The Chronicler is a class based on harnessing your memories and the power of the places you have visited or studied, summoning beasts of alien worlds or making your opponent feel what an eruption is like. Roaming through Azeroth and beyond, these explorers and scribes have witnessed or read about nearly everything, but their thirst for knowledge and adventure lingers on.
Karnik, one of the most important members of the Explorer's League, is also in charge of keeping the Great Library of Ironforge in order. However, he is no ordinary archivist. As adventurous as any other member of the Guild, he has travelled the world, personally adding dozens or hundreds of new entries to the library. With a basic knowledge of arcane magic, he has travelled through Outland and Azeroth, catalloguing each new landmark or race he encounters. He then uses this knowledge in battle if needed, making enemies shiver with Winterspring's blizzards or drown in Vashj'ir depths. He has even caught a glimpse of the Shadowlands, a realm usually for the dead... or worse.
Hero Power tokens
This Hero Power functions in a very similar way to the Shaman Hero Power. This means that, when you use it, a Scroll that you don't already have is added to your hand. So, the probabilities of getting the Scroll you want improve every time you use it without casting the others. However, you can't have more than one of each, so once yo have all four you must cast one before being able to use the Hero Power again. This is exactly how the Shaman Hero Power works. Improving your Hero Power makes it so that you choose which Scroll you add to your hand, and you can now have duplicates. Once again, this behaviour is exactly the same as Shaman's improved Hero Power.
Some cards will interact with your Scrolls in different ways. Some minions add an specific Scroll to your hand, others transform them. These are just some of the many things a Chronicler can do with their archives.
Preview
Westfall Settler
is an example of a simple
Recall
minion. If you play it on curve you are likely to lose its effect, but if planned correctly it can heal you without you doing anything special. In dire situations it could also be played directly for the heal, making it a {3} mana 1/2 that heals you for 3 and gives you a Scroll.
On the other end of the spectrum,
Nether Storm
is a really powerful spell, with most of its weight in its
Recall
effect. The powers of the Nether tamper with all magic, silencing all minions. But that is the calm before the storm. A storm you can recreate when you check your narration of the event.
Algalon the Observer
shows another of the Chronicler's abilities: using the Scrolls from the Hero Power to empower other cards. In this case,
Algalon
will use your knowledge to destroy your enemies.
Prophecy
is an example of the Chronicler's draw engines. Its methodical and studious nature makes them very precise, making you play around their predictable outcome. This card acts as a potent refuel for the more aggro or tempo archetypes of the Chronicler, at the cost of considerable tempo.
But the Chronicler doesn't just study. Their field work is well represented by the Discover keyword. Thus, there will be a decent amount of synergy with Discover cards in some expansions.
Check Your Sources
is an example of this, equivalent to
I Know a Guy
or
Blazing Invocation
I hope you like what I've shown you of the Chronicler, because there is a lot more in store. Discovering ancient secrets in Un'goro, fading away next to the Frozen Throne, exploring the Catacombs in search of a legendary tome, searching for the root of the Witchwood's problem, studying the timestreams using Dr. Boom's funds and finally, joining Torga's champion in the Gurubashi Arena.
The Ringleader is a light, fun-loving class that does its best to put on a show for its audience. The class has a lot of strong synergies, buffs, heals, tokens and a focus on miracle play.
Signature is the Ringleader's keyword, and a big part of what makes the Ringleader the Ringleader. Many circuses are famous for their own different acts, one specific act among the entire show that they slap on posters and imprint into the memories of everyone watching. Signature symbolises that. When you begin building a Ringleader deck, everything's as normal, the deckbuilding is just the same as any other. But when you include a Signature card into it, a slot appears at the top, filled with a pair of bananas to keep the seat warm. From there, you can drag any spell in your collection into it.
-->
These spells appear at the top of the decklist no matter what, in golden text and still taking up the slots in your deck. For a Ringleader, these spells are their, well, Signature , the one they're best known for and the one that puts them apart from the rest. Most Ringleader decks aren't defined fully by their themes, but more specifically by the one specific Signature that ties it all together. Enough talk on thematics though, what does a Signature really mean for a deck? Many Ringleader cards add copies of your Signature to your hand or your deck, and some modify the way it works. Many times, this just means it'll have an extra effect added on top of the spell, both spectacles triggering at the same time, but some change the way the Signature is targeted, repeating every effect on the card onto every new minion it affects.
But then, what of the subtle, overly cautious rogue, or the stoic, overly annoying priest, neither whom pay the same love towards their granduer as the greatest of Ringleaders, who happen upon Signature cards through their burglery and mind-reading? Well, much alike the Worthless Imp s from Sense Demons or the Shadow of Nothing from Mindgames , the Bananas from before will act as the default option. Should they be the type to rely on stealing a lot, they should end up finding a Signature generation card eventually. And by that point they should have built up quite the impressive Banana indeed. And besides, most Signature cards will do something by themselves regardless.
Card Showcase
Star Performance ~ A cheap, targeted, multi-purpose buff and heal card from the basic set. While not the most exciting card on its own in the game, a Ringleader knows that the signature act of their show is their most trained, not their most extravagent. Healing your hero and buffing friendly minions is a big part of Ringleader; be sure to consider basic cards like these when looking through Signature cards.
Circus Supplier ~ A handy little chap that's sure to be of use in any circus - he just radiates enthusiasm. He's a nice and simple way of getting yourself more copies of your Signature across the course of the game. I had two Star Performance s in my deck, but with two of these, I may as well have four. That's a lot of attack boosting and healing, however we're not really doing anything too fancy with it yet. And hey, if another class gets one of these guys, what they get will be amusingly appropriate.
Firedancer ~ Before, we were just setting up, but suddenly, those Star Performances might be looking a little scary to your opponent now. If the Ringleader can establish a small board, an extra 9 damage is gonna be coming right for the opponents face, maybe more. The Firedancer is an exaggerative man, putting on quite an impressive performance, and positively heating up the audience for what's to come next... But wait, those Star Performances also heal, right? (Pay no heed to the old Ringleader border! The work of trickery, surely!)
Three times the targets, three times the spells. Three buffs, three individual heals that bring you an extra 9 Health. This goes for any targeted card that does more than one thing, though effects that say "Your next Signature " only pertain to one of those casts, of course. While any Ringleader can run any spell, the ones they're using as their Signature will surely feel different from the rest.
Dining Dash ~ Ringleaders also have access to aura spells or turn spells, whatever you want to call them. Think of Lock and Load or perhaps Stampede . These spells work the same way, and of course reward the Ringleader for doing a LOT of things in a single turn. Such as, for example, healing your hero a lot of times in one turn. Hmmmm... I wonder how they could do that? Miracle players need look no further than Ringleader for their source of massive, one turn insanity.
Finale Architect ~ This lady is the one who likes to plan out the final acts of the shows she works on. Works great with aura/turn spells and spells that don't require targets, though the ones that do will just target randomly should their original target die before they cast. Sometimes, things don't go according to plan, and that's just fine. Be sure to write out a little risk assessment form before using her, because she certainly won't be doing that. All she cares about is making sure your next turn is one that leaves an impression, which it certainly will.
Expect a lot more signature generation, healing, buffs, wacky insanity and potential for explosive plays in the future of Ringleader, for these five don't even scratch the surface of its potential.
Art Sources:
Regina ~ Fajareka Setiawan Announce ~ Maren Marmulla Performer ~ Jingsketch Chain Dance ~ Anastasia Bulgakova Star Performance & Finale Architect ~ Anzka Nguyen (Seriously check her stuff out she's great) Circus Supplier ~ ALRadeck Firedancer ~ Cesar Rosolino Dining Dash ~ Dmitry Bolotov
Let me introduce you to The Bug class. The Bug is... well, a bug. But do not underestimate it ! It is able to trade some small minions with Hero Power, defend with various taunt minions and easily swarm the board. Oh, and don’t forget about weapons, the easiest activators for…
The Bug introduces a new keyword called Fury, which activates whenever your hero kills a minion (I told you weapons are useful) . This effect can trigger multiple times, thus giving your hero attack is something common for The Bug.
EXAMPLE CARDS
EXPLANATION
Armored Baldur – This minion represents one of the core mechanics of The Bug – exchanging Armor for other benefits. This is one of the main archetypes for this class. In this example, if you have 5 Armor (which is important – otherwise card will not work) you can play this and exchange your 5 Armor points for a 5/5 minion. You should be careful when you play cards with this mechanic, because sometimes that Armor could be more beneficial than a 5/5 minion.
Ice Crawler – The Bug uses Taunt minions to protect itself from taking more damage after using hero power or attacking with weapons multiple times. This minion has better stats than a normal 4-drop, but the drawback is having your hero Frozen for a turn. It may not look like something painful, but remember, that The Bug bases on attacking with your hero, so this drawback can turn out to be more impactful than you may think.
Protective Weevil – Because The Bug has a lot of Armor synergy, there have to be some cards that generate Armor. This minion is small, but every turn it stays alive it gives you 2 Armor points. Protective Weevil can be used both in the Armor-oriented deck (more control) and in the aggressive or midrange deck. One of the most reliable 2-drops for The Bug, because it fits in to the various decks.
Dream Nail - One of the archetypes avaible fot The Bug is an aggro deck. This weapon suits there well, because you can resummon up to 4 minions that died this game - this means you have some control of what are you summoning. Dream Nail features Fury keyword, so you kill an enemy minion and get one of yours back. Despite having low attack, it can be buffed with various weapon buffs, you can also use your hero power to boost your attack for a turn. Therefore activating Fury should not be something difficult.
Hive Knight Tiso – As I said, The Bug has ability to quickly summon many minions. This is one of the very few cards that have AoE effect, because this class is not good at clearing the board with 1 – 2 cards. This example benefits from having larger board, as Hive Knight Tiso can deal up to 7 damage to all enemy minions. Remember: Hive Knight Tiso does not count for its effect, so if you have no minions on the board, Tiso will deal only 1 damage.
Additional Information:
This class is based on the Hollow Knight game, but don't be scared! Except images (and some flavour) everything is the same as in other classes.
Your right is your opponent's right as well. Otherwise stuff like the Dorothee Brawl wouldn't work. You may think an enemy Battlemage Hero Power will hit your
left
-most minion, but this isn't the case.
If your opponent has no minions, the Hero Power will hit their hero. If they have one minion, it will hit that minion.
In other fantasy games and forms of media, Battlemages are people who specialize in forms of armed combat with weapons, and magic. Battlemage specializes in spells, weapons, and armor. In many ways, Battlemage can be thought of as a combination of Mage and Warrior. That's not to say there's no room for originality in this class because there certainly is.
Unlike most other classes in this competition, Battlemage does not have its own keyword. You don't need a fancy keyword to create a new class (although it's more than welcome if you do).
Minion Position Matters
Where you place your minions is the name of the game. One of the big things in Battlemage is minion placement. Stuff like the Hero Power and some of the cards interact with the placement of minions. When you play against Battlemage, it may be a good idea to think about where you place your minions. Tokens in particular as they are usually summoned to the far-right. But are you playing against someone smart enough to play around it? Not a problem. Play
Arcane Force
to move minions to the spot you want to combo with positioning cards, which this class will have a lot of. It's a cheap spell with Echo, so there's the spell synergy. The importance of minion positioning is upscaled with
Split the Ground
tenfold.
Some classes play spells. Some classes play with weapons...
Battlemage plays with both! You're a caster who's not afraid to use his face. We've all heard of spell synergy and weapon synergy, but what about weapons
with
spell synergy.
Flame Rune Sword
does exactly that! Swing in with the sword, AND you gain a benefit to your spells.
Elements and Armor
Burn it up, AND tank it up! In addition to the spells, you've also got the Armor and the synergy. But we've also got Elementals, which play a larger role in Un'Goro. Should Elemental Battlemage become a thing,
Molten Chase
is definitely a card to watch out for.
Freeze in place!
But Battlemage isn't all about fire and burning. We've got a "Hailfire Peaks" situation going on, with fire AND frost. Freeze Battlemage is a much more natural archetype than Freeze Shaman, with some actually prior support.
Rain of Ice
is a Classic Freeze card for Battlemage that also plays into the positioning theme.
Notes about
Split the Ground
:
The effect of
Split the Ground
will split the battlefield into two sides with 3 minions fitting on each, reducing the total board size from 7 down to 6. Assuming a side has enough room to fit, you can choose what side to play your minion on.
Taunt minions will only protect against enemy minions on the same side. Minions on the other side will be able to attack through it.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the show! Tonight, we present to you the one and only, the irreplaceable, the irresistable, Jacque Treflez!
The Magician is a class that relies on proper handling of cards as well as deck manipulation to achieve victory over it's opponent, much like how magicians use their sleight of hand to awe the audience. However, for a magic show to go as planned, it must have structure. It must be thought out and rehearsed. To do any of that, you need a
Script
.
Script
, is a keyword unique to the Magician class. Using deck manipulation to plan your turns ahead will be key to victory with this class. When a card is drawn, from where ever, it will gain an additional effect. For minions the effect will come in a similar way to a Battlecry, where as on a spell it will come in the form of a bonus to the effect already present on the card. More of this can be seen in the example cards below.
SHOWCASE CARDS
The showcase cards picked to represent the class, show some key mechanics and playstyles that this class will have: Deck Manipulation, Board Control, Combos.
DECK MANIPULATION
Deck manipulation will be a prominent theme throughout the expansion in this class. Because of the very nature of the Hero Power, you are able to guarantee to draw the card you want on the turn you want by placing it at the bottom of the deck.
Bribed Dealer
is an example of a card that is capable of doing that. While this card has no direct impact on the board itself, being able to guarantee a
Script
proc on a spell like
Science Show!
(Seen Below), can be vital in regaining precious board control.
