@Xarkkal - I really like this idea in general, and the lore relevance just makes it even better. I thought the buff was too much at first, but then I saw the comments about Blood Knight and Totem Cruncher and I realised it is pretty on par. as was mentioned already, it would be pretty weak in the present meta, but it's one of those cards I'd see and either be excited to try in Wild, or be hyped for future support.
CovenantKevlar - This is such a cool idea that fits so naturally into HS that I was honestly surprised when I thought back and realised we have never had this concept applied to weapons, or Warrior. I think it is at a good power level, for the cost, and the cost is low enough to be useful, but high enough it couldn't be too horribly abused by aggro decks. I like it :)
@Nirast - It's a neat idea, but I think it could get out of hand very quickly. Perhaps "destroy a beast and gain its enchantments" would be more manageable? I saw the other idea and I like it much more. It's difficult to evaluate the power level, because it depends how many big beats with powerful enchantments are in the meta, but at the least you could run it for destroying your own beasts in a deathrattle Hunter, and that sounds pretty cool to me.
@BasilAnguis - I much prefer the Firestarter Fiend. A symmetrical Auchenai effect is a nice twist, but at its heart it is still something Priests have already had three times now. Whereas, the Fiend quite neatly introduces an effect I have tried to express before without success - a fun snowball of spell damage for a casino mage type deck. I don't think it is overpowered as is, because gaining decent use form it is contingent on casting many low-cost spells, which are inherently low-impact. It would be much less frustrating than, say, Flamewaker, which turned even non-damaging low-cost spells into board clears.
@Wailor - My favourite of these is the Imprisoned Nathrethim. This may get me called a madman, but I honestly miss MCT sometimes. Those effects are so game-changing, and always make for a memorable experience. I think giving your opponent a 2-turn warning on when the effect is going to happen is honestly the best way to reintroduce this to the game without it being too un-fun to play against. I also really appreciate the nice lore consideration. :) Just remember to give it the Demon tribe!
@Dermostatic - I like the Deathrattle version's statline better, but perhaps you could change to "Battlecry: Discover a Plague" to give more reliability but similar power-level. I also agree with others that said it is kind of bucking the themes of the Year of the Dragon to give Paladin an evil character, and to give it Plague interaction. I think a simple switch to Priest would resolve that.
@Satanley - I like the concept, but I feel like the 3 ideas are either too strong, or too complex. How about this instead: 4 mana, 3/2, "Rush. Overkill: become Immune until the start of your next turn." You could make it a Rastakhan's Rumble card to match the use of Overkill.
@CaptainDG - Both of these are very interesting, but I like the Rogue card better. I feel the whole theme and art and everything fits very nicely. I would however say it should probably be a 3 mana 3/2 for that strong an effect.
@anchorm4n - I like the concept of a demonic warrior that gives you a huge weapon, but I think you could find some cool lore to entice the voters, and give you some inspiration to nail down the specifics, if you had a peruse of the WoW wiki. There are some in depth pages about the Legion and their forces. I'm sure there's some beefy general in there that would fit your concept.
@Shivershine - Of the two, I prefer the Sea Mistress. It reminds me of a Darkscale Healer, but revamped for modern day power levels. I would however say it should be at most a 4/4. If you consider it will be "waking up" at turn 4, that is already a very good statline for such a powerful healing effect.
@linkblade91 - I can see the scariness of a 12-health minion, but it is 8 mana. It's no scarier than something like, say, Ysera. Usually Divine Spirit decks are trying to get the big minions out early, and can easily get to 12 health long before turn 8. The effect could also inhibit that kind of deck, because they wouldn't be able to use targeted spells for taunt removal while the minion is on the board. There may well be a broken combo I haven't thought of yet, but I don't think DS is it.
I had an idea for a mechanic, which I think fits this competition nicely!
The new Mage legendary got me thinking about some new ways to limit targeting, and then I hit upon a minion with the fantasy that it "draws in" magic to itself. I found Shirrak while just looking for some cool weird demons on the WoW wiki, but I'm not a huge WoW lore buff, so if anyone has any ideas of a creature/character that may fit this idea better, please let me know!
I picked priest because of Shirrak's ties to the Auchenai, but I think the card could make just as much sense in Mage, considering the theme of spells in general and the broad link to Solarian Prime. What do y'all think?
I picked the mana/statline, mostly just to get enough bulk to make the effect worthwhile, while not having it too expensive to be useless in its role as a combo-inhibitor/removal absorber. I'm not sure these are the best stats for that job though, so let me know any thoughts!
@Inconspicuosaurus Out of the 3 cards you've made, My favorite is the 2nd option Lakkari Survivalist. Your first option is also good too, reminds me a bit of Crackling Razormaw. Your third option I feel would be a bit too powerful. when I look at cards like Warglaives of Azzinoth I can't help but think the ability to adapt your demons 4 times in a turn could get a bit crazy!
Good points. On reflection, I think number 1 is too similar to Crackling Razormaw and number 3 is too OP, or at least would limit design space too much to be a realistic release. I'm going to go for number 2 (with number 3's name, because I think I've decided I like that one best).
@Rippy: I really like the design and effect, and it would be some cool support for this apparent Demon Demon Hunter we're getting. I do however agree with Dermostatic that it should be a Witchwood card to fit that effect.
@Neoguli: Unfortunately, the Illidari summoned aren't demons :( But there are thankfully plenty of other small demons the card can work off of. I'll take your advice and go for the 3rd one :)
@Shivershine: I love the thematics of this card, and it would be a really cool tool for Demon Hunter to maintain that characteristic weakness of lack of remoal, whilst still giving them a control tool. I wonder if it is maybe a little over-costed, as it seems like a worse Sap in most ways, but i guess that is made up for by the Twinspell aspect.
@Kansas: I like it! I nice little tool for the Hero attacking aspect of DH, and it fits very nicely into Witchwood. The fantasy is a little off, as you shouldn't really damage yourself by attacking with throwing knives, but then this is the game where you whack someone with your face while wielding a bow, so... Perhaps that could be resolved with a simple name change? How about "Sharpen Claws" or something? It would fit the transformation theme of Witchwood too.
@CovenantKevlar: Haha, this is awesome. I am one of the minority who really liked Kharazan, and this fits so perfectly into its chaotic themes. Well done. In terms of balance, I'd say it's pretty close to perfect. At most I'd say it should maybe be one mana more?
Hi everyone. After an underwhelming return to the card design contest last week, I am hyped to enter again this week. I loved Un'Goro immensely, so I am excited to bring Demon Hunter some Un'Goro cards.
At the moment I am toying with a few different versions of this concept. Which name/effect do you all think works best?
Yeah, I get that, but that is something you as the player of the card control. Obviously you don't play this when you have a full board and your opponent has nothing. Just like Puzzle Box and Yogg before it, you use it as board recovery. Except, unlike them, it is not such a high-risk play, and more of just a reliable boost to your tempo.
Did you miss the part where it can't target your own stuff? There are no Mage spells that can't target enemies that would be bad, so there's really no downside. At worst you get a "probably nothing" roll like Elemental Allies or Ancient Mysteries.
And that's how a card goes from 5 stars to 2 stars. Unless you're facing a spell heavy opponent, this card is on average a worse Tess. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't picture one situation in which this card would be worth it, except maybe if your opponent has played Dragonqueen Alexstrasza and the two 0-cost dragons in the same turn, or a Shirvallah in a turn that doesn't involve the OTK. I guess it's decent if your opponent plays a big taunt
Of course it's a worse Tess. If Priest had Tess it would be ridiculous. You can't really compare class legendaries like that. And besides, this is not a deck build-around like Tess. This is a tool to play against certain decks and at certain moments.
You refuted your own point there. Just in the process of writing your comment you came up with several very good occasions to drop this card. Obviously, like every tech tool, it will be a bad drop if it is not doing its proper job, but again like every good tech tool, when played at the right time it can cause huge swings. If things like big taunts, or Shirvallah, or ramp/cost reduction tools become popular, this card will be a great arrow in Priest's quiver to catch up to those decks.
Also Blizzard: Who would have thought that mana-cheating is powerful?
I'm not usually one to over-simplify and poke fun, but I really don't understand how Blizz couldn't foresee a card that synergises off of board size in a class that specialises in having wide boards of small minions, and with a cheatable cost in a class with Evolve tools, and with direct board effect, would not be super powerful, especially considering their past experience.
I highly doubt it. If they do, they'll have to refund everyone who already had those cards, or else that's incredibly unfair. eg: me, who crafted N'Zoth way back.
Hey! Thanks for trying out the deck, and thanks for your suggestions.
Thekal is a really good idea, and I would definitely try him out... if I had him. Sadly I'll have to wait on that one.
Zola is the same for me. It would be great fun to duplicate the high-impact cards like Lynessa and Galvadon, but I can't try it out til my dust pool is a bit healthier.
Eadric is of course a great card all round, so I'm not surprised he helps.
Djinni is a cool idea which I'd like to try. I haven't before just because I already have The Voraxx and they are very similar. But, they do each have advantages - The Voraxx does not require you to have another minion, whereas if you do have another minion, Djinni allows you to play the buffs on that minion and attack with them, while still getting the extra value. I'll do some experimenting with your ideas!
They considered the consequences of buffing cards for 5 years before they actually did it. I don't think you can fault them for being too hasty. Frankly, 2 out of 16 needing to be reverted out of their first ever batch of buffs is fine with me. I am more than happy to accept that ratio if it means we get more bold balance changes like the Rise of Mechs buffs in future.
I have never played WoW and will never try it because I know it would take over my life, but I love the lore of its world and continually developing history. I have enjoyed finding out bits of the lore through HS, but until now the various WoW wikis were the only way to satisfy any deeper curiosity. Neat little stories like this are a much more enjoyable way to learn about the greater universe. I applaud your clear and concise writing, and you can feel the depth of your interest in the world coming through.
I hope you continue to make these, and I would like to request a couple of topics, if that's okay?:
Titans - They feature in so much WoW lore and I still don't really understand their whole deal. Creators? Good guys? Bad guys?
The Curse of Flesh - I know a little about this and it is one of my favourite aspects of the WoW lore. I'd love to read your take.
I definitely thought BEEEES!!!'s text was going to be something like "The long-awaited answer to "Bees?"" as a reference to Cards Against Humanity. But the one we got is very good too.
Uncollectible cards are never obtainable through generic random effects. That's why you can't Devolve a 1-mana minion into a HexFrog, or summon a Spirit Wolf with Faceless Lackey.
I've tried to submit my entry three times, but I keep getting this error, even though the timer has 32 hours left. Does anyone know what's going on?
Feedback time!
@Xarkkal - I really like this idea in general, and the lore relevance just makes it even better. I thought the buff was too much at first, but then I saw the comments about Blood Knight and Totem Cruncher and I realised it is pretty on par. as was mentioned already, it would be pretty weak in the present meta, but it's one of those cards I'd see and either be excited to try in Wild, or be hyped for future support.
CovenantKevlar - This is such a cool idea that fits so naturally into HS that I was honestly surprised when I thought back and realised we have never had this concept applied to weapons, or Warrior. I think it is at a good power level, for the cost, and the cost is low enough to be useful, but high enough it couldn't be too horribly abused by aggro decks. I like it :)
@Nirast - It's a neat idea, but I think it could get out of hand very quickly. Perhaps "destroy a beast and gain its enchantments" would be more manageable? I saw the other idea and I like it much more. It's difficult to evaluate the power level, because it depends how many big beats with powerful enchantments are in the meta, but at the least you could run it for destroying your own beasts in a deathrattle Hunter, and that sounds pretty cool to me.
@BasilAnguis - I much prefer the Firestarter Fiend. A symmetrical Auchenai effect is a nice twist, but at its heart it is still something Priests have already had three times now. Whereas, the Fiend quite neatly introduces an effect I have tried to express before without success - a fun snowball of spell damage for a casino mage type deck. I don't think it is overpowered as is, because gaining decent use form it is contingent on casting many low-cost spells, which are inherently low-impact. It would be much less frustrating than, say, Flamewaker, which turned even non-damaging low-cost spells into board clears.
@Wailor - My favourite of these is the Imprisoned Nathrethim. This may get me called a madman, but I honestly miss MCT sometimes. Those effects are so game-changing, and always make for a memorable experience. I think giving your opponent a 2-turn warning on when the effect is going to happen is honestly the best way to reintroduce this to the game without it being too un-fun to play against. I also really appreciate the nice lore consideration. :) Just remember to give it the Demon tribe!
@Dermostatic - I like the Deathrattle version's statline better, but perhaps you could change to "Battlecry: Discover a Plague" to give more reliability but similar power-level. I also agree with others that said it is kind of bucking the themes of the Year of the Dragon to give Paladin an evil character, and to give it Plague interaction. I think a simple switch to Priest would resolve that.
@Satanley - I like the concept, but I feel like the 3 ideas are either too strong, or too complex. How about this instead: 4 mana, 3/2, "Rush. Overkill: become Immune until the start of your next turn." You could make it a Rastakhan's Rumble card to match the use of Overkill.
@CaptainDG - Both of these are very interesting, but I like the Rogue card better. I feel the whole theme and art and everything fits very nicely. I would however say it should probably be a 3 mana 3/2 for that strong an effect.
@anchorm4n - I like the concept of a demonic warrior that gives you a huge weapon, but I think you could find some cool lore to entice the voters, and give you some inspiration to nail down the specifics, if you had a peruse of the WoW wiki. There are some in depth pages about the Legion and their forces. I'm sure there's some beefy general in there that would fit your concept.
@Shivershine - Of the two, I prefer the Sea Mistress. It reminds me of a Darkscale Healer, but revamped for modern day power levels. I would however say it should be at most a 4/4. If you consider it will be "waking up" at turn 4, that is already a very good statline for such a powerful healing effect.
@linkblade91 - I can see the scariness of a 12-health minion, but it is 8 mana. It's no scarier than something like, say, Ysera. Usually Divine Spirit decks are trying to get the big minions out early, and can easily get to 12 health long before turn 8. The effect could also inhibit that kind of deck, because they wouldn't be able to use targeted spells for taunt removal while the minion is on the board. There may well be a broken combo I haven't thought of yet, but I don't think DS is it.
I had an idea for a mechanic, which I think fits this competition nicely!
The new Mage legendary got me thinking about some new ways to limit targeting, and then I hit upon a minion with the fantasy that it "draws in" magic to itself. I found Shirrak while just looking for some cool weird demons on the WoW wiki, but I'm not a huge WoW lore buff, so if anyone has any ideas of a creature/character that may fit this idea better, please let me know!
I picked priest because of Shirrak's ties to the Auchenai, but I think the card could make just as much sense in Mage, considering the theme of spells in general and the broad link to Solarian Prime. What do y'all think?
I picked the mana/statline, mostly just to get enough bulk to make the effect worthwhile, while not having it too expensive to be useless in its role as a combo-inhibitor/removal absorber. I'm not sure these are the best stats for that job though, so let me know any thoughts!
Good points. On reflection, I think number 1 is too similar to Crackling Razormaw and number 3 is too OP, or at least would limit design space too much to be a realistic release. I'm going to go for number 2 (with number 3's name, because I think I've decided I like that one best).
@Rippy: I really like the design and effect, and it would be some cool support for this apparent Demon Demon Hunter we're getting. I do however agree with Dermostatic that it should be a Witchwood card to fit that effect.
@Neoguli: Unfortunately, the Illidari summoned aren't demons :( But there are thankfully plenty of other small demons the card can work off of. I'll take your advice and go for the 3rd one :)
@Shivershine: I love the thematics of this card, and it would be a really cool tool for Demon Hunter to maintain that characteristic weakness of lack of remoal, whilst still giving them a control tool. I wonder if it is maybe a little over-costed, as it seems like a worse Sap in most ways, but i guess that is made up for by the Twinspell aspect.
@Kansas: I like it! I nice little tool for the Hero attacking aspect of DH, and it fits very nicely into Witchwood. The fantasy is a little off, as you shouldn't really damage yourself by attacking with throwing knives, but then this is the game where you whack someone with your face while wielding a bow, so... Perhaps that could be resolved with a simple name change? How about "Sharpen Claws" or something? It would fit the transformation theme of Witchwood too.
@CovenantKevlar: Haha, this is awesome. I am one of the minority who really liked Kharazan, and this fits so perfectly into its chaotic themes. Well done. In terms of balance, I'd say it's pretty close to perfect. At most I'd say it should maybe be one mana more?
Hi everyone. After an underwhelming return to the card design contest last week, I am hyped to enter again this week. I loved Un'Goro immensely, so I am excited to bring Demon Hunter some Un'Goro cards.
At the moment I am toying with a few different versions of this concept. Which name/effect do you all think works best?
Yeah, I get that, but that is something you as the player of the card control. Obviously you don't play this when you have a full board and your opponent has nothing. Just like Puzzle Box and Yogg before it, you use it as board recovery. Except, unlike them, it is not such a high-risk play, and more of just a reliable boost to your tempo.
The Amazing Reno can cast the Box, so I don't see why this wouldn't be able to.
Did you miss the part where it can't target your own stuff? There are no Mage spells that can't target enemies that would be bad, so there's really no downside. At worst you get a "probably nothing" roll like Elemental Allies or Ancient Mysteries.
Of course it's a worse Tess. If Priest had Tess it would be ridiculous. You can't really compare class legendaries like that. And besides, this is not a deck build-around like Tess. This is a tool to play against certain decks and at certain moments.
You refuted your own point there. Just in the process of writing your comment you came up with several very good occasions to drop this card. Obviously, like every tech tool, it will be a bad drop if it is not doing its proper job, but again like every good tech tool, when played at the right time it can cause huge swings. If things like big taunts, or Shirvallah, or ramp/cost reduction tools become popular, this card will be a great arrow in Priest's quiver to catch up to those decks.
If this stays at 5 mana it could be very good in any control-oriented Shaman that just needs an unpredictable move to gain advantage.
If it changes cost but is still 5/5, that's just bad...
Blizzard: Forced to nerf Corridor Creeper, Innervate, Wild Growth, Preparation, etc. because their mana-cheating effects were too powerful.
Also Blizzard: Who would have thought that mana-cheating is powerful?
I'm not usually one to over-simplify and poke fun, but I really don't understand how Blizz couldn't foresee a card that synergises off of board size in a class that specialises in having wide boards of small minions, and with a cheatable cost in a class with Evolve tools, and with direct board effect, would not be super powerful, especially considering their past experience.
I highly doubt it. If they do, they'll have to refund everyone who already had those cards, or else that's incredibly unfair. eg: me, who crafted N'Zoth way back.
Wow, thanks for featuring my derpy deck! :D
Hey! Thanks for trying out the deck, and thanks for your suggestions.
They considered the consequences of buffing cards for 5 years before they actually did it. I don't think you can fault them for being too hasty. Frankly, 2 out of 16 needing to be reverted out of their first ever batch of buffs is fine with me. I am more than happy to accept that ratio if it means we get more bold balance changes like the Rise of Mechs buffs in future.
And actually has an advantage over KK, as it hits through Taunt!
I have to say I really love these articles.
I have never played WoW and will never try it because I know it would take over my life, but I love the lore of its world and continually developing history. I have enjoyed finding out bits of the lore through HS, but until now the various WoW wikis were the only way to satisfy any deeper curiosity. Neat little stories like this are a much more enjoyable way to learn about the greater universe. I applaud your clear and concise writing, and you can feel the depth of your interest in the world coming through.
I hope you continue to make these, and I would like to request a couple of topics, if that's okay?:
Titans - They feature in so much WoW lore and I still don't really understand their whole deal. Creators? Good guys? Bad guys?
The Curse of Flesh - I know a little about this and it is one of my favourite aspects of the WoW lore. I'd love to read your take.
I definitely thought BEEEES!!!'s text was going to be something like "The long-awaited answer to "Bees?"" as a reference to Cards Against Humanity. But the one we got is very good too.
Uncollectible cards are never obtainable through generic random effects. That's why you can't Devolve a 1-mana minion into a Hex Frog, or summon a Spirit Wolf with Faceless Lackey.