack but they take damage periodically. Archetype consists of throwing expendable minions to their death and benefiting from the losses. Continuation of Self-Damage/Enrage mechanics.
Plus a couple Neutral cards for some additional context:
Haunting Remnant is a collectible token of the Shaman's Besieged by Doubt Sha-spell.
Sha of Pride is a tech card against the influx of healing effects I'm introducing, and the tenth/final member of the Sha cycle.
Spirit of Redemption is the ultimate gambit and plays to the Reward/Burden style: if you can prove you can survive at 1 Health for a full turn, you are greatly rewarded.
I don't think I'll be able to provide feedback today, but I can try to reciprocate some words tomorrow afternoon or Saturday.
Even if it's really early in the morning and I'm tired I think it's important to give my thoughts on the burdens.
First off I like the decision to make the penalties separate tokens, it makes the text a lot cleaner and it'd still be clear, like quests, so one of my main issues with the burdens is already dealt with.
Druid: This really doesn't feel like much penalty for the effect. With Druids hero power this allows your hero's attacks to be Powershots or simply just Steady Shots if you can't take the damage. This is a huge benefit, and the penalty just feels so minor. In an aggro matchup there basically isn't even any downside at all, and even against decks with taunt you're able to control the board so much easier that it's likely not going to be too harmful to you when they do play their taunts. It's also a little strange for taunt minions to be used as the counter for cleaving cards considering cleave can by used to bypass taunt walls with splashing damage. This feels like a card you play in quite a lot of druid decks rather than one deck built around this, just as extra control power as a slow deck or more consistent and extra damage in a fast one.
Hunter: I can't imagine this being bad at all. Having Darkbomb as your hero power is insane, you're able to kill off most 2-3 drops with that. Summoning a 1/1 Voidling every turn is a bad penalty but again, just feels really minor in comparison to the gigantic reward you're getting. Again, feels like something you just use in a lot of decks just because of how huge of a benefit it is.
Mage: Is this supposed to say to your opponent? Dealing damage to my opponent seems fine, not a great burden. But seriously though this feels like it benefits aggressive burn based mages a lot. Explosive Runes deals 8, Fireball deals 8, Frostbolt deals 5, Arcane Missiles deals 5, etc. You need to fill out a curve or take a small amount of damage, which is something that decks that fill out a curve tend to care little for. Losing health as an aggressive deck isn't too important and with the game ending quickly and your cards not costing a lot you're unlikely to get hit more than a couple of times. Doesn't seem healthy for the game.
Paladin: This is one of the more balanced feeling ones for sure. There's a huge detriment for a huge benefit. You can use your hero power as a 2 damage ping that can create a body, you can make any minion in your deck have significant immediate impact and then keep you alive with Taunt, yet only having one on the board at a time limits a paladin so much that that all seems challenging to take. If this were to stay exactly the same the whole way through I'd not be surprised.
Priest: Wait, don't the Hunter and Priest burdens just give you exactly the same benefit then? Hell, thematically it might even make more sense to change Hunters effect to "Cast 'Shadowform' twice." also. The main difference is one deals 3 to your hero every time you use it and one gives your opponent 1/1's over and over. The Hunter one definitely seems stronger than this, this feels a lot more balanced. Aggro priest seems like it could be a genuine scary thing with this and it still seems really strong but I'm unsure. I'm starting to think I'm missing something about the Hunter hero power or something.
Rogue: Wait, so you get a consistent 100% chance of obtaining a coin every turn and your opponent has to work for one? I get the benefit is supposed to outweigh the burden a bit but this feels too blatantly one-sided. I feel like most rogue decks would just run this because even if your opponent hit your face every single turn you'd still be the one ending up on top. Completely misread this, ignore for now.
Shaman: Now that's a significant burden. Benefit feels powerful yet your hero gets frozen and you need to be careful with your minions so that you can mitigate the downside, which I think is reasonably achievable. I don't know if this is too weak but I'm feeling a lot safer with it existing than some of these.
Warlock: Feels like an obligatory inclusion into Zoolock. You stay maxed out on health 100% of the time but your max health eventually gets to 23 or so before you win. Honestly Zoolock disregards its health quite a lot but this allows it to disregard its health fully for no real cost. It's not like your maximum health is that important to you as a warlock OUTSIDE of the situation in which you own this anyway.
Warrior: Another example of genuine detriment for a significant reward. I'm unsure how good this is but I think I like it.
@linkblade91 The flavor and the story behind the Trials is pretty cool, nice job there. Let's pick them apart one by one:
- Permanently giving your hero Attack is a dangerous concept and with Cleave, I don't think the burden is enough to make this balanced.
- Nice touch there, "deals 1 more damage TO THEM". I like how the burden synergyzes with UtH. Do you plan on introducing more cards like that which would benefit from your opponent getting these tokens?
- Erm... I take it Addiction's Toll should damage you, not your opponent. Anyway, I don't like this design too much. I was never really a fan of getting burned to death by Mage. It took me over a year to accept Freeze Mage was not so stupid as it seemed and could be a cool deck, at least for the guy playing it.
- I believe I already told you my thoughts on the Paladin card, so I'm just gonna say I like the Priest one a lot. It looks like the most balanced so far.
- Hm, more Coins for Rogue. I'm not impressed. :/
- The Shaman cards are cool. I don't really know how to balance Besieged by Doubt but I like the idea of mass transform and it costs so much it's probably fine.
- The benefit and the drawback would kinda cancel each other out as the game went on. Will there be ways to increase your max Health?
- Blood Curse is really nice. Fits the class perfectly.
- The neutrals seem fine.
lmao The Mage card should definitely say "your hero", not "your opponent" XD I'll fix that. I've never made that typo until the last version, after multiple times changing up the name. Remarking on the ones you had some issues with/questions:
Druid -> the Trial can be hard-countered by Taunt, if you're not careful. That concerned me, but it's probably not enough.
Hunter -> the class will acquire cards that benefit from defeating enemy minions, and 1/1s are easy targets.
Mage -> I'm sorry you don't like it :( If it makes you feel better, I'm not planning to push this into an OTK/Freeze direction.
Rogue -> it might be a boring sell, just looking at it alone. This is one that definitely relies on its other cards to shine :/
Warlock -> I've changed this one into a draw 'cause yeah, the healing is boring and counter-productive with the Burden.
These are definitely hard things to balance, so all advice is appreciated.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
I'm really tired of typing so I'll just say a few words about my goal when designing this expansion before I show you the cards.
The idea behind Lights, Cards, Action! was to reimagine famous film characters and how they would fit within the fiction (within the fiction) of WoW. Like I said to Demonxz95, "I could just slap some fan art of every movie and character I'm going to reference on my cards and call it a day, or I could search for legit Warcraft official artwork or fan art that reminds me of them and conveys the same feelings", which is what I chose to do.
I haven't made many spells so far, simply because minions are coming much easier, and that's probably gonna be the case until I finish the expansion. I'm sort of deciding where I want to take the classes on the go, as I make the cards, and recycling some ideas from other projects that I think fit better in this set.
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5? * Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not. * Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set. * Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card. * In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of Nyx Assassin a radioactive nerubian."
To-do list: Godzilla, TMNT, Robocop, romantic comedies, way more things I just can't remember.
...I'm gonna go on record and state that I don't have a goddamn clue what to do with the Warlock, and it shows. The only archetype I've ever liked is Demonlock, but that's too straight-forward and traditional for a Trial/Burden. I also like Mechlock, but that's practically a meme and it's gotta wait until expansion 3 anyway.
My day-to-day confidence varies wildly, and today it is tanking. Been working on my Year for hours, and not thrilled with the result at all.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
I don't like Ambush. I remember Phoenix explored it's potential some time before with Impulse and cards which manipulate how you draw it that makes it more skilled but even then it's still the "Did you topdeck this" keyword. It's good flavor and I'm happy about its use with Cephalopirate due to it not being objectively better, but I don't really like it. Explore is a nice keyword, one thing I think a lot of people make mistakes with while making Hearthstone cards is creating cards that give information for the sake of information, yet this uses it practically. Well, at least in the case of Murloc Pathfinder. If all the Explore cards will be like that, I'm very happy with it. If you make cards which just Explore and nothing else, I'll be sad. That's just not very Hearthstone. One thing of note, with both Ambush and Explore existing, deck manipulation better exist, it just makes them both so much better. Revenant is a keyword that feels nice due to how Undead synergy works, I like it. Mount is nice but obviously unfortunately timed due to Magnetic. Flanked is nice also, no real criticisms.
First of all, huge kudos for going through every entry that went through like that.
I totally get the worry with Ambush, it's a very reasonable concern to have with a keyword like that. It just made too much sense not to include it in the same expansion as a keyword like Explore, which allows you to anticipate future draws. There will definitely be deck manipulation mechanics included, at least for some classes which lean more into Ambush. Some will instead lean into getting Ambush cards in other ways - its specifically worded to allow card generation effects to activate the effect, not just drawing the card.
Speaking of Ambush and Explore, here's what I have so far for The Forbidding Voyage. I'm actually going to be on holiday for the next two weeks, so I won't be able to design anything over that time, but I might be able to pop in and see how everyone is doing.