Master
Puppeteer
is a card that takes full advantage of your ability to manipulate minions to the bottom of the deck, giving you the ability to place powerfull
Deathrattle
and End of Turn cards at the bottom of your deck and get a 1/1 copy of them on the turn you play this minion. I will also use this as an opportunity to say that there will also be a Deathrattle theme in some of the future expansions.
BOARD CONTROL
The Magician is a master of making things dissappear, as well as making the flashiest of performances! But none of it is un-planned. The Magician always knows what is happening around them.
Magic Trick: Dissappear
is the first card from the Magic Trick series for this class. These cards will be the equivalent of the Shadow Word and Power Word cards from priest. This particular one works very similarly to
Entomb
with two major differences. 1) It adds the card to your hand so it is ready to be played much sooner than it would be otherwise. 2) This Destroys the minion, meaning all Deathrattles are triggered. This gives the card some extra flexibility as it can also be used to proc your own Deathrattles when they are at low health only to play them again!
Science Show!
is an AoE that is at it's worst, a
Consecration
that costs one more, but at it's best, it's a
Flamestrike
for two less mana! This card goes to show how planning the turns out in advance can be very benefitial to you due to the
Script
mechanic being present.
COMBOS
One of the two main archetypes of the Magician will be Combo Decks and Control Decks. This card fits into BOTH of those deck archetypes. The flexibility of this card is determined by how you build your deck. If you build it mainly around cards with effects such as
Science Show!
then you can play this card a boardclear on a stick for your control deck! On the otherhand, with
Script
effects that buff minions,
Tommy Kruz
can be used as a finisher.
Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback during the creation and early phases of this class, all the way up to this submission. Also thank you to anyone who actually bothered reading the class explanations. Remember, -you- get to decide wether this is the curtain call.
Lore/Flavor
: Most mages utilize mana as the source of their power. However, there is another form of magic, an ancient and dangerous one where the user draws strength from blood. Sacrificing your blood and flesh to fuel your spells is dangerous and few can endure the cost of this powerful sorcery. Among these there are the lizardmen, who's reptilian regeneration allows them to recover quickly after casting blood spells. The most common form of blood magic is bloodburning, or igniting one's own veins to manipulate the resulting flames.
The Bloodburner utilizes health, in all its forms, as a source of power. Self damage is a core theme of the class, but blood mages are very creative with how they utilize damage and health. Another theme of the class is the relation between spells and minions. Spells will almost always hurt you, or benefit from low health, while minions will heal you, or protect you from damage. This is according to the flavor/lore of the class, as blood magic requires sacrifice and reptilians are able to regenerate their bodies fast.
Keyword:
Since you use blood to fuel your magic, taking damage (thus bleeding) offers a temporary boost in power. The first time your hero takes damage in a turn, all cards with
F
resh Blood
trigger their effects.
Fresh Blood
can trigger during your turn, or during your opponent's, but only happens once per turn. You need to consider the order of your actions to make the most out of your cards.
Example cards:
Swamp healer
:
Example of a healing minion. You can trigger this by using your hero power on your turn, or having the enemy damage on their turn. Because of the potentially large heal this can give you, it also acts as a pseudo-taunt. If they don't want it to trigger, they have to kill it
before
they attack you.
Serpentine Apprentice
:
The Bloodburner has a strong hero power, and many cards interact with it. This minion allows for better control of the board while inflicting less damage on yourself.
Bloodmana Ring
:
Blood magic user prefer to not use weapons, as they already take enough damage from their own spells. However, they are fond of amulets, trinkets, charms, rings and other arcane accessories. Bloodburner's weapons all have 0 attack, but they give you strong passive effects.
Bloodmana Ring
showcases the spellslinger aspect of the class. Like priests, they have great spell generation, but Bloodburners can also reuse already cast spells.
Cabalist's Tome
gives you 3 random spells immediately. This weapon can give you 3 specific spells for less mana, but the effect is delayed and susceptible to weapon removal.
Fiery Blood
:
One strong benefit of fire based magic is powerful boardclears. This spell is an example of a running theme in my class, which is effects active during your opponent's turn. Fiery Blood can deal 0 damage if the enemy decides to ignore you for one turn, or it can deal a lot if they go all in. They can still trade with your minions, but if your hero takes any damage (from spells, weapons, hero powers, fatigue or minions) your spilled blood will burn them.
Bloodflame Bolt:
This turns your missing health directly into damage, making a great removal spell. Many spells get better the lower health your hero has, creating a risk/reward playstyle. You generally use your hero power in the early game to remove stuff, so by turn 4 you should have taken around 4-6 damage. Combined with the damage taken from your enemy, this can often be a stronger minion-only
Fireball
.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strong removal, many spells get better with low health;
Most spells are boardclears; there are few single target removal options;
Spell generation and re-usability is a big theme;
Weak stated minions; Almost all minions are defensive;
Weapons have strong abilities, but are expensive to use;
Strong hero power, but easy to get yourself very low by spamming it;
Control/Combo oriented;
Few aggro options;
The Bloodburners strategy is to outlast their foes, by removing every single threat they put out. They can swing the game in their favor with only a couple of cards and their resourcefulness let's them always have something to play, never running out of options.
I hope you enjoyed my custom class and i hope i will be able to develop it further in this competition!
The Swindler's primary ability lies in people-skills. He's no ambitious warrior, nor is he able to cast real magic. He's always trying to talk himself out of unpleasant situations and to persuade others to act to his liking.
And he's an ambivalent character. While surely trying to turn everything to his benefit, he doesn't really like to upset anyone. Who knows? Maybe he'll need that person's favor in the future? So when doing something negative to the opponent, he'll mostly try to give it a little "upside" as well.
So many of his classcards will have a combination of positive and negative effects.
His Hero-Power grants him the ability to adapt flexibly to the situation, but also shortens his ressources.
Regarding the overall flavor, I'm thinking of the travelling entertainers of the middleages (I don't like the term "gipsy", but I guess you'll get the idea). So it's about entertaining and manipulating people. Card-themes could be related to shows, acting, fortune-telling - but also selling useless junk or snatching something from your opponent.
Additional explanations and considerations regarding the Hero Power:
I know that selection of cards in your hand is deemed impossible at the moment. I still think that the same effect could be created at the current state of HS. Technically it could be put as
"The next card you play costs (0). It is destroyed when played without triggering its effects. Draw a new card"
. This is very complicated, of course. But I hope we can agree, that this is how the Hero Power could actually work. (Basically identical to the effect of
Counterspell
: You play a card, it doesn't do anything and vanishes. In this case without any Mana spent, that is.)
There were proposals that it should be changed to "Discard your leftmost card" or something. But I think, that would be too weak, as it limits your range of action considerably. So I would still go for my initial version. I might have to work on the wording, though, to keep it simple enough.
Class Cards
Here are my first two showcase-cards to demonstrate ambivalent card-effects and possible interactions with the Hero Power:
Stunning Waitress
"Hey boys! What about some refreshments? You sure could use a little break..."
First example of the ambivalent character of the Swindler's classcards. The stunning waitress keeps the enemies busy, but the served Ale grants them some recovery, too.
Shifty Fortuneteller
"He knows your future. But don't worry - it won't be very long..."
The Fortuneteller benefits from carddraw - which means indirectly from the Swindler's Hero Power. I still tried to keep the cards general enough, so that they can also be useful in other combinations (and hypothetically not making them completely useless for other classes).
New Keyword: "Bribe"
With the Swindler's class I'd like to introduce the following keyword:
I deliberately chose a keyword that is not directly related to carddraw, but rather captures the Swindler's aspect of manipulation and his trying to talk or buy his way out of trouble.
When a
Bribe
-card is played, you'll get two alternative options (technically similar to Druid's "choose one") to select, if you wish to activate the optional effect, by that granting your opponent additional Mana Crystals.
Because this will set you into an inferior position in the game, the gained effects will usually be rather strong. (People were worrying about the effect in later phases of the game. I think at 10+ Mana the opponent will be given
Excess Mana
- so basically a free draw.)
Here you'll find the next two cards to give you an impression of how the keyword might work:
Mock up Dagger
"Yeah, that King's Bane is really cool, but seems a bit battered. Look at this shiny masterpiece! It can be yours, if you like!"
The first weapon, which I tried to design in a "Useless junk"-fashion. A nice shiny blade which is actually crap. Playing against non-weapon-classes will make it quite tech, but I like the idea of being able to trade weapons with your opponent. The Swindler will not have powerful weapons himself, so tricking your opponent to trade weapons would be his logical way of acting.
Alyria Stillcaller
"People say she got her name, because some of her victims are still calling for help."
The first legendary I'd like to show. Capturing the Swindler's attitude of snatching stuff from your enemy and showing the powerful possibility of using the Keyword
Bribe
. While running silence-effects is quite useful in many deck-archetypes, having it combined with buffing your own minions can be game-deciding.
And the last one for now:
Greasy Dealer
"So what? He deals much smoother this way!"
To compensate for the setback in Mana you might suffer, I'll also include cards that benefit indirectly from the use of
Bribe
. Greasy Dealer might help you to catch up, but can also be useful against certain classes in general (primarily against Druid in this case).
Presumed playstyle
The Swindler's gameplay will focus on control / combo play. His Hero Power will make it easier to find fitting cards at the right time, but won't grant him additional cards in hand. This won't be too beneficial for aggressive play. His few weapons will be rather tech-tools than mere means of destruction. The keyword
Bribe
might give him the chance to turn the tide or create momentum when necessary. And there'll always be possibilities to use the opponent's ressources to the Swindler's own advantage.
I think it would be really fun to work further on this dubious class and I'd really love to show you a bit more it!
Their is a fine line between life an death, sickness and health, weakness and strength . Hexers are masters of this faint limit, able to tap into both worlds and shift the balance to their advantage . The Hexer is an expert of concoctions , either curative or poisonous, sometimes both. This is represented by the hero power, a drug that heals the strong and kills the weak. At first glance, it looks like a simple " Restore 1 Health ", which it is in most cases, but it has other uses as well. Targets at 1 Health , ideally bruised enemy minions or even Hero, will be killed by it. But it can also be put to great use with " whenever this minion takes damage " and " whenever this minion is healed " effects, like those of Acolyte of Pain or Lightwarden . Likewise, it has synergy with the class keyword, Fresh , which grants additional strength to undamaged minions (think Enrage but the opposite). Fresh represents the idea that only the strong and healthy can prevail in a fight. It ties into the healing abilities of the Hexer.
EXEMPLE CARDS
JuJu Juice: Hexers are masters of healing brews that bolster the strength of the tribe. This simple potion brings a minion back to full Health , making it easy to trade into smaller opponents and get back in the fight. It has great synergy with the keyword Fresh , provides a cheap draw and can make a difference between life and death when desperatly searching for the right spell . A stapple for the class whether you want to build a Mid-range or Control deck. Fighters and magic users alike love it's Lemon taste .
Soul Crusher: Hexers have a special connexion to spirits . This mysterious magic allow them to sap strength from their opponents. Halving a minion's Attack or Health means setting it to half it's current value (rounded up). Because of this, halving a minion's Health cannot kill it but it will change it's maximum Health to the new value, meaning that the minion will be left undamaged . This mechanic provides control options, board swings and some synergy with Fresh . Soul Crusher itself it a well-rounded minion which can help building a strong board from early turns or bring down a big threat 's power later on.
Slow Kill: Don't mix up Hexers and medics, the cure can become a poison with the right dosage. This toxic mixture will slowly grind it's foe's Health, leaving it open for the killing blow . Used in conjonction with the Hexer Hero Power or a trading minion , this spell provides a good way to get rid of big Taunts and other scary minions . It can also be used on the Hexer's minions, providing great synergy with " whenever this minion takes damage " effects. However, keep in mind that the poison won't do all the work for you and additional damage will be needed in order to finish of the target.
Tribal Champ: Hexers are not all Trolls , but they have a keen sense of crew . They know that supporting each others is the best way to come out on top . Because of this, they put mass buffs and protective effects to good use. The keyword Fresh encourages the Hexer to heal and protect their minions in order to get the most out of them. They also keep in mind that, in battle as well as potion brewing, order is the key to success . Making careful trades and planning your turns ahead will always lead to better outcomes when using Fresh minions.
Vul'rajas Bloodblade: Trolls don't have last names, but this one sure has a title. Vul'rajas is a berserker who's not afraid to step in , but he is also a master of the voodoo arts, able to turn his pain into strength . This legendary minion is perfect for getting ahead on board by making advantageous trades. He can also be used to set up deadly combos or miraculous comebacks . Your opponent will have to focus him to avoid being overwhelmed by his moves, but he won't go down without a fight .
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well first of all, I'm very happy and excited by this competion and wish the best of lucks to everyone participating.
So I think I sould talk briefly about THE DETECTIVE, the class that I was planning on making but ended up trashing... Well I got the idea of the Voodoo a few days ago and it felt way better in terms of design space and flavor. In the end, trying to make something like pr. Layton fit into Hearthstone was akward to do and I had a hard time comming up with interesting and simple ideas. In that regard, I like the Hexer much better and I'm looking forward to fleshing out this class. I hope no one will be desappointed by the absence of the Detective in this CCC.
This point follows from the previous : I didn't take much time to think about the cards and get feedback because I spend many days on the Detective. Balance might be off in these exemple cards but I'll adjuste it as we go.
I think I should also tell you that english is not my mother language so I might make mistakes or be unclear in my explanations. Please let me know if it happens, I'm always looking to improve.
Final words : I hope you like THE HEXER as much as I do and I'm looking forward to the continuation of this competition. Happy CCC to everyone !
Edit : Changed the name of the class from "the Voodoo" to "the Hexer".
