Hello guys, Sigma here, and today I have a special treat for you all. As I realised it’s a bit too much to analyse all 134 cards from WOG, I will be cutting it down to top 10 WOG cards which will definitely see play in the Standard mode of the expansion. This time, I’ll be having 4 outstanding EU players on board sharing their opinions, Ness, Nicslay, J4CKIECHAN, and FalconePunch55! As a fairly experienced meta analyst I will try to reveal some hidden potentials behind the cards, something which might’ve been said before by someone else, but I will try to make it compact in one text so that you have everything at hand and that it’s easier to reference some of these opinions.
Introduction
This analysis will be a bit different from my previous ones, there will be only one tier, the Old God one (see what I did there?), as all of these cards definitely belong there. Each and every one of these 4 players chose their top 10 and I will be sharing some of their opinions on the cards right after my own personal opinion. Even though all of these cards will be definitely played, the higher the ranking on this list is, the bigger the chances are for the card to be meta-defining.
As I would like to make this analysis as interactive as possible, if I have missed something out and you guys have seen it, please let me know! Any comments on this analysis that are just blatant bash of my opinions will be fully ignored while constructive comments are of course more than welcome! If you prefer to contact me directly, I am always available at www.facebook.com/sigmasrb or www.twitter.com/sigmasrb, or you can drop by my stream (www.twitch.tv/sigmasrb) and tell me what you think!
I would like to include a disclaimer; Firstly, the opinion is solely based on my experience with certain archetypes so as every player looks at the game and the meta in a different way, some of my points and views might be wrong and could be subject to editing. Secondly, even though I can personally vouch that all of these cards will be played, I will not take any responsibilities for the meta changes and your dust spent to craft these cards. Thirdly, the most of this analysis has been written before the WOG hit the EU Servers and finally, C’Thun will be left out of the analysis as he will be clearly defining the meta and the decks will revolve around him.
Besides the analysis staying similar to the ones from LoE, I will also be including the card that works similarly that we have available right now to the card that is being introduced for the better understanding of the mechanics and also what the arena value is of each and every card that I analyse, for all of you arena lovers.
Also, I will not be presenting the arena value as some cards that didn’t make the top 10 can have incredible arena value. So these will be only good Standard cards.
10. Xaril, Poisoned Mind
A 4 mana 3/2 rogue Legendary minion that adds a random Toxin to your hand as a Battlecry and Deathrattle.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
The card that firstly reminds us all of the late Toshley, it can give you one of the five toxins: Bloodthistle Toxin (Return a friendly minion to your hand, it costs 2 less), Briarthorn Toxin (Give a minion +3 attack), Fadeleaf Toxin(Give stealth to a friendly minion until next turn), Firebloom Toxin (Deal 2 damage) and Kingsblood Toxin (Draw a card).
I honestly think that his weak body can be completely neglected if you look at the value the toxins might give you. Before I say a bit about each and every toxin I would like to say that a lot of us thought that there won’t be able Deathrattles as we are losing entire Naxxramas, so a lot of us asked ourselves, “What the hell is N’Zoth going to be summoning?” Well this, if this is summoned again not that it only gives you a small body which can still kill a 4 mana minion, but it also gives you another toxin that you can use. Now, onto the alchemy.
The worst toxin that would come to mind is the Fadeleaf Toxin. Even though it can help a strong minion survive while it’s on low HP, if you could use the toxin on an enemy minion would be much better. Just imagine stealthing a strong taunt of your opponent and being able to remove some minions which your opponent intended to protect. While Bloodthistle Toxin can help you reuse Battlecry minions, The Firebloom and the Bloodthistle are probably the best ones, one working as a Blessing of Might and the other as an Arcane Shot, both being able to be useful in many scenarios. Of course, if you are slowly running out of cards, using that 1 mana spell to draw another card can be sometimes priceless.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
The stats are really bad on this card, but the toxins are very good. When you run this card in double Gadgetzan Auctioneer Rogue the toxins are almost worth a card each. Rogue can recover the tempo loss easily with preparation.
9. Call of the Wild
8 mana Hunter spell that summons all three Animal Companions (Huffer, Leokk and Mischa (in this order)).
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
First off I believe it is important to compare this card obviously to the infamous Animal Companion. The Companion costs 3 mana, and you get a RANDOM companion, while this one gets you 3 animal companions for 8 mana, which is 1 mana less, and you know exactly which companions you are getting, which I see as a more consistent choice than just getting a random one. A card which is obviously supposed to fit a midrange hunter theme, it might help the midrange or even control hunters in getting their long wanted dream, a beast deck. Now with the inclusion of the Fiery Bat and the Infested Wolf, even having an N’Zoth deck isn’t that far away from reality.
I am not sure that this card can actually help you recover from an empty board as you can only use the Huffer, which will be a 5/2 minion with the help of Leokk, but it can sure as hell reinforce it if you are lacking that extra oomph to reach out for lethal or to need that extra beast attack on your Savanah Highmane or the Hyenas that drop from it. If we judge a book by its cover, this card should perform amazingly, but I guess we are to see it in action before we really say if it’s one of the meta changers. One of the really good things that I can say with ease is that if you add an Unleash the Hounds played on the next turn, and you get, let’s say, 3 hounds, it can EASILY get you to lethal.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
While Hunter is somewhat lacking in midrange, the new Dr. 8 gives them a whole new reason to last until the late game. Huffer has always been feared amongst hearthstone players, but it turns out that playing him along with his two other companions creates a board which is difficult to deal with. Do it twice in a row, and it almost makes mysterious challenger look weak.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
Each animal companion is extremely strong for 3 mana (the cost is balanced by the randomness of the spell). However Call of the Wild summons all 3 (giving you a 5/2 with charge, 5/4 with taunt and a 2/4 which buffs other minions) for only 8 mana – a much lower cost than expected (since no randomness). Therefore the value from this card is insane, and it should find its way into most Hunter decks.
8. Eternal Sentinel
2 mana 3/2 Shaman minion that unlocks all of your overloaded crystals.
Why is it in the top 10?
