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Hearthstone: Arachnid Quarter guide

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST

Curse of Naxxramas' initial wing launched on Tuesday, much to the delight of eager fans. The Arachnid Quarter features exactly what Warcraft veterans should expect, that being a lot of spiders. Anub'Rekhan, Grand Widow Faerlina and Maexxna serve as the first trials thrown at adventurers looking to fight their way to the nefarious lich Kel'thuzad. Today, we'll go over a bit about what these baddies do, and how best to crush them.

Anub'Rekhan

The Traitor King boasts a couple of unique mechanics that are worth making note of. His hero power Skitter allows him to summon a 3/1 Nerubian for two mana. On heroic mode, it's a 4/4 Nerubian for two, which is pretty brutal. Anub'Rekhan also has access to a unique card called Anub'ar Swarm, which can really just ruin your day if you don't expect it. It costs a whopping seven mana, but does three damage to all of your minions and heals Anub'Rekhan for three health. Definitely prepare yourself for that, come turn seven. Beyond that, this fight's not too difficult. Anub'Rekhan has access to the rogue specific Curse of Naxxramas card Anub'ar Ambusher, and while 5/5's nothing to scoff at, destroying it will force another random minion on the board back into his hand, assuming there's anything he has anything else in play. It doesn't permanently deal with the threat, but it does buy you time to develop your board in response. Also of note, expect a strange blend of warlock and mage spells, specifically Shadow Bolt, Mortal Coil and Frostbolt.

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Hearthstone: Arachnid Quarter guide originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Curse of Naxxramas release date announced

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST

Brace yourselves, Curse of Naxxramas is coming. Blizzard just announced that Hearthstone's first adventure pack will be available to the public on July 22nd. Curse of Naxxramas' first wing, the Arachnid Quarter, will be available for free to everyone who logs in during the release event. After the event ends, the Arachnid Quarter will join the other wings in costing 700 gold, or $6.99. Bundle options are also available for savvy consumers.

The adventure pack boasts 30 brand new cards, nine of which are class specific. Players will be given the chance to traverse the depths of Naxxramas, doing battle with familiar bosses from the iconic Warcraft raid. Curse of Naxxramas features both normal and heroic modes, and besting all of the bosses on the heroic setting awards players with a unique card back.

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Curse of Naxxramas release date announced originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heroes of the Storm previews Master Skins

(Robert Wing) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST

The Heroes of the Storm team has been busy today, previewing both a new map and, just recently, Master Skins. Originally, Master Skins were unveiled at PAX East as a reward for individuals dedicated to playing specific heroes. Heroes of the Storm boasts a number of dramatic and even comical skins, but Master Skins function a bit differently. They're essentially evolutions of the original skins, with characters showing unique additions to their visuals, such as horns, additional props, et cetera.

The video above shows off Master Skins for characters from the Warcraft universe including Arthas, Falstad, Li Li, and Stitches. They're all unique in their own right, but just how badass does Falstad look with his mohawk? Hopefully future videos will show us what we can expect from the Diablo and StarCraft universes as Master Skins go.

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Heroes of the Storm previews Master Skins originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Updates on Curse of Naxxramas

(Robert Wing) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST

Much to the dismay of conspiracy theorists everywhere, Curse of Naxxramas has not been released today. Hearthstone's first adventure pack is still targeted for release sometime this month, but there's no official date to note just yet. Agonizing as the wait might be, information has continued to drop, painting a more complete picture of just what we can expect. Here are some updates you might've missed.

Heroic Mode

Each of the five Curse of Naxxramas wings will feature a heroic mode available upon completion of the normal mode. Heroic mode is described as being punishingly hard.
Players able to conquer all of the wings on heroic mode will be awarded a special card back, which has yet to be revealed. Of note, the card back is supposed be unveiled before Curse of Naxxramas launches, so it's definitely something to watch for.

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Updates on Curse of Naxxramas originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Previewing Curse of Naxxramas' neutral minions

(Robert Wing) — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST

Sometime this month, Blizzard is expected to release Hearthstone's first adventure pack Curse of Naxxramas. The pack will come with single player adventures, along with 30 new cards that should shake up the metagame and breathe some fresh air into the ladder scene. Pricing details were announced yesterday, and now seems an apt time to begin looking over the cards we'll be seeing in Naxxramas. Thus far, five neutral cards have officially been announced.

Dancing Swords

Dancing Swords is an intriguing minion at three mana. The magical blades boast a highly coveted 4/4 body, able to ignore specific priest removal while still having a thick enough hide to endure most popular area of effect spells. In exchange for the amazing statline, Dancing Swords awards opponents a card upon expiring. In a perfect world, Dancing Swords is used to quickly mow down a foe before the deathrattle ever becomes an issue. It seems like we won't be seeing this minion in anything other than fast paced aggression setups.

