It’s been a packed card reveal season so far.
New mechanics, double class legendary minions, new strategies—The Witchwood looks like it could have it all.
When the expansion launches some time in mid-April, 135 new cards will be added to Hearthstone. At the same time, with this being the start of the new Standard year, hundreds more will rotate out. With Journey to Un’Goro last year, that expansion was hugely influential on the rest of the year that followed.
The Witchwood looks like it could have the same effect. With well over 50 cards now revealed, here are some of the coolest.
Baku the Mooneater/Genn Greymane
These two deserve to be paired together. They were part of the initial card set reveal, but have continued to influence the discussion as new cards are revealed.
This pair of legendaries could have a really impact on the post-release meta, although only a handful of cards containing the odd and even text are being released. That’s because the effect alone is powerful enough. Either a one mana or upgraded hero power is a big deal, and something that gives value from turn one to the end of the game.
Clockwork Automaton
It’s not all about the legendaries in The Witchwood.
This cool neutral, Clockwork Automaton, has an effect that was previously reserved for the Priest legendary Prophet Velen. Whether it actually sees play is another matter entirely, but that’s not the purpose of this exercise. This card has a really cool effect, and the fact that it’s open to all classes and is as cheap as possible is exciting for potential deck design.
Warpath
Whirlwind effects have always been a big part of Warrior’s class identity. They have so many cards that can both generate and make use of those effects.
This could be the most interesting Whirlwind generation added to the game in a while. Warpath makes use of the new Echo keyword. That means that when you cast it, a copy will appear in your hand for the rest of the turn. It will keep returning to your hand, meaning you can play as many copies in a turn as you have mana for.
Expect to see Warriors playing this in the future, even if the class remains niche.
Holy Water
Holy Water is a potentially very powerful spell. Not only can you use it to kill a minion, you can steal a copy of that minion for yourself. That’s a lot of potential tempo from this one five mana card, and something that if deployed in the right situation has the potential to swing a game.
This is definitely going to see play in whatever Priest deck is on top in the next meta.
Witching Hour
The name of the expansion may change, but the goal remains the same—Blizzard are still desperate for you to play Beast Druid.
This might—might—be the card that finally makes it a thing people choose to do. Three mana to restore a friendly beast to the board is potentially incredibly cheap. Even for a five or six mana beast, it’s a big discount. This is a card that lots of players will try out when the expansion hits.
Chameleos
There’s no way you could put together a list like this and not include Chameleos. The coolest card from The Witchwood? Try the coolest card released in a long, long time.
This card might feel random, but its real power is in something less attainable—information. By holding onto this card, you get a read on what’s in your opponent’s hand. That’s potentially a huge advantage. But to get that advantage, you essentially play a card down. Is that a viable trade off? No one has any idea yet. But it’s going to be hugely exciting to watch the best players figure it out.
