The blog returns. After several months with no new cards and no high level events for me to play in or really even talk about, Servants of the Betrayer comes along and livens things up again. Let's start our class breakdown of the set with Druids.
The Druids have quietly become one of the best classes in the game. There are at least three and arguably four viable Druid decks. This is assuming you use the very broad Gift of the Wild, Boomkin, Cat Form tags of course. There's so much variance even within those archetypes that you could say there are as many as 10 solid Druid decks. Overall, I don't think that Druid got anything over the top spectacular, but the class did get several cards that will find their way into decks.
I will be talking about each card from both a Limited and Constructed point of view since both are now important from a tournament perspective.
Chew Toy
Constructed-This card seems like a guaranteed 4-of between main and side decks for any Feral Druid deck. That includes the possibility of a Bear Form deck finally being viable. Destroying any ally for 2 at instant speed is incredibly powerful. The only reason I'm not going to say this is an auto 4-of main is the nasty tendency to be dead against Halavar and Rogue (which conveniently got a very good answer to its biggest problem cards).
Limited-This card is obviously worthless without a Form. If you're playing Druid and have at least 2 Forms then this becomes incredible. I would be tempted to run it even with only one Form and just drop it in the row if I have to because you know it's never going to be a dead card in Limited because everyone's deck is at least half allies, most of which cost more than 2.
Earth Mother's Blessing
Constructed-I'm not really sure about this card from a Constructed point of view. It would most likely only find its way into Gift of the Wild based decks and I'm not 100% sure there's enough room for a card like this in a deck like that. The card does get around Mark of the Wild's biggest drawback, the card disadvantage of losing an ally and an ability in one shot, since it let's you draw a card when it dies. I like the card quite a bit, but I'm not sold on it for Constructed yet.
Limited-I like the card more in Limited. Especially late in the game when you're more likely to leave three resources open, you can catch unsuspecting opponents with it and either force bad trades or even save an important ally with it when they think they are going to be able to trade. It's not as effective early in the game because your ploy will be transparent leaving three resources ready, but there are times later when it's harder to use all your resources where this will become more effective as a trick. You can also use it more straightforwardly by dropping it on a medium sized guy to take out a bigger ally and not lose any card advantage since the Blessing replaces itself. It can also be a nice trick after someone chooses not to protect. If you send in a small guy to a big guy, or even a big guy after the hero, you can drop the Blessing after the protect point and catch them off guard. I really like this card in Limited. It's powerful and gives its controller more options to outplay his opponent.
Form of the Serpent
Constructed-The card is powerful in a vaccuum. Unfortunately, we don't play tournaments in a vaccuum. I think this card sums up the problem with Traitor Heroes. The cards are really good, but it's generally not worth sacrificing the Talents to go that route. In this case, it's hard for me to envision a Serpent deck being better than a Cat deck.
Limited-In Limited, you don't always have the luxury of choosing which form you want to play. Form of the Serpent is more powerful on its own than Cat Form,and being able to do any damage with your hero is a huge boon in Limited play. Factor in that this card will often allow you to take out 2 allies with your hero in one turn (one on the attack, another when you remove the counters) and it is a reason to play Druid.
Gift of Nature
Constructed-This card is pretty janky. It will take some setup to really get it going. As a rule, great tournament decks play cards that are either very good on their own or produce a game-changing effect in combination with another card. This card is going to require several other cards helping out and is probably too vulnerable right now. I don't doubt someone will come up with a combo with it though.
Limited-Janky cards are cute in Constructed and can sometimes make really good combos occasionally. In Limited, they just go straight to the unplayables pile.
King of the Jungle
Constructed-There are already enough good Cat Form cards, so if any new ones are going to crack a Cat Form deck, they have to be really good. My initial thought on this card is that it's simply a win more card. If you're already in good shape with a Form and enough pumps to make this worth paying 6 for, you should already be winning. I think Cat Form decks are going to be better served more often by playing Vengeance of the Illidari and Prowl around turn 6, but there is the possibility of a game being close and this being the finisher. More often than not though, I just don't see this card doing enough.
Limited-When you pay 6 for something in Limited, it needs to do something significant. This card is semi-playable. It does get you in Cat Form and if you control only one or two other abilities, it can turn your hero into a significant threat. I don't think I would play it for the form alone, but if you have 2 or 3 other ongoings, it's probably at least worth considering.
Lacerate
Constructed-A lot of people thought that Bear Form decks were starting to become viable after the release of March of the Legion. I thought they were still a little bit short, but this card definitely brings them one step closer to contention. Check out my article later this week for some of the reasons I think cards like Lacerate are going to be control's best friends over the next few months, but until then, I think this card is definitely a solid addition to a Bear deck.
Limited-This card is really good in Limited. The 2 damage per turn is not insignificant as it can really set the tempo in a game because it gives the game a definite endpoint. Bear Form is an amazing ability in Limited because giving your hero protector is almost as good as getting to attack with him. This card should be in any Druid deck you play.
The Natural Order
Constructed-This card will have an immediate home in Boomkin. Cheap and a Balance ability to boot, it allows that deck to drop the sometimes clunky Silea/Shadala combo in favor of more precise and easier to use removal for cards like Twig. More importantly, it opens Boomkin up to Alliance because they now have easier answers to weapons and abilities. I would expect to see at least 3 of these in most Boomkin builds because it's unlikely to ever be dead.
Limited-Easy addition to any Limited deck. Cheap weapon removal is one of the most sought after powers in the world of WoW limited. With game breaking cards like Runesong Dagger running around, it's always good to have a cheap answer. Throw in the added versatility to also take out abilities and this card is a star.
Savage Fury
Constructed-One of the downfalls of Cat Form decks has always been the complete lack of defense. The deck often just trades hits with the opponent hoping to simply outrace them. This isn't always the best plan vs. ally rush builds like Omedus or Halavar. Savage Fury gives them a whole new way to play against these builds. Once this is in play, you get a nice 2 damage bonus against opposing allies just for playing the cards you were going to play anyway. Combo this with Prowl and it's good night allies.
Limited-You would need several Feral abilities to make this card worthwhile in one of your 30 slots. I'm not going to say it's absolutely unplayable, but it would take the perfect cardpool to run it.
Tainted Earth
Constructed-I think the obvious combo is with Cobrascale Hood. Use this to damage them when they complete their quests. If they choose not to complete their quests, the Cobrascale takes them out. This lends itself to a GotW strategy, which won't be as effective without Force of Nature. There's also the chance that the opponent can just play their quests face down (assuming you have the hood, otherwise they can just leave them face up until they remove the Tainted Earth) which isn't terrible either. My problem here is that it gives your opponent the choice of playing the way that hurts him the least.
Limited-As more people realize that it's better not to play mediocre quests, this card will lose some value. It also suffers from that opponent's choice problem. If you've got them on the ropes, they are probably more concerned with stabilizing the board than completing their quests. If they're out in front, they can probably afford the 3 health to complete the quest. I'm just not really a fan of this card.
Tranquility
Constructed-I don't expect this card to find a home in Constructed simply because it doesn't fit into any of the Druid archetypes.
Limited-I think the card's versatility makes it playable. It can heal a decent amount which can be a big swing in Limited, but the fact that you can use any amount of resources on it. If you've only got a couple of resources open, go ahead and use them up to heal a little. Got an open turn where you can dump all your resources into it, heal it all up. It's not a reason to go Druid, but it's a solid addition to any Druid deck.
Well that wraps up all the Druid cards. Check back tomorrow for the Hunter review.
Tags: World Of Warcraft
Related to:
World of Warcraft TCG
