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"Goblins and gnomes… goblins and gnomes! Both are super-brilliant - but you would never know! Everything they seem to make is faulty or explodes… Perfecting imperfection - goblins and gnomes!"
Wild format
Wild icon
With the arrival of game formats in spring 2016, Goblins vs Gnomes is now a Wild format expansion. This means that Goblins vs Gnomes card packs are no longer available from the Shop, and cards from the Goblins vs Gnomes card set are no longer playable in Standard format matches. For more information, see Game format.

Goblins vs Gnomes (often abbreviated as GvG) is the first expansion for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, released on December 8th 2014 in the Americas region, and on 9th/10th December in other regions.[1] The second infusion of new cards to be added to the game, the expansion features 123 collectible cards, with a strong mechanical theme, and introduced the Mech minion type, as well as debuting the long-awaited spectator mode.

As well as introducing new cards and features, the expansion saw the minion type of numerous minions changed, with many mechanical minions becoming Mechs, and certain bestial druid minions becoming Beasts. The accompanying patch also brought some card changes, with the cost of LegacyFlare, LegacySoulfire and LegacyGadgetzan Auctioneer all increased by 1.

A few days prior to its full release, the expansion was heralded with a special launch event, running from December 4-8. The event saw all Goblins vs Gnomes card available in Arena, as well as some uncollectible cards available in constructed play.[2][3] In addition, all players who logged in during the event received one free Arena run - in the form of a special ticket courtesy of Goblins vs GnomesTrade Prince Gallywix - with the Arena button on the main menu jumping and crackling with electricity for the duration of the launch event.[4] All players who logged into Hearthstone from the expansion's launch until December 19 also received three free Goblins vs Gnomes card packs.[5]

The launch event was implemented with the accompanying patch 2.0.0.7234, also bringing with it spectator mode, a new battlefield, and all planned card and system changes.


Cards

Goblins vs Gnomes logo

The Goblins vs Gnomes card set features 123 new collectible cards, obtainable through card packs, crafting and Arena rewards. Each class gains 8 new cards, while 51 new neutral cards are introduced. The expansion also features 20 new uncollectible cards. 10 of these are neutral, while the other 10 belong to the druid, rogue, warlock and warrior.

Neutral

Common (22 cards)


Clockwork Gnome
Cogmaster
Annoy-o-Tron
Explosive Sheep
Gilblin Stalker
Mechwarper
Micro Machine
Puddlestomper
Ship's Cannon
Stonesplinter Trogg
Flying Machine
Gnomeregan Infantry
Ogre Brute
Spider Tank
Tinkertown Technician
Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lost Tallstrider
Mechanical Yeti
Piloted Shredder
Antique Healbot
Salty Dog
Force-Tank MAX


Rare (10 cards)


Target Dummy
Gnomish Experimenter
Goblin Sapper
Illuminator
Lil' Exorcist
Arcane Nullifier X-21
Jeeves
Kezan Mystic
Bomb Lobber
Madder Bomber


Epic (8 cards)


Recombobulator
Hobgoblin
Enhance-o Mechano
Mini-Mage
Fel Reaver
Junkbot
Piloted Sky Golem
Clockwork Giant


Legendary (11 cards)


Blingtron 3000
Hemet Nesingwary
Mimiron's Head
Gazlowe
Mogor the Ogre
Toshley
Dr
Troggzor the Earthinator
Foe Reaper 4000
Sneed's Old Shredder
Mekgineer Thermaplugg

Uncollectible

Chicken
Boom Bot
V-07-TR-0N

Spare Parts (uncollectible)

Spare Parts are special uncollectible spell cards, granted by certain other cards. Costing 1 mana each, these randomly granted spells can be used to alter existing minions.


Armor Plating
Emergency Coolant
Finicky Cloakfield
Reversing Switch
Rusty Horn
Time Rewinder
Whirling Blades

Class cards

Each class received 8 new collectible cards, for a total of 72 new collectible class cards. 10 uncollectible class cards were also added: 7 for druid (mostly Choose One effects), and 1 each for rogue, warlock and warrior.

