Clockwork Automaton

Clockwork Automaton Card

Clockwork Automaton is a 5 Mana Cost Common Neutral Minion Mech card from the The Witchwood set!

Card Text

Double the damage and healing of your Hero Power.

Flavor Text

Most mechs are pretty chill, but this one is all wound up.
  • Mana Cost: 5
  • Attack: 4
  • Health: 4
  • Crafting Cost: 40 / 400 (Golden)
  • Arcane Dust Gained: 5 / 50 (Golden)
  • Rarity: Common
  • Class: Neutral
  • Card Type: Minion
  • Minion Type: Mech
  • Set: The Witchwood

Clockwork Automaton Card Review

I’ve seen some people making this mistake already and seeing this is a better version of Prophet Velen. No, it’s not, because it only affects HERO POWERS and not all cards.

Another key is “damage and healing”. If a Hero Power doesn’t do damage or healing, it’s not affected by this. So, it only works positively for Priest, Hunter, and Mage (and negatively for Warlock). Which means that those three are the most likely classes that would want to use it.

Yes, the card also works on Death Knights. Yes, it’s amazing with e.g. Bloodreaver Gul'dan. But so what if it’s completely useless until you turn into your DK? And if you turn into your DK you’re already in a good spot to win? You rarely need more healing once you can heal every turn with your Hero Power. In this case, it’s just a win more. You can theoretically go for this + Prince Taldaram + Hero Power for 12 damage and 24 healing, but again, that’s a two card combo that works only after you play your 10 mana card that you might not draw until really late into the game. I could see this as a one-of tech if the meta really demands it (in other words, if you need a huge healing burst in the late game), but I don’t think it will see play outside of that.

It might, just like the Blackwald Pixie, work okay in Baku decks. Two good examples are Baku Mage and Baku Hunter. The first one would be a 4 damage Hero Power that can target anything and the second one would be 6 damage Hero Power. But, in both cases, it would cost 7 mana to play this + HP, which might not make it as powerful as it seems. For example – in case of Hunter, on turn 7, this + Hero Power is the same as Nightblade (a card you probably don’t even remember) + Hero Power. Of course, this gains the extra value of being a high priority target you absolutely have to kill, but the initial burst isn’t anything good, and a 4 health minions shouldn’t be hard to kill so late into the game.

All in all, I don’t think that a regular deck would like to play it. Maybe, like I’ve mentioned, Cube/Control Warlock with DK under very specific circumstances. It might shine in some Odd decks that need to fill the curve, but still, unlike the previous one, this card sucks on Turn 5. You drop a 5 mana 4/4 that is very easy to get rid of. It’s not a 3 mana 3/4 that can actually contest the board. So, everything said, I don’t think that this one will see lots of play.

Card rating: 4/10

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85 Comments

  1. Altoid345
    April 9, 2018 at 11:13 pm

    Warrior quest plus this card seems like a good combo. 7 mana deal 12, the taunts your deck is built around should help protect him

  2. StickyDice
    April 9, 2018 at 7:16 am

    Who else is considering Majordomo-Clockword combo. 16 DMG with 2 mana ;_;

  3. Ugin
    April 4, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    This plus cube is a win condition. It protects the automaton and when it pops, your hero power becomes a lethal engine. With quest warrior, your hero power deals 32 damage (aka lethal). With warlock, you deal 12 and Reno (heal for 48, because lifesteal for 24 is doubled itself). Great potential.

  4. Jorgelenny47
    March 30, 2018 at 3:32 am

    Maybe in odd hunter, but 5 4/4 deal 3 to the enemy hero exists and doesn’t see any play. Still, pretty interesting. 3 stars

  5. Sebarus
    March 29, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    I’m sensing some kind of intended combo between this and Blackwald Pixie, which could work in a Hunter deck. Play Clockwork Automaton somewhere along the game, then on the last turn use hero power, then play Blackwald Pixie and use hero power again to deal 8 damage to face.

