New type of play strategy

[Umbra7]

As someone whos played this game for quite a while, there is one thing that become very blantantly clear. For almost every deck, if you dont have draw, you dont win.
That of course comes down to you needing the right cards to play when the time comes, and having other options for cards to sac/play until then. But i feel a new type of strategy, a new type of card, really has a place in this game, and some should start being made. Thats of course cards that reward a low draw strategy. Cards that have conditional effects based on having very few cards in hand. As of yet, there is currently only one card that even attempted this, and with 0 support, it really isn't worth it to even try using it. That would be the griffoncrest dagger, a 4cc 1/4 weapon that has +1 attack when you have 3cards or less in hand. But honestly, the idea behind it is really good, it's a weapon that has a benefit when you dont have a full hand, and as such rewards low draw playstyles.

Such a playstyle is one of high risk, high reward. In return for gaining strong perks and boosts, you are forced to top-deck a lot, meaning you run the risk of not having what you need when you need it, as well as being more likely to struggle when trying to re-take the board.

And whats a suggestion without a few examples?

Hunter
2cc
Hunter ally
4 attack 2 health
Sustain: 2cc
While you hold no cards in your hand, this ally is Hidden

With the sustain, this ally cannot be played for much effect until turn 4. After which, the high sustain cost may make it difficult to keep hidden going.

Mage
3cc
Mage item: artifact
0cc: if you have 1 or less cards in hand, all opposing allies take 2 damage.

I'm sure everybody can agree that this can be a powerful ability for a mage to have, and combos pretty well with evil Ascent. For a mage to take this strategy, theyd likely worry less about early board control, and rather focus on holding the board during late game.

Warrior
4cc
Warrior item: artifact
While you have 1 or less cards in hand, weapons and armor that you control cannot be destroyed unless their durability is 0.

Give a bit of relief from item destruction for weapon based heros, but only while you maintain the low hand count.

Rogue
4cc
Rogue ability
This card costs 1 additional recource for every card in your hand. Up to 2 target opposing allies are killed

At minimum, you'll need 5 recources to cast this (since youll have to be holding the card in order to play it). With any normal rogue build, which prides itself on having a LOT of cards, this card will often cost 8+ recources, but can be played for only 5 if utlizing low card count builds.

Priest
3cc
Priest ability: attachment
Attach to your hero. If you have 1 or less cards in your hand at the end of your turn, your hero heals 2 damage

Wulves
5cc
Wulven ally - wulven
2attack 6health
While you have no cards in hand, support abilities you control dont leave play

The ability has potential to be a strong one. With it, things like ground shift, full moon, or rain delay would stay on the feild until this ally was removed. But in order for the effect to happen, you'd A) need to have this ally on the feild. B) draw the support ability. And C) have no cards in hand when the ability is supposed to go to the graveyard (or maybe a different ability, if this one proves too complicated)

Elementals
4cc
Elemental ally
3attack 3 health
While you have no cards in hand, all damage to this ally is reduced to 1.

A lot of potential to be overpowered, I'll admit it. But I'm sure people can work out a way to balance him (use bad sanata or loom of fate!) (give him meek and increase the card in hand limit to 1!)

Armor
5cc
Neutral armor
3 defence 1durability
While you have 1 or less cards in hand, this armor cannot lose durability

Weapon
6cc
Neutral weapon
While you have 2 or less cards in your hand, opposing allies take double damage in combat with your hero

Shadow artifact
3cc
Shadow item: artifact
3 durability
1D: if you only have 1 card in your hand, and no other cards were played this turn, target card in your hand can be played at no cost

Essentially this would make your recource pile mostly irrelevant (unless loom of fate, or other means of draw) as ij order to activate, you must have only 1 card in hand, and no other cards played that turn. So basically if i have an empty hand and only 4 recources, if on my next turn i drew dakrath, i could play him at no cost. (and would have 4 recources left over, to be used on any active abilities on any allies/items)

Human artifact
4cc
Human item: artifact
If you have 2 or less cards in your hand, all cards cost 2 less recources to cast

This type of ability rewards the low hand count by allowing you to be more likely to be able to play a card from your hand (or more) even though you may have low recources from not having enough draw to sac every turn.

Neutral artifact
2cc
Neutral item: artifact
0cc: if you have no cards in your hand, draw a card

This item has a lot of utilization, even outside of a low hand deck. When playing with cards that have the low hand effects, this item becomes a risk. Since the effect will need to be used after the sacrifice phase, if you cannot play the card you drew, then you may lose a lot of your items/allies effects. However if you can use it, it gives a possible tempo gain to these types of decks. But, this can also be placed in any deck at all to give them a draw whenever their hand is emptied (I.E. you're fighting Serana)


Counters
I'm sure it goes without saying but, anything that makes your opponent draw cards is an imediate counter. These cards would often be made to benefit mostly only when your hand is empty, or low on cards, and thus become very weak if their effect condition is taken away.
Many of the allies are of course weakened by thebremoval of passives, which seems to be becoming more and more prevenlant as well.


