Classic Cards & Uldum

Classic Cards & Uldum is a Hearthstone patch released on July 1, 2019. It was versioned 14.6.0 with the build number 31761. It was released during the expansion Rise of Shadows

Card Changes

• Windfury Harpy - Received new art.
• Secretkeeper - Received new art and voice lines.
• Eviscerate - Art updated (blood removed).
• Bite - Received new art.
• Deadly Shot - Received new art.
• Headcrack - Received new art.
• Queen of Pain - Name changed from Mistress of Pain and received new art.
• Felstalker - Name changed from Succubus and received new art.
• Pilfer - Effect changed to add a card from another class instead of opponent's.

New Collectible Cards

New cards have been added to the game.

New Druid Cards

• Gift of the Wild - The gift that keeps on living.

New Paladin Cards

• Righteousness - Shield yourself in righteousness! It feels like a warm fuzzy blanket.

New Priest Cards

• Radiance - Because you're worth it!

New Rogue Cards

• Plaguebringer - One sip and you've got the grippe.

New Warlock Cards

• Siegebreaker - Has a side hustle as a siegebroker.

New Neutral Cards

• High Inquisitor Whitemane - No one told her that champions want to sleep in.
• Brightwing - Little faerie dragons are made of sugar and spice and maniacal vice.
• Barrens Stablehand - It’s never Huffer.
• Arcane Devourer - Likes her magic with a pinch of salt.
• SI:7 Infiltrator - What will she destroy? It’s a secret!

Shortcuts

Dalaran Heist Balance Changes
New Classic Cards & Hall of Fame Additions

Official Patch Notes

Quote From Blizzard

 

In this update we’re slathering on sunscreen, refueling our lanterns, and preparing for a trip to dusty tombs and scorching deserts – Hearthstone’s newest expansion, Saviors of Uldum, launches August 6! Read on to find out what changes and additions were just added to the game - including Hall of Fame additions, new Classic and Basic cards, card art updates, and much more!

Pre-Purchase Saviors of Uldum

Be ready to encounter restless mummies, unleash powerful plagues, and discover ancient secrets when Saviors of Uldum, Hearthstone’s newest expansion, launches on August 6!

• Saviors of Uldum Bundle - Get 50 Saviors of Uldum card packs, the Elise’s Journal card back, and a golden Legendary minion from Saviors of Uldum.

• Saviors of Uldum Mega Bundle - Get 80 Saviors of Uldum card packs, the Elise’s Journal card back, a golden Legendary minion from Saviors of Uldum, and the new Druid Hero Elise Starseeker!

PRE-PURCHSE NOW!

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Upcoming Events

• Things are heating up as we lead up to the launch of Saviors of Uldum. Stay tuned for more information on an exciting upcoming event!

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Card Changes

Hall of Fame Additions

Vanish (Rogue) and Mind Blast (Priest) have been moved to the Hall of Fame:

New Basic & Classic Cards

We’ve added the following new cards to the Basic & Classic sets. Players who have unlocked the Basic cards will receive the new additions automatically, while the new Classic cards can be obtained by opening Classic card packs, or by crafting them with Arcane Dust.

Basic Cards:

• Priest Spell: Radiance
• Rogue Minion: Plaguebringer

Classic Cards:

• Warlock Rare Minion: Siegebreaker
• Druid Common Spell: Gift of the Wild
• Paladin Rare Spell: Righteousness
• Neutral Legendary Minion: Brightwing
• Neutral Legendary Minion: High Inquisitor Whitemane
• Neutral Epic Minion: Barrens Stablehand
• Neutral Rare Minion: SI:7 Infiltrator
• Neutral Rare Minion: Arcane Devourer

All players who have the old Basic cards (Vanish and Mind Blast) will receive the new Basic cards (Plaguebringer and Radiance).

• If you have Wild unlocked, you’ll keep Vanish and Mind Blast as Hall of Fame Commons. If not, you’ll receive an equivalent amount of dust.
• Standard decks will have Vanish and Mind Blast replaced with Plaguebringer and Radiance.

For more information on Classic card additions, Hearthstone Class Identities, and the new additions to the Hall of Fame, check out our Dev Insights blog here.

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Card Art Updates

The following cards have received new card art:

• Succubus (now named Felstalker)
• Mistress of Pain (now named Queen of Pain)
• Windfury Harpy
• Secretkeeper
• Eviscerate
• Bite
• Deadly Shot
• Headcrack

Card Consistency Updates:

Pilfer: We’ve updated the card text and functionality for Pilfer to match the recent changes to other “Burgle” cards currently available in Standard.

• Pilfer Old Text: Add a random card to your hand (from your opponent's class).
• Pilfer Updated Text: Add a random card from another class to your hand.

