Hi guys! This is my first attempt making a Hearthstone adventure. The work is quite intense so I ask of your understanding should there be any dislikes on any part of the encounters. I myself was a WoW player and used to spend many hours raiding with my guild back in the days. Throne of Thunder is one of those raids that I am more familiar with the encounters. so I picked it as my starting project. I tried to make the Adventure Bosses as similar to the raid encounters as possible so that if you were a WoW player too, you may be able to relate to some of the fights. Of course, if you are a non-WoW player, hopefully you find this adventure something interesting and refreshing. I'm sure there will be many flaws along the way such as the balance and difficulty that will require much improvements. Hence, I would love to have some feedbacks at the end of it, and would greatly appreciate comments on the general concept and flavor of this adventure as whole. Without further ado, LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN...
INTRODUCTION
Emperor Lei Shen, also known as the Thunder King, has returned to wreak his vengeance on Pandaria. It falls to the Heroes of Hearthstone to stop the newly resurrected tyrant and his Zandalari allies in the Throne of Thunder. The Throne of Thunder is a sprawling citadel housing 4 wings of 3 different encounters each, and players that defeat Emperor Lei Shen can earn the opportunity to face an additional 13th foe, Ra-den. Once the young Lei Shen had come of age and commanded his own legion, he announced his intent to awaken the gods. Only his most loyal of followers accompanied him where no mogu had dared treant: into the very heart of the Thundering Mountain, the sacred home of the one the mogu had called their master. What he found was illuminating, the titanic watcher Ra-den, who stood guard over a powerful titan device, the engine of Nalak'sha. Lei Shen claimed over both. It is said that he tore out the very heart of the mogu god. And from that hateful act, he gained power over wind and storm.
THRONE OF THUNDER - 1st WING: LAST STAND OF THE ZANDALARI
1st BOSS: JIN'ROKH THE BREAKER
Background
Jin'rokh was once part of an envoy sent to Stranglethorn Vale in order to stop Hakkar the Soulflayer from escaping Zul'Gurub. This Zandalari troll was a dire troll that aided warriors and paladins with the strength that they would have needed to defeat the powerful loa. After Hakkar was defeated, Jin'rokh and his fellow trolls left Yojamba Isle back to Zandalar. That was until the Cataclysm destroyed their land. He, along with any survivors, made their way back to the main lands to reunite the tribes, and eventually to Pandaria. He has since undergone transformation after being enchanted with powers over the storm by the Thunder King.
When the Thunder King awoke, he rewarded the most loyal and ambitious Zandalari trolls with power beyond their wildest dreams. The berserker Jin'rokh was one of the first to receive the King's blessin, and even though Lei Shen's gifts nearly tore his body apart, the troll is now capable of calling the fury of the storm in battle.
This is a conventional single-phase boss encounter, except that at the start of each of Jin'rokh's turn, he creates a pool of Conductive Water at one of the possible 14 positions in the battlefield. Minions coincidentally or intentionally summoned in the pool of Conductive Water will deal and take twice as much damage. (For example, Jin'rokh summons a Lightning Spark in a pool of Conductive Water, so it charges the opponent for 8 damage instead of 4.)
Strategy
Boss deck contains many AoEs and minions removal spells. And since it is unlikely you burn the Boss health down quicker than he does, a control warrior deck might be suitable for this encounter. The boss has limited damage in his deck and the only minion he summons is Lightning Spark. So just build lots of Armor and survive the fatigue game against the Boss. Cards such as Ravaging Ghoul, Whirlwind, Revenge etc. are nice to have for this encounter against Lightning Spark.
Horridon is a giant direhorn empowered by the Zandalari Beast Ward as an instrument of war. The Zandalari brought powerful creatures with them to the Isle of Thunder to use as engines of war. Led by the War-God Jalak, the dinomancers of the Zandalari Beast War use ancient tribal magics to strengthen the great beasts and command obedience. The horns of Horridon, the fabled mount of Jalak himself, can tear through the stone walls of a keep as a blade cuts silk.
Boss Deck
This boss has no cards in his deck or hand. However, he uses a special card at the start of each new phase.
