Article written by SimonkeyIsland.
Today we want to give a little outlook into the year 2023 and above all on what will come to Hearthstone approximately in April (as in every year).
Because: 3 sets will fall victim to the rotation again, the Year of the Hydra will end and a new year will be ushered in!
The three sets from the Year of the Gryphon of 2021 that will rotate out and whose cards will change to Wild are
– Forged in the Barrens
– United in Stormwind
– Fractured in Alterac Valley
And if we take a look at the cards that go with them, there are some that really have an extremely high impact on the meta right now, but won’t be there anymore!
These three sets hide a lot of special cards, namely in the form of Hero cards and Questline cards. Here are some examples:
Now we are talking, right?
But it’s not only about these ones, no!
In addition, there are certain cards that half of the players love to play and the other half doesn’t like at all.
Maybe because you have to play against them….
Cards that have a big impact on the type, the archetype, of a deck.
Cards that make a deck competitive and strong.
And as fate would have it, some players will no longer be able to play these, their cherished decks.
This is the time of the year when the meta will change the most.
You can no longer talk about adding a card here and there from a new expansion to an already existing and functioning deck and removing others that are not as strong.
No, if you look at the cards that are taken out of Standard and know in which decks they are played, you are just by pure looking at this immediately aware of what the rotation will entail.
So here we go:
Rogue will be hit hard because he will soon date without Edwin, Defias Kingpin and Wildpaw Gnoll.
Big Spell Mage without the Dawngrasp(s), Drakefire Amulet and Rune of the Archmage.
Aggro Druid without Pride’s Fury, and especially Ramp Druid without Guff and Scale of Onyxia.
Paladin won’t be left without wounds either. Hero Lightforged Cariel with the weapon that lets only half the damage through plus Cariel Roame will leave.
And Demon Hunter without Kurtus and Jace is hard to imagine.
Warlock without Tamsin Roame and Dreadlich Tamsin? Wow.
Hunter will have to do without Beaststalker Tavish and the Rat King.
Wait, a Priest without Xyrella or Bless?
And so on and so forth.
By the way: Who’s gonna miss Mutanus or Irondeep Trogg?
Celestial Alignment perhaps?
Are you happy when you see these cards and know they will soon be out of play (with the exception of Wild)?
Or are you perhaps annoyed?
Possibly both.
After all, this change holds a lot of potential for exciting new things!
Looking at the ever-growing power level of the cards in the last expansions, you may also get a little scared, that goes without saying.
In any case, you can be curious which new or old archetypes of decks will come with the new expansion including the rotation
Where will the focus of the development team be?
Will the power screw be turned further?
Will there be a new mechanic?
Will the new Death Knight class get a hero card?
Will there be new Questline cards for the classes?
What kind of impact will RNG have? Is there a way to get back to more skill-based wins without randomness?
Given the current meta, many will also be hoping for the return of one or more control decks.
At the moment, the only bright spot is Blood Death Knight.
Otherwise, the end of control decks was heralded with the nerf of Prince Renathal to 35 health for your hero…
Aggro decks are clearly outnumbered. And RNG is still a factor here, too.
Some are happy about this, some are not.
In any case, let’s hope for the power of renewal through the things that will happen in April 2023 and with which all Hearthstone players will be happy.
Until then, a Mini-Set of March of the Lich King will be released and one or the other nerf or buff will happen, too. So: Hope is on the horizon for a different Meta!
You are always welcome to discuss these changes here in the comments or in our HypeHorizen Hearthstone forum on Discord!
But as always: Stay Hype!
