Priest gets quite a makeover with the newly introduced cards, as well as the buffs (and one nerf) to existing cards. Overall, the class certainly looks stronger coming out of all of the changes. For the most part, the buffed cards were good in the arena prior to being tweaked, so they are even stronger now. If I'm being honest, only the Soulpriest and Cleric will be truly missed from the cards heading to the Hall of Fame. As a whole, the net gain is positive when comparing the HoF'd cards to the cards that will replace them. I'm excited to get a priest draft so I can see the effect of these changes.
Priest New Cards: Natalie Seline - 5 - Incredible removal piece that leaves a big body behind in the process. Shadow Word: Ruin - 4 - The low cost makes this quite strong. Even if it only kills one enemy minion, it's assassinate for 1 less mana, because priest doesn't have enough incredible removal. Certainly some downside if you have a 5+ attack minion but should be manageable. Kul Tiran Chaplain - 4 - Top stats for a 2 drop with a great upside when it buffs health. Scarlet Subjugator - 3 - Decent 1 drop with a useful ability but 1 drops aren't all that desirable when drafting. Power Infusion - 4 - Adding +8 stats for 4 mana is good. The extra health buff is always great for Priest to trade and heal. Psychic Conjurer - 3 - High variance for this one so it's tough to score better than average. A 1/1 for 1 is not very good on board, either.
Priest Buffed/Nerfed Cards: Holy Smite - 5 - This improves as a minion removal piece because face burn (reach) is rarely priest's win condition. Shadow Word: Death - 5 - This was great as spot removal and is now cheaper. Thoughtsteal - 4 - This was a decent card that gets a better now that it costs one less. Shadow Madness - 3 - This got a cost reduction, as well, making it a more effective means of removal. Holy Nova - 5 - Wow. This was already a great card that is now cheaper at the expense of 2 points of face damage, which is a very worthwhile trade off. Power Word: Shield - 2 - Another "wow" but for the opposite reason. This was a great card as a 1 mana, +2 health with a cantrip but gets nuked into oblivion in its new form. Temple Enforcer - 5 - He was very strong as a 6 mana 6/6 and is clearly better now as a 5 mana 5/6.
Priest Removed (rotated to Hall of Fame) Cards: Auchenai Soulpriest - A strong card that will be missed. Divine Spirit - A decent card that didn't see tons of play. Holy Fire - A good card that will be missed. Northshire Cleric - She has always been a great 1 drop and will certainly be missed. Prophet Velen - He is a legendary minion that wasn't in decks all that often. Shadowform - Good card that provided some versatility as a strong 2 point ping.
Demon Hunter! It is very exciting to see a new class introduced. I can't wait to give it a try, and start working towards that golden hero portrait.
I'm really curious how the shallow card pool for Demon Hunter (45 class cards) compared to the other classes (~68 each) will impact drafts. Will we see heavy reliance on neutral cards, which will put Demon Hunter at a disadvantage, or will we see "class heavy" drafts that lead to very powerful decks due to the smaller card pool?
Based on the hero power and card sets, I expect this class to play an aggressive game and will draft with that in mind. The class has draw, attack interactions, demon synergy, board control, and some very good early game minions. In general, the biggest impact on the arena environment generally comes from the common and basic cards, as they have higher offering rates in drafts. For this reason, it's important to take a look at common and rare cards in the Basic, Initiate, and Ashes sets. These sets offer many strong, cheap minions for the early game so I expect fast starts from Demon Hunter decks. Then there are some great options for a big finish to close out games, though taunt can impeded those options.
Inner Demon - 4 - Big finisher with the same scale as Pyroblast but can only go face when no taunt is on board. Chaos Nova - 5 - Same scale as Hellfire and a smidge better since that 4 health number kills the very prevalent 3/4 for 3 crowd. Glaivebound Adept - 4 - Fragile but very potent minion. I like it but, realistically, you need to play this on T6 to ensure you get the trigger and if it dies easy then you've paid 6 mana to do 6 points and probably wipe out a minion/spell in trade. Seems good, even in that worst case scenario. Aldrachi Warblades - 4 - Solid weapon with an offset to face damage if you clear with it. Coordinated Strike - 3 - Rush makes it a decent removal piece. Satyr Overseer - 4 - IDK… need to see this in action. I think it's too costly (5 mana card, really) but at 5 mana a 4/2, 2/2, and ping seems pretty good. Soul Cleave - 3 - Lifesteal for an attack class is much better than lifesteal for a class like priest. I think this is a good removal piece for the cost and class. Chaos Strike - 5 - Pretty easy math here. If Arcane Shot cost 1 more and had a cantrip, you'd choose it over most cards in hunter's set. Sightless Watcher - 5 - Top stats for an aggressive class and give you the chance to set up your next draw. Awesome card! Shadowhoof Slayer - 4 - Class-based powercreep on Elven Archer. Solid 1 drop.
Initiate Set
Nethrandamus - 5 - Very strong card. It should be easy enough to get a few minions to die and the payoff is huge even at a pair of 3 drops. Altruis the Outcast - 4 - Awesome card. A bit tricky to get value but the damage going to all enemies is great. Flamereaper - 5 - Pricey but incredible. Yes, please! Wrathspike Brute - 5 - Another "all enemies" damaged card, tied to a taunt. Love it. Wrathscale Naga - 3 - Maybe I'm underestimating this, but your opponent has the ability to clear it and direct/mitigate the damage. Eye Beam - 5 - Great spell to control the board and you could get it at a zero cost. Awesome. Hulking Overfiend - 5 - A great board clear option. Beefed up Batterhead which always seemed to low an attack for the job and cost. Illidari Felblade - 5 - Another "wow" card. Great versatility, and mean as hell if you can trigger and get immune the turn you play it. Raging Felscreamer - 3 - Decent vanilla with an upside that is draft dependent. Soul Split - 2 - Too draft defendant to bother. Feast of Souls - 3 - Very interesting card that is likely to be OP in constructed but a little tougher to draft in arena. How bad will it feel to have your minions die on your opponent's turn and never get to use this? Blade Dance - 4 - This looks like a good card though it does have some reliance on your ability to boost attack and/or weapon up. Command the Illidari - 5 - Great card. Looks pretty OP but I guess we'll see for sure next week! Umberwing - 4 - Nice spread of assets for 2 mana. Mana Burn - 3 - Tough to rate. I think it has some value as a disruptive card but it still feels like tempo lost for no real gain. Battlefiend - 5 - WTF… maybe I'm overestimating things but the class looks to have some serious power cards. Consume Magic - 4 - Seems solid. Silence is strong, cantrip is great. Dependent since you have to get the Outcast trigger for it to be good value. Ur'zul Horror - 4 - Solid one cost option that has a kickback. Blur - 2 - Constructed card that will be mostly bad for arena where you can't build for it reliably. Twin Slice - 4 - Good value that can help maintain board control.
Ashes of Outland
Kayn Sunfury - 5 - Megastud. Solid stats for the cost and a game-winning ability. Metamorphosis - 5 - Very powerful and avoids taunt. Spread out over two turns but I assume this works like all other HP manipulation and you could, if played later in the game, use the original HP then flip it to this and use again. Would you be able to double dip when it swaps back? Great late game / finisher. Pit Commander - 3 - Taunt makes it decent but triggering the ability will be highly dependent on draft and current hand. Warglaives of Azzinoth - 4 - Clear the board then go face! Very good weapon that can absolutely flip the board and change the game in your favor. Coilfang Warlord - 5 - True game changing ability. Take down just about anything and get a 5/9 taunt… seems pretty OP. Furious Felfin - 4 - Low cost removal piece that fits really well with the HP and could have Mrgl Synergy. Good card. Imprisoned Antaen - 4 - Incredible ability but the tempo loss is really high. Priestess of Fury - 5 - Another great ability with little downside based on stats/cost. Skull of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always important and the Outcast trigger doesn't seem like it will be tremendously limiting. Ashtongue Battlelord - 4 - The very obvious comp is Sen'jin Shieldmasta with a class-card boost. Stud. Crimson Sigil Runner - 4 - Solid card, similar to Kobold Librarian but a slight downgrade since Outcast is most difficult to control at mulligan. Fel Summoner - 1 - Trash stats for arena and a dependent deathrattle. Pass. Immolation Aura - 5 - Wait, what? 2 mana Consecration and it has some potential as a damage trigger… really strong card. Netherwalker - 4 - Discover is always strong and this is a decent body with the stats and ability. The demon pool has some duds but it's a safe bet you will be able to get something good. Spectral Sight - 5 - Again, Outcast seems like it will be easy to trigger and this is 2 cards for 2 mana.
Inner Demon - 4 - Big finisher with the same scale as Pyroblast but can only go face when no taunt is on board. Chaos Nova - 5 - Same scale as Hellfire and a smidge better since that 4 health number kills the very prevalent 3/4 for 3 crowd. Glaivebound Adept - 4 - Fragile but very potent minion. I like it but, realistically, you need to play this on T6 to ensure you get the trigger and if it dies easy then you've paid 6 mana to do 6 points and probably wipe out a minion/spell in trade. Seems good, even in that worst case scenario. Aldrachi Warblades - 4 - Solid weapon with an offset to face damage if you clear with it. Coordinated Strike - 3 - Rush makes it a decent removal piece. Satyr Overseer - 4 - IDK… need to see this in action. I think it's too costly (5 mana card, really) but at 5 mana a 4/2, 2/2, and ping seems pretty good. Soul Cleave - 3 - Lifesteal for an attack class is much better than lifesteal for a class like priest. I think this is a good removal piece for the cost and class. Chaos Strike - 5 - Pretty easy math here. If Arcane Shot cost 1 more and had a cantrip, you'd choose it over most cards in hunter's set. Sightless Watcher - 5 - Top stats for an aggressive class and give you the chance to set up your next draw. Awesome card! Shadowhoof Slayer - 4 - Class-based powercreep on Elven Archer. Solid 1 drop.
