Not all cards are created equal.
The other day, we looked at some of the most promising new cards released in Monday’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion, Goblins vs. Gnomes. Today, it’s time to look at the stinkers.
Of course, any card could sometimes prove useful (well, most of them, anyway). But these are the cards that, either because of their dependence on randomness or unusual circumstances, just aren’t worth a spot in your deck.
Ogre Warmaul
Class: Warrior
Type: Weapon
Mana: 3
Rarity: Common
The Ogre Warmaul has a 50 percent chance to attack an enemy other than the one you targeted. Call me crazy, but I’d rather not leave something like that up to chance, especially when attacking a different minion with a weapon could cause a ton of damage to your hero.
Sure, this weapon might have some uses. It could allow you to bypass Taunt or hit a minion with Stealth. Still, those instances are pretty circumstantial. And even then, things might not play out like you’d want. You’re better off using area-of-effect spells and Silences for those situations.
Why leave things to chance?
Goblin Sapper
Class: Neutral
Type: Minion
Mana: 3
Rarity: Rare
He’s sapping something, alright. My enthusiasm to ever use him.
I’m already not crazy about a 2/4 minion that costs 3 mana, but the Goblin Sapper’s ability is far too circumstantial. He has +4 attack if the opponent has six or more cards in his hand. Well, that’s nice, but a lot of players are likely to not have that many cards, meaning that more often than not the Goblin Sapper is a very mediocre minion.
Sure, you could play him to discourage your opponent from using spells that draw more cards or from hoarding them in his hand, but it’s not like the other player will really struggle to quickly kill a minion with 4 health.
Mini-Mage
Class: Neutral
Type: Minion
Mana: 4
Rarity: Epic
I understand what they’re trying to do here. A Stealth minion that gives you +1 spell damage could technically hide away in the battlefield safely. You can’t target Stealth minions, so that +1 to spell damage could last for a while.
Sadly, 1 health is nothing, and area-of-effect spells do still hurt Stealth minions. So Mini-Mage would not last long on the battlefield against most opponents. Even if he did, you’re basically playing 4 mana for a temporary +1 to spell damage effect. As soon as you use him to attack anyone, he becomes vulnerable.
Maybe size does matter, Mini-Mage.
Gnomish Experimenter
Class: Neutral
Type: Minion
Mana: 3
Rarity: Rare
Here’s another card that depends on luck. Again, spending 3 mana for a 3/2 minion is a bad idea, and the Battlecry doesn’t really justify it. A Chicken is a weak 1/1 minion, and you could accidentally turn one of your powerful Legendaries into a loser. Hell, a Chicken is a downgrade for any minion.
This card might be OK for decks with a lot of weapons and spells, but even then you still risk drawing a minion and ruining it. Why bother?
Look, I know we’ve all done some experimenting (probably in college), but this is just a waste of time and resources.
Target Dummy
Class: Neutral
Type: Minion
Mana: 0
Rarity: Rare
This is the worst of the lot. Sure, it doesn’t cost any mana, but you’re still wasting a precious spot in your deck for a card that can’t attack and only has 2 health. The only thing this minion could do is maybe block one attack, and then it’s dead. When it comes to the mana cost, you get what you paid for.
The other cards on this list have times when they could be useful. I’m struggling to think of a single scenario where the Target Dummy could possibly be of any decent use.
If you use this card, you’re the real dummy.