Update: completed a run to Legend with Aggro Dragon Priest. Fun deck! Drove a handlock player into a "friend-trash talk-unfriend" fit, which I always take as a compliment. The deck is a bit tricky, but it has an almost Rogue-like quality where you win a game and then cackle because it feels like you got away with something.
My favorite win was against a handlock/Wheel opponent who crushed my early plays, but I stole his Symphony of Sins with Benevolent Banker, used it to burn much of his deck, and copied his Sargeras with Power Chord: Synchronize to close it out. Much cackling ensued.
I've had some fun with Aggro Dragon Priest. It has kinda bad draw so it's not very consistent, but it has great blowout potential. Timewinder Zarimi is functionally Bloodlust: you build a board, and when it sticks, you drop Zarimi for double attacks. Ticking-Pylon Zilliax is a great buffer when you go wide, and you can use Power Chord: Synchronize and Celestial Projectionist to double him up for even more buffs. You can use the same tricks to flood the board with discounted or free Thirsty Drifters-- I've dropped four in a single turn! Pip the Potent offers dream value.
Hero power was an example (note the "even" language I used). There are other plays warrior loves to use with Odyn, like Bladestorm, Shield Block, Aftershocks (which also got nerfed but still), even double Verse Riff. All are out of reach now. Given the deck's curve, Odyn might as well cost ten now, because it consumes the whole turn.
Odyn's lack of immediate impact makes that a hard thing to navigate. One of the hardest parts of Odyn warrior is finding your opening to drop Odyn and balancing that with survival. You have to be so far ahead you can basically flush a high-mana turn. The burst damage available these days makes finding that point harder, and it's much harder with a more expensive Odyn.
You seem to be writing from the perspective of spell-based burn or control decks. Those have always been warrior's best matchups, since the days of Vanilla and Freeze Mage, just because of how armor works. But most decks won't let warrior just sit there and armor up, and a more than expensive Odyn makes those matchups noticeably harder.
That one mana bump on Odyn is pretty harsh. I think it's a meaningful change. He comes down later even in an ideal situation and your opening to drop him now needs to be even bigger, plus you can't weave in even a hero power on the turn he drops, making that turn even scarier. I like it.
The Paladin changes are broad but warranted. The deck had almost no weakness: efficient healing and board control to beat aggro, speed to beat combo, from-hand burst to beat control. If the individual tools are weaker then maybe Paladin will be forced to pick a lane.
Grom saw occasional play even recently as a finisher in Enrage warrior, since Sanguine Depths makes it so easy to activate his condition. He's still good for a spin sometimes.
Funny thing about the old Jaraxxus: he set your health, current and maximum, to 15. That made him brutal in certain matchups. Between that, the old Alexstrasza, and certain neutrals, control warlock could boast more effective healing than priest. Hard for aggro to beat if you didn't win super fast. However, Jaraxxus was unplayable in certain other matchups. Freeze Mage and certain Druid decks were built around 15-18 damage burst combos, and dropping Jaraxxus put you in immediate danger of getting game-ended, with zero ability to heal or armor your way to safety. Polarizing card. Needed tradeable.
The Galactic Projection Orb forbidden secret technique: use only the slowest-animating spells, especially spells that cast other spells, like Rune and Puzzle Box (it's spells all the way down!). Wait until the very end of your turn to cast the Orb. By the time it's all done animating, your opponent's turn has expired and it's your turn again.
It's funny that they're giving DH "catch up" versions of previous sets' "everyone gets one" cards, like the Spirits of Rastakhan's Rumble and the spell stones of K&C.
I like Rogue as a Secret class, I'm a little sad to see it go. That said, I'm not sad to see Druid's ramp toolkit go. It's replaced with more typical armor/control tools, which means they'll have to survive to get their mana up to do their nonsense the old-fashioned way!
What are the odds that Leeroy's triumphant return means Rogue finally, finally has to kiss Shadowstep goodbye? Because otherwise be prepared to lose a bunch of games to the chicken guy. Again.
the players that enjoy the cards that they print that support mill deserve
You lost me with the word 'deserve'.
It is impossible for every deck to be perfectly balanced against every other deck. Some will be stronger than others overall. If we accept this premise, then on what basis does Blizzard choose which decks should have an edge and which should be on the weaker side? If you're in the business of selling a game, then you will tend to favor playstyles that more people enjoy. It's not "braindead" to make weaker those things that are less fun to more people; it's business. The company follows its incentives.
I, for one, am glad the following sequence won't happen again:
-Okay, so I'm up against ramp druid, I'll need to push tempo and get them down quick before... -*Druid gains 20 armor for three mana* -...well, so much for that.
Tickatus Warlock actually had only a slight positive win rate to a negative win rate for most of its time in Standard, and then it was still nerfed, and the deck's winrate dropped even further. Your own example is a perfect reference to the same attitude Blizz is displaying now.
Update: completed a run to Legend with Aggro Dragon Priest. Fun deck! Drove a handlock player into a "friend-trash talk-unfriend" fit, which I always take as a compliment. The deck is a bit tricky, but it has an almost Rogue-like quality where you win a game and then cackle because it feels like you got away with something.
