Saviors of Uldum is expected to bring a major shift to the arena meta. The arena staff here at Out of Cards has scored every one of the 126 draft-able cards (no quests!) set to blow through the arena on August 6 in the Arena Impact thread.
Using a 5 point scale, we unanimously scored a staggering 17 card with the top score of 1 (1=best, 5=worst). That’s a record number, destroying the previous record of 7 unanimous 1 scores from Rise of Shadows. In addition to those 17 meta-shaping cards, there are another 62 cards that had an average score of 2. All told, that’s 79 cards that will have an immediate impact on the arena meta if you can add them during your draft.
Here's our highlights for this expansion's new cards that will be entering the arena.
AbusingKel - I Take Candle
Drafting when a new set drops is definitely exciting. I'm most curious about the bucketing of the SoU cards. We've seen in prior sets that a strong, rare/common neutral can dominate the meta, especially if it finds its way into a lower tier bucket. Saviors has plenty of cards that could, if scored too low by Team 5, become auto-picks that warp games. Our quest is to quickly figure out which cards fit that category and be the player with the stronger deck early and often. My picks are Wrapped Golem and Candletaker. Which cards do you think will be the unlikely star?
Sinti - By the Holy Light!
I am very excited for the new rotation as Saviors of Uldum alone will bring an insane amount of top tier cards to the Arena.
One of the strongest cards introduced in the set has to be Pit Crocolisk. A neutral Firelands Portal with a perfect outcome for just one more mana? Yup, that's a card.
With the Arena returning to Journey to Un'Goro in the rotation, oh boy, I've got two words for you - Primordial Glyph! Oh, was that too many words, how about just one word - Fungalmancer! We'll also be seeing our old buddy, Stonehill Defender alongside a weather forecast of Tirion Fordring and Sunkeeper Tarim for August 6th. Paladin is going to do WELL!
Speaking of Paladin, I really cannot wait to play it. If my fellow crusaders aren't happy enough with the return of Spikeridged Steed, Uldum has us covered with a topping of Pharaoh's Blessing. Oh, did you want some more? How about some Dinosize! Oh yeah, this rotation is going to be so goooood. Call in sick on August 6th so you can experience this craziness day 1.
Boozor - The Best Classes
I'll give a quick spotlight on the top 3 classes that are coming out of this expansion.
The class that comes out of the expansion the big winner is probably Rogue. Cards like Pharaoh Cat, Bazaar Mugger, Sahket Sapper, Hooked Scimitar and Plague of Madness are all good to great options for the class. These cards not only provide Tempo, but great value as well, which will be needed in a rotation where high value minions and spells are coming back.
The next class that should get a boost will be Priest. Given 2 more board clears, Plague of Death, gives an inescapable answer to any board state. While Holy Ripple solves the Reborn or smaller bodies. High value minions that will win the game on the spot include cards like Psychopomp, Wretched Reclaimer and Sandhoof Waterbearer. A very scary class given that the next Arena rotation brings back other insanely powerful past cards like Mass Hysteria, Psychic Scream, and Entomb.
To round out the top 3, I couldn't decide between Hunter, or Warrior. Overall both of these classes got some really good and flexible cards. Hunter picks up a nice tempo weapon with Desert Spear which is a mix between Piranha Launcher and Perdition's Blade. Hunter's Pack is just an insane refill card for a class with no refill. Warrior gets a revised Stonehill Defender in Frightened Flunky, a target-able [Hearthstone Card (Multi Shot) Not Found] in Restless Mummy and an upgraded Boulderfist Ogre in Armored Goon. Other powerful notables for Warrior that will surely help the class are Bloodsworn Mercenary and Livewire Lance. Great cards for value and tempo as well. Hunter and Warrior have had a hard time in the last Rotation so these cards surely will help them climb the class rankings.
Thanks to our panel of experts for sharing their opinions on the Arena in Saviors of Uldum.
Let us know what you think about the new cards when it comes to Hearthstone's Arena down below, and don't forget that the new rotation kicks-off with the launch of Saviors of Uldum on August 6th. The new rotation will be updated to:
- Basic
- Classic
- League of Explorers
- Journey to Un'Goro
- Kobolds & Catacombs
- Rastakhan's Rumble
If you're looking for historical data on arena rotations, we're keeping track of them over on the Arena forums. Good luck with your 12 win runs!
![All The Great Dark Beyond Card Reveals for October 12 - Day 2 [Finished]](dark-beyond-reveals-day-2-thumb.webp)
![All The Great Dark Beyond Card Reveals for October 23 - Day 13 [Finished]](the-great-dark-beyond-day-13.webp)
Comments
Not sure if I'm going to enjoy this meta tbh. Too many busted cards and board flips out of nowhere. It will take a while for me to properly adjust I think.
I'm concerned about the same. Priest is going to be especially bad for this, I think.
While I think there is some concern, at least it's not the karazhan meta with every good mage deck making huge tempo swings with 3x Firelands Portal.
Good analysis, looking forward for a great arena experience!
NOICE !
Interesting. I wonder about Hunter, seems like maybe the class will have difficulties if the meta is more control oriented.
Obv bucketing and offering rates can turn any analysis on its head..maybe that is not emphasized enough.
Mage, rogue and druid are inherintly strong against reborn. That might be more important than getting good cards. Priest is good with them, that is also interesting. Reborn does seem strong in arena, so if it is offered a lot (is there a SoU bonus modifier?) this can matter a lot.
I am reasonably sure the new sets are no longer given the appearance bonus.
I agree that hunter may have some trouble. There's going to be a ton of taunts and that can be tough for Hunter.
Not sure what to think of this rotation. I thought that SoU would break the Arena meta with it's good cards, but then I saw what other expansions are also in the mix. Thanks for this article. Can't wait to play!
Bye bye mechs. I'm not gonna miss any of you!
You just wait for next arena rotation ;)
Most mech synergy tools are gone, but still, Tomb Warden says Hi!
Really excited to see this rotation. Reborn will be very good in arena and it's quite plentiful. So many very strong cards coming in with SoU and they'll be alongside a whole bunch of busted Un'Goro cards.