First, a quick reminder of the theme of this expansion. Sir Finley Mrrgglton has voyaged out into the unexplored Forbidding Sea on the Murky Celeste, eagerly searching for unexplored lands and treasures. As such, much of the theme of this expansion is water-based, with exploration, surprise and planning being big themes, which is reflected in the keywords.
Ambush represents the surprise of new discoveries and being caught off-guard by something new. Explore represents... exploration, obviously. And together they allow you to plan turns around different effects, and knowing what cards are to come.
As for cards...
First we have the Prophet cycle, 5 cards which each allow you to see the top 3 cards of your deck. If you've built your deck in anticipation, you could draw up to three cards for just 2 mana! And even if you don't, you now have the ability to plan ahead, knowing what your next few draws will be. Reading them now, I might change the Paladin or Warlock name... Blight/Light is a bit too close.
Something I don't think I mentioned before is that each of my expansions is actually somewhat based on different mythos. This first one is Greek and Roman, the second (Tombs of the Forgotten) is Egyptian and the final (Secrets of the Hinterlands) is Norse. That's where the Prophet cycle comes from - the ancient tales of great seers - and where the year name comes from. Many myths feature serpents and snakes of all kinds.
The two Ambush cards I have thus far! As you can tell, I'm trying in most cases not to make it so that a card is strictly better when it Ambushes, as that would feel unfun to lose to a topdecked card in that way. This can be achieved by having an effect that isn't necessarily better - as in Cephalopirate's case - or by having an effect which comes with a downside - as in Forbidding Fry's case. Fun fact - a group of eels can be called a fry!
Since this is an expedition led by Finley, naturally there's gonna be a few Murlocs appearing. Murloc Pathfinder is another example of a card which lets you see your next few draws and could possibly net you a few cards as well. In a Murloc deck this is highly likely to occur. Finley, Seafarer, on the other hand, takes a new twist on the mechanic, augmenting your Hero Power for the rest of the game to also give you a peek at what's to come. I felt this was a good reference to the original Finley's effect, similar to how both Elise Starseeker and Elise, Trailblazer shuffle something into your deck.
(Not-So-Fun (For Me) Fact: Editing the art of the generic Pirate Murloc to look more like Finley - skin colour, orange hands, moncole - took me over an hour because I am bad at photoshop)
You'll notice I don't have a lot of cards yet. While I will be unable to physically create cards for two weeks, I have no doubt I'll be brainstorming ideas that entire time, so I have no doubt I'll be able to finish the expansion in the remaining week of time. I just love the concept I have here so much.
I have a few ideas for the first expansion... Aside from the whole treasure business, I want to make Coin Rogue a thing. To that end;
I don't really know if I totally like Time to Collect because it's a little wordy. I could go for Coin transformation, but I'm not entirely sure what cards I should be looking to transform Coins into that have value—spells, or minions? Mercenaries that you hire with your coins, or something to do with Treasures? Additionally, I'm doing a cross-class rare spell cycle, sort of like spellstones. They're meant to be useful/powerful effects that take effect on your next turn and last for that turn.
Lastly, Treasures. These are the bottom card of your deck, so they have to be powerful yet reliant on you having a plan after you run out of a deck. These are the only ones I plan to make for classes, I'll be doing 'normal' legendaries for the other classes.
Appreciate feedback and ideas on direction for these cards, will return it. :)
Bag of Doubloons: Seems good. Though, isn't 5 a bit too much for it's cost? Is 4 not good?
Two Three gold doubloons
Time to collect: I feel the combo needlessly complicates the card; I find it good without it. Though that's just me.
Kul'tiras Holiday: Seems way too overpriced for the effect. I think (3) or (4) is just fine.
Light of K'Ure: I feel this is very weak compared to the other treasure cards. I'd, again, reduce the cost.
Gul'Dan's Locket: I don't know why, but this feels a bit too powerful. Warlock has so many ways to inflict damage on itself, it kinda makes this card crazy. Not to mention the amount of healing it has now. This may not be true, though, as I don't know how previous expansions work in this competition. But, I'm going to assume they just exist.
Well done to everyone that made it. Commiserations to those who didn't.
A big thank you to the people who voted for the year of the butterfly!
My question would be which of the 3 expansions people want to see first? I've been working on all three simultaneously to make sure they synergise but Fractured Time has the most creations so far.
Here are a couple of my ideas so far if anyone has any input?
Warrior will implement an archetype where Armor can become a resource to unlock a card's effect or improve it.
Rogue will venture into some time bandit chicanery stealing your opponent's unspent resources to enable more powerful combos.
Paladin will push the archetype of using Silver Hand Recruits as enablers rather than just minions.
Wont get chance to respond to people until tomorrow as it's 23:00 here but again well done people and I'll catch up with the discussion tomorrow!
I like the idea of Warrior spending weapon to boost it's cards. I'd actually like to see more of it.
"Coinmaul"? That's pushing it, even for Hearthstone Legendary names :P The card could go either way. It's very powerful against the more control-y decks, but weaker agains aggro decks, I think. Since it's so ambiguous, I'm say it's good as it benefits you way more than it doesn't.
Silver Hand Recruiter seems good, though I'd change the art. I mean... that's Uther. Though I believe not many will notice.
Does Fate activate even without the minion being alive?
@maxlot Hey man, thanks for the feedback. The name's written with a capital i 'cus every time I try to sign up to anything and I write it with an L, it says the name's already being used, so I've taken to write it like that. More inside the spoiler:
I agree with you that Van Hellscream seems a bit too powerful. I'll tone it down a little bit. I'd just like to point out that, by the time this card is printed, DK Rexxar will have already rotated out.
I like the concept behind Annoyed Max, but I have to agree that it doesn't seem like a very fun card to play against, which is why I made it pretty weak with a reciprocal effect. I need to work more on this whole idea.
To be honest I didn't take into account the damage to adjacent minions when I thought of the Channeler + Meteor combo. I think I'll bump the cost up to 5 'cus I really wanna keep the card.
I stand by my decision to introduce unfun cards like Marsh Seer because that allows me to introduce combo cards that could create some problems if left unchecked. Combo is always fun to play with and normally infuriating to play against, so I think it's fair to give players the means to counter them, even if the game ends in a frustrating way for one of them.
You're right about Tyr; I should make the effect conditional. I probably will 'cus it's also a card I'd like to keep.
Didn't even consider that about DK Rexxar, definitely needs a toning down then. I really do think Marsh Seer currently counters big cards moreso than it does combo decks. If you were to change it to say something like the card below instead I think it'd still deal with combo decks just fine but wouldn't ban your opponent from playing any card in their deck that costs 8 or more. Making Leeroy cost 8 is still going to ruin shit tonnes of combo's anyway, though I don't know what combo cards you're making admittedly.
I don't like Ambush. I remember Phoenix explored it's potential some time before with Impulse and cards which manipulate how you draw it that makes it more skilled but even then it's still the "Did you topdeck this" keyword. It's good flavor and I'm happy about its use with Cephalopirate due to it not being objectively better, but I don't really like it. Explore is a nice keyword, one thing I think a lot of people make mistakes with while making Hearthstone cards is creating cards that give information for the sake of information, yet this uses it practically. Well, at least in the case of Murloc Pathfinder. If all the Explore cards will be like that, I'm very happy with it. If you make cards which just Explore and nothing else, I'll be sad. That's just not very Hearthstone. One thing of note, with both Ambush and Explore existing, deck manipulation better exist, it just makes them both so much better. Revenant is a keyword that feels nice due to how Undead synergy works, I like it. Mount is nice but obviously unfortunately timed due to Magnetic. Flanked is nice also, no real criticisms.
First of all, huge kudos for going through every entry that went through like that.
I totally get the worry with Ambush, it's a very reasonable concern to have with a keyword like that. It just made too much sense not to include it in the same expansion as a keyword like Explore, which allows you to anticipate future draws. There will definitely be deck manipulation mechanics included, at least for some classes which lean more into Ambush. Some will instead lean into getting Ambush cards in other ways - its specifically worded to allow card generation effects to activate the effect, not just drawing the card.
Speaking of Ambush and Explore, here's what I have so far for The Forbidding Voyage. I'm actually going to be on holiday for the next two weeks, so I won't be able to design anything over that time, but I might be able to pop in and see how everyone is doing.
First, a quick reminder of the theme of this expansion. Sir Finley Mrrgglton has voyaged out into the unexplored Forbidding Sea on the Murky Celeste, eagerly searching for unexplored lands and treasures. As such, much of the theme of this expansion is water-based, with exploration, surprise and planning being big themes, which is reflected in the keywords.
Ambush represents the surprise of new discoveries and being caught off-guard by something new. Explore represents... exploration, obviously. And together they allow you to plan turns around different effects, and knowing what cards are to come.
As for cards...
First we have the Prophet cycle, 5 cards which each allow you to see the top 3 cards of your deck. If you've built your deck in anticipation, you could draw up to three cards for just 2 mana! And even if you don't, you now have the ability to plan ahead, knowing what your next few draws will be. Reading them now, I might change the Paladin or Warlock name... Blight/Light is a bit too close.
