5 five stars just for the Plot Twist memes. This card certainly isn't consistent but it can turn bad draws in the late game into high value cards. Where this might fit? Hard to say, but i don't think it's as hopeless as it looks. At least, it will provide a ton of fun moments so i appreciate its existence.
Very nice card that combines removal with targeted draw. Arguably better than Town Crier as it maintains its utility as removal even when it has nothing else to draw. Crier falls off really fast after turn 1 and usually becomes a dead draw in the late stages of the game.
Good support for quest and Mana Cyclone shenanigans. Unlike Dragon Soul, which was a weapon that did nothing on its own and could be removed very easily before you could make good use of it, this is a minion with a solid body for contesting early boards and has an elemental tag attached to it which is good with Elemental Evocation. It slots in those decks perfectly. Will it be successful? Maybe, but it seems too fair for an expansion with such a power level. It may end up being overlooked just because everything else is crazy stronger.
Crazy powerful. It's like Dragon Roar, but neutral, with an 8/8 body and the dragons are free. It costs much more and has a highlander requirement but that's not a big deal considering how powerful this can be. There's always the possibility of getting bad/weak cards for the late game but on average the results should mostly be great. Instacraft!
Eggs always see some level of play and the surprise effect on this one is pretty cool, but it still seems pretty difficult to use. It costs a lot of mana and you can't cheat it out in any way (Meat Wagon in wild) as its value is 100% dependent on the battlecry. Quest Paladin and Deathrattle Priest could use it but there are many more reliable options out there (Mechano Egg, Mechanical Whelp, Cairne Bloodhoof).
The effect is strong, but the high cost offsets that. It seems kinda ankward to use in any deck. Maybe someone will find a way to turn this into some monstrous combo or whatever, but i don't see it. Wild may be in trouble though...
A solid 1 drop with a mech tag is nice, but the only deck that seems to be fully capable of capitalizing on its ability in standard is mech hunter (Venomizer, Spider Bomb). In wild, i can see this powering up decks that are already out of control. Which is bad for wild players.
Kinda like a removal card, but not really. You need to combo this with something to actually get rid of stuff. But it has a good body and the effect is solid nonetheless.
Kronx is amazing for Galakrond decks (obviously). But his success depends on how Galakrond performs. Meta defining if any Galakrond succeeds, trash if all Galakronds fail. It's extremely likely that at least one Galakrond becomes viable so this will be a very important card most likely. Even if the worst case scenario happens, i think this is still a good craft. It's a lot more flexible than Twin Emperor Vek'lor for C'Thun.
I consider Warrior's Galakrond as a much stronger tool for Tempo Warrior instead of Control. We still need to see the invoke cards and the invoke payoff card as well. Then we will know which direction they were aiming for with this card.
I really feel like this was all a calculated move on their part. It seems they were perfectly aware of the insane synergy between Desert Hare and Evolve and decided to let it run rampant because that would have a huge negative effect on ladder climbing. Thanks to that, people are tired and pissed about the shaman infestation (and the N'Zoth madness) and decided to try Battlegrounds as a form of escaping from the current meta.
When the new mode was announced, it was immediatelly looked at with skepcism by a lot of people. If the ladder was perfectly healthy, most people wouldn't feel the need to try Battlegrounds and the launch would have been very weak. But since people were desperate for something fresh to play, it ended up being a huge success. And since they don't seem interested in doing anything about the current meta situation despite all the complaints, it feels like this is exactly what they wanted to happen. Huge conspiracy theory but that's the impression i have.
I don't like the ladder situation (haven't even bothered playing a single game yet), but i like Battlegrounds and i'm not unhappy with the new mode. But it's not okay that they haven't adressed the current meta situation at all given its clearly unhealthy status.
I see two possible directions. The first is the treant/token synergy since Wispering Woods is also a card that benefits from large hand sizes. This strategy is already available but it's not as good as quest (because quest has such an op effect). The other is an actual highlander deck with lots of draw, some good dragons (Twilight Drake, Emerald Explorer, Brightwing), Elise, Zephrys, and the new Ysera. Maybe add Nomi as an alternate win condition. Or maybe another quest shell (hopefully not). There are options. If they are going to surpass the quest is another story. I really hope Druid doesn't become a class of a single deck/strategy because of one card that's too strong.
Clear the way seems easy enough to activate and the reward is decent. It's better than Toxic Reinforcements.
The first thing people thinks when looking at Secure the deck is the Gonk memes but i see this as a nice support card for Hand Druid which has a few synergy cards available at the moment. It's better than Witchwood Apple. Cards like Twilight Drake, Bewitched Guardian, Mountain Giant, Ferocious Howl and Overflow are good for this type of strategy. This could be the correct direction for Dragon Druid but we will see.
