A new Hearthstone year will soon be upon us, and with a new year comes the possibility of major reworks, as well as three uniquely-themed sets to look forward to uncovering. In the spirit of fun speculation, I present the top seven shaman characters from Warcraft Lore that we'd love to see as cards in the next Hearthstone year.

Therazane the Stonemother

This one is at the top of the list for a decent number of people for the simple reason that it would give us a "complete set" of the Elemental Lords. Just as Ragnaros the Firelord, Al'Akir the Windlord, and Neptulon are the elemental lords of fire, air, and water, Therazane is the lord of stone. We've had the other three since the early days of the game with Goblins vs Gnomes, and it's about time we were able to complete our collection from a lore perspective.

Therazane rules from the elemental plane of Deepholm and is less hostile to mortals than some other lords. However, she has no love for them, as her daughter, Princess Theradras, was killed by them on Azeroth. Many other powerful stone elementals are considered her "children" and have proved to be powerful, if somewhat uneasy, allies of the people of Azeroth in times of danger to the world, such as by Deathwing or the Burning Legion.

Rehgar Earthfury

Heads up, these next three cards are all going to be orcs, mainly because orcs have a sizable majority of prominent shaman characters. It's a bedrock of much of their culture, as demonstrated by Thrall being the primary Hearthstone shaman. Rehgar Earthfury is somewhat strange for a shaman, as he began his carrier as a brutal gladiator, only to escape his captors and become a manager of underground gladiator fights himself. At one point, he captured a memory-wiped Varian Wrynn, Valeera Sanguinar, and a night elf named Broll Bearmantle to be his team.

After Varian and his friends escaped, Rehgar retired from his job and offered his services as an advisor to Thrall. While in this role, he was often in conflict with the warmongering Garrosh Hellscream who wanted to crush the Alliance and seize all of Azeroth for the Horde. Rehgar preferred diplomacy and honoring peace treaties. During the time of the Cataclysm, he joined the Earthen Ring, a group of shaman dedicated to healing the world.

Rehgar Earthfury Card Image

Rehgar from the Garrosh Book of Heroes

Drek'Thar

An old blind orc, Drek'Thar was one of Thrall's teachers back in the day and is the leader, elder shaman, and seer of the Frostwolf clan of orcs, from which Thrall was born. Drek'Thar returned to the Frostwolf lands in Alterac Valley, where he continues to lead the Frostwolf clan from the fortress of Frostwolf Keep. While he traveled west to help Thrall found the city of Orgrimmar he returned to his clan's home in Alterac Valley. There, he continuously fights against the dwarven Stormpike Commandos, who also lay claim to the land. Like Thrall and Rehgar, he is a member of the Earthen Ring and their most revered Seer, able to see prophesies of the future.

Greatmother Geyah

Thrall's grandma, Greatmother Geyah is a renowned shaman and the spiritual leader of the Mag'har, the uncorrupted orcs who remained in Outland. These orcs didn't drink the demon blood that turned the rest of the orcs green and enslaved them to the demons and thus were left behind when the Horde left to conquer Azeroth. Ironically, the only reason for this was because they were infected with a serious sickness called the Red Pox and were basically quarantined from other orcs. Geyah was the one who founded this quarantine settlement, determined to care for the ailing rather than abandon them.

After the Dark Portal reopened, Thrall met his grandmother for the first time, as well as Garrosh Hellscream, who had been under her care. It was from her that he first learned his birth name, Go'el. Later, sensing that he had much to learn of shamanism in order to mend the damage caused by the Cataclysm, Thrall traveled to learn under her. Considering herself too old to be an active teacher at this point, Geyah entrusted his teaching to her student Aggra. While disliking Thrall at first, Aggra came to care for him, and the two married later on.

Greatmother Geyah Card Image

Greatmother Geyah from the Garrosh Book of Heroes

Farseer Nobundo

And now we take a break from orcs, as there are, in fact, shamans of other races. Nobundo was the first of the draenei to become a shaman after his body was twisted by the Fel Plague. This plague had been created by Gul'dan using a mixture of the Red Pox and fel magic. The Pox had long ago been created by ogres as a bioweapon that, among other things, left one unable to wield the Light. It was used against the draenei in the early days of the Horde's formation when Gul'dan deceived them into believing the peaceful draenei were a threat to be wiped from the world.

While he had once been a paladin, this loss of connection to the Light caused Nobundo, and other afflicted draenei known as "The Broken", to fall into despair. While others fell further into madness, or even committed suicide, Nobundo constantly prayed, hoping for a way to reconnect with the Light. When his prayers were answered, it was not by the Light but by the elemental spirits of Draenor. They guided him to the mountain peaks of Nagrand and trained him in the ways of the shaman. When he later reunited with Prophet Velen, he introduced shamanism to the rest of his race. Later on, he joined the Earthen Ring to assist Thrall with mending the world.

Magatha Grimtotem

Many shamans seek a relationship of mutual respect with the elements. Many tauren are peaceful people who value honor. Magatha Grimtotem was neither of these. She was power-hungry from her youth, rising to be the leader of the Grimtotem clan of Tauren through an arranged marriage she likely devised herself, followed by the mysterious death of her husband in a suspicious "climbing accident".

A powerful shaman, Magatha prefers to dominate the elements and bend them to her will, something she also wishes to do to the Tauren people as a whole. She arranged for the death of Cairne Bloodhoof by poisoning Gorehowl when Cairne and Garrosh faced each other in a duel. While she thought this would earn her Garrosh's favor, he was angry that she had robbed him of an honorable kill. Taking advantage of Cairne's death, she set out to overthrow his son Baine Bloodhoof, but Baine was warned of the attempted assassination by a Grimtotem known as Stormsong and managed to drive her back. Baine didn't kill her but exiled her and her loyal followers to the Stonetalon Mountains, where they settled.

The New Elemental Lords

Since Ragnaros and Al'Akir were killed by adventurers during the Cataclysm, their roles had to be filled by new elemental lords. In the Firelands, the elemental known as Smolderon claimed the title and is far less hostile to mortals than his predecessor. Likewise, Thunderaan became the new elemental lord of air. Either of these two could become powerful legendary cards for the Shaman class, although their current reigns as elemental lords have been short so far.

Smolderon and Thunderaan, the new lords of fire and air.

What do you think of the seven top picks on our little wish list here? Do you have a favorite you would like to see turned into a Hearthstone Legendary this year? Any suggestions for characters who didn't make it on this list? Please share your thoughts in the comments.