The Bard is a class from Dungeons and Dragons and also a general fantasy troupe who uses musical talent combined with magic and a variety of instruments to do battle. They are mainly supports that offer a wide range of utilities through various songs. Even though they normally manifest as healers, their incredible versatility allows them to be fighters as well.
Two main themes run throughout the Bard class.
A token-based playstyle, but emphasizing defensive stats and control rather than aggression.
Versatility, both in the metagame of allowing Bard to make both aggro and control decks, and in the cards that can be used in different ways in different situations. The entire Melody mechanic is based off of this concept.
Our returning Hero is virtuoso Lindsey Starling, and her Hero Power, Acoustics:
Lindsey Starling & Acoustics Explained
"A picture is worth a thousand words, but a song is worth a million." -Lindsey Starling
A legendary Musician who is said to have defeated a dragon with nothing but a violin, Lindsey preaches peace and unity to the world through music. No matter where we come from, we still feel the same joy and the same sadness. No matter how different we think we are, a song can show us that our emotions are the same. She travels the world as a wandering hero, teaching all she meets of her philosophy. Already, hundreds of other bards from every corner of the globe have joined her cause. They have taken up her goal of a world where people put their differences aside and live in harmony, a goal that they believe can be achieved through music.
Her Hero Power, Acoustics, gives her a minor board control tool while also allowing her to recover in the later game. Many classes with Hero Powers that give them 1 Attack suffer from the fact that they end up taking far too much damage from each attack. Druid has some mitigation of this, but Rogue has none. By using the Melody mechanic, this hero power allows you to choose between a weaker version of Rogue's hero power for damage or a weaker version of Warrior's hero power for recovery each time you use it, once again showing how the Melody mechanic lets you make interesting choices.
Melody Mechanic Explained
While they do fight valiantly for what they believe is right, bards are generally more peaceful people who would rather play an enticing melody than engage in direct combat. As such, the Bard class's unique keyword is Melody, which gives a character an ability that they can use instead of attacking.
Melody effects are activated by pressing the melody button that appears when attacking with a minion. Playing a melody has all the same conditions as attacking, and should be thought of as "a different way to attack."
A minion can't use its melody if it already attacked that turn, and can't attack if it already used its melody that turn
Minions cannot play their melodies on the turn they are played
Minions CAN play their melodies on the turn they are played if they have charge
Minions cannot play their melodies if they are Frozen or have "Can't Attack"
Minions can play their melodies TWICE in a turn if they have windfury (or attack twice, or use 1 melody and 1 attack in any combination)
Weapons can have melody effects, which cost 1 durability to use
While the conditions for using a Melody are the same attacking, the actual effect is closer to a battlecry or spell.
Melodies can be targeted regardless of Taunt
Not all melodies need to be targeted
You cannot play a melody if there is no valid target for it (the button won't appear)
Melodies are unaffected by "50% chance to attack the wrong enemy"
The technicalities may sound intimidating, but the Melody mechanic is actually very simple. Here it is, put concisely:
In this infographic is a spoiler that shows how Melody works:
Card used:
Sample Cards
These three cards have been deemed the best representations of Bard's basic set.
Explanations:
Spirit Dancer
Her alluring dance gathers the spirits.
While designing Bard, there was a card in the basic set that happened to synergize really well with Wisp. So well, to the point where I really wanted Wisp in Bard to be viable. Unfortunately, wisp just doesn't do enough to warrant a card slot. So, a card that generates wisps would both fit into Bard's 1 mana minion slot and allow wisp to see play! When this design came around, it was impossible to refuse.
You might not want to immediately play the wisps you get from this card. Bard has a lot of cards that synergize with how many minions you currently have on the field, and since wisp costs 0 mana, you can drop them all right before you play those cards to significantly increase their output.
Since Wisp is technically a common card and not basic, here is a basic version of it generated uniquely by this card (Nerubians do the same thing by the way, in nerubian egg vs beneath the grounds):
Instrumentalist
He wanders from town to town, collecting instruments wherever he goes.
At first glance this card may be confusing, especially since Bard doesn't have any basic weapons. But remember, your hero power generates a 1-durability weapon. To activate this card's effect, you could use your hero power on turn 2 but not use your weapon, and then play this for a really solid turn 3, kind of like a mini-handlock play.
This card functions as an all around sturdy 3-drop, both with or without its effect.
Reverberate
A sonic blast so powerful that even its echoes can pack a wallop.
The main thing that Bard was lacking before this card was designed was the fact that once you lost tempo or board control, there was no way to get it back. This card fixes just that, allowing you to thin your opponent's board while starting to rebuild your own.
Echoes are simply 1/1s:
Remaining Cards
This spoiler contains the remaining 7 cards in the basic set, along with their explanations.
Explanations:
Double Time
Twice as much speed means twice as many options.
This card is an example of Bard cards that produce insane versatility through very simple effects. Its efficient mana cost allows to to be used to trade more effectively. It also is a card that could give Bard its finisher, possibly in combination with Leeroy Jenkins. When minions start getting Melody in the classic set, this card allows you to use a Melody twice in a turn, or use any combination of 1 Attack and 1 Melody.
This is also the type of card that can be very worrying in terms of overly large OTK combos with large charge minions or attack buffs. However, since I've already been staying away from Attack buffs just because it goes against Bard flavor in general, I won't have to go out of the way to keep this card in check.
Low Note
The sound from this giant's horn will stop anything in its tracks.
This card functions as Bard's "Hard" removal. It allows you to use your tokens to take down larger minions without killing those tokens in the process. It also allows you to simply ignore a minion for a turn and just use your minions' melody effects, rather than forcing your minions to remove a threat immediately and thus taking away their opportunity to use their melodies.
Song of Fortitude
Only music can give what words cannot.
The first of the Bard's "Songs". Songs are cards in bard, identified with a card name in the format of "Song of...". All of them have some sort of synergy with controlling many minions. This one being the most central and the most simple, it belongs in the basic set.
This card is a simple reflection of how Bards tend to buff their minions in defensive ways rather than being a Savage Roar / Bloodlust clone.
Explanations:
Choir
Both in music and in battle, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Choir is actually an exception for Bard in that it is a direct damage spell. All classes need some sort of generic removal, and so this is how Bard will have it, only potent if you have a good board. While this card can function as some serious burn in an aggressive token deck, it's not too hard for any Bard deck to get at least 1 or 2 minions, so this card should be a core card in any deck.
Peace and Harmony
Rule number one of Lindsey's Bards: "Every action I take is to promote peace and harmony."
A good midgame multi-card draw for Bard that fits better in control decks, but can be used pretty much anywhere. It's simple and gets the job done, just like a basic card should.
Soothing Lyrist
In a world of violence and destruction, music is our only respite.
What sets Bard apart from the token-style gameplays of Druid or Shaman is that it uses minions for control rather than outright aggro. This card is what links flooding the board with defensive gameplay, and allows you to both heal your hero and develop your board in the same turn.
Explanation:
Orchestra
Lindsey's personal orchestra contains talent from every corner of the globe.
Orchestra is a one-of-everything token generator. It summons these exact four minions every time, so you always know what you're getting:
Serves as a big late-game minion for Bard, split into several smaller ones to synergize with its spells. It may seem super slow, but thanks to the fact that one of them has Charge it can actually be surprisingly helpful in some scenarios.
This concludes Bard's basic set. These cards establish the design standards for Bard as well as giving it a few core cards that will be seen throughout many decks. In the next set, Bard truly gets to show its full potential as the Melody mechanic will start to appear.
If you enjoyed these cards and are excited for this class's future, a vote would be appreciated!
Every opponent, a teacher. Every defeat, a lesson.
Recap: This class is all about producing copies of cards that become stronger as they are continuously played. This is helped by the class Hero Power, which draws cards that you have already played, guaranteeing you that you'll get the copies of the minion you need. It also means that if you only have one of each card, it will draw nothing.
Keyword (For future phases), Deathless: When this card is played, do (X), times the number of instances it has been played previously.
Plated Sorok: A solid 2-drop for the class, one that gets the ball rolling for your hero power that could potentially be used next turn. Being traditionally a bit more of a control class, Plated Sorok, like most of the class minions, has a more defensible health.
Blood Sentinel: This is where you start taking advantage of those copies. It has very mediocre stats, but remember, if there is just one other Blood Sentinel not played, it's a 3/6, which puts it stats wise on par with cards like Water Elemental. Have two copies, and you have a very strong minion for 4 mana.
Experienced Strike: This allows you to have some bonuses with your minions that aren't class minions, so that it's still worthwhile to make copies of those. Balanced between Whirlwind and Shadow Flame, the fact that you have to have a minion, and have played it multiple times, is what makes it so cheap.
Rest of the set:
Again, this is from your deck. You're not bringing anything back to life here.
A minion that encourages re-playing cards, without just benefiting aggro playstyle.
This is my entry, my custom class is that of the Musician, which uses terms and people from the real-life music world.
The hero is Mozart, a classical composer. This class has no special Keywords, instead, it has a spell tribe (Like Secrets), which are called Aspects. Aspects are searched by your hero power, which adds one of these cards into your hand any time you want. Aspects are shuffled into your deck after being played, so you will never run out of cards nor aspects.
The idea is to put as many aspects into your deck as you want: If you only put one, it is guaranteed to be drawn always by your hero power; If you put more, it is more RNG but you have more access to combos and answers.
The class also has weapons, represented by musical instruments, and Legendaries represented by real life composers (hopefully next round).
Rest of the cards:
Explanations:
Most of the cards are easy to understand, here are some explanations:
Counterpoint: A card that snowballs. The first 3 times you use it is sup-bar and a great tempo loss, but then it starts to snowball, and give you stronger copies each time. Use with spell damage.
Rest: I want this class to be able to play as a control class that is able to annoy your opponent. What better way than to fill your opponent's deck (and also yours) with trash?
Piano: Exactly what happens when you get hit by a piano.
Final Solo: Maybe as a OTK combo with piano above and piano tuner.
Tempo Master: It is a metronome. An evil metronome.
Edited: Because a random picture appeared in the middle of the text.
The Singer class is based around the character Red, from Transistor. She is intended to be a mixture of Rogue and Mage, using her weapon and abilities to control the board while her minions retain control and deal repetitive damage.