New cards:
Horridon is a 4-phase encounter that starts off with an additional 25 Armor. This encounter has been simplified as compared to the WoW Horridon encounter. The boss has no cards in his deck and hand. However, he uses his Hero Power, Swipe, at the start of each of his turn. It is similar to a Druid's Swipe. Horridon will always prioritize his Swipe against enemy minions first. If there are no enemy minions in the battlefield, then only he will he use his Hero Power on the opponent's Hero. He empowers his Hero Power into Double Swipe when PHASE III begins.
PHASE I is a normal boss encounter which continues until the start of Horridon's turn 4.
Phase II begins at the start of Horridon's turn 4. At the start of his turn, he will cast RAMMM...!, removing all of his Armor and dealing 10 damage to the opponent's Hero. After which, it continues as a normal boss encounter until the start of Horridon's turn 7.
PHASE III begins at the start of Horridon's turn 7. At the start of his turn, his Hero Power becomes more powerful: Double Swipe. He will also cast Cracked Shell, dealing 10 damage to the opponent's Hero but become much vulnerable. He will be taking twice as much damage until he dies. This continues until Horridon has 15 or less Health.
PHASE IV begins when Horridon has 15 or less Health at the start of his turn. At the start of his turn, he goes into Rampage!, dealing twice as much damage (and still taking twice as much damage) until he dies.
Strategy
Not going to lie, this is going to be a pretty tough encounter, especially when PHASE III begins, which is the start of Horridon's turn 7 because of his new Hero Power, Double Swipe. So to defeat this boss, the player should tap on his vulnerability. Firstly, since Horridon prioritizes his Hero Power against enemy minions first, it might be nice to bring a fast deck that contains many low-drop minions such as a zoolock deck, to soak the damage from his Hero Power. Deathrattle minions such as Possessed Villager or Divine Shield minions such as Argent Squire will definitely help in this encounter. Secondly, since Horridon's initial 25 Armor will eventually be self-destroyed at the start of his turn 4, this means that there is no point in dealing early game damage. The player just needs a small minion each turn to soak the damage from Horridon's Hero Power until the player's turn 5. After Horridon's Armor is destroyed, it becomes pretty much an agro matchup whereby you try to burn him down asap. Though his Hero Power might be stronger at the later stage of the game, do remember that as long as you have irritating minions on the board, he can't really harm your Hero much. Moreover, from your turn 8 onwards, Horridon takes double damage, which means your minions can burn him down even faster. Finally, if possible, try not to let Horridon transit into his final phase (when he is at 15 or less Health at the start of his turn). You can plan your damage in advance, unless it doesn't matter for you.
The history of the troll tribes - the Drakkari, the Farraki, the Amani, and the Gurubashi - is awash with millennia of betrayal and conflict, but the Zandalari's promise of a new, unstoppable empire has finally united these disparate troll leaders.
Boss Deck
Each mini-boss has a unique hand of 5 special cards, which is replenished again whenever he/she becomes the Hero.
This is the final encounter for the first wing of Throne of Thunder. This encounter is made up of 4 unique mini-bosses, namely Kazra'jin, Sul the Sandcrawler, Frost King Malakk & High Priestess Mar'li. Unlike conventional encounters, this special encounter starts off with Kazra'jin being the Hero, and the other 3 mini-bosses summoned as minions in the battlefield. Mini-bosses in the battlefield are Immune and unsusceptible to cheeky removals such as Deadly Shot etc. Only the mini-boss being the Hero during your turn can be targeted. At the start of the next Boss turn, Kazra'jin rotates out into the battlefield as a minion while Sul the Sandcrawler rotates in as the Hero. Their Health pool remains the same as the previous turn. At the start of the following Boss turn, Sul rotates out and Frost King Malakk rotates in as the Hero. At the start of the following Boss turn, Malakk rotates out and High Priest Mar'li rotates in as the Hero. The cycle repeats with Kazra'jin becoming the Hero at the start of the Boss' turn 5, and so go.