Greetings, interlopers! For your consideration, I bring you...me,
Kel'Thuzad
!
The Lich
Master of the cold dark, I bring death to the living and the dead back to life! My touch can
Freeze
the blood in your veins, and my magic will rip the soul from your body, all to be used for...later purposes. Together, we will bring the might of the endless Scourge down upon our foes!
Strengths + Themes
(
Freeze
) The frozen corpses of my enemies decorate the halls of Naxxramas like statues. I have room for more!
(
Deathrattles
,
"if it dies" effects
) My time spent practicing necromancy has taught me much in the ways of the dead and dying. Let me show you...
(
Reviving minions
,
healing
,
"if it survives" effects
) With power over death itself, I can bring my warriors back to life...or something close.
(
Late-game fuel
) With each body that falls, the Scourge grows larger. The resources of the living dwindle, while ours return manifold!
Weaknesses
Rumored Shortcomings
(
Slow archetypes
) The Scourge may be endless, but putting those bodies back together is a time-consuming process. Sometimes they come to me alive first and then it becomes a whole thing. It would be tiresome if I was still alive and needed rest.
(
Freeze doesn't kill
) Freezing people alive is always entertaining...except occasionally they thaw and resume charging. There are days where I just want them to give up and die already!
(
Lacking card draw
) I encourage all of my underlings to recycle those dead bodies in the blue bin. That being said, it would be nice to see some new skeletons now and then...
Example Cards
Dark Resurgence
- A surge of necrotic energy will end the life of an enemy. A surge of
greater
power will heal a fallen warrior. It makes sense if you don't think about it...
Unnatural Selector
- After a member of the Scourge falls, we can rebuild them! We have the
technology
magic: they will come back stronger, faster, better than ever!
Skeletal Frostguard
- It was their idea: "we'll create a wall in front of you, and you Freeze us in place." I thought they were crazy, but turns out it's a rather effective tactic.
Onyxia, Fallen Matriarch
- With the remains of Onyxia under my control, I will create an undying army of dragons for the Scourge! Which would you rather have: a skeleton, or a skeletal
dragon
?
Baroness Anastari
- A banshee's cry is said to drive their loved ones insane. While amusing, I'd rather they were driven dead. Those slain by the cry of Anastari will return to haunt the living!
Thank you for your consideration and upvotes, in bringing me into Hearthstone! "
Kel'Thuzad
is already in the game," you say? I have never seen that powerful and handsome card before, although "Curse of Naxxramas" sounds like a great addition to the game. An expansion, all about me; if you don't like it, I'll resurrect a body who will!
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
An Oracle watches from her temple perch, listening to the pleas of all people, peasants and kings, children and immortals, mages and paladins, alike, all begging for her blessing on the days to come. She listens, curiously, seemingly ignorant, as she chooses the path for others to walk. The future weaves itself into perfection for those she has deemed worthy.
An Oracle wanders the grimy streets of a crowded city. Civilians glare in disgust at his ragged clothing and maddened look. But filth matters not, for he knows the truth. The Impending Doom is coming. The gods have forsaken the world... and if only the people would listen. He continues his mad chant, stumbling over his own words and feet, crying for his enlightened voice to be heard.
An Oracle rides at the head of an amassing army. A shining crown is perched atop his head, signaling his power. He sings of victory. He speaks of the Countdown of fate that is unending, forever ticking onward, to a certainly predictable outcome. He knows their eventual victory is certain. He has foreseen it. It is merely a matter of time.
Strengths: Insane Value, High Card Draw, Effective Removal, Looks Hella Awesome When Things Work
Weaknesses: Slow, Unresponsive to Threats, Low Healing, High Skill Ceiling
Likely Archetypes: Control, Combo, Tempo
Does an Oracle predict what happens next or does she spin fate to make sure it does? Nobody really knows for sure. Regardless, something awesome is coming. Just be ready for when it comes to meet you. Introducing, the Oracle's class exclusive keyword: Countdown .
A Little More Information About Countdowns
When X reaches 0, the Coundown is destroyed and the icon is removed.
Like Quests (and unlike Secrets), Countdowns are played revealed.
Countdowns are only for spells . Some minions may have synergy or have effects that cast Countdowns.
This takes the place off a Secret/Quest slot, so no more than 5 (in any combination) can be simultaneously active. In addition, some cards may have effects that occur when a Countdown is cast (ex. Wonder)
Like Secrets and Quests, you may not have multiple copies of the same Cooldown active at the same time.
Timekeeper: The Oracle must not only predict the future, but manipulate it into her favor. A friendly Timekeeper can let you take an extra turn, cutting down the speed of countdowns and triggering Start and End of Turn effects. Most of the time, you're simply drawing a card and ramping a Mana Crystal. Edit: After numerous "You stole my Time Traveler!" accusations, the card art and effect has been slightly tinkered.
Sludge Prophet: An Oracle can always appreciate the help of her minions to lighten the task of weaving victory. Thankfully, a nearby Witchwood Sludge Prophet was willing to take up the job. Despite a little icky-ness, this friendly Prophet helps everyone, including your opponent, get a little more card draw, so long as you don't kill him.
Wonder: There is no success without a bit of trial and error. Although the Oracle's pondering of the future may bear little fruit at first, in time, a breakthrough will come. And voila! Two turns later, the Oracle suddenly discovers two new cards to play! It's a simple example of a Countdown.
Impending Doom: Unfortunately, the future is not all sunshine and Shimmering Corsair s. DOOM AWAITS. Well, not immediately. If you wait patiently, it'll come. DOOM AWAITS IN LIKE FOUR TURNS! Just wait. In the meantime, you're welcome to have a friendly chat with the enemy minions (as they impolitely pound your face).
Deus Ex Mors: "Time's Up! Let's Do This!" No more waiting for pesky Countdowns to slowly bring Impending Doom. Why not just have it happen... NOW? This Classic Legendary can allow a cascade of powerful effects trigger all at once! Your opponent simply won't be able to keep up!
A Blood Mage
is an adept caster capable of casting devastating spells from afar. Once part of the Alliance long ago, they turned to what appeared to be darker magics of fire, some becoming outright warlocks. They were once led by the mighty Kael'thas Sunstrider who succumbed to visions of grandeur. While he is gone, he remains the most famous, or infamous, rather, Blood Mage of Azeroth.
Cauterize
was a struggle to make. I went through many, many Hero Powers before finally settling on this one. A deceptively strong Hero Power, at first, it doesn't seem to do anything. But it makes more sense if it is worded "Destroy a minion with 2 or less Health". In a sense, it's a bit like
Mortal Coil
, always a strong card when you can get it off. Furthermore, it helps support the class' core identity, triggering on damage revenge effects, an in-game example being
Acolyte of Pain
.
The Blood Mage is bit of a mixed bag class, like Shaman. They excel in dealing direct damage and racking up Spell Damage like a Mage, but also exhibit a tendency for making sacrifices for power, much like Warlock or Warrior. Yet, at the same time, they have access to more than serviceable healing and even some completely new playstyles.
I really wanted a negative keyword this time around, a bit of a departure from most of my classes. It's also very straightforward and acts in a way much like overload, to balance out some extra stats or a cheaper cost. There are some cases where
Immolate
is used in odd ways to show that a simple keyword such as this does have creative depth to it.
In the
Classic
set, we see the Blood Mage in all its, well, classic, glory. Big damage, big spells, lots of fire, and a few burns here and there, maybe some self-inflicted.
Pyromancy
is a powerful combo card, trading in hand advantage for both board and tempo. It can even be used on its own in a pinch as a mini
Flamecannon
.
Grand Magister Rommath
, the current leader of the Blood Mages, acts as a huge threat, removal, and defender all in one, befitting of the first legendary minion.
Kobolds and Catacombs
offers limitless potential for the Blood Mage, as blood elves are... slightly notorious in raids and bossfights, the hallmark of this expansion. This showcase card actually highlights the main theme of the Blood Mage: they are a throwback to the powerful magics of the High Elves, their powerful illusory magics in particular. All Secrets, just like this one, will "copy" something.
Self-Reflection
is an interesting card, reminiscent of
Ice Block
or
Evasion
. Unlike those two, this card does carry some risk. If the opponent managed to kill the copy, you lose, as you can only have one hero at a time. However, the advantage of this card over the two others is that you "heal" back all damage done at the end of the turn.
The final two showcase cards are both from the
Boomsday
expansion. The Blood Mages research volcanoes and all things lava. Naturally, being so close to a volcano means a couple of mishaps. As such, the mechanical theme of the Blood Mage is self-destruction, which functions exactly like
Doomsayer
. All of the Blood Mage's mechs and some cards support the destruction of friendly minions. This is often a huge tempo loss, but is always optional and carries a suitable reward.
Lava Flow Excavator
is a minion with aggressive stats. The low Health helps it to trade quickly, so its doesn't limit you too much with its self-destruct effect. However, it always presents the option of drawing you a card. Best-case scenario, it is a 3 mana
Polluted Hoarder
.
Smelting Depot
is a clear supporting card of this archetype of blowing your own stuff up, but it is just an excellent value generator. Just one death is already a 1 mana draw 2 decent cards.
The Spacebender is a unique magical class that excels in areas of matter and space. They warp reality to their liking, fold space in on itself, and open portals to otherworldly planes beyond comprehension. Never without an answer, Spacebenders have access to anything anywhere, and are always formidable opponents no matter the luck of the draw. With the right deck of cards, carefully laid plans, and masterful execution, a skilled Spacebender has all the tools they need to rise above all others in any way they please. If you can dream it they can do it.
Swap
The signature keyword for Spacebender,
Swap
lets you shuffle a random card in your hand into your deck, and pull out a new one. Some
Swap
cards contain conditions for which cards they shuffle into your deck, or which ones they pull out.
Swap
is an extraordinary versatile mechanic, and can be applied in a variety of circumstances. Everything from curving out on your key early turns, to sealing out the game with a massive board clear, or even assembling the most unlikely set of cards for a game ending combo, is right at your fingertips. These are just the most basic uses, there is so much potential in such an open ended keyword. I am excited to explore it further and see the limits it can be pushed to.
Cards
Card Discussion
To start off,
Handheld Portal
is a simple card that shows off of Spacebender's most potent strengths:
Card Draw
and
Tutoring
. With control over space itself, it's only natural Spacebenders would excel in drawing cards and fetching exactly what they need, no matter where it is. Many decks and archetypes across Hearthstone live and die by their ability to access their most powerful resources; having powerful drawing ability enables a variety of decks that may not worth any amount of time otherwise.
Morning Sun Monolith
is another flexible card that highlights another Spacebender theme, which is
Position Based Mechanics
. One of the most underutilized areas of hearthstone with the most potential for exploration, position based mechanics are present in Spacebender. Similar to how the rest of class is versatile, Position Based Mechanics are used in a myriad of ways, some elements already present in other classes and cards, some not.
Spacebenders exert their dominance over all areas of the battlefield, on large and small scales. This control Spacebenders have makes its way into hearthstone as
Removal
and
Board Clears
.
Reality Crash
is a powerful board clear that while requiring you to build your deck in a certain way, has the potential for a devastating payoff.
Celestial Vanguard
represents one of the more complex mechanics present in The Spacebender:
Conditional Effects
. If you play
Celestial Vanguard
in any regular hearthstone deck, it is often times just a worse
War Golem
. However, if you build your deck right, and the stars align, you're looking at a massively unfair power swing. There are several cards present in Spacebender that have similar conditions to
Celestial Vanguard
, such as having cards in your deck, cards in your hand, minions on the battlefield, or even a certain life total, that reward you with some of the most powerful effects in hearthstone.
Last but not least
Malagul
, the legendary minion for the classic set showcases the final primary mechanic for Spacebender I have the space to show today, which is
Cheating
. Cheating takes many forms in hearthstone, Cubelock, which pumps out a constant stream of demons, Big Priest, which abuses resurrect mechanics to overwhelm their opponents, and
Malygos
Druid, which takes turns with +10 mana and uses them to burn down their opponent. There are obviously other examples, but one thing they all have in common is cheating mana.
Spacebender has their own unique take on cheating, abusing their powers over distance to play cards from their deck, teleport them directly into the battlefield. However none of this is for free. Meshing cheating with other Spacebender themes creates the unique and exciting scenarios where the true strengths of the class lie.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you very much for checking out Spacebender. If you have any feedback at all please PM me, I am always looking to improve and make better stuff in the future. Have a good day, and good luck to all the other competitors.
Sly and dangerous, the Court Spy is not one to be trifled with. Having the ear of the king of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Azeroth comes with it's own perks. Entrusted by King Varian Wrynn to weed out opposition, the doors to the royal treasury are wide open as are the loyalties of many to be found in Stormwind. That is, if you're willing to pay the price.....
The Court Spy is a mix of many different archetypes and classes in Hearthstone. Elements of Paladin, Mage and Druid are represented, but the class mostly supports aggressive and midrange style decks. The class has many powerful resources, though it is very synergistic and often requires multiple combo pieces to be effective.
New Keyword: Buy Off
Buy Off
is a new keyword for the Court Spy. It can target either friendly or enemy minions and each use applies a stack of the
Buy Off
status effect. Whether or not you target a friendly or enemy minion, each stack of
Buy Off
applies a -1/-1 debuff (which can be removed with
Silence
).
Buying Off
a minion can also trigger various other effects, such as granting a minion a new ability or applying a new status effect.
Pros
&
Cons
Pro
–
Powerful Ramp
The Court Spy has access to potent ramping capabilities through generating copies of
The Coin
. This allows the class to ramp into much more powerful cards earlier in the game, leading to high tempo plays that the opponent might not be able to deal with. However, the ramp is only temporary, so it must be used wisely.
Pro
–
Powerful Cards (and Secrets!)