  6. Nerose
    March 29, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    I wonder if the double damage is worth it. It’s really too challenging for us to predict if this has a shot in the meta.

  7. Spyda
    March 29, 2018 at 9:47 am

    Would a second copy of this minion on the board double the damage again? If so, it would turn Baku Hunter’s hero power into (2 mana) – deal 12 damage to the opponent

  8. Crapcrack
    March 29, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Too slow and crappy body, won’t see play

  9. jfonfsknj
    March 28, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    Tbh, is a hunter baku deck exists, this card is a 7 mana 4/4 fireball your oponent’s face

    • jsdfkjdf
      March 28, 2018 at 4:50 pm

      Actually, now that I think about it, the 5 mana 4/4 that deals 3 dmg to the opponent’s face does the same thing, so yeah this is trash

      • jsdlksdfklkk
        March 28, 2018 at 4:54 pm

        this is just a worse blackwald pixie, the 3/4 that was just announced. it’s only better when

        a) the hero power deals or heals only a set ammount of dmg to a set character (like hunter, warrrior DK)

        and it’s only better because this has +! atack, you’d only run this if you already run 2 blackwald pixies and only in a hunter deck

        • Raven76
          March 28, 2018 at 7:17 pm

          Warlock DK

        • Matt
          March 28, 2018 at 9:54 pm

          This also has a persistent effect if it survives. There are more cases where this one is better but both aren’t great.

  10. Soup And Salad
    March 28, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    There are some hero powers this can do well in, and it does functionally become a 7 mana 4/4 Battlecry: deal 4 damage in a Baku mage, but to play an card as badly understated as this you will need to get your hero power off at least twice.
    I can see this being a finisher in Quest Warrior to deal 16 damage with the hero power, but that would only work out if your opponent has an empty board.
    At least its a common, so if it turns out to be crap, it won’t be that devastating of a pull.

    • sina
      March 28, 2018 at 4:23 pm

      mb u should know the other cards.like guldan can deal 6 dmg and 6 heal or shadow reaper anduin can just have. 5 mana velen .this cards seems good to me u can deal more dmg even .

      • Soup And Salad
        March 28, 2018 at 4:55 pm

        All of those ideas are really slow. They’ll work out in a slower meta game, but expecting it to work out in anything faster than a midrange environment is a little out there.
        While Cubelock will probably still be very powerful after the rotation, you won’t need this card that won’t do anything until after you play the Bloodreaver Guldan to win as the 25 damage Doomgaurd combo will end most games if you pull it off.
        Even Shadowreaper Anduin’s Voidform won’t benifit too much off of this with Raza the Chained rotating out of standard. You’ll get 6 damage and a 4/4 that will probably die the next turn for 9 mana. It could make some waves in wild, but that nerf to Raza made that more difficult than its probably worth if the popular Wild Priest deck lists are anything to go by.

        And the Siphon Life hero power with this card on the board would heal for 12 since the card would double the damage and then double the healing from the damage.

  11. serjohn
    March 28, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    life tap synergy?

  12. Benjaxoul
    March 28, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    Not all wanders are lost

  13. Bany
    March 28, 2018 at 12:43 pm

    good arena card imho.. i dont think it will find any place in constructed:
    no impact on board, even though u play it turn 7, u got some effect but not that great, maybe im wrong but
    just compare this to Azure drake…

  14. Elzein
    March 28, 2018 at 11:10 am

    Baku Hunter is nice, but Baku Mage could work very well too. DK Jaina would double its capacity to generate water elementals. Or you can play this before turn 9 and deal 4 damage at any target, greatly increasing Mage’s flexibility.

  15. Piterno
    March 28, 2018 at 10:37 am

    In Odd Face Hunter with Baku this makes your hero power a fireball to face 😀

  16. puiuWarrior
    March 28, 2018 at 10:26 am

    I think this card will be nerfed bc of the ” die insect” hero power

    • Jonathan
      March 28, 2018 at 11:00 am

      Lol they will never nerf a card because of its effect in wild.

      • Redoxea
        March 28, 2018 at 11:02 am

        Warrior quest will still be in standard after rotation

        • Jonathan
          March 28, 2018 at 11:06 am

          True.

          It’s only OP if “die insect” hero power comes automatically by playing a card, which only happens with wild cards.

          Fire Plume’s Heart is way too fringe to require something to get nerfed. Obviously it’s too soon right now, but I just don’t think there will be a balance problem caused by Warrior Quest.

          • Xix
            March 28, 2018 at 11:10 am

            Quest war did work during Un’goro release. And since alot of decks lose important cards while taunt war not so much (except sleep with the fishes) or rather even gains new cards, it could come back. Not to mention odd-cost taunt war might even work.

  17. Helioshadow
    March 28, 2018 at 10:23 am

    Alright… So here’s a card that has POTENTIAL to be broken, but is all-around decent… Let’s see which hero powers can be used with it… Keep in mind it ALSO synergizes with Baku, meaning you can have both an upgraded Hero Power that has its effect doubled.

    HELPFUL:
    Hunter, Priest, Mage; DK Priest, Mage, Warrior (?), Warlock; Quest Warrior (!), Majordomu (Wild, and… idk), Shadowform Priest (… but why?)

    Useless:
    *Nearly* everything else.

    HARMFUL:
    Warlock… Unless you’re running Molten Giant I guess…

    So examining the useful ones… Hunter gets some extra reach as well as a threat that NEEDS to be dealt with if they’re ahead and threatening lethal, Priest has insane sustain for relatively cheap, as well as a boosted Voidform and Shadowform, as a cheap semi-Velen. Mage isn’t as good EXCEPT on the off-chance that Ping Mage becomes viable in Wild with Coldarra, Fallen Mage, DK, etc. DK Warrior can be both beneficial and hurtful, as a 2 damage AOE playing defensively is great, but on Rotface, Acolyte of Pain, etc. you’re getting less value (plus you’re hurting Clockwork). DK Warlock is simply insane; 2 mana Fireball that also heals your hero for 12 (if the mechanic works like Velen > Spirit Lash)? I’ll take it! And as for “DIE, INSECT!” it looks insane (especially in Taunt Warrior, not so much Majordomu given the drawbacks of health); a 16 damage Ping from out of nowhere is insanely powerful, and the fact that you can Sulfuras > Clockwork > Ping from hand right away is EXTREMELY scary on the off-chance you don’t have minions to block it; that’s a potential 20 damage with Sulfuras swing, with a 4/4 that’s most likely guarded by taunts… Scary af.

    • Simpire
      March 28, 2018 at 10:46 am

      But think of bloodreaver Gul’dan, 6 damage and 12 healing for 2 mana.

      • Redoxea
        March 28, 2018 at 11:06 am

        Warlock hero power doesn’t have life steal, it will deal 6 and gain you 6.

      • sina
        March 28, 2018 at 4:28 pm

        i dont why u think it heals for 12 .the heal is 3 so the double is 6 .it says deal 3 dmg heal 3 not deal 3 dmg heal the same amount.

        • Name (Required)
          March 28, 2018 at 5:11 pm

          Nope it deals 6 and heals 12 it works the same way as Priest’s Spirit Lash
          you deal 3 but since its doubled you deal 6, life steal gives back 6 but since its double it heals 12 instead

        • Helioshadow
          March 29, 2018 at 6:07 am

          It says “LIFESTEAL”, meaning it would have the same mechanic as Velen + Spirit lash in which th the damage dealt is doubled, then THAT healing is doubled.

  18. puiuWarrior
    March 28, 2018 at 10:22 am

    Wow…life tap deals 4 dmg to you
    Wombo combo;)

  19. Simpire
    March 28, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Finally! some synergy for my warlock hero power!

  20. Xix
    March 28, 2018 at 10:21 am

    DIE INSECT!

