How To Pick The Best Cards - Episode 31

Hello!

• Scott Lantz is on the show this week
• Topic: Card Evaluation 101
• Reasons to be happy this week

What Is Card Evaluation?

• Goal: Teach players how to determine the value of any card
• There are good and bad cards in the game on purpose
• This is the fastest way to get better at Hearthstone!
• All card evaluations are subjective to player personality and deck types, so think critically

The Vanilla Test

• Compare the bare-bone stats of a card to see if it’s good
• Rule of thumb: Attack + Health = (ManaCost * 2) + 1
• You can lump the stats of summoned “pets” with the card that summons them
• Chillwind Yeti
• Razorfen Hunter

Direct Comparison

• Find the closest similar card in cost/stats/effect and compare them.
• Bloodfen Raptor vs. Knife Juggler
• Razorfen Hunter vs. Harvest Golem vs. Imp Master

The Cost of Standard Effects

• Most standard effects (healing, direct damage, card draw) have a typical mana cost associated that Blizzard adds to the minion.
• There’s no magic answer with this. This is hard to define and uses fuzzy math.
• Spells vary too often to make an accurate list for them. These numbers apply to effects attached to minions
• 1/1 on a creature = 1 mana
• Stealth = 0.5 mana
• Taunt = 0.5 mana
• Divine Shield = 1.5 mana
• Spell Damage +1 = 0.5 mana
• 1 Card Draw = 2 or 2.5 mana (variable)
• 1 point of Direct Damage = 1-2 mana (variable)
• Charge = variable; expense increases with power of the minion
• Shattered Sun Cleric vs. Flesheating Ghoul vs. Thrallmar Farseer

Special Abilities

• Some of the special abilities cannot be directly evaluated since they’re so variable
• But many give simple benefits, like +1/+1 or 1 damage under certain situations. It’s generally possible to figure out how many activations they need to break even with their cost.
• Frostwolf Warlord
• Priestess of Elune vs. Frost Elemental vs. Hogger

The Class Benefit

• Class cards tend to be better than neutral cards
• Goldshire Footman vs. Voidwalker
• Boulderfist Ogre vs. Temple Enforcer

The Randomness Factor

• Randomness is inherently risky, so be careful overvaluing it.
• There are different types of randomness, though. Randomness that can be “shaped” to control the outcome are generally better
• Mad Bomber vs. Deadly Shot

Card Advantage

• Drawing cards is good, but cards that draw other cards are all over the value spectrum, good and bad. Evaluate each just like any other card!
• Azure Drake vs. Arcane Intellect vs. Novice Engineer

Versatility

• Versatility sometimes comes in the form of explicit choice, like Druid cards
• Sometimes it comes from different and potentially unexpected ways to use an ability
• Blessing of Wisdom
• Inner Rage

High Maintenance

• Low maintenance cards don’t need special circumstance to be played and get their full value.
• Chillwind Yeti and Arcane Intellect
• High maintenance cards need things to be in place in order to get its full value OR they somehow make your situation worse.
• High cost is high maintenance!
• Ancient Watcher and Defender of Argus and Venture Co. Mercenary
• Darkscale Healer vs. Spiteful Smith vs. Faceless Manipulator
• Mountain Giant vs. Sea Giant vs. Pyroblast

The Board State

• There are four states you can be in, in a Hearthstone game: Developing, Ahead, Parity, or Behind
• Cards are often better in some of those states and worse in others
• Some states are more important to be better in. Ahead is the least valuable, because you’re already winning.

Community

• Question from Nerdvana247: Are Rogue underpowered?
• iTunes Review: MrBthoven

Card of the Week

Farewell

• Follow Scott on Twitter
• Watch Scott livestream
• What you want to see in future episodes
• What hosts you want to visit the show