Thunderhead

Thunderhead Card

Thunderhead is a 4 Mana Cost Epic Shaman Minion Elemental card from the The Boomsday Project set!

Card Text

After you play a card with Overload, summon two 1/1 Sparks with Rush.

Flavor Text

Most of his friends are still Metalheads.

Cards Relating to Thunderhead

Spark
Type: Minion - Cost: 1 - Attack: 1 - Health: 1
Rush

Thunderhead Card Review

It seems like instead of trying to push new strategies for Shaman, they’re now trying to get the class back to its roots – flooding the board and finishing the game with Bloodlust. This card simply looks good. I already rated Voltaic Burst pretty well, and this is one of the reasons why it might be strong. 3/5 for 4 is not good by itself, but you could say the same thing about Violet Teacher in Druid. And unlike Violet Teacher, this card is already great after just a single trigger. Not only it summons two 1/1’s, but they have Rush, which can make some amazing tempo pushes, especially in the late game.

It works best if yo can combo it with cheap Overload cards – Zap!Voltaic Burst or Lightning Bolt are the best options right now. In the mid game, even without other synergy cards this can provide a massive board swings. But that’s not all – it also has some insane late game scaling. If you can spend extra 2 mana to play Knife Juggler or Flametongue Totem before that, then you’re set. Flametongue Totem in particular seems really amazing proactive board clear – you deal with everything your opponent has and end up with a solid board he absolutely has to answer in fear of Bloodlust.

It also has an Elemental tag, but I don’t believe that it’s really relevant. You would rather put it into a more classic Midrange build than into an Elemental deck. Maybe Even Shaman, but the deck would need another cheap (0 or 2 mana) Overload card, or maybe two, because Zap alone doesn’t seem enough. And the most important thing is that you DON’T build a full Overload deck around it. Those are bad. But this card doesn’t need one – just a few already solid Overload cards will do, because like I’ve mentioned before, even triggering it once already makes it worth it. I really like it, and I will definitely try to test out the Midrange/Token strategy.

Card rating: 8/10

Leave a Reply

37 Comments

  1. KOTHOGA
    August 1, 2018 at 2:31 am

    It wil not wind you games for sure but will clear so many boards… After ligtning storm… Zap… Bolt… Weapon… The other that summons 2 sparks…juggler… 5 star card

  2. KOTHOGA
    August 1, 2018 at 2:23 am

    Possibly a meta breaker. This is one of those cards that when enters the battlefield everyone need to kill. Turn 5 or six with zap, bolt or weapon will eliminate most of the treats on enemy side… Want to try it. I remeber that cube was underrated to. Well cube fits in everyclass, yes, but every deck with it as the tag “cube” something and this for shaman will to

  3. Morei
    July 29, 2018 at 9:40 am

    DK Thrall can still be a thing with this

    • Soup And Salad
      July 29, 2018 at 11:18 am

      You won’t really be able to play the two on curve even with a something like Zap. That’s not to say Thrall, Deathseer won’t be played in an Aggressive Token Shaman, but Saronite Chain Gang into Thrall Deathseer is a better line of play than most things you could do with this on curve.

      • Morei
        July 30, 2018 at 9:47 am

        True. But this provides 3 bodies, potentially. Eh, Idk, just throwing ideas.

  4. Lord Tyrone
    July 29, 2018 at 8:58 am

    I just want all you troglodytes that are only focusing on how this card won’t work, instead of trying to make it work, that YOU are at the bottom of the food chain.

    • Soup And Salad
      July 29, 2018 at 10:42 am

      When a card has a high power ceiling like this does, but needs cards that are rather lackluster to support it to be good, it’s normal for people to not exactly be optimistic about the card.

      Of the fourteen Overloading cards, half of them are any good, and one such as Volcano, Doomhammer, and Earth Elemental aren’t the sort of things an Aggressive or Token deck would really want to play.

      This card is definitely good and will slot right into Wild Midrange and perhaps Even Shaman decks since those decks would have access to Totem Golem, Tunnel Trog, Crackle, and a few of the other tools that have been rotated out, but I’m just not seeing it in The Boomsday format without another good, aggressive overloading card. Granted, Zap and Volcanic Burst might be enough. It is all speculation right now after all.

  5. Jed
    July 29, 2018 at 8:53 am

    It’s kinda ok I guess. Don’t see it being spectacular.
    3/5

  6. Crapcrack
    July 29, 2018 at 6:55 am

    great card that offers great tempo

  7. GlosuuLang
    July 29, 2018 at 6:31 am

    I believe this is a better Violet Teacher. Spawning an extra 1/1 in a class with Bloodlust and Flametongue Totem? Yes, please! Sure, Overload is an uncomfortable mechanic, but you can play minions, spells and even weapons with Overload, not just spella like Violet Teacher. I’m eager to try a tempo Overload Shaman, that has been impossible since Tunnel Trogg and Totem Golem rotated out. And yes, we have the Combo Overload deck with Snowfury Giant, which is fun, but why not an Overload Tempo? 3.5/5 stars.

