Icecrown Previews - We Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow
September 6, 2010
One of the original in-game items for the World of Warcraft online game that boosted your mount's speed was the classic Carrot-on-a-Stick. The concept has been in popular culture for a while; you would dangle a carrot or some kind of treat in front of someone who would run towards it, only to never grab the item attached to that string in front of them.
In the case of the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, Mages, when using their frosty abilities, are the proverbial carrot. Anyone trying to chase the Mage is essentially the mount. They're the saps trying to chase the carrot on the stick, chasing a Mage but never actually catching up to one. Today's preview card continues to emphasize this. One of the Mage's new frosty ongoing abilities will ensure that an opponent's army is going to be punished if they want to go after the cold-loving casters!
As if Mages didn't control your attacks enough, right?
Whiteout is a sign that Mages have plenty of tricks to be excited for in the third pack of the current draft format. There's no question that abilities which can destroy more than one ally are good. Whiteout goes above and beyond the role of a sweeper effect, as it can take out multiple allies while frustrating any other heroes and allies that survived the blast of frost damage. Experienced drafters will immediately recognize the ongoing effect of Whiteout to be the same as Nurgle Tinkfrost, one of my favorite Alliance allies from the Wrath Gate set.
Nurgle's effect was a very powerful shift in tempo when played on an empty field, as the lack of ferocity-driven effects in Wrath of the Lich King block's limited format can make gaining back lost tempo difficult. Nurgle lets you play on-curve with a little support while the opponent has to play behind a turn or two if he or she wants to attack. Whiteout, as a Mage-stamped card, is a more guaranteed opportunity to get this same effect with the added bonus of freezing over some smaller allies in what should be an exciting addition to this year's draft format. Now just imagine having a Nurgle in play along with Whiteout! Even the biggest of the Azjol-Anak allies will have problems making use of their extreme size when their owners are having to pay 2 resources every time they attack.
The most exciting element to me about Whiteout isn't just its general impact on limited for Mages, but also its capabilities of handling notorious bombs in Wrath of the Lich King block booster draft. Army of the Dead is probably one of the most infamous rares to see limited play, to the point that people will attempt to play around the card at the mere sight of a Death Knight hero! Whiteout, conveniently, can wipe out an army of ghouls in one turn, giving Mage players a leg-up in dealing with the powerful Death Knight rare.
But what about Whiteout's Constructed viability? Roaring Blaze is probably the closest thing to this ability's impact on the field, and while the 5-cost Fields of Honor uncommon can sometimes kill more, there are also situations where it won't do anything. While Roaring Blaze can be a rough draw if you didn't have your game powered by any Mana Sapphires, Whiteout is always going to do one thing, and that will never change. It is reliable, and you know what effect you will have on the field every time you play it.
It's easy to argue that destroying 4-health allies is more important than simply slowing them down, but Spellweaver Jihan can make this a reality. The new Arcane Mage of choice in Classic Constructed can power up your first Whiteout so that it can destroy any aggravating Myriam Starcallers, Feral Spirit tokens, and Vuz'dins that are giving you grief.
Whiteout's slowing effect is also pivotal in buying the Mage time against match-ups where they are otherwise leaning on Eye of the Storm as a crutch. The New Jersey Death Wish Warrior deck, for example, can attack from multiple angles. Having a Whiteout in play is an important part in slowing down the effectiveness of weapons with strike costs, ferocity allies (most notably Saurfang the Younger, Kor'kron Warlord), as well as the efficient use of Kor'kron Vanguard and Broderick Langforth's effects. The latter is particular is put on ice when Whiteout is in play; if you are just using Broderick's Assault 1 to get a little extra damage in each turn, then those little points are going to cost you some serious tempo.
This should probably go without saying, but Whiteout is also an all-important ongoing ability. This makes it a great target for Flash of Brilliance in Core Constructed, and it's also yet another awesome card you can return to play with Flickers from the Past (although you won't get to deal 3 damage to everything, it is a nice way to slow down opponents if they can deal with the Blizzard you are also most likely returning to play).
But I've been talking almost exclusively about control Mage when it comes to Constructed formats. Whiteout can also be a great fit in Nicholas Merrick strategies, as its damage can get a bonus from the inspire keyword on allies like Elder Achilla. The fact that Whiteout can damage heroes is a nice bonus for decks like these, which try to gain field-advantage with its sweepers while also putting pressure on the opponent's hero.
With Mages being one of the remaining three classes that will be featured in Icecrown, I can imagine that Whiteout is just the tip of the iceberg for the frosty casters. I look forward to seeing what they can do in the new set. They sure do look like they'll be a blast to play in some booster drafts during the Icecrown Release Party weekend! If you're in the San Diego area, then maybe I'll see you at Sky High Comics in San Marcos Sunday, September 19th!
-Mike Rosenberg
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