A nice haul for me, so far. I purchased the small bundle to gain early access to Duels (which I love), plus the reward/promo packs, then purchased 12 to round out my day one opening at 60 packs.
My initial reaction is disappointment. It doesn't look like the rewards will be equivalent to the old system. To make matters worse, I was hoping for something that would allow you to continue playing in your own way to reap similar benefits. Instead, it will take games in all modes, some meme-like achievements (that may or may not require specific cards), and a fair bit of time wasted poking around the Rewards Path to accept, find, and finalize rewards along the way. The Tavern Pass feels like a total slap in the face, as it looks like you basically pay $20 to get rewards you could earn without real money prior to this being implemented.
Others have mentioned it already. Dragonqueen got nerfed for pulling 2 zero cost, random dragons. This will fill your hand with 0 cost corrupt cards. The big question I have is how will the Corrupt trigger on those zero cost cards? If you play a 1 cost card, will all zero cost cards activate?
"One of our goals for this new system is to allow you to play Hearthstone your way, you won't be tied to playing only Standard or Wild in order to obtain the majority of the games’ economic rewards anymore."
I prefer arena but play ranked every month because that's the only way to earn monthly rewards. In fact, I stuck with ranked for a long time (prior to the new reward system) solely for the cosmetics earned only there: golden portraits. I'd love to play the majority of my games in arena an get the same monthly rewards. Right now, I still am forced to play ranked if I want the monthly rewards. This is not to say I'd never play constructed again, but I could certainly see a future where I played constructed only at the lowest ranks (or even in casual) while being much happier to earn rewards via the arena.
My concern is simple: how will that XP be metered out in constructed vs. arena vs. battlegrounds? The comparison isn't exactly linear when considering each mode's time spent playing, games won, etc.
Mana cheating cards have always been problematic. Ramp for druid, auto-play cards, and cost reduction are that group. For druid, that means all the ramp into ramp so you can play 7 mana cards on turn 4 will be in the nerf considerations. Kael'thas Sunstrider needs to be, along with the Lightning Bloom. Though hits could also come to the very powerful spells druid gets to abuse once ramped - Guardian Animals and Survival of the Fittest. High Abbess Alura and the cost reductions to librams should be, as well.
Cheap draw was always hated in paladin and then they gave a bunch to demon hunter. Glide has to be looked at, especially since it's outcast effect is far worse than anything divine favor could ever accomplish. Voracious Reader is pretty strong, as well. Single sided draw makes it better than Jeeves and it costs 2 less with only 1 health lost. The same is true for Secret Passage, which is insane for 1 mana.
Expectations set to Wild mode will always need to be tempered. It's rare we see an entirely new archetype come out of an expansion, though it has/will happen . The power level of a few decks in wild just make it too difficult to displace them and that means, as pointed out by OP, there are generally fewer cards that shake up the meta. Even then, it tends to be only as a new addition to an existing theme.
Standard looks like it will see a ton of powerful cards that impact the meta. I'm loving what a deathrattle hunter could look like.
Arena is getting a huge influx of insane power level cards. With the set bonus re-instituted, there will be a big jump in power for arena players.
Congrats! I'd wager there are quite a few COVID Legends like us. Earned my hideous card back in April when the northeast USA was locked down. More time to play = more time to grind without stopping my arena runs. My kids did their best to distract me with a wonderful combination of bickering/fighting, requests for the installation of lego mini-figure arms, and the seemingly nonstop utterance of "I'm hungry". Questionable whether I'd trade for the swamp diapers... lol. Grats on the new(ish) baby, too.
I'd prefer rotation instead of standard sets. My biggest issue with standard was that it felt stale since you see (mostly) the same cards in constructed and arena. The set rotation kept the arena meta much more fresh but it also ensured the two game modes (constructed/arena) felt very different. Hopefully they'll return to the rotating format once DH has a more robust card base?
I usually keep cards that I think are destined for a nerf, and have occasionally hit on the right ones. Dragoncaster is one of those hits. 8 copies still in my collection that never got dusted. :D
I've had Nethrandamus a few times now and it's been an absolute game winner. Crazy good card, especially if you can get to 10, which isn't terrible difficult.
