Interesting how they release [Hearthstone Card (Fist or Ra-den) Not Found], then print high cost spells that are discountable. I wonder if Big Spell Shaman is something they're going to support.
I'll miss these the most because I enjoy experimenting with non-meta decks and these have given me the most fun. These cards started my love for Combo decks, Thief decks and for Priest and Rogue decks in general.
These cards I absolutely won't miss because I had frustrating experiences with them either through gameplay or getting them in a pack not only once, but even twice:
Lifedrinker - Such a good neutral card. All the shenanigans I did with it especially with Shadowstep and Spirit of the Shark will be missed.
Prince Liam - I'm sad that this didn't see much play outside of Hakkar decks, but I had much fun with it.
The Glass Knight Of course the free legendaries I got from Witchwood were the niche Paladin ones, but this card along with Val'Anyr made me enjoy playing Even Pally.
Chameleos + Lady in White - Of course the other free legendaries I got were also the niche Priest ones. These two is what started my love for Thief and Combo decks. I'll miss them very much.
Face Collector - I'm one of those few players who like the RNG aspect of Hearthstone and I used to include this card in every single Rogue deck I played. It was my Edwin Vancleef as I did not (and still don't) have him.
The Boomsday Project:
Spider Bomb - I adored the egg version of Deathrattle Hunter so getting to use this in Mech Hunter was fun.
Zerek, Master Cloner - Another card I spent hours on making it work. Zerek is my favorite card ever; I love his art and I love his name. Long live our immortality-seeking ethereal.
The entire Rogue set - Deathrattle Rogue, Pogo Rogue, Thief Rogue, Miracle Rogue, Tempo Rogue. Rogue is now my favorite class to play because of these decks.
Zilliax - One of the best cards ever printed. I hope we get a similar card in the next year.
Mecha'thun - I was absolutely gutted when Naturalize was hall of famed because it meant the death of Mecha'thun Druid in Standard. I still have fun playing this card in Wild and getting to pull off its win condition is so satisfying.
Rastakhan's Rumble:
Seance - The most enjoyable games I've played were with Thief Priest. There's just something about beating your opponent with their own cards that feels exhilarating.
Mass Hysteria - I'm frenemies with this card. The amount of times I hoped it would clear the board but didn't are countless, but the amount of times it actually did save my ass are also countless.
Spirit of the Shark - My favorite Loa spirit. I've done so many combos and burned so many cards due to a full hand with this card.
Zentimo - It seems like a long time ago when I would get Wow reacts when I played Hex or old evolve cards with Zentimo on board before Galakrond Shaman was a thing.
Hir'eek, the Bat - Yes, it's a horrible card, but did I spend hours trying to make it work? Of course! I lost more times than I won, but winning with a board full of 15/15 bats was very satisfying.
Hakkar, the Soulflayer - Another one of my favorite Combo cards. I hoped it would be a viable card, but oh well.
My favorite Hearthstone moment in 2019 is finally hitting Rank 10 (multiple times!) despite not having enough time to play and not having an extensive collection.
In 2020, I would like to see more mid-expansion events like Rise of the Mechs and Galakrond's Awakening.
Played it for 4 games. I won 2 games and almost won the other 2, but was out-tempoed by Rogue and hero powered a little bit too much against another Warlock who had multiple board+face damage cards like Hellfire and Crazed Netherwing and finished me off with Leeroy Jenkins. It's a really fun deck that no one expects, sort of like the Giant Galakrogue deck that's trending on the website. Good job Rippy!
Good point! I didn't notice it specified "playable". Although it could still hit a Galakrond that isn't fully upgraded at later turns, which wouldn't be the most favorable situation.
Fiendish Rites and Invocation of Frost are the suprise nerfs this time around. Both nerfs look like they were intended to slow down the tempo of both decks, but they are still powerful, especially with Invocation + Zentimo. Overall, decent nerfs.
Also, I'm quite happy that Zentimo sees competitive play now since I've been trying to make it work since it was released.
-Wild rotation. I'm glad that Wild packs are available to purchase, but it still feels like the game mode is neglected. Implementing an Arena-style set rotation wherein only certain expansions are playable would make Wild less stale. There could also be Wild-only nerfs and buffs(that only last for that certain rotation) according to what the meta the rotation would result to.
- Mid-expansion inclusions. Controversial take especially with the level of oppression Sniplock and Evolve Shaman brought, but the mid-expansion events are refreshing and I'm curious to see how the mini-expansion launching with the Solo adventure on January is going to look like.
To OP. Hanlock with dragons just runs over pirate warrior similarly to the highlander version BUT ive been winning consistently vs the apothecary rogue. How? Quite simple I use spellbreaker and one kobol sticky finger. They just cry themselves to sleep when u hit them with silence AND stealing their weapon. They dont have sap so ur big minions stay on board AND go face. They rely on their lifesteal buffed minions to stay alive. No removals so we just go face with what we got and they dont comeback. Face Toxic Hunter is an auto loss sadly
Tempo Galakrond Rogue also has a fighting chance against Apothecary Rogue since they have to rely on getting Necrium Apothecary fast enough. Additionally, if you push for a more aggressive strategy with wide boards and taunts, Tempo Rogue can outpace Face Hunter.
