Card reveals have begun for Hearthstone's next big expansion. The Boomsday Project will dive deep into science and technology, as part of the next set for the Year of the Raven.
This expansion features the new keyword Magnetic, new Omega Projects, and Legendary Spells. And as is the case with each new Hearthstone expansion, Shacknews is stepping into the lab to analyze each of the Boomsday Project's new cards. Before we get started, here's everything you might have missed:
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project - The Dr. Boom, Mad Genius Design Interview
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project - Analyzing Dr. Boom, Mad Genius
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Analysis Lab (Part 1)
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Analysis Lab (Part 2)
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Analysis Lab (Part 3)
Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Analysis Lab (Part 4)
And now, let's continue with the next batch of cards.
(4) Juicy Psychmelon
Type: Spell
Class: Druid
Rarity: Epic
Draw a 7, 8, 9, and 10-Cost minion from your deck.
Source: QiGe on Douyu
Analysis: Over the last few days, it's become apparent that the Druid is going to be the big winner of this expansion. This is another tool that's going to help Druids get their game-winning combos ready, as they pluck out their high-value minions off a 4-Cost spell.
The Juicy Psychmelon is going to be especially killer in Wild, where Druids can use it to pulled out the necessary Exodia pieces for their OTK combo. Those include the 9-Cost Aviana or 9-Cost Malygos, the 10-Cost Kun the Forgotten King, and the 8-Cost Gloop Sprayer. The Druids are coming to take over and this is just another tool that's going to help them do it.
(5) Power Word: Replicate
Type: Spell
Class: Priest
Rarity: Epic
Choose a friendly minion. Summon a 5/5 copy of it.
Source: G2 Esports' RDU on YouTube
Analysis: Priests love their 5/5 copies. This is a slightly cheaper iteration of Shadow Essence, but with much less RNG involved. It'll be a big help to Quest Priests that want to create sturdy versions of their Deathrattle minions or create 5/5 copies of Legendaries with nasty effects.
Power Word: Replicate will particularly find a good home in Wild, where it'll fit in nicely with the Big Priest archetype. Played alongside cards like Eternal Servitude, this spell could get downright nasty.
(3) Augmented Elekk (3/4)
Type: Minion - Beast
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Epic
Whenever you shuffle a card into a deck, shuffle in an extra copy.
Source: RegisKillbin on YouTube
Analysis: This is a fascinating effect that could go a long way towards preventing fatigue in certain decks. Warriors running Dead Man's Hand may be particularly intrigued by this card, as it keeps them in the game for the long haul.
But let's face it, the real winner here is going to be the Rogue player, especially adopters of the new Pogo-Hopper minion. Playing Augmented Elekk alongside Lab Recruiter ensures that these rabbits will multiply like... er... rabbits! Look for Augmented Elekk to make the Miracle Rogue deck more dangerous than it already is.
(3) Necrium Blade (3/2)
Type: Weapon
Class: Rogue
Rarity: Rare
Deathrattle: Trigger the Deathrattle of a random friendly minion.
Source: GeekCulture on YouTube
Analysis: The Rogue just got its own Fiery War Axe and it's pretty strong, with the ability to set off Deathrattles after it's been used up. That could come in very handy in Arena, where players might be running minions like Violet Wurm.
As for the constructed player... well... let's table this for the moment. Trust me, we'll revist the Necrium Blade shortly.
(4) Thunderhead (3/5)
Type: Minion - Elemental
Class: Shaman
Rarity: Epic
After you play a card with Overload, summon two 1/1 Sparks with Rush.
Source: XiYou on Douyu
Analysis: Here's the Shaman picking up its own personal Violet Teacher, but one with a more intriguing effect. This will craft two 1/1s off of any spell with Overload and give them the ability to Rush an enemy minion right away. This could help in the control game by maybe picking off any stragglers off a Lightning Storm. Or it could help set the table for a game-ending Bloodlust.
Even Shaman players may want to give this guy a look, especially since they'll be running cards like Zap! and generating new spells with Hagatha the Witch. Flametongue Totem should also give those 1/1s an extra kick.
(4) Storm Chaser (3/4)
Type: Minion - Elemental
Class: Shaman
Rarity: Rare
Battlecry: Draw a spell from your deck that costs (5) or more.
Source: Poly on YouTube
Analysis: The Storm Chaser has some wild value, even if Hearthstone is reaching a place where 4-Mana for a 3/4 body is getting expensive. The Shaman player doesn't pack many good spells that cost over 5 mana, but it sure does pack a nice Volcano.
So yes, this card should pretty much just read "Draw a Volcano from your deck." It's a toss-up as to whether it'll see play in constructed, but in Arena, where Volcanos are both plentiful and a hot commodity, Storm Chaser will become a must-have.
(4) Replicating Menace (3/1)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Rare
Magnetic. Deathrattle: Summon three 1/1 Microbots.
Source: Tesdey on Twitch
Analysis: In a world with few Magnetic Mechs, this is on the lower end of the totem pole. The world wasn't asking for a more-expensive Eggnapper.
I wouldn't expect to see much of this guy anywhere. In Arena, it gets outpaced by aforementioned Eggnapper, while its Magnetic properties don't give it that much more of a boost in constructed. A Dr. Boom deck might get some use out of it as a Discover effect, since both the 3/1 body and the 1/1 leftovers get Rush, but that should be the only instance where Replicating Menace pops up.