Initiate Set
Nethrandamus - 5 - Very strong card. It should be easy enough to get a few minions to die and the payoff is huge even at a pair of 3 drops. Altruis the Outcast - 4 - Awesome card. A bit tricky to get value but the damage going to all enemies is great. Flamereaper - 5 - Pricey but incredible. Yes, please! Wrathspike Brute - 5 - Another "all enemies" damaged card, tied to a taunt. Love it. Wrathscale Naga - 3 - Maybe I'm underestimating this, but your opponent has the ability to clear it and direct/mitigate the damage. Eye Beam - 5 - Great spell to control the board and you could get it at a zero cost. Awesome. Hulking Overfiend - 5 - A great board clear option. Beefed up Batterhead which always seemed to low an attack for the job and cost. Illidari Felblade - 5 - Another "wow" card. Great versatility, and mean as hell if you can trigger and get immune the turn you play it. Raging Felscreamer - 3 - Decent vanilla with an upside that is draft dependent. Soul Split - 2 - Too draft defendant to bother. Feast of Souls - 3 - Very interesting card that is likely to be OP in constructed but a little tougher to draft in arena. How bad will it feel to have your minions die on your opponent's turn and never get to use this? Blade Dance - 4 - This looks like a good card though it does have some reliance on your ability to boost attack and/or weapon up. Command the Illidari - 5 - Great card. Looks pretty OP but I guess we'll see for sure next week! Umberwing - 4 - Nice spread of assets for 2 mana. Mana Burn - 3 - Tough to rate. I think it has some value as a disruptive card but it still feels like tempo lost for no real gain. Battlefiend - 5 - WTF… maybe I'm overestimating things but the class looks to have some serious power cards. Consume Magic - 4 - Seems solid. Silence is strong, cantrip is great. Dependent since you have to get the Outcast trigger for it to be good value. Ur'zul Horror - 4 - Solid one cost option that has a kickback. Blur - 2 - Constructed card that will be mostly bad for arena where you can't build for it reliably. Twin Slice - 4 - Good value that can help maintain board control.
Ashes of Outland
Kayn Sunfury - 5 - Megastud. Solid stats for the cost and a game-winning ability. Metamorphosis - 5 - Very powerful and avoids taunt. Spread out over two turns but I assume this works like all other HP manipulation and you could, if played later in the game, use the original HP then flip it to this and use again. Would you be able to double dip when it swaps back? Great late game / finisher. Pit Commander - 3 - Taunt makes it decent but triggering the ability will be highly dependent on draft and current hand. Warglaives of Azzinoth - 4 - Clear the board then go face! Very good weapon that can absolutely flip the board and change the game in your favor. Coilfang Warlord - 5 - True game changing ability. Take down just about anything and get a 5/9 taunt… seems pretty OP. Furious Felfin - 4 - Low cost removal piece that fits really well with the HP and could have Mrgl Synergy. Good card. Imprisoned Antaen - 4 - Incredible ability but the tempo loss is really high. Priestess of Fury - 5 - Another great ability with little downside based on stats/cost. Skull of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always important and the Outcast trigger doesn't seem like it will be tremendously limiting. Ashtongue Battlelord - 4 - The very obvious comp is Sen'jin Shieldmasta with a class-card boost. Stud. Crimson Sigil Runner - 4 - Solid card, similar to Kobold Librarian but a slight downgrade since Outcast is most difficult to control at mulligan. Fel Summoner - 1 - Trash stats for arena and a dependent deathrattle. Pass. Immolation Aura - 5 - Wait, what? 2 mana Consecration and it has some potential as a damage trigger… really strong card. Netherwalker - 4 - Discover is always strong and this is a decent body with the stats and ability. The demon pool has some duds but it's a safe bet you will be able to get something good. Spectral Sight - 5 - Again, Outcast seems like it will be easy to trigger and this is 2 cards for 2 mana.
Druid
Ysiel Windsinger - 2 - Very limited use due to spells being relatively scarce in arena. Archspore Msshi'fn - 5 - Excellent stats and ability. That late game payoff is bonkers. Marsh Hydra - 5 - Crazy good combination with rush ensuring you get the triggered ability at least once. Glowfly Swarm - 1 - Spells just aren't common enough in arena drafts to make this worth selecting, especially since you need to have 3 spells in hand to make this a positive tempo play. Then there's the "tell" you give to your opponent about your hand. Hard pass. Germination - 3 - Certainly a strong card in the right situation but the stand alone score has to reflect reliability more than potential value. Ironbark - 4 - Solid buff stat-wise and the always functional taunt. Fungal Fortunes - 2 - Pretty lousy draw option in arena since you generally have a higher ratio of minions. Overgrowth - 3 - Ramp isn't as effective in arena and this will eat up a valuable turn early. Bogbeam - 3 - Not bad for the cost but not great, either. Best late when it's free, obviously. Imprisoned Satyr - 1 - Constructed card that will almost always be too much tempo loss in arena to be any good.
Hunter
Beastmaster Leoroxx - 3 - Certainly a powerful effect when you can build for it but doing so is tough in arena drafts. Hunter has plenty of beasts so this will definitely be scary if it brings down 3 beasts of varied values. Abusable for sure in constructed. Zixor, Apex Predator - 5 - I'd prefer the stats were swapped but this is still a stud, thanks to the beast tag. Late game board refill from the Prime is awesome. Four four/four Zixors! Sounds like a Dr. Seuss line. :D Nagrand Slam - 5 - Spectacular card, clever pun, giant pile-o-stats that will draw hate. Augmented Porcupine - 4 - Cool idea but the deathrattle trigger makes controlling it a bit tough. Definitely a plus that this is a beast. Mok'Nathal Lion - 4 - Rush on a beast with a strong attack and an upside. Should be a ton of fun in constructed decks, too. Scrap Shot - 3 - Better in constructed but will less reliable in arena. Nice value if you can pull it off, though. Pack Tactics - 4 - Pretty strong if you can pair it with a value minion (deathrattle, poison, etc.) since you get a known quantity with the 3/3 body. Imprisoned Felmaw - 3 - Big stats and it will act as a random swing so the value is there. Unfortunately, hunter tends to be tempo based and this is a bad tempo card. Scavenger's Ingenuity - 3 - If you have enough beasts it will be very good. Mid-tier score here simply because it's likely to be a really bad card if you only end up with a few beasts. Helboar - 3 - It's a nice card based on cost, beast tag, and a deathrattle that will be pretty amazing in any arena deck with good beast support.
Mage
Astromancer Solarian - 5 - The Primes are all top stats for the cost with a huge payoff later in the game. This one may be one of the best since it'll target enemies when able. Evocation - 5 - Obviously a late game card but a full hand should set you up with a few nice options. Apexis Blast - 4 - It's direct damage at a decent cost. Your deck will have minions so you're very unlikely to get that free summon. Apexis Smuggler - 3 - Solid 2 drop with upside but secrets tend to be sub optimal plays that you don't want to draft in high numbers. Deep Freeze - 4 - A good play, especially since you can set up a sting of freezing if you are facing something tough to take down. Imprisoned Observer - 3 - Another really good ability but these dormant cards look like too much tempo loss. This one also gives your opponent 2 turns to best prepare for the board blast. Font of Power - 4 - Should prove valuable for its versatility. Spell mage will be very interesting in constructed. Netherwind Portal - 3 - Seems decent but can have some feelsbadman, too. Casino mage is back in force. Incanter's Flow - 2 - Constructed card that is lower value in arena since your spell count will be lower. Starscryer - 3 - I'm a bit torn here. The draw is always good and it's got the "class card" bonus over Loot Hoarder which is a decent arena minion. Drawing a spell only is enough to downgrade it some since you tend to have less spells in arena.
Paladin
Lady Liadrin - 2 - Poor stats for the cost so it depends entirely on whether you've played decent buffs, which isn't going to be consistent in drafts. Murgur Murgurgle - 5 - Maybe the least awesome of the primes but still a good card. I think I'll have to see it in play as it may be more appropriate to give it a score of 2. Libram of Hope - 5 - Great value. The only way it's not incredible is if you're ahead all game and don't have anything to heal. Underlight Angling Rod - 4 - There's enough murlocs to make this a feelsbadman card but it should be well worth it, anyway. Aldor Truthseeker - 4 - Good stand alone value with an upside. Libram of Wisdom - 3 - Nice recurring buff with better use in constructed than arena. Imprisoned Sungill - 3 - A decent spread on the cheap but I'm still not sold on the tempo loss being worth it. Libram of Justice - 2 - Pretty hefty cost that's only a good value if your opponent really has a big, wide board. Aldor Attendant - 3 - Another good 2 drop but the upside seems weak even if you have one or two librams. Hand of A'dal - 4 - Great card. Very odd that this gets added at the same time Priest's shield gets nerfed. This is clearly better than the 1 mana, 0/2 buff with cantrip and is now far, far better than the new version.
Priest
Soul Mirror - 3 - An awkward removal piece at an awkward cost. Not sure this is something you want to draft. Reliquary of Souls - 5 - 1 mana 1/3 is always a great start. This one has a tremendous upside later in the game. Skeletal Dragon - 4 - Stellar upside if unanswered. Decent value with taunt to protect your face but I feel like hiding it behind taunt would be better. Sethekk Veilweaver - 4 - Good stats for a 2 drop with a decent upside if triggered. A repeating ability like this can be a game changer, though it is tough to ensure you have enough spells to trigger. Psyche Split - 3 - Lots of potential without being OP. Feels like you'll want to get at least an undamaged 4 drop to really get big value so it's a late game play that may not be super reliable. Dragonmaw Overseer - 4 - Obviously needs a target but this will be very strong, same as Shadow Ascendant. Dragonmaw Sentinel - 3 - Mediocre without a dragon to proc it. Apotheosis - 3 - Decent card, earning an average score. Renew - 4 - A quick heal with a discover attached is quite good. Imprisoned Homunculus - 2 - Cheap but slow. These dormant cards aren't great but this one likely works better with priest than some of the others for their class.
