Okay, so I've completely reworked Collidus as a card, and I've gotten rid of the idea of RNG buffs, because I kind of want this to be a skill deck, I guess. This is like Lord Jaraxxus kind of in terms of how badass it is. But it is also subject to removal (Priest can Abusive Sergeant/Inner Fire + Shadow Word: Death, Mage can Polymorph, Hunter can Hunter's Mark, Warrior can Execute, Paladin can Blessing of Kings + Blessed Champion, Shaman can Hex, Rogue can Vanish, etc. etc.). However if it is left alone it can basically win you the game, like how Mal'Ganis and Jaraxxus are game finishers.
Basically it's a Turn 10 Warlock Deathwing/Legendragon equivalent. Ysera or Malygos cost 1 less for 2 extra health. But if you can get this minion out cheaply (Summoning Portal + Summoning Portal, or Voidcaller) you can 2-3TK. Life Tap with this in play gives you a Watcher. Damage yourself again (Flame Imp, Darkbomb, Elven Archer, etc. etc.) and you get a 6/6 and a 4/4. Do some more crazy jazz and you might taunt up those new big minions. They become HUUUUGE and a pretty big deal for your opponent - they'll have to take some damage and remove this, or try and board clear, somehow.
So this has 21 stat points: 14 from the health+attack, 9 from the Floating Watcher summon I guess. It has 2 extra points which makes it a viable legendary I think. This is a better direction for this legendary, as Warlocks are all about BIG legendaries. 10 mana though, so the incentive is to synergize with Voidcaller basically - but drawing this (as it's a legendary) will be a little difficult, but you do have your hero power.
Okay, so I've completely reworked Collidus as a card, and I've gotten rid of the idea of RNG buffs, because I kind of want this to be a skill deck, I guess. This is like Lord Jaraxxus kind of in terms of how badass it is. But it is also subject to removal (Priest can Abusive Sergeant/Inner Fire + Shadow Word: Death, Mage can Polymorph, Hunter can Hunter's Mark, Warrior can Execute, Paladin can Blessing of Kings + Blessed Champion, Shaman can Hex, Rogue can Vanish, etc. etc.). However if it is left alone it can basically win you the game, like how Mal'Ganis and Jaraxxus are game finishers.
Basically it's a Turn 10 Warlock Deathwing/Legendragon equivalent. Ysera or Malygos cost 1 less for 2 extra health. But if you can get this minion out cheaply (Summoning Portal + Summoning Portal, or Voidcaller) you can 2-3TK. Life Tap with this in play gives you a Watcher. Damage yourself again (Flame Imp, Darkbomb, Elven Archer, etc. etc.) and you get a 6/6 and a 4/4. Do some more crazy jazz and you might taunt up those new big minions. They become HUUUUGE and a pretty big deal for your opponent - they'll have to take some damage and remove this, or try and board clear, somehow.
So this has 21 stat points: 14 from the health+attack, 9 from the Floating Watcher summon I guess. It has 2 extra points which makes it a viable legendary I think. This is a better direction for this legendary, as Warlocks are all about BIG legendaries. 10 mana though, so the incentive is to synergize with Voidcaller basically - but drawing this (as it's a legendary) will be a little difficult, but you do have your hero power.
I feel like making it an 8-mana 4/8 would be more balanced because, as a class legendary, it needs to do something unfair immediately OR in conjunction with the class' cards and resources, such as Tirion Fordring, Cenarius and Archmage Antonidas. Because it is a demon however, you might want to consider making it 9-mana instead of 8, though Warlock already has two 9-mana cost legendaries which are both demons. It's up to you because I'm just providing balancing tips.
So I've done some rebalancing to a few cards - and added a new legendary!
I took your advice on Collidus - except now that the mana cost is down it shouldn't be a 4/8. While the 2 extra health might seem like a big deal, when you're that far into the game it could get taken out by a Giant anyway. It also provides the 4/4 body (or max. 6/6 and a 4/4 on that turn), so it shouldn't be OP.
I increased the cost of Void Slip, changed the artwork, and clarified how it works. The text fits!
So this minion should be called "Hakkar the Houndmaster" but Blizz messed up and made two major lore characters called Hakkar - one of them is a raid encounter and everyone knows about the Corrupted Blood incident, but Hakkar the Houndmaster is a bit obscure, so I changed the spelling but the pronunciation is similar. This minion is a bit like Hogger, but if you place it behind taunts it could be useful spell damage gain.
These changes will be included in the OP - check it out!
