Highlander

"We're gonna be rich!"

"Highlander" (or "Singleton") is an unofficial term used to refer to a deck-defining minion ability that activates if the deck contains no duplicate cards. The ability debuted in The League of Explorers with Reno Jackson and has made subsequent appearances as headline mechanics in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan and Saviors of Uldum. All Highlander cards are Legendary.

This deck type became Wild-only at the start of Year of the Raven, when the relevant cards rotated out of Standard. However, several new Highlander cards were added with the Saviors of Uldum expansion, which caused Highlander decks to make a comeback in Standard.

While no official keyword is used to denote the highlander effect on minion cards, precisely the same text is found on all associated cards: If your deck has no duplicates.

Notes

• Highlander Battlecries check for your current deck state when played. It does not matter if you included duplicate cards when the deck was created, only that you've drawn the extra copy before playing the Highlander card.
  • Likewise, if duplicate cards have been shuffled into your deck during the game, the Highlander effect will be disabled until they are drawn.
  • Cards in your hand don't block Highlander battlecries, the duplicates need to be in your (undrawn) deck.
• Highlander effects work when your deck is empty.
• Highlander cards in your hand have a yellow border if their condition has been met.

Strategy

• All Highlander cards have extremely powerful effects for their mana cost, which is balanced by the reduced consistency of the rest of your deck.
• Although you can include duplicate cards for this effect, it's usually not recommended since it greatly reduces the consistency of your power play. However, you can counteract this by including draw cards that target the duplicates. For example, a deck with duplicate Secrets can drain those duplicates with cards like Subject 9.
• Decks that can draw all of their cards fairly quickly (or decks that plan to go into fatigue) can include Highlander cards and play them once their deck is drained.

Cards

This section lists cards with the Highlander effect.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Sir Finley of the Sands	Legendary	Minion	Murloc	Paladin	2	2	3	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, Discover an upgraded Hero Power.
Zephrys the Great	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Any	2	3	2	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, wish for the perfect card.
Elise the Enlightened	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	5	5	5	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, duplicate your hand.
Reno the Relicologist	Legendary	Minion	General	Mage	6	4	6	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, deal 10 damage randomly split among all enemy minions.
Dinotamer Brann	Legendary	Minion	General	Hunter	8	2	4	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, summon King Krush.
Dragonqueen Alexstrasza	Legendary	Minion	Dragon	Any	9	8	8	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, add 2 other random Dragons to your hand. They cost (1).
Showing all 6 cards

Wild format

 This section contains information exclusive to Wild format.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Kazakus	Legendary	Minion	General		4	3	3	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, create a custom spell.
Raza the Chained	Legendary	Minion	General	Priest	5	5	5	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, your Hero Power costs (0) this game.
Reno Jackson	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	6	4	6	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, fully heal your hero.
Inkmaster Solia	Legendary	Minion	General	Mage	7	5	5	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, the next spell you cast this turn costs (0).
Krul the Unshackled	Legendary	Minion	Demon	Warlock	9	7	9	Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, summon all Demons from your hand.
Showing all 5 cards

	Cards
By type	Hero card Minion (Permanent) Spell Weapon
By class	Demon Hunter Druid Hunter Mage Paladin Priest Rogue Shaman Warlock Warrior
By minion type	All Beast Demon Dragon Elemental Mech Murloc Pirate Totem General
By spell school	Arcane Fel Fire Frost Holy Nature Shadow General
By ability	Evergreen keywords	Battlecry Choose One Combo Deathrattle Discover Divine Shield Freeze Lifesteal Outcast Overload Poisonous Rush Secret Silence Spell Damage Stealth Taunt Windfury
	Other keywords	Adapt Casts When Drawn Charge Choose Twice Corrupt Dormant Echo Frenzy Immune Inspire Invoke Jade Golem Lackey Magnetic Mega-Windfury Overkill Passive Quest Reborn Recruit Sidequest Spare Part Spellburst Start of Game Twinspell
	Other abilities	Can't attack Cast spell Copy Deal damage Destroy Discard Draw cards Elusive Enrage Equip Force attack Forgetful Gain Armor Generate Highlander Joust Modify cost Put into battlefield Put into hand Recurring Refresh Mana Remove from deck Replace Restore Health Return to hand Shuffle into deck Spend mana Steal Summon Take control Transform Unlimited attacks Upgradable
	Non-Constructed	Auto-Attack Auto-cast Shrine Start of Combat
By effect type	Area of effect In-deck effect In-hand effect On-discard effect On-draw effect Ongoing effect Positional effect Random effect Resurrection effect Triggered effect
By card set	Standard	Basic Classic Rise of Shadows Saviors of Uldum Descent of Dragons Galakrond's Awakening Demon Hunter Initiate Ashes of Outland Scholomance Academy Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
	Wild	Hall of Fame Curse of Naxxramas Goblins vs Gnomes Blackrock Mountain Grand Tournament The League of Explorers Whispers of the Old Gods One Night in Karazhan Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Journey to Un'Goro Knights of the Frozen Throne Kobolds & Catacombs The Witchwood The Boomsday Project Rastakhan's Rumble
By rarity	Free Common Rare Epic Legendary