Ferocious Howl
Ferocious Howl is a 3 Mana Cost Common Druid Spell card from the The Witchwood set!
Card Text
Draw a card. Gain 1 Armor for each card in your hand.
Flavor Text
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?- Mana Cost: 3
- Crafting Cost: 40 / 400 (Golden)
- Arcane Dust Gained: 5 / 50 (Golden)
- Rarity: Common
- Class: Druid
- Card Type: Spell
- Set: The Witchwood
- Mechanics: Draw Cards, Gain Armor
Ferocious Howl Card Review
This is basically a Druid’s version of Shield Block, but instead of always gaining 5 Armor, it gains anywhere from 1 to 10 Armor. Which is actually pretty solid.
This looks like a solid fit into a slower Druid deck. This is actually a bit like Branching Paths where you choose the Armor + Draw option, so you lose the flexibility, but it costs 1 mana less instead.
On Turn 3, depending on your Start and whether you open with a Coin or not, it should probably get you 4-6 Armor, which is good (more if you go all-in on the Hand Druid synergies and run Witchwood Apple). But the card shines mostly in the late game, after you’ve played Ultimate Infestation. After UI, your hand is often filled to its limits, meaning that you will usually be able to get 8-10 Armor from it. On the other hand, after UI, the cycling part is less important, because your hand is nearly full anyway and you don’t need more draw.
Probably depends on a meta, but if more Aggro and especially Combo decks (other than Exodia stuff that you can’t out-Armor) see play, this should be teched in into slower Druid decks as a counter. A solid card, nothing crazy good, but could see play even if Hand Druid doesn’t take off.
Card rating: 6/10
Just a suggestion for the author: (This is not really a complain just more of an observation, I still like your reviews)
For some cards, such as this one, you’ll give a rating for a specific deck, or archetype and then give an overall rating (which is generally much lower), but for other cards such as Witchwood Piper, you state that it will only really be decent in a certain type of deck but then only give it an overall review.
This sometimes makes it difficult to understand your ratings for certain cards (not often, but sometimes). So for the sake of consistency I would only offer 1 rating. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter, I imagine most people will still understand, but for those that might be confused when moving from one card review to another it might be a good idea.
When I referred to you giving this card multiple ratings I thought I was on the page for Bewitched Gaurdian.
earthen scales isnt rotating out :/
Quote: “Earthen Scales is rotating out” … Ummmm… isn’t it from Un’goro?
This is the first card so far revealed that makes me want to experiment with Hand Druid. Since you’ll be losing tempo in the early game to draw/generate cards, you need something like this: card draw and armor gain that you definitely need to not be overrun by Aggro until you can hit that Spreading Plague. Still, I don’t see Handdruid being T1 by any means, but it might eek to T2. 3.5/5 stars.
It’s good, but not that good of a card. To get it’s effect, one’ll have to wait till one has enough cards in hand to make this work. If it had an equivalent card like Shield Block, then, whoa Nelly! this card would rock and roll for Druid.
I meant , Shield Slam, not Shield Block. Apologies there.
At the very best this is a 3 Mana draw a card and gain 10 armor
Card draw is usually around 1-2 mana for each card, so this is a single card draw while also playing 2 Iron Hide, or a single card draw while playing a better version of Iron Hide
Yeah if you look at it by this angle that makes this card really good at the late game (absolutely sucks on early game) especially since Druid has Ultimate Infestation and all, but frankly this card doesn’t seem that good in the context of the current Meta
Druid doesn’t need much card draw right now, with cards like Ultimate infestation, and when it comes to armor gain, Earthen Scales is just a better choice overall, Yeah it requires you to have a minion on board, but it serves as a buff for that minion, costs 1 mana and gives you Armor equal to the minion’s attack, if you play 2 of those in a minion, you’ll have a minion with +2/+2 while also very likely gaining way more than 10 armor
While one of this card can have almost the same effect as 2 Earthen Scales, making it more value, Earthen Scales has immediate impact on the board, and gives you more armor
not that this is strictely a bad card, is just that we have already a better card for both it’s effects, unless the druid decks have enough space for it alongside those other cards, it won’t see much play I believe
I’d say “Draw a Card” effects are worth about 1 – 1.5 mana. If you compare it to Priest’s PW: Shield, its secondary effect is lacking. Personally, I find “Give a minion +2 Health” imensely more powerful than “Gain Armor equal to-“. The horrific thing about this is that it is 3 mana. You can’t play it on turn 3 cause that’s a huge tempo loss and by the late game I think Druid has better things to play.
5/10
I like this card, like the idea. risk reward card
Card is being massively overrated. This is not shield block there’s no shield slam to compliment it. Also inherently worse than shield block against aggro if you coin wild growth this on 3 against aggro is not good. This will only see play in hand Druid and greedy slow Druid decks and even so this is a decent late game card not an overwhelmingly powerful one.
