Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 6)

There's only one day left before Hearthstone releases its newest expansion. The Year of the Phoenix officially kicks off with Ashes of Outland, which will mark the beginning of a new Standard year. With the arrival of this new expansion, Blizzard introduces its first new playable class since the game's launch and also introduces 135 new cards for both Standard and Wild.

Card reveals for Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland have come and gone and now it's just a matter of waiting for the expansion's arrival. So let's make that time go a little faster by taking a look at the cards that are about to debut and giving them a full analysis.

Before we begin the analyses, be sure to check out the cards revealed during Blizzard's livestream presentation and catch up with our previous entries:

All 63 cards revealed during today's Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland livestream
Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 1)
Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 2)
Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 3)
Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 4)
Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland card analyses (Part 5)

There's only one day left and a few cards remaining, so let's take this sucker home!

(7) Priestess of Fury (6/7)
Type: Minion - Demon
Class: Demon Hunter
Rarity: Rare
At the end of your turn, deal 6 damage randomly split among all enemies.

Analysis: Reno the Relicologist has proven to be quite a popular card. What if the Demon Hunter had a card similar to that one? That card would be Priestess of Fury, but this card has a few minor differences. It doesn't dole out as much damage, it can hit face, it has slightly better stats, it costs slightly more, and it repeats its effect at the end of every turn.

The 6/7 body is strong on its own, but its minion-clearing potential is what will make it a staple in early Demon Hunter decks. A surefire winner.

(6) Fel Summoner (8/3)
Type: Minion
Class: Demon Hunter
Rarity: Common
Deathrattle: Summon a random Demon from your hand.

Analysis: Here's something that's meant more for Big Demon decks. The Fel Summoner boasts a nice 8-Attack stat, but with only 3 Health, it's not sticking around. It's not really meant to. Its Deathrattle effect makes it much easier to play a stronger, more expensive Demon (one of which we'll get to in just a second). It's not for every Demon Hunter deck, but the Fel Summoner will have its uses and likely show up a few times in the early Demon Hunter meta.

(2) Ironbark
Type: Spell
Class: Druid
Rarity: Rare
Give a minion +1/+3 and Taunt. Costs (0) if you have at least 7 Mana Crystals.

Analysis: Getting buffed stats with Taunt is decent on its own, but Ironbark becoming free in the late game will be what makes this a staple for every Embiggen Druid going forward. This will most definitely be played on Turn 9 with every Ysera, Unleashed without question. Get ready to deal with a 5/13 Taunt to go along with those seven extra dragons in your opponent's deck.

(10) Scrapyard Colossus (7/7)
Type: Minion - Elemental
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Rare
Taunt. Deathrattle: Summon a 7/7 Felcracked Colossus with Taunt.

Analysis: Check out this big chunk of beef. He's a nice addition to the 10-Cost minion pool and will definitely be a handy random effect from something like Conjurer's Calling. However, you're much more likely to find him in a Plot Twist Warlock deck off of Fel Lord Betrug, who can introduce a copy with Rush that dies and leave behind a 7/7 Taunt. That's as good a reason as any to try the Quest Warlock out again.

(6) Keli'fan the Breaker (3/3)
Type: Minion
Class: Warlock
Rarity: Legendary
Battlecry: Destroy a minion. If drawn this turn, instead destroy all minions except this one.

Analysis: This is a gamble for the Warlock player, in that if this is drawn, they must decide whether it's worthwhile to use its maximum effect. If you're a Zoo Warlock, you're probably not using this guy. But Keli'dan is meant to be a last resort, something to use if the opposing board is just too much to handle. It's a cheaper Twisting Nether with a 3/3 body attached. Of course, if you're staring down a full board and don't have this at the ready, you can always try the extra cheese strategy of using Plot Twist to try and get it.

(8) Supreme Abyssal (12/12)
Type: Minion - Demon
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Common
Can't attack heroes.

Analysis: We talked about Fel Summoner earlier. Here's a big boy that you might want to summon with it. The Supreme Abyssal comes with gigantic stats for an 8-Cost minion. The downside is that it can't hit the opponent's face. Not unless you employ some shenanigans with the Dalaran Librarian anyway.

