Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Review - Episode 84

Happy Feast of Winterveil! Josh and Scot have prepared the ultimate stocking stuffer for you: an epic 4-hour-long episode of Happy Hearthstone!

We review every single card in the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion, and tell you what we like about it, what we hate, and fight over the final scores — all for your entertainment and maybe even (dare I say it?)… EDUTAINMENT!

Don’t forget to check out our Review scores spreadsheet, which has individual comments and scores from each of our four Review Panel experts (Josh, Scott, Ryan, and Matt)!

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Hello!

• Scott is the guest this weeek!
• Topic: Review EVERY SINGLE Mean Streets of Gadgetzan card — it’s 4 hours long!
• Reasons to be happy this week

Review Scoring Guide

• 0 = Awful, unplayable (Runic Egg, Poison Seeds)
• 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Dust Devil, Corruption)
• 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Crazed Alchemist, Shadow Bolt)
• 3 = Solid value (Senjin Shieldmasta, Assassinate)
• 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Animal Companion, Fireball)
• 5 = So good you always have to play it (Tirion Fordring, Call of the Wild)

The Spreadsheet

Below, you’ll find a very basic summary of our thoughts on each card. To get all the juicy details and drama that rose up between our panel of 4 reviewers during the review process, check out the official Happy Hearthstone Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Review spreadsheet.

In it, you’ll find all the good stuff you see here on this page, plus individual scores and comments on every single card by each member of our review team! I hope you enjoy it!

A huge thanks to Matt, Scott, and Ryan for putting in tons of time and effort to help us do this review.

The Review

This list contains our Scores (Constructed Score | Arena Score) and a very short comment.
Be sure to check out our spreadsheet for an in-depth analysis of every card by each person on our review panel!

Neutral Cards (Common)

• Mistress of Mixtures: (4|4) – This is a good sign. We all agree on the first card! Great in control decks.
• Blowgill Sniper: (2|2) – Worse than Elven Archer.
• Friendly Bartender: (4|3) – Good for proc’ing heal triggers in Priest.
• Gadgetzan Socialite: (3|3) – A smaller Earthen Ring Farseer.
• Backstreet Leper: (2|1) – Good for Aggro, worse than Wolfrider.
• Hired Gun: (3|3) – Better than Ironfur Grizzly.
• Street Trickster: (2|0) – If you really want a survivable spell power minion.
• Toxic Sewer Ooze: (2|3) – Not as good as Acidic Swamp Ooze, the heft is nice.
• Daring Reporter: (2|3) – Good with Coldlight Oracle?
• Hozen Healer: (4|4) – Best used with beefy minions.
• Kooky Chemist: (2|3) – Decent pirate!
• Naga Corsair: (4|3) – Decent pirate!
• Tanaris Hogchopper: (1|2) – Your hand won’t be empty.
• Worgen Greaser: (2|3) – Bad vanilla.
• Grook Fu Master: (2|3) – Needs buffs and to survive a turn to be good, otherwise bad.
• Red Mana Wyrm: (1|1) – This is very bad.
• Streetwise Investigator: (3|2) – Only neutral card with this effect.
• Ancient of Blossoms: (2|3) – Uses sub-par stats surprisingly well.
• Big-Time Racketeer: (4|3) – Good combo potential.

Neutral Cards (Rare)

• Small-Time Buccaneer: (4|3) – Rogues, anyone?
• Backroom Bouncer: (2|3) – How many of your minions do you plan on having die?
• Bomb Squad: (3|2) – Many classes have better options for damage. You need the combo for full value.
• Doppelgangster: (5|4) – Good base value, plus insane combo potential. Force of Nature +++
• Second-Rate Bruiser: (4|4) – At his best when you need him most.
• Spiked Hogrider: (4|3) – Best of this cycle.

Neutral Cards (Epic)

• Weasel Tunneler: (0|0) – Bad bad bad.
• Dirty Rat: (3|2) – You feelin’ lucky, punk? (We’re not.)
• Blubber Baron: (1|0) – WIll rarely be profitable.
• Fel Orc Soulfiend: (3|2) – Josh sees combo potential but Scott is dubious.
• Burgly Bully: (3|3) – Should be fine in a rogue Coin deck.
• Defias Cleaner: (2|3) – Will sometimes connect. Often will not.
• Fight Promoter: (3|2) – Need something to survive previous turn, or a buff this turn.
• Leatherclad Hogleader: (3|3) – Will rarely happen.
• Wind-up Burglebot: (2|2) – Huge lightning rod. Likes Divine Shield.

