Hearthstone’s latest expansion arrives in just four days and all the cards have been revealed. Players should be excited—but instead, many are scared.
With a couple of very strong Shaman cards previously revealed and the top current cards for the class avoiding any nerfs, players were already concerned about the strength of the class.
In last night’s final reveal livestream, we got a glimpse of some downright terrifying Shaman options.
Blizzard
A 7/7 for four mana is probably the most ridiculous body in the game. The Overload is significant but not unmanageable as we have seen in Aggro Shaman, especially with the addition of the Eternal Sentinel. With Big Game Hunter now five mana, if you’re opponent goes second you can play it as an answer. If they play first you have just four mana to try and respond to this. Even if you have a big removal, that’ll just clear the way for them to play a big minion later on.
Say hello to Doctor Four. Because really, Shaman is always going to have this on turn four aren’t they? You can say they might not draw it but they always will. Somehow.
Blizzard
Eternal Sentinel didn’t get as much immediate attention as Faceless, but it’s just as scary. Overload has long been a mechanic that has really held back the development of the Shaman class. But now that the deck has a ton of cheap burn and access to Lava Shock to unlock the Overload we’ve seen Shaman become very relevant at the top of the meta. Adding that Lava Shock mechanic to a good body, a two mana 2/3, is just as powerful. Maybe this is played in addition to Lava Shock or maybe it’s instead of, but this is still an incredible tool for a class that is winning this expansion hands down.
Blizzard
Taking a mechanic from one of the League of Explorers adventure games, Evolve joins Master of Evolution in bringing this powerful ability to Shaman. If you hit even as few as two minions with this, the heal alone is probably worth it. If you get something even more powerful, all the better.
Don’t just take our word for it. Pro players also expressed their fear of the power level of some of these new cards.
Unless the overwhelming majority of pro players, analysts, and commentators are completely wrong, we are headed for a place in Hearthstone where Shaman dominates. Aggro Shaman and Midrange Shaman could both very possibly be top tier decks. The counters will need to come fast, otherwise a constant parade of Shaman on ladder could become stifling very quickly.