Perhaps! My only concern with that would be how that works like Lorewalker Cho in the tutorial: "You can't touch me!" but instead of just having to kill minions, you have no control over it and have to wait a turn, at which point you could be dead.
Speaking of the nether, I found a way to make Twisting Nether relevant and potentially good!
What do you think? It's completely useless unless you play it before Twisting Nether, at which point you'll then actually have some board presence!
I really like this, but I wanted to question the use of the secret. It is interesting to have a class that only has one secret therefore telegraphing exactly what the secret is, but at 10 mana, I don't think it would quite work. Compare it to Ice Block for a moment. When taking lethal damage, Ice Block makes the hero immune, so you can't continue to do damage. This secret resets the health to 15, but does not make the hero immune. This can be better or worse depending on the situation obviously, but Ice Block is only 3 mana.
You can get this card out using a mad scientist, but I just feel like 10 mana for the normal cost is way too much for what it does, especially considering the other player will know exactly what it is.
I really like this, but I wanted to question the use of the secret. It is interesting to have a class that only has one secret therefore telegraphing exactly what the secret is, but at 10 mana, I don't think it would quite work. Compare it to Ice Block for a moment. When taking lethal damage, Ice Block makes the hero immune, so you can't continue to do damage. This secret resets the health to 15, but does not make the hero immune. This can be better or worse depending on the situation obviously, but Ice Block is only 3 mana.
You can get this card out using a mad scientist, but I just feel like 10 mana for the normal cost is way too much for what it does, especially considering the other player will know exactly what it is.
Hmm. Thinking about it, I agree with you. 10 mana does seem like a stretch. Perhaps 8-9? Then you can at least make steps to prevent yourself from taking fatal damage. The problem I have is it feels a bit too much like Jaraxxus then. I'll change it to 8. At least then Kezan Mystic can be used on it.
Also: I feel like I've pretty much finished with this expansion, but I'd still like everyone's thoughts on cards, combos, etc. Treat it as if these cards were actually in the game, and maybe that way we can 'test' them without actually having them in the game! There's a list of potential decks on the first page.
Next Up: Shaman! Then Rogue! Then Paladin! Then Priest! Then...
I really like the idea, lots of cool stuff here. There are a few balance points I would like to address.
Agony: this card seems like a worse corruption most of the time, and corruption already doesn't see play. not every card needs to be good though. Still to differentiate it from corruption I would suggest letting this target face but limiting it to three turns. For zoo this becomes 1 mana for 6 face damage but with absolutely no board presence or the worst removal spell ever. I hope this would create an interesting tension early game, the value is very high but direct damage is generally saved to finish targets off, and doing that over three turns would be slow and painful, so you want to play it earlier, but doing so would cost you tempo and board control, which could just mean a loss for zoo.
Soulwell: The general health -> cost ratio is 8 health = 1 card + 3 mana (see healing touch and ice barrier), soulwell undershoots this abysmally (assuming you even get a healthstone). I would suggest reducing the cost of healthstones to 0. If soulwell is killed by a spell, it's 1 card for 1 card (fair), if it's killed by minions it's 3 mana for 4 health (overcosted), but if you get a healthstone, you pay 3 mana for 5 health and a card or 9 health, both of which are relatively fair costs and every once in a while you'll get two healthstones and then the card has a ton of value (3 mana for 1 card + 10 health or for 14 health). Because of how hard it is to keep it alive for 2 turns though I think this is acceptable reward.
Soul Shard: WAAAAAY too expensive, remember, because these only come from other cards, they're mid-late game cards, also remember that you have a maximum hand size. If shards cost 3 and you use 1, you need to play 4 spells to make it mana efficient, and you almost certainly won't do this before turn 5, meaning you have to play 4 spells with 2 mana, which means two 1 drops, and two 2 drops, which you should have played earlier. Even on turn 10, playing 1 soul shard leaves you with 7 mana with which you have to play 4 spells whose maximum total base cost is 11, (the 7 mana you have + 4 cost reductions) which will have to include some cheap spells. You have to cast 3 spells if you use 2 shards, again total base cost 11 if you do this on turn 10 (5 mana + 6 cost reduction) or 2 spells if you use 3 with a total base cost of 12 (again, this amounts to 2 six drops or a 7 drop and a 5 drop). Basically, no matter how you slice it you need to have held on to a bunch of cheap spells in order to get value out of soul shard, and you never want to hold a hand full of cheap cards except for certain very specific combos. To fix this I would reduce the cost of soul shards to 1 and let a player cast any card, not just spells, for cheaper. That way a single shard pays off if you play 2 other cards that turn (which is doable around turn 5 or 6 but not hugely broken) and two shards pay off if you play a single other card. This is balanced out by the difficulty of actually obtaining the shards. I would also drop the bit about giving demons charge, because that makes you want to play cards before the cost reduction, which is counterproductive to the central idea of the card. (sorry that section is so wordy and mathy, TLDR: make soul shards cost 1, they'll still be weaker than coins except in multiples)
Caged soul: seems like the kind of card you want in a game, because it does fun things sometimes and doesn't run the risk of breaking anything, probably won't see play over ancient watcher but I would be very tempted to try it with the soul shard changes I mentioned above
Eye of Kilrogg: no changes, I just wanted to say how awesome a design this is!
