Category Archives: Digital Playground

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Digital Playground

Trucking Through Europe

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Introduction

As promised in the outro to the latest episode of Noob’s Book Club, I’m covering a couple of simulation games that I’ve been playing over the last few months. I think I picked them both up as a Humble Bundle deal. But, I don’t remember exactly. I just looked it up. I received Euro Truck Simulator 2 through some Humble Bundle or another. And, so, I started trucking through Europe.

Point of fact. We took Liam to Germany for his graduation present. Actually, we ended up traveling to Prague in the Czech Republic and a couple of places just over the Austrian border, too. But, we spent most of our time in Germany. I enjoyed the trip so much that I seriously considered moving to Europe in 6 years or so. Christine eloquently said, “You want to live anywhere but here.” To which I responded, “Yep.”

Top is my in game shot of Allianz. Bottom is my trip to the stadium over the summer.

Wait, that’s it?

I know what you’re thinking. Because, honestly, I thought the same thing. You just drive trucks? Through European countries. And, to answer the question, at the heart of the game, that’s it. You pick a base of operations to start. Since we went to Germany and I liked Munich, I picked there. You take different jobs to make money. Eventually, you buy a garage, a truck, then another truck, then hire some drivers, and buy another truck. I’m currently at the point where I want to buy a new garage to expand my operation some.

Because of the basic premise, I skipped this game for a long time. I played much more of the train simulation game because I thought it might take more skill. In fact, it does. So much so, sometimes, that I get frustrated why my train isn’t acting the way that I want. In the truck game, I get in, drive to a job, take the job, and off I go across the European countryside.

The Verdict

Don’t be fooled by the basic premise like I was. This game takes skill. Sometimes you even have to think a little bit. Do you rest now or try to make it to the next spot to rest? If you do that, will you get tired and find it harder to control your truck? What happens when they land a helicopter on the highway, blocking every single lane? Yes, that happens. Quite often, actually. Those are just some of the scenarios that you’ll face when you come trucking through Europe with me.

Note: I meant to release this yesterday. But, I’ve felt crummy for the last 24 hours or so. Expect delays on all content this week while I get caught up. Sorry!

Digital Playground

Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 First Impressions

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Introduction

In anticipation of the release of Baldur’s Gate three, I got the idea to talk about various Dungeons and Dragons properties. I chose the new source book about Giants, my duets adventure that I wrote for me and Quinn, and Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2. When I missed my deadline last month, I moved it to this month and added the new Phandelver source book as well.

Even with the extra time, I only played through about 15 minutes of both games. Hey, what can I say? I’m still a busy gamer dad who can’t always drop everything to play these games. But, I always make an effort. Besides, if I only play through enough for first impressions, that gives me a chance to revisit sometime in the future. It’s all about content, y’all!

Baldur’s Gate 1

The first thing I noticed after starting the game was the full featured character creation system. It felt just like rolling a new character in paper and pencil Dungeons and Dragons. You pick a race, class, roll your stats, set your profile picture, and pick your proficiencies. If you are a magic user (I usually pick mage/cleric), then you get to pick your spells.

After character creation, you start the game. It starts with an involved narrative to set the stage and prepare you for the adventure to come. This one starts off a bit slow. You go through the opening area, picking up basic quests and fighting off minor enemies.

Baldur’s Gate 2

I much prefer the beginning to the second game. Less initial narrative means the action starts much more quickly. And, boy, is there some action to start! You wake up in a dungeon after being tortured by some sadistic jailer. When I first played through, I sped out of that cell and to my death.

The second time, I explored the prison more and found two additional companions. Surely this barbarian can only help me survive longer during this game. I did survive longer, but that’s only because I explored longer to find the key to release one of my companions. Once I got to the same spot as earlier, I died again. Admittedly, I died slower, but still dead. So, I have some figuring out to do on this one.

The Verdict

Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 reminded me just how unforgiving early level Dungeons and Dragons can be. You roll some dice and if you roll badly, you end up in the dust bin of history. Roll well, though, and eventually all the power of the universe at your fingertips. I’m willing to go back and risk it all again for that.