In future phases the class will use the Turn( ) and Cache mechanic, which allow spells and minions to gain benefits based off the order they are played. These basic cards are intended to make activating these mechanics easier, while also providing base utility to the class.
Class Mechanics
The Cards
More Cards
Tokens
Explanation
Junction Jans: Even Red has gotta eat sometimes. This spell works like a cross between Flash Heal and Holy Light. It's limited to the hero partially due to theme (her minions are all robots), and to cheapen the cost to allow for a miracle Singer deck.
Help( ): This card is a cheap way to get 2 damage on the board, along with 2 bodies. This too allows for a miracle Singer, but does the more important job of cheaply activating other spells Turn( ) mechanic (see above). It is best compared to Living Roots and Mirror Image.
Void( ): This card fits the theme of Red doing a lot of the dirty work with her weapon. It'll often only be used once, as Red will have no other weapons aside from the Transistor. It allows for a buff to a weapon aside from damage or durability, and essentially acts as an assassinate that cannot bypass taunt.
Bounce( ): This card is Reds board clear, should it work. It requires hitting the right targets in the right order to work, and can swing the early game. If cast on an empty board, it is a 3 mana fireball.
Switch( ): This card acts like Shadow Madness without the attack limit. A good card if used efficiently, it can have a major impact on games, but requires ample set up and mana.
Mesmerize( ): Frost Nova with card draw, this card represents Red enchanting her opponents with her voice. It is one of her few ways of stall, but more expensive than what other classes may have access to.
Builder: A simple 2/3 that gives an upside. Good draw and planning could lead to multiple uses from weapon buffs, or a decent early game body.
Clucker: This card is similar to Flame Juggler, but will ideally see more play due to it's higher damage, and more limited RNG. The loss in stats shouldn't have too big of an impact, but can still make a difference versus certain classes.
Snapshot: This card has the potential to be just as irritating for aggro decks as this minion was in the actual Transistor game. Thematically it flashes snapshots of the enemy at them to distract them, hence simply giving it Taunt.
Young Lady: The Savannah Highmane, or Imp Gang Boss of the Singer, it has the stats of Reno Jackson with a great upside. It should hopefully provide a strong contender for this classes 6 drop slot, and doesn't use any secrets :D.
Thank you everyone for reading, and everyone who upvoted as well :D
Monkey D. Luffy, the pirate of straw hat, advanced the first Phase to reach the Hearthstone (or is it to get in One Piece?)! Thanks for this!
As a good pirate captain, Luffy has his crew! We will now meet three important members of it:
Rononoa Zoro: In the world of One Piece, Zoro is a very strong character.But it has a remarkable flaw: he's always lost, going to the wrong place. Nothing better than putting the defect "50% chance to attack the wrong enemy" in it, right?
Sanji: Sanji is also a great fighter, but above all he is a great cook! He does not let anyone go hungry, even enemies. Therefore, his battlecry is to heal 1 damage to all damaged characters!
"God" Usopp: Usopp is craven, so he try to shoot from a distance to avoid being hit.With his slingshot, it takes two damage as it arrives on the battlefield!
But in the world of One Piece, we have a lot more things than just pirates! Here we have 7 more cards that feature Mariners, Beasts and some spells!
The Mariners:
Mariner: Not much to say. It's better than Whisp because the tribe "Marine"
Morgan, the Axe-Hand: Morgan is a corrupt and very weak sailor. It just scares. But there's hatred of pirates and would never be friends with a pirate. Oh yes, your hand is an axe.
White Walky: Despite White Walkies are very strong, they prefer to stay stuck in the snow than do anything else. This one for example, froze yourself to stay relaxed for a while.
Gear Fourth: They say the best defense is a good offense. But everyone knows that the best thing is you have both.
All Blue: There is a legend of a place called ALL BLUE, where one can find all kinds of fish. Including Murlocs! (For the deck of One Piece, I created some Murlocs based on fishmen. Expect to see new Murlocs!)
These are thecardsfor Phase II. Hopeyou guysenjoy it! See you again, in thenextisland!
If you've played Hearthstone long enough you've faced victory or success at the feet of the RNG gods. You've seen improbable things like your 5/10 Ancient of War taken down by 2 Boombot attacks. You've seen times when your Madder Bomber sent 6 bombs all on your side of the board, even though your opponent had more targets. You've had Ragnaros take down that imposing Silver Hand Recruit instead of going face for the win.
So I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if you could control those random events, turn them to your advantage?"
And the genesis of the class began. I started with the idea of Rolling a 20. In Dungeons and Dragons there is a dice with 20 sides, and when you roll it you score somewhere between 1 and 20. 1 is usually some horrific disaster, like your fighter not only misses the Orc but he also drops his sword on his foot dealing himself 4 points of damage. But, when you roll a 20 it's party time. You make the perfect hit. You do double damage. You are just invincible when you roll that 20. That's the feeling I wanted to have here. That OH YEAH moment that only a dork like myself can feel when they see that 20 pop up.
Beyond being able to control some of the RNG of the game, the Gygaxian Horde is a bit of a tribute to D&D. It's been rather fun looking up monsters and spells I haven't even thought of for decades. But, we still need all this to translate into a viable Hearthstone class.
So, what is the vision for the class? It's very control oriented. It's got a focus on minions that make life difficult for your opponent. The class will be short on board clears, but long on cards capable of trading 2 for 1. Value, value, value. Of course, there will be room for mid-range, tempo, and combo, and cards will be included to support those strategies, but, the push will be towards out-valuing your opponent and utilizing the hero power.
The Hero and Power
The Dungeon Master is the guy behind the scenes. He rolls the dice. And if he wants it to roll a 20, it rolls a 20. He's got that kind of power.
But, what you really want to know about is the Hero Power. I'll discuss it in some length here. But, essentially, when you pay for the Hero Power it Charges up. It then waits for the next random effect to happen on your turn. That means specifically, A card has a range of numbers, or uses the word 'Random'. Those are the two triggers that will activate the hero power. If it's a range of numbers you get to pick the number. If it says 'random' you simply change 'random' to 'chosen' and go from there.
So, some examples.
You cast a spell that says, "Restore 2-9 Health". If your Hero power is charged when you cast the spell you get a little slider that pops up giving you a chance to choose 9 (or any other number between 2 and 8).
You cast a minion with the text, "Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to 3 random targets." It now reads, "Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to 3 chosen targets." So, you'll get to pick those targets as you would if it wasn't a random effect.
You cast a minion with the text, "Battlecry Deal 1-3 damage to 3 random targets." Now you get to choose the range of damage, but, you don't get to choose the targets. On a card like this that has more than 1 valid trigger for your ability, only the first one gets changed by your ability.
Lets say you kill a Piloted Shredder on your turn with your hero power charged. Do you then get to choose the minion that drops out? No. It is too unweildy for the game if you start choosing targets from a list of all possible cards, so it's simply limited. The Hero Power is limited to choosing cards that were in either of the player's decks to start the game. This means that you could choose a random card from a deck, hand, the battlefield, or 'graveyard', but, you can't choose a random card from the ether.
It's also worth noting the effects that take place, 'At the end of your turn.' fall outside the range of the ability, as they are no longer during your turn.
List of cards hero power would work with --------------------------------------- Boom Bot Die, Insect Timepiece of Horror Arcane Missiles Multi-Shot Succubus Anub'ar Ambusher Avenge Cleave Crackle Dark Cultist Dart Trap Deadly Shot Desert Camel Fireguard Destroyer Flame Juggler Flamecannon Forked Lightning Huge Toad Mad Bomber Mind Vision Poultryizer Rumbling Elemental Sense Demons Ship's Cannon Soulfire Tinker's Sharpsword Oil Voidcaller Bomb Lobber Demolisher Doomguard Fist of Jaraxxus Flamewalker Goblin Blastmage Knife Juggler Lightning Storm Madder Bomber Mind Control Tech Powermace Resurrect Shadowboxer Stampeding Kodo Void Crusher Ancestor's Call Avenging Wrath Bouncing Blade Brawl Captain's Parrot Coghammer Dark Bargain Elemental Destruction Enhance-o Mechano Mindgames Sabotage Eydis Darkbane Sylvanas Windrunner Tinkmaster Overspark - You can choose the minion, but not the transform
List of cards Hero Power would not work with ---------------------------------- Golden monkey Totemic Call Animal Companion Clockwork Gnome Hungry Dragon Ogre Brute Ogre Warmaul I Am Murloc Mad Scientist Mounted Raptor Murloc Knight Piloted Shredder Power of the Horde Spellslinger Thoughtsteal Tinkertown Technician Tuskarr Totemic Webspinner Alarm-o-Bot Burgle Deathlord Dunemaul Shaman Effigy Fel Cannon Iron Sensei Kezan Mystic Lightwell Master Swordsmith Ogre Ninja Ram Wrangler Summoning Stone Unstable Portal Young Priestess Bane of Doom Enter the Coliseum Grand Crusader Lock and Load Mulch Piloted Sky Golem Recombobulator Blingtron 3000 Confessor Paletress Elite Tauren Chieftain Gazlowe Gelbin Mekkatorque Mogor the Ogre Nat Pagle Nefarian Neptulon Nexus-Champion Saraad Ragnaros the Firelord Sneed's Old Shredder Ysera
The cards
Comments on first 3 cards
Critical Strike -- This is the card I included for Combo lovers. It's very capable of fueling a late game OTK. Simple card, I used Windfury and Blessed Champion to try and balance it.
Raise Dead -- The second card, Raise Dead, shows off a little more complex use of the Hero Power. You can pay 2 for a random dead minion, or you can pay 4 to choose the minion you want out of your deceased. I think the added flexibility and ability to utilize battlecries make it balanced with Resurrect
Make Camp -- Lastly, Make Camp is included just to remind folks of their days playing D&D. In D&D you would make camp to heal wounds taken in battle and regain or choose new spells. Kinda like this does. I compare it with Arcane Intellect for balancing.
The rest of the cards
Cure Light Wounds -- In D&D there is a spell exactly like this. Same name, same effect. That's the reason I'm calling up to 9 damage 'light' wounds. It's your basic heal spell, and it does 5.5 average heal vs. Flash Heal's 5. It's a little stronger, and you can use your hero power to get a guaranteed 9 health making it compare more with Healing Touch. I could lower it to 2-8 heal to bring it exactly in line with those two cards, but, I enjoy the symmetry with the actual D&D card too much to do so unless there is an outcry of OP.