I wonder if this is your opinion after the Druid plays Ultimate Infestation, then this card next turn.
If a 3-mana card requires a 10-card to be good late game then is it really that good?
I dont think its good I just think its better then the other 3 mana druid card 4 2 2 4 stats
Or paladin can just hit you in the face for 15 after UI and you never get to even play this card. Having a 3 mana card that is good after turn 10 does not make it broken it makes it slow and weak to aggressive decks.
I think you are miss reading what the person said, it is still good late, its good early and its good late. they never said only good after UI, just better. now my problem with the card is druid already has two nourish, possible two draws with wild growth, ultimate infestation. i mean without jade idol now, druid can run out of cards again.
I think you’re missing my point. It’s bad early, it’s bad midgame. It’s only good late. A 3 mana card that is only good late is not a good card. Going wild growth into this card gives you 3 armor draw a card. That’s not good not even close it’s a complete tempo loss. Not to mention druid lost jade blossom and mire keeper so they ramp a lot slower than they once did. They need to use their early cards to defend against aggressive decks and this card doesn’t do it. You’re crazy if you think this is a good card on turn 3 against aggro Tar Creeper is always better.
Loomering Pressance is finally a card.
*Hands on cheeks*
Looming prescence is a 3 mana draw two gain four armor, and a 3 mana draw three gain six armor in the crazy fights. This draws one. It’s more comparable to a scaling shield bash.
You technically have to have at least 6 cards, including this one (because the game counts the number of cards in your hand after you’ve play this), to be as good as Shield Block (maximum of 9 armors). Conditionally worse or better than Shield Block.
Also, I think Druid have more ways to gain armor than Warrior which is sad. (Branching Path, Earthen Scales, Oaken Summons, Druid Death Knight, Ultimate Infestation)
5 cards*
You draw a card first. That also means you can get 10 armor.
But yeah I was thinking about that the other day, Druid typically gets way more armor than warrior unless it’s fatigue warrior.
noone runs Scales (scared of geist maybe), Oaken Summons isnt good (dosent work with Umbra so oakens in unplayable) Druid DK can be out of the meta at anyday (its not in meta now). so 3/5 cards you just mentioned you can forget about them. This card has potential, drawing a card is a top 3 weapon in the game of hearthstone. This card might make it to a deck maybe not but it will mold itself to witchwood meta better then that 4/2 2/4 that goes into nothing from earlier that should be a 2/5 5/2. #Salt #Tilted
For some reason it would be hilarious to me if apple on 2 became the new wild growth.
If only the other “Hand Druid” cards shown in this set were of this quality. It probably would not have been that hard, but at least a Control Druid without Jades will have the healing it would need with Oaken Summons, the Death Knight, Branching Paths, and this. Plus, Spreading Plaque is still an effective defensive tool.
I’m just unsure if Druid will be able to create the late game value to compete with other control decks. The Lich King and Ysera are a good start, but might not do much against Cubelock as it might be during The Witchwood format. A Control Druid will probably do better against aggressive decks than Cubelock will be able to, but I’m still unsure if that’ll be enough reason to play it.
With mountain, twilight, wispering woods, bewitched guardian and ferocious howl, that’s 10 rewards for having a big hand. And maybe enough pressure to beat warlocks once in a while?
https://www.hearthpwn.com/deckbuilder/druid#120:2;264:2;282:2;360:2;633:2;55529:2;62841:2;62879:2;62904:1;62922:1;76870:2;89348:2;89349:2;89371:2;89431:2;89432:2;
Once in a while, yeah, but that’ll be as often as it does happen.
3 mana is quite expensive and I don’t think you’ll be able to get that much cards in your hand (ultimate infestation is an exception), but since it draws, maybe it works out.
still, I am doubtful
2/5
Well, it is Druid’s own Shield Block that can be better than Shield Block.
See this: http://www.hearthstonetopdecks.com/decks/witchwood-budget-hand-druid/#comment-257072
It’s really not that hard to have 5 cards in your hand, and anything more than that makes this strictly better than a card that is nearly an auto-include in warrior.
Difference is warrior has armor support like Shield Slam which is the entire reason that card sees so much play. In decks that don’t run shield slam the card is usually cut because it’s mediocre. It’s a bad card against aggro will normally gain 2 or 3 armor.
You mean in aggro? You don’t have less cards when you’re in an aggro matchup. Is the Spellstone not enough support for you?
You tend to play wild growth on 2 even with spell stone this and spell stone on 4 is not a good play. Gain 3 armor draw a card is not good. Feral Rage is gain 8 and no one plays it because oaken summons is superior in every way. You just lose a turn of tempo to fight against the board with this card while gaining minuscule armor.
let’s just say it’s not a bad card, it could see play, but will be the first card to be cut if it makes any list.
Looks like they’re going the direction of Control Warrior… for Druid. Lol.
With cards like this, Oaken Summons, and Branching Paths, a Control Druid post Jades may become possible within a set or two.