Druid

Anodized Robo Cub
Druid of the Fang
Grove Tender
Mech-Bear-Cat
Recycle
Dark Wispers
Tree of Life
Malorne
Uncollectible
Attack Mode
Tank Mode
Druid of the Fang
Gift of Cards
Gift of Mana

Card not found Card not found

Hunter

Glaivezooka
Cobra Shot
Call Pet
Metaltooth Leaper
King of Beasts
Feign Death
Steamwheedle Sniper
Gahz'rilla

Mage

Flamecannon
Snowchugger
Unstable Portal
Soot Spewer
Goblin Blastmage
Echo of Medivh
Wee Spellstopper
Flame Leviathan

Paladin

Seal of Light
Shielded Minibot
Muster for Battle
Scarlet Purifier
Cobalt Guardian
Coghammer
Quartermaster
Bolvar Fordragon

Priest

Shrinkmeister
Velen's Chosen
Light of the Naaru
Shadowboxer
Upgraded Repair Bot
Shadowbomber
Lightbomb
Vol'jin

Rogue

Goblin Auto-Barber
Tinker's Sharpsword Oil
One-eyed Cheat
Iron Sensei
Ogre Ninja
Cogmaster's Wrench
Sabotage
Trade Prince Gallywix
Uncollectible
Gallywix's Coin

Shaman

Crackle
Whirling Zap-o-matic
Vitality Totem
Powermace
Dunemaul Shaman
Ancestor's Call
Siltfin Spiritwalker
Neptulon

Warlock

Darkbomb
Floating Watcher

Card not found

Fel Cannon
Imp-losion
Demonheart
Anima Golem
Mal'Ganis
Uncollectible
Imp

Warrior

Warbot
Ogre Warmaul
Screwjank Clunker
Siege Engine
Shieldmaiden
Bouncing Blade
Crush
Iron Juggernaut
Uncollectible
Burrowing Mine

How to get

Goblins vs Gnomes card pack banner
  • Cards for Goblins vs Gnomes are available through the Shop and the Arena, as well as crafting.
  • Goblins vs Gnomes cards are sold in their own card packs, separate from Classic cards.
  • Goblins vs Gnomes card packs cost the same as Classic card packs, both in gold and real money.[6]
  • Goblins vs Gnomes cards can be crafted and disenchanted using Arcane Dust, the same as Classic cards.[6]
  • All card pack rewards from the Arena are Goblins vs Gnomes packs.[7] Individual card rewards may be from the Goblins vs Gnomes or Classic sets.[8] All Goblins vs Gnomes cards are available in Arena as picks regardless of whether or not the player has yet collected them.
  • No cards were added to the basic, reward, promo or other card sets with the initial release of Goblins vs Gnomes.

Changes to existing cards

Mechs

Main article: Mech

Goblins vs Gnomes saw the introduction of the Mech minion type.

Spectator mode

Main article: Spectator mode
"Alongside Goblins vs Gnomes, we’re introducing Spectator mode so you and your friends can observe each others’ explosive battles, fiery strategies, and hard-won victories. If someone on your friends list is playing and has allowed spectators (enabled by default), you can jump into your pal’s game and watch right away!"[10]

Goblins vs Gnomes saw the introduction of the long-awaited spectator mode, allowing players to view other players' matches as they take place, from within the game client.

Battlefield

Main article: Battlefield#Goblins vs Gnomes

The expansion brought the game's sixth battlefield. The battlefield contains features and designs representing both goblins and gnomes, and comes with a full assortment of gizmos and explosives to be tinkered with.

For more details on the battlefield and its interactable features, see Battlefield#Goblins vs Gnomes.

Battlefield - Goblins vs Gnomes

Card backs

The card backs for Ranked play Seasons 8 and 9 match the expansion.

Goblins
No longer available
Achieving Rank 20 in Ranked Season 8 (November 2014)

4 out of 5 goblins agree: This card back doesn’t explode!

Gnomes
No longer available
Achieving Rank 20 in Ranked Season 9 (December 2014)

This multifunctional device also works as a gnomish army knife, a shoe horn and a pass to the Deeprun Tram. Gnomish ingenuity!

