Reviews
One Night in Karazhan is bringing some of the most fondly-remembered boss fights from World of Warcraft into Hearthstone and, while they’re always fun challenge, it’s the cards they award that make a lasting impact on the game. While adventures introduce significantly less cards than card packs, just one or two especially good cards can turn the entire game on its head (e.g. Undertaker, Grim Patron, Tunnel Trogg).
Let’s go over some of the new cards that have been revealed and see where the game may be going with this update. Be sure to also check out the announcement article which briefly discusses three more new cards that won’t be examined here.
One of the themes for new cards being introduced with this expansion are the portals. There will be five different portal cards, each for a different class and each with a different effect, and the Firelands Portal will be the first one you get as one of three cards rewarded from the free prologue mission. For constructed play, this portal probably won’t see play as a simple Fireball is much more reliable in most situations.
In Arena, however, this takes Mage from being incredibly strong to outright broken. Having strong removal and a strong summon combined into a single card is incredibly powerful in Arena’s playstyle, even for 7 mana, and the fact that this is a common card is bound to make Arena Mage’s almost impossible to beat. It wouldn’t be so bad if it had just been made a Rare card, and Arena is the only place where rarity of adventure cards has any impact. It’s just another friendly reminder that the Hearthstone developers don’t play their own game.
To play Moroes, you’re first going to need a meta-shift where everyone stops playing board control cards. Once people stop putting cards like Flamestrike, Ravaging Ghoul, Lightning Storm, Explosive Trap, and Consecration, then Moroes can finally find a spot in your deck as a worse Imp Master. Granted, there are cards like Steward of Darkshire and Hobgoblin (at least in Wild) that Moroes can synergize with and we may get another card along the same lines in this expansion, but there’s no chance Moroes will ever see competitive-level play.
This is an interesting inclusion, although its viability is a tough call. It’s essentially a defensive version of Unleash the Hounds and that could be a potent play. It’s a card that demands your opponent’s attention and could turn the pace of the game in your favor. However, it’s highly vulnerable to AoE effects like the ones I mentioned under Moroes and that alone could render it unplayable. It’s usefulness is going to rely heavily on the current meta, but it should be able to find its niche. It should at least be a handy Arena card with how much room it gives you to turn the tide.
This is easily the coolest new card being added to the game and the best part is that he’s free to everyone with the prologue mission. That’s very important as his biggest benefit is that he’ll allow new players and those playing on a budget to play around with legendaries they haven’t collected yet. He’s also a neutral demon with a lot of viability, so we may actually see Sacrificial Pact enter the meta. Finally, he has a new type of effect that automatically triggers at the start of the game just from having him in your deck. That’s a fascinating ability and there’s plenty of potential for more cards that work along the same line.
Hey, have you heard of this new game called Chronicle: Runescape Legends? It’s a really cool digital card game with great production values and a unique premise. Instead of summoning monsters to fight for you, you battle your own creatures and create your own mini-adventure with the goal of growing stronger than your opponent for a final battle at the end. It’s free-to-play and you can check it out for yourself here. Maybe it will have the decency not to sell playable versions of underpowered cards.
Okay, so One Night in Karazhan isn’t exactly getting off on the right foot with some of it’s early reveals, but there are some really good cards mixed in. Sadly, aside from a couple of really cool legendaries, this is looking to be the weakest adventure yet in terms of meta-shift. There are still plenty more cards left to reveal and we may see something grand emerge down the line, but I’ve never wanted to switch to a different card game more than after seeing some of the terribly designed cards featured above. At least the boss fights should be fun.
What are your thoughts on One Night in Karazhan? Which of the new cards is your favorite? Which one most needs to be thrown on a bonfire? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
