Six Shaman Cards Were Considered for Nerfs
Thanks to a post by Dean "Iksar" Ayala on reddit, we now know of six cards that were on the table for the recently announced nerfs. The cards were:
- Rockbiter Weapon
- Tunnel Trogg - Very close to being hit, but didn't hit a few of the powerful decks.
- Totem Golem
- Thing from Below
- Tuskarr Totemic
- Doomhammer (Little conversation)
We also learned that Shamans are not likely to get more low-cost ways to increase hero attack.
Quote from /u/IksarHSThe truth is that 'we're considering it' is the honest answer. We announced on Wednesday and as of Sunday night things still weren't set in stone. As of the previous Thursday we were having long group conversations about the pros and cons to changing each of the 5-6 Shaman cards we had considered. Once the changes were actually decided upon, we sent the blog out to localization to be translated and announced in all regions within 24 hours once that was complete. I think part of the miscommunication was that there was an interview with IGN posted here a couple days before the card changes documenting a lot about how things were 'on the radar'. That interview actually took place a couple days before it was published, before we had decided on a plan of action. (Source)Rockbiter, Trogg, Totem Golem, Thing From Below, Tuskarr, and a little conversation about Doomhammer. Some of those never reached serious consideration but it's still good to have a conversation about hypothetical impact. Trogg was very close, but didn't hit a few of the most powerful decks that already don't include him. Rockbiter was wider reaching and we felt that it set us up better for the future of Shaman. Tuskarr was the most clear offender of both power level and fun. (Source)
It's unlikely we'll make many more low-mana ways to increase the attack of your hero in Shaman. It's a little restrictive but that's okay. Shaman doesn't need to be about weapons every set to fit the fantasy for that class archetype. (Source)
Tuskar Totemic was mediocre when it came out. Totem shaman was like a tier 4 deck, crap you play for fun.
"Trogg was very close, but didn't hit a few of the most powerful decks that already don't include him."
What? The hell are you talking about? The only decks that didn't contain him were control shaman and earth elemental/bog creeper , and both aren't nearly as good as midrange or aggro shaman.
*cries in 4 mana 7/7*
4 mana 7/7 officially confirmed balanced by Blizzard lol
And no 4-mana 7/7 on the table?
And yet the 4 mana 7/7s live on...
They should have hit the Doomhammer!
Doomhammer is mostly only good for going face. If they nerf face shaman, doomhammer drops back down to mediocre.
just make rockbiter "next attack this turn."
It is ok beacuse most strong shaman cards will go to wild soon
Too bad doomhammer wasn't nerfed.
I dont really think you know the reason why rockbiter weapon got nerfed...
The problem wasn't only the Doomhammer combo, it was the insane amount of answers and tools Shaman had. Early removal. Aggro decks tend to work best when they nullify the opponent's early game. Rockbiter Weapon accomplished that, preventing you from killing his Tunnel Trogg or Mana Tide Totem with a minion, starts drawing like crazy while you have to waste removal spells in 'token' or small minions.
Yah, but now rockbiter is laughably bad value. It was balanced at 1 mana! These cards are only seemingly op in the combo, and usually even that is only a big deal, if you are playing an aggro deck.