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The longest running Hearthstone podcast in the history of space and time and cards. Join GuyGrumpy and a rotating host of guests from The Happy Hearthstone community as they help you get better at the game and have a blast doing it.
Episodes
Friday Dec 25, 2015
Friday Dec 25, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: League of Explorers Review!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: Happy Winter Veil
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)
Druid Cards
Raven Idol
- Josh says: Love the flexibility here. Should always be happy to draw this card.
- Scott says: Sort of like Tracking, but (true to Druid form) with an added layer of choice. Especially strong in Arena where deck synergy and card quality are much lower.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Mounted Raptor
- Josh says: I’m not really sold on this yet. The very best case, you’re paying 1 mana to summon a random 1-cost minion. But even then you’re pairing that cost with playing a regular bloodfen raptor. Underwhelming compared to the likes of Knife Juggler.
- Scott says: It’s a beast, which is nice. It’s like a beast version of Harvest Golem, just slightly less predictable.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Jungle Moonkin
- Josh says: Weird card that excels in super-specific situations. I just don’t see a ton of opportunity to get consistent value in it.
- Scott says: Another beast! Though I’m not sure how many Beast Druids care about spellpower, and I’m not sure how many people who care about spellpower want their opponents to have it. Works especially well with Swipe.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 2
Hunter Cards
Explorer’s Hat
- Scott says: I’m not sure if I should, but I really like this card. It’s a mana sink for sure, with more mana wasted the more you cast it. Yet I only cast it when I had mana to spare, or when it would make a difference. 2 mana is often well worth letting a minion survive a trade, or buffing a taunted minion. I view this like a reusable hero power baked into a card. Also can combo well with Lock ‘N Load, especially if you can cast multiple times in one turn.
- Josh says: Pure fun. I’ve had it get out of control with some copying effects, but doesn’t seem strong enough to really define a deck type.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Dart Trap
- Scott says: Would be good in a Hunter deck if you can reliably hit face, but a Paladin or Shaman hero power would always have at least a 50% chance to hit a weenie. Generally not worth it.
- Josh says: Yeah, super hard sell for a one-time effect that could do nothing more than ping a token. Would love to see a similar (weaker effect) on a minion, though.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Desert Camel
- Scott says: Not bad. Fine stats, and a good target for a Houndmaster. Not all opponents have 1-cost minions, and you’ll get to control what you draw. Timber Wolf or Webspinner are your two most obvious targets for now, though Injured Kvaldir(!), Leper Gnome, or Worgen Infiltrator are decent choices too. In arena, you’ll have to make sure you have at least a couple 1-cost minions in your deck.
- Josh says: Yeah, some fun opportunities for shenanigans. This can give a ton of value on board presence with the right 1-drops in your deck.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 2
Mage Cards
Forgotten Torch
- Josh says: Feels great in freeze and spell-damage decks. Great surprise plays if your opponent forgets about it and is only counting your Fireballs.
- Scott says: In exchange for paying for an overpriced spell up front, you get a underpriced spell later on. Maybe. Good in a deck that wants lots of spells and direct damage, and that expects a longer game.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Animated Armor
- Josh says: I see a 4 cost 4/4 with taunt. That’s not awful, but pretty unimpressive compared to a 5-cost Sludge Belcher. If this came on a class that had cheap weapons, I’d love it. Mage has a very hard time getting value out of it the turn it’s played, so I’m less interested.
- Scott says: Seems to go well in a Freeze Mage deck, as it’s another way to mitigate damage. This guy will almost always be a lightning rod as soon as he appears. Can be especially good against Hunters if you can keep the board clear, as it halves their hero ability. In practice, I don’t expect him to prevent much damage, but will often disrupt your opponent’s plans.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 2
Ethereal Conjurer
- Josh says: At face value, I’m super wary of this card. Expensive, trades with a 2-cost minion and no guarantee on spell quality. But mage has a lot of great spells, and a freeze deck loves when things trade with their minions. So I could see it working okay there.
- Scott says: You’re paying a 1-mana premium (plus some badly-balanced stats) for an above-average mage spell, which seems like a good deal. And if you’re able to keep the board tidy, he might even get a chance to punch face once or twice, turning that stat balance to your advantage.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Paladin Cards
Sacred Trial
- Scott says: Kills Dr. Boom (if they had at least one other minion on the board.) Not sure it’ll be worth it in most situations, but Secrets Paladin will probably want it.
- Josh says: I would NEVER have guessed that it kills Dr. Boom in that situation. That seems like a bug. I don’t see anything else redeeming here.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Keeper of Uldaman
- Scott says: A neat spell that can be used on either player’s minions to good effect. Luckily it’s in Paladin where you can always give +2/+2 to a recruit, which is a great deal. The versatility of bringing down a big baddie is just a bonus. Gets better later in the game, so never keep it on a mulligan. A true MVP, and likely the best card in the set for raw value and versatility.
- Josh says: Scott said it all. Great value, great versatility. This is a staple in midrange paladin.
- Arena Score: 5
- Constructed Score: 5
Anyfin Can Happen
- Scott says: What is this i don’t even. No. Unless…. No.
- Josh says: Blizzard trolling murloc players, just like they troll the rest of the playerbase.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 3
Priest Cards
Museum Curator
- Josh says: Love this card, and it doesn’t need to be in a Deathrattle deck for the card you draw to be worth it. Cheap play with high impact battlecry is begging for a Brann Bronzebeard combo.