Rogue
Akama - 5 - Top stats for a 3 drop with the big, untouchable upside to come later. Shadowjeweler Hanar - 3 - Ok stats for the cost that could combine well with Rogue's blades as minion removal. The new secrets are good but I'm not sure you can get enough to really take advantage of this. Greyheart Sage - 4 - Really strong but I'm not sure the stealth pool is big enough to ensure you can trigger him. Bamboozle - 5 - Cool boost to the Rogue secret arsenal. Definitely a high value turn… in most cases. Ambush - 4 - Strong secret that plays a discounted (but conditional) Emperor Cobra. Ashtongue Slayer - 3 - Again, requiring stealth makes it tough to rely on in arena. Might be a very cool, very strong deck in constructed, though. Blackjack Stunner - 3 - Very much dependent on deck build, and that means it'll be unreliable. Cursed Vagrant - 5 - Big value that needs to be accounted for when playing rogue. Dirty Tricks - 3 - Interesting, but spells aren't as plentiful in arena so you could be waiting a while for a trigger. Spymistress - 4 - Great 1 drop, which is great for an aggressive class.
Shaman
The Lurker Below - 4 - Sure it's a bit fragile with the stat distribution, but it's a big body that can (with a little setup) be a board clear. Similar to my favorite Rumble Run card Leap Frog without being OP AF. Lady Vashj - 4 - Aggressive stats and the late game pay off is great. The only downside is you may not have enough spells to draw later in the game. Shattered Rumbler - His predecessor Rumbling Elemental is still a personal favorite of mine. This guy is a good stat distribution with a decent chance to have a huge impact on the game. Boggspine Knuckles - 4 - Attack with a minion then this weapon to transform the damaged minion into something bigger. What's not to like? Oh, right, RNGesus… lol Torrent - 4 - Great damage for the cost even without the discount. Vivid Spores - 3 - A good card for sure but so dependent on having a board to get value. Definitely better than the 3 score if you have a swarm deck. Bogstrok Clacker - 4 - The dev team is all in on the evolve mechanic… again. :( Good card that can certainly be a quick board flip. Serpentshrine Portal - 4 - Great card, though there will be sadpanda moments when you get something terrible as a 3 drop. Totemic Reflection - 3 - Expensive buff that is only valuable if it hits a totem. Too bad most totems aren't great and don't get drafted often. Even as a turn 5 HP + this you are still looking at twin 2/4 totems which are unlikely to be game changing. Marshspawn - 4 - Top stats as a 3/4 for 3 with an elemental tag and the potential to discover a spell is incredible.
Warlock
Keli'dan the Breaker - 5 - The easy comp is Assassinate which makes this a supercharged version that leaves a 3/3 body on the board for 1 extra mana. It's less likely you draw it when needed as a full clear but those times will feel pretty stinkin' glorious! Kanrethad Ebonlocke - 5 - This is one of the "weaker" primes in that it relies on having some demons and having played said demons to get the late game value. Still, that doesn't seem too tough in Warlock drafts. Darkglare - 5 - Essentially a "free" life tap with the potential to be a very good ramp turn, though that will be far more tricky in arena than in constructed. Shadow Council - 5 - This is an incredible way to turn an awkward, small-minion, or otherwise weak hand into something much, much better. At 1 mana, you'll be able to play some of those newly created, buffed demons, too. Enhanced Dreadlord - 5 - The total stats are 10/12 with taunt and lifesteal for 8 mana. Warlock gets a stud here. The Dark Portal - 1 - It's highly unlikely you'll have 8 cards in arena. This is just too costly. Imprisoned Scrap Imp - 2 - Even warlock can struggle to keep a large hand size in arena. This is tempo loss with no guarantee that you'll even be able to take advantage of the buff. Hand of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always good and this is a decent enough even though you're unlikely to get the discard use. Nightshade Matron - 4 - High stat rush minion for the cost with a downside. Unstable Felbolt - 4 - Great value for the cost and you should be able to mitigate the downside with good planning.
Warrior
Kargath Bladefist - 5 - This is the best prime in the game for arena purposes. Rush means you get to control the whole process and the late game prime also has rush so you keep initiative and get at least 10 armor. Not many cards better than this in the arena pool, honestly. Bulwark of Azzinoth - 5 - Really powerful protection. This is similar to Animated Armor but weapon are far more difficult to remove than a minion. Warmaul Challenger - 4 - Very cool, unique mechanic. Strong early in games but dwindling usefulness as the game gets into the late stages. Bladestorm - 3 - Interesting concept that will likely prove tricky and awkward in arena. Pretty hysterical way to kill a board with only 1, high health minion like Ysera, though. I'm definitely curious to see this in action as I may be severely underestimating it. Bloodboil Brute - 5 - Very good without the discounted cost and it should be easy to get the discount since it will count ALL damaged minions on board. Scrap Golem - 4 - Good value card with taunt, mech tag, and an armor boost. Corsair Cache - 3 - Draft dependent but a pretty good card if you have the weapons to support it. Bonechewer Raider - 4 - Again, a damage trigger that check ALL minions that shouldn't be hard to meet. Imprisoned Gan'arg - 3 - The least terrible of the Imprisoned minions, with decent enough value at such a low cost that the tempo loss isn't as big a deal compared to the others. Sword and Board - 3 - Good value and the cheap cost make it easy to fit in anywhere along the curve.
Neutral
Al'ar - 2 - Too fragile to be a good 5 drop and the resulting 0/3 is an easy kill, as well. Kael'thas Sunstrider - 3 - Chances are slim you'll ever trigger him so it's a 6 mana 4/7 which is mediocre. Magtheridon - 3 - Tough to gauge without playing it, for me. Clearly massive payoff for your patience but any transform or silence makes it a totally wasted turn. Maiev Shadowsong - 4 - Decent stats and a strong ability that will be very useful for an aggressive class, mostly as a way to circumvent taunt. Teron Gorefiend - 4 - Top stats for a 3 drop and an ability that can be set up nicely. Swing with minions then let them die and come back bigger. Mo'arg Artificer - 4 - Great stats with an ability that can certainly change the game. Better in classes that can take advantage of it, of course. Replicat-o-tron - 3 - This is another unique ability that is pretty cool. It'll be awesome for Paladin & Shaman, and in any deck that is swarm based and can also be used to "heal" a medium sized minion. But it can backfire on you if your opponent doesn't kill it. Waste Warden - 3 - Awesome, unique ability that will be better in constructed than arena. Could easily provide some big swings in arena, too, though. Blistering Rot - 3 - Variable score based on class, as the buff classes can definitely take advantage of this. Infectious Sporeling - 3 - Awesome ability that can cripple any big target but it has to make it through your opponent's turn, which is unlikely.Scrapyard Colossus - 4 - Beefy taunt with a big price tag that is well worth it if your opponent can't silence/transform it.Bonechewer Brawler - 4 - Great stats for a neutral, taunt minion and there's some upside. Bonechewer Vanguard - 5 - Excellent ability on a taunt minion. Good stats that improve make this a very scary minion. Burrowing Scorpid - 4 - Ping is always useful and this is an upgrade in cost and ability over Stormpike Commando which is still a good arena card. Dragonmaw Sky Stalker - 5 - Great stats across 2 bodies for the cost. Disguised Wanderer - 2 - The 1 health Rustsworn Inquisitor is too weak to make up for the tempo loss of a 3/3 for 4. It would need rush to matter. Ethereal Augmerchant - 3 - Spell damage isn't useful all that often in arena. Still good as a ping to finish off an opponent's minion, though. Felfin Navigator - 3 - Vanilla stats with upside. Frozen Shadoweaver - 4 - Good, aggressive stats and freeze has always been useful in arena. Guardian Augmerchant - 4 - A cheap way to protect a high value minion or any minion while trading. Imprisoned Vilefiend - 3 - Better than most imprisoned since it has rush but still too much lost tempo, imo. Overconfident Orc - 3 - Great the turn you play it (unless against mage) but that 1 attack will feel quite weak once it's been hit. Might surprise me… I feel like it's better than a 3 score but not really sure. Rocket Augmerchant - 4 - We've seen the effectiveness of this ability with Goblin Lackey and this has an extra attack point. Nice! Ruststeed Raider - 4 - Solid removal piece that likely leaves a taunt minion on board afterwards. Rustsworn Cultist - 3 - A good swarm minion but quite situational. Rustsworn Initiate - 4 - Solid 2 drop with the chance to give you an extra edge if you can take advantage of the spell damage. Scavenging Shivarra - 4 - A big fragile but that ability is very good, especially in classes that lack single target minion removal. Soulbound Ashtongue - 3 - Great stats for the cost but that ping will feel much less useful than a ping that doesn't hit your own face. Supreme Abyssal - 2 - It can take down an entire board… one minion at a time. Good stats but not something I want in my arena decks in most cases. Terrorguard Escapee - 3 - Decent stats for the cost but nothing too exciting, and no ability (like taunt) to give it a boost in value.
I used a (very expensive) Highlander Priest. Pushed Galakrond to fatigue. Lots of removal, lots of healing and taunt. Lots of tremendously terrible AI decisions. :D
Love the whole adventure. Really happy they went back to this format and infused some new cards into the game between expacs. Well worth my $20.
However, Herioc Reno really takes all the fun out of the game. Card pool seems very narrow for his HP "random spell" and he always has a great start while wiping your board with his small spells and HP casts. (Cinderstorm seems to auto-cast another Cinderstorm or Arcane Intellect way more than anything else, and Firelands Portal is Flamestrike or Crushing Walls over and over, as well.)
