Kel’Thuzad returns in Hearthstone . The dark mage has a rather devastating effect, hinting at what he will become later …
The next expansion of Hearthstone was announced just a few days ago. Now comes the usual “Reveal Season,” during which all cards will be introduced gradually. Right from the start, the first ones are bound to make players’ mouths water – not just for historical reasons, but also with regard to gameplay mechanics.
The coolest card so far might be the headmaster Kel’Thuzad. This was just revealed a few hours ago, but is already one of the most interesting innovations from “Scholomance Academy”.
What can Kel’Thuzad do? Headmaster Kel’Thuzad is a neutral, legendary minion – meaning it can be used by all classes. For 5 mana, he has only average stats of 4/6, but has a pretty cool spell burst effect. Because Kel’Thuzad summons all minions that are destroyed by the next spell.
This works wonderfully with a targeted spell, such as Shadow Word: Death or a Fireball. Those who plan even better can combine this with an area spell like Holy Nova or Arcane Explosion to potentially receive up to 6 of the opponent’s minions at once.
While Headmaster Kel’Thuzad resembles the “old” Kel’Thuzad card from the Naxxramas expansion, it does have a unique effect.
What is spell burst? Spell burst is the new keyword in Scholomance Academy. The printed effect is triggered by the next spell cast if the minion is still on the board – but only once. Thus, it requires careful planning to use the effects effectively.
Necromancer Kel’Thuzad has a great backstory
Card has a cool story: Hearthstone does a pretty good job of letting each card tell a little story, even though there is virtually no text indicating it. However, those who are familiar with the Warcraft story already know about Kel’Thuzad. Once, he was a respected mage of the Kirin Tor, but then turned to the dark secrets of necromancy – something that was actually strictly forbidden. The fact that you have to use a different spell with Kel’Thuzad (meaning “allowed” magic) to then access the necromantic abilities is pretty genius.
In Warcraft, Kel’Thuzad became the leader of the Cult of the Damned, which later unleashed the undead Scourge in Lordaeron. He died and was turned into a lich by Arthas, who then ruled in the necropolis Naxxramas and was loyal to the Lich King.
Apart from the cool hidden story, Kel’Thuzad is also a powerful card that can completely turn the game around. Though not on its own, but with the help of another spell.
Will you get Headmaster Kel’Thuzad?
