Hearthstone's Year of the Gryphon will start with Forged in the Barrens expansion

BlizzConline continues on with what's next for Hearthstone. Blizzard's collectible card game is in a unique place for this latest BlizzCon, because a new Standard year is about to begin. That Standard year will be known as the Year of the Gryphon. And it will kick off with the game's latest expansion, Forged in the Barrens.

Forged in the Barrens will feature 135 new cards inspired by the beloved World of Warcraft setting. The latest keyword is Frenzy, but the biggest feature is ten new Legendary Mercenary minions, each representing one of the game's classes. The Mercenary stories will play out throughout the Year of the Gryphon, culminating with a new single-player roguelike game mode called Hearthstone Mercenaries. More information on Hearthstone Mercenaries is expected in the future.

The Year of the Gryphon promises to shake up Hearthstone in ways never imagined. For one thing, the new Core set will replace the Classic set, shaking up the foundation of the game as everyone knows it. This includes taking Classic cards and reimagining some of them entirely. The Core set will be ready for the start of the new Standard year, as will the new expansion.

The Core set will include reimaginings for three of the game's Legendary Dragons, including:

Ysera the Dreamer
Malygos the Spellweaver
Deathwing the Destroyer

For those who think this is too much change, players will have an option to turn back the clock with a special Hearthstone Classic mode. This features the Basic and Classic sets as they were in 2014, complete with all cards having their nerfs and buffs erased. Classic will be available for play alongside Standard and Wild and will feature its own rewards and rankings.

We'll have a lot more to say about Hearthstone's upcoming year in the days ahead. Stay tuned to Shacknews for the latest on BlizzConline.