AFG's Nejiboston and Azalea Akari dive into the most impactful cards from Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, and Fractured in Alterac Valley, that are leaving Standard with Hearthstone's next rotation cycle!
Demon Hunter (Azalea Akari):
Kurtrus, Demon-Render: The best card in a board based Demon Hunter deck. The card saw less and less play as combo became the best DH decks, but any Fel DH deck or Relic DH deck added this card first or right after their core package cards in deck building.
Jace Darkweaver: The payoff card of Fel Demon Hunter was able to keep this class playable when the previous rotation happened because of its immense power to end games on the spot.
Final Showdown: Perhaps the most underestimated questline upon release, this card created many of the best decks of the last 4 expansions from Questline OTK DH to Questline Fel DH. While the card is not playable now due to the large nerf it received, there is a chance this card gets reverted upon rotation and might see niche play in Wild.
Druid (Nejiboston):
Wildheart Guff: Guff has been the most important card in every Ramp Druid deck that has existed since its release. The ability to ramp every turn with a single card and achieve mana levels above 10 makes nearly every scenario feel out of reach if the Druid isn’t defeated early on. Even after the nerf to Guff, it remains as a very powerful tool to all Ramp Druids. Without Guff, Druids will have to change their win conditions quite a bit after rotation.
Scale of Onyxia: Scale is one of the most powerful removal cards ever printed for the Druid class. It allows you to clear most boards with ease and leave potential board presence behind as well. It is flexible as you can just slam Scale on an empty board for pressure as well. This will be a pretty tough blow to Druid and their comeback mechanism toolkit.
Jerry Rig Carpenter: Jerry has seen a lot of play among many Druid archetypes. Targeted draw for your most impactful cards on a 2 mana minion is very powerful. In Ramp Druid, not only does it draw you Nourish, but you get the best of both worlds with both effects. It was also solid in Aggro Druid for a while pulling Sow the Soil and Living Roots from your deck. The Druid class will definitely miss this draw option after rotation.
Hunter (Azalea Akari):
Beaststalker Tavish: This card pretty much singlehandedly has made Hunter playable over the last year, especially when the questline was nerfed. Improved secrets have proven to be very strong and the 5 armor is sometimes just what Hunter needs.
Barak Kodobane: Kodobane has been a staple of Hunter for so long, only more recently not seeing a lot of play in Hunter decks. The card is a massive value engine for a class that has struggled with draw for a long time.
Defend the Dwarven District: Hunter’s Questline was quite oppressive not only in Standard, but in the Wild format as well. Despite the card being nerfed in the first stage, the archetype still saw occasional play as recent as before Patch 25.4.3, which is the current Hearthstone patch.
Mage (Nejiboston):
Wildfire: The Ping Mage package with cards like Reckless Apprentice, Mordresh Fire Eye, and Magister Dawngrasp was all driven by this 1 mana card. Since being buffed to 1 mana from 2, Wildlife has been impactful and keeps coming back as a viable option in most metagames; however, this entire package rotates out of Standard, so we will no longer be able to wake up and hero power.
Balinda Stonehearth: Balinda has been the highest drawn win rate card in Big Spell Mage for its entire existence. The power plays that this card enables are monumental and game-ending. Balinda has officially dodged the nerf hammer, and is finally being sent away to Wild, untouched.
Rune of the Archmage: Rune or “Box”, a call back to Puzzle Box of Yogg Saron, has seen play in Big Spell Mage for quite some time and always results in some of the craziest Hearthstone matches out there. It also occasionally makes a cameo in Jackpot Rogue games too! Will the Hearthstone team release another “Box” after rotation, or will Standard be free from this madness for the time being?
Paladin (Azalea Akari):
Lightforged Cariel: The best Paladin card of the last two years by a large margin. Nerfed from 7 to 8 mana and still saw play in every non-aggressive Paladin deck.
Knight of Anointment: Tutored draw is always very strong and especially when Holy spells have been at a premium for Paladin in the last two years, whether played with Librams, Buff spells, or Control spells.
Alliance Bannerman: The best minion tutor card because it also buffs every minion in your hand, including the minion you drew. This card was nerfed early on and saw play in every single Paladin deck regardless.
Priest (Nejiboston):
Darkbishop Benedictus: This card appeared in the meta a while back, and has recently clawed its way back to the light… or shadows? Regardless, Benedictus has had an impact on multiple aggressive Shadow Priest decks and will be missed by many upon rotation. I do have a feeling that we may see him rise again in the next core set, but we will have to wait and see!
Bless: Reminiscent of the Divine Spirit and Inner Fire combo of old, Bless has made a big impact on combo-style Priest decks for the past year and a half. Bless has provided a lot of needed lethality to these decks, and without it and potentially Radiant Elemental, following rotation, these decks may cease to exist in Standard.
Lightshower Elemental: Lightshower has been a staple defensive card in Control Priest for 2 full years. This is one of the top defensive cards in the game with both Taunt and 8 healing provided to all characters. It also has synergy with all Deathrattle cards available to the class, like Amulet of Undying and Xyrella, the Devout. Control Priests will miss this card very much.