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Previewing Curse of Naxxramas' neutral minions originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone season four card back unveiled

(Robert Wing) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST

Hearthstone's fourth official season kicked off yesterday, and with it came the promise of another new card back for those able to reach rank 20. The Dread Necropolis is an obvious nod to the coming Curse of Naxxramas adventure pack, which could be out as early as this month. While the task might seem like a tall order if you're new, just remember, you're not penalized for losing prior to rank 20, making the journey far less painful than it could be.

Brave adventurers might recall Naxxramas as the lich Kel'thuzad's floating abode in Wrath of the Lich King. The card back boasts an appropriate motif, complete with bones and the raid's signature purple and green color scheme.

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Hearthstone season four card back unveiled originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five more must craft neutral Hearthstone cards

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST

It turns out that people get oddly passionate about card lists, which is honestly a pretty great sign for Hearthstone. The first list we dropped two weeks ago was met with agreement, and also a lot of 'where is this card?!', despite warnings that there would be more to come. There was also some disagreement with the Wild Pyromancer choice, but I'm hoping that Amaz and his skilled use of the fiery minion at Dreamhack Summer has opened some eyes. It's incredibly powerful with the right complements.

This week we'll take a look at another five sub-epic cards no one should be without. The only ranking to the list is mana cost, so we're not saying that one's more important than another. That decision is up to you and what decks you want to play.

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Five more must craft neutral Hearthstone cards originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone reveals new Webspinner card

(Robert Wing) — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST

Hearthstone unveiled its final class specific Curse of Naxxramas card yesterday, the Hunter beast Webspinner. The 1/1 spider costs one mana, and upon expiring summons a random beast card into your hand. Senior Game Designer Ben Brode explained via Twitter that the range on the text includes any beast card, with the exception of tokens. That rules out the 1/1 hound summoned by the Unleash the Hounds spells. All other beasts (Including hunter legendary King Krush) appear to be fair game.

Webspinner can get any collectible Beast. Everything from King Krush to Captain's Parrot.
- Ben Brode (@bdbrode) June 19, 2014

In terms of viability, this card shows promise. The other turn one beasts available to hunter generally serve specific purposes. Stonetusk Boar exists almost exclusively to be used with Hunter's Mark, while Timber Wolf is utilized in conjunction with other beasts already able to attack. Webspinner could be a nice early game tempo play, while retaining value later on in the match because of its ability to provide the user an additional card. If that card ends up being a Savannah Highmane, King Krush, or even Core Hound, it's a great play. Really, so long as it doesn't draw you Captain's Parrot or Angry Chicken, it's a victory.

The hunter set currently sits right in the middle, as expert opinions go. It is nowhere near as crushing as it was prior to the most recent Unleash the Hounds nerf, but it definitely has a place in the metagame, especially against the all powerful Miracle Rogue deck. Webspinner doesn't look like it will unhinge the class again, so much as it will provide another early game option, something the class can definitely use. Moreover, it will provide the class another degree of trickery. After Webspinner dies, opponents will be forced to wonder if you have a giant dinosaur in your hand or not.

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Hearthstone reveals new Webspinner card originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five must craft neutral Hearthstone cards

(Robert Wing) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST

There are a lot of cards in Hearthstone. It can be difficult to know which ones to craft with your hard earned dust, especially in the beginning. Do you save up for a legendary or try and craft more accessible cards in order to build up decent library? I mentioned it before, but I think the best option is grabbing up the basics, specifically cards that hold value across multiple decks.

There's no ranking behind these cards, so grab them up in whatever order you see fit. All of them have strengths and weaknesses, which we'll discuss below.

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Five must craft neutral Hearthstone cards originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livestreaming Warlords of Draenor tonight

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST

Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT, we'll be livestreaming Warlords of Draenor. We'll be rolling whatever class you decide in the comments below and taking it through the opening portion of Frostfire Ridge. We'll also take a look at the opening garrison quests and hunt around for rare spawns. Additionally, we'll be taking your questions from the chat and trying to answer them.

Update: The stream has ended! Thank you for watching!

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Livestreaming Warlords of Draenor tonight originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 05 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone unveils new Voidcaller card

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST

Dark times for those of us hoping to see less of a Zoo Warlock presence come Curse of Naxxramas. Voidcaller's been revealed and it looks primed to make everyone's favorite budget deck even stronger. Upon dying, Voidcaller places a random demon from the owner's hand on the board. While the demon played gets to keep beneficial abilities such as charge, it will not tax the warlock with penalties like health loss or card discard as this particular mechanic ignores the battlecry function.

