May 1, 2010
-by Ben Cichoski
Hello once again, intrepid WoW TCG players! It's me, Ben – yep, still the Head Designer for this game we all love so much. I am excited to continue leading this game into the future for Cryptozoic Entertainment. But enough about that – I know what you're really here for...
Welcome to the first day of
Wrathgate previews!
Wrathgate continues most of the mechanics and themes that were introduced in
Scourgewar, and of course adds some new twists as well. Let's get started.
Argent CrusadeThe largest addition is a new reputation – Argent Crusade. After the terrifying Scourge invasion last set, we needed to call in some professionals. The Nerubians will no longer need to fight off the Scourge alone (although they do have a card or two in Wrathgate as well). The Light is shining brightly on its enemies, with 11 Argent Crusade allies, an AC quest and even a Master Hero (you've probably heard about him already). All the allies are named characters you can interact with in the MMO, and they're all Unique. That's all I'll say for now – you'll just have to wait until later for that preview article.
KeywordsThe keywords introduced in
Scourgewar are back again. After six months,
mend and
assault have formed a closer relationship, as evidenced by this Paladin (they are friendly with
protector as well).
But the two keywords are at their most cozy (and powerful) in the person of High Commander Wyrmbane, leader of the 7th Legion. He wants to command as many soldiers as are willing to join him.
Note that he will have
mend 1 multiple times if you control multiple other allies – so this healing can be spread out over multiple targets.
We have expanded
death rattle as well. Formerly only on abilities (or pets), we have added it to a handful of Horde and Alliance allies in
Wrathgate - Berta, for example. If Berta has a clear shot, she'll take it – if she dies trying, she'll buff a buddy. Not bad.
Speaking of
death rattle, the graveyard continues to be a major theme in the block, with 20 or so cards referencing that zone in
Wrathgate. Here is a common example - a graveyard version of Meeting With the Master (they both have 'with the' in the title – that's design genius for ya).
Holy Damage and Healing The damage type theme continues as well, but in keeping with our new Scourge-haters, it has shifted focus from shadow to holy. And as there is no Holy Resistance in the MMO, we had to find other ways to expand upon the holy damage theme (perhaps you've seen Torch of Holy Fire). Hey, here's another example now!
If only Priests had a holy pet. Oh, well.
Closely related to holy damage, and the general concept of the Light and goodness, is healing. As I mentioned before, mend still makes an appearance in
Wrathgate, but we tried to make healing not only happen even more, but matter more than ever before. Here's a simple example.
As you can see, it works very well on offense or with a
protector. But wait, there's more!
This little beauty might not look like much at first glance, but these numbers add up fast. Certainly reminiscent of Touch of Unlife, but slightly different. And it can't be resisted.
Class MattersOf course, class still matters in
Wrathgate – the featured classes are Druid, Paladin and Priest. Like in Scourgewar, each class has a 'class lord', a quest, an inordinate amount of allies, a 'class-lover' ally and a 'class-hater' ally represented in both Horde and Alliance. Below are a couple of examples of a lover and hater.
Whether you love Druids (or Priests or Paladins) or hate 'em, there's something for everyone! But
Wrathgate ups the 'class matters' ante even more.
There are 9 dual-class cards in the set, 2 for each class (not counting Death Knight as they were tagged on each
Scourgewar dual-class card), and they all count the number of named classes. Don't forget they count your hero as well. Hmmm...heroes...that reminds me...
Keeping with the block trend, each hero's flip power references allies of the same class, but this time, they don't need to be in play – instead you discard them.
The only card type we haven't talked about in regards to class is equipment. There are a handful more in Wrathgate, including a few more of the 'dual-class' equipment similar to Scourgewar. Then there's this little beauty.
Playable by all classes, this card can give you a real jump on your opponent. Imagine the possibilities – a turn 2 Kor Cindervein or Benethor Draigo or even a free Cerwyn on any turn! There might be even better uses. Who knows?
I hope you enjoyed your first look at Wrathgate. What's that? I didn't mention anything about the Wrathgate itself? All I can tell you for now is this – there are five cards from that 'area' in the set, three of them are epic and they're awesome. You'll have to wait for that article too. Yes, we’re teases.
So stay tuned for tomorrow’s as we continue previews and ramp up to the Wrathgate Release Celebration!
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