At BlizzCon 2014, Blizzard unveiled the 120+ card expansion for Hearthstone, Goblins vs Gnomes. This December-targeted mech-minion based expansion brings with it all the chaos and explosions you’d expect when bringing tinkering gnomes and penchant-for-destruction goblins together, and we’ve got a rundown of the kinds of cards to expect. In addition to the new cards, there will be a new board to play on, with plenty of machinery to fool around with.
Spare parts are a new kind of card, provided by all sorts of cards in the expansion. These one casting cost cards are random when you receive them, and provide a minor bonus when played – one additional health or damage to a minion, for example. These small perks may not seem like much, but they can be a deciding factor in a close battle, and will decide many games when used correctly.
Mechs are the major new minion type, with many cards offering buffs and boosts to these creations. Expect to see mech-based decks as well as decks splashing them around for all sorts of boosts.
Outside of simply being a cool new minion type, we can see some specific, highly useful mech cards that counter certain deck types – the Antique Healbot could be just what you need to shut down an aggressive deck or a mage deck looking to Pyroblast you out of the game. All those Warlocks filling up their hands will live in fear of the Clockwork Giant, the perfect answer to Handlock decks and other decks that look to keep their hands flush.
And the mech madness doesn’t stop there. Perhaps one of the coolest additions to Hearthstone in this expansion is the concept of piloted mechs. These mechs are manned, but players have no idea who’s behind the wheel until they are destroyed. From random two drops and four drops on the basic models to sheer legendary insanity waiting under the hood with Sneed’s Old Shredder, these cards should make for some incredibly interesting games as players are forced to adapt on the fly when Ragnaros pops out from under the wreckage. Or who knows, it could be Loremaster Cho taking a vacation. Things are going to get real chaotic, real fast.
Not to be outdone by the random minion spawns provided by the piloted mechs, the goblins are back in force with far bigger random explosions than we’ve ever seen. Cards like Bomb Lobber and Madder Bomber offer the right randomness at the right time to clear out enemy minions and light the board on fire.
We’ve had a chance to see some of the signature legendaries from the set as well. Mimiron has left Ulduar behind and can now form up with his mechlings to create a monstrous mechanical terror that can attack four times a turn. Mekgineer Thermaplugg brings a legion of Leper Gnomes with him, and Dr. Boom comes with a sizable 7/7 frame and some extremely nasty surprises. And when you want to give both players random golden weapons, Blingtron 3000 is here to steal the show. You can be sure to see players comboing with the Blingtron by destroying the opposing weapon spawn with things like the rarely seen Harrison Jones, or the cheap and versatile Acidic Swamp Ooze.
These are just a few of the cards featured in the expansion, but it gives us a good idea of the core concepts behind the controlled chaos that makes up the next set. Alongside all these neutral any-deck-goes will be class cards, like the Mage’s Unstable Portal (who knows what could come out!) and the Priest’s pint-sized Shrinkmeister. We’ll have to see more next month when Goblins vs Gnomes heads to Hearthstone!