Something I don't think I mentioned before is that each of my expansions is actually somewhat based on different mythos. This first one is Greek and Roman, the second (Tombs of the Forgotten) is Egyptian and the final (Secrets of the Hinterlands) is Norse. That's where the Prophet cycle comes from - the ancient tales of great seers - and where the year name comes from. Many myths feature serpents and snakes of all kinds.
The two Ambush cards I have thus far! As you can tell, I'm trying in most cases not to make it so that a card is strictly better when it Ambushes, as that would feel unfun to lose to a topdecked card in that way. This can be achieved by having an effect that isn't necessarily better - as in Cephalopirate's case - or by having an effect which comes with a downside - as in Forbidding Fry's case. Fun fact - a group of eels can be called a fry!
Since this is an expedition led by Finley, naturally there's gonna be a few Murlocs appearing. Murloc Pathfinder is another example of a card which lets you see your next few draws and could possibly net you a few cards as well. In a Murloc deck this is highly likely to occur. Finley, Seafarer, on the other hand, takes a new twist on the mechanic, augmenting your Hero Power for the rest of the game to also give you a peek at what's to come. I felt this was a good reference to the original Finley's effect, similar to how both Elise Starseeker and Elise, Trailblazer shuffle something into your deck.
(Not-So-Fun (For Me) Fact: Editing the art of the generic Pirate Murloc to look more like Finley - skin colour, orange hands, moncole - took me over an hour because I am bad at photoshop)
You'll notice I don't have a lot of cards yet. While I will be unable to physically create cards for two weeks, I have no doubt I'll be brainstorming ideas that entire time, so I have no doubt I'll be able to finish the expansion in the remaining week of time. I just love the concept I have here so much.
You do have a good concept here definitely. The prophet cycle is really cool, really like how you're dealing with Ambush, if most of them are like that I don't have much problem with it. I'm not sure how I feel about Finley Seafarer, as I said before I don't like information for information's sake as I like it being technically secondary on a card, simply information that helps the effect of the actual card. Generally information for the sake of information isn't really how Hearthstone does things so I'm not confident in it.
...I'm gonna go on record and state that I don't have a goddamn clue what to do with the Warlock, and it shows. The only archetype I've ever liked is Demonlock, but that's too straight-forward and traditional for a Trial/Burden. I also like Mechlock, but that's practically a meme and it's gotta wait until expansion 3 anyway.
My day-to-day confidence varies wildly, and today it is tanking. Been working on my Year for hours, and not thrilled with the result at all.
I definitely agree with you that demonlock is too obvious, and mechlock totally wouldn't fit yet. I think in general you should use health less frequently in your burdens due to the fact that it pushes the burden towards an aggro playstyle more than it does towards a deck that builds itself to prevent the effects of said burden.
Unsure what you should do for the actual bonuses but for both mage and warlock I think their negatives should change. You can sacrifice more than health, and I'd say a negative effect for warlock could be destroying friendly minions at the start of their turn to play as an egg or cubelock that has little control over their sacrifices and a lot of risk, destroying mana crystals under some condition you have to build around, or discarding cards some way.
For mage, I don't get why you'd punish mage for running spell damage, it's not like they do that a whole lot anyway. Again, the way it currently is probably just pushes them towards aggro burn decks, and I think there are more ways to simulate magical withdrawl than just dealing damage to your hero. Though it's a little similar to overload, perhaps mana crystals that go unspent at the end of your turn could be emptied at the start of the next turn? This still suffers the same curvestoney problem the current burden has but I think it's more punishing for a deck of any type rather than a majorly non-issue in aggressive ones. Or perhaps the way you should have to play around the burden could be forcing you to play carefully and practice restraint, so doing the opposite of what it currently is. I'm unsure with what the best idea is I'm just throwing stuff out.
I don't have as much of an idea about what you could do with druid and hunter, I'd say those currently have the strongest burdens and should probably be changed, but I definitely think forcing a hero to attack every turn is only a significant penalty if the opponent of that hero anticipated it, meaning I think it works very nicely if you have a card that forces the enemy hero into it but less so one that forces yours into it.
Been hiding my WIP in the Staff Work Area again lel :/ Removing most of the flavor-fluff, I'd love to get some feedback on my Trials and their Burdens. I've got other cards completed, but the Trials are the most important pieces of my expansion: if they need changing, everything related to that class might need another look. There's a couple main things to consider:
Do the Start of Game benefits outweigh the Burden's negatives? They should, but not overly so.
Are the Burdens even that much of a Burden? If they're a weak slap-on-the-wrist, that's not enough.
Are the Trials relatively balanced when compared to each other? They're not all as dramatic as the Paladin's "you can only have 1 minion", but they should all still be significant enough to warrant building around.
Just to be forthcoming, I'm the least confident with the Shaman and the Warlock. Anyway, here they are:
Druid/Fear: A Druid who lacks control over their primal tendencies should be afraid. Are they masters of the wild, or does the wild rule over them?
Enhanced hero and permanent +1 Attack, but forced to attack each turn (unless Frozen). Focused on buffing the hero and clearing a path for the player's attacks, but dangerous if not well managed when dealing with Taunts.
Hunter/Hatred: Her desire for vengeance pushes Alleria beyond the Dark Portal. She will come to know a thousand years of war, in the Twisting Nether.
Steamwheedle Sniper+, but hounded by constant Voidlings. Control archetype focused on clearing with the Hero Power and generating momentum from enemy kills.
Mage/Gluttony: Dependent on the power of the Sunwell for centuries, the "Blood Elves" are addicted to magic. What lengths will they go to sate their appetite?
Permanent Spell Damage bonus, but they must continue to use magic (in the form of mana) or die from withdrawal. Adding more Spell Damage raises the stakes. Archetype supports (and demands) mana efficiency.
Paladin/Despair: Being solitary crusaders against endless evil, a Paladin must not lose hope as the fight continues everlasting.
Bonus stats + Keywords, but can only ever have one minion. 1-vs-Many Control archetype, outlasting the opponent behind high-value Taunt walls and healing.
Priest/Arrogance: Tempted by the Shadow ways, a Priest must strike a balance with the Light or fall victim to their own arrogance.
Immediate improved-Shadowform, but it reciprocates damage back at the player. Constant, dramatic juggling of their Health; an all-in evolution of the Shadow Priest. Think cards like Spawn of Shadows and Blackguard.
Rogue/Zeal: Drawn to wealth, but ambition will be their undoing: the golden glint of greed shines a light upon the shadows they seek to hide in.
Gain free copies of the Coin, but so can the opponent if not careful. New ways to generate and interact with the Coin, spending them for bonus effects.
Edited to clarify that you acquire a Coin every turn all game. The original version could have been interpreted as a one-time only effect, which would've been quite shitty lel.
Shaman/Doubt: Doubt can paralyze the mind and Freeze the body, prior failures haunting one's thoughts like apparitions. How does one escape such a prison?
Your army is cheaper, but each friendly loss slows you down. Archetype focuses on pro-Freeze elements and summoning multiple minions to help sustain your forces through the long, cold war.
Besieged by Doubt is unique, as the only non-minion member of the Sha cycle (the art doesn't fit in the minion window lel). The token is a collectible card, described below. Transform is a powerful effect, but it costs triple that of Devolve so hopefully it's okay.
Warlock/Violence: Binding his soul to the Burning Legion, Gul'dan will know power and blood as Darkness Incarnate. The price for failure will be severe.
Constant destruction reloads the player's hand, but the Burden introduces a ticking clock: the Warlock must win before the cost becomes too great. Archetype follows a similar style, permanently pushing yourself closer to losing in exchange for greater power.
^ Edit: It was originally "Whenever a minion dies, restore 2 Health to your hero." I found that too boring, and was really concerned that people wouldn't find that appealing enough to play the card. So...yeah. Traded endless sustain for constant reload, giving the Warlock two theoretical problems to deal with: dying from becoming too frail, and/or burning through your deck too quickly.
Warrior/Anger: In pursuit of strength, the orcs submit themselves to Mannoroth's Blood-curse. However, rage is a double-edged sword; will the fire consume them as well?
Minions have bonus Attack but they take damage periodically. Archetype consists of throwing expendable minions to their death and benefiting from the losses. Continuation of Self-Damage/Enrage mechanics.
Plus a couple Neutral cards for some additional context:
Haunting Remnant is a collectible token of the Shaman's Besieged by Doubt Sha-spell.
Sha of Pride is a tech card against the influx of healing effects I'm introducing, and the tenth/final member of the Sha cycle.
Spirit of Redemption is the ultimate gambit and plays to the Reward/Burden style: if you can prove you can survive at 1 Health for a full turn, you are greatly rewarded.
I don't think I'll be able to provide feedback today, but I can try to reciprocate some words tomorrow afternoon or Saturday.
Your Penance idea is really creative and powerful, but I still repeated a sentiment that not many said: I think that playing with a 29 cards deck is really broken all by itself.
