Benchmark Spell Effects

So I’ve been working on a custom class and while I’ve been doing ok measuring my minions against the established vanilla baselines I realized that there doesn’t seem to be a similar primer/guide for spells. Or at least, the one linked in the Primer post now goes to a deleted reddit discussion (womp womp).

Then I realized that there are a lot of spell effects that recur or get tweaked throughout Hearthstone. For me personally, while I can conceptualize bigger or more esoteric custom effects, I sometimes find myself struggling to pad out the rest of my set skeletons since I have a natural inclination towards making everything unique or interesting. However, its perfectly fine to look at effects that have been done in the past and then tweak them to fit within my class’s identity. You just need to know what benchmark you’re actually tweaking, lest you end up reinventing the wheel.

So, I compiled a rough guide to those benchmarks. I’m not maths literate enough to create point values for these, so this is a more holistic guide. I’ve tried to find the ‘benchmark’/default spell showcasing the effect, and then tweaks to those benchmarks that exist throughout the game as it stands.

If you have a handier spell creation guide I’d be glad to get a link, and if you have ideas for benchmarks I’ve missed shout them out!

(0) Cost Spells

-Conditionally Deal 2 damage to a minion. Examples: Backstab, Zap!

-The next [X] you play Costs (2) less. Examples: Preparation, Elemental Evocation, Lightning Bloom.

--Note: Innervate getting nerfed shows that (2) unrestricted mana is too powerful. I think this is fertile ground for custom classes that have specific tribe/card type associations.

(1) Cost Spells

-Deal 2 damage. Example: Arcane Shot. Tweaks: Holy Smite (new), Arcane Missiles, Arcane Blast, Sword and Board, Totemic Smash, Claw, Twin Slice, On the Hunt, Voltaic Burst

-Note: Unrestricted “Deal 2 damage” is the benchmark, but the most common tweak is “Deal 2 damage to a minion” with added effects. Claw and Twin Slice show hero attack alternatives, On the Hunt and Voltaic Burst show how you can spread the damage among minions.

-Discover a [X] card. Example: Blazing Invocation, Boom Squad, Cloning Device, Hallucination, Magic Trick, Worthy Expedition, Secret Plan, Sinister Deal

--Note: This might be a benchmark that every custom class should have an example of. If you’ve got an empty slot, think of a keyword or card category your class is identified with and Discover it!

(2) Cost Spells

-Deal 3 Damage. Example: Darkbomb. Tweaks: Unstable Felbolt, Frostbolt, Penance, Eviscerate, Lightning Bolt, Wrath, Eye Beam, Quick Shot, Heroic Strike, Blessing of Might

-Note: If you’re making a class that deals damage with spells, you’re going to want to make your own “Deal 3 damage for (2)” spell at some point. While Darkbomb is the most vanilla version, the natural power level is probably “Deal 3 damage plus an effect”. As can be seen in Heroic Strike and Blessing of Might, the damage can also be achieved by increasing your hero or minion’s attack.

-Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions. Example: Arcane Explosion. Tweaks: Fan of Knives, Maelstrom Portal, Unleash the Hounds, Impferno

-Add 2 random [x] to your hand. Examples: Astral Rift, Dragon Roar, Clever Disguise, Thoughtsteal

-Note: Was originally going to classify these as tweaks of “Draw 2 cards” but four examples makes a trend. Also seems like an easy enough thing to modify for a custom class, if you can identify a specific card type that makes sense.

(2).5 Cost Effect

-Conditionally destroy a minion. Examples: Shadow Word: Death, Shadow Word: Pain, Execute, [Hearthstone Card (Hunters Mark) Not Found], Subdue, Pressure Plate, Shatter, Crushing Hand, Ambush, Sap, [Hearthstone Card (Envenom) Not Found], Deadly Shot, Vaporize, Bouncing Blade, Unwilling Sacrifice

-Note: Another spell effect that should probably be in all classes, so if you haven’t given some way to destroy a minion for 2 or 3 try to plug that hole (or make it part of your design philosophy that it is a weakness of your class). Crushing Hand is a bit of a cheat, but 8 damage is a good proxy for “kill most anything.” Sap is probably too cutesy to keep here, but I think it fits. [Hearthstone Card (Hunter’s Mark) Not Found] and Subdue show that ‘conditional’ can mean ‘needs follow up from a minion or weapon’.

