Blizzard just posted a huge developer insights blog, talking about class identity and announcing 10 new Classic Cards (of which 2 Basic) being added as replacements for previous Hall of Famed cards. You might be thinking, but we only needed 8 replacements? Well, additionally two new cards will be moving to the Hall of Fame: Vanish and Mind Blast.
Here are the 10 new cards being added to the Classic (and Basic) set in the next major update:
Quote from BlizzardAs Hearthstone expands and more patrons make their way to the tavern, it becomes increasingly important for us to revisit past designs to make sure we are building on the right foundation. Over the past 5 years of evolution and growth, we’ve learned a lot about what makes each of the classes in Hearthstone different and what unique experiences players should have when playing each of these classes. Headed into our next update, we’d like to take this opportunity to outline our current class identity philosophy and to share our thoughts on where we see each class in the future.
Establishing Class Identity
When defining a class’s identity, we’re primarily concerned with staying true to the following three guidelines: adhere to a class’s “fantasy”, define the things the class should excel at, and establish where the class should struggle.
When looking at the fantasy of each class we want to capture the emotion of the class through gameplay. That could mean charging headfirst into battle as a Warrior, wielding devastating magical spells as a Mage, or plotting the perfect combination of moves as a Rogue. Once we know what makes a class tick, we can make better decisions about what cards fit and empower that fantasy.
Establishing stronger class identities serves several purposes. Giving classes better defined characteristics allows us to have more freedom when creating new mechanics. We can push further into the extremes knowing that each class has downsides to balance out new power. It also enables more counter-play when there is a clearer understanding of a class’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, the knowledge that a Druid is weak against big minions lets you start planning your strategy from the start of the match, with little to no knowledge of your opponent’s specific deck.
Class Breakdown
Here’s a brief look into how we currently picture each of the classes:
- Strengths: These are the things that a class focuses on and excels at.
- Limitations: These are aspects that might show up a few times in a class, but they are very limited in power level and the number of cards.
- Weaknesses: These are aspects that a class either doesn’t have or struggles to achieve effectively.
Druid: Attuned with nature, Druids rely on the magic of the wild, massive beasts, and swarms of woodland creatures. Their toolbox allows them the versatility to pivot from defense to aggression. However, they have limited ways to directly clear out enemy minions.
- Strengths: Mana generation, giant minions, minion swarms, card draw, Beasts
- Weaknesses: Destroying big minions, board clear
Hunter: Hunters use their wit, ferocity, and an army of beasts fighting alongside them to destroy their competition. Although they lack in defense, their aggression allows them to push through before they need it. A well-timed Secret or Deathrattle can help them gain clutch advantages against their opponent.
- Strengths: Beasts, face damage, Secrets, Deathrattle
- Limitations: Card draw and generation, board clear, Taunt
- Weaknesses: Healing
Mage: Mages have mastered the arcane arts and use their wide range of spells to take on even the most aggressive of opponents. Their defensive cadre is limited—while a good Mage usually has a useful tool to deal with any situation, a great Mage conjures the right tool when they need it.
- Strengths: Spells (big and small), damage spells, Secrets, board clear
- Limitations: Minion swarms
- Weaknesses: Healing, Taunt, minion buffs
Paladin: Paladins are great champions who support their minions with buffs, healing, and divine shields; however, they are not afraid to get their hands dirty when the time comes. They are methodical, controlling the battlefield through debuffs and focused attacks instead of destructive spells. Strength and persistence are the keys to a Paladin’s victory.
- Strengths: Minion swarms, minion buffs and debuffs, healing, Divine Shield, Secrets
- Limitations: Cost reduction
- Weaknesses: Direct damage spells, destroying big minions
Priest: Priests balance holy light and shadow magic to defeat their opponents. They control a battle’s outcome using powerful spells with situational applications. While not the most aggressive, they are able to generate, copy, and use combinations of cards to create a powerful army.
- Strengths: Healing, narrow but powerful spells, copying, single-minion buffs, Deathrattle
- Limitations: Card draw
- Weaknesses: Face damage spells, multi-minion buffs
Rogue: Rogues hide in the shadows, planning for the perfect time to strike. They may be sneaky and nimble, but they lack strong defenses and regeneration, forcing them to act quickly to incapacitate an opponent. Their innate ability to generate, draw, and burgle cards allows them to build up and execute on many synergies.
- Strengths: Combo cards, destroying individual minions, card draw, weapons, Deathrattle
- Weaknesses: Taunt, healing, board clear, multi-minion buffs
Shaman: Shamans wield the power of the elements along with their trusty totems. While they may not be able to generate resources as quickly as a Mage, they are able to overload their Mana Crystals with lightning, allowing them to ramp up for a burst of power faster than other classes. Shamans are thus rewarded for planning a few turns ahead by tuning their mana curve. Shamans also have strong tools to adapt to many situations. Although they are not as versatile as a Druid’s Choose One cards, they are able to extend their capabilities in ways other classes might not be able to.