Digital Playground

Completely Ignorant Mortal Kombat 1 Preview

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Introduction

Those who follow the page regularly recognize the gimmick. I started writing NFL profiles every whenever I remembered and got around to it. Because I don’t follow football nearly as closely as I once did, I got the idea for the gimmick. Because I wrote an article about the Street Fighter 6 Demo (and uploaded a short game play video) and Mortal Kombat has no such demo, I am left writing the completely ignorant Mortal Kombat 1 preview.

Of course, part of the gimmick is that I’m not completely ignorant. I spent a good 5 minutes skimming a game play video that I found on YouTube. The video clocks in at 19 minutes. I found maybe 30 seconds that I consider relevant to my discussion of the game. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a perfectly good video, but there’s a lot of repetition of the Kameo fatal blow moves. The first time, you say, “Wow!” or “Ew!” or both. By the third time, you find yourself skipping ahead to find the words, “Finish Him!” for some fatality fun.

Fatality Fun

I saw a Kenshi and a Kitana fatality. I clicked through twice to see a Johnny Cage one. Either they haven’t programmed it into the game yet or they told the individual in the video not to give too much away. Seeing as how Johnny Cage somehow became one of the faces of the franchise, I understand their reticence around the finer points of his move set.

I mean, I always liked Cage, but understand how he grated on some fans.

As for the fatalities, they don’t disappoint. Rarely since the conversion to 3D has a fatality failed disappointed me. Some of the ones in MK3 were just awful. Then, in MK4, we got perhaps the greatest fatality ever envisioned with the Quan Chi leg rip. I still laugh hysterically every time I see that one. From what I saw in the video, MK1 brings the pain and maybe some laughs with the fatalities.

Mortal Kombat Mario Party

Sometimes I love living in the future. Don’t get it twisted. Sometimes living in the future absolutely blows, too. But I remember seeing an article with the tagline, “Mortal Kombat’s new play mode is like Mario Party with blood.” So, when I couldn’t remember that they actually called it “Invasions”, I searched Mortal Kombat Mario Party in Google to find a video showing off the mode.

From what I understand, it replaces the Krypt. If they made this choice after Mortal Kombat X, I might like it more. However, I liked the Krypt mode in Mortal Kombat 11 a lot. I played that mode until I unlocked every single thing available and then I played it more because I refused to search a Wiki to see what the secrets were until I was convinced there was nothing left to find.

The Verdict

You will have to wait for my thoughts on actual game play, fatalities, and story until after I buy the game. Unlike Street Fighter 6, I wanted to play Mortal Kombat 1 from the beginning. For whatever reason, I’m more of a Mortal Kombat fan, so I will probably end up buying this one for full price. Hell, I considered buying a PS5 just for this and the new Spider-Man game. So, look for an completely ignorant Mortal Kombat 1 preview update in the coming months.

Digital Playground

Street Fighter 6 Demo Impressions

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Introduction

Chris and I recorded the reboot of the reboot of 2 Guys Gaming a couple of weeks ago. In anticipation of having to write about the game again, I saw that Steam had the Street Fighter 6 demo available. You may remember that I texted him after he suggested we record again, “Let’s do SF6 and MK1. Seems like the perfect soft landing spot for us.” He agreed and then we promptly recorded the episode three months later.

Hey, we’re old guys. We have lives that don’t often coordinate. The important part is that we recorded. I plan to edit and release it on Wednesday with my MK1 article, but it might end up being Friday instead because I can’t think of another proper way to end the week. Just trust that it will come at some point this week.

Play This Game for Eternity

After loading up the game, I clicked the button to start “Battle Hub”. It informs me that the game mode isn’t available but I can watch the trailer video. Sure thing. Why not. Naturally, after showing some game play via an arcade scene, a woman comes on to the screen to tell us about the mode. But, wait.

