The Impact Factor

10 Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Cards That Got Me Excited!

Perspectives

I know, I know. The Impact Factor is on hiatus. The blog is indeed still AWOL. On the good news front, I’ve made finalized drafts for 5 out of my 7 manuscript figures and have started work on a poster for a scientific conference in January. So that’s something?

Despite being on hiatus, I felt obligated to post something about Hearthstone’s latest expansion: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. On December 1^st players are going to be treated to over 130 new cards to enjoy and a bevy of new strategies to implement. Moreso than many previous sets, I believe Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is going to seriously impact the ranked metagame. I fully expect to see a lot more Priest, Druid climbing to the top tier spot, alongside the return of Aggro Warrior.

As is tradition here on the blog, I wanted to run through a handful of the new cards that have me the most excited. For the past few releases I have made videos, but my limited TIF time means that we’re back to the basics—a text list! So without any further ado, here are the 10 Mean Streets of Gadgetzan cards that got me excited:

Jade Idol

Let’s get ahead of the curve here: I welcome our new Jade Druid overlords. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan has introduced three powerful new factions for the game’s 9 classes, and the Jade Lotus clan has quickly come out as a leader when it comes to power level. Of the three Jade Lotus classes (Shaman, Druid, Rogue), Druid got most of the best faction cards. Jade Idol is near the top of that list. At worst, Jade Idol is a 1 mana 1/1 that makes your next Jade Golem a 2/2. Late in the game, Jade Idol is a 1 mana 4/4, 5/5, and beyond. Jade Idol is also critical in helping Druid deal with control decks. With Jade Idol, you can never fatigue. Ever. The second ability keeps your deck full and the increasingly powerful Jade Golems coming. If Jade Druid is a thing, and I predict it will be, expect to run two copies of Jade Idol.

Rat Pack

Hunter didn’t get a whole lot in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, but maybe that’s because of Rat Pack. A 3 mana 2/2 is pretty bad stats, but once you read the card’s text its power level becomes clear. Early game minions that deathrattle into new minions have shaped Hearthstone’s metagame for years. At face value, a 2/2 that summons 2 1/1s is pretty good. Increase Rat Pack’s attack by 1 and the card starts to get bonkers. Hunters have a great tool for buffing beats with Houndmaster, and are gaining several new ones from the Grimy Goons faction. Midrange Hunter has always been pretty good, and I’m excited to see where Rat Pack might fit.

Inkmaster Solia

I love how Mean Streets of Gadgetzan’s final faction, the Kabal, are reinforcing the reason to build single copy decks. I’ve had a great time with Reno Jackson, and with Inkmaster Solia, I now have plenty of incentive to make Reno Mage. Playing a card for free is never a bad thing. Assuming you built your deck correctly, Inkmaster Solia’s effect is always going to proc—which can lead to a swingy turn. Turn 7 Inkmaster Solia into a free Flamestrike, Blizzard, or Firelands Portal? Devastating. Magic and Hearthstone pro Brian Kibler has already shown the power of single copy Mage decks, and I expect Inkmaster Solia to easily make the cut.

Small Time Recruits

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is trying to steer Paladin towards a new, hyper aggressive 1-drop deck. If any card makes this new archetype work it will be Small Time Recruits. Drawing 3 cards for 3 mana is fantastic. Aggressive Paladin lists will run enough 1 drops that you won’t need to worry about Small Time Recruits drawing less than three. Small Time Recruits thins your deck, making you more likely to draw into your powerful finishers like buff spells or Leeroy Jenkins. Top decking a measly 1 drop can feel pretty bad. It’s also a draw that will always work, compared to something Aggro Paladins have previously run in the past (Divine Favor). Especially with Paladin getting new hand buffing tools, having a bunch of creatures in hand is a good thing. The eventual fate of a 1-drop heavy Paladin list is unsure, but if it is competitive, expect Small Time Recruits to play a big role.