Now the examples i presented are not definite cards im suggesting, but are merely examples of the types of effects that can be used. Some being active, some passive, and having then split amongst allies, items, and abilities. I do however think each class should get its own card to benefit from, and then have a select number of faction specific and then neutral cards as well.

Anyways, overall i feel very strongly that the meta can benefit a lot from these types of cards, giving rise to a whole new type of playstyle, and adding new strategies while also enriching some older ones.

TL;DR
I truly believe that in a future set, cards that have abilities conditional on having low card count in hand will allow for more strategies and playstyles, greatly enhancing the diversity in the meta

Please let me know what the rest of the comunity thinks by commenting, feedback is always appreciated (yes, even constructive criticism)

[Ancha]

+1

[CengizhanTR]

Great card ideas Umbra, you have my support!

[Lightning Fury]

Hmm, interesting ideas centered around card advantage or in this case disadvantage.

Good write up Umbra.

[Spieler]

I'm ATM not such a great player that i can judge if those cards gives the top aggro/rush/blitz Decks ( 300+ rating) to much power.

But if the better players say that "pro-topdeck" cards are oke and not to powerful, yes please add them.
(I'm a Aggro/combo deck player and thats powers up my playstyle^^)

[tman507]

Really cool ideas and concept, although I feel the mage one might get a little annoying as an item that Aramia can summon. If she goes the discard route particularly, that winds up emptying her hand pretty quick, and she could just keep the opposing board in check with that card. I don't know, maybe wouldn't be that bad, but that was the one I saw that could get a little annoying.

But definitely a neat concept. Kind of like Infernities in Yu-Gi-Oh.

[Delay of Game]

I like this concept.

We must petition to go one step further. If opponent (or their weapons) take one of my cards and thereby reduces my cards-in-hand, there must be consequences. Like maybe their weapon will explode and exiled.

Ok, let's not stand on ceremony....CUTLASS, I'm talking about that wretched weapon!

[ShrapnelFox]

Excellent idea for this new play style. The concept of cards that have bonuses for holding only a few cards +1

We wouldn't want a 'few' OP cards to support such a style, but have a number of accessible balanced cards which would enable the creation of a viable deck.

I.E
A damaging ability may have the additional text, 'if you have 3 or less cards in your hand, this ability inflicts +2 damage'

[Scout]

I was wondering something similar a while ago. Very well said Umbra.

Here's something I thought yesterday about drawing of cards:
Name: XYZ
Type: Neutral Ability
Cost: 4cc
Ability: Opposing players cannot draw any card from their decks for the next 2 turns.

Actually I wouldn't mind if this was at 5cc either. Big tempo advantage. What do you think?

[Umbra7]

Excellent idea for this new play style. The concept of cards that have bonuses for holding only a few cards +1

We wouldn't want a 'few' OP cards to support such a style, but have a number of accessible balanced cards which would enable the creation of a viable deck.

I.E
A damaging ability may have the additional text, 'if you have 3 or less cards in your hand, this ability inflicts +2 damage'

Yes, thank you for supporting the concept. Indeed, the card suggestions i made were not so much me presenting those specific card ideas, but more of an example to show the different types of effects that can be used to support the playstyle. For instance, cards becoming more expensive the more cards you have in hand. Or giving you a draw source only when your hand is empty. Etc.

I was wondering something similar a while ago. Very well said Umbra.

Here's something I thought yesterday about drawing of cards:
Name: XYZ
Type: Neutral Ability
Cost: 4cc
Ability: Opposing players cannot draw any card from their decks for the next 2 turns.

Actually I wouldn't mind if this was at 5cc either. Big tempo advantage. What do you think?

This would a support ability, if you want too edit that into your post. And in all honesty, such a card would be way too imbalanced. Support abilities arent the easiest things to remove, and most people dont run the support ability removals anywaus because they dont see too much play. Now if you can imagine someone like aerana with this...well, play this t4/t5/whenever you can, and the opponent cannot draw for the next two turns. If being realistic, they're likely to have an average of 3-4 cards in hand for most classes. On their turn they wont draw, but will likely need to sac a card, and/or play a card. They may be left with only a card or two in hand, after which serana would just snatch it on her next turn.
With the way support abilities work, their effects end at the start of your turn (the ones with duration anyways) this would mean that you can play a second one right after the first, extending three period of denial. And with the way cutlas works, killing any enemy allies makes the opponent discard and draw. But in this case, they cannot draw. This would very very quickly extinguish their hand, essentially shutting them down. Way too imbalanced.

However...there might possibly be room for an item/ability/ally that would prevent extra draw outside of the normal draw phase for both players. But even this might be pushing it...

Thank you everybody for your feedback. Maybe with enough support, this type of concept will be adopted into the 5th set, and we can actually see these cards become a thing!