We discussed the new expansion of the game from Blizzard and the most significant cards and strategies.
Long before the entire area succumbed to the Scourge, the Archmage and Master Kel’Thuzad joined the Cult of the Damned (we can guess from their name they weren’t very friendly) and Scholomance became a place to learn. Necromancy, it was a peaceful place where apprentice heroes sought to be instructed and excel in the many arts of combat. All of them had a place in their classrooms: from arcane magic or the druidic and natural connection with the elements to the “simple” and powerful use of an ax.
Our path as apprentices will be full of new companions, lessons and skills that will accompany us in this adventure that has 135 new cards and some other surprises.
Back to school
Any incorporation to a new course requires a minimum prior knowledge and perhaps a little extra effort on our part. After all, despite all our previous adventures, we are newbies to this place.
To help you with that work a bit, this time we bring you a review of the mechanics and cards for each class that have most caught our attention.
Regarding the mechanics of the cards, these are the 3 main novelties:
– Dual class cards: 40 of the 135 new cards that make up the set have the ability to be included in decks of two different classes and combine mechanics of both. The class combinations that we can find are these 10: demon hunter / hunter, druid / shaman, hunter / druid, paladin / priest, warrior / paladin, priest / warlock, rogue / warrior, warlock / demon hunter, mage / rogue and shaman / magician.
– Sudden Magic: ability that certain minions and weapons possess and that activate an extra effect every time we play a spell for the first time on our turn whenever they are in play. Among the extra effects we can find: causing damage to random targets, granting a minion divine shield, casting a spell from our deck or returning cards to our hand.
– Studies: cards with mana cost 1 that allow us to discover a spell or a minion with certain characteristics depending on the class we are playing. Additionally, our next spell or minion played will cost one less mana crystal.
And these are some of the cards whose characteristics make them unique, are curious or have some potential within the future meta.
– Demon Hunter: Glide (Glide)
The truth is that it attracts excessively attention to see a spell of this type dedicated specifically for demon hunters. It gives the impression that it is strange and does not match the type of play typical of the class. Based on aggressive play and direct action from turn 1 to finish off the enemy hero in the shortest time possible, it stands to reason that a card like Plan is going to have a hard time finding its ultimate niche within this class.
However, it is necessary to highlight its very high effectiveness against combo or control decks since it would clean our opponent’s hand and force him to start and reorganize his strategy practically from scratch. It is a letter that almost any other class would appreciate having available.
On the other hand, is it likely that its peculiarity led to the appearance of demon hunters focused on a game more focused on the midrange? We have been able to see more unique things inside the Hearthstone tavern.
– Druid: Lightning bloom
Everyone will remember the havoc that the mythical “Stimulate” card caused in its day. In the beginning, a 0-cost spell that allowed you to gain 2 extra mana crystals during that same turn. Considered to date one of the most powerful cards in the entire game, it was later nerfed due to its potential.
Lightning Flower is Stimulate’s little sister in terms of cost, effect, and, surely once again, power. Despite having the overload effect as a counterpart (we will have 2 less mana crystals to be able to spend next turn), it has an immense ability to summon powerful minions and spells especially in low turns of the game. It’s certainly a card that is here to stay and will be in any druid deck regardless of archetype.
– Wizard: Laboratory Assistant (Lab Partner)
Don’t be fooled by his size, appearance, and poor spell-casting skills.
This little minion has good stats despite only 1 mana cost. His presence at the table from the first turn and his 3 life points make most classes have some trouble getting him out of the way on low turns.
It is a solid card that has a place in any type of deck that also substitutes in a certain way (and very well also) the nerfed mana Wyrm that left a certain hole in the little hearts of all the magicians of Azeroth.
As if that were not enough, it has spell damage, something essential within the spell mage deck and which seems to be one of the most common in the next meta of the expansion.
– Paladin: Enforced Pupil (Devout pupil)
Surely one of the best paladin cards in the entire set.
He has good attack and health stats and the Taunt and Divine Shield mechanics make him an extremely sticky and annoying minion for our enemy but he works great both defensively and offensively if we are lucky enough to have him on our side of the table. .
Its ability to reduce cost for each paladin spell used on friendly characters in the game makes it a perfect combo with all healing spells, stat increase and, especially, libram.
– Hunter: Shan’do Badclaw (Shan’do Wildclaw)
One of the main problems with hunter decks is usually their lack of available resources when it comes to drawing extra cards. This forces you in a way that the potential of each of those new cards that are added to the hand is used to the maximum.
Also taking into account the beast nature that most hunter minions possess, this card ensures that all of our future creatures are optimized.
– Priest: Heartbreaking Illucia (Mindreader Illucia)
Few are the cards within the game that allow us to fiddle, browse and rummage in the opposite deck. But let’s face it … we all like to bring a little bit of chaos and destruction right on our enemy, right?
As long as we play it at the right time, Tearing Illucia gives us the chance to get hold of our opponent’s deck and play it at will for a turn. This makes it tremendously effective whether we play it in low turns to spend cheap enemy resources in aggro decks or if we take advantage of the advance of the game to destroy strategies that are based on combos or control.
– Rogue: Steeldancer (Steeldancer)
The rogue weapons deck has always been in good health and popularity, and it looks like it doesn’t have much intention of leaving just yet. In fact, cards like this Steel Dancer and the new Self-Sharpening Sword confirm that we are going to have even more opportunities to improve and master it.
Its effect alone would already be lethal with all the rogue resources that already exist and allow us to increase the statistics of our weapons or add effects such as poison. But this is multiplied even more in Scholomance Academy taking into account the new additions to our collection such as the already named Self-sharpening sword, the legendary of Doctor Krastinov or the minion Vulpera leaf-blade.
– Shaman: Ras Frostwhisper (Ras Frostwhisper)
This new Legendary minion uses spell damage to increase its destructive potential. As with the Steel Dancer, Ras Frostmourn not only makes a perfect combo with other existing shaman cards but also has the basic spell totem that we can summon with hero power and, in addition, with a new weapon called Runic dagger and it seems that it will be essential in the arsenal of war of any self-respecting shaman.
Taking advantage of that increase in power that spell damage grants him, he will not only be able to clean the enemy minions with each area attack but will also directly damage the health of our opponent.
– Warlock: Lightumbrian Scholar (Shadowlight Scholar)
Is there something more typical in a sorcerer than his taste for exchanging his own pain (and sometimes that of others) in order to gain power and ensure his victory?
Well, that is precisely the work of the Erudite LuzumbrÃa. Giving up the 5 extra points of life that we could get with one of the Soul Fragments that are in our deck, will destroy one of them and allow us to turn it into direct damage on any of our enemies, whether they are heroes or minions.
The balance between her effect, her mana cost, and her attack / health stats also make her a pretty solid minion on the table.
– Warrior: Lord Barov
Thinking about the prototypical style of play of a warrior always leads us to 2 completely opposite conclusions: the extremely aggressive deck based on a constant explosion of damage or the control-type deck that increases its power as the game progresses and endures by cleaning the enemy table and increase your defense by increasing armor steadily.
Taking into account this last style of play and focusing above all on the importance of being able to get rid of all enemy minions, we can assure that Lord Barov will be essential for this task.
Changing the health of all minions to a point when entering play and its low cost means that we can use our remaining mana to perform combos with spells like Whirlwind, dealing 1 damage to the entire table and clearing the way.
