Witchwood Grizzly
Witchwood Grizzly is a 5 Mana Cost Rare Neutral Minion Beast card from the The Witchwood set!
Card Text
Taunt Battlecry: Lost 1 Health for each card in your opponent's hand.
Flavor Text
You know what they say about people with big hands? Small bears.Witchwood Grizzly Card Review
At first I was sure it’s a Druid card, I even labelled it as such. But it’s Neutral – how cool is that? It’s the second solid Neutral anti-Aggro tool we’re getting after Rotten Applebaum.
Scaling with the number of cards in your opponent’s hand is a very cool mechanic. The best case scenario is this being a 3/12. Worst case – 3/2, but more realistically 3/3, because your opponent won’t likely keep 10 cards in their hand, as that would burn their draw. 3/12 for 5 mana is insane, 3/3 is completely unplayable. So how good is this card?
First of all, we need to understand why you’d run it in the first place. It’s an anti-Aggro tool. You play it when you face lots of Aggro decks. And it does its job – on Turn 5, your average Aggro deck isn’t likely going to have more than 2-4 cards in their hand, so it becomes a 3/10 to 3/8 Taunt for 5 mana. First is amazing, the second one is still good for the mana cost.
On the other hand, if you play against a Control Warlock, this will most likely be a dead draw. They rarely have less than 6-7 cards in hand, so no matter when you want to drop it, it will be bad. Maybe after they’ve played Bloodreaver Gul'dan and are slowly running out of cards already, but it could sit dead in your hand for 10 turns or so until that happens.
However, to be honest, if that would be it, I think this card wouldn’t really be used a lot. The upside against Aggro is not big enough, it can also be countered by Divine Favor against Paladin. Aggro decks usually run some sort of Silence or ways to deal with big Taunts anyway (Sunkeeper Tarim…). And it’s just bad against Control.
However, there are some cards that might make it better. Much better. One of the synergies is Witching Hour – you can resummon this as a 3/12 Taunt for 3 mana. Another synergy is Master Oakheart – pulling it from your deck and bypassing the Battlecry, so you get a HUGE minion for your trouble. And finally, Lady in White. Once you play her, this becomes a 12/12 when in your deck. Of course, when you drop it on the board, it will most likely lose some attack, but it’s still going to be great. Let’s say against a Control deck with 7 cards in the hand, so average vs Control scenario, instead of a 3/5 Taunt, it will be a 12/5 Taunt – huge threat that they have to deal with immediately, as opposed to something they can easily ignore for a few turns. If you play it in a Kathrena Winterwisp deck, you can pull out a 3/12 Taunt on a Battlecry or Deathrattle, definitely a great option. On top of that, Hadronox would also be amazing synergy, but it means that you’d have to run this card in the first place, and that might not be good enough.
I like the card, and while I don’t think it’s going to be auto-include, it will be great in the right deck – a deck that can combo it with something.
Card rating: 8/10
don’t get hyped too soon because this might not be added to the death stalker rexxar pool for the same reason as King of Beasts, since it has the simple effect and the complicated effect that fits into both dealthstalker rexxar pools.
Macaws will sure feel weird in the new standard, with all 2016 beasts rotating out and 12 new beasts revaled so far, and 7 of them that are from non-hunter classes.
never again am i going to play aggro.
Lady in White deck? It casts the inner fire while the grizzly is in your deck, meaning that it becomes a 12/x for 5 mana.
So I love that this is a beast noticing that it’s cost is 5 it fits into rexxars b o b. I heard that they were supposed to update his hero powerwith the new beasts any word when that is supposed to happen?.
They are updating it with the past 3 expansions, I don’t think witchwood will be updated
Combos with Master Oakheart so damn well. Hence my deck was born.
Works well with Recruit, like Oaken Summons or Master Oakheart to summon without the battlecry. (And then bring it back with Witching Hour if it’s your only beast)
It doesn’t work with Oaken Summons at all.
Oaken Summons only recruit the minion that costs 4 mana or less.
Yeah, I misread the card… Recruit a minion with 4 attack or less would have been to strong, with Malygos, etc..
u r wrong oaken summons any minion with any mana cost .i saw ppl pull voidlord with it or dragon hatcher they are both 9 mana.
How can a druid card recruit a warlock card? You must be thinking Master Oakheart.
hope everyone has black knight ready cause taunt meta is here.