Health Funnel: seems weak, I'm not sure I ever want to pay 3 mana and a card for this effect, even though it enables good trades once, your opponent gets to play around it after the first use, maybe go down to 1 cost? Compare to power word shield
Void Slip: I would actually go cheaper on this. Compare to conceal on the defensive end and hex on the offensive end, it is significantly weaker than either. The versatility is good enough that I would make it cost 2 instead of 1, but definitely not 3.
Dark Regeneration: See my comments on soulwell regarding the cost of health, this should cost 3 at the most, but getting the health slowly makes me think this might even go down to 2
Metamorphosis: 7 mana for 5 armor, a strictly worse fiery war axe, and some RNG for your hero power seems completely unplayable, especially given it only lasts for 3 turns. Sure the hero powers are strong, but getting a random one makes it impossible to really plan around this card, I would pick one hero power, get rid of the weapon completely, and refocus the card around the gameplay whichever hero power you choose creates. I might also choose to make this a permanent transformation.
Eye of Sargeras: I would bump this up to 5 attack. That way it doesn't actively damage you more than your opponent. Either way I like this a lot as a zoo finisher.
Mannaroth: remember, adding a card to your hand is not hugely different from drawing a card. Sure, it's a very specific card, but you still have to pay full price to cast it. I would let Mannaroth attack.
Xavius: Both of the designs here are somewhat interesting, but the card seems unfocused. The dirk on its own is very cool and has a good risk/reward paradigm (clear a big threat but take big damage in the process? or get a free satyr off of something cheaper) and the battlecry works very well in a satyr tribal given that you've established the satyr identity as some combination of taunt and swarm, but the two don't really work together in any meaningful sense. I would say pick one and move the other to its own card.
Every card I didn't mention I think is well balanced and well designed. This is a really cool idea. I also like how you played up the self damage aspect. Overall I'd say 9/10.
Additionally to what Zok72 said above, I also think Arcane Giant is over-costed. Most decks run around 6-12 spells and Warlock usually doesn't run that many anyway because most of its spells suck. This means you're usually relying on your opponent to get you to play the card and, even if it does become playable, it will likely be played in the very late-game where it can be easily removed. I suggest lowering the mana cost to around 12 or 10 and maybe even making it available for all classes.
Wow, lemme say that this is my favorite group of created cards! Awesome man! Great artwork, and great abilities. I am also a Warlock player, and this thread got me excited like I was able to go buy cards packs and pull em! Big thumbs up!
Okay, I've made some card adjustments accordingly - Soul Shard should be stronger in some ways and weaker in others - imagine getting 3 soul shards, casting one, then getting another, and casting it. This could lead to some craziness! This card also helps make other cards cheaper in general. I think Emperor Thaurissan is a good include with this card to mitigate high-cost minions. "Mana Combo Warlock" if you like. Arcane Giant is cheaper, Metamorphosis restores 10 health to mitigate damage, Healthstone costs 0, New art for Health Funnel and cheaper, Dark Regen cheaper, legendaries changed as per suggestions.
Grand Tournament cards!
Shielded Outcast is a pretty good card, but it has to be a 4 drop. It isn't completely OP though, because there are some direct removal options. Considering nerfing this so that all classes can remove it. Blooded Warlock is pretty simps. Like Acolyte of Pain, but a bit better and worse in ways. Corrupted Sun Cleric is a cool alternative to Shattered Sun Cleric. Blood Mage is a neutral card, so it can be used among all classes. The 'Dirk of the Beast' weapon has been changed to its own card.
How would spell damage affect Agony? Depending on the answer it could be a major powerhouse for Maylocks, especially if it was allowed to apply to heroes with a turn limited like someone else suggested.
I don't think I like the soulstone though. First its the only Warlock secret and its high cost make it super telegraphed, as well as eating a very late turn leaving you with very little else to do if anything. Flavor is good but I feel like play wise it doesn't make sense. Perhaps a rethink is in order?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My entry in the weekly Card Contest. Head over and give some upvotes please!
