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Scourgewar Boosters
11/24/09
Scourgewar Epic Collection
December
Naxxramas Raid Deck
12/15/09
Naxxramas Treasure Pack
12/15/09
Event
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Date
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City
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Realm Qualifiers Season 4
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Aug 15-
Nov 8
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Worldwide
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Realm Championships Season 4
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Nov
13-15
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Worldwide
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Scourgewar Sneak Preview
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Nov
21
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Worldwide
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Scourgewar On Sale
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Nov
24
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Worldwide
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DMF Las Vegas
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Dec
4-6
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Las Vegas, NV
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The Best of Block | By Andrew Trebing | | 10/21/2009 | Well, it has been quite an interesting past couple months for the World of Warcraft TCG and its community, culminating in the 2009 World Championships. Now, as all the players return to their homes and begin preparing for the upcoming Darkmoon Faires and Realm Championships, I’d like to review what has been an interesting and turbulent Block format. I’ll also discuss my personal card evaluations, including cards that have been underrated or overrated. Finally, I’d like to run through the top 10 most influential cards that shaped the Block format.
The first front-runner in the Block format was the Gyro of the Ring resource control/destruction deck. With Gromble the Apt speeding up all of your early plays, it was hard to believe that any deck could beat a turn three Deadliness, or a Band of Vile Aggression activation that might leave the opponent stuck on 4 or less resources. Also, as Gyro is an Alliance Gnome, he could access some powerful allies: Weldon Barov, Adam Eternum, and Dimzer the Prestidigitator. On the Horde side of the spectrum, you could also choose to play Savitir Skullsmasher and his team of Orcs. By porting the traditional Orgrimmar deck to the Block format, the Orcs remained a very deadly deck, highlighted by Kazamon Steelskin, with Sergeant Pugg to handle Weldon and his Peasants. Rogue could also play a game-ending Burgle!
 The next deck to appear on the scene was our good friend Ryno the Short. Everyone learned very quickly that card advantage seemed to be the name of the game in the evolving format. Warlock combined the power of Victimize with Drain Will and Backlash to decimate opposing hands, and win the war of attrition. Ryno also took a page out his Gnome friend’s book, and enlisted Adam, Dimzer, and Weldon as well.
Another important deck sneaking around in the format was the ALAMO Druid deck. This deck featured a quick and powerful curve that topped off with ALAMO and Quakelord Razek Warhoof. The deck contained a lot of great synergy, thanks to the ATK and health buffs of Pack Tactics and Thunder Bluff. This deck became especially strong when Mikael the Blunt began to disappear from Alliance lists.
The Priests quickly became tired of all the attention the other classes were getting, and decided it was their turn to shine. This was the first incarnation of the very popular Will of the Forsaken archetype. There were many different Priest builds, featuring interesting choices like Tithe, Nethershard, Blind Faith, Splinter Mind, and of course, Searing Light. The game plan was to throw out some tough allies, pound down the opponent’s health, and get in those last few points with Searing Light.
The last class I’m going to bring up before I get to my rankings is everyone’s favorite: the Mage class. The first incarnation of this deck came from our West Coast friends, and it featured fairly innocuous cards, such as Everlasting Cold, Loraala, and Ossus the Ancient. This deck immediately blew up, and was transformed by Corey Scott Burkhart into a Horde variant sporting Gladiator’s Regalia, Dethvir the Malignant, and Sivandra Darklust. Mage became the focal point of the metagame going into Worlds, with both control and aggro versions winning Realm Championship Qualifiers across the country.
The best part of exploring any new format is seeing the innovative decks that sprout from the best minds in the game. Martiana the Mindwrench with Ironforge and Wub’s Cursed Hexblade, Spark Shaman, Overpower plus Gorehowl combo, and several Blessing of Kings builds are just a few of the unique decks I've seen emerge as silent contenders.
Now that I’ve given you a brief overview of the Block format, I want to discuss some of the individual cards, and their place within the metagame. I'll begin with some of the most overrated. I am, of course, not saying that these cards are unplayable, but the format has evolved enough to weaken the powerful effects of the following cards.
 Weldon Barov—I can’t believe I’m saying this, but every deck in the format has learned to outclass this card. Despite being strong and highly-played, he almost began to become a liability. Hesriana would send him to the moon, Wub’s Cursed Hexblade would either destroy him at value or steal him, and even Sergeant Pugg could send those Peasants farming. Then there's the incredible damage that Rain of Shadow can deal! It’s hard to believe that one of the best cards in Constructed wound up on my overrated list in Block.
Wub’s Cursed Hexblade—Another Constructed powerhouse, obsoleted by innovations in the Block format. Players have turned to evasive allies that simply don’t die to the Hexblade. With Will of the Forsaken so prevalent, many players have replaced the Hexblade with cards like Splinter Mind and Wand of Prismatic Focus.
Orgrimmar—Hesriana has warped the format significantly, and the fear of running Kazamon Steelskin or Rehgar Earthfury into the 2/3 has sent the Orcs back into their huts. Who would have thought that an entire Orc population could be scared by a single Succubus with a whip? Calling Orgrimmar overrated isn’t quite fair, as it could flourish in the right environment, but the fact remains that Hesriana is one scary chick for this deck.
Ok, enough with the overrated cards . . . let’s get to the sauce in the underrated section!
Talisman of the Horde/Talisman of the Alliance—Both of these bad boys have been tearing up the underground, and they are very strong against Everlasting Cold and Paladin armor. These also work great in the side deck and are playable by basically every deck. Just remember to keep an eye on your own board before you do anything crazy!
