Episodes
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Druid and Shaman Cards - Episode 13
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Hello!
- Erik is on the show this week
- Topic: Picking favorites and least favorites from Druid and Priest cards
- Reasons to be happy this week
Who is Erik?
- History with card games
- History with Blizzard games
- History with being a cool roommate
Druid Cards Overview
- A full list of all Druid cards
- Choosing between two options
- Minor healing
- Mana acceleration
- Druid Hero Ability: Gain 1 armor and 1 attack until end of turn
Our favorite Druid cards
Cards we are excited to play, even if they’re not necessarily the best by objective standards
Josh:
- Savagery – Great damage, even if it’s not removing all. Druid has a lot of ways to boost it’s attack damage. “All minions” will always be worth sideboarding at the very least.
- Ancient of War – Great stats either way, and the flexibility is awesome.
- Savage Roar – I want to hate this card for using “characters” instead of “heroes and minions” (which I have to assume it means). Solid damage that can really surprise the enemy in a minion-heavy deck.
Erik:
- Ancient of Lore – Bring in a 5/5, need more cards? Take more cards. Need more health? Take more health.
- Force of Nature – A huge army at your command for 5 mana, with Charge. The druid’s surprise assault.
- Healing Touch – Boring maybe, but you can’t go wrong with gaining 8 heath. It’s just too useful.
The best Druid card
The most powerful card that we think should be in every deck
Josh:
- Cenarius – So flexible, and can help with whichever you need help with each time: defense or offense. Expensive, but always worth it.
Erik:
- Nourish – Mana acceleration is hugely important is decks with big bad minions, and Druid needs that. If Mana isn’t an issue at that point in the game, 3 cards!
Druid cards we hate
Cards we personally don’t want to play, or will hate to play against
Josh:
- Naturalize – Acceptable removal against bombs, but there’s going to be so many games where the creature on the board is less dangerous than your opponent having two more cards, especially late game.
- Bite – Expensive, and you still have to swing with your hero, potentially taking damage against minions.
- Moonfire – If you own more cards than is required to build a deck, do not play this card. We’ve all had those frustrating moments where “it’d just take 1 more damage!” — but don’t let that fool you. You remember those moments because they were frustrating. 90% of the time, 1 damage doesn’t make the difference.
Erik:
- Claw – I can see it’s use early game, given it’s one mana cost, but attacking with your hero is always too dangerous of a proposition for me.
- Wild Growth – 2 mana for an empty mana crystal is too big of a hit early game when you need to be getting cards out.
- Keeper of the Grove – 4 mana for a 2/4? Meh, even with silence.
Shaman Cards Overview
- A full list of Shaman cards
- Aggressive
- Attack multiple times on a turn
- Randomness!
- Shaman Hero Ability: Summon a random totem.
Our favorite Shaman cards
Cards we are excited to play, even if they’re not necessarily the best by objective standards
Josh:
- Ancestral Spirit – Great protection. Will deter against non-bombs, and for bombs, guarantees you get to use them at least once. How sleep works.
- Dust Devil – High risk/reward. Against most, should get at least 6 damage for him if you go first. Often 12.
- Earth Elemental – Overload is insane. Huge HP/Damage. Talked about this card before, but I love it.
Erik:
- Stoneclaw Totem – Totems that tank for you. What more could you ask for?
- Mana Tide Totem – How about an extra card? That’s always nice too. Especially when they cost one less to play
- Flametounge Totem – Easy fast damage
The best Shaman card
The most powerful card that we think should be in every deck.
Josh:
- Unbound Elemental – Decent minion by itself, and you will have a lot of Overload cards.
Erik:
- Totemic Might – Makes all your best cards even better. You’re a shaman! You need totems!
Shaman cards we hate
Cards we personally don’t want to play, or will hate to play against
Josh:
- Hex – Taunt? Come on. You’re spending a card and an attack to kill it. Lame
- Lava Burst – 5 mana for 5 damage. Way more efficient cards out there. Here, Overload doesn’t actually help you at all. Overload needs to affect momentum.
- Windfury – 2 Mana just to give Windfury isn’t terrible. Pay 2 more mana and get a big 3/3 minion tacked onto it that you can potentially bounce back in.
Erik:
- Doomhammer – 5 mana for windfury and 2 attack? Yes, it has 8 durability, but still a waste when for 5 mana you can spit out like 7 totems.
- Forked Lightning – Random is a bad word in TCGs. I don’t like having to rely on a virtual dice roll to accomplish my goals, even if this card is cheap.
- Al’Akir the Windlord – How could you not include this? He’s an Elemental lord for 8 cost with 4 fewer attack than an earth elemental! Taunt with only 5 HP is going to spell trouble, even with Divine Shield.
Card of the Week
More guns, more parrots, more treasure!
Sing along with the lyrics!
(To the tune of Carmen’s Toreador)
Happy Hearthstone presents the ca-ard of the week.
It could be strong or it could be meek.
Whether Minion, Weapon or Ability—
Mana cost of eight, or even free!
We really like this card!
So listen quick
To Josh and Er-rr-ik!
Farewell
- Follow Erik on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Thursday Jun 20, 2013
Battlecry, Charge, Taunt, Enrage - Episode 12
Thursday Jun 20, 2013
Thursday Jun 20, 2013
Hello!
- Derrick is on the show this week
- Topic: Discussing four abilities – Battlecry, Charge, Taunt, and Enrage
- Reasons to be happy this week
Who is Derrick?
- History with card games
- History with Blizzard games
- History with The Happy Hearthstone
Battlecry
A full list of all Battlecry cards
What it does: The effect happens when the card is played from your hand (not if forced into play by another card, like Alarm-O-Bot)
Magic Equivalent: No fancy keyword, but a lot of cards say “When this card enters the battlefield under your control…”
What classes can use Battlecry:
- Neutral: 54
- Druid: 0
- Hunter: 1
- Mage: 1
- Paladin: 3
- Priest: 1
- Rogue: 2
- Shaman: 2
- Warlock: 8
- Warrior: 2
Card Examples:
- Novice Engineer – Cantrip – In addition to the creature, draw a card
- Sunfury Protector – Defensive – If you can play a follow-up bomb, it has tons of protection
- Stampeding Kodo – Removal – On turn 5, there’s likely to be a minion with 2 or less attack
Tips for using it effectively
- If you have a way to return cards you control to your hand, then you can replay cards w/ battlecry effects. So this turns a negative into a positive.
- Focus on the vanilla test. How good is this card if I the battlecry effect is not there?
- Watch out for “best case scenario” mentality. Some battecry effects are situational. Will you get stuck holding a card longer than you should’ve – would it have been better to have that 3 / 4 minion on the board 2 turns ago?
Charge
A full list of all Charge cards
What it does: This creature can attack immediately when it’s played (no sleeping turn).
Magic Equivalent: Haste
What classes can use Charge:
- Neutral: 9
- Druid: 4
- Hunter: 4
- Mage: 0
- Paladin: 0
- Priest: 0
- Rogue: 0
- Shaman: 1
- Warlock: 1
- Warrior: 4
Card Examples:
- Charge – Spell – Straightforward and only costs 2; most useful on creatures with high attack.
- King Krush – Creature Ability – When you play this card, something bad will happen to your opponent.
- Warsong Commander – Buff – Shares the effect with other friendly minions.
Tips for using it effectively
- Use this in aggressive decks that want to swing every turn
- Use it to catch enemy off-guard. Can be used to kill big threat they’re planning on you not being able to kill in one turn.
- Since your opponent can’t play cards on your turn, creatures with Charge are that much more useful.
Taunt
A full list of all Taunt cards
What it does: If an enemy is attacking (not spells), they must choose to attack creatures with Taunt on them until none remain. They may choose between creatures with Taunt if there are multiple.
Magic Equivalent: No keyword, since defenders usually get to choose blockers. Palisade Giant is probably closest
What classes can use Taunt:
- Neutral: 16
- Druid: 3
- Hunter: 1
- Mage: 1
- Paladin: 1
- Priest: 0
- Rogue: 0
- Shaman: 4
- Warlock: 2
- Warrior: 0
Card Examples:
- Frostwolf Grunt – Minion Protection – Good on the vanilla test, but saved for keeping an important minion on the board.
- Mark of the Wild – Synergy – On a huge bomb, like King Krush, you can now force your opponents minions into the jaws of the beast.
- Hex – Penalty – Hex is great as removal, but you’re blocked from attacking your opponent until he’s removed.
Tips for using it effectively
- Use this to protect important minions you want to keep alive.
- It can keep your hero alive in a pinch
- The effect of Taunt is often more valuable than the minion itself, meaning that it’s probably worth saving for the ideal moment.
Enrage
A full list of all Enrage cards
What it does: This effect is activated while a minion is injured. Permanent until the minion is healed to full health or dies. Doesn’t happen during first combat.