Tempo Warrior will love this and Rush minions will make the most out of those powerful buffs. Nice Reload + potential finisher. It's not meant for Control Warrior which is nice because warrior needs other archetypes to play with but it isn't unplayable in that deck either. After Dr. Boom leaves, this could fill the gap nicely enough. Though the quest is probably a better win condition for Control Warrior in 2020.
Curious Glimmerroot saw play mostly at Raza Priest. During that time, it was a deck that dominated the meta and a card like this gains value from the fact that it works really well in a mirror match. But the context is completely different now. There's not a single priest deck at the moment that cares about this effect and the strongest priest decks (Resurrect Priest and Combo Priest) don't want this card.
The only way i see this card being played is if Galakrond decks completely dominate the meta in which case this is a cool way to get more invoke cards and value out of your own Galakrond. Other than that, it is just going to be another Chameleos/Lazul case: hyped card that turned out to be highly innefective.
People always seem to overvalue this kind of effect. Both Chameleos and Lazul received a bunch of hype and look at their situation: pretty much hopeless. Information from your opponent's hand shouldn't matter if you are always analyzing the meta (or at least reads some meta reports on occasion). You already know what decks people are playing, what cards they are running and should always have a general idea of what they could be holding. That's why Chameleos and Lazul doesn't work. Because sniping your opponent's hand isn't a big deal if you already have an idea of what they are doing.
Also a random card from your opponent's hand isn't a good source of value because the cards they have won't help you achieve your win condition most of the time. So this card is basically a 2/2 that gives a chance to obtain something random from your opponent that most likely won't help you. Seems like a meme to me. And a bad one.
Talritha seems okay and it could become troublesome if quest paladin finds a way to abuse it. I'm still more inclined towards a Dragon Control Paladin and this doesn't seem to fit too well into it.
Envoy of Lazul seems like a meme to me. A card that gives a chance (you need to guess correctly) to obtain something your opponent is holding doesn't seem like anything special. Cards from your opponent rarely will provide any real help toward your win condition and the information isn't a big deal. I'd rather just play something more reliable.
Shu'ma is a really weird card that doesn't fit into any current strategies. It seems too slow for token decks and a board (or a few, if you have other minions) of 1/1s isn't anything special by turn 7. Maybe it will find a home in quest hunter but that seems like the only deck that could use it effectively.
5 five stars just for the Plot Twist memes. This card certainly isn't consistent but it can turn bad draws in the late game into high value cards. Where this might fit? Hard to say, but i don't think it's as hopeless as it looks. At least, it will provide a ton of fun moments so i appreciate its existence.
Very nice card that combines removal with targeted draw. Arguably better than Town Crier as it maintains its utility as removal even when it has nothing else to draw. Crier falls off really fast after turn 1 and usually becomes a dead draw in the late stages of the game.
Good support for quest and Mana Cyclone shenanigans. Unlike Dragon Soul, which was a weapon that did nothing on its own and could be removed very easily before you could make good use of it, this is a minion with a solid body for contesting early boards and has an elemental tag attached to it which is good with Elemental Evocation. It slots in those decks perfectly. Will it be successful? Maybe, but it seems too fair for an expansion with such a power level. It may end up being overlooked just because everything else is crazy stronger.
Crazy powerful. It's like Dragon Roar, but neutral, with an 8/8 body and the dragons are free. It costs much more and has a highlander requirement but that's not a big deal considering how powerful this can be. There's always the possibility of getting bad/weak cards for the late game but on average the results should mostly be great. Instacraft!
Eggs always see some level of play and the surprise effect on this one is pretty cool, but it still seems pretty difficult to use. It costs a lot of mana and you can't cheat it out in any way (Meat Wagon in wild) as its value is 100% dependent on the battlecry. Quest Paladin and Deathrattle Priest could use it but there are many more reliable options out there (Mechano Egg, Mechanical Whelp, Cairne Bloodhoof).
The effect is strong, but the high cost offsets that. It seems kinda ankward to use in any deck. Maybe someone will find a way to turn this into some monstrous combo or whatever, but i don't see it. Wild may be in trouble though...
A solid 1 drop with a mech tag is nice, but the only deck that seems to be fully capable of capitalizing on its ability in standard is mech hunter (Venomizer, Spider Bomb). In wild, i can see this powering up decks that are already out of control. Which is bad for wild players.
Kinda like a removal card, but not really. You need to combo this with something to actually get rid of stuff. But it has a good body and the effect is solid nonetheless.
Kronx is amazing for Galakrond decks (obviously). But his success depends on how Galakrond performs. Meta defining if any Galakrond succeeds, trash if all Galakronds fail. It's extremely likely that at least one Galakrond becomes viable so this will be a very important card most likely. Even if the worst case scenario happens, i think this is still a good craft. It's a lot more flexible than Twin Emperor Vek'lor for C'Thun.
