Our Thoughts on Hearthstone's Scholomance Academy Neutral Cards (Part 3)

We've made it! The reviews of every card are out, just in time for the expansion launch. Thanks to everyone who contributed, and to everyone who has commented with their own thoughts - I know I've certainly had my opinion swayed on a few cards by some convincing arguments.

You know the spiel: we're amazing, 100% accuracy, don't investigate any of our claims (not because they're false but because it'd be a waste of your time, promise), etc. etc.

Have fun with Scholomance Academy!

She doesn't know how to bring up that she's actually just a goth.

Quote From Demonxz95

This was one of the first Neutral cards revealed in the set, and it's… pretty bad.

Compared to Loatheb, this card just looks laughably bad (and well, it is). Making your opponent's spells cost 1 more does a grand total of absolutely nothing in most cases. You know, this card has a really sweet name and some good art. Shame it was used for such a crappy card.

She reads every book she can in case those brothers need her help again.

Quote From ShadowsOfSense

Jeeves is feeling quite put out, though I imagine he's far too polite to say anything about it. At least he's a Mech?

This card is insane for any aggressive deck that wants to play out its hand each turn. It's a must-kill target for the opponent, but that doesn't really matter - you've probably already drawn at least two cards with it. Even drawing one makes it a better Novice Engineer. I would not be surprised at all if this card got nerfe for enabling aggro too much.

Of course, it doesn't necessarily fit in every aggressive deck. Ones that already have a lot of draw probably won't care about this, for example. The real power is in enabling classes that struggled to be aggressive because of their lack of good draw cards.

They arrived through a portal. How very strange.

Quote From Demonxz95

Do you hear Wee Spellstopper in the corner wee-ping? Oh, you don't because you forgot she existed in the game? Well, here she is back again.

Robes of Protection is basically a much better version of Wee Spellstopper. Its stats:cost ratio is better and the effect is intensified to grant Elusive to all of your minions including itself instead of just adjacent minions. Elusive as an ability is an effect with a power level that ebbs and flows across so many different factors, possibly more so than any other mechanic in the entire game. This makes me a bit unsure as to how this card will play out. Granting all of your minions Elusive against certain decks will just automatically win you the game because your opponent can do next to nothing to remove them. In some other games though, the card will ultimately amount to a 3 mana 2/4 with a pseudo-Taunt.

This effect is very dependent on your board state and match-up. Even on a fairly small board with not that many minions, the effect will still serve to be prevalent against your opponent. After all, Evasive Feywing does see some play, and Faerie Dragon has occasionally popped up every now and then over the course of the game. Because it will also give itself Elusive with its own ability, this will also make it much more annoying to deal with and harder to get rid than Wee Spellstopper. If your opponent can't get rid of this in any way, then they're pretty much screwed. Later in the game though, it's not difficult for your opponent to remove this with an AoE (as the flavor text actually reminds the player that Elusive does not prevent AoE spells from damaging them), although maybe forcing an AoE out of your opponent can be considered a win in some cases?

I'm extremely unsure where to categorize this card. Sometimes, this card is absolutely amazing, and other times it's very "eh". For this card to be played, it would need to be in a meta where it encounters the "absolutely amazing" scenario most of the time. Will it be this one? I don't know. Whatever happens though, this is always a card to watch out for. Even if it isn't amazing now, it definitely will be later.

"Oh my god, you can't just ask someone why they're a fox!"

Quote From Avalon

Really flavorful card, with a unique effect and already in our collections since Blizz gifted it to all of us when Scholomance Academy got announced. Based on the different forms you'll get, there are very few cases in which you'll "lowroll the board": you can almost always expect an effect normally strapped on a 3-cost minion. Just to name a few, you could get a random Lackey (EVIL Cable Rat has seen play as a 1/1), deal 2 damage (SI:7 Agent with no requirements) or get Reborn (basically a Shotbot for every class). While not being a meta-warping card like Prince Keleseth, this minion will surely find its home in Zoo or aggressive lists that will highly benefit of its proactive effects.

An elekk never forgets, and it never forgives.

Quote From ShadowsOfSense

I love the reference this card makes to the previous Augmented Elekk. They work together quite nicely and I think that's cute.

The variance on this card is a little high, because it can grab your opponent's spells too. In that sense, this is more of a general value generator than something to use to grab specific cards, though you can certainly stack the deck in your favour (if you'll pardon the pun). Casting a board wipe that takes out your own Elekk, for example, will shuffle that board wipe back into your deck for later use. You could similarly kill your own Elekk to get a specific set of cards back into your deck, including the card used to kill the Elekk; perhaps there's a combo there using Embalming Ritual, though I'm not smart enough to piece it together.

Even if you aren't controlling it, the fact that it will make your opponent more hesitant to use good spells is very fun. It's like a Lorewalker Cho that's tipped in your favour.