Do you keep it on mulligan?
Yes, if I have a decent start around it, which isn't difficult with the class's cheap, early game studs. Even drawn later in the game it's not hard to have a few minions die and get that counter going.
I've had Nethrandamus a few times now and it's been an absolute game winner. Crazy good card, especially if you can get to 10, which isn't terrible difficult.
Agreed. Scorpid is very strong. I think your comparison was better than mine, it is basically a Stormpike Commando on steroids. Also agree about Ruststeed Raider, 5 damage can remove a lot of things on T5 and leaves an annoying taunt behind. Certainly good value for 5 mana.
You had the score right... I wanted to give him 5/5 but didn't. The beast tag is a nice bonus, too.
I have to agree I was way to low on Libram of Justice. The cost compared to similar cards for Paladin clouded my judgement. It's definitely a powerful tool for the class since Paladin lacks removal but tends to have plenty of board presence to finish off the 1 health minions.
@Zashiki - I'm glad you mentioned Blackjack Stunner, as that was another I though was too conditional to be a top score. It will certainly play like a 5 star card but only when you have enough secrets to support it, and that's not something you can do reliably while drafting.
@Sinti - That Demon Hunter Hero Power will cost 1 mana, so Metamorphosis really is only 1 more mana than an Arcanite Reaper but doesn't have to worry about taunt.
These are the cards Sinti and I don't agree on. We'll discuss them a bit and would love to hear what you think. Which of us do you agree with, and why?
I think im most surprised about Imprisoned Scrap Imp and Bulwark of Azzinoth, why do you think the Imp is so weak? The 2 turn delay? I admit the later you get it the worse, but it can just blow up the entire game if you get it early and provide game winning advantage.
On the other hand, Bulwark while cute, warrior already has the Hero Power to gain some life and he will ideally want to use another weapon to attack, not to sit on this. And chances are, this will not stop that much damage anyway. Honestly, even if it stops like 20 damage, wouldnt you rather have another legendary that will most likely help you to actually win the game rather than just prolong it?
The 2 turn delay on dormant minions is the reason I don't like them. Arena is generally tempo based and only a few of these new dormant minions have the right combination of cost, ability, and class fit. Demon hunter, Priest, and Warrior have decent ones because they have high stats for the cost and an effect that is reliable. The others are far less reliable because they have conditions that need to be met to really take advantage but your opponent has time to mitigate those effects. Imprisoned Scrap Imp seems strong but you may only have 2 minions in hand, and you may want to hold instead of playing on curve in order to get that buff, which puts you even farther behind.
Bulwark of Azzinoth is a stall card, in my mind. Sure, you have other weapons you want to use but having this in hand allows you to shut down any board that has a few big minions. This will buy you an extra turn or 2 while you search for answers to a bad board state. It can also be used as a more offensive tool that lets you ignore your opponent's board while you go face to finish them off. I do, however, think that the legendary tag makes it less likely to be the best pick when lined up against other legendary cards.
Looking over that list, I'm most surprised by your low scores on Metamorphosis and Nagrand Slam. If I told you you could pay 1 mana each turn to have your Arcanite Reaper ignore all taunt, freeze, or other restrictions and go face, you'd like that Reaper even more, right? That's exactly what Metamorphosis is, and you can double down on Demon Hunter's regular hero power on each turn, too. With Nagrand Slam you're getting 12/20 in stats for 10 mana. Sure, it may have those beast crashing to their deaths but it'll take most of the board with it. It's also a massive face smash if you can clear your opponent's board. 10 mana for 12 face damage... I expect this to be a serious contender for the Nerf! calls.
These are the cards Sinti and I don't agree on. We'll discuss them a bit and would love to hear what you think. Which of us do you agree with, and why?
A nice haul for me, so far. I purchased the small bundle to gain early access to Duels (which I love), plus the reward/promo packs, then purchased 12 to round out my day one opening at 60 packs.
