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The mana cost of a card or Hero Power determines how much mana is required to play that card from the hand or to use that Hero Power. The number is displayed inside a blue crystal in the upper left corner of each card, and at the top of each Hero Power. When a card is played or a Hero Power is used, its mana cost is deducted from the player's available mana for that turn.

All cards and Hero Powers have mana costs, even those not normally played from the hand (such as minions summoned by summon effects like LegacyMurloc Tidehunter's Battlecry or LegacyUnleash the Hounds). This is relevant when cards like Whispers of the Old GodsEvolve affect minions based on their cost, or when minions are returned to the hand.

Most cards have mana costs in the 0-10 range, while all playable Hero Powers cost 2 mana (with the exception of the Demon Hunter's LegacyDemon Claws). However, some effects can modify mana costs (even though not below 0).

Mana cost might be considered an attribute or statistic of a card, but does not affect the card in combat. The mana cost of a card determines how early or late in the game it may be played and is usually an indicator of the card's overall power. The distribution of mana costs in a deck is the mana curve, an important strategic consideration.

Modifying costs[]

Effects may reduce or increase the cost of cards and Hero Powers, or set them to a specific value. These effects either are ongoing effects or act by creating cost-modification enchantments (for a complete list see Cards below).

  • Cards that modify their own mana cost (such as LegacyDread Corsair) only work while in the player's hand: they have no effect while the card is anywhere else, such as in the player's deck or in the battlefield (see in-hand effects for details). Most of them are ongoing effects, while a few (Whispers of the Old GodsNerubian Prophet, The Grand TournamentKnight of the Wild) are triggered effects.
  • Ongoing effects that modify the mana cost of other cards or Hero Powers (such as LegacyMana Wraith and The Grand TournamentMaiden of the Lake) apply a modifier to all eligible cards currently in hand (but not to cards in play) and to eligible Hero Powers: removing or neutralising (for example by using Silence effects) the source of the effect will therefore immediately remove the modifier from any affected card or Hero Power.
Example: A Goblins vs GnomesMechwarper would allow a Goblins vs GnomesClockwork Gnome to be played for 0 mana, returned to the hand, and played for 0 mana again, but even with the Mechwarper in play a Goblins vs GnomesRecombobulator would cause the Clockwork Gnome to be transformed into a 1-Cost minion, not a 0-Cost one.
  • Cost-modification enchantments that are attached to a card in a player's deck (such as due to Whispers of the Old GodsRenounce Darkness) are not removed when the modified card is drawn.
  • Cost-modification enchantments that are attached to a card in hand are removed once the modified card is played: effects which depend on mana cost will then use the original mana cost of the card and, if it is returned to the hand, re-playing it will cost the original amount.
Example: A LegacyBloodfen Raptor drawn with Goblins vs GnomesCall Pet costs 0 mana when first played, but would cost 2 mana to re-play if returned to the hand by LegacyYouthful Brewmaster, and would be transformed into a 2-Cost minion if targeted by Goblins vs GnomesRecombobulator.
  • Some cost-modification enchantments (such as LegacyPreparation and The Grand TournamentSaboteur) are attached to a player instead of a card. Usually these enchantments have a limited duration and expire by themselves "the next time something happens" (which can be many turns later, such as for Blackrock MountainDragon Consort and The Grand TournamentFencing Coach) or "at the end of the turn". The only exception is Mean Streets of GadgetzanRaza the Chained, whose effect lasts for the rest of the game.

When there are multiple cost-modification effects, they are applied in the order in which they have been generated (from oldest to newest; notice that cards that were in a player's deck at the beginning of the game still have that timestamp when drawn); the only exception is LegacySummoning Portal, which is always applied first even if played last. Unlike Health/Attack enchantments and auras, cost-modification enchantments and auras have no special priority over one another.[1]