The Wild Side: The cleave effect is very dangerous given the fact that one of Druid's biggest weakness is they don't have good board clear. And that not to mention the fact that they can easily gain back the lost health with so much Armor gain. Also, what would happen if the Druid spent all their mana? Does the UI just warned that "You don't have enough mana" to them if they play it? Like, if they play a 3 cost minion when they have 3 mana.
Sunwell's Gift: Broken. Aggro Mage's biggest weakness isn't that they took a lot of damage. It's that they lack board clear, inconsistent draw or not doing enough damage before the opponent stabilize. GIving them the ability to increase consistency (with the Trial destroy itself) and more damage is just really broken.
Vigilant Crusader: The only one that I really like. Paladin can used this defensively in the early game and has value in the late game in exchange for playing the tempo-midrange game. However, the only worry I have is if they abuse the destroy effect with cards like Cult Master.
Heart of Darkness: Really weak? Priest don't have the shell to push for a tempo-aggro deck and their board clear is way too efficient to ever run this card. Not to mention that a majority of their card synergize well with their healing Hero Power.
Greed is Good: Really weak? Your opponent will likely have 2-3 Coins per turn, which usually will outpace you (especially if they are Paladin or Mage).
Fire and Blood: I feel like this card will never see play. Warlock already has all the draw that they need. They just need more tempo / come back cards for both of their archetype.
The Blood Curse: Will also never see play. Warrior's minion's health is way too low for it to be damage by 2 each turn, on top of the Whirlwings effect they want to utilize. Unless you print more high health Enrage minion, I'd drop the punishment to 1 damage.
I actually like all 3 of the Neutral cards, especially Spirit of Redemption. Obviously a dead draw against a Mage, but strong against the other 8.
I'm really tired of typing so I'll just say a few words about my goal when designing this expansion before I show you the cards.
The idea behind Lights, Cards, Action! was to reimagine famous film characters and how they would fit within the fiction (within the fiction) of WoW. Like I said to Demonxz95, "I could just slap some fan art of every movie and character I'm going to reference on my cards and call it a day, or I could search for legit Warcraft official artwork or fan art that reminds me of them and conveys the same feelings", which is what I chose to do.
I haven't made many spells so far, simply because minions are coming much easier, and that's probably gonna be the case until I finish the expansion. I'm sort of deciding where I want to take the classes on the go, as I make the cards, and recycling some ideas from other projects that I think fit better in this set.
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5? * Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not. * Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set. * Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card. * In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of Nyx Assassin a radioactive nerubian."
To-do list: Godzilla, TMNT, Robocop, romantic comedies, way more things I just can't remember.
I think I already said what I think about your overall expansion in the first phase, so I'll just move on to the cards:
Van Hellscream is honestly just isn't impactful enough for a Legendary. He do nothing when played on board. His effect can only snipe small minions or hurt very little and the heal is too slow. You need a better shell for Control Hunter if you want it to be more viable and even then Hellscream is too weak as a win condition. I think that give him Taunt goes a long way.
I'll be honest, Darth Knight looks like a Rogue card since the effect is unique to Rogue (Blade Flurry, Doomerang). It'd be way too broken with Warrior since their weapon is huge.
Tinknator is basically an Ice Block that give you a 6/6 for 3 mana. I'm not saying that it will be as powerful as the Secret some or even a majority of the time, but the developers rotate it out for a reason since it create frustrating gameplay.
So, what happen if the minion has less than 3 Health? Does Say Cheese kill them? Because that will drastically change the power level of the card.
Swamp Thing looks way too complicated to be a Common. I think it needs to be an Epic.
You forgot to do a Fandral form of Druid of the Dark Night. (I know it's a pain, especially if you don't have plan to have another similar effect in your expansion, but the developers always make a Fandral form for new Choose One transform card).
Speaking of Ambush and Explore, here's what I have so far for The Forbidding Voyage. I'm actually going to be on holiday for the next two weeks, so I won't be able to design anything over that time, but I might be able to pop in and see how everyone is doing.
First, a quick reminder of the theme of this expansion. Sir Finley Mrrgglton has voyaged out into the unexplored Forbidding Sea on the Murky Celeste, eagerly searching for unexplored lands and treasures. As such, much of the theme of this expansion is water-based, with exploration, surprise and planning being big themes, which is reflected in the keywords.
Ambush represents the surprise of new discoveries and being caught off-guard by something new. Explore represents... exploration, obviously. And together they allow you to plan turns around different effects, and knowing what cards are to come.
As for cards...
First we have the Prophet cycle, 5 cards which each allow you to see the top 3 cards of your deck. If you've built your deck in anticipation, you could draw up to three cards for just 2 mana! And even if you don't, you now have the ability to plan ahead, knowing what your next few draws will be. Reading them now, I might change the Paladin or Warlock name... Blight/Light is a bit too close.
Something I don't think I mentioned before is that each of my expansions is actually somewhat based on different mythos. This first one is Greek and Roman, the second (Tombs of the Forgotten) is Egyptian and the final (Secrets of the Hinterlands) is Norse. That's where the Prophet cycle comes from - the ancient tales of great seers - and where the year name comes from. Many myths feature serpents and snakes of all kinds.
The two Ambush cards I have thus far! As you can tell, I'm trying in most cases not to make it so that a card is strictly better when it Ambushes, as that would feel unfun to lose to a topdecked card in that way. This can be achieved by having an effect that isn't necessarily better - as in Cephalopirate's case - or by having an effect which comes with a downside - as in Forbidding Fry's case. Fun fact - a group of eels can be called a fry!
Since this is an expedition led by Finley, naturally there's gonna be a few Murlocs appearing. Murloc Pathfinder is another example of a card which lets you see your next few draws and could possibly net you a few cards as well. In a Murloc deck this is highly likely to occur. Finley, Seafarer, on the other hand, takes a new twist on the mechanic, augmenting your Hero Power for the rest of the game to also give you a peek at what's to come. I felt this was a good reference to the original Finley's effect, similar to how both Elise Starseeker and Elise, Trailblazer shuffle something into your deck.
(Not-So-Fun (For Me) Fact: Editing the art of the generic Pirate Murloc to look more like Finley - skin colour, orange hands, moncole - took me over an hour because I am bad at photoshop)
You'll notice I don't have a lot of cards yet. While I will be unable to physically create cards for two weeks, I have no doubt I'll be brainstorming ideas that entire time, so I have no doubt I'll be able to finish the expansion in the remaining week of time. I just love the concept I have here so much.
Firstly, for the theme of the expansion is very strong and flavorful in flavor and the mechanic tied into it.
For the cards:
I like the idea of the Prophet spells, but I feel that they need to nerfed to 3 mana each. Book of Specters have the same effect but came with a very clear downside while Arcane Intellect only draw 2 cards. Maybe you can get away with the Warlock cards being 2 mana since they are supposed to have strong draw engine, but the other classes (especially Shaman) is supposed to have weak draw and tempo (especially Druid)
Murloc Pathfinder is a balance card. I'd leave it as is.
Finley Seafearer: It's a fair card that will see some niche Murloc use since they are desperate for a 2 drop. I'll be honest: The art look way too aggressive to be Finley, who is supposed to be "civilized" Murloc. I personally think you need a better art.
@Demonxz95 As 1/1's it's probably weak, but maybe at 4-mana?
The whole witch and frog thing is because of cards like the Totem witch from Karazhan, Hex and then the Witch's Apprentice. It's more of a subtle trend.
@linkblade91 If you mean to take it this route, it's actually fine. lol I've learned to appreciate Freeze Mage. Just don't let fucking Aluneth Secret Mage become a thing again.
For Warlock, I mean, you could go with Discard. By now it's kinda boring and feels a bit cheap, but it might just be doable with the burden.
@maxlot This seems like a feasible solution, if I intend to keep the card. Thanks. :)
Bumping my cards. I really need some more specific feedback here, heh.
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5? * Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not. * Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set. * Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card. * In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of Nyx Assassin a radioactive nerubian."
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5? * Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not. * Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set. * Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card. * In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of Nyx Assassin a radioactive nerubian."
@waterwalker
It's been a while since I've given reviews on something. I'm just sooooo lazy energy efficient. It's about time I do something.
Van Hellscream basically turns your hero into Bloodreaver Gul'dan, but weaker. I really like this card as it supports the archetype of Control Hunter... I actually think it's fine as a 4/7.
Jack's Parrot - I don't think there's a current term for deducing what is or isn't an enchantment. Does Blade Flurry count? How about Goblin Autobarber? Unless this ambiguity is specified, I don't think this card makes sense (not to mention that it's reeeally strong) ------ Costume Designer has a similar problem. There are a number of cards that have buffing/debuff effects on minion(s)... there's no clear definition to what is an "enchantment".
I think Tom Athos's hero power should read "Passive Hero Power" as with Valeera.
I prefer the first of the two heartthrobs.
Otherwise, the cards look quite nice. I'm not entirely sure what the theme of the expansion is (note my nonexistent WoW lore) and you might want to write some stuff up about it.
I have my own set of cards. Like linkblade91, I've hidden it in a separate thread to use as a workspace.