While the character sounds feminine and wears make up and booty shorts, some might argue (not me, mind you) “That’s no woman!” and angrily throw their controller at the screen. Instead, I watched the video and actually forgot about the whole thing until later while waiting for dinner with my wife. Then, I decided to look up what the community reaction to the character was. Naturally, I found a headline about some douche bag named “Johnny Chainsaw” or some other ridiculously overtly masculine username complaining about the game as woke. Just par for the course in our national conversation surrounding LGBTQIA+ people and their mere existence.

I, for one, liked the character. They brought energy and fun to the video. They may or may not be trans. But, that’s the thing. Capcom never confirms nor denies anything. Just this individual on the screen and leaves it up to you to do with them what you may. Like Gwen in Spiderverse, it makes the point that they are here and, well, you just have to deal with it. I, for one, am here for all of it and Eternity is one of the reasons I might buy the game.

“You bastard. You flipped.”

That’s a paraphrase of Chris when he responded to my text that I wanted to buy the game. I assured him, probably not at full price but after a drop or two, for sure. When we talked, we both said that neither of us wanted to buy the game because it felt like it just offered more of the same as Street Fighter 5. We both agreed that one was a dumpster fire.

Not so this time around. When he first said to me that I flipped, I texted back, “I know. But the graphics are awesome and the game play is solid. Yes, I made that determination after only about 15 minutes of actual game play. Honesly, though, what more do you need than the 2 minute video I recorded earlier. It’s Street Fighter. You fight…on the street.

The Verdict

I mean, it might be dangerous to judge a game so quickly because, as the Street Fighter 6 demo warns, “This game is still in development…followed by some other word that basically say the finished product probably won’t look or play the exact same way that it does here.” Some of that is true. Most of it, though, is just legalese to cover their butts in case someone takes better notes than I did and wants to sue them over the omission of a game mode or character. For me, though, I’m sold. Hell, if my check is big enough this week, I might just splurge and buy it then.

Digital Playground

Loki For All Time Preview

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Introduction

I wrote in my Marvel SNAP article last month that I lost interest in the game for a bit. At the time, I theorized then that it might end up as one of the many games that came out with great promise but then ended up in the scrap heap of previously loved games. I think I also wrote that a card like X-23 alone could get me to play the game more. Well, with this Loki for All Time preview, I can confidently say that none of that is true.

I played more in this last month than the previous two combined. That much is true. But, I never opened X-23, so it had nothing to do with that card. I just remembered how much fun the game can be and also how quickly games go. I finish my quests in a game or two and it rarely takes more than 10 minutes.

Why a Preview?

Due to circumstances completely within my control, I moved some things around and rearranged my writing schedule for this month and next. I planned to do Dungeons and Dragons last week and then moved it to this week. I further moved it to next week because we took full advantage of the end of summer. Quinn and I never sat down to play either Roll Player Adventures or D&D, so I have no updates there. My DCBS order arrived the other day and when I sat down with my planner this afternoon, I decided to slot comics into this week. I mean, Marvel SNAP always has a new update every month.

While true, the updates don’t release precisely at the beginning of each month. Last month, for example, the article that I used as a resource for my Marvel SNAP article came out on August 9th. So, the official word for next month won’t come for another couple of days. I sort of painted myself into a corner here. Luckily, some information got data mined and I can at least talk about the new cards. Maybe when the other information releases, I can write an update talking about the stuff I missed.

The Trickster

On Reveal: Replace your hand with cards from your opponent’s starting deck. Give them -1 cost.

Our Loki for All Time preview starts, predictably, with the man of the hour, Loki. While not generally a fan of theft decks in any card game, I might make an exception with this card. I like that you are replacing your hand with their cards. Also, my “no fun police” sense tingles with the chance to beat those disco and destro decks at their own game. I never played Daken. I intend to play Loki day 1.