Sneak Attack -- I wanted a few cards to represent the Rogue Class in D&D; this was one of them. The idea here is that your target is distracted by another attack letting your thief get behind for a lethal blow. I see this as a more conditional Execute with some card draw added.
Charm -- I wanted a bunch of cards in the class that were capable of making 2 for 1 trades. This does the job well, and could get you even more. In D&D a Charm spell makes an enemy be your friend, they won't attack your enemies for you but will defend you from attack. A cheaper Mind Control that you can't use offensively.
Rock Giant -- You can either choose to play Rock Giant as an 8/8 that deals 4 random damage for 8, or you could pay a total of 10 with your hero power and make it an 8/8 that deals 4 damage to a chosen target. I compare this card with North Sea Kraken.
Bulette -- A deranged Wizard crossed an armadillo and a Snapping Turtle and this was the result. Often referred to as a Land Shark. I wanted something 'Basic' in my basic set. This was it. Compares to Oasis Snapjaw.
Soothsayer -- I also wanted a card to send a message on the theme of the class. The theme here being the hero power. This is the hero power on a stick. I compare this with Elven Archer which is also a hero power on a stick.
Skeleton Pirates -- I wanted my class to be sure and include a Murloc, Dragon, Mech, and Pirate. I also wanted some Skeletons in there, because D&D just isn't D&D without some Skeletons bouncing around. This was what I came up with. Not a terrific card to balance it with. I feel like a vanilla 2/2 is worth about 1. Maybe a little more. We've seen a 1/3 and two 1/1s for 1 already, and I think it's only a matter of time til Blizz gives us a 2/2 for 1. If they are only worth 1 this card is over costed. But, with the Pirate tag and erring on the conservative side I think it's close to balanced.
I present my heroclass, it is the T-Rex from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. It is the most know dinosaur of the world. He is big, he is strong, has sharp tooth and really LIKES Goats as in the movie.
My idea is to introduce the Goat into the game and give the player some options in the future. At the beginning, the Goat seems not very strong but has a small healing Deathrattle. In mid-game, it will offer you some combinations, because flesh eating dinosaurs always want Goats... as food. I am aiming to buff the dinosaurs if you dare to sacrifice a lovely Goat.
Here are my favorite three Classic cards:
More cards:
I hope you like it. It took me some time. Have a nice day!
The Jedi Knight is a class based on board control, minion placement and moving minions. It is themed after Star Wars, and the hero of the class is Anakin Skywalker.
The hero power summons one of four possible Force Power secrets, which are weak secrets based on things jedi do with the force. You can see them at the spoiler below
Jedi Reflexes reflects a spell cast to you, which then bounces to a friendly minion. If you have no minions on the board, it doesn't trigger.
Jedi Mind Trick convinces the enemy minion that this is not the face you are looking for.
Precognition lets you see the future. The closest comparision to it is probably Mind Vision, which also gives you a card.
Force Push throws your enemy across the board, damaging it a bit.
Example Cards:
Force Throw: An AoE clear for the class. Doesn't deal damage to all the minions though, at most to everything but the one moved.
Execute Order 66: Clone Protocol 66 (or Order 66) is a secret command Palpatine had inserted to the Clonetroopers, which when activated made them attack the Jedi, whom they fought for earlier. This card makes the rest of the opponent's characters betray one of them. At best, it's a 3 mana Fireball.
Clonetrooper Infantry: A fairly simple and possibly powerful minion. Easy to play around, though, so the effect probably isn't too strong. If used with Force Toss, It's a SI:7 Agent that does 1 more damage but only if used with that one card. Can also be comboed with other cards that move minions to the left.
Now, onto the rest of my basic cards.
Force Toss: A more gentle Force Throw, or one of the hero power secrets as a card. At 0 mana, it can be comboed with cards that have synergy with movement or do something to the leftmost minion, but it requires you to use a card slot for this card.
Center of Being: A stance the Jedi used in lightsaber combat. Can be used offensively as a slightly bigger Rockbiter Weapon, or can be used on a taunt minion to make it deal more damage when the enemies attack it. Compare to Mark of Nature, which is 1 more mana for a permament buff and a choice between a health+taunt buff.
Force Stasis: Kind of like freezing a minion for 2 turns. Can help you get some more time to deal with a big threat.
Force Lightning: A less random Cleaveor a Shadowbolt split in two targets. If used on the leftmost minion, it does 2 damage to it twice.
Clonetrooper Guard: If a minion moves, he shoots it. Minions being moved by other minions moving or being played does not count. Comboable with cards that move minions, like Force Toss.
Blaster Pistol: A weapon with a partial Foe Reaper 4000/Magnataur Alpha effect. When you attack with this, the minion to the left takes some damage from the explosion of the blaster shot.
Thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you!
After a long-ass week, your favourite Plumber has returned!
Plumber
Hero
Providing:
As a quick recap of the class:
Plumber is an enchanter class focusing on creating several smaller minions on the board and avoiding to take direct damage itself. The class introduces a new keyword Boost that is triggered when targeted by a Power-Up tribe spell. (Using the Power-Up at this point the competition was okay because the Power-Up is the tribe of the spell, not a keyword. Compare it to how Hero Power also has a special "tribe" bold in its explanation.)
Basic Cards
The token created by Mystery Box if you have no Power-Up spells left in your deck to draw:
Mystery Box functions as Sense Demons but provides you Power-Up cards instead. This is a keycard to the class that relies heavily on having buff cards ready to use.
Lakitu is a Basic Set minion that provides both players a Power-Up card. The Power-Up card will be more valuable to you though because it will be used to trigger the Boost effect your future minions will have. Therefore Lakitu gives both players equally something but you are more equal than the opponent!
Baby Yoshi is the cute little fella who shows the way Power-Up cards aid your class without even having to cast them. Just wait till you see what a grown up Yoshi will do!
Remaining Basic set:
The Tokens created by Goomba Squad and Royal Goomba:
The Chef is a combo-based class, and has both the potential of playing as a tempo, fast class, or a midrange deck. At the core of the Chef are the Foodstuffs, four tokens produced by your Hero Power and by many other cards, leading to board-based gameplay, a bit of RNG, and careful planning. Despite the RNG, there are ways to circumvent the inherent randomness of this class, leading to masterful recipes and scrumptious victories.
Basic Cards
Chef's Knife explained:
A slow and steady combo weapon, suited for controlling the board during the middle of the game, or an explosive hit during later turns. The Chef's Knife went through many versions, the first being gaining Attack whenever a friendly Foodstuff was summoned, and costed 0 mana but only had 1 Durability. This promoted for one, massive hit late game, but weapons are not easy to destroy, so that design almost guaranteed a massive meta shift. The next design was based on summoning a Foodstuff, and if you did, this would gain +1 Attack at the end of the turn if you summoned 1 or more. This later evolved into this current form. Instead of required you to spend 2 mana every turn for a Hero Power, it instead promoted the protection of your foodstuffs and puts pressure on the opponent to destroy them. This one card symbolizes the near entirety of the Chef's playstyle.
Waitress explained:
The Chef may be important, but there would be no restaurant without the waiters and waitresses. A great 2-mana drop. A dangerous card if allowed to live, but by herself, actually does nothing. The Foodstuffs cannot attack, and her 1/4 stats aren't very intimidating. In order to get some big value out of this card, you'll need cards that can follow up on the Foodstuffs she serves up.
Mystic Cornucopia explained:
A very powerful spell. This spell, too, has gone through many version, the first of which was 3-mana and summoned all four Foodstuffs! Though it is probably balanced, it was based off of Muster for Battle, which came in GVG. Therefore, introducing a GVG-power card during Classic is a bad idea. The next idea was a 4-mana, summon 1 of each. Despite it being balanced, 4-mana for this kind of spell is quite clunky, as this spell does nothing on it's own. In addition, having all four out means your Hero Power is unusable, which is something Blizz would never put into a card design. At last, I put it back at 3-mana, summoning 3 random, but different Foodstuffs. The RNG element is there, but there is a very high chance you'll get the tokens you want. This card still serves as an amazing turn 2 + Coin play, or even a turn 3 play, especially if Carrot and Potato are adjacent. I see it being a staple, and still worthy to be put in decks during GVG and beyond.
Other cards
Pumpkin Pie "explained":
A short and sweet (literally) card. The exact opposite of Blessing of Might. Perfect addition for a Basic Set, and is a cheap 1-mana spell. Try using this with Waitress.
Barrel Toss Emergency Rations explained:
Another cheap spell. Can gain some serious value and is also another cheap spell. I balanced this card with Mortal Coil, but a trade-off here is the guaranteed Foodstuff and the ability to hit face, instead of drawing a card.
Supernatural Spinach explained:
A very versatile card. The main purpose of this card is to transform unneeded Foodstuffs or a weakened minion into something useful (Turn 2 Hero Power, turn 3 Spinach makes a great play if your other cards do not require a Foodstuff), but this can also act as a Polymorph/Hex, though a pretty bad one. Still. It's better facing off against Popeye than Ragnaros the Firelord, right?
Bread is Pain explained:
Ohhh, the references and puns on this one are real. The first version of this was a 4-mana deal 6 damage to a minion. It was fine, it was balanced, but kind of boring. Wording it this way makes it stronger and also more fun to use. Some may have noticed that this entire card is a play on Shadow Word: Pain, which is the point. The other point is that "pain" is "bread" in French. Now, as for balancing, I *may* elect to give Chef a sweet spot like Priest does. Though the idea is there, most likely not, at least certainly not in this set or the Classic.
Pan of Limitless Power explained:
Great weapon. 4 mana, 4/2 weapons are, without fail, always good. This weapon is good in every situation you care to name, save for one; It is incompatible with Chef's Knife. So be careful with those two weapons. After all, you don't use a knife with a pan. (You might say that this pan does have its limits.)
Recipe Book explained:
This card rewards you for having a protected board. It's a situational card, sure. If you are using a faster deck, you probably wouldn't to add it. A control deck, however, may find a certain combo with this and Mystic Cornucopia, not at all unlike the Preparation + Sprint combo. It is cards like these that promote a very diverse class.
