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The Witchwood is Hearthstone's First New Expansion for the Year of the Raven

Step into this spooky forest, where everything that steps inside is twisted into something terrifying.

Ozzie Mejia

March 12, 2018 10:30 AM

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Remember old Blair Witch Project-style found footage videos? They're back! In card form! What happens when Hearthstone Game Director Ben Brode and his crew haed into the woods in search of the game's latest expansion? They come back with something terrifying! It's Hearthstone: The Witchwood!

The Witchwood expansion centers around a supernatural forest, in which everything that steps into it is twisted into something frightening. And what could be more frightening than new cards? Let's take a look at some of the samples introduced in the video below:

For those who haven't viewed it, the new expansion includes:

• (7) Azalina Soulthief (3/3): Battlecry: Replace your hand with a copy of your opponent's. (Legendary)
• (6) Genn Greymane (6/5): Start of Game: If your deck has only even-Cost cards, your starting Hero Power costs (1). (Legendary)
• (9) Baku the Mooneater (7/8): Start of Game: If your deck has only odd-Cost cards, upgrade your Hero Power. (Legendary)
• (3) Phantom Militia (2/4): Echo. Taunt. (Rare)
• (3) Pumpkin Peasant (2/4): Lifesteal. Each turn this is in your hand, swap its Attack and Health. (Common)
• (4) Militia Commander (2/5): Rush. Battlecry: Gain +3 Attack this turn. (Rare)

As readers can see, there are a few new keywords being introduced in this expansion. "Start of Game" means that including that minion in your deck and meeting its conditions will grant its effect at the very start of the game, much like Prince Malchezaar. Meanwhile, the new "Echo" keyword means the card can be used multiple times in a single turn, just like Unstable Evolution. Lastly, there's "Rush," which means a minion can immediately attack other minions. This is not to be confused with "Charge," since "Rush" minions cannot attack Heroes on the first turn. Think of something along the lines of the Charged Devilsaur. Look for more of those keywords to pop up throughout the expansion.

There was a seventh card teased, but the camera was dropped before it could fully be revealed. The only information is that it's an 8-Cost Legendary starting with "Hagatha the..."

Meanwhile, the Pumpkin Peasant is a new Worgen type of card, in which it changes stats and appearance every single turn. The implication is that there will be more than one Worgen card in this expansion.

On top of all of that, there's a new single-player mode called Monster Hunt. Like the Dungeon Run from Kobolds & Catacombs, this mode will have players exploring a dreary forest, but they'll be embarking on this journey with one of four all-new Heroes unique to this mode only.

More information on The Witchwood can be found on the Hearthstone website. The expansion can be pre-purchased, as usual, but this time around, pre-ordering will grant an extra 20 card packs for a total of 70 card packs. Look for the new Hearthstone expansion to arrive in the next month, along with the rotation of the new Standard year into the Year of the Raven.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?