I know what you are thinking, „I knew it, Sigma picked this card because of the aggro shaman value!“ Well, yes and no. I strongly believe that as the shaman needed rework as a class from the roots up, and this will be the perfect start for something like this. Shaman has been a class that wasn’t played and was just causing weird faces before the introduction of the Tunnel Trogg. Well, I believe this guy is going to shake up the Shaman world maybe even as much as the Trogg did.
Besides the fact that the card is a clear improvement from the failed, and yet still somewhat used, Lava Shock, as the board presence is miles better than dealing instant damage. If we take a look at this card in an aggro shaman, the fact that you can play your Flamewreathed Faceless and unlock the crystals straight away with this guy and get a whopping 10/9 for 6 mana is just stupidly strong. Looking at the fact that the Big Game Hunter is in a pretty awkward position right now, with players still pondering if it still pays off to play him or not, the shamans are going to roll over everyone with this little guy being one of the riders in the front.
The second point that I wanted to make is that this card is not only strong in the aggro shaman, but also in the midrange shamans that will start popping out like daisies in spring, as they got a massive steroid boost for the expansion. There are a lot of juicy midrange overload shaman cards that this guy can clean up pretty easily. Probably one that is most worth mentioning is the Elemental Destruction. Just clear the board right up and leave this guy out afterwards like a cherry on top of a sundae. One of the differences from the Lava Shock is that there are many times when you will just play Lava Shock to face, simply because you can’t find a better target for it, and you really want your crystals unlocked, while this is leaving you with an awesome, consistent, 3/2 minion.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
A 2 mana 3/2 is already playable – give it an amazing effect like this and it should find its way into every Shaman deck. Undeniably better than lavashock (as 2 mana deal 2 damage is on a much weaker power level than a 2 mana 3/2) and will only make aggro Shaman stronger.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
Extremely powerful, should be played in aggro and midrange shaman as the effect combined with the strong body is pretty insane.
7. Cult Sorcerer
A 2 mana 3/2 Mage minion with +1 Spell Damage and it also gives your C’Thun +1/+1, wherever it is.
Why is it in the top 10?
I believe that this card is one of the biggest power minions that Blizzard released for mage this expansion. A 2 mana 3/2 is by default a card with pretty decent stats, and it also gives you +1 Spell Damage? Step aside, Soot Spewer, new boss is in town. I am absolutely sure that this card will see play in every Tempo Mage there is and help the mage with consistency before Yogg-Saron, Hope's End is dropped, just like a quiet sea before the storm.
Tempo Mage card - As mage being one of my mains, I have strong belief in this card, as the tempo mage loses the Mad Scientist, and not only is the lack of secrets a problem here (Calling all Kirin Tor Mages!), but also a pretty solid 2 mana 2/2 body is lost. That’s why this card will perfectly fit in there and make tempo mage viable again, and just imagine a turn 3 Arcane Blast for 4 damage, how sick is that?? All of a sudden Flamewaker isn’t the best synergy minion in a tempo archetype anymore! The card will definitely be of big help to keep the Tempo Mage alive, and with the addition of the Casino Overlord, Yogg-Saron, not only will this deck make hearthstone fun again, but it will also have the tempo mage running for the tier 1!
6. Fandral Staghelm
4 mana 3/5 Druid Legendary minion that lets you combine the Choose One card effects.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
One of the cards that I will probably get bashed on. But Sigma, there aren’t that many Choose One cards now that Keeper of the Grove is gone and Druid of the Claw probably won’t be played, how does this make sense? Alright so first of all, one of the mistakes I made when I was analysing Brann Bronzebeard back when LoE came out is that there weren’t as many good value Battlecry cards so I thought the card itself won’t be that played. I would like to compare this card to Brann. So what do you do when you see Brann played against you? If your answer is “I just chill and establish my board”, you are lying to yourself. When you see Brann being played you shit your pants and put your brain into overload mode to try and desperately find a way to remove him, even if it’s by using Siphon Soul. As Brann had 2/4 for 3 mana, Staghelm has 3/5 for 4, so the stats check out. Just because you are not sure what will your opponent be getting this card will be a MUST REMOVE, which will be hell for a lot of classes, and unlike Brann, even for priests, Staghelm will not be able to be stolen by a Cabal Shadow Priest or destroyed with the Shadow Word: Horror.
Besides the fact that it will mostly cause utter chaos for your opponent, the card has very decent synergies already (And there will probably be more coming in the next expansions/adventures), like Raven Idol, Living Roots, Nourish or even the new one, Mire Keeper can be pretty awesome if played after this guy. I love the concept behind the Raven Idol, and just being able to get two cards for one mana or playing it on the same turn as Staghelm is just crazy. I never thought I was going to say this, but who needs Ancients of Lore??
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
The new druid legendary has such a cool effect it will be played in almost every druid deck, there are so many cards it interacts with. Even using it with a cheap spell such as wrath or raven idol will give you great benefits.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
Compare this card to Brann Bronzebeard, or Emperor Thaurissan. Can you afford to leave it alive? Most of the time, no. Will it always be easy to remove a 3/5 hidden behind taunts or played on turn 1 / 2? No! This card turns elevates already powerful cards to extreme levels – possibly the strongest legendary in the whole set. Most druids already run at least 10 “Choose one” cards; there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t want this card in your midrange/ramp Druid deck.
5. Darkshire Councilman
A 3 mana 1/5 Warlock minion that has his attack increased every time a minion is summoned.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
Even though a lot of people rated this card as a meh at best, I believe it is one of the best cards that warlock got and can even be compared to the Imp Gang Boss in it's strength. The fact that the zoo is handling a lot of minions all of the time will make this card reach at least 5/5 in no time. It might seem like it requires too much to be valid but removing a 5 HP minion on turn 3/4 is practically impossible.
