Hearthpwn

Rafaam is different than many high cost neutral cards in that he is a win condition. Perhaps more importantly, he's a self contained win condition (doesn't need to be combo'd). Specifically for the +10/+10, that's effectively a grom/whirlwind and then some health tacked on for roughly the same mana. There are a number of classes that are missing that win condition for the control archetype. Shaman comes to mind, as the big problem with the alakir/doomhammer win condition is that the combo pieces for it (rockbiter, and for alakir, flametongue) are quite limited compared to, say, control warrior.

At the very least, I think he's a potential piece of the puzzle for the control archetype that may not have been there before.

It's largely a semantics issue. Power Creep may refer to the game's power curve, but a layman may very well believe that it compares a card's power. And then because it's semantics we get thread after thread of people saying "yes it's power creep" "no it's not power creep" and waste everyone's time.

Who really cares what Heckler and Ice Rager are called. Call it The Heckler Effect. In the end it stinks that they wasted time making heckler and ice rager when they could have simply changed the base cards and spent time making more interesting cards.

Here's an idea for more AoE in shaman. Each card is technically overcosted (compare to consecrate and holy nova/darkscale healer), however, this is to make up for the infinite chain potential of these cards. Tidal wave is the beginning of the chain, and subsequently healing rain is non-collectible.

The mind games that this card creates... I mean, even if the hunter isn't running dart trap, now I'll always be thinking

"Oh s***, I hope that isn't dart trap"

I think there are two things that make this card very interesting:

1. Not all decks run 1 mana minions. There's a fair chance that it won't actually draw anything for your opponent.

2. Playing a 1 mana card from your deck means you won't draw a 1 mana card. That's excellent deck thinning.

Flexibility of a powerful weapon that offers power if you don't attack as often. Combo with Greenskin for lols.

We seriously need a public beta server so that they can make changes and not be afraid of the consequences, because they wouldn't have to stick. Just take riot's pbe as an example: half the changes they make there never make it to the base game, and we're talking this is a moba, where changes happen all the time.

If anything, the changes they've made these days (buzzard, warsong) are more destructive than small incremental changes that could be reverted if they so please.

"We're still figuring out how to convert mana into power. Each experiment has ended with someone dying. Horribly."

Mana ramp with a fairly big downside. Note that the mana crystal is not empty.

Here you go

Water Elemental
Anomalus
Ragnaros Lightlord
Lightspawn
Dust Devil
Unbound Elemental
Fireguard Destroyer
Rumbling Elemental
Earth Elemental
Fire Elemental
Neptulon
Al’Akir the Windlord
Arcane Anomoly
Ice Rager
Magma Rager
Frost Elemental
Baron Geddon
Ragnaros the Firelord

Guys we get it, Flamestrike, a card owned by 1 class and not even run in multiple Mage decks, is good against this card. Kudos for your incredible insight. 

Oh, another great Evolve for Shamans

Curves with Fire Elemental

7 mana 4/4

They just had to

consider this: if your deck only has 3 different spells in it this is basically a tutor

This card is wicked strong, I don't know what y'all are talking about

So many people happy with Reno rotating out... Disgusting.

Don't get caught up to much comparing Rockbiter to Dark Bomb or Frost Bolt. Obviously, it's value just went to hell. It's not a matter of does it have as much value as some other spell from some other class. The matter is if it is still at least the 29th and 30th best card you can put in the deck. I think it probably will be. 

This is too true. The thing with rockbiter is that it was versatile both as 1 mana deal 3 dmg, allowing early board control, while also serving as a late game finisher when combo'd with Big Al. With this nerf, midrange shaman (the only archetype who uses Al'Akir) will just start using lightning bolt instead of rockbiters (some already are) and thus will cut Al' Akir with it because there will barely be anything to combo him with. the issue of overload is also to be taken in consideration, like you said.

I honestly can't see the reasoning behind this, rockbiter is fine as it is, sure, the combo with Doomhammer is pretty devastating, but it's a combo. in a game like HS where every point of mana counts, any combo has to be devastating in order to be put into a deck. My hope is that they will reverse this change later on, but it's blizzard we're talking about here. They butchered Warsong and still don't give 2 shits about it. I doubt this will be any different, especially since most people see the nerf as "adequate".