Shielded Outcast: I really like the idea of a watcher variant. This slides perfectly into handlock without just being strictly better. Any design which makes me think really hard about whether it is better than its existing equivalent is a good choice. Very well done!
Blooded Warlock: Seems pretty strong in zoo. Playable but not special on curve, amazing late. The mitigating factor of course is that aggressive decks don't want to be tapping a lot, and this has aggressive stats. I think this is probably okay as is but if I were blizz I would carefully watch win rates of decks with this card.
Corrupted Sun Cleric: Simple, elegant, and effective design. Well done.
Blood Mage: This card seems more flavorful than good, but it is definitely of comparable power level to a bunch of the other mid-quality cards already in existence. The design (independent of the power level) is interesting. Well done.
@nekromanton Thanks for clarifying that, I hadn't really thought of it seeing as I was more focused on the character aspect of it being weird... I'll remove it from the edited cards list.
@Zok72 Thanks for the encouraging review! I wasn't sure about Void Outcast at first, but the more I think about it, the more balanced it seems. :)
I dunno, I'm kind of stuck on Warlock. I am really digging the entire class and I feel like there is so much potential to be unlocked (in other classes as well, but I've got more ideas for Warlock at the moment). Here are some more cards - all TGT, 3 spells, 1 minion.
Eradication: Delayed board wipe - you shuffle maximum 7 Soul Shards into your deck. I think it's fairly priced due to the delay in effect. Easily countered by Mass Dispel.
Picky Imp: Play Succubus Turn 2, Play Picky Imp + Tap Turn 4. Get a card back! I'm thinking this should cost more/have less health.
Unending Resolve: A version of Shield Block - costs 1 less and gives you 10 armor. However, you discard two random cards instead of drawing one. This is unfortunate for you, but good when you're in a sticky situation. Hopefully you can recoup these losses by using Picky Imp to pick up the slack.
Fear: A useful tech card for avoiding taunts. Play it on a high threat enemy minion, or on a friendly minion so you can sMORC better.
I feel like Unending Resolve should have the Warlock gain 10 or 12 health instead of armor. It just feels strange for a Warlock to have armor on. Apart from my pernickety personal preference, the card looks very practical and flavourful. As do the rest of the new ones.
Edit: One thing I forgot to ask, how can Eradication be countered by Mass Dispel? Did you mean Counterspell?
Eradication: seems cheap, most of the time this will just replace hellfire only it will be 1 sided. I would go to 5 or 6 mana (remember, twisting nether costs 8, though doomsayer costs 2 so I'm not exactly sure what the proper comparison point is).
Picky Imp: I'm not sure this card will ever be good. It's too slow for aggressive decks and too little value for control decks. That said, it's acceptably costed. I'd leave it where it is, not every card has to see play.
Unending resolve: 3 cards and 2 mana for 10 armor is an absolute desperation play. I think this would have to be 15 armor or only 1 discard to even be considered, but again, not every card has to be costed competitively.
Fear: This is a very strange effect. I have no idea how to price it. I might think that for consistency you would want to make it a 50% chance (like the various ogre cards) but I don't think it's a 100% necessary change.
Soulstone change: 1 in hand is still nearly useless (need 3 other spells to make back your value), 2 in hand is still weak (need 2 other spells), 3 in hand is interesting (make up value on one spell but you needed to hold 3 soulshards). I would also never shuffle soulstones into the player's deck. Drawing them really hurts deck consistency given that they're still worse than a coin most of the time. For comparison, innervate is generally considered a relatively bad mid-late game card because all of its strength comes from powering out something way ahead of curve. I would change any card that shuffles soulstones into the deck to adding soulstones to your hand. That said, 2 cost soulstones are at least something you might consider playing.
@Zok72 The thing is, as you said later in your reply, you'll fill your deck up with Soul Shards. This can be a boon or a loss, depending on the situation. Also, it takes a turn before anything can happen, so basically this is the equivalent of Hellfire without the guarantee of damaging your own minions. The enemy minions can still attack until your next turn.
With Picky Imp, I guess that's right. But maybe - just maybe - it could see play if the meta slows down and then we'll end up with full on demonlocks that don't rely on Voidcaller.
For Unending Resolve, I sort of thought along the lines of Doomguard in terms of how it worked, but then again it's a bit bad. It does cost a lot less, and it helps you to keep yourself going long enough to get to the endgame. I was thinking of this in tandem with Picky Imp.
Fear: Flavor!