Many of the class’s cards are quite powerful compared to other classes basic/classic sets. Though the cards are generally more expensive than the norm, you can reach these power plays sooner with the ramp available. The class also has access to 4 cost secrets (how can you be a spy without secrets?). These secrets require good timing (and a decent mana investment) to utilize them to their full benefit, but the payoff is usually well worth it.
Pro
–
Generates Strong Boards and Tempo
The Court Spy has access to many ways to generate very strong minions and wide boards easily in addition to strong buffs. In addition to generating
The Coin
, there are other cards that generate spell cantrips. These can be used to power hand size cards (e.g.
Mountain Giant
,
Twilight Drake
) or cards that generate value off casting many spells (e.g.
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
,
Mana Addict
,
Violet Teacher
). All of this together leads to strong boards that can be easily buffed to push tons of burst damage.
Con
–
Expensive, Combo Oriented Cards
While Court Spy cards are powerful, they often come with a high cost or require synergy cards to function. A poor draw can lose the game easily, as can misusing your limited resources. Most of the classes early game is reliant on the available neutral pool of minions.
Con
–
Almost no direct damage, AOE, or hard removal
The Court Spy lacks ways to remove minions from the board in almost every way outside of minion combat. The removal this is available is expensive and require multiple resources to be spent to be effective.
Con
–
Must win via the board aggressively
While Court Spy boards are quite powerful, they are the only way for the class to win. If the opponent is running a deck with tons of removal or ways to stall the board, the class is powerless to stop most of it. Also the class doesn’t have much in the way of defensive options, so the Court Spy must seek to close the game quicker than the opponent or they may lose.
Example Cards
Card Details
Empty the Treasury
- This is a core card for almost every deck. Like with
Wild Growth
, you're basically passing your turn when you play it. The ramp is potent for three mana, but it's only temporary and so timing when you use them is critical.
Greedy Constable
- This is a basic example of how a
Buy Off
effect can work on a minion. A 5/4 for 4 is average for the cost, so you could just use it as a flipped
Chillwind Yeti
. However, if your hand needs some help you can hit it with
Buy Off
to draw a card at the trade off of weakening it slightly
Royal Giant
– Royal Giant is a look at what various synergies the class has with
The Coin
. The earliest you could slam this on the board would be turn four if you played
Empty the Treasury
the turn before. Or you can save it for a later turn to squeeze in a cheap 8/8 with other powerful cards if you have the ramp for it.
Varian, Corrupted Monarch
- A fairly straightforward legendary on it’s own, but it opens up some potential combos. You can either ramp into him early to try and wipe out a board of tokens (or significantly weaken your opponents board). However it’s true power is when you combo it with my last card….
Fool's Gold
- This is one of the class's most versatile and powerful cards. You can either target a huge threat on the opponents side to neutralize it (unless they silence it, likely losing the benefit it was giving in the first place). This also triggers on friendly minions as well, so you can cheat out a large minion and turn it into a huge wall to get through if you're desperate.
Thank you!
Thanks for reading everyone. If you've read this far I salute you. :) I hope you enjoyed my first ever submission to the class creation competition. Good luck to everybody else submitting!
A few days after the bad men made her mother disappear, Camilla knew she wasn't coming back. Impulsed by her feelings of fear and loneliness she decided to break the rules for the first time and enter her mother's special room. There she found the cause for this and the knowledge to never be alone, ever again.
Camilla is a witch, a novice one, but a witch nonetheless and she bringing to the table all the classic witchery one might expect: curses, potions, familiars, hexes, poisoned apples and a lot more fun stuff!
Her Hero Power is
Grant Life
which gives you little 2/2 pal to help you take control of the battlefield. It trades a immediate presence on the board for a far beefier body.
The key themes of the class are going to be:
Creating an army of Homunculi!
Synergising with small minions! (1/2 Attack/Cost)
Casting curses on your enemies! (secrets)
Divining and observing your future! (looking at the top card of your deck)
Annoying your opponent, destroying their hopes and dreams! (Yay!)
And controlling cute critters! (mostly)
Example Cards:
Explication:
Mischievous Spirit:
Even if she doesn't look like it, she loves to mess with people's decks.
Drawn early this friendly ghost can guarantee you a good early curve, or save you from a hand filled with high mana cost cards. Even if you draw her in the late game some cards in Camilla's arsenal can makes her not a dead draw. But always remember, this is a symmetrical effect so your opponent might benefit from her meddling too.
Curse of Youth:
The real curse is going through puberty once again.
You could define Camilla's curses as rules one shouldn't break under no circumstances, sadly for this poor minion, he broke one of the most important rules: not being big and threatening. For that reason he was taken down a peg and ended up as small and harmless 1/1. One can make the easy comparison to
Repentance
and that's the card I based this secret on.
"Making" Friends:
Real friends are the ones we make along the way.
Sometimes the most loyal companions are those who stick with you when you are completely alone, in this case those friends were also made artificially by Camilla, with some fungus she found in the forest. A conditional "2" card draw card,
Elementary Reaction
being the best comparison in this case.
Forgotten Sorceress:
For a lost soul, her tone is surprisingly warm, reminiscing to a mother's hug...
Knowledge tends to get lost with passage of time, this is where being able to communicate with those who came before us come in handy. With powers long forgotten, this sorceress will show your next topdeck and if it is cheap enough, play it for free. Here we can see a direct pay off to playing cards Mischievous Spirit and similar future cards. This card would act as
Tess Greymane
when playing a minion.
Fragile Marionette:
She had no strings on her but then she fell and almost broke, she is better now.
During her stay in the Boom Labs Camilla learned how to full her dolls with the energy from the Netherstorm. Sadly this one is still a prototype and and quite delicate, that's why she need two homunculus near her all the time: one to protect her and the other one to pull her strings. A mix of
Houndmaster
with
Defender of Argus
that will ensure the protection of your other fragile minions
If you came this far, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it. Many thanks to those who gave me feedback. Also if any of you see a typo that escaped my eye, please let me know and I will fix it immediately.
Kor'Gall can easily take down minions, with his hero power and powerful, unique weapons. He doesn't have any special goals in his life except trying to kill as many enemies (or random creatures that found themselves in a wrong place in the wrong moment) as possible, but it's never enough for him. Training on those pitiful beings, as he calls them, he gathers experience and his skills are growing. So here comes the first class mechanic - minions and weapons that gain bonuses after killing enemy minions. One of the weapons that Kor'Gall is very proud of and he literally doesn't go anywhere without, is the Jagged Cleaver
Looks strange? Well, our hero's next advantages over his enemies are his faithful assistants and skills gained in wild that help him bringing slaughter and gore:
(Note: All minions killed with Taste Their Blood while you have Jagged Cleaver equippped count for the Cleaver's deathrattle)
When the Killmonger and his assistants can't find any prey for a long time, he feels a very strong Bloodthirst .
Of course, it doen't make him weaker. He becomes even stronger and more alert. They feel Bloodthirst too, although Killmongers are those who don't care much about his helpers, so if one of them is starving, he has to find food on his own. Of course, there are some assistants who Kor'Gall has respect for. They are the ones who are strong enough to live in the wild on their own, but they've decided to stay with him and kill for him. Karg Gorefang is his favourite one.
After Kor'Gall finally finds his prey, there's no way it can escape.
An aggressive class whose spells tie into attacks through your hero and dragons also being the main tribe.
The special ability for this class is called
Flight
.
Those who know Final Fantasy will recognize Kain. The hero power can either buff your board or ping down opposition minions while some of the Dragoon's class cards will tie into his hero power use such as below.
Highwind Dragonling :
I wanted a 1 drop who could pressure the board with your hero power but could also tie into a token generation deck.
Chained Drake :
This 3 drop I wanted the flavor of a dragon being chained but the enrage symbolizing it breaking free from it's chains and taking flight with Enrage.
Death From Above / Dragon's Breath :
Examples of spells going through your hero's physical attacks.
Bahamut :
I kept his attack lower for a 7 drop due to his potentially strong battlecry.
From the guy who brought you Chef, another class that uses recipes and cauldrons...
THE ALCHEMIST
A year ago, the fallen aspect Deathwing got himself a personal chef, known as Warchef Gordo, then he devoured him because he had a fish girl fetish. Therefore, he had to find another cook. This is where Patricia Egan, alchimist from Dalaran, comes in. Alchemy and cooking aren't that far off, after all. With her ability to generate meat rather than cook it, and to make the spiciest seasonings conceivable, Patricia might turn out to be a good chef of her own.
The Alchemist is a specialist in the art of transformation, generation, and combination; including of living material. Her specialties are:
UNIVERSAL TRIBAL SYNERGIES! Alchemist has cards to synergize with any and all tribes! Be it Murlocs, Dragons, Demons, or Nightmare Amalgam -like "All" cards.
CARD GENERATION! Be it through summoning, shuffling, or adding to hand. Small minions in particular will be focused on very often.
HAND SYNERGY! You're an Alchemist. More ingredients means crazier experiments! Transform cards in your hand, take advantage of your hand size, or use useless cards you're holding as a resource! There will be lots of synergy with 1-Cost cards for this reason, as they are generated by the Hero Power.
SNOWBALLING BOARD! Be it through aggressive tribal synergies (e.g. Murlocs), board-wide buffs à la old-school Token Druid, or quick board reloading à la Odd Paladin.
Strengths: Early game board control, Minion swarming, Value generation, Versatility.
Weaknesses: Few direct damage, Few big midrange-y minions.
Showcased cards
MUTATING POTION [Witchwood] - Synergies with all tribes implies synergy with the "All" tribe. Get the tribal synergy you need cheaply and rapidly with this! ( Do note that I use "minion type" instead of the unofficial "tribe" term)
TIDAL ELEMENTAL [Classic] - Multiple tribe synergy. Both Murlocs and Pirates are aggressive, hence the aggro buff. So-called "Water" decks were a thing at the end of Gadgetzan meta. It's also an Elemental, 3rd tribal synergy on the card.
FLYING WITCH [K&C] - Allows you to morph your midrange-y Hero Power into a value generator. K&C also introduced the "Big Spell" archetype for some classes. This will be one focus of my K&C set.
AMALGAMATE [Witchwood] - Tired of your useless 1-Cost minions? Use them as ingredients! Allows you to tutor a card with a Cost you can partially choose AND reduce its Cost! Extremely useful for combos. Do note that even though it uses discard, my class won't focus on discard. Here it's exceptional (like Astral Communion and Book of Specters )
APOTHECARY PUTRESS [KoFT] - The culprit behind the Wrathgate massacre is at it again! Generate value by transforming useless 1-Cost cards into mindless zombies!
Planned themes for later sets
That is, if I make it past phase I of course. That is only up to you!
UN'GORO - Cross-tribe synergies (think Thunder Lizard ). This expansion features a lot of tribal minions: Elementals, but also Beasts, Murlocs, and to a lesser extent Dragons.
KNIGHTS OF THE FROZEN THRONE - Resurrect effects, Deathrattles. Secondary focus on token generation.
KOBOLDS & CATACOMBS - Recruit for small minions. Token summoning and generation. Big spells.
WITCHWOOD - The "All" tribe since WW was the set Nightmare Amalgam was introduced. A secondary focus will be on Dragons, Murlocs, and card combination (see Amalgamate). It's as if Witchwood's flavor was made for my class to shine in.
BOOMSDAY - Magnetic is a natural fit since my class is focused on tribe synergy. Chemistry is already taken by Rogue, so my Alchemist's "science" will be multi-tribe cyborgs instead!
RASTAKHAN'S RUMBLE - Synergies with cards from any other class, as Alchemist's HP easily gives her access to cards from other classes. The Loa of Alchemists will be Shadra, the Spider.
Infiltrators
are agents, masters of disguise and espionage, able to camouflage with the community unnoticed. They can pretend as diplomats, but once they acquire diplomatic immunity, they use their political advantage to exploit the intelligence they've gathered. They make look as a force of Alliance or Horde, only to find out they're just serving their own ends. Their loyalty is unknown and their faction hides beyond the mists thicker than that of Pandaria.
No secrets are left hidden to them.. and whilst you’re still planning your witty combo next turn, an Infiltrator has already outsmarted you. No one knows how to fight them, and they leave no trail for their discovery.
Overview
Unique Keywords:
Mask
Core Keywords:
Look,
stealth
Mechanics:
Hand information, hand manipulation
, cost manipulation
, tech,
anti-secrets/combo
Weaknesses:
Hand Information doesn’t directly solve problems, lacks direct and burst damage, masked minions can easily be wiped by AOE, lacks self-healing
MIRAGE
is the default hero for the Infiltrator class.
“Mirage is a new underground recruit and her disguised career didn’t take overnight. But with her charming training, she immediately rose to popularity and was privilege to entertain the royalties. Often, she would use her acting skills with the royal guards, unveiling every secret in Stormwind.”
Hero Power,
BREACH:
Your opponent’s next card to play costs (1) more. They summon a 1/1 Guard with
Taunt
.
"Infiltrators have a knack for sneaking in and end up being caught by the guards".
Disrupt your opponent's curve on their next play. But wait, the authorities have summoned a guard!
A very effective hero power to use anytime and since you are an Infiltrator, you always have a way to bypass those Taunt minions.
New Keyword
:
MASK
A
Masked
minion (left) compared to
Stealthed
(right).
Masked minions are exclusive to the Infiltrator class. Opponents don’t know what kind of minion they are fighting against!
Masked minions are not stealthed, and can be attacked.
A minion will lose its Mask when another character attacks it such as another minion or a hero with an attack/weapon.
Direct damage, AOE spells and some hero powers can target and damage it, but will not break its mask.
When this minion attacks, it doesn’t lose Mask; however, the opponent may have a clue of its identity based from the damage it dealt (although most masked minions have the same attack).
