Game: Hearthstone, Heroes of Warcraft System: Computerish FAQ: Naxxramas Card List Written By: NoWorries Allowed Website: www.gamefaqs.com www.neoseeker.com www.supercheats.com *If you have a website you would like to post this at just shoot me an email* **As always, the most up-to-date guide will always be found at gamefaqs** Version History: 1.0 Submitted 16 of October of 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Who should be reading this FAQ?- #The NoWorries Contract to Greatness I put this in every faq I've ever written, and it goes something along the lines like this. By writing this, I commit to you the reader that I will bring to you not only my vastness of knowledge but do it with a sense of humour. I understand it's easy to get bogged down in detail as well as a mush of opinion but I strive to bring you something more than just a guide to greatness. This is a guide discussing all of the Naxxramas cards and how good/bad they are. It's going to be short as well, but it will definitely help and go hand in hand with my Heroic deck list. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First, what is Naxxramas? Naxxramas is an expansion set for Hearthstone, a card game developed by Blizzard and played online. Naxxramas came out as an expansion, being directly inspired by the dungeon from World of Warcraft, and can be played in Hearthstone to unlock a number of things. The first wing of Naxxramas was free (I don't think it is anymore) but it can be purchased (all the wings) for $28 USD if I remember. As Naxxramas added some 25+ cards as well as a new cardback, it's definitely worth it to buy and I hope by going through this you too will find it helpful. Second, what's the theme? Naxxramas is a set built on Deathrattle, an effect in Hearthstone that simply put, has something happen when a minion dies. It results in a card either being overpowered or underpowered, but then is balanced out because of the Deathrattle. There are a number of Deathrattles already, such as the Beast, or Loot Hoarder, but Naxxramas went balls to the walls and really introduced some ground-breaking cards that completely changed the game. So let's get with it CARD LIST Greys-Neutrals Dancing Swords Haunted Creeper Mad Scientist Nerub'ar Weblord Spectral Knight Stoneskin Gargoyle Undertaker Unstable Ghoul Zombie Chow Greys-Class Anub'ar Ambusher Avenge Dark Cultist Death's Bite Duplicate Poison Seeds Reincarnate Voidcaller Webspinner Blues-Rares Deathlord Nerubian Egg Wailing Soul Sludge Belcher Purples-Epics Echoing Ooze Shade of Naxxramas Gold-Legendaries Baron Rivendare Feugen Kel'Thuzad Loatheb Maexxna Stalagg Thaddius So let's get into it ---------------------------------- SECTION 1 GREYS-NEUTRALS ---------------------------------- Dancing Swords Costs 3 Power 4 Health 4 Text: Deathrattle, opponent draws a card So Dancing Swords is a 4/4 for 3 mana, downside of opponent drawing a card. Let me tell you, avoid this card. It simply isn't good. A 4/4 body for 3 is always nice, but here's where Dancing Swords becomes worse, a 4/5 for 4 with no downside in Chillwind Yeti. It seems like a potentially strong card to drop early but really you are better off with almost anything else. For Arena runs, it is a bit stronger, as Arena is ruled by 3/2's so the 4/4 body can favorably trade twice optimistically, but even so, I'd only take this if my other options were Wisp and some crappy Murloc Overall rating, 1/10 ---------------------------------- Haunted Creeper Costs 2 Power 1 Health 2 Text: Deathrattle, put two 1/1 spiders into play This card is the epitome of juicy. You get a total of 3/4 stats for just 2 mana, it's hard to beat. Sure the stats are spread out and it's vulnerable to silence, but most cards are so it's barely a reason to knock it down. It's also a Beast, so for Hunters you can do stuff with it. Note that the spiders that come into play are not beasts though so be warned. Regardless, it's a shoe-in for most aggressive decks and a pretty strong pick when it comes to Arena runs. For control decks, it's a bit weaker than the slightly more expensive Harvest Golem, which is less vulnerable to Silence as well as it trades more favorably with the 2 power. Overall rating, 7/10 ---------------------------------- Mad Scientist Costs 2 Power 2 Health 2 Text: Deathrattle, put a random secret from your deck into play Alright, so a 2/2 for 2 isn't particularly exciting. The Deathrattle seems cool, except secrets are only in 3 decks, Paladin, Mage, and Hunter, so is it good? Some might say yes, I'd argue no. Here's why. In a Mage, most times you are running secrets like Ice Block/Armor, which could be useful, but then you're playing a Frost Mage and you need better card draw in all honesty. You could be playing a Secret Mage, but then my issue with the Scientist is the randomness of it. Do you really want to Mirror Image a crappy 2 cost creature? How about Counterspelling the coin? Maybe Vaporizing the 1/1 Paladin summon? Due to the lack of control, I don't like it for Mage What about Paladin? Hell their secrets suck outside of Arena. Nope