Not sure when the dev team will get it through their heads that a super heavy RNG clown fiesta that forces a restart by turn 4 a billion times while hoping for that one lucky game is not an enjoyable gaming experience.
Boompistol Bully - 4 - Disruptive cards are solid and battlecry cards are common.
Shadow Sculptor - 2 - Card draw is always great... until now. :D This is just too costly and conditional.
Bomb Wrangler - 4 - Even one Boom Bot will be worth the potential tempo loss of a 2/3 for 3. Warrior has enough tricks to take advantage of this and great mech synergy, as well.
Chopshop Copter - 3 - Good stats and ability but the heavy reliance on mechs will make this too conditional on its own. Stud card in decks that get lots of mechs.
Cleric of Scales - 3 - In the current rotation it is good. When the massive influx of dragons go away it is a 2 score.
Frenzied Felwing - 4 - Shouldn't be hard to cut the cost in half and have a strong tempo turn as a result.
Risky Skipper - 4 - Doing damage to all minions is quite strong. Maybe this will be rough in actual gameplay but this has synergy with lots of warrios ping-type play and with pirates.
Rotnest Drake - 5 - The dev team is really heaping on the insane value dragons. +2 mana gets you a Deadly Shot that drops a 5/6 Dragon? Yogg help us all. Awesome card.
Scalelord - 4 - Strong body with a good ability. A bit too conditional to give a 5 score but it could prove to be that good in live action.
Steel Beetle - 3 - Another card that's likely a vanilla 2/3 for 2. Armor is rarely a game-changer.
Animated Avalanche - 3 - Love this card but it's not going to be consistent in drafting. Obviously a game winner if you get it and have the proper support to trigger.
Boom Squad - 4 - Go ahead, pick the Lackey, I dare ya!
Explosive Evolution - 4 - This is a big jump for a little price. Trade then transform and hope RNGesus is happy with you.
Fiendish Servant - 4 - Quite solid for the cost. Controlling it will be a bit tricky but should be manageable.
Fresh Scent - 4 - Twinspell makes me really want to like it. Requiring a beast isn't a big deal for Hunter.
Hailbringer - 4 - Really strong swarm card with elemental synergy and the ability to freeze big threats while you look for answers. Love it.
Skydiving Instructor - 2 - Not worth it. More often than not you only have 1 or 2 one-cost minions (if any!).
Skyvateer - 5 - Great card for Rogue. Pirate synergy and the stealth prevent your opponent from somehow eliminating your cantrip. Shag off, Cabal Shadow Priest!
Twisted Knowledge - 5 - Slight tempo loss but well worth it when you get two chances at finding a win-con or a solution to a bad board state.
Waxmancy - 4 - I'm on the fence about this one. Discover is always good and the reduced cost is nice but only covering the cost of playing Waxmancy. The battlecry pool is so big you could certainly get burned but should be able to find something helpful each time.
The Fist of Ra-den - 2 - Another entry in the "only draftable late" category. It's a tremendously powerful ability but spells are not always easy to come by when drafting.
Escaped Manasaber - 4 - Very good card that is even better for the classes that can take advantage of the beast tag. It guarantees the extra crystal so it's solid stats and a quick advantage that will be awesome if you can get it early.
Sky Gen'ral Kragg - 1 - Like Grand Lackey Erkh, this will only be draftable if you're at the end of your draft and you've ended up with the support for it.
Arcane Amplifier - 5 - Solid stats with a powerful ability as a common, and multiple copies on board will stack the damage you can do with your HP. All topped off with elemental synergy. Really strong card.
Eye of the Storm - 5 - 15/18 for 10 mana at a time in the game when overloading 3 is largely insignificant. Another common card that should be easy to get in every Shaman draft. Yikes!
Rising Winds - 5 - Great for it's versatility and the twinspell makes it incredible.
Winged Guardian - 5 - Because a turn 6 Emerald Explorer really needs backup. :D Sick card with the Reborn and Evasive mechanics.
Aeon Reaver - 4 - Will act as removal that leaves a body behind, similar to Vilespine Slayer but you'll need to massage the stats since it's not an outright removal.
Grand Lackey Erkh - 1 - Only draftable at the end of a draft where you've already secured lots of lackey support.
Air Raid - 4 - Solid face protection. Twinspell makes it a really good card and there's some dude synergy to be found in the current rotation. Makes me realize how old I am when Air Raid ALWAYS triggers Parker Posey in my head.
Yes it was. Similar luck with the next 3. Fun... but you're SOL if the Merchant's are uncooperative. Game 2 was a GalWarrior that crushed me by turn 7. Game 3 another loss to a Handlock. Game 4 a loss to a giant mage where I was again waiting on the second Merchant for too long. 0-4 at rank 8.
Though, to be fair, I was being greedy looking to get the combo. May have won (especially in that last game) had I played to win instead of playing to pull off the combo.
EDIT: Game 6, same story. 7 cards left in deck - both Merchants buried away still...
Chaos Gazer - 4 - I love a good Floating Eye of Death. Excellent aggressive stats and the disruption of burning a card or forcing a sub-optimal play make this a great choice in drafts.
Dark Prophecy - 4 - There are a ton of 2 cost minions so this particular discover effect isn't as bulletproof as most but it's still quite good. Very likely you'll get a 3 drop stat for 2 mana and could highroll into some great tempo turns. It could even bail you out with a Doomsayer.
Shotbot - 4 - Good stats, mech syergy, and a nice addition for a class that loves to make something stick for a buff.
I have played this once. I have had it played against me 7 times. All 8 times it targeted the minion on one end (left or right) and went into the next minion adjacent. Not once has it looked random and gone to the open end of the board.
Cards like Faceless Corruptor give you such a big advantage if you play a tempo/zoo type of deck, even if you play a midrange one, i think is one of that card which will ruin the day for a lot of players, i will be quiet glad if they ban it, to just allow us enjoy our dragons cards.
It's very likely the first card to get hit the Arena Ban Hammer. It was a unanimous 5 star score and all 3 of us noted how ridiculous the power level is in the Impact thread - copied in spoiler below. It's going to have a high "when played" win rate.
Faceless Corruptor (5/5): So you know how Quest Druid gets carried by [Hearthstone Card (oassis surger) Not Found]s? How about if every class could just do that too? Yikes!
Faceless Corruptor - 5 - Found our Flappy Bird! Totally over the top value. Any small or damaged minion can work to trade then you've got a pair of 5/4 bodies for 5 mana. Oof.
Bloodsail Flybooter - 4 - Good pirate pool and this will allow rogue to continue triggering combos and pirate synergies.
Evasive Chimaera - 4 - More powercreep. Getting a little stupid. Should be an easy trade up.
Evasive Feywing - 4 - Can't be targeted is a good arena ability and this carries the dragon tag to trigger all the bonkers stuff coming in.
Evasive Wyrm - 5 - Crazy. Evasive should just be the keyword. Anyway, this card is so much strong than previous rush entries.
Fire Hawk - 3 - Better on curve than late. The ele tag and the sheer volume of discover / cantrip / kickback effects might prove me wrong, though.
Goboglide Tech - 3 - Mech pool doesn't support it being more than a vanilla 3/3 for 3 for this rotation.
Grave Rune - 4 - In a value class like priest, I think this will perform well. Maybe to variable to score this high but most drafts will support pulling this off.
Gyrocopter - 4 - Strong removal piece as a neutral. Upside is great if your opponent can't immediately handle it.
Hippogryph - 4 - Really strong stats and abilities at this cost. Another powercreep special. Must be the December set. O.o
Living Dragonbreath - 4 - 3/4 for 3 with ele tag. Thank goodness constructed finally gets the counter to Moorabi!
Parachute Brigand - 3 - Average stats that will probably be great in rogue drafts but that's it.
Rain of Fire - 3 - Damage to all is generally good in warlock. Ping is always good and this can set up some other pieces of the class's aresnal.
Scalerider - 4 - Another easy to trigger ability with the incoming dragons.
Shrubadier - 4 - Good balance and brings some treant synergy and is in a class that can swarm and buff. Probably going to see lots of these as a common.
Sky Raider - 5 - Slightly better than 50/50 you'll get a very good pirate and gives warrior a chance at a sick start with Parachute Brigand. Will we get some wondercoding that allows the Raider to rng the Brigand to your hand and then summon it? Tune in Tuesday to find out!
Squallhunter - 5 - Love this art! Excellent stats and shaman has a decent chance at taking advantage of the spell damage.
Strength in Numbers - 3 - Easy to reach the goal and it could be a huge tempo gain. Will be a feelsbadman when you get a crap dice roll and pull a small minion.
Surging Tempest - 4 - 1/3 for 1 with upside makes it one of the few 1 drops you actually want. Strong start to any match if you can get it in mulligan and still offers upside later with the ele & overload synergy.
Tasty Flyfish - 3 - Average but (not to belabor the point) it should be easy to gain the triggered buff.
Troll Batrider - 5 - Very strong. Should fit in a sweet spot with the cost/body/damage and be very effective.
Whispers of EVIL - 3 - Lackeys are solid but the majority come from a battlecry, leaving a body on the board. Not sure I see the value in drafting this for priest.
Wing Commander - 3 - Meh. Easy to get the extra attack but it tips your hand in the process.
Priest gets quite a makeover with the newly introduced cards, as well as the buffs (and one nerf) to existing cards. Overall, the class certainly looks stronger coming out of all of the changes. For the most part, the buffed cards were good in the arena prior to being tweaked, so they are even stronger now. If I'm being honest, only the Soulpriest and Cleric will be truly missed from the cards heading to the Hall of Fame. As a whole, the net gain is positive when comparing the HoF'd cards to the cards that will replace them. I'm excited to get a priest draft so I can see the effect of these changes.
