Hearthstone Witchwood: Analysis and predictions of the cards so far

A few weeks ago, Hearthstone game director Ben Brode got lost in a forest and stumbled upon the next Hearthstone expansion, Witchwood. Only a few cards were revealed at first, but now we’ve entered the start of the main reveal season, and cards are being drip fed to us from random streamers, websites and community influencers every few hours. A new mode is coming with the expansion called Monster Hunt, which appears to be similar to Dungeon Run which was introduced in Kobolds & Catacombs, but for most of the community, the attraction is seeing how the meta will develop and change with the launch of 135 new collectible cards.

Below we’ve selected and analysed the cards we think have promise in standard ranked play, or will be especially powerful in arena. If there’s a card that has been announced but isn’t found in the list below, then we don’t think it’ll be particularly influential in the Witchwood meta.

Hunting Mastiff - Hunter

This 2/1 beast with Echo and Rush utilises both of the new keywords found in the expansion, and is essentially Unleash the Mastiffs with two major benefits. The first is that it’s even costed, so will fit into the new even deck archetype while Unleash the Hounds will utilise the odd role well. The other is that combined with a Cult Master, this can essentially be three or four card draws against a single big target, whereas Unleash the Hounds is only useful against lots of smaller minions. Not to mention the synergy with Scavenging Hyena, we reckon Hunting Mastiff will be a staple inclusion in most Hunter decks.

Houndmaster Shaw - Hunter

The new Hunter legendary isn’t anything to write home about, but the 3/6 statline for 4 mana is a tricky minion to deal with on curve as it is. Combine that with giving all other minions rush, and Hunter is getting more and more ways to deal with a massive board. Not to mention Hunter hardly has anything for the 4 mana slot aside from Houndmaster, Infested Wolf and Dispatch Kodo, which only see play in niche decks currently.

Black Cat - Mage

Azure Drake’s adopted feline child, Black Cat is fantastic if odd Mage becomes a thing. It’s Soot Spewer with a card draw, and when card draw is valued at 1.5 mana, that’s incredible. But if odd Mage doesn’t prevail in this expansion, then Black Cat will see no play whatsoever, just like Soot Spewer didn’t.

Rebuke - Paladin

Rebuke is an interesting one. On one hand, it has the same effect as Loatheb which was a must-include in almost every deck in the pre-standard days, but on the other hand, Rebuke doesn’t have the 5/5 body, or any body at all, to support it. So while Loatheb was often a good tempo play, Rebuke can regularly be a dead draw. Our prediction is that it will see play in aggro Paladin, but not much anywhere else.

Witch’s Apprentice - Shaman

Babbling Book’s croaking brother, Witch’s Apprentice is very cheap spell generation for Shaman, which as of right now, it doesn’t have a lot of. It will likely be included in most tempo and control Shaman lists, and the taunt effect is just a bonus. Hopefully it’ll be more balanced than Babbling Book in Mage, as the lack of damage hero power means it can’t trade into 2 health minions on turn two.

Lord Godfrey - Warlock

Defile was introduced during Knights of the Frozen Throne and has been in almost every Warlock deck since. Lord Godfrey is Defile ramped up to insanity, and for those who can’t be bothered to do the math required for Defile. Two damage to all other minions is very powerful, and if you have a somewhat established board, just like Defile, you can trade minions to enable Lord Godfrey’s battlecry to trigger until the board is clear. And then you’re STILL left with a 4/4 body. This card has the potential to be one of the strongest cards this expansion, and will make Warlock even stronger than it currently is.

Warpath - Warrior

While not the most exciting card this expansion as the effect is identical to Whirlwind, Warpath has the added benefit of Echo. It can be played multiple times per turn to clear a board, and while it’s outright worse than Defile, Warrior is losing Ravaging Ghoul in the yearly rotation so its board clears and Rotface/Acolyte of Pain triggers are dwindling. A solid choice in Arena, and will likely see play in constructed.

Militia Commander - Warrior

A 5/5 with Rush for 4 mana is very powerful indeed, and this will no doubt see play in tempo and midrange Warrior decks. The fact it goes down to 2 attack the turn after isn’t a big deal, as it will be used for the initial 5 damage to a minion, and you’re left with a body afterwards. Compare that to Bomb Squad which is very powerful in Arena, which is only a 2/2 and has the downside of dealing 5 damage to your own face afterwards, and Militia Commander is going to be a must-pick in Arena too.

Rotten Applebaum - Neutral

While it probably won’t see much constructed play, Booty Bay Bodyguard is crying rotten apple flavored tears in in Arena. A solid 4/5 taunt for 5 mana with 4 health going to your hero upon death, and there’s not much to say other than that this is a simple, yet very effective taunt card in Arena.

Muck Hunter - Neutral

5/8 worth of stats for 5 mana is huge, especially when the downside isn’t as bad as something like Fel Reaver or Bittertide Hydra. It can trade on the turn you play it, and if it’s brought into play through Recruit mechanics then the battlecry won’t trigger, essentially giving the minion no downside. Another fantastic Arena card, and could easily see play in constructed decks; Recruit/Big Warrior comes to mind.

Azalina Soulthief - Neutral

One of three neutral legendaries announced, Azalina Soulthief is a very understatted minion for its cost, but has a potentially very powerful effect. The main use we can foresee for this card is as a pseudo-Divine Favor, which is a card that only Paladin has access to. It can completely refresh your hand with the benefit of not drawing from your own deck, so you won’t be any closer to fatigue, and you’ll know exactly what your opponent is hoarding, so you can attempt to play around it, albeit with the exact same cards as they. Every aggro deck would run Divine Favor if they could, but the 7-mana cost may be too much for such a weak minion. We’re leaning to believe most aggro decks will include this as a last ditch attempt to win the game when they’ve exhausted all other options, but it could go either way.

Baku the Mooneater - Neutral

One of the first cards revealed, Baku the Mooneater is a legendary which utilises having only odd cost cards in your deck. Its effect triggers right at the start of the game too, meaning that unlike Justicar Trueheart, you don’t need to wait until turn seven to play your upgraded hero power. The downside of this card is that it’s only a 7/8 beast for 9 mana… not the strongest of statlines, and is essentially a dead draw because it doesn’t have taunt, charge, or any mechanic that makes it impactful when you play it. It will likely be effective in control decks, especially control Warrior, and could be powerful in aggressive decks such as Hunter or Druid, but their success would bank on you not drawing the card whatsoever.

Genn Greymane - Neutral

The other neutral legendary that takes advantage of the odd and even style of decks is Genn Greymane, a cheaper minion with better stats for the cost. While Baku upgrades the hero power, Genn makes it cost one. Arguably not as strong an effect, but as Reddit user /u/Abencoa pointed out, it essentially doubles your chance of curving out. While it won’t be as effective early-game for a class like Priest who has nothing to heal that early, something like Paladin or Warlock can really utilise the effect.

These are all the cards as of March 28th that we think will have a place in the upcoming Hearthstone meta. This analysis didn’t come from a professional player, just someone who has played the game consistently since shortly after its release. Some cards we’ve not mentioned here may well become more powerful as they synergise with other cards that are announced later, but this analysis is based on only what we know so far, along with existing cards.

For more about the Witchwood expansion, check out the official site and keep your eyes peeled on Twin Galaxies for analysis of more cards prior to the expansion reveal at a later date.