Hopefully this week I can actually give feedback and submit my card on time.
Flavor wise he is a wannabe adventurer, but chickens out and runs away when things get scary. I was looking for art with someone cowering behind their shield, but I couldn't find anything. If anyone has any art like that I would love to see it.
I wanted to bring Demon Hunters back to the Demon Hunter class for FitB, instead of the pretty strange use of the Quillboar. This acts as like a Stormstrike for Demon Hunters, being pretty decent midgame removal/face damage/board presence.
At now, unfortunately, I don't have a riddle. Until that time when it will finally begin. Even one look enough to see how is little it, How to solve that riddle and who will win.
I figure most people will do a minion, so I went another way:
It costs the same as Gather Your Party, but I think I can get away with it because they have different uses. Frenzy minions are not "Big"-archetype minions, so you're not necessarily cheating mana; it might even be for a loss, if you're not counting the Frenzy-proc in the total cost.
Edit: I also made this Hero card, keeping the effect as a Battlecry to be more unique than just "Gather Your Party+". Minions pulled from the Battlecry are still at full Health, meaning they can trigger their Frenzy again after they take damage like normal. Like, say, from the Hero Power :D Unfortunately I couldn't think of a more creative HP, but it goes so well with the overall Frenzy playstyle that I think it should be fine.
One side-effect of getting most of my favorites in the game already is that my general enthusiasm for the new champions isn't as high as it could be :/ I like Irelia decently, but Malphite and Zilean are whatever.
I want to start by saying I don't mind Demon Hunter at the moment. Its power is fine now that Twin Slice and Blade Dance are gone, so I don't harbour any of the hate I had for the class that I did throughout the Year of the Phoenix.
Nevertheless, I still keep wondering why the class needs to exist, especially from an archetype/mechanics viewpoint. I had hoped that within a year it would be given something that makes it feel truly distinct, but as it stands everything it does is just a slight twist on what other classes could do if they were given the tools, if they don't already do basically the same thing. Let's break down DH's archetypes and mechanics to see what I mean:
It wasn't long before rogue and warrior were given a hefty weapon package in Scholomance, and in DMF shaman joined in with their Enhancement cards. Come Barrens, and rogue has massive weapons that look and feel a lot like DH's attack buffs.
Even without all the fancy stuff, rogue's hero power has been silently begging for cards that synergise with your hero attacking since 2014. Blizzard just never made the cards. It's not a class identity thing either, because most of DH's weapon attack synergy cards would look perfectly sensible in rogue.
Big demons
Warlock...
OK, so you could argue that warlock's class identity prohibits it from getting the burst damage that many of DH's big demons do. Fine, but they don't really need to be demons. You could make exactly the same cards with the beast tribe instead and hand them to hunter. Or maybe make them mechs, or elementals, or dragons etc. Its not difficult to find another appropriate class for the effect if you just switch out the tribe.
Token decks
Surprisingly not druid, because druid's token decks always use mass board buffs and minions buffs are one of the few things DH can't do.
However, what other class has token decks but (almost) no board buffs? Hunter! We can ignore the fact Unseal the Vault buffs the whole board because you usually only press that button once so it's really just 1 big bit of burst damage. What we can't ignore is that Swarm of Locusts is literally just a slightly bigger Command the Illidari, or that they shared token synergy cards in Scholomance.
Tempo deathrattles
The Barrens deathrattle cards could easily have been given to rogue or hunter, and no one would have been shocked. We would all have just gone "Ooh, deathrattle rogue/hunter has a new look."
Lifesteal burst/OTK
OK, so here I admit the other classes with lots of lifesteal would be very weird with Il'gynoth, since all of paladin, priest and warlock are awful at burst damage (at least in Standard). That said, Il'gynoth really just makes an OTK deck, and to be honest it doesn't matter much that the lifesteal keyword is involved. It still follows the process of: stay alive; draw the deck; play ~5 cards and win.
Basically what I'm saying here is that we didn't need DH for another OTK archetype to exist. It could have just been re-branded to fit the theme of another class and the world would turn much the same.
Soul fragments
Warlock... (I don't even need to add anything this time.)
Outcast
Finally, something truly unique to DH! It has one teeny tiny problem though, and is the main reason big demon DH never took off and bonkers cards like Coilfang Warlord are never played: outcast strongly disincentivises playing anything expensive. The end result that outcast isn't a DH mechanic so much as it is an aggro DH mechanic. The trouble is, when the strongest staple cards have outcast (as they would be because the very point of outcast cards is that they are powerful when the condition is met), all DH decks are going to want to use them, rendering entire supported archetypes worthless.
Outcast would be so much better as a mechanic used infrequently to support aggro decks without being central to the class. At that point it could easily be slipped into one of the other classes as their flavour for a year or so. So rather ironically, I think the one thing that truly does set DH apart would be better off as something that didn't.
