Colour Chart entry:
Lady Vashj is the Sea Witch: A versatile Naga sorceress capable of unleashing devastating water-based magic as well as powerful minions of the deep to overwhelm your opponent, but can also lurk beneath the Ocean Depths, biding her time, waiting for the right moment to strike.
After a lengthy hiatus, the Sea Witch class has received its Core Set with a large number of changes, buffs, and new cards!
For a development timeline of the Sea Witch prior to the Core Set, refer to the below spoiler:
- The Basic Set provided the framework for this class, introducing the most core of mechanics and playstyles.
- The Classic cards built up and outwards from the Basic Set. While the initial Basic cards attempted to tone down the Sea Witch's inherently complicated playstyle, the Classic set attempts to slowly introduce the first glance at the strategies the Sea Witch has at her disposal.
- With more cards from the Whispers of the Old Gods and One Knight in Karazhan expansions, the Sea Witch slowly became more complex and explores different possible interactions and archetypes.
- Mean Streets of Gadgetzan and Journey to Un'Goro shake up the meta, and the Sea Witch finds herself competing with a diverse array of other deck archetypes in different classes. However, a custom Gadgetzan gang, a Quest (Freeze Sea Witch) that has been slowly planned for since the Basic Set, and both strong value and tempo-oriented cards keep the Sea Witch afloat in the shifting meta. Un'Goro also finalizes the token-Murloc archetype, a deck that has slowly gotten support since the Basic set.
- And at last, the final two sets of this competition make their mark on the Sea Witch's already considerable arsenal. Knights of the Frozen Throne brings about the new Death Knight hero card and the continuation of a new archetype first introduced in Un'Goro, big Sea Witch, as well as support for Quest Sea Witch. Kobolds and Catacombs, with its Spellstones and Legendary Artifacts, also introduce new ways to play and deck types, namely Lifesteal/Heal-Control Sea Witch.
- The Witchwood is the first expansion completed outside of the competition. Many key cards and cycles were rotated out, notably strong early-game options to fill the Sea Witch's deck with Ocean Depths, a key Murloc card, and the entire Hero Power synergy package. The Witchwood aims to fill in the gaps here and there with several new options, bolstering the Sea Witch's early game with some tempo-oriented minions, midrange options, and a few late game tools as well. The first signs of a faster, proactive Sea Witch game also appears in the form of a unique 4-mana legendary.
- The Boomsday Project reintroduces Mechs, and the Sea Witch is no slacker in that department. Though they are not the main focus of the Sea Witches this expansion, they have options to seamlessly unite Mechs and Murlocs and powerful, hulking, control-style mechs too. The scientific theme of the Sea Witches is genetics; They're messing around with what they shouldn't be. Genetics revolve around minion cost and summoning minions. Lots of minions. This sounds boring, but the Sea Witches wouldn't be Sea Witches if they didn't use that concept in... peculiar ways. The name of the game is all about Tempo, and the Sea Witches finally get a strong push towards a zoo-like playstyle, having been relegated to mid or late-game options for a while, save for Murlocs. Heal-Witch gets some much needed tools as well.
- Rastakhan's Rumble sees some marked departures from the usual, slower playstyles of Sea Witch. They do not represent a team, per se, but instead are the cheerleading faction! While they don't really worship a Loa in Warcraft lore, Sethraliss is reptilian so we are going with that. At this point, most of the Sea Witch's most powerful cards and archetype enablers have gone. Big Sea Witch is no longer a thing and the most efficient ways of putting in Ocean Depths into your deck are also gone. Murlocs, too, are gone for the most part. Therefore, this expansion is a "test" to see this class can support any other archetypes: Charge Sea Witch, a combo deck, and Zoo Witch. Charge Sea Witch was a minor archetype in MSoG and the first tool has been added to this deck with further support coming. Zoo Witch uses lots of wide-ranging buffs and can quickly amass high-health, difficult to remove minions.
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List of Changes from Wild/Classic versions:
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- Hindsight: Art/name change from Calm Currents (Basic).
- Saltspring Wand (WOTOG): Unchanged.
- Ghostscale Scout (Witchwood): -1 Attack, -1 Mana.
- Sea Elemental (Basic): -1 Attack, +1 Health.