All Masked minions costs 4, similar to secrets, preventing the opponent from guessing it.
Similar to Stealth and Divine shield, once a minion loses its Mask, the card text is still present but no longer does anything.
SAMPLE CARDS
CARDS DISCUSSION
Eavesdrop [Classic]
- a staple card to abuse hand information and fight against secrets.
Covert Cabler [Classic]
-
as an Infiltrator, you must be able to pass those guards! Great against your Hero Power, Taunt Druid but loved by the
The Lich King
.
Automated Diplomat [Boomsday]
- an enemy attacking this cannot destroy it on the get go, allowing you to utilize it on your turn. Weak to AOE.
Dormancy Doctor [Witchwood]
- can be an annoyance to opponent if their exhausted minions were just disabled, unusable on their succeeding turn. This minion can also be use to counter aggro or sleep those taunt minions blocking your way, but only for a while.
Angov, the Anarchist [Classic]
-is the master of hand information and manipulation. Use him to disrupt your opponent's hand.
When you play
Angov, the Anarchist
, three cards from your opponent’s hand will appear similar to Discover or Mulligan.
You can select 1 to 3 cards, then click <Confirm>. Cards selected will swap with random cards in your opponent’s deck. The new cards that were swapped will be unknown to you.
A Dreamer is one who turns inward through meditaion and travels in their sleep to connect to the waking Dream of Creation. These beings are conscious of their connection to the Emerald Dream and choose to wander its planes to attain guidance and wisdom granted by the Green Dragon Flight. Ysera , the green Dragon Aspect, resides here, watching over the growing wilds of the world from her verdant realm. It is also home to many other dwellers. Dryads, Nymphs, Pixies, Sprites and all kind of mystical creatures ever dancing in their eternal wakeful slumber are always joyous to welcome new visitors. The musicians, artists, singers and daydreamers of this world often end up here, while their bodies are peacefully drowsing, later waking up without any notice that they have just been invited by the Emerald Queen herself.
Design Philosophy
I designed this class with the idea in mind that it does not necessarily have to fit perfectly to the existing classes and the game as is, but would exist in a Hearthstone that may be slightly more complex. Felt this gives me more space to experiment and is also more interesting for you, the reader, to maybe be a little inspired and stretch the design space of Hearthstone cards. I feel like this counts already for most card designers here, but thought writing it down doesn't hurt.
The Dreamer - A midrange/control type class
While Druid focuses mostly on using the Breath of Aessina to animate and rejuvenate the physical aspect of Azeroth, bark, fangs and wings, the Dreamer revolves around the ephemeral metaphysical nature of its emerald reflection. The Green Dragon Flight is one of the center pieces of this class. While I wanted to stay away from using Ysera 's Dream Cards, I liked how her ability represents opening up a gateway to the Emerald Dream and let something to "the other side". A Dreamwalker is aware that these sides are deeply intertwined with each other and lives in between vision, dream and material reality.
The Dreamer is a control type class that also has strong tools for a midrange game strategy. It comes with strong AoEs, good survivability, disruption, minion protection and bounce effects. Dragons and Dragon-synergy are a part of nearly every successful deck that focuses on the lategame. Healing and Health-gain represent the regenerating emerald nature, allowing you to even increase your hero's Health total. The Echo of Creation lets you copy minions and spells to not run out of value easily. Another inherent part of this class is a mill strategy that is made possible through returning, copying and shuffling minions and enhancing your deck size. Emerald Mana can be used to gain a tempo advantage in the midgame, get more out of certain spells and minions and enable combo plays in the lategame. Dream Lines give you small boons while holding them in your hand, have interactions with other cards and may tip the balance of a game slowly turn-by-turn into your favour. With all these tools the Dreamer tries to outlast its opponent through board control and survivability and claims back tempo with well prepared swing-turns.
The Hero Power Emerald Essence would be the most passive and least impactful on the board among existing hero powers. This represents the practice of the Dreamwalkers turning inside to connect to the Wakeful Dream which grants them visions and connects them to its essence. While restoring 2 Health to your hero has often no big ramifications, adding an Emerald Mana Crystal lets you prepare for your next turn, activate effects that need Emerld Mana to be more potent or even enhancing your hero's Health total.
Emerald Mana
The Emerald Dream is potent and vibrates with overflowing live force. It is in constant change, manifesting new plaines and dimensions or dwindling into ethereal matter. The Dreamwalkers are granted powerful visions and gifts by the Green Dragon Flight that resides here or even by the pure life force itself.
Emerald Mana, the new resource directed to the Dreamer class, represents the Emerald Dream's fluxing and potent nature. Emerald Mana Crystals behave the same as regular Mana Crystals in regards of paying the Cost of cards and Hero Powers, but get destroyed upon use. Emerald Mana Crystals are always used first when playing a card. Empty Mana Crystals can be filled with Emerald Mana. If you would exceed 10 Mana Crystals while having or gaining Emerald Mana, all excess Emerald Crystals are destroyed and give your hero +1 Health instead (upping its Health total).
Examples:
3/4 -> start of your turn -> 6/5
5/8 -> start of your turn -> 10/9 +2 Health for your hero
Clarifications:
Emerald Mana Crystals behave the same as temporary Mana Crystals but don't disappear at the end of your turn.
The Health gained when exceeding 10 Mana Crystals not only upps the Health total of your hero but are "full" Health points.
Cards that say "If played with Emerald Mana, ..." have to be payed entirely by Emerald Mana Crystals to have the effect.
Dream Lines
Within the Emerald Dream and its many planes and layers mirroring and echoing each other in ephemeral and physical matter, there exist intentions that are so strong that they echo deep through the Dream's realms. The Dreamers call them Dream Lines. They are fable like visions within the Emerald Dream that one can become a part of. A Dreamer may step into these lines even unexpectedly and follow them as long as he likes, or until he can free himself if necessary. They can be sensed by wise and sensitive beings through the entire cosmos. Many beings resonate with a certain fate but some have experienced it so deeply that their energy lines never fade.
This phenomenon is represented through Dream Line cards that are only obtainable through minions and spells. Similar to Spare Parts (GvG), they can not be opened in packs or crafted, are rather a pool of token cards that are introduced in the classic set and expanded throughout the different expansions. Contrary to Cursed! they give you a small boon as long as they are in your hand, all also start with "While this is in your hand, ...". They have a variety of different effects. The basic ones restore Health to your minions or your hero, prevent damage or up your minions Health. They don't cost any mana, can't be played, but are discarded randomly if you would acquire more than 10 cards while holding them. A green gem is glowing as their rarity symbol to distinguish them better from other cards and remind of their gameplay mechanic. If your hand is full, you can't add any Dream Lines to it. Most cards give you random Dream Lines , but there are also some that give you specific ones. In a certain set that was corrupted by the Emerald Nightmare there will be also their antagonist: Nightmare cards! (I first had a spoiler here with the 5 basic Dream Lines, but I got informed that I can't show them here, so you'll have to be satisfied with this explanation. sry)
Example Cards
Marvelous Minstrel A cheap way to get Dream Lines early, with a small drawback that your opponent gets two aswell. There are many cards that synergize with Dream Lines , so this great singer can be very useful to enable their effects or increase their powerlevel. Many Dream Lines help protecting your minions or give them small buffs, so he can be very useful in a midrange deck that can utilize this small advantages to redeem tempo.
Green Wyrm This great green elder works similar to Kun the Forgotten King 's second ability. While he uses up all 10 of your Mana Crystals, he then adds 5 Emerald ones giving you the possibility to combo of that and enable increased powerlevel on certain spells and minions. If you choose not to spent the Mana, you can gain +5 Health in your next turn. Works great with Echoing Reality , playing one, summoning a copy of it and storing one in your hand for your next plays creates a lot of value and stats on the board.
Aether Slip More expensive than Sap but also more flexible. You can also target your own minions and when payed with Emerald Mana this becomes a great removal piece. There is also the rare possibilty to shuffle your own minion to avoid fatigue.
Verdant Force A strong AoE that works best on undamaged enemy minions while it can heal yours. With the right setup you can really turn a board state around with this card. Very helpful in the control plan of every common Dreamer.
Echoing Reality The Dreamer has a variety of ways to copy minions and spells to create value - this card is a good example of that. You can use it in late midgame to keep up tempo while maintaning card advantage or summon big minions which preferably create more value while staying on the board ( Dragonhatcher , Ysera ...). If the copied minion is not too expensive, you can summon 2 copies of it in a single turn. Echoing Reality is so a combo enabler which can be used in a lot of ways that can create great value from a single card.
The commander is a master of the art of war and by the use of clever strategy and tactics can lead their troops to victory in almost any situation. The default hero for the class is Sir Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Azeroth, a legendary hero that fought in the First War between orcs and humans and later commanded the armies of the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War, at whose end he perished at the base of Blackrock Mountain. And yes, the Anduin that we all know and love is named in his honor so you can bet this guy is quite popular to the people of Stormwind.
Now, that's a nice backstory and all but what you're thinking right now is that his Hero Power seems a bit weak. I mean, a 0/3 can't be good for much, right? Well, if you want to obtain victory you'll need to have an army and an army isn't going to train itself. And with that we arrive at the Commander's own keyword, Train.
A good warrior doesn't come from nowhere. Tons of dedication and perseverance is needed to be able to properly fight, as well as a master that is willing to teach you. Minions and weapons with Train can attack other friendly minions (dealing its damage of course, how else are they going to learn how to fight?) to give them a specified effect. Let's see some example cards:
As you can see most Train cards don't suffer much stat-wise for having their train effect. This is because training a minion means that you're not attacking an enemy and you're dealing damage to your own stuff. They're not meant to be used to train every single turn and should be seen more as an option that makes them more versatile. Training Stick can be used on turn one to clear an enemy 1-drop and then on turn 2 it can buff your New Recruit if you use your Hero Power. Worgen striker can be used in the early game to remove a threat or in the late game to give rush to a minion that isn't meant to have it, enabling powerful interactions. Degree provider is not a Train card per se but it shows how you can be rewarded by using other cards with Train.
Before we continue let me explain the precise details about how this mechanic works. The bonus is applied even if the attacker or the recipient die during training. Worgen Striker for example could give Rush to an 8/8 minion just fine but it wouldn't live to tell the tale. In the same vein, Fighting Stick could be used with a 1 Health minion and the +1/+1 would make it survive even though its Health dropped to 0 momentarily.
Before I finish I'd like to show two more general cards that don't involve this new keyword.
Make Camp allows you to make efficient trades and then let your minions recover from combat immediately. It needs to be the last thing that you do in your turn though so if your minions were already low on Health it's not going to be as effective since you can't use it right before trading.
Battle Orders: Ambush is one of the many Battle Order cards that the Commander will have. They'll all be 4 mana secrets so you can bet they'll be quite powerful. This one particulary makes you think about how you position your minions to increase its effectiveness, which will be a recurring theme for the class.
And that's it for now. I hope you're as excited as I am to see where this class goes. There are still some things I haven't shown you yet but most of the cards still need to be designed of course. I'll certainly be looking forward to further developing this class and seeing how it turns out. See you next phase!
The Chronicler
The Chronicler is a class based on harnessing your memories and the power of the places you have visited or studied, summoning beasts of alien worlds or making your opponent feel what an eruption is like. Roaming through Azeroth and beyond, these explorers and scribes have witnessed or read about nearly everything, but their thirst for knowledge and adventure lingers on.
Karnik, one of the most important members of the Explorer's League, is also in charge of keeping the Great Library of Ironforge in order. However, he is no ordinary archivist. As adventurous as any other member of the Guild, he has travelled the world, personally adding dozens or hundreds of new entries to the library. With a basic knowledge of arcane magic, he has travelled through Outland and Azeroth, catalloguing each new landmark or race he encounters. He then uses this knowledge in battle if needed, making enemies shiver with Winterspring's blizzards or drown in Vashj'ir depths. He has even caught a glimpse of the Shadowlands, a realm usually for the dead... or worse.
Hero Power tokens
This Hero Power functions in a very similar way to the Shaman Hero Power. This means that, when you use it, a Scroll that you don't already have is added to your hand. So, the probabilities of getting the Scroll you want improve every time you use it without casting the others. However, you can't have more than one of each, so once yo have all four you must cast one before being able to use the Hero Power again. This is exactly how the Shaman Hero Power works. Improving your Hero Power makes it so that you choose which Scroll you add to your hand, and you can now have duplicates. Once again, this behaviour is exactly the same as Shaman's improved Hero Power.
Some cards will interact with your Scrolls in different ways. Some minions add an specific Scroll to your hand, others transform them. These are just some of the many things a Chronicler can do with their archives.
Preview
I hope you like what I've shown you of the Chronicler, because there is a lot more in store. Discovering ancient secrets in Un'goro, fading away next to the Frozen Throne, exploring the Catacombs in search of a legendary tome, searching for the root of the Witchwood's problem, studying the timestreams using Dr. Boom's funds and finally, joining Torga's champion in the Gurubashi Arena.
The Ringleader
The Ringleader is a light, fun-loving class that does its best to put on a show for its audience. The class has a lot of strong synergies, buffs, heals, tokens and a focus on miracle play.
Signature is the Ringleader's keyword, and a big part of what makes the Ringleader the Ringleader. Many circuses are famous for their own different acts, one specific act among the entire show that they slap on posters and imprint into the memories of everyone watching. Signature symbolises that. When you begin building a Ringleader deck, everything's as normal, the deckbuilding is just the same as any other. But when you include a Signature card into it, a slot appears at the top, filled with a pair of bananas to keep the seat warm. From there, you can drag any spell in your collection into it.
