You don't need to have a menagerie deck for ringmaster. It can be good in any deck that runs some of those minion types, it's still good if you only draw two cards.
This with the bonespider egg might create the strongest turn one opener ever without coin. Just difficult in zoo to have 2 mana be the lowest cost in hand
Is this interaction confirmed? The card is discarded, then boneweb egg's (deathrattle) effect triggers, and finally fluffy whispers buffs the tokens?
Solarian prime can win games on its own, never mind that you can usually expect at least 2 of them per game. Whether its 7 mana or 9 mana, the only thing that changes here is that you can no longer just play this on 7 either as a last ditch card, and only have enough mana at 10 to cast one Ray of Frost in case it fails hard.
Needless to say, I don't expect anyone to start ditching Astromancer Solarian anytime soon. Even if all goes completely belly up for mage (an unlikely scenario) solarian will still be respected as one of the strongest cards from AoO, and I don't expect this nerf to change it by much.
(just so you dont spend too much time thinking about it, I didn't downvoted you. Just sharing thoughts)
That's fair, but more often than not it can cast a bunch of useless secrets or sidequests, leaving you just with a 7/7 and not much ability to restabilize, as you can only cast up to 1 ray of frost afterwards. It's more similar to puzzle box now, which you wouldn't usually pick multiple times in a game due to its high cost.
The right cards were targeted. Now we shouldn't be seeing 5 evocations or primes per game, but 9 mana for solarian might hit too hard and reduce the playability of the card significantly.
Why the downvotes? Turn 9 is really late for tempo mage and it's a horrible draw anytime sooner. Even when you play it at 9 it won't be as impactful as before. I don't think it will be actually cut from tempo lists, but at the least it won't be an instapick from primordial studies anymore.
The right cards were targeted. Now we shouldn't be seeing 5 evocations or primes per game, but 9 mana for solarian might hit too hard and reduce the playability of the card significantly.
You just reposted all of the already known meta decks played on ladder and in tournaments. Stop making the brawliseum happen Gretchen, it's not going to happen!
Maybe I don't play it right, but I've never had any luck with Inner Fire OTK. And conversely I hardly ever lose to it either in Wild.
It's not exactly the greatest strategy ever since you rely on one win condition and don't have many control tools, it's also very matchup and draw dependent. It's usually bad against aggressive decks, but it can deal with slower control decks. I've had the greatest success against Raza priest and Reno warlock. This version is teched more against aggro with Holy Smite, you have no way of dealing with early big targets with something like Shadow Word: Death. Your only stall is with Wave of Apathy, but make sure to use it sparingly.
Changes to Darkglare is brutal. Literally destroyed the card. They might as well have just change it to a 2 mana 2/3, your Flame Imp and Tour Guides cost 0. In standard there's literally no more use for this card, which is kinda a shame since pain warlock is perhaps the most challenging meta deck to play Ive encountered in quite some time.
Secret Passage nerf is a little weak. I guess the idea is that they didn't want this to completely be unusable since its literally the only card keeping all rogue players from yet another galakrond build. Its still decent I guess.
Cabal Acolyte nerf is unexpected. I didn't particularly find this card oppressive in any way, but evidently team5 thought priest was getting a little out of hand, what with Wave of Apathy being literally everywhere.
Now for buffs (of which we won't get any dust from, sigh*)
Totem Goliath slight buff wont change much of anything. Totem shaman matches are decided early game, not late game. If anything I'd say that buffing Runic Carvings would be more impactful.
That willow buff was timely. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that it should've been 8 mana from the start. What the hell does team5 think a 9 mana card should be like? Maybe, just maybe at 8 mana this card will be playable in some meme deck. Its still not very good at the moment since there's only literally one demon card warlock would want off this but its going to be here for another 2 years so maybe at some point this card will take prominence.