The Other Cards

Ongoing: Your cards with 1 or less Power cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Image 1 of 3

If I’m being honest, none of these cards interest me very much. I can think of much more interesting things to do on turn 6 besides destroying my opponents cards played at a certain location on that turn. Maybe I see some utility with the location that destroys all the others, but that feels far too limited for my game play style. I play a “Ones” deck sometimes to finish the quest, but I think they all have more than one power. Besides, they can’t have their cost reduced below one. I suppose she allows for quicker Gobby and Hobby shenanigans. Some other utility. I might try a deck for a game or two with her if I end up opening her card. The only time I ever see a card that increases the cost of my cards is Iceman. I suppose that Wave gets hit by this one and that’s sometimes a popular play to lock you out of playing multiple cards later in the game. So, I might put Mobius in my Ongoing deck if I can find a slot for him.

The Verdict

The only card that looks remotely interesting to me is Loki. The others have limited (or almost no) functionality for my play style. When I come back in a couple of weeks with all of the information from the update, including the locations, I can give an update on my thoughts here in this Loki for All Time preview.

Note: Images snapped from Marvel SNAP Zone.

Digital Playground

Minecraft Dungeons August 2023

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Introduction

I first found and played Minecraft Dungeons about two years ago. As often happens, I lost interest in the game because others came into (or back into) my life. Maybe I played it through the summer and then school started and neither me nor Quinn had enough time for the game. Then again, I doubt that very much. Because, I happened to see Quinn playing the game last year and he beat it…or was very close to doing so. I might have joined him for a few rounds of combat to try to get back into the game, but it wasn’t meant to be. And, so, like my previous article, I struggle with what this Minecraft Dungeons August 2023 article will look like.

Relax. Unlike that previous article, Minecraft Dungeons means less to me. Only Quinn and I ever played it. I remember thinking that Aiden might. But, he never picked it up as far as I know. So, no waxing poetic and philosphic about kids and growing up. What, then, can I write for this article?

Maybe This Article Shouldn’t Exist

I chose Minecraft for this week early in the summer. I hoped it might inspire me to play the game with the boys again. Instead, I started a new world of my own and never played Minecraft Dungeons until a couple of days ago. I saw it on the Minecraft Launcher, installed it, and loaded it. So, I played just about as much as I played before writing the first article.

Yes, definitely, this Minecraft reeks of grand plans that fall short. It happens quite often around here. If you’re a regular, you don’t even feel bad about it anymore. If not, I apologize. I tried so hard to keep the page going in spite of a busy summer and I think I just ran out of steam. I said earlier to my wife, “I shudder to think what this year looks like. I have no motivation whatsoever to do any work.” Maybe I just need some time to recouperate.

Just a few more weeks of summer? Please?

Wait Until Minecraft in May?

So, in closing, I’m going to kill the Minecraft Dungeons August 2023 article. Go back to read the first look article and I promise to have another better update sometime in the future. If not before, I try to have a Minecraft in May feature week. In the meantime, download the game and see if you can inspire me to play more by sending me your progress.

Digital Playground

Minecraft Boy in a Minecraft World

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Introduction

I planned to write about Minecraft this week. Today I wanted to talk about the Java (PC) version. Then, on Wednesday, I wanted to discuss the console (or Bedrock) version. Honestly, I had no coherent plan for Friday and I wrote, “developing an RPG?” in my planner for that day. So, in anticipation of this epic update on the game, I started a new Minecraft world about a week ago.

A view from my front door.

I played through for an hour or so cumulatively. Mined. Crafted. Found some cool stuff like an amethyst cave and a desert village. The amethyst cave is a first for me. Oh, I also mined some copper during my first trip down in this world. And, ended up spawning near a type of forest I never saw before. Even so, I’m honestly at a loss of how to approach this article.

A Minecraft Update August 2023

This is usually how I approach these articles where I want to talk about new and exciting developments in games. However, with those games I usually play them daily and the update involves only a new set of cards. As I replied to all three of my kids, at different times, when they noticed I loaded up the game, “Yeah, I haven’t played it in a long time.” Traditionally, Minecraft is our vacation game. I play with Quinn, and sometimes Aiden. We have a Minecraft world or two with Liam, too, but he played Pokemon more than any other game.

