I'm surprised a list like this hasn't been made yet, at least, not as far as I've found.
So, since I love making lists, I made a list of what I consider to be the Top 100 Hearthstone Cards of All Time (post-beta, through Rastakhan's Rumble). I do not have an HSReplay account to get full stats on cards, which would be very useful, so this list is just based on my other research, through forums here and on reddit, and more, and my personal experience of playing since the full launch of the game in 2014.
The current ordering of the cards is mostly irrelevant, except for the top 10, which I have tried to pick myself (but is still open to suggestion)
Suggestions for ordering, which cards I should consider adding, and which cards I should consider removing, are welcome! And, reasons behind those suggestions are also very welcome!
Thank you! I look forward to collaborating with the community on this list!
Too soon, KnivesOut, too soon. They just haven't had their time yet. I'm hesitant to call any card from the most recently released set one of the greatest of all time, because it just hasn't proven itself long enough. There are definitely some RoS cards that will be rotated into the list at some point though.
I'd recommend reconsidering how you evaluate the power level of 1-drops - the devs stopped making snow-bally 1-drops after Gadgetzan for a pretty good reason. Snow-bally 1-drops often won the game on turn one - while the game may not have actually ended until turn five or six, the game was often effectively over when pre-nerf Undertaker, Patches, STB, etc, hit the board.
When compiling your list, it might be best to look at the list of card nerfs over the years - Unleash, Buzzard, Leeroy, Soulfire, Gadgetzan, Undertaker, Warsong, Arcane Golem, Leper Gnome, Knife Juggler, Blade Flurry, FoN, Abusive Sergeant, Tuskarr Totemic, Rockbiter Weapon, Spirit Claws, STB, Rogue Quest, post-'buff' NSW, FWA, Patches, Corridor Creeper, Call to Arms, Aviana, Mana Wyrm, FTT are some pretty important ones to consider. I think each of them is pretty clearly more powerful than Ice Block, for example, and you have that card ranked #4 on your list. The Rogue Quest was hard-nerfed twice, and soft-nerfed a number of other times - it currently isn't on your top 40 . . .
Haven’t really thought which cards should be cut out but i think these cards should definately be added
Deathlord
Sludge Belcher
Mal’Ganis
Brann Bronzebeard
Devolve
Kazakus
Deathlord is even now used in a lot of control decks, Sludge Belcher is not that much used now but was very powerful when there were fewer cards, Mal’Ganis is key card for almost all non agressive warlock decks ( renolock and cubelock, which are pretty strong), Bran is probably the weakest on this list and maybe it does not need to be on the list, but consider that it was used in a lot of control decks and was one of the key cards for max value in control vs control , Devolve is pretty sick and it is auto include for all agro and mid decks which are almost all decks for shaman in time of devolve and now in wild, and kazakus is a card that has one of the strongest effect on the game and even though reno decks are not that much popular now ( they are still very good and playable but big priest kind of shits on them) there was a meta very you either play reno warlock or mage, or pirates with warrior and shaman, and that meta where razakus priest was insane which by name you can see how much influence he had.
Maybe a few more cards should be changed but it is generally very good list, but i am not sure would i rank first 10 cards that way
I'd recommend reconsidering how you evaluate the power level of 1-drops - the devs stopped making snow-bally 1-drops after Gadgetzan for a pretty good reason. Snow-bally 1-drops often won the game on turn one - while the game may not have actually ended until turn five or six, the game was often effectively over when pre-nerf Undertaker, Patches, STB, etc, hit the board.
When compiling your list, it might be best to look at the list of card nerfs over the years - Unleash, Buzzard, Leeroy, Soulfire, Gadgetzan, Undertaker, Warsong, Arcane Golem, Leper Gnome, Knife Juggler, Blade Flurry, FoN, Abusive Sergeant, Tuskarr Totemic, Rockbiter Weapon, Spirit Claws, STB, Rogue Quest, post-'buff' NSW, FWA, Patches, Corridor Creeper, Call to Arms, Aviana, Mana Wyrm, FTT are some pretty important ones to consider. I think each of them is pretty clearly more powerful than Ice Block, for example, and you have that card ranked #4 on your list. The Rogue Quest was hard-nerfed twice, and soft-nerfed a number of other times - it currently isn't on your top 40 . . .
