Magehunter has been so good for me in Soul Fragment Demon Hunter. Strong vs Druid and Paladin, where Silence is MVP.
You're right about that. I've always thought Magehunter was going to be a useful card, better than most silences because it's got a body that can potentially remove the thing it's silencing because of rush (I think it's even better than Consume Magic, which is just 1-mana silence if you don't trigger its outcast). A 2/3 body with rush for 3-mana is very solid.
I think most DH decks will run Magehunter as a tech card, given how most game plans right now involve dropping big threats. You mentioned Druid and Paladin, but Priest and Big Warrior would hate to see this card as well.
I'm enjoying this Aggro/Tempo Paladin deck, I went 15-3 with it (7-0 against Druids, the class that seems to be dominating the meta right now). High Abbess Alura is the real MVP, with the potential to become an unanswerable 11/14 by turn 4:
Druids fear this deck so much that they concede at the sight of the mighty Young Dragonhawk:
So far, there's been a good variety of decks in the meta. I haven't faced anything that's broken. Maybe the Guardian Animals Druid, but it just so happens that they really can't answer this Aggro Paladin deck I've been piloting. A couple of other observations after playing the whole day:
1) Aggro/Tempo Paladin looks really strong right now. I'm playing a really fast version with Tour Guide and some really sticky minions with divine shield and reborn, to guarantee I'll have a board to buff. I went 7-0 against Druids, 15-3 overall that took me up to Diamond 3. It's a joy to play, and if done right you can go wide and tall on your board at the same time. High Abbess Alura is devastating.
2) I've faced a number of Tempo/Inner Fire Priests. Power Word: Feast is super annoying to deal with, and it's mostly game over once they stick it on a high-health minion.
3) I haven't faced a lot of Demon Hunters, which is...great? I fully expect an aggro DH deck to resurface any day now though.
4) Spell Damage Mage looks pretty slow. Not sure if it's an OTK deck, because all they seem to do is stall. I got killed by Mozaki, Master Duelist with +10 spell damage though lol. Once she hits the board, she needs to be removed
High Abbess Alura looks busted. I'm trying out this Aggro Paladin, and playing Alura + First Day of School on turn 4 is often a game-deciding play. Even if you just hit her with a Hand of A'dal, she'll still balloon into a 5/8. The dream is to hit her with Blessing of Authority, and most opponents won't be able to deal with an 11/15 on turn 4 or 5 lol.
Making a pointed effort to grind for 500 wins is something I do not want to do again. It takes away enjoyment of the game. I'll focus on trying lots of decks in the new meta this time.
This has been my best pack opening for an expansion since Boomsday Project. I bought the 55-pack bundle which only netted me three legendaries (Soulciologist Malicia, Jandice Barov, Shan'do Wildclaw), and I intended to buy more with my in-game gold once the expansion launched. I bought 50 packs, and boy the legendaries and epics kept coming in:
That's a legendary for every 10 packs, and they're cards that I was already interested to play around with. My free legendaries are nice too: Instructor Fireheart (Spell Damage Shaman, here I come!) and a golden Star Student Stelina (which I'm hoping will annoy people enough to call for nerfs, but fat chance).
Amazing! I've never been more excited to play the game. I don't think I've ever had this much luck in a pack opening. I'm never buying mega bundles again, it seems like my pity timers always suck when I purchase those :P
I hope everyone had a great pack opening! Happy Scholomance launch!
I tried the HS deck recipe for Demon Hunter with the Soul Fragment package. It's pretty bad, it lacks early removal and it was hard to survive until the late game.
I built my own Soul Fragment DH that's a bit aggro-heavy, but I stupidly forgot to include Voracious Reader and the Manafeeder minion. I still went 2-2, so I think it'll be even stronger one lists become optimized.
Oh, and Glide seems like an awkward card to use. I tried it in an aggro deck as some sort of refill and hand disruption for the opponent, but it mostly sat as a dead card in hand.
I did it, I finally got my golden DH portrait. I promised myself I'd reach 500 wins before the new expansion, and I accomplished it 30 minutes before the launch :P
This final grind got me tilted so bad. I started the day at 477 wins, then went on a streak of 9 wins before struggling in the Diamond ranks. Then when I was at 499 wins, I lost 7 STRAIGHT. I hate this game
Anyway, now I can enjoy the new expansion. I don't see myself grinding for a golden portrait soon (Priest is the closest I have to 500, with 240+ wins). Though I might try to grind for that awesome Demonic Illidan...
