Episodes
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Blackrock Mountain Review (Neutral) - Episode 47
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: Blackrock Mountain Neutral Cards Review
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: Blackrock Mountain wings open
The Review Scale
What we’re reviewing:
- Arena Score = The value of this card while drafting in Arena.
- Constructed = The value of this card when crafting the type of constructed deck that most wants this card.
How the score works:
- 0 = awful, unplayable (Example: Sacrificial Pact, Poison Seeds)
- 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Example: Naturalize, Divine Spirit, Corruption)
- 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Example: Crazed Alchemist, Emperor Cobra)
- 3 = Solid value (Example: Chillwind Yeti)
- 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Example: Animal Companion, Knife Juggler)
- 5 = So good you always have to play it (Example: Dr. Boom)
Neutral Card Reviews
Dragon Egg
- Josh says: Rare?! The payoff is so weak. A 2/1 is super easy to deal with and you have to put in a ton of effort to get more than 1.
- Scott says: Like Nerubian Egg, this does nothing on its own. Unlike Nerubian Egg, this doesn’t seem worth arranging combos around. Even if you had a whirlwind-style Warrior deck, it would just kill the 2/1 Whelps.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 1
Blackwing Technician
- Scott says: If you’re not playing a dragon deck, forget about it. If you are playing tons of dragons, can be worth it.
- Josh says: The stats aren’t awful if you don’t get the battlecry, but you should really only play it in a Dragon deck — where you’re getting a 3/5 for 3. Great value.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 3
Dragonkin Sorcerer
- Josh says: Shield Masta stats by itself. Tons of fun combo potential, especially in buff classes like priests. But it really makes a juicy silence target.
- Scott says: Only needs one activation to be profitable — not hard to make happen. Compares to Violet Teacher, but gets +1/+1 instead of a 1/1 and is a Dragon. I think I like this one better, especially in a dragon deck.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Hungry Dragon
- Scott says: You get +1/+1 (and a Dragon) in exchange for giving your opponent a 1-cost minion. Their minion will pretty much always be better than a 1/1, but sometimes having a single big body can be good. Can combo well with Mind Control Tech or Sea Giant. These kinds of cards are generally only good in tailored decks.
- Josh says: There are a lot of really, really good 1-cost minions in Hearthstone. It’s one of the things that differentiates Hearthstone from other card games, in my experience. I’ll usually pass.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 4
Grim Patron
- Josh says: It’s so expensive! Wombo combo wet dreams, but usually a trap in any deck that can’t reliably proc this for “free”
- Scott says: A surprisingly versatile card. Can’t actually be killed fully unless they hit every surviving Patron for at least 3 damage. Mage and Warrior especially will like this card. Need to split him at least once to be worth it.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 4
Blackwing Corruptor
- Scott says: Not worth using if you’re not in a dragon deck, very worth using if you are.
- Josh says: I love this card. It’s a cheap Fire Elemental — one of the best minions in the game — with an extra requirement. Every dragon deck must run this.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 5
Drakonid Crusher
- Josh says: Okay finisher for aggro decks, but I don’t know why I wouldn’t take a charge or immediate-impact minion instead.
- Scott says: Should be a strong addition in aggro decks. Watch out for enemy healing and warriors. Works well with Alexstrasza. I feel like I might like this guy more than I should.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Emperor Thaurissan
- Scott says: Good for expensive decks with lots of cards in hand. Also, enables combos not otherwise possible.
- Josh says: Some cards are very fun but not good. Some cards are very good but not fun. This is one of the rare cards that are absolutely both. Love it!
- Arena Score: 5
- Constructed Score: 5
Volcanic Drake
- Josh says: Make one trade and you’ve got a good card. It’s not hard to see this working insanely well for AoE removal classes like Mage.
- Scott says: Need 2 things to die on your turn in order for it to be profitable, but then you still need to deal with a suboptimal stat configuration. But if you can protect it or if more than 3 things die on your turn, can be a powerhouse.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score:4
Rend Blackhand
- Scott says: This one’s tough. It’s very inefficient from a stats perspective, and requires a lot to get additional value (enemy has a legendary; you have a dragon in hand; you have 7 mana). Killing an enemy legendary and having an 8/4 Legendary left over is awesome, but it asks an awful lot.
- Josh says: Yeah, I agree. When it works, it can absolutely win you the game. But, like you said, it’s hard to make it work.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 2
Chromaggus
- Josh says: So good. This is one of those cards that I think I’m overvaluing just because I love the playstyle — control and card draw. All it takes is one proc and you get value — if you have card draw minions on the table (or are warlock), you can get value on the turn you drop it.
- Scott says: Same cost and stats as Kel’Thuzad, but clones the cards you draw instead of cloning dying minions. I think I like KT better, but Chromaggus is certainly better for spells. This has to survive a full turn to get value from its ability, unlike KT. You also have to pay to cast the extra cards which may not help much if they’re expensive. I feel like this might be best in a deck with a lot of cheaper or mid-cost cards, especially direct damage spells.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Majordomo Executus
- Scott says: Very interesting card. Biggest issue is once he dies, you go down to 8 life when you become Ragnaros. Your hero power is great, but the life reset seems like too much of a liability.
- Josh says: Yeah, this will almost always be a health drop. But on the right board state, that hero power can be a huge swing the turn he drops if you have Coin still. And he’s still a 9/7 for 9.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 2
Nefarian
- Josh says: 2 cards and an 8/8 for 9 mana? Heck yes, I don’t really care too strongly what those spells are. I’m totally in.
- Scott says: Interesting wording of its effect. It prevents seeing what your opponent has, and perhaps more importantly, will work even if your opponent isn’t running spells or is at fatigue. Most class-specific spells are pretty good, though there are some stinkers.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Community
- No question
- iTunes Reviews
Card of the Week
It’s a surprise during the show!
Farewell
Friday Apr 17, 2015
The Mech Shaman Deck - Episode 46
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Hello!
- Frid is on the show this week
- Topic: Mech Shaman Deck Battle!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: Hearthstone on phones, Blackrock Mountain Adventure wings
What is a Deck Battle?
Once a month, a guest host brings their favorite deck onto the show to battle the current reigning champion deck for control of the Happy Hearthstone Deck Battle Throne!
If the challenger wins the best-of-3 series, their deck becomes the new Reigning Champion Deck and will fight off future challengers until it loses, or until it’s earned its place in the Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame!
View the Deck Battle Archive + The Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame
Defending Deck: Dan’s Mech Mage deck has reigned supreme for 1 month, and has beaten 1 deck before this episode.
Challenger Deck: Frid’s Mech Shaman is an aggressive deck that wins through crazy burst damage that can catch even the most prepared player off guard.
The Deck
Creatures
- 2x Flametongue Totem (2 mana)
- 2x Whirling Zap-o-matic (2 mana)
- 2x Fire Elemental (6 mana)
- 2x Cogmaster (1 mana)
- 2x Annoy-o-Tron (2 mana)
- 2x Mechwarper (2 mana)
- 2x Spider Tank (3 mana)
- 1x Mechanical Yeti (4 mana)
- 2x Piloted Shredder (4 mana)
- 2x Fel Reaver (5 mana)
- 1x Loatheb (5 mana)
- 1x Dr. Boom (7 mana)
Spells
- 2x Rockbiter Weapon (1 mana)
- 2x Crackle (2 mana)
- 1x Hex (3 mana)
- 1x Lava Burst (3 mana)
Weapons
- 2x Powermace (3 mana)
- 1x Doomhammer (5 mana)
Sideboard
In case you don’t have some of the ideal cards, here are some quality back ups and alterations you can make that keep with the same theme and strengths of the deck.
- 2x Azure Drake (5 mana)
- 2x Bomb Lobber (5 mana)
- 2x Harvest Golem (3 mana)
- 1x Tinkertown Technician (3 mana)
- 1x Earth Shock (1 mana)
- 1x Al’Akir the Windlord (8 mana)
- 1x Piloted Sky Golem (6 mana)
The Duel!
Post-Duel Commentary
- Who won
- Obligatory bragging session
- Challenger Deck: How well did it perform?
- Defending Deck: How well did it perform?
- Best moments in the matches
- The Happy Hearthstone Champion Ceremony(tm)
Community
- Jayme: Winning with a 21/21 sheep!
- iTunes Reviews
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Find Frid everywhere: Twitch, Google+, YouTube, Email, Twitch, Facebook
- Listen to Frid’s podcast where he breaks down his tournament-conquering Paladin deck or read his breakdown of it on Reddit
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
DECK GUIDE:
Robots, totems, and the occasional frog dish out the damage in Frid’s Mech Shaman deck. It brings the classic body-centric rush damage that defines mech decks, but adds its own flair to provide big burst potential in the mid-game.
Note from Josh: The rest of this article was written by Frid. Thanks, Frid!
The Mecha-Man Shaman
With the popularity of the Mech Mage, some deck builders attempted to make other classes work with the mechs. Shaman got arguably one of the best class mechs in the Whirling Zap-o-matic and a weapon that synergizes with the mechs — the Powermace — so it was only natural to me to build a mech Shaman. The deck essentially takes the mech “core” from Mech Mage and adds in Shaman classics, making it a strong tempo deck that can burst opponents down quickly, with some spectacular amounts of burst damage.
There are two things that it suffers from: (1) card draw and (2) healing. Because of the balanced curve, card draw is generally not an issue. If you’re running out of cards it may be because you’re overextending the board and exposing yourself to Area of Effect (AoE) spells. As for healing, the Shaman has always suffered from this problem, but you will generally be dictating the tempo in this match and the opponents will be responding to you, so healing is not essential.
Let’s get straight into the cards I used in my deck for the mighty showdown with Josh. You can find a completely plain deck list on the podcast episode. Here, I’ll provide additional commentary where I feel it’s helpful or necessary.
A staple in most Shaman decks. This totem can help you trade up and provide the additional points of damage to finish the game. It turns your totems into weapons. It will also force you to constantly consider the positioning of your minions.