Concluding remarks
Sadly, the most I can say to justify DH's existence at this point is that at least it meant the other classes could be pushed in other directions. They often went in roughly the same direction anyway, but I suppose that's not DH's fault.
I'm not optimistic about the class' ability to diversify this year while it is still dominated by the staples and design choices from the Year of the Phoenix, but maybe next year the rotation will herald a new era in which HS has 10 meaningfully different classes.
LoR's official twitter included a few sentences which might be significant:
Runeterra is in turmoil! The void threatens invasion and Noxian warships set sail for Ionia’s shores. Change your fate on May 5th in Guardians of the Ancient! More spoiler season content to come!
Seems like a really fun deck! I can't wait to try it once I get my second Primordial Protector from the rewards track that I'm still missing.
Thanks for taking the time to check this out!
I think the original list was a little more fun, but I tried to optimize it today after some more playtesting so that you have a better chance of making it to Turn 10 to praise Yogg (see the new notes at the top of the guide).
The biggest change was dropping Nagrand Slam as the 10-mana minion pool often results in a large pile of stats that the enemy can ignore, while the 8-mana pool offers the same but with more proactive options (and then you can play Jewel of N'Zoth immediately on the next turn whether you coin out Primordial Protector or not).
I hope you have fun with it and feel free to drop a comment with any changes you make!
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
The Vines are coming from the magic of the Field Musicians. Each mini-set has exactly 3 champions so Zyra is definitely not coming
The Pepper Thread - Share Some Good Vibes!
Finally hit Legend for the first time. I feel super happy. 6 freakin years. Lol.
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
Hopefully this week I can actually give feedback and submit my card on time.
Flavor wise he is a wannabe adventurer, but chickens out and runs away when things get scary. I was looking for art with someone cowering behind their shield, but I couldn't find anything. If anyone has any art like that I would love to see it.
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
I wanted to bring Demon Hunters back to the Demon Hunter class for FitB, instead of the pretty strange use of the Quillboar. This acts as like a Stormstrike for Demon Hunters, being pretty decent midgame removal/face damage/board presence.
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
At now, unfortunately, I don't have a riddle.
Until that time when it will finally begin.
Even one look enough to see how is little it,
How to solve that riddle and who will win.
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
I figure most people will do a minion, so I went another way:
It costs the same as Gather Your Party, but I think I can get away with it because they have different uses. Frenzy minions are not "Big"-archetype minions, so you're not necessarily cheating mana; it might even be for a loss, if you're not counting the Frenzy-proc in the total cost.
Edit: I also made this Hero card, keeping the effect as a Battlecry to be more unique than just "Gather Your Party+". Minions pulled from the Battlecry are still at full Health, meaning they can trigger their Frenzy again after they take damage like normal. Like, say, from the Hero Power :D Unfortunately I couldn't think of a more creative HP, but it goes so well with the overall Frenzy playstyle that I think it should be fine.
Oh and Gargok is a real NPC from the Barrens, and is a wolf-rider like in the art I chose.
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Nope. It's a legendary card.
Give me some time. I try to rephrase it.
It's not Insight, but the answer is in sight.
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
And as a bonus for me, never having played LoL, I have no reason NOT to be excited for new Champs.
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
One side-effect of getting most of my favorites in the game already is that my general enthusiasm for the new champions isn't as high as it could be :/ I like Irelia decently, but Malphite and Zilean are whatever.
At this point it's Vel'koz or bust for me!
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Awesome riddle, breaking the fourth wall. However the English is a little misleading, especially the third line.
Is this what it is meant to be?
At this time i don't have any riddle.
In time my riddle will begin.
Soon you'll know how little it is,
How to solve it and who will win.
maybe it is Insight?
Legendaries Of Runeterra - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
Aww man, I was the first-place finalist but lost anyway; this feels like the third or fourth time that's happened :(
All well. Congratulations to FenrirWulf :)
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Nope
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
His bark is worse than his bite.
The effect is probably a bit too boring, so I'll try something else tomorrow.
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron?
Duels Shaman Spell Damage
What's the 16th card?
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
I just want Poppy and Galio in this game
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
I did quite enjoy the last comp, but it does feel nice to go back to something Hearthstone.
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Nope
'Tis But A Scratch - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread
Competition Theme: 'Tis But A Scratch
It's time to weather the storm! Show us some cards that really know how to take a beating.
ChickyChick is finally taking us on our long overdue tour of the Barrens. Hey, what's that mechanic over there?
As always, I can be reached through Discord or here on the site via PM if you have any issues to report.
Competition Phases
Here are the phases of this card design competition
Discussion Thread Rules
No thread rules were added to this season. Please populate and manually edit this thread with them.
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
Of course not, Noxus already got a new champion this expansion, but well be getting more Noxian cards.
Does DH have a good reason to exist yet?
