It’s been almost a week since Blizzcon and I’m still getting over the shell shock brought on by all the cool announcements. Overwatch is getting a new hero and an amusement park! Starcraft II is going free-to-play! And we finally got to know the details of Hearthstone’s new expansion, Kobolds And Catacombs.
I’m the biggest Hearthstone fan boy you’ll ever meet; I spend hundreds on card packs, waste my free-time doing Arena runs on the subway and refuse to write on anything but my giant Thrall mouse pad. I always keep an eye out for clues to what’s coming next and right now I’m completely blown away. Thanks to the French voice actor leak, we knew that Kobolds were in the set, but this new Dungeons and Dragons theme was entirely out of left field.
The last few Hearthstone expansions, from Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan to Knights Of The Frozen Throne, underwhelmed me, so I’m hoping for something more from this dungeon adventure. Previous sets leaned on gimmicks a bit too much, like the tri-class cards from MSOG and the Death Knights of KOFT. They were interesting cards, but didn’t really add to the core values of Hearthstone, a game where board control and minion placement should be priorities. Without these mechanics, what makes Blizzard’s card game different from the hordes of other clones currently mucking up the app store?
Crushing Walls is the card that gives me hope for Kobolds And Catacombs. Cards that reward minion placement are rare in a game that should be full of them. Dire Wolf Alpha, Flametongue Totem and Defender Of Argus came from the Base set, with Grimestreet Protector following up in MSOG. The mechanic almost feels forgotten, like Team 5 would rather have flashy lights and over-powered spells in their game rather than cards that capitalize on who’s standing next to each other. One of the first spells announced for the new expansion puts my mind at ease, bringing Hearthstone back to it’s glory days. Smart players are going to have to think where they put their minions, if you place a Lich King and Tirion Fordring all the way at the end of your battle line, it could spell imminent death for you.
I’m also a firm believer that the new artifact weapons line will be incredibly useful. These weapons can’t attack but have awesome lasting spell-effects that can turn the tide of battle. For classes that can’t wield Fiery War Axes, it’s a great use for a slot that’s been gathering dust. Aluneth, a Mage weapon that costs six mana and draws three cards at the end of your turn, may not seem very mana-worthy, but I think it has great potential. Mages are going to lose Ice Block, their most powerful card, to the Hall Of Fame next season which means they need to develop a new strategy to win. Without that Secret, there’s no way you’re going to outlast aggro without some serious hand advantage.
The best part, and by far the most unexpected, was the reveal of Dungeons coming to Hearthstone. Fighting through a dragon’s lair or stealing a kobold’s cache didn’t seem like a possibility in a card game. Team 5 has seriously outdone themselves here, creating an entire single-player game mode that has infinite replayability. It sucks that you won’t be able to get gold or packs from the adventure, but I’m sure that won’t stop me from playing. I have always loved the boss fights in expansions and this just feels like an evolution spawned out of that idea, rather than a tacky gimmick forced into a game just to make more money.
How do you feel about Kobolds And Catacombs? Tell us in a message tied to the foot of a carrier pigeon sent to Mount Doom.
