Hey all,
Just wanted to know what everyone's thoughts are on the high efficiency of healing cards in the game. Healing in WoW TCG tends to be more efficient than damage-dealing, with damage having an average cost of 1 resource point per 1-2 damage points while healing is 1 resource point per 2-3 damage points. Most other games price healing around the same cost as damage.

From a game design perspective, I'm of two minds about the idea of increased healing efficiency:
The good: It makes the healing classes viable decks. Normally life gain is not a potent strategy in most CCGs (unless you can get an "infinite life" loop), but the increased efficiency of healing allows you to keep up with or surpass the damage dealt by most decks. This means you'll probably see some healing-based decks in the competitive tourney scene, which gives some variety.

The bad: Because healing is so cheap, games against a healing deck are going to take a long time. Watch your Mage exhaust all his resources to burn the heck out of the opposing Priest. Watch the Priest spend half as much to un-do the damage you just caused. Repeat ad nauseum. I have no idea how the metagame will shake out, but we may be in for some very slow/long games.

Of course, this is somewhat balanced by the fact that you can't gain "infinite" life. Since damage is tracked in terms of increasing... er... damage, you can't heal your hero beyond their normal damage capacity (things like PW: Fort, Last Stand and Myrmidon's Singet notwithstanding).

Thinking further, you can probably lump armor into this discussion as well: a Warrior/Paladin/Shaman could pay 4 resources to prevent 4 damage a turn for the rest of the game with Draconian Deflector, while you have to pay 3 resources plus 1 resource per turn to do 3 damage with Krol Blade (which is probably the most efficient weapon in the game).

Any thoughts/ideas on the whole concept of efficient healing/damage prevention and how it is more efficient than damage dealing in WoW TCG?

Have a good one!
Corph

One problem so far healing Deals need alot of protectors and at least the alliance they are to find. I have Donna Callister and one Wyneth harridan and both are great but beside then I think with healing Decks just put out guys your opponet will want to kill because their to powerful. Also Galahandra makes an awesome protector tactic along with having Dorric the Martyr in you Deck or Freya Lightsworn. Hannah the unstoppable is another one that comes to just for her power and Tristan RapidStrike is cool too.
Also Crazy Igvand, parvink and Warden Tonarin work great too.
But you need to keep the creatures coming and hit whenever you can. Even if it mean having no Defense at all.

I think someone COULD conceivably heal out an opponent, waiting for time. But sooner then later they are going to dry up, and if their deck is dedicated to it, there is no guarentee that they will have the other cards they need to win it.

Is the deck all healing? what are the allies doing? what is causing damage to the opponent? are you controlling the board enough?

all those things determine exactly how much healing will effect the game with such decks.

I have my pally who has heals plus prevention. I can still be killed in 6 or so turns if the opponent draws right. I can only have so much heal in my hand at one time.

I did come up with a good Priest deck. It does have some healing it but also some damage.

It has aswell afew combos.
First Sentry Gwynn, Donna Callister, and Hannah the unstoppable they work great together I have pulled this off once already.

4x Donna Callister
4x Hannah the unstoppable
4x Sentry Gwynn
4x Acolyte Demia
4x Dorric the Martyr
4x Wyneth Harridan

1x whitemane's Chapeau
1x Rod of the orge Magi
1x Chromatic Cloak
1x lies of lillies
1x hide of the Wild

3x The missing diplomat
3x Kibler's Exotic Pets
3x Zapped giants
3x Blueleaf Tubers
3x Dragankin menace

3x Chastise
3x Prayer of Healing
1x Spiritual healing
1x Resurration
4x Flash heal
4x Heal

the point your all missing is that Priests arent meant to kill outright. all you have to do is stall and protect for about 6 turns, constantly adding allies that do a little damage to the hero every turn. and once your hit turn 6 youll be able to bring the big guns like braxxis, acolyte demia, stylean silversteel, and my personal favorite, lorekeeper darian. with all the biggies on the field, not to mention protectors, and powerful healing abilities like power word: fortitude, you opponent just wont be able to deal with it. and by turn 7 thereafter, it doesnt matter how much damage their hero or allies deal to boris because his ability just negates it anyway. and even if you kill his friends he'll just ressurect them or call of the spirit them back and it all begins again. its just like mages in the sense that unless you can kill them fast, the more turns you waste, the stronger and harder it becomes to capitalize on them.

I'm stalling like that I have 4 Protectors in Wyneth, Donna, Galahandra, and Sentry. Plus with Dorric in play i can heal them from almost to full life. Plus I have a tank Acolyte Demia and her ability. Hannah is there to make sure you get to do Damage.
Then you have your Prayer of healing, Spiritual Healing, Heal , and Flash Heal. Next you have Healing equipment aswell. (Whitemane's Chapeau, Lies of lillies, and Hide of the wild to help)
For Damage we Chastise, Chromatic Cloak, and Rod of the ogre Magi.
I could still add Parvink, Warden Tonarin, Dudefella and Tristan but that be a whole protect group of guys. I have 5 already no need for 6,7,8, or 9.
thats just one combo aswell.

