You may have noticed a distinct lack of card reviews for Hearthstone’s previous two expansions here on Geek Stew. Or maybe you didn’t, because it feels like everybody stopped playing. Hearthstone has an aging problem, and a competition problem with the bright and shiny MTG Arena. It’s not the prize pig it once was.

But Team 5 has promised this time is gonna be different, baby, and with Ravnica wearing a little thin on me, I’m ready to drop my gentleman’s card game for a while and go play in the sweet, dirty mud again. Rise of Shadows has brought back many of Hearthstone’s most memorable characters for a villain team-up, and god-damn if I don’t love a good villain team-up! Combine that with some smart changes to the metagame and a plan to keep the game fresh between expansions, and I’m back in Dr. Boom’s arms. What say you, Matt?

I had long since abandoned Hearthstone for a deep and engaging intellectual relationship with Slay the Spire. I appreciated Hearthstone’s attempts at single player content, but Slay the Spire felt like the sniper rifle solution to all their dart board attempts. Similarly, I had gotten a little overwhelmed by all the options of Season of the Mammoth’s 6 different expansions brought to the table. However, with some new cards, trimming the hedges on the bloated amount of cards in the meta, I’m willing to stop talking politics with my bae Slay and give Hearthstone another college try.

Like last time, we’re covering just a portion of the cards. Matt and I each picked our favorites, and I scrounged up the biggest flops of the set. If we don’t get around to talking about all the legendaries between those two things, we’ll talk about them too. Because let’s be honest, we know you’re just here for those shiny little overcosted gems.

However just because I’ve been sweet-talked doesn’t mean we can ignore the usual ground rules:

I’m assuming you have solid, up-to-date familiarity with Hearthstone, and how it works on a competitive level. I’m a dirty biased control deck player. I will overvalue the greedy cards and neither you nor I can stop it. When I talk about Tiers, I’m using a vague anecdotal mishmosh of the various rating sites like Vicious Syndicate and Tempo Storm. The “biggest disappointment” cards aren’t necessarily the weakest of the set. We’re calling them “disappointments” because folks are talking them up now, and we’re pretty sure they’re gonna fall short of expectations. Please don’t use my predictions as the sole basis for how you spend your money/gold/dust. I can’t live with that responsibility. My heart is weak.

There’s bound to be winners and losers in this chaotic brawl of heroes and villains, and now it’s our job to pick them and gloat/cringe over our choices later!

Druid Report Card:



With the recent round of nerfs and the Year of the Mammoth rotating out, Druid is going to be in a weaker position than it has ever been before. Malfurion should be out here wipin’ his mossy brow because his new cards are just barely gonna save his ass. Ramp Druid is deader than post-nerf Wild Growth, but Token Druid survives on and picks up a pretty sweet arsenal. The healing package cards might not make it past the first week of the expansion, but if they do, they’ll strengthen Druid even more.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Dreamway Guardians

Since I went ahead and staked out my claim that Token Druid is gonna be good, it’s hard not to pick the best token card. Getting 2/4 in stats for 2 mana is a bargain, and the Lifesteal is so versatile. It’ll help you pull ahead when you’re up against a more aggressive deck, and it can enable those healing package cards if they turn out to be good. Dreamway Guardians isn’t a flashy card, but it’s going to do work in this meta and many metas to come.

MATT: The price and the “potential” to combo off the healing cards is what sells it for me more than anything. If this does consistently activate the healing package, this is an exceptional two drop and is exactly as good as Ryan says.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Crystal Stag

With the help of Lifesteal minions, this card is incredible. Essentially an 8/8 battering ram for 5. And if the Spellstones from Kobolds and Katacombs taught us anything, it’s not hard to count to 5 in Hearthstone.

RYAN: I’m a little cooler on the healing package than you are, but you raise a good point. Strong Lifesteal minions like Zilliax might make up for the lack of good Druid healing spells. And besides, this card might be good enough to work without going all-in on healing. It is indeed not hard to count to 5, especially when you have the whole game to trigger it.



