Blizzard today unveils the Year of the Hydra, a new Standard Year ofHearthstone. This will see the departure of all three 2020 expansions and introduce a revamped Core set. Find the details below!
Once once more, the time has come to turn to the clock of Hearthstone in the sky, whose big hand is regarding to move up a notch. Get ready to welcome the year of the Hydra! But before that, let’s take the time to come back to the one that just passed in Hearthstone.
Hearthstone and the Year of the Griffin
During the Year of the Griffin, we encountered 10 mercenary heroes, first in the hostile lands of the Horde with Forged in the Barrensthen to the Alliance Capital with United in Stormwindending in an icy conflict in Divided in Alterac Valley. In the Book of Mercenaries single-player content, we followed the stories of these characters and saw them grow stronger, get to know each other, and stand united once morest the Black Dragonflight. In the new Mercenaries game mode, our 10 Mercenaries have been joined by over 65 other iconic characters to bring you a whole new way to play.
Speaking of new gameplay experiences, the year of the Griffon saw the arrival of the new Classic format and the free foundational set. This year will mark the first Core Set update in celebration of the Year of the Hydra, which will open with the release ofIn the heart of the sunken city. We will then say goodbye to extensions Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy and Crazy Day in Darkmoonwhich will leave the Standard format.
Onward to the Year of the Hydra
The Year of the Hydra will begin with the launch ofIn the heart of the sunken city, April 12. This year, our efforts will focus more on enriching and improving existing systems than on creating new game modes. So you will see some comfort changes coming, such as a random model option and an in-game report functionality. , as well as better overall performance. The schedule below illustrates the focus on improving and perfecting the game for the coming year!
The fundamental set above all
For this transition from the year of the Griffin to the year of the Hydra, we want our sets to build on the foundation of a robust core set. We’re happy with the role last year’s foundational set played, but we’re happy to renew it to prepare for the coming year. 57 cards are regarding to leave the basic set, while 72 cards will join it, which will bring the total to 250 cards, 15 more than last year!
We therefore say goodbye (for now) to the following cards, which will not appear not in the fundamental set this year:
Demon Hunter: Ashtongue Lord, Warglaives of Azzinoth
Druid: Enchanted Crow, Landscaper, Keeper of the Menagerie, Druid of Nordrassil, Ancient of War
Hunter: Scavenging Hyena, Webspinner, Bear-Shark, Headhunter’s Axe, Ready to Shoot
Mage: Water Elemental, Mirror Entity, Dead Hero, Drake of Coldarra
Paladin: Holy Light, Pursuit of Justice, Guardian of Kings
Priest: Crimson Cleric, Shadow Shape, Offspring of Light, Temple Massacre, Natalie Seline
Thief: Blade Sector, Patient Assassin
Shaman: Windfury, Unbound Elemental, Grave Draenei Totem, Earth Elemental
Warlock: Dread Infernal, Possessed Villager, Enslaved Fellord, Ritual of Doom
Warrior: Warsong Officer, War Cache, Warsong Outrider
Neutrals: Arcane Anomaly, Argent Squire, Cogmaster, Young Priestess, Mini-Mage, River Crocolisk, Toxicologist, Brightwing, Seer of the Earthen Ring, Flesh-Eating Ghoul, Ice Rage, Injured Blademaster, King Mukla , Spider Chariot, Stoneskin Basilisk, Baron Rivendare, Gurubashi Berserker, Inquisitor Whitemane, Barren Steed, Clockwork Giant
All cards in this list that only exist as Core cards will enter the Legacy set upon release from the Core set, and can be crafted and played in Freeform.
As you can see, not all classes received the same number of adjustments. However, each gains one more card than it loses, and the neutral category receives 5 more cards than it loses, a total of 15 more cards than last year. But a few new recruits stand out:
Yes, the League of Explorers returns to the Standard format! Other popular returning cards include Voidwalker, Savage Pyromancer, Acolyte of Suffering, Mossy Monster, Hooded Huntress, and Fandral Staghelm.
No cards have been created for the foundational set this year, but some new additions and existing cards have received slight tweaks to make them fit for modern play.
Check out our card catalog to see all the cards added to the fundamental set.
The future of Hearthstone’s Mercenaries mode
You may have noticed that the Mercenaries mode only welcomed one new mercenary in the 23.0 update: Murky, the slimy Murloc, available for free in the reward track. And for good reason: the rate at which the mode is updated changes with the year of the Hydra!
Mercenaries Mode will continue to receive events, balance changes, bug fixes, and general improvements with each update, but major content additions will now come in the X.4 Updates. In other words, the next arrival of mercenaries, bounties and tasks is expected in a few months (and it promises to be consequent). This change will allow Mercenaries mode to have its own highlights like other modes, and allow the team to focus more on other types of improvements that the community is asking for.
This year, the team plans to add ways to spend your excess coins, a new high-level system that will put your entire collection to the test, a series of improvements for the task system, more events and regular updates for Bounties, Zones and Mercenaries. The first adjustments to the task system as well as a series of balancing changes for mercenaries are already arriving with the 23.0 update, and this is just the beginning!
Seasons for Battlegrounds mode
Battlegrounds will now be organized into “seasons” similar to the expansion cycles of Hearthstone. These seasons will allow you to better anticipate the inauguration or conclusion of major changes for this mode, whether it is special events, keywords or system modifications. It will all start with the first season of Battlegrounds, when Update 23.2 is released. This will see the arrival of a new keyword, naga minions, new heroes, and more! Going forward, the team plans to continue adding cosmetics to Battlegrounds throughout the year, as well as a mid-year progression system. Stay tuned to learn more regarding the development of these novelties!
The Year of the Hydra will begin with the launch ofIn the heart of the sunken city, April 12! Be sure to check out the Patch 23.0 Release Notes and New Rewards Path for more details.
