The site has definitely hit a rough patch and it definitely feels like it's been that way for a while. As to why we're stuck in this hole can be attributed to several interlocking problems. We were definitely affected by HearthPwn. The original plan was that HearthPwn was going to be closed and then Out of Cards would effectively replace it as the de facto main Hearthstone fan site. Sounds like a solid plan, but of course, when the keys were handed over to other people and the site would stay around, you can see exactly how that would put a huge roadblock on the road of progress for Out of Cards. Even if hasn't seemed like it, our growth has always been slowed down by HearthPwn, ever since the very beginning. Brand recognition is a bitch of a thing to deal with.
One other big obstacle for the site was that card games are just simply a very niche market that ebbs and flows. Hearthstone's popularity in general has gone up and down considerably as time has went on and that naturally will have drastic effects on our overall activity. When you're trying to support card games on a news website, you also need people who are familiar with the game and play on a regular basis, which is also why news for games like Legends of Runeterra and MTG Arena have also faded out. Can't really write news about the game when you don't have the people who are familiar enough with it. SNAP is decently popular and guides about the game still get views and the game still has active players, but people aren't able to sink time into every game to play.
Now in theory, branching out to just general gaming coverage could counteract this somewhat, but it again runs into the problem of brand recognition. Let's face it. Out of Cards/Games has never been that popular compared to its competing websites and trying to climb that peak is a steep and difficult climb to make regardless of how hard you try. We're very grateful for the community we have, and we thank you wholeheartedly for sticking with us for as long as you have. Trying to expand that community though, is a process that even if you know what to do, is a pain that can take forever to get through.
Fun piece of trivia for you guys: Bestial Madness is the first Shadow spell in Hunter in the game. As of this point, Warrior is now the only class in the game without any Shadow spells. And since we just got Hunter's first in this mini-set, who's to say the same can't happen for Warrior? Shadow for all!
In regards to your comment on Batman Forever, I'm not really sure if we'd ever cover 'bad' games on this series. Of course, how good a game is varies from person to person in many different ways, but it's fairly uncommon for games to be iconic and worth remembering back of their lack of quality rather than their actual quality. It might happen one day by some of us as either a joke or as a means as comparison to a relevant flop, but just in general, covering games that are iconic for being bad games feels very counterintuitive to the goal of the series.
Oh yeah, absolutely. This is something that I've actually been talking about with a group of colleagues. Treant Druid goes in two diametrically opposite directions of cards that specifically want them to be Treants, and cards that transform them into Ancients. The groups just don't go together at all. Plot of Sin is even still in Standard and only works with Cultivation if you play it while Uninfused.
Which route do you want Treants to take? Wanting them to be Treants for payoff cards, or transforming the Treants into other things? I don't care which one, but they shouldn't attempt to do both. I don't mind trying to branch an established archetype in a different direction, but this doesn't feel like the right way to do it. What you're left with with these two different directions of Treant support cards are two disjointed archetypes that are trying to fit square pegs into round holes.
On top of that, its really unintuitive to be honest. How'd anyone know how that works without having experienced it themselves?
In other card games, it's actually not uncommon for 'payment of life' to be different (and not count as) 'taking damage'. But I do agree that to players who don't have experience with other card games, it would be a bit confusing at first.
It doesn't cost any mana, which means that it's basically a Wisp with +1/+1 in exchange for 5 Health. Since it costs nothing, this means that it in theory could be a stepping stone to building a bigger board, especially early on, which both classes love to do.
This isn't necessarily to say that the card is good, but I understand what they were trying to do when they printed it.
Please tell me that spelling error isn't how the card will actually be printed! P-L-A-G-I-A-R-I-Z-E not P-L-A-I-G-A-R-I-Z-E. Please read my comment carefully before replying, I'm NOT talking about the "ZARRR" part, that's awesome.
-Your friendly neighborhood English teacher and pirate fan
Fixed it.
Blizzard's gallery isn't updating with all the cards as they're revealed, so I have to make my own mock-up copies of the cards through HearthCards to get them onto our database, and sometimes mistakes will be made. I would've never seen it if you hadn't pointed it out.
Thank you so much for reading my piece. I'm with you on Zoo Tycoon. Steam absolutely needs to get it and I'm hoping it does at some point.
Going through all the RollerCoaster Tycoon 1 parks, and I'm getting super close to beating all of them.
The site has definitely hit a rough patch and it definitely feels like it's been that way for a while. As to why we're stuck in this hole can be attributed to several interlocking problems. We were definitely affected by HearthPwn. The original plan was that HearthPwn was going to be closed and then Out of Cards would effectively replace it as the de facto main Hearthstone fan site. Sounds like a solid plan, but of course, when the keys were handed over to other people and the site would stay around, you can see exactly how that would put a huge roadblock on the road of progress for Out of Cards. Even if hasn't seemed like it, our growth has always been slowed down by HearthPwn, ever since the very beginning. Brand recognition is a bitch of a thing to deal with.