You can still cheat mana with Darkglare, just not as oppressively. You can play a Tour Guide the turn before so you can tap for free on your darkglare turn and get 1 extra mana for it. Don't forget about Raise Dead as well. Darkglare costs only 2 now so it's still a pretty good card in that deck. I'll admit the change makes warlock look underwhelming compared to mana cheating capabilities of other classes, druid for example.
Secret passage and cabal acolyte will still remain staples in those classes, only now they're better balanced. Darkglare warlock will probably completely disappear from the meta. I'm surprised they didn't do anything about guardian animals or druid in general though. That has to be the most annoying matchup for me whatever I'm playing. It isn't the strongest class, but when they highroll I just feel cheated and frustrated.
Thought I might give one of these a go. The idea behind the flavor is that you as a mage teach a spell to a class of young apprentices and the ace apprentice is the first one to learn it, showing you her exam results by adding the spell to your hand. Since this cannot generate you a spell if played on its own but the spell is targeted rather than random, the card's stats are no better than Babbling Book. Compared to Diligent Notetaker, I don't think the effect should be too strong for 1 less mana.
"Edwin VanCleef is the biggest victim of this design limiting constraint, as you can't ever print too many cheap cards to not make him an oppressive minion in the early game."
I am going to assume that "cheap cards" refers to 0-cost cards since there are enough 1-cost cards for you to build a whole deck of them in every rotation. Edwin is not the sole card limiting this design space, you NEVER want to print too many 0-cost cards in any card game, since they are always broken in one way or another. If you remove Edwin, you would be killing the strongest card from a classic rogue archetype which plays another similar card, Questing Explorer. By doing so, you wouldn't open up any design space for rogue, you would just make a void. An early Edwin usually requires you to sacrifice your entire hand of otherwise useless cards and rely on that one big minion to stay in the game or finish it. Your replacement in the form of Ruthless Tracker doesn't provide enough of a payoff for running many cheap cards and dumping your whole hand in one turn for it to be as worthwhile.
There are some interesting and well balanced designs here, but the above remark struck me so much I had to comment on it.
Just 1 Pen Flinger? But they're soooo good in a deck like this aren't they?
Also, have-you-tried/did-you-consider a Wandmaker or two? Maybe instead of the Crimson Sigil Runner. Wandmaker will net you a 1-cost spell from your class anyway. Although, if that battlecry pulled you a Felosophy you could only use is on Spirit Jailer, which kind of stinks.
Very good looking deck.
I am really new to Hearthstone -- so a grain of salt -- but I am not at all new to TCGs. Played PTCGO for a long time.
Thanks for the comment and suggestions! The pen flinger fits nicely in turns where you would otherwise float mana, but I'm not sure if you could play both pen flingers in a turn consistently. I usually rely on fast cycling to prioritize playing the hard-hitting cards first instead of gradually pinging the opponent if I can, but maybe I'm not playing the deck optimally. Wandmaker also sounds like a good suggestion, I haven't actually considered it since I usually prefer consistency over random-generating cards. The reason I run Crimson Sigil Runner is because it enables faster cycling and its cost is great for Altruis the Outcast.
not even kidding, I don't think I need to elaborate much since there's no reason why you wouldn't run this in every paladin deck ever. At least make it cost 1 thank you
If only rogue had access to plot twist
You don't need to have a menagerie deck for ringmaster. It can be good in any deck that runs some of those minion types, it's still good if you only draw two cards.
I think the OP meant design-wise, it's really not anything new or interesting for paladin.
Is this interaction confirmed? The card is discarded, then boneweb egg's (deathrattle) effect triggers, and finally fluffy whispers buffs the tokens?
FINALLY a reason to use my Oblivitron I refused to dust, waiting just for this meme Tonk!
No drops? bye
(I'll still watch it though)
That's fair, but more often than not it can cast a bunch of useless secrets or sidequests, leaving you just with a 7/7 and not much ability to restabilize, as you can only cast up to 1 ray of frost afterwards. It's more similar to puzzle box now, which you wouldn't usually pick multiple times in a game due to its high cost.
Why the downvotes? Turn 9 is really late for tempo mage and it's a horrible draw anytime sooner. Even when you play it at 9 it won't be as impactful as before. I don't think it will be actually cut from tempo lists, but at the least it won't be an instapick from primordial studies anymore.
The right cards were targeted. Now we shouldn't be seeing 5 evocations or primes per game, but 9 mana for solarian might hit too hard and reduce the playability of the card significantly.
You just reposted all of the already known meta decks played on ladder and in tournaments. Stop making the brawliseum happen Gretchen, it's not going to happen!
destroy this card pls
It's not exactly the greatest strategy ever since you rely on one win condition and don't have many control tools, it's also very matchup and draw dependent. It's usually bad against aggressive decks, but it can deal with slower control decks. I've had the greatest success against Raza priest and Reno warlock. This version is teched more against aggro with Holy Smite, you have no way of dealing with early big targets with something like Shadow Word: Death. Your only stall is with Wave of Apathy, but make sure to use it sparingly.
You can still cheat mana with Darkglare, just not as oppressively. You can play a Tour Guide the turn before so you can tap for free on your darkglare turn and get 1 extra mana for it. Don't forget about Raise Dead as well. Darkglare costs only 2 now so it's still a pretty good card in that deck. I'll admit the change makes warlock look underwhelming compared to mana cheating capabilities of other classes, druid for example.
Secret passage and cabal acolyte will still remain staples in those classes, only now they're better balanced. Darkglare warlock will probably completely disappear from the meta. I'm surprised they didn't do anything about guardian animals or druid in general though. That has to be the most annoying matchup for me whatever I'm playing. It isn't the strongest class, but when they highroll I just feel cheated and frustrated.
Thought I might give one of these a go. The idea behind the flavor is that you as a mage teach a spell to a class of young apprentices and the ace apprentice is the first one to learn it, showing you her exam results by adding the spell to your hand. Since this cannot generate you a spell if played on its own but the spell is targeted rather than random, the card's stats are no better than Babbling Book. Compared to Diligent Notetaker, I don't think the effect should be too strong for 1 less mana.
"Edwin VanCleef is the biggest victim of this design limiting constraint, as you can't ever print too many cheap cards to not make him an oppressive minion in the early game."
I am going to assume that "cheap cards" refers to 0-cost cards since there are enough 1-cost cards for you to build a whole deck of them in every rotation. Edwin is not the sole card limiting this design space, you NEVER want to print too many 0-cost cards in any card game, since they are always broken in one way or another. If you remove Edwin, you would be killing the strongest card from a classic rogue archetype which plays another similar card, Questing Explorer. By doing so, you wouldn't open up any design space for rogue, you would just make a void. An early Edwin usually requires you to sacrifice your entire hand of otherwise useless cards and rely on that one big minion to stay in the game or finish it. Your replacement in the form of Ruthless Tracker doesn't provide enough of a payoff for running many cheap cards and dumping your whole hand in one turn for it to be as worthwhile.
There are some interesting and well balanced designs here, but the above remark struck me so much I had to comment on it.
Maybe Spirit of the Shark could work well instead of Valanar?
Thanks for the comment and suggestions! The pen flinger fits nicely in turns where you would otherwise float mana, but I'm not sure if you could play both pen flingers in a turn consistently. I usually rely on fast cycling to prioritize playing the hard-hitting cards first instead of gradually pinging the opponent if I can, but maybe I'm not playing the deck optimally. Wandmaker also sounds like a good suggestion, I haven't actually considered it since I usually prefer consistency over random-generating cards. The reason I run Crimson Sigil Runner is because it enables faster cycling and its cost is great for Altruis the Outcast.
How do you even counter this?
OP PLS NERF
not even kidding, I don't think I need to elaborate much since there's no reason why you wouldn't run this in every paladin deck ever. At least make it cost 1 thank you