Disappointment of the Set: Crystalsong Portal

I don’t think this is a bad card at all, but that’s just it. It’s deceptively playable, and yet I don’t know what deck this goes in. You really do have to have 0-5 minions in your deck for this be good. Mecha’Thun doesn’t seem viable since Naturalize is rotating out. How is Crystalsong Portal supposed to help you win? It’ll see play someday… but sure as hell not this meta.

MATT: My question is – what are the minions you’re rolling? Are they some low cost, high stats heavy hitters? I think that’s the key factor here: Druid is generally not a spell-centric class. You’re are going to need creatures, so unless these are a thicc taunt, a death touch and a life steal, I don’t foresee it being worth the risk of running low on monsters.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Keeper Stalladris

Stalladris looks pretty damn fab, and he was almost my #1 pick. He provides a nice refill for your hand in Token Druid without screwing up your tempo, and if there’s other fast-ish Druid decks out there they’ll gladly use him too. The thing is that Stalladris seems more like a nice little bonus than a deck lynchpin. It’ll be pretty rare that you get more than one or two procs off of him, and some Choose One options are awkward enough that they’ll get stuck in your hand for a while.

MATT: The low proc chance with only one copy was why I wasn’t particularly interested in him. I think if he were a 2/4 or 2/5 for 3 he’d be a much stronger pick.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Lucentbark

This big craggy purple guy looks cool as heck, and I love a minion that keeps coming back. He’s undeniably great if you can reliably bring him back 3+ times- but will that be possible this meta? I don’t think so. Dreamway Guardians and the new Crystal Power card are cool, but beyond that, Druid healing is pretty mediocre. Besides, any Druid deck slow enough to want this is going to be clinging on for dear life once Rise of Shadows hits.

MATT: I put Crystal Stag above this because Crystal Stag has a long game goal that can be achieved anytime. This feels more like a difficult short term goal. It is easier to play a card that relies on “Heal 5 health” this game vs. “Heal 5 health ASAP”. I also feel like the rhythm on this card is wonky. As soon as he croaks, you need prioritize healing over other goals that might win you the game. 4 /8 Taunt for 8 is sexy but he’s going to need a little more juice for me to really get loose.

Hunter Report Card:

Coming off the best hot streak they’ve had since 2015, Hunter is the cock of the walk. But starting in a few days, they can’t just slap Deathstalker Rexxar in any deck and win now. They’ve actually gotta try, believe it or not. And while I don’t expect Hunter decks to crumple up and blow away like a dead leaf, I don’t know how many of the new cards they’re going to use. There’s a lot of Spell Hunter and Deathrattle Hunter cards in this set, but both of those decks are going to get a lot weaker after the rotation. Rexxar will have to fall back on old strategies that are just too efficient for these fancy new cards.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Unleash the Beast



One Hunter deck I do expect to stick around is the classic Midrange Hunter, probably with a slight spell slant so they can finish out games with a big Zul’jin blowout. (Slight Spell Slant is my new band name, calling it now.) Unleash the Beast is a great pick for that deck. A 5/5 Rush is fairly costed for 6 mana, but where the card gets juicy is with the Twinspell doubling your value. Summoning four of these suckers off of Zul’jin is downright drool-worthy.

MATT: Twinspell is the saving grace here in that if the spell whiffs, you can play it again next turn. Even without Zul’jin, two pricey but meaty battering rams is never a bad thing.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Nine Lives

Hunters are notorious for Deathrattle cards, Deathrattle cards are notorious for dying and being able to get a monster back and get its effect at the same time is incredibly strong. Plus, its low cost makes it very flexible. Play it early game to make up for lost ramp or board control. Play it late game to potentially regain a lost heavy hitter like Savanah Highmane. It’s a bread and butter card that is hard to misplay.

RYAN: I have more mixed feelings We all know Year of the Mammoth cards are overpowered but this pales in comparison to Play Dead. You’re getting real value, true, but you need a good Deathrattle to go off and help you keep/win back the board too. I wonder if Hunter has enough of those right now.



Disappointment of the Set: Vereesa Windrunner

It bothers me so much that Vereesa isn’t spelled “Vareesa”. Almost as much as it bothers me that this card is showing up late to the Spell Hunter party. It would be tough enough to get value off that extra Spell Power in this meta. Hunter decks in the new expansion will not be able to waste time screwing around with The Legendary Bow of Too Many Apostrophes. If Hunter gets more good spells that do damage later, sure, maybe then.

