AFG's Nejiboston explores what wonders could be found in the next Core Set coming to Hearthstone in April 2023. You are not prepared!
Demon Hunter
Twin Slice (Reverted) & Blade Dance (Reverted):
Since we are losing cards like Jace Darkweaver, Fury, and Fel Barrage, Demon Hunters are going to be in desperate need of damage after rotation. That's why I think it would be a great idea to reintroduce unnerfed Twin Slice and Blade Dance to the game.
Skull of Gul'dan (Reverted) & Altruis the Outcast (Reverted):
The new Outcast package in Standard has not seen much play yet. If we reintroduce some powerful old friends in unnerfed Skull of Gul'dan and Altruis the Outcast to juice the package, I think it would see more play.
Glide:
This is a fan favorite card that the entire player base of Hearthstone really enjoyed having in the game. It enables all the Demon Hunters to ruin any setup the opponent has and shuffle their hopes and dreams away. I think everyone would be unanimously thrilled to see it back in Standard.
Mage
Ice Block:
With the rotation of one of Mage's top two Frost Secrets, Oasis Ally, it would be a good idea to reintroduce a similarly powered Frost Secret into the metagame post-rotation. Fan favorite Secret, Ice Block, seems like the healthiest fit for the format.
Luna's Pocket Galaxy (Reverted):
One of everyone's favorite Mage archetypes, Big Spell Mage, is getting rotated into Wild, so let's reintroduce a replacement in the form of Big Minion Mage. To keep up with power creep, I would add Luna's Pocket Galaxy at 5 mana to the Core Set.
Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron:
Rune of the Archmage is leaving Standard in April, so I figured it would be a good idea to replace it with one of the best cards ever printed, Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron. One of the most exciting applications is in Thief Rogue when your opponent hits this off Jackpot!.
Priest
Raise Dead:
This card was a great addition to many Priest and Warlock decks in Standard when it was legal. It provides great value for the cheap price of zero mana, but it is balanced because you take 3 damage when you play it. I think Raise Dead would be an excellent inclusion in the coming Core Set.
Mindrender Illucia (Reverted):
Mindrender Illucia was a super powerful card before it had its text changed to be useless. I think the queen deserves to relive her glory days, so I think Lucy should be added to the Core Set, but also reverted back to her true form at 2 mana.
Shadowreaper Anduin & Raza the Chained: Shadowreaper Anduin was added back to Standard recently for the event preceding the release of March of the Lich King and it was not played at all. However, he was missing his partner in crime, Raza the Chained. I'd like to see them returned to Standard as a combo meal.
Warlock
Darkglare (Reverted): Darkglare was a card that was changed multiple times due to the amount of mana cheat it could create early in a game. It was eventually nerfed to only refresh a single mana crystal. A lot of the cards that were impactful with Darkglare have also left Standard, so I think it is pretty safe to revert it and put it in the Core Set.
Runed Mithril Rod (Reverted): Everyone's favorite mana cheating Warlock Weapon is finally leaving Standard. However, since Tamsin's Phylactery is also leaving the format with rotation, I think Rod should be reintroduced at its original mana cost. Maybe rod will make it up to 6 mana by next year's rotation!
Tickatus: Standard has been without the Reddit community's favorite Hearthstone card for a little too long in my opinion. This menace would be a great addition to the upcoming Core Set to try and enable some disruption and control strategies for the Warlock class once again.
Druid
Innervate (Reverted): With the rotation of everyone's favorite Hero card, Wildheart Guff, Druid will be in desperate need of powerful ramp effects. It is a perfect time to bring back an old favorite, unnerfed Innervate! This card would spark nostalgia in many and provide the class with a powerful ramp option.
Jade Idol: Standard has been missing its big green men for too many years. The DH phantasms are not cutting it currently. Jade Idol will add a fun late game option for decks and not be too powerful as it would be the only Jade card added to the Core Set this year.
Wildheart Guff (Reverted): With the rotation of everyone's favorite Hero card, Wildheart Guff, Druid will be in desperate need of powerful ramp effects. It is a perfect time to bring back an old favorite, unnerfed Wildheart Guff! This card would spark nostalgia in many and provide the class with a powerful ramp option.
Shaman
Evolve: With the recent balance change to Goldshire Gnoll, the Shaman class will have been without an Evolve deck for almost 2 months once rotation hits! That's why it will be the perfect time to reinvigorate the class with its tried-and-true Evolve card, Evolve!
Boggspine Knuckles: To keep with the Evolve theme for the new Core Set, I'd like to see Boggspine Knuckles added back to Standard as well. This will help provide the deck some consistency to guarantee they have an Evolve spell for every turn of the game. In conjunction with newly revealed, Instrument Tech, Boggspine Knuckles will likely be played on curve in your games!
Mogu Fleshshaper (Reverted): I wasn't certain Evolve Shaman would be the best deck post rotation even with the other Core Set additions, so unnerfed Mogu Fleshshaper should be the final piece of the puzzle. Similar to Goldshire Gnoll, Mogu Fleshshaper will provide the deck with early game-ending minions that opponents can't respond to. This will hopefully make the deck unbeatable for the Shaman enjoyers.
