I sneak into the fray with a take on possible Warlock secrets. Feedback welcome!
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Out of these, I'm pretty happy with the first two but Felfire Ward could do with some tweaking. I wanted it to be "when a friendly minion is attacked and dies" but that's too many words... Tainted cup refers to the Blood of Mannoroth, but is it obvious what it does in this case?
I really like Twilight Ritual and Felfire Ward isn't bad either.
Tainted Cup, on the other hand, uses an incorrect keyword (what AeroJulwin said). Also, the trigger and the effect are a bit disconnected mechanics-wise (maybe your opponents draws a bunch of cards but doesn't have minions on the board)
I actually didn't realise you had to make three cards for this comp lol
Considering this, you're right Crystalizeand Fertilizerare too similar, so I basically replaced the former with Grow Thorns, which may be a bit too similar to Never Surrender!, but I think it makes up for it by virtue of being a natural fit for Druid, both flavor and effect-wise.
I was thinking about making a Secret version of BEEEES!!!, but I realized it would trigger Fertilizer, so I refrained from it xD
EDIT: Changed Grow Thorns and Surprise Shapeshift from "After" to "When".
Feedback
Demonxz95
I really like all of them and don't think Deception and Supresive Light are too similar. I like how you managed to diferentiate your cards from Paladin, specially considering both classes are quite similar.
linkblade91
Product Recall is too wordy. I think it's better if you revert the text to "shuffle two Bombs in your opponent's deck". Bomb Warrior wasn't a thing, sure, but Seaforium Bomber existed and even if it didn't, it's not too unusual to have cards with unique tokens not describe them (ehem, Dr. Boom, ehem)
Engage Defenses! has the issue of being useless depending on your deck, but I guess this is not as important in a class that cannot generate them.
Scrap For Parts is very simple, but the flavor is quite cool and the effect is balanced enough.
FenrirWulf
As many people said, Spell Ward is your most interesting card. The other two are also fine, but I'd probably give Focused Healing a Holy tag (and maybe make it stronger as Demon suggested)
R
I really like the idea of adding Outcast to your Secrets. Without a Trace may be a bit too strong, though.
grumpymonk
All effects are cool and make a lot of sense for Shaman. That said, I'd probably try to find a better artwork for Explosive Devolution.
FieselFitz
I don't like how similar the trigger of Shields Up! and Bomb Throw are. If you're going for a bomb flavor, I'd replace Shields Up!, even though I like this card more. Also, I think you should probably use the same watermark for all 3 cards.
Neoguli
My main issue with Demonic Pressence is that Warlock doesn't have Armor gain, even if the overall effect fits it quite well (Demons and taking damage)
The new Maledict Shadow has the issue of potentially filling your opponent's board with 0-Attack minions, which is not nice.
Very cool theme this week. I decided to go for token Druid Secrets.
I think Surprise Shapeshift is my most interesting card, but I'm unsure about the size of the token. If I finally go with it, I'll make a token card too.
New idea. I think the previous one was more original, but this one is cleaner and has some nice paralelisms with Mal'Ganis.
Again, I'm not very happy with the wording.
FEEDBACK
Neoguli
The artwork is gorgeous and the idea is nice. I like Aerojulwin's suggestion about the wording. Demon is probably also right about the card feeling more Priest than Paladin.
Aerojulwin
Zanari the Brilliant is probably my favorite one, but I'd probably make it a Priest card and remove the Divine Shield, so that the text doesn't look so crammed.
Rhea the Mainframe should probably be Neutral, as Demon said.
Forest Guardian looks more like a Druid Beast than like a Shaman Elemental. Since Shaman Nature spells are usually lightning-related, maybe the artwork should be an electric Elemental or something. Besides that, I'd change the effect to "If all minions in your deck are Elementals, gain Nature Spell Damage +2". Buffing spells in your hand is a bit weird.
Fedrion
I don't know, maybe it's a bit too strong for a 6 mana card. Maybe rise the cost to 7 or 8 and buff the main body's stats?
ChickyChick
Feels balanced and flavorful enough, not much to add. You should probably make the Hero Power itself, as someone else said.
FieselFitz
I'm not a big fan of big minions with a huge cost like this one, because they're too much of a gamble, depending on whether your opponent has removal or not.
I'd like to know if this artwork is already in use, because it feels very familiar to me. I'm also a bit concerned about the wording.
Early feedback:
linkblade91
I haven't played constructed for years, so I don't know which one is more balaced. In terms of flavor/feel, I'd say I prefer Lord Prestor.
