Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project Card Analysis Lab (Part 2)

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)

And now, let's continue with the next batch of cards.

(4) Whizbang the Wonderful (4/5)
Type: Minion
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Legendary
You start the game with one of Whizbang's Wonderful Decks.
Source: Hearthside Chat: Welcome to Boom Labs

So this isn't a buildaround card, exactly. No, Whizbang is for the beginner player would doesn't quite have an extensive card collection or is looking to learn the latest meta decks. When Whizbang is equipped, he'll become the Hero for that game and the player will be given a random deck recipe, two for each of the game's classes. You won't need to own those cards, you'll just have them at the ready.

So then what are those 4/5 stats for? Well, there's always a chance to pull Whizbang from a random effect. And if you do, those 4/5 stats aren't too shabby. Look into crafting this guy if you're more of a beginner Hearthstone player, because those deck recipes can often be very good.

(5) Supercollider (1/3)
Type: Weapon
Class: Warrior
Rarity: Epic
After you attack a minion, force it to attack one of its neighbors.
Source: Hearthside Chat: Welcome to Boom Labs

Analysis: The Supercollider is a nice outside-the-box weapon, especially for the Control Warrior. The 1-Attack value on its own won't do much, but when there's an opposing board full of minions, sending one slamming into its partner is a handy tool. The Hearthside Chat video gives a nice illustration of how this card will function and it looks pretty neat.

The Warrior will, of course, need to be heavily armored to absorb some of the damage he's bound to take with this weapon. Maybe have a Bring It On! spell at the ready.

(4) Flobbidinous Floop (3/4)
Type: Minion
Class: Druid
Rarity: Legendary
While this is in your hand, this is a 3/4 copy of the last minion you played.
Source: Hearthside Chat: Welcome to Boom Labs

Analysis: Oh, dear. Meet the first truly broken Legendary of this set.

Floop is completely unstoppable in the hands of a Malygos Druid. With its effect, no matter how a first Malygos is removed, whether it's through Polymorph or Psychic Scream, Floop's effect will still allow it to transform into Malygos. It can then be combined with Faceless Manipulator to create double Malygos, allowing the Druid to bop the opposing player for 22 damage off double Moonfires.

There is almost no stopping this and Malygos Druid may very well become a plague in the coming meta. Better start armoring up for this.

(2) Dendrologist (2/3)
Type: Minion
Class: Druid
Rarity: Rare
Battlecry: If you control a Treant, Discover a spell.
Source: PCGamer

(3) Landscaping
Type: Spell
Class: Druid
Rarity: Common
Summon two 2/2 Treants.
Source: PCGamer

(10) Mulchmuncher (8/8)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Druid
Rarity: Rare
Rush: Costs (1) less for each friendly Treant that died this game.
Source: PCGamer

Analysis: Here's a little gift for the Token Druid player. In The Witchwood, the Druid got a handful of cards that made Wisps a lot more dangerous just by sheer numbers. A big part of that was by combining those new cards with Soul of the Forest, which replaces those dead 1/1 Wisps with 2/2 Treants.

Now say hello to these three new cards with Treant synergy. Mulchmuncher can definitely be used as a control tool in the mid-game. Landscaping can pour on the Treant pressure in the early turns. And then there's Dendrologist, which might not necessarily find a home in these decks, but if he can find an extra Savage Roar, why not go nuts?

Token Druid is about to get much stronger and will also be a big part of the Hearthstone meta going forward.

(1) Autodefense Matrix
Type: Spell
Class: Paladin
Rarity: Common
Secret: When one of your minions is attacked, give it Divine Shield.
Source: The Boomsday Project: Lab Logs Part 2

Analysis: This is a tough choice for the Paladin player who's either running Secrets or Hydrologist. Do they go with this, which acts as a soft Taunt against any Paladin minion? Or do they opt for Noble Sacrifice, which protects face, but is also a much weaker 2/1?

Both cards have their merits, but what might give the Autodefense Matrix an edge is in the potentially larger minions it could protect in the late game. It might find a special home in Arena decks, where it's a major help against pesky Gilnean Royal Guards. Ultimately, pick whatever best fits the situation at hand and whatever works best for your deck.

(7) Kangor's Endless Army
Type: Spell
Class: Paladin
Rarity: Legendary
Resurrect 3 friendly Mechs. They keep any Magnetic upgrades.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: Now this has the potential to be a killer spell, but it ultimately depends on the Mechs that the Paladin player has available to them. Even in Wild, Paladin Mechs don't exactly light the world on fire. (Cobalt Guardian is not rocking anybody's world and a 7-Mana play to get back a Shielded Minibot is quite inefficient.)

But the wild card is Zilliax, which can boost any Mech in the game with Magnetic. And since this brings back any Magnetic-boosted Mechs, that makes this spell nothing to sneeze at. If the Paladin gets better Mechs down the road, this could be awesome in Standard. If not, it's still a pretty good tool in Wild.