Nobody tell him he didn't get all his shampoo out.

Quote From Noxious

It's been a long time since we've seen our last cauldron in Witchwood, ol' Witch's Cauldron. The Enchanted Cauldron continues the mini-flavor of always having a spell-themed effect, however I'm not sure just how good this card will be. The stats are best described as "tough but offensively insignificant", and past the Spellburst effect, it's just a weak, bland minion. Make no mistake, this card is oftentimes going to offer little, but it does have some potential in Standard. Look at Shaman, for example. If we were to play Enchanted Cauldron at 10 mana, we could play Runic Carvings, the only 6-cost spell available to Shamans in Standard, and would receive another one. Targeting the spell you want to get by simply knowing the available pool of spells is the best way to use this card.

Assuming casting spells past 7 mana might be too risky, as the Cauldron would probably be destroyed before next turn when enough Mana is made available, let's take a quick look at what other spells can be targeted with a 100% chance of being replicated in Standard:

Warrior: Commencement, Inner Rage
Warlock: Bane of Doom
Shaman: Earthquake, Runic Carvings
Rogue: Sprint
Priest: Soul Mirror
Paladin: Commencement, First Day of School
Mage: Blizzard
Hunter: Guardian Animals
Druid: None
Demon Hunter: Skull of Gul'dan, Soul Split, Blur

This list of all 0-7 mana cost spells in Standard, which can be reliably copied by Enchanted Cauldron, is only going to be relevant until the next expansion comes out, at which point there will definitely be a few cards removed from it, and perhaps even fewer added. The next "buff" to Enchanted Cauldron's pool of easily replicated spells is scheduled for Spring 2021, New Hearthstone Year.

If you find yourself needed more copies of one of the above spells, then it might be worth running an Enchanted Cauldron in your deck, otherwise you should probably just look for a spell through a Discover effect.

It's so beautiful, I think I might scry.

Quote From ShadowsOfSense

SCRY MORE! It's exciting to see an effect like this finally making its way into Hearthstone, and I love that it came on the first ever Neutral weapon (collectible one, anyway).

I know how strong Scry is from playing plenty of Magic, but I'm constantly flip-flopping on how I see this card. I start from a position of thinking it's stupid good, knowing how few cards there are in a Hearthstone deck and how great it is to manipulate your draw; then I remember that all the weapon classes probably don't run this, and that leaves far fewer places for it to shine; then I swing back around when I question how the effect even works - do you lose Durability at every look, or just if you shift the card down? - which makes a huge difference.

Then I get unreasonably angry about the fact that the card doesn't even mention the deck at all, making it one of the weirdest wordings of all time, even if it's mostly easy enough to parse.

And this is all without thinking about Twig of the World Tree, where people are wavering between 'busted interaction' and 'complete non-issue'. This card is… insane. Whether it ends up good or bad, I love that we finally have a marker for this effect in Hearthstone; that we'll finally know how to balance a card with this idea in mind.

If you're ever looking for information, Polkelt will be able to sort you out in no time.

Quote From Avalon

I hate this card, it made me eat a shoe.

Quote From ShadowsOfSense

No but seriously, this card is super interesting! There's great potential for combo plays with Holy Wrath, and in general being able to guarantee powerful lategame cards as your topdecks is an awesome idea to help close out the game.

Just remember to be careful not to play anything that will then reorder your deck - and hope your opponent doesn't mess with it either.

"What do you mean they died? See, they're right over here!"

Quote From linkblade91

If only my custom Lich class was real, Headmaster Kel'Thuzad could have easily had found a home in it. Resurrection effects are almost always really good, and this one is no different. Combined with an appropriate clearing spell, you can hope to gain at least one big body via Shadow Word: Death or what-have-you. The main problem is that you cannot kill Kel'Thuzad at the same time, or the Spellburst will be lost. This keeps you from abusing the effect with full clears like Hagatha's Scheme or Brawl…unless you got really lucky and KT survived the spell. For damage-related clearing, you could rely on Guardian Augmerchant to first give KT Divine Shield, ensuring he would then survive the clear, but that's a lot going on in a single turn. And it will have to be in a single turn, because KT definitely has a "kill me NOW or regret it" aura on him.

…I wonder how many people will waste the Spellburst trying to Coin out a board clear lel.

I guess this is the level my jokes have sunk to now. Oh whelp.

Quote From Noxious

Well, well, well! I thought Teron Gorefiend was about as crazy as Deathrattles would get this Standard Year, but Vectus is here to prove me wrong. Both cards will, of course, work extremely well with one another, but in this review I'd like to highlight just how good this card can be, since, you know, it's just pure value. I will highlight a few good combinations for each class in Standard, as well as dip into Wild where there is something cool to highlight.