Followed by cards like Forbidden Ritual and Possessed Villagers, and even having its effect proc when deathrattle minions are summoned, I believe that this card will see a lot of play and be the next staple in zoo decks. Opening the road to any potential Sea Giants and Gormok and allowing them to just take the win as there aren't that many decks that deal with big minions easily, unlike maybe the paladin with Aldor Peacekeepers.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
While zoo suffered with the loss of the deathrattles and implosion, it gains with the addition of councilman. Combo'd with forbidden ritual, imp gang boss and other token-generation cards, this guy easily becomes a 7-5 for 3 mana in many games.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
Councilman is one of the best 3 drops in the game. It is very common, that it gets buffed up to 3/5 the turn it gets played. It also benefits from the new warlock cards possessed pillager and forbidden ritual and with 5 health it is very difficult to deal with. Your opponent also needs to immediately remove it, unless he wants to take an insane amount of damage.
4. Dark Arakkoa
A 6 mana 5/7 Druid minion with Taunt that gives your C’Thun +3/+3 stats (whever it is).
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
I feel like this card is the Buttercup of the Powerpuff girls (with Ben Brode being the Professor), it’s the nastiest in the bunch, probably ready to kick some ass. It’s clear to everyone that Blizzard wanted to make the C’thun decks with unbelievable value for the new players but I believe this is probably one of the most broken ones. A minion that is extremely difficult to remove, it gives C’thun one of the strongest buffs in the game, and is a taunt. Is there anything else to be said? It’s a card that can provide extreme protection to anything else played before or after it, and I don’t even think that the Klaxxi Amber-Weaver is that good compared to this beast. Absolutely broken if gotten out with an Innervate and curving up into the almighty Twin Emperor Vek'lor makes a board for the druid that even the best removals will be having problems with.
On the other hand, it might see some of the old cards coming up on the surface again like the Black Knight, which always makes me happy. I believe it’s always good to see old tech cards resurfacing again. What I also find interesting is that this card might even see play in other druid decks simply because these stats are ridiculously good for the mana spent.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
The stats on this are insane. A 5/7 taunt for 6 is almost a playable card and then is also buffs your C’thun for 3/3. This card will make druid the most likely class to make C’thun work.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
It’s somewhere between Druid of the Claw and Ancient of War. It fits the exact stats that it needs to for its cost, and the fact that it has taunt makes it a key player for ramp and C’thun druids.
3. N'Zoth, the Corruptor
A neutral 10 mana 5/7 Legendary minion that summons your Deathrattle minions that died that game.
Why is this card in the top 10?
Even though I, as a lore geek, was VERY excited to actually see how does N’Zoth look like even or get any more info on him (as the WoW lore is very thin on him), I was very worried that with the loss of Naxxramas, we will be losing most of the good Deathrattle minions. Boy, was I wrong. I believe that this minion will probably be one of the main counters for the C’Thun decks (as it should, C’Thun is a little bitch compared to the almighty N’Zoth), and all that it requires are just a couple of really strong Deathrattle minions. These are all of the Deathrattle minions that will be present in standard: http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/minion?filter-show-standard=y&filter-deathrattle=1&filter-premium=1&display=3
I believe that this card will be shaping the meta heavily and it should definitely be crafted by everyone if you don’t get it as it should be strong enough to create a massive stir on the board right after being played. I don’t think that there will be a spell strong enough to remove the vast board presence he summons when being played, except maybe a Brawl.
After analysing all of the Old Gods, I’m pretty sure that N’zoth is the strongest. In a world where you’re able to last until turn 10, even if this guy summons you just 4 or 5 minions, a swarm of deathrattles can be punishing and difficult to clear.
2. Twin Emperor Vek'lor
Neutral 7 mana 4/6 Taunt that summons another 4/6 taunt if your C’Thun has at least 10 attack.
Why is this card in the top 10?
Probably one of the legendaries with the most pure value in the entire set, and one that will for sure see most play as it goes side by side with C’Thun, Vek’lor is just ridiculous to its core. Not only is it fairly easy to get your C’Thun to 10 attack, the 4/6 minion is generally quite difficult to remove, and your opponent has to deal with them both. Currently there isn’t a card in the game that can single-handedly deal with both of these guys, except maybe Brawl. If they both die. I am not even going to mention the value that it can have from cards like Brann Bronzebeard or Blood Warriors. Just imagine filling up the entire board with 4/6 taunts, it’s like a priest nightmare.
Bolster Blood Warrior anyone? I just got a nice idea.
Nicslay’s thoughts on this card:
A 4/6 taunt is worth 5 mana, so getting 2 of them for 7 mana is insane. If C’thun decks become popular it will be largely because of this card and it will be an auto include in every C’thun deck.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
If C’thun decks become popular this could be the new Dr.7, 8-12 stats for 7 mana plus they both have taunt is crazy, it should be easy to have C’thun at 10 attack by turn 7 in a well-built C’thun deck. One thing that makes this minion strong is that you have to remove both of them, a single target removal like hunters mark will deal with 1 of the Emperor’s, but you still have the other one to deal with.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
Taunt is the key word that I missed upon my first read through of this card, and right at he start of the end game, those two taunts could easily be the difference between dying fast or surviving to play C’thun.
1. Flamewreathed Faceless
A 4 mana 7/7 Shaman minion that overloads you for 2 mana.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
Probably one of the most overpowered minions to ever roam the plane of Hearthstone, the Flamewreathed Faceless will be taking the shaman game to an entirely different level. Looking at the fact that shamans have so many nice 3 mana cards, following this card up on turn 5 will be a piece of cake. I am not even going to mention what can this card do if you combine it with the other new card, the Eternal Sentinel, which will unlock the crystals and leave you with a 10/9 board out of nowhere. Talk about broken. Looking at the fact that people are still debating as I said if BGH has a spot in decks anymore or doesn’t, this guy is taking advantage of that to the max as there aren’t that many minions which can deal with him properly. The only thing that you can do is to setup a taunt and pray to god you will be able to finish him off somehow. But before you know it, it will take too many minions with him already and during that time the shaman will be able to prepare some more juicy minions for you to deal with. You guys complained about how shaman had no love. Well, prepare for at least 3 seasons of shaman domination.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
7-7 for 4 mana, ridiculous, especially when you consider that it is now easier to remove your overloaded mana crystals because of the addition of Eternal Sentinel. Also with the nerf to BGH this card becomes increasingly difficult to handle early in the game. Aggro Shaman was already a strong deck but this card could make a lot of people salty.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
BGH got nerfed and you can play a 7/7 on turn 3 or 4. This card will single handedly win shaman games vs decks that don’t have good hard removal such as druid. The only real downside it has is, that it delays your doomhammer turn. Shaman also got another tool to remove their overload so that makes this card even better.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
The tempo gained from playing a 7/7 on turn 4 is absurd. Totem Golem on steroids! With the nerf to BGH, this card becomes even stronger. The overload for 2 next turn may hinder you from playing Doomhammer on curve, but playing a 7/7 on curve on turn 4 may be the stronger play anyway. Also the new 2 mana minion Eternal Sentinel can negate the overload effect (unlocks overload) which gives even more reason why this card will be present in all if not every Shaman deck in Standard.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
Aggro shaman was already out of control, but this card enables it to get even worse. Along with eternal sentinel, it brings the aggro shaman into more of a board control deck, with less burst but more punishing early game power. This aggro shaman is the new deck to fear, and this 4 mana 7/7 is a major part of the reason why.
