Paladin gets a Murloc, Mage new AoE, everyone gets bikers, and the Kabal classes have a new minion to toy with.
Whereas last week the Grimy Goon faction stood in the spotlight, this week it's time for one of the two other factions to show what they've got. As became clear quickly, it is the Kabal's time to shine, with a blog post introducing the mana-addicted Mages, Priests and Warlocks.
The random potions haven't been shown yet, but already the Kabal Chemist is not to be underestimated. Blizzard has shied away from Neutral spells for one obvious reason: They might become dangerously overpowered. One way or another, one of the nine classes will find use for it in a way that's not fun for anyone. By cleverly splitting the classes in factions, 2/3rd of the danger was avoided through tri-class cards. The Kabal legendary [card]Kazakus[/card] already provided the spellslinging classes with their do-it-yourself spell. With Kabal Chemist the Tempo Mages, who used to run [card]Spellslinger[/card], have an interesting new addition. However, obviously, it will depend on the Potions' strength to find the best application.
Talking about strong potions, welcome our mini [card]Hellfire[/card] to the Mage's collection. AoE spells fulfill their role best in Midrange and Control decks, and again Tempo Mage is a deck that jumps to mind. After [card]Maelstrom Portal[/card] was released the popularity of [card]Arcane Explosion[/card] also rose, with some Mages combining the card with [card]Bloodmage Thalnos[/card] for an even stronger effect. Since redundancy is very strong in card games, the effect of Volcanic Potion might just be strong enough for Tempo Mages to give it a try, and perhaps include a copy or two .
Charge is a tricky mechanic, which can easily be abused. The majority of the cards with the keyword have been changed over time, and the developers have been cautious with introducing new charge minions and spells. The three Hogs all have conditions on which they may attack immediately after playing, though they are tricky to pull off. The 4-drop works well against aggressive decks, though those rarely have an empty hand by turn 4. Alternatively if your opponent plays [card]Astral Communion[/card] or [card]Deathwing[/card] the Hogchopper gains charge, but it begs to differ whether you want to play it then. It's slightly bigger pal might meet its conditions more often (wombo combo with [card]Sparring Partner[/card], perhaps?), but it still feels tough. So does the condition for the 6-drop, which seems like a strong card against Control decks. However, unless paired with [card]Grimscale Oracle[/card] or [card]Naturalize[/card] the female biker is not likely to reliably gain charge.
When in League of Explores [card]Anyfin can Happen[/card] was assigned to Paladins, most people were a bit surprised. The class had had no synergy with Murlocs apart from [card]Murloc Knight[/card], but that could hardly become powerful, right? However people figured out that all one needed were [card]Murloc Warleader[/card]s and [card]Bluegill Warrior[/card]s to kill an opponent with the 10 mana spell. It looks as though Blizzard wants to push a different kind of Murloc Paladin though, with [card]Vilefin Inquisitor[/card] joining the class with the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion, and now the Grimscale Chum.
Find all other cards on our Mean Streets of Gadgetzan spoiler page!