One other big obstacle for the site was that card games are just simply a very niche market that ebbs and flows. Hearthstone's popularity in general has gone up and down considerably as time has went on and that naturally will have drastic effects on our overall activity. When you're trying to support card games on a news website, you also need people who are familiar with the game and play on a regular basis, which is also why news for games like Legends of Runeterra and MTG Arena have also faded out. Can't really write news about the game when you don't have the people who are familiar enough with it. SNAP is decently popular and guides about the game still get views and the game still has active players, but people aren't able to sink time into every game to play.
Now in theory, branching out to just general gaming coverage could counteract this somewhat, but it again runs into the problem of brand recognition. Let's face it. Out of Cards/Games has never been that popular compared to its competing websites and trying to climb that peak is a steep and difficult climb to make regardless of how hard you try. We're very grateful for the community we have, and we thank you wholeheartedly for sticking with us for as long as you have. Trying to expand that community though, is a process that even if you know what to do, is a pain that can take forever to get through.
Fun piece of trivia for you guys: Bestial Madness is the first Shadow spell in Hunter in the game. As of this point, Warrior is now the only class in the game without any Shadow spells. And since we just got Hunter's first in this mini-set, who's to say the same can't happen for Warrior? Shadow for all!
In regards to your comment on Batman Forever, I'm not really sure if we'd ever cover 'bad' games on this series. Of course, how good a game is varies from person to person in many different ways, but it's fairly uncommon for games to be iconic and worth remembering back of their lack of quality rather than their actual quality. It might happen one day by some of us as either a joke or as a means as comparison to a relevant flop, but just in general, covering games that are iconic for being bad games feels very counterintuitive to the goal of the series.
I've been playing a lot of Fallout: New Vegas over the past week or so.
For a really long time, I've also been in the middle of beating all of the scenarios in Roller Coaster Tycoon.
They did also say during the stream that it's supposed to work on the turn that you play it.
So if nothing else, it can function as a 4 mana 3/3 with a form of "Battlecry: Draw two cards".
My thought is that instead of making Treant a type, you make Plant the type and then all Treants and Ancients just have the Plant type.
Oh yeah, absolutely. This is something that I've actually been talking about with a group of colleagues. Treant Druid goes in two diametrically opposite directions of cards that specifically want them to be Treants, and cards that transform them into Ancients. The groups just don't go together at all. Plot of Sin is even still in Standard and only works with Cultivation if you play it while Uninfused.
Which route do you want Treants to take? Wanting them to be Treants for payoff cards, or transforming the Treants into other things? I don't care which one, but they shouldn't attempt to do both. I don't mind trying to branch an established archetype in a different direction, but this doesn't feel like the right way to do it. What you're left with with these two different directions of Treant support cards are two disjointed archetypes that are trying to fit square pegs into round holes.
From the way it's worded, it seems that you would get the pack immediately.
Although even if you did have to wait, that wouldn't make any difference since the packs wouldn't be able to be opened until August 1st anyway.
Not exactly since it doesn't introduce any weird gimmicks into gameplay. Just changes the cards that are available compared to Standard and Wild.
Playing Forza Motorsport 8 on one of those Porsche Xboxs sounds like a way to feel like a badass.
I'm just really hoping that Forza Motorsport 8 turns out to be good.
I would kill a giant with my bare hands to get one of those Porsche Xbox Series X's.
In other card games, it's actually not uncommon for 'payment of life' to be different (and not count as) 'taking damage'. But I do agree that to players who don't have experience with other card games, it would be a bit confusing at first.
You would still be able to play the Treant, but the Immune wouldn't stop you from losing the Health you pay by playing it.
It doesn't cost any mana, which means that it's basically a Wisp with +1/+1 in exchange for 5 Health. Since it costs nothing, this means that it in theory could be a stepping stone to building a bigger board, especially early on, which both classes love to do.
This isn't necessarily to say that the card is good, but I understand what they were trying to do when they printed it.
Ah, thank you.
The guys over at Dexerto really couldn't be bothered to show us the tokens.
Fixed it.
Blizzard's gallery isn't updating with all the cards as they're revealed, so I have to make my own mock-up copies of the cards through HearthCards to get them onto our database, and sometimes mistakes will be made. I would've never seen it if you hadn't pointed it out.
You have just under 24 hours to submit.
And it also reads "it explodes", implying that once its used up, it's gone.
The "each turn" is just there so that the damage continues to stack up until it explodes.