I'm actually going to be updating the crafting guide for standard this week! I had been waiting for nerfs to hit before creating a post for it. I was going to focus on Legendaries, but is the consensus that knowing good Epics is important too?
I'm playing with my Control Rush Galakrond Warrior that aim to control the board while charging the proto-dragon. After fully invoked, finish your opponent by slam face and hit hard with all those buffed minion.
The issue with Zilliax is that it is too expensive and doesn't go through taunts like Lifedrinker. You could certainly have success pushing this down a more Mech-heavy route, but you'd have to cut a few cards and it would be a little bit less of a Face deck and lose a bit of advantage in some of it's heavily-favored matchups (could work, but I haven't tried it).
The new Eternal expansion, Promises by Firelight, is now live. See the patch notes below.
New Features:
The new Promises by Firelight campaign is live! Journey into the past and play through the stories of the Xultan Champions to collect 21 new and exclusive, Expedition-legal cards!
Premium versions of alternate art cards will now be craftable if a player owns four copies of the non-premium alternate art.
Bug Fixes:
Invulnerable VFX should now properly disappear at the end of a turn in some cases.
Promo cards in the Expedition Archive should no longer display the promo rarity when viewed in Collection.
Updated the Overwhelm hanger to include language about defending Sites.
Fixed an issue where echoed cards would incorrectly present face-down and remain on the screen if the hand maximum was surpassed
Users on Switch should now be able to properly submit feedback when using a controller.
Fixed issues with targeting opponent avatars on mobile.
Units that are invulnerable to damage should now properly be affected by the Dinomancy Enthusiast boss power.
Card Fixes:
Fixed an issue where playing Lay Siege in response to an Edict of Linrei could cause game instability.
Soulflame Rider’s cost reduction should now no longer be capped at 3 reductions due to Decimating.
Fixed an issue where Mistrust did not display proper Justice VFX.
Kemmo’s Blueprints cast with Onslaught should now grant the drawn weapon +1/+1 before Echo creates a copy.
Fixed an issue where Borderlands Lookout’s stats did not immediately update when some powers were played.
Vara’s Sanctum’s wording has been updated: “While you have exactly one unit, it has +3 strength, Deadly, and Lifesteal.” Its functionality is unchanged.
Fixed an issue where Karvet, Solar Dragon’s voice lines were cut off by the summon cultists.
Burr-Spore Fern’s text should now be consistent in all languages.
Improved the VFX for Eilyn, the Rising Storm summon effect.
There is always a certain amount of subjectivity in such a list, also by which measure you decide whether something is craftable. For instance, is it worth crafting a very well-performing legendary if it only functions in a single deck with a bunch of other expensive cards (like Raza the Chained)? Or is it better to craft a legendary that's the star of a bunch of different otherwise cheap tier 2 decks (like Leeroy Jenkins)? Because of things like this, everybody would have a different crafting guide. But I think that, as long as the crafting guide is paired with a good explanation why a card is worth crafting or dusting, it would be a valuable addition for new players. It would take a lot more effort and time than a simple copypaste from HSReplay with the most played cards though.
So, a week has passed since the expansion, and now, as the second week starts, the dust has settled (from the recent nerfs) and all the responsible players that do not craft something in the first week now have dust to spare.
In short: what about a crafting guide for the best 'Dragons cards? So that we know which Legendarys and Epics to craft and to dust?
As soon as Dragonbane was announced i wanted to try some sort of Hero Power / Face Hunter. After i saw Toxic Reinforcements i knew this deck will somehow show up in the Standard Meta.
So far i've tried a few different lists - kinda have to find the one i think i can make the legend run with :) - I like the idea building it with Mechs - you think Zilliax has a place in the deck? Maybe cut 1 Lifedrinker for it ?
Yes, they are a little expensive. I think most of them could have potential for some "let's have fun" decks, but nothing jumps out as a must-have (especially for standard).
Corrupt Elementalist probably should have always cost 6. I still think it's a good card at 6. It was just incredibly overtuned at 5.
Sludge Slurper nerf was unexpected, but a good call. The difference between a 2/3 taunt and a 1/3 taunt, or a 3/1 rush and a 2/1 rush is very significant in the first 2-3 turns of the game.
Likewise, the Mogu nerf was very good. Not only is she prevented from coming down as early as turn 3, but there will be fewer targets for her to value trade and mutate when she's played (more likely) on turns 5 and 6. I think the 8-drop/10-drop distinction that I see some people complain about is irrelevant.
I'm not sure how Faceless Corruptor was ever released as a 5-mana 10/8. It's still an incredible card as a 5-mana 8/8, but we've had versions of this card before. And as someone noted below, the breakpoints matter. See Darius Crowley.
I think Shaman has to build itself like a real deck now. It can't be a perverted version of a hero power deck looking to drop 3 bombs during the course of the game. It's too slow for that now.
(1) I wish they'd have preemptively nerfed Apothecary. (2) I think the whelp version of that deck, while good, isn't a problem. (3) the Warbringer version promotes an unfun style of play. (4) with Shaman gone, people can play minions again. (5) It's possible that the Warbringer version is not good in that type of environment.
