The great Hearthstone clock in the sky lurches forward yet again! That’s right, it’s almost time to bid a fond farewell to the Year of the Gryphon as we prepare for what’s next in the Tavern. The Year of the Hydra is starting on April 12 with the launch of Voyage to the Sunken City. It will see the free Core set grow to 250 cards, with 72 returning and adjusted cards rotating in, including classics such as Reno Jackson and Wild Pyromancer.
Many Heads Are Better Than One
The new Hearthstone year, the Year of the Hydra is all about providing fresh new content and updates for their established modes—with a renewed focus on sustainability and optimization. You can expect quality-of-life and other improvements, such as being able to equip a random hero skin, in-game reporting, and an overall emphasis on client-performance improvements. That’s on top of their usual three-card sets and a mountain of planned new content for Battlegrounds, Mercenaries, and more.
Refreshing the Foundation
- The Year of the Hydra will kick off when Voyage to the Sunken City launches on April 12 and set rotation takes place—sending Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy, and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire to Wild.
- After set rotation, the Standard card pool will include Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley, Voyage to the Sunken City, and the Core set.
- Updates for the Core set will go live alongside set rotation in a shakeup that rotates out 57 cards and brings in 72, for a new total of 250 total cards in Core—15 more than last year. These new additions are made up of returning cards, although some have been adjusted for the modern game.
- Cards of note returning to the Core set are the original League of Explorers: Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard, Elise Starseeker, and Sir Finley Mrrgglton. Other returning favourites include Voidwalker, Wild Pyromancer, Acolyte of Pain, Mossy Horror, Cloaked Huntress, and Fandral Staghelm.