Multi-Target Cards: We’ve updated the following multi-target cards to function even if there is only one viable target on the board. These cards will now also properly trigger when played by random effects such as Yogg’Saron, hope's end.

• Dark Bargain
• Cleave
• Multi-Shot
• Forked Lightning

Tavern Brawl

The Tavern's (almost) Always Open

Downtime for Tavern Brawls has been reduced to 1 hour per week. Tavern Brawls will now begin every week on Wednesday at 9:00 AM PDT and end the following Wednesday at 8:00 AM PDT  (times and dates will vary by region).

Card Backs

 
Elise's Journal

 Game Improvements & Bug Fixes

Dalaran Heist Balance Changes

We’ve made a number of balance adjustments to The Dalaran Heist. For details, see our forums post here.

• Elise's Journal – Acquired from purchasing one of the Saviors of Uldum bundles.
• Matchmaking has been improved for players who are new to Arena mode. These players will be matched against other new players with the same number of wins.
• Fixed an issue where Summoning Portal and Reckless Experimenter's effects were being applied at different timings than other similar cost modification effects.
• Rafaam’s Scheme and Dreamway Guardians can no longer be played if your board is full.
• Shrink Ray and Equality will now behave in a way that’s consistent with Sunkeeper Tarim in regards to stat-buffing aura effects, such as Stormwind Champion.
• Hunting Party will now generate golden cards if it is copying a golden minion.
• Cards generated by Shadowcaster and Sonya Shadowdancer will now receive the bonuses from Magic Carpet.
• Duel! can no longer be cast if both sides of the board are full.
• Wilfred Fizzlebang's cost reduction now works with all card-drawing hero powers.
• Shudderwock now randomly resolves any Discover spells cast by Drustvar Horror.
• Fixed an issue where losing your internet connection while in the middle of editing a deck would sometimes not save the deck changes after you reconnected to the internet.
• Creating Zayle, Shadow Cloak and Whizbang the Wonderful decks should now properly show the card's deck header art instead of the class art.
• [Mobile] Fixed an issue that could cause a blank page to appear if you changed regions while on the sign-in page..
• [Dalaran Heist] Spirit of the Tiger now summons tigers with correct attack and health values while fighting in the Underbelly.
• [Dalaran Heist] Cursed! cards from The Hand of Rafaam will now trigger their visual effects properly.
• [Dalaran Heist] Hero cards that are transformed by Golden Candle will no longer retain their hero power tooltip.
• [Dalaran Heist] Fixed an animation issue related to replaying minions affected by Bribery after they were destroyed.

 

Dalaran Heist Balance Changes

Quote From Blizzard

 

The Dalaran Heist Balance Changes – July 1, 2019

Today we will be applying the following adjustments to the The Dalaran Heist solo adventure:

General
Moved some Normal and Heroic bosses to different difficulty tiers.
Adjusted the contents of the following starting decks:

• Skulker (Captain Eudora)
  ** Removed Stolen Steel and Unidentified Contract
  ** Added Deadly Fork and Eviscerate
• Dead Man’s Tale (Captain Eudora)
  ** Removed Violet Haze and Southsea Squidface
  ** Added Buccaneer and Violet Illusionist
• Kobold’s Desire (Captain Eudora)
  ** Removed Daring Escape and Shadowcaster
  ** Added Dark Iron Skulker and Pogo-Hopper
• Boomin’ (Mr. Chu)
  ** Removed Dr. Boom's Scheme
  ** Added Piloted Shredder
• Disciplined (Kriziki)
  ** Removed Lightspawn
  ** Added Kabal Talonpriest
• Shadows (Kriziki)
  ** Removed Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, and Shadowbomber
  ** Added Crystallizer, Spirit Lash, and Shadow Word: Death
• Visions (Kriziki)
  ** Removed Lazul's Scheme
  ** Added Resurrect

Normal

• Decreased the cost of Whirt the All-Knowing’s Prediction Hero Power to (1)
• Decreased the power of Archmage Vargoth’s deck.

Heroic

• Decreased the appearance rate of Haro Setting-Sun.
• Decreased the power of the following bosses’ decks: Carousel Gryphon, Applebough, Linzi Redgrin, Captain Hannigan, Xur'ios, Disidra Stormglory, Chomper, Anarii Duskgrove, Zuramat the Obliterator, Jepetto Joybuzz, Vas'no, Ranger Ar'ha, Tala Stonerage, and Kara Stamper.
• Increased the power of the following bosses’ decks: Dalaran Fountain Golem, Lieutenant Sinclari, Flight Master Belnaara, Nozari, Dagg Cruelmight, Sharky McFin, Queen Wagtoggle, Dazzik "Hellscream", Draemus, and Madam Goya
• Increased the cost of Applebough’s Apple Toss Hero Power to (3)
• Increased the cost of Captain Hannigan’s Raise the Alarm Hero Power to (1)
• Increased the cost of Chomper’s Chomp Hero Power to (3)
• Decreased the Attack reduction on Haro Setting-Sun’s Darken Hero Power from -2 to -1
• Decreased the cost of Whirt the All-Knowing’s Prediction Hero Power to (1).
• Decreased the cost of Ol' Toomba’s Tales of Fortune Hero Power to (1).

