One Night in Karazhan: Card Preview Week 2

ONIK Preview: Week 2

The second wing of One Night in Karazhan is opening soon, and it’s time to go over the cards that will be released. How impactful will they be?  Our Data Reaper contributors chime in.

The scoring is as follows:

5- Staple core card, Meta-defining.

4- Strong, will see play.

3- Decent, has potential to see play.

2- Weak, situational, niche.

1- Terrible, unplayable.

Below is a spreadsheet that summarizes all of our contributors’ scores.

 

Pompous Thespian

Gallon: 2

“A better Frostwolf Grunt!  A better Frostwolf Grunt still isn’t good enough to play, though.”

HC015: 2

“2 drops suck now and this 2 drop is above average. Could be used as a filler card in some decks.”

HotMeowth: 1

“Frostwolf Grunt power creep”

Fenom: 1

“This is what Frostwolf Grunt should have been. There was no reason for a taunt minion to gain only one stat when going from 1 mana to 2 mana when all other kinds of minions would gain two stats in that mana range. Still, taunt is not what you need that early in the game, so this is just a vanilla 3/2 for arena.”

Wwlos: 1

“Why are such vanilla cards being released in an adventure? Save these for the big expansions, Blizzard. Boring and unplayable is a bad mix.”

EndOfDays: 1

“Waste of design space.”

Average Score: 1.3

Onyx Bishop

Gallon: 3

“Mediocre body and mediocre spell stapled together.  It’s an ok card, but Priest does not need another inconsistent mid-game card.”

HC015: 3

“Helps with Priest curve issues kind of. By the early game, Priest is likely to have had Northshire Cleric, Injured Blademaster, or one of their 4 drops killed. However 3/4 body isn’t the best and Priest is usually behind on board at this point. I don’t know enough about Priest but my thoughts are that their cards are slightly above average and not overpowered like they needed.”

HotMeowth: 3

“Best card in this adventure set for Priest. It would be a strong card for any class; this card creates insane value for 5 mana. The only problem is Priest as a whole has a weak early game and too many situational cards, and on 5, it is where Priest’s AOE removals become green. Because of all that, it makes this card a lot weaker.”

Fenom: 3

“This is Resurrect on a stick. You just need to resurrect a 2/2 to break even, so it’s a decent card”

Wwlos: 4

“If this card was in just about any other class, it might be borderline bonkers. It’s crazy because there is a lot of potential value/tempo to be had with this card at the 5 spot, but Priest will never be able to capitalize on this value in its current state. When this card is being played on turn 5, we are still losing, because we’re playing Priest and our first four turns were in no way impactful enough for a pure value/tempo card to be justified being played. That turn has to most likely be used for removal and clean up. The class is so handicapped it can’t even take advantage of the good cards it is given.”

EndOfDays: 3

“Resurrect is a mediocre spell in a class with no early game. A 3/4 body for 3 mana is mediocre too, so let’s combine them to have a mediocre Priest minion. Sounds like a winner. To be honest, this is not a bad card in a vacuum, but its main weakness is that it’s a Priest card”

Average Score: 3.2

Kindly Grandmother

Gallon: 4

“Slow but powerful card. Only issue I can see is if opponent ignores it they force you to trade in, making the 2nd body not nearly as scary, however 4/3 in stats along with both creatures having a beast tag makes this card super sticky for Mid-Range Hunter. Bargain brand Haunted Creeper is still very good.”

HC015: 4

“Probably will see play and replace Elekk in Hunter. One of the few 2 drops that doesn’t get destroyed by FWA. Downside is that your opponent can ignore it but Hunter can find ways to use the body with Abusive Sergeant and Houndmaster.”

HotMeowth: 4

Seems to be a great card that can improve Hunter’s early game, it has a similar effect to Haunted Creeper, where the card is a sticky beast minion early game that your opponent doesn’t want to deal with, it synergizes with Knife Juggler and often guarantees a Houndmaster target. This card will be a staple and 2 drop replacement for either King’s Elekk or Huge Toad, it also helps against warrior because it is not a good Fiery War Axe target.

