That’s probably entirely dependent on whether you plan to run a highlander deck. Zephrys is probably more fun; Siamat is more flexible and can fit into a wider range of decks.
If you insist on Zephrys, one thing I’d recommend is not dropping him early. I see a lot of people playing him on turn 3, when there isn’t much of a board state for the AI to analyze, and you’re unlikely to get anything that will really swing the game. Moreover, playing him so soon signals to your opponent early that you’re running a highlander deck; if you have a perfect counter spell somewhere in your deck, once you burn it, your opponent knows you only have one copy.
I feel like the last paragraph was me arguing myself into advocating for Siamat.
I suspect that Siamat is not as versatile as Zilliax (this is the comparison I have often read). Simply because Siamat comes 2 turns later, when it might be too late to stabilize.
So Siamat is cool, but nothing like Zephrys the Great. If anything because Siamat acts as a solid deck filler, while Zephrys is a deck enabler.
Surely if you are short on dust you should just wait.
You need to drop something and put another N'Zoth's First Mate. I'm stunned that you want to complete the quest super early, but then only include one copy of your best way to get a weapon up and running on turn 1.
You are forgetting that you are playing the very Hack the System on turn 1.
We could argue that the quest could be ditched in mulligan, but then why even including it? Classic PW would be just better. We could also argue about going 2nd, but it's not wise to deckbuild that way.
The deck is optimized around the quest, so you start swinging at turn-2, when N'Zoth's First Mate is already a sub-optimal play for removing something, hence why i included it just as a 1x. Woodcutter's Axe is what you want to have early on.
Well, i agree that rarity-creep feels bad over time, since a legendary dust effort is overcome by a silly common eventually, but tbh, it mainly happens with meme or just obviously bad cards, ie those you brought as example.
So overall it's just a minor problem.
The problem of deck-defining legendaries is a distinct one, and yes, as i already wrote quite a few times, it is a serious issue in Standard.
Not so much in Wild, where despite some oppressive decks, viability is much wider, and dust investments never fade into oblivion.
Indeed, he made a point of what i was starting to think myself.
And all the complex mechanics are actually why Zephrys the Great is a fun card. When should I play him? What I'm going to get if I play it like this? Should I wait more or go for Tempo now? Maybe the most fun card in the game.
However, I also noticed that Zephrys can whiff sometimes, and "engineering the situation" is often complicated in terms of real game.
That's a pretty tough downside of the card, and what makes me think Kripp is wrong when he says Highlander decks are going to warp the meta.
I can't see how Quest Shaman can NOT be refined enough as to reach top tier.
It's not even necessary to make it a Lackey deck. Murloc would also fit. Or even a Midrange list with Hagatha. The Quest does not need to be completed ASAP, just soon enough. And 6 is so low...
Losing turn-1 cannot be an issue in a class with so many tools and comebacks in their arsenal.
Surely only few Quests will survive the meta, but it is too early to call all of them a failure.
Maybe Corrupt the Waters, because condition is a non-condition, and reward is basically universal for any deck. And powerful.
All the other cards you mentioned have important or even major vulnerabilities that rule them out of 'safety', even if they may turn out to be very good, as i think it is the case for Activate the Obelisk.
Zephrys the Great is granted fun, that's for sure. Yet again, Highlander is not 'safe' right now.
Highlander is not safe? Literally the best archetype in wild atm and zephrys is a great addition! Why are you lying?
First, this is obviously a thread about Standard.
Second, do you have any proof for accusing me of being a liar?
Sure, Zephrys is a great addition, but before SoU, Renodecks were around t3. I doubt one card can make them jump on top tier.
Proof, or there's only one liar here, and that's not me.
Maybe Corrupt the Waters, because condition is a non-condition, and reward is basically universal for any deck. And powerful.
All the other cards you mentioned have important or even major vulnerabilities that rule them out of 'safety', even if they may turn out to be very good, as i think it is the case for Activate the Obelisk.
Zephrys the Great is granted fun, that's for sure. Yet again, Highlander is not 'safe' right now.
It is one of the two Quests that require absolutely normal actions, while having a very low counter (6! The other being Mage): this means you have no Tempo loss whatsoever, except for turn-1.
It is one of the few Quests with VERY powerful reward.
It is the only Quest with a reward that fits nearly any kind of deck, from Aggro to Combo.
Now throw all that in a class that is receiving increased Lackey support...
Well, the number of *active* players is certainly not 100M. Those are just the accounts that unlocked HS.
It is debatable *how* we would define those "active players", but even then i bet they will never share that number.
We could think a good index is the HSReplay data, the number of players who share data, and the number of games. Those are definitely a percentage of the active players.
Ultimately, HS is bound to slowly drop its playerbase, but that doesn't mean the game is dieing: it's just ageing, slowly enough for you to get tired of it before it actually collapses.
Otherwise it's just a versatile card that does not beat the consistency of one that is fully synergic with your main plan.
Btw, despite the favorable class pool, you are still not granted to receive one of them, nor are they all useful.
