Earlier today, the Hearthstone team dropped a trailer for Escape from Violet Hold, Hearthstone's expansion that will release on July 7th. We now have more information about the expansion itself, including new mechanics and new cards. Let's get into it!
Break the Rules with Rulebreakers!
The Legendary cycle for the expansion focuses on Rulebreakers, Legendary minions that break one of Hearthstone's foundational rules. We have 3 so far:
Chainbreaker Hogger: Duplicates all Legendaries in your deck at the start of your game.
Irida Sinseeker: Destroys your deck, and you get 2 cards at the start of your turn (you still take Fatigue).
Blood Doctor Thal'ena: Gives Death Knight a second Hero Power, which costs 3 Corpses to give a minion +3 Attack.
New Keyword: Prepare
This is a new Keyword that will reduce the cost of a card by the amount of leftover mana (spending it in the process) +1. The effect works by hovering the card over your deck (like Tradeable and Forge), and you'll be unable to play the card that turn.
The cards below are examples of Prepare cards, with Vanessa being able offered for free for logging in right now, with Tunneling Geomancer and Commissary Crook being offered in events later down the line.
New mechanic: Disguise
These cards can be played on either side of the field. If you play them for your opponent, the "friendly" part of the effect applies to them. Disguised Watchman is the only card of this type we've seen so far.
New Card Cycle: Bribes
Those are cards with powerful effects that also benefit your opponent in some way. We've seen two so far: Deadly Bribe and Dark Bribe.
Maiev is back!
Maiev makes a return in this expansion as the Warden of the Violet Hold. She'll now imprison your own minions for a turn and give them +3/+3 when they awaken. Great for playing an expensive minion and making sure it survives until the following turn to do some crazy combo.
Pre-Release Brawl gets an overhaul
The way pre-release brawls work will change dramatically. You'll now only be allowed to use cards from the upcoming expansion, but you'll get access to the entire Common pool for free, and you can use cards from all the classes in a single deck.
Video and Patch Notes
Check the notes below for more information, including pre-order bundles
Quote From Blizzard Launching on July 7, Hearthstone’s next expansion follows a ragtag group of outlaws as they hatch a daring plan to break out of Dalaran’s maximum-security prison. Get ready to Escape from Violet Hold!
In this unprecedented expansion, you’ll break the very rules of Hearthstone with brand new mechanics. Running duplicate Legendaries, sneaking minions onto your opponent’s side of the board, and drawing an extra card each turn might sound illegal, but in this expansion, you’re playing by your own rules.
Be sure to check out the cinematic trailer for Escape from Violet Hold:
And watch the Hearthstone Design Team go in-depth on all the new cards and mechanics coming in Escape from Violet Hold:
The mastermind behind this heist is Vanessa VanCleef, daughter of notorious Defias Brotherhood leader Edwin VanCleef. She's assembling the best of the worst for the ultimate prison break. With magically sealed cells, armored guards, and a prison that shifts into an arcane maze, escaping the Hold is said to be impossible. Vanessa and her crew plan to prove otherwise.
As if the traps and guards weren’t enough, the legendary Watcher Maiev Shadowsong has been summoned as the new Warden. You didn’t think getting out would be easy, did you?
Rules Are Made to be Broken
Every class gets a Legendary Rulebreaker minion that warps a core Hearthstone rule in different ways. They were locked up for breaking the rules, and now Vanessa is pulling strings behind the scenes, arranging prison transfers to assemble the perfect crew and put those talents to work for the breakout. These cards push the limits further than ever before and open up entirely new ways to play.
Hogger’s Flying Off the Chain
At the start of the game, Chainbreaker Hogger duplicates all the Legendaries in your deck. Those one-copy limits? Gone. Hogger turns your strongest cards into double trouble, opening up previously unthinkable strategies.
Take Two Hero Powers and Call Me in the Morning
The Death Knight Rulebreaker is Blood Doctor Thal’ena. Prison doctor by day, vampyr by night, secretly feeding on the very patients she treats. She breaks the rules by unlocking a second Hero Power, Vampyr’s Kiss. It uses Corpses instead of mana, turning raw flesh into raw power.
Draw Rules Void Where Prohibited
In Hearthstone, each player draws one card at the start of their turn. Irida Sinseeker was never a fan of that rule.
This new Demon Hunter Legendary sends your entire deck into the Void and gives you TWO CARDS from it each turn. Use Irida’s Lifesteal to survive Fatigue damage, and take advantage of an empty deck with cards like Eternal Hold or Omen of the End.
New Keyword: Prepare
The new Prepare keyword lets you set up explosive turns in advance. Drag a Prepare card onto your deck to spend your remaining mana and reduce its cost by that amount, plus one. It returns to your hand and can be played on a future turn. For example, if you have three mana left, it becomes four mana cheaper. When you play that Prepared card on a later turn, you can surprise your opponent with a much bigger play than expected!