R
I like the effect, it's very good fit for Hunter and a natural evolution from the original character.
That said, the artwork is a bit of a problem. I tried finding a different one, but I couldn't find anything. In case you can't different one, I'd change the character entirely, even if a bit of flavor would be missed in the process.
Finally, about the wording, it should be "your Deathrattles trigger as Battlecries" ("triggers" is for singular, and here it's "Deathrattles" in plural)
Demonxz95
Dragon Mage has always been about big spells, so this is a good fit.
That said, I don't like cheap cards that have a game-lasting effect, because they're too RNG dependant. I think you should either make it a Start of Game effect or increase the Mana cost so that it's not as polarizing.
I saw a classmate play at college. I think HS was in beta back then. I really liked the idea behind the game, since I loved TCG as a kid and Warcraft III as a teenager. Oddly enough, I didn't start playing until a couple of years later, when TGT had just launched.
Pretty weak season for me, but the prompts were indeed very interesting. I'm satisfied with the couple of silver medals I managed to get and with reaching the finals almost every week.
I'll ditto linkblade and congratulate all winners :)
Thumbs up for bringing up this discussion, anchorm4n. I agree that the current system still has some room to improve.
So far, my favorite proposal is AeroJulwin's reimagination of the final phase. People are already voting cards not individually, but to favor their favorites. So, why not make a system that takes this into account but in a honest way? Not sure if dragging cards to reorder them could be easily done, from a technical perspective, but I really like the idea.
The idea of making the description visible in the finals is also very good. I'd personally put it in a spoiler box or something similar.
(Also, now that we're talking about the current system being a bit disheartening, I was a bit sad to go from second place to sixth in the last competition. Snif.)
Some very late feedback and opinion on some cards already submitted.
Demonxz95
Very cool and flavor is very on-point. I prefer the 4 mana Rush version, just because there are already a bunch of 3/4 Tradeable minions, so that version feels more original. Also, Rush is quite fitting for a messenger.
cydonianknight
I really like Agnes, both mechanically and flavor-wise. I think you're good to go.
Neoguli
I honestly woud've used Magical Seed despite its similarity with Sow the Soil. It was a very interesting card and the similarity is not the end of the world (back in Hearthpwn, I won a competition with a Kobolds And Catacombs card which had the same role as Psychic Scream, so it's not a deal breaker).
The new card is a bit weird and convoluted, especially considering the fact that it can't lose Durability once it has been equiped. It also sort of collides with Runed Mithril Rod, which is Warlock's profession tool (which again, is not a big deal IMO, but also defeats the whole point of not using Magical Seed.
AeroJulwin
I really like the artwork you picked for Magical Merchant, even if it's from Final Fantasy. It really feels like both a mage and a merchant at the same time.
That said, the main issue I have with this card is that its effect is not very clear at first glance. I think you would've benefited from explicitly referencing Arcane, Fire and Frost instead of wording it in a generic way. Finally, I would've probably made it an Epic, because the effect is quite complex (rarity is about complexity, not about power, except in the case of Legendaries who are allowed to be a bit OP sometimes).
I've been looking for a very specific artwork which features a dwarf with a weird parrot-like animal caged, but I coudn't find it. I think Cheese used that art a long while ago back in Hearthpwn.
I managed to find the artwork. Turns out the animal wasn't a parrot, but a chameleon.
However, I'm not sure which art is better. The new one is better for the flavor, but the style isn't as appropriate for Hearthstone.
Anyway, feedback:
anchorm4n
The idea is nice, but I don't like the name, since it's not clear what it represents. Something like "Second-hand whatever" would be better, and would still fit the flavor of selling it many times.
linkblade91
It's a decent idea, but it doesn't have a very Tradeable flavor (not a big deal, since stuff like Provoke exists). Besides that, I would make it a Warrior card, especially because the Hero Power has Armor synergy.
Hordaki
It's flavorful, but it's also mechanically elegant in the sense that it makes your Trades free. Main issue is that his effect doesn't seem very good on such an expensive body. I think you should reduce its cost, even if that means it won't have the same stats as the original Trade Prince Gallywix.
Arkasaur
Pretty interesting card. I think the version that reduces by 1 is more balanced, but I'm not very good at balance, so…
Flavor is hard to get if it's not expained, however (at least for a non-native speaker like myself)
R
Contract Assassin is very simple, but I like it a lot. Flavor is very Rogue, for sure, but I tink that, mechanically, it fits more as a Neutral card.
