Reviewing Hearthstone's New Paladin Cards Arriving in Forged in the Barrens

The new Forged in the Barrens set has been revealed and it's time to look at all the new cards and look at how Paladin will perform this expansion. We'll be breaking each of the Paladin cards down below.

• You can see all the new cards on our Forged in the Barrens expansion guide.
• Our deckbuilder will let you theorycraft your own decks using new cards before the expansion arrives.
• You can simulate pack openings in our Forged in the Barrens Pack Opening simulator.
• You can do your best Kazakus impression by trying out our Build-A-Golem Simulator.

Keep in mind that this is an early look at the class before we've been able to play with the new cards, so while we try to be as accurate as possible in our predictions of what is to come, no one can perfectly predict the Hearthstone meta.

Paladin Deck Themes in Forged in the Barrens

I gaze into the crystal ball and two themes surge out of the purple mist: Silver Hand Paladin and some kind of Paladin based around a whole lotta' healing (name not clear so early in the divination, but I'll keep you posted).

Silver Hand Paladin's got a good bunch of support in both Barrens and the Core set, the most notable I find to be Pursuit of Justice. It's a welcome change, considering the last big boost to Silver Hand Paladin was building it around Baku the Mooneater, but it seems the extra help it got from cards like Lothraxion the Redeemed in Darkmoon Faire continues into the new Hearthstone Year. It's actually the first time so many cards centered around the Paladin's hero power have been released one after the other, compared to the breadcrumbs offered in the older sets. I don't know if it'll be stronger than Wild's Odd Paladin was in Darkmoon Faire, but I'm hopeful.

The second Holy-based archetype comes from just how many heal-centric cards Paladin is going to have this coming rotation. There's the new Holy Light that reminds me of the old Antique Healbot days, the new Veteran Warmedic which I'll tackle below, the buffed Guardian of Kings, and several other cards from the Year of the Phoenix. It sets Paladin up for a good roster of Control cards almost rivaling the Priest's healing abilities.

Galloping Savior - A Hit-or-Miss Horse

I can most certainly see this card doing well in match-ups against trigger-happy classes such as Rogues, Mages and even Paladins themselves (with all the low-cost card and card reduction they're receiving). Against Control, this is probably not going to do so well - especially if you're fighting Priests that just heal for 10 turns.

I see this card working well for nitrous oxide-pumping aggro decks like Silver Hand Paladin if there's space for it. It provides a bit of defense and some extra face damage. Given how Silver Hand Paladin's whole shtick is to go face with small minions, a pretty... straightforward strategy, opponents might feel safe dishing out more of their removals and other cards in a single turn, knowing they shouldn't expect anything spookier to show up later in the match, and triggering your spell.

That said, it works much better against aggro decks! Sure could've used this Secret in the old Zoo Warlock days, but no matter - if we're looking at a card-slinging meta, this beautiful white steed will find you, wherever you are and will save you for a moment. Of course, this Secret would go from decent to good if the condition went down to only two cards.

Knight of Anointment - A Rare Find!

Magnificent! Ever since the Novice Engineer nerf, it's been hard to find a 1-cost minion that draws a card without frustrating conditions like Meanstreet Marshal. With this Knight, there are now four 1-cost minions with a Battlecry to draw. It's not just any card, of course, so I'll place Mr. Anointment firmly in the Town Crier tier, where you draw a card, but it's something you need to have built around a bit.

I reckon this card is a great fit in any deck that sports at least 4-5 Holy spells. Once again, Silver Hand Paladin can benefit from this the most, given the cheap card cost and the need to burn through your cards at six times the speed of sound to reach that elusive Pursuit of Justice. No matter which way you look at it, Knight of Anointment is solid. 

Conviction - Not Related to Prison

Great card. Enables surprise face damage, counter-play, dodging a Shadow Word: Pain from hitting your Silver Hand Recruit and even gets better over the length of the match!