Rare: 63 (3 golden)
Epic: 13 (0 golden)
Legendary: 5 (1 golden - C'Thun, the Shattered)
(not counting legendary cards from the level 1 track reward, 1 from preorder, or Silas Darkmoon)
EDIT: My luck continues. 5 more packs yielded 4 rares, 1 epic, and a golden Zai, the Incredible!
My initial reaction is disappointment. It doesn't look like the rewards will be equivalent to the old system. To make matters worse, I was hoping for something that would allow you to continue playing in your own way to reap similar benefits. Instead, it will take games in all modes, some meme-like achievements (that may or may not require specific cards), and a fair bit of time wasted poking around the Rewards Path to accept, find, and finalize rewards along the way. The Tavern Pass feels like a total slap in the face, as it looks like you basically pay $20 to get rewards you could earn without real money prior to this being implemented.
Others have mentioned it already. Dragonqueen got nerfed for pulling 2 zero cost, random dragons. This will fill your hand with 0 cost corrupt cards. The big question I have is how will the Corrupt trigger on those zero cost cards? If you play a 1 cost card, will all zero cost cards activate?
Easy pick to require a nerf.
lol... so terrible but I'm always happy to see another nod to Monty Python. And now for something completely different.
Rated as 5 star b/c it is the only appropriate score for our lord and savior.
RNGesus smiled upon me with this bundle. Disciplinarian Gandling and Keymaster Alabaster were the Scholomance Legendary cards. The packs gave me Shadowjeweler Hanar and Vessina along with 6 epic cards and golden copies of BEEEES!!!, Ambush, Surging Tempest, Bladestorm, Dragon Breeder.
Very happy with that haul. Praise Yogg!
"One of our goals for this new system is to allow you to play Hearthstone your way, you won't be tied to playing only Standard or Wild in order to obtain the majority of the games’ economic rewards anymore."
I prefer arena but play ranked every month because that's the only way to earn monthly rewards. In fact, I stuck with ranked for a long time (prior to the new reward system) solely for the cosmetics earned only there: golden portraits. I'd love to play the majority of my games in arena an get the same monthly rewards. Right now, I still am forced to play ranked if I want the monthly rewards. This is not to say I'd never play constructed again, but I could certainly see a future where I played constructed only at the lowest ranks (or even in casual) while being much happier to earn rewards via the arena.
My concern is simple: how will that XP be metered out in constructed vs. arena vs. battlegrounds? The comparison isn't exactly linear when considering each mode's time spent playing, games won, etc.
Great change.
Mana cheating cards have always been problematic. Ramp for druid, auto-play cards, and cost reduction are that group. For druid, that means all the ramp into ramp so you can play 7 mana cards on turn 4 will be in the nerf considerations. Kael'thas Sunstrider needs to be, along with the Lightning Bloom. Though hits could also come to the very powerful spells druid gets to abuse once ramped - Guardian Animals and Survival of the Fittest. High Abbess Alura and the cost reductions to librams should be, as well.
Cheap draw was always hated in paladin and then they gave a bunch to demon hunter. Glide has to be looked at, especially since it's outcast effect is far worse than anything divine favor could ever accomplish. Voracious Reader is pretty strong, as well. Single sided draw makes it better than Jeeves and it costs 2 less with only 1 health lost. The same is true for Secret Passage, which is insane for 1 mana.
Outside of those two known categories... let's take a minute to appreciate how huge the power creep is on Argent Braggart, Blessing of Authority, and Goody Two-Shields. Both blow away their similar, neutral versions with Scarlet Crusader, Blessing of Kings, and Faceless Manipulator, respectively. Both of these paladin cards have to be in consideration for nerfs, as well.
Expectations set to Wild mode will always need to be tempered. It's rare we see an entirely new archetype come out of an expansion, though it has/will happen . The power level of a few decks in wild just make it too difficult to displace them and that means, as pointed out by OP, there are generally fewer cards that shake up the meta. Even then, it tends to be only as a new addition to an existing theme.
Standard looks like it will see a ton of powerful cards that impact the meta. I'm loving what a deathrattle hunter could look like.
Arena is getting a huge influx of insane power level cards. With the set bonus re-instituted, there will be a big jump in power for arena players.
Congrats! I'd wager there are quite a few COVID Legends like us. Earned my hideous card back in April when the northeast USA was locked down. More time to play = more time to grind without stopping my arena runs. My kids did their best to distract me with a wonderful combination of bickering/fighting, requests for the installation of lego mini-figure arms, and the seemingly nonstop utterance of "I'm hungry". Questionable whether I'd trade for the swamp diapers... lol. Grats on the new(ish) baby, too.
I'd prefer rotation instead of standard sets. My biggest issue with standard was that it felt stale since you see (mostly) the same cards in constructed and arena. The set rotation kept the arena meta much more fresh but it also ensured the two game modes (constructed/arena) felt very different. Hopefully they'll return to the rotating format once DH has a more robust card base?
I usually keep cards that I think are destined for a nerf, and have occasionally hit on the right ones. Dragoncaster is one of those hits. 8 copies still in my collection that never got dusted. :D
Yes, if I have a decent start around it, which isn't difficult with the class's cheap, early game studs. Even drawn later in the game it's not hard to have a few minions die and get that counter going.
I've had Nethrandamus a few times now and it's been an absolute game winner. Crazy good card, especially if you can get to 10, which isn't terrible difficult.
You had the score right... I wanted to give him 5/5 but didn't. The beast tag is a nice bonus, too.
Clearly there were some OP Demon Hunter cards, glad those get some nerf.
I'd say the Burrowing Scorpid is one of my favorite neutrals. I see Ruststeed Raider quite a bit and it's definitely a good card.
Thanks. The replies are certainly appreciated!
I have to agree I was way to low on Libram of Justice. The cost compared to similar cards for Paladin clouded my judgement. It's definitely a powerful tool for the class since Paladin lacks removal but tends to have plenty of board presence to finish off the 1 health minions.
@Zashiki - I'm glad you mentioned Blackjack Stunner, as that was another I though was too conditional to be a top score. It will certainly play like a 5 star card but only when you have enough secrets to support it, and that's not something you can do reliably while drafting.
@Sinti - That Demon Hunter Hero Power will cost 1 mana, so Metamorphosis really is only 1 more mana than an Arcanite Reaper but doesn't have to worry about taunt.
The 2 turn delay on dormant minions is the reason I don't like them. Arena is generally tempo based and only a few of these new dormant minions have the right combination of cost, ability, and class fit. Demon hunter, Priest, and Warrior have decent ones because they have high stats for the cost and an effect that is reliable. The others are far less reliable because they have conditions that need to be met to really take advantage but your opponent has time to mitigate those effects. Imprisoned Scrap Imp seems strong but you may only have 2 minions in hand, and you may want to hold instead of playing on curve in order to get that buff, which puts you even farther behind.
Bulwark of Azzinoth is a stall card, in my mind. Sure, you have other weapons you want to use but having this in hand allows you to shut down any board that has a few big minions. This will buy you an extra turn or 2 while you search for answers to a bad board state. It can also be used as a more offensive tool that lets you ignore your opponent's board while you go face to finish them off. I do, however, think that the legendary tag makes it less likely to be the best pick when lined up against other legendary cards.
Looking over that list, I'm most surprised by your low scores on Metamorphosis and Nagrand Slam. If I told you you could pay 1 mana each turn to have your Arcanite Reaper ignore all taunt, freeze, or other restrictions and go face, you'd like that Reaper even more, right? That's exactly what Metamorphosis is, and you can double down on Demon Hunter's regular hero power on each turn, too. With Nagrand Slam you're getting 12/20 in stats for 10 mana. Sure, it may have those beast crashing to their deaths but it'll take most of the board with it. It's also a massive face smash if you can clear your opponent's board. 10 mana for 12 face damage... I expect this to be a serious contender for the Nerf! calls.
These are the cards Sinti and I don't agree on. We'll discuss them a bit and would love to hear what you think. Which of us do you agree with, and why?