I only started playing during KoFT, so it's nice to be given a history lesson for expansions before that. I never would've imagined Dr. Boom was underhyped, it's such a well-designed card (power-creeped to oblivion now, though).
I don't really agree with the inclusion of Making Mummies as one of the most underhyped cards, even though it did see some play. It was pretty good for about a week (right after Uldum launched), and then it just disappeared. It was just uninspiring to play, and it looks like it'll never see play again unless the Reborn mechanic is reintroduced in future sets.
I'd say Uldum's underhyped cards were Reno the Relicologist and Dinotamer Brann. They were widely panned during the reveal season mostly because people expected their power level to match their League of Explorer iterations, which blinded them to how powerful/useful their battlecries actually are. Both are still widely played today in Mage and Hunter decks, and will continue to be included in highlander lists.
Another underhyped card that's a personal favorite of mine is Supercollider from Boomsday. People were quick to dismiss it, not knowing it was the perfect control tool for Odd Warriors or any Control Warrior deck in general.
This is great value for a bundle. Two assured legendaries from the new expansion for $20, when similarly priced bundles didn't even guarantee you'd unpack any legendary? Sign me up. This is better than getting a cosmetic portrait, imo.
I like the creative approach the designers took with this card, but it just doesn't strike me as something you'd want to use in your deck because of the variance of spells it could "remember." It remembers your opponents' spells too, so if your opponent plays a bunch of random spells, Educated Elekk will shuffle it into your deck, which is something you wouldn't normally want. Can you imagine your opponent playing the coin then the Elekk shuffling it in your deck? That'll be a terrible draw, and the fact that it could dilute your deck is what sours me on Educated Elekk.
It could still see use in some control decks that thrive on value, though (Thief Priest would love this). But for most decks, this will probably be a hindrance and won't make the cut. Hard to say though.
You skipped some sets though, I don't see any cards from Boomsday, Uldum, and Descent of Dragons. Is it because there weren't that many overhyped cards in those sets? There were people losing their minds over Bazaar Burglary and Sir Finley of the Sands in Uldum, both of which didn't see much play, though the latter was due to Paladin having a pretty terrible set. (It was still viewed the strongest of the new Explorer cards, though).
In Descent of Dragons, Nozdormu the Timeless caused quite a stir during reveal season, though that could be attributed to people feeling unsure how powerful he really could be (turns out he wasn't, really).
Anyway, keep up the good work! I'm loving the variety of interesting content on this site.
Nice article! There could be other additions to your list though, as there were several overhyped cards in the game's history.
Off the top of my head, I remember people seriously hyping up Lady in White (myself included) during the Witchwood reveals. Casting Inner Fire on your entire deck seemed strong, but with no means to tutor the Lady, well, it ended up never seeing play in constructed. And building your deck with only high-health minions wasn't really a good idea.
Hey, at least they're all dual class cards. I'm gonna play some DH and Warlock soul fragment decks anyway, so Malicia is greatly appreciated. I'm interested in playing Beast Druid as well and I've been playing Highlander Hunter lately, so Wildclaw is something I'll happily take too.
I'm just waiting for the official expansion release so I can purchase 3000 gold's worth of extra card packs.
Great card for Rogue. Hero power on turn 2, then dropping this on 3 is a great play for killing off any opponent minions. It's a consistent effect too, so even if you don't have a weapon equipped in the previous turn you can drop this no problem. Solid 3-drop.
You're right about that. I've always thought Magehunter was going to be a useful card, better than most silences because it's got a body that can potentially remove the thing it's silencing because of rush (I think it's even better than Consume Magic, which is just 1-mana silence if you don't trigger its outcast). A 2/3 body with rush for 3-mana is very solid.
I think most DH decks will run Magehunter as a tech card, given how most game plans right now involve dropping big threats. You mentioned Druid and Paladin, but Priest and Big Warrior would hate to see this card as well.