Junk Food explained:
At last, the most expensive card in the Basic Set. A powerful minion, but I included this minion in the Basic Set for a very specific reason. Junk Food introduces a completely new method of Foodstuff synergy. Some cards will actually destroy your Foodstuffs to gain benefits. As a trade-off for a guaranteed taunt, Junk Food will have that extra stat to make up for it. In addition, Druid of the Claw has the ability to Charge, while this can be dropped as a straight 5/6, still ending up as a good turn 5 play.
Here is Yog Sothoth in all his glory again. He is a slow and defensive hero, focusing on countering your opponent's plays as well as drawing out the game with healing, taunts, etc.. Yoggy's specific keyword is Chaos, which allows a card to be played on your opponent's turn under specific circumstances, a bit like a secret which can also be used as a standalone card. I reworked his hero power a bit, as I (with the help of people in the discussion thread) realized the hero power was overpowered in its previous state, in which the bottom card of your deck was not discarded.
Showcased Basic Cards
Explanations:
Cave Penguin: This is the class's standard 1 mana 1/3 minion. It is meant to introduce the class's theme of immediate countering without actually using the keyword Chaos. Its ability, although situational, can be a powerful control tool, as it can very effective against Zoo decks, as well as being a hard counter to Unleash the Hounds.
Elder Thing: Cards like Elder Thing are one of the ways the Old God can take advantage of dragging on the game despite their vulnerability to fatigue. It acts a defensive tool for the late game, while still being a value minion even if its ability never triggers.
Horrific Attack: This is one of the class's standard damage spells, acting as a Darkbomb with a bit of an extra push. The card functions similarly to Swipe, but is of course slightly cheaper. This is thus generally a good anti-aggro spell for removing multiple cheap minions.
Note: One other thing to mention is that all of these cards are also decent in arena.
Other Basic Cards
Explanations:
Yith Soothsayer: This card provides you with a way to determine when to use your hero power with the inevitable side effect of giving your opponent some insight regarding your deck composition. This card could be very useful with Reno Jackson, as it could let you know if there is a duplicate card you still haven't drawn.
The Innsmouth Look: This is another defensive tool for the class; it effectively gives a minion the effect of Bolf Ramshield. Honestly, this is probably a pretty bad card, comparable to that one 0 mana shaman healing card nobody runs (I don't even know it's name). However, it could be useful on large late-game minions.
Insanity: Literally Polymorph, a decent removal option. I guess it's slightly different, as the Mindless Worshipper isn't a beast, but that rarely matters.
The Stars are Right!: This is the class's other basic hard removal spell. It is very good against control decks, as it can remove large threats, along with healing you to keep you one step ahead of their finishers such as Grommash Hellscream or Savage Roar.
Explanations Pt. 2:
The Necronomicon: This is by far the strangest card in the basic set. To clarify its wording, it does not change the cost of the card you draw; rather, if you choose 1 mana, you will draw a 1 mana card in your deck, 2 mana will draw a 2 mana card, etc.. If you don't have any cards of the cost you chose left in your deck, you will get a Shadow of Nothing. This card is one of the only cards in the class that could enable aggro Old God; however, it also works for control decks which would want to increase their chance of drawing an answer to a specific threat from your opponent. Also, I have no clue how the UI for this would work.
Cosmic Order: This is one of the class's standard AoE spells. It also introduces the theme of immediately countering your opponent's plays without actually using the Chaos keyword, similar to the Cave Penguin.
Shambler of the Stars: This card is the class's Fire Elemental, a high value, high cost, and high impact minion that is available early on for new players. However, unlike Fire Elemental, the Shambler is more of a defensive rather than a proactive tool, comparable to Hogger or Obsidian Destroyer in its function. It most likely would be a 1-of in many competitive Old God decks.
Thanks for reading (you better have looked in the spoilers)!
The class is inspired into the classic board and card games. Grandmaster is the title of the best Chess players and the class has a lot of Chess references, expecially in the basic set.
Token and Hero Power Explanation:
Its not a choice. If you already have the Dice in play the Hero Power will automatically buff him. The Hero Power will only buff a Dice that is created by it. If you copy the Dice with Faceless Manipulator or if you steal a Dice created by your oponent Hero Power it wont be buffed.
Sample Cards
Pawn Token:
This guy will show up frequently.
Frontline: The class relies on board presence and Frontline gives you a full board to work with.
Surrounded: The "If you control more minions" condition on cards is one of the class flavors. Cards that get more powerful as long as you are dominating the board.
Spare Components: This card allows you to fix your mana curve and easily set up conditions for the "If you control more minions" cards. Flexible and powerful card.
Remaining Cards
The 3 basic units from Chess compose the basic minions of the class. Simple and solid minions. The White Bishop can be a powerful tool to control the board during the early game. Now the only one from Chess that is missing is the Queen, but she is for other phases ;)
Checkmate is a hard removal and another example of the "If you control more minions" usage. Ouija Board... well... it´s also kind of a board game, right? :P It´s a cheaper Cult Master and another way for you to abuse the board presence you built.
And finally two buffs that work really well with a huge board. They consolidade a clear path for new players to start building their first Grandmaster decks.
This is Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter. His Hero Power grants him Divine Shield, which can be used to protect against incoming attacks. More importantly however, you can use Divine Shields to prevent taking damage on your turn whether it be through usage of weapons or spells that deal damage to your hero. This class is heavily based around giving your character and minions Divine Shield, which can allow them to trade more efficiently and reduce collateral damage from certain spells.
Energy Sword: This is the Arbiter's primary weapon of choice. Although your Hero Power already gives you Divine Shield, getting it immediately is a lot more useful, especially on turn 4 when you need to use the weapon. You can still use your Hero Power by activating it after you attack a minion with this weapon.
Shield Focus: This spell is a standard card cycle, comparable to Power Word: Shield. It costs 1 more mana because Divine Shield is arguable more useful than +2 health, and the Divine Shield can be given to your Hero in the same way your Hero Power does.
Blinding Rage: It's a cheap spell that deals damage. I compared it to Holy Smite/Arcane Shot, Rockbiter Weapon, and Heroic Strike. What makes this card interesting is that using your Hero Power before or after playing this card will change based on the situation.
The rest of the Basic Cards:
>>>Token >>>
^ The rest of these Basic Cards are pretty standard stuff, so they're nothing too crazy. They are supposed to be Basic after all.
There is a slight concern; Blood Knight would probably cause some to suspect that this class is broken. I initially felt like this card would restrict design space, but it specifies that it can only destroy the Divine Shield of minions, and similar combos could've been pulled off now anyways with several other Divine Shield cards, so I don't see this card being an issue.
The Ranger class is focused on survivability as the low mana costed hero power shows. Strider or better known as Aragorn is also focused on getting efficient trades! I can imagine ranger being a great arena class!
Basic Set:
Great Eagle: The Great Eagles have saved the day, again! A simple late game minion that can result in some ridiculous value. Emphasizes the idea of survivability. Goes well with minions that have been effected by the hero power in previous turns. Insane arena Value!
Horn of Gondor: Boromir of Gondor and fellowship used the Horn of Gondor to trick enemies to fleeing away from battle in belief of reinforcements approaching.This 0 mana spell can save you from early game face hunters or late gameForce of NatureSavage Roar combo! Do notice that they can still attack your minions and you are not safe of direct damage.
Banner of Gondor: A representation of the greatness of Gondor. Banner of Gondor is a simple buff spell that is similar to Blessing of Kings.
Token:
The Rest of the Set:
Lembas: A gift from the Lorien Elves. This elven bread wrapped in leaves can keep a man fed after only one bite! Lembas is a simple 1 mana spell that is very similar to Power Word: Shield but is theoretically worse. This card can be used to make very efficient trades.
Rider of Rohan: Rohan, the land of the horselords has some of the most skilled horse riders in Middle Earth. A very well costed charge minion that has one more health than Bluegill Warrior. Can be used in an aggro variant of Ranger.
Volley of Arrows: Imagine everyone pulling out their bow and arrows and they just fire arrows at the opponent.A more complicated spell that focuses on the idea of a weird aggro deck that can deal damage to opposing characters. Has the chance to be a over-costed Arcane Missiles or a lower-costed Avenging Wrath! Most likely just a mediocre arena card.
Help of the Dúnedain: The Dúnedain are the rangers that reside in the North in Arnor and near the Shire. This card is used to help with keeping a minion live, with the support of two 1/1s, similar to Muster for Battle Do note that you cannot play the card unless you have friendly minion to target. (You cannot play this on an empty board). Besides all that, Its most likely a staple card for midrange decks.
Gondorian Soldier: The soldiers of Gondor are determined to not let the white city fall! This basic minion is able to survive for a long time, especially with the hero power. The card is worse than warrior's Fierce Monkey, but this is a different class basic card being compared to a warrior class card from the newest adventure.
Pummel: Rangers are known to fight dirty sometimes. This three mana spell is able to do negligible damage with the upside of drawing a card, similar to Hammer of Wrath. This card may be a one-of in some decks.
Chiftain of the Dúnedain: Strider is from a long lineage of Dúnedain Chieftains. This card is similar to warrior's Heroic Strike and the Help the Dúnedain card. A varied card with a mixture of abilities, similar to Seal of Light.
Even when Skull Kid's cowardly Deku Scrubs desert the battlefield, they become ammunition for a powerful Octorok Shot! If that weren't enough to handle, one might also have to deal with a Big Leever. These minions compensate for their lack of a Weak Spot by burrowing underground as soon as they've escaped a battle - granting time to fully recover from it! Big Leevers wouldn't stand a chance if their enemy were to get their hands on a Giant's Mask though. It is said that one who wears the Giant's Mask might just stand a chance against a Legendary insect that lurks in an ancient canyon...
Remaining Cards:
Skull Kid's fairy companion uses Z-Target to help you find an enemy's weakness. Just make sure you've got the means to deal some serious damage before the weakness is concealed! Perhaps forming a Chu Chu Train will help with increasing your damage output.
>TOKEN>
Is your Chu Chu Train not quite as long as you'd like? The Great Fairy Mask can help - it soothes the nerves of Deku Scrubs and other inexperienced fighters. Be warned though, weaker minions will succumb to the impact of the Moon's Tear! Minions blessed with Wizzrobe's powerful magic are completely immune to the force of such meteorites.
