Hearthpwn

So, obviously you have an equal chance of getting any of the 8 Death Knight cards that The Lich King can give you. However, does anybody feel like the get one card more than any other? I feel like I ALWAYS get Doom Pact and never Frostmourne.

Do you feel the same way? Not salty, just curious.

Fjola Lightbane!

If we're talking about what's the best for the META, I would say The Lich King and Corpsetaker.

However, my personal favorites are Lilian Voss and Obsidian Statue. 

KotFT is my favorite so far. It looks like Blizzard finally realized that if they want to keep this game alive, you need to add some complexity to the game. Take a look at Valeera the Hollow. Something like that would never have existed three expansions ago. Similarly, the META is slower than ever which I personally like. Although it's still out there, I don't get smashed in the face by Patches the Pirate every other game. At least we can get to turn 10 reliably. One final thing I like is less dependency on RNG. While it's still implemented, there was a point in Hearthstone where it was simply too much. I like when RNG shines in some games, that's what makes Hearthstone so unique. However, WotOG had way too much of it and it was hard to win games when Yogg-Saron, Hope's End would just end your game after you've established a board because of sheer luck.

Well done, Blizzard.

I've seen a few decks with the Rouge DK work out without Lilian Voss. 

Here's an extreme concept of something that can mess with your Hero. At low health, you can play Mannaroth to heal for more health then a Priest ever could. The downside would be that you pay 8-mana for a low stated minion. 

I crafted Archbishop Benedictus and I haven't regretted it. The problem is, he's only good for the memes. I highly doubt I'll climb the ladder using the deck I built for him. I rated all cards from KotFT cards using Trump's star system and I personally believe that Lilian Voss is a four star card. I believe she has potential to be quite useful in a lot of Rouge decks as a nifty plan B when you don't have Gadgetzan Auctioneer. Not to mention she has a great statline and sick card art. Valeera the Hollow is a card that I'm not a fan of but everybody else in the community seems to love her. Long story short, she just might be the ladder climber of the set. Rouge always finds a way. The Lich King is a card I actually got out of a pack and I'm currently having a blast whenever I play him. He's great for control and he's a great body to hid behind for a turn or two. Like you said, he seems to be the insta-craft of the set. In my personal opinion, I think that Warrior will be just fine without Rotface. Then again, I don't play Warrior so this opinion is understandably invalid. Finally, I really like Arfus. Unfortunately, spending 4 mana for a 2/2 that doesn't do anything impactful immediately is not something you want to run in this META. 

Ultimately, it looks like you best options are Valeera the Hollow, The Lich King, and Lilian Voss. With everybody's confidence in the Rouge's Death Knight inclusion in Miracle Rouge, that might be your safest bet.

Hope this helps!

So, after every expansion, Hearthpwn.com usually compiles an awesome list of all our votes on what cards are good, bad, meme-worthy, meta-defining, etcetera. I was wondering what you guys thought would win the "Magma Rager Award". It's whatever card seems to be the absolute worst of the set. Last expansion's winner was Backstreet Leper. What's it going to be for KotFT?

My vote: Venomancer

Lilian Voss

Shadowreaper Anduin

Rexxar, Deathstalker

The Lich King

Prince Taldaram

I don't expect 100 agreement with everybody. I'm glad you took the time to read it! 

Well said. Thank you for your insight.

A+

Thanks for your feedback. You do make perfect sense, especially with Warlock's DK card. That's why I post things like this. It's easier to evaluate when the whole community talks it out.

That's just my personal opinion. I do agree that it won't see play in a midrange deck!

John Pageturner’s Knights of the Frozen Thrones Predictions

I decided to make a few predictions on specifically the class cards of the new expansion. Keep in mind that this is merely my unprofessional opinion and I just wanted to share it with the community. 

Rating System:

Ratings will be based off of how often or how impactful the card will be in the next standard META. It will be based off of that merit and that merit only.

One Star – This card won’t see any play because it is either too weak, fringe, or unfitting in the META.

Two Stars – This card will probably not see play except for low tier decks and/or fringe applications. Overall, it still may not be a good card and will see minimal play.

Three Stars – This card has the potential to RARELY be in some decks and/or be a small staple in a META deck

Four Stars – This card will be seen across many decks and/or will be a significant staple in a META deck.

Five Stars – This card is so good, it warrants deck manipulation around it and/or is powerful enough to be in one or a wide variety of top tier decks.

