13 Hearthstone Cards You Need to Play Right Now
A lot of changes are in the works right now with Hearthstone. There are finally some rumored nerfs to some of the most over-used cards in the game. So why exactly are they making these changes? What makes a card so good that it's broken? How do the pros take these cards to the next level? How do these cards help you join the Noob Evolution.
1. Drakonid Operative- First of all it’s a 5 drop for a 5 / 6 which is on curve. Additionally it essentially gives you a card draw, and finally it allows you to see three cards that A) are in your opponents deck and B) are not in his hand. If you pull it out and find that Reno is still in his deck then you can go more aggressive in the hopes that he won’t draw it soon. All of that information for just a 5 drop. Sign me up.
2. Getaway Kodo- It’s hard to think of any card in the paladin class that is actually worth it. Paladin is pretty awful in this meta. That being said Getaway Kodo is actually a decent card and I imagine it will see a lot of play in the next rotation. It’s a paladin secret so it only costs 1 and it keeps a key card alive. If the card has a really exceptional death rattle or battle cry then it is even more destructive. Can’t handle Sylvanus? Try two of her.
3. Freezing Trap- It was difficult for me to choose between King Krush and Freezing Trap. At the end of the day I had to go with Freezing Trap. Not only does it stack with things such as Secret Keeper and The Bow but it also counts as removal for literally any minion. It guards against charge and buffed minions and punishes opponents for using big minions.
4. Jade Blossom- It’s a combination of Jade Token and Wild Growth. It’s literally two cards for the price of one. There is no better turn one for druid than innervate into Jade Blossom. It’s ramp and Jade. It’s all druids need now. Ramp and Jade.
5. Counterfeit coin- It’s ironic that a card that is half as good as innervate makes this list, but it fits so much better with rogue than druid. Combined with Gadgetzan Auctioneer it’s a free card draw, combined with Van Cleaf it’s an additional +2/+2, combined with any rogue card it triggers a combo. Combined with questing adventurer it’s a +1/+1. The sheer utility makes it that much better than innervate.
6. Jade Lightning- On its own it’s on par with fireball, just slightly worse. 4 damage and summoning a 1/1. A total of five damage in all. Add in a little bit of spell damage and it’s officially on par with fireball. Once your jade golems get a little bigger than it’s far superior to one of the best basic cards in the game. In an aggro meta this does nothing but help Shaman keep its dominance at the top.
7. Abyssal Enforcer- Abyssal Enforcer is a dominant force for Renolock. The key lies in the fact that it can essentially clear most fields by doing 3 damage to all minions. Being able to clear the entire board and just show your dominance with a 6 /6 on the board. Tempo just swung your way.
8. Upgrade!- It can be equipped on turn one which sets up both Small Time Buccaneer and Southsea Deckhand to name a few. To put it another way it’s a one cost card that deals at least three damage. That’s on par with lightning bolt. If you combine it with an Arcanite Reaper it’s an additional 8 damage FOR ONE COST! The main drawback is that you’re very vulnerable to taunt minions but overall it’s still a damn good card.
9. Patches the Pirate- You had to see this one coming. Patches is amazing. A lot of people put Patches in just because that’s the meta so let me explain why Patches is THAT good. He’s a 1 / 1 minion with charge which is okay. He comes in for free which is even better, but the best part about Patches is that he comes OUT of your deck. It automatically increases the probability of drawing every other card in your deck. Don’t you hate it when on turn 7 you draw a useless 1 drop? Well… Patches removes that.
10. Small Time Buccaneer- This card is almost guaranteed to get nerfed in the next patch because it is just THAT good. It has the same stats as Fiery Imp except it doesn’t hit your own face for three damage. Oh and it’s a pirate so it summons patches. A typical turn two play for aggro shaman will have a 3/2, 1/1, 1/1 Jade Golem, and a 2/2 weapon. That’s 7 damage on the board ON TURN TWO! It's in every pro players deck for the winter tournament and will be until it's nerfed.
11. Dirty Rat- I’ll be honest I wasn’t crazy about this card when it first came out. But it does a lot of a lot of amazing things with not as much drawback as first appears. It eliminates battlecries for one. Reno Jackson? Nope now he’s gone. Van Cleaf? Now he’s just a 2/2. Kazakus? No potions for you. That on it’s own is pretty incredible. It does have some massive downsides in that it gives your opponent a free minion and you could pull something like a Ragnaros, or Sylvanus, but at the very least you end up with a 2/6 with taunt in the way which helps counter pirate warrior. It's in almost every Reno deck for that very reason.
12. Reno Jackson- There is an entire deck archetype based around this card which should speak for itself. You’re giving up one of the most desired aspects of any deck, consistency, in exchange for a possible 29 extra health. Once Reno goes out it’s hard to imagine that this deck style will stay in. Reno mage allows games to keep going and going until your opponent has run out of cards. Reno lock allows you to counter the one negative aspect of lock in losing health for card draw. Reno priest is silly but there is nothing more frustrating than taking a priest down to 1 health only to see him pop all the way back up. I even saw a Reno hunter… I couldn’t believe it but he drew perfectly and couldn’t be stopped.
13. Kazakus- Not as good as Reno but still bomb.com. It ranges from demons to minion damage, to bringing minions back... to much more. The sheer versatility is what makes this card so great. 1 or 5 or 10 cost and a double decision on it's abilities... you can customize it for any situation. Add in Brann bronze beard and you get TWO of these potions?! It's utter insanity and your opponent has no idea what is ahead of them.
