September 10, 2010
Since the dawn of Solo Rogue time, one key element has been missing in the “How do we deal with all of these dudes quickly?” category. Offenders like Gora and Broderick, in addition to staple 3/2 for 2's, on top of Nathanos and his token meatwall, add up to a plethora of problems for a Rogue deck trying to get there on it's own dagger based merits. A few twinkling stars of relief came in the form of Jackknife and Carnage, but was it ever enough? One only hit two targets, and by the time the other showed up, you could very well be near death.
Who would have thought the solution would be so simple? Throw your weapons at them!
Fan of Knives introduces a new, quick way for those Rogue decks trying to deal with fast, outnumbering armies. Until now, there has never been a Rogue ability costing 3 or less that actually damages the entire opposing board. Defense against the onslaught has typically come in the form of abilities that exhaust, or by charging in with the mindset of simply trying to defeat your opponent before they drown you out with allies. Some Rogue decks prefer to sit back and let Carnage rack in the kills, but not everyone is so keen to allow the opponent's board that much time to dish out damage. A 3 cost board nuke provides a Rogue player with a perfectly timed answer for the beginning turns of any ally based deck.
The real strength of Fan of Knives, however, comes from it's recurring use via those excess weapons lingering in your hand. Keep in mind, this doesn't specify Daggers exclusively; those extra copies of Striker's Mark or Shuriken of Negation are now potential board damagers. Newly previewed cards such as Stormstrike Mace seem like interesting deck options, when considering the possibilities of utilizing Death Rattle effects upon returning Fan of Knives for continued use. This is especially relevant when comparing Fan of Knives to other examples of Rogue removal, in that those other cards only get to do their job once. Fan of Knives keeps coming back, as many times as you need it. Weldon Barov and Nathanos Blightcaller are no longer an issue, regardless of how many times the opponent slams them down to stop you.
Cards that remain active while positioned in the graveyard have always been some of the most powerful to see play. The amount of versatility and options they provide while making decisions throughout a game boost their overall power above other similar cost cards with the same general effect. Add to this that Fan of Knives offers a previously unseen board damaging effect, and you start to truly appreciate the raw potential this card possesses. It patches up one of the oldest problems Solo Rogues have faced in the past, and could possibly be the reason to see the archetype return to the competitive tables yet again.
Much like how Arthas summoned up his army from the dead,
Icecrown previews are resurrecting decks from the past, giving us new angles to try on old favorites. From Gale Winds and Boomkin, to Fan of Knives and Solo Rogue... the tournament scene is sure to see some newcomers emerge from the retired decks of yesterday. Stay tuned for more previews, and hopefully more opportunities to dust off those old decklists!
-Damien Dufresne
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