The HP is in a really tricky spot, but one way to make it better is to introduce impactful Priest minions in the next year of expansions, ones that are not deck build-dependent like Test Subject and not oppresive like Raza the Chained, but are flexible like Mindflayer Kaahrj and even Chameleos. But it also depends on the meta; Zerek, Master Cloner was only played for a little bit with the introduction of Clone Priest on Boomsday, and is now seeing experimentation again with the addition of Wretched Reclaimer and Grave Rune.
In the midst of the current Shaman-dominated meta, what other decks have you been experimenting with and which ones do you think could shine after nerfs?
Since opening Zephrys the Great, I've been having fun with making Highlander versions of Galakrond decks, specifically Highlander Warlock and Highlander Priest.
With the few games I played, Highlander Warlock seems to win against Pirate Warrior, but is absolutely decimated by Deathrattle Rogue. I also played one game with a hybrid of Quest/Highlander/Galakrond Priest and it was fun.
Admittedly, I'm one of the players who uses Galakrond Shaman to ladder, but I've been using an Overload version of it that looks like it might survive the nerf.
Post-nerf Edit: The nerfs surprisingly stifled Galakrond Shaman a bit, though it's still strong. I've been running into Deathrattle Rogue more often though.
I haven't expierimented with any of my Thief decks yet so I might give Control Thief Priest a try, but it might be too slow in this meta
Interesting how they release [Hearthstone Card (Fist or Ra-den) Not Found], then print high cost spells that are discountable. I wonder if Big Spell Shaman is something they're going to support.
Poor Blazing Battlemage, already powercrept.
Command the Illidari + Wrathscale Naga + Feast of Souls = 10 mana, 18 damage, potential board clear, draw 6 cards combo. Insane.
I imagine there's going to be some broken Mecha'thun, Hakkar, the Soulflayer, or King Togwaggle shenanigans in Wild in the future with the amount of card draw this class has.
Mine is just a list of bad legendaries lol
I'll miss these the most because I enjoy experimenting with non-meta decks and these have given me the most fun. These cards started my love for Combo decks, Thief decks and for Priest and Rogue decks in general.
The Witchwood:
Lifedrinker, Prince Liam, Face Collector, Chameleos, Lady in White, Blink Fox, Witch's Cauldron
The Boomsday Project:
All the Rogue cards except Crazed Chemist, Zilliax, Flobbidinous Floop, Spider Bomb, Zerek, Master Cloner, Soul Infusion, Mecha'thun
Rastakhan's Rumble:
Seance, Spirit of the Shark, Zentimo, Hir'eek, the Bat, Hakkar, the Soulflayer, Mass Hysteria
These cards I absolutely won't miss because I had frustrating experiences with them either through gameplay or getting them in a pack not only once, but even twice:
The Witchwood:
Duskfallen Aviana, Shudderwock
The Boomsday Project:
Harbinger Celestia
Rastakhan's Rumble:
Griftah
The Witchwood:
Lifedrinker - Such a good neutral card. All the shenanigans I did with it especially with Shadowstep and Spirit of the Shark will be missed.
Prince Liam - I'm sad that this didn't see much play outside of Hakkar decks, but I had much fun with it.
The Glass Knight Of course the free legendaries I got from Witchwood were the niche Paladin ones, but this card along with Val'Anyr made me enjoy playing Even Pally.
Chameleos + Lady in White - Of course the other free legendaries I got were also the niche Priest ones. These two is what started my love for Thief and Combo decks. I'll miss them very much.
Face Collector - I'm one of those few players who like the RNG aspect of Hearthstone and I used to include this card in every single Rogue deck I played. It was my Edwin Vancleef as I did not (and still don't) have him.
The Boomsday Project:
Spider Bomb - I adored the egg version of Deathrattle Hunter so getting to use this in Mech Hunter was fun.
Zerek, Master Cloner - Another card I spent hours on making it work. Zerek is my favorite card ever; I love his art and I love his name. Long live our immortality-seeking ethereal.
The entire Rogue set - Deathrattle Rogue, Pogo Rogue, Thief Rogue, Miracle Rogue, Tempo Rogue. Rogue is now my favorite class to play because of these decks.
Zilliax - One of the best cards ever printed. I hope we get a similar card in the next year.
Mecha'thun - I was absolutely gutted when Naturalize was hall of famed because it meant the death of Mecha'thun Druid in Standard. I still have fun playing this card in Wild and getting to pull off its win condition is so satisfying.