That’s about it for the top 10 cards of Standard WOG! I really hope you guys enjoyed it as it took some time to gather all of the knowledge and go through 134 cards to find the top 10 most promising! If you would like to get in touch with me directly or come check out my stream where I practice for my tournaments, or reach legend with all kinds of interesting and weird decks, stop by at www.twitch.tv/sigmasrb ,www.facebook.com/sigmasrb or www.twitter.com/sigmasrb and come say hello, or you know, “man your analysis is very wrong!” I always enjoy a good, constructive arguement. I also do all kinds of events for my viewers like Hearthstone Trivia, Grand Viewer Tournaments that have awesome handmade HS memorabilia rewards and many more! Some of the showcases and gameplays for some of my decks that got viral can be found at www.youtube.com/sigmasrb! I will also be releasing my first standard deck in the next couple of days, so make sure you follow me somewhere to be the first in line to find out!
A special thank you to FalconePunch, Ness, Nicslay and J4CKIECHAN for being a part of my analysis! Make sure that you follow them if you didn’t already and give them some love!
Nice writeup. Been trying to read as much as possible on everyone's top choices for potential cards to craft, and this is fairly in line with other's opinions. I am sure Zele will be unhappy that Princess didn't make top 10!
Nice writeup. Been trying to read as much as possible on everyone's top choices for potential cards to craft, and this is fairly in line with other's opinions. I am sure Zele will be unhappy that Princess didn't make top 10!
I am afraid that even though Huhu is not a bad minion, it just doesn't work with enough cards right now to make it OP.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss
With many people pondering what to dust and what to craft ,I found this article to be very informative and helpful. I am no expert but concur with most of your choices, for my honorable mentions I would have included Evolve and Hallazeal the Ascended.
Shaman got some really decent cards and I am looking forward to seeing some creative mid-range/Control type decks with Evolve, Hallazeal etc.
I have a question you mentioned Cho'Gall and Malkorok, 2 Legendaries I got from my packs and to be honest was not sure of just how they would fit in and how good are they? could you expound on these a bit as to what deck type you feel they may work best in and if they will indeed see much play?
Many thanks for sharing Sigma, most appreciated...
I was really surprised that a terrible Basic card like Sinister Strike would make the honorable mentions of a top 10 list for an expansion.
In all seriousness though, Shaman's totally crazy now and it's all because they got a Dr. 4 and a Dr. 2 that cleans up its mess perfectly.
Ragnaros, Lightlord has been performing well for me as well, far better than his more fiery brother, although I could see myself including both in a deck.
As for the other cards, I don't think Cult Sorcerer should be on the top 10. Sure its good, but a +1 attack Kobold Geomancer isn't that broken. Now, if you have a C'Thun deck, thats totally different. But you reviewed it as being used just in tempo mage. Its good, but there are better cards in the set.
Other than that, I agree pretty much. I am currently playing miracle rogue with Xaril, Poisoned Mind and I truly agree with your analysis of him. Absolutely nuts with Gadgetzan Auctioneer, has won me a lot of games.
One of the cards that I will probably get bashed on. But Sigma, there aren’t that many Choose One cards now that Keeper of the Grove is gone and Druid of the Claw probably won’t be played,
I will say I think you are all overrating Eternal Sentinel. The card is not even good, nowhere near top 10. I doesn't address the problems with shaman, which is the randomness of the heropower and the fact that overload makes it so that you can't count on playing the topdecked card. which in turn means that shaman is playing with a card disadvantage in their build.
Otherwise I agree with most of it. Also honorable mention should be Twilight Elder which is really hard to deal with right out of the gates.
"MUST REMOVE, which will be hell for a lot of classes, and unlike Brann, even for priests, as 4 attack minions are practically immune to any priest shadow word Death shenanigans."
Well, Fandral Staghelm with 3/5 body (->Shadow word:pain), so you probably should correct part about 'even for priests" and "4-attack minions"...
I love this list, even if I don't agree with every choice (cult sorcerer). However, this thing is drought with errors. The priests thing, sinister strike as an honorable mention. I honestly expected more from you.
Staghelm has 3/5 for 4, so the stats check out. Just because you are not sure what will your opponent be getting this card will be a MUST REMOVE, which will be hell for a lot of classes, and unlike Brann, even for priests, as 4 attack minions are practically immune to any priest shadow word Death shenanigans.
I think you had a brainfart and thought that Staghelm had 4 attack for a second. :P
Good list! I think it would be more interesting to explain the runner-ups as they are not as obviously powerful as these cards.
Flamewreathed Faceless is like getting Dr. Boom from the Deathlord. I play one of them inside a Reno shaman deck. Even if it's slower deck, it usually is game breaking as the opponent can't handle it.
Hello guys, Sigma here, and today I have a special treat for you all. As I realised it’s a bit too much to analyse all 134 cards from WOG, I will be cutting it down to top 10 WOG cards which will definitely see play in the Standard mode of the expansion. This time, I’ll be having 4 outstanding EU players on board sharing their opinions, Ness, Nicslay, J4CKIECHAN, and FalconePunch55! As a fairly experienced meta analyst I will try to reveal some hidden potentials behind the cards, something which might’ve been said before by someone else, but I will try to make it compact in one text so that you have everything at hand and that it’s easier to reference some of these opinions.
