I agree, most of the Rogue secrets don't appeal to me either. My favorites are Counter Shot, Saving Grace and Maternal Instinct in that order, they all got 5 stars from me.
I'm not sure what to do about the "go dormant for 2 turns" issue. I will definitely give them all the same rating since I don't know if one of them knew of the others and I don't see any major differences between them (no spelling mistakes, art looks good on all of them, ...). I would initially have given 4 stars, maybe even 5, but that doesn't feel right anymore with three identical entries. I reduced my votes to 3 stars for the moment but I will think some more about it till the deadline tonight. It's a hard decision for me. Is someone willing to discuss how they are rating these cards and why?
I try to rate it like this: 1 star for balance, 1 star for aesthetics (perfect formatting, fitting art), 1 for creativity, and 1 star to be docked when one of those criteria is a spectacular fail (like horrible formatting and/or art, or blatantly OP/UP). That way, I can always keep a sense of fair rating without being overly harsh over a detail I dislike. How about you?
It seems like the face damage was bothering people, so I took it off and made it deal 4 damage instead. It is hard to balance this idea without making it just like Flame Ward but harder to trigger. I am also unsure of how much mana I can cheat with this card when Hidden Wisdom is so underwhelming and Rat Trap is so overwhelming. I decided that making this secret like a 3 mana delayed Flamestrike would be okay when Rat Trap is effectively a 2 mana delayed Boulderfist Ogre. The secret also kind of balances itself out because it won't always clear the board when you need it too.
Here is my new card:
Show Spoiler
Here is some feedback:
Show Spoiler
@Demonxz95, I like it, but without the rest of the "wild west" expansion it kind of feels out of place. Also, it seems a bit too easy to play around. Realistically, I don't think you are going to be drawing a lot of cards with this. I would vote 3 stars, strong theme, but too easy to play around.
@DestroyerR, Legendary Secret? Intriguing. While the ability is very interesting and balanced (if a little on the strong side), I don't like it because this has to be the most annoying card to play against in all of Hearthstone. I would hate to have this played against me. It slows down the game and really, it would just make people salty. I voted 2 stars, because while it is creative, it isn't a very healthy card for the game.
@Xarkkal, I like Stray Arrow the best. It really fits hunters style, and it is also super balanced. I it also very interesting to play around, do they drop a small minion to protect their more valuable minions, or do they attack and then play their minions in case it is Explosive Trap? One thing though, would this trigger if there is only 1 adjacent minions? That would fit with how cards like Cleave and Multi-Shot work, but it would also make it super easy to play around by just attacking with your minion to the far left/right of the board.
@Anchrom4n, This is just a worse version of Frost Nova. Also, I would like to minimize the number of mass freeze effects in Hearthstone so that Combo Mage doesn't end up freezing your board for 12 turns in a row before comboing you to death.
@Conduit, I really like it. It feels balanced, but still worth playing. My one concern though it that it would be way too easy to just play The Coin and then the spell they wanted to play. Unlike Counterspell, this doesn't make the opponent lose any cards, just mana. So as long as they have a cheap spell, this secret becomes useless.
@Nirast, very cool. I am not sure what the correct wording would be (we have never had a card like this in hearthstone before), but I think "Unsheath" is the word I would use. It is that kind of not-a-keyword-but-kind-of-like-a-keyword thing that happens in Hearthstone sometimes with cards like Swampqueen Hagatha.
@Almaniarra, Out of the two I like Leeching Poison better, mainly because Dismantle is a bit useless. However, as you mentioned, you would have to change the name because Leeching Poison is a card. What about, "Blood Infusion"? Or is that too gruesome and Warlock-y for a Rogue card? One other thing, you should change the watermark to a more appropriate expansion.
@ZardozSpeakz, Spell Duel is my favorite. It fits Mages flavor, it looks like a card Blizzard would print, and it is also a lot more inspired than some of the submissions I have seen. I would vote 5 stars.
@Wendeee, Another Card to Play doesn't work because Secrets can only trigger on your opponent's turn, and generally they should interact with your opponent in some way.