Notes

  • Almost precisely a third of the expansion's cards are Mech minions.[11]
  • The expansion does not contain any collectible neutral spells.[11]
  • Spare Parts cards are available through multiple minions.[11]
  • The expansion did not see the current level cap of 60 increased.[12]
  • There is no reward for collecting all Mech minions.[13]
  • While Curse of Naxxramas added 1 new common card for each class, Goblins vs Gnomes provides the first new rare, epic and legendary class cards since the game's original launch.
  • The chances of drawing different rarities in Arena have not been altered with the new expansion.[14] Card pack rarity chances have also not been changed.
  • No new music was added with the expansion for gameplay itself.[15] However, navigating to the Goblins vs Gnomes tab of the shop presents a number of new tracks not heard elsewhere in-game. These are in fact taken from World of Warcraft's gnome starting area, just outside the gnome city of Gnomeregan. Goblin-like crowd noises can also be heard in the background.

Lore

The expansion revolves around the ongoing competition between two classic Warcraft races: the goblins and the gnomes.

For a visual display of existing goblin and gnome cards, see Goblin art and Gnome art.

Goblins

"Goblins are known for their business acumen and their love of big explosions, and definitely not in that order. At the heart of Goblin engineering lies a deep, overwhelming desire to see things explode. Sure, ideally that means the enemy, but that’s not what you’d call a strict requirement. As long as someone is getting blown up, then your average Goblin will be happy."[6]

Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
The cunning goblins are small green creatures from the isle of Kezan. Their love of money, explosives, and technology leaves them to be a very dangerous race, both to their enemies and themselves. Most goblins have a neutral standpoint, preferring to sell their contraptions, knowledge and services to other races.
Goblins are small humanoids, crafty and shrewd, bearing an overwhelming interest in commerce and a strong curiosity about mechanical things. Goblin society is fragmented, defined chiefly by commerce and trade. The ultimate schemers and con artists, goblins are always in search of a better deal. Despite their seemingly chaotic natures, they exist in a fairly strict and straightforward hierarchy. Other races universally view goblins as inventors, merchants and, without exception, maniacs. Goblins value technology as a useful aspect of commerce. Some say that their advantage — and their curse — is to be the primary users of technology in a world governed by magic. While dwarves and gnomes share a similar gift, goblin technology is more far-reaching and sinister and makes a larger impact on the natural world.

In World of Warcraft, the goblins of Kezan are a playable Horde race.

"The wise and cunning goblins of Kezan have lived in relative peace for generations. Though some of their race sided with the marauding orcs during the Second War, most goblins remained neutral throughout the various conflicts of the Alliance and Horde. Ruled over by corrupt yet highly affluent Trade Princes, the goblins created a virtual paradise for themselves throughout the islands of the South Seas. Their fantastic feats of engineering and vast trade fleets helped make their island capital of Kezan one of the great technological wonders of the world. And now, as the elements themselves rise up in anger across the world, the goblins' mechanical paradise will be put to the test. For, very soon, fate will force them to choose sides in a conflict that will shape the very history of the world."

Gnomes

"What Gnomes do, they do FOR SCIENCE! While Gnomish inventions are less likely to leave smoking craters, they are significantly more likely to turn innocent bystanders into poultry. In fact, it seems like a lot of Gnomish engineering is a combination of the wackiest technology imaginable and a hefty dose of ‘turning-things-into-other-things probably-by-accident.’ Odds are, rather than blowing something up, a Gnomish invention will usually just leave the unfortunate target wishing they’d been blown up."[6]

Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
"The clever, spunky, and oftentimes eccentric gnomes present a unique paradox among the civilized races of Azeroth. Brilliant inventors with an irrepressibly cheerful disposition, this race has suffered treachery, displacement, and near-genocide. It is their remarkable optimism in the face of such calamity that symbolizes the truly unshakable spirit of the gnomes."
Gnomes are a diminutive, wiry race of tinkers who live underground. In the Second War, they built gadgets and vehicles, such as submarines and flying machines, for the Alliance to combat the Horde. They are great mechanics and inventors, renowned for their knowledge and eccentric natures. The gnomes had a city, Gnomeregan, built into Ironforge Mountain, but invading troggs destroyed it and slaughtered its citizens. Many survivors now live with the Ironforge dwarves, a few traveling with their dwarven friends to Kalimdor. The gnomes are still reeling from the destruction of their home city and are loath to leave the safety of the dwarven tunnels.

