Epics from the Frozen Waste
Of course it's not only legendaries that make up a deck. Since we're running with a Northrend theme as of late, let's see what creatures from the land of ice could possible be considered for Epic status in Hearthstone.
Frost Wyrm
These undead leviathans are the strongest of the Lich King’s army. Players were first able to get their hands on Frost Wyrms in Warcraft III, where they were by far the most powerful air unit of any of the factions. Their attack rate may have been slow but the damage they put out as well as the chilling utility their attack possessed, more than made up for this. In World of Warcraft the Frost Wyrm’s power was not played down and they became second bosses in the Northrend raids: Naxxramas and Ice Crown Citadel.
Long ago, the dragons of Azeroth would fly to Northrend when coming to the end of their lives. This meant Northrend became littered with dragon graveyards, filled with their petrified bones. When the orc Ner’Zuhl was tortured and transformed into the the Lich King by Kil’jaden of the Burning Legion, Northrend became his seat of power. Ner’zuhl used his formidable magical powers to raise the dragons from the dead. These once noble drakes then became horrifying skeletal constructs, who’s great power allowed the Lich King to expand his empire across Northrend and beyond.
The frigid beasts retain no memories of their draconic roots but do posses a keen intelligence, making them capable of advanced tactical warfare. Like most dragons, Forst Wyrms are capable of using their breath as a weapon but breathe an icy cold breath rather than a flame one. The core of a frost wyrm is freezing cold and it is able to retain the freezing cold of Northrend in its heart no matter where it is. This means that when the Frost Wyrm inhales deeply, the air it breathes becomes frozen. On exhaling the behemoth pelts its foes with an icy blast.
So why is a Frost Wyrm deserving of epic status as opposed to just being a rare of a common? Firstly their huge power should be recognised through the card type they are. Secondly and most importantly there are several named Frost Wyrms throughout Warcraft. There’s Sindragosa, who used to be the prime consort of Malygos the blue dragon aspect. She was killed by Deathwing along with most of the blue flight in one fell swoop; this also means that most frost wyrms are the corpses of blue dragons. She also appears in World of Warcraft as the second boss of Ice crown citadel. There’s also Naxxramas’ second last boss, Sapphiron, who was murdered by Arthas and Anub’arak to gain access to the magical items he protected. And Kesha the valiant steed of the great horde hero Orcus...
Necromancer
The pallid Necromancer was, like the frost wyrm, first available to players in Warcraft III. They were a versatile little spell caster, able to reanimate corpses to fight for the scourge, send their allies into a frenzy and cripple their opponents. Humans first came into contact with necromantic magics when the horde attacked Azeroth . The orcish Necrolytes were able to raise skeletons to fight for them.
Those that study the necromantic school of magic are able to use their arcane abilities to manipulate the force of death itself. Practising these arts does come with an absolutely massive risk as each time a necromancer uses their magic they risk becoming consumed by it. Frequent users of necromantic magic begin to take on the qualities of their creations: sunken eyes, pale skin and an unbearable stench. They eventually can turn to undead themselves.
Kel’Thuzad was the first human necromancer and opened a school named Scholomance to train others in necromancy. Despite the fact that the magic school was outlawed, Scholomance was able to remain hidden from prying eyes. The necromancers from the school were instrumental in helping the Lich King spread his disease of undeath over the kingdom of Loderon.
There are many necromancers that have been lured back away from the scourge. Lady Sylvanas of the Forsaken, undead no longer under the Lich King’s oppressive rule, saw the necromancer’s huge importance to her race. Necromancers are capable of freeing enslaved undead from the Lich King's control and currently research spells to bring the Forsaken back to life.
Again I feel necromancers should be epic as there are many of their kind that are referenced within law: Kel’Thuzad, Gothik the Harvester and Heigan the Unclean to name a few. Most importantly, I believe they could be fun mechanically, either summoning undead minions for the player or perhaps raising a card from the dead to fight as a slightly weaker version.
