League of Explorers Review (Neutral) - Episode 62

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!
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