(6) Security Rover (2/5)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Warrior
Rarity: Rare
Whenever this minion takes damage, summon a 2/3 Mech with Taunt.
Source: Thijs on YouTube
Analysis: Security Rover looks nice on paper, but it's hard to take it seriously when you consider it as a poor man's Hogger, Doom of Elwynn. I'm just saying, going from 6/6 stats to a 2/5 body is a big step down for just a single Mana Crystal.
But it's the Mech synergy that's going to make this, right? Thijs does point out in this video that this will play nicely with Magnetic mechs, potentially upgrading those paltry 2/5 stats. Combining this with Beryllium Nullifier on the next turn sounds particularly sweet. Just make sure Security Rover makes it through the next turn. It's highly vulnerable to removal. Or against a Priest player, it could be open to effects from minions like Cabal Shadow Priest.
(10) Mecha'thun (10/10)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Legendary
Deathrattle: If you have no cards in your deck, hand, and battlefield, destroy the enemy hero.
Source: IGN
Analysis: You can't keep an Old God down forever. And leave it to mad science to bring one of them back in a crazy new way.
Mecha'thun is the latest in cutting-edge Exodia technology. It's a literal last-ditch effort, one that only triggers when the player has absolutely nothing left in hand or in play. But as one would imagine, there are ways to make this happen.
Mage players have ways to run through their decks quickly, thanks to Aluneth, but they really don't have a solid way to trigger this Deathrattle. Warrior players can use a combination of any Whirlwind effect and Execute, but no reliable way to run through the deck quickly. Priest players have handy removal spells, like Shadow Word: Death, but because Mecha'thun is a full 10 mana, the Priest has to be careful that Mecha'thun isn't removed too early or that it isn't Silenced between the time it's played and the time they can play Shadow Word: Death.
There's the Druid, which could have some legs. The Druid can run through the deck fast, thanks to ramp spells, Nourish, and Ultimate Infestation. They could quickly finish with Mecha'thun, Innervate, and Naturalize. The trouble with this strategy is that Skulking Geist brings it to a screeching halt.
Then there's the Rogue player. Hey, remember I said we'd bring up Necrium Blade again? Well, here it is! It is entirely possible to play Necrium Blade on Turn 3 and leave it equipped until Myra's Unstable Element is ready on Turn 5. With the Rogue's deck exhausted, Mecha'thun can get deployed after all other cards have been played and Necrium Blade can activate the Deathrattle right away. The problem with this strategy is that Mecha'thun is a Turn 10 drop at the earliest, so the Rogue player needs to stall until it's ready. But if they have enough control tools at the ready, the Mecha'thun Rogue deck could be one that gains a lot of steam in the new meta.
(5) Necrium Vial
Type: Spell
Class: Rogue
Rarity: Epic
Trigger a friendly minion's Deathrattle twice.
Source: Kimmy on Huya
Anaylsis: After waxing poetic about the potential of the Mecha'thun Rogue, it's really hard to go from that to this. Sure, activating Deathrattles twice can be cool. The trouble is that the Standard Rogue doesn't have many strong Deathrattle cards to make the most of this effect. That could change between now and the expansion's release, but for now, it doesn't quite work.
The Wild Rogue, on the other hand, should have plenty of cards this can work with. Jade Rogues, in particular, should waste no time using the Necrium Vial to get as many Jades rolling as possible, triggering the Jade Swarmer or Aya Blackpaw. The Jade Rogue's numbers could quickly get out of control with this weapon at the ready.
(7) Dreampetal Florist (4/4)
Type: Minion
Class: Druid
Rarity: Epic
At the end of your turn, reduce the Cost of a random minion in your hand by (7).
Source: Hearthstone Express
Analysis: This just isn't fair.
So because the Malygos Druid clearly doesn't have enough tools to obliterate the opponent in a single turn, how about a minion that can discount into a 2-COST MALYGOS? Getting double Malygoses onto the board by pairing it with Faceless Manipulator, Ixlid, Fungal Lord, or whatever else has never been easier. And with Malygos coming down on the super cheap, it means those Swipe and Moonfire spells become a lot more affordable and painful.
I don't even want to talk about what this does in Wild, because holy smokes!
(1) The Soularium
Type: Spell
Class: Warlock
Rarity: Legendary
Draw 3 cards. At the end of your turn, discard them.
Source: Yahoo Esports Taiwan
Analysis: This is a fascinating spell for the Warlock player, because it fits in quite a few decks. The obvious one is the Quest Warlock, which needs to get online as quickly as possible, in order to work. Between this and Cataclysm, it should be fairly simple to fill the Quest requirements. Wild Warlocks should get even better use out of this, since then can use Malchezaar's Imp to either play what they draw or discard those cards and use the Imp's effect to draw new ones.
Zoolock should also benefit greatly from this spell, especially in the later turns. Since zoo players usually pack in cheaper minions and spells, they'd theoretically be able to use this spell and then play whatever they draw on the same turn before they're discarded. Overall, The Soularium is a strong spell and one that'll find a home in multiple Warlock decks.
That's all for now! Keep an eye on Shacknews over the next few weeks for more card breakdowns for The Boomsday Project, leading all the way up to the expansion's release on August 7.
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replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Card Analysis Lab (Part 5)