  21. Guyopt
    March 28, 2018 at 10:15 am

    this card seems a bit brokeback
    5 stars

  22. Matt
    March 28, 2018 at 9:17 am

    Pretty understated and slow. Seems better in lock than hunter. I think hunter plays the 3/4 instead.

    • Matt
      March 28, 2018 at 9:25 am

      Nevermind. Both come down on 7. This one just gives a bigger body and threatens more stuff if it sticks.

      • Matt
        March 28, 2018 at 10:38 am

        Why not both? They both fit right into Baku Face Hunter. Or maybe, Baku HP Hunter.

    • Kamai-tachi!
      March 28, 2018 at 9:31 am

      Priest deck with baku, if these are both played he gets a 16 Health restore for just 2 mana. Haven’t looked into any other combos fully but this is still insane when pulled off. Only thing that might stop that from mattering is if you board clear him entirely, otherwise he’s going to just heal off of that all game back to full

      • Matt
        March 28, 2018 at 10:17 am

        2 hero powers plus a 3 and a 5 is 12 mana right?

  23. Simegg
    March 28, 2018 at 9:03 am

    Haha I wanna try this in Taunt Warrior! Deal 16 damage XD

    • nickname23
      March 28, 2018 at 9:06 am

      Wow, you’re right! Hits your consistency a bit though…

      • SimEgg
        March 28, 2018 at 9:52 am

        Well I think it is a fun thing to try out! If you somehow get 2 on the board you can start dealing 32 damage!!! Sounds supper fun to me! XD

        • Piterno
          March 28, 2018 at 10:42 am

          In some sort of shadowform spell priest, you can upgrade your hero power to deal 3 damage with each hit, then play one of these and mirage caller it, which makes your hero power deal 12. Later, you can bring it back with an eternal servitude and copy it with vivid nightmare, and again your hero power does 12. Or, if you have 2 radiant elementals out when you eternal servitude, you can play 2 vivid nightmares in the same turn as those 3 cards and make your hero power do 24.

          Lacks consistency from having to draw 2 shadowforms, this, and everything else, but is very powerful.

          • Elzein
            March 28, 2018 at 11:01 am

            I see OTK Priest incoming

          • sina
            March 28, 2018 at 4:32 pm

            u dont need do like that when u can revive velen.and otk priest was always been there like raza priest.malygos velen that is my favor or inner fire .

  24. titler
    March 28, 2018 at 8:56 am

    will it work with warrior’s hero power?

    • Vlad
      March 28, 2018 at 9:09 am

      Warrior hero power has nothing to do with healing or dealing damage (unless you play DK Garrosh or Quest Warrior reward) , so no.

      • Piterno
        March 28, 2018 at 10:43 am

        It’s obvious that’s what he meant.

        And yes it does.

        • Jonathan
          March 28, 2018 at 11:12 am

          It was not obvious that that’s what he meant.

          • Pokéguru23
            March 28, 2018 at 9:22 pm

            He means warrior quest ‘Deal 8 damege to random enemy target.’ So in total deal 16 damage to random target.

        • E
          March 28, 2018 at 11:20 pm

          Haha yeah its obvious, he ment normal warrior hero power and no. It wont.

  25. DukeStarswisher
    March 28, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Possible Baku hunter (i’m thinking control now) could do 6 damage every turn while this is on the board. That’s a LOT of pressure.

  26. nickname23
    March 28, 2018 at 8:35 am

    New Meta (?):
    Pala beats Hunter, Hunter beats Warlock, Warlock beats Pala

    Can anyone confirm? 😉

  27. GlosuuLang
    March 28, 2018 at 8:29 am

    Obvious late game minion to get reach with your Hero Power. I’m thinking a possible combo is resurrecting Velen and this with the Spellstone. Then hit your oponent with an 8 damage SRA Hero Power. Holy Smite and Mind Blast are obviously better in this combo, but you may not have them in your hand, or you’ve already used them. There’s room for shenanigans, due to it being neutral. I like it. 4 out of 5 stars. Also, Mech!