In this game, I missed several updates. I kept an eye on them as they released and I even considered playing once or twice to write one of those traditional update articles. Obviously, I never followed through. One reason is because my gaming PC, the PC I’m writing this article on had a busted charging port and I thought it would take far too much effort to fix. A couple of weeks ago, that proved wrong and I replaced the port. So, I loaded up Minecraft.

The More Things Change…

…supposed to be the more they stay the same. I think people just say that to comfort themselves when things seem to be changing so rapidly. As a parent, you learn some harsh truths about, well, everything. One of those truths we are learning now is that kids are kids. Until they aren’t anymore. And that process seems to happen overnight. I don’t know if it’s because you don’t pay attention to those small changes or you only start paying attention when the rapid changes happen.

I wrote an article about going to the train show with Aiden one year. I worried that it might be the last year I got to go. He was the only one who wanted to come and I mused about how quickly childhood evaporates. It didn’t happen then. But, I think it is happening now. I mean, sure, the kids all came with me to the comic book convention in Fitchburg this weekend. And, they all had an absolute blast. It was a small one, so nobody felt too crowded (I think the reason they don’t want to go to the train show) but it still had the cool artists, cosplayers, and something for everyone.

We also found him!

But, Minecraft

Losing an annual train show is one thing. I can live with that loss. Especially if I can keep convincing them to join me at the smaller comic shows. But, like I said, Minecraft was a staple for us during vacations. We picked up old worlds. Sometimes, when bored, we created a new Minecraft world. But, we always played. This summer vacation is the 4th vacation with no Minecraft with the kids.

I think part of the problem is that I get caught up in other things and I don’t ask them to play. I’m sure if I asked Quinn or Aiden to play Minecraft, they would. At least for a couple of sessions before they got bored. I mean I saw Aiden playing Fortnight again the other night when I went up to visit him in his room. So, I need to take some responsibility here. But, parents, trust me when I say. Your kids are kids until they aren’t anymore. Cherish those moments. Take the pictures. And at the risk of sounding like a middle aged Facebook mom.

The Verdict

Who knew when I randomly picked up the game and created a Minecraft world that it would lead to such deep feelings and me fighting off tears? These episodes come at random times. About a month ago, my wife and I had a conversation because she talked about remembering when they were little. She thinks I have a limited memory, which I sometimes do, but I just said, “You just remember” and then fired off a few dozen memories, both big and little of them being kids. We have a week left of summer. Aiden wanted to disc golf. We are taking them all to the beach on Wednesday (so the console article won’t happen then), and now I need to figure out a way to

Digital Playground

Hearthstone TITANS

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Introduction

Those who thought I wrote about the acutal Hearthstone TITANS in my last article breathe a sigh of relief. I went back and forth on how to approach these articles. I thought because I planned for the release last week that I’d only have time for one article. So, my usual tact of covering the cards class by class would not work.

Initially, I planned just to cover the Hearthstone TITANS in that single article. However, I reworked my schedule and moved some things around. That gave me a whole week to cover the expansion. I still didn’t want to write the usual article covering all of the cards, though. So, I got the idea to write about keywords, then the supporting legendary cards, and finally the TITANS themselves.

Before that, let me explain why these minions have an entirely different card type. They start as minions on the board, unable to attack. Each turn, including the one you play them, you may use one of three abilities. Once an ability is used, you can no longer use that one. After all three abilities have been used, it can attack.

Death Knight: The Primus

The blood and the frost rune powers seem pretty great. Removing a big minion and gaining that health on one of your minions plus healing is a big swing in any game. +3 spell damage on most mass removal spells is very welcome. The unholy one, by comparison, feels weak. But, they can’t all be bangers, as they say. Even so, in some situations, 4 bodies with taunt might be enough to help stabilize. My verdict: Good.