@DecentOfDragonsOP, I can see you already submitted your card, and I gave it 1 star. For one, it costs four mana. All secrets have to cost the same amount otherwise your opponent can just look at how much mana you spent to cast it and then know just what it is. Also, it is so full of grammatical errors it is a bit funny. It should say "Secret:_Whenever anenemy attacks a Friendly minion(Comma) summon three 2/2 Gang Mates that attack that enemy instead (period).
@Thonson, The secret should specify that it triggers at the start of your turn. Also, I would make them 2/2s or 1/1s with Taunt or something. 3/3s just seem a bit big for only 3 mana. Other than that, it looks great.
Thanks for the feedback! Here’s a quick review of your card:
I think it’s a little on the ‘too strong’ side. Sure, Rat Trap is basically early Boulderfist, but Flamestrike is MUCH more powerful on turns 4-6. In fact, it may be the niche where it can change games, literally, but I can’t say for sure. The text is also a little cramped, I’d switch the “three” for a “3” and see if that does the trick. All in all, a neat card, would vote 4-5 stars with a change of wording.
About my card, I don’t think it’s unfun. It might be frustrating at times, sure, but very rarely you don’t have a way to play your turn differently, and even if it did turn out to be pretty annoying, I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to say it would be unhealthy for the game in any way. I guess fun is a subjective aspect though, so each to their own (even if docking 3 stars for that seems a bit... extreme)
I have a lot of custom cards that fit this criteria, so I'll put three of them visible and the rest in spoiler. Interestingly, neither of them is a Mage card.
Draconic Avengers is a pretty straightforward card, featuring Paladin handbuff Dragons, in-line with Dragonrider Talritha. Main issue, it has a high chance of being useless if randomly generated.
Unseathe deals damage to any minion attacking your hero and leaves a 3/1 weapon equiped. I might change its name to Hidden Dagger, because I'm not sure everyone knows the verb "unseathe". I certainly didn't before looking it up. I've just realised it's a bit similar to Nirast's Quick Reflexes, but I guess it's not ALL that similar?
Rabid Dog is another flavor-driven card, featuring a rabid dog that becomes aggressive against friends. The effect is in between of Snipe and Misdirection.
Rest of the cards in spoiler:
Show Spoiler
Hope is based on the trope of a knight in shining armor arriving at the precise moment, kinda like Gandalf in The Return of the King. The only reason it's not outside the spoiler is because Imprison minions make it kinda redundant.
Skid Tactics is a very flavor-driven card: cephalopods have high regeneration capabilities and spray ink, so that's what the card does lol Could've been a Rogue card, but I decided to go Hunter because of the Beast flavor. Problem is, it's too similar to linkblade's Smokescreen.
Phase Shift has a very similar effect to Squid Tactics, but it draws inspiration from the Faerie Dragon ability from Warcraft 3, instead of squids.
Despair draws inspiration from Arthas' fall, where his own soldiers turn against him because of his unhonorable actions. It's meant to be combined with crap minions, mainly Silver Hand Recruit.
Selfless Heroism tries to support the Divine Shield synergy pushed in Knights of the Frozen Throne, while being an obvious nod to Selfless Hero.
Exorcism is based on several WoW and Warcraft abilities which de-spell summoned minions, but I'm not sure it translates well to Hearthstone.
I'm aware I've posted a ton of cards, so if you only want to review the ones outside the spoiler, I'm perfectly okay with that :)
Thanks for the feedback! A quick review of the cards outside the spoiler:
Draconic Avengers - nothing really outstanding, but a nice card with a clear support in mind. I’d vote 4-5 stars.
Unseathe - I think it’s spelled “unsheathe”, so you might want to fix that. A token of the dagger might also raise your ratings. I’d personally vote 5 stars after these changes.
Rabid Dog - this one is lacking in many aspects IMO. First, I feel it’s too strong and immediately impactful, compared to cards like Misdirection or Sudden Betrayal. Second, the wording is a bit off, it should be “your opponent” instead of “the enemy”. Third, the flavor is also a bit off. I get the rabid dog attacking at random, but it’s pretty weird when supposed “Rabid Dog” is oftentimes not even a beast, much less a dog. I’d vote 2-3 stars.
