Hearthpwn

Who's That Hero? It's Maiev Shadowsong!

Each of the nine Hearthstone classes was represented initially by a single hero, but since the start of the game we’ve seen more heroes step forward to play card games. I guess you need something to keep you occupied while you wait for the next adventurer to get to your quest line?

This time we’re taking a look at the eighth hero to be added to the game since launch, and the first new Rogue hero – Maiev Shadowsong.

As a fellow Shadow, yes, the glowing eyes are normal.

A Brief History of Maiev – Murder, Mayhem and Malfurion’s Brother

Maiev is a former member of the Sisterhood of Elune, a group of priestesses dedicated to the worship of Elune, the moon goddess. The oldest religious order of the night elves, they’ve been seen in Hearthstone before – the classic card Priestess of Elune is pretty self-explanatory, I guess. Maiev was even briefly the High Priestess of the Sisterhood, when the High Priestess at the time, Tyrande Whisperwind, went missing.

After Illidan Stormrage’s minor betrayal and subsequent imprisonment-for-the-rest-of-eternity-by-Malfurion Stormrage… incident, Maiev gathered a small splinter group of priestesses and charged herself with watching over him, to make sure he wouldn’t escape, as in his attempts to resist capture he had injured Maiev’s brother. These former priestesses became known as the Watchers, and Maiev herself was given the rank of Warden.

Maiev is actually hiding behind that pillar, she’s a very good Rogue.

Fast forward 10,000 years – yes, that’s right, when they said eternal imprisonment they weren’t kidding – and the Watchers have become a sort of police force, tracking down and apprehending dangerous criminals and sealing them in the Barrow Prisons. Only one prisoner has ever managed to escape from them – Illidan, after Tyrande herself broke him out seeking his help.

Needless to say, Maiev was not amused.

Guess you could say she was not prepared for that, eh? Eh? Sorry, I had to.

What followed next was a long and harrowing quest across the land of Azeroth as Maiev attempted to bring Illidan back into custody while he in his own misguided way attempted to help in the fight against the Lich King. Honestly, they could make their own game out of it or something, it was pretty epic. Malfurion nearly sentenced Illidan to death, believing Illidan had caused Tyrande’s death, and Maiev was only too happy to help with the when and how – then and stab-stab-stab – when Kael’thas (don’t worry, he’ll turn up sooner or later and we’ll whip up a bio on him) informed him Tyrande may still be alive. Illidan proceeded to save Tyrande, and was pardoned for it.

Maiev was, once again, not amused.

Well, this looks like a cosy reunion...

Over the course of a novel and a WoW expansion, Maiev plotted with Akama to capture Illidan, was betrayed and subsequently captured herself, but then teamed up with her betrayor-turned-jailor to take the Black Temple and, finally, kill Illidan. Not trusting his now demonic form to remain dead, she took guard over his body and sealed it and his servants the Illidari in the Vault of the Wardens.

That’s the last that was heard of Maiev before the latest WoW expansion, Legion. I won’t spoil anything for any stragglers, but the promo material sort of suggests that…

…Maiev may not be amused.

A Rogue’s Gallery

Maiev does not have many friends among the Hearthstone cast, although she does know a fair few of the big players. As mentioned before, she went on a relentless hunt for Illidan, and while she can’t be pleased that he appears alive and well here, I imagine she’ll get a kick out of his stellar usage statistics.

The heroes Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind also feature heavily in the fantastically written, gripping backstory above, but again, Maiev may not be happy to see the people she once called friends, as both are on much more amicable terms with Illidan than she is. If Blizzard ever does a card-and-hero-interaction update, expect some frosty custom greetings between these night elves. I’m sure 10,000 years of practice means Maiev’s grudge holding is incredible.

I was gonna make a joke, but I was distracted by how nicely these artworks complement each other. #CoupleGoals

Oh, and it’s also entirely possible that Maiev knows the Priestess of Elune, in that way you kind of know someone you used to work with. You know, you think their name is Teri or Tory and they stole your coffee that one time, that sort of deal.

How Rogue can you go?

Maiev has played many roles in her life, so why does the role of Rogue fit her best, and why pick her over others to join the game? Having her represent the Priest class isn’t out of the question, but she left that part of her life behind long before the Maiev we see in Hearthstone came to be. One could call her a Hunter, having tracked Illidan relentlessly since his escape, but I imagine some might take issue with the idea of hunting actual people, no matter how evil.

No, Maiev is a Rogue, through and through, not only because of her own abilities, but because her Wardens from Warcraft III are the originators for some of the Rogue class’s most powerful spells – Fan of Knives and Shadow Strike were both abilities of the Warden. Wardens also had the ability to blend in with the shadows, much like the Stealth abilities that Rogues have used in the past to pull off their combos.

You’ve got Maiev!

So how do you enlist this deadly, relentless assassin to help you throw knives at people from the shadows like some sort of Karazhan caterer? Lucky for you, Maiev is one of the easiest alternate heroes to unlock – it’s entirely possible you have her already! After clearing any mandatory tutorial or returning player quests you may have, the next time you log in you’ll receive this rather bluntly named quest.

It’s not like Rogues are known for their subtlety or anything…

From then on it’s really that simple. Just win 10 games in Standard to complete the quest - you can even play the games against a friend if you prefer - and you’ll be rewarded with Maiev Shadowsong! This was part of the celebration of the Year of the Mammoth, and looks set to be available for the rest of the year, but don’t wait on it.

Decked Out

Now that you’ve met Maiev and have hopefully added her to your team, it’s about time you give her a chance to show you what she can do.

Check out the popular decks below and sharpen your knives. It’ll take you a long time to find Illidan on the ladder, but Maiev’s used to waiting.

In-Game Hero Preview

Check out the Warden in-game with our quick preview from when she was released.

Audio of Maiev

Voiceovers and Background Music for Maiev can be found below.