Been hiding my WIP in the Staff Work Area again lel :/ Removing most of the flavor-fluff, I'd love to get some feedback on my Trials and their Burdens. I've got other cards completed, but the Trials are the most important pieces of my expansion: if they need changing, everything related to that class might need another look. There's a couple main things to consider:
Do the Start of Game benefits outweigh the Burden's negatives? They should, but not overly so.
Are the Burdens even that much of a Burden? If they're a weak slap-on-the-wrist, that's not enough.
Are the Trials relatively balanced when compared to each other? They're not all as dramatic as the Paladin's "you can only have 1 minion", but they should all still be significant enough to warrant building around.
Just to be forthcoming, I'm the least confident with the Shaman and the Warlock. Anyway, here they are:
Druid/Fear: A Druid who lacks control over their primal tendencies should be afraid. Are they masters of the wild, or does the wild rule over them?
Enhanced hero and permanent +1 Attack, but forced to attack each turn (unless Frozen). Focused on buffing the hero and clearing a path for the player's attacks, but dangerous if not well managed when dealing with Taunts.
Hunter/Hatred: Her desire for vengeance pushes Alleria beyond the Dark Portal. She will come to know a thousand years of war, in the Twisting Nether.
Steamwheedle Sniper+, but hounded by constant Voidlings. Control archetype focused on clearing with the Hero Power and generating momentum from enemy kills.
Mage/Gluttony: Dependent on the power of the Sunwell for centuries, the "Blood Elves" are addicted to magic. What lengths will they go to sate their appetite?
Permanent Spell Damage bonus, but they must continue to use magic (in the form of mana) or die from withdrawal. Adding more Spell Damage raises the stakes. Archetype supports (and demands) mana efficiency.
Paladin/Despair: Being solitary crusaders against endless evil, a Paladin must not lose hope as the fight continues everlasting.
Bonus stats + Keywords, but can only ever have one minion. 1-vs-Many Control archetype, outlasting the opponent behind high-value Taunt walls and healing.
Priest/Arrogance: Tempted by the Shadow ways, a Priest must strike a balance with the Light or fall victim to their own arrogance.
Immediate improved-Shadowform, but it reciprocates damage back at the player. Constant, dramatic juggling of their Health; an all-in evolution of the Shadow Priest. Think cards like Spawn of Shadows and Blackguard.
Rogue/Zeal: Drawn to wealth, but ambition will be their undoing: the golden glint of greed shines a light upon the shadows they seek to hide in.
Gain free copies of the Coin, but so can the opponent if not careful. New ways to generate and interact with the Coin, spending them for bonus effects.
Edited to clarify that you acquire a Coin every turn all game. The original version could have been interpreted as a one-time only effect, which would've been quite shitty lel.
Shaman/Doubt: Doubt can paralyze the mind and Freeze the body, prior failures haunting one's thoughts like apparitions. How does one escape such a prison?
Your army is cheaper, but each friendly loss slows you down. Archetype focuses on pro-Freeze elements and summoning multiple minions to help sustain your forces through the long, cold war.
Besieged by Doubt is unique, as the only non-minion member of the Sha cycle (the art doesn't fit in the minion window lel). The token is a collectible card, described below. Transform is a powerful effect, but it costs triple that of Devolve so hopefully it's okay.
Warlock/Violence: Binding his soul to the Burning Legion, Gul'dan will know power and blood as Darkness Incarnate. The price for failure will be severe.
Constant destruction reloads the player's hand, but the Burden introduces a ticking clock: the Warlock must win before the cost becomes too great. Archetype follows a similar style, permanently pushing yourself closer to losing in exchange for greater power.
^ Edit: It was originally "Whenever a minion dies, restore 2 Health to your hero." I found that too boring, and was really concerned that people wouldn't find that appealing enough to play the card. So...yeah. Traded endless sustain for constant reload, giving the Warlock two theoretical problems to deal with: dying from becoming too frail, and/or burning through your deck too quickly.
Warrior/Anger: In pursuit of strength, the orcs submit themselves to Mannoroth's Blood-curse. However, rage is a double-edged sword; will the fire consume them as well?
Minions have bonus Attack but they take damage periodically. Archetype consists of throwing expendable minions to their death and benefiting from the losses. Continuation of Self-Damage/Enrage mechanics.
Plus a couple Neutral cards for some additional context:
Haunting Remnant is a collectible token of the Shaman's Besieged by Doubt Sha-spell.
Sha of Pride is a tech card against the influx of healing effects I'm introducing, and the tenth/final member of the Sha cycle.
Spirit of Redemption is the ultimate gambit and plays to the Reward/Burden style: if you can prove you can survive at 1 Health for a full turn, you are greatly rewarded.
I don't think I'll be able to provide feedback today, but I can try to reciprocate some words tomorrow afternoon or Saturday.
Your Penance idea is really creative and powerful, but I still repeated a sentiment that not many said: I think that playing with a 29 cards deck is really broken all by itself.
The Wild Side: The cleave effect is very dangerous given the fact that one of Druid's biggest weakness is they don't have good board clear. And that not to mention the fact that they can easily gain back the lost health with so much Armor gain. Also, what would happen if the Druid spent all their mana? Does the UI just warned that "You don't have enough mana" to them if they play it? Like, if they play a 3 cost minion when they have 3 mana.
Thank you for the words (and a Thank You to everyone else as well). I've been internalizing everything...and I'm scrapping a few of these. As Cogito tells me, "You still got time Linkster!"
Just wanted to note for this one in particular that it's not demanding you use your Hero Power every turn, because you're given +1 Attack on a permanent basis. Your Hero Power could boost your inherent 1 Attack - and you'd be encouraged to use it - but the HP is not a requirement. I still think I might keep this at some base level, as I'm giving Druids what they always want - good clear - but at a significant price. Just need to up the ante on the Burden or something.
I don't have time today to provide further remarks for other people, so I will try to do so tomorrow.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
I will be giving feedback later on — there's a lot to go through — but I still have 2 burning questions.
1. Can we change our Hall of Fame entries? Do we even have to / are allowed to put them up in this phase?
2. Can you nerf a card that you're moving into the Hall of Fame? Or otherwise change an existing card? e.g. making Gadgetzan Auctioneer only work with spells that cost 1 or more... See the content patch that appeared concurrent with WotOG: Here, but not anything so extreme.
I'm guessing I'm going to be disappointed with the answer to the second question, which is a real shame, but I still hope against hope for leniency against the scourge of spell design that is the goblin with the best deals.
It's bittersweet I didn't make it to the next phase - because if I tried harder I could have, but this also lets me do shit at my own time, which is good. Good luck to all the participants - your ideas and cards were/are awesome!
Gosh, I really didn't think the term "enchantment SPELL" would cause such a confusion. I mean, of course you can't get Auto-Barber or Greenskin from these cards, 'cus they're not spells. You can get any spell that buffs or changes Attack and Health/Durability or gives additional effects, like Divine Shield and Poisonous.
Now, I'm going to discuss some of your concerns.
@Shatterstar1998 I think the impact of Van Hellscream in the long run more than compensates for it not doing anything immediately. Like Phoenixfeather said, it's basically a smaller Gul'dan HP. I don't think it should be fully stated nor do I want to give it Taunt 'cus honestly it feels kinda lazy, but I can see myself doing that in the end. Whatever happens, it's definitely getting +1 Health again.
Yeah, I thought I should make Darth Knight a Rogue card because of the Doomerang effect. It just doesn't fit the flavor nicely. Mostly I wanted to see how people would react to the concept of the card.
I never thought of Tinknator like that because, really, I don't think they are similar at all. Tinknator undoes EVERYTHING that happened since the start of your last turn, just like Toki's HP in Monster Hunt but even more drastical, which is why it kills you if you can't win by the end of your following turn. It gives you a chance to reconsider the choices you made knowing more of what your opponent can do to react to them. It doesn't even feel very powerful to me because it's not a win condition nor a way to stall.
Say Cheese will kill any minion that gets to 0 Health, just like Void Ripper kills Totems. I see no point in playing the card otherwise. Swamp Thing is one of the more experimental cards which I'm not sure if I will keep, and I agree with your point.
@Phoenixfeather A film festival is being held at Ironforge and the cards are characters, scenes and the people working in the filmmaking process. The characters are mostly references to real movie characters (Van Hellscream = Van Helsing, Tinknator = Terminator). I've been writing flavor text for all of them, just didn't post it with the actual cards 'cus I was in a hurry.
EDIT: Are you guys getting the references or is it all too obscure? 'Cus I thought that was gonna be pretty easy but sometimes it seems nobody understands what's going on and that just makes me sad.
After you play Strength, Beauty and Intelligence, Snow White, Dwarven Princess is added to your hand.
Other tokens:
Paladin
Arthur, Wise King is our third Wild card.
Story tokens:
Arthur, Wise King as well as the Young King Arthur tokens from Merlin's Time Portal + other cards will activate Sword in the Stone and will not be damaged by Excalibur. Thought Young King Arthur himself isn't created by the story card, he is important to the story, so I felt including him here was necessary.