Neoguli
Magical Seed is definetly your coolest card. Its flavor is reminiscent of the tale Jack and the Beanstalk, which I don't know if is intentional, but it works very well. Main issue, it's quite similar to R's Contract Assassin, but since the main selling point of both cards is flavor and they're different in that aspect, I think it's not too big of a deal.
Bloodshard Satyr has the issue of not fitting the expansion very much neither mechanically nor flavor-wise, while Tipsi Woblerune's gimmick is a bit strange and dangerous.
I've been looking for a very specific artwork which features a dwarf with a weird parrot-like animal caged, but I coudn't find it. I think Cheese used that art a long while ago back in Hearthpwn.
I already posted Holyfin Crusader, but I droped the Divine Shield on the main body as Hordaki suggested bc it seemed a bit too strong.
Anyways, more feedback:
shatterstar1998
My favorite card is the Vilefin Trafficker with the Discover effect. Pretty neat card, IMO.
Demonxz95
Don't worry about the reused card. I ended up using a different card, and I don't think it's too bad if two cards use the same one, especially in a competition with a limited art pool like this one.
About your cards, I think Glacier Crystalfin is my favorite, but both the artwork and the effect scream Shaman to me. You could even put it in Knights of the Frozen Throne, since that expansion featured both Freeze and Murloc synergy for Shaman.
R
The flavor is pretty good, and the requirement plus the fact that Murlocs tend to be low-cost, makes it not broken.
Arkasaur
I think the Rush version is balanced, so I'd go with this one. Now that the card is playable, I think this could easily win the comp.
anchorm4n
I still prefer the Demon Hunter card, but okay. Between the two, I think the 4 mana cost is better, because 6 for a tech card seems like too much, even if it hits a card like Zilliax.
Cheese
It's hard to tell because it's a very weird card.
On the one hand, it is very good on Lightfang builds, because it allows you to spend gold without needing a free slot, which is something these builds tend to struggle with.
On the other hand, it's completely unplayable in most Murloc builds, because it doesn't allow you to use their Battlecries, which is the build strenght.
All in all, I'd say Tavern Three is more appropriate, but it's really hard to tell.
AeroJulwin
I still believe it should be an aura effect, but otherwise it's your best iteration. You should probably use a non-Classic watermark, though.
linkblade91
I like both new cards more than Felfin Inquisitor. Franken-Mrrgl is probably my fav of the bunch because of flavor. And yes, I agree he should gain their stats instead (murlocs tend to be small, so it wouldn't be too OP)
AnAngryBadger
I think Mushfin Oracleis my favorite of the bunch, very nice flexibility, especially in case you Discover it. Also, I really enjoy callback cards.
Gillidari Avenger is also neat, but it would need more support than it currently has, so maybe some people punish that a little bit.
The other two cards have neat effect (especially Tinyfin, the Unkillable, although the artwork is too blurry), but I don't see the need for them to be Murlocs.
KangTheConqueror
I agree with your decision to make it only go face. The effect doesn't seem very flashy, but I find it very appropriate for a Neutral card.
New idea (along with the old one which had a better reception):
Feedback:
Demonxz95
The effect is very cool and original, but it doesn't seem to fit the Murloc tribe, which usually features small minions with swarm synergies of some sort. I'd save this effect for another comp.
linkblade91
Not a very flashy card, but it combines Warlock and Murlocs very well. I'd probably give it 4 stars.
Hordaki
Probably my favorite card so far. Not much to add, since it seems very well balanced as well.
AeroJulwin
I prefer the non-Battlecry text (it's less convoluted), but I really like the new flavor. I'd probably drop the enchantment synergy, since that's more of a Paladin thing (and the flavor is very Shaman).
Lundy
My favorite is probably the new version of Blindlight Broodmother. Designing a high cost Murloc that still feels like a Murloc isn't easy, but you managed to do it just fine.
Arkasaur
The flavor is very good, but transforming your minions into vanilla 4/3 doesn't seem like a good idea. Maybe if it only targetted Murlocs, which tend to have low stats, it wouldn't be too bad.
R
Pretty simple card, but people tend to like Adapt cards. The art is very good, even if it feels a bit over the top for a non Legendary minion.
anchorm4n
Lil'idan Scalerage is my favorite of the bunch. Charge is always dangerous, but given it's a Legendary, I think it can stay that way.
Mechnapper has the problem of being a tech card, which usually don't do well. Maybe if you gave it some sort of Mech synergy instead, as a way to push Menagerie decks? Dunno.