- Scott says: If you play this guy, I hope you like Dark Cultist, because it’s the only Priest card with Deathrattle. (Class cards have a 4x probability of being chosen.) The good news is that there are lots of good Legendary choices: Cairne Bloodhoof, Sylvanas, Sludge Belcher, and all 3 shredder types. Overall card quality for this Discover type is high. Unfortunately the card itself is low-impact, and in Constructed why would you put a sub-par card in your deck that will still probably give you an inferior card to what you could have just put in your deck in the first place?
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Excavated Evil
- Josh says: Yes, there are combos that can get big value out of this. But even I’m not a big enough sucker to fall for them. You need a hyper late-game heal priest deck (equivalent of freeze mage style) to make this work, and Priest just can’t support that right now.
- Scott says: Not sure why I’d want this. Maybe follow this up with Circle of Healing or Holy Nova for tons of healing triggers? I’ll file this with Hellfire in my “unused” folder.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Entomb
- Josh says: Awesome anti-deathrattle card, but Silence can remove those too, so you’re paying for the premium of combining it with a kill effect. I don’t put any value into the draw, and priest already has a lot of great removal tools.
- Scott says: It’s a more expensive Assassinate that prevents a deathrattle trigger. Having a chance to draw the card yourself later is novel, but it shouldn’t really be better than anything already in your own deck, so will it help or hurt that draw? Most useful in a slow control deck where you’re holding it to target their biggest minion.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Rogue Cards
Pit Snake
- Scott says: Not bad, except for its weakness against Druids, Mages, Rogues, and even Paladins. And small minions. And AoE. Hmm, I guess it is bad.
- Josh says: Yeah, hero powers make all 1-health minions a huge liability. It’ll force them to hero power, but that’s not a big enough advantage to warrant throwing away a card.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 1
Unearthed Raptor
- Scott says: Lots of fun targets for this guy. Nerubian Egg, Shredders, Anubisath Sentinels, and Sylvanas make especially good targets. Keep in mind the ability is basically free and tacked on a Spider Tank, so there’s not really any downside.
- Josh says: Yeah, the normal mana cost on this guy is what really sold me. The floor is high and the ceiling in best-case scenarios (3 mana for 7/8 stats!) is outrageous. There are so many good cards that you want to run anyways that happen to have deathrattle effects worth stealing.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 5
Tomb Pillager
- Scott says: Slightly sub-optimal stat balance, but a decent deathrattle ability. Coins are worth more than half of a Innervate when you factor in their combo-triggering ability.
- Josh says: Yeah, fits in really well with control rogues, where weapons + poison give you easy answers for things like Piloted Shredders that might show up to trade with it.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Shaman Cards
Tunnel Trogg
- Josh says: This looks like the card Overload decks needed to stabilize and see some real play. You have to play this early, but when you do, it’s a big threat looming over your opponent that’ll make them scramble.
- Scott says: Shaman’s version of Mana Wyrm, and even better in the right deck. It can grow multiple times from a single card, and can trigger from many minions as well as spells. Won’t be as good in Arena where you can’t control your draws. Live the Neptulon dream!
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 4
Rumbling Elemental
- Josh says: This dude loves the number 2! Interesting building block for a battlecry deck, but I think it’s probably best in a control deck that already has lots of battlecry effects. I wouldn’t add new cards to try to combo it.
- Scott says: Stats are balanced for survivability, which will help it fire more often. Will be especially good with Brann Bronzebeard. Some of Shaman’s best units have Battlecry.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Everyfin is Awesome
- Josh says: Cool finisher for a shaman swarm deck. It’s important to note that the effect is permanent and hits all minions, so you can play it murloc-less if you’re desperate.
- Scott says: Like Bloodlust, but more expensive and adds toughness. Gets good with murlocs, but who plays murlocs? Might be worth playing with a Neptulon.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 4
Warlock Cards
Reliquary Seeker
- Scott says: It’s a huge payoff if you can swing it, but 6 other minions is a tall order. Implosion will certainly help, as will cards like Wobbling Runts. Not likely to ever fire in Arena.
- Josh says: If Master of Ceremonies couldn’t get traction with this sort of effect last set, there’s no way this works.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 3
Dark Peddler
- Scott says: A card built for Floodlock decks, and does help out Reliquary Seeker a little. Discovering the 1-cost card is nice, as there are a few with good Battlecry effects you don’t want to miss out on.
- Josh says: Consistent 2-drops have been hard to find for Warlocks. I love this card, and there are enough great 1-drop cards that you should almost always get something you’re happy with.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Curse of Rafaam
- Scott says: This one’s hard to evaluate. You spend 2 mana and a card to make them take 2 damage and need to spend 2 mana. It’s possible to get more damage over time, but usually they will just cast it next turn. Either way — the opponent will make the choice that’s best for them. Since you equal out on mana, it doesn’t seem worth a card to do 2 damage.
- Josh says: The key, like you’ve said before, is that your opponent gets to make the choice of whether to cast or keep it. It could be an interesting stall tactic when you already have board control, but that’s tough to rely on.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Warrior Cards
Cursed Blade
- Josh says: 2 is just such a bad damage number on a weapon. I would always prefer to play my 3/2 for 2 weapon, and Warrior already has enough weapons in the deck.
- Scott says: If for some reason you want to die quickly, this is the card for you! Might be worth casting if you just brought out a minion you really want to keep, as your opponent has to choose one or the other. Also seems better if you’re investing heavily in Taunt while expecting to punch face with your weapon.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 0
Fierce Monkey
- Josh says: Another not-so-subtle hint about a deck type that Blizzard really wants you to be playing. Great card with great art.
