Hearthstone 9: I dream and the forums tremble.

[Zevox]

Yeah, in constructed there's little reason to bother with that guy over the many good 4-drops. He might be a pain for a Freeze Mage or Miracle Rogue with a bad hand (no Fireball/Eviscerate, insufficient other answers), but that's about it.

In arena he'll be decent. 3/5 for 4 is never bad, and he has an upside that could come into play circumstantially.

[Gandariel]

It's. ..Decent I guess.

On par with the likes of Shieldmasta or violet teacher.
nah, I actually still prefer Tasdingo
never ever used in Constructed, ok in arena i'd say.

[Tectonic Robot]

You guys are discounting the tournament meta. Or playing against your friends meta. He's a tech card against spell heavy decks. You put him in if you expect to play against those decks.

[The_Jackal]

You guys are discounting the tournament meta. Or playing against your friends meta. He's a tech card against spell heavy decks. You put him in if you expect to play against those decks.

In a really inept fashion, I guess. Gaining 1/1 for every spell cast might serve that purpose better, because he doesn't actually RESIST spells at all, he only gets mad when you throw them. Faerie Dragon and Spectral Knight are tech cards vs. Spells. So is counterspell. This just has an enrage effect with an even rarer triggering condition. Which puts it, in terms of usefulness, somewhere in the region of Gurubashi, albeit slightly better, given the less skewed stat line and lower cost.

[Tectonic Robot]

In a really inept fashion, I guess. Gaining 1/1 for every spell cast might serve that purpose better, because he doesn't actually RESIST spells at all, he only gets mad when you throw them. Faerie Dragon and Spectral Knight are tech cards vs. Spells. So is counterspell. This just has an enrage effect with an even rarer triggering condition. Which puts it, in terms of usefulness, somewhere in the region of Gurubashi, albeit slightly better, given the less skewed stat line and lower cost.

How is it... inept?

[ex cathedra]

How is it... inept?

many of the spells that trigger it are already answers for it

[ShinyRocks]

many of the spells that trigger it are already answers for it

P1: Trogg
P2: Earth Shock

Trogg: 'A spell!? Oh, that's it! I am SO mad right now... Never mind, ignore me, carry on'.

[Anxe]

It forces that trade for spell heavy decks though, allowing you to play bigger stuff later on. Like how I try to bait out Shadow Word Deaths before I play my Rag.

I wonder how it works with Shadow Madness. Do you steal it and get a 5/5 or is it still a 3/5 when it comes over?

[The_Jackal]

It forces that trade for spell heavy decks though, allowing you to play bigger stuff later on. Like how I try to bait out Shadow Word Deaths before I play my Rag.

I wonder how it works with Shadow Madness. Do you steal it and get a 5/5 or is it still a 3/5 when it comes over?

There are very few spell-heavy decks that don't have 'remove your minions' as part of their game plan, and yes, if left unattended, it's going to get big. That's why I valuate it around Gurubashi: Potentially terrifying, and somewhat sturdy, but not innately scary, and not that hard to dispatch for most decks. Better stats for cost, but less common trigger condition.

[Weimann]

The card text is pretty crap since the only way to protect against the spells triggering it actually also being used to destroy or otherwise control it is in a Mage deck with Counterspell or Spellbender. Getting off that combo can be pretty nice, but it's probably too situational to be worth not picking a better 4-drop, of which there are plenty.

[Tectonic Robot]

Note: Both cards have a chance to attack past taunt and into stealthed enemies.

These cards look like a lot of fun.

Edit: Some people on Hearthpwn seem to think that random elements = a bad card. Ragnoros does random stuff, and it ain't bad.

[Gandariel]

uhmm... xD


Anyways, new cards:
WTF?!?!??

The Rogue one feels... horrible. don't like the fluff of it, doesn't feel rogue, makes no sense as a card, is too slow and not really strong enough. (remember, you may spend 5 mana, cast it, then attack and hit yourself. So your turn 5 is lost, AND you took 6 to the face.)

Shaman one.. definitely pretty strong. Not sure how i feel about the coin flip miss thing, but as a first feel i don't like it. Still, the idea of a 5/4 windfury for 4 is scary.
I have no idea of how good this actually is, but it's definitely WAY too random. It's not that random = bad. Most random cards can be "nudged" towards one way or the other. This card would mean that in EVERY game potentially gamechanging coinflips are tossed. and i don't like this.

