Hall of Fame Rotation Signals the End of These Standard Decks
In April Molten Giant, Ice Block, and Coldlight Oracle will enter the Hall of Fame — a rare designation used to banish classic cards to the Wild format — when Blizzard introduces a new expansion to kick off the Year of the Raven. The three will join the likes of Sylvanas Windrunner, Azure Drake, and Ragnaros the Firelord, which rotated into Wild together last Spring.
Blizzard’s reasoning ranged from a lack of interactivity with Coldlight Oracle to overuse of Ice Block by Mage. Both were common inclusions in control decks, but Ice Block has long been considered an auto-include by Mage players.
Molten Giant didn’t receive the same sort of scrutiny as the others. The decision is largely, it seems, in response to a community that missed its most expensive giant (and the Handlock archetype of old). Reverting its mana to the original 20 and making it exclusive to Wild will purportedly appease these players without the possibility of balance problems in Standard.
Other classic powerhouses such as Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Alexstrasza, and Edwin VanCleef have saturated the community discussion around the Hall of Fame. It’s difficult to speculate why these cards dodged this rotation, considering Blizzard will have taken into account an expansions-worth of cards we haven’t seen yet.
Fun and Interactive
Ice Block and Coldlight Oracle have been prime candidates for the Hall of Fame since its inception last spring — especially the mage secret, which ignores lethal damage barring Eater of Secrets, Flare, or requisite fatigue damage.
Their rotation will devastate both Mill Rogue and Quest Mage players, the two control decks featuring unique win conditions, high skill ceilings, and integral mechanics criticized for their lack of interactivity.
The extra turn or two provided by Ice Block has allowed infamous control and combo archetypes to flourish under Jaina’s power, including Freeze Mage and Quest Mage (also known as Exodia Mage for its one-turn-kill gameplan). We discussed the possibility of an Ice Block induction back when the recent nerfs to Corridor Creeper and Patches the Pirate were still mere hopes. That possibility verged on expectation because of Blizzard’s explicit distaste for cards that stifle interactivity.
The debate around the merits of interactivity will rage on. But no matter your opinion, nothing will change the fact that countless players have enjoyed deck archetypes reliant on these cards and grown to understand Hearthstone as a game that fostered them. Look no further than the miracles performed by Disguised Toast with Quest Mage and Dog’s Mill Rogue for evidence. The recent decision signals a move away from these styles of play, to the explicit dismay of both players.
It’s worth noting that the archetypes built around these cards checked the meta, too — especially in the upper echelons of Legend where greedy control decks run rampant. The meta will be influenced by 100+ new cards by the time these changes take place, but new anti-control strategies will need to be borne out of whatever’s there.
Until then, to honor the archetypes before they leave Standard (in their current form) forever, consider piloting them yourself. Remember: they are difficult to play, requiring a lot of situational awareness and a bit of draw-dependent luck. You would do well to watch and study high-level gameplay before giving them a go. Ready those Wild Handlock deck lists, too!
An Extra Turn (Or Two or Three)
Minion (13)
Ability (17)
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Ice Block is an integral piece of the current Quest Mage formula. It’s not a piece of the one-turn-kill combo, but without the extra turns, aggro decks will rush you down and control decks will just get there with too much regularity. If you could play five copies each of Frost Nova and Blizzard it might be possible. You can’t, though, so just savor the extra turns in Standard while you can.
Watch Disguised Toast to appreciate the intricacies of the deck and witness the late-game miracles it’s capable of. His deck is below.
The Infinite Weapon
Minion (11)
Ability (17)
Weapon (1)
Playable Hero (1)
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While Quest Mage loses the card that lets it stall and continue drawing into its combo, Mill Rogue loses the card that inspired the archetype in the first place: Coldlight Oracle. The archetype underwent a reconstruction of sorts when Kobolds and Catacombs gave us Kingsbane. The weapon, with its lifesteal and its near endless buffs, offer players another win condition in addition to stability in the mid-game. Valeera the Hollow helped Mill Rogue, too, with an Ice Block-esque stealth effect. But without the ominous 3-mana murlocs (summoned again and again with bounce effects like Shadowstep and Vanish) to draw your win conditions while destroying the opponent’s resources, the archetype will need very specific and powerful new cards come April to stay relatively viable in Standard.