Priest New Cards:
Natalie Seline - 5 - Incredible removal piece that leaves a big body behind in the process.
Shadow Word: Ruin - 4 - The low cost makes this quite strong. Even if it only kills one enemy minion, it's assassinate for 1 less mana, because priest doesn't have enough incredible removal. Certainly some downside if you have a 5+ attack minion but should be manageable.
Kul Tiran Chaplain - 4 - Top stats for a 2 drop with a great upside when it buffs health.
Scarlet Subjugator - 3 - Decent 1 drop with a useful ability but 1 drops aren't all that desirable when drafting.
Power Infusion - 4 - Adding +8 stats for 4 mana is good. The extra health buff is always great for Priest to trade and heal.
Psychic Conjurer - 3 - High variance for this one so it's tough to score better than average. A 1/1 for 1 is not very good on board, either.
Priest Buffed/Nerfed Cards:
Holy Smite - 5 - This improves as a minion removal piece because face burn (reach) is rarely priest's win condition.
Shadow Word: Death - 5 - This was great as spot removal and is now cheaper.
Thoughtsteal - 4 - This was a decent card that gets a better now that it costs one less.
Shadow Madness - 3 - This got a cost reduction, as well, making it a more effective means of removal.
Holy Nova - 5 - Wow. This was already a great card that is now cheaper at the expense of 2 points of face damage, which is a very worthwhile trade off.
Power Word: Shield - 2 - Another "wow" but for the opposite reason. This was a great card as a 1 mana, +2 health with a cantrip but gets nuked into oblivion in its new form.
Temple Enforcer - 5 - He was very strong as a 6 mana 6/6 and is clearly better now as a 5 mana 5/6.
Priest Removed (rotated to Hall of Fame) Cards:
Auchenai Soulpriest - A strong card that will be missed.
Divine Spirit - A decent card that didn't see tons of play.
Holy Fire - A good card that will be missed.
Northshire Cleric - She has always been a great 1 drop and will certainly be missed.
Prophet Velen - He is a legendary minion that wasn't in decks all that often.
Shadowform - Good card that provided some versatility as a strong 2 point ping.
Demon Hunter! It is very exciting to see a new class introduced. I can't wait to give it a try, and start working towards that golden hero portrait.
I'm really curious how the shallow card pool for Demon Hunter (45 class cards) compared to the other classes (~68 each) will impact drafts. Will we see heavy reliance on neutral cards, which will put Demon Hunter at a disadvantage, or will we see "class heavy" drafts that lead to very powerful decks due to the smaller card pool?
Based on the hero power and card sets, I expect this class to play an aggressive game and will draft with that in mind. The class has draw, attack interactions, demon synergy, board control, and some very good early game minions. In general, the biggest impact on the arena environment generally comes from the common and basic cards, as they have higher offering rates in drafts. For this reason, it's important to take a look at common and rare cards in the Basic, Initiate, and Ashes sets. These sets offer many strong, cheap minions for the early game so I expect fast starts from Demon Hunter decks. Then there are some great options for a big finish to close out games, though taunt can impeded those options.
Basic Set
Inner Demon - 4 - Big finisher with the same scale as Pyroblast but can only go face when no taunt is on board.
Chaos Nova - 5 - Same scale as Hellfire and a smidge better since that 4 health number kills the very prevalent 3/4 for 3 crowd.
Glaivebound Adept - 4 - Fragile but very potent minion. I like it but, realistically, you need to play this on T6 to ensure you get the trigger and if it dies easy then you've paid 6 mana to do 6 points and probably wipe out a minion/spell in trade. Seems good, even in that worst case scenario.
Aldrachi Warblades - 4 - Solid weapon with an offset to face damage if you clear with it.
Coordinated Strike - 3 - Rush makes it a decent removal piece.
Satyr Overseer - 4 - IDK… need to see this in action. I think it's too costly (5 mana card, really) but at 5 mana a 4/2, 2/2, and ping seems pretty good.
Soul Cleave - 3 - Lifesteal for an attack class is much better than lifesteal for a class like priest. I think this is a good removal piece for the cost and class.
Chaos Strike - 5 - Pretty easy math here. If Arcane Shot cost 1 more and had a cantrip, you'd choose it over most cards in hunter's set.
Sightless Watcher - 5 - Top stats for an aggressive class and give you the chance to set up your next draw. Awesome card!
Shadowhoof Slayer - 4 - Class-based powercreep on Elven Archer. Solid 1 drop.
Initiate Set
Nethrandamus - 5 - Very strong card. It should be easy enough to get a few minions to die and the payoff is huge even at a pair of 3 drops.
Altruis the Outcast - 4 - Awesome card. A bit tricky to get value but the damage going to all enemies is great.
Flamereaper - 5 - Pricey but incredible. Yes, please!
Wrathspike Brute - 5 - Another "all enemies" damaged card, tied to a taunt. Love it.
Wrathscale Naga - 3 - Maybe I'm underestimating this, but your opponent has the ability to clear it and direct/mitigate the damage.
Eye Beam - 5 - Great spell to control the board and you could get it at a zero cost. Awesome.
Hulking Overfiend - 5 - A great board clear option. Beefed up Batterhead which always seemed to low an attack for the job and cost.
Illidari Felblade - 5 - Another "wow" card. Great versatility, and mean as hell if you can trigger and get immune the turn you play it.
Raging Felscreamer - 3 - Decent vanilla with an upside that is draft dependent.
Soul Split - 2 - Too draft defendant to bother.
Feast of Souls - 3 - Very interesting card that is likely to be OP in constructed but a little tougher to draft in arena. How bad will it feel to have your minions die on your opponent's turn and never get to use this?
Blade Dance - 4 - This looks like a good card though it does have some reliance on your ability to boost attack and/or weapon up.
Command the Illidari - 5 - Great card. Looks pretty OP but I guess we'll see for sure next week!
Umberwing - 4 - Nice spread of assets for 2 mana.
Mana Burn - 3 - Tough to rate. I think it has some value as a disruptive card but it still feels like tempo lost for no real gain.
Battlefiend - 5 - WTF… maybe I'm overestimating things but the class looks to have some serious power cards.
Consume Magic - 4 - Seems solid. Silence is strong, cantrip is great. Dependent since you have to get the Outcast trigger for it to be good value.
Ur'zul Horror - 4 - Solid one cost option that has a kickback.
Blur - 2 - Constructed card that will be mostly bad for arena where you can't build for it reliably.
Twin Slice - 4 - Good value that can help maintain board control.
Ashes of Outland
Kayn Sunfury - 5 - Megastud. Solid stats for the cost and a game-winning ability.
Metamorphosis - 5 - Very powerful and avoids taunt. Spread out over two turns but I assume this works like all other HP manipulation and you could, if played later in the game, use the original HP then flip it to this and use again. Would you be able to double dip when it swaps back? Great late game / finisher.
Pit Commander - 3 - Taunt makes it decent but triggering the ability will be highly dependent on draft and current hand.
Warglaives of Azzinoth - 4 - Clear the board then go face! Very good weapon that can absolutely flip the board and change the game in your favor.
Coilfang Warlord - 5 - True game changing ability. Take down just about anything and get a 5/9 taunt… seems pretty OP.
Furious Felfin - 4 - Low cost removal piece that fits really well with the HP and could have Mrgl Synergy. Good card.
Imprisoned Antaen - 4 - Incredible ability but the tempo loss is really high.
Priestess of Fury - 5 - Another great ability with little downside based on stats/cost.
Skull of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always important and the Outcast trigger doesn't seem like it will be tremendously limiting.
Ashtongue Battlelord - 4 - The very obvious comp is Sen'jin Shieldmasta with a class-card boost. Stud.
Crimson Sigil Runner - 4 - Solid card, similar to Kobold Librarian but a slight downgrade since Outcast is most difficult to control at mulligan.
Fel Summoner - 1 - Trash stats for arena and a dependent deathrattle. Pass.
Immolation Aura - 5 - Wait, what? 2 mana Consecration and it has some potential as a damage trigger… really strong card.
Netherwalker - 4 - Discover is always strong and this is a decent body with the stats and ability. The demon pool has some duds but it's a safe bet you will be able to get something good.
Spectral Sight - 5 - Again, Outcast seems like it will be easy to trigger and this is 2 cards for 2 mana.
Basic Set
Inner Demon - 4 - Big finisher with the same scale as Pyroblast but can only go face when no taunt is on board.
Chaos Nova - 5 - Same scale as Hellfire and a smidge better since that 4 health number kills the very prevalent 3/4 for 3 crowd.
Glaivebound Adept - 4 - Fragile but very potent minion. I like it but, realistically, you need to play this on T6 to ensure you get the trigger and if it dies easy then you've paid 6 mana to do 6 points and probably wipe out a minion/spell in trade. Seems good, even in that worst case scenario.
Aldrachi Warblades - 4 - Solid weapon with an offset to face damage if you clear with it.
Coordinated Strike - 3 - Rush makes it a decent removal piece.
Satyr Overseer - 4 - IDK… need to see this in action. I think it's too costly (5 mana card, really) but at 5 mana a 4/2, 2/2, and ping seems pretty good.
Soul Cleave - 3 - Lifesteal for an attack class is much better than lifesteal for a class like priest. I think this is a good removal piece for the cost and class.
Chaos Strike - 5 - Pretty easy math here. If Arcane Shot cost 1 more and had a cantrip, you'd choose it over most cards in hunter's set.
Sightless Watcher - 5 - Top stats for an aggressive class and give you the chance to set up your next draw. Awesome card!
Shadowhoof Slayer - 4 - Class-based powercreep on Elven Archer. Solid 1 drop.