Example: If LegacyMillhouse Manastorm is played followed by NaxxramasLoatheb, spell costs are first set to 0, then increased by 5 for a final cost of 5. In the opposite order, spell costs would first increase by 5, then be set to 0, for a final cost of 0.
Example: If Blackrock MountainEmperor Thaurissan's effect triggers, reducing the mana cost of an in-hand LegacyWolfrider to 2, and The League of ExplorersNaga Sea Witch then comes into play, her effect immediately increases the Wolfrider card's cost to 5; at the end of that turn, Emperor Thaurissan triggers again, reducing the Wolfrider's mana cost to 4.
Example: If Blackrock MountainEmperor Thaurissan's effect triggers, reducing the mana cost of an in-hand LegacyWar Golem to 6, and The Grand TournamentAviana then comes into play, her effect immediately reduces the War Golem card's cost to 1; at the end of that turn, Emperor Thaurissan triggers again, reducing the War Golem's mana cost to 0.
Example: If you have a The League of ExplorersNaga Sea Witch in play and a LegacyFiery War Axe equipped and draw a LegacyDread Corsair from your deck, the Dread Corsair's final mana cost will be 5: the Dread Corsair card, being in your deck since the beginning of the game, is older than the Naga Sea Witch minion in play, and thus its effect is applied first, and then overwritten by the newer one by Naga Sea Witch. However, if you later return the Dread Corsair minion from the battlefield to your hand, it becomes a new Dread Corsair card, which is then newer than the Naga Sea Witch minion: thus, the Dread Corsair card's cost is first set to 5 by Naga Sea Witch and then, if you are still equipping the Fiery War Axe, it is reduced by 3, to a final mana cost of 2.
Example: If The Grand TournamentKnight of the Wild triggered twice before The Grand TournamentAviana enters play, early cost-modification effects are overridden by the "newer" Aviana effect, for a final mana cost of 1; if you later summon another Beast, Knight of the Wild triggers again, reducing its mana cost to 0.
Example: If you play The League of ExplorersNaga Sea Witch and then The Grand TournamentAviana, minion cards in your hand will cost 1; if you play Aviana and then Naga Sea Witch, minion cards in your hand will cost 5.[2]
Example: Suppose you have The Grand TournamentWilfred Fizzlebang on the battlefield. If you play The Grand TournamentAviana and then use LegacyLife Tap, the minion card you draw will cost 0; if you use Life Tap and then play Aviana, the minion card you draw will cost 1.[3]
Example: If Journey to Un'GoroBright-Eyed Scout's Battlecry draws LegacyMountain Giant, its cost will be set to 5 regardless of the number of cards in hand, and the cost will not change as the hand gains or loses cards: since the Mountain Giant card was created at the beginning of the game, its effect is always considered older than the Bright-Eyed Scout's Battlecry.[4]
Example: If Journey to Un'GoroBright-Eyed Scout's Battlecry draws Whispers of the Old GodsNerubian Prophet, its cost will be set to 5, and at the start of each subsequent turn its cost will drop to 4, 3, 2, and so on.

If a card's or Hero Power's modified cost would be negative, 0 is displayed and used instead (players can never gain mana from paying the cost of a card or Hero Power).

  • This minimum of 0 is only enforced after all other cost modifications have been taken into account: this allows reductions like LegacyFar Sight to counteract subsequent increases such as NaxxramasLoatheb's.
  • One may think of cards and Hero Powers as having two mana costs, an "actual" cost and a "hidden" cost. The hidden cost is simply the original mana cost with all subsequent modifications, and has no lower limit. The actual cost, which is displayed on the card or Hero Power and charged when the card is played or the Hero Power is used, is the greater of the hidden cost and 0.
Example: If LegacyFar Sight draws an LegacyEarth Shock, the Earth Shock has a hidden cost of -2 and an actual cost of 0; if the opponent then plays NaxxramasLoatheb the hidden cost increases by 5 and becomes -2 + 5 = 3, and the actual cost rises to 3 too. Thus, since only actual costs are displayed, apparently Far Sight reduced the cost of Earth Shock only by 1 (instead of 3) and Loatheb increased it only by 3 (instead of 5): however, even though Far Sight's reduction of -3 was temporarily, partially nullified by the lower limit of 0, it still remained in effect for later recalculation of the mana cost.

If a card's modified cost is different from its base cost, its mana cost will be displayed in a different colour:

  • if the modified cost is lower than the base cost, it will be displayed in green;
  • if the modified cost is higher than the base cost, it will be displayed in red;
  • if a card's modified cost is equal to its base cost (for example because multiple cost modifying effects cancel each other out), the colour of its mana cost will not be altered.

Change Cost to Health[]

Main article: Change Cost to Health

Some cards cause the next card the player plays that turn to deal to their hero an amount of damage equal to the card's mana cost, instead of expending mana.

  • The mana costs of those cards are affected as usual by cost-modification effects, and thus their "Health cost" is modified accordingly.[5]
  • Despite these cards' ambiguous wording, their effects deal damage to the controlling hero, thus affecting Armor (if any) before reducing the hero's Health.
  • Playing an affected card will cost no mana. However, card text effects which consume mana (such as Whispers of the Old GodsForbidden Ritual) are not altered.
  • The player must be Immune or have a combined Health and Armor total greater than the final mana cost of an affected card in order to be allowed to play it (regardless of their currently available mana).[6][7] Trying to play an affected card will otherwise result in an error message.[8]
  • Cards in hand that can be played using Cho'gall's or Seadevil Stinger's effect will have their mana cost highlighted by red bubbles.

