by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Here’s everything we know about the cards that have been revealed, both on the official site and during the exhibition matches during the Foundry event. More analysis coming, and our official spoiler card list will be updated as soon as possible, but for now, here’s what we know:

Hunter:

Lock and Load: We saw this used to great effect during the exhibition matches, giving a Combo-like mechanic to Hunter that is both pretty random and potentially devastating.

Ball of Spiders: It’s a 6-drop that gets you three 1-drop 1/1s who might get you other random useful Beasts after they die. Gonna be honest, not sure how much play this will get.

Mage:

Coldarra Drake: As one of the key cards that seems geared to interact with Hero Power use, this plus Maiden of the Lake was frequently used while Mage was played during the exhibitions. It is a dangerous combination to say the very least.

Effigy: One of the first surprise cards during the exhibition matches, this showed up after a Mad Scientist death and then was a mystery to everyone until the secret actually triggered. Combinations with good Deathrattle minions like the Sludge Belcher or Shredders are likely to be a must if you’re able to control when the secret goes off, but overall it adds a really random and really immediate element to the board.

Fallen Hero: Another key Hero Power combo card, this one gets devastating the more you can drop them on the board. Combine with a Duplicate or Echo of Medivh for devastating effect.

Shaman:

Tuskarr Totemic: Similar to the Mech expansion we saw in GvG, this looks like it’ll play substantially with the set of Totems already in the game in addition to other new Totems that TGT will introduce. Speaking of…

Totem Golem: Seeing a Tuskarr Totemic spawn this twice in a row during the exhibition means that the potential for getting a 3/4 for free is potentially devastating in the early game. The card itself allows for some great early pressure, but as an add from the Totemic? It’s a huge option for Shaman right now.

Thunder Bluff Valiant: It’s a juicy card, but only if you’ve got a number of Totems already in play. Given how fragile they tend to be, this card might not be as powerful as you might think unless you double down on Totems.

Draenei Totemcarver: Kripp and Frodan compared the Totemcarver to a less-expensive Frostwolf Warlord, and that’s a pretty solid comparison. Like the Thunder Bluff Valiant, it gets more valuable if you’re able to keep a board full of totems, but an enemy who keeps board control will make this a dead drop.

Neutral:

Lowly Squire: At one point during the exhibition, there was a dream hand where two Lowly Squires with a coin gave the shaman 2 2/2s and a totem on his second turn. It didn’t last long, but if your opponent doesn’t have an early answer, Lowly Squires could get to be devastating over time, even if they don’t have a passive growth mechanism like the Micro Machine from GVG.

Maiden of the Lake: It was pointed out multiple times that this card specifically can’t reduce the cost of your Hero Power below one; specifically, it changes the cost TO one gem. That said, the comparison to an Oasis Snapjaw that has low damage but high health means it’ll be a resilient card in the early game, potentially to devastating effect when comboed with other Hero Power interactions.

Nexus-Champion Saraad: The new Loatheb or Thaurissan? A very inexpensive Ysera or Nefarian? Either way, this card turned the tides in many of the games where it was used, and at 4 attack it might be rather punishing to remove. If this is a taste of what’s coming with TGT legendaries then I think we’re in for a treat.

Kodorider: 6-drop for a 3/5 that gives you more 3/5s… definitely something that you have to save for when you’ll get additional value from it by using your Hero Power at the same time, but if you’re a mage with a Maiden of the Lake or Coldarra Drake in play then this could get dangerous fast. Like the Lowly Squire, though, this is going to be one of those cards that’s going to have very different usages for different classes based on the Hero Power, and that’s going to really churn up the meta once this expansion hits.

Frost Giant: It keeps with the theme of giants being ludicrously expensive, but it’s also the most accessible giant because Hero Power use is generally a much more forgiving mechanism than taking a bunch of damage for a Molten Giant or trying to turn your opponent’s full minion board into an asset for Sea Giant. A gamechanger, to say the least.

Skycap’n Kragg: Dodds’ initial gags about a Pirates vs. Ninjas expansion really doesn’t seem that far off if you have something like Kragg in play. We didn’t get to see him deployed during the exhibition matches (I imagine he only got revealed because of how much he was showcased in the trailer) but more support for a full-on Pirate deck seems more likely with him as a possibility.

As we learn more about the expansion we’ll definitely be adding to our spoiler list, so keep your eyes peeled.