I’ve had black knight since classic, second legendary ever after golden malorne.
Control Hunter tool? 🙂
With this, rush cards, and maybe the Applebaum, Hunter could finally get the survivability it needs to realistically live to turn 10 and win off of Emeriss. Also DK would fit well in the deck, with the aoe clear. I will definitely try some tricks with this card and all of Hunter’s beast synergy.
I was thinking the same thing. This is a beast so it can be potentially recruited by Kathrena’s battlecry/deathrattle at a full 12 health which adds to the amount of big beast that can be recruited, applebaum is great for survivability and DK is getting more beast to be able to create from this expansion so somehow being able to make a control hunter with DK Zombeast getting created in hand and maybe Emeriss doubling those same Zombeast would be something fun.
Could be a longshot, but depending on the rest of these cards, I can see some life for a control hunter.
I think there is some potential. But people forget how horrible the hunter hero power is for a control deck and how much that you at a deficit in control mirrors and against aggro
Does it really make any significant difference over say control priest? I never really had to hero power much.
They said the Hunter DK Pool wont get ne additions tho.
Where did you read that?
Hunter DK is losing some of the strongest zombeast pieces though, mainly dispatch kodo and rat pack, but a lot of other strong beasts are leaving too, like kindly grandmother, infested wolf and even knuckles, who made for a couple of nice combinations. Especially until all 3 expansions are out, I think the zombeasts will be weaker than before. By how much though, that will be seen in the future.
We still got stonetusk boar with vicious fledgling. And bloatbat+snail for full enemy board clears. I felt like you usually looked for stealth on things anyway. Though adding a 3/12 to a duskboar to get a 7+13-the hand size thing taunt for 7 seems good.
Finally something usable
Imagine pulling this with oakheart! That would be an awesome back up plan in a lady in white deck, if you don’t happen to get your 12/x in time 😉
Also very strong with the new priest legendary Lady in white
5mana 3/7 taunt wouldn’t make it to tier1 deck lists. Therefore this has to be 3/8 at least when you play it, even then it is not game breaking such as drakonid operative or possesed lackey.
Not gamebreaking, no, but it’s excellent against aggro, which is itself enough reason to consider (Mistress of Mixtures is terrible against slow decks most of the time but it’s still a no-brainer include in Warlock). It also has a lot of flexibility with its design and has tribal support; it’s also fantastic if you cheat it out with Kathrena, Master Oakheart, etc. I’d be very surprised if this card doesn’t show up in at least some areas of the meta.
I wonder….. if it is indeed battlecry lose max health, will you be able to silence it to REMOVE the effect placed on the card, effect
It should work, I think. There’s loose 1 health, not take 1 damage.
I imagine silence raises the max health to 12 but doesn’t change the current health.
I’m pretty sure that the battlecry inflicts damage on the minion.
It specifically says it lowers the health not takes damage.
No, if you silence it won’t go back to 3/12 because the damage is already done.
This will definitely make it into the meta:) unless like all decks go control
Taunt, with that much potential health, this is superb, it can literally stop aggro decks in their steps
Brann Bronzebeard + Witchwood Grizzly = OP AF
haha YES
let’s compare
5 mana 3/12 taunt, take between 0 and 10 damage, usually around 7 against control and 3 against aggro.
vs
9 mana 4/12 taunt dragon, which saw absolutely no play.
whereas the 9 mana dragon just came out too late and was far too low on stats to do anything against control, the 3/12 beast taunt comes out 4 turns earlier, and the downside is just irrelevant with a 3/12 taunt.
5/5 perfect against aggro
Well that assumes that the damage is done to your Griffey which might not be the case
this is going to make some SICK zombeasts.
im so glad blizzard decided to update dk rexxar, take my money.
Holy shit lmao rip zoo rip dude paladin. a meta-dependant card really but right now it has what it needs to be played
Aggro is taking a beating this expansion… This is a powerful anti-Aggro neutral, kind of like Doomsayer. Rating it 4/5 stars. Priest can even drop this and Circle of Healing it. Now have fun going through it unless you have a silence.
I think it loses max health instead of taking damage from it’s battlecry so circle wouldn’t heal it.
Well spotted. So I guess the efect is an enchantment that reduces health, instead of damaging it. Still, Big Priest would love something like this, since it can resurrect it with full health, and prevent being overrun from aggro before he can bring out the big minions. Barnes is rotating so Priest needs to survive longer on average now.
