This is a little thing I'll be doing here every few days in order to inspire discussion in the competitive gaming community. I'll bring up a topic of discussion or debate that may relate to a game or a player, and I'd love to hear your opinions on these topics in the comments section of this blog post!
It's easy to argue that the World of Warcraft Trading Card game is pretty healthy. Sure, there have been some cards that could definitely be argued as 'unfun' after a little while (I'm looking at you Myriam Starcaller!), but nothing that has appeared overly powerful.
So...has that changed at all? This game is nearly finished with its fourth block, and there are definitely some powerful interactions in the Classic Constructed format. Are any 'too powerful'? Perhaps there is a card that really bugs you, or that you think sees way too much play for it to be healthy for the game. What are your thoughts?
eye of the storm. It's annoying because it makes every other location (save a specific few in a specific decks) unplayable. I mean they just had a block all about locations, so it sucks that most of them don't get played.
ReplyDeleteMyriam Starcaller was a fun card. I felt it got out of control when they printed Water elemental and 30% of the matches you played as a Black Ice deck were fighting to keep one of the two or both alive.
ReplyDeleteeye of the storm is a reasonable choice, but it is not on the same power level as a card like Adam Eternum or Burley burta. The game can be determined by turn 3 who is going to win when these two cards are four ofs in each deck.
If any card had to be banned as we look forward, while I hate to say it, is fizzle. Every set more and more powerful abilities will be printed as the power creep on each card rises. Cards like deathwish, keys to the armory, drain will, banish to the nether, mana sapphire, nether fracture, and more are all cards that have been printed post fizzle that are affected by fizzle. During Azeroth block a card that cost 3, and destroyed an opposing ally or equipment seemed amazing, and came out in March of Legion in the form of puncture. Imagine the power curve to keep rising, and cards like storm shock or mana sapphire to continue to grow in power and reduce in cost.. I could see fizzle being the most dominate card in the format as long as mage has answers to allies and equipment (which they already do).
~Corey Burkhart
Blizzard.
ReplyDeleteThis is a card that is super powerful in both aggro decks and control decks. Its just way too good for two mana cost. Combine Blizzard with ways to recur it (Solanians/Spellblade/Flickers) and you have an archtype that is both unfun and overpowered. If one card were to be banned this should be it.
Phil,
ReplyDeleteI like your points and agree that if any card is deserving of a banning, it would be that one. Eye of the Storm as it stands is generic, goes into any deck (aggro can shut down protectors, control shuts down aggro, anything shuts down decks based on attacking with a hero), it's easy to charge, it's making otherwise great locations unplayable, and it's seeing heavy play in the top decks.
Even Mage has moved to Eye of the Storm over other potential options. I would personally be thrilled to not deal with that location anymore, so maybe things like Angrathar may actually see play!
Blizzard is an understandable choice from my perspective. The card is arguably one of the best if not the best card printed to date. In the current meta it is almost always a draw 2-5 cards and clear your opponents board except against deathwish and slow control (which runs 3-4 blizzard anyways).
ReplyDelete@ Phil,
I agree that eye of the storm is played in infinate decks largely due to its generic tag line. It is easy to charge, and is also great with things to use honor counters. I believe it is clearly the best location, the only one in the running is silvermoon and that one is run by only two to three decks.
The problem I would have with banning this card is that it weakens the ability for lots of major decks to interact with things such as kuma. The all in version of kuma which my dad played this year at worlds was unstoppable with our versions of black ice/nich merrick/ and morganis without the inclusion of eye of the storm. The card is incredibly powerful, but is there to balance the format in a way to not make decks fall over and die. An agro deck needs the card to be used as a removal spell to not be blanked by weldon barov.
just my two cents, but it is definitely debatable.
~Corey Burkhart
Eye of the Storm, Tuskarr Kite.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you bann Tuskarr Kite ? It isn't warping the format, and it is allowing new decks to emerge, decks that would previously have no option in the card-drawing domain.
ReplyDeleteThe card I would bann would be Eye of Kilrogg. I think this card, and now Lesson of the Nether, is simply overpowered, and it's only going to get worse, just like Fizzle, except that, unlike Fizzle, it basically has no limits as to what it can stop. On top of that, it's a frustrating card to play against.
Yeah, I'm actually cool with Kite. The fact that it adds to round time is a bit annoying, but simply adjusting your operations can remove a good portion of the time lost. I don't think it should get banned because it is one of the few things keeping allies relevant in this game. a few sets back (right before SW, basically) classic was drifting into all solo deck territory, with the occasional rush deck filled with little red dudes. Now allies are part of many gameplans and a lot of it has to do with Kite giving a strong incentive to play enough allies to activate it consistently.
ReplyDeleteEye of Kilrogg has a very basic and obvious limit on what it can stop: anything not in your hand.
Blizzard is probably the closest class card to being bannable, but i don't think it would be terribly difficult to build in a couple more answers to it (more instant speed ability removal/discard can cover a bunch of classes, armor, etc). I'm fine with that card being the best class card simply because it bears the blizzard moniker. Something's gotta be the best, might as well be the one named after the IPs owner...
Anyways, yeah, Eye of the Storm. Boo.
btw that was me, i just didn't log in.
ReplyDeleteI don't see a problem with eye of the storm. If you're deck has a huge problem with it, run hate for locations or ways around it. Against rush it just buys you a turn.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to say that its a generic stable in every deck I don't agree with that either as you still need some synergy to make it truly effective.
I think blizzard and fizzle are top contenders for me. As much as I love mage, those cards are meta shaping. You always have to worry about blizzard lock when building a deck. But it wouldn't be nearly as bad with out flickers.I hate that card.
I really don't think there is any card that needs to be banned right now though. Myriam was close, and now blizzard is closer, but I still don't know that they are in anyway broken