  8. Sammy
    July 29, 2018 at 6:23 am

    Overload cards for even shaman
    Zap
    Crushing Hands
    Storm Axe
    All 3 of these cards never been in viable deck making a pro money
    The 4 mana cost of this makes you play hybrid shaman and the best odd overload cards make you lose too much mana to play an aggro/token shaman deck, too slow.

    This is just another classic case of a well writen card with potential, to never reach its potential. This card is 0/5 until more then likely even cost cards with overload are released as the other cards in this expansion.

    • Psycho
      July 29, 2018 at 9:07 am

      It doesn’t have to be an even shaman for this card to see play, you know…

  9. Nickname23
    July 29, 2018 at 6:22 am

    The card isn’t bad. Token-based midrange card, as this wouldn’t be the gamechanger for an aggro-shaman.
    I’d say it highly depends on the overload cards, shaman has available. This card wants to see efficient, preferably low costed, overload cards, which you would like to run anyway.
    Solid, but too fair for now, I guess. 3/5

  10. Chris
    July 29, 2018 at 5:05 am

    I see plenty of combo potential here: Think of Zap and Voltaic Burst as activators and then you can build various powerful combos from a big pool of cards:

    – Flametongue Totem (deal 8-16 board dmg)
    – Dire Wolf Alpha (deal 3-6 board dmg)
    – See Giant (discounted by 2-4)
    – Kabal Cultist (draw 2-4 cards)
    – Knife Juggler (deal 2-4 random dmg)
    – Fungal Mancer (add 2 x 2/2 rush)

    Looks like quite some turn 5-6 board-swing potential ;-).

    Question is: would you put all of this into one deck?

    Probably yes. I can see this coming together in a new sort of aggro to midrange Shaman that runs cards like Fire Fly, Electra Stormsurge, Kalimos, Earthen Might, Fire Elemental, Al’Akir, Lich King or even Leroy Jenkins.

    Overall an interesting card. It might make some Shaman builds competitive that no one has on radar right now.

  11. Siberal
    July 29, 2018 at 5:00 am

    Se ci pensate somiglia molto all’effetto di un destafiamme che bersaglia solo i minion. Si attiva con overload invece che con magie per sopperire ad un effetto negativo di una spell o minion piú forte del normale (rispetto al costo in mana). In ogni caso le scintille rimangono e mi immagino già i mega trade che si faranno col totem del fuoco…

  12. Mender
    July 29, 2018 at 4:17 am

    People are sleeping on this card, it’s a better Violet Teacher, this card is made for Token Shaman, and it can be summoned by the 5 mana 2/4 recruiter from KnC

    • Soup And Salad
      July 29, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Shaman has historically never played Violet Teacher even when Token Shaman was a high tier deck.
      You are correct for the kind of deck this would fit in
      Guild Recruiter is not a card you would play to get this on the board.

  13. grenga23
    July 29, 2018 at 4:11 am

    yall don’t think he’s good because yall are looking at the curgent decks. sHamann still have 1 more epic. and 1 more legendary. the current decks can change. in fact that’s the whole point of expansions

    • IdKeynyne
      July 29, 2018 at 5:57 am

      A card’s viability, at least in the upcoming expansion, is very often determined by how well it fits into existing archetypes (unless it’s an expansion that also sees other sets rotating out, take un’goro or the witchwood for example). So yes, this card’s playability will probably fall on how good even shaman (or who knows, maybe elemental aggro shaman) will be next expansion.

      • grenga23
        July 29, 2018 at 6:25 am

        I think there are alot more moving parts than that. I think control shaman could make a rise. and also you have to look at other classes. Druid has alot of huuuge changes as does warrior. the fall of token druid and the rise of maly druid in the meta can shift a format entirely. I’m not saying this card is going to 100% see play. I’m saying people are brushing cards to the side way to quickly… and 135 new cards will change a format not just adjust some archytypes

  14. dumbEndumber
    July 29, 2018 at 2:42 am

    So, 3/5 for 4 is a decent statline – 1 off the vanilla 4/5 of the Yeti, which is decent. The effect is priced at 1+1(overload), according to the horrible shaman spell Blizz printed for Boomsday. I’d wager that triggering the effect at least once would make this a value drop. The question is which Overload cards would you use, and which turn would you play this? What decks would you even use this in?

    As far as I am concerned, the three existing archetypes are an Even deck, a pure Elemental tribe deck, or Shudderwock. I do not think any Battlecry card has overload, so we barely have any synergy there. Even if there were, shudderwock is a reasonably constricted combo deck, and we do not want to dilute it with minions like this.

    Even is a solid deck right know, as far as I am concerned. But it does not run Overloads commonly – odd overloads remove a free totem on odd turns (which benefit from buffs like flametongue or dire wolf), even overloads reduce your curve by a significant amount (fire plume instead of Fire elemental would be the staple here I imagine, but it could also delay cards like Al’akir, the Lich King, or Kalimos (if you run that). Additionally, most overload cards are odd, so you could only run Crushing hand (worse Hex I’d say), stormforged axe (decent, could play on 6 with this, but it is 4 targeted damage and a 3/5, as opposed to 3 damage with a 6/5 for a card less – not worth it imho), or Zap, which may be the best of the three, but is ultimately too weak otherwise. Even has great removal options already, it does not need this.

    Pure elemental is not really a thing right now, but it is still something I’d consider. As a 4-drop it comes before Servant, and can activate it, unlike Tolvir. It has a better statline compared to phoenix, but a delayed effect that cannot go face. It has synergies with Unbound ele (which is basically unplayed), Earth ele on 5 (great actually), snowfury giant, the spellstone, and doomhammer. This could have potential, as a midrange-ish elemental+overload based deck, but it needs more efficient cards with overload. Playing this on 4 and earth on 5 is great, but only if a 3/5 sticks a turn. Same with doomhammer. Also, playing overload on 5 delays your fire elemental. Though with some additions this expansion it could be a thing (with keleseth I’d imagine, and if the curve is high enough, you can put in the shudderwock, though you would need to remove fire ele, glacial shard, and include harbinger + murmuring instead of keleseth?) All in all, unlikely to be a great deck, but has to potential – just like every elemental shaman deck so far.

  15. Cyclick
    July 29, 2018 at 1:44 am

    Very weird, awkward, and decently weak card. Would you play this instead of Servant of Kalimos? Would you run a lot of Overload card? No, you wouldn’t. It’s a REALLY cool effect, but you can’t push Overload Elemental Shaman in an EFFECTIVE way with cards like these. This is a card that would be good if it existed as a meta deck. Cool thing, but not the time for it, and it’s pretty weak at the moment, Rush in itself is weak.

    2/5 now, possibly 3 or even 4/5 in the future if they keep printing Elementals/Overload cards that are good for Shaman, but don’t count on it.

    Tl;dr Weak right now without the archetype having better cards. +100 dust.

    • Stonekeep - Site Admin
      July 29, 2018 at 2:09 am

      You people keep focusing on the Elemental tag too much. It’s not a card you play in an Elemental deck. it’s a Midrange/Token card first and foremost.

      • Cyclick
        July 29, 2018 at 3:28 pm

        Why would Midrange be a good option when Shudderwock exists? With all the cards shown Shaman would get a midrange/token deck that’s actually good. Even in token what Overload cards are you running that are very useful to your deck and you wanting to put this out on 45 aside from stacking up the board. And again, Rush. Just seems very underpowered.

        • Soup And Salad
          July 29, 2018 at 4:54 pm

          Midrange strategies would be good in an environment where Shudderwock is too slow to work and Shaman has enough good stand alone cards that only minor synergies are necessary to push the deck of the top as was the case during when Hearthston became Shamanstone during the One Night in Karasahn metagame.

  16. Trebah
    July 29, 2018 at 12:01 am

    This is great! Many people are underating this IMO. Can finish off remaining minions after lightning storm, it’s great value off of zap. Played on turn 4 it’s great as it activates servant of kalimos turn 5.

    • Nope
      July 29, 2018 at 12:31 am

      Activating servant of kalimos is not usually a quality indicator, but I do appreciate the statline. This thing is going to trade well.

  17. MockRock
    July 29, 2018 at 12:01 am

    This is the kind of “whenever you play X” synergy I like, no more gaining +1/+1. That being said…I still am not sure that this has a place in the meta right now. It’s going to be clunky in Even Shaman if no more incentives come out, Shudderwock certainly won’t play it, and Elemental Shaman currently isn’t worth using. Things could change though, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this make the cut somewhere during its time in Standard.

  18. SupHypUlt
    July 28, 2018 at 11:27 pm

    are we elemental token shaman now? nope, we’re shudderwock!!

  19. Piterno
    July 28, 2018 at 11:25 pm

    Unless these sparks are going to spark what the big bad legendary spell of shaman is going to be, not going to see much play. 2-3/5

  20. SqueezyBear
    July 28, 2018 at 11:12 pm

    This is just plain GOOD. The combos you can utilize with his card are endless. And the better part is that the sparks can be buffed by totems and the like.

  21. AidanAeon
    July 28, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    Meh, has synergy with Flametongue Totem, and even that’s a stretch. 2/5.

    • Nidnam1252
      July 28, 2018 at 11:12 pm

      It’s a cool effect and idea.

      Sadly, it’s too awkward to see play.

      • IdKeynyne
        July 28, 2018 at 11:25 pm

        Zap + this in an already elemental-heavy even shaman? Easy and simple fit, no question.

    • Fluffy
      July 28, 2018 at 11:34 pm

      Witch Cauldron is te one with big synergy.