Hearthpwn

As we approach the end of another year (and look forward to the start of a new one) let’s take a look back on everything that happened during the Year of the Mammoth. We saw new expansions and adventures and said goodbye to others. We had 20 new tavern brawls over the course of the year, got three new heroes, and saw the introduction of some powerful new card types. Welcome to Year of the Mammoth in Review, tuck in!

What Cards Did We Lose (From Standard)?

Expansions Released into Wild:

The start of the Year of the Mammoth saw the rotation of three card sets into Wild:

• Blackrock Mountain
• The Grand Tournament
• League of Explorers

Hall of Fame:

Although players are used to the idea of Standard and Wild formats now, and know to expect the loss of certain cards, for the very first time we also saw the loss of cards from the Classic set. At the start of this year we were introduced to the new concept of the Hall of Fame.  

In order to shake things up, and make the game more accessible, six cards from the Classic set were rotated into Wild. (We will be seeing another three cards be inducted into the Hall of Fame when the Year of the Raven starts). 

What Cards Were Changed?

Over the course of the year, in various patches, twelve cards were changed to better balance the game. 

• Bonemare — Mana cost increased to 8 (up from 7)
• Corridor Creeper — Attack lowered to 2 (from 5)
• Dreadsteed — Now reads "Deathrattle: At the end of the turn, summon a Dreadsteed"
• Fiery War Axe — Mana cost increased to 3 (up from 2)
• Hex — Mana cost increased to 4 (up from 3)
• Innervate — Now gives 1 mana crystal (down from 2)
• Murloc Warleader — No longer provides +1 health
• Naga Sea Witch — Mana cost modifier now takes precedence over other mana cost modifiers
• Patches the Pirate — No longer has charge
• Raza the Chained — Hero power now costs 1 (up from 0)
• Spreading Plague — Mana cost increased to 6 (up from 5)
• The Caverns Below — Increased number of minions required to complete quest to 5 (up from 4) 

What New Stuff Did We Get?

New Expansions:

This year Hearthstone players were treated to three full expansions and with the launch of Knights of the Frozen Throne and a new way of approaching releases (see below). All dates shown are for the Americas region, Europe and the Asia received every expansion a day later. 

Journey to Un’Goro

The first expansion of the year, Journey to Un’Goro's release on April 6, 2017 marked the start of the Year of the Mammoth. We got 135 new cards, a new mechanic called adapt, and a brand new card type in the form of quests! 

Oh yeah, and did I mention DINOSAURS? 

Players who pre-ordered card backs were treated to this special card back:

We also got a new game board featuring Un’Goro Crater:

Knights of the Frozen Throne

Released on August 10, 2017, Knights of the Frozen Throne marked the start of some very exciting changes. Not only did we get the expansion, which included 135 new cards, it was also the start of the new release format and marked the first expansion with new rules for opening legendaries in place. 

Starting with this expansion, you no longer open duplicate legendaries (in any card set) and you also will never again get three copies of the same card in one pack! 

Additionally, you are now guaranteed to get a legendary in your first 10 packs of a new set. 

Other new features in this expansion include the introduction of the Death Knight Hero card type, the lifesteal mechanic, and a new hero, Prince Arthas.

Blizzard went all out in the promotion for this expansion…even going so far as to recruit The Lich King himself!

Early adopters snagged this card back for pre-ordering the expansion:

The chilly new board we received with this expansion can be seen below:

Kobolds and Catacombs

The final expansion of the year, Kobolds and Catacombs was released on December 7, 2017. Kobolds and Catacombs started off with bang when Blizzard released the legendary card Marin the Fox to all players for free as a teaser of things to come. When the 135-card expansion was released, it brought with it new legendary weapons for all classes and the new recruit mechanic. 

We also got some extended lore in the form of the Tale of the Fox, which you can read here: part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

We got two card backs this time around. The first is the usual suspect, the card back received for pre-ordering the expansion. And as a bonus, if you complete a Dungeon Run with all nine classes you unlock this special card back. 

The new game board for the expansion:

A New Format Approaches:

Prior to this year, if you asked any Hearthstone player what the release schedule is like for a typical year, they’d tell you that you get three releases, altering between card expansions, and single-player adventures. 