Finally, Darktide Reaper doesn't respect class identity, since its effect just screams Priest. I guess you could make it a dual card, but even then, its effect isn't very Murlocky.
Cheese
I'm also a Battlegrounds player (I don't play constructed at all), but I don't think a BG card will do well. I won't personally penalize it, but it's an entirely different beast compared to a constructed card.
Neoguli
Very cute card :) I think it would be cool if it existed, since it could really help to create new archetypes or at least.
Two cards I had in my gallery, slightly modified for balance.
I like Chumsayer best (mostly because I love callbacks and bad puns), but I wonder if its effect is kinda dangerous, since if your opponent doesn't have removal, it's GG. Maybe if I rise the cost (and the Attack) it won't be too bad?
I agree with others that Ancient Spirit is your coolest card. Besides changing the artwork as others suggested, I'd also change its watermark to something else, since it's a bit weird to have a card which is mechanically identical to Mounts but has a different flavor.
AeroJulwin
Very cool card for a first try! It took me a while to not make overly complicated cards, so your card is quite impressive. As others pointed out all artworks in your cards are already being used by existing cards, so I'd try to fix that.
Demonxz95
A change for the better, for sure. It also ties much better with the name :)
Nirast
The destroy based on cost looks like a Priest or Warlock effect more than a Hunter one. Also, the text is a bit too crammed for my taste.
Lundy
Hawkstrider Mount is probably my favorite cards amongst the ones that try to replicate Stormwind Mounts. I wouldn't change the name of the token, btw, since it fits the existing convention.
Mechanostrider Mount, on the other hand, doesn't have such a neat effect (Rogue isn't known for using Rush) and has an awful art.
CheeseEtc
I really like Repair Bots, it might be my favorite card so far. The flavor is off-the-charts.
Also, I wouldn't go with Wooden Steed, since Shaman+Rogue wasn't a class combination in Scholomance.
I really like Twilight Ritual and Felfire Ward isn't bad either.
Tainted Cup, on the other hand, uses an incorrect keyword (what AeroJulwin said). Also, the trigger and the effect are a bit disconnected mechanics-wise (maybe your opponents draws a bunch of cards but doesn't have minions on the board)
I actually didn't realise you had to make three cards for this comp lol
Considering this, you're right Crystalize and Fertilizer are too similar, so I basically replaced the former with Grow Thorns, which may be a bit too similar to Never Surrender!, but I think it makes up for it by virtue of being a natural fit for Druid, both flavor and effect-wise.
I was thinking about making a Secret version of BEEEES!!!, but I realized it would trigger Fertilizer, so I refrained from it xD
EDIT: Changed Grow Thorns and Surprise Shapeshift from "After" to "When".
Engage Defenses! has the issue of being useless depending on your deck, but I guess this is not as important in a class that cannot generate them.
Scrap For Parts is very simple, but the flavor is quite cool and the effect is balanced enough.
The new Maledict Shadow has the issue of potentially filling your opponent's board with 0-Attack minions, which is not nice.
Very cool theme this week. I decided to go for token Druid Secrets.
I think Surprise Shapeshift is my most interesting card, but I'm unsure about the size of the token. If I finally go with it, I'll make a token card too.
New idea. I think the previous one was more original, but this one is cleaner and has some nice paralelisms with Mal'Ganis.
Again, I'm not very happy with the wording.
Rhea the Mainframe should probably be Neutral, as Demon said.
Forest Guardian looks more like a Druid Beast than like a Shaman Elemental. Since Shaman Nature spells are usually lightning-related, maybe the artwork should be an electric Elemental or something. Besides that, I'd change the effect to "If all minions in your deck are Elementals, gain Nature Spell Damage +2". Buffing spells in your hand is a bit weird.
Finally! I missed this :)
I'd like to know if this artwork is already in use, because it feels very familiar to me. I'm also a bit concerned about the wording.
Early feedback:
That said, the artwork is a bit of a problem. I tried finding a different one, but I couldn't find anything. In case you can't different one, I'd change the character entirely, even if a bit of flavor would be missed in the process.
Finally, about the wording, it should be "your Deathrattles trigger as Battlecries" ("triggers" is for singular, and here it's "Deathrattles" in plural)
That said, I don't like cheap cards that have a game-lasting effect, because they're too RNG dependant. I think you should either make it a Start of Game effect or increase the Mana cost so that it's not as polarizing.
