We're on a bit of a streak with thematic WCDC prompts, aren't we? I quite like it, it's nice to have a break from matching mechanical identity to a theme and instead flipping that around. I've evidently not been sparking your interest with my own cards, but the ideas some of you come up with to tie a theme together are just so wonderful to me. I can never be sad not to make it when what I'm going up against is so good.

This week, we're looking at games. I know that sounds like what we do every week, but just trust me.

A Successful Experiment

As always, we first look to the winner of the latest WCDC. Congratulations to BloodMefist and their Back Alley Experimenter!

We look forward to seeing what their theme will be!

Fun and Games

The Fan Community Spotlight returns with a new expansion highlight! TheFriendlyEnemy has invited us all to participate in The Arcane Arcade, a gaming arcade set in the magical city of Dalaran and presided over by its magical host, Whizbang the Wonderful!

This set is reminiscent of the fun, interesting takes that Hearthstone has done in the past - such as turning Karazhan into Medivh's Party Tower - but takes full advantage of the divorce between Hearthstone and WoW to really sell a completely new concept. One of the best parts of Hearthstone is that while it can be serious, it also allows you to imagine familiar characters in completely new roles - just as we've seen Kel'thuzad as a Headmaster in the most recent set, so too we can see Toki taking advantage of her powers in this expansion to have fun as a speedrunner.

While I think there will always be a place in Hearthstone to explore those serious aspects of the source material that longtime fans of Warcraft love - Whispers of the Old Gods and Knights of the Frozen Throne are two of my favourite sets they've ever released - it's the non-canon twists on things that really excite me with the possibilities. Sometimes those can even be the best parts of serious expansions - the Death Knight cards were amazing to play with when they first released (if a bit overpowered in some cases) and they're definitely not anywhere close to canon compliant.

Of course, this set does also play into some fantastic tropes and references outwith Warcraft, too. Here's a few of my favourite cards - make sure you check the link above for the full interview, and a link to the full set too!

Added Depth

Our final note is of course the WCDC for this week! Grab a helmet or you'll be swimming with the fishes - unless that's what you want? Click the banner to find out more.