- Highborne Grace (Classic): Unchanged.
- Blackhorn Subjugator: Art/name change from Blackblade Stalker (Witchwood).
- Three Fathoms Below (Basic): Art change, -1 Mana.
- Evaporation (WOTOG): Added Nature tag.
- Scry Me a River (Basic): Added Nature tag.
- The Water Cycle: New card.
- Vashj'ir Portal (ONiK): Added Nature tag.
- Azshara's Journal (ONiK): Added Arcane tag, Highborne cards changed:
- Chronic Tonic: Added Arcane tag.
- Destruction: Added Arcane tag.
- Infinite Intellect: Added Arcane tag, art change, changed from "Draw 4 cards" to "Draw 5 cards".
- Arcane Detonation: Added Arcane tag.
- Boundless Mana: Art change, +1 Attack and Health.
- Highborne's Elegy: New card.
- Sirenic Banshee (KOTFT): +1 Health, added Lifesteal.
- Brine Crossbolter (Classic): Changed from "Double this weapon's attack" to "Gain +3 Attack".
- Warlord Kalithresh (Classic): Unchanged.
Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendary
Highborne Cards
Basic Set
Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendary
Tokens
Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendary
Token
Highborne Cards
Highborne Cards
Instead of joining one of the three existing gangs, competitors had the option of creating a custom gang, as long as they included someone who was previously eliminated. I introduce the Cutthroat Cult, a ruthless, ghostly crew of shark-pirates who took over the Gadgetzan Port while the other three crime families were too busy fighting with each other! While the Goons buff your hand, the Jade Lotus focus on board presence with their golems, and the Kabal aim to gain value through deckbuilding and potions, the Cult provides strong mid-game presence with hero powers.
The Cutthroat Cult is made up of the mysterious Sea Witch, the deceptive Illusionist (Broeck1), and the power-hungry Harbinger (Mewdrops). These questionable magic-users have rallied behind the Davy Jaws, who may or may not be a ghost, the captain of the Flying Dutchman, which may or may not exist. The pirate has promised power beyond imagination, so long as these three classes partake in the occasional ritual. Sounds like too good of a deal!The gang members:
The Tri-Class Cards:
Davy Jaws' Tokens
Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendary
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Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendaries
Tokens
Commons
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Epics
Legendaries
Challenge Card
Tokens
Commons
Rares
Epics
Legendaries
Tokens
Commons
Northgate Reservoir's original idea was by Demonxz95.
Rares
Epics
Legendaries
Tokens
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Commons
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Epics
Legendaries
Commons
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Legendaries
5
nice.
8
Introducing... the newest member of the League of Explorers... Izzy Jameson !
Keyword Showcase: Decay
Decay is the class keyword of Archaeologist, representing the antiquity of their antiques. Decay is shown mostly on weapons as a way to make effects that last over time, but in KoFT, it's shown on Decaying Armor , a new type of Armor that is lost one by one each turn. Also, Decay also deals damage so Scavenger Crab's effect would trigger because of Decay. Some examples are shown below:
Decay cards would look dusty as shown above, and like Aluneth, the lightning icon would glow and the weapon, minion, or Armor would lose 1 Durability.
Alternate Heroes
Tristlehiss runs an Egg Hunter deck mixed with some Archaeologist cards. The Hero Power is not used often, only when Tristlehiss is losing or only controls Deathrattle minions.
Archaeologist Playstyles
Showcase Cards
Basic
Challenge Created Cards
Decks
The Last Crusade - Discover Archaeologist
Top Men - Control Archaeologist
Quel'Delarcheologist - Shuffle Archaeologist
Scissorhands - Weapon Archaeologist
Previous Phases
Phase V - The Witchwood & Kobolds and Catacombs
Phase IV - Journey to Un'goro & Knights of the Frozen Throne
Phase III - Classic
Phase II - Basic
Phase I - First five cards
Final Note
I'd like to thank maxlot, teknician, Skarlon, Bazil, link, Shatterstar, Cheese, Grand Inquisitor, krowski, and anybody else I missed who helped with Archaeologist on Hearthpwn or Discord. Thank you for taking the time to look at my class.
1
Alright, I updated several of the Rumble cards and Gnomechanic to be like you suggested. Thanks for the feedback and support!