Introduction
This analysis will be a bit different from my previous ones, there will be only one tier, the Old God one (see what I did there?), as all of these cards definitely belong there. Each and every one of these 4 players chose their top 10 and I will be sharing some of their opinions on the cards right after my own personal opinion. Even though all of these cards will be definitely played, the higher the ranking on this list is, the bigger the chances are for the card to be meta-defining.
As I would like to make this analysis as interactive as possible, if I have missed something out and you guys have seen it, please let me know! Any comments on this analysis that are just blatant bash of my opinions will be fully ignored while constructive comments are of course more than welcome! If you prefer to contact me directly, I am always available at www.facebook.com/sigmasrb or www.twitter.com/sigmasrb, or you can drop by my stream (www.twitch.tv/sigmasrb) and tell me what you think!
I would like to include a disclaimer; Firstly, the opinion is solely based on my experience with certain archetypes so as every player looks at the game and the meta in a different way, some of my points and views might be wrong and could be subject to editing. Secondly, even though I can personally vouch that all of these cards will be played, I will not take any responsibilities for the meta changes and your dust spent to craft these cards. Thirdly, the most of this analysis has been written before the WOG hit the EU Servers and finally, C’Thun will be left out of the analysis as he will be clearly defining the meta and the decks will revolve around him.
Besides the analysis staying similar to the ones from LoE, I will also be including the card that works similarly that we have available right now to the card that is being introduced for the better understanding of the mechanics and also what the arena value is of each and every card that I analyse, for all of you arena lovers.
Also, I will not be presenting the arena value as some cards that didn’t make the top 10 can have incredible arena value. So these will be only good Standard cards.
10. Xaril, Poisoned Mind
A 4 mana 3/2 rogue Legendary minion that adds a random Toxin to your hand as a Battlecry and Deathrattle.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
The card that firstly reminds us all of the late Toshley, it can give you one of the five toxins: Bloodthistle Toxin (Return a friendly minion to your hand, it costs 2 less), Briarthorn Toxin (Give a minion +3 attack), Fadeleaf Toxin(Give stealth to a friendly minion until next turn), Firebloom Toxin (Deal 2 damage) and Kingsblood Toxin (Draw a card).
I honestly think that his weak body can be completely neglected if you look at the value the toxins might give you. Before I say a bit about each and every toxin I would like to say that a lot of us thought that there won’t be able Deathrattles as we are losing entire Naxxramas, so a lot of us asked ourselves, “What the hell is N’Zoth going to be summoning?” Well this, if this is summoned again not that it only gives you a small body which can still kill a 4 mana minion, but it also gives you another toxin that you can use. Now, onto the alchemy.
The worst toxin that would come to mind is the Fadeleaf Toxin. Even though it can help a strong minion survive while it’s on low HP, if you could use the toxin on an enemy minion would be much better. Just imagine stealthing a strong taunt of your opponent and being able to remove some minions which your opponent intended to protect. While Bloodthistle Toxin can help you reuse Battlecry minions, The Firebloom and the Bloodthistle are probably the best ones, one working as a Blessing of Might and the other as an Arcane Shot, both being able to be useful in many scenarios. Of course, if you are slowly running out of cards, using that 1 mana spell to draw another card can be sometimes priceless.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
The stats are really bad on this card, but the toxins are very good. When you run this card in double Gadgetzan Auctioneer Rogue the toxins are almost worth a card each. Rogue can recover the tempo loss easily with preparation.
9. Call of the Wild
8 mana Hunter spell that summons all three Animal Companions (Huffer, Leokk and Mischa (in this order)).
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
First off I believe it is important to compare this card obviously to the infamous Animal Companion. The Companion costs 3 mana, and you get a RANDOM companion, while this one gets you 3 animal companions for 8 mana, which is 1 mana less, and you know exactly which companions you are getting, which I see as a more consistent choice than just getting a random one. A card which is obviously supposed to fit a midrange hunter theme, it might help the midrange or even control hunters in getting their long wanted dream, a beast deck. Now with the inclusion of the Fiery Bat and the Infested Wolf, even having an N’Zoth deck isn’t that far away from reality.
I am not sure that this card can actually help you recover from an empty board as you can only use the Huffer, which will be a 5/2 minion with the help of Leokk, but it can sure as hell reinforce it if you are lacking that extra oomph to reach out for lethal or to need that extra beast attack on your Savanah Highmane or the Hyenas that drop from it. If we judge a book by its cover, this card should perform amazingly, but I guess we are to see it in action before we really say if it’s one of the meta changers. One of the really good things that I can say with ease is that if you add an Unleash the Hounds played on the next turn, and you get, let’s say, 3 hounds, it can EASILY get you to lethal.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
While Hunter is somewhat lacking in midrange, the new Dr. 8 gives them a whole new reason to last until the late game. Huffer has always been feared amongst hearthstone players, but it turns out that playing him along with his two other companions creates a board which is difficult to deal with. Do it twice in a row, and it almost makes mysterious challenger look weak.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
Each animal companion is extremely strong for 3 mana (the cost is balanced by the randomness of the spell). However Call of the Wild summons all 3 (giving you a 5/2 with charge, 5/4 with taunt and a 2/4 which buffs other minions) for only 8 mana – a much lower cost than expected (since no randomness). Therefore the value from this card is insane, and it should find its way into most Hunter decks.
8. Eternal Sentinel
2 mana 3/2 Shaman minion that unlocks all of your overloaded crystals.
Why is it in the top 10?
I know what you are thinking, „I knew it, Sigma picked this card because of the aggro shaman value!“ Well, yes and no. I strongly believe that as the shaman needed rework as a class from the roots up, and this will be the perfect start for something like this. Shaman has been a class that wasn’t played and was just causing weird faces before the introduction of the Tunnel Trogg. Well, I believe this guy is going to shake up the Shaman world maybe even as much as the Trogg did.
