TheMadPrince
07/06/17 10:03PM
The Hypno-Fetish potential in Hearthstone
Hello all ! Sorry for the incoming massive post.

For those who don't know me, I posted some 3D images a while ago. I also have a DA account, which you can check out <<themadprince.deviantart.com|here.>>
However, I'm not here to advertise my own content.

I don't know if any of you are familiar with online multiplayer card games. Specifically, Hearthstone, since it's the one I personally discovered first, the most well-known one (keeping in mind that Magic isn't online per se), and one of the easiest ones to understand. It's a card game based on the Blizzard Warcraft universe. Now, a disclaimer : I stopped playing Hearthstone (which, from this point onward, I'll just shorten to "HS") a while ago, partly because I didn't have much time for it, and partly because I thought Blizzard became increasingly greedy and made the game more and more pay-to-win. However, I do continue to enjoy simply watching people play it (I greatly recommend both <<www.youtube.com/channel/UCeBMccz-PDZf6OB4aV6a3eA|Kripparrian>> and <<www.youtube.com/channel/UCItISwABVRjboRSBBi6WYTA|Kibler>>, also known by his full name Brian Kibler, because they're both, imo, less hypocritical about the state of the game than others).
Similarly, I'm not saying that HS is any better or worse than other card games, such as Shadowverse or Gwent. I tried pretty much all of them, and HS is the only one that stuck with me. But we're not here to talk about the quality of the games, and if you find some hypno content in any of those other games (Elder Scrolls Legends is also a promising one), feel free to jump on the bandwagon.

With that out of the way, let me just jump right into it : HS, as I see it, has all the potential of some awesome mind-control storylines. Firstly, it's based on Warcraft, which in itself contains a truckload of it. Secondly, there's some corruption and stuff in the very lore of the game (see <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Whispers_of_the_Old_Gods|this expansion>>, which is all about tentacle corruption). But thirdly, and mostly, it's got quite a few cards that can be used to either control a minion, or facilitate the control of a minion. There's also some sub-fetishes, such as transformation (<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Polymorph|the Polymorph spell comes to mind>>), but I myself am mostly interested in mind-control, so that's what I'll be talking about here.

I compiled a list of some of the more interesting cards relating to this. Part of it is taken from <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Mind_control_effect|this page on the wiki.>> (I didn't count the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Secret|Secrets>> that the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kezan_Mystic|Kezan Mystic>> took as mind-control, though.)
Of note is the class that most of these cards originate from : <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Priest|Priest>>, much like in World of Warcraft, is the class that's specialized in mind-control. Though there's ways to achieve it with any class, that's the easiest one by far. Also of note is that Priest is, in the current state of the meta, somewhat weak. Not as weak as, say, when <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/One_Night_in_Karazhan|Karazhan>> came out, but still pretty bad.

Here's the card list, which I separated into five categories to make things easier to read :

1) Neutral Mind Control Cards :
These are cards that enable any class to take control of other minions.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Mind_Control_Tech|Mind Control Tech:>> 3-cost 3/3 rare minion that, when you place and your opponent has four or more minions on board, takes control of one at random, permanently. Slightly unpredictable, but some cool technological implications, and the card in itself is quite good, especially in Arena.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Sylvanas_Windrunner|Sylvanas Windrunner:>> 6-cost 5/5 legendary (this word means that, in theory, you can only have one of this card in your deck, contrary to basic, common, rare and epic cards, unless it's Arena or you've found other ones through effects such as <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Discover|Discover>>) minion that, when she dies, takes control of a random enemy minion. Like MCT, permanent. One of the more infamous cards from HS that, in the latest expansion, was actually kicked, along with a few other cards, from the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Classic|Classic set>>. Sylvanas is also a Warcraft character that is herself victim of corruption. Some awesome combos possible with this (<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Baron_Rivendare|Baron Rivendare>> or <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Spiritsinger_Umbra|Spiritsinger Umbra>> come to mind).