Demon Hunter: Argus, the Emerald Star

I actually played this one a couple of times to finish the event quest. I both needed to play as Demon Hunter and owned this card from the packs that I opened. As I sit here, I realize that I rarely actually used his abilities. The mechanic takes some getting used to. In any event, Show of Force is great in an aggro deck and Crystal Carving gives you options. The third, like above, can help stabilize. Plus, his persistent power is nice and versatile. My verdict: Good.

Druid: Eonar, the Life Binder

When writing about the other accompanying legendary cards, I noticed that this one and the druid keeper can combo quite nicely. The first power is always welcome. The other two combo pretty nicely with Wildheart Guff. Druid is known for mana and ramp shenanigans and this card really ups the ante on that. My verdict: Good.

Hunter: Aggramar, the Avenger

This card equips a weapon and then gives three powers that support that weapon. Card draw is nice, again taunt minions give a chance to stabilize, and the third power gives you the ability to remove small and medium minions without taking damage. Overall, a tad bit underwhelming, in my opinion. My verdict: Decent.

Mage: Norgannon

The abilities by themselves seem underwhelming. But, chaining them together by starting with the secret, then making the enemy cards cost more (to try to lock them out) and finishing with a double Pyroblast to the face is the dream. The only problem is protecting Norgannon for two turns to pull it off. My verdict: Good.

Paladin: Amitus, the Peacekeeper

He does what Paladin does. I like his persistent ability because it extends your minions and allows for more removal. Pairing it with his first ability gives them all one more hit on minions. His second ability combines with consecration, but without a coin or other mana cheat, you can’t do those both on the same turn. The third ability, very situational, feels like the design team got a little too cute. My verdict: Decent.

Priest: Aman’thul

That second ability alone makes this card worth the price of admission. Plus, simpy by getting that off, you discover a legendary minion. The first ability can be scary in the right deck. I’m thinking Velen right away. I’m never a fan of random effects, espeically mana locked ones. Too often, I “randomly” summon a 5 mana 1/1 for me to trust them. My verdict: Great.

Rogue: V-07-TR-0N Prime

At first glance, I want to call this card garbage. And, it very well might be. But, as I look at the abilities more and consider his persistent ability, I think some things can happen with this card and another minion on the board. The only thing I don’t like is the “Deal 4 damage to a ranom enemy.” That means that the ability can always go face. Sure, damage to the face is nice, but isn’t Hearthstone about board control and miinion interaction? Or, have we just forgotten all about that? My verdict: Decent.

Shaman: Golganneth, the Thunderer

Okay, now I’m quite confident that this one is garbage. The mana cheat is nice, but those abilities just don’t wow me like some of the other ones. I wish the Lord of Skies jumped like chain lightning or rolling fireball. Single target huge removal is nice, but just too limiting. Roaring Oceans is nice and Shargahn’s Wrath requires leaning into overload. My verdict: Decent.

Warlock: Sargeras, the Destroyer

This guy just seems like a ton of fun to play. They programmed that portal ability many years ago and they just keep building it into other cards. I can’t blame them for wanting to reuse their code, especially when I sit down and fiddle with the little bit of coding that I’ve done. The abilities themselves are middling, but like I say, I look at this card and smile mainly because of that removal spell. My verdict: Good.

Warrior: Khaz’goroth

I loved the Warrior keeper. I don’t love this one as much, but his utility is still pretty high. Being a limited (to only one minion) but immune Deathwing is kind of a nice little bonus. Plus, with the keeper, the first ability also gives attack. If you just absolutely want to decimate an opponent late game by tearing apart every minion he plays, this is the card for you. My verdict: Great.

The Verdict

Overall, the Hearthstone TITANS themselves underwhelm. I know they can’t make them too powerful, but some of the abilities are just downright bad and could be reworked or tweaked to make them slightly more powerful. Who knows? Maybe they plan on a Hearthstone TITANS 2 expansion sometime in the future and they’ll do just that.

Pictures taken from the mothership and snapped from Hearthstone Wiki.

