The end of the Year of the Gryphon is at its final moments, and with it, Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy, and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will leave the Standard format to join Wild. Therefore, it is time to look back and see what we're going to leave behind when the rotation hits.
For this exact purpose, we present you a series of articles in which the staff of Out Of Cards will share with everyone the cards we'll miss and the ones we'll be glad to not face anymore. This time, we're taking a look at Madness at the Darkmoon Faire and what we're definitely not going to miss the most from that set - enjoy!
In case you missed them, here's what we going or not going to miss from the other Year of the Phoenix sets:
- The Cards We're Going to Miss Plenty When Ashes of Outland Rotates
- The Cards We're Going to Miss Plenty When Scholomance Academy Rotates
- The Cards We're Going to Miss Plenty When Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Rotates
- The Cards We're NOT Going to Miss When Ashes of Outland Rotates
- The Cards We're NOT Going to Miss When Scholomance Academy Rotates
Avalon - Il'gynoth
Has it ever happened to you to just see a card during an expansion's reveal season and your mind goes "nope, not gonna like this one", and then it really happens? That's exactly what occurred with me and Il'gynoth. From the first time I saw it, I knew someone would've found some stupid combo to kill you with, and Mo'arg Artificer (a card that was fine until that point) and Felosophy (which never saw play outside this archetype) brought my fears to life.
I played the crap out of Fel Demon Hunter, but every time Il'gynoth appeared in the competitive format I just dropped the archetype at once as I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I am so glad this unit will rotate, as Standard will have one less unhealthy interaction to deal with, as well as one less combo to boast.
BloodMefist - Sword Eater
There wasn't really a card from Darkmoon that I really hated, but there were certainly a few pain points and Sword Eater takes the top spot for me. Just seeing it in truly every Warrior deck was so eye-rolling-ly annoying due to the sheer power and versatility of it. Great Control card with Taunt and equipping a 3/2 weapon to clear, great Aggro card as a Pirate and equipping a 3/2 weapon to go face, there is never a point in the game where playing the card isn't a good play. It didn't garner a ton of hatred from me compared to cards from other expansions, but I'll be happy to longer hear about his diet high in irrrrron.
Demonxz95 - Nazmani Bloodweaver
I'm sure people who play the card love this card, and that's okay. I can't blame them. Who doesn't like to play their entire hand for practically no Mana? But if you've played against the card, then you'll know exactly how unfun it is to watch your Priest opponent combo everything out of their hand. And it's turn what, 4 or 5? What are you going to do about that? Nothing. You're just doomed.
And yes, I know this doesn't happen every time and some decks are definitely a lot better equipped to deal with it than others, but when it does work, it's just straight up anti-fun.
GoliathTheDwarf - Tickatus
What's worse than accidently burning one of your own cards? How about having your deck depleted of its win conditions by Tickatus. Mixed with an annoying voice line you have to hear as you helplessly watch your key cards getting destroyed before you ever got to draw them, I've also seen it used by people with fatigue decks, a playstyle I really don't like losing to. This is one card that can easily make me hit "Concede" and I'm not sad to see it go.
Linkblade91 - Trampling Rhino
While trying to fight for the board, you can expect the occasional Rush minion to come out and disrupt your intentions. Seeing a buffed Trampling Rhino charge forward and kill you from behind your wall of Taunts is just...sadness personified. You know it's coming as soon as Warsong Wrangler makes an appearance, too: it's just a matter of when. There wasn't too much from Madness at the Darkmoon Faire that bothered me, but this card can go away.
Sule - Oh My Yogg!
Let's not pour one out for Oh My Yogg!, the Paladin Secret that made every game terrible.
It's not just that it's a cheaper Counterspell - because Counterspell just fizzles the spell. There were times when I would have loved for Oh My Yogg to JUST counter my spell. Oh My Yogg was a minefield, because the additional replacement effect meant you literally had no idea what was about to happen, whether good or bad (just kidding, it was almost always bad). It wasn't just that you were denied removal, or healing, or the chance to play the game: you also had to contend with the possibility that your transformed spell might buff one of the Paladin's minions or remove one of your own. It was one of those cards that sounds fun in theory, but once you've plopped it into a Tier 1 deck that can easily push tempo while using it in tandem with other Secrets to frustrate their opponent's ability to get back in the game, what you've got is Grade A bullshit.
Do you agree with our choices? Which cards from Madness at the Darkmoon Faire are you NOT going to miss the most after rotation? Let us know in the comments!
Comments
I will not be sad to see Oh, My Yogg! go away.
And the article about the best cards Rogue is losing is all about 1 mana cards. I played a lot of aggressive rogues with these sets, and I'm going to miss them all.
From this article series I now know that I fall closest to Linkblade91. Never seen him, but my man got it right every time. With both his likes and dislikes.
This expansion didn't ever feel oppressive. The metas that followed are a different story. Looking back, I think the only "bad" thing that came out of DMF was Tickatus but remember there were a lot of Highlander decks during his reign which had many key cards. He was barely pulling any weight during Barrens and was completely forgotten by the time Stormwind came round as Quest Warlock haunted everyone's nightmares.
There's quite a few cards from this expansion that are invaluable to current archetypes. Excited to see what a lot of classes will look like once rotation happens.
Side note: Would be quite cool having articles showcasing the best cards each class is loosing in Year of the Phoenix
Why hello there. Looks like a very solid suggestion: let's see what we can do!