Four days after we released the first part of our revised crafting guide for beginners (featuring the best neutral commons) we move on to more expensive crafts. The current episode examines the best neutral rares and epics in the game.
Note: This is not a rated list and the fact that one card is mentioned before another doesn't necessarily mean it's better. Like with the common cards, the rares and epics fit a particular archetype and rarely can they fit every deck out there.
?After the mana cost increase of Sylvanas, Azure Drake became pretty much the best neutral 5-drop in the game. Essentially a three-in-one minion, the Drake will draw a card, increase spell damage and come in play as a 4/4 body that requires immediate attention because of the latter. It’s a minimum one-for-one (if it dies to, say, Argent Commander, it’s at least given you a card back) but if played at the right time, it’ll ensure a favorable trade most of the time.
Right now, almost every control, spell-oriented deck will run a pair of Azure Drakes for the aforementioned reasons. Druids can play it safely behind taunters and use it for an amplified Swipe the turn after (or the same, if it’s late-game or have Innervate). Shamans, Rogues, control Warriors and Mages will also run it to buff up their many direct damage 
spells and it’s even common in Paladins to thin out their decks and add extra power to Consecration and Power of Wrath. Borderline, the only reason not to craft Azure Drake is if you’re planning to run zerg rush decks for the rest of your life.
Sunfury Protector and Defender of Argus are loved by control decks as they provide them with great defense mechanisms in the early and mid-game, respectively.
After many days of testing, we personally can’t say that one of the cards is ultimately better and swapping one for the other should mostly be a personal preference, current state of the metagame and the deck they’re played in. Most Druids, for example, run double Sunfury or a one-of combination of the two. Shamans, on the other hand, prefer Defenders over Sunfury as they have other early game taunters (Feral Spirit, Stoneclaw Totem). Extremely heavy control decks like the Handlock and Priest run both for more ways to “activate” their Ancient Watchers. Still, it’s a question of testing it out and finding what fits best the particular deck and playstyle.
When we wrote the first iteration of the rares crafting guide, we named Argent Commander “hands down the best neutral rare in the game”. Four months later, things have changed only a little.
The beauty of the old Argent Commander was not only his divine shield and charge but also his 4/3 stats that allowed him to trade with almost anything and be a hard to kill body at the same time. The December patches nerfed him, though, and as a 2-health minion he’s not as strong as before and he’s now killable by most AoE spells, minions like Keeper of the Grove and 2-damage removals like Claw, Demonfire, Cleave or Slam. He can be both a finisher and a removal and thus can be seen in aggressive decks like Reynad’s Warrior or mid-range builds. He’s also a cheaper substitute for Leeroy or Al’Akir so considering crafting him if you don’t own those.
Speaking of cheap Leeroy substitutes, meet Arcane Golem. A 4/2 charger for just 3 mana, Arcane Golem is loved by the hyper aggressive builds (a must in Hunters and great in aggro Warlocks) as well as decks which can’t afford Jenkins (I’ve seen him in low-budget Cold Blood Rogues and windfury Shaman).
The catch with Arcane Golem is that it’ll give the opponent one extra crystal which might be a game turner. This is especially true when facing control decks, whose only purpose is to live till their late-game finishers and speeding them up one turn can backfire horribly. A smart cast of Arcane Golem requires means calculating how much closer to victory it will put you, and that’s in terms of “how many turns till my opponent is dead” and not just “4 points of health closer”.
Knife Juggler is a minion I grew to love during my days as Paladin aggro player and he’s still a go-to card for all cheap aggro decks I build. Even though his effect is random, dealing one damage after every minion played is priceless as he can clear out stealthed minions, deal damage past taunters or soften up the board.
Knife Juggler requires a bit of special treatment when played in order to get his full value. He’ll often be removed instantly upon arrival and so he either needs to be played together with other minions (to trigger his effect right away) or be protected so he can live for multiple turns. With that in mind, the Juggler is mostly seen in the aforementioned Paladin aggros which can divine shield him, buff him with Sword of Justice, protect him with weapons or trigger him with Reinforce; Warlock aggros and Murloc tribals treasure him also as their minions are often cheap or come in with tokens of their own. Outside those cheap decks, however, 
Knife Juggler is almost useless – playing one or two minions each turn will not be enough to make him profitable so only craft him if you’re going the aggressive path.