Priest
Story tokens:
Other tokens:
True Love Kiss is also created by a Neutral card, hence why it's a Neutral token.
You may use Magnetic...but be cautious. We have no guarantee that Magnetic is an evergreen Keyword; it might be exclusive to The Boomsday Project. We don't have a solid reason to tell you No, but it's not a complete Yes either.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
Gonna give this a big ol' bump, sorry if that's annoying, but in the time it took me to edit it moved onto page 3 because it took a slight while to write all this out, and I finally finished it. I just want to make sure everyone who this would pertain to gets a chance to read it because I'm hoping it could be a help to some. I'm mostly just hoping Tox reads it so that he adds Ludicolo but also for the other guys to read also. Anyway I'll be back after I inevitably distance myself for another weeks or so maybe because I'm consistently inconsistent.
Hey, congratulations to everyone who made it! I'm not gonna waste any time so let's jump right to the first round of feedback:
@teknician As a Miracle Rogue player who got bored with the deck long ago, I couldn't be less excited for the whole Coin Rogue thing. I think one card, MAYBE two is fine, but I definitely don't like the idea of focusing on this, even if the flavor supports it.
I like the idea of the cycle a lot though, but I think that apart from the Shaman card, the other ones are just too weak. The Hunter spell is basically useless in Standard and the Priest costs too much.
The Treasures are pretty cool as well, but the first two just seem really slow and weak, especially knowing they're the last cards in your deck.
@Tomerick88 I do like this idea of using alternative resources like Armor and your opponent's unused Mana. I myself made a card somewhat similar to Vogrin, a neutral minion, and I couldn't stop thinking this mechanic belongs in Druid. That's just something to think about; I see how your cards fits in with the flavor of Rogue.
@Demonxz95 Jesus Christ, you guys are fast. I can't possibly say something about each card so I'll just talk about the ones that stand out the most, but first, I have a suggestion.
See, I believe someone already told you to try and make twists to the source of your flavor so it fits within the Warcraft universe; this is what I'm trying to do with my own expansion. I could just slap some fan art of every movie and character I'm going to reference on my cards and call it a day, or I could search for legit Warcraft official artwork or fan art that reminds me of them and conveys the same feelings. Kinda like what you did with Snow White.
If you don't know where to find good WoW art, try this Russian website. I get almost all of mine from there. Now on to the actual cards:
- A Marriage of Life and Death seems stupid with Auctioneer. I don't recall whether you decided to HoF it but judging by that, you probably did. I hope so.
- I like what you're doing with Hunter. The cards are really cool, especially the Legendary, but damn is Three Little Pigs broken. It's like way better than Muster for Battle and Call to Arms. lol
- I'm not sure what to think of Legend of Camelot and how the sword interacts with your other cards, forcing you to run this specific spell, which is really bad.
- Shouldn't Ali Baba be a Legendary like all the other minions with proper names?
- Tooth Fairy WTF
- Slumber of Azeroth is pretty cool, good job on that one.
- Blood of Baba Yaga + Defile in Wild = 1-mana Reno Jackson lol
- Wicked Witch looks annoying as fuck. I kinda like it in a sense but dislike it in another. The whole Frog thing just feels too Shaman-y in my opinion.
- Mjolnir is quite a deceptive card. At first glance, I thought it was bonkers, but now that I think of it, it might just be fine.
@Vilegloom Dual tribes just look so ugly and there's nothing I can think of that could solve this problem. The cards are overall pretty cool and convincing; most of the artworks fit nicely, except Liliana and Furnace Fire.
@maxlot Hey man, thanks for the feedback. The name's written with a capital i 'cus every time I try to sign up to anything and I write it with an L, it says the name's already being used, so I've taken to write it like that. More inside the spoiler:
I agree with you that Van Hellscream seems a bit too powerful. I'll tone it down a little bit. I'd just like to point out that, by the time this card is printed, DK Rexxar will have already rotated out.
I like the concept behind Annoyed Max, but I have to agree that it doesn't seem like a very fun card to play against, which is why I made it pretty weak with a reciprocal effect. I need to work more on this whole idea.
To be honest I didn't take into account the damage to adjacent minions when I thought of the Channeler + Meteor combo. I think I'll bump the cost up to 5 'cus I really wanna keep the card.
I stand by my decision to introduce unfun cards like Marsh Seer because that allows me to introduce combo cards that could create some problems if left unchecked. Combo is always fun to play with and normally infuriating to play against, so I think it's fair to give players the means to counter them, even if the game ends in a frustrating way for one of them.
You're right about Tyr; I should make the effect conditional. I probably will 'cus it's also a card I'd like to keep.
@dropdead Moonkin is ok but Scratch is just a bad Wrath. There's absolutely no reason to play it over Wrath.
@linkblade91 The flavor and the story behind the Trials is pretty cool, nice job there. Let's pick them apart one by one:
- Permanently giving your hero Attack is a dangerous concept and with Cleave, I don't think the burden is enough to make this balanced.
- Nice touch there, "deals 1 more damage TO THEM". I like how the burden synergyzes with UtH. Do you plan on introducing more cards like that which would benefit from your opponent getting these tokens?
- Erm... I take it Addiction's Toll should damage you, not your opponent. Anyway, I don't like this design too much. I was never really a fan of getting burned to death by Mage. It took me over a year to accept Freeze Mage was not so stupid as it seemed and could be a cool deck, at least for the guy playing it.
- I believe I already told you my thoughts on the Paladin card, so I'm just gonna say I like the Priest one a lot. It looks like the most balanced so far.
- Hm, more Coins for Rogue. I'm not impressed. :/
- The Shaman cards are cool. I don't really know how to balance Besieged by Doubt but I like the idea of mass transform and it costs so much it's probably fine.
- The benefit and the drawback would kinda cancel each other out as the game went on. Will there be ways to increase your max Health?
- Blood Curse is really nice. Fits the class perfectly.
- The neutrals seem fine.
I'm sorry but I'm gonna make a double post to show my own cards now. lol
@Waterwalker
Nope, we didn't HoF Gadgetzan Auctioneer, although we did realize how powerful Marriage of Life and Death is and we did nerf the spells a bit.
It's funny that you say Three Little Pigs is broken because the pigs were originally 1/1s and Shatter said it was too weak.
My justification for Wicked Witch is that most class tokens use their class border (i.e, Silver Hand Recruit), whereas the class border for Frog is Neutral. I don't really understand how witches fit with Shaman either.
Click the image to go to my custom Time Traveler class.
Even if it's really early in the morning and I'm tired I think it's important to give my thoughts on the burdens.
First off I like the decision to make the penalties separate tokens, it makes the text a lot cleaner and it'd still be clear, like quests, so one of my main issues with the burdens is already dealt with.
Druid: This really doesn't feel like much penalty for the effect. With Druids hero power this allows your hero's attacks to be Powershots or simply just Steady Shots if you can't take the damage. This is a huge benefit, and the penalty just feels so minor. In an aggro matchup there basically isn't even any downside at all, and even against decks with taunt you're able to control the board so much easier that it's likely not going to be too harmful to you when they do play their taunts. It's also a little strange for taunt minions to be used as the counter for cleaving cards considering cleave can by used to bypass taunt walls with splashing damage. This feels like a card you play in quite a lot of druid decks rather than one deck built around this, just as extra control power as a slow deck or more consistent and extra damage in a fast one.
Hunter: I can't imagine this being bad at all. Having Darkbomb as your hero power is insane, you're able to kill off most 2-3 drops with that. Summoning a 1/1 Voidling every turn is a bad penalty but again, just feels really minor in comparison to the gigantic reward you're getting. Again, feels like something you just use in a lot of decks just because of how huge of a benefit it is.
Mage: Is this supposed to say to your opponent? Dealing damage to my opponent seems fine, not a great burden. But seriously though this feels like it benefits aggressive burn based mages a lot. Explosive Runes deals 8, Fireball deals 8, Frostbolt deals 5, Arcane Missiles deals 5, etc. You need to fill out a curve or take a small amount of damage, which is something that decks that fill out a curve tend to care little for. Losing health as an aggressive deck isn't too important and with the game ending quickly and your cards not costing a lot you're unlikely to get hit more than a couple of times. Doesn't seem healthy for the game.
Paladin: This is one of the more balanced feeling ones for sure. There's a huge detriment for a huge benefit. You can use your hero power as a 2 damage ping that can create a body, you can make any minion in your deck have significant immediate impact and then keep you alive with Taunt, yet only having one on the board at a time limits a paladin so much that that all seems challenging to take. If this were to stay exactly the same the whole way through I'd not be surprised.
Priest: Wait, don't the Hunter and Priest burdens just give you exactly the same benefit then? Hell, thematically it might even make more sense to change Hunters effect to "Cast 'Shadowform' twice." also. The main difference is one deals 3 to your hero every time you use it and one gives your opponent 1/1's over and over. The Hunter one definitely seems stronger than this, this feels a lot more balanced. Aggro priest seems like it could be a genuine scary thing with this and it still seems really strong but I'm unsure. I'm starting to think I'm missing something about the Hunter hero power or something.
Rogue: Wait, so you get a consistent 100% chance of obtaining a coin every turn and your opponent has to work for one? I get the benefit is supposed to outweigh the burden a bit but this feels too blatantly one-sided. I feel like most rogue decks would just run this because even if your opponent hit your face every single turn you'd still be the one ending up on top.Completely misread this, ignore for now.Shaman: Now that's a significant burden. Benefit feels powerful yet your hero gets frozen and you need to be careful with your minions so that you can mitigate the downside, which I think is reasonably achievable. I don't know if this is too weak but I'm feeling a lot safer with it existing than some of these.
Warlock: Feels like an obligatory inclusion into Zoolock. You stay maxed out on health 100% of the time but your max health eventually gets to 23 or so before you win. Honestly Zoolock disregards its health quite a lot but this allows it to disregard its health fully for no real cost. It's not like your maximum health is that important to you as a warlock OUTSIDE of the situation in which you own this anyway.
Warrior: Another example of genuine detriment for a significant reward. I'm unsure how good this is but I think I like it.
Just gonna sleep now, see you in 10 hours+.
lmao The Mage card should definitely say "your hero", not "your opponent" XD I'll fix that. I've never made that typo until the last version, after multiple times changing up the name. Remarking on the ones you had some issues with/questions:
These are definitely hard things to balance, so all advice is appreciated.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
I'm really tired of typing so I'll just say a few words about my goal when designing this expansion before I show you the cards.
The idea behind Lights, Cards, Action! was to reimagine famous film characters and how they would fit within the fiction (within the fiction) of WoW. Like I said to Demonxz95, "I could just slap some fan art of every movie and character I'm going to reference on my cards and call it a day, or I could search for legit Warcraft official artwork or fan art that reminds me of them and conveys the same feelings", which is what I chose to do.
I haven't made many spells so far, simply because minions are coming much easier, and that's probably gonna be the case until I finish the expansion. I'm sort of deciding where I want to take the classes on the go, as I make the cards, and recycling some ideas from other projects that I think fit better in this set.
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5?
* Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not.
* Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set.
* Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card.
* In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of
Nyx Assassina radioactive nerubian."To-do list: Godzilla, TMNT, Robocop, romantic comedies, way more things I just can't remember.
...I'm gonna go on record and state that I don't have a goddamn clue what to do with the Warlock, and it shows. The only archetype I've ever liked is Demonlock, but that's too straight-forward and traditional for a Trial/Burden. I also like Mechlock, but that's practically a meme and it's gotta wait until expansion 3 anyway.
My day-to-day confidence varies wildly, and today it is tanking. Been working on my Year for hours, and not thrilled with the result at all.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
First of all, huge kudos for going through every entry that went through like that.
I totally get the worry with Ambush, it's a very reasonable concern to have with a keyword like that. It just made too much sense not to include it in the same expansion as a keyword like Explore, which allows you to anticipate future draws. There will definitely be deck manipulation mechanics included, at least for some classes which lean more into Ambush. Some will instead lean into getting Ambush cards in other ways - its specifically worded to allow card generation effects to activate the effect, not just drawing the card.
Speaking of Ambush and Explore, here's what I have so far for The Forbidding Voyage. I'm actually going to be on holiday for the next two weeks, so I won't be able to design anything over that time, but I might be able to pop in and see how everyone is doing.
First, a quick reminder of the theme of this expansion. Sir Finley Mrrgglton has voyaged out into the unexplored Forbidding Sea on the Murky Celeste, eagerly searching for unexplored lands and treasures. As such, much of the theme of this expansion is water-based, with exploration, surprise and planning being big themes, which is reflected in the keywords.
Ambush represents the surprise of new discoveries and being caught off-guard by something new. Explore represents... exploration, obviously. And together they allow you to plan turns around different effects, and knowing what cards are to come.
As for cards...
First we have the Prophet cycle, 5 cards which each allow you to see the top 3 cards of your deck. If you've built your deck in anticipation, you could draw up to three cards for just 2 mana! And even if you don't, you now have the ability to plan ahead, knowing what your next few draws will be. Reading them now, I might change the Paladin or Warlock name... Blight/Light is a bit too close.
Something I don't think I mentioned before is that each of my expansions is actually somewhat based on different mythos. This first one is Greek and Roman, the second (Tombs of the Forgotten) is Egyptian and the final (Secrets of the Hinterlands) is Norse. That's where the Prophet cycle comes from - the ancient tales of great seers - and where the year name comes from. Many myths feature serpents and snakes of all kinds.
The two Ambush cards I have thus far! As you can tell, I'm trying in most cases not to make it so that a card is strictly better when it Ambushes, as that would feel unfun to lose to a topdecked card in that way. This can be achieved by having an effect that isn't necessarily better - as in Cephalopirate's case - or by having an effect which comes with a downside - as in Forbidding Fry's case. Fun fact - a group of eels can be called a fry!
Since this is an expedition led by Finley, naturally there's gonna be a few Murlocs appearing. Murloc Pathfinder is another example of a card which lets you see your next few draws and could possibly net you a few cards as well. In a Murloc deck this is highly likely to occur. Finley, Seafarer, on the other hand, takes a new twist on the mechanic, augmenting your Hero Power for the rest of the game to also give you a peek at what's to come. I felt this was a good reference to the original Finley's effect, similar to how both Elise Starseeker and Elise, Trailblazer shuffle something into your deck.
(Not-So-Fun (For Me) Fact: Editing the art of the generic Pirate Murloc to look more like Finley - skin colour, orange hands, moncole - took me over an hour because I am bad at photoshop)
You'll notice I don't have a lot of cards yet. While I will be unable to physically create cards for two weeks, I have no doubt I'll be brainstorming ideas that entire time, so I have no doubt I'll be able to finish the expansion in the remaining week of time. I just love the concept I have here so much.
You can find me here! Good luck everyone!
Bag of Doubloons: Seems good. Though, isn't 5 a bit too much for it's cost? Is 4 not good?
TwoThree gold doubloonsTime to collect: I feel the combo needlessly complicates the card; I find it good without it. Though that's just me.
Kul'tiras Holiday: Seems way too overpriced for the effect. I think (3) or (4) is just fine.
Light of K'Ure: I feel this is very weak compared to the other treasure cards. I'd, again, reduce the cost.
Gul'Dan's Locket: I don't know why, but this feels a bit too powerful. Warlock has so many ways to inflict damage on itself, it kinda makes this card crazy. Not to mention the amount of healing it has now. This may not be true, though, as I don't know how previous expansions work in this competition. But, I'm going to assume they just exist.
The other cards I think are good.
Didn't even consider that about DK Rexxar, definitely needs a toning down then. I really do think Marsh Seer currently counters big cards moreso than it does combo decks. If you were to change it to say something like the card below instead I think it'd still deal with combo decks just fine but wouldn't ban your opponent from playing any card in their deck that costs 8 or more. Making Leeroy cost 8 is still going to ruin shit tonnes of combo's anyway, though I don't know what combo cards you're making admittedly.
You do have a good concept here definitely. The prophet cycle is really cool, really like how you're dealing with Ambush, if most of them are like that I don't have much problem with it. I'm not sure how I feel about Finley Seafarer, as I said before I don't like information for information's sake as I like it being technically secondary on a card, simply information that helps the effect of the actual card. Generally information for the sake of information isn't really how Hearthstone does things so I'm not confident in it.
I definitely agree with you that demonlock is too obvious, and mechlock totally wouldn't fit yet. I think in general you should use health less frequently in your burdens due to the fact that it pushes the burden towards an aggro playstyle more than it does towards a deck that builds itself to prevent the effects of said burden.
Unsure what you should do for the actual bonuses but for both mage and warlock I think their negatives should change. You can sacrifice more than health, and I'd say a negative effect for warlock could be destroying friendly minions at the start of their turn to play as an egg or cubelock that has little control over their sacrifices and a lot of risk, destroying mana crystals under some condition you have to build around, or discarding cards some way.
For mage, I don't get why you'd punish mage for running spell damage, it's not like they do that a whole lot anyway. Again, the way it currently is probably just pushes them towards aggro burn decks, and I think there are more ways to simulate magical withdrawl than just dealing damage to your hero. Though it's a little similar to overload, perhaps mana crystals that go unspent at the end of your turn could be emptied at the start of the next turn? This still suffers the same curvestoney problem the current burden has but I think it's more punishing for a deck of any type rather than a majorly non-issue in aggressive ones. Or perhaps the way you should have to play around the burden could be forcing you to play carefully and practice restraint, so doing the opposite of what it currently is. I'm unsure with what the best idea is I'm just throwing stuff out.
I don't have as much of an idea about what you could do with druid and hunter, I'd say those currently have the strongest burdens and should probably be changed, but I definitely think forcing a hero to attack every turn is only a significant penalty if the opponent of that hero anticipated it, meaning I think it works very nicely if you have a card that forces the enemy hero into it but less so one that forces yours into it.
Your Penance idea is really creative and powerful, but I still repeated a sentiment that not many said: I think that playing with a 29 cards deck is really broken all by itself.