No one is safe from Skull Kid's sorcery - not even the postman! This poor guy had his Postman's Hat stolen, and Skull Kid's been posing as him and pocketing mail ever since. Link's ocarina has found its way into the thieving hands of Skull Kid too. He almost laughs when playing the Song of Healing - it reminds him of Rexxar's obnoxious Animal Companions and the way they randomly appear on the battlefield when the hunter might've hoped for a different kind of beast. At least Skull Kid gets to choose the best time to cause mischief with masks - even if he needs a minion to play a prank on.
Submissions are now over! Take the next 24 hours to look over the entries, see if there's any you like, and upvote the ones you do. Entrants, make sure your class complies with the rules and good luck!
Welcome back to...
What's a Bard, again?
The Bard is a class from Dungeons and Dragons and also a general fantasy troupe who uses musical talent combined with magic and a variety of instruments to do battle. They are mainly supports that offer a wide range of utilities through various songs. Even though they normally manifest as healers, their incredible versatility allows them to be fighters as well.
Two main themes run throughout the Bard class.
Our returning Hero is virtuoso Lindsey Starling, and her Hero Power, Acoustics:
Lindsey Starling & Acoustics Explained
"A picture is worth a thousand words, but a song is worth a million."
-Lindsey Starling
A legendary Musician who is said to have defeated a dragon with nothing but a violin, Lindsey preaches peace and unity to the world through music. No matter where we come from, we still feel the same joy and the same sadness. No matter how different we think we are, a song can show us that our emotions are the same. She travels the world as a wandering hero, teaching all she meets of her philosophy. Already, hundreds of other bards from every corner of the globe have joined her cause. They have taken up her goal of a world where people put their differences aside and live in harmony, a goal that they believe can be achieved through music.
Her Hero Power, Acoustics, gives her a minor board control tool while also allowing her to recover in the later game. Many classes with Hero Powers that give them 1 Attack suffer from the fact that they end up taking far too much damage from each attack. Druid has some mitigation of this, but Rogue has none. By using the Melody mechanic, this hero power allows you to choose between a weaker version of Rogue's hero power for damage or a weaker version of Warrior's hero power for recovery each time you use it, once again showing how the Melody mechanic lets you make interesting choices.
Melody Mechanic Explained
While they do fight valiantly for what they believe is right, bards are generally more peaceful people who would rather play an enticing melody than engage in direct combat. As such, the Bard class's unique keyword is Melody, which gives a character an ability that they can use instead of attacking.
Melody effects are activated by pressing the melody button that appears when attacking with a minion. Playing a melody has all the same conditions as attacking, and should be thought of as "a different way to attack."
While the conditions for using a Melody are the same attacking, the actual effect is closer to a battlecry or spell.
The technicalities may sound intimidating, but the Melody mechanic is actually very simple. Here it is, put concisely:
In this infographic is a spoiler that shows how Melody works:
Card used:
Sample Cards
These three cards have been deemed the best representations of Bard's basic set.
Explanations:
Spirit Dancer
Her alluring dance gathers the spirits.
While designing Bard, there was a card in the basic set that happened to synergize really well with Wisp. So well, to the point where I really wanted Wisp in Bard to be viable. Unfortunately, wisp just doesn't do enough to warrant a card slot. So, a card that generates wisps would both fit into Bard's 1 mana minion slot and allow wisp to see play! When this design came around, it was impossible to refuse.
You might not want to immediately play the wisps you get from this card. Bard has a lot of cards that synergize with how many minions you currently have on the field, and since wisp costs 0 mana, you can drop them all right before you play those cards to significantly increase their output.
Since Wisp is technically a common card and not basic, here is a basic version of it generated uniquely by this card (Nerubians do the same thing by the way, in nerubian egg vs beneath the grounds):
Instrumentalist
He wanders from town to town, collecting instruments wherever he goes.
At first glance this card may be confusing, especially since Bard doesn't have any basic weapons. But remember, your hero power generates a 1-durability weapon. To activate this card's effect, you could use your hero power on turn 2 but not use your weapon, and then play this for a really solid turn 3, kind of like a mini-handlock play.
This card functions as an all around sturdy 3-drop, both with or without its effect.
Reverberate
A sonic blast so powerful that even its echoes can pack a wallop.
The main thing that Bard was lacking before this card was designed was the fact that once you lost tempo or board control, there was no way to get it back. This card fixes just that, allowing you to thin your opponent's board while starting to rebuild your own.
Echoes are simply 1/1s:
Remaining Cards
This spoiler contains the remaining 7 cards in the basic set, along with their explanations.
Explanations:
Double Time
Twice as much speed means twice as many options.
This card is an example of Bard cards that produce insane versatility through very simple effects. Its efficient mana cost allows to to be used to trade more effectively. It also is a card that could give Bard its finisher, possibly in combination with Leeroy Jenkins. When minions start getting Melody in the classic set, this card allows you to use a Melody twice in a turn, or use any combination of 1 Attack and 1 Melody.
This is also the type of card that can be very worrying in terms of overly large OTK combos with large charge minions or attack buffs. However, since I've already been staying away from Attack buffs just because it goes against Bard flavor in general, I won't have to go out of the way to keep this card in check.
Low Note
The sound from this giant's horn will stop anything in its tracks.
This card functions as Bard's "Hard" removal. It allows you to use your tokens to take down larger minions without killing those tokens in the process. It also allows you to simply ignore a minion for a turn and just use your minions' melody effects, rather than forcing your minions to remove a threat immediately and thus taking away their opportunity to use their melodies.
Song of Fortitude
Only music can give what words cannot.
The first of the Bard's "Songs". Songs are cards in bard, identified with a card name in the format of "Song of...". All of them have some sort of synergy with controlling many minions. This one being the most central and the most simple, it belongs in the basic set.
This card is a simple reflection of how Bards tend to buff their minions in defensive ways rather than being a Savage Roar / Bloodlust clone.
Explanations:
Choir
Both in music and in battle, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Choir is actually an exception for Bard in that it is a direct damage spell. All classes need some sort of generic removal, and so this is how Bard will have it, only potent if you have a good board. While this card can function as some serious burn in an aggressive token deck, it's not too hard for any Bard deck to get at least 1 or 2 minions, so this card should be a core card in any deck.
Peace and Harmony
Rule number one of Lindsey's Bards: "Every action I take is to promote peace and harmony."
A good midgame multi-card draw for Bard that fits better in control decks, but can be used pretty much anywhere. It's simple and gets the job done, just like a basic card should.
Soothing Lyrist
In a world of violence and destruction, music is our only respite.
What sets Bard apart from the token-style gameplays of Druid or Shaman is that it uses minions for control rather than outright aggro. This card is what links flooding the board with defensive gameplay, and allows you to both heal your hero and develop your board in the same turn.
Explanation:
Orchestra
Lindsey's personal orchestra contains talent from every corner of the globe.
Orchestra is a one-of-everything token generator. It summons these exact four minions every time, so you always know what you're getting:
Serves as a big late-game minion for Bard, split into several smaller ones to synergize with its spells. It may seem super slow, but thanks to the fact that one of them has Charge it can actually be surprisingly helpful in some scenarios.
This concludes Bard's basic set. These cards establish the design standards for Bard as well as giving it a few core cards that will be seen throughout many decks. In the next set, Bard truly gets to show its full potential as the Melody mechanic will start to appear.
If you enjoyed these cards and are excited for this class's future, a vote would be appreciated!
The Deathless Class
Every opponent, a teacher. Every defeat, a lesson.
Recap: This class is all about producing copies of cards that become stronger as they are continuously played. This is helped by the class Hero Power, which draws cards that you have already played, guaranteeing you that you'll get the copies of the minion you need. It also means that if you only have one of each card, it will draw nothing.
Keyword (For future phases), Deathless: When this card is played, do (X), times the number of instances it has been played previously.
Plated Sorok: A solid 2-drop for the class, one that gets the ball rolling for your hero power that could potentially be used next turn. Being traditionally a bit more of a control class, Plated Sorok, like most of the class minions, has a more defensible health.
Blood Sentinel: This is where you start taking advantage of those copies. It has very mediocre stats, but remember, if there is just one other Blood Sentinel not played, it's a 3/6, which puts it stats wise on par with cards like Water Elemental. Have two copies, and you have a very strong minion for 4 mana.
Experienced Strike: This allows you to have some bonuses with your minions that aren't class minions, so that it's still worthwhile to make copies of those. Balanced between Whirlwind and Shadow Flame, the fact that you have to have a minion, and have played it multiple times, is what makes it so cheap.
Rest of the set:
Again, this is from your deck. You're not bringing anything back to life here.
A minion that encourages re-playing cards, without just benefiting aggro playstyle.
Musician Class
This is my entry, my custom class is that of the Musician, which uses terms and people from the real-life music world.
The hero is Mozart, a classical composer. This class has no special Keywords, instead, it has a spell tribe (Like Secrets), which are called Aspects. Aspects are searched by your hero power, which adds one of these cards into your hand any time you want. Aspects are shuffled into your deck after being played, so you will never run out of cards nor aspects.
The idea is to put as many aspects into your deck as you want: If you only put one, it is guaranteed to be drawn always by your hero power; If you put more, it is more RNG but you have more access to combos and answers.
The class also has weapons, represented by musical instruments, and Legendaries represented by real life composers (hopefully next round).
Rest of the cards:
Explanations:
Most of the cards are easy to understand, here are some explanations:
Counterpoint: A card that snowballs. The first 3 times you use it is sup-bar and a great tempo loss, but then it starts to snowball, and give you stronger copies each time. Use with spell damage.
Rest: I want this class to be able to play as a control class that is able to annoy your opponent. What better way than to fill your opponent's deck (and also yours) with trash?
Piano: Exactly what happens when you get hit by a piano.
Final Solo: Maybe as a OTK combo with piano above and piano tuner.
Tempo Master: It is a metronome. An evil metronome.
Edited: Because a random picture appeared in the middle of the text.
The Singer
The Singer class is based around the character Red, from Transistor. She is intended to be a mixture of Rogue and Mage, using her weapon and abilities to control the board while her minions retain control and deal repetitive damage.
In future phases the class will use the Turn( ) and Cache mechanic, which allow spells and minions to gain benefits based off the order they are played. These basic cards are intended to make activating these mechanics easier, while also providing base utility to the class.