MATT: The only thing the Windrunner sisters are good for at this point is making dubious choices and this feels pretty dubious.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Oblivitron

People are calling Oblivitron the new lame meme legendary, but I honestly think it has a better chance of seeing play than Vereesa. That’s a low bar, sure, but I can paint a rosy picture of Mech Hunter sticking it out in Tier 3. Fireworks Tech is still a great card, and the new Ursatron ain’t a bad lil’ bear either. Of course, Oblivitron is still going to be the least necessary card in that deck.

MATT: I’d completely forgotten there was a mech-centric expansion or that Hunters even had mechs. In either case, yes. Oblivitron will pull those handful of mechs Hunters have. That’s consistent, at least. What do the Windrunner sisters have? I’ll tell you what:

Kindling.

Mage Report Card:

Like Rexxar, Jaina has been coasting on her overpowered Death Knight card, and now it’s time to wake up from that pleasant Lichy dream and get back to work. It says a lot that I had to look up all the cards Mage got last year. But I think the new, lower-power meta is going to be kind to them, and I can see a few fun, viable Mage decks popping up in the next few months. I bet the best of them is going to be some kind of Rapidfire Mage that pops off cheap spells to claim the early game but has the value cards to close out slower games as well.

But call it a risky bet.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Mana Cyclone

We all know how good Lyra was for Priest, so Jaina should bless her lucky stars she’s getting baby Lyra. Sure, the value train is a lot shorter since the effect only lasts one turn, but since Mage spells are the best spells in the game, this locomotive is gonna have one hell of a caboose on it. It’s not consistent, but it doesn’t have to be, and I feel like just about any Mage deck would play this. Rapidfire, Value, Elemental, Tempo, all are welcome at the Church of Mana Cyclone.

MATT: You can play it early. You can play it late. You can play it for Elemental synergy. You can play it to cap off a Pyroblast. Other than human error, there is no bad time to gain an extra spell or lots of extra spells. It’s real good, y’all.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Kalecgos

Consistency is the word of the day. When you hear consistency, scream real loud. I like Kalecgos because he has something a lot of the “I have a continuous effect” cards lack- the actual health to stick around long enough to be of use. As long as you can maintain some hand power turn 10 (which Dragons love by the way), his ability is gangbusters. While he’s vulnerable to removal it will be almost as expensive for your opponent to get rid of him as he was to play. Which is where his Battlecry comes in: A 10-cost “Discover a spell” alone isn’t perfect, but combined with all of these other factors, he’s my dreamboat. And apparently Jaina’s too.

RYAN: Kalecgos is just plain strong, whether he survive one turn or many. There isn’t a whole lot of Control Mage support in this expansion, but Kalecgos and Mana Cyclone alone are enough to make me think that deck has a real chance at success.



Disappointment of the Set: Khadgar

Khadgar has a powerful effect, but the trick is that you have to put all these mediocre “summoning” cards in the deck to go with him. No one is going to get worried when you cast Power of Creation on an empty board. Cards like Vex Crow aren’t going to be good even with Khadgar. It was pointed out to me at the last minute that the new meta won’t have as many board clears, which helps… but nah, Khadgar Summoner Mage still ain’t gonna be a thing.

MATT: This is the card that Kalecgos was explicitly designed not to be. An effect that does not have ubiquitous support. Low health meaning he’ll only get one or two procs. No side benefit for summoning him if something goes wrong. And 2/2 is notoriously easy to remove. I’m sorry Dadgar, but Jaina’s choosing the bad dragon.

Paladin Report Card:

I’ll go ahead and make a not-very-bold claim: Paladin is about to run straight from one degenerate aggro deck to a different degenerate aggro deck. Secret Paladin is back, bubby. With cards comparable to Totem Golem and un-nerfed Fiery War Axe, I’m scared. We should all be scared. That Shirvallah OTK deck still looks really strong, too. Uther looks to remain the face every Hearthstone player loves to hate.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Mysterious Blade



With Paladin secrets tough to trigger on Turn One, this is a reliable Turn Two play. And since Paladin secrets cost just 1 mana, this is an easy 3-mana combo. Late game it gets lacking, but most two drops do, and this new Secret Paladin is just not going to let you even dream of the late game.

