Like clockwork, Blizzard is drip-feeding the reveal of new cards to Hearthstone players prior to its August release. Over the last week or so, the new cards have been reasonably well received, and most players know that it is difficult to judge an incoming card without playing it in our current meta. Glide, on the other hand, is by far the strangest card that we have seen in a bit, and it will be a prime candidate for a nerf.
The card, which belongs to the Demon Hunter class, is a four-mana spell with text that reads “Shuffle your hand into your deck. Draw 4 cards. Outcast: Your opponents does the same.” In terms of design, Glide sits in a league all its own, strange and unlike virtually anything we have seen before in the six years since the game has launched. Now, initial opinions online seem to focus on whether or not Glide will be overpowered, or simply a useful tool. The answer is that its power level is irrelevant.
This is because, as we have seen countless times in the past, Blizzard has taken a hard stance against cards that make the game unfun to play against. Once again, this does not refer to the power level of a meta deck, but rather to the emotional response generated from having a card or combination of cards used against you.
Pre-nerf Naga Sea Witch with Giants in Wild format is an excellent example of this. Based on its win rate, the deck was a solid tier two or three option. It won, but it did not win as often as other meta decks. However, nothing was worse than facing off against the deck and facing unstoppable board state so early in the game when the correct pieces fell into place.
The same could be said for Odd and Even decks in Standard, which resulted in Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater being sent into the Hall of Fame a full year earlier than expected. Was Odd Paladin unstoppable? Not really, but it was a bore to play against, and frustrating to lose against given its simple, almost mechanical nature of using a Hero Power virtually every turn.
So, who will feel the worst when playing against a Demon Hunter who uses Glide? Every single control, combo, and some midrange decks. For six years, decks like Handlock or Control Warrior have taken the time to learn the ins and outs of their decks, along with the best mulligan choices for the classes they may face. They may keep certain spells and board clears to reach the mid and the late game. The entire archetype requires thinking ahead and planning for board control and setting up a board to be a position to win.
But now, a single four-mana spell will result in cases that simply feel awful. Did you plan carefully and now have nine cards in hand? Too bad. Your combo or removal cards are gone, and you have lost five cards. Glide will destroy a player’s hand without any counter play, cost someone the cycle they have exchanged tempo to acquire, and on top of that, it gives the Demon Hunter four cards to draw.
For now, we can only wait and see what will happen, but Glide is without a doubt the most senseless card design introduced into Hearthstone, ever.