Class Breakdown

Warrior: Not much of note in Standard, aside from getting another Kargath Prime. In Wild however, there are a couple more decent options to gain a decent amount of value from Vectus in the form of Direhorn Hatchling and Mountainfire Armor. Overall, however, Warrior has never really been a Deathrattle-oriented class, and there is no surprise here that its options are limited. It might, however, be of some worth to play after enough Boom Bots have been summoned through Blastmaster Boom, triggering a second wave of unreliable explosions!

Warlock: Warlocks have it slightly better than Warriors. As with Warriors, Vectus can net Warlocks another Kanrethad Prime, but there's handful of other cards which might be useful. [Hearthstone Card (Bonewebb Egg) Not Found] is a good way to make sure something stays on the board after your opponent inevitably deals 1 AOE damage and destroys all of Vectus' whelps. Enhanced Dreadlord is another highlight for Standard Warlocks, essentially offering up a free Lifesteal minion. There are a few other Deathrattle cards to make use of in Standard, but their effect is tough to pull off without any previous setup, as with Eager Underling. In Wild, Warlocks can further benefit from Vectus in the form of Voidlord, Cruel Dinomancer, Dr. Morrigan, Void Analyst and even the ol' Dreadsteed! Overall, Warlocks have more options than Warriors, but the most effective of those are relegated to Wild.

Shaman: Somehow worse off than Warriors. Its only options in Standard are Totem Goliath and shuffling in another Vashj Prime, while Wild brings only Aya Blackpaw and White Eyes to the table. There is, however, something to take into account. Shamans have a few spells that slap Deathrattles on minions, and from closely reading Vectus' card text, there is no indication that Deathrattles applied from spells wouldn't work. If they do work, then Vectus could prove slightly useful in a limited amount of deck types. Murloc Shamans in Standard could generate more Murlocs from having applied Soul of the Murloc to at least one minion prior to playing Vectus, while Wild Shamans playing with Totems can use Vectus in combination with Primal Talismans or with a saddening Big Bad Voodoo. In the end, however, Vectus is unlikely to have much work to do with Shamans for the foreseeable future.

Rogue: Rogues have it good. As one of the primary classes who are bestowed Deathrattle minions, the pool is large and varied. There is, of course, shuffling another Akama Prime or Waxadred, both dangerous minions, but the more subtle choice would be a Sahket Sapper synergy. Dropping Vectus on the board at the right time, with two Saps (sort of) could turn out to be a great defensive move, especially if huge, scary minions are returned to hand. A quick Shiv can expedite the process of removal. Wild Rogues also have their fair share of juicy combinations. Even an Anub'arak effect copy will yield a decently valuable Nerubian, as well as allowing you to play the 1/1 Whelp again! (without the Deathrattle, I assume) Blightnozzle Crawler is has a top-tier Deathrattle, as well as Kobold Illusionist and Xaril, Poisoned Mind. You… might want to steer away from Sherazin, Corpse Flower lest you want to see your board filled with dormant 1/1 Whelps.

Priest: As if Priest needed any more help with summoning annoying Deathrattle minions, Behold Vectus, Bringer of Even More Convincing Infiltrators and Obsidian Statues. Aside from those two terribly good cards, shuffling another Reliquary Prime can be devastating, and Dragon Priests will surely be happy to be handed a little more Chronobreaker. There are also a few solid low-cost minions for Priest to utilize in Standard such as [Hearthstone Card (EVIL Conscriptor) Not Found], if playing with Lackeys. Avoid Hench-Clan Shadequill, as Priest is missing some key healing-to-damage conversion spells in Standard, but - by all means - go for it in Wild. Priest fares better with Vectus in Standard over Warlocks and Warriors, and does look to be slightly better in Wild, but a good portion of its Deathrattles are maybe a bit weak on their own or require some kind of condition to be of any use (looking at you, Zerek, Master Cloner).

Paladin: Standard Paladins will struggle to find much use for Vectus aside from obvious choices such as Tirion Fordring or Salhet's Pride (if running Aggro). Dragon Paladins do have a bit of an edge over other archetypes, with Dragonrider Talritha providing an excellent Deathrattle, as well as Bronze Herald, to a lesser extent. Murloc Paladins probably won't see much Vectus play, as only 5 Murlocs in the entire game have Deathrattles, of which only three are in Standard, Murgur Murgurgle being the standout. Wild Paladins do have a considerable amount of flexiblity by comparison, with the iconic Mechano-Egg being a perfect fit, and even long-forgotten Scarlet Purifier should Deathrattle be prominent enough to justify running it.