- Strengths: Minion swarms, damage spells, Totems, Elementals, Murlocs
- Weaknesses: Card draw, card generation
Warlock: Sometimes sacrifices need to be made for power, and when you get demons involved this is often the case. The Warlock is comfortable with this bond and can manage all their resources (including their Health) in order to defeat their opponent. Their inherent ability to draw cards—with a sacrifice—allows them to keep the power flowing.
- Strengths: Powerful sacrifice effects, card draw, minion swarms, disruption, Demons
- Weaknesses: Face damage spells, big healing
Warrior: Warriors thirst for the battlefield. Primarily a martial class, they incorporate Armor, weapons, and minions to destroy their opponents. The minions who fight alongside each Warrior tend to be bigger and stronger, and they employ Rush and Taunt to control the flow of battle.
- Strengths: Armor, weapons, Taunt, destroying minions
- Limitations: Card draw and generation
- Weaknesses: Face damage spells, multi-minion buffs, minion swarms
Neutral: Neutral cards allow classes to extend their strengths to reach a specific goal with their deck or to make up for some of their weaknesses. For example, a Paladin can add Neutral Murlocs to help them round out their deck, or a Hunter may use a Neutral card that gives them a small amount of healing so they can stay in the fight longer. These cards are generally lower in power level so a class can never completely overcome their weaknesses.
Addressing Identity Issues
As we’ve worked to define what each class should bring to the table, we’ve found several cards that don’t match our established class identities. We’ll continue to adjust the Basic and Classic sets as needed, but for this update we’ve decided to address the following two cards: Mind Blast and Vanish.
While we like Rogues’ knack for getting out of sticky situations with targeted removal, Vanish allows them to effectively clear an entire board. This negates one of their intended weaknesses, reduces our ability to design towards their strengths, and makes it much harder for players to strategize against a Rogue.
Mind Blast gives Priests the ability to inflict a large amount of direct Face damage. We want to limit the amount of damage that Priests are able to deal from their hand, which will allow us to make cards that better emphasize their strengths in controlling the game.
We’ll be replacing these two cards with effects that better speak to their classes’ core fantasies:
For Priests, we’ve added Radiance since we wanted to have a low-cost spell that could be used for tricky spell synergies that also provided a powerful baseline heal for the class. Plaguebringer provides Rogues with another way to destroy minions and further establishes this class as the masters of Poison.
Since these are Basic and Classic cards (and so not subject to set rotation), we want to be careful with their power level so that Hearthstone can continue to feel fresh with each new year. At the same time, we’d like to provide effects that are natural for their class and can be useful in the right circumstances.
Adding New Classic Cards
Over the past several years, we’ve taken steps toward further defining class identities and maintaining a healthy meta-game by moving some over-represented or design-limiting Classic cards into the Hall of Fame, and by adding new cards to this set whenever appropriate. For instance, in 2017 we moved both Ragnaros, the Firelord and Sylvanas Windrunner to the Hall of Fame, and we’ve more recently done the same for Divine Favor, Ice Block, and several other cards. Leading up to the release of Rastakhan’s Rumble in 2018, we also introduced some new cards to the Classic set, such as Pilfer, Icicle, and Tome of Intellect.
We’re always assessing the prominence and impact of cards from every set, including Basic and Classic, and will continue to make changes when we believe it makes for a healthier meta-game and a better experience for players. This may come in the form of additions to the Hall of Fame or with the introduction of new cards that we feel bring some fresh new options to players, while still being healthy for the game.
When moving Classic cards to the Hall of Fame, we always look to introduce new cards to this set in order to keep a healthy amount of easily-obtainable cards available to players in Standard format games. We’ve been working for quite a while on some new additions to the Classic set, and we feel that now is the perfect time to bring them into the game.
Here’s a look at the new cards that will be available in Classic card packs (and craftable with Arcane Dust) starting with the next major update:
SI:7 Infiltrator is the best card from this ten. Actually finally they added standard card for dealing with secrets. Brightwing is good as well. Neutral, neither powerful, nor that useless legendary. Whitemane... you never know when next resurrect combo will come, but fortunately it shouldn't be that easy to be used. But the worst card is Gift of the wild. I don't understand why druid receive so many minion buffs... this will result again in some awful agro druid. Righteousenes by itself is not that great, but we never know where it can come handy, so I hope it will not be some OP card. Honestly I don't like this addition too much, we can perfectly pass without this cards at all.
They are cards that apply to the identity of the classes but are generally too weak to see play anyways so they don't matter. Except for SI7 (which is bonkers in wild) and maybe Whitemane.
I like the look of these. Nothing OP and able to wreck the meta, but all could be fun in their own situations. I feel like Hearthstone is trying to tone down power level of standard. Hopefully this leads to more synergistic decks and theorycraft, and less single cards that win games (Deathknights!).
For people complaining that replacement cards are boring/trash, remember that those are cards that will be in standard forever. They aren't supposed to carry strong effect, as otherwise the design space for future expansions will be limited. So we probably shouldn't expect they release a new Shudderwock (though I still hope). I would say developers did a pretty good job in designing these. For all replacement cards they have experimented printing similar effects in the past to make sure the card won't break the game, and at the same time these cards are much more interesting than replacement cards in the past (add a random something to your hand).
