#ESPSpread - Journey to Un’Goro Top 5 Cards for the Arena

Hearthstone – Journey to Un’Goro Top 5 Cards for the Arena

Hey everyone, Nick here and before we get into the real meat of this post, I thought I would share a little about myself and what you can expect in the future.

Me embracing my inner nerd and turning super saiyan

I’ve been playing video games pretty much my entire life. Whether it be racing my cousins in Mario Kart or building an amazing theme park in RollerCoaster Tycoon, video games have always been my favourite past time and a major part of my life. It wasn’t until 2008 that I was first introduced into the world of E-Sports and ever since then becoming engrossed in that world and amazed at what the top level pro’s are capable of.

The posts I make will predominately my opinion of various aspects of different E-Sports titles and you are more than welcome to tell me how wrong I am in the comment sections and get a conversation going with other readers.

Now onto the actual reason of this post. Hearthstone is a game I have played consistently since it was first released and have seen cards come and go over time and the changes to the gameplay that come along with that. Every expansion shifts the way in which the game is played and Journey to Un’Goro is no different. I have picked what in my opinion are the top 5 strongest cards released and given some context as to why they are so powerful at this current point in the games history. Obviously since this is just a top 5 I couldn’t put every card on the list and I’m sure you are going to disagree with some of the choices. Use the comment section below as a platform to tell which cards you think should have made the list and why.

Number 5 – Spikedridge Steed

Spikeridged Steed is obviously an amazing card and is definitely the best card that paladin has gained this expansion. For 6 mana you are getting a lot of stats, the initative since it is a buff rather than a minion, a taunt, and a deathrattle just to make it even more annoying. You can compare it with a card that is no longer in the card pool, Sludge Belcher. Spikeridged Steed is one more mana for essentially the same stats but instead of getting a 1/2 taunt as a deathrattle you are getting a 2/6, that’s three times as powerful. Another advantage it has over Sludge Belcher is in the fact that it is a buff, this means that it will come onto the board most of the time with charge and allows you to gain the initiative and decide the trades rather than your opponent.

Number 4 – Stubborn Gastropod

Stubborn Gastropod may not seem like much when you look at its stats, but when you really think about the word poisonous, it essentially means that Stubborn Gastropod has an unlimited attack value. Although it may simply get removed by an opponents 1 or 2 drop that is the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario isn’t even that bad but the potential of this card is enormous. That is why it has made my top 5 list. In the mid to late game this card will regularly trade with a minion which costs 4+ mana. It is almost a 2 mana hard removal with the flexibility to be played on turn 2 without feeling as though you have wasted it.

Number 3 – Envenom Weapon

Envenom Weapon is a ridiculous tempo card. Spending 5 mana (for the dagger and then the card) you get two Assassinates available for whenever you need them. There are a few weapon removal cards but you shouldn’t be worried about playing around these since the reward from this card is too great. Killing off two large creatures from your opponents board will result in lots of face damage being taken but your hero’s health should be used as a resource in order of gaining board control. Rogue was already at the top of the arena food chain and with the addition of Envenom Weapon, it is only going to get stronger.

Number 2 – Primordial Drake

Any board clear or area of effect card is premium in the arena and taunt minions are usually seen as being highly valuable. Primordial Drake combines both of these into one single card. When compared with Volcanic Potion, we can see that a 2 damage area of effect is valued at 3 mana. This means that you are getting a 4/8 minion with taunt for just 5 mana. Another comparison to make is with Corrupted Seer which is a fine arena card. Both have the same effect but for just 2 mana more you are getting +2 +5 worth of stats and taunt, that is insane. The 2 damage aoe has the potential to completely flip the board and take you from being in a losing position to a winning one. It may even just outright win you the game. Even if the 2 damage isn’t enough to completely remove the enemy minions, the 8 health and taunt will require you opponent to run his minions into it effectively make it a 6 damage aoe, or they will have to use some hard removal on it. Primordial Drake has a massive ceiling when it comes to power level and being a neutral minion, it is available for any class.

Number 1 – Vilespine Slayer

Rogue was already the best class in the arena and now with a couple of new additions, I think that it has only increased the gap between itself and every other class. Rogue is the king when it comes to gaining a tempo advantage simply with its hero power and with cards such as Backstab or deadly poison. Vilespine Slayer is the ultimate card when it comes to both tempo and value. Paying 5 mana for a 3/4 body is terrible but when you compare its effect to Assassinate, that 5 mana becomes 0 mana. Now ask yourself if paying 0 mana for a 3/4 is still bad. This card is so good that just getting its effect off will probably win you the game by itself.




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