I guess it gives you a guaranteed turn 1 minion without having to dilute your deck with 1 drops, but I don't know how valuable that is. Lots more to be revealed, though.
Great turn 2 tempo play for Shaman, particularly with Jade Claws rotating out. Unfortunately condition means you can't run Bloodlust, so we'll have to see what else the class gets as a win condition.
Though I did ladder from 10-5 using it in a midrange Paladin deck one season. It's not the worst reload in the world when you run double Spikeridged and double BOK.
That's a bit dramatic. In Kobolds, only about five of the 18 class legendaries were playable. And that includes Rin, basically a tech card, and Sonya Shadowdancer which is completely optional. Only Skull of Manari, Aluneth, and Kingsbane were central to any meta decks.
Mountain Giant is tough to deal with. I wonder about teching in Crushing Hand if it becomes too popular.
Ultimately, though, things shouldn't get out of hand as long as you have weapon destruction. The only taunt in their deck is Voidlord, and if you can take away one of their methods for cheating it out you can generally find lethal before they manage to get the resurrect train rolling. Between chip damage and their own lifetaps and Kobold Librarians, it's pretty easy to find a Bloodlust lethal before they can stabilize. That's if you're playing more of a token variant, though.
I'd say the best part about the card is that it changes the way your opponent plays. They may make the mistake of trying to draw their deck rather than putting pressure on you. They may use a silence or transform effect on it, which means one less to target your cubes and big demons with.
I think it's fairly rare that you get Azari off in time to really change the outcome of the game, but between the extra resources and the implication of it, I think it's worthwhile to include in control lock.
I use Unstable Evolution in all of my Shaman decks. Flexible cards are very underrated; it's a card that you can use early in the game (playing around a Duskbreaker, for instance; Shaman can typically only go wide, but with Unstable Evolution you can generate a big minion going into turn 4). But it obviously gets more value the further you get into a game. It basically gets you a nine drop in combination with the hero power at full mana.
I imagine a lot of people haven't delved into Shaman much this expansion since it's dumpster tier, but I highly recommend tinkering around with the class at a rank floor simply to experiment with this one card: Murmuring Elemental.
When the expansion first came out, I tried to use it in slower decks to create combos like double Kalimos, Primal Lord or ten burst Blazecaller. Fun at first, but not entirely viable. I switched to a pure Jade build after that as I figured it would ramp things up a bit quicker, but also without much success. Lately, though, I've worked it into a faster, bloodlust-based variant and I'm actually managing a decent win-rate with it in the 10-5 range, so I figured I'd share.
It's definitely not optimized, so that's why I'm posting this in card discussion rather than deck building. I just wanted to point out some of the great interactions that this card creates and possibly brainstorm some more. But here are a few of the reasons I'm loving this card right now:
I've seen this in the slower decks, as well. It's a powerful card draw engine that also gives you a couple of bodies on board. Obviously it's risky against aggro Paladins and Secret Mages (at least, until they start to fatigue themselves with Aluneth), but it punishes control Warlocks and other classes that hoard cards early on. I suppose the value of burning cards is up for debate; obviously it's not always going to be Bloodreaver Gul'dan. But it's certainly satisfying to do!
This is the biggest tempo swing in our deck. For seven mana, you buff every card on your board (including the Murmuring Elemental that you just played) by four mana cost. This can be monstrous if you have any 4-cost minions on board (like Saronite Chain Gang) because it pushes them into the stacked 8-mana slot.
This is just a sheer value play. Particularly useful against Dude Paladin or Secret Mage when you need cards to play but can't risk giving them to your opponent with Coldlight Oracle.
Those are just a few examples of why I love this card so much, and I'm sure there are plenty more. Please share if you find any others!
Seeing Call to Arms in control Paladin is definitely unsettling. I'm trying to think of other cards that have been used in both the slowest and fastest archetypes for a particular class.
Kobold Librarian sees play in both control and zoo lock, though it's not really a crucial card. Doomguard and Bloodreaver Gul'dan also appear in both; I think there are some fairly strong opinions about those cards.
Ice Block sees some play in both secret and control Mage, and it's getting the HOF treatment.
There are probably some more examples, but very few where it's an impact card.
It's actually really easy, just as long as they don't barnes->Y'sharj->Ysera on turn 3/4. Use polymorph to deny early rezzed threats and make sure to save your doomsayer/freeze combo for the turn after their spellstone. Also, frost lich Jaina is AMAZING with controlling threats by freezing them.
Also, little armor dude is really useful to prevent popped Ice Blocks late-game.
But they run Shadow Word: Pain and/or Shadow Word: Horror. It's very difficult to get a Doomsayer off, and Meteor is the only removal that really deals with their minions seeing as they all have 8+ health.
It doesn't seem like it even really matters if they have an early Barnes, either. Best case scenario, the game's going to fatigue. You're not going to tempo them out.
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Maybe the Beast Tag comes into play? Seems kind of underwhelming otherwise. Battlecry won't trigger with Hadronox.
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Great turn 2 tempo play for Shaman, particularly with Jade Claws rotating out. Unfortunately condition means you can't run Bloodlust, so we'll have to see what else the class gets as a win condition.