So I'm willing to wait and see...but still nervous.
Removing Amalgam from HSBG was great. I wish they'd have removed Rafaam instead of Bran. I think the other changes were smart and/or won't really have an impact.
This is a much bigger hit to Shaman than it first appears. Is it worth running this card now on turn 1 where you only get a 1/1 and overload? I am skeptical.
The 2 attack meant you could trade into many potentially concerning 1 or 2 drops you opponent had. Now, they can laugh at your crappy one drop.
If Galakron Shaman is still tier 1 I predict quite a few changes coming to that deck. The early game will need some replacement cards.
The major advantage of this card was it could come down very early, clear an enemy minion, and get the buff into an 8 drop.
Now, it will be harder to even drop the card on the board. I predict this and mutate aren't even played in tier 1 Shaman decks. You need tempo with Galakron Shaman in particular for turns 1-4, before your bigger threats start to come down. The deck will need to adapt.
I'm not sure you can do this kind of "analytics" with the methodology you briefly describe. Mainly because cards aren't created in a vacuum and the stronger cards tend to be highly synergistic with strong decks and/or in relations to standing/future "counter-cards", regardless of their overall "face strength".
To use your example:
Dragon's Pack is a spell, so can be stopped entirely by Counterspell. Scion of Ruin has no such "total" counter.
Additionally, Scion being a dragon means you have an innate tribal synergy (think of all the "if you're holding a dragon" cards or War Master Voone for examples) that you don't account for in your "EV." Also, Dragon Pack synergizes with the Evoke mechanic ONLY, whereas Scion can also synergize with the playing of Galakrond itself - i.e. be drawn/given +4/+4 so then you get three 7/6s with rush for 3 mana.
So to say that the Pack is "1.5 EV stronger" is based on an incomplete methodology.
You're right, but I'm considering the cards as standalones. I'm not taking in consideration synergies or counters.
I've compared 2 cards with the same condition to make a comparasion of their "vanilla" value. I would like to put the focus on the card itself and not on the possible interaction between other cards.
EV stands for Effort Values. They are the values of the body + effects / cost. Each point of DAMAGE and HEALTH has a value of 0,5 EV. Effects values depends from different circumstances such as conditions, targets, downsides, etc. Common ones such as Taunt and Discover are always between 0,5-1 EV.
You can set the EV by doing the Vanilla Test: If the average value of the stats of the card match or exceed the cost, it passes the vanilla test.
For Example: A card that is 3/3 and cost (3*) passes the vanilla test with +0 EV. For the same mana cost, a card that is 3/4 passes the vanilla test as well, but with + 0,5 EV. Lastly, a 4/4 that also cost (3*), has + 1 EV.
I'm not sure you can do this kind of "analytics" with the methodology you briefly describe. Mainly because cards aren't created in a vacuum and the stronger cards tend to be highly synergistic with strong decks and/or in relations to standing/future "counter-cards", regardless of their overall "face strength".
To use your example:
Dragon's Pack is a spell, so can be stopped entirely by Counterspell. Scion of Ruin has no such "total" counter.
Additionally, Scion being a dragon means you have an innate tribal synergy (think of all the "if you're holding a dragon" cards or War Master Voone for examples) that you don't account for in your "EV." Also, Dragon Pack synergizes with the Evoke mechanic ONLY, whereas Scion can also synergize with the playing of Galakrond itself - i.e. be drawn/given +4/+4 so then you get three 7/6s with rush for 3 mana.
So to say that the Pack is "1.5 EV stronger" is based on an incomplete methodology.
Content suggestion: Crafting guide
I'm actually going to be updating the crafting guide for standard this week! I had been waiting for nerfs to hit before creating a post for it. I was going to focus on Legendaries, but is the consensus that knowing good Epics is important too?
Content suggestion: Crafting guide
Don't we actually have a crafting guide here? Albeit has not been updated since RoS..
What decks have you been experimenting with?
I'm playing with my Control Rush Galakrond Warrior that aim to control the board while charging the proto-dragon. After fully invoked, finish your opponent by slam face and hit hard with all those buffed minion.
[Legend] Leprosy SMOrc Hunter
The issue with Zilliax is that it is too expensive and doesn't go through taunts like Lifedrinker. You could certainly have success pushing this down a more Mech-heavy route, but you'd have to cut a few cards and it would be a little bit less of a Face deck and lose a bit of advantage in some of it's heavily-favored matchups (could work, but I haven't tried it).
The Gift Exchange Tavern Brawl Returns!
Swap, removal, rush, charge, deal 4 damage. Sea Giant.
Eternal - Promises by Firelight is LIVE
The new Eternal expansion, Promises by Firelight, is now live. See the patch notes below.
Should the pity timer be lower?
Yeah, I believe it should be lowered. Would definitely be a very nice thing and a good gesture from Blizzard, that's for sure.
Ads in between posts
Same here.
What decks have you been experimenting with?
