Really, in this case I was actually playing the Molten Giant Warrior deck, with charge when you have no life. I was running azure drake and Sylvanas etc. I was seriously one of the first with that deck.
I played Molten Giant a lot ( I am super original/creative). And still I did not see the issue with the text on Molten Giant.
I might have realized this as I have been playing a lot of Super Street Fighter 4 (Arcade Edition) lately. And when you think about it the way Molten Giant text rule says is that it become easier to play as the player take damage, this is the same as with Ultra attacks in Street fighter and a lot of other fighting games.
So what is the issue with Molten Giant?
If you look careful you can see Deathwing and Nozdormu in the background the 2 best Legendary Dragons.
Well the text of Molten Giant is describing an effect that is the exactly the same as gathering Ultra Energy in Street Fighter.
I main Adon these days, and I like how the guy who made this video took Sagat as the Uke, Great RP.
There is a difference between Ultra and Super Energy in the game. Super is gathered by pretty much everything, while Ultra is only gathered by taking damage. Just like with Molten Giant. I guess Sea Giant is kinda similar to Super energy, if the opponent gets board control /attack you a lot in Street fighter or if its you who get board /or you deal a lot damage. Either way you can play Sea Giant easier / you get Super energy.
The thing is, in Street Fighter 4(this is a new mechanic for SF4 and it is actually kinda semi unique to Street Fighter 4 and its expansion. Does not exist in Street Fighter X Tekken for example).
Its the focus. My personal biggest weakness is actually that I rarely use Focus in Street Fighter which is bad by me because it has some great effects.
The important mechanic in this case is that Focus has the increased defence mechanic which means that the player can take 2 hits before they are canceled(it also has unblockable attack if its charged long enough, well it has charge mechanic as well -_-, slow take down etc).
What happen in the game is that if the player takes an attack with increased defence, this effect is also granted by some EX(using a quarter super meter) attacks etc. Is that the player get gray life instead of the normal yellow.
Gray life will regain over time. Unless if the player is damaged during before it has finished. IF damaged the player loses all gray life right away + loses yellow life based on the damage of the attack.
What this means in regarding to ultra attack is very important(at least on higher levels). Normally a person can use 1 ultra attack after losing 50% health and if they use it at that health they can gather enough ultra for another one when at 0%(character is a live but with no Health shown).
Its also possible to not ultra at 50- and then later at when one hit left, do an extra strong ultra move not a double in damage wise but it indicated as a double energy bar filled.
That all being said. How does it work.
Damage taken 1 = 1 ultra energy
Damage taken 10+20+15+5 = 50 = 50 Ultra Energy = 1 Ultra attack. Something like this(character do have different total life and so on).
SO back to Molten Giant it says the same right.
"Cost (1) less for each damage your hero has taken "
So Molten Giant starts at 20 mana and after the player has lost 20 life it cost 0.
However, this is not how Hearthstone work.
In Street fighter it works exactly like the text on Molten Giant. If the player uses Focus or an EX move, to take an attack but then get gray life. What happens is that this life will be regained, but it will still record the damage.
So the actual situation can look like this.
10+20(gray)+15+5 = 50 damage taken, but only 30 life lost.
Which will leave the player at 70% life and still be able to do an Ultra attack. The player can also then use a "double ultra" at higher life then at the 0% border etc.
Following that Molten Giant has the same rule text.
What should happen in Hearthstone is that each time the player takes damage this is recorded and after taking 20 damage or more Molten Giant is free (the player can of course play it after losing 10 life for 10 and so on).
But how the game actually is, that if the player is healed they cant play out Molten Giant!!!
I even had games as Priest back before Warsong Commander was nerfed were I would heal my opponent warrior who was trying to lower their life to play Molten Giant.
If the card text was followed exactly restoring life would not matter as it would be 20-3-3-5-6-3 =0 But as I was healing him it went like 20-3-3-5+2-6+2+2-3 = 6 so it still cost him 6 mana to play one and he could not to the Molten Giant one turn kill combo.
If the card followed the text he would have been able to as he had taken 20 damage. So what the card should say is lack of health not damage taken.
Given that this card is not very easy to spot.
I would suggest the card text change from
"Cost (1) less for each damage your hero has taken "
to
"Cost (1) less for each health your hero lacks "