(PS Was there always a letter “U” in “mysterious” in American English? Serious Mandela Effect vibes here.)

MATT: I think it’s just you. This card is legit though- it’s very bread and butter. Not the strongest, but certainly a card that will be in every deck running more than 3 secrets.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Desperate Measures

Oh look, a card that combos perfectly with Mysterious Blade. I like this one because it gives you some flexibility in exchange for randomness. Players will likely get wise once Secret Paladin becomes a thing and will learn how to play around the good Secrets- this gives you a solid mindgame to keep them on their toes and not feel like you wasted your mana if a secret gets foiled by counterplay.

RYAN: This isn’t phenomenal or anything, but Secret Paladin will need a critical mass of secrets, and this will help you fill that mass and prevent you from running out of steam earlier, too. I like it.



Disappointment of the Set: Dragon Speaker



Dragon Paladin might work in lower Tiers, but it won’t be on the back of this slow, clunky card. Handbuff effects have notoriously never been great, and this one is stapled to an expensive, understatted body. If you wanna play your meme dreams, be my guest, but just play some more big dragons instead of this loser.

MATT: Paladin has Dragons?

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Commander Rhyssa

Commander Rhyssa can be described in four words: “Yeah, sure, I guess.”

…Not gonna accept that one, huh? Well, she’s a neat bonus effect for Secret Paladin, and I think she’s going to see plenty of play in the early weeks of the new expansion. The question is if she’s good enough to stay in the deck as it gets refined. Rhyssa does nothing when you play her, and the opponent has control over when her effects go off.

(PS I wanted to criticize this card more because she has the same name of an ex-girlfriend of my friend, so I just wanted you to know I ignored that impulse and was a Good and Mature Boy.)

MATT: Shame on you, Ryan. Here at Geek Stew we only dunk on fictional characters and bad creators. But yeah this is… it’s fine? It’s not good but I guess it’s fine?

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Nozari

At first, I was like “What Control Paladin is going to be good enough to exist anymore?” They nerfed the piss out of Equality, and other classes are just doing much better things in the late game these days. Then, I remembered: the Shirvallah OTK Paladin is pretty slow, does its face damage all at once, and it wants a lot of healing. Nozari works with all those things. On the off-chance that deck doesn’t survive the rotation, Nozari is dead in the water.

MATT: It was sexier when Alexstraza did it.

Priest Report Card:

I’m starting to sound like a broken record (albeit an accurate record) when I say that the rotation is hitting Priest hard. Anduin is sitting on a pile of mostly crappy cards from last year, and every strong Priest deck is getting stripped of key components. All is not lost: the new Silence Priest looks halfway decent, and there might be a future for Big Priest even without their busted Year of the Mammoth cards. Still, I think Anduin has been banished from the top tiers for a little while.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Convincing Infiltrator

Matt once said of Obsidian Statue: “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.” Well, Obsidian Statue’s biracial cousin is here, but he’s still pretty sweet. Losing the lifesteal hurts, but dropping 4 stats for 4 mana is not a bad deal at all. Like our dear departed Statue, this fits into just about any board-based Priest strategy out there. The only way it doesn’t see play is if Priest doesn’t see play… which is possible.

MATT: He’s the little mixed race cousin that wants to be hard like his older cousin Obsidian Statue, but doesn’t realize it’s not the color of his skin, but the content of his value that makes him beloved.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Catrina Muerte

Kel’Thuzad is back baby! They even have the exact same stats. I will own up to having a fetish for cards that have ongoing effects and the life to keep those effects up. Even getting off just one proc this a nasty ability late game. I hear Anduin is looking for a queen: maybe this Zombie priestess will finally pop his cherry.

RYAN: I have a soft spot for spicy Latinas, even when their skin is rotting off their bones. And Catrina is spicy as heck, with decent stats and an effect that can win games if it sticks to the board. She’s not quite Kel’Thuzad, but she might actually be better.



Disappointment of the Set: Mass Resurrection

I feel like I’m saying this a lot, but this card isn’t actually bad. If Big Priest survives to fight another day, it’ll be in that deck. I’m just sick of all the moaning and groaning this card got over on the Hearthstone Reddit. It’s way worse than Diamond Spellstone, thanks largely to its awkward 9-mana casting cost. People talk about the dream of triple-casting this with Archmage Vargoth, but you have to be really, really careful not to foul up your Res pool if you want to pull off that insanity.

MATT: Catrina Muerte also does effectively the same thing while also dealing damage, costing one less mana, and having the same stats as the original Kel’Thuzad, who was pretty beefy for Arthas’ skeleton power bottom.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Madame Lazul

Madame Lazul is just kind of a fine, replaceable card. It’s flexible enough to go in all kinds of Priest decks, and the effect is generally worth a card slot. On the other hand, if you play this on Turn Three, the opponent’s hand is probably full of cheap, valueless cards. And don’t get me started on this “she lets you spy on your opponent’s hand!” bullshit. We had that argument when Chameleos came out, and we all know how that went!

MATT: What is it with cheap cost but mundane effect Legendaries this expansion?

Rogue Report Card:

I historically was not very sure of my Rogue ratings, often with good reason. (Why did I rate Doomerang so highly?!) This, however, is one time I feel confident saying Valeera is in good shape. Thief Rogue is looking just grotesquely powerful, and honestly, any of these new Rogue cards is good enough to see play, in a later meta if not this one. I’m ready to get out there and heist with my buddy Togwaggle.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Vendetta

Vendetta isn’t as flashy as some other Rogue cards from this set, but it’s almost certainly the most powerful. 0 mana, deal 4 damage is the kind of busted shit you can compare to un-nerfed Soulfire, and there are enough good Burgle cards now that you can reliably get that cost. The fail-case of costing 4 mana is bad, but the card is never unplayable. It’s simply one of the best tempo cards we’ve ever seen.

MATT: I dig it.

No, you slice it.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Tak Nozwhisker

I’m being ambitious here and my fetish is showing in my Google tabs but hear me out: We have a strong ongoing effect stapled to good stats. So long as you can hold on to some deck shuffling shenanigans cards, I think you have the making of an extremely powerful engine. Worst case, hey, at least he’d be great in MTG Arena.

RYAN: Ambitious is right. Tak is very, very cool, but any juju he has seems to be of the meme variety. Rogue has the tempo tools to get some value this expansion, but this is probably aiming too high.



Disappointment of the Set: Unidentified Contract

I meant what I said earlier- there are no bad Rogue cards in this set. That said, Unidentified Contract has stiff competition from Vendetta and existing Rogue removal. Can you afford paying 2 mana for the bonus effect when you could just play Walk The Plank? Maybe, because all four options are good. But they’re good at very different points of the game, so if you really need the Turncoat Contract and you get the Recruitment Contract, you’re going to be very sad.

MAT: I liked this card a lot until I saw the 6 cost. Now, I’m with Ryan. It’s just too costly for the randomness it brings.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Heistbaron Togwaggle

The good ol’ King of the Kobolds has gone from meme to actual win condition, and now to juicy, juicy value card. Generating Lackeys has a cost on your deck, but Heistbaron Togwaggle makes up for it and then some. When you can play multiple copies with Shadowstep/Waggle Pick/Togwaggle’s Scheme shenanigans, you just seize control of the value game completely. Rogue has trouble playing a value deck, but I think you can just play this aside those super-tempo Thief Rogue cards and be happy.

MATT: They found a way to make Marin the Fox good?!

Shaman Report Card:

Poor Thrall got clobbered with a couple of nerfs last year and ended up falling to the bottom of the ladder once again. The days of Shamanstone are long behind us, but could they be back again with some Murloc nonsense? Quite possibly, since that deck looks pretty good. I’m crossing my fingers tight that a Control Shaman might work too, but I have a lot less confidence about that. Losing Volcano and Healing Rain was a big hit, and it doesn’t look like they got the replacements they needed.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Underbelly Angler

Right after I finally dusted the Murloc Quest, this card shows up. But who needs the quest when this lil’ toothy dude fills up your hand even better than Megafin did? The historical weakness of Murloc decks was running out of steam in the mid-to-late game, and Underbelly Angler keeps your MRGGL machine purring like a kitten. Paired with Sludge Slurper and Soul of the Murloc, Shaman has a real threat on their hands.

MATT: Murlocs are back on the menu, boys!



Matt’s Best of the Set: Swampqueen Hagatha

Holy smoke the value. 7 mana for a 5/5 is a bit weak, but the ability to effectively create a creature with 2 spells that you can target is insane. I think that is the real value here. Imagine having a cheap Fire Elemental that can both deal 3 damage AND cast Lightning Storm? That is obscene, and there’s very little your opponent can do to stop it.

RYAN: Hagatha is undoubtedly worth your while in a Control Shaman deck. You do lose tempo when you play her, but you should make it back and then some with that Horror. You can easily increase her power with good partners like Shudderwock or Barista Lynchen, too. Unfortunately, as I said, I don’t think Control Shaman looks very strong, but that isn’t Hagatha’s fault!



Disappointment of the Set: Muckmorpher

I feel like there were about ten cards in this set that people glanced at and immediately screamed “Malygos!” None of them actually look that scary, this one least of all. Shaman doesn’t seem capable of running a strong combo deck, and even if they did, you have to draw this before your Malygos. That’s too unreliable, and I have no idea what other purpose this card has.

MATT: On top of that, if it doesn’t hit any ongoing effect or Deathrattle cards, it’s dead.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Scargil

I’ve said it plenty of times: the Murloc Shaman deck is gonna be good. But Scargil is not going to be a key player, and I’m not even sure he’s going to be in the refined version of the deck. A 4 mana 4/4 is a little weak to have any real board impact. That means he’s basically a combo piece, and mana was never the issue with Murloc decks. Scargil will give you an awesome tempo turn every once in a while, but I’m not convinced he’s irreplaceable.

MATT: He’s on that middle ground of being statted high enough to get his procs but not particularly useful enough to really shine. I also don’t feel like Murlocs have ever really been that expensive.

Warlock Report Card:

With the passing of the Year of the Mammoth, Control Warlock looks like it’s packed up its toys and gone home for a while. Zoolock, on the other hand, looks stronger than ever, and capable of supporting several different flavors. Midrange, Aggro, Wacky Shuffle Time, pick your ice cream. Gul’Dan doesn’t have the strongest set of new cards, but he does have the strongest hero power in the game, and even without Doomguard he’ll smash your face in.



Ryan’s Best of the Set: EVIL Genius

The new, mighty Zoolock will probably have lots of little imps and eggs worth sacrificing in the midgame. That’s where EVIL Genius comes in, gobbling up your underpowered minions to provide hand refill. The Lackeys have especially powerful tempo effects in the midgame too. That means a Turn Four Genius, Lackey, Lackey play is a lot scarier than it sounds- and it sounds pretty scary to begin with.

MATT: It’s a 2 for 1 Sale!



Matt’s Best of the Set: Plot Twist

This to me feels like a whole new genre of cards (to be fair, Ryan might have better insight on that). This is a 2 mana mulligan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 2 mana mulligan card before but it feels incredibly powerful? Don’t like your hand? Draw a new one. Have lots of hand control? Get rewarded for it. I don’t know if Warlock has any mechanics that reward shuffling but if it does…. I’m afraid.

RYAN: Warlock does happen to have some cards that reward shuffling, both directly and indirectly. And yeah, traditionally that Professor Oak type effect has been really strong. Hearthstone is a lot faster than most card games, so that might hurt the potential, but I feel like Plot Twist just has to be in a broken deck sooner or later.



Disappointment of the Set: Jumbo Imp

I’ll admit it: we screwed up bad on Corridor Creeper, the card so good it saw play as a nerfed 7 mana 2/5. But ladies and gentlemen, this is no Corridor Creeper. The demon restriction hurts a lot, and this has the same cost and stats as Sea Giant. 9 times out of 10, the Giant is just better, and you don’t need both. This would need to come out on turn 4 or 5 to be worth it, and I just do not see that happening.

MATT: Agreed. ‘Nuff said.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Arch-Villain Rafaam

The Hearthstone world at large can’t seem to decide how good Arch-Villain Rafaam is, and neither can I. He’s probably better than the similar Elise Starseeker/Golden Monkey from back in the day, but I think Control Warlock has better plans to close out the game (if it even exists in this meta). That means this card fits in exactly Zoolock with a midrange bent, to replace all your low-cost minions if the game goes long. Is that worth it? We’ll see, but I’d guess yes.

MATT: It definitely has some excellent synergy with Plot Twist.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Fel Lord Betrug

When this was first revealed, everyone was scratching their heads, but then we saw Plot Twist. That’s a really strong combo, but it’s not necessarily game-winning. That’s a problem, because Betrug is otherwise a big heavy dud in hand, a privilege that normally only goes to game-winning combo pieces. If we get more crazy Warlock draw cards, this could see play, but I feel Plot Twist and Soularium alone are not enough to carry the Fel Lord.

MATT: His cost be too thicc.

Warrior Report Card:

I didn’t play all that much Hearthstone last year, but one of my favorite decks was a Control Warrior with Dr. Boom, Mad Genius at the center of it. It wasn’t the greatest deck, but it was a ton of fun and reminded me of an old-style Warrior deck that would wear down the opponent with awesome board clears and grindy value. I think a version of that deck running this new Bomb package could be very strong in the new expansion, and I’m so excited to play it. There’s some other viable-looking decks for Garrosh, but who cares about those?



Ryan AND Matt’s Best of the Set: Wrenchcalibur

This is probably my riskiest pick of this review, but I’ll stand by it. If the Bomb package works, it’ll be because of Wrenchcalibur, and I really do think it’ll work. This card is like a Fiery War Axe that deals 10 bonus damage (eventually), and it can get even better with cards like Upgrade and Captain Greenskin. Blastmaster Boom (see below) is the reason to shove Bombs in your opponent’s deck, but this is the card that enables it. And hey, even Matt agrees with me:

MATT: I do. I don’t know if the Bomb dream combo as a whole works, but a Firey War Axe that can ultimately hit for 16 damage is a prettyyyy explosive start.



Disappointment of the Set: Dr. Boom’s Scheme

Believe it or not, there are Warrior cards in this set that have less chance of seeing play. If there are enough grindy value decks in the meta, maybe this is a one-of tech choice to win in fatigue. But that’s a big maybe, and this card is just a huge disappointment. Warrior really could have used an interesting new board clear or good way to gain armor, and instead, we got this big dud that clearly had its effect changed at the last moment. Blech.

MATT: Bombs don’t even have anything to do with armor.



BUT WHAT ABOUT: Blastmaster Boom

Blastmaster Boom is kinda easy to evaluate, because, well, it’s the classic Dr. Boom card with a twist of lime. If you can get just one bomb in the opponent’s deck, the Blastmaster is already the best 7-drop in the game. If you can get three or more, you fill the board with those overpowered little Boom Bots and win the game. Its success is, of course, linked to the Bomb package, but you already know how I feel about those cards, and early reports from streamers say it all works.

MATT: Streamers have never lied to us before, right? Jokes aside, yeah, I was initially hesitant about this one, but the fact that it’s 2 for 1 makes it feel like a safer play. And even with a single proc, you’ve slapped the enemy for 5-15 damage! Not a bad fail case.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: The Boom Reaver

I think with the rotation, the meta gets a little faster and 10-drops are no longer a safe play. They really have to do something big when you get them out there. Summoning a giant Rush minion alongside this 7/9 might be big enough, but that means you have to cut out all your utility minions. No Acolytes of Pain, no Dyn-o-matics. That’s a steep requirement, and I don’t think there’s enough good big minions to pay you off. This gets a lot better when you can Rush it out with Dr. Boom, Mad Genius, but that’s not reliable.

MATT: The fact that it’s a Battlecry and not a ongoing effect makes me feel sad inside.

Neutral Cards:



Ryan’s Best of the Set: Sunreaver Spy and Sunreaver Warmage

Okay, maybe it’s cheating for me to pick two, but I feel like I can talk about them in one breath. These tricky sisters are deck-defining in two very different types of decks. Sunreaver Spy is the key piece in Secret Paladin, which looks to be the most powerful aggro deck in the new meta. Meanwhile, Sunreaver Warmage is an excellent addition to most any control deck, especially if you’re playing Priest or Mage. It even gives you the flexibility to go face against control and combo decks.

The Sunreaver sisters are going to be a meta presence for the next two years, and I ain’t just sayin’ that cuz they got pretty faces.

MATT: Friendship with the Windrunner sisters over. The Sunreaver sisters are my new best girls.



Matt’s Best of the Set: Barista Lynchen

Say it with me now: Bread and Butter. This is a good, splashy, immediate effect that is useful all game. Had some good early game Battlecries you want to carry to mid or late game? Call up Lynchen. Have a board full of some late game scary monsters or want to pull of some obscene, technical wombo-combo? Once again, the Barista’s got you covered. Years after Aya broke my heart, I’ve finally found the courage to love again.

RYAN: Barista certainly has the potential to serve up a steaming mug of whoopass. While she doesn’t effect the board very much by herself, she can give you strong Battlecries that seize back the tempo you just lost. If you’re not interested in tempo, she brings home delicious, delicious value just as well.



Disappointment of the Set: Proud Defender

It’s possible Proud Defender could make it into some really slow control decks in need of anti-aggro tech, but I’ve heard people talking about him like he’s a Tar Creeper replacement. This card is never gonna stack up to our poor departing Creeper, not even in those aforementioned slow decks. I mention this because we now look to be left without good neutral taunts, which is going to let aggro flood in like we haven’t seen for years. Proud Defender doesn’t have shit to be proud of.

MATT: Lone Champion called, he wants his gimmick back.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Archmage Vargoth

Even though we’ve gotten Vargoth a few days early, he doesn’t look like any mere Volcanosaur or Marin the Fox. This is a control tool with real teeth, the potential to double your giant spells and activate crazy value clown fiestas. It looks like Priest and Mage will be able to use him the best, but Vargoth has the versatility to make it into a lot of decks. I have a hunch none of them will be top-tier in the Rise of Shadows meta, but give him time and he’ll impress.

MATT: Who is ready for some Yogg-Saron shenanigans?!?

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Chef Nomi

People have been talking up Nomi as a killer finisher for about a month now, but I find him more than a little half-baked. As Zalae put it, why aren’t you playing Mecha’Thun if your deck is empty? Besides, even with the mediocre state of board clears, it’s not that hard to put out those Greasefire Elementals before they can smash face.

MATT: I like my steak Medium Rare. Thanks but no thanks, Nomi.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Archivist Elysiana

Elysiana has a very clear purpose: to let you outlast your opponent in a control vs. control game that goes to fatigue. She serves that purpose well, even wiping out any Bombs or Corrupted Bloods you have left in your deck. But even though I have high hopes for Control Warrior, I think that purpose looks a little narrow. Elysiana will be in control decks if the meta goes super grindy, there’s no question of that. I just don’t think things are headed that way for a while.

MATT: A lot also hinges on what those 5 cards you get are. If you whiff badly enough, you could shoot yourself in the foot.

BUT WHAT ABOUT: Jepetto Joybuzz

Of all the kooky wombo-combo cards in this expansion, I believe Jepetto Joybuzz has the most potential. If you use him as a tutor, you can yank out those combo piece minions and make them super cheap to boot. I’m gonna be real, though: I don’t love those kinds of decks and I don’t have a ton of experience with them.

That means I have to rely on the pro player buzz, which seems to be lukewarm. Joybuzz is admittedly overcosted and slow, so you’d better be able to hold back the aggro tides if you use him. My gut says we’ll see Joybuzz in the meta someday, I just don’t know if it’s right now.

MATT: It’s too expensive and I’m sorry but Gepetto always felt like kind of a pedophile.

Conclusion:

We hope you enjoyed our take on Rise of Shadows! Agree or Disagree with our choices? Let us know (nicely please!) in the comments below! Then put on your burglar masks and let’s rob Dalaran.

(One last note: Matt is an employee of Blizzard. He has worked on Blizzard games. He does not represent or speak for Blizzard. These mad ramblings are all on him.)