The latest card expansion for Blizzard’s CCG Hearthstone has been announced today by way of this year’s BlizzCon convention, and it may well represent the biggest gameplay shake-up the title has seen since the introduction of Standard and Wild modes earlier this year.
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will be the fourth major card expansion for Hearthstone and the third add-on of this year following Whispers of the Old Gods and the One Night In Karazhan adventure sets.
A newsletter sent out to players reads: “Psst, hey kid! I’m sure you’ve heard about Gadgetzan, the wondroud jewel of Tanaris? Well, this city’s more than meets the eye. Swing by Talan’s Bar, and I’ll show you who really runs the mean streets of Gadgetzan!”
So, what is it exactly that sets Gadgetzan apart from ever other expansion for Hearthstone released to date? Tri-Class cards. As opposed to all previous expansions that featured a set amount of unique cards for each of the game’s nine classes, Gadgetzan will introduce special cards that can be used by up to three different heroes.
These are sorted into factions, all three of which come with their own theme. See below for the details.
The Grimy Goons
This unlikely alliance of Hunters, Paladins, and Warriors use brute force and intimidation to smuggle weapons and enforce the rules on their turf.
The Jade Lotus
Druids, Rogues and Shamans have combined their mastery of secrecy and the mystic arts to form an alliance of assassins, complete with their own secret army of Jade Golems.
Kabal
Mana-addicted Mages, Priests and Warlocks have joined forces to form this group of outcast magic users to gain control of the bootleg potion and illicit mana trade.
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is due for an ealy December launch, so you can expect to see the usual influx of card reveals and teases to trickle out of Blizzard HQ over the coming weeks in the lead-up to launch.