While being the Hero, that mini-boss has a unique set of 5 cards in his hand, and he/she will play random cards according to the mana crystals available that turn. He/She also has a unique Hero Power which he/she will may use. When a mini-boss is killed, he/she will buff the other minions in the battlefield with +1 Attack. During each of the Boss' turn, all the mini-bosses will attack normally like any other minions. The encounter is overcome only after all 4 mini-bosses are destroyed.
Strategy
This encounter can be defeated by many different decks. The player just needs to know how the encounter works and what cards/Hero Power the mini-boss will use each turn so that he can overcome the encounter efficiently. Kazra'jin's special card is Overload (reflect half the damage taken by your Hero at the attacker the next turn), which means you might not want to use your minions to deal damage to him, but rather using spells so that half the damage is reflected to your Hero instead. Sul the Crawler's Hero Power, Quicksand, might be something to be taken note of. So during your turn 2, 6, 10 and so on when Sul will become the Hero the next turn, you might consider casting spells or drawing cards instead of playing minions. This is also because he plays AoE removal card like Sandstorm. Frost King Malakk is probably the most 'painful' boss because of the synergy between his Hero Power, Frostbite, and his spell card, Biting Cold. The more frequent Malakk becomes the Hero, the more damage you will take because of increasing stacks of Frostbite on your Hero. Hence, you probably want to save your burst for burning down him down first. Finally for High Priestess Mar'li, the player just needs to ensure he prioritizes killing Blessed Loa Spirit and Shadowed Loa Spirit during his turn, otherwise the earlier will heal all the mini-bosses while the latter might clear your board.
Hi guys! This is my first attempt making a Hearthstone adventure. The work is quite intense so I ask of your understanding should there be any dislikes on any part of the encounters. I myself was a WoW player and used to spend many hours raiding with my guild back in the days. Throne of Thunder is one of those raids that I am more familiar with the encounters. so I picked it as my starting project. I tried to make the Adventure Bosses as similar to the raid encounters as possible so that if you were a WoW player too, you may be able to relate to some of the fights. Of course, if you are a non-WoW player, hopefully you find this adventure something interesting and refreshing. I'm sure there will be many flaws along the way such as the balance and difficulty that will require much improvements. Hence, I would love to have some feedbacks at the end of it, and would greatly appreciate comments on the general concept and flavor of this adventure as whole. Without further ado, LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN...
INTRODUCTION
Emperor Lei Shen, also known as the Thunder King, has returned to wreak his vengeance on Pandaria. It falls to the Heroes of Hearthstone to stop the newly resurrected tyrant and his Zandalari allies in the Throne of Thunder. The Throne of Thunder is a sprawling citadel housing 4 wings of 3 different encounters each, and players that defeat Emperor Lei Shen can earn the opportunity to face an additional 13th foe, Ra-den. Once the young Lei Shen had come of age and commanded his own legion, he announced his intent to awaken the gods. Only his most loyal of followers accompanied him where no mogu had dared treant: into the very heart of the Thundering Mountain, the sacred home of the one the mogu had called their master. What he found was illuminating, the titanic watcher Ra-den, who stood guard over a powerful titan device, the engine of Nalak'sha. Lei Shen claimed over both. It is said that he tore out the very heart of the mogu god. And from that hateful act, he gained power over wind and storm.
THRONE OF THUNDER - 1st WING: LAST STAND OF THE ZANDALARI
1st BOSS: JIN'ROKH THE BREAKER
Background
Jin'rokh was once part of an envoy sent to Stranglethorn Vale in order to stop Hakkar the Soulflayer from escaping Zul'Gurub. This Zandalari troll was a dire troll that aided warriors and paladins with the strength that they would have needed to defeat the powerful loa. After Hakkar was defeated, Jin'rokh and his fellow trolls left Yojamba Isle back to Zandalar. That was until the Cataclysm destroyed their land. He, along with any survivors, made their way back to the main lands to reunite the tribes, and eventually to Pandaria. He has since undergone transformation after being enchanted with powers over the storm by the Thunder King.
When the Thunder King awoke, he rewarded the most loyal and ambitious Zandalari trolls with power beyond their wildest dreams. The berserker Jin'rokh was one of the first to receive the King's blessin, and even though Lei Shen's gifts nearly tore his body apart, the troll is now capable of calling the fury of the storm in battle.
