For classes without silence, this is a slow game-ender. If a Control Warrior became oppressively good, I would bet that some decks might run this card against it... or maybe that's my GvG brain thinking, but still - I don't think we can write off any kind of infinite value.
Eastern card games: "Yes, of course, a fifth version of your favorite waifu! Now you can play both her forms and her legendary spell while you are her and your opponent is as well!"
This ain't exactly equivalent. Yeah, new and returning players get a new deck. One new deck. For only new and returning players. Whizbang has kept some folks in the game for a year or two, now. He offers far more than just one deck, and he's got much greater lasting power.
I'd find it more equivalent if they could offer current Whizbang players one of those new decks, but of course, there's no way to reliably do so. Good for business, bad for us.
Monetizing games is a weird business. By the most basic metric, this makes the expansion Megabundle very attractive. 20$ Battlepass, new hero, 90 packs (and matching the 50$ order, a golden legendary and a cardback)... Wow! Great value!
There's such a disparity between the work and materials and the pricing, though, that this doesn't mean much. Really, the Battlepass is probably priced highly to encourage players to buy the 80$ bundle - to make it seem worth it. They've added the additional golden legendary back into the 50$ purchase, which supports that theory. They must feel confidently enough about projected purchase amounts to do so.
If you evaluate the bundles based on what you're likely to get, rather than by price, the Megabundle looks less enticing for non-competitive Battlegrounds players. You can play Battlegrounds casually just fine with two heroes, and the emotes and stats are meaningless. A few Arena runs aren't worth much. The hero has an odd voice, and there are plenty of Shaman heroes around already, so that's a wash unless you've got a snake fetish (sorry, Harrison Jones). The real draw, as always, is the packs. But it's worthwhile to note - with new pack opening rules, the 55 packs from the smaller bundle will be the best value they've ever been. If your goal is to get all of the set's rares and commons, look no further.
It's a bit of a shame that they went with something so generic. I enjoyed the unique flavor that the system had, even if not it's progression.
While I agree that this is an improvement, as it will be easier for incoming players to understand (and thank god, new players won't face seasoned ones anymore), there are some things I'll miss. It was enjoyable, as a Rank 5 player, to face that wave of tougher decks at the start of every month. If this new matchmaking works as I think it does, the type of opponent we'll be facing will be quite homogenous.
It's the beauty and the upsetting nature of a more free, rank-based system of matchmaking like past Hearthstone's or Shadowverse's. On one hand, there's more variety in the type of opponent - you could face someone not trying, or someone tryharding to the next rank - but on the other hand, you can also feel oppressed or stagnant in certain areas. It's a very organic system. This new type of matchmaking will put you more against opponents of your level, and as I've experienced in other games, trying to fight against a system like that can feel rewarding when you break through, but more often than not is depressingly stable. On the bright side, for better players, that burst of stars at the season start should be pretty fun, and like Shadowverse, legend is similar to Grandmaster - matchmaking is still rank-based.
Overall, I look forward to seeing what kind of experiences this will bring. It's still a cohesive ladder, but with this new matchmaking, it will also be different for everyone, which is tough to wrap one's head around. It would be interesting to see an article which discusses these things - their merits, demerits, and how it relates to other games -, as this feels like the part of the announcement which was granted the shortest time but will have the most impact.
I think this will help Shaman in a big way. The class has strong cards at the moment, but it also has piss-poor choices for opening plays. With something to toss on the board and pressure the early game with, the possible decks out there - Quest, Galakrond, Control, Aggro Overload - should get a nice boost in winrate. At the very least, we should see ole Thrall again!
What am I really likely to get? A few epics, maybe a legendary, and a golden card or two that promote synergies I might build a deck around once or twice, but never revisit? The true value of this bundle is in the dust, but the collector in me would never disenchant a card I don't have two of. So, realistically, it's a waste of money.
I haven't played this game, but it certainly is odd how the cards are worded. Writing in this first-third person makes it more verbose, which seems more confusing - why would the design team have chosen to do that? It doesn't always seem to be the case, as well.
Also - and I apologize for calling this to the attention of active players, because if you're anything like me, it'll irk you to no end - while the Power value is centered on its orange gem, the Health value is slightly right of its red gem's center. Woopsie.
I've had a lovely year. Opened a golden legendary from each set, and each has been playable! And if that hasn't set any unrealistic expectations for the new year, well...
In the coming year, I can't wait to play with the new Reno legendary and the new Shaman weapon! Better yet if there's a competitive deck that includes them, teehee.
The more I see what other digital CCGs are out there, the more I appreciate Hearthstone's art style. Though these ideas sound unique and toothsome, the only game board I could stand to look at for a while is Tales of the Deck (and maybe Mythgard).
It's surprising to me that no other card games have emulated Blizzard's style, really. Even something so simple as round cards, rather than blocky ones, looks more natural. But most other CCGs I see, these included, don't have round cards. These boards are cluttered and dark, too. it's like they put the least importance on making it look smooth and pretty, when I think that the art style is nigh more important than what the cards actually do. You want to be interesting to new players; the art is what they'll see first.
Thank you for the lovely list of things to keep note of as we head into the next Arena season, mates.
One thing to tack on to your discussion of Dragonmaw Poacher: The Whelps that Nightbane Templar summons are dragons, so keep that in mind if you want to put it out on turn 3! Don't want those scaly bois to become eggs benedict before they can hatch.
Otherwise, not to let it detract from how much I appreciate this sort of content, but I would love to see articles on this site be more polished than this one. Lowercase I's, several text abbreviations, some misspelled words, and fragmented sentences make this read more like a fan forum post than an official site article. If you'd like help with editing, I would be happy to do so (though I suspect that the errors are more due to time crunch than lack of skill).
This seems pretty bad. It's alright in the early game, but if you're a Handlock, you'd rather be using strategies that refill your hand while holding board. In the mid and late game, more often than not, it's a crapazoid - too little, too unfocused, and too situational. I don't think this will see serious play.
For classes without silence, this is a slow game-ender. If a Control Warrior became oppressively good, I would bet that some decks might run this card against it... or maybe that's my GvG brain thinking, but still - I don't think we can write off any kind of infinite value.
Plus, think of the meme decks we can pull off!
Eastern card games: "Yes, of course, a fifth version of your favorite waifu! Now you can play both her forms and her legendary spell while you are her and your opponent is as well!"
Western card games: "Nah."
This ain't exactly equivalent. Yeah, new and returning players get a new deck. One new deck. For only new and returning players. Whizbang has kept some folks in the game for a year or two, now. He offers far more than just one deck, and he's got much greater lasting power.
I'd find it more equivalent if they could offer current Whizbang players one of those new decks, but of course, there's no way to reliably do so. Good for business, bad for us.
Monetizing games is a weird business. By the most basic metric, this makes the expansion Megabundle very attractive. 20$ Battlepass, new hero, 90 packs (and matching the 50$ order, a golden legendary and a cardback)... Wow! Great value!
There's such a disparity between the work and materials and the pricing, though, that this doesn't mean much. Really, the Battlepass is probably priced highly to encourage players to buy the 80$ bundle - to make it seem worth it. They've added the additional golden legendary back into the 50$ purchase, which supports that theory. They must feel confidently enough about projected purchase amounts to do so.
If you evaluate the bundles based on what you're likely to get, rather than by price, the Megabundle looks less enticing for non-competitive Battlegrounds players. You can play Battlegrounds casually just fine with two heroes, and the emotes and stats are meaningless. A few Arena runs aren't worth much. The hero has an odd voice, and there are plenty of Shaman heroes around already, so that's a wash unless you've got a snake fetish (sorry, Harrison Jones). The real draw, as always, is the packs. But it's worthwhile to note - with new pack opening rules, the 55 packs from the smaller bundle will be the best value they've ever been. If your goal is to get all of the set's rares and commons, look no further.
It's a bit of a shame that they went with something so generic. I enjoyed the unique flavor that the system had, even if not it's progression.
While I agree that this is an improvement, as it will be easier for incoming players to understand (and thank god, new players won't face seasoned ones anymore), there are some things I'll miss. It was enjoyable, as a Rank 5 player, to face that wave of tougher decks at the start of every month. If this new matchmaking works as I think it does, the type of opponent we'll be facing will be quite homogenous.
It's the beauty and the upsetting nature of a more free, rank-based system of matchmaking like past Hearthstone's or Shadowverse's. On one hand, there's more variety in the type of opponent - you could face someone not trying, or someone tryharding to the next rank - but on the other hand, you can also feel oppressed or stagnant in certain areas. It's a very organic system. This new type of matchmaking will put you more against opponents of your level, and as I've experienced in other games, trying to fight against a system like that can feel rewarding when you break through, but more often than not is depressingly stable. On the bright side, for better players, that burst of stars at the season start should be pretty fun, and like Shadowverse, legend is similar to Grandmaster - matchmaking is still rank-based.
Overall, I look forward to seeing what kind of experiences this will bring. It's still a cohesive ladder, but with this new matchmaking, it will also be different for everyone, which is tough to wrap one's head around. It would be interesting to see an article which discusses these things - their merits, demerits, and how it relates to other games -, as this feels like the part of the announcement which was granted the shortest time but will have the most impact.
Howdy, team. Would you guys consider making an article with all of the cards which dust refunds can be garnered from? That would be very helpful!
I think this will help Shaman in a big way. The class has strong cards at the moment, but it also has piss-poor choices for opening plays. With something to toss on the board and pressure the early game with, the possible decks out there - Quest, Galakrond, Control, Aggro Overload - should get a nice boost in winrate. At the very least, we should see ole Thrall again!
What am I really likely to get? A few epics, maybe a legendary, and a golden card or two that promote synergies I might build a deck around once or twice, but never revisit? The true value of this bundle is in the dust, but the collector in me would never disenchant a card I don't have two of. So, realistically, it's a waste of money.
Anyway, I'll be buying the bundle.
I haven't played this game, but it certainly is odd how the cards are worded. Writing in this first-third person makes it more verbose, which seems more confusing - why would the design team have chosen to do that? It doesn't always seem to be the case, as well.
Also - and I apologize for calling this to the attention of active players, because if you're anything like me, it'll irk you to no end - while the Power value is centered on its orange gem, the Health value is slightly right of its red gem's center. Woopsie.
Will this guarantee us participation, or is it just a chance at it?
Edit: Never mind. It's not available for Mac at the moment :'c
I've had a lovely year. Opened a golden legendary from each set, and each has been playable! And if that hasn't set any unrealistic expectations for the new year, well...
In the coming year, I can't wait to play with the new Reno legendary and the new Shaman weapon! Better yet if there's a competitive deck that includes them, teehee.
"I asked for ground hog meat, not groundhog meat!"
My poor boy Druid. A few brief efforts towards the top, and otherwise nothing :') I miss my OG Druid cards.
The more I see what other digital CCGs are out there, the more I appreciate Hearthstone's art style. Though these ideas sound unique and toothsome, the only game board I could stand to look at for a while is Tales of the Deck (and maybe Mythgard).
It's surprising to me that no other card games have emulated Blizzard's style, really. Even something so simple as round cards, rather than blocky ones, looks more natural. But most other CCGs I see, these included, don't have round cards. These boards are cluttered and dark, too. it's like they put the least importance on making it look smooth and pretty, when I think that the art style is nigh more important than what the cards actually do. You want to be interesting to new players; the art is what they'll see first.
Thank you for the lovely list of things to keep note of as we head into the next Arena season, mates.
One thing to tack on to your discussion of Dragonmaw Poacher: The Whelps that Nightbane Templar summons are dragons, so keep that in mind if you want to put it out on turn 3! Don't want those scaly bois to become eggs benedict before they can hatch.
Otherwise, not to let it detract from how much I appreciate this sort of content, but I would love to see articles on this site be more polished than this one. Lowercase I's, several text abbreviations, some misspelled words, and fragmented sentences make this read more like a fan forum post than an official site article. If you'd like help with editing, I would be happy to do so (though I suspect that the errors are more due to time crunch than lack of skill).
One day 'til expansion release. Yeehaw!
I think this will be Thunderhead's best friend. Hark my words.
It's garbage, but it's FUN garbage.
Re: the battlecries being activated when it's played, I doubt Blizzard even has the technical capacity to make that happen.
Priest and Shaman seem to live under opposite clouds sometimes. One can't help but get bad cards, and the other can't help but get good ones.
This seems pretty bad. It's alright in the early game, but if you're a Handlock, you'd rather be using strategies that refill your hand while holding board. In the mid and late game, more often than not, it's a crapazoid - too little, too unfocused, and too situational. I don't think this will see serious play.
Yeesh. I wanna know this guy's backstory. What eldritch shenanigans happen to this mad lad when he sees a dragon?
This is one o' those cards that's good against aggro, and good for aggro. Which is stronger? We'll find out!