Someone missed that this is an Arena draft question, not constructed question :)
@OP: Golden Scarab is actually a good card for any class, but paladin is probably one of the better, if not the best for it, yes. So if the other options are not too great, i say go with it.
Meh. Feel free to delete my comment. Pretty useless.
This. But I advocate for Zephrys the Great instead.
I suspect that Siamat is not as versatile as Zilliax (this is the comparison I have often read). Simply because Siamat comes 2 turns later, when it might be too late to stabilize.
So Siamat is cool, but nothing like Zephrys the Great. If anything because Siamat acts as a solid deck filler, while Zephrys is a deck enabler.
Surely if you are short on dust you should just wait.
You are forgetting that you are playing the very Hack the System on turn 1.
We could argue that the quest could be ditched in mulligan, but then why even including it? Classic PW would be just better. We could also argue about going 2nd, but it's not wise to deckbuild that way.
The deck is optimized around the quest, so you start swinging at turn-2, when N'Zoth's First Mate is already a sub-optimal play for removing something, hence why i included it just as a 1x. Woodcutter's Axe is what you want to have early on.
The pleasure of out-Tempoing a Kingsbane Rogue with my Highlander Rogue. Without even calling for the help of Zephrys the Great btw.
I love the smell of viability in my homebrews in the morning.
Well, i agree that rarity-creep feels bad over time, since a legendary dust effort is overcome by a silly common eventually, but tbh, it mainly happens with meme or just obviously bad cards, ie those you brought as example.
So overall it's just a minor problem.
The problem of deck-defining legendaries is a distinct one, and yes, as i already wrote quite a few times, it is a serious issue in Standard.
Not so much in Wild, where despite some oppressive decks, viability is much wider, and dust investments never fade into oblivion.
This is what i meant when i was theorycrafting the Highlander Tempo concept.
Hopefully more Neutral support is provided in that direction.
I so wish Rogue could use Kazakus...
Indeed, he made a point of what i was starting to think myself.
And all the complex mechanics are actually why Zephrys the Great is a fun card. When should I play him? What I'm going to get if I play it like this? Should I wait more or go for Tempo now? Maybe the most fun card in the game.
However, I also noticed that Zephrys can whiff sometimes, and "engineering the situation" is often complicated in terms of real game.
That's a pretty tough downside of the card, and what makes me think Kripp is wrong when he says Highlander decks are going to warp the meta.
I can't see how Quest Shaman can NOT be refined enough as to reach top tier.
It's not even necessary to make it a Lackey deck. Murloc would also fit. Or even a Midrange list with Hagatha. The Quest does not need to be completed ASAP, just soon enough. And 6 is so low...
Losing turn-1 cannot be an issue in a class with so many tools and comebacks in their arsenal.
Surely only few Quests will survive the meta, but it is too early to call all of them a failure.
Strong decks from last meta are likely to be still strong now with little to no further investment.
First, this is obviously a thread about Standard.
Second, do you have any proof for accusing me of being a liar?
Sure, Zephrys is a great addition, but before SoU, Renodecks were around t3. I doubt one card can make them jump on top tier.
Proof, or there's only one liar here, and that's not me.
I'm on HS BECAUSE i come from WoW (and WC3 before it). 😎
Imo, there is no real safe craft this expansion.
Maybe Corrupt the Waters, because condition is a non-condition, and reward is basically universal for any deck. And powerful.
All the other cards you mentioned have important or even major vulnerabilities that rule them out of 'safety', even if they may turn out to be very good, as i think it is the case for Activate the Obelisk.
Zephrys the Great is granted fun, that's for sure. Yet again, Highlander is not 'safe' right now.
As far as i can see, the only dangerous Quest is Corrupt the Waters.
For 3 reasons:
Now throw all that in a class that is receiving increased Lackey support...
Well, the number of *active* players is certainly not 100M. Those are just the accounts that unlocked HS.
It is debatable *how* we would define those "active players", but even then i bet they will never share that number.
We could think a good index is the HSReplay data, the number of players who share data, and the number of games. Those are definitely a percentage of the active players.
Ultimately, HS is bound to slowly drop its playerbase, but that doesn't mean the game is dieing: it's just ageing, slowly enough for you to get tired of it before it actually collapses.
Vulpera is definitely cool.
Currently i just love Bazaar Mugger. The card holds fair Tempo, fair Value, and fits the Quest.
Fun & Effective.
Reborn bubble should be violet.
That's an unused color, and it would fit the theme of Undeath equally well, if not better.
Sure, early mistakes happen, but i don't like that water-green bubble there (for what is actually just a re-labelled Deathrattle).
Meh. Feel free to delete my comment. Pretty useless.
Corrupt the Waters is broken.
It is ludicrously easy to complete, it fits basically any deck, from Lackey to Shudderwock, its reward is bonkers.
Yes i'm salty, but i am convinced it's bound to cancerize the meta in the same way Shamanstone did.
There, i have cast my Curse.☠️
EDIT: nvm.
I want a sand mummy card now.
Intended. So your only option to avoid such a situation is silencing it the turn you summon it.
Sleep basically translates into 'it cannot attack this turn, no matter what you do'.
Which is why the card is essentially bad, even in a silence deck.