Boss Deck
Spells:
2x Focused Lightning
2x Forked Lightning
2x Lightning Bolt
4x Lava Shock
2x Stormcrack
4x Lightning Storm
2x Elemental Destruction
4x Thundering Throw
Minions:
8x Lightning Spark
New cards:
This is a conventional single-phase boss encounter, except that at the start of each of Jin'rokh's turn, he creates a pool of Conductive Water at one of the possible 14 positions in the battlefield. Minions coincidentally or intentionally summoned in the pool of Conductive Water will deal and take twice as much damage. (For example, Jin'rokh summons a Lightning Spark in a pool of Conductive Water, so it charges the opponent for 8 damage instead of 4.)
Strategy
Boss deck contains many AoEs and minions removal spells. And since it is unlikely you burn the Boss health down quicker than he does, a control warrior deck might be suitable for this encounter. The boss has limited damage in his deck and the only minion he summons is Lightning Spark. So just build lots of Armor and survive the fatigue game against the Boss. Cards such as Ravaging Ghoul, Whirlwind, Revenge etc. are nice to have for this encounter against Lightning Spark.
Reward
2x Focused Lightning
2nd BOSS: HORRIDON
Background
Horridon is a giant direhorn empowered by the Zandalari Beast Ward as an instrument of war. The Zandalari brought powerful creatures with them to the Isle of Thunder to use as engines of war. Led by the War-God Jalak, the dinomancers of the Zandalari Beast War use ancient tribal magics to strengthen the great beasts and command obedience. The horns of Horridon, the fabled mount of Jalak himself, can tear through the stone walls of a keep as a blade cuts silk.
Boss Deck
This boss has no cards in his deck or hand. However, he uses a special card at the start of each new phase.
New cards:
Horridon is a 4-phase encounter that starts off with an additional 25 Armor. This encounter has been simplified as compared to the WoW Horridon encounter. The boss has no cards in his deck and hand. However, he uses his Hero Power, Swipe, at the start of each of his turn. It is similar to a Druid's Swipe. Horridon will always prioritize his Swipe against enemy minions first. If there are no enemy minions in the battlefield, then only he will he use his Hero Power on the opponent's Hero. He empowers his Hero Power into Double Swipe when PHASE III begins.
PHASE I is a normal boss encounter which continues until the start of Horridon's turn 4.
Phase II begins at the start of Horridon's turn 4. At the start of his turn, he will cast RAMMM...!, removing all of his Armor and dealing 10 damage to the opponent's Hero. After which, it continues as a normal boss encounter until the start of Horridon's turn 7.
PHASE III begins at the start of Horridon's turn 7. At the start of his turn, his Hero Power becomes more powerful: Double Swipe. He will also cast Cracked Shell, dealing 10 damage to the opponent's Hero but become much vulnerable. He will be taking twice as much damage until he dies. This continues until Horridon has 15 or less Health.
PHASE IV begins when Horridon has 15 or less Health at the start of his turn. At the start of his turn, he goes into Rampage!, dealing twice as much damage (and still taking twice as much damage) until he dies.
Strategy
Not going to lie, this is going to be a pretty tough encounter, especially when PHASE III begins, which is the start of Horridon's turn 7 because of his new Hero Power, Double Swipe. So to defeat this boss, the player should tap on his vulnerability. Firstly, since Horridon prioritizes his Hero Power against enemy minions first, it might be nice to bring a fast deck that contains many low-drop minions such as a zoolock deck, to soak the damage from his Hero Power. Deathrattle minions such as Possessed Villager or Divine Shield minions such as Argent Squire will definitely help in this encounter. Secondly, since Horridon's initial 25 Armor will eventually be self-destroyed at the start of his turn 4, this means that there is no point in dealing early game damage. The player just needs a small minion each turn to soak the damage from Horridon's Hero Power until the player's turn 5. After Horridon's Armor is destroyed, it becomes pretty much an agro matchup whereby you try to burn him down asap. Though his Hero Power might be stronger at the later stage of the game, do remember that as long as you have irritating minions on the board, he can't really harm your Hero much. Moreover, from your turn 8 onwards, Horridon takes double damage, which means your minions can burn him down even faster. Finally, if possible, try not to let Horridon transit into his final phase (when he is at 15 or less Health at the start of his turn). You can plan your damage in advance, unless it doesn't matter for you.