Return Lotheb to standard!
Filling all the holes the Hall of Fame keeps making xP
I hope that next expansion brings me hope and joy to play this game again ;/. Seeing my two favorite classes being guted like that, is not cool. Priest, even that is super trash RN, will probably see a lot of playable archetypes in the future. But rogue, seems like blizzard only want people to play aggro rogue, and that is so anoying.
So as I see it out of the 10 new cards we have 6 that will see no play from like rank 18 onwards (including several which are just awful at all ranks), 1 that might fit in small spell mage (although tbh it's probably too weak), 1 rng fiesta, 1 passable tech card, and Kel Thuzzad 2.0.
Honestly better than I expected, there's actually 2 whole cards there I'm excited to see in action. Rogue losing vanish is pretty huge though, guess that class will be sitting out at least the next few months.
No changes in wild (while trying to push wild packs on people) is pretty disappointing. Snip Snap is clearly going to be a longstanding issue there.
Somebody know when will be the changed?
The changed will be the soon.
My only complaint here is that once again, the legendaries are the most powerful out of these cards, which counteracts the "When moving Classic cards to the Hall of Fame, we always look to introduce new cards to this set in order to keep a healthy amount of easily-obtainable cards available to players in Standard format games." idea they had. Whitemane and Brightwing look great though, and will see play.
Druids strength is mana generation? Maybe it used to be but not so much anymore . Id love to see innervate get reverted and hall of famed maybe even wild growth.
All those cards need reverted back. It was a knee jerk reaction to a problem at the time that really didn't exist. Even so i don;t think it would be enough to bring Druid back into the fold of the competitive game. They lost so much in rotation.
With each update it’s like they are telling us behind the scenes that they really don’t want us to be happy with this game lol
High Inquisitor Whitemane Kreygasm
Just what I was thinking
I posted this on the blizzard threads as well:
There are so many things missing or misrepresented here.
TL;DR Blizzards Hearthstone team still has a minimal grasp of class identities and the game needs a rework from the ground up, release a full game update when this is done.
Druids: Built to work with aggressive decks that can also have a great defensive backing. As shown in your own list there are no limitations which means neutral cards are just for flavor. And only 2 weaknesses.
Hunter: pure aggression class that has the ability to create a board presence with spells AND minions with control to back it up. The limitations and weaknesses are supplemented with neutral cards except board clear.
Mage: the spell repertoire is so versatile they can handle any situation. it's only limitation is easily fixed by neutral cards as well as it's weaknesses.
Paladin: they do everything aggro, control, tempo, otk and their only limitation is fixed with neutral cards. True minimal direct damage spells, but do say "destroy big minions" is semantics. The fact they can clear an entire board of 6+ health minions with 2 cards on a single turn or render them obsolete by converting their stats to 1 or 3.
Priest: Intended to have a mix of 'powerful' healing and damage spells. Situational control and manipulation. Card draw is fixed with neutral cards as well as multi-minion buffs. And the fact that you state face damage (which you hof'd) is a weakness you directly contradict the explanation of the class. And the community has stated for years that the only way this class wins is if the neutral cards are strong enough.
Rogue: for a class that is supposed to be calculating and patient they seem to fit the aggro, tempo better than control. The fact you are removing control from them also contradicts the patience factor. They don't have any limitations and the only thing not addressed with neutral cards is board clear (which you hof'd). Oh and you only glossed over the fact that rogues are every class in one through "burgle" cards.
Shaman: Another all around class with no limitations and their only weaknesses are fixed with neutral cards.
Warlock: Probably the only class that has such a unique and specialized class identity. But also has the ability to fit any deck style with no limitations. And it's weaknesses directly reflect the class identity but can also be lessened with neutral cards.
Warrior: The wall class with aggro to push through, similar to druids but a step up this class has better chances of using attrition tactics. But who wants to think like that? This class is aggro, tempo sometimes otk with heavy defense to back it. it's limitations and weaknesses are supplemented by neutral cards except DD spells.
Neutral cards: These are flavor of the month creations, which class can break them faster and easier benefit here. As well after a short time the majority of them get left to be dusted because they don't do enough or don't fit enough of the classes identities.
So many class strengths are shared making individuality moot
Limitations and weaknesses are meaningless for many classes thanks to specifically created neutral cards.
This attempt to give a better understanding of "Class Identity" doesn't give me much faith in the game designers currently. With what I see here I don't know that you guy even do know what the "Class identities" should be after so many nerfs and hofs...
You have the ability as a corporation to get enough resources and you already have the financial backing to create a Hearthstone 2.0 update.
Find real class identities, rework the Class cards and Classic cards to fit those identities. Once that is done BUFFING neutral cards to match those identities will be easier. Nerfing will only be necessary if there is an unintended interaction at a later date.
I agree with your assessment, except I have so little faith in the designers, that I fear a 2.0 would be an even greater disaster.
Thank you, and I have to worry as well that a 2.0 would be a disaster too sadly.
Priest
Limitations: The garbage hurdled together as the base set.