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[malchia7hs]

The Witchwood Card Review: Mage

Book of Specters

Build around epic for mage, will be a big driver in minion mage if the deck turns out to be any good. Cheap enough to be played early or fish for something late. Even if it draws 2 spells and 1 minion its still decent value, the downside here is that answers in mage tend to be spells. So you’re not going to fish for lethal with this.

Tempo: -1

Value: +2

Disrupt: 0

Counter-play: 0

Archmage Arugal

Amazing value generator. Effectively a soft-taunt because the value possibilities are so good. Anything that lets you go beyond deck limits has off the charts potential. That it only duplicates minions isn’t even enough to stop this from seeing play in non-minion mage. Being on a body makes it not even that slow of a play. Only downside is that the body is fragile so its easy to remove.

Tempo: +1

Value: +2

Disrupt: +1

Counter-play: -1

Snap Freeze

Combined with glacial shard this is a 3 mana 2 card assassinate. 2 card removal tends not to be strong enough to see play compared to individual cards like fireball/polymorph/etc. This is slightly better in that there’s synergy with other freeze effects as well which mage has in spades.

Tempo: -2

Value: 0

Disrupt: +1

Counter-play: 0

Black Cat

Only thing I don’t like about this card is that it was only printed for mage. This is Azure Drake but better. Obviously has the downside of needing to be in an odd cost deck, but there is a reason azure drake was in every deck. Spell damage, card draw, on a good tempo body is just an amazing package for 3 mana. I don’t care what anyone says, this card will be a staple until it rotates. 3 health body isn’t impossible to deal with, but you do *have* to deal with it or the spell damage will continue to disrupt your play.

Tempo: +2

Value: +2

Disrupt: +1

Counter-play: 0

Cinderstorm

Bigger version of arcane missiles, but not nearly as mana efficient. AM is 3:1 dmg:mana, this is 1.6:1 which would be comparable to fireball, but this is still randomly targeted.

Tempo: +1

Value: -2

Disrupt: -1

Counter-play: 0

Vex Crow

More value generation for mage. Control mage is going to be scary if it finds a way to tie all these generators together. Stat wise there are ~12 weak 2 drops out of 87 total 2 mana minions so ~85% chance to get decent value with every spell cast. Combine this with coin and another spell and you get tons of value. Issues with this card: slow, needs a spell cast immediately to generate enough value for its cost. 

Tempo: -1

Value: +1

Disrupt: +1

Counter-play: -1

Arcane Keysmith

One of the only discover cards in the set, and its a good one. This will absolutely appear in any secret oriented mage deck. Allows you to break deck limits and generate more disruptive secrets that must be played around.

Tempo: +1

Value: +1

Disrupt: +2

Counter-play: 0

Bonfire Elemental

In any elemental mage deck, the build around here is not a problem at all. This is basically free card draw on 5 with an excellent body. Not much to say here.

Tempo: +1

Value: +2

Disrupt: 0

Counter-play: 0

Curio Collector

Anti-priest questing adventurer. It is mildly disruptive in that your opponent will need to remove it before it grows out of control. But by turn 5 that shouldn’t be that difficult for them. Decent card if you’re ahead, bad card if you’re behind.

Tempo: -2

Value: 0

Disrupt: +1

Counter-play: +1

Toki, Time-Tinker

Meme card that is going to make a lot of people super salty, especially if this shows up during a big tournament and helps win a game by pulling a ragnaros, sylvanas, etc. It has a ton of both good and bad possibilities. Standalone effect means it doesn’t have or need synergy with the rest of the deck. 

Tempo: -1

Value: -1

Disrupt: 0

Counter-play: 0

[malchia7hs]

The Witchwood Card Review: Hunter

Hunting Mastiff

This feels like a very strong card in a control oriented deck, or even just something that wants to combo with scavenging hyena. It would also find a home as a counter to 3/2s in an evens deck. Mainly a tempo/control card. Weak stat line hurts the ability to get value trades

Tempo: +2

Value: -1

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: -2

Rat Trap

Another control hunter card, for a class that still doesn’t have card draw. This is an over-value secret with a very difficult trigger. This will have more disruption value than any real expectation of triggering. This feels more like garbage to worsen the pool of spells generated from Rhok’delar than anything anyone would actually play

Tempo: -2

Value: +2

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: -2

Duskhaven Hunter

This could be a good card in a midrange hunter deck, but only because its under-costed. The 2/5 will be good for value trades, the 5/2 will be good for removal. Stealth allows you to choose the trade, but either weak to AoE, or not a big threat.

Tempo: 0

Value: +1

Disruption: 0

Counter-play: 0

Houndmaster Shaw

In a vacuum this is a fantastic card. Its a faster version of tundra rhino with better stats. In Hunter, its still garbage because you gain nothing from it unless it sticks or you play another minion with it. Which doesn’t ever happen in top-deck mode. 

Tempo: -1

Value: +1

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: -1

Toxmonger

This is the card quest hunter always wanted to have. And I think at least one person will give it a try. A deck full of one drops, that combo really well with toxmonger and tundra rhino or event houndmaster shaw. The stat line does make it fairly easy to counter, plenty of removal or minions that can do 4 damage.

Tempo: -1

Value: +1

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: -1

Wing Blast

Arguably the best class card in the set for hunter. This is a control player’s control card with the best upside you could ask for. Also plays well in midrange decks which want to control the board with trades. Especially of note, it doesn’t require a friendly minion to die.