Neutral Cards (Legendary)

• Patches the Pirate: (4|1) – Not always free, and low-impact even when he is.
• Auctionmaster Beardo: (2|3) – Effect is practically nothing.
• Sergeant Sally: (4|2) – Love isn’t always rational. I love her. Amazing effect.
• Genzo, the Shark: (4|3) – In ultra-cheap decks, this can be huge.
• Finja, the Flying Star: (4|1) – Balances out bad-luck streaks in Paladin murloc.
• Madam Goya: (3|1) – Ability costs a lot; might be worth it?
• Wrathion: (5|4) – Happy with one draw. Two is fairly common.
• Mayor Noggenfogger: (0|0) – More like “Mayor Noggonna-be-in-my-deck”, amiright?

Druid Cards

• Mark of the Lotus: (1|2) – Too low impact most of the time.
• Jade Blossom: (3|2) – Pretty good.
• Jade Behemoth: (4|3) – 2-mana premium for golem.
• Jade Idol: (4|1) – Almost always want to summon the golem.
• Celestial Dreamer: (3|3) – Don’t want to play this on curve.
• Virmen Sensei: (4|2) – In beast decks is a solid play.
• Pilfered Power: (3|2) – Only useful on very early turns.
• Lunar Visions: (2|2) – Like Far Sight, can get out the biggest minions early.
• Kun the Forgotten King: (3|3) – Will usually choose armor, I expect.

Hunter Cards

• Shaky Zipgunner: (3|3) – Won’t be too hard to get the effect from.
• Smuggler’s Crate: (2|0) – Not worth a card.
• Alleycat: (3|3) – Low impact, but good for being sticky.
• Dispatch Kodo: (3|3) – Only shines with hand-buff cards.
• Hidden Cache: (1|1) – Don’t do it.
• Trogg Beastrager: (3|3) – Effect is mostly free, so why not?
• Rat Pack: (5|4) – One of the best cards in the set. Massive combo potential.
• Piranha Launcher: (2|3) – Great value, but extremely slow.
• Knuckles: (3|3) – Interest balance of control and face.

Mage Cards

• Freezing Potion: (1|0) – Very low impact.
• Kabal Lackey: (3|1) – Be careful — mage secrets are bad early.
• Potion of Polymorph: (1|1) – Everyone already plays their worst minion into secrets, so don’t expect big snags.
• Volcanic Potion: (3|3) – Scott likes this less.
• Cryomancer: (3|3) – Wants a proc, but doesn’t NEED it.
• Manic Soulcaster: (3|3) – The effect is rarely useful.
• Kabal Crystal Runner: (4|2) – Faster Arcane Giant, for Secret decks.
• Greater Arcane Missiles: (2|2) – Don’t trust the “Greater” label — it’s worse!
• Inkmaster Solia: (3|1) – Drop “this Turn” and let’s talk.

Paladin Cards

• Smuggler’s Run: (2|2) – Stronger than it looks, especially in Arena. Can still whiff.
• Grimscale Chum: (2|1) – For the ultra-aggro deck that wants to run murlocs without Anyfin.
• Grimestreet Outfitter: (3|3) – Comes with a body.
• Getaway Kodo: (3|2) – (Almost) Perfect protection. Loves Battlecry minions.
• Grimestreet Enforcer: (3|4) – Lightning rod with one guaranteed proc. Snowball incoming!
• Grimestreet Protector: (3|3) – Needs friends.
• Meanstreet Marshal: (3|2) – Easier than expected.
• Small-Time Recruits: (4|1) – Keep up the pressure and thin out the deck for better draws.
• Wickerflame Burnbristle: (4|5) – Tiny little wall with lots of upside.

Priest Cards

• Potion of Madness: (4|4) – The aggro killer.
• Kabal Songstealer: (3|3) – There are better ways to Silence.
• Pint-Size Potion: (4|2) – Steal! Steal! Steal!
• Kabal Talonpriest: (4|4) – Insane value when the effect lands.
• Drakonid Operative: (5|3) – Too good. Muscling out Blackrock Corruptor before its time.
• Mana Geode: (3|3) – Harder to proc than you’d think.
• Greater Healing Potion: (3|2) – Great Plan C.
• Dragonfire Potion: (2|3) – What’s 5 damage picking up on Turn 6? This isn’t Lightbomb.
• Raza the Chained: (3|2) – Lackluster effect doesn’t pay for the hassle like Reno does.