(2) Dead Ringer (2/1)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Priest
Rarity: Common
Deathrattle: Draw a Deathrattle minion from your deck.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: Mind if I roll a very specific kind of need?

Yes, this is a concentrated Loot Hoarder, one that works nicely with Quest Priests in the early game and ensures that they don't draw unnecessary cards in the late game. It's a handy tool for the early game and a good card to keep tempo with the opposition in the early turns.

(5) Reckless Experimenter (4/6)
Type: Minion
Class: Priest
Rarity: Epic
Deathrattle minions you play cost (3) less, but die at the end of the turn.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: This one's a bit of a thinker. What good are Deathrattle minions if they die at the end of the turn they're played? At first glance, one would imagine that they had better be some amazing Deathrattle effects. And they can be, as long as you don't mind dropping an Obsidian Statue on the next turn, only to see it die immediately.

The Wild player may want to give this a closer look, though. Only minions that are played die at the end of the turn, not ones that are summoned. Remember, language is key in these cards, so any minions that are resurrected through effects, like... I don't know... N'Zoth, the Corruptor, can stay on the board.

Think very hard about adding this card to any deck, because in the right hands, it could be very good. But more often than not, it could backfire spectacularly.

(1) Faithful Lumi (1/1)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Common
Battlecry: Give a friendly Mech +1/+1.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: An adorable support Mech that could be a decent boost for any Mech, particularly a Magnetic one. But aside from that, there isn't much to say here. It's hard to see players putting in any Constructed or Arena deck and unless it's a Mech-heavy deck, it won't be particularly useful as a Discover effect.

(5) Omega Agent (4/5)
Type: Minion
Class: Warlock
Rarity: Epic
Battlecry: If you have 10 Mana Crystals, summon 2 copies of this minion.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Anaylsis: Omega Agent isn't something I expect to see a lot of in constructed, but this has the potential to be a champion in Arena. A 4/5 body on Turn 5 is decent and can be played on curve. But in the later turns, as both players trade turns with waning resources, suddenly dropping three 4/5 minions could turn the tide of the game for good.

It's a much more powerful Doppelgangster, with each copy more than able to stand on its own. This is a fantastic pickup for the Warlock player in Arena and one that will likely pop up there a lot.

(2) Lab Recruiter (3/2)
Type: Minion
Class: Rogue
Rarity: Common
Battlecry: Shuffle 3 copies of a friendly minion into your deck.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: This has the potential to be killer in Miracle Rogue decks, especially ones running Fal'dorei Strider. This ensures that the spider train keeps right on going. How about using it on Vilespine Slayer for more minion kills? Bring more bug spray, because Lab Recruiter is almost a certain addition to the Miracle Rogue lineup and that means players are about to see a whole lot more spiders.

This also isn't a terrible pickup in Arena, especially if this is paired up with any Echo minion. Try combining Lab Recruiter with Face Collector, for loads of fun.

(4) Weaponized Pinata (4/3)
Type: Minion - Mech
Class: Neutral
Rarity: Epic
Deathrattle: Add a random Legendary minion to your hand.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: Okay, who on Team 5 has been playing too much Fortnite?

This is a fascinating pickup for both Quest Priests and also for the coming Mech Warriors. Even if those Warrior players don't pack this guy in their deck outright, remember that Dr. Boom, Mad Genius has a Hero Power that allows him to Discover a Mech. Getting a Weaponized Pinata off a Discover effect and Rushing it into an enemy for a free Legendary is pretty sweet.

Weaponized Pinata will also have Wild players feeling a bit conflicted. Do they replace Piloted Shredder with this guy? Do they want to random 2-drop now or a random Legendary for later? Wild Mech players have some thinking to do here.

(2) Demonic Project
Type: Spell
Class: Warlock
Rarity: Common
Each player transforms a random minion in their hand into a Demon.
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: I understand the intention here. If played at just the right moment, this ruins any Shudderwock Shaman deck, any Malygos Druid deck, or any Taunt Druid deck. The problem here is that it relies on a lot of luck.

In order for Demonic Project to hit for maximum value, the opposing player must have their win condition minion in their hand. The player must then hope that it hits that win condition minion and not any other minion in their hand. And of course, they must also hope that the win condition card is not replaced with another killer Demon, like Lord Jaraxxus. On top of all of this, the player must then hope that their own top minions are not hit with the whammy.

It takes a lot to make this work and it's hard to imagine any Warlock players taking this big risk.

(4) Unexpected Results
Type: Spell
Class: Mage
Rarity: Epic
Summon two random 2-Cost minions (improved by Spell Damage).
Source: The Boomsday Project Card Reveal Livestream

Analysis: It's hard to imagine Mage players rolling with this spell in any of their decks, but it is likely that they'll generate it off a random effect. If that's the case, following this up with an 8-damage Fireball or clearing the board with a 4-damage Blizzard doesn't seem too bad.

Other than getting a Spell Damage Doomsayer, there are few downsides to this spell. Just don't expect to see Mage players actually pack one of these in. Think of it as a pleasant bonus off something like Ruby Spellstone.

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.

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?