Competitive Play of Demented Frostcaller

Today I will analyze the competitive viability of the new Magecard Demented Frostcaller.  As usual, I will look at the basestats, effect, and what decks it will see play in.  Let’scheck Demented Frostcaller out:

The raw stats of the card aren’t really that great, anddepending on what deck opponents have this isn’t a minion playersshould summon on turn 4.  A minion with 2 attack and 4 healthis something players see on 3 mana cost minions.  Cards withthe same combat stats, such as Keeper of the Grove and GnomishInventor, warrant a cost of 4 mana because of their effects. Personally I’m not perturbed with the stats of DementedFrostcaller and I think its effect warrants the cost.  Freezeis one of the more annoying mechanics to deal with in the game. It’s great for stalling out the game, potentially forcingopponents to skip turns, and allowing Mages to draw their winconditions.  Also according to Blizzard’s Assistant CommunityManager/Shoutcaster Robert Wing said on Twitter “[DementedFrostcaller] will not try to freeze a frozen character, FYI.” While the card effect is still random, this guarantees thatthe card will get good value with each consecutive proc.

With all of this in mind let’s review what decks and cards willfit well with Demented Frostcaller.  The obvious choice forplayers should be Tempo/Roulette Mage (whatever you like to callit).  Players can throw out low cost spells to constantlytrigger the freeze effect.  In some situations this could be abetter option than Flamewaker.  Patron Warrior loves gettingits minions hit for one damage, but freezing Grim Patron, FrothingBerserker, and the Warrior’s Face could mitigate a lot of damage. In some situations players might force the opponent tosilence its own minions to push for damage.  Players couldpunish this over extension and feel safer with a silence gone. A specific card that pairs well with Demented Frostcaller isIce Lance.  I predict that Ice Lance will be added to TempoMage in Standard with the loss of Flamecannon and Unstable Portal. Since Demented Frostcaller won’t Freeze already frozencharacters Ice Lance can provide great utility and in some casesgreat damage.

The big argument against playing Demented Frostcaller is WaterElemental.  Players can choose what to freeze, it has bettercombat stats, and playing this on turn 4 feels much better. However, my counter argument is that Water Elemental can’tfreeze an enemy character when it enters the board thanks tosummoning sickness.  Also players could just have both cardsin the deck.  I’ve seen Tempo Mage run Piloted Shredder, andDemented Frostcaller would make a solid replacement inStandard.

My final verdict for Demented Frostcaller is that two copieswill be played in Standard Tempo Mage decks.  I find this cardhard to fit into Wild at the moment with the existence of PilotedShredder.  I could see players adding one copy to provide moreutility options.  I think Demented Frostcaller is one of thebetter Mage minions released so far and will see Competitiveplay.

About the Author- I am a writer that follows competitive esportssuch as Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros.Melee.  Follow me @Kenny_Humiston on Twitter for contentupdates.