Gaming
New Adventures. New expansions. The end of Reno Jackson. Big changes are coming in 2017.
As we approach the end of the third year since Blizzard officially launched Hearthstone, the card battler has seen some fundamental changes from its quaint beginnings. Adventures and expansions have kept the card pool regularly topped up, with each one’s introduction shifting the meta and encouraging some creative new deck archetypes. With this swelling number of minions and spells, however, Blizzard has had to take the first steps towards cutting out a selection of the game’s earliest cards for the Standard game mode. The move was inevitable in order to prevent the game from becoming overwhelming to both new and old players – and to provide some semblance of unity and clarity in the game’s burgeoning eSports scene.
Now, what Blizzard has dubbed the ‘Year of the Kraken’ is coming to a close and will officially wrap up with the launch of the first new Adventure in 2017. Things may have only just settled following the launch of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan – with the likes of Dragon Priest, Reno Warlock, Jade Druid and Pirate Warrior dominating the meta – but as we enter the new year it’s a good a time as any to get thinking about how Hearthstone will change over the next 12 months.
Well, for starters, new cards are certainly on the way once again. If the pattern remains the same as last year then a new Adventure will debut in April, the next expansion will follow in August and then a final Adventure for 2017 will come in December. Nothing has been officially revealed about these so far, so we can do little more than wildly speculate the new themes or mechanics that could be introduced with these new content drops.
Classic World of Warcraft dungeons and raids have been the main points of inspiration in the past for the game’s Adventures, so a trip to the jungle troll capital of Zul’Gurub, the naga stronghold Serpentshrine Cavern, or infamous Black Temple could all be exciting settings for the future. Each has potential for unified card theming, as well as the associated characters and lore to inspire the lighter and more irreverent narratives in Hearthstone Adventures. Of course, with the rich and expansive world Blizzard can dive into, there are many more possibilities outside of these options too.
The expansion at the mid-point of the year will see a bigger influx of new cards compared to the Adventures. As we’ve seen in Gobins vs Gnomes, The Grand Tournament and Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, these expansions usually have more freedom to dive into the zany nature of Hearthstone while also focusing on around two core ideas or card mechanics. Will the multi-class card concept see further exploration? Will we see new keywords added? One thing you can guarantee from the game’s current trajectory is that random effects, in all their entertaining and brutal fashion, will not be going anywhere.
On the other hand, some elements will be on their way out in 2017. It’s with the launch of the first new Adventure that we will perhaps see the most drastic changes to the meta when cards from Blackrock Mountain, The Grand Tournament and League of Explorers sets are cut from the Standard ranked pool. The removal of each set brings its own set of complications to a number of regularly played decks currently in the game, as key and pivotal cards will disappear from play.
Dragon Priest will have its wings clipped significantly when the dragon hordes of Blackrock Mountain enter their slumber. Blackwing Technician, Blackwing Corrupter and Twilight Whelp will leave holes in that deck without any obvious replacements. Conversely, players might be glad to see the backs of Flamewaker, Imp Gang Boss and Emperor Thaurissan. The loss of latter’s unique effect kills a lot of potential combo decks, although many have already faded from regular play.
The removal of The Grand Tournament is going to be a blessing or a curse depending entirely on the classes you prefer to play. Dragon decks lose a few more of the winged beasts key to their existence, while the loss of Justicar Trueheart is going to be an unfortunate blow for a lot of control decks. However, it’s Shaman players who may find themselves weeping at the removal of hugely powerful cards such as Totem Golem, Tuskarr Totemic and the explosive swing power of Elemental Destruction. Everyone else emits a sigh of relief.
Nevertheless, the most important change that will affect so many decks that have risen to the top of the meta lately is going to be the disappearance of one vital legendary card from The League of Explorers. Reno Jackson first introduced the concept of constructing a deck with just one copy of each card included in order to be able to activate a niche but powerful effect. Since then, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan has explored the concept further to create a handful of additional cards that feature that same restriction while offering their own unique effects.
In all cases the inclusion of Reno Jackson in these decks has been assured and the loss of the card is going to be dramatic. The full heal was so important in keeping slower and more control-oriented decks in the game. With it you could hold off the early aggression of an aggro deck or out last a mid-range deck until they ran out of steam. There is, quite simply, no other effect like it in the game.
It leaves players in a difficult but stimulating position. Of course, the as yet unknown cards from the April Adventure will spur a new wave of deck creativity, but the shakeup will be far more significant than any of the last three content launches. As yet, Blizzard has been averse to moving key cards out of their respective sets and into the general pool so there’s little chance we’ll see some of these important cards saved. There have also been zero card reissues, with Blizzard instead favouring tweaking or carefully reworking older cards for new purposes.
It likely means those big power cards such as Reno Jackson will be gone for good in Standard – a shame for those control decks that have managed to establish themselves in a sea of aggro decks. All the powerful one drop cards are enabling this faster and more aggressive meta, so will there be more of those cards in the next Adventure or will we finally see the game slow down?
Professional players will have to cope with these radical changes too, as the new Championship Tour season will kick off with the launch of the first content pack and tournaments will be synced as close as possible to new releases in order to keep the game fresh and competitive. With these plans in place it shows Blizzard do not want to let up on the momentum Hearthstone has built from its understated beginnings to the streaming success it has become. Another big year awaits in 2017.
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