Hearthstone - Witchwood Expansion

Actions
Hearthstone - Witchwood Expansion
Igor Djuricic

Article by

Igor Djuricic

Apr 14, 2018

Hearthstone's latest expansion, The Witchwood, is out today. It's the first expansion as part of the Year of the Raven and promises to introduce some interesting new game mechanics to Hearthstone.

Hearthstone’s Year of the Raven has begun as the first expansion of 2018, The Witchwood, is now live. Revealed in March, The Witchwood contains 135 new cards, many of which feature new keywords that could change the way you approach a match with another player. A free single-player mode called Monster Hunts is being added as well (much like Dungeon Run was last year), but Blizzard says that it won’t be ready for another two weeks.

As this is the start of a new Hearthstone year, players are forced to say goodbye as old sets are relegated to Wild as the new sets enter Standard. Starting today Whispers of the Old Gods, One Night in Karazhan, and Mean Streets of Gadgetzan have cycled out, which means you can’t use any of those cards in Standard games.

With the release of the Witchwood expansion just now, Blizzard's card game Hearthstone has officially ticked over into a new year. That means all of the cards from 2016 have rotated out of the competitive Standard mode -- good riddance, Yogg Saron and Barnes -- to make room for new ones. As was the case in previous years, this first new set of cards for the year is the best time for interested players to get in the game.

Like other expansions, Witchwood also brings new card types. The first, Echo, lets you play copies of the same card but only on that turn, letting you plunk down as many, say, 2-mana versions of a creature (or spell) as you want. The second, Rush, lets minions attack when they're played, but not players. It's a weaker version of the Charge mechanic, but this set introduces some synergy to get those cards in your hand. There are also new Worgen creatures that swap their attack and health each turn they're in your hand. Lastly, keep a lookout for strategy-defining legendary cards like 'Baku the Mooneater,' which upgrades your hero power if you only include odd-cost cards in your deck.

Some of top cards from this expansion:

Toki, Time-Tinker

If something costs 6 mana to summon, you generally at least want it to boast at least 6/6 in stats. So a 6-mana 5/5 better have a damn good effect. Toki, Time Tinker... does not have a damn good effect. But it does have a damn cool one: it adds a Legendary card from the game’s now-unavailable Wild mode to your hand that could be absolute crap on its own (Patches, the Pirate) or totally game-breaking (Brann Bronzebeard). Since this card gives you tools that have been banned from Standard play, there’s basically no cap for the absurdity it might allow.

Nightmare Amalgam

Alright, so honestly, this card seems bad. It’s a 3-mana minion with 3 attack and 4 health, which is pretty average, and on top of that, it dies to cards like Hungry Crab and Dragonslayer that kill certain types of minions. But that art! The potential for synergy in Beast decks, Dragon Decks, or Pirate decks! The idea of an unspeakably horrific abomination creature! That tag at the bottom that reads “All” and has never been seen in the game so far! This card might not be a meta-changer, but in its own way, it’s definitely a game-changer.

Voodoo Doll

When you play Voodoo Doll, you select a minion on the board and mark it for death. When Voodoo Doll dies, the selected minion dies with it. Just like a real life Voodoo Doll.

Lord Godfrey

I may have said earlier that the Witchwood expansion doesn’t look that strong, but Lord Godfrey, which deals 2 damage to all minions on the board and re-triggers if something dies, is one the set’s most powerful standouts. On top of that, it’s got one of the sweetest entrance animations Hearthstone has ever seen.

 

Comments (0)

You must Register or Login to post a comment

1000 Characters left

Copyright © GLBrain 2024. All rights reserved.