Fenom: 5

“If hunter hasn’t already been good enough, it certainly will be with this card. There are currently not too many good 2-mana minions for a Hunter, so this really helps, not just the curve but also Houndmaster synergy. Hunters will no longer need to throw random Flame Jugglers in their decks for no synergy. Kindly Grandmother is perfect.”

Wwlos: 2

“I’m going to go ahead and guess this card sees no real competitive play. It’s sticky but the stat distribution over turn two and three (when it’s played then when the 3/2 is dealt with) is extremely underwhelming. The sticky aspect is nice and what gives it hope, if only for synergy with Houndmaster. Drawing this card after turn two is just so miserable, worse so than most two drops.”

EndOfDays: 4

“Hunters these days play Huge Toad. This card is much better. Sticky minions are very valuable to the class because repetitive minion damage becomes highly oppressive with their hero power. This minion counters Fiery War Axe, synergizes with Houndmaster and strengthens Hunter’s fight for the board in the early game against aggressive decks.”

Average score: 3.8

Arcane Giant

Gallon: 4

“Powerful card. Decks such as Yogg druid, which is filled to the brim with spells, including Raven Idol and Wild Growth, can now opt to run a beefy undercosted beater along with their boards of small minions.”

HC015: 4

“Probably will only see play ever in Yogg Druid. Powerful on Nourish reload turns.”

HotMeowth: 2

“At first I thought this was good, but then I realized it is 12 mana, meaning you need to cast like 7 or 8 spells in order to make it semi decent mid-game by playing it for 5 or 6 mana. In the late game it is a great top deck, but by then you would have excess mana to do something else too. It might be too slow for me, but if you can pull off some synergies mid/late game, this can be good.”

Fenom: 4

“Spell decks already exist because of Yogg Saron. This can make them even better or invite more classes to run spell decks.”

Wwlos: 2

“A lot of people are hyping this card, and I don’t think it’s the worst card, the value and potential are there. It just seems like a card that is hard to fit into decks that still want to win past this being one of the singular win conditions. It’s just such a bad draw until after turn 6 or 7 in most scenarios. The cards that usually fit this MO better be straight up win conditions, and while an 8/8 is nice, it doesn’t just win you a game like other higher cost win conditions will. It’ll be played the first week, cut the second I’m guessing.”

EndOfDays: 3

“This is a relatively playable giant, and the effect is not too difficult to abuse if you’re playing a spell heavy class. Shaman, in particular, has the ability to build around it, but Mage, Rogue and Druid might also be able to utilize it as an additional late game threat. It’s very difficult though to evaluate how good this minion can be. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s never played, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it spawned a new archetype.”

Average Score: 3.2

Wicked Witchdoctor

Gallon: 2

“You don’t need more totems in Mid-Range Shaman, the body is bad, the effect is too hard to hit considering this card dies before you can do anything.”

HC015: 1

“Mid-Range Shaman doesn’t run many 4 drops and this doesn’t really fit. Better options, terrible stats, and mediocre effect (can’t even high roll for Totem Golem) that isn’t easy to activate.”

HotMeowth: 1

“Why play this when you can just high roll with Tuskarr Totemic on turn 3, and play 4 mana 7/7 on 4.”

Fenom: 3

“Although this is a continuous totem engine, it’s a bit clunkier than Tuskarr Totemic, and can only summon basic totems. The chance to summon more than one basic totem when one is not guaranteed is not better than one guaranteed totem with a chance for a non-basic totem.”

Wwlos: 2

“I feel like I would rather just run teacher a lot of the time. I realize that totems can often be better than 1/1s but the 3/4 body is pretty underwhelming at the 4 spot. You have to run a lot of odd clunky totem buffing cards to make a deck with this card really shine. It’ll be cuter than effective a lot of the time.”

EndOfDays: 2

“Seems like a balanced card, which means it won’t get played much by a class rich with other options that are broken as hell. Has potential synergy with Thunder Bluff Valiant, but seems very slow and difficult to pull off.

Average Score: 1.8

Moat Lurker

Gallon: 4

“I actually really enjoy this card.  Of the more janky interactions, this card is amazing with Evolve or Master of Evolution.  However, I think Moat Lurker will be a viable one-of in slower N’Zoth lists, as not only can it devour opponents’ minions and stall their game plan, but can also freely activate your own deathrattles.  Comparable to Huhuran but in my opinion better, as it leads to stickier board states as the opponent has to clear an extra body to get to your already sticky minions. Also, it can be revived off of N’Zoth which is slightly relevant.  The biggest drawback is that it is 6 mana, which is already pretty clogged in N’Zoth decks.”

HC015: 2

“I don’t really know how I feel about this card; probably need to play it to figure it out.”

HotMeowth: 2

“Moat Lurker can be used to remove your opponent’s big threats temporally, but it resummons it for your opponent if you destroy its weak body. 6 mana is a fair cost for a big removal. I can only see moat lurker viable in a silence heavy deck at the moment, like Handlock or Watcher Priest if they are viable.”

Fenom: 3

“This is a very interesting way of controlling your opponent’s threat, if it doesn’t have deathrattle. You can also use it on your own deathrattle minion if you much rather trigger it now than having that body. The best way to use this card is to eat an enemy minion, and then evolving this minion with Master of Evolution.”

Wwlos: 2

“This card gives me a headache. I’ve been burnt by cards like this before, I’m just going to go ahead and assume it’s too situational and clunky. Such cheese.”

EndOfDays: 2

“This card is pretty cool, but it’s really slow. There might be an emerging deck that can abuse this mechanic, like Shaman with Master of Evolution and Evolve, or Rogue with Shadowstep, but chances for that are low.”

Average Score: 2.5

Swashburglar

Gallon: 2

“Comparable to Babbling Book, slightly better due to Rogue not really having good 1 drops, just too inconsistent.”

HC015: 3

“1 mana draw a class card is a decent effect. Kind of pushes Rogue stealing class cards as an archetype along with Huckster. Pirate tag is kind of irrelevant. Also cheap combo activator.”

HotMeowth: 2

“It is a Pirate and a weaker Undercity Huckster. Rogue lacks a good turn 1 play, and if you can grab a good spell, this can be good. The problem with this card is similar to Babbling Book’s. Compared to other things that can be added in a deck, this is comparably inconsistent and weak.”

Fenom: 4

“This is a very good card for a value-oriented deck, much like Undercity Huckster.”

Wwlos: 5

“Same as Babbling Book – Underwhelmed at first, I’ve realized that this card is probably one of the stars of the set. When can you say that you can run a 1 Mana minion that is an actual decent draw in the late game? While maybe not always decent, we don’t know what card we are getting, it is probably still one of, if not the best, 1 mana minion in the game to draw on or after turn 10. This is such an impactful card just for that reason. It is simply too valuable a card to not be in a deck, and IT’S A PIRATE!”

EndOfDays: 3

“This is a decent card; the question is will a Rogue deck that wants to play it, show up. I’m not a fan of the “steal class cards” archetype Blizzard is pushing for Rogue, as I don’t think it’s consistent enough. Huckster is a good card by itself and has Deathrattle synergy. This card is a bit trickier to use optimally, and I probably like it best in a Reno deck”

Average Score: 3.2

Silvermoon Portal

Gallon: 3

“Decent buff card, but no deck at the moment really wants it.  Blessing of Kings is most likely just better.”

HC015: 2

“Paladin has a lot of good 4’s (Kings, Truesilver, and Keeper) already and doesn’t really need another. Although the card isn’t unplayable there are better options and Blessing of Kings as a buff card is usually more impactful.”

HotMeowth: 2

“Paladin already has a stacked 4 mana slot, full of good cards. This card isn’t weak, but compared to the existing 4 mana cards Paladin has, it isn’t really impactful.”

Fenom: 2

“This is one of the weaker portals. You need to get a 2/2 to break even, and that’s just about average for a 2-drop.”

Wwlos: 2

“Everything we are doing here just seems extremely underwhelming for the four spot. I don’t think this card takes the spot of a competitive slot in Paladin.”

EndOfDays: 2

“This card is pretty bad, mostly because Paladins are stacked with 4-cost options. Blessing of Kings and Keeper of Uldaman seem like more consistent options.”

Average Score: 2.2

Kara Karazham!

Gallon: 2

“Worse version of Silver Hand Knight.  Not a fan of this card.”

HC015: 2

“I don’t think this card is as bad as everyone says it is. It could find a place in Renolock because most 5 drops are terrible.”

HotMeowth: 2

“This jank card is actually better than Forbidden Ritual on turn 5; it might fit in a greedy jank deck like Renolock.”

Fenom: 2

“This card just produces vanilla minions and is no better than Silver Hand Knight. It is a proactive spell that can be combined with Cho’Gall, however. Maybe that is enough for it to see some play.”

Wwlos: 2

“We will see, seems worse than Ritual considering Ritual’s flexibility and the clunkiness of this card.”

EndOfDays: 1

“Underwhelming. Force of Nature that is not as weak to AOE. Too slow for Zoo, and probably not worth it in Reno. The stats for the cost are just not enough considering a 3/3 and a 2/2 is worth about 4 mana. It’s a buff to Yogg, though!”

Average score: 1.8

Barnes

Gallon: 5

“Malygos decks love love love this card.  If it hits Thaurrisan or Malygos, it is game winning, and even hitting a cycle minion, Barnes is still incredibly powerful.  There will probably be many decks looking to use Barnes in broken ways, such as N’Zoth lists, but I am most excited for Malygos decks to take off.”

HC015: 5

“Possibly one of the strongest cards in the set. Worst case scenario it’s a 3/4 body with a 1/1 which adds up to a Yeti worth of stats. Lots of powerful cards it synergizes with like Rag, Sylv, Cairne, meaning it will more likely see more play in control decks. Works great in Hunter also (Highmane, Infested, Grandma) and very likely pulls out a beast tag.
Decks: Control Pally, Rogue?, Midrange Hunter”

HotMeowth: 5

“Great in Control/N’Zoth and spell oriented tempo decks. It has potential in Malygos rogue, running cards like Thaurissan, Malygos and Auctioneer to synergize with spells immediately when you have preparation. Overall 3/4+ 1/1 for 4 mana isn’t bad for stats also.”

Fenom: 4

“At the very least, this is a 3/4 and a 1/1 for 4 mana, unless you really don’t have any more minions in your deck. This can be good in a deathrattle deck, or a combo deck with very few minions that are only needed for their special on-board effects as opposed to their bodies.”

Wwlos: 5

“We’ve known about this card since the adventure was announced, we all know its potential and can all agree it’ll make a major impact.”

EndOfDays: 5

“This card is amazing. Even if you spawn a minion without any effect, the stats are not terrible for 4-mana, and on top of it you have the ability to summon something completely crazy that can break a game. Malygos Rogue is a deck that can abuse this card already, since it has a relatively small amount of minions, but most of them carry a moderately good to insanely powerful effect. This card is also obviously good in deathrattle decks, though if you’re running Doomsayer, you should be cautious about when to play it. Overall, you can build around Barnes, but it can also just be added into perfectly viable decks already, which makes it one of the best cards in the set.”

Average Score: 4.8

Contributors

This article was brought to you by the following members of the Data Reaper Team: