March of the Legion brings with it 319 new cards that will most certainly change any Constructed decks currently in the metagame, create new deck ideas, and alter the format entirely. I’m excited about thinking up new decks and trying to build on those ideas. It’s not an easy task, and, at times, it can be frustrating, but at least I can always relax and do a bunch of drafts with the new set, something that is guaranteed to be fun and enjoyable!
 

Shaman was the premier class to draft in the Heroes of Azeroth / Dark Portal / Fires of Outland Draft format, and it is still a great class to draft in March of the Legion. Shaman offers great ally removal and Totems with unique powers. Another good thing about Shaman is that they can use a few of the new weapons in March of the Legion. There are four in particular that you’ll want to look out for when drafting Shaman.

At 1 strike cost, the cost-effective Whispering Blade of Slaying is great for dealing with small opposing allies and for dealing final points of damage to bigger allies. It also gives dual wield to your hero, allowing it to strike for more damage, putting your opponent on a shorter clock. The next weapon is another dagger: Runesong Dagger. Runesong Dagger allows you to destroy allies without having to strike with it, making it one of the better weapons for Limited. In the non-dagger department, Axe of the Legion also gives your hero dual wield. The last weapon is Hungering Bone Cudgel, which strikes for 5 damage. Its drawback can be severe if your opponent is able to stop your hero from attacking for a turn. If you’re able to strike with Hungering Bone Cudgel two or three times, then that should be enough to win a game, though.

Now let’s take a look at what Shaman abilities March of the Legion has to offer.

Commons

Chill

A smaller version of Frost Shock, Chill offers players two different utilities. It can either serve as a finisher when you need to deal just 1 more point of damage to a troublesome ally, or it can put the brakes on an ally that you can’t have attacking you or your allies. For only 1 resource point, Chill is a great deal for its versatility.

Earth’s Bounty

This card is useful in many different ways. In a Draft format with little equipment removal, Earth’s Bounty returns your destroyed axe or dagger, and your opponents may not have an answer for your weapon the next time around. Earth’s Bounty essentially creates a second copy of any card in your deck, whether it is a really good uncommon or rare ally, or any type of ally removal. In most Limited games, each player will see almost every card in his or her deck, making card quality an important factor in winning games. Earth’s Bounty will help out a great deal, making sure you play your best card or cards a second time.

Elements’ Fury

Destroying allies: it’s what Shamans do best. At 3 resources, Elements’ Fury kills almost any ally with a cost of 4 or less, and it deals 3 damage to the opposing hero. After playing a couple of these during the course of a game, the damage will definitely go a long way in keeping pressure on your opponent and keeping you ahead in the race.

Stoneclaw Totem

This is the first time a Totem has been printed with more than 1 health point. Most of the time, you don’t want your opponents attacking your Totems. Stoneclaw Totem, however, makes any opposing heroes and allies attack it and shuts down the offending characters for a turn, giving you time to gain control of the game. Sometimes Stoneclaw Totem can act as armor that goes away after it has been used a couple of times. The Totem is situational, so it can be good or bad depending on the type of deck you draft.

Uncommons

Mana Spring Totem

Being an instant ability is what makes this card good rather than just par for the course. Play it at the end of your opponent’s turn and it’ll be ready at the beginning of yours. Clear the board by trading allies with your opponent, and the card advantage from the Mana Spring Totem will turn the game in your favor. It’s a very good card and will probably always make the deck.

Sentry Totem

There aren’t a great deal of ferocity allies or protectors in March of the Legion, making Sentry Totem not very useful in Limited. Sentry Totem makes a nice combo with Earthbind Totem, though, but for drafting purposes, Sentry Totem doesn’t offer enough.

Shaman Training

As far as power levels go for the Training cycle of abilities, Shaman is somewhere in the middle. It works best when your opponent has no ready resources so you’ll most certainly get a second attack with your best ally. On the next turn, your opponent is forced to deal with your ally, or the game will be over soon. Shaman Training can help against opposing swarm strategies in which your opponent plans on playing a bunch of 1- and 2-cost allies to deal a bunch of damage early. Shaman Training allows you to attack with one of your bigger allies and pick on a couple of smaller allies, reducing the amount of damage you’ll take on the next turn and gaining board advantage for you. Shaman Training won’t end up as card disadvantage for you because, most of the time, you’ll be able to at least attack an ally and then attack a second ally. Your ally with the Training on it will likely have fatal damage from the second attack, resulting in a 2-for-2 trade. Shaman Training is best used on an ally with high health, like Gareth Ironshot or Ja’zoona.

Rares

Reincarnation

I had the privilege of previewing this card, and I finally got a chance to play with it recently. I like the card a lot in Booster Draft. I found it to be very useful when going second or when starting the game with a bad hand from a mulligan. Reincarnation can be a real hassle for opponents. Since your hero has 28 health, your opponent will have to deal 42 damage to destroy it. Reincarnation is capable of turning the game around, and it allows you to concentrate more on board control rather than damaging the opposing hero.

Earthrend Weapon

Shaman has only a few non-rare weapons in March of the Legion, and they all have strike costs greater than 0. You will not be able to spend 7 resources on Earthrend Weapon and strike with your weapon on the same turn. Its costs are too much for Draft, so this card will most likely not see play in Limited.

Echo of the Elements

Shaman in March of the Legion doesn’t have as many ways to heal damage as it does in Heroes, Dark Portal, and Fires, making this card less useful—almost unplayable—in March of the Legion Draft.

Totemic Focus

In Draft, there aren’t enough Totems to make it worthwhile to use up a slot in your deck and waste your turn 2 play. However, with multiple copies in play, any Totem could essentially be free to play. There is a great deal of potential for Totemic Focus in Constructed.

Totem of Wrath

Allies like Hoxie Mettlemelt and Shem Reznict become a lot better with this Totem in play. Not many allies are capable of dealing non-combat damage, and most of the ones that can are rare. Unfortunately, this is another Shaman rare that will probably not see play in straight March of the Legion Draft. It will most likely have to wait until Servants of the Betrayer comes out to see Limited play.

Strategy

With only one set out for Draft, there aren’t any truly complex drafting methods or strategies to follow. Just try to keep it simple. When drafting Shaman, you want to look for as many copies of Elements’ Fury as you can to deal with allies. You also want to grab any good weapons you can get your hands on, and draft a couple of Mana Spring Totems to keep your hand filled. Try to draft protectors to stop your opponent from attacking your Totems.

Neither Shaman hero has a significant flip, so that shouldn’t influence which faction you draft. Alliance has a few more protectors than Horde does, and Aldor has a couple more than Scryer, so you’ll likely end up drafting Alliance and Aldor more often than not.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week to look at yet another class from March of the Legion!