I'm enjoying this Aggro/Tempo Paladin deck, I went 15-3 with it (7-0 against Druids, the class that seems to be dominating the meta right now). High Abbess Alura is the real MVP, with the potential to become an unanswerable 11/14 by turn 4:
Druids fear this deck so much that they concede at the sight of the mighty Young Dragonhawk:
So far, there's been a good variety of decks in the meta. I haven't faced anything that's broken. Maybe the Guardian Animals Druid, but it just so happens that they really can't answer this Aggro Paladin deck I've been piloting. A couple of other observations after playing the whole day:
1) Aggro/Tempo Paladin looks really strong right now. I'm playing a really fast version with Tour Guide and some really sticky minions with divine shield and reborn, to guarantee I'll have a board to buff. I went 7-0 against Druids, 15-3 overall that took me up to Diamond 3. It's a joy to play, and if done right you can go wide and tall on your board at the same time. High Abbess Alura is devastating.
2) I've faced a number of Tempo/Inner Fire Priests. Power Word: Feast is super annoying to deal with, and it's mostly game over once they stick it on a high-health minion.
3) I haven't faced a lot of Demon Hunters, which is...great? I fully expect an aggro DH deck to resurface any day now though.
4) Spell Damage Mage looks pretty slow. Not sure if it's an OTK deck, because all they seem to do is stall. I got killed by Mozaki, Master Duelist with +10 spell damage though lol. Once she hits the board, she needs to be removed
5) I haven't seen Headmaster Kel'Thuzad used anywhere yet, which is weird.
High Abbess Alura looks busted. I'm trying out this Aggro Paladin, and playing Alura + First Day of School on turn 4 is often a game-deciding play. Even if you just hit her with a Hand of A'dal, she'll still balloon into a 5/8. The dream is to hit her with Blessing of Authority, and most opponents won't be able to deal with an 11/15 on turn 4 or 5 lol.
Thanks, man! I really appreciate it :D
Making a pointed effort to grind for 500 wins is something I do not want to do again. It takes away enjoyment of the game. I'll focus on trying lots of decks in the new meta this time.
Good luck on your games!
This has been my best pack opening for an expansion since Boomsday Project. I bought the 55-pack bundle which only netted me three legendaries (Soulciologist Malicia, Jandice Barov, Shan'do Wildclaw), and I intended to buy more with my in-game gold once the expansion launched. I bought 50 packs, and boy the legendaries and epics kept coming in:
Mindrender Illucia
Headmaster Kel'Thuzad
High Abbess Alura
Ras Frostwhisper
Doctor Krastinov
That's a legendary for every 10 packs, and they're cards that I was already interested to play around with. My free legendaries are nice too: Instructor Fireheart (Spell Damage Shaman, here I come!) and a golden Star Student Stelina (which I'm hoping will annoy people enough to call for nerfs, but fat chance).
Amazing! I've never been more excited to play the game. I don't think I've ever had this much luck in a pack opening. I'm never buying mega bundles again, it seems like my pity timers always suck when I purchase those :P
I hope everyone had a great pack opening! Happy Scholomance launch!
I tried the HS deck recipe for Demon Hunter with the Soul Fragment package. It's pretty bad, it lacks early removal and it was hard to survive until the late game.
I built my own Soul Fragment DH that's a bit aggro-heavy, but I stupidly forgot to include Voracious Reader and the Manafeeder minion. I still went 2-2, so I think it'll be even stronger one lists become optimized.
Oh, and Glide seems like an awkward card to use. I tried it in an aggro deck as some sort of refill and hand disruption for the opponent, but it mostly sat as a dead card in hand.
Eff you, Mage. Take that 16 damage to the effing face. I hate your class with a passion :D
I did it, I finally got my golden DH portrait. I promised myself I'd reach 500 wins before the new expansion, and I accomplished it 30 minutes before the launch :P
This final grind got me tilted so bad. I started the day at 477 wins, then went on a streak of 9 wins before struggling in the Diamond ranks. Then when I was at 499 wins, I lost 7 STRAIGHT. I hate this game
Anyway, now I can enjoy the new expansion. I don't see myself grinding for a golden portrait soon (Priest is the closest I have to 500, with 240+ wins). Though I might try to grind for that awesome Demonic Illidan...
