by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

In a perfect world we’d all own every single Hearthstone card. They’d all be golden. We’d all have card backs. There’d be no bugs that make us want to flip tables in rage. Unfortunately, that’s not a world we live in (yet) and we’re forced to make due with what we have. If you’re reading this and possess every single legendary card in Hearthstone, beat it scrub! I’m just kidding, you can stay, but today we’re going to look over replacements for legendaries. Some are obvious, some less so. The goal here is for players with less to get more out of their decks.

Leeroy Jenkins 

Replacing Leeroy is fairly straightforward. There are a fair number of neutral minions with charge and the question on which to choose depends on your mana curve and overall strategy. Wolf Rider and Bluegill Warrior are both solid, and more importantly totally free to anyone who owns Hearthstone. Arcane Golem (100 dust) costs the same amount of mana as Wolf Rider, hits harder and is a bit tankier, but also awards your opponent an extra mana crystal. It’s best saved as a finishing move on low HP opponents, or for a point where opposing mana is capped out. Argent Commander (100 dust) is a fantastic card, but at six mana it requires a bit of a later strategy than the other minions do. It’s also got the exact same statline as Arcane Golem, but has divine shield and does not hand out free mana crystals.

Bloodmage Thalnos

Again, replacing Bloodmage Thalnos is not difficult. It depends on what you value more, card draw or spell damage. Both Novice Engineer and Loot Hoarder (40 dust) are Gnomes that come with cards. They’re reasonable early game options if you’re simply looking to cycle cards.  Cheap spell damage can be gained through the services of the Kobold Geomancer. He’s available to everyone and comes with a 2/2 body, making him surprisingly durable in the first few turns. You’ve got options here, it just depends on what you want to do.

Cairne Bloodhoof

This is where replacements start to become a bit more subjective. What is Cairne Bloodhoof, ultimately? He’s two Chillwind Yetis for six mana. If silenced, he’s a single Chillwind Yeti for six mana. Chillwind Yeti is a beater minion. He doesn’t have any fancy text, he just hits hard and take beatings well in return. There’s another free neutral minion at six mana that can boast a similar promise: Boulderfist Ogre. This giant beefcake brings the pain and is incredibly strong against Druid decks. At six attack, he’ll more than bring the fight to someone without incurring the wrath of Big Game Hunter. While Cairne’s cooler to have around, I’d argue Boulderfist Ogre can be better in some situations.

Hogger

Again, subjective replacement. Hogger is an amazing card if you’re already dominating your opponent. It gives you a 4/4 Gnoll that spawns a 2/2 Gnoll with taunt at the end of your turn. If you don’t have Hogger, Silverhand Knight (40 dust) can provide you a 4/4 and a 2/2 without taunt for five mana. It can be a very useful card when building towards a Savage Roar/Bloodlust victory condition. Is it as good as Hogger? Absolutely not. It is however a bit faster and far less expensive.

Captain Greenskin

Okay, this is a bit of a reach, but I like Spiteful Smith (40 dust) as a substitute for Captain  Greenskin. In fact, I’d even say Spiteful Smith’s an upgrade. Both cost five mana. Spiteful Smith features a favor more favorable statline at 4/6, versus Captain Greenskin’s fragile 5/4. Regardless of personal preference, Spiteful Smith is a solid replacement option if you’re running a weapon intensive setup and looking for a minion that can also brawl at five mana. Rogues and Warriors on a budget, take note.

Beyond those, replacing legendaries tends to get a bit difficult. While Mana Tide Totem is a fantastic replacement for Nat Pagle, it’s obviously Shaman specific. Tinkmaster Overspark can be replaced by Hex and Polymorph, both of which are better, but again, class specific. Replacing a legendary is generally about addressing a specific need, and while Boulderfist Ogre is always a solid lategame option, it can never be as effective as drawing a dream card or burning something for eight damage. Still, and pun intended, we play with the hand we’re dealt.