2) Priest-Specific Mind Control Cards :
These, as mentioned before, are like the neutral cards, but specifically tailored for the Priest class, though some other classes have a chance of Discovering their cards.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Cabal_Shadow_Priest|Cabal Shadow Priest:>> 6-cost 4/5 epic minion that, when placed, takes control of an enemy minion with 2 or less Attack. One of the quintessential Priest Mind-Control cards, and a solid minion to boot. The disadvantage is the attack limitation, but, as seen afterwards, it isn't necessarily that much of a problem.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Mind_Control|Mind Control:>> 10-cost basic spell, that just converts a minion to your side. Simple and sweet, and also despised, but quite expensive. And it can't target <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Stealth|Stealthed>> or <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Elusive|Elusive>> minions.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Potion_of_Madness|Potion of Madness:>> 1-cost common spell that takes control of an enemy minion with 2 or less Attack (like CSP) until end of turn. There's a limitation again, but it's a cheap spell, and there's ways around that limitation, again.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Shadow_Madness|Shadow Madness:>> 4-cost rare spell that does the same as the above, but for minions with one additional Attack. It seems quite expensive, but the reality is that one more point often gives access to much more minions. In fact, it's the Potion of Madness that's really cheap, not the other way around.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Entomb|Entomb:>> 6-cost common spell that actually takes an enemy minion and shuffles it into your deck, effectively transferring control of it to you. I'm less a fan of this, partly because the card is so freaking OP, but also because there's no immediate mind-control, and thus is less easily illustrated.

3) Facilitators :
These are cards that don't directly take over a minion, but make it a lot easier to do so in light of the other cards (some of those not mentioned are the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Battlecry|Battlecry>>-related and <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Deathrattle|Deathrattle>>-related cards that affect MCT and Sylvanas respectively, though I gave an idea above with Umbra or Rivendare - comparable for Battlecries is <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Brann_Bronzebeard|Brann Bronzebeard>>).
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Crazed_Alchemist|Crazed Alchemist:>> 2-cost 2/2 rare neutral minion that, when placed, swaps the Attack and Health of a minion. Pretty useful and classic one, and of help for high-Attack, low-Health minion (for the Priest). There are other cards that do this, such as <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kooky_Chemist|Kooky Chemist>>, or <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Reversing_Switch|Reversing Switch>>.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Shrinkmeister|Shrinkmeister:>> 2-cost 3/2 common Priest minion that, when placed, gives a minion -2 Attack for this (=your) turn only. Suffers from the same limitation as the Madness stuff above, just like...
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Pint-Size_Potion|Pint-Size Potion:>> 1-cost rare Priest spell that gives all enemy minions -3 Attack this turn only. Really useful for trading, like the above ; has the same weakness, however...
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Youthful_Brewmaster|Youthful Brewmaster:>> This 2-cost 3/2 common neutral minion, when placed, allows you to return a friendly minion to your hand. Since this also applies to mind-controlled minions, it effectively means that you just stole their 5/4 minion using the Pint-Size/CSP/Brewmaster combo. Expensive, but if your aim is Mind-Control, that's what it takes. Of note is <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Ancient_Brewmaster|Ancient Brewmaster>>, the "evolved" version, as well as some <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Rogue|Rogue>> cards, such as <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Sap|Sap>>, <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Vanish|Vanish>>, or <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kidnapper|Kidnapper>> that do the same thing (although in order for Sap to work, the Rogue actually needs to help you, which implies consensual MC. In the other cases, you can just <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Thoughtsteal|steal>> them).
-And, in order to pull off these combos, you're going to need cards (stolen from your opponent, or Discovered, or whatever) that reduce the cost of minions and spells. Some examples :
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Aviana|Aviana>> ;
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Sorcerer%27s_Apprentice|Sorcerer's Apprentice>> ;
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Radiant_Elemental|Radiant Elemental>> ;
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Pint-Sized_Summoner|Pint-Sized Summoner>> ;
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Summoning_Portal|Summoning Portal>> ;
*<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Emperor_Thaurissan|the good ol' Emperor>>.

4) Boss and Encounter Cards :
As the category title implies, these are cards taken from encounters. In other words, not available in the game, although some fan creations could feature them. It also means they have no real practical purpose, they just are of interest as creative fuel.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Instructor_Razuvious|Instructor Razuvious:>> This is a boss from HS' very first Adventure, Naxxramas. You fight him while he already has two male Understudies on board, however, you get access (for some reason, not really explained in the game itself) to <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Mind_Control_Crystal|this thing>>, enabling you to control them from turn one onwards.
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kel%27Thuzad_(boss)|Kel'Thuzad:>> The final boss of Naxxramas is interesting, not only because he actually used mind-control in his own dungeon (on <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Sapphiron|Sapphiron>>, for example), but also because he has <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kel%27Thuzad_(boss)#Hero_power|an interesting secondary Hero Power>>, Chains, that activates once he loses all his Armor (or at turn 11), costs 8, and basically does Sylvanas' effect (though on Normal difficulty, it's temporary only).
-<<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Emperor_Thaurissan_(boss)|Emperor Thaurissan:>>This is a boss from Blackrock Mountain, but the reason I'm mentioning him is specifically because of <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Moira_Bronzebeard_(Normal)|Moira>>, a card present from the start that prevents him from blasting your face for 30 and winning immediately. Moira generally doesn't attack until you place down <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Taunt|Taunts>>, but still, her low attack is a good excuse to actually take control of her and use her against her husband.

