Toxmonger

Toxmonger Card

Toxmonger is a 4 Mana Cost Epic Hunter Minion card from the The Witchwood set!

Card Text

Whenever you play a minion that costs (1), give it Poisonous.

Flavor Text

Not all spiders are born poisonous. That's where he comes in.
  • Mana Cost: 4
  • Attack: 2
  • Health: 4
  • Crafting Cost: 400 / 1600 (Golden)
  • Arcane Dust Gained: 100 / 400 (Golden)
  • Rarity: Epic
  • Class: Hunter
  • Card Type: Minion
  • Set: The Witchwood
  • Mechanics: Poisonous

Toxmonger Card Review

This one is very interesting and INCREDIBLY hard to rate. On the one hand, if you can get the synergies going, it’s absolutely insane. On the other, it can be a completely dead card at times.

Giving every 1-drop you play Poisonous is a very strong effect, especially on cards with Divine Shield, Rush/Charge and other ways to deal damage. The best combo here is Elven Archer – it was confirmed that its Battlecry will work with this card. So, for 5 mana, you remove ANYTHING, then put a 2/4 and 1/1 with Poisonous on the board. That sounds a bit like Vilespine Slayer, but it’s even better, because the 2/4 has to be immediately dealt with, or you can remove something else next turn. Not only that – the 1/1 with Poisonous also has to be pinged / removed by some cheap spell or else it will just hit a bigger target and clear it immediately.

It also works very well with Stonetusk Boar, which becomes a 1 mana removal, although nothing stays behind on the board. Argent Squire is also solid – even though it has no immediate impact, a 1/1 with Poisonous and Divine Shield has quite a bit of value, especially when there is an even higher priority target to clear on the board. Fire Fly can work too, but you’d have to move the combo back by one turn, to give Poisonous to both 1/2’s.

As you can see, the combo is insane. However, the problem is, that those cards don’t work individually. I mean, Elven Archer is not a good 1-drop, it’s not a card you’d normally want to put into your deck. And this too – 4 mana 2/4 is unplayable if you don’t combo it right away. So you put a few cards that are very weak individually and work only if you combo them with each other. It also incentivizes you to hold onto your 1-drops in the early game, which often will be a bad decision – fighting for the early game board control is very important, since Hunter doesn’t have lots of comeback mechanics.

And what deck would you want to slot it into? Control doesn’t really want to play a bunch of 1-drops, while a faster deck definitely doesn’t want to play BAD 1-drops that work only when you combo it with another card that is bad by itself.

I feel like the only deck that might want to play this is Quest Hunter, which is full of 1-drops, including the 1 mana 3/2’s you get from finishing the Quest. Giving them Poisonous could be pretty powerful, and might be a way for the deck to assume the board dominance in the mid game, where they usually struggle a lot. It has nice synergy with Tol'vir Warden too, and Quest Hunter probably wants to play that one.

Outside of Quest Hunter? Looks like a fun card in theory, but I don’t believe it will work. It’s just too unreliable. You combo it with the best 1-drops like Archer, then it’s great. But in 70-80% of the matchups you’d either draw the 1-drops first and have to play sub-optimally or draw this without getting the right 1-drops and this will be a dead card. And I still don’t believe that Quest Hunter will be a thing, but maybe they want to add more support to the deck in the upcoming expansions.

Card rating: 3/10

Leave a Reply

47 Comments

  1. not close buff hunter
    April 5, 2018 at 9:51 AM

    HUNTER NEEDS a 1 mana 2 2 echo, 1 mana 2 3, 1 mana 3 3, they need something,

    something better then not good enough dire mole which is a neutral. Theres a reason no other classes play dire mole because its ba. A 1 3 neutral for hunter being best 1 drop going into next expansion is basically saying you give zero fuks about hunter. Priest has cleric, mage has worm, even druid had a 1 mana 2 2 thats never even used, lock has a 3 2 and a 1 3 taunt, Paly has plenty of 1 drops, hunter has nothing. Just remove hunter add monk or something maybe that can fix hunter. Until hunter gets a 1 drop Hunter will remain in the dog house since 2015/16 3-4 years of not good. Only thing that saved hunter in recent months is barnes which is HIGHROLL, rng, spells and for hunter makes ZERO SENSE and bad for the game.

  2. yawn
    April 4, 2018 at 9:34 AM

    Can anyone confirm if Tabbycat gets the effect?
    I do understand you dont actually “play” it

  3. Ugin
    April 2, 2018 at 11:57 AM

    Art is awesome! One of my favorite artworks in witcxhwood so far

  4. KaihatsuJai
    March 31, 2018 at 5:38 PM

    Too slow for ladder

  5. SinisterOne
    March 31, 2018 at 3:21 PM

    This will definitely find a home in Quest Hunter beside Houndmaster Shaw.