Tempo: +2

Value: 0

Disruption: +2

Counter-play: 0

Dire Frenzy

The other contender for best class card in the set. This is a strong value generator that fights off fatigue in the control matchup and is very mana efficient. Still have to draw those beasts though and we all know what hunter doesn’t have.

Tempo: +1

Value: +2

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: +2

Carrion Drake

Another great addition to midrange hunter decks, doesn’t require a friendly minion to die which fits in perfectly with controlling the board via value trades. Passes vanilla stat test, but more importantly, the poisonous upside makes the high health even more impactful.

Tempo: 0

Value: +1

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: +1

Vilebrood Skitterer

Brode joked that this is like assassinate... except assassinate can hit any damn target it wants. This is easily countered by taunts, and the cost is excessive because of the low health.

Tempo: +1

Value: -2

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: -2

Emeriss

The tradition of garbage legendaries in hunter continues! This card would be absolutely fantastic if hunter had any playable forms of card draw. I would love to live in a world where hunter had multiple cards on turn 10.. as is? this is an activator for other ‘cares about dragon’ cards and basically useless at everything else.

Tempo: -2

Value: +2

Disruption: -2

Counter-play: -2

[malchia7hs]

The Witchwood Card Review: Druid

Witchwood Apple

Resource generation that’s low tempo, but cheap. Effectively 8 mana for 6/6 of stats spread over 3 bodies. Could see play in a token/buff oriented deck as a mid-game option when you’re running low on cards. Cards going into your hand rather than deck improves the value here.

Tempo: -1

Value: +2

Disruption: 0

Counter-play: -1

Witching Hour

Bringing back a dead beast can be a really strong effect if you can get a high cost beast brought back, especially with a deathrattle or charge. Which adds deck building constraints. This would be really strong in a deck that could cheat out a large beast. Its useless on curve and only really good the turn *after* your opponent removed your big beast. Better hope they don’t have a transform effect?

Tempo: +2

Value: +1

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: -2

Druid of the Scythe:

With Fandral gone this card is inherently weaker, but will likely see experimentation in an odds-only deck. Stat line passes the vanilla test in either form. In taunt form its a decent anti-aggro tool, but strictly worse than tar creeper in that role. With the Rush form this card feels more like an answer to a turn 3 animal companion or an anti-priest card sitting in the 4 attack slot.

Tempo: 0

Value: 0

Disruption: 0

Counter-play: -1

Ferocious Howl

This is a huge card. Solid tempo on curve with the potential for big armor swings. This card can save you from lethal late in a game allowing you to draw into answers, or just giving you enough armor to buy time.

Tempo: -1

Value: +2

Disruption: +2

Counter-play: +1

Wispering Woods

Most people underestimate token decks, and this card could be at the heart of one. However with Mark of the Lotus rotated and only power of the wild for synergy its less impressive. Its other inherent weakness is that token decks like to dump their hands, so this is more of a comeback tool, and fairly weak in that role.

Tempo: 0

Value: +1

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: -1

Forest Guide

Decent control card. Guaranteed card draw makes the stat line effectively 7 for 2 mana. Drawing your opponent as well means you stay even heading into fatigue. High health also means either a value trade for you, or premium removal if they want to disrupt it.

Tempo: 0

Value: +2

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: +2

Gloom Stag

Clear call out to the odds deck. In an odds deck its 4/8 taunt worth of stats, which is a big threat vs priest. Probably an auto-include in any odds druid deck. Weak to silence and transform like every other battlecry/taunt minion, but you want something like this to demand their removal so you can protect other assets. Obviously these ratings only apply to an odds deck

Tempo: +2

Value: +2

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: +1

Duskfallen Aviana

This is another gamble card like temporus, feels especially meme-y and not like a serious card at all. The stat line is passable for 5 mana, the effect will be very strong against hunter, who will be top-decking by turn 6, and garbage against any control deck who’s going to thank you for the free 10-drop.

Tempo: -2

Value: 0

Disruption: -2

Counter-play: -2

Bewitched Guardian

Very strong card in odds druid who want to hero power to defend in the early game and draw cards to find their ramp. Being 4 attack makes it strong vs priest removal and having taunt gives immediate board impact. This is especially strong as a turn 10 drop where you can nourish to draw and play guardian in the same turn. Very weak to silence, so will be held down as long as cube lock stays in the meta.

Tempo: +1

Value: +1

Disruption: +1

Counter-play: -2

Splintergraft

I’m not nearly as sour on this as most people. I think its likely to be combo’d with twig of the world tree to play out the 10/10 immediately and it’ll be a decent play in that respect. With the taunts looking to be a central focus for druid in the coming year, I think this will see play.

Tempo: -1

Value: +2

Disruption: -1

Counter-play: 0

That’s all the druid class cards, next up, Hunter!

[malchia7hs]

Hearthstone ratings and me

I’m going to blog out a series of hearthstone card ratings for the new expansion: The Witchwood

Note: The expansion is already out and I’ve opened my packs but haven’t actually played any games with Witchwood cards yet, so this is still an open-minded review.

I don’t like to generalize, so my ratings will be highly specific and have a range from -2 to +2. I’ll include tempo, value, impact, disruption, and counter-play.

Tempo: how aggressive or passive is the card

Value: how efficient is the card for mana spent

Disruption: how likely is the card to disrupt an opponents game plan

Counter-play: how hard is it for my opponent to efficiently counter this card

Intuitively, lower numbers mean a weaker card, higher numbers mean a stronger card.