- Scott says: It’s a beast, but that doesn’t really matter here. Mainly, it’s just a spider tank with free Taunt. Clearly a boon for Taunt Warrior.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Obsidian Destroyer
- Josh says: Absolutely brutal in Arena where removal is scarce and the tiny taunt will keep this thing alive forever. Some potential in constructed as well, and at the very least it’s an annoyance thanks to its free auto-defense.
- Scott says: Like Hogger, but generally better. For 1 more mana, you get +3/+3 more on the main body. The downside is that you get smaller Taunt minions, but they’re still bodies with taunt. It’ll take 3 turns to break even with total body size with Hogger, but let’s be honest — Hogger never lasted that long. A very solid addition to the Warrior lineup. Almost as good as Dr. Boom.
- Arena Score: 5
- Constructed Score: 4
Community
- Question: None this week!
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- None
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Scott Lantz on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Monday Dec 21, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: League of Explorers Review!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: Happy Winter Veil
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 Cards – Common
Anubisath Sentinel
- Scott says: As long as you have another minion on the board when he dies, he’s bananas. One of the juicier targets for Baron Rivendare and Unearthed Raptor. Make sure not to let him whiff!
- Josh says: Strong effect with some cool combo potentials, like Effigy secret to guarantee the deathrattle lands.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Fossilized Devilsaur
- Josh says: This card tries to be relevant, but just can’t quite pull it off. Stats are below vanilla, the requirements are tough for most classes, and the benefit (taunt) isn’t worth the hassle.
- Scott says: This thing is a poor man’s Ironbark Protector. Only two classes have beast decks that are even a thing, and Druid already has a strictly better version of this card. That means this is a hunter card, or a card for Arena, and I don’t think it’s very good in either case.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 1
Gorillabot A-3
- Scott says: Seems legit in a mech deck. Not crazy, but nice extra value in a mech deck. Effect is a little cheaper and is faster as a battlecry, but requires a mech to be in place already to trigger.
- Josh says: I’ll be crazy and say I think this card is absolutely crazy. Having a mech in place is no problem in constructed, and Discover favors class cards heavily, giving this even more value in something like Shaman or Rogue who only have awesome class mechs. A 100% mech deck staple.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 5
Huge Toad
- Josh says: See ya, Bloodfen Raptor. A simple card with a small upside just to keep it relevant in the modern power levels.
- Scott says: Its ability is better than a kick in the pants, but hard to see where it fits into a constructed deck. Think of it as a Knife Juggler with a single (but guaranteed) activation. At least it’s a beast!
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 2
Jeweled Scarab
- Scott says: It’s a beast, so that’s a thing. A bad 2-drop, but will give you a 3-drop that shouldn’t be horrible.
- Josh says: Works better in classes with strong 3 drops like Druid, which conveniently cares about beasts! But, actually, 3 drops is a pretty safe card pool for all the classes. Hunter is the probably the sketchiest, which is a shame since they want beasts most.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Murloc Tinyfin
- Josh says: STOP USING CHILD SOLDIERS!
- Scott says: It’s a wisp. But it’s a murloc. Not enough impact to make a difference.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 1
Tomb Spider
- Scott says: Most people beeline for Hunter with this guy, but I’m really digging Beast Druid. This goes well in that deck too! Is a slow card, but provides good long-term value, especially in beast synergy decks.
- Josh says: I’m in for both classes with this guy. Slightly weaker stats than the Gorilla-Bot (so it’s a bit weaker in Constructed), but it makes the trade-off for a guaranteed proc to help it in Arena.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Neutral Cards – Rare
Ancient Shade
- Josh says: Best comment: “He is the best against face hunter. You will likely die before drawing the curse.” I don’t see a place for this guy.
- Scott says: If you’re going to use this thing, your plan needs to be to kill your opponent before you draw the curse. Therefore, you need to be a very fast deck. But how are you going to protect him with only 4 health?
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Eerie Statue
- Scott says: Is a creatureless control deck a thing? Will mostly be used as a bigger Ancient Watcher that might be able to hit face on its own in rare circumstances. A great candidate for friendly silence or taunt.
- Josh says: Yeah, I could see Handlock or removal-heavy control decks using this card to good effect, but I’m not sure it’s better than what those decks already have.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 3
Summoning Stone
- Scott says: Can certainly be strong, but you generally need to cast more than 5 mana worth of spells with him on the board to really be profitable. Could be interesting in a rogue deck with Master of Disguise!
- Josh says: There’s a lot of red tape with this one, but it’s powerful when it works and offers some fun gameplay options. Looks like a fun experimenting card to me, but I suspect it’ll end up in the Tavern Brawl-only zone.
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 3
Wobbling Runts
- Josh says: I think the numbers are misleading on this one: it’s not as good as an 8/12 for 6 mana. A 2/6 is nearly irrelevant on Turn 6 and usually dies without trading. That means you’re getting a slow, permanent Force of Nature. Should work in a swarm deck that needs bodies on the board all the time, and not much else.
- Scott says: Hard to evaluate, but I think it’s pretty decent. Kind of like a giant Haunted Creeper, and that guy sees consistent play. If your goal is to make sure you have units in play, this is a good choice. A good value, but very slow.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Neutral Cards – Epic
Djinni of Zephyrs
- Scott says: Fun! Seems like it would go well in a Priest or Paladin deck, similar to Dragonkin Sorcerer. Works especially well with cheap card draw like Blessing of Wisdom or Power Word: Shield. Doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of stats, and has good stat allocations.