So as of now, here are my golden portraits:
Warrior - 798 wins
Hunter - 609 wins
Paladin - 511 wins
Demon Hunter - 503 wins
I for one hope to get mileage out of my golden Harrison Jones. Flashier and probably more impractical than Oozes, but I don't care!
I only started playing during KoFT, so it's nice to be given a history lesson for expansions before that. I never would've imagined Dr. Boom was underhyped, it's such a well-designed card (power-creeped to oblivion now, though).
I don't really agree with the inclusion of Making Mummies as one of the most underhyped cards, even though it did see some play. It was pretty good for about a week (right after Uldum launched), and then it just disappeared. It was just uninspiring to play, and it looks like it'll never see play again unless the Reborn mechanic is reintroduced in future sets.
I'd say Uldum's underhyped cards were Reno the Relicologist and Dinotamer Brann. They were widely panned during the reveal season mostly because people expected their power level to match their League of Explorer iterations, which blinded them to how powerful/useful their battlecries actually are. Both are still widely played today in Mage and Hunter decks, and will continue to be included in highlander lists.
Another underhyped card that's a personal favorite of mine is Supercollider from Boomsday. People were quick to dismiss it, not knowing it was the perfect control tool for Odd Warriors or any Control Warrior deck in general.
This is great value for a bundle. Two assured legendaries from the new expansion for $20, when similarly priced bundles didn't even guarantee you'd unpack any legendary? Sign me up. This is better than getting a cosmetic portrait, imo.
I wanna try Soul Fragment DH and Aggro Stealth Rogue.
Beast Druid with Guardian Animals looks like an interesting archetype too. I might play it since I already unpacked Shan'do Wildclaw.
I like the creative approach the designers took with this card, but it just doesn't strike me as something you'd want to use in your deck because of the variance of spells it could "remember." It remembers your opponents' spells too, so if your opponent plays a bunch of random spells, Educated Elekk will shuffle it into your deck, which is something you wouldn't normally want. Can you imagine your opponent playing the coin then the Elekk shuffling it in your deck? That'll be a terrible draw, and the fact that it could dilute your deck is what sours me on Educated Elekk.
It could still see use in some control decks that thrive on value, though (Thief Priest would love this). But for most decks, this will probably be a hindrance and won't make the cut. Hard to say though.
You skipped some sets though, I don't see any cards from Boomsday, Uldum, and Descent of Dragons. Is it because there weren't that many overhyped cards in those sets? There were people losing their minds over Bazaar Burglary and Sir Finley of the Sands in Uldum, both of which didn't see much play, though the latter was due to Paladin having a pretty terrible set. (It was still viewed the strongest of the new Explorer cards, though).
In Descent of Dragons, Nozdormu the Timeless caused quite a stir during reveal season, though that could be attributed to people feeling unsure how powerful he really could be (turns out he wasn't, really).
Anyway, keep up the good work! I'm loving the variety of interesting content on this site.
Nice article! There could be other additions to your list though, as there were several overhyped cards in the game's history.
Off the top of my head, I remember people seriously hyping up Lady in White (myself included) during the Witchwood reveals. Casting Inner Fire on your entire deck seemed strong, but with no means to tutor the Lady, well, it ended up never seeing play in constructed. And building your deck with only high-health minions wasn't really a good idea.
That golden animation is sick
I purchased the 55-pack bundle only. Can't afford to splurge during this pandemic :( I only got three legendaries, sigh.
Soulciologist Malicia
Jandice Barov
Shan'do Wildclaw
Hey, at least they're all dual class cards. I'm gonna play some DH and Warlock soul fragment decks anyway, so Malicia is greatly appreciated. I'm interested in playing Beast Druid as well and I've been playing Highlander Hunter lately, so Wildclaw is something I'll happily take too.
I'm just waiting for the official expansion release so I can purchase 3000 gold's worth of extra card packs.
It's soooooo satisfying to unleash my Inner Demon and get exact lethal against annoying Priests.
Great card for Rogue. Hero power on turn 2, then dropping this on 3 is a great play for killing off any opponent minions. It's a consistent effect too, so even if you don't have a weapon equipped in the previous turn you can drop this no problem. Solid 3-drop.