Well friends, that way of doing things is no more! Introduced with the Year of the Mammoth and starting with Knights of the Frozen Throne, Blizzard now releases only expansions. But never fear, adventures haven’t gone away…they’ve simply changed. Now when we get a new expansion, we also get a new single player adventure for free! 

Icecrown Citadel: the free single-player game mode released alongside Knights of the Frozen Throne. In this mission, players fight their way through the Icecrown Citadel culminating in a battle against The Lich King himself. If a player defeats The Lich King with all nine classes, they can unlock the alternate Paladin hero, Arthas. 

Dungeon Run: the new, and very different, single-player game mode released alongside Kobolds and Catacombs. In this mode, players choose a class and battle their way through a series of bosses until they either die or complete the run. Along the way, players build upon their deck (you don’t use any cards form your collection in this mode, your deck is generated as you go, each time you play Dungeon run), and collect loot (special cards that do fun things).

New Card Types:

Quests

Released in the Journey to Un’Goro expansion, Quests are a unique type of spell that grants a conditional reward. So far there are only nine quests in the game, one for each class. Upon completion of a quest’s requirements players are rewarded with either a unique spell, minion, or weapon that cannot be obtained any other way. Quests are powerful cards with powerful rewards, and are usually the centerpiece of the deck they’re built into. Check out the current quests below:

Death Knight Hero Cards

The Hero card type was introduced in the Knights of the Frozen Throne and is a powerful addition to the game. Death Knight Hero cards change your hero into a fearsome Death Knight, give you a new hero power, some added armor, and have a battlecry. For now, the nine Death Knights are the only Hero cards in the game (one for each class) but with the release of the next expansion we will be getting a new Hero card for the Shaman class. Check out all the badass Death Knights below:

Legendary Weapons

Although we have seen legendary weapons before, it has always been in association with another card: Sulfuras, the reward for the Warrior quest, the battle cry of Medivh, etc. For the first time, with the release of Kobolds and Catacombs, not only are there now collectible legendary weapons…but they are for every class! Previously only a few classes had access to weapons as regular cards, and now every class gets to join in the fun. Take a peek below at all the new legendary weapons that were included in the most recent expansion: 

New Mechanics:

Adapt: The adapt mechanic allows players to discover an adaptation from three choices (drawn randomly from a pool of ten options) that enhance the minion it was called on. Adaptations include abilities we are already familiar with such as taunt, poisonous, windfury, etc. Example: Adaptation

Lifesteal: Minions (and heroes) with the lifesteal ability heal themselves in the amount of any damage they do. Example: Prince Valanar

Recruit: The recruit mechanic summons a random minion from the players deck onto the battlefield (it does not trigger any battlecries). Example: Guild Recruiter

New Heroes:

Can you believe we got three new heroes this year? Rogue, Paladin, and Warlock all increased their ranks during the year with new heroes. 

Maiev is obtained through a special quest that was given to players at the start of the Year of the Mammoth (new players will receive the quest, even if they weren’t around for the initial release). In order to complete the quest, players must win 10 games in Standard. If you haven’t obtained Maiev yet, hurry up! When the Year of the Raven starts your chance will be gone. 

Arthas is obtained by defeating the Lich King in the single-player mode Icecrown Citadel with all nine classes. 

Nemsy can be obtained by participating in a Fireside Tavern Gathering. 

New Tavern Brawls:

The year isn’t quite over, but as of now we have had a total of 20 new tavern brawls during the course of the Year of the Mammoth. Digging into them all is a teensy bit outside the scope of this article (there are 20 of them for crying out loud) but check out the list below and if you want any more information about a particular brawl just click the link to read our coverage of it. 

New Card Backs:

Most card backs are obtained by reaching rank 20 in any given season, but sometimes we get special ones that can be obtained by pre-ordering expansions, completing special challenges, or through special events. Check out all the special card backs from this year below (minus the ones you've already seen above):

The Year of the Mammoth has been another great year for Hearthstone. We got a lot of awesome new cards, including some truly powerful and game changing new card types. We had a whopping 20 (so far) new tavern brawls to enjoy. And we got two new and free single player modes. 

What did you like most about the Year of the Mammoth? If you want to see what the rest of the community thinks, don’t forget to check out the Community Choice Awards for this year. 

What about next year, what are looking forward to the most about the Year of the Raven? Let us know in the comments below!