Gadgetzan Auctioneer is a minion often seen in classes that run board control builds with lots of cheap spells: Shamans, Rogues and Warriors. Like the Azure Drake, the Auctioneer speeds up the draw, works well with your removal and is a 4/4 body that requires immediate attention.
If played correctly (i.e. not just drop him on T5 and hope he’ll live), Gadgetzan Auctioneer will always give value and sometimes even win the game single-handedly. Rogues and Shamans can use him to draw into their Leeroy + Cold Blood/Windfury combos while Warriors can give him additional protection through their weapons, use him as a persisting source of damage and dig their decks for their finishers. If you play those three classes and like being the controlling player, this minion is an absolute must.
Staying on the topic of control decks, one epic minion that needs to be crafted for its sheer utility is Faceless Manipulator.
Manipulator’s ability to copy other minions is unique to Hearthstone and because it is so versatile it fits well in every slower deck. It can turn into minions your class can’t normally play, give you a second Ragnaros, Ysera, Cairne or Molten Giant or steal the valuable abilities of Azure Drake or Gadgetzan Auctioneer.
Another great thing about Faceless Manipulator is his cheap mana cost. Most of the cards he’ll want copy cost more than 5 mana, so essentially 
you’re getting a better deal, not to mention the excess mana can be used to then remove the copied target though, say, Tinkmaster Overspark and give you fantastic board presence.
Sunwalker is the last of the rare cards one can consider a safe craft as there’s really nothing bad about her. A 4/5 divine shielded taunter, she’s perfect for all control decks or the ones that lack their essential but more expensive defenders, be they Priests, Druids that lack Ancient of War, Paladins without Tirion, Shamans without Earth Elemental, etc. It’s slightly weaker against Mages, Druids and Rogues who can ping her divine shield off or Shamans which can Earth Shock her but against the other classes she’ll often trade two for one or make the enemy take 4 damage from a weapon swing.
The cards described below can't really be recommended as top-priority crafts as they fit only a handful of decks. We've put them in a section of their own so that you're not too hasty in wasting dust on them and then pulling your hairs.
Ancient Watcher is a card that’s been coming in and out of control decks. In the current meta, it’s mostly used in Priests and control Warlocks in combination with Sunfury Protector as they’re the only two classes who can’t get an early taunt up (Druids can Innervate Druid of the Claw, Shamans have Feral Spirit, etc.)
The problem with Ancient Watcher is evident – his drawback is huge and he needs another card to become useful and not having it in hand will leave him a dead card. He’s not a card that becomes absolutely useless past the mid-game but he does lose some of his potency and in a way he needs to be played early to be valuable. Nevertheless, if you’re into Priests and Warlocks consider spending 200 dust on a couple of these.
Wild Pyromancer is a card whose value is strictly connected with the state of the current metagame. Before 1/13 when Warlocks ruled the ladder, the Pyromancer was control decks’ go-to removal minion as it was an answer to Blood Imp and the swarm of other minions that class played. 
Nowadays, the meta has slowed down a bit so Pyromancer is not that attractive anymore but he must always be considered if the tendency for aggro decks returns or if you’re just struggling against that archetype.
Big Game Hunter is another minion that comes and goes with the meta. He was big during the time of the Mage Giants builds as well as in the first few days after 1/13 when the Warlock Giant was extremely popular. Nowadays, he’s mostly a counter to Ragnaros or Warriors’ Alexstrasza and Grommash but hardly for anything else. If you expect to run into those particular finishers and don’t have the Tinkmaster to deal with them, craft a single BGH. 
Otherwise, hold on to your dust until he really becomes necessary and the metagame calls for him.
Molten Giant and Mountain Giant were heavily affected by patches and their role has severely diminished. Before 1/13, Molten Giant was the finisher for the OTK Warriors but he was removed from there as Warsong Commander no longer chargers him up. The duo was also crucial for the freeze Mage decks of the December meta and remained their finishers of choice even after the build was nerfed.
Nowadays, the Giants are only seen in Warlock controls because they synergize perfectly with Life Tap. Every other class has abandoned them so in a way they’re the most situational epic cards in the entire game.