Mage: Mages have rarely dabbled in Deathrattle. Astromancer Solarian is the standout card to copy in Standard, with the other two available (Starscryer and Violet Spellwing) being a bit too inconsequential later in the game to justify Vectus. Wild isn't faring much better, with only four Deathrattle cards extra than Standard. Rhonin is probably the most relevant of the bunch, as well as Pyros, though the two versions of its Deathrattle mean you can never be sure what you get, and more importantly, if it's what you want. If anyone actually plays Anomalus, congratulations, you can kill everything another two times. But with Mages' ever-expanding arsenal of creative and cost-efficient removals, is it worth it?

Hunter: Hunters have it good. Zixor, Apex Predator is an all-round great card, and multiple versions of its Prime counterpart would be extremely powerful. Teacher's Pet, the new dual-class card coming with Scholomance is a decent choice as well, offering even more value and powerful minion nesting. If anyone is still doing Mechs, Ursatron and Oblivitron could use a hand. Wild is where it's all at, though. Before we even get to minions, you can get a good Bomb Deathrattle from Bomb Toss. Since we're talking about Mechs, how about another Spider Bomb?  Hand buffs? [Hearthstone Card (Shaky Zipliner) Not Found]'s got you covered. Raptor Hatchling is always a valuable choice and Exploding Bloatbat will stop any Aggro deck dead in its tracks. If we're looking at higher-cost cards, Savannah Highmane is a classic, [Hearthstone Card (Abominable Snowman) Not Found] might actually work great, and Kathrena Winterwisp can end up recruiting an entire menagerie throughout the game. Vectus' viability for Hunters in Wild is on par with Priests and Rogues.

Druid: Druids don't got it going on in Standard with Deathrattles. [Hearthstone Card (Mssfi'hn Prime) Not Found] is alright to get twice, though its high mana cost is a bit of a turn-off. Teacher's Pet is still a decent choice, just like for Hunters. Avoid Lucentbark at all costs. Wild offers a couple more good cards, but it is lackluster as well. Hadronox is a great choice, enabling Vectus to drop another line of Taunt minions (how many turns can you opponent really go?), and a Fatespinner tuned to AOE damage could make quite a scene from beyond, with whichever unlucky Whelp gets its Deathrattle. Druid Deathrattles, are, however, a bit weaker than most, and some are downright terrible if Vectus' Whelps get a hold of them. Who wants 1/1 Whelps shuffled into their deck? You, if you run Vectus with Malorne or Astral Tiger. Sometimes, though, you've just had your fill of mana, so make sure to summon a copy of Darnassus Aspirant Deathrattle to even things out. Druids get no love from Vectus.

Demon Hunter: Demon Hunters have three Deathrattle minions. Ur'zul Horror: Yawn. Fel Summoner: Could work well if you can target a big bad Demon. [Hearthstone Card (Coilfang Warrior) Not Found]: Unimpressive. Demon Hunters aren't Wild-certified yet, so… hope you get some more Deathrattles, guys!

Neutral: There are so many Deathrattle cards in Standard, it would take more space than the surface of Azeroth to talk about each one. I will, however, note a few standouts: Standard - Anubisath Warbringer, Khartut Defender, Safeguard, Bad Luck Albatross, Kobold Sandtrooper. Wild - Deathwing, Dragonlord, Hakkar, the Soulflayer, Sneed's Old Shredder, Mechanical Whelp, Sylvanas Windrunner, Skelemancer. All solid cards to dupe.

Overall, each class has some manner of use for Vectus, but as they say: All classes are equal, but some classes are more equal than others. Demon Hunters get a pass, since they're not even old enough to drive, but Warriors, Warlocks, Druids, Mages and Shamans are simply not going to benefit from Vectus as much as Hunters, Priests and Rogues. Paladins might be able to strike up some small partnership with the Whelps. Time will tell.

The key to a good deck is taking your opponent's.

Quote From Noxious

This card might be able to 'revive' the concept of giving your opponent card draw. While this side of the game is mostly sterilized in Standard, the new Demon Hunter spell Glide would work very well, if one finds a way to discount either of these two cards.

One interesting combo would be to play Keymaster Alabaster and Mischief Maker on the same turn, effectively stealing a card from your opponent while still receiving a copy of yours, discounted, no less. This can also be achieved by priests with Mindrender Illucia, though I would wait until my hand was mostly empty before trading it with my opponent. Mischief Maker is just a bit easier to play.

Overall, I like that this card will always net you at least one card copy, bar when your opponent is all out of deck. Significant effort should be made to keep Alabaster on the board, whether that be dressing him in Robes of Protection or bringing him back from the dead over and over again or giving him twin brothers. I expect him to be as much of a threat as Chromaggus, barely surviving past a turn, but worth playing way more due to his mostly guaranteed effect. Knowing what lies in your opponent's hand will always be a great advantage, and it's these mind games-type cards that truly enrich the game's strategy, more than RNG or straight-forward effects.