Like Disguised Toast and Quest Mage, watching Dog play Mill Rogue will have you in awe. He regularly streams himself playing it at high legend. Below he coaches Hafu to an improbable late-game victory against a Highlander Priest.
How do you feel about these cards leaving for the Hall of Fame? Are you sad to see them go, or are you instead throwing a party in celebration of their retirement? Let us know what you think in the comments, or if you'd like to talk about each card individually, we have dedicated rotation threads setup for them which you can find linked below.
I have 1 regular Ice Block and 4500 dust. What should I do?
If you also have Molten Giant and Coldlight Oracle then craft a Golden of each and destroy them all when they are taken out for even more free dust
I didn't have the Molten Giants, I already crafted 2 golden of them.
I have 2 regular Coldlight Oracle and 1 regular Ice Block.
I should then destroy the Ice Block and the 2 CO and craft golden versions of them? I will probably destroy them later as I never play wild.
If you have the regular versions already there's no point in crafting Golden. But if you only have 1 Ice Block, craft a golden Ice Block as well.
Yes, there is definitely a point. Its a way to min/max how much gold you receive when the cards get HoF'd.
If you have the dust, and 2 non-golden copies, you should craft 6 gold cards. Its 6400 for molten and iceblock (1600 per golden epic) and 1600 for the coldlights. 8000 total.
Then once its over and done with you will get back the dust value of the golden copies, so you'll get back the 8000 dust you spent. THEN you can disenchant those golden copies and all that dust will be bonus. Totals 1800 free dust you'll get back I believe.
Nah, that's been debunked already. If you have 2 regular Ice blocks, come rotation you'll get 800 (2*400) dust + 200 (2*100) from dusting them for a total of 1000 dust.
If you make the 2 Golden copies, you'll spend 3600 (2*1600) dust. Then, come rotation, you'll get 3600 (2*1600) dust, + 800 (2*400) from dusting the golden copies, and + 200 (2*100) for dusting the regular copies, making it a total of 1000 dust profit as well, due to the fact you don't get dust for having 2 golds and 2 regulars, just the 2 golds.
So if you're just planning on dusting it all, crafting golden copies or not when you already own regulars is not useful, although doesn't hurt anything either. Only exception is if they HoF a Common. Then you should craft them golden in all situations.
Well, the person I was talking to didn't play Wild so they didn't care for Gold HoF cards. On the other hand, if you do want a Golden card to keep:
If you don't have any cards of that type, you can craft them golden for free, yes. Or if you have 1 regular version, you can craft 1 golden version for free.
On the other hand, if you already have regular versions, the cost of a Golden version is the full value of the regular version - the dust value of the regular version. That means, if you already got 2 regular Ice Blocks, you can upgrade them both for 'free' although when rotation comes, rather than get a 400 dust profit from each Ice block (when they rotate) , you only get 100 (by dusting the regular copies as they no longer give you dust when they rotate).
For more info, read this reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/80pota/guide_to_maximizing_your_hall_of_fame_nerfs/
Ice Block Really make mage play a bit dumb. Such decks as tempo mage become really very powerful, only because they put Ice block and they have 2 turns to kill opponet. If you play 2 Ice blocks, 3 turns. And It really nothing which your opponent can do. Mage just throw his fireballs and frost bolts and he don't care. Next turn 1 more ice block. Of course this is not happening in 100% of the matches, but Ice blocks really just gave me in 30-40% of matches the advantage, to not think what my opponent will do and to not care for his board, spells or whatever he do if it is not healing. It is nice card, interesting, but it is good that it is going to wild. Now we will see eventually new archetypes for mage.