Drakonid Operative

I’m calling it now: Drakonid Operative is the best card in the set. It’s a 5 mana 5/6, easily passing the vanilla test. It’s a dragon, and we all know there are a ton of great synergies in dragon decks. It fills a 5 slot that has been default filled with Azure Drake, even though the card isn’t the best for every dragon list. And Drakonid Operative’s battlecry is INSANE. Discovering a card from your opponent’s deck is arguably better than drawing one from your own. Gaining a new card from a minion that is already impressively stated for its cost is ridiculous. Dragon Priest will be an extremely powerful deck in the new metagame, and they will run two copies of Drakonid Operative. If you don’t open them, craft them. You can thank me later.

Dragonfire Potion

You’re seeing it right: I’m spotlighting 2 Priest cards out the 10 for the entire set. The long-suffering Priest class was blessed with a bevy of powerful cards in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, including one unlike anything they have ever had before. Like a good board clear? Yep. Dragonfire Potion is super powerful. 6 mana to deal 5 damage to all creatures is fantastic. With Dragon Priest getting plenty of new tools, Dragonfire Potion slots in perfectly to help out particularly difficult matchups (like Midrange Shaman). All the better, if your board is dragons, they’re left untouched! Dragonfire Potion will not only find a home in Dragon Priest decks, but likely any Priest deck that is playing for the long game. The one downside is that Dragonfire Potion is extremely weak against other dragon decks. Considering just how powerful Dragon Priest is looking, this could pose a problem.

Hobart Grapplehammer

Aggressive Warrior looks to be a lone savior from the powerful late-game heavy decks on the horizon like Jade Druid. Hobart Gapplehammer is a powerful new addition to the existing archetype. A 2 mana 2/2 isn’t the worst, but it is the battlecry we really care about. Adding +1 attack to every weapon, both in your hand and deck, is crazy. Firey War Axes are now 4-2 weapons, Arcanite Reapers 6/2. I’ve played my fair share of an aggressive Pirate Warrior deck and often find myself missing one or two damage for lethal. Hobart Grapplehammer’s battlecry is the solution to that problem. Weapons are already hard to deal with as only a tiny fraction of cards in the game let you affect them, making Hobart Grapplehammer’s effect feel even better. Be prepared to get smashed in the face by huge weapons soon.

Dopplegangster

Amazing name-pun aside, Dopplegangster could be the card that could makes a Grimy Goons deck work. Any in-hand buff given to Dopplegangster dramatically increases the power level of the card. We already know that 5 mana 3 2/2s doesn’t get played (see Force of Nature), but as we’ve seen with Grim Patron, 3 3/3s is nothing to shake a stick at. Anything above that and it starts getting into the unfair territory. I’m skeptical about the competitive viability of a Grimy Goons faction deck, but if one is good enough, Dopplegangster will almost certainly slot into it.

Genzo, the Shark

No, I didn’t just choose this card because it has ‘shark’ in the name. I seriously think Genzo, the Shark is amazing. He’s also one of the most overlooked cards in the set. As Dragon Priest, Midrange Shaman and Jade Druid appear poised to shape the meta, aggressive strategies will arise as a natural counter. One of the worst possible feelings with an aggressive deck is to dump your hand onto the board, lose it, and then rely on top deck draws to win you the game. Genzo, the Shark helps to stymie that problem. A 4 mana 5/4 isn’t bad (when you want to kill your opponent fast) and his effect is great. Assuming it can live until your next turn (a big assumption) Genzo, the Shark is Jeeves on a big stick. You also control when hands are refilled to 3 cards, making him more versatile than Jeeves. Genzo, the Shark’s fate is uncertain, but I want to believe he might make the cut for a Pirate Warrior or Face Hunter list.

Aya Blackpaw

The champion of Jade decks, Aya Blackpaw is an auto-include for any deck revolving around making Jade Golems. Her stats are bad at a mere 5/3 for 6, but when you start considering the stats of her golem friends she summons, the math starts to get nutty. By turn 6, Jade decks will have (hopefully) summoned at least a golem or two. That means that Aya Blackpaw is often a 6 mana 5/3 that summons a 3/3 or 4/4, and then summons a 4/4 or 5/5 upon dying. Her being on the battlefield doesn’t really matter in the long term, either. Aya Blackpaw ramps up your Jade Golem count by 2 (ignoring any Brann or Feign Death shenanigans), which makes every single other Jade card in your deck that much better. There are not many cards I plan on crafting day one if I don’t open them, but Aya Blackpaw is an exception. I cannot see how she doesn’t get played.