Soul fragments make their way into the world of Hearthstone. The new mechanic is expected to give Warlocks and Demon Hunters some cool effects.
With the upcoming expansion Scholomance Academy, Hearthstone not only introduces 135 new cards but also a few cool mechanics. We have already presented some of the new cards. Especially Warlocks and Demon Hunters can be excited, as they receive a new healing option that is heavily inspired by World of Warcraft. Soul fragments will soon be part of the repertoire of these two classes.
What are soul fragments? Soul fragments cannot be crafted with Arcane dust, but are created by other cards during a match. Various spells and minions can generate soul fragments, which are then immediately shuffled into the deck.
The spell “School Spirits”, which deals 2 damage to all minions and then shuffles 2 soul fragments into the deck, is one of the new cards.
If such a soul fragment is drawn later, the fragment is consumed. The hero is immediately healed for 2 health points and draws another card.
This is a pretty direct implementation of the soul fragments from World of Warcraft. Here, Demon Hunters generate these fragments with their attacks and can then collect them to heal or enhance other attacks. Demon Hunters are already quite annoying enough.
The Benefit of Soul Fragments
Can soul fragments do even more? Yes. Soul fragments are not only a way to continuously heal in Hearthstone but also there are some cards that interact with the fragments and require them to trigger their effect.
An example would be the Void Drainer, a Demon minion with Taunt and stats of 4/5 for 5 mana. However, if the player has a soul fragment in the deck, its Battlecry increases its stats by +3/+3 and destroys a soul fragment in the process.
Demon Hunters, on the other hand, can use the Fragment Mystic. This 3/2 minion for 3 mana deals 3 damage to all other minions with its Battlecry – provided there is a soul fragment in the deck that can be consumed.
The highlight is likely the Soulseer Malicia. She is actually a boss from WoW, but in Hearthstone, she is a dual card for Warlocks and Demon Hunters. For 7 mana, she has 5/5 stats, but a devastating Battlecry: Summon a Soul (3/3) for each soul fragment in your deck. Note: The fragments are not consumed by Malicia!
Are soul fragments worth it? Essentially, soul fragments seem to be a solid “risk vs reward” mechanic. You have to take a risk to potentially reap great benefits later, as there are 2 things that could jeopardize this mechanic:
- Soul fragments must first be created. If you are unlucky and only draw the “reward effects”, you will not be able to use them.
- Cards that use soul fragments must be played at the right time. If the player takes too long, they may draw their last soul fragment and ruin the usefulness of the cards.
However, even if not everything goes according to plan, the healing from the soul fragments can be a nice bonus. Especially Warlocks and Demon Hunters like to sacrifice some of their health points and are therefore reliant on healing.
What do you think of this new Hearthstone mechanic? Cool taken from WoW? Or do these effects annoy you already?