Class Mechanics
The Cards
More Cards
Tokens
Explanation
Junction Jans: Even Red has gotta eat sometimes. This spell works like a cross between Flash Heal and Holy Light. It's limited to the hero partially due to theme (her minions are all robots), and to cheapen the cost to allow for a miracle Singer deck.
Help( ): This card is a cheap way to get 2 damage on the board, along with 2 bodies. This too allows for a miracle Singer, but does the more important job of cheaply activating other spells Turn( ) mechanic (see above). It is best compared to Living Roots and Mirror Image.
Void( ): This card fits the theme of Red doing a lot of the dirty work with her weapon. It'll often only be used once, as Red will have no other weapons aside from the Transistor. It allows for a buff to a weapon aside from damage or durability, and essentially acts as an assassinate that cannot bypass taunt.
Bounce( ): This card is Reds board clear, should it work. It requires hitting the right targets in the right order to work, and can swing the early game. If cast on an empty board, it is a 3 mana fireball.
Switch( ): This card acts like Shadow Madness without the attack limit. A good card if used efficiently, it can have a major impact on games, but requires ample set up and mana.
Mesmerize( ): Frost Nova with card draw, this card represents Red enchanting her opponents with her voice. It is one of her few ways of stall, but more expensive than what other classes may have access to.
Builder: A simple 2/3 that gives an upside. Good draw and planning could lead to multiple uses from weapon buffs, or a decent early game body.
Clucker: This card is similar to Flame Juggler, but will ideally see more play due to it's higher damage, and more limited RNG. The loss in stats shouldn't have too big of an impact, but can still make a difference versus certain classes.
Snapshot: This card has the potential to be just as irritating for aggro decks as this minion was in the actual Transistor game. Thematically it flashes snapshots of the enemy at them to distract them, hence simply giving it Taunt.
Young Lady: The Savannah Highmane, or Imp Gang Boss of the Singer, it has the stats of Reno Jackson with a great upside. It should hopefully provide a strong contender for this classes 6 drop slot, and doesn't use any secrets :D.
Thank you everyone for reading, and everyone who upvoted as well :D
Class: Captain Captain
Hero: Monkey D. Luffy (Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates)
Source: One Piece (Manga/Anime)
Take a look on Phase I entry!
Monkey D. Luffy, the pirate of straw hat, advanced the first Phase to reach the Hearthstone (or is it to get in One Piece?)! Thanks for this!
As a good pirate captain, Luffy has his crew! We will now meet three important members of it:
Rononoa Zoro: In the world of One Piece, Zoro is a very strong character.But it has a remarkable flaw: he's always lost, going to the wrong place. Nothing better than putting the defect "50% chance to attack the wrong enemy" in it, right?
Sanji: Sanji is also a great fighter, but above all he is a great cook! He does not let anyone go hungry, even enemies. Therefore, his battlecry is to heal 1 damage to all damaged characters!
"God" Usopp: Usopp is craven, so he try to shoot from a distance to avoid being hit.With his slingshot, it takes two damage as it arrives on the battlefield!
But in the world of One Piece, we have a lot more things than just pirates! Here we have 7 more cards that feature Mariners, Beasts and some spells!
The Mariners:
Mariner: Not much to say. It's better than Whisp because the tribe "Marine"
Morgan, the Axe-Hand: Morgan is a corrupt and very weak sailor. It just scares. But there's hatred of pirates and would never be friends with a pirate. Oh yes, your hand is an axe.
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The Beasts:
Sea King: It's a strong and standard beast.
White Walky: Despite White Walkies are very strong, they prefer to stay stuck in the snow than do anything else. This one for example, froze yourself to stay relaxed for a while.
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Spells:
Gear Second: Come on! Charge forward!
Gear Fourth: They say the best defense is a good offense. But everyone knows that the best thing is you have both.
All Blue: There is a legend of a place called ALL BLUE, where one can find all kinds of fish. Including Murlocs! (For the deck of One Piece, I created some Murlocs based on fishmen. Expect to see new Murlocs!)
These are the cards for Phase II.
Hope you guys enjoy it!
See you again, in the next island!
Class: The Gygaxian Horde
Hero: The Dungeon Master
Milieu: Dungeons and Dragons
The concept
If you've played Hearthstone long enough you've faced victory or success at the feet of the RNG gods. You've seen improbable things like your 5/10 Ancient of War taken down by 2 Boombot attacks. You've seen times when your Madder Bomber sent 6 bombs all on your side of the board, even though your opponent had more targets. You've had Ragnaros take down that imposing Silver Hand Recruit instead of going face for the win.
So I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if you could control those random events, turn them to your advantage?"
And the genesis of the class began. I started with the idea of Rolling a 20. In Dungeons and Dragons there is a dice with 20 sides, and when you roll it you score somewhere between 1 and 20. 1 is usually some horrific disaster, like your fighter not only misses the Orc but he also drops his sword on his foot dealing himself 4 points of damage. But, when you roll a 20 it's party time. You make the perfect hit. You do double damage. You are just invincible when you roll that 20. That's the feeling I wanted to have here. That OH YEAH moment that only a dork like myself can feel when they see that 20 pop up.
Beyond being able to control some of the RNG of the game, the Gygaxian Horde is a bit of a tribute to D&D. It's been rather fun looking up monsters and spells I haven't even thought of for decades. But, we still need all this to translate into a viable Hearthstone class.
So, what is the vision for the class? It's very control oriented. It's got a focus on minions that make life difficult for your opponent. The class will be short on board clears, but long on cards capable of trading 2 for 1. Value, value, value. Of course, there will be room for mid-range, tempo, and combo, and cards will be included to support those strategies, but, the push will be towards out-valuing your opponent and utilizing the hero power.
The Hero and Power
The Dungeon Master is the guy behind the scenes. He rolls the dice. And if he wants it to roll a 20, it rolls a 20. He's got that kind of power.
But, what you really want to know about is the Hero Power. I'll discuss it in some length here. But, essentially, when you pay for the Hero Power it Charges up. It then waits for the next random effect to happen on your turn. That means specifically, A card has a range of numbers, or uses the word 'Random'. Those are the two triggers that will activate the hero power. If it's a range of numbers you get to pick the number. If it says 'random' you simply change 'random' to 'chosen' and go from there.
So, some examples.
You cast a spell that says, "Restore 2-9 Health". If your Hero power is charged when you cast the spell you get a little slider that pops up giving you a chance to choose 9 (or any other number between 2 and 8).
You cast a minion with the text, "Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to 3 random targets." It now reads, "Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to 3 chosen targets." So, you'll get to pick those targets as you would if it wasn't a random effect.
You cast a minion with the text, "Battlecry Deal 1-3 damage to 3 random targets." Now you get to choose the range of damage, but, you don't get to choose the targets. On a card like this that has more than 1 valid trigger for your ability, only the first one gets changed by your ability.
Lets say you kill a Piloted Shredder on your turn with your hero power charged. Do you then get to choose the minion that drops out? No. It is too unweildy for the game if you start choosing targets from a list of all possible cards, so it's simply limited. The Hero Power is limited to choosing cards that were in either of the player's decks to start the game. This means that you could choose a random card from a deck, hand, the battlefield, or 'graveyard', but, you can't choose a random card from the ether.
It's also worth noting the effects that take place, 'At the end of your turn.' fall outside the range of the ability, as they are no longer during your turn.
List of cards hero power would work with
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Boom Bot
Die, Insect
Timepiece of Horror
Arcane Missiles
Multi-Shot
Succubus
Anub'ar Ambusher
Avenge
Cleave
Crackle
Dark Cultist
Dart Trap
Deadly Shot
Desert Camel
Fireguard Destroyer
Flame Juggler
Flamecannon
Forked Lightning
Huge Toad
Mad Bomber
Mind Vision
Poultryizer
Rumbling Elemental
Sense Demons
Ship's Cannon
Soulfire
Tinker's Sharpsword Oil
Voidcaller
Bomb Lobber
Demolisher
Doomguard
Fist of Jaraxxus
Flamewalker
Goblin Blastmage
Knife Juggler
Lightning Storm
Madder Bomber
Mind Control Tech
Powermace
Resurrect
Shadowboxer
Stampeding Kodo
Void Crusher
Ancestor's Call
Avenging Wrath
Bouncing Blade
Brawl
Captain's Parrot
Coghammer
Dark Bargain
Elemental Destruction
Enhance-o Mechano
Mindgames
Sabotage
Eydis Darkbane
Sylvanas Windrunner
Tinkmaster Overspark - You can choose the minion, but not the transform
List of cards Hero Power would not work with
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Golden monkey
Totemic Call
Animal Companion
Clockwork Gnome
Hungry Dragon
Ogre Brute
Ogre Warmaul
I Am Murloc
Mad Scientist
Mounted Raptor
Murloc Knight
Piloted Shredder
Power of the Horde
Spellslinger
Thoughtsteal
Tinkertown Technician
Tuskarr Totemic
Webspinner
Alarm-o-Bot
Burgle
Deathlord
Dunemaul Shaman
Effigy
Fel Cannon
Iron Sensei
Kezan Mystic
Lightwell
Master Swordsmith
Ogre Ninja
Ram Wrangler
Summoning Stone
Unstable Portal
Young Priestess
Bane of Doom
Enter the Coliseum
Grand Crusader
Lock and Load
Mulch
Piloted Sky Golem
Recombobulator
Blingtron 3000
Confessor Paletress
Elite Tauren Chieftain
Gazlowe
Gelbin Mekkatorque
Mogor the Ogre
Nat Pagle
Nefarian
Neptulon
Nexus-Champion Saraad
Ragnaros the Firelord
Sneed's Old Shredder
Ysera
The cards
Comments on first 3 cards
Raise Dead -- The second card, Raise Dead, shows off a little more complex use of the Hero Power. You can pay 2 for a random dead minion, or you can pay 4 to choose the minion you want out of your deceased. I think the added flexibility and ability to utilize battlecries make it balanced with Resurrect
Make Camp -- Lastly, Make Camp is included just to remind folks of their days playing D&D. In D&D you would make camp to heal wounds taken in battle and regain or choose new spells. Kinda like this does. I compare it with Arcane Intellect for balancing.