As a strategic mastermind, Vanessa VanCleef perfectly embodies the new Prepare keyword. With Edwin VanCleef out of the picture, it was his daughter Vanessa who rebuilt the Defias Brotherhood. So when she found herself behind bars, she was the one person with the leadership chops to wrangle a crew of misfits bold enough to orchestrate a breakout.
With a variety of effects at your disposal, Prepare will have you ready for anything when navigating the labyrinth of halls, chambers, and traps that is the Violet Hold.
Case the Hold
The Violet Hold is a sprawling prison full of surprises. Scope out the forbidden artifact lockup, the medical ward, and heavily enchanted containment units holding some very dangerous magical entities. Down in the Demon Vaults, Moragg has been just waiting for a chance to break loose.
Moragg is no mastermind, just an Observer demon who enjoys causing mayhem by opening cells and unleashing other demons. With Prepare, you can unleash them when it benefits you most.
The Warden Initiates Lockdown
Of course, no one is breaking out of the Violet Hold without getting past the Warden. And when things spiral out of control like this, they call in the best: Warden Maiev.
She instantly traps anything you play, locking it down and securing it for one turn.
Then it returns to play with a big buff. It can be handy to protect a card for a turn or let your smaller minions do a few push-ups before going into battle.
Maiev Shadowsong is the warden who kept Illidan imprisoned for 10,000 years. Not exactly who you want guarding the exit when you're trying to fly the coop.
Become a Master of Disguise
With the new Disguised minions, you can, for the first time in Hearthstone history, play minions on your opponent’s side of the board.
For the Warrior class, minions often become enraged when they take damage, so Disguised Watchman’s ability feels right at home on your side of the board.
But if your opponent decides to go low and wide, you can play her onto their board to unleash a sneaky attack.
Bribe Your Way Out
Not every obstacle in the Violet Hold requires brute force. Sometimes a deal is the best way forward. Bribe cards give you a powerful effect while also giving your opponent a little something in return.
Claim Free Cards Early
Psst! Keep this between us, but we’re smuggling you a free Legendary ahead of release. Log in now to claim Vanessa the Ringleader for free and start planning your escape with Prepare.
You can also spring three additional free cards before expansion launch through in-game events. Participate to receive the Prepare cards Tunneling Geomancer and Commissary Crook, and the Bribe card Deadly Bribe. Just don’t let the guards see!
Pre-Release Tavern Brawl
Sneak into the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl to try Escape from Violet Hold early. We’re rolling out a new format* where you build a deck using only cards from the set, and you can use cards from any class together in one deck! Everyone starts with trial copies of all Escape from Violet Hold Common cards**, which you can use alongside any other Escape from Violet Hold cards you open from packs.
The Pre-Release Tavern Brawl starts on June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT, one week before the expansion launches on July 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
* In addition to no class restrictions, there will be no Rune restrictions. The Discover pool includes both Standard and Escape from Violet Hold.
** Access to the Escape from Violet Hold trial cards is temporary and limited to the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl, which starts June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT when Patch 36.0 goes live and ends on July 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT when the expansion launches, after which they are removed.
Pre-Order Escape from Violet Hold Now!
Prepare for the big breakout in Escape from Violet Hold with one of our pre‑purchase options.
Choose the Pre‑Purchase Bundle, the Pre‑Purchase Mega Bundle, or pick up both to receive two free Random Golden Epic Cards from Escape from Violet Hold and unlock the option to purchase the Pre‑Purchase Sequence Bundle containing the Moragg Diamond Legendary Card.
Pre-purchase bundles are available until the expansion launches on July 7.
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle
80 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
10 Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs
1 Random Signature Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
1 Random Golden Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
4 Tavern Tickets (used to enter Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Release Tavern Brawl and play Arena)
High Commander Beatrix Paladin Hero Skin and Card Back
Once a High Commander of the Scarlet Crusade, Beatrix now rules her own little corner of the Violet Hold. She’s built a personal army called the Scarlet Bruisers, just waiting to bust out of their cells.
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Bundle
A strong starting option with a large set of packs and an exclusive card back.
Includes:
60 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
2 Random Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Cards
High Commander Beatrix Card Back
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Sequence Bundle
Purchasing both bundles above rewards you with two free Random Golden Epic Cards from Escape from Violet Hold and unlocks the option to purchase this bundle. It offers top‑tier rewards and the Warlock Diamond Legendary Card Moragg.
Includes:
15 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
30 Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs
1 Random Signature Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
1 Diamond Legendary Moragg Card
Ready to make your Escape from Violet Hold pre-purchase? Hit the button below!
Are you excited for Escape from Violet Hold? What do you think of the new keyword and mechanics? What Hearthstone conventions do you want to see broken next? Let us know in the comments below!
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