I'm sad to see Army of the Dead. I had heard about it and was hoping it was being described wrong to me.
Don't get me wrong, it's a fine card for constructed, as it gives DK a powerful ability that no other class has. The ability to sweep the board and make an army in one fell swoop is extremely powerful, and DK likely needed something like this to define it as a class.
My problem is that Army of the Dead is simply TOO strong for limited play. Limited is all about ally-based strategies, and the ability to wipe both sides clear and simultaneously create an army of 3/3's on your side is far and away the most powerful limited card in the history of WoW. Stronger than Misery, stronger than Ishanah, stronger than any "bomb" in the past, and I will defend that against any card you can name.
The main problem is that this card doesn't require any finesse or skill to use this card to win the game. With previous board sweepers, like Invoke the Nether, there was a skill to determining when the "right" time to play these cards were, and a skill to "baiting" your opponent into playing more allies to catch with them. And, when you played them, you had to have a good plan of "now that all the allies are gone, how do I translate this advantage into a win"?
With Army of the Dead, there is almost no "wrong" time to play the card. Basically, any time there are more than 3 allies on the board, if you play this card, you are at such a huge advantage that it would take a significantly powerful counter-play from your opponent to overcome the advantage. If you ever resolve this card with more than 5 allies in play, barring a board-sweeper from your opponent, I can't imagine how you could lose the game.
Sure there are "better" times to play this card, but I suspect that even when this card is not played at the optimal time, it will still win the game for its player very often. I would argue that a sealed deck comprised solely of blank, average-statted dudes, and had no abilities other than Army of the Dead, would win almost every game where it resolved Army of the Dead if the opponent didn't have an immediate board sweeper to counter it. Basically, where limited decks are expected to "play fair", Army of the Dead is the most unreal unfair card in limited play.
Is this hyperbole? It might seem like it, but I think I'm right here. This card is simply too powerful for limited play, and it makes me hesitant about my chances at DMF Vegas. I feel like the top tables will be filled with players that opened Army of the Dead, and I feel like if I don't open the card I'm at such a severe disadvantage against anyone who does have it, more so than any other limited bomb ever in WoW.