Strategy[]

Main article: Mana curve

The mana cost of a card determines which round it will become available to play, as well as which cards it can be used in combination with. The mana curve of a deck describes how many cards are present at each mana cost, and is an important factor determining options available to a player based on the amount of mana available on each turn. When building a deck, it is wise to consider whether mana costs of cards and combinations follow the desired curve.

Expert players can also use this knowledge to predict which cards may be played on certain rounds. LegacyMind Control, for instance, generally only becomes playable from round 10 onwards, while a LegacyLeeroy Jenkins + LegacyPower Overwhelming combo is available once the warlock has 6 mana.

Cards that modify mana cost[]

For Wild format listings, see Mana cost/Wild format

Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TTN 075t2
TTN 862t1
TSC 210
TTN 920t5
CORE EX1 145
TTN 858t1
TTN 737t3
CORE EX1 144
TTN 862t2
RLK 207
ETC 106
TTN 450t3
ETC 312
CORE YOP 001
REV 313
TSC 641ta
RLK 715
TID 078
TSC 641td
CORE SCH 312
REV 841
TTN 095
CORE LOOT 204
JAM 006
CORE SCH 713
TTN 833
TTN 830
CORE EX1 611
RLK 570
ETC 206
JAM 026b
TTN 854
REV 951t
TTN 955
TTN 955B
CORE DMF 057
RLK 543
TSC 823
REV 246
JAM 026
TSC 058
RLK 547
TTN 851
RLK 216
REV 939
TSC 944
RLK 546
TSC 217
ETC 079
TID 715
TID 004
RLK 545
CORE BT 801
CORE CS2 053
REV 378
TSC 940
RLK 512
TSC 070
RLK 570t4
TSC 641tb
ETC 813
ETC 335
RLK 570tt3
RLK 570t4t1
RLK 570t1t1
RLK 570t4t2
RLK 570t4t3
ETC 085t2
RLK 834
TSC 635
TTN 924
RLK 710
ETC 200
TSC 055
REV 374
TTN 468
TTN 485
REV 240
TID 700
CORE NEW1 022
TSC 911
RLK 215
RLK 829
RLK 603
TTN 076t
REV 957
CORE BT 416
JAM 019
RLK 217
JAM 034
ETC 384
TSC 936
NX2 001
ETC 356
TTN 831
ETC 371
TID 709t
TTN 841
REV 837
TSC 660t
ETC 376
TTN 723
TTN 085
TSC 020
RLK 591
MAW 101
TTN 716
TTN 800
NX2 011
TTN 487
TTN 075
REV 508
TTN 088
TTN 724t
CORE OG 028
JAM 016
TTN 858
TTN 862
MAW 020
RLK 213
RLK 651
TTN 954
REV 021
REV 319
TTN 724
TTN 737
TTN 462
RLK 744
RLK 590
ETC 395
REV 838
TID 077
CORE EX1 586
NX2 033
TSC 061
TTN 459
TSC 829
JAM 030

Cost-modifying effects can be categorized by which entities they affect.

Hero Powers[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
ETC 312
CORE SCH 312
JAM 026b
JAM 026

Cards[]

The following cards have effects that modify the cost of other cards.


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TTN 075t2
TTN 862t1
TSC 210
TTN 920t5
CORE EX1 145
TTN 737t3
CORE EX1 144
TTN 862t2
RLK 207
ETC 106
TTN 450t3
CORE YOP 001
REV 313
RLK 715
TID 078
TSC 641td
REV 841
TTN 095
CORE LOOT 204
JAM 006
CORE SCH 713
TTN 833
TTN 830
CORE EX1 611
RLK 570
ETC 206
TTN 854
REV 951t
TTN 955
TTN 955B
CORE DMF 057
RLK 543
TSC 823
REV 246
RLK 547
TTN 851
RLK 216
REV 939
TSC 944
RLK 546
TSC 217
ETC 079
TID 715
TID 004
RLK 545
CORE CS2 053
REV 378
TSC 940
RLK 512
TSC 070
RLK 570t4
TSC 641tb
ETC 813
ETC 335
RLK 570tt3
RLK 570t4t2
RLK 570t4t1
RLK 570t4t3
RLK 570t1t1
ETC 085t2
RLK 834
TSC 635
TTN 924
RLK 710
ETC 200
TSC 055
REV 374
TTN 468
TTN 485
REV 240
TID 700
TSC 911
RLK 215
TTN 076t
RLK 217
JAM 034
TSC 936
NX2 001
ETC 371
TID 709t
REV 837
TSC 660t
ETC 376
TTN 723
RLK 591
TTN 716
TTN 800
TTN 075
REV 508
TTN 862
REV 021
REV 319
TTN 737
ETC 395
NX2 033

Self[]

The following cards modify their own mana cost while in hand. Most act on an ongoing basis based on current game conditions or history, but Whispers of the Old GodsNerubian Prophet and The Grand TournamentKnight of the Wild accumulate enchantments on themselves in response to game events that occur while in hand.


