Blizzconline Recap

Blizzconline was one of the first forays into virtual Conventions of 2021. It didn’t go without it’s hiccups, as anyone trying to watch the Metallica show on Twitch would understand. However, we got some solid intel on what to expect going forward. This is all just weeks after we got a preview of the Core Set and Classic mode. Here, we’ll just scratch the surface on the Year of the Gryphon in a quick recap. For further analysis, make sure you check out the 2 weekly HypeHorizen podcasts – Metabreakers and Meta Hype! They will be coming out later this week. In addition to giving us a preview of some of the cards that are coming, Blizz has also told us some of what’s not making it next year. A major Shaman change also made it through, so we have quite a bit to unpack for you.

Shaman

Away goes one of my favorite totems, the Wrath of Air totem (+1 Spell Damage). In it’s place we get the minion-centric “Strength Totem,” which provides +1 Attack to a random other minion on End of Turn. It’s interesting because they seem to be headed in the direction that totems are more minion-centric and are not bringing Bloodlust over to the Core set. They also have a minor buff for some cards, and a new Core set minion, a 3/2 for 1, 1 Overload that has Spell Damage +1. Speaking of that lost Spell Damage, the Barrens also gives Shaman a Legendary with +3 Nature Spell Damage – highlighting that spell re-org that was announced.

Core Set Drops

I’ve already mentioned Bloodlust as being cut. Wrath and Swipe have been confirmed to be dropped from the Druid kit. The dragon Aspects are also out, as new versions of them are dropping. No more Maly OTKs! All that aside, there will be some buffs to old cards and some old favorites making a come back. I can say with confidence that the meta will not be the same once the rotation happens. As a nice little aside, the full core set can be found at https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/cards on March 25th!

Mercs and Perks

A new game mode was also announced. Mercenaries is being described similar to games like Slay the Spire. More details are coming later in the year.

The Rewards Track is also getting a tweak. Ben Lee said in the Q&A session at Blizzconline that many of the levels will be cut in half, so more of a feeling that you’ll be moving up the ladder. He also said they will be buffing some of the rewards and hinted that there would be some surprises announced at a later time. This is great news for newer and free-to-play players, as you’ll be able to build your collection faster. With the addition of the Core set, you should be able to jump in to the action much quicker than before.

Summary

We have lots to look forward to! The HypeHorizen team is super excited about these announcements. Stay tuned to the site for this week’s podcasts. I know Metabreakers has something to say. And it’d be pretty crazy if Meta Hype didn’t have their own great take on the news. Leave a message below and tell me what news you’re most excited for. Until next time, stay HYPE!