Druid Cards: Average Rating – 2.8

Hadronox – Three Stars – Although this card may single-handedly define a new META, it misses a four/five star rating because the Taunt applications for Druid are slow. This entirely depends on if the META slows down even more so that this card can see play. While this card is comparable to N’Zoth, it’s significantly worse because it is not an immediate effect and therefore is susceptible to a silence. That being said, comboing this card with The Lich King and Druid’s new Hero Card has some serious ramping potential. The possibility is certainly there but not extremely likely.

Malfurion the Pestilent – Five Stars – This card makes Druid extremely flexible in the late game. Depending on what you need, the Hero Power can meld to your play style. This Hero Card can realistically be played on turn five with Druid spells. In addition to that, it ramps will with Fandrel Staghelm and Hadronox. If the META is slow enough, which I believe it will be, this will see play in many Druid decks.

Ultimate Infestation – Five Stars – Even in a slow META, 10-mana seems like a lot to reset your game. However, this is the most value-packed card in the set. The card Sprint from the Rouge class has seen play but only because Rouge has the potential to decrease its cost using Preparation. Due to Druid’s insane ability to ramp, there is no reason why this card shouldn’t see play, unless the META becomes faster (which I don’t foresee happening). I consider drawing 5 cards to be worth nine mana. When you tack on a 5/5, five armor, and five targeted damage for one extra mana, you will gain incredible control for your matchups. A definite inclusion in, at the very least, your ramp Druids.

Fate Spinner – One Star – This doesn’t seem to fit into any of the possible Druid archetypes. You’re going to feel very sad when you pay five mana and your opponent activates a potential advantage because they triggered the Deathrattle at a time that’s inconvenient for you. Sure, it fits into the Druid quest but it’s not nearly enough to make it playable.

Spreading Plague – Three Stars – For this card to work, your opponent needs to have more minions than you. On turn five, this is possible. However, if you cannot do this, a 1/5 for five mana is a severe loss in tempo. I believe this only has applications in Taunt Druid which only has some potential.

Strongshell Scavanger – Three Stars – While this card has the potential to buff your Taunt minions in a Taunt Druid, it only gets a decent amount of value if it buffs at least three minions. The likeness of that happening on turn four or five is slim and therefore is not worth it. It gets two stars instead of one because I foresee it being a possible late game choice when you have your Death Knight on the field. A single card just might be run if the Taunt Druid sees play.

Druid of the Swarm – Five Stars – Malleability, value, and suitability are all aspects of this card. This card has the potential to be aggressive and protective. Even if Taunt Druid doesn’t become part of the META, this card will certainly see some play in a Token Druid. Although it is unlikely, Fandrel Staghelm would make an insane minion with this card, aswell.

Webweave – One Star - Summoning two 1/2 poisonous spiders for 4 mana would be considerable. For five mana, it’s simply too slow and clunky. The only thing that this card is good for is having the best golden animation in the game.

Crypt Lord – One Star – This is a bold call for me to make but I’m sticking by it. A 3 mana 1/6 with potential to scale is undoubtedly choc-full of value. However, this is most likely only applicable in a Taunt Druid. I don’t see this card replacing anything in Token Druid. If you need a three-drop for Taunt Druid, I would choose Tar Creeper over Crypt Lord any day.

Gnash – One Star – Claw and Bite don’t see any play. There is no reason why this will either. Feral Rage is much better.

Hunter Cards: Average Rating – 2.7

Professor Putricide – Two Stars – Although there is a large possibility of this working with Cloaked Huntress, Secret Hunter was never strong. Could this just be thrown into any Hunter deck with enough secrets? Probably not. Its 5/4 body may be well-stated but I imagine it won’t be seen unless combed with Cloaked Hunter which is unlikely to happen every game. Late game could also provide some serious tempo gain which is why this card has two stars instead of one.

Deathstalker Rexxar – Five Stars – An incredibly META-defining card for Hunter. Not only do you get a lot of value for just six mana, you also get the most flexible Hero Power in the entire game. It’s fun, it’s fitting, and will spawn a brand new type of play style for this class. Unless you are playing face, which is now difficult in a halting META, this will be an instant inclusion to any Hunter decks we see in the future.

Abominable Bowman – Five Stars – Due to the fact that I have optimism in a Control Hunter deck being viable, I foresee this card being played quite often. This expansion opens opportunities that allow this Deathrattle to be quite powerful. It works well with Terrorscale Stalker, Play Dead, and any Zombeast you summon. It’s a force to reckoned with, even when it’s dead. One small issue is that you can’t run certain powerful cards alongside Abominable Bowman that currently see play such as Unleash The Hounds or Alley Cat. You don’t want to risk summoning a 1/1 out of this card.

