The new Hearthstone expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, has only just been announced, and we’ve seen less than a quarter of the 132 card set, but I’m already pretty optimistic about the direction it’s taking the game.
I love the idea of multi-class cards (divided into three “gangs” – the Grimy Goons, an alliance of Hunters, Paladins and Warriors; Jade Lotus, comprised of Druids, Rogues and Shamans; and The Kabal, mana-obsessed Mages, Priest and Warlocks), I love some of the individual cards we’ve seen so far, and most importantly, I love that there’s already an identifiable through-line emerging – that Team 5 is actively providing tools to combat the extreme efficiency of Shaman. Mid-range Shaman has been the dominant, meta-defining deck in Hearthstone for a while now, and it’s time for that to change.
The three gangs, represent! Here's hoping there's a highlander card for each!
Hearthstone is always going to have powerful decks that dominate and define its meta, of course, but Mid-range Shaman is so strong that even the nerf to a handful of core shaman cards – most notably Tuskarr Totemic – didn’t arrest the dominance of the deck. Mid-range Shaman is very hard to shut down – it’s able to quickly reload the board over and over again after it’s cleared. It has few strong counters. It’s also relatively straightforward to play, which means that just about anyone can find some degree of success with it, further increasing its popularity. This stands in contrast to the other top deck right now – Malygos Druid – which is about building to a burst combo and has less obvious decision-making.
Aggro pirates incoming?
The meta will naturally shift with any big influx of cards, but I’m liking the look of some of the early options to help try and keep Mid-range Shaman at bay. A couple of the neutral cards definitely fit this bill. Take Kooky Chemist, for example. This is a 4/4 for four with the text “Battlecry: Swap the attack and health of a minion.” In the first place, it’s cool to see an upsized version of Crazed Alchemist (which, in itself, occasionally sees play as a tech card to kill high value totems), as that’s a very reasonable body attached to a valuable ability, but think about what this card can do. The two Shaman cards you most want to eliminate with it - Flametongue Totem and Mana Tide Totem - both cost three mana, so this is your instant counter, on the very next turn. And what you lose in early game flexibility choosing this over Crazed Alchemist you make up for in a sturdier body if you need to play it later.
Kooky Chemist specialises in extracting value against Shaman. Just like his little bro.
Value in an aggro meta.
Second-Rate Bruiser is the other neutral card that’s an obvious tech choice in a meta dominated by Mid-range Shaman (or Zoo, for that matter). It’s a 4/5 for five with the text “Taunt. Costs (2) less if your opponent has at least three minions.” As you can imagine, getting a 4/5 with taunt for three mana is ridiculous value, and puts an instant wrench in your opponent’s ability to snowball based on board presence. It arrests a blistering opening from Shaman, and it also allows you to put up a wall later in the game, while having mana left over to do other things. It’s not a card you’d play in anything other than a Shaman-dominated or fast meta, as a 4/5 with taunt for five is very average, but as a tech option it’s likely to be very strong.
Moving on to class cards, Lotus Assassin is a Rogue rare that is almost a guaranteed two for one versus Mid-range Shaman. It’s a 5/5 for five and its text reads “Stealth. Whenever this minion kills an enemy, gain stealth.” Lotus Assassin, then, should be ideal for cleaning up Totem Golems, Flametongue Totems, Mana Tide Totems, Tunnel Troggs, Azure Drakes and even Feral Spirits. Once its health drops a bit it comes into range of Lightning Storm or Maelstrom Portal, but by that point it’s already killed a minion. Even against some of Mid-range Shaman’s bigger drops it fares well. Pair it with a Backstab to take down Thunder Bluff Valiants or Flamewreathed Facelesses, or trade one for one with a Thing From Below.
Is the damage done by the time Lotus Assassin is playable? Potentially.
The point is that you’ll have the initiative with the card because – except for Elemental Destruction (which Mid-range Shaman doesn’t run) there’s no way for it to be cleared after you drop it. It’s a Stranglethorn Tiger with a bigger upside. A cool card, in other words, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of Rogue deck will try and run it.