I have been playing only with Galakrond Rogue since Descent of Dragons' release and I'm still having a lot of fun!!! :)
Ads in between posts
For me the same (even still in this thread).
I also had Ads right between lines in some bluepost quotes. Could not find the specific post, maybe it is already fixed.
Content suggestion: Crafting guide
There is always a certain amount of subjectivity in such a list, also by which measure you decide whether something is craftable. For instance, is it worth crafting a very well-performing legendary if it only functions in a single deck with a bunch of other expensive cards (like Raza the Chained)? Or is it better to craft a legendary that's the star of a bunch of different otherwise cheap tier 2 decks (like Leeroy Jenkins)? Because of things like this, everybody would have a different crafting guide. But I think that, as long as the crafting guide is paired with a good explanation why a card is worth crafting or dusting, it would be a valuable addition for new players. It would take a lot more effort and time than a simple copypaste from HSReplay with the most played cards though.
Content suggestion: Crafting guide
So, a week has passed since the expansion, and now, as the second week starts, the dust has settled (from the recent nerfs) and all the responsible players that do not craft something in the first week now have dust to spare.
In short: what about a crafting guide for the best 'Dragons cards? So that we know which Legendarys and Epics to craft and to dust?
Card Nerf - Corrupt Elementalist
Combined with the Shaman Quest reward, it will have minimal impact, AND makes it a better target for mutate and lackey transformations
Card Nerf - Corrupt Elementalist
Well, still pretty strong - sure it is slower now but because of the double invoke with the rush minions still very good!
Ads in between posts
Also bumping :) i too still have ads in the Posts
[Legend] Leprosy SMOrc Hunter
First of all : Thumbs Up for this deck!
As soon as Dragonbane was announced i wanted to try some sort of Hero Power / Face Hunter. After i saw Toxic Reinforcements i knew this deck will somehow show up in the Standard Meta.
So far i've tried a few different lists - kinda have to find the one i think i can make the legend run with :) - I like the idea building it with Mechs - you think Zilliax has a place in the deck? Maybe cut 1 Lifedrinker for it ?
MTG Arena - Theros: Beyond Death Card Spoilers December 18
Yes, they are a little expensive. I think most of them could have potential for some "let's have fun" decks, but nothing jumps out as a must-have (especially for standard).
16.0.5 Update
Card Nerf - Sludge Slurper
This is a much bigger hit to Shaman than it first appears. Is it worth running this card now on turn 1 where you only get a 1/1 and overload? I am skeptical.
The 2 attack meant you could trade into many potentially concerning 1 or 2 drops you opponent had. Now, they can laugh at your crappy one drop.
If Galakron Shaman is still tier 1 I predict quite a few changes coming to that deck. The early game will need some replacement cards.
Mogu Flashshaper - Nerf or Buff?
Big nerf.
The major advantage of this card was it could come down very early, clear an enemy minion, and get the buff into an 8 drop.
Now, it will be harder to even drop the card on the board. I predict this and mutate aren't even played in tier 1 Shaman decks. You need tempo with Galakron Shaman in particular for turns 1-4, before your bigger threats start to come down. The deck will need to adapt.
Card Nerf - Faceless Corruptor
And you might argue it only loses 10% (since its 2 on a total of 20 stats).
The Balance in HS
You're right, but I'm considering the cards as standalones. I'm not taking in consideration synergies or counters.
I've compared 2 cards with the same condition to make a comparasion of their "vanilla" value. I would like to put the focus on the card itself and not on the possible interaction between other cards.
Reborn Dragon Paladin
yep 72 DoD decks I have lots of free time (:
The Balance in HS
EV stands for Effort Values. They are the values of the body + effects / cost. Each point of DAMAGE and HEALTH has a value of 0,5 EV. Effects values depends from different circumstances such as conditions, targets, downsides, etc. Common ones such as Taunt and Discover are always between 0,5-1 EV.
You can set the EV by doing the Vanilla Test:
If the average value of the stats of the card match or exceed the cost, it passes the vanilla test.
For Example: A card that is 3/3 and cost (3*) passes the vanilla test with +0 EV. For the same mana cost, a card that is 3/4 passes the vanilla test as well, but with + 0,5 EV. Lastly, a 4/4 that also cost (3*), has + 1 EV.
The Balance in HS
I'm not sure you can do this kind of "analytics" with the methodology you briefly describe. Mainly because cards aren't created in a vacuum and the stronger cards tend to be highly synergistic with strong decks and/or in relations to standing/future "counter-cards", regardless of their overall "face strength".
To use your example:
Dragon's Pack is a spell, so can be stopped entirely by Counterspell. Scion of Ruin has no such "total" counter.
Additionally, Scion being a dragon means you have an innate tribal synergy (think of all the "if you're holding a dragon" cards or War Master Voone for examples) that you don't account for in your "EV." Also, Dragon Pack synergizes with the Evoke mechanic ONLY, whereas Scion can also synergize with the playing of Galakrond itself - i.e. be drawn/given +4/+4 so then you get three 7/6s with rush for 3 mana.
So to say that the Pack is "1.5 EV stronger" is based on an incomplete methodology.