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With The Boomsday Project live for nearly a week in Hearthstone, we’ve been giving each class a quick once over to see what the early picks are for the best deck inclusions.
Yesterday, we explained the new mechanics introduced in the expansion, as well as looking over the new toys for Druid, Hunter, Mage and Paladin.
Today, we’re looking at the other five classes.
After ruling the roost atop the meta in late 2017 and early this year, the set rotation in April hit Priest harder than most.
Unfortunately, there’s not an enormous amount in this expansion to help Anduin get back to the top.
It’s not as if this class didn’t get any good new cards – it certainly did – but it just didn’t get enough new types of cards to create new archetypes. It’s just more tools for Inner Fire, Spiteful or Quest decks.
I have, however, seen the age-old Inner Fire combo used in a peculiar new way – with the spell-refunding Test Subject and new attack-health swapping spell Topsy Turvy allowing Priest players to fill their hand with limitless copies of Divine Spirit. It’s a very tricky combo to pull off, but it’s worth it for the 128/128 Stonetusk Boar.
Must-craft card: Test Subject (1 mana, 0/2: Deathrattle: Return any spells you cast on this minion to your hand).
Did Rogue get the worst legendary cards this set? It’s probably far too early to tell – given the expansion’s only been out for five days – but early signs are an enormous yes.
A spell that draws the rest of your deck will no doubt allow for some downright nasty combos, but it’s hard to see decks being built around that or underwhelming minion Myra Rotspring just yet.
What this class did get, however, are some spicy new tools to burgle your opponent’s cards with.
They cost just 1?!
Academic Espionage has the potential to fill your deck with poorly-synergised garbage but, at just one mana each, these inexpensive cards give a huge boost to what I feel is the most underrated weapon in the game right now – Spectral Cutlass.
Or, you can set up some Shudderwock-level nonsense with Tess Greymane.
For more serious players, Lab Recruiter has been the card of choice, whether it be for adding more legendaries to your hand or teaming up with fellow inclusion Pogo-Hopper.
Must-craft card: Lab Recruiter (2 mana 3/2: Battlecry: Shuffle three copies of a minion into your deck).
Long considered a dead class, from a competitive point of view, Shaman finally got itself back in the meta (to a degree) with some strong cards in The Witchwood.
Fortunately, there’s more where that came from in the The Boomsday Project, with new legendary Electra Stormsurge’s double-casting of the next spell you play allowing for devastating board clears, outrageous clutch heals or a lethal push out of nowhere.
Stronger supporting characters are in the mix too, with Voltaic Burst and Thunderhead near auto-includes in any Elemental Shaman decks going forward.
It’s not a spectacular set of cards, but it’s definitely enough to make Shaman more consistently competitive.
Must-craft card: Thunderhead (4 mana 3/5: Whenever you play an Overload card, summon two 1/1 Sparks with Rush).
Warlock didn’t get a great deal from this expansion and, given the stranglehold this class has had over the meta for some time – that’s fine by me.
The Soularium could actually be a sleeper for the strongest legendary spell and is quite a useful tool for the poor souls still trying to make Quest Warlock work.
Demonic Project could nullify some key combos by transforming legendary minions, or even quest rewards, into useless imps. Ectomancy could also prove quite strong.
The early standout however, is Nethersoul Buster.
This plus Crystalizer is a wicked combo.
Even if you just use your hero power, you’re looking at a 3/5. But with other damaging battlecries – none better than the neutral minion Crystalizer – and this guy becomes an early-game beast.
Must-craft card: Crystalizer (1 mana, 1/3: Battlecry: Deal 5 damage to your hero, gain 5 armour)
Poor old Warrior. Since Fiery War Axe and a bunch of pirates got nerfed, this class has disappeared from high-ranked play almost entirely.
That could be about to change.
Whether it was a concerted effort from the development team or not (they work on expansions way ahead of when you think), they’ve gifted this class a whole bunch of pieces previously missing from the puzzle.
Eternium Rover is the one-drop Warrior’s been missing forever. Omega Assembly is possibly the best omega card in the game and has ludicrous synergy with The Boomship – Warrior’s legendary spell.
Weapons Project techs super well against Skull of the Man’ari or Aluneth and is still useful on its own, Beryllium Nullifier gives Magnetic stacks silence protection. It’s all here!
Then, of course, there’s the return of Dr. Boom – easily one of the strongest hero cards the game has seen.
If you’d given up on Garrosh (or Magni), now’s the time to jump back on.
Must-craft card: Dr. Boom, Mad Genius (7 mana hero: Gains 7 armour, gives your Mechs Rush for the rest of the game and gives you five random hero powers that swap between turns).