I think I already said what I think about your overall expansion in the first phase, so I'll just move on to the cards:
Firstly, for the theme of the expansion is very strong and flavorful in flavor and the mechanic tied into it.
For the cards:
Click here to visit my Timestream Tracking Finalist Year of the Dragon in collaboration with Demonxz95
Class Creation Finalist: The Astromancer
Best cards vote by community:
@Demonxz95 As 1/1's it's probably weak, but maybe at 4-mana?
The whole witch and frog thing is because of cards like the Totem witch from Karazhan, Hex and then the Witch's Apprentice. It's more of a subtle trend.
@linkblade91 If you mean to take it this route, it's actually fine. lol I've learned to appreciate Freeze Mage. Just don't let fucking Aluneth Secret Mage become a thing again.
For Warlock, I mean, you could go with Discard. By now it's kinda boring and feels a bit cheap, but it might just be doable with the burden.
@maxlot This seems like a feasible solution, if I intend to keep the card. Thanks. :)
Bumping my cards. I really need some more specific feedback here, heh.
* Van Hellscream is gonna get slightly nerfed. I think 4/6 is fine, maybe 4/5?
* Enchantment spell = buff
* Max is gonna see a rework. I'm just throwing EVERYTHING here so I can see what is good and what's not.
* Same goes for Vader here. I really want to make him into a card, preferably a hero so it can emote with that deep voice, and my first try was this. The effects are based on his attacks, the saber throw and the Force choke.
* Annoy-o-Boy is meant to be a child actor portraying an Annoy-o-Tron. There will be more cards like these. Actually, Priest is gonna be all about the backstage.
* Two versions of the same card. The second one is just a reskin of a card from my original draft for a full-sized Azeroth History 101, which is something I plan to revisit in the future. I might just leave it for later because I want disruption to be a theme of the third set.
* Control Hunter is gonna be a thing. Most of the Hunter cards so far are actually reskins as well. I'm lazy.
* The Power Wranger cycle. I always thought the Wrathful Gladiator Leather set looked like it came straight from a tokusatsu show and I wanted badly to use these artworks.
* I'm really unhappy with Shaw. The idea I had in mind was like, someone is making a film biography of him (unauthorized, of course; this guy is supposed to be the master of stealth, he can't just go exposing himself like that willingly). He's an actual character in the WoW lore but he's also the closest to James Bond there can ever be in this world and there needs to be such a card.
* In this world, the characters Batman and Spiderman are one and the same. "A Kul Tiran druid of noble birth, he was orphaned at a young age and, as an adult, decided to fight evil by shapeshifting into a gargoyle. His origin story was later retconned: apparently, he got his powers from the bite of
Nyx Assassina radioactive nerubian."@waterwalker
It's been a while since I've given reviews on something. I'm just sooooo
lazyenergy efficient. It's about time I do something.Van Hellscream basically turns your hero into Bloodreaver Gul'dan, but weaker. I really like this card as it supports the archetype of Control Hunter... I actually think it's fine as a 4/7.
Jack's Parrot - I don't think there's a current term for deducing what is or isn't an enchantment. Does Blade Flurry count? How about Goblin Autobarber? Unless this ambiguity is specified, I don't think this card makes sense (not to mention that it's reeeally strong) ------ Costume Designer has a similar problem. There are a number of cards that have buffing/debuff effects on minion(s)... there's no clear definition to what is an "enchantment".
I think Tom Athos's hero power should read "Passive Hero Power" as with Valeera.
I prefer the first of the two heartthrobs.
Otherwise, the cards look quite nice. I'm not entirely sure what the theme of the expansion is (note my nonexistent WoW lore) and you might want to write some stuff up about it.
I have my own set of cards. Like linkblade91, I've hidden it in a separate thread to use as a workspace.
Wished to be pink.
Then did.
Then fired myself.
Then did again.
Thank you for the words (and a Thank You to everyone else as well). I've been internalizing everything...and I'm scrapping a few of these. As Cogito tells me, "You still got time Linkster!"
Just wanted to note for this one in particular that it's not demanding you use your Hero Power every turn, because you're given +1 Attack on a permanent basis. Your Hero Power could boost your inherent 1 Attack - and you'd be encouraged to use it - but the HP is not a requirement. I still think I might keep this at some base level, as I'm giving Druids what they always want - good clear - but at a significant price. Just need to up the ante on the Burden or something.
I don't have time today to provide further remarks for other people, so I will try to do so tomorrow.
Behold, foolish interlopers! I am commanding this mortal to spread the will of the Scourge throughout the interwebs, encouraging you to seek out me, Archlich Kel'Thuzad! Now coming to you as the tenth class of Hearthstone!
I am a finalist in this Class Creation Competition, so if you could give it a look I would be greatly appreciative <3
I will be giving feedback later on — there's a lot to go through — but I still have 2 burning questions.
1. Can we change our Hall of Fame entries? Do we even have to / are allowed to put them up in this phase?
2. Can you nerf a card that you're moving into the Hall of Fame? Or otherwise change an existing card? e.g. making Gadgetzan Auctioneer only work with spells that cost 1 or more... See the content patch that appeared concurrent with WotOG: Here, but not anything so extreme.
I'm guessing I'm going to be disappointed with the answer to the second question, which is a real shame, but I still hope against hope for leniency against the scourge of spell design that is the goblin with the best deals.
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
It's bittersweet I didn't make it to the next phase - because if I tried harder I could have, but this also lets me do shit at my own time, which is good. Good luck to all the participants - your ideas and cards were/are awesome!
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. :)
Gosh, I really didn't think the term "enchantment SPELL" would cause such a confusion. I mean, of course you can't get Auto-Barber or Greenskin from these cards, 'cus they're not spells. You can get any spell that buffs or changes Attack and Health/Durability or gives additional effects, like Divine Shield and Poisonous.
Now, I'm going to discuss some of your concerns.
@Shatterstar1998 I think the impact of Van Hellscream in the long run more than compensates for it not doing anything immediately. Like Phoenixfeather said, it's basically a smaller Gul'dan HP. I don't think it should be fully stated nor do I want to give it Taunt 'cus honestly it feels kinda lazy, but I can see myself doing that in the end. Whatever happens, it's definitely getting +1 Health again.
Yeah, I thought I should make Darth Knight a Rogue card because of the Doomerang effect. It just doesn't fit the flavor nicely. Mostly I wanted to see how people would react to the concept of the card.
I never thought of Tinknator like that because, really, I don't think they are similar at all. Tinknator undoes EVERYTHING that happened since the start of your last turn, just like Toki's HP in Monster Hunt but even more drastical, which is why it kills you if you can't win by the end of your following turn. It gives you a chance to reconsider the choices you made knowing more of what your opponent can do to react to them. It doesn't even feel very powerful to me because it's not a win condition nor a way to stall.
Say Cheese will kill any minion that gets to 0 Health, just like Void Ripper kills Totems. I see no point in playing the card otherwise. Swamp Thing is one of the more experimental cards which I'm not sure if I will keep, and I agree with your point.
@Phoenixfeather A film festival is being held at Ironforge and the cards are characters, scenes and the people working in the filmmaking process. The characters are mostly references to real movie characters (Van Hellscream = Van Helsing, Tinknator = Terminator). I've been writing flavor text for all of them, just didn't post it with the actual cards 'cus I was in a hurry.
EDIT: Are you guys getting the references or is it all too obscure? 'Cus I thought that was gonna be pretty easy but sometimes it seems nobody understands what's going on and that just makes me sad.
Post our set with some major change:
New art for Baba Yaga.
Ali Baba is now named Treasure Finder
Now has a new banner created by Vilegloom!!!
Current example cards:
(We plan to put Lovelorn Prince under a Spoiler right under Poisoned Apple so the readers know there is a Neutral counterplay available)
Story tokens:
Other Tokens:
(Created by Maiden of Harvest)
(Created by Lovelorn Prince and Poisoned Apple)
Druid
Wisp
Story tokens:
Persepholes is our first Wild card.
Other tokens:
(Choose One option of Demeter's Sorrow)
(Choose One option of Maiden of Harvest)
(Choose One option of Persepholes)
Hunter
Story tokens:
Other tokens:
Mage
The Snow Queen is another wild card.
Story tokens:
After you play Strength, Beauty and Intelligence, Snow White, Dwarven Princess is added to your hand.
Other tokens:
Paladin
Arthur, Wise King is our third Wild card.
Story tokens:
Arthur, Wise King as well as the Young King Arthur tokens from Merlin's Time Portal + other cards will activate Sword in the Stone and will not be damaged by Excalibur. Thought Young King Arthur himself isn't created by the story card, he is important to the story, so I felt including him here was necessary.
Priest
Story tokens:
Other tokens:
True Love Kiss is also created by a Neutral card, hence why it's a Neutral token.
Rogue
Story tokens:
Shaman
Story tokens:
Warlock
Story tokens:
Warrior
Story tokens:
Neutral
Nightmare Amalgam
Click here to visit my Timestream Tracking Finalist Year of the Dragon in collaboration with Demonxz95
Class Creation Finalist: The Astromancer
Best cards vote by community: