The Comprehensive Into The Emerald Dream Preview

 

Mimicry

A symmetrical draw effect on paper, but not really. Giving our opponents cards from their deck benefits them more than giving us copies of those cards, since they are more likely to utilize them with optimal synergies. Unless we have remarkable Thief synergies, which we do not post-rotation, Mimicry will help the opponent more than it helps us.

The only advantage we gain by playing Mimicry is that we can be the first player to use the cards on the turn we draw them. But we are spending a card and mana to perform something that does not clearly put us ahead.

Rogue is not desperate for card advantage, while it is losing Velarok, so we just do not see a place for this card in competitive decks anytime soon.

Score: 1

Nightmare Fuel

This card discovers a high-quality minion, one that is good enough to go into a competitive deck, while giving it a Dark Gift, which is worth 2 mana. This is a particularly good deal for 1 mana, only slightly curbed by the combo requirement on the Dark Gift, which pushes Nightmare Fuel away from being an insanely powerful turn 1 play.

We would play this card-without question-if it cost 2 mana and had no combo requirement, so Nightmare Fuel is clearly strong. We can view it as a “Thief” card, but we do not think it is important. This spell will end up in different Rogue decks that do not necessarily need to generate cards from the opponent’s class or deck. This is a flex tape, good card.

Score: 3

Tricky Satyr

A 3 mana 4/3 that generates a card is okay. The generation is not random, which has value, especially if we are going first and the opponent has the coin.

We do wonder where this card would see play. Thief Rogue does not appear to have a great incentive in this set. It might be good enough to be a standalone filler in any kind of Rogue deck, but we have doubts, as it is not as generically powerful and versatile as Nightmare fuel.

Score: 1

Twisted Webweaver

Webweaver triggers whenever we play a minion with the same name as one that was already played. The rule works the same way as the one with Caverns Quest Rogue. So, if we play the second copy of a minion in our deck, Webweaver will draw a card.

This is an interesting draw engine that only costs 1 mana and has a decent body. The intended purpose of Webweaver is clearly bounce effects. If we play Webweaver and start bouncing another minion on the same turn, we get to chain draw multiple cards.

Considering Webweaver’s cheap cost, it is hard to see this 1-drop not becoming a staple in Miracle-style Rogue decks. A 1 mana 1/3 that draws a single card is already strong. This minion also has incredible synergy with Sonya, and we would not be surprised to see it enabling a new combo with the 4-mana legendary.

Score: 4

Harbinger of the Blighted

Harbinger is a card that benefits from bounce effects directly. It is a unique minion that gains us board initiative when we bounce it back to our hand. A couple of random 2-drops are worth more than 2 mana, so if we Shadowstep Harbinger for example, or pull it with Web of Deception, we are applying a lot of pressure on the opponent.

This card makes us strongly consider an aggressive direction for the class, where we frontload stats in the early game and try to overwhelm the opponent. An Aggro-Combo Rogue has already been teased last expansion with Eredar Skulker and Spacerock Collector. Defias Ringleader and Waggle Pick are available in the Core set, while SI:7 Agent has been buffed too. Harbinger makes sense in this context. We dig it.

Score: 3

Web of Deception

Goodbye, Breakdance. Hello, Web of Deception. This is another bounce effect that does not necessarily lose us board initiative, as it develops a 4/4 spider with stealth, which is a minion we would happily pay 2 mana for to play as a standalone card. Casting this on Harbinger of the Blighted, for example, can enable a big early game blow out, especially in combination with Preparation.

This is a great bounce effect in aggressive decks, with the spider offering additional semi-guaranteed face damage. But Web of Deception is not strictly an aggressive card. It works great on any minion that can get discounted. For example, it is an incredible fit in Protoss Rogue thanks to Void Ray, Zealots and Templars. It is an important enabler of Renferal. It is good with any battlecry 1-drop, especially when we go first.

In fact, we cannot think of a single Rogue deck that skips this card. This will be an auto-included class staple.

Score: 4

Barbed Thorn

A 3 mana 1/3 weapon is unacceptable, so its effects better be game changing or we are not interested.

Gaining Poisonous for one turn means we can remove a threat at the cost of our health, but why would we need scuffed single target removal in Rogue when this is one of the class’s biggest strengths? Even Assassinate does not seem significantly worse than Barbed Thorn.

The second option is also underwhelming. AOE is rare to find in Rogue, but we do not think the class is desperate enough to run this weapon just to get mediocre AOE. We can use the hero power to break the weapon and get the AOE off earlier, but we are still spending 5 mana for a 2 damage AOE. Even if it is asymmetrical, this is not efficient. If this were 3 damage, we would be more interested, as it reliably clears almost all early game threats.

As we constantly note on all forms of removal, the difference between 2 and 3 damage is the most significant breakpoint, which makes or breaks cards. Barbed Thorn does not pass the test.

Score: 1

Shadowcloaked Assailant

It is important to note that Assailant shuffles ONE card. If we have more than one card that fits the criteria, it will randomly choose among them.

The idea here is to play Mimicry or Satyr, finding cards from the opponent’s hand, then using Assailant to shuffle theirs to gain card advantage. We have seen a similar Rogue card in the past called Ghastly Gravedigger.

Gravedigger blows Assailant out of the water. Its shuffle effect was more powerful. It was cheaper. It was easier to activate. It had no counterplay, since the opponent can play those cards before we play Assailant, to make us blank out. Gravedigger never blanks out.

Considering the cost, the condition, and the effect, we believe this card is thoroughly unplayable.

Score: 1

Renferal, the Malignant

A unique, disruptive legendary that synergizes with bounce effects. To trap a card means that the opponent cannot play it for one turn. Every time we play Renferal, the count of randomly trapped cards goes up by 1. The second Renferal traps 2 cards, the third traps 3 and so on.

Trapping a single card or two is usually not going to be impactful when it comes to affecting the opponent’s plays, but if we aggressively build around bouncing Renferal, we could build up to a play in which the opponent’s entire hand is locked out. If we bounce Renferal three times with Waggle Pick, Web of Deception and Shadowstep, then play it alongside Sonya for 1 mana to copy it, we can lock out the opponent’s entire hand. 9 cards are trapped, with only the drawn card on the opponent’s turn available to play.

This feels like a Time Warp, Zarimi-esque effect. The substantial difference is that the opponent does have a turn in which they can attack with their minions and weapons, but otherwise, they are locked out of the game. This is a crippling scenario for a reactive, slower deck to deal with.

The question is how can we use this turn to win the game? Well, we can think of one-way Renferal can be lethal. Developing an Archon on the Sonya/Renferal turn is a very feasible game plan that can kill the opponent easily. The Archon alone deals 24 damage if it is not answered. Add the Sonya and Renferal bodies and you have 33.

There are, of course, other ways this could become an enabler of a win condition. It is not as good as Time Warp or Zarimi, but it is not too difficult to execute and has game ending potential. We are intrigued.

Score: 3

Ashamane

Ashamane is a massive value engine that is also extremely expensive. It fills our entire hand with cards from the opponent’s deck while discounting each one by 3 mana. If we generate three cards that cost 3 or more, Ashamane already “pays for itself”.

Getting to play Ashamane is not an easy task, but Rogue does have the ability to “ramp” into it. Most notably, a Mini Sandbox Scoundrel can help us play Ashamane for 7 mana, while coin generators such as Metal Detector, ‘Oh, Manager!’, and Dig for Treasure can help us cheat out the play earlier.

What is clear is that for Ashamane to offer us a strong enough win condition, we need to build around it aggressively so that we can play it as early as possible, while generating a high number of cards to maximize discounts. Otherwise, it is a slower top end card for a Thief Rogue deck with Tess Greymane, where it does not have as much potential.

Regardless of where you play it, Ashamane is a legitimate win condition that has game ending potential due to the mana advantage it gains us. If we ramp to Ashamane in faster matchups, it should be able to win the game on the first play. In slow matchups against defensive decks, we can bounce it multiple times to overwhelm the opponent with value.

What is certain is that it looks fun. We are confident Ashamane will see play initially and suspect that Rogue will find the formula to succeed with it eventually.

Score: 3

Final Thoughts

Into the Emerald Dream Set Rank: 5^th

Overall Power Ranking: 2^th

Rogue’s expected power comes from a combination of a good set, a forgiving rotation, as well as an incredible Core set update that should position the class into a great spot. 

When it comes to the early game, Rogue might be the class best equipped to dominate it. The addition of Foxy Fraud alongside Defias Ringleader, the buff to SI:7 Agent, the return of Waggle Pick, as well as new cards such as Twisted Webweaver, Harbinger of the Blighted and Web of Deception, are all key in establishing an aggressive Rogue deck that seems capable of doing everything. It should never run out of cards. It produces insane stats early. It has great removal. It has off board damage. Watch out for this one, it might be one of the scarier decks of this expansion.

When it comes to the late game, Rogue has a lot of options. Protoss Rogue might become the best Starcraft deck, should balance changes to Terran and Zerg bring them down a notch or two. Renferal offers it a new path of ensuring its Archon turn kills the opponent without counterplay. 

We expect Starship Rogue to be the grindiest late game Rogue deck, but its early game vulnerabilities could be alleviated by an early game combo package, while Ashamane boosts its value potential further. If Starship Rogue ends up facing a lot of armor stacking defensive decks running Carnivorous Cubicle, its near-infinite value potential should ensure its success.

Ashamane is a card that can be built around even harder, with Dig for Treasure still available to tutor high impact minions in spell heavy shells. We can also tutor Sandbox Scoundrel, the cheapest enabler of Shaladrassil, which could increase the 5-drop’s importance in Rogue decks. 

Rogue looks primed for success. We expect it to be up there as one of the strongest classes in Hearthstone.