Arguably the best 2 mana mech in the GvG set. This little guy can get out of control quickly if not dealt with. He’s a great target for the Powermace +2/+2 buff and for Rockbiter Weapon for some extra damage. It will most likely eat up a removal spell or minion from your opponent.
Does this one need explanation? It is essentially an auto-include in Shaman decks. One of the strongest battlecry effects in the game and a big body that dodges Big Game Hunter and has the magic 5 health. What more can you ask for? Be careful not to overload on turn 5, so you can get him out on turn 6.
2x Cogmaster
Always keep him in your opening hand and play it on turn 1 if going first. Early board presence to trade with most 1 drops and benefits from all the mechs. If you have 2 in your opening hand and you’re going second, don’t be afraid to drop them both on turn 1, especially if you have a 2 mana mech in hand.
2x Annoy-o-Tron
His name suits him perfectly. You can make it a super Annoy-o-Tron with Powermace. Use him to protect other valuable minions.
2x Mechwarper
Play mechs at a discount? Sign me up. A staple in all mech decks, it can help you “innervate” minions out ahead of curve. Show Druids that you can also manipulate mana!
2x Spider Tank
The only neutral minion in the game with the 3/4 stats for 3 mana. Incredibly hard to remove and only gets better with Powermace.
This is one of the most iffy cards included in the deck. I was looking for an additional 4 drop and this was the only other mech that made sense to me. See sideboard for alternatives. Just like his non-mech brother the Chillwind Yeti, this guy is very hard to deal with because of the magic 4 attack and 5 health.
The Piloted Shredder has been a staple for decks from all classes since GvG was released and it is no surprise. Incredibly sticky minion that makes Harvest Golem (a classic auto-include) look inferior. Buffed to a 6/5 with Powermace, it looks like a Fire Elemental that leaves something behind when it dies.
2x Fel Reaver
Fel Reaver? Haven’t I heard this card is terrible because it has 2 fatal flaws? Well, yes, the card does have two huge drawbacks. First, it dies to Big Game Hunter and that can be devastating. Second, you lose 3 cards for every card the opponent plays. Are you crazy playing two of these? The reality is that it wins games when it can’t be removed early (especially if you can get it out turn 4 with Mechwarper) and the drawback can be inconsequential. Think of a typical game: Do you ever draw all your cards? Then you can think of the discarded cards as being at the bottom of the deck, which you wouldn’t have drawn anyway. If this card makes you queasy, then look for 5 mana alternatives in the sideboard section.
1x Loatheb
Loatheb is just an amazing 5 drop. Protects your board from board clears. Strong body that fits the curve nicely. One of the best cards in the game.
1x Dr. Boom
What deck is complete these days without the inclusion of Dr. Balanced? When he hits the board, everything changes. One of the funniest things is a buffed up 3/3 boom bot because of Powermace.
More Shaman staple cards that help you fight for the board or burst opponents down. Combo with Whirling Zap-o-matic or Doomhammer for 6 additional points of damage. Use it with a totem or your hero if you need to clear a pesky taunt.
2x Crakle
Crackle can be used for removal on the board or as the finishing blow to the face. Best used with a spell power totem on board. Beware of the overload on key turns to avoid disrupting your mana curve.
1x Hex
Quite possibly the strongest hard removal in the game. If there is a minion in your way that you don’t want to deal with, then Hex it! Erases deathrattle effects, which can provide incredible value.
1x Lava Burst
Shaman’s version of the Mage’s Fireball. Just like Crakle, but more expensive, and more reliable at flat 5 damage. Also like Crackle, beware of the overload on key turns.
2x Powermace
The Powermace was a great addition to the Shaman’s repertoire, especially with the mech synergy. You can use it to remove stuff from the board to protect your minions, or to deliver finishing blows. Make sure to time the second charge right so it hits the intended mech target.
1x Doomhammer
Doomhammer is great for board control or for damage burst. Generally, you save the Rockbiter Weapons for the Doomhammer and you don’t play it on turn 5 because of the overload.
Possible Additions
If you don’t have all of the cards listed above, these are some great backup plans!
2x Azure Drake
One of the options if you either don’t have Fel Reaver or the discard effect is something you don’t enjoy. This minion also provides much needed card draw.
2x Bomb Lobber
Another option to replace Fel Reaver. Helps with board control by taking care of opponent’s Azure Drakes and Shades of Naxxramas.
An alternative to Spider Tank that is a bit more sticky.
Could be put in place of Lava Burst to avoid overload, has a decent board presence and gets you a spare part in the process.
1x Earth Shock
An alternative to Hex that allows you to bypass taunts or deal with early game threats when your hand is otherwise slow or weak.
An alternative to Dr. Boom, avoids BGH, and synergizes well with Rockbiter weapon for extra burst, while providing some defense.
If you don’t have Dr. Boom, Loatheb, or Al’Akir, you can try a Piloted Sky Golem. Nice body, mech, with a strong deathrattle effect.
Final Thoughts
If you have tried Mech Mage and enjoy that playstyle but think it’s getting a bit stale, or if Shaman is your favorite class and you have just not been able to make it work, give this one a try! It can deliver some spectacular finishes with a lot of burst potential.