Soul Shards: I am inclined to agree with you, so I've made a card that helps with that problem. I've also made a card to counteract Felguard and Demonfuse, awful, awful cards that they are, as well as to synergize with Arcane Golem.
Equalize: Facing ramp druid? Played Felguard/Demonfuse? Play this and you reset the mana advantage. You also draw a card, so it's priced at two mana. If you're playing a mirror match against someone who just played Felguard or Demonfuse though, you don't want this in your opponent's hand!
Legion Commander: You've got let's say 10 Soul Shards in your deck, and you've got no way of knowing if you'll draw them or not. This way, you can draw 2 of them out of your deck while also drawing an extra card. This may need some stat nerfing though.
Okay, so I've completely reworked Collidus as a card, and I've gotten rid of the idea of RNG buffs, because I kind of want this to be a skill deck, I guess. This is like Lord Jaraxxus kind of in terms of how badass it is. But it is also subject to removal (Priest can Abusive Sergeant/Inner Fire + Shadow Word: Death, Mage can Polymorph, Hunter can Hunter's Mark, Warrior can Execute, Paladin can Blessing of Kings + Blessed Champion, Shaman can Hex, Rogue can Vanish, etc. etc.). However if it is left alone it can basically win you the game, like how Mal'Ganis and Jaraxxus are game finishers.
Basically it's a Turn 10 Warlock Deathwing/Legendragon equivalent. Ysera or Malygos cost 1 less for 2 extra health. But if you can get this minion out cheaply (Summoning Portal + Summoning Portal, or Voidcaller) you can 2-3TK. Life Tap with this in play gives you a Watcher. Damage yourself again (Flame Imp, Darkbomb, Elven Archer, etc. etc.) and you get a 6/6 and a 4/4. Do some more crazy jazz and you might taunt up those new big minions. They become HUUUUGE and a pretty big deal for your opponent - they'll have to take some damage and remove this, or try and board clear, somehow.
So this has 21 stat points: 14 from the health+attack, 9 from the Floating Watcher summon I guess. It has 2 extra points which makes it a viable legendary I think. This is a better direction for this legendary, as Warlocks are all about BIG legendaries. 10 mana though, so the incentive is to synergize with Voidcaller basically - but drawing this (as it's a legendary) will be a little difficult, but you do have your hero power.
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
I feel like making it an 8-mana 4/8 would be more balanced because, as a class legendary, it needs to do something unfair immediately OR in conjunction with the class' cards and resources, such as Tirion Fordring, Cenarius and Archmage Antonidas. Because it is a demon however, you might want to consider making it 9-mana instead of 8, though Warlock already has two 9-mana cost legendaries which are both demons. It's up to you because I'm just providing balancing tips.
That'll do, Huffer. That'll do.
So I've done some rebalancing to a few cards - and added a new legendary!
I took your advice on Collidus - except now that the mana cost is down it shouldn't be a 4/8. While the 2 extra health might seem like a big deal, when you're that far into the game it could get taken out by a Giant anyway. It also provides the 4/4 body (or max. 6/6 and a 4/4 on that turn), so it shouldn't be OP.
I increased the cost of Void Slip, changed the artwork, and clarified how it works. The text fits!
So this minion should be called "Hakkar the Houndmaster" but Blizz messed up and made two major lore characters called Hakkar - one of them is a raid encounter and everyone knows about the Corrupted Blood incident, but Hakkar the Houndmaster is a bit obscure, so I changed the spelling but the pronunciation is similar. This minion is a bit like Hogger, but if you place it behind taunts it could be useful spell damage gain.
These changes will be included in the OP - check it out!
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
Perhaps! My only concern with that would be how that works like Lorewalker Cho in the tutorial: "You can't touch me!" but instead of just having to kill minions, you have no control over it and have to wait a turn, at which point you could be dead.
Speaking of the nether, I found a way to make Twisting Nether relevant and potentially good!
What do you think? It's completely useless unless you play it before Twisting Nether, at which point you'll then actually have some board presence!
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
I really like this, but I wanted to question the use of the secret. It is interesting to have a class that only has one secret therefore telegraphing exactly what the secret is, but at 10 mana, I don't think it would quite work. Compare it to Ice Block for a moment. When taking lethal damage, Ice Block makes the hero immune, so you can't continue to do damage. This secret resets the health to 15, but does not make the hero immune. This can be better or worse depending on the situation obviously, but Ice Block is only 3 mana.
You can get this card out using a mad scientist, but I just feel like 10 mana for the normal cost is way too much for what it does, especially considering the other player will know exactly what it is.
