Ephemeral Shroud

Description
Opening Gambit: Dispel 1 nearby space.

Introduction
"A strange creature with blue skin, a single red eye and patches of white fur. The stories of its origins are unknown; some say they spawn as protectors of mana crystals, others say they were arcane byproducts conjured by mankind eons ago, and some even say they are lucid dreams come to life. One thing is consistent about these stories however; they possess the ability to erase one's potentials should they be too close."

Ephemeral Shroud is a basic, neutral minion that costs 2 mana and has 1 attack and 1 health. When summoned, it can dispel 1 nearby  space (not unit!), sub-sequentially dispelling any unit or general on it. This card is often a staple for many players and decks at all levels and ranks due to the ability to nullify powerful abilities of enemy units and generals alike.

Strategy
Although the minion itself is only a 1/1 for 2 mana, the value of Ephemeral Shroud immediately gains value from its Opening Gambit: Dispel 1 nearby space. This means you can erase powerful units abilities such as Mechaz0r!, Grandmaster Zir and even Overload stacks from Vaath the Immortal. Keep in mind that as well as buffs, you can dispel things such as Shadow Creep from the board.

Ephemeral Shroud is also good to store in your hand if you suspect the enemy will use buffs on their minions such as Scions First, Second or Third wishes, Killing Edge or Greater Fortitude. Keep in mind however that it can only dispel a nearby space, and therefore cannot target spaces that are further away.

Although some factions such as Lyonar, Vetruvian, and Vanar have means of dispelling, they can be situational or better saved for another time, it would be better to use Ephemeral Shroud to save those powerful dispels and leave a body on the board. Other factions, such as Magmar do not have dispels however, and Ephemeral Shroud yet again makes a nice addition to cover that weakness.

Ephemeral Shroud does not have to be used exclusively as an offensive unit, however. For example, if you have a friendly Golem unit (such as Hailstone Golem) and it has a debuff on it, such as Dampening Wave, you can dispel that Golem to remove the debuff.

Pros/Cons

+ Powerful Opening Gambit

+ Low (2) mana cost

- Low stats for cost (Helm of Mechaz0r has 1 more attack/health for 1 less mana)

- Useless against minions with high stats (such as Golems)

Balance Changes
v. 0.0.1 - Added: Ephemeral Shroud 2 mana 2/2 Opening Gambit: Dispel 1 nearby space.

v. 1.74 - Stats changed from 2/2 to 1/1.