The rest of the cards
Cure Light Wounds -- In D&D there is a spell exactly like this. Same name, same effect. That's the reason I'm calling up to 9 damage 'light' wounds. It's your basic heal spell, and it does 5.5 average heal vs. Flash Heal's 5. It's a little stronger, and you can use your hero power to get a guaranteed 9 health making it compare more with Healing Touch. I could lower it to 2-8 heal to bring it exactly in line with those two cards, but, I enjoy the symmetry with the actual D&D card too much to do so unless there is an outcry of OP.
Sneak Attack -- I wanted a few cards to represent the Rogue Class in D&D; this was one of them. The idea here is that your target is distracted by another attack letting your thief get behind for a lethal blow. I see this as a more conditional Execute with some card draw added.
Charm -- I wanted a bunch of cards in the class that were capable of making 2 for 1 trades. This does the job well, and could get you even more. In D&D a Charm spell makes an enemy be your friend, they won't attack your enemies for you but will defend you from attack. A cheaper Mind Control that you can't use offensively.
Rock Giant -- You can either choose to play Rock Giant as an 8/8 that deals 4 random damage for 8, or you could pay a total of 10 with your hero power and make it an 8/8 that deals 4 damage to a chosen target. I compare this card with North Sea Kraken.
Bulette -- A deranged Wizard crossed an armadillo and a Snapping Turtle and this was the result. Often referred to as a Land Shark. I wanted something 'Basic' in my basic set. This was it. Compares to Oasis Snapjaw.
Soothsayer -- I also wanted a card to send a message on the theme of the class. The theme here being the hero power. This is the hero power on a stick. I compare this with Elven Archer which is also a hero power on a stick.
Skeleton Pirates -- I wanted my class to be sure and include a Murloc, Dragon, Mech, and Pirate. I also wanted some Skeletons in there, because D&D just isn't D&D without some Skeletons bouncing around. This was what I came up with. Not a terrific card to balance it with. I feel like a vanilla 2/2 is worth about 1. Maybe a little more. We've seen a 1/3 and two 1/1s for 1 already, and I think it's only a matter of time til Blizz gives us a 2/2 for 1. If they are only worth 1 this card is over costed. But, with the Pirate tag and erring on the conservative side I think it's close to balanced.
Galavant Animation
Class T-Rex
I present my heroclass, it is the T-Rex from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. It is the most know dinosaur of the world. He is big, he is strong, has sharp tooth and really LIKES Goats as in the movie.
My idea is to introduce the Goat into the game and give the player some options in the future. At the beginning, the Goat seems not very strong but has a small healing Deathrattle. In mid-game, it will offer you some combinations, because flesh eating dinosaurs always want Goats... as food. I am aiming to buff the dinosaurs if you dare to sacrifice a lovely Goat.
Here are my favorite three Classic cards:
More cards:
I hope you like it. It took me some time. Have a nice day!
Jedi Knight
The Jedi Knight is a class based on board control, minion placement and moving minions. It is themed after Star Wars, and the hero of the class is Anakin Skywalker.
The hero power summons one of four possible Force Power secrets, which are weak secrets based on things jedi do with the force. You can see them at the spoiler below
Jedi Reflexes reflects a spell cast to you, which then bounces to a friendly minion. If you have no minions on the board, it doesn't trigger.
Jedi Mind Trick convinces the enemy minion that this is not the face you are looking for.
Precognition lets you see the future. The closest comparision to it is probably Mind Vision, which also gives you a card.
Force Push throws your enemy across the board, damaging it a bit.
Example Cards:
Force Throw: An AoE clear for the class. Doesn't deal damage to all the minions though, at most to everything but the one moved.
Execute Order 66: Clone Protocol 66 (or Order 66) is a secret command Palpatine had inserted to the Clonetroopers, which when activated made them attack the Jedi, whom they fought for earlier. This card makes the rest of the opponent's characters betray one of them. At best, it's a 3 mana Fireball.
Clonetrooper Infantry: A fairly simple and possibly powerful minion. Easy to play around, though, so the effect probably isn't too strong. If used with Force Toss, It's a SI:7 Agent that does 1 more damage but only if used with that one card. Can also be comboed with other cards that move minions to the left.
Now, onto the rest of my basic cards.
Force Toss: A more gentle Force Throw, or one of the hero power secrets as a card. At 0 mana, it can be comboed with cards that have synergy with movement or do something to the leftmost minion, but it requires you to use a card slot for this card.
Center of Being: A stance the Jedi used in lightsaber combat. Can be used offensively as a slightly bigger Rockbiter Weapon, or can be used on a taunt minion to make it deal more damage when the enemies attack it. Compare to Mark of Nature, which is 1 more mana for a permament buff and a choice between a health+taunt buff.
Force Stasis: Kind of like freezing a minion for 2 turns. Can help you get some more time to deal with a big threat.
Force Lightning: A less random Cleaveor a Shadowbolt split in two targets. If used on the leftmost minion, it does 2 damage to it twice.
Force Crush: Corruption + a freeze. A delayed Assassinate.
Clonetrooper Guard: If a minion moves, he shoots it. Minions being moved by other minions moving or being played does not count. Comboable with cards that move minions, like Force Toss.
Blaster Pistol: A weapon with a partial Foe Reaper 4000/Magnataur Alpha effect. When you attack with this, the minion to the left takes some damage from the explosion of the blaster shot.
Thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you!
After a long-ass week, your favourite Plumber has returned!
Plumber
Hero
Providing:
As a quick recap of the class:
Plumber is an enchanter class focusing on creating several smaller minions on the board and avoiding to take direct damage itself. The class introduces a new keyword Boost that is triggered when targeted by a Power-Up tribe spell. (Using the Power-Up at this point the competition was okay because the Power-Up is the tribe of the spell, not a keyword. Compare it to how Hero Power also has a special "tribe" bold in its explanation.)
Basic Cards
The token created by Mystery Box if you have no Power-Up spells left in your deck to draw:
Mystery Box functions as Sense Demons but provides you Power-Up cards instead. This is a keycard to the class that relies heavily on having buff cards ready to use.
Lakitu is a Basic Set minion that provides both players a Power-Up card. The Power-Up card will be more valuable to you though because it will be used to trigger the Boost effect your future minions will have. Therefore Lakitu gives both players equally something but you are more equal than the opponent!
Baby Yoshi is the cute little fella who shows the way Power-Up cards aid your class without even having to cast them. Just wait till you see what a grown up Yoshi will do!
Remaining Basic set:
The Tokens created by Goomba Squad and Royal Goomba:
Mamma Mia! Cheers! :)
May your nets always be full! 🎣
The Chef
The Foodstuffs
Overview
The Chef is a combo-based class, and has both the potential of playing as a tempo, fast class, or a midrange deck. At the core of the Chef are the Foodstuffs, four tokens produced by your Hero Power and by many other cards, leading to board-based gameplay, a bit of RNG, and careful planning. Despite the RNG, there are ways to circumvent the inherent randomness of this class, leading to masterful recipes and scrumptious victories.
Basic Cards
Chef's Knife explained:
A slow and steady combo weapon, suited for controlling the board during the middle of the game, or an explosive hit during later turns. The Chef's Knife went through many versions, the first being gaining Attack whenever a friendly Foodstuff was summoned, and costed 0 mana but only had 1 Durability. This promoted for one, massive hit late game, but weapons are not easy to destroy, so that design almost guaranteed a massive meta shift. The next design was based on summoning a Foodstuff, and if you did, this would gain +1 Attack at the end of the turn if you summoned 1 or more. This later evolved into this current form. Instead of required you to spend 2 mana every turn for a Hero Power, it instead promoted the protection of your foodstuffs and puts pressure on the opponent to destroy them. This one card symbolizes the near entirety of the Chef's playstyle.
Waitress explained:
The Chef may be important, but there would be no restaurant without the waiters and waitresses. A great 2-mana drop. A dangerous card if allowed to live, but by herself, actually does nothing. The Foodstuffs cannot attack, and her 1/4 stats aren't very intimidating. In order to get some big value out of this card, you'll need cards that can follow up on the Foodstuffs she serves up.
Mystic Cornucopia explained:
A very powerful spell. This spell, too, has gone through many version, the first of which was 3-mana and summoned all four Foodstuffs! Though it is probably balanced, it was based off of Muster for Battle, which came in GVG. Therefore, introducing a GVG-power card during Classic is a bad idea. The next idea was a 4-mana, summon 1 of each. Despite it being balanced, 4-mana for this kind of spell is quite clunky, as this spell does nothing on it's own. In addition, having all four out means your Hero Power is unusable, which is something Blizz would never put into a card design. At last, I put it back at 3-mana, summoning 3 random, but different Foodstuffs. The RNG element is there, but there is a very high chance you'll get the tokens you want. This card still serves as an amazing turn 2 + Coin play, or even a turn 3 play, especially if Carrot and Potato are adjacent. I see it being a staple, and still worthy to be put in decks during GVG and beyond.
Other cards
Pumpkin Pie "explained":
A short and sweet (literally) card. The exact opposite of Blessing of Might. Perfect addition for a Basic Set, and is a cheap 1-mana spell. Try using this with Waitress.
Barrel TossEmergency Rations explained:Another cheap spell. Can gain some serious value and is also another cheap spell. I balanced this card with Mortal Coil, but a trade-off here is the guaranteed Foodstuff and the ability to hit face, instead of drawing a card.
Supernatural Spinach explained:
A very versatile card. The main purpose of this card is to transform unneeded Foodstuffs or a weakened minion into something useful (Turn 2 Hero Power, turn 3 Spinach makes a great play if your other cards do not require a Foodstuff), but this can also act as a Polymorph/Hex, though a pretty bad one. Still. It's better facing off against Popeye than Ragnaros the Firelord, right?
Bread is Pain explained:
Ohhh, the references and puns on this one are real. The first version of this was a 4-mana deal 6 damage to a minion. It was fine, it was balanced, but kind of boring. Wording it this way makes it stronger and also more fun to use. Some may have noticed that this entire card is a play on Shadow Word: Pain, which is the point. The other point is that "pain" is "bread" in French. Now, as for balancing, I *may* elect to give Chef a sweet spot like Priest does. Though the idea is there, most likely not, at least certainly not in this set or the Classic.