Rogue Cards

• Jade Shuriken: (3|3) – Scary tempo swing in Jade Golem decks.
• Jade Swarmer: (4|2) – Interesting N’zoth combo potential. Eternally slow.
• Shadow Rager: (3|3) – Sigh.
• Counterfeit Coin: (2|1) – Not as fun when you pay a card slot for it.
• Gadgetzan Ferryman: (3|3) – We’re split if having the option to not Combo is good or bad.
• Shadow Sensei: (3|2) – In a stealth deck is pretty good!
• Lotus Assassin: (4|4) – Glorious sneaky, stabby fun!
• Luckydo Buccaneer: (3|2) – Huge payoff is worth the hassle in Wild.
• Shaku, the Collector: (4|4) – More upside than most.

Shaman Cards

• Call in the Finishers: (4|2) – Prays day and night for a combo. Broken when it finds it.
• Jade Lightning: (4|2) – In a Jade Golem deck, does major work.
• Jade Chieftain: (4|2) – Bigger mana premium than most Jade Golem cards.
• Devolve: (3|2) – Scott thinks this is hot garbage.
• Jade Claws: (4|3) – Rogues everywhere are jealous. WTB!
• Jinyu Waterspeaker: (4|4) – Underrated effect can have a big impact.
• Finders Keepers: (4|3) – Double Overload synergy!
• Lotus Illusionist: (3|4) – Please not Big-Time Racketeer! Only 6 downgrades out of 78 options
• White Eyes: (4|4) – Good vanilla taunt unit, not sure how to combo well

Warlock Cards

• Blastcrystal Potion: (3|2) – Pay what you have to for premium removal in Reno Lock.
• Crystalweaver: (3|3) – Effect is almost free.
• Abyssal Enforcer: (4|4) – At least it doesn’t hurt itself.
• Bloodfury Potion: (2|1) – Grab the other demon buffs that can be damage when needed.
• Seadevil Stinger: (2|1) – Paying a lot for that effect, and hard to imagine the payoff.
• Felfire Potion: (2|2) – Rip them all down! – Sarumon.
• Unlicensed Apothecary: (3|1) – Reminds me of Venture Co Mercenary.
• Kabal Trafficker: (4|5) – Good everywhere, amazing in Arena.
• Krul the Unshackled: (3|1) – Best way to cheat out a Doomguard in Standard.

Warrior Cards

• I Know a Guy: (3|4) – You’ll always find something good.
• Public Defender: (3|2) – Wears buffs exceptionally well, which is good because he NEEDS them.
• Grimy Gadgeteer: (4|4) – Goes well w/ taunt decks.
• Stolen Goods: (1|0) – Laughably bad. Who risked jail time to steal this?
• Grimestreet Pawnbroker: (3|2) – Sure, why not?
• Alley Armorsmith: (3|2) – Armor flows like water.
• Sleep with the Fishes: (1|1) – Awful art. Awful effect.
• Brass Knuckles: (3|4) – Slow and steady. Tough for anything to compete with Fiery War Axe.
• Hobart Grapplehammer: (4|3) – Fun effect, and doesn’t charge TOO much for it.

Tri-Class Cards

• Jade Spirit: (3|1) – You have to play all the Jade Golem cards if you play any.
• Lotus Agents: (2|3) – Huge card pool means less control and more bad options that could pop up.
• Aya Blackpaw: (5|3) – The lynchpin of all Jade Golem decks. Don’t play without it.
• Grimestreet Smuggler: (3|3) – BOOORING!
• Grimestreet Informant: (2|3) – SNOOZE!
• Don Han’Cho: (5|5) – This woke us back up. Hello there, beautiful. Fun first, combo later.
• Kabal Courier: (3|3) – Everyone wants Mage cards. Hello, Frost Bolt.
• Kabal Chemist: (2|3) – Potions are just okay.
• Kazakus: (5|4) – Life of the party. Incredibly fun, and his spells are overtuned.

Looking for more analysis? Check out our Review Spreadsheet for lots more insight and opinions!

Farewell

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