At this year’s BlizzCon event, Blizzard Entertainment announced the newest expansion for Hearthstone, Rastakhan’s Rumble. This will be the final expansion for the Year of the Raven season. This, along with the two previous expansions will carry over into 2019 and won’t rotate out of standard until 2020.
The newest expansion will launch on December 4 and will contain 135 brand-new cards. As expected, there are several new card types as well as a new keyword.
The new keyword is Overkill. As the name implies, when you deal damage to a minion greater than its health, you gain a bonus effect. So if a minion has 5 health and you deal 6 damage to it, that’s considered Overkill. There will also be a new type of card called a Spirit. Spirits are a type of minion that each class will have. Their special property is that they remain stealthed for one turn. Despite being called a Spirit, cards are not listed with the Spirit tribe tag so for those hoping for a new tribe are out of luck.
As with any Hearthstone expansion, we are given a look at five cards which serve as examples to what you can expect from the set.
In addition to Spirits, each class is getting one of the Loa Spirits that the trolls worship. They are as follows:
- Druid – Wardruid Loti, Champion of Gonk’s Raptor
- Loti keeps her distance from the other Rumble competitors, preferring the company of her dinosaur loa Gonk and other scaled companions. Druids will discover that she’s a master of shapeshifting and claw-to-hand combat.
- Hunter – Zul’jin, Champion of Halazzi’s Lynxs
- Warlord Zul’jin is reckless, bitter, and has a chip on his shoulder that’s even bigger than his blade. He’s is more than willing to unleash the primal power of Halazzi the Lynx loa upon his competitors, but he’s got a special knack for the mystical side of the hunt.
- Mage – Malacrass, Champion of Jan’alai’s Dragonhawks
- The fury of Jan’alai the Dragonhawk loa fuels Malacrass’s fire on the Rumble field. Despite a flair for the dramatic, Malacrass is a clever opponent. He’ll give Mages who are willing to plan ahead access to useful resources.
- Paladin – High Priest Thekal, Champion of Shirvallah’s Tigers
- This master fighter is a fan favorite! Wielding the Light as a weapon, he can use his healing energy in ways Paladins haven’t seen before. Confident to a fault, Thekal moves almost as quickly as he talks, dancing around his opponents for the crowd.
- Priest – Princess Talanji, Chamapion of Bwonsamdi’s Zombies
- As princess of the Zandalari Empire, Rastakhan’s own daughter calls the loa of the dead, Bwonsamdi, her companion. Talanji will aid Priests in turning their foes’ own might against them if forced to fight.
- Shaman – Zentimo, Champion of Krag’wa’s Frogs
- The crowd finds this witch doctor mysterious, quiet, and more than a little unsettling. He’s content to let his giant frog loa, Krag’wa, do the fighting while he helps Shamans master channeling elemental magic.
- Rogue – Chaptain Hooktusk, Champion of Gral’s Sharks
- This charming and flashy pirate has come ashore to claim her share of glory in the Rumble, and she’ll lie, cheat, and steal to get it! Rogues who choose Captain Hooktusk as their champion will find that she rarely goes anywhere without her loyal crew.
- Warlock – High Priestess Jeklik, Champion of Hir’eek’s Bats
- The shrieking, shadow-skulking aspirant of the bat loa Hir’eek revels in the boos she gets from the crowd. Warlocks willing to make the right sacrifices will find Jeklik a useful champion who seems to be everywhere at once.
- Warrior – War Master Voone, Champion of Akali’s Rhinos.
- Voone finds kindship in the rhino loa Akali. He’s a simple troll—he loves loud drums, a roaring crowd, and a raucous after-party—but his former employment by the Black Dragonflight will give Warriors special insight into the ways of dragons.
Gurubashi Arena Game Board
A new single-player mode was also announced called Rumble Run. Blizzard describes the new mode as follows:
Compete for glory before cheering crowds in a no-holds-barred smackdown in the Gurubashi Arena! Players will choose a troll champion and climb the ranks in this gladiatorial contest to be crowned champion.
There is a $49.99 pre-order option available where you will receive 50 card packs, a card back, and King Rastakhan, an alternate Shaman hero. There is a $19.99 pre-order option which will net you the card back as well as 17 card packs.
For those who just want free stuff, there will be freebies upon logging in on December 4. You will receive 6 free Rastakhan card packs, which is double from the standard three they usually give out, as well as a random Loa spirit legendary card and two copies of a spirit card from the same class as the Loa legendary!
Official Trailer