Annoy-o-Tron 2.0?
And if Zoo ever dominates again, this will be a great tool, as you can use all of Rogue’s cheap spells to stay on top of the board in the early game, before moving into Lotus Assassin to control during the mid-game.
Wickerflame Burnbristle, a new Paladin legendary, also seems ideal against any kind of fast minion-based deck. A 2/2 for three with both taunt and divine shield, it forces your opponent to hit it twice to get through, saving you from face damage, but any damage it deals in those attempts to kill it then come back to you as heal. Win win! This latter ability actually means that this guy is a reasonable play at just about any stage in the game. Almost no matter what he’s going to stall your opponent a little and heal you a little in the deal.
Taunt Warrior grows...
Other class cards that could help against Mid-range Shaman are “I Know a Guy,” the one mana Warrior spell that lets you discover a taunt minion, as the low mana cost means it’s flexible enough to squeeze in at almost any stage, and find something to help put up an appropriate wall that your opponent has to bust through.
“Potion of Madness” might also have some use. This one mana Priest spell has the text “Gain control of an enemy minion with 2 or less attack until end of turn,” so is essentially the baby brother of Shadow Madness, but at a cost that’s hard to refuse. To be honest, this card is probably better against Zoo than Mid-range Shaman, because there are so many more minions you can steal and get value out of (Possessed Villager and keep the deathrattle minion, Dark Peddler, Knife Juggler or Dire Wolf Alpha to trade into any other two health minion, Imp Gang Boss to get some damage on him and net an Imp), but there are some uses against Shaman, like Stealing a Tunnel Trogg before he gets too big and running him into a Totem Golem, stealing and killing a Bloodmage Thalnos, or dropping a Wild Pyromancer before stealing one half of a Feral Spirit and running it into the other half.
Potion of Madness just needs a new take on Shrinkmeister to team up with.
Point is, there’s potential there, and will likely be part of the early game toolkit of a new look Dragon Priest (how good is Drakonid Operative?! And Kabal Talonpriest?), or a revamped Control Priest. The card has anti-synergy with Resurrect Priest, however, because you wouldn’t want to bring back whatever you stole and killed off with it.
Great twist on Discover!
So they’re the cards that jump out at me in relation to Shaman, but before we wrap this up, I just wanted to quickly address Priest a little more, as that’s obviously the other big topic in the Hearthstone community – whether this expansion can make the class viable again.
As just mentioned, I really like the look of the Priest class cards we’ve seen so far, although Kabal Talonpriest is pretty contingent on Priest actually having a minion to play before turn three and then having that minion stick, which is conceivable for Dragon Priest, but less so for other builds. Certain builds would prefer a Dark Cultist, for instance.
Same kind of idea, but good in radically different decks.
Blizzard has also had Priest in mind when designing other cards. Take a look at Fel Orc Soulfiend, for instance. This is a 3/7 for three, with the text “At the start of your turn, deal 2 damage to this minion.” The main problem (non-Dragon) Priests have is actually getting onto the board, because so many of their cards are reactive. It’s not uncommon for Priests to spend several of their early turns healing their face. With this minion, that hero power can be used to keep it topped up so it can trade. It’s also a great minion to have on board when you play Circle of Healing, and to a lesser extent Flash Heal.
Priests love minions with high health. Maybe Injured Blademaster will make a comeback!
How will Priest fare in the world of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan? It’s going to be interesting to find out.
For now though, here are the rest of the cards featured in the initial reveal, and keep your eye on the site for more Hearthstone news and views…
Love some of the flavour in the cards revealed so far.
These Paladin cards will only be good in very specific builds.
Keeping the Tempo Mage and Miracle Rogue dreams alive. My verdict is out on the Hunter weapon.
The two cards in the middle look to strengthen the Token/Egg Druid concept.
Cam Shea is senior editor in IGN's Sydney office and recently wrote a guide to Hearthstone for beginner/intermediate players. Tweet at him here.
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