2
THE ARCHAEOLOGIST
The second Hero Power is the one upgraded by Justicar and Baku the Mooneater. Izzy continues to explore new places with the coming of Kobolds and Catacombs and the Witchwood. In KnC, Izzy will intermingle with the Kobolds, as they aid Izzy on her journey to find the mysterious Mnemostone, a valuable artifact that increases in power by other artifacts. In the Witchwood, Izzy will investigate the monstrosities of the wItchwood, as she comes into contact with new archetypes and powerful rulers.
Optional Keyword Section
Everyone who has seen my class knows the drill. It usually goes on weapons, as passive aura effects, however, it can go on minions or a special type of Armor.
Example Cards
These cards show the variety of new archetypes supported for Archaeologist.
Remaining Cards
Kobolds and Catacombs
The Witchwood
Previous Phases
Phase IV
Phase III
Phase II
Phase I
4
THE ARCHAEOLOGIST
Archaeologist is a control-oriented hero primarily, that starts slow and has less board presence than other classes. In Un'Goro, this will be changed with Elemental Archaeologist slightly, and KoFT helps to build off of the defensive strength with new Decaying Armor. Decaying Armor is separate from normal Armor, and at the end of your turn, you lose 1 Decaying Armor. Decaying Armor does not stack and appears separate on top of armor. Example:
Ignore that it's a warrior. The bottom is normal Armor, and the top is Decaying Armor. Both counts as Armor, Decaying Armor is lost first and is lost once per turn.
In Un'goro, Izzy Discovers her way around the jungle and begins on a quest to find the mythic lost Ark of Archaeologic yore. In KoFT, Izzy explores the caves around the Icecrown Citadel but is corrupted by what she finds.
Strengths of Archaeologist:
- Defensive Spells : Izzy can get herself out of any tough situation, with a bit of luck. These spells can help evade tricky situations.
- Armor Generation: Izzy has plenty of cards that can generate more Armor to increase survivability.
- Powerful Weapons : Using ancient artifacts, Izzy can have access to powerful effects that happen over time. Although Archaeologist has less weapons in KoFT and Un'Goro, they're still potent.
- Card Generation : Archaeologist can Discover and draw plenty of cards.
- Sticky Minions : Izzy has several ways to keep her minions alive, and plenty of minions that can survive on their own. These minions typically have high Health.
Weaknesses of Archaeologist:
- Limited Board Presence : Izzy typically can't summon a bunch of minions at once, instead relying on singular, powerful minions or weapons.
- Limited Aggro Potential : Not many things in Archaeologist deal a lot of damage to their opponent's face, controlling the board instead.
- Weaker Early Game : Archaeologist has more high-cost cards than many classes.
- Synergistic Cards : In Un'Goro, this means that many cards rely on you playing Elementals. In KoFT, this means having Armor.
- Decay : Archaeologist has many Decaying things that naturally die out on their own. This is a time constraint for the class.
Optional Keyword Section
This has been changed slightly to include Armor, for the Decaying Armor KoFT set. Although primarily seen on weapons, it's still possible on minions and is now on Armor for Decaying Armor.
Example Cards
These cards show the variety of new archetypes supported for Archaeologist.
Tokens
The Lich King Fight
Versing Archaeologist, I imagined that games would stretch on some time. To counter this, and to nullify the card advantage that Archaeologist normally gets, I made a solution that forces you to play against your own deck, and perhaps something that forces a player to end the game quickly, so they aren't overwhelmed by resources.
Remaining Cards
Journey to Un'Goro
Knights of the Frozen Throne
Previous Phases
Phase III
Phase II
Phase I
3
1
Looks good! Good luck to all, may the best class win!
7
The Archaeologist
Introducing the newest member of the League of Explorers: Izzy Jameson! Izzy's an artifacts expert, focusing on retrieving valuable artifacts from dangerous temples. These latest Archaeology cards aid Izzy on her journey traveling the world.
Strengths of Archaeologist:
- Defensive Spells : Izzy can get herself out of any tough situation, with a bit of luck. These spells can help evade tricky situations.
- Powerful Weapons : Using ancient artifacts, Izzy can have access to powerful effects that happen over time.