Toxic Arrow – One Star – Cool concept, terrible card. Dealing two damage for two mana is not worth it when Explosive Trap costs the same and gets the job done better. It’s extremely slow compared to the other tools that Hunters can use. Getting Poisonous on your minion is not worth hitting it for two damage and two mana.

Corpse Widow – Five Stars – Another inclusion in the very possible Control Hunter. This card is stated really well and fits into the ramp of summoning Abominable Bowman, Savannah Highmane and other powerful Deathrattle cards. Would this card warrant the replacement of Houndmaster? I would say yes and if not, add them both. This card is simply too good not to have.

Exploding Bloatbat – One Star – I don’t care how many times this has the potential to combo with Deathrattle triggering cards. Paying four mana for a 2/1 is not worth the effort, especially when Hound Master and Corpse Widow can fill the four-drop spot. Explosive Trap can do the same thing. When you tack on a 2/1 for 2 more mana, it’s not valuable enough.

Venomstrike Trap – One Star – Optimistically, this card is a 1 mana discount on the original Poisonous Cobra card. It can also work well with Professor Putricide. That being said, I don’t see this being played because there are only so many secrets you can have in a Hunter deck. This isn’t one of them. There are better Secrets to play like Cat Trick. I also don’t foresee a Secret hunter being viable in the first place.

Bearshark – Two Stars – A solid three-drop that can be buffed by Houndmaster. However, there are plenty of two-drops that can destroy this with ease. I predict that some people may run this but mostly, they’ll just keep their Rat Pack. This gets two stars because of how often you might see this card as a Zombeast as well.

Stitched Tracker – Five Stars – The icing on the cake that is Control Hunter is this card right here. This card can guarantee a solid late game by Discovering combo cards such as Corpse Widow and other Deathrattle cards that can combo with what you already have in your hand.

Play Dead – Five Stars – Another gutsy call that I am willing to make is saying that this card will be in all Control Hunters. Obvious synergies are with Savannah Highmane and Abominable Bowman. The idea of this card is thinking if 1-mana is worthy enough to trigger these Deathrattle. 1 mana for 2 2/2’s on the board? I like the sound of that. What makes rating this card five stars so risky is that Feign Death saw absolutely no play. However, I believe that the one mana reduction will make a huge difference.

Mage Cards: Average Rating – 1.6

Sindragosa – Two Stars – I really hate rating this card two stars because of the amount of value you get out of it. However, I just don’t see it being dominant enough. The legendary minion is an 8 mana card for 16 stats. That’s a very fair body for that cost. Where this card loses is the two Frozen Champions it spawns. Sure, adding a random legendary minions to your hand is great. Unfortualty, you have to “pop” these minions yourself. Unless you apply Taunt, your opponent is not going to do it for you. Once the Deathrattle is activated, you have to hope you get a good card. There may be a lot of good legendary cards but there are also a lot of bad ones. Once you pay two mana to ping your Frozen Champion. You have to pay the mana for the legendary you obtained. This card gets two starts instead of one because I can picture the value overload of a curve with Sindragosa and Frost Lich Jaina. Even then, that deck will probably be tier two, maybe three. If I were rating on the cards alone, this would easily get five stars. Since I’m only rating them based on the merit of how often you will see them in the Standard setting, I must give it two stars.

Frost Lich Jaina – Two Stars – Other than the very small chance of working with Sindragosa, I don’t see many applications with this card. Elemental Mage never worked and I don’t believe that giving them all Lifesteal on turn nine will make this Death Knight any more viable.

Glacial Mysteries – One Star – The future doesn’t look promising for a Mage deck that holds enough secrets for this card to be viable. Even META Mage decks such as Freeze Mage don’t warrant an 8 mana spell like this. There is the possibility that you can use Inkmaster Solia to make it worth your while but that seems like too much effort for something that will only save you from taking damage for one turn or two. It’s clunky and unfitting for what I believe the future holds for the next META.

Simulacrum – Two Stars – If this card sees any play, it will be in a low-tier fringe deck where you make an attempt to set up some crazy “wombo combo”. That being said, I believe it’s too pricey for what it does and is way too slow, even for the META that is retarding rather smoothly.

Ghastly Conjurer – Three Stars – This is an excellent card against aggressive deck and would fit into a control deck nicely. Similarly, this is a fair card to get Mage’s quest activated. While putting this in a quest Mage is too optimistic for me, I assume this will be tried in a type of low-tier Control Mage. This card is too good not to at least try.

Doomed Apprentice – One Star – It has a poor stat-to-mana ratio when you consider its mediocre effect. It doesn’t fit anywhere and even if it did, it’s simply too expensive for what it’s worth.

