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The best Hearthstone Kobolds and Catacombs cards
Want to know what cards you should be looking to spend your spare dust on? Here are some of the best we’ve found so far in Kobolds and Catacombs.
It’s like Christmas has come early for Hearthstone players. The new expansion, Kobolds and Catacombs, has sent the player base into a dizzying whirl of enthusiasm and hope. No longer is rage about the cost of the game or the stagnation of the meta on anyone’s lips. Instead, everyone’s talking about how they’re putting all the new cards to best use with wild and crazy ideas.
Even in these very early days, some cards have clearly risen to the top. And while we’re not quite at the point yet where we can say which decks are likely to send you soaring to the heady heights of Legend rank, there are some cards that have emerged as powerful inclusions. Over the coming days they may rise or they may fall, but whatever the case, these are some of the best cards available to toy around with in Hearthstone right now.
Lesser Emerald Spellstone
When we saw ‘To My Side!’ there was a reason to be concerned about the power level of Hunter cards coming into Kobolds and Catacombs. Not only did it look like a terrible card, but it also showed a bizarre new direction for the class in the new expansion – no minions. Many new Hunter cards come with huge bonuses if there are no minions left in your deck, but just how do you make that work?
Lesser Emerald Spellstone is the ideal response. As one of the game’s new upgradable Spellstone cards it starts off fairly lacklustre, only summoning two 3/3 wolves for five mana. Play a Secret, though, and the wolf pack grows by an additional cub. Throw down one more Secret and that’s four 3/3 wolves for just five mana and a huge amount of value. Overall, the card is hugely beneficial in making minion-free Hunter work this expansion.
Duskbreaker
Welcome back to tier one, Dragon Priest. For a while, Highlander Priest had taken over as the go-to deck for Anduin, but it’s already back in a big way with Kobolds and Catacombs. The major new addition is Duskbreaker, a four mana 3/3 that deals three damage to all other minions as long as you’re holding a dragon in your hand. Basically, this is always going to activate.
It’s so strong because of its power to shut down early game advantages that faster decks try to exploit against Priest. Aggro decks might think they’re in a pretty sweet position on turn four with a wide board steadily chipping away at your life total, but all that effort will be negated as soon as you drop the Duskbreaker. It’s the perfect card to rebalance the game so you can start taking control.
Fancy adding any of these to your deck?
© Blizzard
Kobold Librarian
Blizzard’s Team 5 are tapping into the power of card draw with this curious little bookworm. The value in this card is actually quite silly when you consider that dealing two damage to yourself in order to draw a card is the base Warlock hero power. That costs two by itself. With Kobold Librarian, you’re getting a free Life Tap, plus a 2/1 minion for just one mana.
From just a basic power level standpoint, the card is insane. The question is: will it find a place in some new Warlock decks? It seems pretty good in Zoo, serving as a cheaper alternative to either Novice Engineer or Loot Hoarder, though neither of those cards are must-includes in Zoo now anyway. It’s a solid midrange or control card too, giving you some early game card draw while also offering some board presence to contest early game minions.
Unidentified Shield
Common cards might not seem the most thrilling but, as we’ve seen with Kobold Librarian, it doesn’t mean they can’t be extremely effective. The new Warrior card, Unidentified Shield, certainly looks a bit dull at first glance: five armour for six mana, plus a random bonus effect? Eh, no thanks.
However, if Control Warrior was to find itself in a good spot as the new meta settles down, this card could be in for some serious use. Three out of the four possible random effects you can get added to the card are very good, including a 5/2 weapon, a 5/5 golem or the option to deal five damage. The option to gain an additional 10 armour is definitely the weakest, though with those odds we’d be willing to give it a spin.
Kingsbane
Hearthstone pro Thijs ‘Thijs’ Molendijk has already been having fun with this new addition to the game. The combo is simple: pair a Kingsbane up with Cavern Shinyfinder and a host of buff cards to create a near-infinite, high-damage, lifesteal dagger. How can an opponent even respond? Well, they can’t. Their minions are constantly cleared and any damage they deal is quickly negated.
The only fear is players running Acidic Swamp Ooze and another removal, but whether other weapons in the set prove to be as powerful as Kingsbane remains to be seen. Nothing has had quite the impact as this card so far, so now’s the time to take advantage while the meta is in flux.
How about any of these?
© Blizzard
Elven Minstrel
Playing a well-needed support role to the dominance of Kingsbane, the Elven Minstrel provides extremely valuable card draw while also sticking a 3/2 body on the board. Sure, the stats for the cost aren’t great, but you’re playing the chirpy bard for draw more than anything else.
Miracle Rogue or Tempo Rogue has always floated around the top end of the deck tier list since its inception, and this card is bound to bump it up nearer to the top once more again. The new Fal’Dorei Strider pairs perfectly with Elven Minstrel too, allowing you to scour through your deck even faster to uncover those ambushes and generate more 4/4 minions on your side.
Greedy Sprite
Just when you thought you were sick of seeing all the options Druid has to boost their mana after the brief period of dominance they showed during the last expansion, Team 5 goes and throws in another one in Kobolds and Catacombs.
What’s interesting about Greedy Sprite is that the ramp effect has been added as a deathrattle. With that in mind, your opponent may be less inclined to clear off the minion on their turn as it gives you the extra mana for your next turn. The downside? They might not be too happy about leaving a three attack minion on the board. There’s nothing quite so demoralising as losing a 3/3 to a minion with just one health.
Master Oakheart
Before the atrocious 5/5 for nine mana stat line sends you running, just consider the cards and huge tempo swings you can have with Master Oakheart. Paired up with the right options, this has the potential to be one of the strongest nine mana cards in the game.
Kripparian has already been experimenting and found some success with a rather greedy Druid list. In it, Master Oakheart is included alongside Tar Creeper, Dirty Rat and Astral Tiger as potential targets for Recruit. Grizzled Guardian and Carnivorous Cube is another pairing that works excellently in the deck to provide a cycle of minions from Recruit effects. Master Oakheart, however, is still the MVP.
Voidlord
Voidlord is such an aggravating card. At 3/9 for nine mana it offers a stat line that doesn’t really threaten, but just soaks up a lot of damage unless you have some quick removal. Meanwhile, the three Voidwalkers that get summoned when it dies just offer more tiresome delay. Remember how Sludge Belcher was such a frustration? Well, here we go again.
It’s definitely one to look into if you’re hoping to make Control Warlock work this expansion: it also finds itself in a good position if you wanted to pair it with our pal Master Oakheart up above. If you’re feeling extra spicy, you can throw in a N’Zoth too and bring back a whole wall of Voidwalkers for your opponent to stare down.
Call to Arms
Murloc Paladins rejoice, you’re going to like this one. The archetype has been a long favourite of the class and Call to Arms only goes further to establish it as one of the potential strongest in Kobolds and Catacombs, as now you can Recruit three minions that cost two or less for four mana.
That said, Control Paladin could also shine with Call to Arms. We recently saw pro Sanghyeon ‘DDaHyoNi’ Baek use it in his Paladin deck at the Sydney Invitational, although the options he could pull from were fairly limited. The inclusion of Doomsayer also seemed to be a risky option, but it also works as another way to get the board clear minion down if you’re desperate. Here’s one final idea, try it with Millhouse Manastorm – if you dare.