-->
These spells appear at the top of the decklist no matter what, in golden text and still taking up the slots in your deck. For a Ringleader, these spells are their, well, Signature , the one they're best known for and the one that puts them apart from the rest. Most Ringleader decks aren't defined fully by their themes, but more specifically by the one specific Signature that ties it all together. Enough talk on thematics though, what does a Signature really mean for a deck? Many Ringleader cards add copies of your Signature to your hand or your deck, and some modify the way it works. Many times, this just means it'll have an extra effect added on top of the spell, both spectacles triggering at the same time, but some change the way the Signature is targeted, repeating every effect on the card onto every new minion it affects.
But then, what of the subtle, overly cautious rogue, or the stoic, overly annoying priest, neither whom pay the same love towards their granduer as the greatest of Ringleaders, who happen upon Signature cards through their burglery and mind-reading? Well, much alike the Worthless Imp s from Sense Demons or the Shadow of Nothing from Mindgames , the Bananas from before will act as the default option. Should they be the type to rely on stealing a lot, they should end up finding a Signature generation card eventually. And by that point they should have built up quite the impressive Banana indeed. And besides, most Signature cards will do something by themselves regardless.
Card Showcase
Star Performance ~ A cheap, targeted, multi-purpose buff and heal card from the basic set. While not the most exciting card on its own in the game, a Ringleader knows that the signature act of their show is their most trained, not their most extravagent. Healing your hero and buffing friendly minions is a big part of Ringleader; be sure to consider basic cards like these when looking through Signature cards.
Circus Supplier ~ A handy little chap that's sure to be of use in any circus - he just radiates enthusiasm. He's a nice and simple way of getting yourself more copies of your Signature across the course of the game. I had two Star Performance s in my deck, but with two of these, I may as well have four. That's a lot of attack boosting and healing, however we're not really doing anything too fancy with it yet. And hey, if another class gets one of these guys, what they get will be amusingly appropriate.
Firedancer ~ Before, we were just setting up, but suddenly, those Star Performances might be looking a little scary to your opponent now. If the Ringleader can establish a small board, an extra 9 damage is gonna be coming right for the opponents face, maybe more. The Firedancer is an exaggerative man, putting on quite an impressive performance, and positively heating up the audience for what's to come next... But wait, those Star Performances also heal, right?
(Pay no heed to the old Ringleader border! The work of trickery, surely!)
Three times the targets, three times the spells. Three buffs, three individual heals that bring you an extra 9 Health. This goes for any targeted card that does more than one thing, though effects that say "Your next Signature " only pertain to one of those casts, of course. While any Ringleader can run any spell, the ones they're using as their Signature will surely feel different from the rest.
Dining Dash ~ Ringleaders also have access to aura spells or turn spells, whatever you want to call them. Think of Lock and Load or perhaps Stampede . These spells work the same way, and of course reward the Ringleader for doing a LOT of things in a single turn. Such as, for example, healing your hero a lot of times in one turn. Hmmmm... I wonder how they could do that? Miracle players need look no further than Ringleader for their source of massive, one turn insanity.
Finale Architect ~ This lady is the one who likes to plan out the final acts of the shows she works on. Works great with aura/turn spells and spells that don't require targets, though the ones that do will just target randomly should their original target die before they cast. Sometimes, things don't go according to plan, and that's just fine. Be sure to write out a little risk assessment form before using her, because she certainly won't be doing that. All she cares about is making sure your next turn is one that leaves an impression, which it certainly will.
Expect a lot more signature generation, healing, buffs, wacky insanity and potential for explosive plays in the future of Ringleader, for these five don't even scratch the surface of its potential.
Art Sources:
Regina ~ Fajareka Setiawan
Announce ~ Maren Marmulla
Performer ~ Jingsketch
Chain Dance ~ Anastasia Bulgakova
Star Performance & Finale Architect ~ Anzka Nguyen (Seriously check her stuff out she's great)
Circus Supplier ~ ALRadeck
Firedancer ~ Cesar Rosolino
Dining Dash ~ Dmitry Bolotov
The Bug
Let me introduce you to The Bug class. The Bug is... well, a bug. But do not underestimate it ! It is able to trade some small minions with Hero Power, defend with various taunt minions and easily swarm the board. Oh, and don’t forget about weapons, the easiest activators for…
The Bug introduces a new keyword called Fury, which activates whenever your hero kills a minion (I told you weapons are useful) . This effect can trigger multiple times, thus giving your hero attack is something common for The Bug.
EXAMPLE CARDS
EXPLANATION
Armored Baldur – This minion represents one of the core mechanics of The Bug – exchanging Armor for other benefits. This is one of the main archetypes for this class. In this example, if you have 5 Armor (which is important – otherwise card will not work) you can play this and exchange your 5 Armor points for a 5/5 minion. You should be careful when you play cards with this mechanic, because sometimes that Armor could be more beneficial than a 5/5 minion.
Ice Crawler – The Bug uses Taunt minions to protect itself from taking more damage after using hero power or attacking with weapons multiple times. This minion has better stats than a normal 4-drop, but the drawback is having your hero Frozen for a turn. It may not look like something painful, but remember, that The Bug bases on attacking with your hero, so this drawback can turn out to be more impactful than you may think.
Protective Weevil – Because The Bug has a lot of Armor synergy, there have to be some cards that generate Armor. This minion is small, but every turn it stays alive it gives you 2 Armor points. Protective Weevil can be used both in the Armor-oriented deck (more control) and in the aggressive or midrange deck. One of the most reliable 2-drops for The Bug, because it fits in to the various decks.
Dream Nail - One of the archetypes avaible fot The Bug is an aggro deck. This weapon suits there well, because you can resummon up to 4 minions that died this game - this means you have some control of what are you summoning. Dream Nail features Fury keyword, so you kill an enemy minion and get one of yours back. Despite having low attack, it can be buffed with various weapon buffs, you can also use your hero power to boost your attack for a turn. Therefore activating Fury should not be something difficult.
Hive Knight Tiso – As I said, The Bug has ability to quickly summon many minions. This is one of the very few cards that have AoE effect, because this class is not good at clearing the board with 1 – 2 cards. This example benefits from having larger board, as Hive Knight Tiso can deal up to 7 damage to all enemy minions. Remember: Hive Knight Tiso does not count for its effect, so if you have no minions on the board, Tiso will deal only 1 damage.
Additional Information:
This class is based on the Hollow Knight game, but don't be scared! Except images (and some flavour) everything is the same as in other classes.
...Soul of Wyrm. Soul of Root. Heart of Void...
Notes:
In other fantasy games and forms of media, Battlemages are people who specialize in forms of armed combat with weapons, and magic. Battlemage specializes in spells, weapons, and armor. In many ways, Battlemage can be thought of as a combination of Mage and Warrior. That's not to say there's no room for originality in this class because there certainly is.
Unlike most other classes in this competition, Battlemage does not have its own keyword. You don't need a fancy keyword to create a new class (although it's more than welcome if you do).
Minion Position Matters
Where you place your minions is the name of the game. One of the big things in Battlemage is minion placement. Stuff like the Hero Power and some of the cards interact with the placement of minions. When you play against Battlemage, it may be a good idea to think about where you place your minions. Tokens in particular as they are usually summoned to the far-right. But are you playing against someone smart enough to play around it? Not a problem. Play Arcane Force to move minions to the spot you want to combo with positioning cards, which this class will have a lot of. It's a cheap spell with Echo, so there's the spell synergy. The importance of minion positioning is upscaled with Split the Ground tenfold.
Some classes play spells. Some classes play with weapons...
Battlemage plays with both! You're a caster who's not afraid to use his face. We've all heard of spell synergy and weapon synergy, but what about weapons with spell synergy. Flame Rune Sword does exactly that! Swing in with the sword, AND you gain a benefit to your spells.
Elements and Armor
Burn it up, AND tank it up! In addition to the spells, you've also got the Armor and the synergy. But we've also got Elementals, which play a larger role in Un'Goro. Should Elemental Battlemage become a thing, Molten Chase is definitely a card to watch out for.
Freeze in place!
But Battlemage isn't all about fire and burning. We've got a "Hailfire Peaks" situation going on, with fire AND frost. Freeze Battlemage is a much more natural archetype than Freeze Shaman, with some actually prior support. Rain of Ice is a Classic Freeze card for Battlemage that also plays into the positioning theme.
Notes about Split the Ground :
Click the image to go to my custom Time Traveler class.
THE MAGICIAN
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the show! Tonight, we present to you the one and only, the irreplaceable, the irresistable, Jacque Treflez!
The Magician is a class that relies on proper handling of cards as well as deck manipulation to achieve victory over it's opponent, much like how magicians use their sleight of hand to awe the audience. However, for a magic show to go as planned, it must have structure. It must be thought out and rehearsed. To do any of that, you need a Script .
Script , is a keyword unique to the Magician class. Using deck manipulation to plan your turns ahead will be key to victory with this class. When a card is drawn, from where ever, it will gain an additional effect. For minions the effect will come in a similar way to a Battlecry, where as on a spell it will come in the form of a bonus to the effect already present on the card. More of this can be seen in the example cards below.
SHOWCASE CARDS
The showcase cards picked to represent the class, show some key mechanics and playstyles that this class will have: Deck Manipulation, Board Control, Combos.
DECK MANIPULATION
Deck manipulation will be a prominent theme throughout the expansion in this class. Because of the very nature of the Hero Power, you are able to guarantee to draw the card you want on the turn you want by placing it at the bottom of the deck. Bribed Dealer is an example of a card that is capable of doing that. While this card has no direct impact on the board itself, being able to guarantee a Script proc on a spell like Science Show! (Seen Below), can be vital in regaining precious board control.
Master Puppeteer is a card that takes full advantage of your ability to manipulate minions to the bottom of the deck, giving you the ability to place powerfull Deathrattle and End of Turn cards at the bottom of your deck and get a 1/1 copy of them on the turn you play this minion. I will also use this as an opportunity to say that there will also be a Deathrattle theme in some of the future expansions.
BOARD CONTROL
The Magician is a master of making things dissappear, as well as making the flashiest of performances! But none of it is un-planned. The Magician always knows what is happening around them. Magic Trick: Dissappear is the first card from the Magic Trick series for this class. These cards will be the equivalent of the Shadow Word and Power Word cards from priest. This particular one works very similarly to Entomb with two major differences. 1) It adds the card to your hand so it is ready to be played much sooner than it would be otherwise. 2) This Destroys the minion, meaning all Deathrattles are triggered. This gives the card some extra flexibility as it can also be used to proc your own Deathrattles when they are at low health only to play them again!
Science Show! is an AoE that is at it's worst, a Consecration that costs one more, but at it's best, it's a Flamestrike for two less mana! This card goes to show how planning the turns out in advance can be very benefitial to you due to the Script mechanic being present.
COMBOS
One of the two main archetypes of the Magician will be Combo Decks and Control Decks. This card fits into BOTH of those deck archetypes. The flexibility of this card is determined by how you build your deck. If you build it mainly around cards with effects such as Science Show! then you can play this card a boardclear on a stick for your control deck! On the otherhand, with Script effects that buff minions, Tommy Kruz can be used as a finisher.
Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback during the creation and early phases of this class, all the way up to this submission. Also thank you to anyone who actually bothered reading the class explanations. Remember, -you- get to decide wether this is the curtain call.
Edits: Fixxed Spacing.
Thank you Kanye,
Very Cool.
The Bloodburner
Lore/Flavor : Most mages utilize mana as the source of their power. However, there is another form of magic, an ancient and dangerous one where the user draws strength from blood. Sacrificing your blood and flesh to fuel your spells is dangerous and few can endure the cost of this powerful sorcery. Among these there are the lizardmen, who's reptilian regeneration allows them to recover quickly after casting blood spells. The most common form of blood magic is bloodburning, or igniting one's own veins to manipulate the resulting flames.
The Bloodburner utilizes health, in all its forms, as a source of power. Self damage is a core theme of the class, but blood mages are very creative with how they utilize damage and health. Another theme of the class is the relation between spells and minions. Spells will almost always hurt you, or benefit from low health, while minions will heal you, or protect you from damage. This is according to the flavor/lore of the class, as blood magic requires sacrifice and reptilians are able to regenerate their bodies fast.
Keyword:
Since you use blood to fuel your magic, taking damage (thus bleeding) offers a temporary boost in power. The first time your hero takes damage in a turn, all cards with F resh Blood trigger their effects. Fresh Blood can trigger during your turn, or during your opponent's, but only happens once per turn. You need to consider the order of your actions to make the most out of your cards.
Example cards:
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The Bloodburners strategy is to outlast their foes, by removing every single threat they put out. They can swing the game in their favor with only a couple of cards and their resourcefulness let's them always have something to play, never running out of options.
I hope you enjoyed my custom class and i hope i will be able to develop it further in this competition!
So I guess it's time to dive in...
Here's my submission for the CCC:
The Swindler
Overall concept and Class Identity:
The Swindler's primary ability lies in people-skills. He's no ambitious warrior, nor is he able to cast real magic. He's always trying to talk himself out of unpleasant situations and to persuade others to act to his liking.
And he's an ambivalent character. While surely trying to turn everything to his benefit, he doesn't really like to upset anyone. Who knows? Maybe he'll need that person's favor in the future? So when doing something negative to the opponent, he'll mostly try to give it a little "upside" as well.
So many of his classcards will have a combination of positive and negative effects.
His Hero-Power grants him the ability to adapt flexibly to the situation, but also shortens his ressources.
Regarding the overall flavor, I'm thinking of the travelling entertainers of the middleages (I don't like the term "gipsy", but I guess you'll get the idea). So it's about entertaining and manipulating people. Card-themes could be related to shows, acting, fortune-telling - but also selling useless junk or snatching something from your opponent.