[Tectonic Robot]

uhmm... xD


Anyways, new cards:
WTF?!?!??

The Rogue one feels... horrible. don't like the fluff of it, doesn't feel rogue, makes no sense as a card, is too slow and not really strong enough.

Shaman one.. definitely pretty strong. Not sure how i feel about the coin flip miss thing, but as a first feel i don't like it. Still, the idea of a 5/4 windfury for 4 is scary

...A five mana stealthed 6/6 is not strong? Its slow? Its like a tiny Ragnaros that hurts itself when it attacks! Granted, that's not optimal, but it gets a sizable cost discount for its downside, which is still somewhat controllable. I think the Ogre Ninja is pretty darn good--it doesn't fit into any Rogue decks right now, but who knows what the GvG meta is going to be like. It feels roguey enough for me. And its hilarious.

[Ionbound]

Also, Gandariel, it says wrong enemy. You have no chance of it not attacking someone on the enemy side of the board.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

So much for hiding your Gadgetzans behind Conceal.

[Gandariel]

oooooh, it only attacks enemies? i somehow thought wrong target.

In this case, obviously, my opinion changes considerably for both of them. Especially the Windfury guy, which becomes crazy. Shaman quality removal, 10 damage to face.

Holy cow, i already see shaman decks running these windfury dudes, and all the removal they can access

[Tectonic Robot]

I'm sorry for getting so rude up in your grill, Galandariel. I must've misread your post and not realized you misread the card.

[Infernally Clay]

Ogre Ninja is a terrible card but I still love it. It's an ogre the size of a tree whose two heads can't agree with each other and you still don't see them coming until it's too late. Being a 6/6 for five mana is great but, with half a chance of it hitting something else, it could blow its "cover" and get Fireball'd. Besides that it won't be used in Miracle or Spellpower Rogue and there is no Rogue deck yet that such a card would fit in. It's just counter to the standard strategy of a Rogue deck to drop big minions that lack a passive effect which combos with the cards in their hands.

The other card, the Dunemaul Shaman, is quite a bit better. I like that Shaman as a class is getting more Windfury cards and a 5-damage Windfury minion is pretty awesome. I would've preferred a 4/5, perhaps, but the game would be no fun if every minion had more health than attack. I can see this one getting actual use, especially with Bloodlust decks and the prevalence of Rockbiter Weapon and Flame Totem.

[Anxe]

I just faced off against a warloxk bot! Didn't know that was a thing. I figured it would be too stupid to know when to use Life Tap. Guess not. It was just a standard Deathrattle zoo with a Ragnaros thrown in for good measure. I woulda beat the nasty bot too, cept Rag hit me in the face instead of my two minions that were poised to kill the botlock.

Anyways, now that its a thing we might wanna start reporting it.

[Tectonic Robot]

Ogre Ninja is a terrible card but I still love it. It's an ogre the size of a tree whose two heads can't agree with each other and you still don't see them coming until it's too late. Being a 6/6 for five mana is great but, with half a chance of it hitting something else, it could blow its "cover" and get Fireball'd. Besides that it won't be used in Miracle or Spellpower Rogue and there is no Rogue deck yet that such a card would fit in. It's just counter to the standard strategy of a Rogue deck to drop big minions that lack a passive effect which combos with the cards in their hands.

The other card, the Dunemaul Shaman, is quite a bit better. I like that Shaman as a class is getting more Windfury cards and a 5-damage Windfury minion is pretty awesome. I would've preferred a 4/5, perhaps, but the game would be no fun if every minion had more health than attack. I can see this one getting actual use, especially with Bloodlust decks and the prevalence of Rockbiter Weapon and Flame Totem.

The Ogre Ninja has fantastic flavor, yeah. Although it doesn't fit in any current deck, it might make it into a new Rogue archtype. If it does blow its cover and attack the wrong target and gets fireballed, though, it will probably have at least 2 for 1'd...

[Zevox]

[new cards]

Blech, more RNG nonsense, just what we needed .

Tough to say whether we'll see either actually get used, given the "has a chance to attack the wrong target" mechanic is new and untested, but I definitely hope not.

[Infernally Clay]

The Ogre Ninja has fantastic flavor, yeah. Although it doesn't fit in any current deck, it might make it into a new Rogue archtype. If it does blow its cover and attack the wrong target and gets fireballed, though, it will probably have at least 2 for 1'd...