Besides the fact that the card is a clear improvement from the failed, and yet still somewhat used, Lava Shock, as the board presence is miles better than dealing instant damage. If we take a look at this card in an aggro shaman, the fact that you can play your Flamewreathed Faceless and unlock the crystals straight away with this guy and get a whopping 10/9 for 6 mana is just stupidly strong. Looking at the fact that the Big Game Hunter is in a pretty awkward position right now, with players still pondering if it still pays off to play him or not, the shamans are going to roll over everyone with this little guy being one of the riders in the front.
The second point that I wanted to make is that this card is not only strong in the aggro shaman, but also in the midrange shamans that will start popping out like daisies in spring, as they got a massive steroid boost for the expansion. There are a lot of juicy midrange overload shaman cards that this guy can clean up pretty easily. Probably one that is most worth mentioning is the Elemental Destruction. Just clear the board right up and leave this guy out afterwards like a cherry on top of a sundae. One of the differences from the Lava Shock is that there are many times when you will just play Lava Shock to face, simply because you can’t find a better target for it, and you really want your crystals unlocked, while this is leaving you with an awesome, consistent, 3/2 minion.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
A 2 mana 3/2 is already playable – give it an amazing effect like this and it should find its way into every Shaman deck. Undeniably better than lavashock (as 2 mana deal 2 damage is on a much weaker power level than a 2 mana 3/2) and will only make aggro Shaman stronger.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
Extremely powerful, should be played in aggro and midrange shaman as the effect combined with the strong body is pretty insane.
7. Cult Sorcerer
A 2 mana 3/2 Mage minion with +1 Spell Damage and it also gives your C’Thun +1/+1, wherever it is.
Why is it in the top 10?
I believe that this card is one of the biggest power minions that Blizzard released for mage this expansion. A 2 mana 3/2 is by default a card with pretty decent stats, and it also gives you +1 Spell Damage? Step aside, Soot Spewer, new boss is in town. I am absolutely sure that this card will see play in every Tempo Mage there is and help the mage with consistency before Yogg-Saron, Hope's End is dropped, just like a quiet sea before the storm.
Tempo Mage card - As mage being one of my mains, I have strong belief in this card, as the tempo mage loses the Mad Scientist, and not only is the lack of secrets a problem here (Calling all Kirin Tor Mages!), but also a pretty solid 2 mana 2/2 body is lost. That’s why this card will perfectly fit in there and make tempo mage viable again, and just imagine a turn 3 Arcane Blast for 4 damage, how sick is that?? All of a sudden Flamewaker isn’t the best synergy minion in a tempo archetype anymore! The card will definitely be of big help to keep the Tempo Mage alive, and with the addition of the Casino Overlord, Yogg-Saron, not only will this deck make hearthstone fun again, but it will also have the tempo mage running for the tier 1!
6. Fandral Staghelm
4 mana 3/5 Druid Legendary minion that lets you combine the Choose One card effects.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
One of the cards that I will probably get bashed on. But Sigma, there aren’t that many Choose One cards now that Keeper of the Grove is gone and Druid of the Claw probably won’t be played, how does this make sense? Alright so first of all, one of the mistakes I made when I was analysing Brann Bronzebeard back when LoE came out is that there weren’t as many good value Battlecry cards so I thought the card itself won’t be that played. I would like to compare this card to Brann. So what do you do when you see Brann played against you? If your answer is “I just chill and establish my board”, you are lying to yourself. When you see Brann being played you shit your pants and put your brain into overload mode to try and desperately find a way to remove him, even if it’s by using Siphon Soul. As Brann had 2/4 for 3 mana, Staghelm has 3/5 for 4, so the stats check out. Just because you are not sure what will your opponent be getting this card will be a MUST REMOVE, which will be hell for a lot of classes, and unlike Brann, even for priests, Staghelm will not be able to be stolen by a Cabal Shadow Priest or destroyed with the Shadow Word: Horror.
Besides the fact that it will mostly cause utter chaos for your opponent, the card has very decent synergies already (And there will probably be more coming in the next expansions/adventures), like Raven Idol, Living Roots, Nourish or even the new one, Mire Keeper can be pretty awesome if played after this guy. I love the concept behind the Raven Idol, and just being able to get two cards for one mana or playing it on the same turn as Staghelm is just crazy. I never thought I was going to say this, but who needs Ancients of Lore??
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
The new druid legendary has such a cool effect it will be played in almost every druid deck, there are so many cards it interacts with. Even using it with a cheap spell such as wrath or raven idol will give you great benefits.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
Compare this card to Brann Bronzebeard, or Emperor Thaurissan. Can you afford to leave it alive? Most of the time, no. Will it always be easy to remove a 3/5 hidden behind taunts or played on turn 1 / 2? No! This card turns elevates already powerful cards to extreme levels – possibly the strongest legendary in the whole set. Most druids already run at least 10 “Choose one” cards; there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t want this card in your midrange/ramp Druid deck.
5. Darkshire Councilman
A 3 mana 1/5 Warlock minion that has his attack increased every time a minion is summoned.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
Even though a lot of people rated this card as a meh at best, I believe it is one of the best cards that warlock got and can even be compared to the Imp Gang Boss in it's strength. The fact that the zoo is handling a lot of minions all of the time will make this card reach at least 5/5 in no time. It might seem like it requires too much to be valid but removing a 5 HP minion on turn 3/4 is practically impossible.
Followed by cards like Forbidden Ritual and Possessed Villagers, and even having its effect proc when deathrattle minions are summoned, I believe that this card will see a lot of play and be the next staple in zoo decks. Opening the road to any potential Sea Giants and Gormok and allowing them to just take the win as there aren't that many decks that deal with big minions easily, unlike maybe the paladin with Aldor Peacekeepers.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
While zoo suffered with the loss of the deathrattles and implosion, it gains with the addition of councilman. Combo'd with forbidden ritual, imp gang boss and other token-generation cards, this guy easily becomes a 7-5 for 3 mana in many games.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
Councilman is one of the best 3 drops in the game. It is very common, that it gets buffed up to 3/5 the turn it gets played. It also benefits from the new warlock cards possessed pillager and forbidden ritual and with 5 health it is very difficult to deal with. Your opponent also needs to immediately remove it, unless he wants to take an insane amount of damage.