- Josh says: Yeah, there are some nice cheap spells in Warrior and Shaman as well that open up some nice burst combos with it as well. And you’re only losing 1 stat point for the effect! At worst, he’s a fatty lightning rod that makes your opponent worried.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 4
Naga Sea Witch
- Josh says: This card looks like a trap. Effect can easily backfire and won’t be relevant (outside of extra hero power) until Turn 10. Pass.
- Scott says: Only useful for lowering the cost of more expensive spells… but how many 6+ cards are you running?
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Neutral Cards – Legendary
Arch-Thief Rafaam
- Josh says: There are a lot of fun, powerful top deck cards. This one looks like the most versatile one since Ysera, so I give it some value there. Any late-game deck could pull off tide-swinging shenanigans with it.
- Scott says: Another guy that I think is overhyped. Sure, he gives you giant artifacts. But they cost 10 mana! Too unpredictable, slow, and expensive to be reliable. Probably best in arena, where he’d be a great topdeck draw in a long game.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 2
Brann Bronzebeard
- Scott says: Neat! Unfortunately he’s a legendary, so it’s a stretch to build a deck around him. A very strong ability, but in many cases the battlecry doesn’t make sense to double. Ooze only destroys one card, for example, and a silenced minion getting immediately silenced again isn’t very exciting. Still, an awesome fun card!
- Josh says: There are definitely effects that don’t double well, but so many of them do. We saw how powerful this was in the Rogue Mill deck with Antique Healbot and Coldlight Oracle. You’re only paying 1 stat for that effect, so even the smallest of procs makes this card worth it, and the value ceiling is incredible. I’m a big, big fan.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 5
Elise Starseeker
- Josh says: Total trap card. The final effect you’re spending all game chasing is FUN and COOL, but not even guaranteed to help you. I’m usually the player that falls for this sort of fun-first card, and even I can see this is no good!
- Scott says: She has a half-mana premium on her body, followed by a 2 mana premium on the map. The final form makes up for that mana cost, but not when combined with the time investment and high probability you won’t see a payoff. Combine with Brann Bronzebeard for 2 maps. In constructed, this only wants to be played in the slowest of control decks, and even then, you’ll be at a disadvantage when casting it.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 1
Reno Jackson
- Scott says: People are going crazy for this card, but I think it’s too much work. Note that it just requires that you only have 1 of each card left in your deck at time of casting, NOT your starting deck. Might be better in Arena where most cards are 1-ofs.
- Josh says: Definitely better in an aggro-heavy meta. I agree on the Arena value, but have seen this work too many times to discount it in Constructed. The interesting thing is that this card should get better over time, as more and more general Legendaries are worth running in your deck.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 3
Sir Finley Mrrgglton
- Scott says: This guy’s cool! Not horrible stats, and his ability is a boon to some classes.
- Josh says: Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on. Let me go ahead and directly quote you from our TGT review: “You must really hate your own ability if at deckbuilding time you think that stealing another random class’s ability will be an upgrade.” What’s different here?
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 3
Community
- Question: None this week!
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- Kristoffer Amundsen – $5/month
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to our supporters:
- Jake Crawford – 7 packs!
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Scott Lantz on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: The Grand Tournament Review!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: The expansion is out!
The Review Format
- We want to give real, valuable insight into the cards we talk about, but there are too many cards in an expansion to do that for every one.
- So we picked the ones that we think are most important to talk about.
- This week, we’re reviewing class cards!
- For each class, we choose: The best card to CRAFT, DRAFT, and DUST
- We reviewed neutral cards last week
Druid
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This card’s a lot of fun, and leads to some interesting potential. If you silence it, polymorph it, or return it to your hand you get a free Wild Growth!
- Josh says: It blew my mind when someone described this as a Mechwarper that affects all of your cards. I’m sold!
Best to Draft
- Scott says: I think this is very strong card. Its cheap mana cost lets you do other things the turn you cast it. Cast it late in the game on a nasty big minion for best effect.
- Josh says: Yeah, I don’t worry too much about the downside, especially in Arena. Removing their one big threat is a huge play.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: A novelty that won’t pan out very often. Extremely inconsistent, but might be good in some Tavern Brawl someday?
- Josh says: Maybe there’s some discard synergy in the future, where you can draw cards when discard. But in the current game, yeah, I don’t see this ever working out.
Hunter
Best to Craft
- Josh says: Great stats, great scare tactics if they’re worried about Explosive Trap or Frozen Trap.
- Scott says: What’s not to like about a 3/3 taunt beast for 2 mana?
Best to Draft
- Josh says: We finally have a beast replacement for the boring ol’ Bloodfen Raptor! Even at 50% proc chance, this is solid value.
- Scott says: Hoo boy, this guy’s great! A 3/2 beast with tremendous upside.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: I don’t get it. I see some minor synergies and a ton of RNG. There are so many things to spend 6 mana on that don’t murder your tempo.
- Scott says: Only useful in the slowest of slow decks.
Mage
Best to Craft
- Josh says: He fits really well into Spell Power decks, but unlike Malygos has the inherent value to be solid in almost any Mage deck. Fun to play.
- Scott says: Arcane Missiles gets overlooked a lot as a spell, but getting 3 of them in hand is far better than an avenging wrath. It’s cheaper, does more damage, can be broken up over turns, gets additional spell damage boosts, and fires multiple spell triggers. And his stats aren’t bad to begin with.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: I love this card. Great on defense and offense, cheaper than Polymorph: Sheep! Fun fact: It resets the attack counter on your minion. I’ve won games by casting it twice on a single minion for immediate 8 damage.
