Summary: Hello! Scott is on the show this week Topic: League of Explorers Review! Reasons to be happy this week News: Happy Winter Veil The Review Scale What we’re reviewing: Arena Score = The value of this card while drafting in Arena. Constructed = The value of this card when crafting the type of constructed deck that most wants this card. How the score works: 0 = Awful, unplayable (Example: Sacrificial Pact, Poison Seeds) 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Example: Naturalize, Divine Spirit, Corruption) 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Example: Crazed Alchemist, Emperor Cobra) 3 = Solid value (Example: Chillwind Yeti) 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Example: Animal Companion, Knife Juggler) 5 = So good you always have to play it (Example: Dr. Boom) Druid Cards Raven Idol Josh says: Love the flexibility here. Should always be happy to draw this card. Scott says: Sort of like Tracking, but (true to Druid form) with an added layer of choice. Especially strong in Arena where deck synergy and card quality are much lower. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 3 Mounted Raptor Josh says: I’m not really sold on this yet. The very best case, you’re paying 1 mana to summon a random 1-cost minion. But even then you’re pairing that cost with playing a regular bloodfen raptor. Underwhelming compared to the likes of Knife Juggler. Scott says: It’s a beast, which is nice. It’s like a beast version of Harvest Golem, just slightly less predictable. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Jungle Moonkin Josh says: Weird card that excels in super-specific situations. I just don’t see a ton of opportunity to get consistent value in it. Scott says: Another beast! Though I’m not sure how many Beast Druids care about spellpower, and I’m not sure how many people who care about spellpower want their opponents to have it. Works especially well with Swipe. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Hunter Cards Explorer’s Hat Scott says: I’m not sure if I should, but I really like this card. It’s a mana sink for sure, with more mana wasted the more you cast it. Yet I only cast it when I had mana to spare, or when it would make a difference. 2 mana is often well worth letting a minion survive a trade, or buffing a taunted minion. I view this like a reusable hero power baked into a card. Also can combo well with Lock ‘N Load, especially if you can cast multiple times in one turn. Josh says: Pure fun. I’ve had it get out of control with some copying effects, but doesn’t seem strong enough to really define a deck type. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Dart Trap Scott says: Would be good in a Hunter deck if you can reliably hit face, but a Paladin or Shaman hero power would always have at least a 50% chance to hit a weenie. Generally not worth it. Josh says: Yeah, super hard sell for a one-time effect that could do nothing more than ping a token. Would love to see a similar (weaker effect) on a minion, though. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 1 Desert Camel Scott says: Not bad. Fine stats, and a good target for a Houndmaster. Not all opponents have 1-cost minions, and you’ll get to control what you draw. Timber Wolf or Webspinner are your two most obvious targets for now, though Injured Kvaldir(!), Leper Gnome, or Worgen Infiltrator are decent choices too. In arena, you’ll have to make sure you have at least a couple 1-cost minions in your deck. Josh says: Yeah, some fun opportunities for shenanigans. This can give a ton of value on board presence with the right 1-drops in your deck. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Mage Cards Forgotten Torch Josh says: Feels great in freeze and spell-damage decks. Great surprise plays if your opponent forgets about it and is only counting your Fireballs. Scott says: In exchange for paying for an overpriced spell up front, you get a underpriced spell later on. Maybe. Good in a deck that wants lots of spells and direct damage, and that expects a longer game. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 4 Animated Armor Josh says: I see a 4 cost 4/4 with taunt. That’s not awful, but pretty unimpressive compared to a 5-cost Sludge Belcher. If this came on a class that had cheap weapons, I’d love it. Mage has a very hard time getting value out of it the turn it’s played, so I’m less interested. Scott says: Seems to go well in a Freeze Mage deck, as it’s another way to mitigate damage. This guy will almost always be a lightning rod as soon as he appears. Can be especially good against Hunters if you can keep the board clear, as it halves their hero ability. In practice, I don’t expect him to prevent much damage, but will often disrupt your opponent’s plans. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 2 Ethereal Conjurer Josh says: At face value, I’m super wary of this card. Expensive, trades with a 2-cost minion and no guarantee on spell quality. But mage has a lot of great spells, and a freeze deck loves when things trade with their minions. So I could see it working okay there. Scott says: You’re paying a 1-mana premium (plus some badly-balanced stats) for an above-average mage spell, which seems like a good deal. And if you’re able to keep the board tidy, he might even get a chance to punch face once or twice, turning that stat balance to your advantage. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 3 Paladin Cards Sacred Trial Scott says: Kills Dr. Boom (if they had at least one other minion on the board.) Not sure it’ll be worth it in most situations, but Secrets Paladin will probably want it. Josh says: I would NEVER have guessed that it kills Dr. Boom in that situation. That seems like a bug. I don’t see anything else redeeming here. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 1 Keeper of Uldaman Scott says: A neat spell that can be used on either player’s minions to good effect. Luckily it’s in Paladin where you can always give +2/+2 to a recruit, which is a great deal. The versatility of bringing down a big baddie is just a bonus. Gets better later in the game, so never keep it on a mulligan. A true MVP, and likely the best card in the set for raw value and versatility. Josh says: Scott said it all. Great value, great versatility. This is a staple in midrange paladin. Arena Score: 5 Constructed Score: 5 Anyfin Can Happen Scott says: What is this i don’t even. No. Unless…. No. Josh says: Blizzard trolling murloc players, just like they troll the rest of the playerbase. Arena Score: 0 Constructed Score: 3 Priest Cards Museum Curator Josh says: Love this card, and it doesn’t need to be in a Deathrattle deck for the card you draw to be worth it. Cheap play with high impact battlecry is begging for a Brann Bronzebeard combo. Scott says: If you play this guy, I hope you like Dark Cultist, because it’s the only Priest card with Deathrattle. (Class cards have a 4x probability of being chosen.) The good news is that there are lots of good Legendary choices: Cairne Bloodhoof, Sylvanas, Sludge Belcher, and all 3 shredder types. Overall card quality for this Discover type is high. Unfortunately the card itself is low-impact, and in Constructed why would you put a sub-par card in your deck that will still probably give you an inferior card to what you could have just put in your deck in the first place? Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 3 Excavated Evil Josh says: Yes, there are combos that can get big value out of this. But even I’m not a big enough sucker to fall for them. You need a hyper late-game heal priest deck (equivalent of freeze mage style) to make this work, and Priest just can’t support that right now. Scott says: Not sure why I’d want this. Maybe follow this up with Circle of Healing or Holy Nova for tons of healing triggers? I’ll file this with Hellfire in my “unused” folder. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 1 Entomb Josh says: Awesome anti-deathrattle card, but Silence can remove those too, so you’re paying for the premium of combining it with a kill effect. I don’t put any value into the draw, and priest already has a lot of great removal tools. Scott says: It’s a more expensive Assassinate that prevents a deathrattle trigger. Having a chance to draw the card yourself later is novel, but it shouldn’t really be better than anything already in your own deck, so will it help or hurt that draw? Most useful in a slow control deck where you’re holding it to target their biggest minion. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Rogue Cards Pit Snake Scott says: Not bad, except for its weakness against Druids, Mages, Rogues, and even Paladins. And small minions. And AoE. Hmm, I guess it is bad. Josh says: Yeah, hero powers make all 1-health minions a huge liability. It’ll force them to hero power, but that’s not a big enough advantage to warrant throwing away a card. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 1 Unearthed Raptor Scott says: Lots of fun targets for this guy. Nerubian Egg, Shredders, Anubisath Sentinels, and Sylvanas make especially good targets. Keep in mind the ability is basically free and tacked on a Spider Tank, so there’s not really any downside. Josh says: Yeah, the normal mana cost on this guy is what really sold me. The floor is high and the ceiling in best-case scenarios (3 mana for 7/8 stats!) is outrageous. There are so many good cards that you want to run anyways that happen to have deathrattle effects worth stealing. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 5 Tomb Pillager Scott says: Slightly sub-optimal stat balance, but a decent deathrattle ability. Coins are worth more than half of a Innervate when you factor in their combo-triggering ability. Josh says: Yeah, fits in really well with control rogues, where weapons + poison give you easy answers for things like Piloted Shredders that might show up to trade with it. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 4 Shaman Cards Tunnel Trogg Josh says: This looks like the card Overload decks needed to stabilize and see some real play. You have to play this early, but when you do, it’s a big threat looming over your opponent that’ll make them scramble. Scott says: Shaman’s version of Mana Wyrm, and even better in the right deck. It can grow multiple times from a single card, and can trigger from many minions as well as spells. Won’t be as good in Arena where you can’t control your draws. Live the Neptulon dream! Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Rumbling Elemental Josh says: This dude loves the number 2! Interesting building block for a battlecry deck, but I think it’s probably best in a control deck that already has lots of battlecry effects. I wouldn’t add new cards to try to combo it. Scott says: Stats are balanced for survivability, which will help it fire more often. Will be especially good with Brann Bronzebeard. Some of Shaman’s best units have Battlecry. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Everyfin is Awesome Josh says: Cool finisher for a shaman swarm deck. It’s important to note that the effect is permanent and hits all minions, so you can play it murloc-less if you’re desperate. Scott says: Like Bloodlust, but more expensive and adds toughness. Gets good with murlocs, but who plays murlocs? Might be worth playing with a Neptulon. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Warlock Cards Reliquary Seeker Scott says: It’s a huge payoff if you can swing it, but 6 other minions is a tall order. Implosion will certainly help, as will cards like Wobbling Runts. Not likely to ever fire in Arena. Josh says: If Master of Ceremonies couldn’t get traction with this sort of effect last set, there’s no way this works. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 3 Dark Peddler Scott says: A card built for Floodlock decks, and does help out Reliquary Seeker a little. Discovering the 1-cost card is nice, as there are a few with good Battlecry effects you don’t want to miss out on. Josh says: Consistent 2-drops have been hard to find for Warlocks. I love this card, and there are enough great 1-drop cards that you should almost always get something you’re happy with. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Curse of Rafaam Scott says: This one’s hard to evaluate. You spend 2 mana and a card to make them take 2 damage and need to spend 2 mana. It’s possible to get more damage over time, but usually they will just cast it next turn. Either way — the opponent will make the choice that’s best for them. Since you equal out on mana, it doesn’t seem worth a card to do 2 damage. Josh says: The key, like you’ve said before, is that your opponent gets to make the choice of whether to cast or keep it. It could be an interesting stall tactic when you already have board control, but that’s tough to rely on. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 1 Warrior Cards Cursed Blade Josh says: 2 is just such a bad damage number on a weapon. I would always prefer to play my 3/2 for 2 weapon, and Warrior already has enough weapons in the deck. Scott says: If for some reason you want to die quickly, this is the card for you! Might be worth casting if you just brought out a minion you really want to keep, as your opponent has to choose one or the other. Also seems better if you’re investing heavily in Taunt while expecting to punch face with your weapon. Arena Score: 0 Constructed Score: 0 Fierce Monkey Josh says: Another not-so-subtle hint about a deck type that Blizzard really wants you to be playing. Great card with great art. Scott says: It’s a beast, but that doesn’t really matter here. Mainly, it’s just a spider tank with free Taunt. Clearly a boon for Taunt Warrior. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 4 Obsidian Destroyer Josh says: Absolutely brutal in Arena where removal is scarce and the tiny taunt will keep this thing alive forever. Some potential in constructed as well, and at the very least it’s an annoyance thanks to its free auto-defense. Scott says: Like Hogger, but generally better. For 1 more mana, you get +3/+3 more on the main body. The downside is that you get smaller Taunt minions, but they’re still bodies with taunt. It’ll take 3 turns to break even with total body size with Hogger, but let’s be honest — Hogger never lasted that long. A very solid addition to the Warrior lineup. Almost as good as Dr. Boom. Arena Score: 5 Constructed Score: 4 Community Question: None this week! iTunes Reviews Donations None Card of the Week Farewell Contact Scott Lantz on Twitter What you want to see in future episodes What hosts you want to visit the show