Legendary Secret? That's going to get you a lot of flair.
I was actually trying to find reasons to critique the card and then realized that I couldn't really come up with anything, so it seems good. I guess the only downside of the card is that it's fairly easy to play around and requires extremely specific timing, although that's not necessarily new for Secrets.
Really? Thanks!
Just to clarify, “different cards” could either mean they can’t play the cards they played last turn, or it could be that they can’t play ALL the cards they played last turn. Which do you think is the most balanced interpretation?
No. AGAIN, MurlocAggroB got everything right, meaning the first line is about minion type, the second is entrance sound, the third is stats and the fourth is similar name. I also said they are both classic. I’ll give another hint: one of them isn’t collectible
Man, I thought for sure my card would make it to the finals :(
oh well, GL to the finalists!
I try to rate it like this: 1 star for balance, 1 star for aesthetics (perfect formatting, fitting art), 1 for creativity, and 1 star to be docked when one of those criteria is a spectacular fail (like horrible formatting and/or art, or blatantly OP/UP). That way, I can always keep a sense of fair rating without being overly harsh over a detail I dislike. How about you?
Next: A legendary that rewards patience
Darkest Hour was nerfed?
@CursedParrot your turn, then!
Thanks for the feedback! Here’s a quick review of your card:
I think it’s a little on the ‘too strong’ side. Sure, Rat Trap is basically early Boulderfist, but Flamestrike is MUCH more powerful on turns 4-6. In fact, it may be the niche where it can change games, literally, but I can’t say for sure. The text is also a little cramped, I’d switch the “three” for a “3” and see if that does the trick. All in all, a neat card, would vote 4-5 stars with a change of wording.
About my card, I don’t think it’s unfun. It might be frustrating at times, sure, but very rarely you don’t have a way to play your turn differently, and even if it did turn out to be pretty annoying, I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to say it would be unhealthy for the game in any way. I guess fun is a subjective aspect though, so each to their own (even if docking 3 stars for that seems a bit... extreme)
Thanks for the feedback! A quick review of the cards outside the spoiler:
Draconic Avengers - nothing really outstanding, but a nice card with a clear support in mind. I’d vote 4-5 stars.
Unseathe - I think it’s spelled “unsheathe”, so you might want to fix that. A token of the dagger might also raise your ratings. I’d personally vote 5 stars after these changes.
Rabid Dog - this one is lacking in many aspects IMO. First, I feel it’s too strong and immediately impactful, compared to cards like Misdirection or Sudden Betrayal. Second, the wording is a bit off, it should be “your opponent” instead of “the enemy”. Third, the flavor is also a bit off. I get the rabid dog attacking at random, but it’s pretty weird when supposed “Rabid Dog” is oftentimes not even a beast, much less a dog. I’d vote 2-3 stars.
Some of my favorites:
Font of Power
It’s Comic Sans.
Beryllium Nullifier
Why Beryllium? Because it’s hard to spell.
@MurlocAggroB didn’t reply in a while. Should we skip em?
Really? Thanks!
Just to clarify, “different cards” could either mean they can’t play the cards they played last turn, or it could be that they can’t play ALL the cards they played last turn. Which do you think is the most balanced interpretation?
How about this?
@Fedrion got it!
Easier this time around, but I felt like making a riddle with a more classic style, almost something that would be used in a D&D session:
A riddle within this riddle,
a power without control
a gift from an old acquaintance
who longs to see you fall
@Fedrion is correct, it was Azure Drake! Fun fact: I didn’t even realize it was HoF lol
How about this one?
ArngrimUndying is even closer, Emerald Drake is right! If no one guesses it for a while he’ll get the win
Maybe this was way too obscure. I’ll give it a day or two, and then MurlocAggroB will be declared winner by proximity
No. AGAIN, MurlocAggroB got everything right, meaning the first line is about minion type, the second is entrance sound, the third is stats and the fourth is similar name. I also said they are both classic. I’ll give another hint: one of them isn’t collectible
Nope. Again, @MurlocAggroB got the hints right in every aspect
@MurlocAggroB wow, that fits exactly as I thought it would fit, but for 2 different cards. A hint: both are classic cards