It’s time for me to rank the cards from the new Hearthstone expansion, Journey to Un’Goro! The rules for this review are quite simple, each card will have two scores of 5 stars each and two commentaries — though one of them might be really small — one score for constructed game and the other for arena. The star scores will have the following representation:

☆☆☆☆☆ (0 stars)

Useless, the “expansion filler”, like a Magma Rager, this cards that will not see any play at all.

★☆☆☆☆ (1 star)

Bad cards, that will not see play, it might be because they are fairly weak or it’s not their time to shine due the lack of cards to interact with them. This category have bad cards like Goldshire Footman or a card that does not have enough cards to interact like Kirin Tor Mage who might find his place with the new Mage common card.

★★☆☆☆ (2 stars)

Decent cards, those cards will be at decent level, like Chillwind Yeti, the problem is: They are not OP. Might see some play due the fact they are powerful at their own, but not at competitive level.

★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

Powerful cards at their own, will see a fairly amount of play, but will not be largely played since there are more OP cards, they can also be found in specific decks. Doomsayer and Leeroy Jenkins are examples of commonly found cards that can find they share in some decks.

★★★★☆ (4 stars)

Really powerful cards, OP level. Those cards are really powerful and/or support the meta-defining cards. They will be largely played. Cards in here are a powerhouse like the might Azure Drake or a Small-Time Buccaneer who carries the pirate decks.

★★★★★ (5 stars)

Meta-defining. Reno Jackson, Dr. 7 or Patches the Pirate.

I will do (hopefully) a review of all cards revealed in each each week, once the review is done I’ll not come back and edit it; however at the end, when all cards got revealed, I will make a final review that probably will be more accurate.

Druid

Verdant Longneck

The base minion

Constructed ★★☆☆☆

For me, the Verdant Longneck defines the base of this new set. It’s 5 mana 5/4 which is Chillwind Yeti stats and carries the set mechanic, the Adapt, and like the Mechanical Yeti it will be an ok card. Sure it costs an extra mana, that’s why he is not a 3 star card.

Arena ★★★☆☆

Unlike constructed, in arena cards who has high stats are more powerful and a 5 mana card whose can be 6/5, 8/4 or 5/7 is a pretty big deal, not counting the Divine Shield.

Hunter

Swamp King Dred

Poor King Crush, he never had a chance

Constructed ★★★☆☆

I love this card. It’s mechanic is amazing, every time an opponent plays a minion, the Swamp King Dred will — mostly likely — kill it, he however has two majors problems: High cost and Poisonous. While is true a 7 mana 9/9 is a powerful card for it’s cost, it can be easily dealt with a removal spell or a small minion with Poisonous keyword, who will die but kill its Jörmungandr.

Arena ★★★★★

A 7 mana 9/9 for arena is already good, not to say really good, but a 7 mana 9/9 that ensures you control the board? That’s insane! Meet the new Dr. 7.

A side note, Swamp King Dred ability allows him to kill any minion played not summoned so he would not kill minions summoned by Imp Master, for instance.

Mage

Pyros

The all-bad Mage Legendary minion

Constructed ★☆☆☆☆

Gosh, no love for Mage legendaries. I wish this card was powerful, but I can’t see I playing a 6 mana 6/6, even less a 10 mana 10/10. If I was to play a 10 mana 10/10 minion I would better concede the game, its simple too slow. I can’t help but think that even if the Mage Questwere to summon X elementals, this card would still be a bad card. I mean, even if you play it your opponent can silence or transform it, negating its effect.

Arena ★★★★☆

Arena as always is another world, this card will be really powerful in arena, it stats is ok for it mana cost in each card phase; simple as that.

Arcanologist

OP texts, not always are OP

Constructed ★★☆☆☆ Novice Apprentice is a 2 mana 1/1 minion that draws you a card, it used to be a 2 mana 1/2 minion and was played a lot. How about a 2 mana 2/3 minion that draws a card? It would be insane, right?

Arcanologist is arguably a insane card, it’s a 2/3 for 2 mana she also”draw” a card, even more a specific card. It is really insane, the only problem is that though Mage have many secrets, not many of them are played, the solo largely played secret is Ice Block and it’s a secretthat you do not need to draw early. Unless new powerful secrets were to be released I wouldn't be surprised to not see this card been played.

Arena ★★★☆☆

An ok-ish card, nothing special. Maybe with the increased chance of spells appearing during arena’s draft it might find some play, but even without a secret it’s a 2 mana 2/3 minion.

Paladin

Dinosize

Imagine it with Mega-Windfury

Constructed ★★★☆☆

That will be a fun spell, 8 mana 10 damage. It might be the newPaladin finisher, it might hit an Divine Shield minion and let it trade with several other minions or it might hit that stupid Young Dragonhawk and suddenly you are dealing 20 damage to your enemy face. Regardless of all that, it will find some play but only on specific decks.

Arena ★★★★☆

As all in arena; the bigger the better.

Priest

Awaken the Makers