- Card Draw : Izzy has several card draw options in Basic and Classic as a way to recover. In the future, she'll Discover lots of cards as well!
- Sticky Minions : Izzy has several ways to keep her minions alive, and plenty of minions that can survive on their own. These minions typically have high Health.
Weaknesses of Archaeologist:
- Limited Board Presence : Izzy typically can't summon a bunch of minions at once, instead relying on singular, powerful minions or weapons.
- Limited Aggro Potential : Not many things in Archaeologist deal a lot of damage to their opponent's face, controlling the board instead.
- Weaker Early Game : Most of Izzy's arsenal lies among the higher-cost range, or generates higher-cost cards.
- Synergistic Cards : Several Archaeologist cards rely on you controlling a weapon. If you don't have one, you're going to have a bad time.
Decay is an aura effect that affects minions, like Lifesteal or Poisonous . Unlike these, Decay gives a knockback, forcing the minions and weapons with Decay on a timer. Decay will mostly be implemented on weapons, as this enables the use of aura weapons which last several turns.
Example Cards
Token:
Remaining Cards
Common
Rare
Epic
Clarifications
- Master Eroder's Decay only triggers on the end of your opponent's turn, because it's your opponent's minions who have Decay .
- Archaic Awakening is the Challenge 2 card, which supports the Decay minion archetype in Un'goro.
- Sentry Orb has random targets.
Previous Phases
Phase 2
Phase 1
11
The Archaeologist
Archaeologist is a weapon focus class which focuses on board control, and sticky minions. The basic set will mostly be about controlling the board, and survivability through armor and taunt.
Keyword Section
Decay is a fairly self-explanatory keyword. It will not appear on any basic cards, but in Classic onward, it will go on mostly weapons as a way to implement aura weapons.
Example Cards
These cards show the various strengths and weaknesses of Archaeologist, showing that Archaeologist has decent draw, removal, AoE, and good armor gain and heal.
Uncover Tokens:
Remaining Cards
Previous Phase
Phase 1 Post
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Format shamelessly stolen from Demonxz.
The Archaeologist is a weapons-based class; however, it also can support plenty of other archetypes, such as Armor, Discover, Deathrattle, and more in the future. Decay , which is a reasonably simple keyword, is used to allow the existence of passive aura weapons because of the way Decay weapons naturally lose Durability without attacking, which Archaeologist has several of, it being the core use of the keyword. Additionally, Decay can affect minions and heroes.
Showcase cards:
Armor Loss and Armor Gain
One aspect that makes the Archaeologist class unique is that it destroys your Armor for gain, in this case, to Discover a weapon. Kobold Crafter is just one example of this type of synergy, and there will be more to come. Another thing to note is that Kobold Crafter Discovers , making it decent support for a future Discover archetype. Hallkeeper is amazing for slower weapons with high Durabilities, such as the ones shown below. It can extend the time of Decay weapons, and also is a great cheap source of Armor gain.
Deathrattles, Deathrattles, and more Deathrattles!
Being a class that digs up artifacts after they're dead, it only makes sense that Archaeologist has Deathrattle synergy. Deathrattle decks in Archaeologist will be unique from other Deathrattle decks because Deathrattle minions are temporarily removed for turns at a time, instead of quickly dying and resurrecting, or just triggering their Deathrattles . One unique thing about Divvy Digger is that she benefits off of survivability - each of your turns she survives, she draws an extra card on death because the Deathrattle does stack indeed.
Decay Weapons
The class's core mechanic, Decay , finally finds its way onto a card. Right from the get-go, Decay is already being used uniquely on Timesnipper . Because you don't want the weapon to break, the Decay actively works against you for a powerful weapon such as this. It's similar to Moat Lurker which that it temporarily removes a minion, but instead of the resurrection based only on a minion's destruction, it's based on time. Because it's cheaper than most removal options, it can also destroy your minions, and it doesn't sacrifice much tempo to trigger their Deathrattles .
The Big Guy
Rejan, Arisen is very much a card to be afraid of. A potent threat on the board, it benefits a lot off of weapon removal, and your Aura weapons, which might make the opponent think twice before oozing. Rejan gives the class a way to close out games, by making the player do one of the things it does best, breaking weapons.