Hearthstone: Forged in the Savannahs, preview from BlizzConline 2021
Hearthstone
Hearthstone: Forged in the Savannahs will be the name of the new Hearthstone expansion, with which the Blizzard card game will kick off the new Year of the Griffin. The announcement came directly from BlizzConline 2021 along with many other news regarding all the main brands linked to the historic Irvine software house. To keep the interest in Hearthstone alive in its new year of life, the eighth, of Blizzard Team 5 has other surprises in store after those that we have already had the opportunity to discover during the Year of the Phoenix which is now approaching term. While waiting to be able to touch all the cards that Forged in the Savannahs will bring inside the tavern, let's go and see together the first details of the expansion coming out in the spring.New Frenzy mechanic and spells graduate
Hearthstone: Forged in the Savannahs, an artwork As usual, a total of one hundred and thirty-five cards will make up the list of Forged in the Savannahs, introducing the new Frenzy mechanic with their arrival. The functioning of the latter is quite simple to explain: minions and other cards that possess this particular keyword will activate the relative power after having survived damage for the first time, inflicting, for example, in the case of the Master of Swords Samuro damage equal to own attack on all enemy minions after losing health without dying.The second novelty introduced by Forged in the Savannahs concerns graduated spells, which will increase in power when reaching five and ten mana crystals, regardless of whether they are in the player's hand or in his deck. For example, the Swarm of Imp spell at rank one will summon a 3/2 imp if cast early in the game, changing to two imps at rank two with five crystals and three imps at rank three with ten crystals. All while remaining with the same cost of two mana. Speaking of spells, Forged in the Savannahs will also bring with it the Schools of Magic, a series of specializations of the spells present in the game thanks to which particular synergies between the cards will be activated. Even spells already published in the past will thus be divided between the various Arcane, Vile, Fire, Frost, Sacred, Nature and Shadow schools, for example allowing a minion as a Healing Spirit to give +2 health to another minion in play only afterwards casting a sacred school spell. It is clear that part of these new features coming with Forged in the Savannahs will serve Blizzard to pave the way for the changes that Hearthstone will experience during this 2021, among which other game modes await us.
The Year of the Griffin
Among the elements of Forged in the Savannahs that we will find to keep us company throughout the Year of the Griffin there will be the Mercenary servants, a group of warriors belonging to both the Alliance and the Horde type legendary. Each of them will arrive representing a different class, unraveling their own story over the course of the year that is about to start in Hearthstone. A year that, as mentioned, will be characterized by very important innovations, starting with the usual rotation that will bring the sets of cards of the Year of the Dragon (The Rise of Shadows, Saviors of Uldum, The Descent of Dragons and also the Apprentice Hunter set Demons) to be part of the only wild format. But that's not all, because Blizzard has also decided to retire the cards that were previously part of the Basic and Classic sets, or at least a part of them. The standard format will in fact see the new set called Main, consisting of two hundred and thirty-five cards selected by the developers. From what we understand this set will change every year, and will be given free to all players. Finally, news coming also for the Shaman, who following the subdivision of the spells into schools will see a change between the totems that can be summoned with his hero power: the Totem of Air will in fact retire, leaving room for the Totem of Force that will provide +1 attack on another minion at the end of the turn.New Modes
Hearthstone: Forged in the Savannahs, the Bru'kan card After hinting at the upcoming new modes, it's time to discover them . In the case of the Classic mode, players will be able to go back in time to 2014, a short time after the first Hearthstone release. All the two hundred and forty original cards will therefore be usable, for which all the nerfs added subsequently will also be canceled. To play, however, you will need to have these cards, which unlike those that make up the Main set will therefore not be given away.The Mercenaries mode will be totally new, linked to the many prominent figures in the Warcraft landscape. Blizzard's presentation talks about strategic role-playing dynamics combined with roguelike missions that offer different challenges for each game, in which you can count on dozens of heroes like Sylvanas Windrunner and Ragnaros the Fire Lord. Each game session will require you to form a team of mercenaries, each with different abilities and upgrades. The release date of Hearthstone's Mercenaries mode remains to be revealed for the moment.
What we do know for sure is that those interested can already book Forged in the Savannahs with the usual ad hoc packages. The first allows for the cost of 49.99 euros to get sixty packs of the expansion, plus the Hamuul back and two random legendaries of the new set, while the second, spending 79.99 euros, allows you to secure eighty-five packs (eighty normal plus five gold) , in addition to the Hamuul back, the alternative hero Hamuul Runic Totem, two golden legendaries and the Extras of the Battle.
With the arrival of the new Year of the Griffin, Blizzard will therefore try to continue on the path of Hearthstone renewal . In fact, the new expansion Forged in the Savane will be accompanied by other innovations, directly linked to the packs of cards that will arrive during this 2021. We will see how the game will evolve.