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The Voraxx.
:-(
Though I did ladder from 10-5 using it in a midrange Paladin deck one season. It's not the worst reload in the world when you run double Spikeridged and double BOK.
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That's a bit dramatic. In Kobolds, only about five of the 18 class legendaries were playable. And that includes Rin, basically a tech card, and Sonya Shadowdancer which is completely optional. Only Skull of Manari, Aluneth, and Kingsbane were central to any meta decks.
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Definitely another Dirty Rat style effect.
And this isn't a reprint, but I'd also like a neutral, non-legendary "transform an enemy minion" effect.
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Same with the Hex nerf! Even Shaman will rule the meta.
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Mountain Giant is tough to deal with. I wonder about teching in Crushing Hand if it becomes too popular.
Ultimately, though, things shouldn't get out of hand as long as you have weapon destruction. The only taunt in their deck is Voidlord, and if you can take away one of their methods for cheating it out you can generally find lethal before they manage to get the resurrect train rolling. Between chip damage and their own lifetaps and Kobold Librarians, it's pretty easy to find a Bloodlust lethal before they can stabilize. That's if you're playing more of a token variant, though.
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Problem is, it's bad right now but it's also losing most of its best cards.
The entire Jade package (Jade Claws is important for early board control), Devolve (great for taking out Dude and Murloc Paladin boards and getting through taunt walls), Doppelgangster + Evolve, Maelstrom Portal (good luck against Dude Paladin without this), Thing from Below, and Flamewreathed Faceless.
The class is only going to get so many cards next expansion; seems like they'd have to hit on almost all of them to push the class into T2 territory.
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I'd say the best part about the card is that it changes the way your opponent plays. They may make the mistake of trying to draw their deck rather than putting pressure on you. They may use a silence or transform effect on it, which means one less to target your cubes and big demons with.
I think it's fairly rare that you get Azari off in time to really change the outcome of the game, but between the extra resources and the implication of it, I think it's worthwhile to include in control lock.
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I use Unstable Evolution in all of my Shaman decks. Flexible cards are very underrated; it's a card that you can use early in the game (playing around a Duskbreaker, for instance; Shaman can typically only go wide, but with Unstable Evolution you can generate a big minion going into turn 4). But it obviously gets more value the further you get into a game. It basically gets you a nine drop in combination with the hero power at full mana.
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I imagine a lot of people haven't delved into Shaman much this expansion since it's dumpster tier, but I highly recommend tinkering around with the class at a rank floor simply to experiment with this one card: Murmuring Elemental.
When the expansion first came out, I tried to use it in slower decks to create combos like double Kalimos, Primal Lord or ten burst Blazecaller. Fun at first, but not entirely viable. I switched to a pure Jade build after that as I figured it would ramp things up a bit quicker, but also without much success. Lately, though, I've worked it into a faster, bloodlust-based variant and I'm actually managing a decent win-rate with it in the 10-5 range, so I figured I'd share.
Here's the deck I'm playing.
It's definitely not optimized, so that's why I'm posting this in card discussion rather than deck building. I just wanted to point out some of the great interactions that this card creates and possibly brainstorm some more. But here are a few of the reasons I'm loving this card right now:
1) Murmuring Elemental + Coldlight Oracle
I've seen this in the slower decks, as well. It's a powerful card draw engine that also gives you a couple of bodies on board. Obviously it's risky against aggro Paladins and Secret Mages (at least, until they start to fatigue themselves with Aluneth), but it punishes control Warlocks and other classes that hoard cards early on. I suppose the value of burning cards is up for debate; obviously it's not always going to be Bloodreaver Gul'dan. But it's certainly satisfying to do!
2) Murmuring Elemental + Jade Claws
I don't play a high ramp Jade deck, but the tempo and extra bodies on board are great against aggro decks or for a surprise bloodlust finisher.
3) Murmuring Elemental + Thrall, Deathseer
This is the biggest tempo swing in our deck. For seven mana, you buff every card on your board (including the Murmuring Elemental that you just played) by four mana cost. This can be monstrous if you have any 4-cost minions on board (like Saronite Chain Gang) because it pushes them into the stacked 8-mana slot.
4) Murmuring Elemental + Zola the Gorgon or Stonehill Defender.
This is just a sheer value play. Particularly useful against Dude Paladin or Secret Mage when you need cards to play but can't risk giving them to your opponent with Coldlight Oracle.
Those are just a few examples of why I love this card so much, and I'm sure there are plenty more. Please share if you find any others!
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Seeing Call to Arms in control Paladin is definitely unsettling. I'm trying to think of other cards that have been used in both the slowest and fastest archetypes for a particular class.
Fiery War Axe, per-nerf.
Kobold Librarian sees play in both control and zoo lock, though it's not really a crucial card. Doomguard and Bloodreaver Gul'dan also appear in both; I think there are some fairly strong opinions about those cards.
Ice Block sees some play in both secret and control Mage, and it's getting the HOF treatment.
There are probably some more examples, but very few where it's an impact card.
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Major thumbs up. This is a synergy I'd never considered.
I don't have Val'anyr. What would you suggest as a replacement?
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