 Arcanite Dragonling—Phil Cape and I were joking about whether or not this card was still a secret. The Dragonling lives through Mikael, attacks under Blizzard, and punishes heroes with Everlasting Cold attached. The Dragonling is a flexible attacker and defender, and it fits like a glove into any aggressive deck in the format.
Cromarius Blackfist—This guy has been a personal favorite in our playgroup, as he seems too good against every deck in the format. The biggest problem was finding a deck to fit him into! We finally added him to a Horde Rogue rush deck, and it worked out incredibly well. Destroying Blizzard, Pack Tactics, Everlasting Cold, Backlash, Suspended Curse, and the like can often provide the necessary tempo boost to finish off an opponent.
“Bladehands” Spigotgulp/Skumm Bag’go—I’m not sure if underrated is the right classification for these guys, but I have to stress how important they are in the format. Quests are integral in keeping card parity, and these guys are powerhouses. A common scenario: Turn 2 Bladehands. Turn 3, I skip my draw and flip over the opponent's Rise and Be Recognized. I play Drain Will, forcing my opponent to discard a card, and instead of drawing, I flip over his Call To Arms: Arathi Basin. I just cost my opponent one card in hand and five future cards for the price of skipping two draw steps now. I also enjoy flipping over Eye of the Storms, and thus guaranteeing that my Johnny Rotten will take out Adam Eternum.
Shuriken of Negation—This card has really exploded in the past couple weeks, as it fits into both Warrior and Rogue quite well. It answers most of the powerful abilities in the format and is reusable once you get into the late game. Warlock tends to have some trouble handling this card, and Priest can really suffer once the engine gets going.
Honorable Mentions—Nethershard, Defiance, A Rare Bean, The Seal of Danzalar, Owned!, and Berserker Bracers.
Last but not least, I’d like to go over my personal top 10 cards in the format. I feel that these cards have been centerpieces in many archetypes, and defined most of the strongest strategies in Block.
10. Blackout Truncheon is my favorite weapon in the format. The Mace shuts down an ally or a hero for a turn or two, and its instant speed can create some favorable situations against cards like Adam Eternum and Gromble the Apt.
9. Gladiator’s Regalia fills an interesting spot on this list, as this epic can lock certain classes out of the game. It shuts down all opposing allies, and also functions as a solid 5-armor when your opponent is looking to finish you off. The Regalia gives Mage a key card for the endgame. It can close out a game via damage, or regain control of a game that was getting out of hand. It also doesn’t hurt to shut down Dethvir and Adam!
8. Dimzer The Prestidigitator follows along with the theme of card advantage in the Block format. Being able to replace every ally you play for the small cost of taking 1 damage really makes this card stand out. Of course, the insanity really breaks loose once you get 2 Dimzers going!
7. Searing Light is the foundation of the Priest deck, and the central reason that Priest remained competitive. Combined with Blind Faith and the many strong Priest abilities, this card can blast out incredible amounts of burst damage, and close out a game within a turn or two. It is also important to note that the damage is unpreventable! Holy damage means that armor-stacked heroes can do nothing but cover their eyes as the pain rains down upon them.
6. Hesriana is probably the most important and format-warping card in Block. Some of the best allies in the game can only pray that this demon isn’t summoned. The only reason I rate Hesriana lower is that many decks have evolved to combat her effect. She doesn’t touch Will of the Forsaken, Escape Artist allies, or Adam . . . but she puts a hurting on just about every other ally in the format.
5. Victimize is a card advantage monster. You are creating a 4 card discrepancy for the price of 1. It also works well with “Bladehands” Spigotgulp, Detect Traps, and Drain Will. This card may be one of the main reasons that Rogue and Warlock have emerged as the top decks in the format.
4. Blizzard is to Mage as Searing Light is to Priest, and this ongoing might make Mage the best class in the format. While Mage has a good supporting cast of abilities, this card is behind most of their victories. Whether it's pumping up a The Circle of Blood, clearing your opponent’s board alongside Whiteout Staff, or just holding off your opponent’s allies for a few turns, Blizzard is a house. It gives your allies free reign, and demands an immediate answer from the opponent.
3. Dethvir the Malignant is an absolute beast against every single deck in the format. With his Will of the Forsaken friends, he creates favorable trades in your favor while keeping a quick tempo. He can soak Blizzard damage, allowing your other guys to attack, and he can also allow for some creative situations with Undercity. The really awesome thing about Dethvir is that he messes with pretty much all of your opponent’s plans, and has a 4/5 body to boot!
2. Pappy Ironbane is a sicko. I have been on the Pappy train since August, as he was blowing players out in the Constructed portion at Nationals. With that in mind, he has to be even better in Block, as there are even less answers to the 2/7. Killing a giant protector is hard enough by  itself, but the fact that he'll kill a card the turn you play him is what really makes him a powerhouse. One thing I have noticed about Pappy is that the first one you play will create big problems but can be answered, while the second Pappy tends to end the game on the spot.
1. Adam Eternum sitting on top should come as a surprise to no one, as Adam has been running wild since Stuart Wright and Phillip Martin exposed his power at DMF Boston. I must admit that Adam couldn’t take this #1 place by himself, and shares the award with Eye of the Storm. Adam can work with other locations, but Eye of the Storm creates tempo opportunities, stops Weldon in his tracks, and shuts down weapon-wielding heroes. With a 5/3 body on a super-untargetable, self-healing character, Adam is one of the best allies in the entire game.
What is your personal top 10? Did I miss any important cards? What decks did I forget in the format? Be sure to hit up the forums and reminisce about what has been a great Block season!
 
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