Good heal with a solid body. Simple but good.
Myra Rotspring isn't happy. This is so much stronger and consistent than her.
Hellfire on a stick + Removal/Healing spell. Feels good! Hopefully this will bring slower warlock decks back into viability.
I consider Warrior's Galakrond as a much stronger tool for Tempo Warrior instead of Control. We still need to see the invoke cards and the invoke payoff card as well. Then we will know which direction they were aiming for with this card.
I really feel like this was all a calculated move on their part. It seems they were perfectly aware of the insane synergy between Desert Hare and Evolve and decided to let it run rampant because that would have a huge negative effect on ladder climbing. Thanks to that, people are tired and pissed about the shaman infestation (and the N'Zoth madness) and decided to try Battlegrounds as a form of escaping from the current meta.
When the new mode was announced, it was immediatelly looked at with skepcism by a lot of people. If the ladder was perfectly healthy, most people wouldn't feel the need to try Battlegrounds and the launch would have been very weak. But since people were desperate for something fresh to play, it ended up being a huge success. And since they don't seem interested in doing anything about the current meta situation despite all the complaints, it feels like this is exactly what they wanted to happen. Huge conspiracy theory but that's the impression i have.
I don't like the ladder situation (haven't even bothered playing a single game yet), but i like Battlegrounds and i'm not unhappy with the new mode. But it's not okay that they haven't adressed the current meta situation at all given its clearly unhealthy status.
I see two possible directions. The first is the treant/token synergy since Wispering Woods is also a card that benefits from large hand sizes. This strategy is already available but it's not as good as quest (because quest has such an op effect). The other is an actual highlander deck with lots of draw, some good dragons (Twilight Drake, Emerald Explorer, Brightwing), Elise, Zephrys, and the new Ysera. Maybe add Nomi as an alternate win condition. Or maybe another quest shell (hopefully not). There are options. If they are going to surpass the quest is another story. I really hope Druid doesn't become a class of a single deck/strategy because of one card that's too strong.
Clear the way seems easy enough to activate and the reward is decent. It's better than Toxic Reinforcements.
The first thing people thinks when looking at Secure the deck is the Gonk memes but i see this as a nice support card for Hand Druid which has a few synergy cards available at the moment. It's better than Witchwood Apple. Cards like Twilight Drake, Bewitched Guardian, Mountain Giant, Ferocious Howl and Overflow are good for this type of strategy. This could be the correct direction for Dragon Druid but we will see.
Tempo Warrior will love this and Rush minions will make the most out of those powerful buffs. Nice Reload + potential finisher. It's not meant for Control Warrior which is nice because warrior needs other archetypes to play with but it isn't unplayable in that deck either. After Dr. Boom leaves, this could fill the gap nicely enough. Though the quest is probably a better win condition for Control Warrior in 2020.
Curious Glimmerroot saw play mostly at Raza Priest. During that time, it was a deck that dominated the meta and a card like this gains value from the fact that it works really well in a mirror match. But the context is completely different now. There's not a single priest deck at the moment that cares about this effect and the strongest priest decks (Resurrect Priest and Combo Priest) don't want this card.
The only way i see this card being played is if Galakrond decks completely dominate the meta in which case this is a cool way to get more invoke cards and value out of your own Galakrond. Other than that, it is just going to be another Chameleos/Lazul case: hyped card that turned out to be highly innefective.
People always seem to overvalue this kind of effect. Both Chameleos and Lazul received a bunch of hype and look at their situation: pretty much hopeless. Information from your opponent's hand shouldn't matter if you are always analyzing the meta (or at least reads some meta reports on occasion). You already know what decks people are playing, what cards they are running and should always have a general idea of what they could be holding. That's why Chameleos and Lazul doesn't work. Because sniping your opponent's hand isn't a big deal if you already have an idea of what they are doing.
Also a random card from your opponent's hand isn't a good source of value because the cards they have won't help you achieve your win condition most of the time. So this card is basically a 2/2 that gives a chance to obtain something random from your opponent that most likely won't help you. Seems like a meme to me. And a bad one.
Talritha seems okay and it could become troublesome if quest paladin finds a way to abuse it. I'm still more inclined towards a Dragon Control Paladin and this doesn't seem to fit too well into it.
Envoy of Lazul seems like a meme to me. A card that gives a chance (you need to guess correctly) to obtain something your opponent is holding doesn't seem like anything special. Cards from your opponent rarely will provide any real help toward your win condition and the information isn't a big deal. I'd rather just play something more reliable.
Shu'ma is a really weird card that doesn't fit into any current strategies. It seems too slow for token decks and a board (or a few, if you have other minions) of 1/1s isn't anything special by turn 7. Maybe it will find a home in quest hunter but that seems like the only deck that could use it effectively.