Themes

Goblins vs Gnomes features a number of themes. Some are major elements of the expansion, while others are simply new traits found on a handful cards.

Most of these themes are explored in detail either elsewhere on this page, or in their own articles; click links for more information.

RNG

Many cards in Goblins vs Gnomes feature strong RNG elements, with effects targeting (or summoning) random minions, or simply having a percentage chance of activating in the first place. While already present in some cards prior to the expansion, Goblins vs Gnomes substantially expanded the number of random effects in the game, as well as taking their significance to new levels.

Goblins vs Gnomes Key Art

Goblins vs Gnomes full art

Mechs

Main article: Mech

Spare Parts

Main article: Spare Part

Ejection Deathrattles

A number of minions are piloted vehicles, featuring Deathrattles which cause them to 'eject' a randomly selected minion.

Clumsy ogres

Main articles: Ogre, Clumsy

With all that racket of smashing, clanging, and other noises of mechanized destruction, it was bound to draw some attention from another Azerothian race that loves to smash things up: Ogres. These heavy hitters really, really like to smash things, and they’re ready to join the fray in Goblins vs Gnomes!
In Goblins vs Gnomes, many ogres will have the “50% chance to attack the wrong enemy” card text, reflecting their wild and uncontrollable nature. Like previously mentioned, ogres don’t care about what they hit as long as they hit “something,” so their ability can also potentially bypass Taunt and Stealth if one of their wild swings manages to connect. When you see an Ogre on the battlefield, watch out; something is about to get smashed!

Deathrattles

While not a new feature of the expansion, Deathrattles were announced as one area of Hearthstone that would see significant developments in Goblins vs Gnomes, specifically through the interactions of cards such as Goblins vs GnomesFeign Death, Goblins vs GnomesLil' Exorcist and Goblins vs GnomesScarlet Purifier.

Shuffle into deck

Goblins vs Gnomes saw the debut of the shuffle into deck ability, placing a card into a random position within the player's unused deck. While not a keyword, the ability was featured on 3 cards: Goblins vs GnomesMalorne, Goblins vs GnomesIron Juggernaut and Goblins vs GnomesRecycle. This marked the first time the player was able to place cards into either player's unused deck.

In-hand effects

The expansion featured the first cards to have effects which trigger while they are in the player's hand: Goblins vs GnomesBurrowing Mine, Goblins vs GnomesFlame Leviathan and Goblins vs GnomesBolvar Fordragon.

Draw-related effects

Also introduced with Goblins vs Gnomes were cards which activated based on being drawn by the player, namely Goblins vs GnomesBurrowing Mine and Goblins vs GnomesFlame Leviathan.

History

Development

Goblins vs Gnomes was chosen as the direction for the first Hearthstone expansion in part due to the mood set by the previous Curse of Naxxramas content.[6] The developers wanted something light-hearted, colorful, and a little zany, to contrast with Curse of Naxxramas's creepy, "very grim" and doom-and-gloom theme.[6]

BlizzCon 2014 - blueprints repair

One of the teaser "blueprints", for the LegacyRepair Bot

The developers also wanted to do something "very, very different" to Curse of Naxxramas, firmly returning the focus from single-player boss battles to the game's staple multiplayer matches, and with a far larger quantity of cards, making a far bigger impact on the game's decks and meta.[16] In addition, Curse of Naxxramas took place in a specific location, Naxxramas, and therefore had a very specific geographic and even chronological setting.[16] In contrast, goblins and gnomes could be found throughout Azeroth and its regions, and had already featured in multiple Warcraft games for nearly 20 years, making them "part of the entire Warcraft experience".[16]

Teasers

Around October 30, press and members of the Hearthstone community began receiving special "blueprints" for various mechanical minions in the game, sparking speculation among players.[17] The blueprints were accompanied by a note which read "Making plans for BlizzCon - I hope you like my invention!", the latter line referencing the summoning quote of the LegacyNovice Engineer, reinforcing the mechanical theme.[17] Designs included the LegacyHarvest Golem, LegacyDemolisher, LegacyPoultryizer and LegacyRepair Bot. Notably, the teasers only featured cards already in the game, while teasers for later content releases would feature art depicting otherwise unrevealed upcoming cards.