This obviously boosts the worth of Flame Imp and Doomguard, two cards that are already cornerstones of Zoo. It could also be enough summon Pit Lord off the bench, but I'm skeptical as without the Voidcaller, Pit Lord will still hurt entirely too much to play in most situations. Voidcaller should fit easily in the Dark Iron Dwarf slot. Defender of Argus could be subbed out instead, but realistically, it's entirely too good to drop.

What it will likely come down to is a safe approach versus a more risky one. Dark Iron Dwarf is a 4/4 for 4 that is almost never a subpar play, given Zoo's powerful ability to control the board. Voidcaller will be less of a certainty. If the warlock in question has no demons in hand, Voidcaller is statistically underwhelming, being a 3/4 for 4. Moreover, it could actually drop a Voidwalker earlier than intended. Zoo often requires road blocks put up at key points to protect other minions, or avoid blows to the face. Conversely, if a destroyed Voidcaller summons a free Doomguard, that will quite likely end the match. Voidcaller is all about risk and reward, which is fitting considering the warlock set in Hearthstone.

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Hearthstone unveils new Voidcaller card originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hearthstone: Sen'jin Shieldmasta

(Robert Wing) — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST

The Sen'jin Shieldmasta is a textbook example of a card that's incredibly strong despite being available to everyone. This four mana taunt creature is the bane of more aggressive decks because it boasts five toughness and often requires the sacrifices of multiple minions or spells to get it off the board. It's not just an answer to aggressive decks, however. The favorable distribution of stats makes it viable in almost every deck, save Miracle Rogue.

Sen'jin Shieldmasta has very few direct counters. While the Black Knight is designed to deal with it, opponents are essentially trading a six mana card to deal with a four mana card. It works, but it's inefficient. Priests can also drop Shadow Word: Pain to quickly remove it, but it's admittedly rare to see Anduin Wrynn on the ladder, as priests are generally not favored by top players. Druids have access to Starfall and Starfire which each deal five damage to a target, but neither are commonly in use right now. Beyond those cards, there isn't really a whole lot that will destroy a Sen'jin Shieldmasta conveniently. He's a solid play against common decks like Warlock Zoo, Miracle Rogue, Druid Token, Paladin Aggro, and more.

More importantly, Sen'jin Shieldmasta boasts arguably the most fun entry sound in the game, shouting "Taz'dingo!" upon being played. If you're looking for a reliable wall that won't cost you a single bit of dust, consider tossing this troll into your deck.

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Hearthstone: Sen'jin Shieldmasta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Season three Hearthstone card back announced

(Robert Wing) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST

Hearthstone's third official Ranked Play Season kicked off this morning and the accompanying unique card back has since been announced. The rainbow themed card back had been shown off before, but it was unknown what exactly would be required to unlock it. All you'll need to do to obtain it is make rank 20, similar to both the Pandaria and Black Temple themed card motifs.

If you haven't made the grind to rank 20 before, it's not too hard. You just need to win a few games, especially because it's possible to gain a double-star-win-streaks after winning three straight ranked games. Conversely, it's actually impossible to lose stars up to rank 20. If you earned enough stars last season to start below rank 20, you'll still need to log in and play at least one match in order to secure the rainbow card back.

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Season three Hearthstone card back announced originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Life after the tutorial in Hearthstone

(Robert Wing) — Thu, 29 May 2014 16:00:00 EST

It turns out Illidan was wrong. You were prepared, in Hearthstone, at least. After a climactic battle you bested the Betrayer and closed out the Hearthstone tutorial. What do you do after that?

Unfortunately, Hearthstone's very minor narrative ends there and you're left to fend for yourself in what can be a horrifying world of Leeroy Jenkins', Ragnaros' and more. Your opponents are dropping legendaries and you're just trying to figure out how to keep Goldshire Footman out of your mage deck. Today we'll take a look at how to move forward in a game that features little in the way of linear progression.

While you'll receive some quests early on to take your deck out into the wild against other players, go ahead and shelf that idea for a bit and head on over to Hearthstone's practice area. In this safe environment you'll get the chance to play against the AI, while also unlocking all of the other classes. You won't need to worry about making other players wait while you try and figure out your moves, nor will you need to feel any sort of pressure over potentially losing. These beginner AI decks are designed to teach you the basics of the various classes and in turn help you grow your understanding of the game as a whole.

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Life after the tutorial in Hearthstone originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 29 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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