You might not purposely pack a Supreme Abyssal into your deck, but it's not something to thumb your nose at if it comes up from a random effect. This guy can keep the board under control, if nothing else.

(8) Coilfang Warlord (9/5)
Type: Minion
Class: Demon Hunter
Rarity: Rare
Rush. Deathrattle: Summon a 5/9 Warlord with Taunt.

Analysis: Oh, snap! Yeah, this will likely go into a lot of Demon Hunter decks, especially the ones packing bigger minions. The Coilfans Warlord can trade into almost anything and leave behind a pretty big 5/9 Taunt once it goes. This is exception value for the late game, with the Taunt able to ward off at least one big opposing minion. Its Rush keyword means there's no chance to Silence it, either, making it a strong late-game play for the Demon Hunter player.

(5) Glowfly Swarm
Type: Spell
Class: Druid
Rarity: Epic
Summon a 2/2 Glowfly for each spell in your hand.

Analysis: Remember the old Living Mana spell? This is a variant of it, only this one summons a 2/2 for every spell in your hand. Removing the mana sacrifice from Living Mana is a major step up in every way, meaning a Savage Roar play on the next turn is almost assured. It's hard to tell whether Spell Druid will be a thing, but this is a pretty good card for it.

(1) Imprisoned Sungill (2/1)
Type: Minion - Murloc
Class: Paladin
Rarity: Rare
Dormant for 2 turns. When this awakens, summon two 1/1 Murlocs.

Analysis: This isn't a bad opening gambit for the Murloc Paladin, assured at least two more Murlocs on Turn 3. It probably won't replace the Turn 1 Murloc Tidecaller, but it's not bad. Not really too much more to say about this one.

(2) Murgur Murgurgle (2/1)
Type: Minion - Murloc
Class: Paladin
Rarity: Legendary
Divine Shield. Deathrattle: Shuffle 'Murgurgle Prime' into your deck.

(8) Murgurgle Prime (6/3)
Type: Minion - Murloc
Class: Paladin
Rarity: Token
Divine Shield. Battlecry: Summon 4 random Murlocs. Give them Divine Shield.

Analysis: Uh-oh!

That's a lot of Murlocs! And they sure do have Divine Shield! It doesn't matter which random Murlocs you pull, you can follow this up on the next turn with Coldlight Seer or Murloc Warleader to buff them up. And if they lose their Divine Shield in the interim, use Scalelord to put it right back on them.

If there's a downside to this, it's that Turn 8 feels like an eternity for Murloc players. Employ some Paladin control tools to get you to that finish line.

(3) Greyheart Sage (3/3)
Type: Minion
Class: Rogue
Rarity: Epic
Battlecry: If you control a Stealthed minion, draw 2 cards.

Analysis: It's a good thing the Rogue is getting a lot of Stealth minions in this expansion, because that makes the Greyheart Sage a valuable ally. He'll help you rummage through your deck while also boasting some decent 3/3 stats. This is a card you'll probably be seeing a lot in the next two years.

(1) Guardian Augmerchant (2/1)
Type: Minion
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Common
Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to a minion and give it Divine Shield.

Analysis: This has the potential to be a thorn in the side of anyone opposing the Aggro Warrior. The Frothing Berserker is going to love this guy. And on top of that, the Bloodsworn Mercenary is waiting to put another Frothing Berserker with Divine Shield onto the board. Do not underestimate the potential of Guardian Augmerchant for the Warrior, who could slide this right in for a long time to come.

(1) Crimson Sigil Runner (2/1)
Type: Minion
Class: Demon Hunter
Rarity: Common
Outcast: Draw a card.

Analysis: He's last and he might look least, but he's not least. It's the Crimson Sigil Runner, which should be a solid Turn 1 play for the Demon Hunter. At worst, it's a 2/1 presence on the board, but at best, he gives you early card draw and sets up for follow-up Spectral Sight or Sightless Watcher plays. The Crimson Sigil Runner will be the unsung hero of the early Demon Hunter, setting the table for what's sure to be many games of pain for the opponent.

And that's it! We're all caught up and ready for the next big expansion. Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland releases tomorrow.