The Great Tournament is just around the corner and 7 exciting cards for Hearthstone have been revealed again!
Druids with Early Game-End and Shamans as Better Healers
For Druids, they have Astral Communion, a spell for 4 mana that can lead to exciting deck ideas. The player discards their entire hand, but receives a whopping 10 mana crystals! Depending on the situation, this can be absolutely devastating, especially useful when you still have options to draw cards, such as through the Acolyte of Pain. When this spell is used while you already have 10 mana, you gain an “Excess Mana” which allows you to draw a card.
The Cutpurse is a new rare Rogue minion which, with 2/2 for 2 mana, is not outstanding, but shines with its card effect: Whenever this minion attacks the enemy hero, it adds a coin to your hand. This is particularly useful to trigger many “Combo” effects early in the game, so even a single hit with this minion can be worthwhile.
Warlocks gain more additions to their Demons, as their popular mount, the Dreadsteed, enters the game as a new minion. For 4 mana, it has absolutely weak stats of 1/1, but has the Deathrattle effect: Summon a Dreadsteed. If the opponent has no Silence, then the Dreadsteed stays on the field permanently and can become a nuisance in the long run.
Shamans are receiving what seems to be the highlight of the new releases this time. The Healing Wave is a spell costing 3 mana, which restores 7 health. That alone isn’t bad, but the card also utilizes the new Joust mechanic, which raises the healing to a whopping 14 health points! Especially against Rush decks, this card will likely see extensive use, if it doesn’t even become a requirement for many Shamans.
The Sea Plunderer enriches all Warrior decks and definitely falls into the category of “Double-Edged Sword”. With solid stats of 6/7 for 6 mana, it fills a pretty good role, but its card effect is as follows: When you draw this card, it deals 1 damage to all YOUR minions. Depending on whether you want to exploit an Acolyte of Pain or finish off your own Grommash Hellscream, this can be positive or negative. Surely, exciting decks can be built with this.
As a neutral legendary minion, Icehowl enters the battlefield. WoW players surely remember him from the Argent Tournament, where he was a unique raid boss. For 9 mana, he has outstanding stats of 10/10 and Charge, but with the small addition that he cannot attack heroes. He is a strong counter against many other large minions that otherwise could not be defeated in one turn and strong enough to often survive the attack.
Another neutral minion is the Lance Bearer, who for 2 mana can only show weak 1/2 stats, but grants a friendly minion +2 attack – and that permanently. Thus, seemingly weak minions can become a permanent threat and a Deathlord can become an almost insurmountable obstacle.
What do you think of the new cards? Have you found a favorite of the expansion yet?