The biggest problem I see is the prevalence of Deathrattle minions. The last thing you want is to try to hit a valuable target, only for the card's effect to trigger and make you hit something that provides your opponent with some benefit you really didn't want them to have.

Although this does remind me... Wasn't there a card that also damages minions next to the one it is targeting? I remember posting a similar card during one of those make-a-card competitions months ago, so I kinda want to compare the two.

[Fleeing Coward]

Personally, I'm loving the spoiled cards of the new set.
They've tossed in just enough decent cards to shift the metagame without turning it on the head for serious constructed while the RNG isn't as bad as it seems.
If you look at it closely, most of the randomness will be "beneficial" randomness in that they always target the enemy with damage or your minions with buffs. This lets better players craft situations where they will get the most about of those benefits while still allowing more casual players to have fun with those cards without punishing them directly.

[Gandariel]

I'm sorry for getting so rude up in your grill, Galandariel. I must've misread your post and not realized you misread the card.

No rudeness, and definitely no offense taken. Actually, thank you for making me re-read the stuff and realize i got it wrong :D

EDIT: WELP,
decided to play again after about a month. Played a mediocre paladin arena, ended up 3-3.
Fun fact, i won two of the games thanks to a single copy of Get Down! saving me from a Cold Blooded 7/1 and a Rockbiter'd, Windfury'd Earth Elemental (i was at 18 or so hp, he even emoted Well played before doing his combo. i killed him next turn)
Anyways, i was kinda bummed. 3 is definitely under my average.
Still had a mage quest to do, so i said eh, i'll do another arena.
bam! 12-0 :D
3 frostbolts, 1 fireball, 2 poly, 2 flamestrikes, no water ele, random "solid" minions. No epics or legends.
I had a Ravenhodt to use as a pseudo Pyroblast, got great mileage out of a Cult Master, and managed to end quite a few games by holding on to my burn spells and shooting them to face.
Rewards were 400 or so gold, thrash pack.

[r2d2go]

Blech, more RNG nonsense, just what we needed .

Tough to say whether we'll see either actually get used, given the "has a chance to attack the wrong target" mechanic is new and untested, but I definitely hope not.

Given that a main theme of the set is RNG, I think you're setting yourself up for some more disappointment

Anyway... I think "chance to attack the wrong target" cards are a bit underrated. Compare them to Ragnaros, except that they take damage when hitting a minion, and it happens at any time during the turn. In fact, you could call Ragnaros an 8/8 with charge, always attacks a random enemy, and is immune while attacking. This is similar, especially since Stealth is a bit like charge in that it almost guarantees you get an attack off with it.

Dunemaul seems good as well - if you keep your opponent's board clear in rush-shaman, you'll be swinging for 10 with a 4 drop. And if not, you've got a good chance of clearing the board for your other cards.

Also note that both could be used as a sort of taunt/stealth bypass, killing stealthed-Auctioneers and passing taunted giants.

[Destro_Yersul]

Dunemaul Shaman seems fun, and likely to enable high-aggression shaman decks alongside the whirling zap-o-matic. Point in its favour is that it's a reasonable counter to Sludge Belcher, which it trades favourably against and sometimes gets to bypass.

[Zevox]

Given that a main theme of the set is RNG, I think you're setting yourself up for some more disappointment

Maybe, but my opinion of cards that involve RNG isn't going to change just because it's a theme here.

Dunemaul seems good as well - if you keep your opponent's board clear in rush-shaman,

Yeah, that's exactly I don't like about it. I really don't want to see rush-Shaman be a thing. We've already got Hunter and Zoo, that's enough aggression in the meta for me, thanks. Plus I really do want to see new Shaman cards that are more oriented towards a control style, since it's one of my preferred classes and that's my play style, and obviously we haven't so far.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Although this does remind me... Wasn't there a card that also damages minions next to the one it is targeting? I remember posting a similar card during one of those make-a-card competitions months ago, so I kinda want to compare the two.

Foe Reaper 4000

[Gandariel]

Oh, since everyone seems to be talking about it. A hyper aggression Shaman with a 4-drop that does 10 damage a turn will nothave to concern itself with a stealthed Auctioneer.

I've seen Rogues play auctioneer and NOT stealth it on purpose, just in the off chance it will prevent them 4 damage.

Anyways i re-checked the screenshot i made and i actually got 490 gold there! Whee!

[Infernally Clay]

Foe Reaper 4000

Now that's a card I need to get my hands on. I think a Paladin Mech deck with that and Sneeder in it could be really fun, even if ineffective.