Ice Walker – One Star – Even with Freeze synergy, this card is way to slow when you can use cards like Frost Nova and Frostbolt instead. A card that costs 1 mana for a 1/3 does have the potential to stay on the board, but the value that this card can output may not be worth it and/or be too slow.

Coldwraith – One Star – 3 mana 3/4 with the ability to draw a card is absolutely worthy of using. However, this requires you to have a minion already frozen. I don’t believe that this card fits in with current Freeze Mage decks and I don’t see enough tools in this expansion to warrant putting this card in a newer version of Freeze Mage.

Frozen Clone – Two Stars – Due to my little faith in Mage in creating anything new in the next expansion, I find it hard to believe that anybody would craft a deck with Frozen Clone, unless they run Mirror Entity in an already existing Mage deck. This card is better because you have the possibility of triggering two Battlecries off of your opponent’s minion. Other than that, I don’t believe that this card will be fitting in the META.

Breath of Sindragosa – One Star – This doesn’t have much of a place in any of the Freeze Mages that already exist. When you want to apply Freeze, you typically have a specific target in mind. Frostbolt gets the job done much better and it has the ability to go face. Breath of Sindragosa does not guarantee you anything unless you play it when your opponent has one minion.

Paladin Cards: Average Rating – 2.7

Bolvar, Fireblood – One Star – It’s a shame that such beautiful card art will go to waste. A deck that revolved around Divine Shield was attempted to be pushed back when TGT was released. The addition of this card doesn’t make it any more viable. The card isn’t terrible, but pure stats aren’t enough for it to be a solid force and warrant a new deck archetype. Due to the fact that I think Divine Shield Paladin won’t work, I don’t think that this card will see play since it doesn’t fit into other existing decks either.

Uther of the Ebon Blade – Five Stars – A solid control card that can keep you in the game for quite a few turns. Gaining five armor and fifteen health of the weapons Lifesteal is incredible. I reckon seeing this in a Control type of Paladin. This Death Knight sparks a brand new kind of META where players make an attempt to stay in the game as long as they can so an “Exodia” combo can occur.

Blackguard – Four Stars – In a META where I predict a slow-paced Control Paladin exists, I can imagine this card being used with the variety of healing options that Paladin has to offer. A common usage of this card would be whenever you plan to attack with Truesilver Champion for the potential of dealing six damage and healing for two. I would argue that this will be run as a one of in MOST Control-type decks.

Light’s Sorrow – One Star – Light’s Justice, which is a 1 mana ¼ weapon, sees no play. Due to the fact that I don’t think a Divine Shield Paladin will work, I highly doubt that a 4 mana 1/4 will see play either.

Howling Commander – Four Stars – The review for this card is simple. It’s a fantastic card. However, I can’t invasion Divine Shield Paladin to be viable and therefore this will see no play in that particular deck. What give this card four stars is the fact that it has the potential to pull one of the most commonly played cards in almost every Paladin deck: Tirion Fording. For this alone, I predict it will replace other cards as a tech option to guarantee their win condition. 

Chillblade Champion – One Star - Argent Horserider and Argent Commander both saw play because it offered an immediate way to deal damage and still have a minion on the board. That made it worth both of their high mana cost. When you take a look at this card, it had no Divine Shield and thus, little to no survivability. You’re only going to heal three off of this card nine times out of ten. Even if you manage to get more value out of it, it’s still not worth losing a deck slot for this card.

Desperate Stand – One Star – Although this may have a place in a control Paladin, I believe there are better cards that can fill this one slot such as Redemption. Running two of each of these cards would be too clunky. You can argue that this is better than Redemption because it can target whoever you want. I claim that this won’t make much of a difference. I don’t see anybody using this card for any particular kind of deck other than control and even then, there are just better options.

Dark Conviction – Five Stars – With Keeper of Uldaman out of standard, it’s refreshing to see a control card for even cheaper. While it may not have a solid body like Keeper of Uldaman, This card curves well with Righteous Protector or your Silver Hand Recruits. Similarly, this is a great way to scale down you opponents biggest threat, much like Sunkeeper Tarim did. You could also use this card for the Paladin quest but it’s not enough to make it META.

Righteous Defender – Five Stars – Sacrificing 1-health for a 1-mana reduction sounds pretty good when you compare this card to Annoy-o-Tron. It has plenty of value and is a solid 1-drop. I predict it will see play in almost every Paladin deck that sees play. In this META, it will most likely be a control-archetype.

