Masked Contender
Masked Contender is a 3 Mana Cost Epic Neutral Minion card from the Rastakhan's Rumble set!
Card Text
Battlecry: If you control a Secret, play a Secret from your deck.
Flavor Text
Knew Mysterious Challenger back when he was a Mysterious Squire.Masked Contender Card Review
Masked Contender seems like a more balanced version of Mad Scientist, but given that Mad Scientist was one of the best cards in Hearthstone ever (and I’m not exaggerating), a weaker version of it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. Actually, it looks pretty decent. If the condition is met, he’s insanely powerful – 3 mana 2/4 that draws and immediately plays a card from your deck is something ot watch out for. You know how powerful Kirin Tor Mage can be – yes, it has better stats, but the point is that getting a nice tempo boost can go a long way in the early game. And this effect is obviously even better, because you pull that card from your deck, not from your hand, so you don’t lose a card advantage for the sake of tempo.
The card would probably work best in the Hunter because of curve. You play a Secret on T2, then Masked Contender on T3, pulling another Secret from your deck. Depending on the matchup, scenario and then Secret you’ve played on T2, there’s a significant chance that it will stick. If it’s something like Rat Trap, it probably will (but even if it won’t, you don’t mind). Secret that trigger when opposing minion attacks are also inactive unless your opponent has something to attack with etc. In the end, you should be able to pull it out quite consistently on the curve.
It’s also quite easy in Paladin, because you can play a Secret + this on T4, but then again, it doesn’t get as much value in Paladin.
And finally, the card is obviously strongest in the Mage, but it’s also the hardest to trigger it there. If you play a Secret on T3 and this on T4, you play off-curve (it’s still worth it most of the time, but it’s not the most optimal). To combo it with a Secret on the same turn, you need 6 mana, which is quite a lot. But then again, the pay-off is even bigger than in case of Hunter – a 3 mana 2/4 that draws a 3 mana card and plays it immediately is nuts.
The condition is not that hard to meet in a Secret deck, but your opponent will also be able to play around it by triggering your Secret (not to mention the situations in which you don’t draw any Secret early, for example) – so you can’t take that effect for granted. And a 3 mana 2/4 is not great if you won’t get this effect off. But still, I think like this Battlecry is good enough to justify putting it into Secret decks even if it won’t work sometimes. Secret Hunter is definitely a deck that will at least try it out. Secret Mage too, maybe, but the build is quite weak right now.
Card rating: 8/10
Thins your deck, turn 4 paladin drop a secret pull a secret with a 2/4.
i can see this in hunter or mage
This card is worded differently from Mad Scientist, so it could potentially activate the hunter spellstone or discount Kabal Crystal Runner. It probably won’t, but if the interaction DOES work that way, it’s pretty good. If not, it’s meh and may not see play this year
Also good support for Mage post rotation since they lose Arcanologist to tutor secrets.
You’re right, the wording is weird.
Trump, unfortunately, discovered it doesn’t activate the spellstone. :(((
The card is conditional. You already need a secret in play. Plus, 2-4 is okayish for mana cost, but this doesn’t trade well with average 3-mana minions.
Odd mage!
Pretty good value in mage or hunter me like
3.9/5
Paladin’s Secrets are too easily triggered and too low value overall that would allow a Secret deck to really work. Granted, if Secret Paladin finally gets to the point of critical mass of good secrets and support, Masked Contender will be part of it.
Hunter would probably rather play Animal Companion, Eaglehorn Bow, or another one of the myriad of three cost cards the class already has at hand. Plus, this doesn’t improve Emerald Spellstone and Subject 9 already fulfills the same purpose as Masked Contender.
The secret support mage has at hand is also currently better than what this would do for the deck, especially as long as the full extent of the secrets in the deck is two Explosive Runes, two Counterspells, and maybe another secret of somesort.
The odds are currently against this card, but in April, it will more likely find a place than not.
There is another issue with this card in Standard: the 2 Mage secrets that are played right now are both triggering very fast. If ice block was still in Standard, this would be way better because it would provide another secret as well as a constant activator. In wild it would be retarded to play this card instead of mad scientist, and playing both makes little sense (although they have synergy with each other)
You’re are very correct.
Meh, might boost the tempo of secret hunter if Subject 9 wasn’t doing it enough for you already.
2/5
Hunter wants to play Eaglehorn or Animal Companion at 3 mana, and his secrets can lose value when doubled up (e.g. Freezing Trap into Explosive Trapping an empty board). On the plus side, this DOES curve into Hunter’s secrets, and against slower decks his Secrets tend to stay on board a few turns.
Paladin has a more consistent and powerful Secret activator in Bellringer Sentry. You could play this alongside, but I’m not sure what dumping a bunch of secrets really accomplishes for Paladin.. at least with his current crop of secrets (which isn’t the best).
As for Rogue, [this space intentionally left blank]
That leaves Mage- pulling a 3-mana Secret is certainly the most value of all the classes. But Kirin Tor Mage fills a similar role and probably does it better.
“STOP ASKING QUESTIONS”
Who am I? None of your business!
we all know what it might see play in