For the new Hearthstone expansion “March of the Lich King”, we present to you a card – or rather three. So powerful is “Astalor Blood Oath”.
The release of the next expansion “March of the Lich King” in Hearthstone is coming soon. The addon brings 145 fresh cards and introduces the new class, the Death Knight. All cards will be announced and revealed piece by piece in advance – and we at MeinMMO get to present a card as well.
Although that isn’t exactly true. Because Astalor Blood Oath is actually 3 cards in one!
Astalor Blood Oath – A legendary minion for all occasions
Astalor Blood Oath is a neutral, legendary minion with a mana cost of 2 and stats of 2 / 2 – so at first glance a bit below average. But its true strength comes from the Battlecry, as you get “Protector Astalor” into your hand. Since Astalor is a Blood Elf, it also has a Mana Thirst effect. If you have at least 4 mana, Astalor also deals 2 damage to any target when played.
Also Protector Astalor has rather standard stats. For 5 mana, it brings 5 / 5 onto the battlefield. Again, it is its Battlecry that makes it really strong. Because that gives you “Flamebringer Astalor” into your hand. Again, this is paired with a Mana Thirst effect: If the player has at least 7 mana, they receive an additional 5 armor as a bonus.
“Mana Thirst” is a new keyword in “March of the Lich King” and is mainly found on Blood Elf cards. Mana Thirst cards have an additional effect when played while the player possesses the specified amount of mana. Note: They do not have to pay an additional amount of mana, but merely their current, maximum mana must meet the Mana Thirst requirement.
Flamebringer Astalor is then the final form of the card and brings significantly more weight to the battlefield. For 8 mana, it has stats of 8 / 8 and its Battlecry also deals 8 damage, randomly split among all enemies. Thanks to Mana Thirst, this damage can be doubled again – as if you have 10 mana when played, a total of 16 damage is dealt.
This makes Flamebringer Astalor an extremely powerful card that is not only very versatile but will also fit into many decks.
What combinations are conceivable? Astalor will likely fit into many decks “just like that”, as its Mana Thirst effects are always useful. However, he could be particularly strong in Rogue decks, which can pull Astalor back to hand multiple times using Shadowstep. This would allow for multiple instances of dealing 16 damage, leaving very little left on the opponent’s field.
Who is Astalor Blood Oath? Anyone who is familiar with the story of Warcraft may already recognize the name. Astalor Blood Oath was the first person on Azeroth to come into contact with a Naaru. He ensured that the Naaru M’uru was brought to Silvermoon and later from its powers, the first Blood Knight Lady Liadrin was created.
In WoW: Warlords of Draenor, he appeared again – as the author of a letter and is directly responsible for the story of one of the saddest NPC fates. There he rejected a young elf as an apprentice, who then fell into madness and had to be killed by the heroes.
Can you already imagine some strong combos with which Astalor can truly shine?