Priest Cards: Average Rating – 3.0

Archbishop Beneditctus – Three Stars – The Priest mechanic of stealing your opponents’ cards has always been fairly powerful. Inner Fire and Drakonid Operative have both seen play. Is shuffling an entire deck into your own deck worth this poorly stated minion or is it overkill? I believe it’s worth a shot. Although it may not be tier 1, I can envision a deck where this card is used to win in the fatigue game. Using cards such as Obsidian Statue and Shadow Visions to work around your opponent sounds pretty solid. What makes this card even better is that it’s obviously a late game card. If you can manipulate the board in a way that allows your opponent to drop to a certain amount of cards in their deck, this card can be played so you don’t run the risk of not drawing any of the cards you wanted from your deck. Fringe, but playable.

Shadowreaper Anduin – Three Stars – This is similar to the Paladin Death Knight in the sense that it needs some serious deck manipulation to see some top tier play. Is that manipulation too fringe for this card to work? I would say yes. Comboing this card with Raza, the Chained, Radient Elemental, and Auctionmaster Beardo is too hopeful for my taste. Overall, it seems pretty underwhelming unless an OTK can be found. Otherwise, it will make a for a low-tier control deck which is why it has three stars.

Obsidian Statue – Four Stars – First, I’d like to explain the sheer value that this card gets all by itself. For nine mana, you are getting a body that is large enough to withstand at least two attacks in the late game. Surviving two attacks will grant you eight health from its Lifesteal capabilities. When you add on the damage that your Hero would have taken if this didn’t have Taunt, that’s sixteen health. It also manages to get rid of one of your opponent’s threats when it dies. This card is good enough for your opponent to manipulate the board so the Deathrattle doesn’t hurt them. If they don’t want a big minion to die, they will summon smaller minions which will heal you for more than just sixteen. If they don’t do this, your opponent’s big minions will be destroyed and you will still get healing out of the deal. This card getting destroyed by a spell may be rough, but at least you baited a spell or two. Even then, the Deathrattle will go off. Transforming this card is the only way I see in which you will get zero value from this card. So, why is this rated four stars if it’s so perfect? I only see this being run in control, quest, and a fringe fatigue deck. The likelihood of all three of these being META isn’t probable. Perhaps one of them will see some mid-tier play, but that about it. If so, it will be in every single one of that particular deck and I have faith in at least one of these coming to fruition.

Embrace Darkness – One Star – Although this seems like a fair replacement for Entomb, it’s a lot slower and not worth the effort. In a META where Potion of Madness exists, this card is not needed. This card is also not needed because it doesn’t fit into Quest Priest and would be too slow in a Control Priest. I highly doubt that a META deck will be crafted around it either.

Shadow Essence – Four Stars – With the proper deck manipulation, this card has the potential to squeeze itself into already existing Priest decks as well as fit into a deck where Obsidian Statue and Shifting Shade are played. Paying six mana for a 5/5 with a good effect is worth it if you can guarantee a good pull. I believe this is worth trying and will be viable.

Devour Mind – Two Stars – The best way to review this card is to compare it to Thoughtsteal and Cabalist’s Tome. Cabalist’s Tome saw a lot of play and Thoughtsteal was seen in Control Priest. The issue with this card is that you tend to want to play the card you Discover once you get it. Five mana is very prohibitive. It will most likely only see play as a one of in SOME control-type decks.

Eternal Servitude – Five Stars – This card is a massive tempo swing that offers insane value when played right. Using this card to recycle Deathrattle cards and re-spawn your late game win condition is going to be a staple in all Priest decks. Out of all the cards that make future Priest decks viable, it’s this card that I have the most faith in.

Acolyte of Agony - One Star – The stat value alone is quite poor and its text doesn’t make up for it. One could argue that it can be buffed but why bother? There isn’t enough value to rely on.

Spirit Lash – Four Stars – A fine addition to a control-type deck. Priest doesn’t have many 2-drop options nor an early game AoE. This is very fitting and will see play in a large amount of Priest decks, which I believe is viable in the future.

Spirit Ascendant – Three Stars – This card has the potential to be seen in some Priest decks but it might be too slow for a control-type deck. That being said, a 2/4 Northshire Cleric is insane. Perhaps this will warrant a few powerful curves. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening AS OFTEN as others do which warrants a three start rating.

Rouge Cards: Average Rating – 2.6

Lilian Voss – Four Stars – Perhaps the most underrated card in the set is the Rouge legendary. First off, Chillwind Yeti has excellent stats, which is exactly what this card offers. This card can also Mulligan your hand of all the spells that you don’t need, which can be phenomenal in the late game. With Rouge almost always having a full hand, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want a cheap “reset button” in your Miracle Rouge.