Hmm. Thinking about it, I agree with you. 10 mana does seem like a stretch. Perhaps 8-9? Then you can at least make steps to prevent yourself from taking fatal damage. The problem I have is it feels a bit too much like Jaraxxus then. I'll change it to 8. At least then Kezan Mystic can be used on it.
Also: I feel like I've pretty much finished with this expansion, but I'd still like everyone's thoughts on cards, combos, etc. Treat it as if these cards were actually in the game, and maybe that way we can 'test' them without actually having them in the game! There's a list of potential decks on the first page.
Next Up: Shaman! Then Rogue! Then Paladin! Then Priest! Then...
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
Lol if they included expansions like this with the new hero portraits I'd buy nice work though
I really like the idea, lots of cool stuff here. There are a few balance points I would like to address.
Agony: this card seems like a worse corruption most of the time, and corruption already doesn't see play. not every card needs to be good though. Still to differentiate it from corruption I would suggest letting this target face but limiting it to three turns. For zoo this becomes 1 mana for 6 face damage but with absolutely no board presence or the worst removal spell ever. I hope this would create an interesting tension early game, the value is very high but direct damage is generally saved to finish targets off, and doing that over three turns would be slow and painful, so you want to play it earlier, but doing so would cost you tempo and board control, which could just mean a loss for zoo.
Soulwell: The general health -> cost ratio is 8 health = 1 card + 3 mana (see healing touch and ice barrier), soulwell undershoots this abysmally (assuming you even get a healthstone). I would suggest reducing the cost of healthstones to 0. If soulwell is killed by a spell, it's 1 card for 1 card (fair), if it's killed by minions it's 3 mana for 4 health (overcosted), but if you get a healthstone, you pay 3 mana for 5 health and a card or 9 health, both of which are relatively fair costs and every once in a while you'll get two healthstones and then the card has a ton of value (3 mana for 1 card + 10 health or for 14 health). Because of how hard it is to keep it alive for 2 turns though I think this is acceptable reward.
Soul Shard: WAAAAAY too expensive, remember, because these only come from other cards, they're mid-late game cards, also remember that you have a maximum hand size. If shards cost 3 and you use 1, you need to play 4 spells to make it mana efficient, and you almost certainly won't do this before turn 5, meaning you have to play 4 spells with 2 mana, which means two 1 drops, and two 2 drops, which you should have played earlier. Even on turn 10, playing 1 soul shard leaves you with 7 mana with which you have to play 4 spells whose maximum total base cost is 11, (the 7 mana you have + 4 cost reductions) which will have to include some cheap spells. You have to cast 3 spells if you use 2 shards, again total base cost 11 if you do this on turn 10 (5 mana + 6 cost reduction) or 2 spells if you use 3 with a total base cost of 12 (again, this amounts to 2 six drops or a 7 drop and a 5 drop). Basically, no matter how you slice it you need to have held on to a bunch of cheap spells in order to get value out of soul shard, and you never want to hold a hand full of cheap cards except for certain very specific combos. To fix this I would reduce the cost of soul shards to 1 and let a player cast any card, not just spells, for cheaper. That way a single shard pays off if you play 2 other cards that turn (which is doable around turn 5 or 6 but not hugely broken) and two shards pay off if you play a single other card. This is balanced out by the difficulty of actually obtaining the shards. I would also drop the bit about giving demons charge, because that makes you want to play cards before the cost reduction, which is counterproductive to the central idea of the card.
(sorry that section is so wordy and mathy, TLDR: make soul shards cost 1, they'll still be weaker than coins except in multiples)
Caged soul: seems like the kind of card you want in a game, because it does fun things sometimes and doesn't run the risk of breaking anything, probably won't see play over ancient watcher but I would be very tempted to try it with the soul shard changes I mentioned above
Eye of Kilrogg: no changes, I just wanted to say how awesome a design this is!
Health Funnel: seems weak, I'm not sure I ever want to pay 3 mana and a card for this effect, even though it enables good trades once, your opponent gets to play around it after the first use, maybe go down to 1 cost? Compare to power word shield
Void Slip: I would actually go cheaper on this. Compare to conceal on the defensive end and hex on the offensive end, it is significantly weaker than either. The versatility is good enough that I would make it cost 2 instead of 1, but definitely not 3.
