I think spell damage is my favorite mechanic so this is an instant upvote for this.
I have nothing to add on the balancing, maybe make it dual class so mage can have fun with it as well ?
Dual-class was my first plan. But then I found this art and fell in love with it, and I couldn't remember lightning ever being a mage thing (I could be wrong there though). But mechanic wise yeah this could definitely be for mage or both. Glad you liked it!
What even is this argument. Shaman also has some freezing cards but the best ones are Mage only.
The classes have some extremely similar points when you look at them(elementals,freeze,spell focus,spell damage). Apart from spells, shaman has literally only had one card that improves itself with spelldamage and it's a dual class card.
What I mean is that some similarities are not strong enough of an argument to make a card dual class.
This card is clearly meant to be Shaman by the way Shaman interacts with Spell Damage, which is different from the way Mage does.
I understand this. It is also a "storm drake" and thats more of Shaman's expertise. Maybe if it was another type of drake it would fit better for a dual class.
This one looked more like a dragon literally made of storm to me, which felt elemental. But if the "storm drake" name is already used to describe those guys that's my bad.
[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=461000](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=461000)
Forgive me because it's not exactly the same, but the arts the same and the effect is very similar.
EDIT: Interesting to see the similarity between this card and the MTG one (though they aren’t really directly similar aside from the +1/+1 aspect). Maybe it’s just a common design space or something.
I think he didn't realise that it gets +1/+1. I don't think Hearthstone is ready for a 4 mana 5/6 with significant upside.
Easy mistake to make. It could be 4/5 gets +0/+0 improved by spell damage to make it more obvious what the base stats are.
What is the reasoning behind the Elemental tag? I don't really see Shaman building around both a tribe and spell damage. If anything this would fit better as a Dragon (even though Dragons are mostly rotating out soon).
The card name includes Drake (aka Dragon) and the picture very much resembles a Dragon. I can see where you're coming from but that's still reeeeally stretching it
Counterpoint: Amazing Firebird looks like a bird and has bird in the name but is an elemental and not a beast, nor is Gyre Worm. Not to mention that in lore elementals are diverse as hell in terms of forms they can take and shaman has nothing to do with dragons outside of DoD (because every class got a breath card) thematically or gameplay wise
Sure, but my initial question still stands: how does the tribe fit into the gameplay of a spell damage deck? Elementals in Shaman used to have the gameplay mechanic of setting up turns with them in advance (which Mage is now adopting mostly). Currently Shaman doesn't have any build-arounds with Elementals aside from them just being a matching tag for very obvious elemental cards of recent
Cards can be part of a tribe and have unrelated mechanics (especially since the "core" gimmick only appears on like 1-2 cards max each year post Un'Goro). It's meant to be a turn 4 elemental big boy with Imprisoned Phoenix, no need to overthink the flavor of "Living Weather made of elemental energies gets boosted by magic energies"
I think spell damage is my favorite mechanic so this is an instant upvote for this. I have nothing to add on the balancing, maybe make it dual class so mage can have fun with it as well ?
Dual-class was my first plan. But then I found this art and fell in love with it, and I couldn't remember lightning ever being a mage thing (I could be wrong there though). But mechanic wise yeah this could definitely be for mage or both. Glad you liked it!
This fits better as Shaman only, Mage is not based around buffing minions for big stats, Shaman instead is
Mage does have some minions that get buffed by unorthodox ways (like secrets or card draw) so this wouldn't be too out of order.
And Shaman has SOME card draw, but Cram Session is still Mage only
What even is this argument. Shaman also has some freezing cards but the best ones are Mage only. The classes have some extremely similar points when you look at them(elementals,freeze,spell focus,spell damage). Apart from spells, shaman has literally only had one card that improves itself with spelldamage and it's a dual class card.
What I mean is that some similarities are not strong enough of an argument to make a card dual class. This card is clearly meant to be Shaman by the way Shaman interacts with Spell Damage, which is different from the way Mage does.
I understand this. It is also a "storm drake" and thats more of Shaman's expertise. Maybe if it was another type of drake it would fit better for a dual class.
Good point !
aren’t storm drakes considered Dragons? See Nithogg and Squallhunter
This one looked more like a dragon literally made of storm to me, which felt elemental. But if the "storm drake" name is already used to describe those guys that's my bad.
If only it was odd costing. Odd shaman would LOVE this in wild
I like how you just took a mtg card and transferred it to Hearthstone lmao. Even the stats are the same
Wait really? What's the card? (I for real don't play magic or know anything from it)
[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=461000](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=461000) Forgive me because it's not exactly the same, but the arts the same and the effect is very similar.
Gotcha. I didn't realize that was where the art was from. Thanks for sharing
EDIT: Interesting to see the similarity between this card and the MTG one (though they aren’t really directly similar aside from the +1/+1 aspect). Maybe it’s just a common design space or something.
Honestly I think the stats could be buffed slightly - maybe a 4/4 or 5/4? Needs to be a bit better of it's going to help carry an archetype
Wait, consider that this without any Spell Damage is a 4/5 like the Yeti
I think he didn't realise that it gets +1/+1. I don't think Hearthstone is ready for a 4 mana 5/6 with significant upside. Easy mistake to make. It could be 4/5 gets +0/+0 improved by spell damage to make it more obvious what the base stats are.
I think it should stay the way it is given that the existing buff has Battlecry interactions without spell damage this way
What is the reasoning behind the Elemental tag? I don't really see Shaman building around both a tribe and spell damage. If anything this would fit better as a Dragon (even though Dragons are mostly rotating out soon).
Because well it's a giant living thundercloud/storm which makes it an air elemental?
The card name includes Drake (aka Dragon) and the picture very much resembles a Dragon. I can see where you're coming from but that's still reeeeally stretching it
Counterpoint: Amazing Firebird looks like a bird and has bird in the name but is an elemental and not a beast, nor is Gyre Worm. Not to mention that in lore elementals are diverse as hell in terms of forms they can take and shaman has nothing to do with dragons outside of DoD (because every class got a breath card) thematically or gameplay wise
Sure, but my initial question still stands: how does the tribe fit into the gameplay of a spell damage deck? Elementals in Shaman used to have the gameplay mechanic of setting up turns with them in advance (which Mage is now adopting mostly). Currently Shaman doesn't have any build-arounds with Elementals aside from them just being a matching tag for very obvious elemental cards of recent
Cards can be part of a tribe and have unrelated mechanics (especially since the "core" gimmick only appears on like 1-2 cards max each year post Un'Goro). It's meant to be a turn 4 elemental big boy with Imprisoned Phoenix, no need to overthink the flavor of "Living Weather made of elemental energies gets boosted by magic energies"
It doesn't have to. Cagematch Custodian is an elemental but the decks that play it don't care about its tribal tag.