Pan of Limitless Power explained:
Great weapon. 4 mana, 4/2 weapons are, without fail, always good. This weapon is good in every situation you care to name, save for one; It is incompatible with Chef's Knife. So be careful with those two weapons. After all, you don't use a knife with a pan. (You might say that this pan does have its limits.)
Recipe Book explained:
This card rewards you for having a protected board. It's a situational card, sure. If you are using a faster deck, you probably wouldn't to add it. A control deck, however, may find a certain combo with this and Mystic Cornucopia, not at all unlike the Preparation + Sprint combo. It is cards like these that promote a very diverse class.
Junk Food explained:
At last, the most expensive card in the Basic Set. A powerful minion, but I included this minion in the Basic Set for a very specific reason. Junk Food introduces a completely new method of Foodstuff synergy. Some cards will actually destroy your Foodstuffs to gain benefits. As a trade-off for a guaranteed taunt, Junk Food will have that extra stat to make up for it. In addition, Druid of the Claw has the ability to Charge, while this can be dropped as a straight 5/6, still ending up as a good turn 5 play.
I hope you enjoyed this class!
The Old God (Lovecraft Themed)
Here is Yog Sothoth in all his glory again. He is a slow and defensive hero, focusing on countering your opponent's plays as well as drawing out the game with healing, taunts, etc.. Yoggy's specific keyword is Chaos, which allows a card to be played on your opponent's turn under specific circumstances, a bit like a secret which can also be used as a standalone card. I reworked his hero power a bit, as I (with the help of people in the discussion thread) realized the hero power was overpowered in its previous state, in which the bottom card of your deck was not discarded.
Showcased Basic Cards
Explanations:
Cave Penguin: This is the class's standard 1 mana 1/3 minion. It is meant to introduce the class's theme of immediate countering without actually using the keyword Chaos. Its ability, although situational, can be a powerful control tool, as it can very effective against Zoo decks, as well as being a hard counter to Unleash the Hounds.
Elder Thing: Cards like Elder Thing are one of the ways the Old God can take advantage of dragging on the game despite their vulnerability to fatigue. It acts a defensive tool for the late game, while still being a value minion even if its ability never triggers.
Horrific Attack: This is one of the class's standard damage spells, acting as a Darkbomb with a bit of an extra push. The card functions similarly to Swipe, but is of course slightly cheaper. This is thus generally a good anti-aggro spell for removing multiple cheap minions.
Note: One other thing to mention is that all of these cards are also decent in arena.
Other Basic Cards
Explanations:
Explanations Pt. 2:
Thanks for reading (you better have looked in the spoilers)!
Look at this... or else: http://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/fan-creations/43518-coilfang-reservoir-a-hearthstone-adventure
Grandmaster
The class is inspired into the classic board and card games. Grandmaster is the title of the best Chess players and the class has a lot of Chess references, expecially in the basic set.
Token and Hero Power Explanation:
Its not a choice. If you already have the Dice in play the Hero Power will automatically buff him. The Hero Power will only buff a Dice that is created by it. If you copy the Dice with Faceless Manipulator or if you steal a Dice created by your oponent Hero Power it wont be buffed.
Sample Cards
Pawn Token:
This guy will show up frequently.
Frontline: The class relies on board presence and Frontline gives you a full board to work with.
Surrounded: The "If you control more minions" condition on cards is one of the class flavors. Cards that get more powerful as long as you are dominating the board.
Spare Components: This card allows you to fix your mana curve and easily set up conditions for the "If you control more minions" cards. Flexible and powerful card.
Remaining Cards
The 3 basic units from Chess compose the basic minions of the class. Simple and solid minions. The White Bishop can be a powerful tool to control the board during the early game. Now the only one from Chess that is missing is the Queen, but she is for other phases ;)
Checkmate is a hard removal and another example of the "If you control more minions" usage. Ouija Board... well... it´s also kind of a board game, right? :P It´s a cheaper Cult Master and another way for you to abuse the board presence you built.
And finally two buffs that work really well with a huge board. They consolidade a clear path for new players to start building their first Grandmaster decks.
The Arbiter
This is Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter. His Hero Power grants him Divine Shield, which can be used to protect against incoming attacks. More importantly however, you can use Divine Shields to prevent taking damage on your turn whether it be through usage of weapons or spells that deal damage to your hero. This class is heavily based around giving your character and minions Divine Shield, which can allow them to trade more efficiently and reduce collateral damage from certain spells.
Energy Sword: This is the Arbiter's primary weapon of choice. Although your Hero Power already gives you Divine Shield, getting it immediately is a lot more useful, especially on turn 4 when you need to use the weapon. You can still use your Hero Power by activating it after you attack a minion with this weapon.
Shield Focus: This spell is a standard card cycle, comparable to Power Word: Shield. It costs 1 more mana because Divine Shield is arguable more useful than +2 health, and the Divine Shield can be given to your Hero in the same way your Hero Power does.
Blinding Rage: It's a cheap spell that deals damage. I compared it to Holy Smite/Arcane Shot, Rockbiter Weapon, and Heroic Strike. What makes this card interesting is that using your Hero Power before or after playing this card will change based on the situation.
The rest of the Basic Cards:
>>>Token >>>
^ The rest of these Basic Cards are pretty standard stuff, so they're nothing too crazy. They are supposed to be Basic after all.
There is a slight concern; Blood Knight would probably cause some to suspect that this class is broken. I initially felt like this card would restrict design space, but it specifies that it can only destroy the Divine Shield of minions, and similar combos could've been pulled off now anyways with several other Divine Shield cards, so I don't see this card being an issue.
Class: Ranger
The Ranger class is focused on survivability as the low mana costed hero power shows. Strider or better known as Aragorn is also focused on getting efficient trades! I can imagine ranger being a great arena class!
Basic Set:
Great Eagle: The Great Eagles have saved the day, again! A simple late game minion that can result in some ridiculous value. Emphasizes the idea of survivability. Goes well with minions that have been effected by the hero power in previous turns. Insane arena Value!
Horn of Gondor: Boromir of Gondor and fellowship used the Horn of Gondor to trick enemies to fleeing away from battle in belief of reinforcements approaching. This 0 mana spell can save you from early game face hunters or late gameForce of Nature Savage Roar combo! Do notice that they can still attack your minions and you are not safe of direct damage.
Banner of Gondor: A representation of the greatness of Gondor. Banner of Gondor is a simple buff spell that is similar to Blessing of Kings.
Token:
The Rest of the Set:
Lembas: A gift from the Lorien Elves. This elven bread wrapped in leaves can keep a man fed after only one bite! Lembas is a simple 1 mana spell that is very similar to Power Word: Shield but is theoretically worse. This card can be used to make very efficient trades.
Rider of Rohan: Rohan, the land of the horselords has some of the most skilled horse riders in Middle Earth. A very well costed charge minion that has one more health than Bluegill Warrior. Can be used in an aggro variant of Ranger.
Volley of Arrows: Imagine everyone pulling out their bow and arrows and they just fire arrows at the opponent. A more complicated spell that focuses on the idea of a weird aggro deck that can deal damage to opposing characters. Has the chance to be a over-costed Arcane Missiles or a lower-costed Avenging Wrath! Most likely just a mediocre arena card.
Help of the Dúnedain: The Dúnedain are the rangers that reside in the North in Arnor and near the Shire. This card is used to help with keeping a minion live, with the support of two 1/1s, similar to Muster for Battle Do note that you cannot play the card unless you have friendly minion to target. (You cannot play this on an empty board). Besides all that, Its most likely a staple card for midrange decks.
Gondorian Soldier: The soldiers of Gondor are determined to not let the white city fall! This basic minion is able to survive for a long time, especially with the hero power. The card is worse than warrior's Fierce Monkey, but this is a different class basic card being compared to a warrior class card from the newest adventure.
Pummel: Rangers are known to fight dirty sometimes. This three mana spell is able to do negligible damage with the upside of drawing a card, similar to Hammer of Wrath. This card may be a one-of in some decks.
Chiftain of the Dúnedain: Strider is from a long lineage of Dúnedain Chieftains. This card is similar to warrior's Heroic Strike and the Help the Dúnedain card. A varied card with a mixture of abilities, similar to Seal of Light.
Facility Controller
GLaDOS
The turrets have flawless aim, they just shoot at different targets.
The fastest way to corrupt a machine is to blow it up.
The test results have provided some data.
And the spoiler:
Note: Although some minions here have "Mech", they do not have "Mech" until Goblins vs. Gnomes.
Class: Majora
Phase One here
Even when Skull Kid's cowardly Deku Scrubs desert the battlefield, they become ammunition for a powerful Octorok Shot! If that weren't enough to handle, one might also have to deal with a Big Leever. These minions compensate for their lack of a Weak Spot by burrowing underground as soon as they've escaped a battle - granting time to fully recover from it! Big Leevers wouldn't stand a chance if their enemy were to get their hands on a Giant's Mask though. It is said that one who wears the Giant's Mask might just stand a chance against a Legendary insect that lurks in an ancient canyon...
Remaining Cards:
Skull Kid's fairy companion uses Z-Target to help you find an enemy's weakness. Just make sure you've got the means to deal some serious damage before the weakness is concealed! Perhaps forming a Chu Chu Train will help with increasing your damage output.
>TOKEN>
Is your Chu Chu Train not quite as long as you'd like? The Great Fairy Mask can help - it soothes the nerves of Deku Scrubs and other inexperienced fighters. Be warned though, weaker minions will succumb to the impact of the Moon's Tear! Minions blessed with Wizzrobe's powerful magic are completely immune to the force of such meteorites.
No one is safe from Skull Kid's sorcery - not even the postman! This poor guy had his Postman's Hat stolen, and Skull Kid's been posing as him and pocketing mail ever since. Link's ocarina has found its way into the thieving hands of Skull Kid too. He almost laughs when playing the Song of Healing - it reminds him of Rexxar's obnoxious Animal Companions and the way they randomly appear on the battlefield when the hunter might've hoped for a different kind of beast. At least Skull Kid gets to choose the best time to cause mischief with masks - even if he needs a minion to play a prank on.
>> 3 POSSIBLE TOKEN SETS BELOW
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2)>
3)>
Submissions are now over! Take the next 24 hours to look over the entries, see if there's any you like, and upvote the ones you do. Entrants, make sure your class complies with the rules and good luck!
You can find me here! Good luck everyone!