Initiate Set
Nethrandamus - 5 - Very strong card. It should be easy enough to get a few minions to die and the payoff is huge even at a pair of 3 drops.
Altruis the Outcast - 4 - Awesome card. A bit tricky to get value but the damage going to all enemies is great.
Flamereaper - 5 - Pricey but incredible. Yes, please!
Wrathspike Brute - 5 - Another "all enemies" damaged card, tied to a taunt. Love it.
Wrathscale Naga - 3 - Maybe I'm underestimating this, but your opponent has the ability to clear it and direct/mitigate the damage.
Eye Beam - 5 - Great spell to control the board and you could get it at a zero cost. Awesome.
Hulking Overfiend - 5 - A great board clear option. Beefed up Batterhead which always seemed to low an attack for the job and cost.
Illidari Felblade - 5 - Another "wow" card. Great versatility, and mean as hell if you can trigger and get immune the turn you play it.
Raging Felscreamer - 3 - Decent vanilla with an upside that is draft dependent.
Soul Split - 2 - Too draft defendant to bother.
Feast of Souls - 3 - Very interesting card that is likely to be OP in constructed but a little tougher to draft in arena. How bad will it feel to have your minions die on your opponent's turn and never get to use this?
Blade Dance - 4 - This looks like a good card though it does have some reliance on your ability to boost attack and/or weapon up.
Command the Illidari - 5 - Great card. Looks pretty OP but I guess we'll see for sure next week!
Umberwing - 4 - Nice spread of assets for 2 mana.
Mana Burn - 3 - Tough to rate. I think it has some value as a disruptive card but it still feels like tempo lost for no real gain.
Battlefiend - 5 - WTF… maybe I'm overestimating things but the class looks to have some serious power cards.
Consume Magic - 4 - Seems solid. Silence is strong, cantrip is great. Dependent since you have to get the Outcast trigger for it to be good value.
Ur'zul Horror - 4 - Solid one cost option that has a kickback.
Blur - 2 - Constructed card that will be mostly bad for arena where you can't build for it reliably.
Twin Slice - 4 - Good value that can help maintain board control.
Ashes of Outland
Kayn Sunfury - 5 - Megastud. Solid stats for the cost and a game-winning ability.
Metamorphosis - 5 - Very powerful and avoids taunt. Spread out over two turns but I assume this works like all other HP manipulation and you could, if played later in the game, use the original HP then flip it to this and use again. Would you be able to double dip when it swaps back? Great late game / finisher.
Pit Commander - 3 - Taunt makes it decent but triggering the ability will be highly dependent on draft and current hand.
Warglaives of Azzinoth - 4 - Clear the board then go face! Very good weapon that can absolutely flip the board and change the game in your favor.
Coilfang Warlord - 5 - True game changing ability. Take down just about anything and get a 5/9 taunt… seems pretty OP.
Furious Felfin - 4 - Low cost removal piece that fits really well with the HP and could have Mrgl Synergy. Good card.
Imprisoned Antaen - 4 - Incredible ability but the tempo loss is really high.
Priestess of Fury - 5 - Another great ability with little downside based on stats/cost.
Skull of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always important and the Outcast trigger doesn't seem like it will be tremendously limiting.
Ashtongue Battlelord - 4 - The very obvious comp is Sen'jin Shieldmasta with a class-card boost. Stud.
Crimson Sigil Runner - 4 - Solid card, similar to Kobold Librarian but a slight downgrade since Outcast is most difficult to control at mulligan.
Fel Summoner - 1 - Trash stats for arena and a dependent deathrattle. Pass.
Immolation Aura - 5 - Wait, what? 2 mana Consecration and it has some potential as a damage trigger… really strong card.
Netherwalker - 4 - Discover is always strong and this is a decent body with the stats and ability. The demon pool has some duds but it's a safe bet you will be able to get something good.
Spectral Sight - 5 - Again, Outcast seems like it will be easy to trigger and this is 2 cards for 2 mana.
Ysiel Windsinger - 2 - Very limited use due to spells being relatively scarce in arena.
Archspore Msshi'fn - 5 - Excellent stats and ability. That late game payoff is bonkers.
Marsh Hydra - 5 - Crazy good combination with rush ensuring you get the triggered ability at least once.
Glowfly Swarm - 1 - Spells just aren't common enough in arena drafts to make this worth selecting, especially since you need to have 3 spells in hand to make this a positive tempo play. Then there's the "tell" you give to your opponent about your hand. Hard pass.
Germination - 3 - Certainly a strong card in the right situation but the stand alone score has to reflect reliability more than potential value.
Ironbark - 4 - Solid buff stat-wise and the always functional taunt.
Fungal Fortunes - 2 - Pretty lousy draw option in arena since you generally have a higher ratio of minions.
Overgrowth - 3 - Ramp isn't as effective in arena and this will eat up a valuable turn early.
Bogbeam - 3 - Not bad for the cost but not great, either. Best late when it's free, obviously.
Imprisoned Satyr - 1 - Constructed card that will almost always be too much tempo loss in arena to be any good.
Beastmaster Leoroxx - 3 - Certainly a powerful effect when you can build for it but doing so is tough in arena drafts. Hunter has plenty of beasts so this will definitely be scary if it brings down 3 beasts of varied values. Abusable for sure in constructed.
Zixor, Apex Predator - 5 - I'd prefer the stats were swapped but this is still a stud, thanks to the beast tag. Late game board refill from the Prime is awesome. Four four/four Zixors! Sounds like a Dr. Seuss line. :D
Nagrand Slam - 5 - Spectacular card, clever pun, giant pile-o-stats that will draw hate.
Augmented Porcupine - 4 - Cool idea but the deathrattle trigger makes controlling it a bit tough. Definitely a plus that this is a beast.
Mok'Nathal Lion - 4 - Rush on a beast with a strong attack and an upside. Should be a ton of fun in constructed decks, too.
Scrap Shot - 3 - Better in constructed but will less reliable in arena. Nice value if you can pull it off, though.
Pack Tactics - 4 - Pretty strong if you can pair it with a value minion (deathrattle, poison, etc.) since you get a known quantity with the 3/3 body.
Imprisoned Felmaw - 3 - Big stats and it will act as a random swing so the value is there. Unfortunately, hunter tends to be tempo based and this is a bad tempo card.
Scavenger's Ingenuity - 3 - If you have enough beasts it will be very good. Mid-tier score here simply because it's likely to be a really bad card if you only end up with a few beasts.
Helboar - 3 - It's a nice card based on cost, beast tag, and a deathrattle that will be pretty amazing in any arena deck with good beast support.
Astromancer Solarian - 5 - The Primes are all top stats for the cost with a huge payoff later in the game. This one may be one of the best since it'll target enemies when able.
Evocation - 5 - Obviously a late game card but a full hand should set you up with a few nice options.
Apexis Blast - 4 - It's direct damage at a decent cost. Your deck will have minions so you're very unlikely to get that free summon.
Apexis Smuggler - 3 - Solid 2 drop with upside but secrets tend to be sub optimal plays that you don't want to draft in high numbers.
Deep Freeze - 4 - A good play, especially since you can set up a sting of freezing if you are facing something tough to take down.
Imprisoned Observer - 3 - Another really good ability but these dormant cards look like too much tempo loss. This one also gives your opponent 2 turns to best prepare for the board blast.
Font of Power - 4 - Should prove valuable for its versatility. Spell mage will be very interesting in constructed.
Netherwind Portal - 3 - Seems decent but can have some feelsbadman, too. Casino mage is back in force.
Incanter's Flow - 2 - Constructed card that is lower value in arena since your spell count will be lower.
Starscryer - 3 - I'm a bit torn here. The draw is always good and it's got the "class card" bonus over Loot Hoarder which is a decent arena minion. Drawing a spell only is enough to downgrade it some since you tend to have less spells in arena.
Lady Liadrin - 2 - Poor stats for the cost so it depends entirely on whether you've played decent buffs, which isn't going to be consistent in drafts.
Murgur Murgurgle - 5 - Maybe the least awesome of the primes but still a good card. I think I'll have to see it in play as it may be more appropriate to give it a score of 2.
Libram of Hope - 5 - Great value. The only way it's not incredible is if you're ahead all game and don't have anything to heal.
Underlight Angling Rod - 4 - There's enough murlocs to make this a feelsbadman card but it should be well worth it, anyway.
Aldor Truthseeker - 4 - Good stand alone value with an upside.
Libram of Wisdom - 3 - Nice recurring buff with better use in constructed than arena.
Imprisoned Sungill - 3 - A decent spread on the cheap but I'm still not sold on the tempo loss being worth it.
Libram of Justice - 2 - Pretty hefty cost that's only a good value if your opponent really has a big, wide board.
Aldor Attendant - 3 - Another good 2 drop but the upside seems weak even if you have one or two librams.
Hand of A'dal - 4 - Great card. Very odd that this gets added at the same time Priest's shield gets nerfed. This is clearly better than the 1 mana, 0/2 buff with cantrip and is now far, far better than the new version.
Soul Mirror - 3 - An awkward removal piece at an awkward cost. Not sure this is something you want to draft.
Reliquary of Souls - 5 - 1 mana 1/3 is always a great start. This one has a tremendous upside later in the game.
Skeletal Dragon - 4 - Stellar upside if unanswered. Decent value with taunt to protect your face but I feel like hiding it behind taunt would be better.
Sethekk Veilweaver - 4 - Good stats for a 2 drop with a decent upside if triggered. A repeating ability like this can be a game changer, though it is tough to ensure you have enough spells to trigger.
Psyche Split - 3 - Lots of potential without being OP. Feels like you'll want to get at least an undamaged 4 drop to really get big value so it's a late game play that may not be super reliable.
Dragonmaw Overseer - 4 - Obviously needs a target but this will be very strong, same as Shadow Ascendant.