(3) Cost Spells

-Draw 2 Cards. Example: Arcane Intellect. Tweaks: Research Project, Book of Specters, Fungal Fortunes, Forge of Souls, Ancestral Knowledge, Ice Fishing, Spectral Sight, [Hearthstone Card (Small Time Recruits) Not Found], Prismatic Lens, Sense Demons, Roll the Bones, Mimic Pod, Raiding Party

-Note: Another benchmark where your class should either have an example, or make it’s lack of example a deliberate choice. Most common tweaks to explore are drawing two specific things for (2), drawing three specific things for (3), or drawing two for (2) with a draw back.

-Deal 4 damage to a minion. Example: Shadow Bolt. Tweaks: Soulfire, Spirit Bomb, Lightning Breath, Stormcrack, [Hearthstone Card (BEEEES!!!) Not Found], Tidal Surge, Flamecannon, Devastate, Shadow Strike, Vendetta, Wing Blast

-Note: Less close to a universal benchmark, but still close. Tweaks to explore are dealing four for (2) or less with a drawback or condition, or a base (4) cost spell that can get its cost reduced under the right conditions. There’s also higher cost versions which tack on an additional effect, ala Marked Shot or Holy Water.

(4) Cost Spells

-Transform a minion. Examples: Polymorph, Hex

-Note: Ok, two examples isn’t much of a benchmark (and the few tweaks are also in Mage), but still a good baseline if you want to make a transform spell.

-Deal 2 damage to all enemy minions. Example: Consecration. Tweaks: Holy Nova, Lightning Storm, Flame Ward

(4).5 Cost Effect

-Unconditionally Destroy a minion. Example: Assassinate. Tweaks: Walk the Plank, Time Rip, Blastcrystal Potion, Impbalming, Libram of Justice, Crush

Notes: I’d peg the actual cost of “destroy a minion” at about (4).5 cost, closer to (4). Early rogue spells like Assassinate were designed with Preparation in mind, and Walk the Plank at (4) feels closest to a vanilla “destroy a minion” effect. Libram of Justice is a bit of a cheeky addition, but as opposed to Subdue or [Hearthstone Card (Hunter’s Mark) Not Found] it sets the minion to 1 Health and gives you the means to take it out within the same card. Common tweaks for custom classes would be higher cost versions that can have their cost reduced, destroy effects with bonuses ala Time Rip and Siphon Soul, or (4) cost spells with drawbacks.

(5) Cost Spells

Draw 3 cards. Example: Nourish (pre-nerf). Tweaks: Thistle Tea, Candle Breath, [Hearthstone Card (Cabalist ’s Tome) Not Found], [Hearthstone Card (Hand of Gul’Dan) Not Found], [Hearthstone Card (Skull of Gul’dan) Not Found], Devour Mind

Notes: A vanilla “draw 3” is probably a 4.5 mana effect, hence why we see a lot of (6) cost cards that draw 3 with either benefits or potential cost reductions. “Generate 3 cards”, ala [Hearthstone Card (Cabalist’s Tome) Not Found] and Devour Mind, is probably a flat (5) effect, if your class has a specific set of cards to generate that fit. [Hearthstone Card (Hunter’s Pack) Not Found] shows another route where you heavily restrict the three cards generated and reduce the cost of getting them.

(X) Cost

-Summon X 1/1 tokens. Examples: Call in the Finishers, Fiendish Circle, Swarm of Locusts, Lost in the Jungle, Air Raid, Stand Against Darkness, Coordinated Strike, Command the Illidari

Notes: Good potential for classes focused on Zoo tactics or minions in general. Also a precedent to personalize the tokens with keywords if it fits the class’s dynamics.

Spells above (5) is where you start seeing the more esoteric/class specific effects, as well as each class just having much less examples in general. However, this is an area that also sees a lot of blending or supercharging of benchmark effects.