Rogue
Secret Passage: Since Rogue will be losing some powerful cards post-rotation, I think it would be a fitting time to reintroduce the class' best card draw spell of all time, Secret Passage. Since it was one of the best Rogue cards ever printed, I think it would be fine not to revert this one. I look forward to drawing my entire deck by turn 5 once again!
Nitroboost Poison (Reverted): With the rotation of cards like Swinetusk Shank to Wild, it would be fine to see the return of unnerfed Nitroboost Poison to Standard. This card provides all Rogue decks with very strong damage outputs and should see some play even without any powerful weapons in the format.
Edwin VanCleef: It has been awhile since Edwin VanCleef has been playable in Standard and as a fan favorite I think he should make his long awaited return. Edwin, Defias Kingpin is also leaving Standard and since it is not legal to be without an Edwin card in Standard, the Hearthstone team is legally obligated to return the king to the format.
Warrior
Bomb Warrior: The Warrior class has felt a bit neglected for the past couple expansions. It was hit with the nerf hammer during Voyage to the Sunken City and has never been the same. It is time for the Warrior overlords to rise again. I would like to see the entire Bomb Warrior package return to Standard in the next Core Set. This should make an explosive difference for the class next expansion.
Skipper Enrage Warrior: Just in case Bomb Warrior isn't enough to help Warrior see sufficient play next expansion, I suggest adding the entire Skipper Enrage Warrior package to Standard as well. This was a dominant tier 1 deck when it was in Standard and should help out the class.
Dr. Boom, Mad Genius: As a final precautionary measure to guarantee the success of the Warrior class post rotation, I'd love to see Boom added to the mix. It wouldn't be fair to allow Druid to be the only class with a returning favorite hero card. Dr. Boom should add an extra punch to any Control Warrior strategies.
Paladin:
Unidentified Maul: Because of the reign of terror of the recent Standard menace, Pure Paladin, I didn't want to give the Paladin class many game-breaking cards. Unidentified Maul is still a solid option for the class especially since Lightforged Cariel will be rotating, so the class will need another powerhouse weapon in their arsenal.
Getaway Kodo: With the rotation of some Paladin Secrets to Wild, it is the perfect time to add a powerful Secret back into the format. Getaway Kodo is the perfect option to fit that role. It provides the class with some random value for the cheap price of only 1 mana!
Making Mummies: Even though we are coming off the recent "Paladinstone" meta and I don't want to see super powerful options for the class right away, I think it should receive a little bit of love from the likes of Making Mummies. Since Reborn has become an evergeen keyword in the game, this should be an easy Quest to complete and provide Paladin decks with infinite value.
Hunter:
Dinomancy: Hearthstone has had more than just Paladin as the meta tyrants this past year; Big Beast Hunter and Quest Hunter have also been too strong for too long. I suggest adding Dinomancy to the Core Set to replace the Hunter Questline with a more balanced option. This should provide some more value for those Beast Hunter decks as well.
Flark's Boom-Zooka: Regardless of the fact that Wing Commander Ichman was labeled as the meta tyrant of 2022, I believe the class should still have an option to summon Big Beasts post rotation. Flark's Boom-Zooka provides a more balanced approach as the big minions die after they are summoned and you don't get to choose where they attack. The upside is you get a 2 mana discount and always summon 3 minions from your deck!
Unleash the Hounds: Since AFG's very own Head of Hearthstone, RonMexico, has been bullying the community on ladder with his absurd Hunter decklists for nearly a year, I think it would be a good idea to add his favorite card back to Standard, but with a bit of a face lift. Giving the hounds Rush seems like a fair punishment for the pain he has caused.
Neutral:
With the Neutral picks, I wanted to add back some fan favorites to the mix and I think these 10 would all be fun additions into the coming Core Set.
Irondeep Trogg: This card is leaving too soon and I think it would be fun to play with its original version this year to have some game-ending counter-play vs spell heavy decks.
Patches the Pirate: Patches has been in Wild far too long for its own good. I think it should be reverted and sent back to Standard. He's in charge now.
Pen Flinger: Hey Loser!
Zephrys the Great: I think adding Zephrys the Great back to Standard would please a lot of people, but at the same time would frustrate some people who felt he wouldn't give the perfect card. To remedy this situation, I think the Hearthstone team should program him with ChatGPT so everyone can simply request the true perfect card.
Brann Bronzebeard: Many members of the community would be sad to see Brann leave Standard, so it is an easy choice to keep in the next Core Set
Mind Control Tech: MCT is a solid comeback mechanic with some game-ending rng thrown in the mix. It is a perfect addition to Standard.
Leeroy Jenkins: With the rotation of Mr. Smite, it is a great time to bring back a fan favorite in LEROYYYYYYYYYYY JEEEEENKIIIIIIINS!!!
Corridor Creeper: đIn the dungeon I go deeperđin set reviews I was a sleeperđwhen minions die I get cheaperđYou guessed it rightđI'm unnerfed corridor creeper returning to the core set in 2023đ
Baku the Mooneater & Genn Greymane: Both Baku and Genn were rotated early when they were in Standard, so I think it is only fair to give them a second chance in this year's Core Set.
That's all for this one. I hope you liked and agreed with all the picks (this article was obviously satire for comedic effect). Look out for more content from the AFG team soon!
-Nejiboston