Dragonmaw Sentinel - 3 - Mediocre without a dragon to proc it.
Apotheosis - 3 - Decent card, earning an average score.
Renew - 4 - A quick heal with a discover attached is quite good.
Imprisoned Homunculus - 2 - Cheap but slow. These dormant cards aren't great but this one likely works better with priest than some of the others for their class.
Akama - 5 - Top stats for a 3 drop with the big, untouchable upside to come later.
Shadowjeweler Hanar - 3 - Ok stats for the cost that could combine well with Rogue's blades as minion removal. The new secrets are good but I'm not sure you can get enough to really take advantage of this.
Greyheart Sage - 4 - Really strong but I'm not sure the stealth pool is big enough to ensure you can trigger him.
Bamboozle - 5 - Cool boost to the Rogue secret arsenal. Definitely a high value turn… in most cases.
Ambush - 4 - Strong secret that plays a discounted (but conditional) Emperor Cobra.
Ashtongue Slayer - 3 - Again, requiring stealth makes it tough to rely on in arena. Might be a very cool, very strong deck in constructed, though.
Blackjack Stunner - 3 - Very much dependent on deck build, and that means it'll be unreliable.
Cursed Vagrant - 5 - Big value that needs to be accounted for when playing rogue.
Dirty Tricks - 3 - Interesting, but spells aren't as plentiful in arena so you could be waiting a while for a trigger.
Spymistress - 4 - Great 1 drop, which is great for an aggressive class.
The Lurker Below - 4 - Sure it's a bit fragile with the stat distribution, but it's a big body that can (with a little setup) be a board clear. Similar to my favorite Rumble Run card Leap Frog without being OP AF.
Lady Vashj - 4 - Aggressive stats and the late game pay off is great. The only downside is you may not have enough spells to draw later in the game.
Shattered Rumbler - His predecessor Rumbling Elemental is still a personal favorite of mine. This guy is a good stat distribution with a decent chance to have a huge impact on the game.
Boggspine Knuckles - 4 - Attack with a minion then this weapon to transform the damaged minion into something bigger. What's not to like? Oh, right, RNGesus… lol
Torrent - 4 - Great damage for the cost even without the discount.
Vivid Spores - 3 - A good card for sure but so dependent on having a board to get value. Definitely better than the 3 score if you have a swarm deck.
Bogstrok Clacker - 4 - The dev team is all in on the evolve mechanic… again. :( Good card that can certainly be a quick board flip.
Serpentshrine Portal - 4 - Great card, though there will be sadpanda moments when you get something terrible as a 3 drop.
Totemic Reflection - 3 - Expensive buff that is only valuable if it hits a totem. Too bad most totems aren't great and don't get drafted often. Even as a turn 5 HP + this you are still looking at twin 2/4 totems which are unlikely to be game changing.
Marshspawn - 4 - Top stats as a 3/4 for 3 with an elemental tag and the potential to discover a spell is incredible.
Keli'dan the Breaker - 5 - The easy comp is Assassinate which makes this a supercharged version that leaves a 3/3 body on the board for 1 extra mana. It's less likely you draw it when needed as a full clear but those times will feel pretty stinkin' glorious!
Kanrethad Ebonlocke - 5 - This is one of the "weaker" primes in that it relies on having some demons and having played said demons to get the late game value. Still, that doesn't seem too tough in Warlock drafts.
Darkglare - 5 - Essentially a "free" life tap with the potential to be a very good ramp turn, though that will be far more tricky in arena than in constructed.
Shadow Council - 5 - This is an incredible way to turn an awkward, small-minion, or otherwise weak hand into something much, much better. At 1 mana, you'll be able to play some of those newly created, buffed demons, too.
Enhanced Dreadlord - 5 - The total stats are 10/12 with taunt and lifesteal for 8 mana. Warlock gets a stud here.
The Dark Portal - 1 - It's highly unlikely you'll have 8 cards in arena. This is just too costly.
Imprisoned Scrap Imp - 2 - Even warlock can struggle to keep a large hand size in arena. This is tempo loss with no guarantee that you'll even be able to take advantage of the buff.
Hand of Gul'dan - 4 - Card draw is always good and this is a decent enough even though you're unlikely to get the discard use.
Nightshade Matron - 4 - High stat rush minion for the cost with a downside.
Unstable Felbolt - 4 - Great value for the cost and you should be able to mitigate the downside with good planning.
Kargath Bladefist - 5 - This is the best prime in the game for arena purposes. Rush means you get to control the whole process and the late game prime also has rush so you keep initiative and get at least 10 armor. Not many cards better than this in the arena pool, honestly.
Bulwark of Azzinoth - 5 - Really powerful protection. This is similar to Animated Armor but weapon are far more difficult to remove than a minion.
Warmaul Challenger - 4 - Very cool, unique mechanic. Strong early in games but dwindling usefulness as the game gets into the late stages.
Bladestorm - 3 - Interesting concept that will likely prove tricky and awkward in arena. Pretty hysterical way to kill a board with only 1, high health minion like Ysera, though. I'm definitely curious to see this in action as I may be severely underestimating it.
Bloodboil Brute - 5 - Very good without the discounted cost and it should be easy to get the discount since it will count ALL damaged minions on board.
Scrap Golem - 4 - Good value card with taunt, mech tag, and an armor boost.
Corsair Cache - 3 - Draft dependent but a pretty good card if you have the weapons to support it.
Bonechewer Raider - 4 - Again, a damage trigger that check ALL minions that shouldn't be hard to meet.
Imprisoned Gan'arg - 3 - The least terrible of the Imprisoned minions, with decent enough value at such a low cost that the tempo loss isn't as big a deal compared to the others.
Sword and Board - 3 - Good value and the cheap cost make it easy to fit in anywhere along the curve.
Al'ar - 2 - Too fragile to be a good 5 drop and the resulting 0/3 is an easy kill, as well.
Kael'thas Sunstrider - 3 - Chances are slim you'll ever trigger him so it's a 6 mana 4/7 which is mediocre.
Magtheridon - 3 - Tough to gauge without playing it, for me. Clearly massive payoff for your patience but any transform or silence makes it a totally wasted turn.
Maiev Shadowsong - 4 - Decent stats and a strong ability that will be very useful for an aggressive class, mostly as a way to circumvent taunt.
Teron Gorefiend - 4 - Top stats for a 3 drop and an ability that can be set up nicely. Swing with minions then let them die and come back bigger.
Mo'arg Artificer - 4 - Great stats with an ability that can certainly change the game. Better in classes that can take advantage of it, of course.
Replicat-o-tron - 3 - This is another unique ability that is pretty cool. It'll be awesome for Paladin & Shaman, and in any deck that is swarm based and can also be used to "heal" a medium sized minion. But it can backfire on you if your opponent doesn't kill it.
Waste Warden - 3 - Awesome, unique ability that will be better in constructed than arena. Could easily provide some big swings in arena, too, though.
Blistering Rot - 3 - Variable score based on class, as the buff classes can definitely take advantage of this.
Infectious Sporeling - 3 - Awesome ability that can cripple any big target but it has to make it through your opponent's turn, which is unlikely.Scrapyard Colossus - 4 - Beefy taunt with a big price tag that is well worth it if your opponent can't silence/transform it.Bonechewer Brawler - 4 - Great stats for a neutral, taunt minion and there's some upside.
Bonechewer Vanguard - 5 - Excellent ability on a taunt minion. Good stats that improve make this a very scary minion.
Burrowing Scorpid - 4 - Ping is always useful and this is an upgrade in cost and ability over Stormpike Commando which is still a good arena card.
Dragonmaw Sky Stalker - 5 - Great stats across 2 bodies for the cost.
Disguised Wanderer - 2 - The 1 health Rustsworn Inquisitor is too weak to make up for the tempo loss of a 3/3 for 4. It would need rush to matter.
Ethereal Augmerchant - 3 - Spell damage isn't useful all that often in arena. Still good as a ping to finish off an opponent's minion, though.
Felfin Navigator - 3 - Vanilla stats with upside.
Frozen Shadoweaver - 4 - Good, aggressive stats and freeze has always been useful in arena.
Guardian Augmerchant - 4 - A cheap way to protect a high value minion or any minion while trading.
Imprisoned Vilefiend - 3 - Better than most imprisoned since it has rush but still too much lost tempo, imo.
Overconfident Orc - 3 - Great the turn you play it (unless against mage) but that 1 attack will feel quite weak once it's been hit. Might surprise me… I feel like it's better than a 3 score but not really sure.
Rocket Augmerchant - 4 - We've seen the effectiveness of this ability with Goblin Lackey and this has an extra attack point. Nice!
Ruststeed Raider - 4 - Solid removal piece that likely leaves a taunt minion on board afterwards.
Rustsworn Cultist - 3 - A good swarm minion but quite situational.
Rustsworn Initiate - 4 - Solid 2 drop with the chance to give you an extra edge if you can take advantage of the spell damage.
Scavenging Shivarra - 4 - A big fragile but that ability is very good, especially in classes that lack single target minion removal.
Soulbound Ashtongue - 3 - Great stats for the cost but that ping will feel much less useful than a ping that doesn't hit your own face.
Supreme Abyssal - 2 - It can take down an entire board… one minion at a time. Good stats but not something I want in my arena decks in most cases.
Terrorguard Escapee - 3 - Decent stats for the cost but nothing too exciting, and no ability (like taunt) to give it a boost in value.
Heroic Togwaggle was really easy using this one:
I used a (very expensive) Highlander Priest. Pushed Galakrond to fatigue. Lots of removal, lots of healing and taunt. Lots of tremendously terrible AI decisions. :D
Love the whole adventure. Really happy they went back to this format and infused some new cards into the game between expacs. Well worth my $20.