This card should be forbidden in Arena
Play this turn 5 against aggro, is about a 3/10
Aggro grudgingly kills it
Witching Hour
TARIM tarin’ him a new 1
Witching Hour
Aggro kills it
Spreading Plague
Aggro kills all Taunts
Spreading Plague
Aggro kills all Taunts but running out of fuel
Hadronox-Naturalize
Summons 3 3/12s and 4 1/5s
10 Mana heal for 56? Seems good
Good Card for Combo Priest
lady in whitttteeeeeeeee.
Lol
Rexxar and Misha < Master Oakheart and grizzly
I believe if you play “Lady in White” it comes to your hand when drawn as a 12/12. Drop is when your opponent has, let’s say five cards, you are dropping a 12/7 taunt for 5 mana? Big priest isn’t dead, it’s just going to be a different incarnation.
It’s Arcturis in a card! http://www.wowhead.com/npc=38453/arcturis
I think the card text should be lose instead of lost!
YAY another card for death knight rexxar
Shaman: This with Ancestral Healing (if you face Warlock) would be nice
I know what you’re thinking, and that wouldn’t work. It would BE a 3/x as it’s max health, not have it’s max health at 3/12 and it’s damaged. If that sounds confusing, to make it simple, it wouldn’t come out damaged but it would come out as a full health 3/x. It’s text would be “then deal x damage to this card” like Injured Blademaster. Therefor Ancestral Healing would just give it Taunt, which it already has.
QUESTION: who can solve it?
if your enemy has 4 cards u have … 3/8 taunt
Does the minnion lose 1 health of his max health. or just from his health ?
With other words, Can u heal the 3/8 or imagine 3/2. back to 3/12. or is his health limited by his battlecry ?
It says ‘lose 1 Health’ so I would say you can’t heal it. For example Injured Blademaster has the Battlecry ‘Deal 4 Damage to himself’
Thanks man!
The wording suggests that the minion’s maximum health will always be 12, thus you can heal it up to a 3/12 if you have the means necessairy.
But since it’s Hearthstone it might as well be the case that it’s worded incorrectly and the minion’s maximum health will be determined by your opponens hand size.
It’s a battlecry effect, thus the effect happens after it is played, most likely meaning it will lose health from it’s maximum after being played. If it weren’t a battelcry effect the maximum health would be set prior to playing it, somewhat similar to the giants mechanics of the cards cost being reduced, while being in your hand.
Voidlord = 3/9 + 3×1/3
Bear = 3/12
In a vacuum they kill each other 100% even. Bear is 3/3 when 3 Voidwalkers summoned, traded for board clear. Obviously both of these cards can be altered by different things outside of the vacuum but this also costs 5. So, you don’t even need to spend the card on possessed lacky, you can just use that 2 mana instead to divine spirit, then you inner fire and create Big Bear: The Grancient One.
Will be awful against Warlock if you don’t bypass the battlecry but is amazing everywhere else
Works perfectly with Brann
Hahahaha
Would be fun, if there was the achievement: “12 cards, your opponent is cheating“
I’ve been playing a Druid Ramp Dragon deck with both Hardnox and Oakheart. This card will definitely be in my deck once expansion drops.
Am I correct that this card isn’t on the reveal schedule? Not that I mind though 😀
LADY IN WHITE + WITCHWOOD GRIZZLY
with Glitter Moth it makes it a 12/24 Taunt, lose some Hp that you can easily heal
turn 10 capable
Glitter moth doesn’t work with lady in white. Odds and evens.
Too bad glitter moth needs you to run an odd only deck lady in white is even at 6. Though good old inner fire works.
It doesn’t have to be on odd only deck. Just Lady In White is the only even
I would go reread Glittermoth. It has to be an odd only deck to work…
Glitter Moth aint the problem, its LADY IN THE WHITE that costs 6 (EVEN)
Decent in arena, especially Priest because of the hero power
I love this card. Soo good I’m general against aggro. And works super well with Oakheart. Since both are neutral I could see an Oakheart package becoming a thing.
Does your hero lose health or does the card? It doesn’t say.
It doesn’t (explicit) say “your hero”, then it (implicit) say “this card”.
Every text on a card is played from the card’s POV, so the card loses health.