Digital Playground

Legendary Hearthstone TITANS

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Introduction

I realize the title Legendary Hearthstone TITANS might come off as misleading. I tried the title Hearthstone TITANS Legendaries (but spell check tells me you can’t pluralize Legendary). Legendary Cards works, but makes the title too long. So, while you possibly came to this page looking for my thoughts on the actual TITAN cards, you missed by one article. Check out the very next article.

Instead, this article talks about the new legendary cards released with the set that don’t belong to the “Titan” keyword. Blizzard calls them Keepers and the lore explains that the Titans created them to develop and watch over the new planet. Basically, they became Azeroth’s first mythical heroes.

Death Knight: Helya

Helya comes with a basic stat line for a 4 drop card, but she shuffles 3 plagues into the deck and makes them “unending”. I looked up what that means. The cards get shuffled back into the deck for a chance to draw them again. Not what I thought, but sometimes Blizzard gets weird with their wording. Certainly not as logical as WotC and Magic the Gathering.

The plagues, for information sake, are Blood, Unholy, and Frost. All three deal 3 damage to the player. Blood restores 2 health to your hero. Unholy summons a 2/2 on your board. Frost increases the cost of the next card your opponent plays by 1 (not over 10).

Overall, a fine card for the cost. Especially if you plan to play plagues in your deck. My verdict: Good.

Demon Hunter: Jotun, the Eternal

Less to explain on this one. As they always say, “text on card.” Does anyone actually say that? I feel like there’s a saying for when the card does exactly what it says. Kind of sarcastic way of saying, “Hey, buddy, just read the card.” Maybe that’s the saying. I don’t know. Some sort of memory tickled the back of my brain when I realized that this card needed less explanation. And, still, I spent an entire paragraph explaining that. Hey, we do what we do here.

Anyway, perpetual effects can be fun in Hearthstone. This one works very well in a deck that I played a few times, Spell Demon Hunter. If you draw it on curve, you get a copy of basically ever other card you draw for the rest of the game. Right now, I really like this card. Maybe I’ll craft it and play it to see if it’s as good as I think. My verdict: Great.

Druid: Freya, Keeper of Nature

Okay, we determined that there’s no sarcastic way to say, “text on card.” Unless you read that in a sarcastic tone. In which case, that’s on you. I meant no ill will with my explanation. If you can read, you know what this card does.

“Choose one” is standard druid stuff from the beginning of the game. While this seems like a potentially powerful effect, my experience in game is that this can brick more often that blow out the opponent. Maybe I’m just jaded because luck (I know, I know, but trust me I’m unlucky in these games) goes against me so often. Plus, 8 mana feels so expensive. My verdict: Decent.

Hunter: Hodir, Father of Giants

Okay, no more mention anymore to increase my word count. Let’s just talk abouot this one. I saw a video where they played this one and then two one mana minions with rush. Effective removal and youo end up possibly with 3 8/x on the board next turn. Also, in a beast hunter, you can combo it with some of the smaller minions with charge (but there are fewer of them) for a quick kill later in the game. My verdict: Good.

Mage: Sif

Okay, so some explanation required here. If you cast just from Mage, there are three schools that can improve spell damage. If, however, you pull from other classes, you might potentially get it higher. As with many mage minions, this one feels quite situational. I think that if there’s room, Casino Mage might find a spot for it. My Verdict: Decent

Paladin: Tyr

Okay, now this one is absolutely situational. The only deck that immediatly comes to mind is mech paladin, which sees play every now and then. Plus, mechs offer some very good cheap minions. My verdict: Decent.

Priest: Ra-den

I play a couple of priest decks depending on the quests of the day. One is a terrible quest priest, but I played the reward more than half a dozen times to kill the opponent. The other incorporates C’thun and Yogg into a Renethal deck. I can rework that one to fit this card in and see if it works at all. My verdict: Good.