However, Herioc Reno really takes all the fun out of the game. Card pool seems very narrow for his HP "random spell" and he always has a great start while wiping your board with his small spells and HP casts. (Cinderstorm seems to auto-cast another Cinderstorm or Arcane Intellect way more than anything else, and Firelands Portal is Flamestrike or Crushing Walls over and over, as well.)
Not sure when the dev team will get it through their heads that a super heavy RNG clown fiesta that forces a restart by turn 4 a billion times while hoping for that one lucky game is not an enjoyable gaming experience.
Boompistol Bully - 4 - Disruptive cards are solid and battlecry cards are common.
Shadow Sculptor - 2 - Card draw is always great... until now. :D This is just too costly and conditional.
Bomb Wrangler - 4 - Even one Boom Bot will be worth the potential tempo loss of a 2/3 for 3. Warrior has enough tricks to take advantage of this and great mech synergy, as well.
Chopshop Copter - 3 - Good stats and ability but the heavy reliance on mechs will make this too conditional on its own. Stud card in decks that get lots of mechs.
Cleric of Scales - 3 - In the current rotation it is good. When the massive influx of dragons go away it is a 2 score.
Frenzied Felwing - 4 - Shouldn't be hard to cut the cost in half and have a strong tempo turn as a result.
Licensed Adventurer - 3 - Most likely a vanilla 3/2 for 3.
Risky Skipper - 4 - Doing damage to all minions is quite strong. Maybe this will be rough in actual gameplay but this has synergy with lots of warrios ping-type play and with pirates.
Rotnest Drake - 5 - The dev team is really heaping on the insane value dragons. +2 mana gets you a Deadly Shot that drops a 5/6 Dragon? Yogg help us all. Awesome card.
Scalelord - 4 - Strong body with a good ability. A bit too conditional to give a 5 score but it could prove to be that good in live action.
Steel Beetle - 3 - Another card that's likely a vanilla 2/3 for 2. Armor is rarely a game-changer.
Animated Avalanche - 3 - Love this card but it's not going to be consistent in drafting. Obviously a game winner if you get it and have the proper support to trigger.
Boom Squad - 4 - Go ahead, pick the Lackey, I dare ya!
Explosive Evolution - 4 - This is a big jump for a little price. Trade then transform and hope RNGesus is happy with you.
Fiendish Servant - 4 - Quite solid for the cost. Controlling it will be a bit tricky but should be manageable.
Fresh Scent - 4 - Twinspell makes me really want to like it. Requiring a beast isn't a big deal for Hunter.
Hailbringer - 4 - Really strong swarm card with elemental synergy and the ability to freeze big threats while you look for answers. Love it.
Skydiving Instructor - 2 - Not worth it. More often than not you only have 1 or 2 one-cost minions (if any!).
Skyvateer - 5 - Great card for Rogue. Pirate synergy and the stealth prevent your opponent from somehow eliminating your cantrip. Shag off, Cabal Shadow Priest!
Twisted Knowledge - 5 - Slight tempo loss but well worth it when you get two chances at finding a win-con or a solution to a bad board state.
Waxmancy - 4 - I'm on the fence about this one. Discover is always good and the reduced cost is nice but only covering the cost of playing Waxmancy. The battlecry pool is so big you could certainly get burned but should be able to find something helpful each time.
The Fist of Ra-den - 2 - Another entry in the "only draftable late" category. It's a tremendously powerful ability but spells are not always easy to come by when drafting.
Escaped Manasaber - 4 - Very good card that is even better for the classes that can take advantage of the beast tag. It guarantees the extra crystal so it's solid stats and a quick advantage that will be awesome if you can get it early.
Sky Gen'ral Kragg - 1 - Like Grand Lackey Erkh, this will only be draftable if you're at the end of your draft and you've ended up with the support for it.
Arcane Amplifier - 5 - Solid stats with a powerful ability as a common, and multiple copies on board will stack the damage you can do with your HP. All topped off with elemental synergy. Really strong card.
Eye of the Storm - 5 - 15/18 for 10 mana at a time in the game when overloading 3 is largely insignificant. Another common card that should be easy to get in every Shaman draft. Yikes!
Rising Winds - 5 - Great for it's versatility and the twinspell makes it incredible.
Yes, luck is important. It's also the main reason I don't play many combo decks. My luck is, and always has been, terrible. Thanks, though. Fun idea!
Winged Guardian - 5 - Because a turn 6 Emerald Explorer really needs backup. :D Sick card with the Reborn and Evasive mechanics.
Aeon Reaver - 4 - Will act as removal that leaves a body behind, similar to Vilespine Slayer but you'll need to massage the stats since it's not an outright removal.
Grand Lackey Erkh - 1 - Only draftable at the end of a draft where you've already secured lots of lackey support.
Air Raid - 4 - Solid face protection. Twinspell makes it a really good card and there's some dude synergy to be found in the current rotation. Makes me realize how old I am when Air Raid ALWAYS triggers Parker Posey in my head.
Yes it was. Similar luck with the next 3. Fun... but you're SOL if the Merchant's are uncooperative. Game 2 was a GalWarrior that crushed me by turn 7. Game 3 another loss to a Handlock. Game 4 a loss to a giant mage where I was again waiting on the second Merchant for too long. 0-4 at rank 8.
Though, to be fair, I was being greedy looking to get the combo. May have won (especially in that last game) had I played to win instead of playing to pull off the combo.
EDIT: Game 6, same story. 7 cards left in deck - both Merchants buried away still...
Sounds fun. So I tried it... 3 cards left in my deck right now and 2x Expired Merchant make up 2 of those 3. lol
so awesome...
and I guarantee if they ever name a card Fluffy for real the community will NEVER, EVER believe it's real until we unpack one! :D
Chaos Gazer - 4 - I love a good Floating Eye of Death. Excellent aggressive stats and the disruption of burning a card or forcing a sub-optimal play make this a great choice in drafts.
Dark Prophecy - 4 - There are a ton of 2 cost minions so this particular discover effect isn't as bulletproof as most but it's still quite good. Very likely you'll get a 3 drop stat for 2 mana and could highroll into some great tempo turns. It could even bail you out with a Doomsayer.
Shotbot - 4 - Good stats, mech syergy, and a nice addition for a class that loves to make something stick for a buff.
I have played this once. I have had it played against me 7 times. All 8 times it targeted the minion on one end (left or right) and went into the next minion adjacent. Not once has it looked random and gone to the open end of the board.
Anyone see it go the "wrong" way?
Yep... huge time sink for a classic pack. Pass.
It's very likely the first card to get hit the Arena Ban Hammer. It was a unanimous 5 star score and all 3 of us noted how ridiculous the power level is in the Impact thread - copied in spoiler below. It's going to have a high "when played" win rate.
Reno as startled seems very un-Reno-like to me. Reckless and enthusiastic fits.
Love the art showcase stuff. Nice work, Demonxz95.
Big Ol' Whelp - 5 - Totally blows up the previous cost ratio of cantrips. Powercreep special with the dragon tag included.
Blazing Battlemage - 4 - A great way to start a match.
Bloodsail Flybooter - 4 - Good pirate pool and this will allow rogue to continue triggering combos and pirate synergies.
Evasive Chimaera - 4 - More powercreep. Getting a little stupid. Should be an easy trade up.
Evasive Feywing - 4 - Can't be targeted is a good arena ability and this carries the dragon tag to trigger all the bonkers stuff coming in.
Evasive Wyrm - 5 - Crazy. Evasive should just be the keyword. Anyway, this card is so much strong than previous rush entries.
Fire Hawk - 3 - Better on curve than late. The ele tag and the sheer volume of discover / cantrip / kickback effects might prove me wrong, though.
Goboglide Tech - 3 - Mech pool doesn't support it being more than a vanilla 3/3 for 3 for this rotation.
Grave Rune - 4 - In a value class like priest, I think this will perform well. Maybe to variable to score this high but most drafts will support pulling this off.
Gyrocopter - 4 - Strong removal piece as a neutral. Upside is great if your opponent can't immediately handle it.
Hippogryph - 4 - Really strong stats and abilities at this cost. Another powercreep special. Must be the December set. O.o
Living Dragonbreath - 4 - 3/4 for 3 with ele tag. Thank goodness constructed finally gets the counter to Moorabi!
Parachute Brigand - 3 - Average stats that will probably be great in rogue drafts but that's it.
Rain of Fire - 3 - Damage to all is generally good in warlock. Ping is always good and this can set up some other pieces of the class's aresnal.
Scalerider - 4 - Another easy to trigger ability with the incoming dragons.
Shrubadier - 4 - Good balance and brings some treant synergy and is in a class that can swarm and buff. Probably going to see lots of these as a common.
Sky Raider - 5 - Slightly better than 50/50 you'll get a very good pirate and gives warrior a chance at a sick start with Parachute Brigand. Will we get some wondercoding that allows the Raider to rng the Brigand to your hand and then summon it? Tune in Tuesday to find out!
Squallhunter - 5 - Love this art! Excellent stats and shaman has a decent chance at taking advantage of the spell damage.
Strength in Numbers - 3 - Easy to reach the goal and it could be a huge tempo gain. Will be a feelsbadman when you get a crap dice roll and pull a small minion.
Surging Tempest - 4 - 1/3 for 1 with upside makes it one of the few 1 drops you actually want. Strong start to any match if you can get it in mulligan and still offers upside later with the ele & overload synergy.
Tasty Flyfish - 3 - Average but (not to belabor the point) it should be easy to gain the triggered buff.
Troll Batrider - 5 - Very strong. Should fit in a sweet spot with the cost/body/damage and be very effective.
Whispers of EVIL - 3 - Lackeys are solid but the majority come from a battlecry, leaving a body on the board. Not sure I see the value in drafting this for priest.
Wing Commander - 3 - Meh. Easy to get the extra attack but it tips your hand in the process.