Hearthpwn

Of all the cards in this post, Bloodsworn Mercenary has probably flown under the radar the most. Make no mistake though that this is a very good card when used in the right deck. It's ability to facilitate combos with Inner Rage and a Charge minion is very potent.

Unfortunately it's use elsewhere has proven less successful and it's effect is nice, but not game changing there. Unless new minions get introduced that have improved function when damaged, it seems Bloodsworn Mercenary will remain an Aggro/Combo deck inclusion only.

The ability to produce more board presence with just 1 card is also very valuable in Arena, making this a really good all round card.

Example Deck: Aggro Warrior

Zoodecks have been around before Dark Pharaoh Tekahn and will continue to be a thing long after it is gone (from Standard). It's inclusion in Zoodecks with a Lackey package has proven very successful however, not in the least because of another good Warlock Battlecry minion introduced in Saviors of Uldum, EVIL Recruiter.

If there is a downside to Dark Pharaoh Tekahn it's that you have to actually find it in your deck, play it AND have lackeys on board or in hand to combine it with. These restrictions mean that even though it is a very good minion, that there's a limit to it's powerlevel. It is in all honesty probably the least successful card in this article.

The restrictions limiting Tekahn in constructed also limit it severely in Arena, where it is a pretty bad card due the restrictions there on reliable lackey production. All in all it is still a pretty good addition to the Warlock class.

Example Deck: Egg/Lacky Zoo

During the reveal season of Saviors of Uldum, TrumpSC already spoke highly of Hyena Alpha to the point of including 2 copies of the card in his first draft of Highlander Hunter. In the end the card wasn't worth it to that degree, but it's still most likely the best rare quality card in the set.

The restriction on Hyena Alpha, of having to be played with a secret active is rarely really a problem. Hunter secrets are powerful, and complete decks are built around them and it's easy enough to play a secret that stays up a turn or play the secret at the same time to get the full 4 mana 7/7 effect.

The situation in Arena is a little different. It's harder there to get secrets to play in conjunction with Hyena Alpha, limiting it's playability. Pretty much anywhere else though the card rocks.

Example Deck: Highlander Hunter

King Phaoris, you may have wondered, king of what exactly? Well he is the king of the Ramkahen tribe of the Tol'vir who oppose the Neferset tribe of the Tol'vir lead by Dark Pharaoh Tekahn. In the MMO, the players ally with the Ramkahen tribe and through many adventures eventually defeat Tekahn, making Phaoris the defacto ruler of all of Uldum.

What about the card though? Well it's a very straightforward effect that will win you games on it's own if played with 1 or 2 high manacost spells. It has found it's role as a win condition in the very successful Quest Druid decks, and was before that also used in Mage Highlander decks.

Predictably, due to it's reliance on big spells, the card is utterly terrible in Arena. Avoid it when offered. It's still a good card to build around in constructed, and it will see use in many decks now and in the future.

Example Deck: Quest Druid

In an expansion with a Quest specifically built around Battlecries, in Corrupt the Waters it should be no surprise to see powerful Shaman Battlecry cards like Sandstorm Elemental.

And you may wonder why a common card would even be included, but the card is just that good. When combined with the Heart of Vir'naal Hero Power it becomes kind of game changing and when you then reproduce the effect with Shudderwock in the late game, it gets even worse for your opponent.

As good as Sandstorm Elemental is in constructed, it's at least as good in Arena as well. A worthy inclusion on a list of the best Battlecry cards.

Example Deck: Shudderwock Shaman

Where Sandstorm Elemental provides the AoE for Quest Shaman, Weaponized Wasp helps provides the single target damage. And not just for board control, face damage too. Together with cards like Lifedrinker and the Shaman Quest Hero Power it can provide some ridiculous burst.

The restriction on Weaponized Wasp is of course needing to have a Lackey active on the board. Shaman is not the best at producing Lackeys, but with EVIL Totem it does produce them reliably enough. It does keep the card's power down a little however.

The Lackey restriction does also hold it back in Arena where there are definitely better cards to pick. Overall still a very worthy inclusion in any Quest Shaman deck and this list.

Example Deck: Quest Shaman

Save the best for last. So much has already been written about Zephrys the Great that it is hard to add anything new. Is it the best card in the set? Very likely. It is most surely the most discussed and theorized card in the set.

Looking beyond the superlatives, is Zephrys worth building around? I would say the answer is a resounding yes. The amount of decks that have sprung up with no other Highlander dependency then Zephrys has been frankly astounding. And the decks that have other really good reasons to build around, like Dinotamer Brann would still probably not be as good as they are without Zephrys.

Is it as good in Arena then as it is in constructed? We would argue there are better cards in this set, like Siamat but even then it's a close run thing due to the versatility. So whatever the situation or the game mode, you can rely on Zephrys' Battlecry to always deliver the perfect card for you.

Example Deck: Wild Renozoth Druid

That's it for this Saviors of Uldum Battlecry card review, check back for more reviews in the future.