I see this card doing its best when you're just a few Attack away from destroying a terrible minion such as Scrapyard Colossus, helping you maneuver through tight corners if you're low on removal. Its versatility in a plethora of situations coupled with its nigh-insignificant cost might even make it a contender for nerfs, depending on the success of decks such as (yes, you guessed it) Silver Hand Paladin. It's so well-rounded I'm having a hard time finding a counter to it, aside from weird things like Reckoning. Awesome.

Sword of the Fallen - *sounds of agony*

I'm not sure who fell, and why they still have enough unbroken bones in their hand to cast a Secret, but I think I have a theory: Mysterious Challenger got separated from his horse (Galloping Savior), the horse didn't find him, and with his dying breath, he cast one last measly Secret (or three, if he still had enough bones left to swing the sword thrice).

Sword of the Fallen has decent stats and pulls Secrets out for you each time you attack. The weapon's damage is about as useful as an airbag in a swimming pool; the effect is where the real power of the sword lies.

To recap, in the next rotation, Paladin will have the following Secrets: Galloping Savior, Reckoning, Avenge, Oh My Yogg! and Noble Sacrifice.

If you're looking to pop your Secrets in a more specific situation, I would not recommend using this weapon early on, as the five Secrets above will generate a lot more value if triggered at the right moment, rather than during a random turn. If you just want to cycle through your cards quickly, this weapon is great. It essentially draws three cards and casts them for free (not that they're that expensive to begin with).

Looking at the fifteen 2-cost weapons in the game, I'd say Sword of the Fallen is one of, if not, the best in terms of value generation. Compared to some of the other weapons I linked, however, if your deck is out of Secrets - or cannot pull a Secret out since it's already in play - all you'll have to swing around is a wet noodle.

Soldier's Caravan - Slower than Fiona in the Plaguelands

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this card. A little too... little health to feel "safe" that you're getting value out of it the next turn. Next turn, the Silver Hand Recruits it summons need another turn to attack. You plonk this down on turn 2, and you get to use your Silver Hand Recruits on turn 4. How will they, or the Caravan, survive that long? They're weaker than the plot of Battle for Azeroth.

If you can buff this card enough to survive a turn, great job. If not, I'd steer clear of it. There are better ways to generate Silver Hand Recruits than waiting for 2 turns.

Northwatch Commander - The Secret Rabbit Hole Continues

Decent Spider Tank stats coupled with a beautiful Battlecry. Lovely card. Combine this with Sword of the Fallen and you're golden (and it's no coincidence that's the Paladin's signature color). If the sword increases your defenses, the Northwatch Commander also ensures you're got something to stick to the board!

I'm all for Paladin having a powerful card draw/deck cycle, and it's a bit crazy ol' Uther is getting three such cards in Forged in the Barrens. Just with the sword + commander combo (two of each in your deck), you can casually net eight cards. Awesome. Even more awesome than the Paladin's secret, traditionally weaker than, say, Hunter or Mage ones, have found a new purpose in enabling card draw. I'm livin' for it.

Veteran Warmedic - Holy Macaroni Paladin Gets Some Help

If your character is rooted in finesse, elegance and fine-aged whiskey, you're probably above playing such vulgar decks like aggro Silver Hand Paladin. You live for the refined rather than the... unrefined. Might I suggest the Holy Macaroni Paladin?

Paladins are getting some funky Holy spell school support in the Barrens, and this Warmedic is a prime example. It's actually sort of the only card that grants something from actually casting a Holy spell. The stats are alright, and with the Paladin's pretty remarkable arsenal of low-cost Holy spells, this card could actually work.

It would work best, of course, if you cast several Holy spells in a single turn (which will be easier with the soon-to-be-reviewed Cariel Roame. Now, it's 2/2 Medics with Lifesteal, so don't get too excited; especially since Paladin already has an entire warehouse of healing effects at hand. The Medics, however, are susceptible to buffs like Invigorating Sermon, and a well-planned Veteran Warmedic can spawn a strong board in a single turn.

I have hope for the card, although I hope it won't get lost in that dimension where "cards that could be good in a multitude of decks but aren't the best" disappear.