- Scott says: Versatile? Yes. Efficient? No. Its costs are high no matter how you look at it. I am less a fan than most.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: Mages already have better, cheaper ways to kill minions, that aren’t so restrictive.
- Scott says: The ultimate giant-killer, but I’d much rather just have a Fireball. The inability to hit your opponent sets this card back a lot.
Paladin
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This little guy almost always pulls his weight. He’s a lightning rod, but that’s because he’s quite good. It’s especially fun when he makes another Murloc Knight. Fun Fact: Shaman can get this guy too from Neptulon.
- Josh says: Paladin is getting a lot of great tools to keep their board full, and this is the most interesting, fun one.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Combines with a smaller minion to make a huge unexpected punch, and leaves a big-attack threat that your opponent still needs to clean up.
- Josh says: I’m less sold on this card due to its situational use, but it will definitely shine in some cases. Removal that leaves a threat behind the opponent has to deal with.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: I do actually use this in some situations, but it’s not a good card. You’re generally better off saving for a more powerful weapon.
- Josh says: Paladin already has plenty of good weapons. You don’t need to gamble on a bad one.
Priest
Best to Craft
- Scott says: As long as you’re willing to wait to cast him until you have a dragon, he’s a great deal.
- Josh says:You almost always have a dragon in starting hand in a real dragon deck. 20% more stats that vanilla, plus Taunt! This guy simply breaks the usual balance. This is Blizzard telling you to play Dragon Priest.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Lightwarden and Light of the Naruu showed these effects can be quite powerful, and here it’s added to a cost-efficient body that can survive more easily. This is a scary, scary card.
- Josh says: Yeah, the trouble with heal-scaling cards like this previously has been that they all die to 1 or 2 cost removal. This card changes that and makes the archetype scary again!
Best to Dust
- Scott says: It’s at its best when combined with spells that trigger from healing effects, or with Auchenai Soulpriest.
- Josh says: Priest already has too many ways to heal, and not enough safe ways to benefit from it. This just isn’t worth a card spot by itself.
Rogue
Best to Craft
- Josh says: It’s slim pickins on the Rogue list this expansion. This guy at least has a lot of interesting potential for trigger Combo effects, but his 2/2 stats hold him back.
- Scott says: The trick is being able to attack with him at least once. If you can, you’ll get a coin as a reward, which in turn will help trigger other combo effects. Makes an especially good Turn 1 (w/ coin) play if your opponent didn’t cast a 2/1.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: I enjoy this effect. It’s worked well in Priest and should work well in control Rogue. On-paper card advantage and some fun surprise plays.
- Scott says: Class cards are generally pretty good, and you can’t get stuck w/ dead weapon-enhancing spells like other classes.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: I was super excited for this card until I learned about all the things NOT in the card text. If you mill the card, it doesn’t spawn a 4/4. They draw a new card when they draw this, so you aren’t preventing draw. So it’s meant for non-mill control rogue? No thanks.
- Scott says: Too many conditions!
Shaman
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This effect ranges from fine to great. There are currently 8 possibilities — half from the hero power and half that are from actual cards.
- Josh says:Yeah, and even the worst totem RNG still makes this card a great play. A lot of shaman decks just need bodies on the board.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Insaaaane. So good.
- Josh says: He wants to fight any minion played in the first 3 turns. And he’ll win almost every time!
Best to Dust
- Scott says: Very expensive — basically makes you skip your next turn. And you kill your own stuff too. Not a fan.
- Josh says: Yeah, this card is confused. It takes the worst parts of Hellfire and Lightning Storm, combines them together, and then jacks up the mana cost.
Warlock
Best to Craft
- Josh says:Fun. Fun. Fun. I really wanted this card to be viable, and I’m so glad people have found a way to make it work. This will be relevant and fun to play with for years to come.
- Scott says: By himself, not great. Also susceptible to silence and polymorph effects. Needs to be in a combo of some sort to be worth much.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: He’s risky, and sometimes too dangerous to even play late-game. But strong board control early. Similar to a Flame Imp.
- Scott says: Too much of a liability IMO.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: How lucky are you feeling? You’d need to hit the jackpot on RNG every since time you played this for it to be worth running in a deck.
- Scott says: There may be times when this is the one card that would win you the game. But most of the time, it will be too expensive to justify.
Warrior
Best to Craft
- Scott says: Assuming it fires, this is quite good. Is Warrior Dragon a thing yet?
- Josh says:It’s not ready for primetime yet, but Blizzard obviously wants Dragon Warrior to be a thing. And with all the strong control cards Warrior already has, I can see it getting real big with a few more cards. Compare this to Wolf Rider!
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Amazing if it survives, but it’s a bit hard to kill. Can be a 3-for-1 if it lives a turn.
- Josh says: Hard to kill? This guy is as easy to kill as a Wrathguard, and he drops two turns later! Maybe in Arena he stands a chance of living to attack once.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: You’ve got to be pretty desperate for whirlwind effects to want one to happen outside of your control at some random point in the game.
- Josh says: Haha yeah, I see this effect accomplish nothing most of the time. In the right deck, it is more likely to help you than hurt you, but too out of control for the control deck that wants it.
Community
- Question: None this week!
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- No donations this week
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to our supporters:
- Jake Crawford: 7 Packs
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Scott on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
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Saturday Sep 05, 2015
Saturday Sep 05, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: The Grand Tournament Review!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: The expansion is out!
The Review Format
- We want to give real, valuable insight into the cards we talk about, but there are too many cards in an expansion to do that for every one.
