The new Hearthstone expansion was announced today and it ended up being exactly what Blizzard alluded to: The Grand Tournament. The Grand Tournament is a new set of cards that can be paid for with gold or real money and will function exactly as Goblins vs.Gnomes currently does. However, The Grand Tournament offers players the option to pre-purchase 50 packs as well as an exclusive card back for $49.99. Blizzard is always one to sweeten the deal for pre-purchases, and this is no exception.
The Grand Tournament brings with it a new playing field, 132 new cards, and a new card text known as Inspire. Inspire interacts with a player’s hero power such that when a hero power is used, the Inspire effect is triggered. The showmatch between Trump and Amaz during the announcement today showcased many of these new cards, including the exciting new legendary Nexus-Champion Saraad. This is a 5-cost 4/5 minion that has the Inspire effect of adding a completely random spell to your hand. This spell will most likely be from another class, allowing for more RNG based games as well as interesting never-before-seen combinations of cards.
What do these new cards mean for Hearthstone? It means more variety of decks as well as new playstyles. We might see Inspire as a deck title next to Aggro and Control. There might even be a way for hunters to play that doesn’t involve going straight face. Hopefully, it means that the Grim Patron deck will see some real competition. Rated as the top deck by pros for 3-4 months, Grim Patron Warrior has certainly overstayed its welcome on the throne. Will a new deck rise to the challenge? We will find out on an unspecified date in August.