4. Dark Arakkoa
A 6 mana 5/7 Druid minion with Taunt that gives your C’Thun +3/+3 stats (whever it is).
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
I feel like this card is the Buttercup of the Powerpuff girls (with Ben Brode being the Professor), it’s the nastiest in the bunch, probably ready to kick some ass. It’s clear to everyone that Blizzard wanted to make the C’thun decks with unbelievable value for the new players but I believe this is probably one of the most broken ones. A minion that is extremely difficult to remove, it gives C’thun one of the strongest buffs in the game, and is a taunt. Is there anything else to be said? It’s a card that can provide extreme protection to anything else played before or after it, and I don’t even think that the Klaxxi Amber-Weaver is that good compared to this beast. Absolutely broken if gotten out with an Innervate and curving up into the almighty Twin Emperor Vek'lor makes a board for the druid that even the best removals will be having problems with.
On the other hand, it might see some of the old cards coming up on the surface again like the Black Knight, which always makes me happy. I believe it’s always good to see old tech cards resurfacing again. What I also find interesting is that this card might even see play in other druid decks simply because these stats are ridiculously good for the mana spent.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
The stats on this are insane. A 5/7 taunt for 6 is almost a playable card and then is also buffs your C’thun for 3/3. This card will make druid the most likely class to make C’thun work.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
It’s somewhere between Druid of the Claw and Ancient of War. It fits the exact stats that it needs to for its cost, and the fact that it has taunt makes it a key player for ramp and C’thun druids.
3. N'Zoth, the Corruptor
A neutral 10 mana 5/7 Legendary minion that summons your Deathrattle minions that died that game.
Why is this card in the top 10?
Even though I, as a lore geek, was VERY excited to actually see how does N’Zoth look like even or get any more info on him (as the WoW lore is very thin on him), I was very worried that with the loss of Naxxramas, we will be losing most of the good Deathrattle minions. Boy, was I wrong. I believe that this minion will probably be one of the main counters for the C’Thun decks (as it should, C’Thun is a little bitch compared to the almighty N’Zoth), and all that it requires are just a couple of really strong Deathrattle minions. These are all of the Deathrattle minions that will be present in standard: http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/minion?filter-show-standard=y&filter-deathrattle=1&filter-premium=1&display=3
I believe that this card will be shaping the meta heavily and it should definitely be crafted by everyone if you don’t get it as it should be strong enough to create a massive stir on the board right after being played. I don’t think that there will be a spell strong enough to remove the vast board presence he summons when being played, except maybe a Brawl.
Also, maybe making Corrupted Healbot viable? Can’t say.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
After analysing all of the Old Gods, I’m pretty sure that N’zoth is the strongest. In a world where you’re able to last until turn 10, even if this guy summons you just 4 or 5 minions, a swarm of deathrattles can be punishing and difficult to clear.
2. Twin Emperor Vek'lor
Neutral 7 mana 4/6 Taunt that summons another 4/6 taunt if your C’Thun has at least 10 attack.
Why is this card in the top 10?
Probably one of the legendaries with the most pure value in the entire set, and one that will for sure see most play as it goes side by side with C’Thun, Vek’lor is just ridiculous to its core. Not only is it fairly easy to get your C’Thun to 10 attack, the 4/6 minion is generally quite difficult to remove, and your opponent has to deal with them both. Currently there isn’t a card in the game that can single-handedly deal with both of these guys, except maybe Brawl. If they both die. I am not even going to mention the value that it can have from cards like Brann Bronzebeard or Blood Warriors. Just imagine filling up the entire board with 4/6 taunts, it’s like a priest nightmare.
Bolster Blood Warrior anyone? I just got a nice idea.
Nicslay’s thoughts on this card:
A 4/6 taunt is worth 5 mana, so getting 2 of them for 7 mana is insane. If C’thun decks become popular it will be largely because of this card and it will be an auto include in every C’thun deck.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
If C’thun decks become popular this could be the new Dr.7, 8-12 stats for 7 mana plus they both have taunt is crazy, it should be easy to have C’thun at 10 attack by turn 7 in a well-built C’thun deck. One thing that makes this minion strong is that you have to remove both of them, a single target removal like hunters mark will deal with 1 of the Emperor’s, but you still have the other one to deal with.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
Taunt is the key word that I missed upon my first read through of this card, and right at he start of the end game, those two taunts could easily be the difference between dying fast or surviving to play C’thun.
1. Flamewreathed Faceless
A 4 mana 7/7 Shaman minion that overloads you for 2 mana.
Why is this card in the TOP 10?
Probably one of the most overpowered minions to ever roam the plane of Hearthstone, the Flamewreathed Faceless will be taking the shaman game to an entirely different level. Looking at the fact that shamans have so many nice 3 mana cards, following this card up on turn 5 will be a piece of cake. I am not even going to mention what can this card do if you combine it with the other new card, the Eternal Sentinel, which will unlock the crystals and leave you with a 10/9 board out of nowhere. Talk about broken. Looking at the fact that people are still debating as I said if BGH has a spot in decks anymore or doesn’t, this guy is taking advantage of that to the max as there aren’t that many minions which can deal with him properly. The only thing that you can do is to setup a taunt and pray to god you will be able to finish him off somehow. But before you know it, it will take too many minions with him already and during that time the shaman will be able to prepare some more juicy minions for you to deal with. You guys complained about how shaman had no love. Well, prepare for at least 3 seasons of shaman domination.
J4CKIE’s opinion on this card:
7-7 for 4 mana, ridiculous, especially when you consider that it is now easier to remove your overloaded mana crystals because of the addition of Eternal Sentinel. Also with the nerf to BGH this card becomes increasingly difficult to handle early in the game. Aggro Shaman was already a strong deck but this card could make a lot of people salty.
Nicslay’s opinion on this card:
BGH got nerfed and you can play a 7/7 on turn 3 or 4. This card will single handedly win shaman games vs decks that don’t have good hard removal such as druid. The only real downside it has is, that it delays your doomhammer turn. Shaman also got another tool to remove their overload so that makes this card even better.
