Sorry about the delay on this one folks, I didn't have the time yesterday and we were already so swamped with news from the new patch. Speaking of which, I've been enjoying the new spells - they're very different, and I don't know how balanced they are, but it's a good mix-up for Battlegrounds I think. Sometimes you do need to push outside the normal just a bit.
Conversation will be a short one this time, but I anticipate some interesting ones soon!
Storming Ahead
As always, we must first congratulate the winner of the latest WCDC - Hordaki and their Storm Claws!
We look forward to their ideas for next week!
Thinking With Portals
The Fan Community Spotlight turned its eye towards a set from a previously featured creator, LutriSpellcaster. This "Portal to Méa" is actually the largest set we've covered in a FCS so far, with ten more cards than a normal Hearthstone expansion; of course it would happen at a time when we're about to have our first ever 170 card expansion whenever they get around to adding the mini-set.
I was delighted when I saw the expansion mechanic for this, not only because I adore Scry mechanics but because it actually mirrors something I was trying to do in a set mysel. Where I stumbled with finding inspiration for unique ways to use the mechanic, LutriSpellcaster has excelled; they've managed to choose an appropriately generic keyword for it as well, meaning that they can have a wide variety of flavour matches for the effects.
The trick with implementing a mechanic like this into Hearthstone that I failed at realising was that you still need to keep everything appropriately simple. The Scry mechanic from MtG - represented in Hearthstone via Sphere of Sapience - can be implemented on large swathes of cards because their larger deck sizes and more complex interactions mean that this simple mechanic is actually a really powerful tool, while not being oppressive.
In Hearthstone, a straight pick-up of Scry doesn't feel like the right fit. Yet looking at Foresee, the worry is that this is too much of a simplification. That's why you expand on it; Foresee is merely the tool with which you implement your more interesting card designs, which LutriSpellcaster has done a great job at.
Click the link above to see the full interview, and for a link to the full set.
Time To Shine
And of course, we end with our link to the new WCDC! It's time for some Hearthstone characters to get another turn in the spotlight, I think!
Comments
Just want to point out that the wild west set that was featured before also seems to have 145 cards.
I'm not counting that many. I count 139.
I just clicked the link to hearthcards, and the dropdown had 10 for each class plus 45 neutrals. I just assumed the numbers were accurate.
I think I know what happened.
When you said "wild west set before", I thought you meant the first one I did and not the second one (which is the most recent one and the one you're talking about).
Yeah, the fan created set right before "Portal to Méa" which happened to be wild west. (Windows makes it way too hard to put the accent mark with a US keyboard).
This is what I would have imagined for Enhancement Shaman support, much more interesting than Whack-a-mole.
Oh man those claws would make any Shaman player soooooo happy. I sincerely hope that any and all Blizzard R&D takes a hint on it.