Those who think the World of Warcraft Minis metagame is stale obviously weren't in Austin for Worlds. Everything under the sun showed up at our first World Championship event, and many of the wilder ideas were among the most successful. First of all, props must go to Derek Richardson and his winning Jaina Proudmoore/Elanna Starbreeze/Elanna Starbreeze party. His party's success proves that there are multiple options for Zoo parties in Minis. Derek's party abandons the double Kaustron and pet rush for the advantages of 4 less honor, faster attacks, and the versatility of extra Hunter cards—Master Tactician deals a lot of damage when combined with constant 2 for 5 attacks via the Jaina bonus and the starting pets. Arcane Shot provides flexibility, and in fact was instrumental in defeating Mike Ayars. Viper Sting deals a heavy blow to traditional Zoo teams by denying reusable pets to Kaustrons.
Zoo teams in general had an advantage on the World Championship map, because they weren't forced to fight for victory points in the center. In addition to Richardson's victory, Nathan Westlake piloted a traditional Zoo team to the semifinals, falling short against a team of Rogues—the first strong showing in a major tournament that Rogues have ever had.
The most exciting new party to burst onto the scene was the triple Zomm Hopeslayer party, developed by Hans Joachim Hoh and his enterprising German team. The chance to run flags allowed the pricey Orc Rogue to shine for the first time. The team used three Evasions to avoid early physical damage, including critical hits. Three Saps will stun the opposition into inaction, while a Distract helps to fire a Sap successfully. Toss on a couple of Expose Armors to slice and dice the stunned opposition, while one of the Zomms runs back with the flag. If things work out well, one of the Zomms can kill the opposition near their start area and grab the flag as soon as it resets! The team is flexible and mobile, since it never ticks up, and it can always launch attacks in passing as it walks around. Because it's never ticked up, a Zomm comes back almost instantly after dying. Zomms were perhaps the most successful team in the Championship, with three parties making the Top 8, including runner-up Michael Pozsgay.
Darkmoon Faire winner Ben Isgur made the Top 8 with a unique team of his own: Rethilgore/Goblin Shredder/Goblin Shredder. His team was a novel configuration and a happy return to Isgur's favorite figure—Rethilgore. Constant Fog of Wars from the Shredders foiled ranged teams, while Lycanthropy increased the team's speed and power. Silk Bandage controlled the ticks for Fog of War while providing healing. Reusable Healing Potions also served to keep everyone alive and ticking.
My personal favorite of the Top 8 teams was the party piloted by Mike Ayars, who became the first player to make a strong showing with Amalar Ironhoof at a major event. The figure was discarded by most players due to an extreme magic vulnerability, but Ayars shrewdly concluded that Mages wouldn't see much play on this map. Some clever tricks would increase the attack range of Amalar and prevent magic from tearing him up. The primary boost came from Ona Skyshot. By running Amalar/Amalar/Ona, Ayars was able to use Ona's power to have the Amalars move 3 at will. By combining this effect with Charge, Ayars could even move 4 when necessary! Ayars often chose Hamstring as his second card for the Amalars, because it readies on ticks 5 and 10, allowing extra opportunities for the Amalars to make a big run. Ayars could use this increased speed to reach ranged opponents or to run flags, as necessary.
Another team I liked, and had a hand in creating, was Jean-Philippe Thériault's Savin Lightguard/Jaina Proudmoore/Jezbella of Karabor party. This team cranks out an insane amount of magic damage by combining Blessing of Wisdom with Jaina, Water Elemental, and a 2 for 5 Mage, all with rerolls and Jaina's bonus. At the least, Jean-Philippe deserves props for having the courage to play Jezbella, considering that her crit was completely useless on this map, and he had himself already dismissed her as useless on these very forums, prior to actually testing her. And finally, no description of Austin's wildest teams would be complete without mentioning Matt Whaite and his Savin Wall variant that used Leeroy Jenkins. The rumors are that Whaite's cries of "Leeeeeerooooy Jenkins!" can still be heard echoing through the Austin Convention Center to this very day . . .
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