Additional explanations and considerations regarding the Hero Power:
I know that selection of cards in your hand is deemed impossible at the moment. I still think that the same effect could be created at the current state of HS. Technically it could be put as "The next card you play costs (0). It is destroyed when played without triggering its effects. Draw a new card" . This is very complicated, of course. But I hope we can agree, that this is how the Hero Power could actually work. (Basically identical to the effect of Counterspell : You play a card, it doesn't do anything and vanishes. In this case without any Mana spent, that is.)
There were proposals that it should be changed to "Discard your leftmost card" or something. But I think, that would be too weak, as it limits your range of action considerably. So I would still go for my initial version. I might have to work on the wording, though, to keep it simple enough.
Class Cards
Here are my first two showcase-cards to demonstrate ambivalent card-effects and possible interactions with the Hero Power:
Stunning Waitress
"Hey boys! What about some refreshments? You sure could use a little break..."
First example of the ambivalent character of the Swindler's classcards. The stunning waitress keeps the enemies busy, but the served Ale grants them some recovery, too.
Shifty Fortuneteller
"He knows your future. But don't worry - it won't be very long..."
The Fortuneteller benefits from carddraw - which means indirectly from the Swindler's Hero Power. I still tried to keep the cards general enough, so that they can also be useful in other combinations (and hypothetically not making them completely useless for other classes).
New Keyword: "Bribe"
With the Swindler's class I'd like to introduce the following keyword:
I deliberately chose a keyword that is not directly related to carddraw, but rather captures the Swindler's aspect of manipulation and his trying to talk or buy his way out of trouble.
When a Bribe -card is played, you'll get two alternative options (technically similar to Druid's "choose one") to select, if you wish to activate the optional effect, by that granting your opponent additional Mana Crystals.
Because this will set you into an inferior position in the game, the gained effects will usually be rather strong. (People were worrying about the effect in later phases of the game. I think at 10+ Mana the opponent will be given Excess Mana - so basically a free draw.)
Here you'll find the next two cards to give you an impression of how the keyword might work:
Mock up Dagger
"Yeah, that King's Bane is really cool, but seems a bit battered. Look at this shiny masterpiece! It can be yours, if you like!"
The first weapon, which I tried to design in a "Useless junk"-fashion. A nice shiny blade which is actually crap. Playing against non-weapon-classes will make it quite tech, but I like the idea of being able to trade weapons with your opponent. The Swindler will not have powerful weapons himself, so tricking your opponent to trade weapons would be his logical way of acting.
Alyria Stillcaller
"People say she got her name, because some of her victims are still calling for help."
The first legendary I'd like to show. Capturing the Swindler's attitude of snatching stuff from your enemy and showing the powerful possibility of using the Keyword Bribe . While running silence-effects is quite useful in many deck-archetypes, having it combined with buffing your own minions can be game-deciding.
And the last one for now:
Greasy Dealer
"So what? He deals much smoother this way!"
To compensate for the setback in Mana you might suffer, I'll also include cards that benefit indirectly from the use of Bribe . Greasy Dealer might help you to catch up, but can also be useful against certain classes in general (primarily against Druid in this case).
Presumed playstyle
The Swindler's gameplay will focus on control / combo play. His Hero Power will make it easier to find fitting cards at the right time, but won't grant him additional cards in hand. This won't be too beneficial for aggressive play. His few weapons will be rather tech-tools than mere means of destruction. The keyword Bribe might give him the chance to turn the tide or create momentum when necessary. And there'll always be possibilities to use the opponent's ressources to the Swindler's own advantage.
I think it would be really fun to work further on this dubious class and I'd really love to show you a bit more it!
Good luck to everyone!
THE HEXER
BASICS
Their is a fine line between life an death, sickness and health, weakness and strength . Hexers are masters of this faint limit, able to tap into both worlds and shift the balance to their advantage . The Hexer is an expert of concoctions , either curative or poisonous, sometimes both. This is represented by the hero power, a drug that heals the strong and kills the weak. At first glance, it looks like a simple " Restore 1 Health ", which it is in most cases, but it has other uses as well. Targets at 1 Health , ideally bruised enemy minions or even Hero, will be killed by it. But it can also be put to great use with " whenever this minion takes damage " and " whenever this minion is healed " effects, like those of Acolyte of Pain or Lightwarden . Likewise, it has synergy with the class keyword, Fresh , which grants additional strength to undamaged minions (think Enrage but the opposite). Fresh represents the idea that only the strong and healthy can prevail in a fight. It ties into the healing abilities of the Hexer.
EXEMPLE CARDS
JuJu Juice: Hexers are masters of healing brews that bolster the strength of the tribe. This simple potion brings a minion back to full Health , making it easy to trade into smaller opponents and get back in the fight. It has great synergy with the keyword Fresh , provides a cheap draw and can make a difference between life and death when desperatly searching for the right spell . A stapple for the class whether you want to build a Mid-range or Control deck. Fighters and magic users alike love it's Lemon taste .
Soul Crusher: Hexers have a special connexion to spirits . This mysterious magic allow them to sap strength from their opponents. Halving a minion's Attack or Health means setting it to half it's current value (rounded up). Because of this, halving a minion's Health cannot kill it but it will change it's maximum Health to the new value, meaning that the minion will be left undamaged . This mechanic provides control options, board swings and some synergy with Fresh . Soul Crusher itself it a well-rounded minion which can help building a strong board from early turns or bring down a big threat 's power later on.
Slow Kill: Don't mix up Hexers and medics, the cure can become a poison with the right dosage. This toxic mixture will slowly grind it's foe's Health, leaving it open for the killing blow . Used in conjonction with the Hexer Hero Power or a trading minion , this spell provides a good way to get rid of big Taunts and other scary minions . It can also be used on the Hexer's minions, providing great synergy with " whenever this minion takes damage " effects. However, keep in mind that the poison won't do all the work for you and additional damage will be needed in order to finish of the target.
Tribal Champ: Hexers are not all Trolls , but they have a keen sense of crew . They know that supporting each others is the best way to come out on top . Because of this, they put mass buffs and protective effects to good use. The keyword Fresh encourages the Hexer to heal and protect their minions in order to get the most out of them. They also keep in mind that, in battle as well as potion brewing, order is the key to success . Making careful trades and planning your turns ahead will always lead to better outcomes when using Fresh minions.
Vul'rajas Bloodblade: Trolls don't have last names, but this one sure has a title. Vul'rajas is a berserker who's not afraid to step in , but he is also a master of the voodoo arts, able to turn his pain into strength . This legendary minion is perfect for getting ahead on board by making advantageous trades. He can also be used to set up deadly combos or miraculous comebacks . Your opponent will have to focus him to avoid being overwhelmed by his moves, but he won't go down without a fight .
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well first of all, I'm very happy and excited by this competion and wish the best of lucks to everyone participating.
So I think I sould talk briefly about THE DETECTIVE, the class that I was planning on making but ended up trashing... Well I got the idea of the Voodoo a few days ago and it felt way better in terms of design space and flavor. In the end, trying to make something like pr. Layton fit into Hearthstone was akward to do and I had a hard time comming up with interesting and simple ideas. In that regard, I like the Hexer much better and I'm looking forward to fleshing out this class. I hope no one will be desappointed by the absence of the Detective in this CCC.
This point follows from the previous : I didn't take much time to think about the cards and get feedback because I spend many days on the Detective. Balance might be off in these exemple cards but I'll adjuste it as we go.
I think I should also tell you that english is not my mother language so I might make mistakes or be unclear in my explanations. Please let me know if it happens, I'm always looking to improve.
Final words : I hope you like THE HEXER as much as I do and I'm looking forward to the continuation of this competition. Happy CCC to everyone !
Edit : Changed the name of the class from "the Voodoo" to "the Hexer".
Greetings, interlopers! For your consideration, I bring you...me, Kel'Thuzad !
The Lich
Master of the cold dark, I bring death to the living and the dead back to life! My touch can Freeze the blood in your veins, and my magic will rip the soul from your body, all to be used for...later purposes. Together, we will bring the might of the endless Scourge down upon our foes!
Strengths + Themes
WeaknessesRumored ShortcomingsExample Cards
technologymagic: they will come back stronger, faster, better than ever!Thank you for your consideration and upvotes, in bringing me into Hearthstone! " Kel'Thuzad is already in the game," you say? I have never seen that powerful and handsome card before, although "Curse of Naxxramas" sounds like a great addition to the game. An expansion, all about me; if you don't like it, I'll resurrect a body who will!
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
An Oracle watches from her temple perch, listening to the pleas of all people, peasants and kings, children and immortals, mages and paladins, alike, all begging for her blessing on the days to come. She listens, curiously, seemingly ignorant, as she chooses the path for others to walk. The future weaves itself into perfection for those she has deemed worthy.
An Oracle wanders the grimy streets of a crowded city. Civilians glare in disgust at his ragged clothing and maddened look. But filth matters not, for he knows the truth. The Impending Doom is coming. The gods have forsaken the world... and if only the people would listen. He continues his mad chant, stumbling over his own words and feet, crying for his enlightened voice to be heard.
An Oracle rides at the head of an amassing army. A shining crown is perched atop his head, signaling his power. He sings of victory. He speaks of the Countdown of fate that is unending, forever ticking onward, to a certainly predictable outcome. He knows their eventual victory is certain. He has foreseen it. It is merely a matter of time.
See you all next round!
Wished to be pink.
Then did.
Then fired myself.
Then did again.
Cauterize was a struggle to make. I went through many, many Hero Powers before finally settling on this one. A deceptively strong Hero Power, at first, it doesn't seem to do anything. But it makes more sense if it is worded "Destroy a minion with 2 or less Health". In a sense, it's a bit like Mortal Coil , always a strong card when you can get it off. Furthermore, it helps support the class' core identity, triggering on damage revenge effects, an in-game example being Acolyte of Pain .
The Blood Mage is bit of a mixed bag class, like Shaman. They excel in dealing direct damage and racking up Spell Damage like a Mage, but also exhibit a tendency for making sacrifices for power, much like Warlock or Warrior. Yet, at the same time, they have access to more than serviceable healing and even some completely new playstyles.
I really wanted a negative keyword this time around, a bit of a departure from most of my classes. It's also very straightforward and acts in a way much like overload, to balance out some extra stats or a cheaper cost. There are some cases where Immolate is used in odd ways to show that a simple keyword such as this does have creative depth to it.
In the Classic set, we see the Blood Mage in all its, well, classic, glory. Big damage, big spells, lots of fire, and a few burns here and there, maybe some self-inflicted.
Kobolds and Catacombs offers limitless potential for the Blood Mage, as blood elves are... slightly notorious in raids and bossfights, the hallmark of this expansion. This showcase card actually highlights the main theme of the Blood Mage: they are a throwback to the powerful magics of the High Elves, their powerful illusory magics in particular. All Secrets, just like this one, will "copy" something.
The final two showcase cards are both from the Boomsday expansion. The Blood Mages research volcanoes and all things lava. Naturally, being so close to a volcano means a couple of mishaps. As such, the mechanical theme of the Blood Mage is self-destruction, which functions exactly like Doomsayer . All of the Blood Mage's mechs and some cards support the destruction of friendly minions. This is often a huge tempo loss, but is always optional and carries a suitable reward.
The Spacebender v2
Summary
The Spacebender is a unique magical class that excels in areas of matter and space. They warp reality to their liking, fold space in on itself, and open portals to otherworldly planes beyond comprehension. Never without an answer, Spacebenders have access to anything anywhere, and are always formidable opponents no matter the luck of the draw. With the right deck of cards, carefully laid plans, and masterful execution, a skilled Spacebender has all the tools they need to rise above all others in any way they please. If you can dream it they can do it.
Swap
The signature keyword for Spacebender, Swap lets you shuffle a random card in your hand into your deck, and pull out a new one. Some Swap cards contain conditions for which cards they shuffle into your deck, or which ones they pull out. Swap is an extraordinary versatile mechanic, and can be applied in a variety of circumstances. Everything from curving out on your key early turns, to sealing out the game with a massive board clear, or even assembling the most unlikely set of cards for a game ending combo, is right at your fingertips. These are just the most basic uses, there is so much potential in such an open ended keyword. I am excited to explore it further and see the limits it can be pushed to.
Cards
Card Discussion
To start off, Handheld Portal is a simple card that shows off of Spacebender's most potent strengths: Card Draw and Tutoring . With control over space itself, it's only natural Spacebenders would excel in drawing cards and fetching exactly what they need, no matter where it is. Many decks and archetypes across Hearthstone live and die by their ability to access their most powerful resources; having powerful drawing ability enables a variety of decks that may not worth any amount of time otherwise.
Morning Sun Monolith is another flexible card that highlights another Spacebender theme, which is Position Based Mechanics . One of the most underutilized areas of hearthstone with the most potential for exploration, position based mechanics are present in Spacebender. Similar to how the rest of class is versatile, Position Based Mechanics are used in a myriad of ways, some elements already present in other classes and cards, some not.
Spacebenders exert their dominance over all areas of the battlefield, on large and small scales. This control Spacebenders have makes its way into hearthstone as Removal and Board Clears . Reality Crash is a powerful board clear that while requiring you to build your deck in a certain way, has the potential for a devastating payoff.
Celestial Vanguard represents one of the more complex mechanics present in The Spacebender: Conditional Effects . If you play Celestial Vanguard in any regular hearthstone deck, it is often times just a worse War Golem . However, if you build your deck right, and the stars align, you're looking at a massively unfair power swing. There are several cards present in Spacebender that have similar conditions to Celestial Vanguard , such as having cards in your deck, cards in your hand, minions on the battlefield, or even a certain life total, that reward you with some of the most powerful effects in hearthstone.