 

New Classic Cards & Hall of Fame Additions Blog

Quote From Blizzard

 

As Hearthstone expands and more patrons make their way to the tavern, it becomes increasingly important for us to revisit past designs to make sure we are building on the right foundation. Over the past 5 years of evolution and growth, we’ve learned a lot about what makes each of the classes in Hearthstone different and what unique experiences players should have when playing each of these classes. Headed into our next update, we’d like to take this opportunity to outline our current class identity philosophy and to share our thoughts on where we see each class in the future.

Establishing Class Identity

When defining a class’s identity, we’re primarily concerned with staying true to the following three guidelines: adhere to a class’s “fantasy”, define the things the class should excel at, and establish where the class should struggle.

When looking at the fantasy of each class we want to capture the emotion of the class through gameplay. That could mean charging headfirst into battle as a Warrior, wielding devastating magical spells as a Mage, or plotting the perfect combination of moves as a Rogue. Once we know what makes a class tick, we can make better decisions about what cards fit and empower that fantasy.

Establishing stronger class identities serves several purposes. Giving classes better defined characteristics allows us to have more freedom when creating new mechanics. We can push further into the extremes knowing that each class has downsides to balance out new power. It also enables more counter-play when there is a clearer understanding of a class’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, the knowledge that a Druid is weak against big minions lets you start planning your strategy from the start of the match, with little to no knowledge of your opponent’s specific deck.

Class Breakdown

Here’s a brief look into how we currently picture each of the classes:

• Strengths: These are the things that a class focuses on and excels at.
• Limitations: These are aspects that might show up a few times in a class, but they are very limited in power level and the number of cards.
• Weaknesses: These are aspects that a class either doesn’t have or struggles to achieve effectively.

Druid: Attuned with nature, Druids rely on the magic of the wild, massive beasts, and swarms of woodland creatures. Their toolbox allows them the versatility to pivot from defense to aggression. However, they have limited ways to directly clear out enemy minions.

• Strengths: Mana generation, giant minions, minion swarms, card draw, Beasts
• Weaknesses: Destroying big minions, board clear

Hunter: Hunters use their wit, ferocity, and an army of beasts fighting alongside them to destroy their competition. Although they lack in defense, their aggression allows them to push through before they need it. A well-timed Secret or Deathrattle can help them gain clutch advantages against their opponent.

• Strengths: Beasts, face damage, Secrets, Deathrattle
• Limitations: Card draw and generation, board clear, Taunt
• Weaknesses: Healing

Mage: Mages have mastered the arcane arts and use their wide range of spells to take on even the most aggressive of opponents. Their defensive cadre is limited—while a good Mage usually has a useful tool to deal with any situation, a great Mage conjures the right tool when they need it.

• Strengths: Spells (big and small), damage spells, Secrets, board clear
• Limitations: Minion swarms
• Weaknesses: Healing, Taunt, minion buffs

Paladin: Paladins are great champions who support their minions with buffs, healing, and divine shields; however, they are not afraid to get their hands dirty when the time comes. They are methodical, controlling the battlefield through debuffs and focused attacks instead of destructive spells. Strength and persistence are the keys to a Paladin’s victory.

• Strengths: Minion swarms, minion buffs and debuffs, healing, Divine Shield, Secrets
• Limitations: Cost reduction
• Weaknesses: Direct damage spells, destroying big minions

Priest: Priests balance holy light and shadow magic to defeat their opponents. They control a battle’s outcome using powerful spells with situational applications. While not the most aggressive, they are able to generate, copy, and use combinations of cards to create a powerful army.

• Strengths: Healing, narrow but powerful spells, copying, single-minion buffs, Deathrattle
• Limitations: Card draw
• Weaknesses: Face damage spells, multi-minion buffs

Rogue: Rogues hide in the shadows, planning for the perfect time to strike. They may be sneaky and nimble, but they lack strong defenses and regeneration, forcing them to act quickly to incapacitate an opponent. Their innate ability to generate, draw, and burgle cards allows them to build up and execute on many synergies.