I agree on everything he said just note that all the cards that are included on the list of nerfs are not auto picks for the list but should be considered more seriosly
Great list! I agree on the Dr Boom tho. He even made Ragnaros obsolete. I wouldn't include yogg saron. He was not THAT powerful, just rngfest. That's why it was nerfed. Tarim looks better in that place, or n'zoth. Tirion maybe, he's not as powerful as he was. But so isn't pyroblast. They were premium at their time.
Arcane Golem (4/2 with charge that gave opponent a mana crystal)
Mal'Ganis (One of the strongest Legendary cards ever printed)
Devolve (Greatest transformation effect in the game)
Soulfire (When it was 0)
Power Overwhelming (Card was/is insane)
Cold Blood (1 mana. Absolutely insane, especially in conjunction with leeory + shadowstep combos)
Bloodreaver Guldan (Warlocks best card ever printed. I'm in awe that's not in this list. It's used in every single form of Control warlock deck and it's insane)
Defile (One of the most efficient boardclears for its cost)
Sunkeeper Tarim (Paladins greatest Legendary, surpassing the all-mighty Tirion. The card is used in every minion based paladin deck (besides odd) and is the reason that stonehill defender is ran in odd paladin. It's power level is insane)
N'Zoth (While not as prevelant as it once was, the card is still incredibly strong and was near god-tier in the metas it was in. It's still used in a variety of meta decks and is a very strong card. Probaly towards the very bottom of the list but I think it just makes the cut.)
What Should be removed:
Acolyte of Pain (Good card but nowhere near the power level of these afermentioned cards)
Entomb (Virtually unused and isn't powerful enough to be considered)
Pryoblast (Isn't all that strong or used much, and if it isn't removed it should be changed to read: Pryoblast (8 mana) )
Vicious Fledgling (A really powerful card but once again the afermentiond cards are more powerful)
Ice Block (A strong card but it's nowhere near as insane as people may think)
Grim Patron (Was only insane because of Warsong Commander. The card in a vaccum isn't that strong and should be removed)
Flamestrike (This card is great, but it's never really seen a ton of play. As the game has evolved, better board clears have arisen and Mage's identity usually involves stalling or burn, neither of which have involved flamestrike.)
Hench Clan Thug (An amazing card in Rogue but it's a card that hasn't seen as much play due to the rise of other strong rogue cards in the 3 slot. It's an undoubetly strong card, I just don't think it's stronger then the cards mentioned above.
Antique Healbot (It was a seemingly amazing card at the time, but this was because there were virtually no descent neutral heals. The card is still great but it's apparent that Healbot isn't a top 100 card, it was just the only viable neutral healing option at the time.)
If you ask me it doesn't make any sense to make list of the strongest Hearthstone cards as there are so many factors to include - and it's impossible to account for all of them. Back in the alpha and beta days of Hearthstone a lot of the cards where absolutely insane (e.g. Warsong commander was a 2/2 that gave charge to everything, Mind control costed 8, Pyroblast costed, Unleash the hounds costed 2 mana, Rogue has Adrenalish Rush which was 1 mana draw a card; combo draw 2 etc.).
I definitely did consider a lot of the nerfed cards, but I also didn't want to make the list turn into "here's a list of cards that have been nerfed." I also gave slightly more heed to cards that "survived" being nerfed, like Spreading Plague, and Corridor Creeper. Yeah, Caverns Below definitely deserves to be higher, and was only so low, because that's just where it wound up when I was typing up the initial list, and wasn't a reflection of its actual power level.
Arcane Golem (4/2 with charge that gave opponent a mana crystal) Yeah, I considered this one for a while, but, I think I ultimately took it off because it was essentially just Leeroys 2 and 3 in most aggro decks at the time, and I didn't want to over represent too many samey cards
Mal'Ganis (One of the strongest Legendary cards ever printed) Definitely a massive oversight on my part not including him initially. He was my first craft when GvG released! How could I have overlooked the turtle!
