Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

By the example of the Grandmummy, yes.

Hey there, Priest Quest.

• Activate the Obelisk - 1 mana; Quest: Restore 15 Health. Reward: Obelisk's Eye.
  • Obelisk's Eye - 2 mana Hero Power; Restore 3 Health. If you target a minion, also give it +3/+3.

This Hero Power is just a straight-up upgrade of a basic Hero Power. They're pushing that Tempo/Aggro Priest really hard.

Well... okay then. If that's what Anduin is going to do with himself, let's rip!

Okay, now THERE'S a solid Quest reward. And it's definitively an achievable activator. Reborn minions, that 2 Mana 2/3, good ol' Injured Blademaster and Circle Heal... There's a lot of potential there with that Hero Power as a cap piece.

Has Blizzard finally given up, then, on the idea that there is a viable control meta that doesn't involve late-game cheese?

I mean, honestly, how do you make a late-game control meta in Hearthstone without late game cheese if some fashion?

The base mechanics of the game, how playing cards and attacking *works*, the inconsistency of being able to counteract aggro, aggressive play has such an inherent advantage that late-game play tends to need some way to break the game in order to be effective.

To be fair, most games do tend towards some form of cheese, at least in competitive play, for better or worse. Playing fair is for chumps.

Arena is about the most "play fair" place; well-stated minions are king (and even then tempo can mess that up fierce).

Rogue Quest!

• Bazaar Burglary - 1 mana; Quest: Add 4 from other classes to your hand. Reward: Ancient Blades
  • Ancient Blades - 2 mana Hero Power; Equip a 3/2 Blade with Immune while attacking.

...doesn't it seem even easier to do than Priest Quest?

Super easy, yeah. Very interesting card.

-kicks door down- okay i'm here, strap in

• Unseal the Vault - Hunter Quest; 1 mana; Quest: Summon 20 minions. Reward: Ramkahen Roar.
  • Ramkahen Roar - 2 mana Hero Power; Give your minions +2 Attack.
• Swarm of Locusts - Rare Druid Spell; 6 mana; Summon seven 1/1 Locusts with Rush.
• Totemic Surge - Common Shaman Spell; 0 mana; Give your Totems +2 Attack.
• Sandstorm Elemental - Common Shaman Minion; 2 mana 2/2 Elemental; Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions. Overload: (1)
• Mogu Fleshshaper - Rare Shaman Minion; 7 mana 3/4; Rush; Costs (1) less for each minion on the board.
• Vessina - Legendary Shaman Minion; 4 mana 2/6; While you're Overloaded, your other minions have +2 Attack.
• Penance - Common Priest Spell; 2 mana; Lifesteal; Deal 3 damage to a minion.
• Holy Ripple - Rare Priest Spell; 2 mana; Deal 1 damage to all enemies. Restore 1 health to all friendly characters.
• Sandhoof Waterbearer - Common Priest Minion; 5 mana 5/5; At the end of your turn, restore 5 Health to a damaged friendly character.
• Sinister Deal - Common Warlock Spell; 1 mana; Discover a Lackey.
• Neferset Thrasher - Common Warlock Minion; 3 mana 4/5; Whenever this attacks, deal 3 damage to your hero.
• Ancient Mysteries - Common Mage Spell; 2 mana; Draw a Secret from your deck. It costs (0).
• Dune Sculptor - Rare Mage Minion; 3 mana 3/3; After you cast a spell, add a random Mage minion to your hand.
• Worthy Expedition - Common Druid Spell; 1 mana; Discover a Choose One card.
• Oasis Surger - Common Druid Minion; 5 mana 3/3 Elemental; Rush; Choose One: Gain +2/+2; or Summon a copy of this minion.
• Crystal Merchant - Epic Druid Minion; 2 mana 1/4; If you have any unspent Mana at the end of your turn, draw a card.
• Subdue - Common Paladin Spell; 2 mana; Set a minion's attack and health to 1.
• Ancestral Guardian - Common Paladin Minion; 4 mana 4/2; Lifesteal; Reborn
• Clever Disguise - Common Rogue Spell; 2 mana; Add 2 random spells from another class to your hand.
• Beaming Sidekick - Common Neutral Minion; 1 mana 1/2; Battlecry: Give a friendly minion +2 Health.
• Injured Tol'Vir - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 2/6; Taunt; Battlecry: Deal 3 damage to this minion.
• Temple Berserker - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 1/2; Reborn; Has +2 Attack while damaged.
• Serpent Egg - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 0/3; Deathrattle: Summon a 3/4 Sea Serpent.
  • LOL neutered Nerubian Egg.
• Bug Collector - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 2/1; Battlecry: Summon a 1/1 Locust with Rush.
• Candletaker - Common Neutral Minion; 3 mana 3/2; Reborn
• Golden Scarab - Common Neutral Minion; 3 mana 2/2 Beast; Battlecry: Discover a 4-Cost card.
• Desert Hare - Common Neutral Minion; 3 mana 1/1 Beast; Battlecry: Summon two 1/1 Desert Hares.
  • Not tokens, so you could probably swarm the board with the right tools, for all good it's worth.
• Mischief Maker - Epic Neutral Minion; 3 mana 3/3; Battlecry: Swap the top card of your deck with your opponent's.
• Zephrys the Great - Legendary Neutral Minion; 2 mana 3/2 Elemental; Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, wish for the perfect card.
  • How it works: The AI determines the state of the game and offers three cards it thinks are the best suited for the situation (i.e. if there's a Murloc on the board, it can offer a Hungry Crab). AI in Hearthstone has always been a little spotty, so jury's out if it's worth it. I suppose it still reads "discover a card" on a 2 mana 3/2, which is still good.
    • Further info: It can give you a card from any class.
• Octosari - Legendary Neutral Minion; 8 mana 8/8 Beast; Deathrattle: Draw 8 cards.
  • ...I suppose that's one way to nerf Conjurer's Calling.