Dark Regeneration: See my comments on soulwell regarding the cost of health, this should cost 3 at the most, but getting the health slowly makes me think this might even go down to 2
Metamorphosis: 7 mana for 5 armor, a strictly worse fiery war axe, and some RNG for your hero power seems completely unplayable, especially given it only lasts for 3 turns. Sure the hero powers are strong, but getting a random one makes it impossible to really plan around this card, I would pick one hero power, get rid of the weapon completely, and refocus the card around the gameplay whichever hero power you choose creates. I might also choose to make this a permanent transformation.
Eye of Sargeras: I would bump this up to 5 attack. That way it doesn't actively damage you more than your opponent. Either way I like this a lot as a zoo finisher.
Mannaroth: remember, adding a card to your hand is not hugely different from drawing a card. Sure, it's a very specific card, but you still have to pay full price to cast it. I would let Mannaroth attack.
Xavius: Both of the designs here are somewhat interesting, but the card seems unfocused. The dirk on its own is very cool and has a good risk/reward paradigm (clear a big threat but take big damage in the process? or get a free satyr off of something cheaper) and the battlecry works very well in a satyr tribal given that you've established the satyr identity as some combination of taunt and swarm, but the two don't really work together in any meaningful sense. I would say pick one and move the other to its own card.
Every card I didn't mention I think is well balanced and well designed. This is a really cool idea. I also like how you played up the self damage aspect. Overall I'd say 9/10.
Additionally to what Zok72 said above, I also think Arcane Giant is over-costed. Most decks run around 6-12 spells and Warlock usually doesn't run that many anyway because most of its spells suck. This means you're usually relying on your opponent to get you to play the card and, even if it does become playable, it will likely be played in the very late-game where it can be easily removed. I suggest lowering the mana cost to around 12 or 10 and maybe even making it available for all classes.
That'll do, Huffer. That'll do.
Wow, lemme say that this is my favorite group of created cards! Awesome man! Great artwork, and great abilities. I am also a Warlock player, and this thread got me excited like I was able to go buy cards packs and pull em! Big thumbs up!
Okay, I've made some card adjustments accordingly - Soul Shard should be stronger in some ways and weaker in others - imagine getting 3 soul shards, casting one, then getting another, and casting it. This could lead to some craziness! This card also helps make other cards cheaper in general. I think Emperor Thaurissan is a good include with this card to mitigate high-cost minions. "Mana Combo Warlock" if you like. Arcane Giant is cheaper, Metamorphosis restores 10 health to mitigate damage, Healthstone costs 0, New art for Health Funnel and cheaper, Dark Regen cheaper, legendaries changed as per suggestions.
Grand Tournament cards!
Shielded Outcast is a pretty good card, but it has to be a 4 drop. It isn't completely OP though, because there are some direct removal options. Considering nerfing this so that all classes can remove it. Blooded Warlock is pretty simps. Like Acolyte of Pain, but a bit better and worse in ways. Corrupted Sun Cleric is a cool alternative to Shattered Sun Cleric. Blood Mage is a neutral card, so it can be used among all classes. The 'Dirk of the Beast' weapon has been changed to its own card.
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
Awsome job. I want metamorthis to be warlock hero
My Recruit url for those who want dem packs! https://battle.net/recruit/CDF2JMK6CQ?blzcmp=raf-hs&s=HS&m=pc
How would spell damage affect Agony? Depending on the answer it could be a major powerhouse for Maylocks, especially if it was allowed to apply to heroes with a turn limited like someone else suggested.
I don't think I like the soulstone though. First its the only Warlock secret and its high cost make it super telegraphed, as well as eating a very late turn leaving you with very little else to do if anything. Flavor is good but I feel like play wise it doesn't make sense. Perhaps a rethink is in order?
My entry in the weekly Card Contest. Head over and give some upvotes please!
TGT review
Shielded Outcast: I really like the idea of a watcher variant. This slides perfectly into handlock without just being strictly better. Any design which makes me think really hard about whether it is better than its existing equivalent is a good choice. Very well done!
Blooded Warlock: Seems pretty strong in zoo. Playable but not special on curve, amazing late. The mitigating factor of course is that aggressive decks don't want to be tapping a lot, and this has aggressive stats. I think this is probably okay as is but if I were blizz I would carefully watch win rates of decks with this card.
Corrupted Sun Cleric: Simple, elegant, and effective design. Well done.
Blood Mage: This card seems more flavorful than good, but it is definitely of comparable power level to a bunch of the other mid-quality cards already in existence. The design (independent of the power level) is interesting. Well done.
@nekromanton Thanks for clarifying that, I hadn't really thought of it seeing as I was more focused on the character aspect of it being weird... I'll remove it from the edited cards list.
