With this card in your deck, Tortollan Pilgrim can add 1 cost copies all your minions to your hand including itself, which means that you can play Tortollan Pilgrim multiple times at the same turn and have multiple copies of your minions.
With a single Dwarven Archaeologist which costs you 5 mana in total, this card has 51% chance to discover a 0-cost card (58% if a spell is played last turn). If you control two Dwarven Archaeologist, the chance increases to 81% (85% if a spell is played last turn) but you will spend 2 more mana correspondingly.
It might be an option to add Diseased Vulture to this deck, but too much high cost cards might not be suitable for a zoo deck, especially with Flesh Giant already in this deck.
For trading minions, living after trading matters much more than how much health they are left for reasons. If your minions can survive after trading, your board is often ahead that gives you initiative to trade them with enemy minions next turn. Minions played often gets bigger along with increased mana crystals, so that your minions can hardly trade with them and survive no matter how much health your minions have left. And for AOEs, the point is that usually a deck that runs AOEs doesn't care about trading, therefore neither Quicksand Elemental nor Ace Hunter Kreen's effect would be beneficial against such a deck since you are going face most of the time rather than trading with their minions and wasting damage.
Notice that the Outcast effect of this card is triggered most of the time since you only play this when you are low on cards or you need to disturb your opponent's hand. It's better to read this card as "Both players shuffle their hands into their decks, then they draw 4 cards."
The fact is that most trading are between medium or small minions, which means that Quicksand Elemental is usually able to reduce their Attack to relatively low or 0 that allows your minions to trade with them and survive. The difference between surviving and dying matters much more than how much health they left, and thats what cause the cost of Hunter's Mark is a lot less than Assassinate. This means that under most conditions, Quicksand Elemental works similar to Ace Hunter Kreen on the first turn played that they both helps your minions to trade without dying. The true key point of Ace Hunter Kreen is that its effect works across turns, and that might allow it to take more advantage than Quicksand Elemental in decks.
It's right that running a second Zap! can benefit this deck's combo pieces, but even if Diligent Notetaker might fit better in Totem Even Shaman, it can still be a great addition for Overload version of Even Shaman like this deck.
A key about The Lurker Below in this deck is that you can ramp it out with Lightning Bloom, which allows you to clear most aggro opponents board on turn 4 (or turn 3 if you have a coin) with a 6/5 body on the battlefield, different that playing it on turn 6 (or 5 if you have a coin) which might be too late for a board clear. Dropping it is probably unworthy that you will lose such a great win condition especially with Lightning Bloom in this deck.
For Diligent Notetaker, I also agree that it can be a good fit in both Totem and Overload version of Even Shaman decks, so running it in this deck is also worthy, just like it in Totem Even Shaman. Its better to wait and see if more potential additions are coming from the new expansion and determine the final form of this deck.
10
With this card in your deck, Tortollan Pilgrim can add 1 cost copies all your minions to your hand including itself, which means that you can play Tortollan Pilgrim multiple times at the same turn and have multiple copies of your minions.
2
With a single Dwarven Archaeologist which costs you 5 mana in total, this card has 51% chance to discover a 0-cost card (58% if a spell is played last turn). If you control two Dwarven Archaeologist, the chance increases to 81% (85% if a spell is played last turn) but you will spend 2 more mana correspondingly.
0
Don't forget that apart from Groundskeeper's battlecry effect, its body is a 4/5 minion with Taunt that already fits in Spiteful Druid.
0
It might be an option to add Diseased Vulture to this deck, but too much high cost cards might not be suitable for a zoo deck, especially with Flesh Giant already in this deck.
1
Double Ethereal Augmerchant give all four Ras Frostwhisper +2 spell damage, with 8 spell damage in total.
8
Ras Frostwhisper + double Lightning Bloom + double Ethereal Augmerchant + Greater Sapphire Spellstone = 36 damage to all enemies
3
0
For trading minions, living after trading matters much more than how much health they are left for reasons. If your minions can survive after trading, your board is often ahead that gives you initiative to trade them with enemy minions next turn. Minions played often gets bigger along with increased mana crystals, so that your minions can hardly trade with them and survive no matter how much health your minions have left. And for AOEs, the point is that usually a deck that runs AOEs doesn't care about trading, therefore neither Quicksand Elemental nor Ace Hunter Kreen's effect would be beneficial against such a deck since you are going face most of the time rather than trading with their minions and wasting damage.
3
Notice that the Outcast effect of this card is triggered most of the time since you only play this when you are low on cards or you need to disturb your opponent's hand. It's better to read this card as "Both players shuffle their hands into their decks, then they draw 4 cards."
0
The fact is that most trading are between medium or small minions, which means that Quicksand Elemental is usually able to reduce their Attack to relatively low or 0 that allows your minions to trade with them and survive. The difference between surviving and dying matters much more than how much health they left, and thats what cause the cost of Hunter's Mark is a lot less than Assassinate. This means that under most conditions, Quicksand Elemental works similar to Ace Hunter Kreen on the first turn played that they both helps your minions to trade without dying. The true key point of Ace Hunter Kreen is that its effect works across turns, and that might allow it to take more advantage than Quicksand Elemental in decks.
-5
Quicksand Elemental only saw some experimental play in Highlander Zoolock and never been used in Hunter and Demon Hunter decks. How much would Ace Hunter Kreen be better than Quicksand Elemental then?
3
Seems like Soulbound Ashtongue might be better than Frazzled Freshman now in some cases.
Also, don't forget that Warlock can also activate this card with healing effects!
0
It's right that running a second Zap! can benefit this deck's combo pieces, but even if Diligent Notetaker might fit better in Totem Even Shaman, it can still be a great addition for Overload version of Even Shaman like this deck.
0
A key about The Lurker Below in this deck is that you can ramp it out with Lightning Bloom, which allows you to clear most aggro opponents board on turn 4 (or turn 3 if you have a coin) with a 6/5 body on the battlefield, different that playing it on turn 6 (or 5 if you have a coin) which might be too late for a board clear. Dropping it is probably unworthy that you will lose such a great win condition especially with Lightning Bloom in this deck.
For Diligent Notetaker, I also agree that it can be a good fit in both Totem and Overload version of Even Shaman decks, so running it in this deck is also worthy, just like it in Totem Even Shaman. Its better to wait and see if more potential additions are coming from the new expansion and determine the final form of this deck.
10