• Strengths: Combo cards, destroying individual minions, card draw, weapons, Deathrattle
• Weaknesses: Taunt, healing, board clear, multi-minion buffs

Shaman: Shamans wield the power of the elements along with their trusty totems. While they may not be able to generate resources as quickly as a Mage, they are able to overload their Mana Crystals with lightning, allowing them to ramp up for a burst of power faster than other classes. Shamans are thus rewarded for planning a few turns ahead by tuning their mana curve. Shamans also have strong tools to adapt to many situations. Although they are not as versatile as a Druid’s Choose One cards, they are able to extend their capabilities in ways other classes might not be able to.

• Strengths: Minion swarms, damage spells, Totems, Elementals, Murlocs
• Weaknesses: Card draw, card generation

Warlock: Sometimes sacrifices need to be made for power, and when you get demons involved this is often the case. The Warlock is comfortable with this bond and can manage all their resources (including their Health) in order to defeat their opponent. Their inherent ability to draw cards—with a sacrifice—allows them to keep the power flowing.

• Strengths: Powerful sacrifice effects, card draw, minion swarms, disruption, Demons
• Weaknesses: Face damage spells, big healing

Warrior: Warriors thirst for the battlefield. Primarily a martial class, they incorporate Armor, weapons, and minions to destroy their opponents. The minions who fight alongside each Warrior tend to be bigger and stronger, and they employ Rush and Taunt to control the flow of battle.

• Strengths: Armor, weapons, Taunt, destroying minions
• Limitations: Card draw and generation
• Weaknesses: Face damage spells, multi-minion buffs, minion swarms

Neutral: Neutral cards allow classes to extend their strengths to reach a specific goal with their deck or to make up for some of their weaknesses. For example, a Paladin can add Neutral Murlocs to help them round out their deck, or a Hunter may use a Neutral card that gives them a small amount of healing so they can stay in the fight longer. These cards are generally lower in power level so a class can never completely overcome their weaknesses.

Addressing Identity Issues

As we’ve worked to define what each class should bring to the table, we’ve found several cards that don’t match our established class identities. We’ll continue to adjust the Basic and Classic sets as needed, but for this update we’ve decided to address the following two cards: Mind Blast and Vanish.

While we like Rogues’ knack for getting out of sticky situations with targeted removal, Vanish allows them to effectively clear an entire board. This negates one of their intended weaknesses, reduces our ability to design towards their strengths, and makes it much harder for players to strategize against a Rogue.

Mind Blast gives Priests the ability to inflict a large amount of direct Face damage. We want to limit the amount of damage that Priests are able to deal from their hand, which will allow us to make cards that better emphasize their strengths in controlling the game.

We’ll be adding Vanish and Mind Blast to the Hall of Fame and replacing them with effects that better speak to their classes’ core fantasies:

For Priests, we’ve added Radiance since we wanted to have a low-cost spell that could be used for tricky spell synergies that also provided a powerful baseline heal for the class. Plaguebringer provides Rogues with another way to destroy minions and further establishes this class as the masters of Poison.

All players who have the old Basic cards (Vanish and Mind Blast) will automatically receive the new Basic cards (Plaguebringer and Radiance) once this update is live.

If you have Wild unlocked, you’ll keep Vanish and Mind Blast as Hall of Fame Commons. If not, you’ll receive an equivalent amount of dust for all Golden and Non-Golden copies in your collection.

Standard decks will have Vanish and Mind Blast replaced with Plaguebringer and Radiance.

Adding New Classic Cards

Over the past several years, we’ve taken steps toward further defining class identities and maintaining a healthy meta-game by moving some over-represented or design-limiting Classic cards into the Hall of Fame, and by adding new cards to this set whenever appropriate. For instance, in 2017 we moved both Ragnaros the Firelord and Sylvanas Windrunner to the Hall of Fame, and we’ve more recently done the same for Divine Favor, Ice Block, and several other cards. Leading up to the release of Rastakhan’s Rumble in 2018, we also introduced some new cards to the Classic set, such as Pilfer, Icicle, and Tome of Intellect.

We’re always assessing the prominence and impact of cards from every set, including Basic and Classic, and will continue to make changes when we believe it makes for a healthier meta-game and a better experience for players. This may come in the form of additions to the Hall of Fame or with the introduction of new cards that we feel bring some fresh new options to players, while still being healthy for the game.

When moving Classic cards to the Hall of Fame, we always look to introduce new cards to this set in order to keep a healthy amount of easily-obtainable cards available to players in Standard format games. We’ve been working for quite a while on some new additions to the Classic set, and we feel that now is the perfect time to bring them into the game.

Here’s a look at the new cards that will be available in Classic card packs (and craftable with Arcane Dust) starting with the next major update:

Since these are Basic and Classic cards (and so not subject to set rotation), we want to be careful with their power level so that Hearthstone can continue to feel fresh with each new year. At the same time, we’d like to provide effects that are natural for their class and can be useful in the right circumstances.