My favorite win was against a handlock/Wheel opponent who crushed my early plays, but I stole his Symphony of Sins with Benevolent Banker, used it to burn much of his deck, and copied his Sargeras with Power Chord: Synchronize to close it out. Much cackling ensued.
Token Beast Hunter is good and fun.
I've had some fun with Aggro Dragon Priest. It has kinda bad draw so it's not very consistent, but it has great blowout potential. Timewinder Zarimi is functionally Bloodlust: you build a board, and when it sticks, you drop Zarimi for double attacks. Ticking-Pylon Zilliax is a great buffer when you go wide, and you can use Power Chord: Synchronize and Celestial Projectionist to double him up for even more buffs. You can use the same tricks to flood the board with discounted or free Thirsty Drifters-- I've dropped four in a single turn! Pip the Potent offers dream value.
Heroic Brawliseum-- does that mini-sey announcement coming soon? Seems early.
Hero power was an example (note the "even" language I used). There are other plays warrior loves to use with Odyn, like Bladestorm, Shield Block, Aftershocks (which also got nerfed but still), even double Verse Riff. All are out of reach now. Given the deck's curve, Odyn might as well cost ten now, because it consumes the whole turn.
Odyn's lack of immediate impact makes that a hard thing to navigate. One of the hardest parts of Odyn warrior is finding your opening to drop Odyn and balancing that with survival. You have to be so far ahead you can basically flush a high-mana turn. The burst damage available these days makes finding that point harder, and it's much harder with a more expensive Odyn.
You seem to be writing from the perspective of spell-based burn or control decks. Those have always been warrior's best matchups, since the days of Vanilla and Freeze Mage, just because of how armor works. But most decks won't let warrior just sit there and armor up, and a more than expensive Odyn makes those matchups noticeably harder.
I disagree. In my post above I say why I think this change is meaningful.
That one mana bump on Odyn is pretty harsh. I think it's a meaningful change. He comes down later even in an ideal situation and your opening to drop him now needs to be even bigger, plus you can't weave in even a hero power on the turn he drops, making that turn even scarier. I like it.
The Paladin changes are broad but warranted. The deck had almost no weakness: efficient healing and board control to beat aggro, speed to beat combo, from-hand burst to beat control. If the individual tools are weaker then maybe Paladin will be forced to pick a lane.
Grom saw occasional play even recently as a finisher in Enrage warrior, since Sanguine Depths makes it so easy to activate his condition. He's still good for a spin sometimes.
Funny thing about the old Jaraxxus: he set your health, current and maximum, to 15. That made him brutal in certain matchups. Between that, the old Alexstrasza, and certain neutrals, control warlock could boast more effective healing than priest. Hard for aggro to beat if you didn't win super fast. However, Jaraxxus was unplayable in certain other matchups. Freeze Mage and certain Druid decks were built around 15-18 damage burst combos, and dropping Jaraxxus put you in immediate danger of getting game-ended, with zero ability to heal or armor your way to safety. Polarizing card. Needed tradeable.
Edwin Van Cleef can die in a fire.
Wind-up Enforcer is a deep "Toy Story 2" reference. Love it.
The Galactic Projection Orb forbidden secret technique: use only the slowest-animating spells, especially spells that cast other spells, like Rune and Puzzle Box (it's spells all the way down!). Wait until the very end of your turn to cast the Orb. By the time it's all done animating, your opponent's turn has expired and it's your turn again.
*sees the new dragon reveals*
Ooh, dragon priest, I like dragon priest! I like when priest cares about the board and tries to contest--
*sees the new Raza*
OH COME ON!
It's funny that they're giving DH "catch up" versions of previous sets' "everyone gets one" cards, like the Spirits of Rastakhan's Rumble and the spell stones of K&C.
I was just thinking that mage was too predictable in its play patterns!
(That was a lie, I wasn't thinking that.)
I like Rogue as a Secret class, I'm a little sad to see it go. That said, I'm not sad to see Druid's ramp toolkit go. It's replaced with more typical armor/control tools, which means they'll have to survive to get their mana up to do their nonsense the old-fashioned way!
Well, they posted the new Core and Shadowstep isn't leaving, soooo...
What are the odds that Leeroy's triumphant return means Rogue finally, finally has to kiss Shadowstep goodbye? Because otherwise be prepared to lose a bunch of games to the chicken guy. Again.
Aren't we playing for fun? I don't understand how fun is the enemy.
You lost me with the word 'deserve'.
It is impossible for every deck to be perfectly balanced against every other deck. Some will be stronger than others overall. If we accept this premise, then on what basis does Blizzard choose which decks should have an edge and which should be on the weaker side? If you're in the business of selling a game, then you will tend to favor playstyles that more people enjoy. It's not "braindead" to make weaker those things that are less fun to more people; it's business. The company follows its incentives.
I, for one, am glad the following sequence won't happen again:
-Okay, so I'm up against ramp druid, I'll need to push tempo and get them down quick before...
-*Druid gains 20 armor for three mana*
-...well, so much for that.
Tickatus Warlock actually had only a slight positive win rate to a negative win rate for most of its time in Standard, and then it was still nerfed, and the deck's winrate dropped even further. Your own example is a perfect reference to the same attitude Blizz is displaying now.
The patch notes provide the exact answer to your question.