Announcement

The expansion was officially announced at BlizzCon 2014 on November 7.

Following the revealing of the expansion, the Goblins vs Gnomes DeviantART challenge was announced on November 20, challenging players to create an original artwork based on the expansion, with a total prize pool of $8,500, as well as various other rewards.[18]

Trivia

  • Arena packs were converted to the new expansion on the expectation that players would prefer to receive the 'new' cards as rewards.[19]
  • Goblins vs Gnomes was foreshadowed by the announcement of the Goblins! card back, available through reaching Rank 20 during November. The card back was revealed a week before the expansion was announced.
  • The expansion was also hinted at by the second Innkeeper's Journal blog, High Stakes, which featured two duelling goblins using dynamite in place of the game's usual turn timer. The blog featured the art later revealed to be used for the Goblins vs GnomesMadder Bomber card, but was considered by many to be another hint in the direction of a goblin-themed expansion. The first Innkeeper's Journal blog, Patron Dispenser, also featured the art to be used in the Goblins vs GnomesUnstable Portal card, and revolved around mage portals bringing customers to the inn.
  • Following an initial reveal of several cards at BlizzCon 2014, new Goblins vs Gnomes cards were revealed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout November through a special voting process, with participants able to choose between two different cards. The most popular card was revealed, while the other was not. Additional cards were also revealed through specific fansites. This process continued in a piecemeal fashion until December 2nd, when all 63 remaining cards were revealed all at once on the official facebook page. This reveal was followed by the announcement of the expansion's release date.
  • A week after the release of GvG, Senior Producer Yong Woo stated that Team 5 were "already working a lot on future expansions",[20] including "not only the next [expansion] but the one after that as well",[20] describing the team as always "trying to get ahead of the curve".[20]

Gallery

Teasers
BlizzCon 2014 - blueprints package

Blueprints for the LegacyDemolisher

BlizzCon 2014 - blueprints golem

Blueprints for the LegacyHarvest Golem

BlizzCon 2014 - blueprints poultryizer

Blueprints for the LegacyPoultryizer

Release
Goblins vs Gnomes - free card packs

Players logging in December 8th-19th received 3 free card packs

Goblins vs Gnomes - launch splash

The Goblins vs Gnomes release banner

Launch event
Goblins vs Gnomes - Arena event

The Goblins vs Gnomes launch event announcement

Goblins vs Gnomes - Arena ticket

Goblins vs GnomesTrade Prince Gallywix's gift to the player - one Arena ticket

Goblins vs Gnomes - Arena event 2

For the duration of the event, the Arena button crackled with electricity, and would sometimes jump, spin and belch smoke

Trailer
Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 1

Goblins vs Gnomes

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 12

A goblin demonstrating his race's unique approach to flying

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 3

A gnomish flying squad

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 5

A gnome in a Goblins vs GnomesSpider Tank

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 9

A Goblins vs GnomesGoblin Blastmage in action

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 2

A gnome in a mechanical battle suit

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 4

A LegacyMind Control Tech engineer making some fine adjustments

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 10

A goblin chasing down a LegacyHoming Chicken

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 6

A Goblins vs GnomesCogmaster making use of his Arclight Spanner

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 7

A goblin riding in a Goblins vs GnomesPiloted Shredder

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 13

A gnomish invention strongly resembling the Worldflipper X-50

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 11

A Goblins vs GnomesGoblin Sapper realising he has made a small miscalculation

Goblins vs Gnomes trailer 8

The battle continues...

Videos

Patch changes

  • Goblins vs Gnomes logo Patch 2.0.0.7234 (2014-12-04):
    • All Goblins vs Gnomes data added to the game, along with the new battlefield, new features such as spectator mode, and all card changes.
    • Goblins vs Gnomes cards are now available for selection in the Arena, but are not yet obtainable.

References

See also

External links

Initial announcement
Other
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