  6. Lucasato
    March 31, 2018 at 6:38 AM

    Well,it used in quest hunter its readable “if you have stonerusk boar or elven archer and five mana,kill a minion” but in another decks it would spend so much slots just to done a combo that can kill a minion and summon a 2/4 threat,so atleast you can use in midrange that actually have some slots with “basic not relevant cards” to bluff like emeriss and lady in white(so much good bluff cards in this expansion,like secrets but working a different way!) it’s seemed irrelevant but if played together a good early game board that killed their enemy early game minions,you can lie to your opponent these toxmoncer can kill their 4-5 minion and avoid to play that to kill your toximancer…it could work in anither turns too,you just need the enemy board empty and some good midrange minions on your board…its a nice deal a minion that force your opponent kill it immediately,if you have enough skills to lie and spend only two slots with that,having all the rest of your deck with powerful cards!!

  7. Ryan Spencer
    March 31, 2018 at 3:58 AM

    Too bad hunting mastiff is a 2 drop..

  8. Poison
    March 31, 2018 at 3:14 AM

    You can play it in WILD with tenticle of N’zoth as a potential boardclear ^^

  9. Nidnam1252
    March 31, 2018 at 2:53 AM

    Hemet, Jungle Hunter + Toxmonger = Witchwood Quest Hunter

  10. SwoleLord
    March 31, 2018 at 2:21 AM

    Why do they keep pushing out cards for quest hunter,that deck will never be good without draw. please stop ruining my favorite class blizz

    • Matt
      March 31, 2018 at 6:25 AM

      They just added quest hunter draw 🙂

      • SwoleLord
        April 1, 2018 at 4:57 PM

        How so?

        • Matt
          April 1, 2018 at 5:47 PM

          The 3 mana 2/1 that draws you 2 random 1 drops. Pretty much only viable in quest hunter.

  11. GlosuuLang
    March 31, 2018 at 2:16 AM

    Here, let me play Ravencaller on three, this guy on 4, and flood the board with one drops on five. Ha! Look at that board of poisonous minions ready to eat your 5 drops, 6 drops, etc. Except you just used an AOE and wiped my board. And I’m out of cards as Hunter… Crap.

    1.5/5 stars. It should cost one less mana, or have one or two extra stats. Compare to Steward of Darkshire. A famous 2/4 for 4 was Eater of Secrets, and we all know how bad that card is if it doesn’t eat at least one secret.

    • Lucasato
      March 31, 2018 at 11:29 AM

      I can atleast think in two uses do it:supporting quest hunter and using in a midrange hunter full out good tempo cards…if you have a nice board against the empty oponent board,and play that,you can lie to your opponent that you can kill their minions with stonetusk boar or elven archer and force he to spend mana and cards killing it (when you actually didn’t spend slots with 1 cost charge minions) well,in hearthstone we ever have the secret as the bluff tools,but in that expansion blizzard revelead so much bluff minions like that worgen,emeriss and lady in white,its very interesting!

      • Lucasato
        March 31, 2018 at 11:34 AM

        Well,if you play that in half of the games,and in half oh these games the opponent believe in you,annnd in half of these times he believe in u,you really gain a extrema advantage enough to win the game when you would lose,does that card veeery good to atleast do you win more one time each some 8 games,its fucking amazing and useful at the same time!!

  12. Crapcrack
    March 31, 2018 at 1:40 AM

    it’s OK not in constructive but in arena

    • WaffleNiNjA53
      March 31, 2018 at 5:21 AM

      I disagree. Seems like a 4 mana 2/4 do nothing since you usually don’t end up with many one drops in arena.

  13. Nidnam1252
    March 31, 2018 at 12:38 AM

    Toxmonger + Houndmaster Shaw + Young Dragonhawk + Bestial Wrath

    it’s not good…. but it’s still better than Emeriss

  14. Xix
    March 31, 2018 at 12:22 AM

    If a 1 mana cost minion with Echo comes out, maybe with this card Quest hunter might become a tier 3/tier2 deck?

  15. Ugin
    March 30, 2018 at 9:21 PM

    Anyone knows if this triggers for minions with reduced costs as for giants and corpse widow?

    • Matt
      March 30, 2018 at 10:47 PM

      Probably.