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TSC 641ta
TSC 058
CORE BT 801
CORE NEW1 022
RLK 829
RLK 603
REV 957
JAM 019
ETC 384
ETC 356
TTN 831
TTN 841
TTN 085
MAW 101
NX2 011
TTN 088
TTN 724t
CORE OG 028
JAM 016
MAW 020
RLK 213
RLK 651
TTN 954
TTN 724
TTN 462
RLK 744
RLK 590
REV 838
TID 077
CORE EX1 586
TSC 061
TTN 459
TSC 829
JAM 030

Related cards[]

For Wild format listings, see Mana cost/Wild format

Cost-affected cards[]

The following cards have effects that scale based on the mana cost of other existing cards.

  • The bigger the mana cost of the affected card, the greater the outcome of the cost-related effect.
  • These cards may either generate cards or affect existing cards in the player's hand, deck, or battlefield.

Swipe left or right to see the cards.
CORE LOOT 231
NX2 008
REV 920
REV 920t
ETC 521
TSC 753
ETC 523
REV 924
TID 714
ETC 417
JAM 028
TID 719
RLK 082
RLK 927
TSC 658
RLK 659

Cost-specifying cards[]

The following cards only affect other existing cards which meet a specified cost-based criteria.

  • These cards only affect other existing cards in the player's hand, deck, or battlefield, and do not generate new cards based on a specific cost.
    • These cards do not affect themselves. For example, cost-specifying cards won't grant themselves extra stats or reduce their own cost, but may do those to other cards that meet a specified cost-based criteria.
      • Additionally, common forms of cost-specifying effects are ones that put specific-cost minions into the battlefield, or draw specific-cost cards, and naturally cards cannot refer to their own cost to do those to themselves.
  • The effects of these cards will always activate or attempt to activate, but there may not be any outcomes.
    • For example, Forged in the BarrensBarak Kodobane will always try to draw a 1, 2- and 3-Cost spell, but you may not draw anything if you have none.

Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TSC 654
NX2 014
ETC 536
TID 099
TSC 073
TSC 608
ETC 318
REV 020
ETC 422
ETC 085t2
TTN 924
REV 374
CORE UNG 833
TTN 463
ETC 838
ETC 376
CS3 024
TSC 652
NX2 033

Cost-triggered cards[]

The following cards are triggered by cards of a specific cost.

  • Like cost-specifying cards, these cards only affect other existing cards in the player's hand, deck, or battlefield, and do not generate new cards based on a specific cost.
    • However, unlike cost-specifying cards, these cards may also affect themselves by referencing another card's cost.
  • These cards have cost-specific effects that will not activate before the conditions are met, or if they are not met at all.
    • For example, Forged in the BarrensTamsin Roame will not trigger at all, if the spell cast does not cost 1 or more.

Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TSC 657
REV 931
ETC 742
ETC 422
RLK 553
ETC 388

Cost-listing cards[]

The following cards generate their random outcomes by considering all collectible cards that meet a specified cost-based criteria.


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TTN 429t3
RLK 812
NX2 008
REV 920
REV 920t
REV 923
ETC 535
JAM 003
TID 931
TTN 925
REV 308
TTN 845
NX2 044
TSC 944
RLK 546
CORE LOOT 079
RLK 221
RLK 545
TTN 745
ETC 339
RLK 570t1t4
RLK 570t1t1
RLK 570t1t3
RLK 570t1t2
RLK 570tt1
REV 924
RLK 570t1
TTN 485
ETC 832
ETC 506t
ETC 506
TSC 645
RLK 652
ETC 349
TTN 429
TTN 700
CORE KAR 076
TSC 658
ETC 370
ETC 208

See also[]

References[]

 
  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNrXJGFETXw Tested in Patch 4.1.0.10956 (2015-12-04)
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8VPUi5AqtY Tested in Patch 4.0.0.10833 (LoE patch)
  3. Tested in Patch 4.1.0.10956 (2015-12-04): <culinko> if you play aviana before life tap, your drawn minion will cost 0. if you play aviana after you life tap, the minion will cost 1
  4. Disguised Toast (2017-04-06). [Hearthstone] 8 NEW INTERACTIONS from Journey to Un'Goro (King Mosh, Time Warp, Swamp King Dred)
  5. PlayHearthstone on Twitter. (2016-04-08). 
  6. PlayHearthstone on Twitter. (2016-04-08). 
  7. PlayHearthstone on Twitter. (2016-04-08). 
  8. PlayHearthstone on Twitter. (2016-04-08). 
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