Magic Equivalent: Since “toughness” in Magic (hp) resets at the end of each turn, there isn’t a perfect equivalent for this.
What classes can use Battlecry:
- Neutral: 5
- Druid: 0
- Hunter: 0
- Mage: 0
- Paladin: 0
- Priest: 0
- Rogue: 0
- Shaman: 0
- Warlock: 0
- Warrior: 1
Card Examples:
- Amani Berserker – Aggressive – A solid creature on it’s own, and super effective if it Enrages. Forces enemy to address it
- Shieldbearer – Defensive – The enemy has to enrage it. The downside is that Taunt sometimes forces the enemy to kill if before you can even take advantage.
- Angry Chicken – Trick – You’ll need to use spells or special minions to boost his health so that he can afford to be enraged without dying. But if you can, you get a free +5 damage, which makes it a nasty monster.
Tips for using it effectively
- Unless you have a trick, you’ll need 2 turns to make a minion Enrage. Most minions won’t last that long if your opponent doesn’t want it to.
- Only play the minion if it’s effective without the Enrage mechanic. Just consider that gravy.
- If you have a spell that damages one of your own minions, use it to Enrage this.
- Remember that healing it back to full removes the effect.
Card of the Week
By his slashes, we are healed.
Farewell
- Follow Derrick on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Tuesday Jun 11, 2013
Warrior and Priest Cards - Episode 11
Tuesday Jun 11, 2013
Tuesday Jun 11, 2013
Hello!
- Derrick is on the show this week
- Topic: Picking favorites and least favorites from Warrior and Priest cards
- Reasons to be happy this week
Who is Derrick?
- History with card games
- History with Blizzard games
- History with The Happy Hearthstone
Warrior Cards Overview
- A full list of all Warrior cards
- Damage your own minions for perks
- Random creature removal
- Attack with your hero
- Charge: attack right away
- Warrior Hero Ability: Gain 2 armor
Our favorite Warrior cards
Cards we are excited to play, even if they’re not necessarily the best by objective standards
Josh:
- Brawl – Beautifully hilarious. It won’t always be useful, but it’ll always be fun to play.
- Armorsmith – Solid basic creature with a lot of upside, which you can trigger yourself with Warrior deck
- Warsong Commander – Can you tell I like bodies with abilities attached? Charge is super valuable for surprise ambushes to eliminate threats on other side.
Derrick:
- Cleave – A fantastic 2 drop. If played on turn 2 or 3 will likely board sweep your opponent. Downside is late game, if you top deck this, it’s dead in your hand until you have some potential targets. I like it solely because of the early game card advantage.
- Cruel Taskmaster – Warrior deck gains benefits from being Enraged and this minion grants an additional 2 dmg on top. Great combos with Grom Hellscream and Frothing Berserker. Has immediate effect and can add 2 or more damage to a minion this turn and potentially future turns.
- Shield Block – As the game progresses, this card becomes more and more valuable. The card draw is huge, I effectively heal for 5, and only costs 3!
The best Warrior card
The most powerful card that we think should be in every Warrior deck.
Josh:
- Battle Rage – A common! It won’t always be useful, which is usually a warning flag for me. But the cost is so low, and Warrior has so many cards that damage friendly minions that I could see this being really strong. It’s a decent card if you get 2, and insane if you get more. And it’s all minions, not just yours!
Derrick:
- Mortal Strike – If you’re winning, this a decent removal card. If you’re losing, 6 points to the face is a ton of damage! I think, as a Warrior, you’ll be below 12 health in a lot of games. Another important thing to point out about this card is hidden information. When this card is in your hand, this card is a BOMB. You only need to get your opponent to 8. When you do, they’re suddenly dead and didn’t realize it. I don’t think this card is ever bad.
Warrior cards we hate
Cards we personally don’t want to play, or will hate to play against
Josh:
- Charge – I like Charge, but this is rarely a 1-for-1 trade. We could use that card slot more effectively.
- Gorehowl – Basically restricts you to attacking minions (attacking a hero will be 7 dmg for 7 mana). It’s not terrible, but not what I want to be playing. I don’t like losing choices. That said, it does combo really well with cards like Upgrade.
- Cleave – I hate the word “random” on cards like this. It pretty much guarantees that I will rage at some point.
Derrick:
- Commanding Shout – I hate this because it keeps reminding me that you can’t play spells on your opponents turn. I think that takes away so much flexibility from this card. You basically have to play it on a minion that is near death, that you have to attack with this turn, but it’s probably dead next turn.