Healing is an interesting strategy, and a pure healing deck like you describe should be able to easily handle a direct damage deck. But I don't see it standing up to a swarm ally deck. Lets say I am playing hunter swarm, I can spend 1 resource point to play Bloodclaw. Turn 2, I attack for 3. No problem you say, then use a flash heal, spending 1 resource point to heal for 4, you came out ahead, right? The only problem is, Bloodclaw is going to attack next round, while your flash heal is all used up.

So, you play protectors, planning to heal them to keep them out. The only problem with protectors, they don't have as good as stats as just plain old attackers. You 1 resource for Warden Tonarin, a 1/1 and I spend 1 resource point for Gartok Skullplitter, who is a 2/1. You spend 4 resource points for Tristan Rapidstrike, a 3/3, I spend 4 points for Vaerik Proudhoof, a 5/3.

So the question becomes, can your healing powers match up with my Rally the Troops, Ravenous Bite, For the Horde!, and the like, long enough to play a game-breaking ally like Lady Proudmoore?

see what you described is what a BEGINNER would do. you dont spend resources and healing cards to deal with every move your opponent makes. what you do is create a small party at first, bringing both weenies and protector to worry about the small fry, and only heal and keep allies on the field that you have use for. and 2nd, bloodclaw is a crappy ally for 1 because is has neither ferocity nor elusive and ANYBODY can trade blows with it, making it an almost useless opening move.

see you couldnt play a priest because you dont full understand that, like mages, they can take damage on the first couple of turns and not even worry about it for awhile. its by the time you get to turn 4 and beyond that a priest's full power starts taking shape and your opponent has 1 of 2 options, either quickly capitalize on any early lead it can and finish the game or prepare to lose. the only problem that priests have is until turn 6, priest really have a hard time with multitasking and can indeed stretch their resource very thin. that and what will make them not very popular is how much micromanagement goes into a priest deck.


but right now the only thing that could really be a thorn in a priests side is made shadow priest, paladin, and rogue decks. each for different reasons. shadow priests will make it hardfor holy priests to get a hold of their heal spells. paladins because it would then turn into a priest versus priest and would probably take an hour to do because they would each stall each other out. and rogues because they would just plain disable the priest's allies and make them focus more on healing themselves from all the damage than their allies.

I did change it up abit.
4x Warden Tonarin ( Acolyte)
4 Parvink (out Wyneth)
Giving me Cheaper Protectors and making me probably live longer.
Also added more Quests aswell and took out equipment.

I find that a lot of the decks in the TCG are made to (mainly) act like their counterparts in the MMORPG.

The real power behind a Holy Priest in PvP in the MMORPG is not rushing out to meet that Warrior and casting Smite on him over and over again, it's about sitting behind your group, healing, supporting them and making them unstoppable.

The abilities of the Priest in the TCG seem to reflect the same thing, the Priest himself doesn't have too many damage output options, but with all his support and heals, he can turn an ordinary ally into a one man army.

(Think: Crazy Igvand - Turn 2, Power Word: Fortitude - Turn 3, 11 Health Protector...that enough stall for you?)

Don't have Crazy Igvan yet. not a one. Plus in deck now I only have one non-protector Tactic Ally. Hannah the Unstoppable. Most of the rest of the Deck is Stall. I think Crazy Igvan would be better some of the guys I have in there too.

Hey I'm going to try get my hands on some and take out Parvink. Then it will be even more Cost Reducted. Put in 4 Crazy Igvan. I think that would work good. Plus Then During turn 3 and 4 It would allow more during these turns because Your hopefully a Protector out, You can Add a Protector and then do a Quest or play an ability.

As good as heal stall decks could be if any deck can do enough dmg on their own turn to take the healer out it won't matter, unless they have enough flash heals to deal with it since most heals are regular abilities and not instants.

Also on the point of Hunter decks, Marked for Death, Rayder, Barov Peasent caller + additional allies ftw!

Thats what i have been saying and why I have build my deck the way I have.

DONNA CALISTER, DRAGONKIN MENACE, and FACE SMASH is technically a combo, and it can give you more versatility when you have to deal with opposing characters that don't attack to do their thing.

With three copies of MISSING DIPLOMAT you can go down to one copy of your "finisher" ally HANNA THE UNSTOPPABLE. And maybe go down to 1 copy of WYNETH HARRIDAN.

Also A DONATION OF WOOL gives you something to do on the turns that you aren't curving. Also puts an ally in the discard pile for RESURRECTION.