I want to start by saying I don't mind Demon Hunter at the moment. Its power is fine now that Twin Slice and Blade Dance are gone, so I don't harbour any of the hate I had for the class that I did throughout the Year of the Phoenix.
Nevertheless, I still keep wondering why the class needs to exist, especially from an archetype/mechanics viewpoint. I had hoped that within a year it would be given something that makes it feel truly distinct, but as it stands everything it does is just a slight twist on what other classes could do if they were given the tools, if they don't already do basically the same thing. Let's break down DH's archetypes and mechanics to see what I mean:
Hero attacks
Even at the time DH appeared, multiple classes had direct synergy for the hero attacking: warrior had Hack the System, Armored Goon and Galakrond, while druid had Secure the Deck and Gonk, the Raptor had only just rotated out.
It wasn't long before rogue and warrior were given a hefty weapon package in Scholomance, and in DMF shaman joined in with their Enhancement cards. Come Barrens, and rogue has massive weapons that look and feel a lot like DH's attack buffs.
Even without all the fancy stuff, rogue's hero power has been silently begging for cards that synergise with your hero attacking since 2014. Blizzard just never made the cards. It's not a class identity thing either, because most of DH's weapon attack synergy cards would look perfectly sensible in rogue.
Big demons
Warlock...
OK, so you could argue that warlock's class identity prohibits it from getting the burst damage that many of DH's big demons do. Fine, but they don't really need to be demons. You could make exactly the same cards with the beast tribe instead and hand them to hunter. Or maybe make them mechs, or elementals, or dragons etc. Its not difficult to find another appropriate class for the effect if you just switch out the tribe.
Token decks
Surprisingly not druid, because druid's token decks always use mass board buffs and minions buffs are one of the few things DH can't do.
However, what other class has token decks but (almost) no board buffs? Hunter! We can ignore the fact Unseal the Vault buffs the whole board because you usually only press that button once so it's really just 1 big bit of burst damage. What we can't ignore is that Swarm of Locusts is literally just a slightly bigger Command the Illidari, or that they shared token synergy cards in Scholomance.
Tempo deathrattles
The Barrens deathrattle cards could easily have been given to rogue or hunter, and no one would have been shocked. We would all have just gone "Ooh, deathrattle rogue/hunter has a new look."
Lifesteal burst/OTK
OK, so here I admit the other classes with lots of lifesteal would be very weird with Il'gynoth, since all of paladin, priest and warlock are awful at burst damage (at least in Standard). That said, Il'gynoth really just makes an OTK deck, and to be honest it doesn't matter much that the lifesteal keyword is involved. It still follows the process of: stay alive; draw the deck; play ~5 cards and win.
Basically what I'm saying here is that we didn't need DH for another OTK archetype to exist. It could have just been re-branded to fit the theme of another class and the world would turn much the same.
Soul fragments
Warlock... (I don't even need to add anything this time.)
Outcast
Finally, something truly unique to DH! It has one teeny tiny problem though, and is the main reason big demon DH never took off and bonkers cards like Coilfang Warlord are never played: outcast strongly disincentivises playing anything expensive. The end result that outcast isn't a DH mechanic so much as it is an aggro DH mechanic. The trouble is, when the strongest staple cards have outcast (as they would be because the very point of outcast cards is that they are powerful when the condition is met), all DH decks are going to want to use them, rendering entire supported archetypes worthless.
Outcast would be so much better as a mechanic used infrequently to support aggro decks without being central to the class. At that point it could easily be slipped into one of the other classes as their flavour for a year or so. So rather ironically, I think the one thing that truly does set DH apart would be better off as something that didn't.
Concluding remarks
Sadly, the most I can say to justify DH's existence at this point is that at least it meant the other classes could be pushed in other directions. They often went in roughly the same direction anyway, but I suppose that's not DH's fault.
I'm not optimistic about the class' ability to diversify this year while it is still dominated by the staples and design choices from the Year of the Phoenix, but maybe next year the rotation will herald a new era in which HS has 10 meaningfully different classes.
Runeterra's Guardians of the Ancient Expansion Releases on May 5! New Cards, Trailer, and Details
LoR's official twitter included a few sentences which might be significant:
Chip
ADORABLE. AND THE FLAVOR TEXT. CUTE.
Yogg's Golem
Thanks for taking the time to check this out!
I think the original list was a little more fun, but I tried to optimize it today after some more playtesting so that you have a better chance of making it to Turn 10 to praise Yogg (see the new notes at the top of the guide).
The biggest change was dropping Nagrand Slam as the 10-mana minion pool often results in a large pile of stats that the enemy can ignore, while the 8-mana pool offers the same but with more proactive options (and then you can play Jewel of N'Zoth immediately on the next turn whether you coin out Primordial Protector or not).
I hope you have fun with it and feel free to drop a comment with any changes you make!
New Shurima Card - Clockwork Curator
This card makes all that taliyah package so much better.
taliyah is is still bad though.