The new Patch 23.6 has brought us a couple of unexpected surprises (although you could say that Hearthstone developers had teased something) for Arena, largely good with a small side of bad. The bad part has to do with the fact that there is already a new season commencing all of a sudden, and this time we were given absolutely no warning well in advance. So if you've already patched your Battle.net clients and you didn't have a run in progress (or it wasn't sitting at 2 losses), you might've lost out on some free rewards and a Tavern Ticket. Mobile users might still stand a chance to benefit if their desktop version hasn't been already updated! 

But perhaps the fresh time-limited flavorful Arena addition can sweeten the deal. First things first, there is this new rotation as follows: 

Quote From Blizzard

Arena Updates

When Patch 23.6 launches, all current Arena runs will end and a new Arena season will begin. The eligible card sets will rotate so that the following sets will make up the Arena card pool:

  • Core
  • The Boomsday Project
  • Descent of Dragons
  • Forged in the Barrens
  • United in Stormwind
  • Fractured in Alterac Valley
  • Voyage to the Sunken City
  • Taverns of Time

Wait. Rewind. What was that last one?

Hmm, most curious. Besides the usual set rotation, we've got a rare special event unfolding for the game mode - Taverns of Time! Actually, that's something we've already seen in Arena once upon a time - between June 11, 2018 and July 2, 2018. It's been quite a few years since and the unique flavor didn't really last for long, so it might be a brand new thing for a number of players. Back then, the event also had its own set of special quests rewarding gold and dust (nowadays with the Rewards Tracks in place, these options are no longer the case). 

Quote From Blizzard

That’s Right, Taverns of Time Returns to Arena!

The Arena-only set, Taverns of Time, is returning to Arena with several adjustments to update the set for the game’s current state. Murozond has been removed from the set—he can’t be trusted messing with time, honestly—and many of the set’s other 28 cards have had their costs or stats adjusted.

 

That special iteration of Murozond used to looked like this, for reference. If you're curious what else is there, you can view the old versions of the cards following this link; the patch notes didn't include any of the updated models for us to showcase right now, but we'll be sure to look into that at a later date. According to Modes Design Lead Matt London, the official site should have them all listed by now... or, you know, eventually. 

You should be able to come across any of these Arena-exclusive cards during your drafts.

Excited to see something special and unexpected take place within the confines of Arena, or somewhat disappointed by the sudden new rotation switch? Did you have the opportunity to play the mode during Taverns of Time in the past?