It’s pretty good, wombo-combo with Witching hour ??
rip agro
Oakheart and Hadronox will love this card :3
I actually have this card in my (still theorycrafted) baku-oakheart-hadronox druid. I think that this card, along with Witching Hour, can push this archetype and maybe make this a playable deck
But hadronox and the grizz will compete for recruit
It almost doesn’t matter. The Oakheart combo is based around Dragonhatcher, so everything is a good bonus
Nice PPAP! Gonna try that too! Sound like fun :3
Rexus7 yes but if you only have one minion in the deck with 3 attack you might Draw them in the wrong order! You are happy to recruit both so 3 targets makes it so you more offten get a minion with Oakheart!
Perfect anti-aggro card.
Unfortunately, it can’t be recruited by Oaken Summons and Firelands Portal is leaving Standard, but if you’re playing against an aggro deck that plays at least 1.5 card per turn and the coin by that time when they go second, they shouldn’t have a whole lot more than 3 cards in hand, leaving you with around a 3/9 for 5. It’s no Voidlord, but at least with this, you can just slap it into your deck when aggro is everywhere no matter your class. Plus it can be summoned by The Witching Hour after it dies at its full statline.
It just really sucks when going against any deck slower Tempo Mage. It’ll usually end up being no more than a 3/6 in those match-ups, and that’s barely worth the cost at that point.
I misred the card. It seems a lot better against aggro with the health payment made by the Hero rather than this losing health. If this saves you 12 health in the aggro match-up and with 3 attack it will clear most of their small stuff and post-Tarim board, so paying about 5 or 6 health should be worth it.
I’m pretty sure you read it correctly the first time. A good anti-aggro card anyway, especially with Lady in White
I’m not sure if you’d really want to play this in the same sort of deck as Lady in White just because in the games where you play her and then this, you’re probably playing against a control deck and potentially paying upwards of 8 life when you do it.
Well, it receives the 12 atk up front, which makes it pretty scary tbh. However the problem is, that 12 atk doesnt matter against aggro, and against control its HP are going to be too low, so in both cases not really a winning combo.
it can be pulled by oaken cuz its 3 attack. how oaken can pull dragon hatcher and voidlord but cant pull this?read oaked text again.
I think you’re confusing Master Oakheart and Oaken Summons.
The former is a minion that recruits other minions based on their attack values, a 1, 2, and 3 attack minion to be precise.
The latter is a spell that recruits a minion that costs (4) or less.
Master Oakheart can summon this as it has 3 attack, but Oaken summons cannot as it costs (5). It also cannot summon Voidlord nor Dragon Hatcher as they both cost (9).
wait is ur hero loosing the health or this minion?
Inner fire anyone?
Yep. Inner fire with the lady in white would be really awesome, hoho
Am I the only one that thinks this is too powerful?
Paying a bit of life is not really that much of a cost unless you’re Rogue, so let’s just write off the cost as none-existant.
A big Taunt is incredible. A Taunt with 12 health? This effectively means this card is only dealt with Polymorph-type cards.
This card is outright busted in my opinion. I don’t like Aggro, but the fact this exists basically means there’s no chance for aggro decks to be played in this expansion.
This works only against agro, against everything else it’s a 3-5 or so against warlocks a 3-3. And agro has some anti big taunts, anyway if agro is death this wont be played and if it’s not it will see play.
But the druid legend will allways summon this back with full health :O Allso recruit warrior could use this?
I think the minion lose Health! So if the enemy has 8 cards in hand this is a 3/4 Taunt for 5 mana!
It is Good vs aggro who only have a few Cards in there hand by turn 5!
Grizzly sacrifies himself
the beast pay it, not you
Quite insane indeed. And neutral meaning can be discovered by our tortle friend. Synergize with Raku or White Lady
Guys, I doubt the card works the way you’re saying. It’s just not worded that way. “Loses one health” would describe what you’re saying.
If it does what you’re saying then it’s just a good anti-aggro card but if it works the way I’m saying, then it’s very busted.
Wait, it’s not a druid card ? If it is the card is not the same color as the color of druid card
I’m not sure too, It looks like this is neutral
It’s Neutral. At first I listed it as Druid by mistake, it just looked so Druid-y for me that I ignored the border for some reason 🙁
I really like this card. Great against aggro and also still good after a silence effect. Three damage is also really good against some tempo and aggro decks. Overall, I would give it a four out of five.