Reward
2x RAMMM...!
3rd BOSS: COUNCIL OF ELDERS
Background
The history of the troll tribes - the Drakkari, the Farraki, the Amani, and the Gurubashi - is awash with millennia of betrayal and conflict, but the Zandalari's promise of a new, unstoppable empire has finally united these disparate troll leaders.
Boss Deck
Each mini-boss has a unique hand of 5 special cards, which is replenished again whenever he/she becomes the Hero.
Kazra'jin:
5x Overload
Sul the Sandcrawler:
3x Sand Bolt
2x Sandstorm
Frost King Malakk:
3x Biting Cold
2x Frigid Assault
High Priestess Mar'li:
3x Blessed Loa Spirit
2x Shadowed Loa Spirit
This is the final encounter for the first wing of Throne of Thunder. This encounter is made up of 4 unique mini-bosses, namely Kazra'jin, Sul the Sandcrawler, Frost King Malakk & High Priestess Mar'li. Unlike conventional encounters, this special encounter starts off with Kazra'jin being the Hero, and the other 3 mini-bosses summoned as minions in the battlefield. Mini-bosses in the battlefield are Immune and unsusceptible to cheeky removals such as Deadly Shot etc. Only the mini-boss being the Hero during your turn can be targeted. At the start of the next Boss turn, Kazra'jin rotates out into the battlefield as a minion while Sul the Sandcrawler rotates in as the Hero. Their Health pool remains the same as the previous turn. At the start of the following Boss turn, Sul rotates out and Frost King Malakk rotates in as the Hero. At the start of the following Boss turn, Malakk rotates out and High Priest Mar'li rotates in as the Hero. The cycle repeats with Kazra'jin becoming the Hero at the start of the Boss' turn 5, and so go.
While being the Hero, that mini-boss has a unique set of 5 cards in his hand, and he/she will play random cards according to the mana crystals available that turn. He/She also has a unique Hero Power which he/she will may use. When a mini-boss is killed, he/she will buff the other minions in the battlefield with +1 Attack. During each of the Boss' turn, all the mini-bosses will attack normally like any other minions. The encounter is overcome only after all 4 mini-bosses are destroyed.
Strategy
This encounter can be defeated by many different decks. The player just needs to know how the encounter works and what cards/Hero Power the mini-boss will use each turn so that he can overcome the encounter efficiently. Kazra'jin's special card is Overload (reflect half the damage taken by your Hero at the attacker the next turn), which means you might not want to use your minions to deal damage to him, but rather using spells so that half the damage is reflected to your Hero instead. Sul the Crawler's Hero Power, Quicksand, might be something to be taken note of. So during your turn 2, 6, 10 and so on when Sul will become the Hero the next turn, you might consider casting spells or drawing cards instead of playing minions. This is also because he plays AoE removal card like Sandstorm. Frost King Malakk is probably the most 'painful' boss because of the synergy between his Hero Power, Frostbite, and his spell card, Biting Cold. The more frequent Malakk becomes the Hero, the more damage you will take because of increasing stacks of Frostbite on your Hero. Hence, you probably want to save your burst for burning down him down first. Finally for High Priestess Mar'li, the player just needs to ensure he prioritizes killing Blessed Loa Spirit and Shadowed Loa Spirit during his turn, otherwise the earlier will heal all the mini-bosses while the latter might clear your board.
Reward
2x Blessed Loa Spirit
2x Shadowed Loa Spirit
THRONE OF THUNDER - 2nd WING: FORGOTTEN DEPTHS
(Thanks a lot for reading! Stay tuned for a more exciting Second Wing of Throne of Thunder! :D)
Cool, aren't you going to show wing rewards and things like that?
Title is kind of clickbait, though. Since everyone's expecting a real adventure and a "new adventure" in all caps doesn't tell that it's fan-made.
Damn clickbait title -_-
Valar Morghulis
Cool click bait title.
I returned to this game much like how a recovering alcoholic can relapse.