Continuing to support and update Hearthstone, Blizzard has announced the next expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. Bringing a host of new cards to the game, Gadgetzan is also mixing up some of the game’s mechanics.
Set in the port city of Gadgetzan, the expansion plays off the idea of the competing groups at the heart of the city’s seedy underbelly, each with their own cards. Each crime family is associated with three specific classes. The Grimy Goons, brutish arms dealers, apply to Hunters, Warriors, and Paladins.
The mystics and assassins of the Jade Lotus include Rogues, Shamans, and Druids.
And finally, specializing in illicit potions, The Kabal is made up of Priests, Warlocks, and Mages.
Each family also has a unique leader card. Kazakus, the leader of the Kabal, is a fantastically powerful card. If your deck doesn’t have any duplicate, you can create a custom spell. Outlined in the trailer below, this allows the player to choose the mana cost of potion you want, then two different effects for the potion.
Building on the idea of different classes coming together to work within each family, Blizzard is also introducing a new type of card called tri-class cards. Instead of being class specific, 9 cards will be usable in any of the three classes for a given family. These cards also give you the chance to discover cards from the other classes, bringing an even greater amount of diversity to matches. The trip-class cards includes the legendary leaders of each family.
“Each of the family’s associated classes have a fun and interesting way to utilize their strengths, making the common themes still feel unique,” Blizzard explains. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, set to hit Hearthstone before the end of the year, is playable at BlizzCon and already available for pre-purchase.