- So we picked the ones that we think are most important to talk about.
- This week we’re covering all of the neutral cards
- Look at each rarity level separately: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary
- For each tier, each host chooses: The best card to CRAFT, DRAFT, and DUST
- Next episode: Class cards!
Neutral Cards – Common
Best to Craft
- Josh says: 5 stats for 2 mana is right on Vanilla, but this gives you a lot of cool combo opportunities with tough, low-attack minions.
- Scott says: Lots of opportunity with the +2 attack. It has ‘haste’, and can go especially well on minions with other abilities like Divine Shield, Taunt, or Windfury.
- Scott says: Cool opportunity to flesh out a weenie token deck in any class, but the Paladin synergy is especially strong.
- Josh says: Not a Paladin class card! Tons of fun potential here. Eek, that armor art.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: Cheap removal that leaves a body behind, or a late-game Charge surprise. Love the versatility.
- Scott says: The little guy that could! 3 mana is a lot to pay for such puny stats, but he packs a surprisingly strong punch.
- Scott says: As long as you can target two other minions with him, he roughly breaks even. More than that, and you’re at a pretty clear profit. Can combine with other inspire minion-generators (like Silver Hand Regent) for good times!
- Josh says: He eats a banana while jousting? This guy is insane! Strong effect that forces your opponent to answer immediately.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: If you want those 2/3 stats on a 1-cost, there are already better, more reliable options.
- Scott says: Agreed. And you’d think he’d want to be in a joust deck. Except he makes joust decks worse. So his proper place, if it even exists, is rather limited.
- Scott says: Hey, look! They took Goldshire Footman (a card already made fun of for how bad it is) and they made it even more susceptible to hero-power removal. That doesn’t seem like a step up.
- Josh says: This card is named after someone not good enough to participate in the tournament! That should be a sign. Maybe in Warrior Taunt decks, but that’s it.
Neutral Cards – Rare
Best to Craft
- Josh says: I don’t love this card, but there aren’t many good rares in this set. Some cool potential for next-turn combos in Hero-Power decks, though.
- Scott says: Keep in mind this ability will wait until you want to use it. So it can allow you to cast an inspire minion on curve and activate its ability. For some minions, this can make a big difference.
- Scott says: He ranges from slightly overcosted to insaaaane. Make sure he’s in the right deck and he’ll fire more than 50% of the time.
- Josh says: Yeah, when he works, he will wrestle board control from anything at its cost level. When he doesn’t, he’s still an okay body. How much do you want to rely on RNG?
Best to Draft
- Josh says: Right after saying I’m not a fan of Joust, here’s one I’ll pick in draft! It’s slim pickings in Rares this set, but this guy is a great desperate play with huge upside when trying to close out the game or remove a big threat.
- Scott says: Yeah, his stats are pretty reasonable for his cost, especially if you can protect him with taunt or something. If you can manage to fire his charge, so much the better. 5 damage charge is something that would normally be very expensive.
- Scott says: The effect isn’t great, but it’ll matter sometimes, especially against some classes. Given that its stats are totally on curve, the bonus is pure upside. The fewer cards your opponent has in hand, the more likely this is to prevent them from using their hero ability, especially in arena.
- Josh says: Tiny little Loatheb. Weird card, but against some classes, preventing the hero power can be a big deal. Be willing to “throw away” the hero-power perk and play him on curve if it’s safe.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: Same amount of stats as Boulderfist Ogre (same cost), but with MUCH worse distribution. And a 50% chance to screw up your plans every turn. No thanks!
- Scott says: What Josh said. They took a vanilla creature, made it worse, then made it worse again.
- Scott says: In a world where it’s easy to get 2/3s with upside for 2 mana, it’s hard to understand why you’d want to have such a strong limitation on a card where that upside is one more health. This card is horrible.
- Josh says: You get 1 bonus stat for the huge downside here. Not even close to worth it.
Neutral Cards – Epic
Best to Craft
- Josh says: It’s not for every deck, but in Spell Damage mage, this is a 6/4 for 3 mana. Pretty insane. The bottom isn’t that low either – 4/2 for 3 isn’t that bad.
- Scott says: It’s worth noting this will only fire once at most, but in a deck that has a lot of spell damage, this is certainly a good deal.
- Scott says: Even without other hero power cards to synergize with, this can still be a strong card. Hunter, for example, wants to hit face however it can, and this allows another 2-point shot straight to the face. Rogue is really the only class where this is a total dud.
- Josh says: I haven’t gotten enough cards to build a real Hero Power deck, but he’s an absolute staple there.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: Let’s butt heads, Scott! I think this card is pretty strong, especially in a format with less instant removal on-hand. One activation puts you way ahead of Vanilla (assuming you get innate value from your hero power already).
- Scott says: Well, one activation is 8 mana for a 6/10 + hero power effect, which is arguable right on curve. Personally I’d rather have a Chromagnus or Kel’Thuzad. But if you can get multiple activations, he certainly gets out of control quickly.
- Scott says: The thing I find interesting about this guy is that he’s the only guy who can repeatedly put minions into your hand. This can let you trigger cards like Knife Juggler, or fill the board quickly in one turn if that’s of value to you.
- Josh says: You’re going to have to convince me on this one, Scott. 8 total mana for 7/6 stats and a Hero Power. Seems like a slow Silver Hand Knight. Although 5 Attack/Health does seem to be the magic number this set.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: I’ve never once said to myself, “Gee, I wish I had a crappy version of Questing Adventurer in my hand right now.” Trap card!
- Scott says: I feel the same way. Luckily he doesn’t start at as much of a stat disadvantage as QA, but he certainly won’t grow as quickly either.
- Scott says: You must really hate your own ability if at deckbuilding time you think that stealing another random class’s ability will be an upgrade. I could possibly see this ability on a vanilla creature, but you won’t catch me paying a 1-mana premium for it.
- Josh says: Pretty lame this doesn’t work against Adventure bosses. I would love to see more PVE-focused cards with effects like this. As-is, a fun trick that won’t ultimately do much.
Neutral Cards – Legendary
Best to Craft
- Josh says: I wrote this before I opened her in my packs! I was so happy! Spider Tank body with a super powerful perk. I’ll play this in almost every control deck, even if I can’t proc it a bunch. It’s a great body that can get low killing minions and still force out removal.
- Scott says: Spare parts are a pretty cheap and plentiful way of activating her, but Priest, Druid, and Paladin have lots of good choices too. All upside, no downside. Worst case, you have a non-mech Spider Tank.
- Scott says: Chaaaaarge! That alone is worth the price of admission. Not sure if pirate decks are truly competitive yet, but this certainly helps step it up a notch.
- Josh says: The cap’n is trying to make it happen. This card feels like it’s singlehandedly trying to drag all those crappy Pirate cards into the meta. Such a strong card, but only craft it if you want to craft ALL the other Pirates too.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: Solid body and a super fun Inspire effect. Save him until Turn 7 unless you’re super desperate.
- Scott says: Being able to repeatedly draw a spell is pretty good, especially in decks that reward spell-casting. Since all spells are class-specific and class-specific cards are better on average than neutral minions, these will tend to be above-average cards. But like all inspire effects, it’s a bit ‘win-more’.
- Scott says: Not only is he fun, but if the game drags out a bit, you’ll get significant mileage from him over time.
- Josh says: You’ll likely use your Hero power more in Arena. Should get lots of value out of it.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: You should have much better things to do with 6 mana than summon an overcosted minion who has a 50% chance of making you waste your next Turn casting him again.
- Scott says: I don’t hate this guy quite so much — I gave him a 4 in my own set review. Yes, he’s overpriced by 1 mana per summon, but in a top-deck scenario he can easily tilt the game in your favor. Try to keep him to decks where he’s likely to win the joust.
- Scott says: He’s good at helping you stay alive a little longer. But he’s bad at helping himself stay alive since your opponent can just attack your face instead of him, and take no retaliation damage. I’ve seen him used to good effect, but only in a priest deck that purposefully shored up his weaknesses through lots of healing and buffing.
- Josh says: Aww, now you’re just trying to make me feel bad, Scott. This was the first Legendary I opened!
Community
- Question: Gareth: Tavern Brawl cards
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- Brett: $50
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to supporters:
- Jake Crawford: 7 Packs
- Brett: 25 Packs
- Mike Burgess: 25 Packs
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Scott on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Thursday May 21, 2015
Thursday May 21, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: Blackrock Mountain Class Cards Review
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: None
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)
Druid Cards
Druid of the Flame
- Josh says: I wouldn’t run either of these minions in my druid deck (a 5/2 for 3 or a 2/5 for 3). I guess it gets a slight bonus for flexibility, but flexibility between 2 bad options isn’t very enticing.
- Scott says:Both forms are beasts, so they enable Druid of the Fang. Both forms are suboptimal stat configurations, but at least you get a choice. And 5/2 isn’t so bad if you have taunt, which Druid has the most of.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Volcanic Lumberer
- Scott says:Compares favorably to Ironbark Protector. Would work well with AoE or possibly Force of Nature. In a combo, could make Poison Seeds not the worst card in the game anymore.
- Josh says: You can now run 4 copies of Ironbark Protector. Druid already owned the title for best late-game minions. Now there’s absolutely no questioning.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Hunter Cards
Quick Shot
- Josh says: Nice and solid. 3 damage to any source for 2 mana will always be viable.
- Scott says:Identical to Darkbomb, but a bit better. I like it much better than Arcane Shot, as it packs a bigger punch, is still super cheap, and has potential upside. Very rarely triggers its ability, even if you build for it..
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Core Rager
- Scott says: I’ve found it doesn’t fire very often at all. I just don’t really want a card that only delivers vanilla-or-better value 10-20% of the time.
- Josh says: Yeah, I had hoped this would fire a lot more than it does in practice. The text might as well not exist from my experience — it often encourages you to overextend and make bad plays just to proc it, negating any benefit you got from the effect.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 2
Mage Cards
Flame Walker
- Josh says: Exactly the minion stats that a mage control deck wants on turn 3. Mage will be proccing this effect constantly if the enemy doesn’t remove it quickly. Coin + Arcane Missile combo will be great fun (Mana Wyrm 2.0)
- Scott says:Two-thirds of a free Arcane Missiles just for casting another spell? Yes please! Breaks even after one activation, and has a really good stat configuration for what it does. We’ll be seeing a lot of this guy.
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 5
Dragon’s Breath
- Scott says:As if Mages needed more direct damage, or Flamestrike needed to get better through a new combo… Very cost-inefficient in its base form, but is already better than Shadow Bolt if 2 minions died that turn.
- Josh says: I’m not a fan at all. I’d almost always rather have Frostbolt (2 mana for 3 damage and freeze) or Flamecannon (2 mana for 4 damage to random enemy minion). This card asks way too much.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 2
Paladin Cards
Dragon Consort
- Josh says: Hunter owned the Deathrattle deck, Paladins will own the Dragon deck — and this card is a part of that reason. This card has value that is absolutely OFF THE CHARTS in a dragon deck. At worst, it’s a 5/5 for 3 mana, but it’s so much more than that. It means getting Nefarian, Chromaggus, or Alexstrasza on the very next turn (6) (with coin). That’s crazy tempo that also leaves a bigger lightning rod than the 5/5 on the table.
- Scott says:Note that the Dragon doesn’t have to be played that turn. You sacrifice half of one mana in the short-term for potentially big long-term gain.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 5
Solemn Vigil
- Scott says:Yes please! Great when trading, or when killing things off with AoE. Need to have 2 minions to die on your turn to achieve parity with Arcane Intellect.
- Josh says: That’s just one trade for parity, and with Paladin’s Equality + Consecrate cards in every deck, it’s likely to get more. My only caveat is that if I’m looking for card advantage, I’m not sure I want this over Blessing of Wisdom or Hammer of Wrath.
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 3
Priest Cards
Twilight Whelp
- Josh says: I don’t like Dragon Priest very much at all, so I’m already a bit down on this card. I think I’d almost always be happier dropping Northshire Cleric or Lightwarden on turn 1 — at least those are lightning rods for enemy removal.
- Scott says:Compares to Zombie Chow. Minor impact card, and not horribly reliable. Doesn’t play nice with Resurrect. I don’t see myself playing this.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Resurrect
- Scott says:Will tend to favor cheap minions. The later you cast it, the better. If average minion cost is well above 2, becomes somewhat cost-efficient. Should probably always toss it back on mulligan. Loves Injured Blademaster.
- Josh says: This one is intriguing, and one of those cards that I value higher for it’s fun value. In the right late-game control deck, this card is guaranteed value. Even if you use it after the first minion dies on turn 3, it can still pay out. This won’t always boom, but it will almost never flop. (note: Friendly minions only)
- Arena Score: 3
- Constructed Score: 4
Rogue Cards
Gang Up
- Josh says: You taught me the FUN of this card, Scott. But I’m still not really afraid of it. Feels like a waste of mana most games — it’s so hard to get a feeling for its tangible benefit in matches.
- Scott says: Would you cast a spell that said: “(2) — Do nothing, except rebuild your deck a little”? Because that’s what this does under normal circumstances. Only wants to be in very specific decks, like Mill Rogue
- Arena Score: 0
- Constructed Score: 2
Dark Iron Skulker
- Scott says: Oprah says: “Free Backstabs for everyone!” Unfortunately, the effect adds 2 mana to the casting cost, so you want to get at least one activation from it. Great against aggro decks.
- Josh says: Yeah, I think this guy is there purely to give you more answers to aggro and he is amazing at that. Even chopping down on Raptor makes him worth it (he feels a bit like the Stampeding Kodo, with way more upside). In the right scenarios, it’s a Consecrate with a body attached!
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Shaman Cards
Lava Shock
- Josh says: I’m still so hooked on Mech Shaman that I haven’t built an Overload deck to try this one yet. It feels like it’s a bit out of the meta right now, but it’s a step in the right direction for Overload decks.
- Scott says:This combines with Unbound Elemental to make Overload decks more of a thing. Particularly inefficient if it doesn’t unlock some overload
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 3
Fireguard Destroyer
- Scott says:Hoo boy. Yes. I’ll take it. It averages out to a 5.5 / 6 that’s castable on turn 4. Plays well in an overload synergy deck.
- Josh says: I want 10 of these in my deck.
- Arena Score: 5
- Constructed Score: 4
Warlock Cards
Demonwrath
- Josh says: This card brought my Demon Warlock deck back to the top of my playlist. Makes sure aggro is a non-issue for Demonlock decks, and is tremendous value for a class that simply doesn’t get no-downside AoE removal. Bonus synergy with Nerubian Egg (which demonlock loves to play)
- Scott says:If you’re not playing a demon-heavy deck, don’t bother. Compares to Hellfire or Consecrate. Good to use with Nerubian Egg!.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 4
Imp Gang Boss
- Scott says:Very similar to (but probably a bit better than) Imp Master, with this having demon synergy and 1 extra attack.
- Josh says: Must-have in demonlock decks, and still great stats anywhere else. Warlocks get plenty of opportunity to ping this for damage, and I usually get 2 imps out of it (4/6 total stats for 3 mana)
- Arena Score: 4
- Constructed Score: 4
Warrior Cards
Revenge
- Josh says: I don’t really get this card. Above 12 health, it’s an overcosted Whirlwind. Below 13 health, it’s a cheap Hellfire. I just can’t find a Warrior deck that wants either of those.
- Scott says:I like having more Whirlwind effects in Warrior. Problem is, this costs more and I’m not really interested in its 3-damage clause as it will kill most things w/ Enrage or on-damage triggers. So I think I like this less than Whirlwind, and Whirlwind was already worse than the other cards with that effect. I doubt I’ll ever play this.
- Arena Score: 1
- Constructed Score: 1
Axe Flinger
- Scott says:Now we’re talking! Seems outstanding in an Enrage/Whirlwind-style deck, especially w/ Rampage. Doesn’t help you do any one specific thing well (control or punching face), but the sum total of both things is great value.
- Josh says: This is the card Enrage Warrior decks want. I completely agree: it’s a great mix of fun and strength.
- Arena Score: 2
- Constructed Score: 3
Community
- Josh: How have your opinions changed on the Neutral cards since last episode?
- iTunes Reviews
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