@Zok72 Thanks for the encouraging review! I wasn't sure about Void Outcast at first, but the more I think about it, the more balanced it seems. :)
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
I dunno, I'm kind of stuck on Warlock. I am really digging the entire class and I feel like there is so much potential to be unlocked (in other classes as well, but I've got more ideas for Warlock at the moment). Here are some more cards - all TGT, 3 spells, 1 minion.
Eradication: Delayed board wipe - you shuffle maximum 7 Soul Shards into your deck. I think it's fairly priced due to the delay in effect. Easily countered by Mass Dispel.
Picky Imp: Play Succubus Turn 2, Play Picky Imp + Tap Turn 4. Get a card back! I'm thinking this should cost more/have less health.
Unending Resolve: A version of Shield Block - costs 1 less and gives you 10 armor. However, you discard two random cards instead of drawing one. This is unfortunate for you, but good when you're in a sticky situation. Hopefully you can recoup these losses by using Picky Imp to pick up the slack.
Fear: A useful tech card for avoiding taunts. Play it on a high threat enemy minion, or on a friendly minion so you can sMORC better.
So those are some new added cards! :)
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
I feel like Unending Resolve should have the Warlock gain 10 or 12 health instead of armor. It just feels strange for a Warlock to have armor on. Apart from my pernickety personal preference, the card looks very practical and flavourful. As do the rest of the new ones.
Edit: One thing I forgot to ask, how can Eradication be countered by Mass Dispel? Did you mean Counterspell?
That'll do, Huffer. That'll do.
Sorry, thought it was Silence ALL minions. Yes I suppose counterspell would be the only thing, then. Wailing Soul would work though.
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •
Eradication: seems cheap, most of the time this will just replace hellfire only it will be 1 sided. I would go to 5 or 6 mana (remember, twisting nether costs 8, though doomsayer costs 2 so I'm not exactly sure what the proper comparison point is).
Picky Imp: I'm not sure this card will ever be good. It's too slow for aggressive decks and too little value for control decks. That said, it's acceptably costed. I'd leave it where it is, not every card has to see play.
Unending resolve: 3 cards and 2 mana for 10 armor is an absolute desperation play. I think this would have to be 15 armor or only 1 discard to even be considered, but again, not every card has to be costed competitively.
Fear: This is a very strange effect. I have no idea how to price it. I might think that for consistency you would want to make it a 50% chance (like the various ogre cards) but I don't think it's a 100% necessary change.
Soulstone change: 1 in hand is still nearly useless (need 3 other spells to make back your value), 2 in hand is still weak (need 2 other spells), 3 in hand is interesting (make up value on one spell but you needed to hold 3 soulshards). I would also never shuffle soulstones into the player's deck. Drawing them really hurts deck consistency given that they're still worse than a coin most of the time. For comparison, innervate is generally considered a relatively bad mid-late game card because all of its strength comes from powering out something way ahead of curve. I would change any card that shuffles soulstones into the deck to adding soulstones to your hand. That said, 2 cost soulstones are at least something you might consider playing.
@Zok72 The thing is, as you said later in your reply, you'll fill your deck up with Soul Shards. This can be a boon or a loss, depending on the situation. Also, it takes a turn before anything can happen, so basically this is the equivalent of Hellfire without the guarantee of damaging your own minions. The enemy minions can still attack until your next turn.
With Picky Imp, I guess that's right. But maybe - just maybe - it could see play if the meta slows down and then we'll end up with full on demonlocks that don't rely on Voidcaller.
For Unending Resolve, I sort of thought along the lines of Doomguard in terms of how it worked, but then again it's a bit bad. It does cost a lot less, and it helps you to keep yourself going long enough to get to the endgame. I was thinking of this in tandem with Picky Imp.
Fear: Flavor!
Soul Shards: I am inclined to agree with you, so I've made a card that helps with that problem. I've also made a card to counteract Felguard and Demonfuse, awful, awful cards that they are, as well as to synergize with Arcane Golem.
Equalize: Facing ramp druid? Played Felguard/Demonfuse? Play this and you reset the mana advantage. You also draw a card, so it's priced at two mana. If you're playing a mirror match against someone who just played Felguard or Demonfuse though, you don't want this in your opponent's hand!
Legion Commander: You've got let's say 10 Soul Shards in your deck, and you've got no way of knowing if you'll draw them or not. This way, you can draw 2 of them out of your deck while also drawing an extra card. This may need some stat nerfing though.
please consider voting for my custom class in the fan creations competition :]
• TRIALS IN AUCHINDOUN - A Custom Hearthstone Adventure (4th Wing!) • New and Interesting Hearthstone Mechanics (by me!) •