Devolve (Greatest transformation effect in the game) Definitely a strong contender to make the list
Soulfire (When it was 0) Same here
Power Overwhelming (Card was/is insane) Similar to Arcane Golem, I didn't want to over represent early HS aggro, but this would likely make the list before Golem, in my opinion, because it could do more than just go face (Shadowflame fun times)
Cold Blood (1 mana. Absolutely insane, especially in conjunction with leeory + shadowstep combos) Having both Leeroy and Shadowstep on list does make this feel a little redundant, but certainly in consideration
Bloodreaver Guldan (Warlocks best card ever printed. I'm in awe that's not in this list. It's used in every single form of Control warlock deck and it's insane) Yeah...I think warlock being towards the end of most card pages means I may have accidentally missed a few key pieces
Defile (One of the most efficient boardclears for its cost) Definitely noteworthy
Sunkeeper Tarim (Paladins greatest Legendary, surpassing the all-mighty Tirion. The card is used in every minion based paladin deck (besides odd) and is the reason that stonehill defender is ran in odd paladin. It's power level is insane) This one is probably due to my lack of much paladin play during Tarim's heyday, but yeah, he's goooooood
N'Zoth (While not as prevelant as it once was, the card is still incredibly strong and was near god-tier in the metas it was in. It's still used in a variety of meta decks and is a very strong card. Probaly towards the very bottom of the list but I think it just makes the cut.) Yup, facts.
What Should be removed:
Acolyte of Pain (Good card but nowhere near the power level of these afermentioned cards) I think the neutral card draw he has provided over his years of sustained play has earned him a ranking as one of the best support pieces in the game, but maybe not one of the top 100 all time.
Entomb (Virtually unused and isn't powerful enough to be considered) Lol, this is my personal hatred of this card showing through
Pryoblast (Isn't all that strong or used much, and if it isn't removed it should be changed to read: Pryoblast (8 mana) ) The nerf was in closed beta, so I didn't consider it. I'll probably take it off the list, since it's more of an "iconic" card than it is a consistently competitive one.
Vicious Fledgling (A really powerful card but once again the afermentiond cards are more powerful) Probably too much influence from its arena play in this decision, because it wrecked face there, But, I can't start taking arena into consideration here. That'd be a different list that I would not be informed enough to make.
Ice Block (A strong card but it's nowhere near as insane as people may think) It is that insane.
Grim Patron (Was only insane because of Warsong Commander. The card in a vaccum isn't that strong and should be removed) If I take this off, I feel like I should also take Frothing Berserker off too? Both are good cards, but it was Commander that busted them open. Worth considering.
Flamestrike (This card is great, but it's never really seen a ton of play. As the game has evolved, better board clears have arisen and Mage's identity usually involves stalling or burn, neither of which have involved flamestrike.) True, it's just a "vanilla" board clear. There have been better ones.
Hench Clan Thug (An amazing card in Rogue but it's a card that hasn't seen as much play due to the rise of other strong rogue cards in the 3 slot. It's an undoubetly strong card, I just don't think it's stronger then the cards mentioned above. Its strength in that particular archetype has definitely pushed it on the list initially, but yeah, it didn't have nearly any impact on any other weapon class, and that also says something.
Antique Healbot (It was a seemingly amazing card at the time, but this was because there were virtually no descent neutral heals. The card is still great but it's apparent that Healbot isn't a top 100 card, it was just the only viable neutral healing option at the time.) I think I'm gonna keep the bot on here because of the incredible impact it had during its time in standard, and it still cropping up in wild Shudderwock and control decks. Like Piloted Shredder, it was a dominant force for the entirety of its relevancy, but has since gotten powercreeped on. I still give it mad props.
If you ask me it doesn't make any sense to make list of the strongest Hearthstone cards as there are so many factors to include - and it's impossible to account for all of them. Back in the alpha and beta days of Hearthstone a lot of the cards where absolutely insane (e.g. Warsong commander was a 2/2 that gave charge to everything, Mind control costed 8, Pyroblast costed, Unleash the hounds costed 2 mana, Rogue has Adrenalish Rush which was 1 mana draw a card; combo draw 2 etc.).