What about Hunter? I suppose it could work, I certainly see them paired a lot. I also beat them everytime. Why? Go back to the mage. The weakness is that you have no control over what comes out. The point of a Secret is to pressure your opponent by leaving them no option. They have a 1 health minion and you drop a secret and ignore it? Sure seems like Explosive. Kill off all but their expensive creature and drop a trap? Seems like Freezing. And the best part is the bluff factor, they have no way of knowing without triggering it! When you have a Scientist in play, they kill it when they want and can favorably prepare for whatever Secret may come their way. Trust me, it's not that good. Overall rating, 2/10 ---------------------------------- Nerub'ar Weblord Costs 2 Power 1 Health 4 Text: Minions with battlecries cost 2 more to play Not much to say here. This card sucks pretty hard and could use a buff. It's a decent card against Zoo, which uses lots of battlecry effects, but it's small 1 power makes it unappealing not to mention you can't play with battle cry either less you restrict yourself. I'd just not use this card Overall rating, 1/10 ---------------------------------- Spectral Knight Costs 5 Power 4 Health 6 Text: Can't be target by spells or hero powers A simple card, useless in some cases, and really annoying in others. Decks like Priest, Miracle Rogue, or Mage will be frustrated by this guy to no end. Others, like Ramp-Druid, Handlock, or Zoolock don't care nearly as much due to his high cost and weaker power. When paired with a Defender of Argus, he can prove rather annoying, but then you've used 2 cards to make a strong creature when you could just use a single strong creature and put something else in instead. In Arena, this guy is a rather strong pick, due to the high health and his protection, meaning you should trade at a minimum 2 for 1, and hopefully 3 for 1 building some card advantage. Overall rating, 8/10 ---------------------------------- Stoneskin Gargoyle Costs 3 Power 1 Health 4 Text, At the beginning of your turn, heal it to full health This card sucks. There really isn't much else to say. It's small 1 power is sad, it's ability isn't good, and that's really all there is to say about it. I guess you can chip away at Paladin hero powers forever. Overall rating, 0/10 ---------------------------------- Undertaker Costs 1 Power 1 Health 2 Text, Whenever you play a deathrattle, gain 1/1 This is a card that changed the metagame. With so many deathrattles, he fits into nearly any deck and unless dealt with immediately (like Knife Juggler) he mows down your opponent very quickly. In fact, Undertaker+Coin+Zombie Chow gives an almost unfair amount of board control on turn 1. A very strong card. In Arena, he is much more risky, but worth taking if you have at least 4 Deathrattles and need a cheap creature Overall rating, 10/10 ---------------------------------- Unstable Ghoul Costs 2 Power 1 Health 3 Text, Deathrattle, deal 1 damage to all minions This guy is a little grenade. You won't find him in most decks, as he is a bit too underwhelming, but he has great use with Acolyte of Pain, and more importantly, the Control Warrior. Well, Warrior in general, but Control Warrior. Besides the nice cheap taunt creature, his Deathrattle when combined with some cards like Armorsmith, Frothing Berserker, or Acolyte of Pain, can get some stupid results which is part of the reason Control Warrior had been so strong In Arena, he's a fairly good choice so long as you aren't Paladin Overall rating, 6/10 ---------------------------------- Zombie Chow Costs 1 Power 2 Health 3 Text, Deathrattle, heal your opponent for 5 health Easily the best card in the set, Zombie Chow is the definition of a Card advantage machine. He goes in control decks, he goes in aggressive decks. He's an extremely top Arena pick. There just aren't many times you wouldn't want the Chow in your opening hand. It can easily net you a 2-1 trade, building card advantage early. The 5 life heal seems bad, which is why you use him to eliminate early threats. Undertakers meet their match to an early Chow, Northshire Clerics quiver as Chow plops down, and Zoo decks groan as that Chow will cut down their aggression single-handily. Lastly, Auchenai+Chow means a 5 damage, NUKE TO THE FACE. Yeah, he's that strong Overall rating, 10/10 ---------------------------------- SECTION 2 GREYS-CLASS ---------------------------------- Anub'ar Ambusher, Rogue Costs 4 Power 5 Health 5 Text: Deathrattle, return a random minion to your hand I have mixed feelings about this guy. A 5/5 body for 4 is really strong. His effect also doesn't seem all that bad, really as Rogues enjoy battlecries. I just don't know any constructed deck that would use him. In Arena, he's quite strong and a fairly top pick though Yeti is still better Overall rating, 7/10 ---------------------------------- Avenge, Paladin Costs 1 Secret, Whenever a friendly minion dies, give another random friendly minion +3/+2 It's a sensationally strong boost for a mere 1 mana, the downside being the uncontrollable nature