    • Volmar
      March 31, 2018 at 12:59 AM

      I would say yes, since the text is “a minion that costs 1”. Geist doesn’t work on reduced costs but the text there is “1-cost minions”, so this should work.

    • momo
      March 31, 2018 at 1:58 AM

      yea giant with 8/8 really needs poison -.-

      • Ertje
        March 31, 2018 at 2:54 AM

        Get a Tyrantus from card generation and play it after this card, then you have a 12/12 with poisonous, that cannot be targeted by spell or hero powers

  16. QuadCity
    March 30, 2018 at 9:17 PM

    This actually seems like it could have potential. Eleven Archer can kill anything, even through taunt . Argent Squire pretty much becomes a stoneskin basilisk for 1 mana. Southsea Deckhand becomes a 2/1 charge with poison if you have hunter weapon equipped. I think this card is quite comparable to Vilespine Slayer. It is worse in that you have to run non-optimal cards to make it work, but it has the upside of potentially being able to kill multiple enemies. I think this could fit into an aggro deck pretty well.

    • Xix
      March 31, 2018 at 12:24 AM

      I dont think it works with Elven Archer because the battlecry triggers before a minion lands on the board. So it hit’s something before it gains poisonous

      • Smagel
        March 31, 2018 at 12:53 AM

        It should trigger since synergies similar to this work (DK Rexxar)

      • Rookskull
        March 31, 2018 at 9:40 AM

        Dispatch Kodo does more damage if played next to a Direwolf Alpha, so elven archer might work. I get that Direwolf is a static effect and Tox is an activation but it shows that minions in play affect battlecries

  17. JRbbx
    March 30, 2018 at 9:06 PM

    man Quest Hunter is gonna be lit

  18. KriLanze
    March 30, 2018 at 8:46 PM

    Am thinking elven archer could do wonders, in wild, firebat… boar is also a good option…

    Maybe it sees some use with elven and boar in standar, it doesnt seems like a bad option, kinda cheap remove late, and easy early…

  19. Mike
    March 30, 2018 at 8:45 PM

    Unleash the hounds?

    • Ugin
      March 30, 2018 at 8:59 PM

      Play, not summon.

    • Jhonny Krabzdik
      March 30, 2018 at 9:00 PM

      Play =/= summon, so it’s a no on the Unleash, fortunately.

    • Nidnam
      March 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM

      it’s only when you PLAY a minion… summoned minions from cards like Unleash the Hounds won’t get the poison

  20. Bladeofsteel
    March 30, 2018 at 8:43 PM

    In wild this + tentacle of n’zoth is a full clear. Also works ok with fiery bat.

  21. Soup And Salad
    March 30, 2018 at 8:41 PM

    If it had 1 or 2 extra health, it would be worlds better. Either that or “play” was changed to “summon” to give hunter a two card board wipe (Toxmonger + Unleash the hounds). I don’t think that would push hunter over the edge since that would be a 7 mana 2 card combo, and such things have existed in traditionally aggressive classes like Paladin for less mana since the games inception.

  22. Syndrah
    March 30, 2018 at 8:22 PM

    basically toxic arrow in worgen form

  23. Ab00000
    March 30, 2018 at 8:21 PM

    This is only good with stonetusk boar. It can’t be played in quest hunter because that is way too slow

    • Ugin
      March 30, 2018 at 9:05 PM

      Plus it disable Baku. But giving your minion poisonous don’t mean you have to use them to trade, it can just be a way to cause higher losses when your oponnent trades them.

  24. Organis
    March 30, 2018 at 8:18 PM

    Complete utter shit.

    Blizzard why.

  25. Matt
    March 30, 2018 at 8:17 PM

    Should bait some people into running stonetusk boar for a couple days.

    • Lucasato
      March 31, 2018 at 11:54 AM

      Finally someone think liked me hahaha! But i disagree it would work just in some days after releases the expansion,if this would an tier 5 deck for example,the people’s will keeping thinking you don’t put this worgem as a useless minions and they will believe you,but if the combo with boar would become popular,some people’s can even seize the opportunity and use this to your opponent try kill immediately!…the same can happen with emeriss,after thinking about i realize that haven’t reasons why to not comb double Leroy with that,so after play the dragon,your opponet will anyway spend a entire turn summoning weak taunts or healing the face and in your next turn you already have a ridiculous advantage in nice big minions…otherwise if that estrategy become tier 1,half of the players will use the Leroy combo and another half will buff big minions to gain tempo,so you will never know what your opponent will do in next turn,and you will never know how react,its like a new kind of secret!

  26. Matt
    March 30, 2018 at 8:15 PM

    yawn