Rogue (Nejiboston):
Edwin, Defias Kingpin: Edwin has been a menace for nearly its entire time in Standard. It started off as a lethal combo in combination with Mr. Smite, until he was nerfed out of existence. Edwin was then buffed to 3 mana for a reason that we are all still wondering about. That didn’t last long, as it became the best card in the decks it was played in. Since then it has been going strong back at 4 mana as a huge tempo swing alongside Shadowstep to completely turn games on their head. R.I.P. King.
Blackwater Cutlass: Cutlass has been one of the most consistently strong cards in Rogue for its whole time in Standard. It has always had a very high mulligan win rate and has been in every single Rogue deck I can think of. This unassuming card had a huge impact on the class and will definitely be missed post-rotation.
Contraband Stash: Thief Rogue has been one of the “cockroaches” of Standard for quite a long time. It seemingly pops up in every single metagame and with cards like Contraband Stash and Tess Greymane, as long as there were cards to steal, these cards have been inevitably powerful. In conjunction with Shadow of Demise and Queen Azshara, one could play 4+ Contraband Stashes. This will be a big blow to the archetype, and potentially enough to kill it off for good.
Shaman (AzaleaAkari):
Brilliant Macaw: This card easily took Freeze/Frost Shaman to a higher tier, enabling more than a few unfun play patterns, but it has seen play in almost every Shaman deck.
Snowfall Guardian: Despite being not played now, Snowfall Guardian was in every single Shaman deck from the day it released as a 5 mana 3/3 to the day it was nerfed to be a 6 mana 5/5 that no longer gained stats.
Bolner Hammerbeak: It took a little bit for Bolner to see play, but once Snowfall Guardian, Mutanus, and Macaw were created, Bolner became a staple of all combo and control shaman decks.
Warlock (Nejiboston):
Tamsin Roame: Tamsin has seen play in nearly every Warlock deck since Forged in the Barrens’ release. It is a great burst of healing with cards like Touch of the Nathrezim and Drain Soul, powerful damage with Curse cards, and much more. It has been a staple and will certainly be missed.
Runed Mithril Rod: The official “cockroach” of Standard. Rod has been nerfed not once, but twice, and is still the most important card to draw in current Minelock decks. It was a menace when it was released in D6 Warlock and is one of the best cards ever released in my opinion. Runed Mithril Rod has had its time, and will not be missed by many as it takes its retirement in Wild.
The Demon Seed: This was probably the best Questline released in United in Stormwind. It had an immediate impact in two top decks with D6 Warlock and Handlock. It was one of the best cards in Standard for quite a while and also ate two nerfs. It also got banned in Wild for how strong it was. After last year’s rotation, the card fell off quite a bit with key pieces being rotated, but I simply couldn’t not mention it. I expect it to be reworked upon rotation so that it can be unbanned from the Wild format.
Warrior (Azalea Akari):
Outrider's Axe: This 4 mana weapon has been in every Control Warrior deck, even when the archetype was not played. 3 durability for 3 draws is so powerful and Warrior will miss this card so much.
Harbor Scamp: When Pirate Questline Warrior was played, Harbor Scamp was a large reason why the deck was so good. A 2 mana minion that draws a pirate and allows one to continue quest progression makes Harbor Scamp one of the best cards in the deck.
Shield Shatter: Shatter alongside cards like Frozen Buckler has been the premium removal effect for the Warrior class for a year. It was even nerfed at one point, but later reverted to help out the class. Warriors will really miss this area of effect clear after rotation.
Neutral:
Raid Boss Onyxia (Azalea Akari): Raid Boss Onyxia is the best neutral clear option that Control Warrior and Ramp Druid had for its entire existence in Standard. There is no doubt that she will see play in Wild Druid decks occasionally that includes dragons.
Far Watch Post (Azalea Akari): This card was meta warping when it was released in Forged in Barrens as a 2 mana 2/4 minion. Despite not being able to attack, Far Watch Post has been taxing opponents as a 2 mana 2/3 for the last two years.
Goldshire Gnoll (Azalea Akari): Gnoll has been the catalyst of this most recent iteration of Evolve Shaman, but also has been widely played across many classes throughout the last two years. This card was recently nerfed to 11 mana, but will likely be reverted upon rotation out of Standard. Evenlock fans rejoice!
Rustrot Viper (Nejiboston): Viper has been a tech card in countless decks since release. The Tradeable mechanic made it a much superior option to Acidic Swamp Ooze. With it being rotated out of Standard, will Ooze finally be brought back to life and used to counteract the powerful weapons in the next metagame? Time will tell.
Irondeep Trogg (Nejiboston): This is one of the strongest cards printed upon release. Unnerfed Trogg was able to copy all enchantments and made it an absolute plague to deal with. For only 1 mana, this card has packed a massive punch against spell-heavy and combo decks for over a year. It will surely be missed by aggro players, but swiftly and happily forgotten by the combo players.
Mutanus the Devourer (Nejiboston): This Murloc has had quite an impact in Standard for the last 2 years. Although it was more prevalent last year with less disruption available to players and a higher need to disrupt combo decks, it is still a solid option in slower decks to eat key pieces of your opponent’s deck. This menacing Murloc will be missed by many come rotation. It's been a good ride, Big Mute.
That's all the cards we will be discussing this time. Rotation is always a fun and fresh way to spice up the metagame, alongside a new expansion and a new core set. Look forward to more articles from the AFG crew in the near future. Until then...Rule the Roost!!!
-Nejiboston & Azalea Akari
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