of the spell. Near worthless for constructed, except for aggressive Paladin maybe, Avenge gets it's real strength in Arena, as the 1 mana 3/2 stats are a bargain worth playing with. As such, it's a strong pick and should be taken often. Overall rating, 8/10 ---------------------------------- Dark Cultist, Priest Costs 3 Power 3 Health 4 Text: Deathrattle, give a random friendly minion 3 health The first 3/4 for 3 creature printed! And it's good. It's really good. Combined with cards like Undertaker, Death-Priests have risen and this guy is as obnoxious as they come. In Arena, he's an extremely valuable pick and is almost always worth taking. Overall rating, 10/10 ---------------------------------- Death's Bite, Warrior Costs 4 Power 4 Durable 2 Text: Deathrattle, deal 1 damage to all minions Death's Bite single handily made Warrior easily the best class in Arena. I mean, it's a great constructed card too, but Death's Bite filled a gap in Warriors that it desperately needed: a way to kill a 5 health minion (Yeti) and how to deal with weenies without taking the crappy Whirlwind? Death's Bite does all that and more. It's 4 power cleaves through enemies, but the deathrattle effect allows you to clear weenies or take down 5 health baddies by yourself. Death's Bite is a card advantage machine. Nuff said Overall rating, 10/10 ---------------------------------- Duplicate, Mage Costs 3 Secret, Whenever a friendly minion dies put 2 copies into your hand This card only receives a 5 due to it's unpredictable nature. Duplicate dropped down when you are hiding behind a Sludge Belcher or Sunwalker, yes man that is a game changer. However, Duplicating Sheeps or Frogs is much much worse. Duplicating a small cheap creature also doesn't help much. It can be quite strong, but you have to use it carefully as you probably don't need to Duplicate a Mirror Image for example ---------------------------------- Poison Seeds, Druid Costs 4 Spell, Destroy all minions and replace them with 2/2 treants Druid definitely got hosed. This card sucks pretty hard. Don't use it. Poison Seeds+Starfall ain't worth it bro, don't use it Overall rating, 0/10 ---------------------------------- Reincarnate, Shaman Costs 2 Spell, Destroy a minion and return it to play full life This card is quite flexible though underpowered at best. With all these Death rattles going around, sure seems cool to use right? Sure, except when you look close you see you are getting what? Two more 1/1's for 2 mana? Another 2/1 for 2 mana? A 1/2 taunt for 2 mana? Sure getting another 4/4 for 2 from your Egg could be cool, but largely you will see Reincarnate not being nearly as cool as you would hope. If combo'd with Baron Rivendare you can hope to achieve some cool results but largely it's "meh". It's flexible though, as you can get rid of enchantments like Blessing of Kings, Windfury, or even the 5 health taunt from Ancient of War. Overall rating, 4/10 ---------------------------------- Voidcaller, Warlock Costs 4 Power 3 Health 4 Text: Deathrattle, Put a random Demon from your hand into play So Voidcaller seems cool. Lots of Warlock Demons are quite strong with bad downsides right? Problem is that Voidcaller is as expensive as many of them meaning that getting it out there, having a Demon in your hand, and killing off Voidcaller means you've already lost the game by the time you've done this and tried. For Arena, Voidcaller is a godsend, as Warlock Demons are super strong in Arena, and getting them for free through Voidcaller is just what they needed. Overall rating, 6/10 ---------------------------------- Webspinner, Hunter Costs 1 Power 1 Health 1 Text: Deathrattle, put a random Beast card into your hand Webspinner can be amazing or useless. King Krush seems cool, but often you will never be able to play him. Captains Parrot is easily the worst Beast you can get unless by chance you have a Pirate in your deck somewhere. It's a gamble. It's one more people are willing to take. As he can usually trade and then give you another creature, it's kinda 2-1 which is why it works. Getting another Scar for example is a huge win, but then getting the 1/4 taunt Gorilla is like "sigh" Overall rating, 5/10 ---------------------------------- SECTION 3 BLUES-RARES ---------------------------------- Deathlord Costs 3 Power 2 Health 8 Text: Taunt, Deathrattle, Your opponent gets a random minion from their deck into play A 10 stat, 2/8 taunt for 3 mana is insane. But that downside can be quite ugly. Giving your opponent Rag on turn 5, or Bloodhoof, or Ironbark Protector is an easy way to lose the match. In Arena, he's fairly strong, as spells are generally limited and most of the time your opponent will get a 3/2 or so, making him a favorable choice. It's just not so good for constructed Overall rating, 4/10 ---------------------------------- Nerubian Egg Costs 2 Power 0 Health 2 Text: Deathrattle, get a 4/4 Nerubian This Egg is great. It serves as anti-aoe, and is almost always a 2-1 trade when boosted up, ultimately giving you a 4/4 which then 2-1, ultimately going to a 3 or 4 for 1 trade. If it gets