A reminder to do all your daily quests because you're gonna get a whole ton of free packs! I just got a Kalimos from one of the Un'Goro packs, and a Twig from the K&C packs. S'good.
Duskfallen Aviana: The 'evil' version of the old TGT card Aviana, Duskfallen Aviana is... nowhere as good. She's a 5-mana 3/7 that reads "on each player's turn, the first card played costs 0". And it's a Temporus-style effect where the advantage goes straight to the opponent first, since you will play Duskfallen Aviana as the first card in your turn whether you play it from hand or cheat her out with Recruit or whatever. The only real funky way to get Duskfallen Aviana out is by using effects like Dollmaker Dorian below -- which is extremely RNG, or to use things like Alarm-o-Bot. At which point, why not just cheat out the big card you were planning to cheat out with Aviana? This card really looks pretty bad. Like Millhouse Manastorm tier bad.
Splintergraft: The other Druid legendary, Splintergraft, actually looks a lot better. He's like a weird version of Shadowcaster, where instead of adding a cheap copy to your hand that costs low in exchange for having 1/1 stats, Splintergraft adds a big-ass version of it that costs 10 and always has 10/10. Splintergraft himself is a pretty respectable 8/8 for 8 with an upside, so it definitely is a powerful effect. At the moment I can't really think of any minion that Druid wants to copy this way, mind you, and things like using Splintergraft to summon a big beast and then have it die and be resummoned by Witching Hour seems to be too many steps. Hadronox, maybe? A 10/10 Hadronox would certainly be threatening. Or Saronite Chain Gang, which will summon two copies of itself. Overall, neat design, but I'm not sure if it's super playable.
Rat Trap: Hunter's new secret is Rat Trap, activating off a different thing than usual -- it's when your opponent plays 3 cards in a turn, at which point you summon a 6/6 Rat for theoretically just 2 mana. It's neat, I think, especially as a way to disrupt your opponent's turns... but the rat will definitely come in a fair bit later compared to things like Bear Trap, Cat Trick or Wandering Monster. Probably will see play in secret decks, maybe to replace Cat Trick, which is rotating out? Seems good, I think, if not as good as I think people hype this card up to be.
Wing Blast: Wing Blast is a pretty neat card! It deals 4 damage to a minion, and it costs 4 mana... normally. It can be reduced to 1-cost if a minion died this turn, and as Corridor Creeper shows us, it's easy to have a minion die in a turn. It's a really good card and a very solid board-control card for hunters. And it's efficient, too! It's just a shame that it doesn't go face since, again, Hunters as a class kind of really want to go face a lot, but at the same time it's still a simple really powerful and stat-efficient card. Unlike, say, that silly Rogue card Wanted. Not much to say. Just a good card.
Dire Frenzy: Okay, this is interesting. Dire Frenzy is a 4-mana spell that buffs a beast for +3/+3, which is a slightly weaker Blessing of Kings, but then you shuffle three copies of the beast into your deck with the buff. Like Rat Trap, it'll take a fair amount of time for the effects of this card to really end up manifesting in a proper tempo swing, but at the same time, you can theoretically play it with cheap minions like Stonetusk Boar or Dire Mole to get ridiculous swings on later turns. It's comparable to a Fal'dorei Strider that doesn't immediately summon the spiders, but in a class that draws a bit slower, with the upside that you can control what minions are get shuffled into your deck. Of course, it's not as burst-y as it might initially seem since you do need draw the buffed cards first and hunters are atrocious at drawing (maybe Stonetusk Boar + Tol'vir Warden?), but it does seem like a pretty interesting card to experiment with, for sure.
Toki, Time-Tinker: Another very cool legendary, Toki is a 6-mana 5/5 for Mages that, as a battlecry, adds a random Legendary minion from Wild into your hand! Obviously, very useless in Wild. In Standard, though, a pretty hilarious fun card, I think. As for playability, though... she's just drawing from strictly wild sets, so it's not the entire pool of legendaries... but it's still a lot of legendaries, though. For every card like Ragnaros, Sylvanas and Dr. Boom, you also have the exact same chance to get Acidmaw or Gazlowe that are just plain bad, or cards like Mimiron's Head that you probably can't synergize with. And you still have to pay mana to play said legendary! Hilarious, but ultimately I think won't find a place in proper meta decks.Because I got bored, here are some rough stats about the minions you're getting from Toki in the Year of the Raven meta:
- AWESOME: Ragnaros, Sylvanas, Loatheb, Dr. Boom, Emperor Thaurissan, Elise Starseeker, Ragnaros Lightlord, Medivh, Kun, Shaku
- Good! Kel'Thuzad, Toshley, Sneed's Old Shredder, Malorne, Gahz'rilla (it's mage!), Neptulon, Nefarian, Rhonin, Anub'arak, Sir Finley, Brann Bronzebeard, Arch-Thief Rafaam, Y'Shaarj, N'Zoth, Xaril, Hallazeal (again, mage), Barnes, White-Eyes
- Okay. Troggzor the Earthinator, Foe Reaper 4000, Flame Leviathan, Vol'jin, Trade Prince Gallywix, Mal'Ganis, Iron Juggernaut, Eydis Darkbane, Fjola Lightbane, Nexus-Champion Saraad, Justicar Trueheart, Chillmaw, Aviana (sometimes), Dreadscale, Eadric the Pure, Confessor Paletress, Reno Jackson, Soggoth, Yogg-Saron, Cho'gall (mages can actually use him), Malkorok, The Curator, Auctionmaster Beardo, Solia, Wickerflame Burnbristle, Kazakus
- M'eh, a sub-par body. Old Murk-Eye, Elite Tauren Chieftain, Gelbin, Baron Rivendare, Maexxna, Feugen, Blingtron 3000, Mimiron's Head, Mogor the Ogre, Gazlowe, Mekgineer Thermaplugg, Chromaggus, Gormok the Impaler, Bolf Ramshield, The Skeleton Knight, Skycap'n Kragg, Icehowl, The Mistcaller, Varian Wrynn, Mukla the Tyrant, Doom-Hogger, Vek'lor, Fandral Staghelm, Princess Huhuran, Anomalus, Herald Volazj, Prince Malchezzar, Genzo, Finja, Madam Goya, Wrathion, Knuckles, Raza, Krul, Hobart, Don Han'Cho, Aya Blackpaw
- [Insert expletive] Stalagg, Hemet Nesingwary, Bolvar Fordragon, Rend Blackhand, Majordomo Executus, Acidmaw, Wilfred Fizzlebang, Shifter Zerus, The Boogeymonster, Darkfisher Nat, C'Thun, Moroes, Patches, Sergeant Sally, Mayor Noggenfogger
Again, a vast majority of the legendary minions fall into the "m'eh" category and the "fuck" category. Of course, the several times you hit someone in the Awesome or Good categories, or when the stars align and you hit like Cho'gall or Solia or Reno in the perfect moment that you can utilize them is insane, but there are many cards like Krul or Aya or Vek'lor that's just going to screw you over if you don't make a deck around them. Again, more of a card made for the memes than anything.
Holy Water: Priests get the 5-mana spell holy Water, which is like a more convoluted version of Entomb. You deal 4 damage for 5 mana, which is very inefficient, and if and only if you kill it, you add a copy to your hand, which then you have to pay mana to summon. It's not the worst card out there, I don't think, but at the same time compared to the scary efficiency of cards like Mind Control, Entomb or even Convert (remember Convert?). There's just too many asks for such an expensive card.
Spectral Cutlass: Definitely an interesting weapon for rogue, a 4-mana 2/2 lifesteal weapon that gains a durability every time you play a card from another class. I don't really see a time where Spectral Cutlass is ever better than Kingsbane + Leeching Poison, though. Sure, Kingsbane and Leeching Poison is a two-card combo, but the buff is permanent and you can stack a lot of stuff on Kingsbane as well. Spectral Cutlass doesn't affect the board like Blood Razor when it enters the field, and you still have to play a card from another class. Note that Swashburglar is rotating out this year. So yeah, it's not a card that I see being particularly good in this current meta. It's just too slow, I think. Very interesting, but slow.
Mistwraith: A 4-mana 3/5 minion for Rogue that gains +1/+1 whenever you play an Echo card. It's pretty solid statline, and it's essentially like a far, far less fragile version of Questing Adventurer. The echo cards Rogues have at the moment isn't that stellar, but as we all know Rogues have ways to go around the mana curve. The trick is to get Mistwraith to stick on the board on turn four, and maybe play two or three (with coin) Echo cards in the following turn. That'd make Mistwraith a 5/7 or a 6/8, plus you get the benefit from playing the Echo cards themselves. Is it particularly good? I think it could be. Again, hard to say without seeing the full range of cards Rogue is getting.Pickpocket: Rogues' other echo card other than the frankly underwhelming Cheap Shot is Pickpocket, which is Burgle, but it's one mana cheaper, one less card, and it has Echo. Drawing a card and generating resources is definitely great, but it's so goddamn expensive! Cards that are just a a spell that gives you a card like I Know A Guy and Journey Below never really saw that much play, let alone one that costs two more without the option of discover. It does have synergy with cards like Spectral Cutlass and Mistwraith, sure, but I can't help but feel robbed when I used to get the same effect for one mana, and I get a bonus 1/1 Pirate body to come with it. It's going to depend just how many of the unrevealed Rogue cards are going to be synergizing with this echo/burgle theme, I guess.
Bogshaper: -insert rant about how Hearthstone is super inconsistent on whether bog beasts are counted as elementals- Anyway, Bogshaper's a 7-mana 4/8 Elemental that draws a minion from your deck any time you cast a spell. And it seems to be one of the cards to play alongside Hagatha and Witch's Apprentice... except without any real idea about the other cards that revolve around this Shaman Spell Synergy deal, I'm genuinely unsure what Bogshaper's really wanting to draw. Kalimos? Blazecaller? And it's also a 7-mana 4/8, too, which isn't the best statline out there (albeit it's a pretty durable one) , and you still do have to play spells and play the minions that Bogshaper draws... it's a card that I genuinely have to say 'wait and see' because Shaman's such a big mystery right now.
Blood Witch: Warlocks now! Blood Witch is... an okay card, I suppose. A 4-mana 3/6 that deals 1 damage to your hero, presumably to activate your Lesser Amethyst Spellstones and shit. She does nothing else beyond being a not-bad stat pile, and you'd rather run self-damage cards that actually do something else, like Kobold Apprentice and Hellfire and stuff. Not a bad card in theory, but won't ever be competitive because she's just outclassed.Deathweb Spider: Likewise, Deathweb Spider isn't that bad for this 'masochistic' Warlock deal, except it's just not that good, I think? The Deathweb Spider's a bit better than Blood Witch, though, because a 4/6 Lifesteal for 5 mana isn't the worst thing out there... but Warlock decks in all its flavours have really far better-developed combos than poor Deathweb Spider wants you to do.
Duskbat: Duskbat is a 3-mana 2/4 beast for Warlock that, if your hero takes damage in the turn you summon it, summons two 1/1 bats. So essentially Nightbane Templar, but better. I can sort of see Duskbat be a neat combination with Kobold Apprentice in a Zoo Warlock list? But at the same time... nah. It's a bit too weak for constructed. Which is nice -- Warlocks don't really need that much help, what with being one of the top-tier class and all.Deadly Arsenal: Oh, look, it's a shittier Dragon's Fury. What makes Dragon's Fury so good is that it works with a control deck, since control decks do want to play big spells like Firelands Portal and Blizzard. Deadly Arsenal works off not a weapon's cost, but a weapon's attack, which means that only Gorehowl and Arcanite Reaper really works with it as a board clear that's worth 6 mana... and both of those only see play in aggro decks. Practically every other removal Warrior has is better than this.
Woodcutter's Axe: A poor man's (old) Fiery War Axe, Woodcutter's Axe is very interesting, a 2-mana 2/2 with an upside of giving +2/+1 to a Rush minion already on-board as a deathrattle. Which means you can hold on to the Woodcutter's Axe deathrattle for a while until the turn you play Militia Commander or Darius Crowley, and then you swing with the axe to trigger the deathrattle, and suddenly the Rush minions that look underwhelming end up being somewhat stronger than before. I'm still unconvinced about the viability of Rush, but cards like Woodcutter's Axe certainly make them look a fair bit better.
Witch's Cauldron: A 3-mana 0/4 is just an unplayable minion. But its effect triggers if a friendly minion dies? And you get a random shaman spell? I'm not sure that even the Hagatha Shaman decks want this minion at all, but even less so other classes. Why not just run Cult Master if you want a 'if a friendly minion dies' synergy? Drawing a card from your deck is always better than a random shaman deck, and even if you really do want to stock your hand with random shaman spells (remember, Totemic Might, Ice Fishing and Cryostasis exists) you don't want to do it with a conditional 3-mana 0/4.
Dollmaker Dorian: Oh, hey, a wackier and less consistent Barnes! Dollmaster Dorian is a pretty crazy card, isn't he? A 5-mana 2/6 isn't the best statline, but if you draw a minion, you summon a 1/1 copy of it. Is this the combo you're looking for with cards like Forest Guide? Is this the missing piece that Druids want to combo with Nourishes and Ultimate Infestations? Does Warlock run this to spam 1/1 Doomguards to bring back with their death knight? Or do you just slip Dorian into any deck with lots of deathrattle minions? Of course, there's no real way to guarantee drawing the minion while Dorian is on board, making Dorian way, way less consistent than Barnes... but as a continuous effect, Dorian also has the chance of being far more impactful in a game than Barnes is. The big way to use Dorian, I think, is to use cards like Elven Minstrel that tutor specific minions to guarantee drawing minions that Dorian will summon onto the board. Sense Demons to cheat out EVEN MORE VOIDLORDS seem to be the consensus to go. My gut effect is that Dorian's inconsistency will make him nowhere as powerful as Barnes... but definitely has the potential to be broken. Overall, a pretty neat card design, honestly. I don't mind this card at all.
Swift Messenger is a 4-mana 2/6 with Rush... and while a 2/6 with Rush isn't super-special, a 6/2 Rush is essentially a Leeroy that doesn't hit face. Rush is a mechanic that I think everyone's over-hyping, but there's no denying that it's at least somewhat good. The 2/6 version allows her to trade with wider boards, while the 6/2 can help take down a Voidlord or something. Now that said I don't think she's that good to put in a super-streamlined deck, but she's at least a neat card to not feel bad for if you get in arena. Gilnean Royal Guard is an even bigger version of Swift Messenger, an 8-mana 3/8 with Rush... but also Divine Shield. It's essentially Argent Commander. but at 8 mana? I suppose 8 mana deal 8 damage while still retaining the minion is powerful enough, but at the same time I don't see any decks making a slot for Gilnean Royal Guard instead of relying on the removal they already have. So overall, I don't see any of these three being particularly super-useful.
Voodoo Doll: OH MAN THIS IS COOL AS SHIT. Voodoo Doll's a 3-mana 1/1, but when it enters the battlefield it will choose a minion, and if Voodoo Doll dies, so does the other minion. How fucking rad is that? As much as this is a tempo loss, it's essentially a delayed Assassinate for all classes, something that is particularly powerful in classes with a way to reliably trigger Voodoo Doll. Mages can ping it, Warriors can play Voodoo Doll into a Blood Razor, Warlocks can Dark Pact it... It actually does look at least somewhat good, too, as a removal in decks that might require removal especially after the rotation. I'm unconvinced it's super-good, but god damn the concept and the execution of this card is pretty damn awesome.
And that's it for today! Some obvious pack fillers, some really interesting effects, and a couple that are actually quite bad. Overall, while Witchwood might not shape up to be the most exciting expansion ever (I think that's because Year of the Mammoth really spoiled us with mechanics, though, with its three expansions giving us Quests, Hero Cards and Legendary Weapons) it's still got a fair amount of neat stuff. I'm just unconvinced that potentially-good cards like Wing Blast will find a home in decks, although I suppose the rotation will help out with making holes that needed to be filled. We're around a week and a half from the full release of the entire set, and I'm really interested to see what other interesting stuff we get.
No comments:
Post a Comment