Hearthstone releases its 25th set of new cards today, and hype for the new expansion is at an all-time high. Forged in the Barrens adds 135 new cards to the game and will be accompanied by the biggest Standard rotation to date. The Basic and Classic card sets will be rotating out for the very first time since the game’s release in 2014. They’ll be replaced by an annually curated Core set, meaning that Hearthstone is about to go through its biggest shake-up yet.
Players have sung the praises of the upcoming changes since the Core set was initially revealed in early February. The introduction of a smaller, more flexible set of cards means that some of Hearthstone‘s more annoying staples can finally rotate out of Standard, making room for new decks and strategies. With each of the game’s ten classes poised to receive a brand new pool of cards, the meta is about to undergo a massive shift — which makes it one of the most exciting times to play.
One of the biggest complaints among Hearthstone players is the abundance of random effects and card generation, two features which allow RNG to usurp player agency. Many of the new cards coming to the game will create fewer opportunities for pure randomness to decide the outcome of the match. While some matches will still be decided by a minion randomly generating the perfect spell, those instances are going to be far less common.
Blizzard has treated randomness as a core aspect of Hearthstone‘s identity for a long time, but this change demonstrates a shift away from that philosophy. Competitive players have spent years asking for a deeper, more strategic play experience, and they’re finally getting it. The new cards will allow decks operate more consistently, while leaving room for just enough randomness to keep the game exciting.
While each of Hearthstone‘s classes have had access to many different cards over the years, their core identities have always been defined by their cards in the Classic set. Regardless of which decks an expansion is pushing, they’re usually just old archetypes reinvigorated with new cards. Players already know how to play them because the foundational support cards remain the same, keeping the game from evolving in a meaningful way.
The upcoming rotation is about to change that. Many of the core cards that classes have relied on will be rotating out of Standard, forcing players to come up with new strategies. This also means that facing off against these classes on ladder is going to require learning a new set of counters. Hearthstone is about to feel like a brand new card game, which is an exciting prospect for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Another huge change coming to Hearthstone is the introduction of a spell schools. Most spells in the game will be categorized as one of seven types — Fire, Frost, Fel, Nature, Holy, Shadow, or Arcane —which will enable new synergies. This allows cards to have powerful effects that require more specific triggers, potentially rewarding risky strategies as players fine-tune their decklists.
For example, the new Warlock legendary minion Tamsin Roame has text that reads “Whenever you cast a Shadow spell that costs (1) or more, add a copy to your hand that costs (0).” This effect would have been far too strong if it could have duplicated any spell, but the more narrow effect makes it far more balanced. Warlocks are going to have access to a powerful new tool, while Blizzard will have the ability to reign it in if the card gets out of hand.
With the game’s meta already in its healthiest state in years, the upcoming rotation only promises to improve upon the play experience. Hearthstone‘s radical new changes feel like the start of a new era for the game, making it more approachable than ever before.
Hearthstone is available on mobile and PC.
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