Hearthstone’s latest expansion, Kobolds And Catacombs , introduced my new favorite game mode: the Dungeon Run. Blizzard’s card-game scientists and developers have managed to boil down the classic rogue-like formula into a fun but fulfilling adventure for any player. You don’t need to own any cards to play and if you do manage to beat all eight bosses in one run without dying, you’ll earn a card back.
At the start of each run, you’ll pick a class and get a group of 10 cards, which remain the same for each class on every run. Every time you pick Hunter, you’ll end up with an Oasis Snapjaw, even though you most definitely do not want it. For every boss you defeat, you’ll earn a special group of cards, known as loot, that can contain anything from three Lich Kings to an Azure Drake and Pyroblasts. The cards are always themed together, and makes deck-building a fun and easy breeze.
Remember that every card in your deck is going to get play, so try not to draft the “coolest” stuff, but cards that actually mesh well together. I’ve lost runs because I couldn’t stop myself from drafting Dr.Boom three times, so when I drew him in the early game, I was totally screwed. There are some cards you can’t go wrong with, like Jade's in Rogue and Druid. Getting my Malfurion win was the easiest out all of them — all I had to do was wait to get a Jade Idol and overpower every boss.
After your first and fourth wins, you’ll earn a Treasure card. These are insanely powerful and can turn the tide of battle for a relatively low mana cost. Summon a board of Doom Bots, a 3/15 wall with Taunt, or fill your hands with Legendaries are just some of the secrets that await you inside the tomb. Depending on your deck choice, you’ll want different cards. If you’re building a N’Zoth Priest, doubling your Deathrattles could be fairly useful. Justicar’s Ring , which strengthens your Hero Power and makes it cost one, is unbelievably good on Paladin, Mage and Hunter. If I don’t know what deck I will build, then my favorite go-to passive Treasure is Mysterious Tome, which drops three random Secrets into play.
Each boss you encounter has a set deck that will not change, though it’s hero power will improve the farther into the dungeon you go. Blackseed, who is the hardest boss to fight when he’s seventh because he can evolve anything for zero mana, is a breeze when he’s earlier in the game and needs to pay at least one mana to achieve greatness. Kraxx, Elder Jari and Russel The Bard will be a pain in the neck regardless of when you fight them, but are still beatable.
The A.I. on these bosses aren’t top notch, so don’t be surprised if you win a game you expected to lose. The absolute dumbest has to be Thaddock The Thief, who runs the Un’Goro Crystal Caverns deck. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to know how to bounce minions after trading or activate the Quest as soon as possible.It makes her kind of pathetic, but it’s not a free win — don’t be surprised if you take the fight without a struggle.
With your deck shaping up nicely, you should have no problem clearing the first five bosses. After that, you’ll need a combination of luck, skill and good cards to advance. I’ve played dozens of runs where I’ve been knocked out by the big, bad, boss and I expect to lose many more. This game mode can be grind, but the fact that it’s so fun makes it not feel like one.
How are you liking Hearthstone’s Dungeon Run? I don’t really want to know.
