Part 2 of the Neutrals covering the remaining Common cards!
What do y'all think your first deck you're going to try is? I'm definitely looking forward to some of the Old Gods, so I guess I'll wait and see if I open anyone of them first. Naturally I'll need to play a Yogg Mage with as much Ring Toss generation as possible.
"Who are we - I mean, me? Uhh... none of your business!"
Quote From Demonxz95 Inconspicuous Rider is a funny card because of the flavor, and the comparison to Mad Scientist, which is arguably one of the strongest cards ever printed in the entire game. Just like its old Naxxramas counterpart, this is a purely Hunter/Mage card (and maybe Rogue if you want to get crafty) while Paladin will be leaving it on the shelves. It is weaker than Mad Scientist being that it costs 3 mana and not 2, although this is perfectly understandable given the former's power level. It also might be weaker than Kirin Tor Mage for Mage, although the strength of pulling the Secrets from your deck for free is one that might be underestimated, specifically if your deck doesn't care so much about actually playing the Secrets. The fate of this card is unclear, but it should see some experimentation in Mage, Hunter, and maybe even a little bit of Rogue as well.
Good to see it found a new home after being kicked out of Battlegrounds.
Quote From Demonxz95 And this might be the award for the strong Neutral Common of the set (as well as Wriggling Horror and Claw Machine). This card is quite good, no questions asked. Remembering the good ol' days of Chillwind Yeti, this card comes with the benefits of having Taunt and all tribes attached to it. Nightmare Amalgam was a pretty solid card, and this card is a mostly better version of that, so it will see some play. Because of its status having all tribes as well as being a Taunt minion to resurrect after spending 10 mana with N'Zoth, this is an absolutely perfect fit in all Menagerie decks, and will surely see play in just about all of them I imagine.
Pick your poison!
Quote From ShadowsOfSense I was pretty pleased to see this card when it was spoiled - I guessed that we might see some Corrupt cards that were sidegrades instead of straight upgrades, and I was right!
Pretty versatile card, though the inability to choose exactly when you use each effect is a bit of a downside. What really excites me though is the Y'Shaarj, the Defiler OTK that I saw Firebat showing off - get these Corrupted and your Shaman Quest Hero Power reduced to zero, and you can play Y'Shaarj to get four of these in your hand, which can then each deal 8 damage for a total of 32. Throw in some Dunk Tanks for redundancy and you're cooking!
I expect we'll see this more commonly played for the damage, with the healing only being used to stabilise against early aggression as needed.
"I'm gonna change you, like a remix; then I'll raise you, like a phoenix!"
Quote From Noxious The power creep version of Grook Fu Master. Yawn.
"You get stabbed, and you get stabbed; everybody gets stabbed!"
Quote From ShadowsOfSense Another card that I keep wavering back and forth on. Sometimes it's a new aggro staple, and sometimes its packfiller garbage. In reality, it's probably somewhere in between the two.
The really, really aggressive decks might start running one or two copies because 4 damage is 4 damage and they truly don't care about preserving their own life totals. Anything but the most face of face decks, however, will probably hesitate a bit more on it. It'll never be taking over the game or anything, but in the right metas I expect to see it pop up from time to time, ready to fling around some damage.
An elephant never forgets - and it never forgives.
Quote From Noxious Reminds me of Kvaldir Raider, another card that costs more than it seems in order to get enough out of it. This card is certainly not great if not corrupted. I will say this card will probably be quite swell in Arena, and it'll likely see some play in constructed as well, but the question is, where will it fit? Rush Warrior seems like it would work better with cheap Rush minions, and other decks will have to decide whether there's space to add this card.
I can say, however, that it'll probably work quite well in decks built around Y'Shaarj, the Defiler. Overall, mixed feelings: I like the card, I just hope it's versatile enough to see play.
"You know what, two heads are better than one!" // "Yeah!"
Quote From Avalon Don't let the wording fool you: the text says "correct enemy", but the effect is the same of Mogor's Champion, Ogre Ninja, Dunemaul Shaman and such. It has very good stats for the cost but, as its predecessors, Optimistic Ogre will see zero play in constructed. On the other hand, the meme potential coming from Witchy Lackey shenanigans can be entertaining.
It's rigged I tell you! There aren't even any Murloc toys in there!
Quote From Avalon Removal plus buffed draw: this card is quite interesting. 6 mana for a rushing Fireball are a lot, but the effect is something you'd gladly welcome. People in our forums suggested that Claw Machine could see play in Menagerie lists (maybe Warrior? Although Scrap Golem looks promising too) and be brought back by N'Zoth, God of the Deep for some extra gas in case of an opponent's board clear.
If the card didn't have Rush, it probably would have been a pack filler, but the fact that is has immediate impact on the board dramatically rises Claw Machine's chances to see play in constructed. Playable.
"Strongman, there's no need to feel down! I said, Strongman, lift that crate off the ground!"
Quote From Avalon I had quite the hard time evaluating this minion, but in the end I came to the conclusion that it is probably a win more card.
While it is pretty similar to Anubisath Defender, it comes down at least 3 turns later, when bodies start mattering less and less, and it has underwhelming stats if not corrupted: yes it has taunt, but you'd never pay 7 mana for a 6/6.
Not really worth it: maybe just in Warlock or Druid, but I'm not very optimistic.
Comments
I do believe that Strongman is one of the strongest cards of the set and the strongest corrupt card in Control decks. It provides protection and a proactive play after a big board clear. The weakness of big board clears (like Twisting Nether and Plague of Death) is the fact that they still give all the initiative to the opponent but this card allows you to get on the board immediately after wiping out everything else. The opponent will need to ask themselves if they can go all in on a proactive play or if they need to answer the Strongman beforehand to prevent incoming attacks or value trades. I think it will be a cornerstone card of Control decks until it rotates.
I dunno if Strongman is a win more card as much as it’s a swing card. It’s basically a free large minion after a mass AOE spell (Twisting, plague, Reno