Fel Reaver
Fel Reaver is an epic neutral minion card, from the Goblins vs Gnomes set.
How to get
| Type | Source | Quality | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card packs | The Regular version can be opened from any of these packs:  | Regular | 1~2 (random) |
| Card packs | The Golden version can be opened from any of these packs: | Golden | 1~2 (random) |
| Crafting | Craft a Regular copy for 400  | Regular | 1 |
| Crafting | Craft a Golden copy for 1600 | Golden | 1 |
Perspective
Some players consider the Fel Reaver to be a poor card, on the basis that it is almost guaranteed to cause you to lose several other cards. Seeing your most valuable cards burned before your eyes can be disheartening, and may seem like a catastrophic misplay. Additionally, for many players losing any cards feels inherently bad, and suggests the player is being placed at a disadvantage.
What is often not understood is that because the order of the cards in the player's deck are random, there is no actual difference between the Fel Reaver burning the top 3 cards of the player's deck, and it burning the bottom 3 cards of their deck. Since the vast majority of games do not see either player reach the bottom 3 cards of their decks, in most cases such a removal in fact has no impact on play. In essence, there is no practical difference between drawing a remaining card from a randomly ordered deck, and simply drawing a remaining card, at random.
As a rule: unless the player runs out of cards before the end of the game, any cards removed by the Fel Reaver will have no effect on which cards the player will draw.
This even extends to especially valuable legendaries - unless the very bottom of the deck is reached, the player is just as likely to simply not draw those cards that match as they are to have them removed.
Notes
To edit these notes, go to Template:Fel Reaver notes.
- The Fel Reaver's remove from deck effect is similar to a discard effect, but removes the card directly from the player's deck rather than from their hand. The effect is not considered a discard for synergy purposes.
- The Fel Reaver's effect will never cause Fatigue damage.[1] This is because it does not actually draw cards, but simply removes them.[2]
- Like most discard effects, cards removed through Fel Reaver will be revealed to both players.
- Assuming you go first, you will normally draw through 8 cards by the time you can play Reaver, leaving 22 in your deck. Should Reaver remain in play, your deck will run out after 8 opposing cards, reduced by 1 for each 3 times you draw.
- Like other card-playing triggers, the Fel Reaver's effect will occur following the playing of a card, but before it takes effect. For example, if the opponent attempts to use
Thoughtsteal to copy the last two cards of the deck, the Fel Reaver will first activate from the card being played, and remove the remaining cards in the deck; the Thoughtsteal will then take effect, but will produce nothing, since the player has already lost all their remaining cards, leaving none to copy.[3] This also causes the Fel Reaver to not discard any cards when changing ownership with 
Treachery.
Sounds
- Play
- ▶️
SFX_GVG_016_EnterPlay.wav<summon sound>
- Attack
- ▶️
SFX_GVG_016_Attack.wav<attack sound>
- Death
- ▶️
SFX_GVG_016_Death.wav<death sound>
Lore
Fel reavers are enormous war machines constructed and used by the Burning Legion.
This section uses content from the Warcraft Wiki.- It is said that the cunning mo'arg engineers of the Burning Legion pushed their gan'arg workers for weeks in the construction of the first fel reaver, a massive construct that could easily raze fortified towers or tear the wings off an airborne
Gryphon. The forge camps then began to mass-produce these fel reavers to smash the mortal forces of Outland.
- Currently not much else is known about the reavers' construction or origin beyond that. The Burning Legion uses them as sentinels all around Hellfire Peninsula, including around their forges to the north (Rage and Mageddon) to oversee the work on their cannons. Much of what is known about fel reavers comes from observing the Fel Reavers in Hellfire Peninsula, which patrol around the region, killing unprepared travelers that wander within range.
Trivia
- The artwork for this card comes from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game "March of the Legion" series, for the card Fel Reaver.
- Unsurprisingly, following its release, Fel Reaver's design was a common subject of misunderstanding by players, with articles such as Brian Kibler's Understanding Fel Reaver: Hearthstone Theory written to educate players as to the true nature and value of the card.
- According to designer Mike Donais in September 2016, the game stats for Fel Reaver are "almost" as "absurdly high" as
Dr. Boom, at least in the Arena.[4]
- The card's flavor text is a reference to the Doge internet meme.
Gallery
Fel Reaver, full art
Patch changes
Patch 3.0.0.9786 (2015-08-18):
- Now considered a remove from deck effect instead of a discard effect.
- Now reads: Whenever your opponent plays a card, remove the top 3 cards of your deck. (previously: Whenever your opponent plays a card, discard the top 3 cards of your deck.)
Patch 2.0.0.7234 (2014-12-04):
- Added.
External links
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Zeriyah on Twitter (X). (2014-12-04).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter (X). (2014-12-05).
- ↑ TIL that if a priest plays thoughtsteal against a fel reaver with 3 cards in the opponents deck, the cards are burned first and the priest gets nothing (Reddit). (2015-02-08).
- ↑ Juicy Bits from Hafu and Mike Donais’ Co-Op, Pt 2. (2016-09-22).