silenced, you're screwed. If you can't get it killed, you're screwed. That being said, it's still a great card and one of the better ones in Naxxramas Overall rating, 9/10 ---------------------------------- Wailing Soul Costs 4 Power 3 Health 5 Text: Battlecry, silence your other minions I'm sure people are looking at him going, "Boy, could I use you somehow?" The answer is, no not really. I've only seen him in one deck and that's to beat a Heroic Gothik. Stat-wise he's fine, it's just that he's just not great. He's just, average all around. Overall rating, 4/10 ---------------------------------- Sludge Belcher Costs 5 Power 3 Health 5 Text: Taunt, Deathrattle, get a 1/2 taunt All I have to say is you see this guy in literally every deck. A Das'dingo that comes back to life? Yes he's quite good. Overall rating, 10/10 ---------------------------------- SECTION 4 PURPLES-EPICS ---------------------------------- Echoing Ooze Costs 2 Power 1 Health 2 Text: At end of turn, create an exact copy of this creature This guy looks exploitable. Attach him to Argus, get a second 2/3 taunt! Drop Blessing of Kings, bam two 5/6 creatures for 6 mana! The issue is consistency. He himself is a 2/4, 6 stats for 2 but both are 1 power minions unless you boost them. So hanging on to this creature for a lategame boost is not nearly as strong or cool as it would seem. We saw some aggroy token Druids using Ooze but those have all but faded as we realized that Ramp is stronger and the Ooze just is, well it's just not as good as the Spider Overall rating, 4/10 ---------------------------------- Shade of Naxxramas Costs 3 Power 2 Health 2 Text: Stealth, At the beginning of your turn, gain +1/+1 He's a mini Gruul! Again, like Ooze, he seems very strong. Always gaining 1/1 is nice and the stealth means he can sit there. Problem is, he just ain't so good. A 2/2 for 3 is quite bad, and even a 3/3 for 3 is mediocre. That means by turn 3 you have a 4/4, except that means your turn 3 consisted of playing this guy and now two turns later he is almost ready to go. Frankly, he's just not that good, and is a beginners trap Overall rating, 5/10 ---------------------------------- SECTION 6 GOLD-LEGENDARIES ---------------------------------- Baron Rivendare Costs 4 Power 1 Health 7 Text, Your minions trigger their Deathrattles twice Baron Rivendare is as strong as the situation calls for. If you drop him and get at least two extra deathrattles, then it was worth it. Otherwise, he's an overpriced sad creature. If you're making a Deathrattle deck, he could find a home as 1 slot otherwise I'd pass ---------------------------------- Feugen and Stalagg and Thaddius Costs 5, 5, N/A Power, 4, 7, 11 Health, 7, 4, 11 Texts: Right So Feugen and Stalagg are interesting, in that if they both die in the game on your side, then you get Thaddius, an 11/11 monster. Seems cool, but here's the problem; one silence, one hex, one polymorph, or just simply not drawing them (you can only play with 1 each in your deck) means you don't get Thaddius and are stuck with generally crappy creatures. A 7/4 for 5, Stalagg is very bad. As a 4/7, Feugen is slightly better, though, using them together is more of a novelty than an actual strategy. ---------------------------------- Kel'Thuzad Costs 8 Power 6 Health 8 Text: At end of each turn, bring back to life all friendly minions that died So KT is big right? He can't get shot down by BGH, and he's quite bulky. The question is how valuable is he? He's meh. In Arena, KT is a dominating force that can secure your win. For constructed, he's much more vulnerable to a number of spells not to mention getting him down when you have creatures to actually use. Overall, he's flashy but not that cool. ---------------------------------- Loatheb Costs 5 Power 5 Health 5 Text: Battlecry, Opponent spells cost 5 more next turn Loatheb is quite difficult to use, but can be game-changing. A turn 8/9 Loatheb stops Force+Roar. Loatheb shuts down Miracle single-handily. He's a large body and can really complicate things for your opponent. He's quite useful ---------------------------------- Maexxna Costs 6 Power 2 Health 8 Text: Destroy any minion damaged by this one So Maexxna is a really big Cobra. She kinda sucks. Her small power is a huge liability as she can be stolen, or killed quite easily by Kodo. She could just as easily have more power and kill things anyway, instead of relying on a crappy ability. I guess she does take down Deathwing or Thaddius, but come on, that's stretching her usage. ---------------------------------- This concludes the guide, as I just wanted to go through and talk about each card from Naxxramas. Maybe if enough people pester me then I will go ahead and update with some decklists as well but for now this is fine. Also don't steal this. The cards and game are Blizzard property but my thoughts and analysis on them are my own. Thanks guise I'm always open for questions, my email being tskisoccer@yahoo.com Just make sure to put "Hearthstone" or "Naxxramas" in the title less it be deleted. Alright have fun and keep smashing Murlocs ENT TEXT