Rastakhan's Rumble:
Seance - The most enjoyable games I've played were with Thief Priest. There's just something about beating your opponent with their own cards that feels exhilarating.
Mass Hysteria - I'm frenemies with this card. The amount of times I hoped it would clear the board but didn't are countless, but the amount of times it actually did save my ass are also countless.
Spirit of the Shark - My favorite Loa spirit. I've done so many combos and burned so many cards due to a full hand with this card.
Zentimo - It seems like a long time ago when I would get Wow reacts when I played Hex or old evolve cards with Zentimo on board before Galakrond Shaman was a thing.
Hir'eek, the Bat - Yes, it's a horrible card, but did I spend hours trying to make it work? Of course! I lost more times than I won, but winning with a board full of 15/15 bats was very satisfying.
Hakkar, the Soulflayer - Another one of my favorite Combo cards. I hoped it would be a viable card, but oh well.
My favorite Hearthstone moment in 2019 is finally hitting Rank 10 (multiple times!) despite not having enough time to play and not having an extensive collection.
In 2020, I would like to see more mid-expansion events like Rise of the Mechs and Galakrond's Awakening.
Played it for 4 games. I won 2 games and almost won the other 2, but was out-tempoed by Rogue and hero powered a little bit too much against another Warlock who had multiple board+face damage cards like Hellfire and Crazed Netherwing and finished me off with Leeroy Jenkins. It's a really fun deck that no one expects, sort of like the Giant Galakrogue deck that's trending on the website. Good job Rippy!
Holy heck, that's a terrible hero power. They're really doubling down on this random spell theme with Reno.
Good point! I didn't notice it specified "playable". Although it could still hit a Galakrond that isn't fully upgraded at later turns, which wouldn't be the most favorable situation.
There's not a lot of good neutral 2 drops and Priest doesn't have good 2 drops in Standard so this might not see any play at all.
Did not expect to see Quest Paladin support, but the card seems balanced. Paladin only has few good 2 drops and at least this has mech synergy.
Imagine hitting a 5+ mana card with this on turn 3. Could be disastrous for all Galakrond decks if you have Galakrond or Kronx Dragonhoof in hand
If this removes minions from both players' hands and decks then this is going to be the most insane board clear/discard card printed
Fiendish Rites and Invocation of Frost are the suprise nerfs this time around. Both nerfs look like they were intended to slow down the tempo of both decks, but they are still powerful, especially with Invocation + Zentimo. Overall, decent nerfs.
Also, I'm quite happy that Zentimo sees competitive play now since I've been trying to make it work since it was released.
Goodbye Necrium Apothecary
Maybe Skybarge is going to be upped to 4 mana
Really good report! The meta actually looks diverse, similar to the Saviors of Uldum meta before Evolve Shaman dominated it.
- Achievements
-Wild rotation. I'm glad that Wild packs are available to purchase, but it still feels like the game mode is neglected. Implementing an Arena-style set rotation wherein only certain expansions are playable would make Wild less stale. There could also be Wild-only nerfs and buffs(that only last for that certain rotation) according to what the meta the rotation would result to.
- Mid-expansion inclusions. Controversial take especially with the level of oppression Sniplock and Evolve Shaman brought, but the mid-expansion events are refreshing and I'm curious to see how the mini-expansion launching with the Solo adventure on January is going to look like.
Tempo Galakrond Rogue also has a fighting chance against Apothecary Rogue since they have to rely on getting Necrium Apothecary fast enough. Additionally, if you push for a more aggressive strategy with wide boards and taunts, Tempo Rogue can outpace Face Hunter.
The HP is in a really tricky spot, but one way to make it better is to introduce impactful Priest minions in the next year of expansions, ones that are not deck build-dependent like Test Subject and not oppresive like Raza the Chained, but are flexible like Mindflayer Kaahrj and even Chameleos. But it also depends on the meta; Zerek, Master Cloner was only played for a little bit with the introduction of Clone Priest on Boomsday, and is now seeing experimentation again with the addition of Wretched Reclaimer and Grave Rune.
In the midst of the current Shaman-dominated meta, what other decks have you been experimenting with and which ones do you think could shine after nerfs?
Since opening Zephrys the Great, I've been having fun with making Highlander versions of Galakrond decks, specifically Highlander Warlock and Highlander Priest.
With the few games I played, Highlander Warlock seems to win against Pirate Warrior, but is absolutely decimated by Deathrattle Rogue. I also played one game with a hybrid of Quest/Highlander/Galakrond Priest and it was fun.
Admittedly, I'm one of the players who uses Galakrond Shaman to ladder, but I've been using an Overload version of it that looks like it might survive the nerf.
Post-nerf Edit: The nerfs surprisingly stifled Galakrond Shaman a bit, though it's still strong. I've been running into Deathrattle Rogue more often though.
I haven't expierimented with any of my Thief decks yet so I might give Control Thief Priest a try, but it might be too slow in this meta