- Upgrade – First off, I think the card name is cheesy. Yes, it’s only 1 mana but it’s only +1 attack. If I only play a deck with 30 cards, this one would not make the cut for me.
- Heroic Strike – It’s cheap to cost, which is fine. But again, not likely to make the cut if I can only play 30 cards. It’s a 1-time +4 attack on my hero. Which means I’m likely using it to hit their hero. Otherwise I take damage from attacking minions. And it only lasts for one turn. I just don’t think I’d want to play it. Bummer ebcause it’s a huge archetypal skill for the Warrior.
Priest Cards Overview
- A full list of all Priest cards
- Steal enemy minions
- Heal allied minions
- Nuke damage on enemy hero
- Silence: ability removal
- Priest Hero Ability: Heal 2 damage.
Our favorite Priest cards
Cards we are excited to play, even if they’re not necessarily the best by objective standards
Josh:
- Mind Blast – Super mana efficient. Always useful and can slip in any turn when you have free mana you couldn’t otherwise use.
- Cabal Shadow Priest – Expensive, so you can’t ignore the ability. However, it’s a permanent steal, and there are a lot of pesky units with low attack and cool abilities. Don’t kill it, steal it!
- Fade – Draw for 2 mana isn’t bad by itself. Fade is great survival trick. Can also use it before playing a minion that you want to keep safe. That means they have to kill all other minions before they can hit that one.
Derrick:
- Prophet Velen – Might be a little too late game-ish but certainly has an impactful effect on the game while he remains in play. The priest deck has many ways to deal damage or heal and draw cards, which could be deadly while Prophet Velen remains on the board.
- Penance – Great, cheap removal. If hero life totals cannot go over their max HP then the bonus on this card is dead until you need to heal up, but throughout most of the game there is usually a minion that has 3 or less HP, and my hero won’t stay at max HP for long. This works as efficient removal for 3 mana cost, and the heal-for-3 on your hero is just gravy.
- Divine Spirit – If you’re having trouble getting your head around the usefulness, picture this: Auchenai Soulpriest is in your hand. 4 cost for a 3/5 minion. Would you be happy if the card instead said 6 cost for a 3/10 minion? I think I would. Also many of the priest cards have important text on them. This allows you to keep those minions around for an extra turn or two which can often make this 2-drop card very useful. Manage to combo this with cards like Faerie Dragon or Power Word: Shield and it becomes quite potent.
The best Priest card
The most powerful card that we think should be in every Priest deck.
Josh:
- Northshire Cleric – This gets out of control quickly. It’s not just friendly Minions! I will play my Priest deck with plenty of healing, and this makes your hero ability allow you to heal minion for 2 health and draw a card for 2 mana. Combo with AoE heals like Circle of Healing or Holy Nova for huge card draw.
Derrick:
- Thoughtsteal – A 3 drop! This is too powerful. A must-have for every priest deck. In the Forge, grab as many as you’re allowed to play. This card means that at any point in the game, you can fish your opponent’s deck for whichever creatures are most relevant right now. I expect this card to be adjusted before release due to how hard the devs are pushing it’s power level. This card adds 2 cards to my deck as well, which is useful. This is a 3 drop bomb.
Priest cards we hate
Cards we personally don’t want to play, or will hate to play against
Josh:
- Mindgames – Too expensive and too random while there are much better options that do similar things in the Priest cards. I like that it goes onto the battlefield, though.
- Shadowform – Maybe I just like healing too much, but there are better cards (like Auchenai Soulpriest) that accomplish this without feeling like a wasted card slot. If you want to be aggressive, there’s plenty of damage spells. Just put those in the deck instead.
- Mental Collapse – Will be useless in some games. Just use Mind Blast and always get 5 damage for the same mana.
Derrick:
- Prayer of Fortitude – This would work so much better on a minion. Since this is just a spell, it ends up becoming very situational. And otherwise it’s almost a dead card in your hand.
- Silence – Even at 0 cost, I wouldn’t want this card in my deck. Maybe if it was -2 mana, then I’d start considering it. But in a 30-card deck you really have to be picky about what cards make the cut. I’d rather have a card the just kills the minion.
- Mind Vision – Yes, your opponent loses a card, which is fine. And you gain a card. But you have no control over what you get. They have to have cards in their hand, and it has to be something that you actually want, and then you have to pay mana to play it. This card has too much randomness for a 6 mana cost.
Card of the Week
Rock the boat. Don’t rock the boat, baby!.
Farewell
- Follow Derrick on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show