There are a lot of factors, and I tried to account for a lot of them, and now the community is weighing it to help further. Also, it's only cards since the full game release, beta and alpha are not considered for this list.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RwjUvqRKmTxARqfGpfld05fGfDlEjLoRpnQkW_1ZMlw/edit?usp=sharing
I'm surprised a list like this hasn't been made yet, at least, not as far as I've found.
So, since I love making lists, I made a list of what I consider to be the Top 100 Hearthstone Cards of All Time (post-beta, through Rastakhan's Rumble). I do not have an HSReplay account to get full stats on cards, which would be very useful, so this list is just based on my other research, through forums here and on reddit, and more, and my personal experience of playing since the full launch of the game in 2014.
The current ordering of the cards is mostly irrelevant, except for the top 10, which I have tried to pick myself (but is still open to suggestion)
Suggestions for ordering, which cards I should consider adding, and which cards I should consider removing, are welcome! And, reasons behind those suggestions are also very welcome!
Thank you! I look forward to collaborating with the community on this list!
More of a curiosity, but why not include the Rise of Shadows set?
Too soon, KnivesOut, too soon. They just haven't had their time yet. I'm hesitant to call any card from the most recently released set one of the greatest of all time, because it just hasn't proven itself long enough. There are definitely some RoS cards that will be rotated into the list at some point though.
I'd recommend reconsidering how you evaluate the power level of 1-drops - the devs stopped making snow-bally 1-drops after Gadgetzan for a pretty good reason. Snow-bally 1-drops often won the game on turn one - while the game may not have actually ended until turn five or six, the game was often effectively over when pre-nerf Undertaker, Patches, STB, etc, hit the board.
When compiling your list, it might be best to look at the list of card nerfs over the years - Unleash, Buzzard, Leeroy, Soulfire, Gadgetzan, Undertaker, Warsong, Arcane Golem, Leper Gnome, Knife Juggler, Blade Flurry, FoN, Abusive Sergeant, Tuskarr Totemic, Rockbiter Weapon, Spirit Claws, STB, Rogue Quest, post-'buff' NSW, FWA, Patches, Corridor Creeper, Call to Arms, Aviana, Mana Wyrm, FTT are some pretty important ones to consider. I think each of them is pretty clearly more powerful than Ice Block, for example, and you have that card ranked #4 on your list. The Rogue Quest was hard-nerfed twice, and soft-nerfed a number of other times - it currently isn't on your top 40 . . .
Haven’t really thought which cards should be cut out but i think these cards should definately be added
Deathlord
Sludge Belcher
Mal’Ganis
Brann Bronzebeard
Devolve
Kazakus
Deathlord is even now used in a lot of control decks, Sludge Belcher is not that much used now but was very powerful when there were fewer cards, Mal’Ganis is key card for almost all non agressive warlock decks ( renolock and cubelock, which are pretty strong), Bran is probably the weakest on this list and maybe it does not need to be on the list, but consider that it was used in a lot of control decks and was one of the key cards for max value in control vs control , Devolve is pretty sick and it is auto include for all agro and mid decks which are almost all decks for shaman in time of devolve and now in wild, and kazakus is a card that has one of the strongest effect on the game and even though reno decks are not that much popular now ( they are still very good and playable but big priest kind of shits on them) there was a meta very you either play reno warlock or mage, or pirates with warrior and shaman, and that meta where razakus priest was insane which by name you can see how much influence he had.
Maybe a few more cards should be changed but it is generally very good list, but i am not sure would i rank first 10 cards that way
I agree on everything he said just note that all the cards that are included on the list of nerfs are not auto picks for the list but should be considered more seriosly
Great work with this. I'm gonna commit more time to this when I'm not working, but had to shout you out.
So you are making a list of YOUR favorite top 100 cards?? Okay then.
I personally think the original Dr. Boom should rank much higher. He was the premiere 7+ drop for a looong time.