5) Theoretical Cards :
These are cards that do not exist in the game, for obvious reasons, but that could be theorized as existing in a fan-made version of HS. Notice both (even the second <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Beast|Beast>>, which normally wouldn't be, as Beasts are generally <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Hunter|Hunter>>, <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Druid|Druid>>, or neutral cards) are Priest cards.
-<<imgur.com/Vwg341c|Assuming Direct Control:>> This card, obviously, would only work in a PvE-type game where there was a campaign-like storyline. Also, notice the cost (max is normally 10 mana). This means you specifically need some cost-reducing cards (this was made with <<www.hearthcards.net|Hearthcards>>, image belongs to <<gonik.deviantart.com/art/assuming-direct-control-291237435|GoNik>> [hopefully he doesn't mind me posting his stuff here, otherwise I'll remove it]).
-<<imgur.com/TYkEG15|Paras:>> A recycling parasite. Simple, good for squick-fetish type stories (image found on <<orig02.deviantart.net/903...ticora_miorro-d6tmejx.jpg|the Blizzard Forums>>). EDIT : As smeef rightly pointed out, the original version doesn't work because summoned minions, that is, minions that are brought into the battlefield from a card's effect, as opposed to minions that are played from the hand, don't trigger their Battlecries. So something closer to useable would be "Deathrattle: Put a Paras in your hand". 2ND EDIT : So I redesigned the card, because I think it has potential. The new thing I came up with is this, a more efficient and dangerous Charge minion.

So, there you have it ! A general and (relatively quick) presentation of all the MC elements in HS. For us femsub aficionados, I just created <<pastebin.com/gK8zUDL5|a pastebin>> with most female characters in the game - minions, heroines and bosses (I didn't really count some of the half-animal characters, such as the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kodorider|Kodorider>> - I guess I'm selective after all. But feel free to check the <<www.hearthpwn.com/cards/minion|list of all HS minions on hearthpwn>>).

So the idea is that, maybe you can create some hypno-themed decks with friends, or even create your own storylines based on the rules and lore. Hope you enjoy, and sorry again for this... thing.
smeef
07/06/17 10:13PM
Summoned minions don't trigger their battlecries, Paras is shit
TheMadPrince
07/06/17 10:18PM
smeef said:
Summoned minions don't trigger their battlecries, Paras is shit


I mean, you're right, it was a mistake. I meant, of course, something along the lines of "return a Paras to your hand." But there's no need to be so flippant about it, it's just to give you an idea.
SirSiggles
07/06/17 11:46PM
TheMadPrince said:
For us femsub afficionados, I just created <<pastebin.com/gK8zUDL5|a pastebin>> with most female characters in the game - minions, heroines and bosses (I didn't really count some of the half-animal characters, such as the <<hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Kodorider|Kodorider>> - I guess I'm selective after all. But feel free to check the <<www.hearthpwn.com/cards/minion|list of all HS minions on hearthpwn>>).



Another example of keeping the Malesub down!
TheMadPrince
07/07/17 12:40AM
SirSiggles said:
Another example of keeping the Malesub down!

U right bro. I just decided I'm gonna make a second pastebin with male characters.

EDIT : Gonna take a while tho. Hadn't planned on researching it
SirSiggles
07/07/17 12:57AM
TheMadPrince said:
U right bro. I just decided I'm gonna make a second pastebin with male characters.

EDIT : Gonna take a while tho. Hadn't planned on researching it


Nah, I was just joking. It's yer thing, you can do whatever you feel like! ^^
TheMadPrince
07/07/17 01:23AM
SirSiggles said:
Nah, I was just joking. It's yer thing, you can do whatever you feel like! ^^


Yesh I know, but your idea is actually a really cool one - appealing to both sides of the spectrum, so to speak. It would be nice to have some EQUALITY
smeef
07/07/17 02:30AM
TheMadPrince said:
Yesh I know, but your idea is actually a really cool one - appealing to both sides of the spectrum, so to speak. It would be nice to have some EQUALITY


equality is already in the game

TheMadPrince
07/07/17 03:50AM
smeef said:
equality is already in the game




Is that sarcasm ? I didn't get it, sorry :(
Imasuky
07/07/17 03:51AM
TheMadPrince said:
Is that sarcasm ? I didn't get it, sorry :(


I think it's a joke about the card Equality.
TheMadPrince
07/07/17 03:52AM
Imasuky said:
I think it's a joke about the card Equality.


Yes, but that was why I said Equality in the first place. Which is why I didn't understand if he was doubling down, or something else.
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