  28. richpla
    March 28, 2018 at 8:15 am

    what is this artwork though…

  29. Shardokar
    March 28, 2018 at 8:11 am

    Obvious vivid nightmare and/or velen combo

    • Stonekeep - Site Admin
      March 28, 2018 at 8:12 am

      Not sure why Vivid Nightmare would be good with this one. I mean, you’d be able to heal for 8 or deal 8 damage with your Hero Power (as Shadowreaper Anduin), but that’s it.

      • Tor
        March 28, 2018 at 9:03 am

        Vivid nightmare this plus mindblast, 20 damage to the face is nothing to laugh at

        • Chillip
          March 28, 2018 at 9:08 am

          “Hero Power”

          • Tor
            March 28, 2018 at 9:13 am

            Oops, didn’t read it fully, too hyped for the text

            Priest could maybe utilize this with DK but a bit too slow, maybe Hunter can do this with a Baku deck and get 6 dmg

        • Killer Lord
          March 28, 2018 at 9:09 am

          Sadly mind blast isn’t your hero power

      • Piterno
        March 28, 2018 at 10:45 am

        This is why, Stonekeep.
        2 shadowforms make your hero power deal 3.
        2 of these makes that 12.
        Eternal Servitude can bring it back, and with the power of 2 vivid nightmares (all played with 2x radiant out on the board), it makes your hero power do 24 damage.

  30. Raemahn
    March 28, 2018 at 8:10 am

    DK Guldan is a beast in any case, but this will make him ridiculous, and that doesn’t even consider how this will impact DK Priest or DK Mage. Yikes!

    • Stonekeep - Site Admin
      March 28, 2018 at 8:11 am

      Too bad that until you play Gul’dan, this will be a 5 mana 4/4 “your Hero Power deals 4 damage instead of 2… to yourself” 😀

      • Raemahn
        March 28, 2018 at 9:00 am

        True that, but if you only play one of this fellow then you have a lower likelihood of hurting yourself with him.

        • Stonekeep - Site Admin
          March 28, 2018 at 9:23 am

          You’re right, but I don’t think it will be good. You prefer cards that will keep you alive BEFORE playing Bloodreaver Gul’dan. After that, you already summon lots of Taunts and your Hero Power is already good.

          A card that works only after you play your other 10 mana card is not really that amazing.

          • Raemahn
            March 28, 2018 at 12:44 pm

            Yeah, OK. I see your point. I still think this is a great card, but at least it won’t be quite as silly for DK Warlock.

  31. Doginovic
    March 28, 2018 at 8:05 am

    Baku Hunter confirmed, 6 damage with hero power boosted and this one on board

    • Zeldaplays
      March 28, 2018 at 8:08 am

      Hunter will be op. lol

    • MrMeme
      March 28, 2018 at 8:17 am

      But with guldan and this the hero power becomes deal 6 dmg and heal 12

      • GlosuuLang
        March 28, 2018 at 8:30 am

        Nope. It’s deal 6 dmg heal 6. Lifesteal is not labeled as “heal X” like Priest’s power.

        • MrMeme
          March 28, 2018 at 8:33 am

          I think it does work cause with Velen + Spirit lash, if there are 6 minions you heal for 24 cause 12 dmg but healing is also doubled, so I think guldan will heal for 12 cause you’re healing from your hero power but idk

          • Francisco Javier Zorita Páramo
            March 28, 2018 at 9:08 am

            You deal the double damage 6 and then you heal 6, but as you have double healing too you healing for 12.

          • Piterno
            March 28, 2018 at 10:46 am

            Correct.

          • sina
            March 28, 2018 at 4:37 pm

            .it says deal 3 heal 3 so it deals 6 and heals 6 .
            if it was deal 3 and heal the same u could say it heals for 12 but i tried it befor with velen u deal 6 and heal 6

          • GlosuuLang
            March 29, 2018 at 8:28 am

            Yes, you are right with this. I forgot the Velen + Spirit Lash combo.