I know it won't be a popular opinion given due to some poor designs they made, but I just felt like something like this does worth mentioning a little bit during the end of a standard year. They actually did something good with card design.
Class identities were well explored
Hunters used to be famous for going face, flooding minions, lack of late game. Let's try to print To My Side! and Kathrena Winterwisp, and see if they would stop playing tons of small minions? Worked! Mage's success has always been around early tempo with Mana Wyrm, Sorcerer's Apprentice and cheap burn spells, or just freeze and burn. What about removing Ice Block and give them Book of Specters and good elementals to work with? Mana Wyrm is still in elemental decks? I guess we know what to nerf.
Coming off the days of mid range Shaman and Pirate Warrior, players sure want some slower games (, and less rng?). Un'Goro brought some good taunts like Stonehill Defender and Tar Creeper. If the games are going longer, we need better late game fantasies. Frozen Throne brought us The Lich King and the Hero Cards. When game length gets longer and longer, people have chances to play combo decks, perfect time for Carnivorous Cube and Recruit mechanics to get on the stage. Too much power creep and new cards can't keep up? How about limiting card choices with Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater? Oops, too strong, too consistent. Probably did not expect that. Who would have imaged hero powers being the strongest and most deciding element in the game? Too break that up, card packages with synergies from Boomsday have odd AND even costs, like Firework Tech + Spider Bomb, and Annoy-o-Module + Mechano-Egg, even Blightnozzle Crawler +Necrium Vial. Mechs probably aren't strong enough to push Odd and Even decks away, but may be Spirit of the Frog will stop Shaman from being even and Sul'thraze will stop Warrior from being odd? Unfortunately, they could not.
I might sound like a fan boy saying good things about Blizzard in THE year when they created Genn and Baku. I'm not, I hate odd paladins and odd warriors too. (but not recruit hunter, have u tried it with Star Aligner?, it's fun!) I just feel like appreciating things is a good skill to have, just like criticizing things, and we should
I know it won't be a popular opinion given due to some poor designs they made, but I just felt like something like this does worth mentioning a little bit during the end of a standard year. They actually did something good with card design.
Class identities were well explored
Hunters used to be famous for going face, flooding minions, lack of late game. Let's try to print To My Side! and Kathrena Winterwisp, and see if they would stop playing tons of small minions? Worked! Mage's success has always been around early tempo with Mana Wyrm, Sorcerer's Apprentice and cheap burn spells, or just freeze and burn. What about removing Ice Block and give them Book of Specters and good elementals to work with? Mana Wyrm is still in elemental decks? I guess we know what to nerf.
Card nerfs / changes were tested
Priest always run Northshire Cleric in their deck, but Zerek's Cloning Gallery was enough to push him out? Okay, I guess you're balanced enough to stay in standard. Non aggro Druids use Innervate, Wild Growth, Nourish a lot, how about trying Greedy Sprite, Biology Project, Twig of the World Tree, and Dreampetal Florist? Wild Growth and Nourish are still better? They're probably too good.
Meta were somewhat planned to keep things fresh
Coming off the days of mid range Shaman and Pirate Warrior, players sure want some slower games (, and less rng?). Un'Goro brought some good taunts like Stonehill Defender and Tar Creeper. If the games are going longer, we need better late game fantasies. Frozen Throne brought us The Lich King and the Hero Cards. When game length gets longer and longer, people have chances to play combo decks, perfect time for Carnivorous Cube and Recruit mechanics to get on the stage. Too much power creep and new cards can't keep up? How about limiting card choices with Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater? Oops, too strong, too consistent. Probably did not expect that. Who would have imaged hero powers being the strongest and most deciding element in the game? Too break that up, card packages with synergies from Boomsday have odd AND even costs, like Firework Tech + Spider Bomb, and Annoy-o-Module + Mechano-Egg, even Blightnozzle Crawler +Necrium Vial. Mechs probably aren't strong enough to push Odd and Even decks away, but may be Spirit of the Frog will stop Shaman from being even and Sul'thraze will stop Warrior from being odd? Unfortunately, they could not.
I might sound like a fan boy saying good things about Blizzard in THE year when they created Genn and Baku. I'm not, I hate odd paladins and odd warriors too. (but not recruit hunter, have u tried it with Star Aligner?, it's fun!) I just feel like appreciating things is a good skill to have, just like criticizing things, and we should
well said my friend, well said
Rejoice, for even in death, you have become children of Thanos.
I agree that they really are stepping up with everything for some time now, but they still have a long way to go.
My fanmade expansion! (Click on pack to open packs with my cards)