Ooops, I arrived late to the party :( Next week, I guess.
Good luck, everyone!
I saw a classmate play at college. I think HS was in beta back then. I really liked the idea behind the game, since I loved TCG as a kid and Warcraft III as a teenager. Oddly enough, I didn't start playing until a couple of years later, when TGT had just launched.
And a very well deserved one, IMO.
Pretty weak season for me, but the prompts were indeed very interesting. I'm satisfied with the couple of silver medals I managed to get and with reaching the finals almost every week.
I'll ditto linkblade and congratulate all winners :)
The best character from Friends, by far.
Thumbs up for bringing up this discussion, anchorm4n. I agree that the current system still has some room to improve.
So far, my favorite proposal is AeroJulwin's reimagination of the final phase. People are already voting cards not individually, but to favor their favorites. So, why not make a system that takes this into account but in a honest way? Not sure if dragging cards to reorder them could be easily done, from a technical perspective, but I really like the idea.
The idea of making the description visible in the finals is also very good. I'd personally put it in a spoiler box or something similar.
(Also, now that we're talking about the current system being a bit disheartening, I was a bit sad to go from second place to sixth in the last competition. Snif.)
Some very late feedback and opinion on some cards already submitted.
The new card is a bit weird and convoluted, especially considering the fact that it can't lose Durability once it has been equiped. It also sort of collides with Runed Mithril Rod, which is Warlock's profession tool (which again, is not a big deal IMO, but also defeats the whole point of not using Magical Seed.
That said, the main issue I have with this card is that its effect is not very clear at first glance. I think you would've benefited from explicitly referencing Arcane, Fire and Frost instead of wording it in a generic way. Finally, I would've probably made it an Epic, because the effect is quite complex (rarity is about complexity, not about power, except in the case of Legendaries who are allowed to be a bit OP sometimes).
Yes, that one. Thanks :)
I managed to find the artwork. Turns out the animal wasn't a parrot, but a chameleon.
However, I'm not sure which art is better. The new one is better for the flavor, but the style isn't as appropriate for Hearthstone.
Anyway, feedback:
Flavor is hard to get if it's not expained, however (at least for a non-native speaker like myself)
Bloodshard Satyr has the issue of not fitting the expansion very much neither mechanically nor flavor-wise, while Tipsi Woblerune's gimmick is a bit strange and dangerous.
First idea, purely by flavor.
I've been looking for a very specific artwork which features a dwarf with a weird parrot-like animal caged, but I coudn't find it. I think Cheese used that art a long while ago back in Hearthpwn.
I already posted Holyfin Crusader, but I droped the Divine Shield on the main body as Hordaki suggested bc it seemed a bit too strong.
Anyways, more feedback:
About your cards, I think Glacier Crystalfin is my favorite, but both the artwork and the effect scream Shaman to me. You could even put it in Knights of the Frozen Throne, since that expansion featured both Freeze and Murloc synergy for Shaman.
On the one hand, it is very good on Lightfang builds, because it allows you to spend gold without needing a free slot, which is something these builds tend to struggle with.
On the other hand, it's completely unplayable in most Murloc builds, because it doesn't allow you to use their Battlecries, which is the build strenght.
All in all, I'd say Tavern Three is more appropriate, but it's really hard to tell.
Gillidari Avenger is also neat, but it would need more support than it currently has, so maybe some people punish that a little bit.
The other two cards have neat effect (especially Tinyfin, the Unkillable, although the artwork is too blurry), but I don't see the need for them to be Murlocs.
Very fast comp, wow.
New idea (along with the old one which had a better reception):
Feedback:
Mechnapper has the problem of being a tech card, which usually don't do well. Maybe if you gave it some sort of Mech synergy instead, as a way to push Menagerie decks? Dunno.
Finally, Darktide Reaper doesn't respect class identity, since its effect just screams Priest. I guess you could make it a dual card, but even then, its effect isn't very Murlocky.
Congrats, anchorm4n!
Two cards I had in my gallery, slightly modified for balance.
I like Chumsayer best (mostly because I love callbacks and bad puns), but I wonder if its effect is kinda dangerous, since if your opponent doesn't have removal, it's GG. Maybe if I rise the cost (and the Attack) it won't be too bad?
Some more feedback:
Mechanostrider Mount, on the other hand, doesn't have such a neat effect (Rogue isn't known for using Rush) and has an awful art.
Also, I wouldn't go with Wooden Steed, since Shaman+Rogue wasn't a class combination in Scholomance.