Last but not least Malagul , the legendary minion for the classic set showcases the final primary mechanic for Spacebender I have the space to show today, which is Cheating . Cheating takes many forms in hearthstone, Cubelock, which pumps out a constant stream of demons, Big Priest, which abuses resurrect mechanics to overwhelm their opponents, and Malygos Druid, which takes turns with +10 mana and uses them to burn down their opponent. There are obviously other examples, but one thing they all have in common is cheating mana.
Spacebender has their own unique take on cheating, abusing their powers over distance to play cards from their deck, teleport them directly into the battlefield. However none of this is for free. Meshing cheating with other Spacebender themes creates the unique and exciting scenarios where the true strengths of the class lie.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you very much for checking out Spacebender. If you have any feedback at all please PM me, I am always looking to improve and make better stuff in the future. Have a good day, and good luck to all the other competitors.
Court Spy
Sly and dangerous, the Court Spy is not one to be trifled with. Having the ear of the king of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Azeroth comes with it's own perks. Entrusted by King Varian Wrynn to weed out opposition, the doors to the royal treasury are wide open as are the loyalties of many to be found in Stormwind. That is, if you're willing to pay the price.....
The Court Spy is a mix of many different archetypes and classes in Hearthstone. Elements of Paladin, Mage and Druid are represented, but the class mostly supports aggressive and midrange style decks. The class has many powerful resources, though it is very synergistic and often requires multiple combo pieces to be effective.
New Keyword: Buy Off
Buy Off is a new keyword for the Court Spy. It can target either friendly or enemy minions and each use applies a stack of the Buy Off status effect. Whether or not you target a friendly or enemy minion, each stack of Buy Off applies a -1/-1 debuff (which can be removed with Silence ). Buying Off a minion can also trigger various other effects, such as granting a minion a new ability or applying a new status effect.
Pros & Cons
Pro – Powerful Ramp
The Court Spy has access to potent ramping capabilities through generating copies of The Coin . This allows the class to ramp into much more powerful cards earlier in the game, leading to high tempo plays that the opponent might not be able to deal with. However, the ramp is only temporary, so it must be used wisely.
Pro – Powerful Cards (and Secrets!)
Many of the class’s cards are quite powerful compared to other classes basic/classic sets. Though the cards are generally more expensive than the norm, you can reach these power plays sooner with the ramp available. The class also has access to 4 cost secrets (how can you be a spy without secrets?). These secrets require good timing (and a decent mana investment) to utilize them to their full benefit, but the payoff is usually well worth it.
Pro – Generates Strong Boards and Tempo
The Court Spy has access to many ways to generate very strong minions and wide boards easily in addition to strong buffs. In addition to generating The Coin , there are other cards that generate spell cantrips. These can be used to power hand size cards (e.g. Mountain Giant , Twilight Drake ) or cards that generate value off casting many spells (e.g. Gadgetzan Auctioneer , Mana Addict , Violet Teacher ). All of this together leads to strong boards that can be easily buffed to push tons of burst damage.
Con – Expensive, Combo Oriented Cards
While Court Spy cards are powerful, they often come with a high cost or require synergy cards to function. A poor draw can lose the game easily, as can misusing your limited resources. Most of the classes early game is reliant on the available neutral pool of minions.
Con – Almost no direct damage, AOE, or hard removal
The Court Spy lacks ways to remove minions from the board in almost every way outside of minion combat. The removal this is available is expensive and require multiple resources to be spent to be effective.
Con – Must win via the board aggressively
While Court Spy boards are quite powerful, they are the only way for the class to win. If the opponent is running a deck with tons of removal or ways to stall the board, the class is powerless to stop most of it. Also the class doesn’t have much in the way of defensive options, so the Court Spy must seek to close the game quicker than the opponent or they may lose.
Example Cards
Card Details
Empty the Treasury - This is a core card for almost every deck. Like with Wild Growth , you're basically passing your turn when you play it. The ramp is potent for three mana, but it's only temporary and so timing when you use them is critical.
Greedy Constable - This is a basic example of how a Buy Off effect can work on a minion. A 5/4 for 4 is average for the cost, so you could just use it as a flipped Chillwind Yeti . However, if your hand needs some help you can hit it with Buy Off to draw a card at the trade off of weakening it slightly
Royal Giant – Royal Giant is a look at what various synergies the class has with The Coin . The earliest you could slam this on the board would be turn four if you played Empty the Treasury the turn before. Or you can save it for a later turn to squeeze in a cheap 8/8 with other powerful cards if you have the ramp for it.
Varian, Corrupted Monarch - A fairly straightforward legendary on it’s own, but it opens up some potential combos. You can either ramp into him early to try and wipe out a board of tokens (or significantly weaken your opponents board). However it’s true power is when you combo it with my last card….
Fool's Gold - This is one of the class's most versatile and powerful cards. You can either target a huge threat on the opponents side to neutralize it (unless they silence it, likely losing the benefit it was giving in the first place). This also triggers on friendly minions as well, so you can cheat out a large minion and turn it into a huge wall to get through if you're desperate.
Thank you!
Thanks for reading everyone. If you've read this far I salute you. :) I hope you enjoyed my first ever submission to the class creation competition. Good luck to everybody else submitting!
The Pint-sized Witch
Some little backstory/lore
A few days after the bad men made her mother disappear, Camilla knew she wasn't coming back. Impulsed by her feelings of fear and loneliness she decided to break the rules for the first time and enter her mother's special room. There she found the cause for this and the knowledge to never be alone, ever again.
Camilla is a witch, a novice one, but a witch nonetheless and she bringing to the table all the classic witchery one might expect: curses, potions, familiars, hexes, poisoned apples and a lot more fun stuff!
Her Hero Power is Grant Life which gives you little 2/2 pal to help you take control of the battlefield. It trades a immediate presence on the board for a far beefier body.
The key themes of the class are going to be:
Example Cards:
Explication:
Mischievous Spirit: Even if she doesn't look like it, she loves to mess with people's decks. Drawn early this friendly ghost can guarantee you a good early curve, or save you from a hand filled with high mana cost cards. Even if you draw her in the late game some cards in Camilla's arsenal can makes her not a dead draw. But always remember, this is a symmetrical effect so your opponent might benefit from her meddling too.
Curse of Youth: The real curse is going through puberty once again. You could define Camilla's curses as rules one shouldn't break under no circumstances, sadly for this poor minion, he broke one of the most important rules: not being big and threatening. For that reason he was taken down a peg and ended up as small and harmless 1/1. One can make the easy comparison to Repentance and that's the card I based this secret on.
"Making" Friends: Real friends are the ones we make along the way. Sometimes the most loyal companions are those who stick with you when you are completely alone, in this case those friends were also made artificially by Camilla, with some fungus she found in the forest. A conditional "2" card draw card, Elementary Reaction being the best comparison in this case.
Forgotten Sorceress: For a lost soul, her tone is surprisingly warm, reminiscing to a mother's hug... Knowledge tends to get lost with passage of time, this is where being able to communicate with those who came before us come in handy. With powers long forgotten, this sorceress will show your next topdeck and if it is cheap enough, play it for free. Here we can see a direct pay off to playing cards Mischievous Spirit and similar future cards. This card would act as Tess Greymane when playing a minion.
Fragile Marionette: She had no strings on her but then she fell and almost broke, she is better now. During her stay in the Boom Labs Camilla learned how to full her dolls with the energy from the Netherstorm. Sadly this one is still a prototype and and quite delicate, that's why she need two homunculus near her all the time: one to protect her and the other one to pull her strings. A mix of Houndmaster with Defender of Argus that will ensure the protection of your other fragile minions
If you came this far, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it. Many thanks to those who gave me feedback. Also if any of you see a typo that escaped my eye, please let me know and I will fix it immediately.
THE KILLMONGER
Kor'Gall can easily take down minions, with his hero power and powerful, unique weapons. He doesn't have any special goals in his life except trying to kill as many enemies (or random creatures that found themselves in a wrong place in the wrong moment) as possible, but it's never enough for him. Training on those pitiful beings, as he calls them, he gathers experience and his skills are growing. So here comes the first class mechanic - minions and weapons that gain bonuses after killing enemy minions. One of the weapons that Kor'Gall is very proud of and he literally doesn't go anywhere without, is the Jagged Cleaver
Looks strange? Well, our hero's next advantages over his enemies are his faithful assistants and skills gained in wild that help him bringing slaughter and gore:
(Note: All minions killed with Taste Their Blood while you have Jagged Cleaver equippped count for the Cleaver's deathrattle)
When the Killmonger and his assistants can't find any prey for a long time, he feels a very strong Bloodthirst .
Of course, it doen't make him weaker. He becomes even stronger and more alert. They feel Bloodthirst too, although Killmongers are those who don't care much about his helpers, so if one of them is starving, he has to find food on his own. Of course, there are some assistants who Kor'Gall has respect for. They are the ones who are strong enough to live in the wild on their own, but they've decided to stay with him and kill for him. Karg Gorefang is his favourite one.
After Kor'Gall finally finds his prey, there's no way it can escape.
Some sounds and quotes:
The Dragoon
An aggressive class whose spells tie into attacks through your hero and dragons also being the main tribe. The special ability for this class is called Flight .
Those who know Final Fantasy will recognize Kain. The hero power can either buff your board or ping down opposition minions while some of the Dragoon's class cards will tie into his hero power use such as below.
Highwind Dragonling : I wanted a 1 drop who could pressure the board with your hero power but could also tie into a token generation deck.
Chained Drake : This 3 drop I wanted the flavor of a dragon being chained but the enrage symbolizing it breaking free from it's chains and taking flight with Enrage.
Death From Above / Dragon's Breath : Examples of spells going through your hero's physical attacks.
Bahamut : I kept his attack lower for a 7 drop due to his potentially strong battlecry.
From the guy who brought you Chef, another class that uses recipes and cauldrons...
Custom cards :
CLASSES : Alchemist (CCC#5 | Phase V) | Chef (CCC#4)
EXPANSIONS : Year of the Scorpion (Year Comp)
SAMPLE CARDS
CARDS DISCUSSION
ARTWORKS USED
“It was really fun joining this competition :) Wishing everyone a good luck!”
A Dreamer is one who turns inward through meditaion and travels in their sleep to connect to the waking Dream of Creation. These beings are conscious of their connection to the Emerald Dream and choose to wander its planes to attain guidance and wisdom granted by the Green Dragon Flight. Ysera , the green Dragon Aspect, resides here, watching over the growing wilds of the world from her verdant realm. It is also home to many other dwellers. Dryads, Nymphs, Pixies, Sprites and all kind of mystical creatures ever dancing in their eternal wakeful slumber are always joyous to welcome new visitors. The musicians, artists, singers and daydreamers of this world often end up here, while their bodies are peacefully drowsing, later waking up without any notice that they have just been invited by the Emerald Queen herself.
Design Philosophy
I designed this class with the idea in mind that it does not necessarily have to fit perfectly to the existing classes and the game as is, but would exist in a Hearthstone that may be slightly more complex. Felt this gives me more space to experiment and is also more interesting for you, the reader, to maybe be a little inspired and stretch the design space of Hearthstone cards. I feel like this counts already for most card designers here, but thought writing it down doesn't hurt.
THE COMMANDER
The commander is a master of the art of war and by the use of clever strategy and tactics can lead their troops to victory in almost any situation. The default hero for the class is Sir Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Azeroth, a legendary hero that fought in the First War between orcs and humans and later commanded the armies of the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War, at whose end he perished at the base of Blackrock Mountain. And yes, the Anduin that we all know and love is named in his honor so you can bet this guy is quite popular to the people of Stormwind.
Now, that's a nice backstory and all but what you're thinking right now is that his Hero Power seems a bit weak. I mean, a 0/3 can't be good for much, right? Well, if you want to obtain victory you'll need to have an army and an army isn't going to train itself. And with that we arrive at the Commander's own keyword, Train.
A good warrior doesn't come from nowhere. Tons of dedication and perseverance is needed to be able to properly fight, as well as a master that is willing to teach you. Minions and weapons with Train can attack other friendly minions (dealing its damage of course, how else are they going to learn how to fight?) to give them a specified effect. Let's see some example cards:
As you can see most Train cards don't suffer much stat-wise for having their train effect. This is because training a minion means that you're not attacking an enemy and you're dealing damage to your own stuff. They're not meant to be used to train every single turn and should be seen more as an option that makes them more versatile. Training Stick can be used on turn one to clear an enemy 1-drop and then on turn 2 it can buff your New Recruit if you use your Hero Power. Worgen striker can be used in the early game to remove a threat or in the late game to give rush to a minion that isn't meant to have it, enabling powerful interactions. Degree provider is not a Train card per se but it shows how you can be rewarded by using other cards with Train.
Before we continue let me explain the precise details about how this mechanic works. The bonus is applied even if the attacker or the recipient die during training. Worgen Striker for example could give Rush to an 8/8 minion just fine but it wouldn't live to tell the tale. In the same vein, Fighting Stick could be used with a 1 Health minion and the +1/+1 would make it survive even though its Health dropped to 0 momentarily.
Before I finish I'd like to show two more general cards that don't involve this new keyword.
Make Camp allows you to make efficient trades and then let your minions recover from combat immediately. It needs to be the last thing that you do in your turn though so if your minions were already low on Health it's not going to be as effective since you can't use it right before trading.
Battle Orders: Ambush is one of the many Battle Order cards that the Commander will have. They'll all be 4 mana secrets so you can bet they'll be quite powerful. This one particulary makes you think about how you position your minions to increase its effectiveness, which will be a recurring theme for the class.
And that's it for now. I hope you're as excited as I am to see where this class goes. There are still some things I haven't shown you yet but most of the cards still need to be designed of course. I'll certainly be looking forward to further developing this class and seeing how it turns out. See you next phase!
Check out my Hearthstone expansion: The Shifting Sands