Great list! I agree on the Dr Boom tho. He even made Ragnaros obsolete. I wouldn't include yogg saron. He was not THAT powerful, just rngfest. That's why it was nerfed. Tarim looks better in that place, or n'zoth. Tirion maybe, he's not as powerful as he was. But so isn't pyroblast. They were premium at their time.
Ready for action
What Cards should be added:
Arcane Golem (4/2 with charge that gave opponent a mana crystal)
Mal'Ganis (One of the strongest Legendary cards ever printed)
Devolve (Greatest transformation effect in the game)
Soulfire (When it was 0)
Power Overwhelming (Card was/is insane)
Cold Blood (1 mana. Absolutely insane, especially in conjunction with leeory + shadowstep combos)
Bloodreaver Guldan (Warlocks best card ever printed. I'm in awe that's not in this list. It's used in every single form of Control warlock deck and it's insane)
Defile (One of the most efficient boardclears for its cost)
Sunkeeper Tarim (Paladins greatest Legendary, surpassing the all-mighty Tirion. The card is used in every minion based paladin deck (besides odd) and is the reason that stonehill defender is ran in odd paladin. It's power level is insane)
N'Zoth (While not as prevelant as it once was, the card is still incredibly strong and was near god-tier in the metas it was in. It's still used in a variety of meta decks and is a very strong card. Probaly towards the very bottom of the list but I think it just makes the cut.)
What Should be removed:
Acolyte of Pain (Good card but nowhere near the power level of these afermentioned cards)
Entomb (Virtually unused and isn't powerful enough to be considered)
Pryoblast (Isn't all that strong or used much, and if it isn't removed it should be changed to read: Pryoblast (8 mana) )
Vicious Fledgling (A really powerful card but once again the afermentiond cards are more powerful)
Ice Block (A strong card but it's nowhere near as insane as people may think)
Grim Patron (Was only insane because of Warsong Commander. The card in a vaccum isn't that strong and should be removed)
Flamestrike (This card is great, but it's never really seen a ton of play. As the game has evolved, better board clears have arisen and Mage's identity usually involves stalling or burn, neither of which have involved flamestrike.)
Hench Clan Thug (An amazing card in Rogue but it's a card that hasn't seen as much play due to the rise of other strong rogue cards in the 3 slot. It's an undoubetly strong card, I just don't think it's stronger then the cards mentioned above.
Antique Healbot (It was a seemingly amazing card at the time, but this was because there were virtually no descent neutral heals. The card is still great but it's apparent that Healbot isn't a top 100 card, it was just the only viable neutral healing option at the time.)
If you ask me it doesn't make any sense to make list of the strongest Hearthstone cards as there are so many factors to include - and it's impossible to account for all of them. Back in the alpha and beta days of Hearthstone a lot of the cards where absolutely insane (e.g. Warsong commander was a 2/2 that gave charge to everything, Mind control costed 8, Pyroblast costed, Unleash the hounds costed 2 mana, Rogue has Adrenalish Rush which was 1 mana draw a card; combo draw 2 etc.).
I definitely did consider a lot of the nerfed cards, but I also didn't want to make the list turn into "here's a list of cards that have been nerfed." I also gave slightly more heed to cards that "survived" being nerfed, like Spreading Plague, and Corridor Creeper.
Yeah, Caverns Below definitely deserves to be higher, and was only so low, because that's just where it wound up when I was typing up the initial list, and wasn't a reflection of its actual power level.
Thank you so much!
It is not a list of my personal favorite cards. That would be a very, very different list.
I made a list of the top 100 cards, according to my own experience and research, to use as an initial starting ground for discussion.
Now, I'm asking the community to help refine the list, and to further the discussion, because it's enjoyable to discuss the game that we all enjoy.
Rat Trap should at least be top 10. 2 mana 6/6 essentially with charge. Won me most games by far!
There are a lot of factors, and I tried to account for a lot of them, and now the community is weighing it to help further. Also, it's only cards since the full game release, beta and alpha are not considered for this list.
No C'Thun/ Y'Shaaraj/ N'Zoth/ Brann/ Zul'jin? I would have all 5 of those above shudderwock.
I would also favor wild growth pre-nerf over naturalize on the list.