Ness’ opinion on this card:
The tempo gained from playing a 7/7 on turn 4 is absurd. Totem Golem on steroids! With the nerf to BGH, this card becomes even stronger. The overload for 2 next turn may hinder you from playing Doomhammer on curve, but playing a 7/7 on curve on turn 4 may be the stronger play anyway. Also the new 2 mana minion Eternal Sentinel can negate the overload effect (unlocks overload) which gives even more reason why this card will be present in all if not every Shaman deck in Standard.
Falcone’s opinion on this card:
Aggro shaman was already out of control, but this card enables it to get even worse. Along with eternal sentinel, it brings the aggro shaman into more of a board control deck, with less burst but more punishing early game power. This aggro shaman is the new deck to fear, and this 4 mana 7/7 is a major part of the reason why.
Some of the honourable mentions are:
Ragnaros, Lightlord, Undercity Huckster, Master of Evolution, Malkorok, Princess Huhuran, Darkshire Alchemist, Cho'gall, Faceless Shambler, Thing from Below and Shadow Strike.
That’s about it for the top 10 cards of Standard WOG! I really hope you guys enjoyed it as it took some time to gather all of the knowledge and go through 134 cards to find the top 10 most promising! If you would like to get in touch with me directly or come check out my stream where I practice for my tournaments, or reach legend with all kinds of interesting and weird decks, stop by at www.twitch.tv/sigmasrb ,www.facebook.com/sigmasrb or www.twitter.com/sigmasrb and come say hello, or you know, “man your analysis is very wrong!” I always enjoy a good, constructive arguement. I also do all kinds of events for my viewers like Hearthstone Trivia, Grand Viewer Tournaments that have awesome handmade HS memorabilia rewards and many more! Some of the showcases and gameplays for some of my decks that got viral can be found at www.youtube.com/sigmasrb! I will also be releasing my first standard deck in the next couple of days, so make sure you follow me somewhere to be the first in line to find out!
A special thank you to FalconePunch, Ness, Nicslay and J4CKIECHAN for being a part of my analysis! Make sure that you follow them if you didn’t already and give them some love!
Falcone – https://twitter.com/F2K_FalconeP55 and https://www.twitch.tv/falconepunch55
Ness – https://twitter.com/TPG_Ness
Nicslay – https://www.twitch.tv/nicslay and https://twitter.com/nicslayhs
J4CKIECHAN - https://twitter.com/F2K_J4CKIE_HS and https://www.twitch.tv/j4ckiechan
Cheers,
Sigma
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss
Go check me out on all of these lovely links!
Neat
I think you got some cards wrong.
Custom cards :
CLASSES : Alchemist (CCC#5 | Phase V) | Chef (CCC#4)
EXPANSIONS : Year of the Scorpion (Year Comp)
Nice writeup. Been trying to read as much as possible on everyone's top choices for potential cards to craft, and this is fairly in line with other's opinions. I am sure Zele will be unhappy that Princess didn't make top 10!
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss
Go check me out on all of these lovely links!
What's your reasoning to say that DotC won't be used?
I see it in every C'thun Druid deck I play against, and they also run Fandral.
Perhaps you meant Ancient of Lore?
No evolve ?!!
With many people pondering what to dust and what to craft ,I found this article to be very informative and helpful. I am no expert but concur with most of your choices, for my honorable mentions I would have included Evolve and Hallazeal the Ascended.
Shaman got some really decent cards and I am looking forward to seeing some creative mid-range/Control type decks with Evolve, Hallazeal etc.
I have a question you mentioned Cho'Gall and Malkorok, 2 Legendaries I got from my packs and to be honest was not sure of just how they would fit in and how good are they? could you expound on these a bit as to what deck type you feel they may work best in and if they will indeed see much play?
Many thanks for sharing Sigma, most appreciated...
I was really surprised that a terrible Basic card like Sinister Strike would make the honorable mentions of a top 10 list for an expansion.
In all seriousness though, Shaman's totally crazy now and it's all because they got a Dr. 4 and a Dr. 2 that cleans up its mess perfectly.
Ragnaros, Lightlord has been performing well for me as well, far better than his more fiery brother, although I could see myself including both in a deck.
Fadeleaf is the worst toxin? Pffff
Gadgetzan Auctioneer? Anyone?
As for the other cards, I don't think Cult Sorcerer should be on the top 10. Sure its good, but a +1 attack Kobold Geomancer isn't that broken. Now, if you have a C'Thun deck, thats totally different. But you reviewed it as being used just in tempo mage. Its good, but there are better cards in the set.
Other than that, I agree pretty much. I am currently playing miracle rogue with Xaril, Poisoned Mind and I truly agree with your analysis of him. Absolutely nuts with Gadgetzan Auctioneer, has won me a lot of games.
BTW love the Dr Seuss quote, one of my favs
Again, why would DotC not be played?
Nice analysis.
I will say I think you are all overrating Eternal Sentinel. The card is not even good, nowhere near top 10.
I doesn't address the problems with shaman, which is the randomness of the heropower and the fact that overload makes it so that you can't count on playing the topdecked card. which in turn means that shaman is playing with a card disadvantage in their build.
Otherwise I agree with most of it. Also honorable mention should be Twilight Elder which is really hard to deal with right out of the gates.
"MUST REMOVE, which will be hell for a lot of classes, and unlike Brann, even for priests, as 4 attack minions are practically immune to any priest shadow word Death shenanigans."
Well, Fandral Staghelm with 3/5 body (->Shadow word:pain), so you probably should correct part about 'even for priests" and "4-attack minions"...
I love this list, even if I don't agree with every choice (cult sorcerer). However, this thing is drought with errors. The priests thing, sinister strike as an honorable mention. I honestly expected more from you.
Forbidden ritual isn't on this list and cult sorcerer is?
Awesome review, I like the addition from the four EU players. It's good getting more than just one person's advice
The Roshambo to Hearthstone. Please be nice. Don't insult or be mad at someone for throwing Rock.
Flamewreathed Faceless is like getting Dr. Boom from the Deathlord. I play one of them inside a Reno shaman deck. Even if it's slower deck, it usually is game breaking as the opponent can't handle it.
Not all who wander are lost.