Invigorating Sermon - Psytrance Churchpop Beats

Invigorating Sermon is what The Mistcaller would call a ripoff, but in his jealousy would fail to see it's a ripoff better than the original. I love this card! We don't see cards that buff things in your deck often enough (although, as I'm writing this, I'm getting several flashbacks of cards that do this exact thing and am no longer sure I have any credibility left).

This card is sort of the counterpart to Pursuit of Justice: While Pursuit buffs Silver Hand summons, Invigorating Sermon buffs cards you play (as well as any Silver Hand Recruits you've got on the board, of course). Now, I'm no numbers scientist, but any +1/+1 buff to minions can be strong enough to swing the game in your favor. In a more extreme case, you can even get an extra Turalyon, the Tenured stat reduction this way, and even convince Judicious Junior to move up a category in the Hearthstone Minion Wrestling Championship. It's a card that doesn't really have any downside or much possibility of counter other than Counterspell. It's simply yet another solid card for Paladins.

Cariel Roame - Figured Out the Name

Cariel = Vodka brand.
Roame = Fancy shoes that connect to your motorcycle.

I'm hoping this will become relevant later on lore-wise.

Cariel joins the club as the fourth Paladin Legendary with Rush to enter the game and brings with her an effect I can only assume will get stronger as more cards are printed.

Solid stats, much better effect usage than Soldier's Caravan, and Divine Shield to boot. Also works as a great enabler for summoning several Medics in one turn with Veteran Warmedic. As it currently stands, I don't see Cariel being a card you build an entire deck around, but if more varied Holy spells are added to Paladins (something like Avenging Wrath would work great) I could see Cariel enabling some great single-turn combos in Standard.

Thankfully, even without its effect, I would still casually plonk this card in almost any deck. You might notice a pattern here, but this card too is solid. Aside from that caravan of losers, Paladin sure is blessed this expansion.

Cannonmaster Smythe - He Makes the Secrets Work It

Finally, another card I can find some negative aspects in. Here's the bad: If your Soldiers are removed in some way other than death, you lose your Secrets. But considering we're going to be using Secrets in ways other than their primary purpose, I suppose this card could fit in if you're willing to sacrifice them against a threat akin to Revolve. It'll even make room for you to cast the same Secret(s) right after.

I could certainly see this card being used in conjunction with Sword of the Fallen, Northwatch Commander and all these other cards required to make Silver Hand Paladin work, resulting in layers upon layers of aggro and card cycling. We'll have to see if the meta will allow for this to succeed, or if Silver Hand Paladin will be just a little too weak to keep up.

Thankfully, with the next rotation, cards like Plague of Murlocs, Plague of Death and The Amazing Reno are going away, so the threat of losing your Secrets will diminish by a lot.

Theorycrafting the Holy Macaroni Paladin in Forged in the Barrens

If you expected me to throw together a deck with Silver Hand Paladin, you should have expected the unexpected!

The Holy Macaroni Paladin employs a total of eleven cards with various levels of healing potential, a healthy dose of removal as well as a bit of card draw. It aims to take several hits and just laugh at the folly of their opponent. It heals a lot, but taking so much face damage might also qualify him to be a tank.

This deck is allergic to Altar of Fire and other such value-destroying effects, as well as, quite possibly, aggro if the user does not have access to a crack of Holy Light in the ceiling. The hope is for the opponent to simply tire of fighting against what could probably be called a glorified Lightwell and simply curl up on the floor and concede. The curling won't be as fast as you would expect if you were, say, a Resurrection Priest, but it should, hopefully, be effective nonetheless.

Closing Thoughts on Paladin in Forged in the Barrens

Overall, I feel good about Paladin's trajectory in the upcoming meta. Even if it won't produce some god-tier deck, most of the cards are quite versatile and can fit in many different deck concepts. I was particularly pleased (and slightly amused) at how Paladin Secrets have received a whole other purpose with card cycling and minion generation - I didn't expect it, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Oh, and, I'm missing a bunch of the cards I threw in my theorycrafted deck, so if someone richer takes it for a spin, let me know how it went!

What do you think about the Paladin's prospects in Forged in the Barrens? Will it soar or will it flop? Let us know in the comments below!

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