by OtakuMZ - 7 years ago     show comments

Before you continue:

This is the pre-release edition, to see the final verdict (two weeks after the release) please hit the LINK.

Introduction: What Is This Ranking

I already wrote the Karazhan Power Rankings and the Old Gods Power Rankings. I will continue this by evaluating the cards of the newest expansion as well. If you comment on twitter, please use the hashtag #GadgetzanPR.

For spatial reasons and to enhance readability and browsebility for returning readers, a detailed explanation of how my ranks work is presented below the cards. Here are the rules of my power rankings in short:

1. I will update this post constantly after every subsequent release
2. The rank of each card can change in this process.
3. Ranking is for Standard play mode and competitive play only
4. “About Power Rankings” section, explanations of categories, and a changelog can be found at the end of this article (Annex I-III)
   

Additional Link(s):
Gadgetzan Spoiler Card List by @Eldorian
Card Reviews – What I Learned from Card Reviews – What I Learned from WotOG and ONiK

Gadgetzan Power Rankings (132/132)

Release date: December 1st, 2016

Last updated:  December 1st, 2016

☆☆☆☆☆: EXCELLENT / STAPLE

☆☆☆☆:  GOOD / COMPETITIVELY VIABLE

☆☆☆: DECENT / NICHE PICK

☆☆: POOR / TOO SITUATIONAL

☆: UNPLAYABLE

U: UNSORTED / NEW

A/B: ARCHETYPE DEFINING / BUILD-AROUND

C/T: COUNTER / TECH  CHOICE

Annex I: About Power Rankings: My Take on Card Reviews Explained

Equal to the rankings before, this page will be in constant change in contrast to being a static card review seen on most other pages. I will evaluate every single card anew with every subsequent release of new cards. Why? With every card spoiled, new synergies and anti-synergies may rise which weren’t possible before. These may lead to a dramatic difference in power level not foreseeable before. All evaluations made here are my own although I will read other reviews and I may change my evaluation according to these if there are new aspects of a card discussed that I did not take into consideration beforehand. I might evaluate cards differently to what you think because the evaluations reflect my personal opinions based on my knowledge of the game. If you disagree I am happy to hear your point in the comments below or

I might evaluate cards differently to what you think because the evaluations reflect my personal opinions based on my knowledge of the game. If you disagree I am happy to hear your point in the comments below or @OtakuMZ1978. I will try to respond to all inquiries and take into consideration to change my rank of the card in question.

All evaluations will be made with Standard play mode and competitive play in mind. This is no ranking for neither Arena nor Wild, please remember this when reading. I will sort cards categories (see at bottom of the article). They will be sorted by mana cost from low to high. There is a changelog directly below the actual ranking above the category explanations at the bottom of this page.

Annex II: Changelog

• November 6th, 2016: first iteration of the list with 34 cards
  
• November 7th, 2016: 5 new cards added from Grimy Goons
• November 8th, 2016: 1 card added, Grimestreet Enforcer
  • Small-Time Recruits moved up
• November 9th, 2016: 4 new cards added, lots of changes due to new synergies
  • down in rating: Lunar Vision, Pilfered Power, Shaku, the Collector
  • up in rating: Mean Street Marshal, Mark of the Lotus
• November 10th, 2016: 4 new cards added
  • down in rating: Wind-up Burglebot, Friendly Bartender, Lunar Vision, Kooky Chemist, Finja
  • up in rating: Piranha Bazooka (as a one of in specialized Hunter decks)
• November 11th, 2016: 4 new cards added
• November 12th, 2016: 3 new cards added
• November 13th, 2016: Don Han’Cho added
• November 14th, 2016: Madam Goya added
  • down in rating: Don Han’Cho, Kun the Forgotten King
  • up in rating: Dispatch Kodo, Doppelgangster; both are now 5* due to insane synergy with bufff cards
• November 15th, 2016: 7 cards added
  • Up in rating: Wickerflame Burnbristle
• November 16th, 2016: 3 cards added
  • Up in rating: Stolen Goods, Rat Pack, Trogg Beastrager, Grimy Gadgeteer, Shaky Zipgunner
  • down in Rating: Grimestreet Smuggler, Grimestreet Enforcer, Lotus Assassin
• November 18th, 2016: 7 cards added
  • Up in rating: Grimscale Chum, Grimestreet Pawnbroker
  • down in Rating: Madam Goya
• November 20th, 2016: 5 cards added
  • Up in rating: Second-Rate Bruiser, Madam Goya, Grimscale Chum,
  • down in Rating: Pint-Size Potion, Kabal Courier, Grimestreet Informant, Brass Knuckles, Kooky Chemist, Friendly Bartender, Backstreet Leper, Don Han’Cho, Shaku, the Collector, Finja, the Flying Star, Poisonous Swamp Ooze, Auctionmaster Beardo
• November 21th, 2016: 2 cards added
• November 22th, 2016: 6 cards added (Jade Lotus release)
• November 23th, 2016: 3 cards added
• November 25th, 2016: 6 cards added
• November 26th, 2016: 3 cards added
• November 27th, 2016: White Eyes added; I am thinking about a six star category for alongside Jade Idol :LOL:
• November 28th, 2016: 1 card added
• December 2nd, 2016: all remaining cards added and sorted.

Annex III: Ranking Categories

☆☆☆☆☆ (5 stars) Excellent: Cards that are top-notch or potentially overpowered. Most decks would like to run them, e.g. Dr. Boom.

☆☆☆☆ (4 stars) Good: Superior cards that will very likely be seen play frequently, e.g. Annoy-o-Tron, Harvest Golem.

☆☆☆ (3 stars) Decent: Cards that normally do not make the cut for competitive play but are overall well-designed and might fit into specific decks. These cards can be powerful in Arena though or really viable for newer players but you would not likely see them in tournaments.  Also, vanilla cards such as Chillwind Yeti fall into this category.

☆☆ (2 stars) Poor: Underwhelming and/or over-costed cards. These cards have inferior stats and/or underwhelming effects and will not see competitive play, e.g. Voodoo Doctor. Also grouped in this category are cards, that seem to be good at first glance. Yet, their effects are too situational so that most of the time, you will not be able to pull them off (e.g. Ghaz’rilla). The latter can arguably be fun and even powerful IF their effects go off. In any case, these cards I like to call “what-if cards” are so unreliable that they render themselves unusable in competitive play. Feel free to raise these cards to a “build-around” card or just have fun with!

☆ (1 star) Unplayable: Straight out bad stats, poor card design or simply useless cards that are even too bad for casual play? Do you have them in your deck? Delete Hearthstone! 😉 These cards you would not and should never put in your deck unless for fun or I missed something and the cards are sorted wrong, e.g. Magma Rager. If so, please leave me a comment! Okay, one exception here: you want to troll your opponent so that he thinks you are the worst Hearthstone player alive! 😆

A/B: Archetype Defining / Build-Around*: Cards that are only viable if you build your deck around them, e.g. Grim Patron.

C/T: Counter / Tech Choice*: Cards that mostly have underwhelming stats but are highly useful to counter specific Cards or to Play against a very uniform meta, e.g. Eater of Secrets

* The cards that appear under A/B and C/T will also be represented under 5* to 1* ratings according to their suspected power level when included or played in the right deck.