Valeera the Hollow – Two Stars – While I see potential in using this card with Preperation and creating some nasty combos, it seems too fringe. It is most certainly not unplayable but I don’t see a place for it in the META because other Rouge cards, such as Shadow Caster, can emulate the same effect. Buying yourself an extra turn so you can combo a few other cards does not seem like it’s worth to manipulate your deck unless there is an OTK type deal. It has little potential to see play in lower-tier fringe and/or OTK decks.

Spectral Pillager – One Star – This card is only good if you are trying to use it as some insane OTK combo finisher. That won’t work because Rouge already has better options of doing that. If you want a combo removal, just use Vilespine Slayer instead. What seals the deal on this card being terrible is it taking up the same slot as Gagetzan Auctioneer, which is enormously needed in Rouge decks. Running more 6-drops in a class that requires low-cost combos is way too clunky.

Doomerang – Three Stars – Not only is this a cheap removal card, but it recycles weapons that can be potentially valuable to you in the late game. Due to my opinion of Shadowblade seeing minimal play, I believe that this card has potential to be, at the very least, a one of in Miracle Rouge and nothing more than that. It might be too slow to be anything top-tier but will certainly be tried to make work with Gadgetzan Auctioneer.

Shadowblade – Two Stars – Both Eaglehorn Bow and Fiery Waraxe see/saw play. However, this card alone might not be enough because it’s a tad costly. Doomerang does have some fringe functions with this weapon but ultimately, Rouge just has better ways to remove cards. My faith goes into the fact that Doomerang might give it some play in low-tier decks. I don’t think this card is good enough on its own.

Runeforge Haunter – Two Stars – This cards fragility is the ultimate downfall. More often than not, this will only allow you an extra swing on your current weapon. After that, it will be wiped off the board. Is that one extra swing worth it? Not if Runeforge Hunter dies the very next turn. Unfortunate, it’s likely. It will rarely be seen, but only in bottom-tier decks that try to run a fancy Shadowblade/Doomerang combo.

Roll the Bones – Five Stars – Rouge is desperate for card draw that doesn’t rely on Gadgetzan Auctioneer. Shiv and Fan of Knives don’t make the cut. This does. There are plenty of new and existing Deathrattle cards that can be run in a Rouge deck such as Undercity Huckster and Bloodmage Thalnos. A lot of people say that this card is comparable to Wraithion which saw no play. That being said, this card is much better. Dragon decks typically ran 8-9 dragons. With this card, it would be perfectly viable to run 15-16 Deathrattle cards. This makes Roll the Bones exceedingly likely to draw two cards.

Bone Baron – Four Stars – Although underwhelming, this card has potential to trigger combos, synergize with Deathrattles, and easily activate Sherazin, Corpse Flower. When put in the right deck, it has impending usage to be in a solid amount archetypes.

Plague Scientist – Two Stars – This card seems pretty insane when you consider using this effect on Stealth minions or cards that deal damage such as Knife Juggler. The problem is, the Combo makes it a tad expensive. Will it be worth in a class that already has plenty of removal? Maybe in low-tier fringe decks, it will. Otherwise, probably not.

Leeching Poison – One Star – Giving your weapon Lifesteal will not see any play due to the fact that I don’t think any weapons are worth working around in the Rouge class. The most viable weapon would be either Assassin’s Blade or Shadowblade. However, these won’t make it into a popular META alone and Leeching Poison isn’t enough to make them viable. It makes more sense to use Doomerang and even then, that card isn’t a promising weapon combo. Even if weapon combos exist, Leeching Poison is too clunky and unusable to be considered.

Warrior Cards: Average Rating – 4.1

Rotface – Five Stars – In a future META where I predict a multitude of control decks, Warrior seems promising and this card fits in the deck perfectly. In this expansion, Warrior has been given plenty of avenues to trigger a wide array of Enrage effects. Developing a board with Warrior will be fairly simple and Rotface is the perfect late game card. With new cards such as Animated Berserker and Blood Razor, this card is exceptionally viable. It’s potential to reap value makes its bad statline worth it at 8 mana. 

Scourgelord Garrosh – Three Stars – This is not a card you can just throw into any deck you choose. This card alone cannot inspire a new META. However, this will be seen in some control-type decks. However, I don’t see this in every single Control Warrior out there. Relying on a weapon for board clear can be very risky and the Hero Power you get isn’t spectacular unless you proc it with something. Perhaps it can find its way in a Tempo or Midrange Warrior. Otherwise, it will most likely see limited play in control-type Warriors.

Bring it On! – Five Stars - The amount of applications this offers in a control-type deck is ludicrous. This card wins the award for the best designed card in the game. You cannot just use this card to gain ten armor points. Much like Dirty Rat, you have to use this card on the basis of how many cards are in your opponent’s hand and what’s in your hand. If you have a Shield Slam or Brawl, you want to use this card when your opponent has a full hand. This way, you can bait out all of the minions right before you destroy them. If you don’t have any removal, play this card when your opponent has a few cards in their hand. A 2 mana card that give you ten mana for zero to little drawback is insane. Play this card properly and it will benefit you greatly. Control Warriors will most defiantly run two of these in their decks.

Dead Man’s Hand – Five Stars – Out of all the cards that allow a control-type deck to be seen, this one is the most probable. Running two of these will almost always guarantee 45 minute long games by recycling armor and Taunt cards. Not only does this spark Control Warrior again but this is also a solid choice in the already popular Quest Warrior.

Death Revenant – One Star - To make this card slightly valuable, you have to play this with at least three damaged minions on the field. That isn’t always reliable. Even then, a 5 mana 6/6 isn’t the best tempo swing a Warrior can get in this expansion. Stick to the Direhorn Hatchling card.

Mountainfire Armor – Four Stars – Although it doesn’t quite fit in the control-type META that this expansion is trying to push, it will still make its way into these kinds of decks. If your opponent kills it immediately, you gain 6 armor and possibly one of their minions. However, if they don’t deal with it, they will have no choice but to deal with a solid body that you can use to control the board or go face with. I imagine that most people will be knocking it out immediately. Even then, it’s worth the 3 mana. It loses a star because there are only so many 3-drops that you can fit into a deck. I predict some will run this while others run Frothing Berserker and Val’kyr Soulclaimer.

Blood Razor – Five Stars – Death’s Bite is back and with a vengeance. This is a very flexible weapon for the Warrior to use in a control deck. Swinging this weapon the turn you play it will guarantee 3 damage on a specific minion and again on the second durability point. Obvious synergies include Rotface and Val’kyr Soulclaimer. Curving this with Frothing Berserker is even crazier. However, this is only viable if you proc something which is why it will see little to no play in Taunt Warrior.

Val’kyr Soulclaimer – Five Stars - Imp Gang Boss saw tons of play and I see no reason why this wouldn’t either. In a world where an Enrage-y control-type deck is viable in the future, this card fits right into the early game. Animated Berserkers will make this card have excellent curve potential.

Forge of Souls - Three Stars – Control Warriors have the potential to draw powerful cards late game such as Blood Razor and can even fulfill the dream of always having Fiery Waraxe in your opening hand. However, card draw that only grabs weapons might not be worth it in every single deck. Acolyte of Pain fits just as well into this archetype. You also won’t want to run two of these because the second copy could be borderline useless. Having four weapons in your deck seems too clunky. This card will see play but only as a rarity.

Animated Berserker – Five Stars – The reasoning for this rating is simple. Warrior needs a weapon to trigger all of these Enrage-type effects and this is a cheap way to do it. This is an instant two-of in all new Control Warriors.

Shaman Cards: Average Rating: 1.7

Moorabi – One Star – Freeze Shaman has only been introduced once and that was from this very expansion. Knights of the Frozen Throne does not offer enough Freeze synergy to make this viable. It is too slow and tedious for something that doesn’t seem worth it in the end. Freezing minions so you can spend more mana to play them again will not benefit you enough in the late game.

Thrall, Deathseer – Five Stars – With Evolve still being in standard, this card has the ability to bring it to the next level. There are so many neutral cards in this update that are begging to be evolved such as Rattling Bones. There will be a new version of Evolve Shaman because of this card alone. It’s great value at only 5 mana.

Snowfury Giant – Three Stars – Shaman decks that are in the current META run plenty of Overload cards such as Jade Claws, Flamewreathed Faceless, and Lightening Storm. This makes this card, at the very least, suitable. Is it necessary? Probably not. I reckon that it will only show itself as a one-of in some Elemental and Control Shamans. This is one of those cards that I could rate five stars because of how good it can potentially be. However, the upcoming META doesn’t look excessively promising for this card.

Cryostasis – One Star – On top of Freeze Shaman not seeing play, this is a huge loss in tempo by itself. Gaining 3/3 in stats is not impactful enough and is not immediate enough to warrant any play or deck manipulation.

Voodoo Hexxer – One Star – Although this is reminiscent of Alley Armorsmith, I fail to see a reason why you would use this card over Thing From Below. This card is only good as an anti-aggro tech card which Thing From Below does better. It tries to push Freeze Shaman which will see no play. It has an excellent statline; it’s just something the META won’t allow.

Avalanche – One Star – Although it’s a decent control spell, it can be played around if this card sees play often. That being said, it won’t see any play. The removal that Shaman already has is working for them. It’s not needed. The only other deck this card can fit in is a Freeze Shaman, which is too optimistic for my taste.

Ice Breaker – One Star – This card has a horrific stat to mana ratio. This can only see play in a Freeze Shaman, which I believe is too slow and doesn’t have enough tools to make viable.

Drakkari Defender – One Star – Although this card can synergize well with Snowfury Giant, there is no other viable reason to play this card. Overloading 3 mana for this body is not worth the trouble, especially when you can just use Tar Creeper instead. It has powerful stats but when you add the mana cost to the Overload cost, it’s a 6 mana 3/8.

Burrrloc – One Star – For one extra mana, you’re giving Glacial Shard one extra health. That’s not an overwhelming card that can be used in the current or the future META. The Murloc tag doesn’t make it any better. This expansion tried too hard to push a Freeze archetype that won’t work. I also predict that this will try to be run in a Quest Shaman, but ultimately, will not be worth the deck slot.

Ice Fishing – Two Stars – Unlike Burrrloc, this card has a small opportunity to make Quest Shaman viable. It’s not likely but I have hopes that it will be tried and even run in very little low-tier decks. This is another instance where the card is great and yet it still can’t seem to find a spot in the upcoming META.

Warlock Cards: Average Rating – 2.5

Blood-Queen Lana’Thel – One Star – It makes a lot of sense to play this card in a META where so many discard options are available. Unfortunately, this card is not worth your time. Discard Warlock has been pushed since One Night in Kharazan and has only seen play in low-tier decks. A large bodied Lifesteal card sounds good but it’s not worth discarding so many cards as well as running the risk of discarding this very card.

Bloodreaver Gul’Dan – Two Stars – The Battlecry alone can be powerful enough to allow Warlock a massive tempo swing in the late game and the Hero Power allows you to stray alive beyond turn ten. However, building a deck around this Death Knight might not be worth it because Demons that would be worth re-summoning have the potential to discard this very card. It’s a late game card so it can be in your hand for a while. The risk is simply not worth the fuss. It will be tried and just might be successful in the lowest of low-tier decks, simply because the card alone is great. It’s downfall is the deck you have to build around it.

Treachery – One Star – The most fringe card in the set might have the tiniest bit of potential. You can use it with Bomb Squad, Doomsayer, Rattling Rascal, and even Ticking Abomination. However, that’s way too optimistic for this to be viable and will only be a good card for memes.

Gnomeferatu – Two Stars – This card is the most overrated card in the set by far. This card has the body of a River Crocolisk and an effect that allows a 1/24 chance to wreck a combo effect. That doesn’t sound great at all. It misses a one star rating because I legitimately see a few people playing this in their Warlock deck in hopes that they pull of the mill of the century. This will see very minimal play for all the wrong reasons.

Despicable Dreadlord – Five Stars – The best Warlock card in the set. If Bloodreaver Gul’Dan sees ANY play, it will be because of this card. Having both of these being revived on turn five will also result in a two damage AoE. Likewise, this card is fairly stated and will most likely survive long enough for its effect to activate twice. Throw all of that with a Demon tag and you have yourself a solid value card.

Unwilling Sacrifice – One Star – You’re going to feel pretty sad when you destroy a friendly minion for an RNG failure. Just use Blast Crystal Potion, Defile, Abyssal Enforcer, or Shadowflame. This isn’t worth the risk.

Defile – Five Stars – This card is the second coming of Darkbomb but much better. Warlocks have the tools to manipulate their board to make this a full-fledged board wipe. Throwing a little Spell Damage on this card makes it absolutely unfair to your opponent. Likewise, Possessed Villager followed up by Defile will guarantee at least a three damage board clear.

Howlfiend – One Star – Ironically, this card’s ability to survive is its downfall. Even if discard Warlock saw play, you wouldn’t run this card because of how easily you opponent can mill your hand. In the discard game, you have to be the one in control or else you might lose your win condition. This card does not allow you to do that.

Drain Soul – Three Stars – Although a severe upgrade to Drain Life, there can only be so many removal spells in a deck and I don’t envision Drain Soul to be the two-of in any deck. However, a Zoolock would probably pick this card over Defile due to its low health minions. It’s playability and suitability in this very deck is why it gets three stars.

Sanguine Reveler – Four Stars – At first, it may seem terrible late game, but it has excellent synergy with “egg” cards such as Devilsaur Egg. This just might find a nice home somewhere in Zoolock.