Rogue: Mimiron, the Mastermind

Looks like they’re trying to make mech rogue a thing. As you will see in my Titans article on Friday, the Rogue titan is also a mech. The random gadgets are one of six cards that all cost one except for the coolant; coolant (next card played this turn costs 2 less), cloak field (give a minion +3 attack and stealth until next turn), switch (two minions swap stats), horn (give a minion taunt and divine shield), rewinder (return a minion to your hand), and blades (deal 3 damage). A decent card with some utility, but I wonder how many rogues will bite on the mech angle. My verdict: Decent.

Shaman: Thorim, Stormlord

Wow. This is the best card of the set so far. I looked ahead and the other two and the only one that feels as strong is the Warrior one. Cheap, versatile, card draw and it unlocks your mana? This one will absolutely see play. My verdict: Great. Best card of the Legendary Hearthstone TITANS.

Warlock: Loken, Jailor of Yogg-Saron

This card is fine in a big Warlock deck. Other than that, I don’t see a place for this card. I’m quite underwhelmed. This might be the worst card in the bunch. My verdict: Meh.

Warrior: Odyn, Prime Designate

Okay, now this card is great. Expensive, but Warrior often plays the long game anyway. Well, my Warrior deck do at least. Initially, I thought this might rival the Shaman card but, now I’m not so sure. The cheaper cost and utility of the Shaman card just give it an edge. I will definitely craft this one because I love playing Control Warrior, but I just think the Shaman card is better. My verdict: Great.

The Verdict

Legendary Hearthstone TITANS bring some fun cards into the mix. Overall, I can see myself playing every one of them at one point or another in a deck to finish out a daily quest. Come back on Friday to see what I think of the actual Titans.

Digital Playground

Hearthstone TITANS Keywords

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Introduction

Hearthstone recently released their new expansion, TITANS. Based on the Uldum storyline and the end of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion (if I remember correctly), it introduces some new game play elements into the game. One of those new elements is the Hearthstone TITANS Keywords.

I decided to structure these articles differently. Instead of rating each card and building a terrible deck around the ones I thought were great, I plan to take three articles to talk about the new elements that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. If this doesn’t work as well for me, maybe I will go back to the other format.

New Keyword: TITANS

The titular card style combines the two card styles of minions and spells. When you play the card, it takes up board space like a minion. However, it can’t actually attack until it performs all three actions that it is capable. An example is shown above. Aggramar equps a weapon and then gives you the choice of three abilities to enhance your weapon. Once you play an ability, you can’t repeat it. When you play all three abilities, Aggramar becomes a 3/7 minion and attacks as normal. I like the idea. The article I write on Friday discusses the Titans and my thoughts about them.

New Keyword: Forge

Forge works similar to trading, a keyword introduced in United in Stormwind. It then became evergreen in Festival of Legends. If you have a card with Forge, you drag it back to your deck for 2 mana and it gains a special ability or mana reduction. The above card shows an example. You can either play this for 8, or Forge it back into your deck for 2 less. This one works endlessly, so you could end up with a 0 mana 8/8 taunt in your deck with enough patience and a long enough game.

Returning Keyword: Magnetic

Magnetic belongs to the Mech tribe. They even worked it into Battlegrounds and further expanded on it by allowing you to magnetize on a full board. When you magnetize a minion, you pull the minion from your hand, place it to the left of the minion and they merge together. Any stats and abilities get combined onto the original minion. It offers some variety and strategery when playing Mechs. You can magnetize or, if more beneficial, play the minion as is. I’m not a huge fan of mechs, but based on my opponents on ladder, much of the Hearthstone population enjoys playing them. Excelsior!

The Verdict

Hearthstone TITANS Keywords brings new and interesting possiblities to the game. I still mostly only play to gain the rewards track and have fun in Battlegrounds. But, they released a new quest chain that has me playing the standard mode of Hearthstone. I don’t see TITANS bringing me back into the game full time, but I’ll have fun while I play through the track. Come back on Wednesday to hear about the cool new Legendary cards we get in the set. Read more about it straight from the source.