Episodes
Friday May 16, 2014
How To Pick The Best Cards - Episode 31
Friday May 16, 2014
Friday May 16, 2014
Hello!
- Scott Lantz is on the show this week
- Topic: Card Evaluation 101
- Reasons to be happy this week
What Is Card Evaluation?
- Goal: Teach players how to determine the value of any card
- There are good and bad cards in the game on purpose
- This is the fastest way to get better at Hearthstone!
- All card evaluations are subjective to player personality and deck types, so think critically
The Vanilla Test
- Compare the bare-bone stats of a card to see if it’s good
- Rule of thumb: Attack + Health = (ManaCost * 2) + 1
- You can lump the stats of summoned “pets” with the card that summons them
- Chillwind Yeti
- Razorfen Hunter
Direct Comparison
- Find the closest similar card in cost/stats/effect and compare them.
- Bloodfen Raptor vs. Knife Juggler
- Razorfen Hunter vs. Harvest Golem vs. Imp Master
The Cost of Standard Effects
- Most standard effects (healing, direct damage, card draw) have a typical mana cost associated that Blizzard adds to the minion.
- There’s no magic answer with this. This is hard to define and uses fuzzy math.
- Spells vary too often to make an accurate list for them. These numbers apply to effects attached to minions
- 1/1 on a creature = 1 mana
- Stealth = 0.5 mana
- Taunt = 0.5 mana
- Divine Shield = 1.5 mana
- Spell Damage +1 = 0.5 mana
- 1 Card Draw = 2 or 2.5 mana (variable)
- 1 point of Direct Damage = 1-2 mana (variable)
- Charge = variable; expense increases with power of the minion
- Shattered Sun Cleric vs. Flesheating Ghoul vs. Thrallmar Farseer
Special Abilities
- Some of the special abilities cannot be directly evaluated since they’re so variable
- But many give simple benefits, like +1/+1 or 1 damage under certain situations. It’s generally possible to figure out how many activations they need to break even with their cost.
- Frostwolf Warlord
- Priestess of Elune vs. Frost Elemental vs. Hogger
The Class Benefit
- Class cards tend to be better than neutral cards
- Goldshire Footman vs. Voidwalker
- Boulderfist Ogre vs. Temple Enforcer
The Randomness Factor
- Randomness is inherently risky, so be careful overvaluing it.
- There are different types of randomness, though. Randomness that can be “shaped” to control the outcome are generally better
- Mad Bomber vs. Deadly Shot
Card Advantage
- Drawing cards is good, but cards that draw other cards are all over the value spectrum, good and bad. Evaluate each just like any other card!
- Azure Drake vs. Arcane Intellect vs. Novice Engineer
Versatility
- Versatility sometimes comes in the form of explicit choice, like Druid cards
- Sometimes it comes from different and potentially unexpected ways to use an ability
- Blessing of Wisdom
- Inner Rage
High Maintenance
- Low maintenance cards don’t need special circumstance to be played and get their full value.
- Chillwind Yeti and Arcane Intellect
- High maintenance cards need things to be in place in order to get its full value OR they somehow make your situation worse.
- High cost is high maintenance!
- Ancient Watcher and Defender of Argus and Venture Co. Mercenary
- Darkscale Healer vs. Spiteful Smith vs. Faceless Manipulator
- Mountain Giant vs. Sea Giant vs. Pyroblast
The Board State
- There are four states you can be in, in a Hearthstone game: Developing, Ahead, Parity, or Behind
- Cards are often better in some of those states and worse in others
- Some states are more important to be better in. Ahead is the least valuable, because you’re already winning.
Community
- Question from Nerdvana247: Are Rogue underpowered?
- iTunes Review: MrBthoven
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Follow Scott on Twitter
- Watch Scott livestream
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Version: 20240320
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