...I think we're missing a few - there's always a couple of stragglers that weren't revealed in the final reveal stream - but there you go.

Edited by FergardStratoavis on Jul 31st 2019 at 9:02:47 PM

I'm gonna laugh when in wild Zephrys offers something that changes your deck like Explore Un'Goro or Renounce Darkness

"The AI looked and it's recommendation is play something else"

Or Whizbang. Not that you can play it mid-game, but the point would be kind of obvious.

Hard code it so when the player is priest it always offers heroes from other classes :-P

"The AI sees that you're playing priest. Do you want to try a good class?"

(I'm only slightly joking)

It's shaping up to be quite good: an example match had it pitted against a full board of Quest Druid, to which both Flamestrike and Brawl were offered. (and some third card I don't recall)

Alright, in come the stragglers:

• Blatant Decoy - Epic Neutral Card; 6 mana 5/5; Battlecry: Each player summons the lowest Cost minion from their hand.
• History Buff - Epic Neutral Minion; 3 mana 3/4; Whenever you play a minion, give a random minion in your hand +1/+1.
• Body Wrapper - Epic Neutral Minion; 4 mana 4/4; Battlecry: Discover a friendly minion that died this game. Shuffle it into your deck.
• Dwarven Archaeologist - Epic Neutral Minion; 2 mana 2/3; After you Discover a card, reduce its Cost by (1).
• Vulpera Scoundrel - Epic Neutral Minion; 3 mana 2/3; Battlecry: Discover a spell or pick a mystery choice.
  • I'm guessing "mystery choice" is a completely random card and a fourth option for when you want to live dangerously. I think. There seems to be no definite answer to this one.
• Quicksand Elemental - Rare Neutral Minion; 2 mana 3/2 Elemental; Battlecry: Give all enemy minions -2 Attack this turn.
• Wasteland Scorpid - Common Neutral Card; 7 mana 3/9 Beast; Poisonous
  • -sounds of a giant spider crying in the corner-
• Living Monument - Common Neutral Card; 10 mana 10/10; Taunt
  • Conjurer Mage is gonna like this one.
• Phalanx Commander - Common Neutral Minion; 5 mana 5/5; Your Taunt minions have +2 Attack.
• Faceless Lurker - Common Neutral Minion; 5 mana 3/3; Taunt; Battlecry: Double this minion's Health.
• Kobold Sandtrooper - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 2/1; Deathrattle: Deal 3 damage to the enemy hero.
• Pit Crocolisk - Common Neutral Minion; 8 mana 5/6 Beast; Battlecry: Deal 5 damage.
• Spitting Camel - Common Neutral Minion; 2 mana 2/4 Beast; At the end of your turn, deal 1 damage to another random friendly minion.
• Armored Goon - Common Warrior Minion; 6 mana 6/7; Whenever your hero attacks, gain 5 Armor.
• Ramkahen Wildtamer - Rare Hunter Minion; 3 mana 4/3; Battlecry: Copy a random Beast in your hand.
• Hyena Alpha - Rare Hunter Minion; 4 mana 3/3 Beast; Battlecry: If you control a Secret, summon two 2/2 Hyenas.
  • Oh hey, another 4 mana 7/7.
• Naga Sand Witch - Rare Mage Minion; 5 mana 5/5; Battlecry: Change the Cost of spells in your hand to (5).
• Garden Gnome - Rare Druid Minion; 4 mana 2/3; Battlecry: If you're holding a spell that costs (5) or more, summon two 2/2 Treants.
  • Oh hey, another 4 mana... 6/7, got me there.

...a "few stragglers", he says.

EDIT: Further trivia on Zephrys: sadly, he only gives out basic and classic cards. Still, there is still some good stuff in those sets.

Edited by FergardStratoavis on Jul 31st 2019 at 12:01:45 PM

Garden Gnome is a 4 Mana 6/9 actually

Also uh, Naga Sand Witch is a Battlecry, and it sets the cost of those spells permanently, not just this turn. So yeah, this enables you to just play this, and then double Pyroblast next turn. That sounds Pretty Good.

Edited by RegisteredUser on Jul 31st 2019 at 1:51:18 AM

I'm going to gnome the shit out of aggro with my garden Gnombe

Would have loved a Garden Gnelf or Gnoblin

It's only 6/9 because I blundered. The Treants are the usual 2/2 suspects.

Ah, gotcha, gotcha. I didn't even really pay attention that the statline wasn't normal for Treants, my b.

Is it my imagination or have Elementals completely dropped the "if you played an elemental last turn" tribe gimmick?

I don't see how Wasteland Scorpid is supposed to be better than Maexxna. It's one mana higher and allyou get for it is +1/+1. And the difference between 2 or 3 attack is pretty damn minor for Poisonous minions.

Edited by Druplesnubb on Aug 1st 2019 at 5:59:47 PM

Not that it matters either way, Maexxna barely saw any play to begin with. Maybe if there was ways to easily recruit it, but in the current meta no one's ever gonna run this.

Before we had ways to cheat large beasts onto the playfield, Maexxna just wasn't good enough. Now, though...

There's not that many ways (so far) with Recruit having moved to wild. Best one I can see probably is stampeding roar (since it targets beasts) and that's still 6 manas. It does give it rush admittedly.

A bit of a thought experiment for this question, but hear me out:

How do you think Hearthstone would change if all effects adding a random card to your hand became Discovers? (the ones that could be Discovers, so no Deathrattles and I suppose end-of-turn effects)

Well all the old "add a random card" would all get op as hell for one.