Are they going to add new cards to the Classic Set? Because in a few years time we're going to be left only with the likes of Millhouse and Magma Rager
We will need more than few years in order to empty the classic set. And I would not think what will happen with HS after 5-6-7 years. I think that there will be need of new solutions after couple of years (and 2-3 000 in wild set). And if we thin classic set with 3 cards per year, it will lower with 10-15 more cards in next 5 years. I would guess that maybe in 3-4 years they will come with new mode where sets will change monthly/3-months/yearly or something like that in order to keep it fresh and classic set may not make so big sense than.
,,But without the ominous 3-mana murlocs (summoned again and again with bounce effects like Shadowstep and Vanish) to draw your win conditions while destroying the opponent’s resources, the archetype will need very specific and powerful new cards come April to stay relatively viable in Standard. ,,
I don't think Blizzard would HoF Coldlight... just to introduce another card that enables Mill for 2 more years again and I am very thankful for that. I don't think Blizzard ever intended for Mill decks to exist, Coldlight was supposed to be a neutral card draw ( mostly for murloc ) aggro decks that also had a downside because it's so powerful to give aggro decks a 3 mana 2/2 that draws 2 cards. Naturalize was also designed with the downside in mind. Mill decks are just not fun to play against ( as Blizzard put it...they are preventing you from playing the deck you built, unless you play aggro ) . You just vomit your hand with no regards for your deck's strategy and just hope they don't have the answers.
I think the only reason Blizz is finally deleting them from Standard is that Mill Rogue rose a bit above the ,,joke tier,, because of Kingsbane and can become an actual viable archetype if a few more cards get printed for it. I feel that the only reason Blizz doesn't just nerf it out of existence instead is because there are players that played and enjoyed the archetype as you said and that move would anger those players, and those players being to play Mill in Wild ( where there are more options to counter it so hopefully it doesn't become really good ) is kind of a compromise. Same thing with Ice Block...I think if Blizzard could change the past they would have never printed such an uninteractive secret, but now a lot players enjoy it so it's not wise to just nerf it.
Also regarding ,,It’s worth noting that the archetypes built around these cards checked the meta, too — especially in the upper echelons of Legend where greedy control decks run rampant. ,, I think aggro is also in a fine place atm ( with Aggro Pala variants being tier 1 ). Just because a control deck is the best one atm ( debatable even ) doesn't mean that toxic cards need to exist to keep control in check. If it really becomes a problem in the future ( I doubt it...looking at the history of Hearthstone aggro / midrange / combo were prevalent archetypes for 99% of the games life ) they can print some good ( non-toxic ) anti control cards easily, just like when they printed Golakka Crawler , Tar Creeper etv...for combating aggro.
So Blizzard did the sensible thing here even though I personally would prefer nerfs for those 2 so they can't suck the fun out of Wild for me. Molten Giant I am really happy with , can't wait to play some Handlock again :) .
Yami Yugi has something to say about this
This is technically answered from the last HoF rotation but... I guess it's safe to craft a pair of Golden Molten Giants considering you'll get full dust value back and then be able to disenchant them in worst scenario?
safe yes, feasible no. only do it because you want golden.
-2x1600 dust for craft, 2x1600 dust in return = zero sum, if you dust them afterwards you get 2x400 dust, or the same as if you just sticked to regular molten giants.
If you dust you normal and keep gold you net 2x100 dust
Yep, same as the last HoF. If you have non-golden 2-of, then craft 6 golden cards (cost 8k dust). Then you'll get the 8k back as refund (game refunds for gold cards, if you have gold and regular copies). Then DE those same 6 cards (if you want the max dust!) for 1800 dust. Free 1800 dust if you can put up 8k dust haha (get that mammoth bundle).
-Cheers
DE the golden copies just rewards you what you otherwise would have gotten for the non-golden cards.
That way of crafting is just extra work for nothing
Freeze mage R.I.P 2013-2018
A deck require skill to play, A deck with dignity and honor, A deck of old time memory, A deck that is killed at its most weakened...
we will miss you freeze mage
This is what was also said when Ice Lance was moved to Hall of Fame. But then after we saw Freeze mages all around the ladder. Don't forget they will surely introduce new Freeze cards with the new expansions, so I don't fear that Freeze mage is dead :)