When Blizzard started to reveal the cards for Hearthstone’s Journey To Un’Goro, I analyzed them all. I might not be a top 10 Legend player every month (because playing card games doesn’t pay the bills) but I still consider myself good enough to theorycraft. Spending most of my time drooling over Swamp King Dred and The Crystal Core, I did notice a little pink bird with potential.
Vicious Fledgeling is an unassuming card that doesn’t seem to have much going for it on paper. It’s a 3/3 for three mana, which is okay but not great, and can only Adapt after attacking an enemy hero. I asked myself “how often does a minion last a turn and then not have to trade with an opponent’s minion?” There was some potential for it to be used in Arena, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as a Hunter Legendary minion that attacks everything your opponent plays, so I forgot about it.
Months into Journey To Un’Goro’s expansion and all I see is Vicious Fledgeling. The card is a must-pick in Arena, beating out nearly every other three-drop, besides Stonehill Defender. Letting one of these birds last a turn can mean the end of the game for you, especially when it gets Windfury off its first Adapt. Barney’s pink friend can get Stealth and be invisible for the turn, become immune to targeting spells or gain enough health to survive a slap from Chillwind Yeti or a Truesilver Champion .
When Kripp, Hearthstone streamer extraordinaire, did his original review for the set, he gave a great explanation as to why Vicious Fledgeling is so darn good. “If you play it and your opponent doesn’t have an answer, you get Windfury and then attack a second time and get Stealth, oh my God.”
People online only seem to complain about things and Vicious Fledgeling is no exception. “If you can't deal with this card the very next turn after it was played you might as well just concede,” Iaminsideee writes on a post currently on the front page of the Hearthstone subreddit. “It snowballs so freaking hard on its own. Other snowbally cards like Mana Wyrm, Tunnel Trogg (and) Frothing Berserker require... other cards to snowball, they just won't dominate on their own.”
Daring Reporter has a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses, but in a much more balanced package. Every time your enemy draws, it gains +1/+1, meaning it can potentially grow forever. If your opponent doesn’t have an out on turn four for this intrepid journalist, you might have a problem killing it later on and winning the game. Cards that need to get stopped early are amazing in Arena because it’s hard to get an early game out. You either have to waste a Fireball or a Frostbolt on these minions, and if you aren’t playing Mage, you have to hope for an even bigger miracle.
Unlike Tunnel Trogg and Small-Time Buccaneer, I don’t think Vicious Fledgeling needs a nerf. The card is only strong in Arena; it’s seen very little constructed play since its original release. These small but burly minions were auto-included in nearly every deck when they were allowed in Standard. If Blizzard releases a card in the next set that combos perfectly with the pink flappy bird, then we can start worrying about nerfs.
Do you think Vicious Fledgeling needs a nerf or is the internet just overreacting? Tell us in the comments.
