A sophisticated understanding of the “Discover” mechanic only matters because “Depraved Felfin” exists and there are more examples of this card failing to gain stats when a player expects it to than examples of when you can use it.
Depraved Felfin gains stats:
- When you use a tavern spell to Discover a minion
- When you use a Triple Reward to Discover a minion
Depraved Felfin FAILS to gain stats:
- Using a hero power to trigger a “Discover” Battlecry.
- Using a Deathrattle to trigger a “Discover” Battlecry.
- Using an end-of-turn card to trigger a “Discover” Battlecry.
I cant think of any time one can do any of those three things you say in order to discover for BGs. Im unaware of any minion who can deathrattle: discover… nor any hero power that is “use hero power: discover” nor an end of turn effect like a spell that “end of turn: discover”
please elaborate some more on how you are encountering these scenarios. I could be wrong about these things but just want to know more about how you’ve encountered these things not working in your favor
Using a Deathrattle to trigger a “Discover” Battlecry:
- Rylak Metalhead Taunt Deathrattle: Trigger the Battlecry of an adjacent minion
- NOW ASSUME ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IS ADJACENT TO RYLAK:
- Primalfin Lookout Battlecry: If you control another Murloc, Discover a Murloc.
- Imposing Percussionist Battlecry: Discover a Demon. Deal damage to your hero equal to its Tier.
Shudderwock’s Hero Ability to trigger Battlegrounds can be used similarly on both Primalfin and Imposing Percussionist.
Along these same lines, imagine Young Murk-Eye (At the end of your turn, adjacent minions trigger their Battlecries.) is placed alongside the Primalfin Lookout or the Imposing Percussionist.
The issue there is that the Murloc says “When you discover a minion…”
In those scenarios with just triggering a discover in combat /end of turn/ etc, it isnt you that is discovering, it is the minion that is. Its why you just get something you didnt have a chance to witness what the choices would have been… because it chose for you. In order for the murloc to work the way you think it should, the card would have to say “Whenever a discover is triggered” .
Just a case of minor misunderstanding when “you” are discovering vs when something else you own does it for you. Its like when a minion you play in regular hearthstone casts a spell for you, vs when you cast the spell yourself. Counterspell can prevent YOU from casting it, but it cant prevent the minion from doing so. Its a subtle but important distinction.
But you ought to still get the expected effect of using the hero power on your construction phase if used on a minion that is a plain “battlecry: discover a minion” as shudderwok, such as using it on the demon that discovers a demon, take damage equal to its tier and then after you’ve played it from hand once, then using the hero power on it, you will again be the one discovering, so it ought to work as expected there.
But under no circumstance would a combat triggered version of that same battlecry via rylak would you be getting to discover for yourself, it would just pick for you and not give you any choices to pick from, hence why the murloc wont gain any stats from it mid combat.
So while I agree the distinction of the times when “you” discover vs when it isnt “you” that is discovering despite the card text saying it is you that is discovering, might be unintuitive at first, it becomes clearer when you take into account that its only “you” that is discovering when choices are presented to pick from, and any other time when there isnt, it not actually you but a proxy choosing for you.