The new Hearthstone expansion “Rise of Shadows” is live. We will tell you what you need to know.
After long months of waiting, today (April 9, 2019) the day has finally come when Hearthstone received its first expansion of 2019. Rise of Shadows launches and brings back the arch-villains of Hearthstone. This also marks the start of a new year in Hearthstone, and many old cards will no longer be usable. We will tell you what is changing and what you need to pay attention to today.
When does it start? The launch of Rise of Shadows is simultaneous worldwide. Previously, the launch varied depending on the gaming region, but with this expansion, Blizzard aims to attempt a simultaneous global release.
For us in Europe, this means a launch at 7:00 PM.
Please keep in mind that there may be slight delays, and in previous expansions, the Hearthstone servers may have been overloaded in the first minutes.
135 new cards: In total, there will be 135 new cards. 10 new cards for each class (including two legendary cards) and then another 45 neutral cards. If you want to see all the new cards, you can view them nicely sorted in this article.
New keywords: A fresh expansion also comes with new keywords and card mechanics. Here are three new additions.
- Minions: These small servants are created by other cards and have powerful battle cries that usually enhance other cards.
- Twins: Spells with this keyword give the player a copy of that spell in hand after casting. However, the copy no longer has “Twins”.
- Plans: Some cards are dark plans. These become more powerful in each round they remain in the player’s hand.
Free card on launch: Whether you have pre-ordered new card packs or not, anyone logging in now will receive the card Archmage Vargoth for free. This card can already be played in decks before the expansion goes live.
These cards are being removed: With the start of the “Year of the Dragon”, three old expansions will no longer be playable in the Standard mode. These expansions will no longer be usable:
- Journey to Un’Goro
- Knights of the Frozen Throne
- Witchwood
In addition, a few more cards that were not supposed to be retired until next year will also be sent to retirement. In total, 9 additional cards will land in the “Hall of Fame” and players will retain the full dust costs.
Among these are the following long-time contenders:
- Baku, the Moonweaver
- Genn Greymane
The archetype of even and odd decks may thus quickly become extinct.
The first successful decks for Rise of Shadows are expected tomorrow. Then it will be revealed whether all the Theory-Crafter decks can prove themselves in actual duels.
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