Random effect

Yogg-Saron, arguably the most random card ever released

Random effects are effects which include some degree of randomness or 'RNG' (random number generation).

Random effects introduce an element of chance into Hearthstone. They can be interesting, fun, frustrating or rewarding, but their outcome is always uncertain. For a discussion of the role of randomness in games, see RNG.

Notes[edit | edit source]

Effects which draw randomly from a pool of cards are influenced by game format, with only cards valid in the current format being eligible for selection. All other random effects are unaffected by game format or game mode.

Random effects without specific influencing factors are "truly random" and offer balanced chances of all possible outcomes,^[1] regardless of circumstantial details such as which minions are currently on the board or which cards are currently in the player's hand. Random outcomes are also not affected by game mode, such as Tavern Brawls (unless specifically stated).^[2] However, some effects are limited by clearly relevant factors, such as Totemic Call, which will only summon a totem that is not already present, or card draw, which can only draw cards that are remaining in the player's deck.
- The one exception is the Discover keyword, which does offer a type of weighted random effect, with class cards more likely to be Discovered than neutral cards. While this makes Discover a less than truly random mechanic, the odds and behaviour are consistent across all cards with the keyword. It should also be noted that while semi-random in its behaviour, Discover does not describe itself as 'random'.

Random effects do not always feature the word 'random' in their description. Game Designer Ben Brode explains that the general strategy is to explicitly state 'random' for effects that take place in "visible zones" such as the battlefield or the player's hand; and not to explicitly state 'random' for effects that take in "hidden zones" such as the opposing player's hand, or either player's deck. However, Brode acknowledged that not all cards follow this convention, stating that "the word 'random' just feels better on [some] cards", while in other cases adding the word 'random' would simply complexify card text too much.^[3] Players must therefore expect that effects which affect hidden zones will be random, even if this is not specifically stated on the card. In addition, Deathrattles and triggered effects are never targetable, and so are always random, whether or not this is stated.

When a card has "a 50% chance to attack the wrong enemy", it is unofficially known as "forgetful". More details on this type of randomness can be found on that page.

One of the design reasons behind random effects of all kinds is to add variety, ensuring that each match feels different. This is also one reason for the limit of 2 copies per card in a deck, and the relatively small number of card draw effects in the game, preventing the cards available to players from being too consistent across games.^[4]

Random damage[edit | edit source]

Random damage comes in a few forms. Some cards, commonly Shaman cards, deal a random amount of damage (within a certain range) to one creature or each one of multiple creatures. Other cards deal an exact amount of damage to a random target, or multiple random targets.

The most complicated case is cards such as Arcane Missiles and Mad Bomber that deal a total amount of damage distributed or "split" randomly. These effects are best thought of as a set of one-damage "hits" being randomly targeted one at a time: Each point of damage is considered a separate instance of damage dealt, meaning that cards like Gurubashi Berserker and Frothing Berserker will trigger multiple times even if the points of damage came from the same spell or effect, and Divine Shields will be removed by a single point of damage, allowing the protected minion to be damaged by further "hits" from the same effect. Furthermore, damage will never be distributed to a minion that has already been brought to 0 health by previous hits from the same effect.

This concept has some exceptions. Deathrattles and other death effects from any destroyed minions occur "simultaneously" after all the damage is dealt, which means that minions summoned by Deathrattles (e.g. Damaged Golem) cannot be hit by the same effect that destroyed their "parents" (e.g. Harvest Golem), and that damage may be "wasted" on targets that would have died anyway from the Deathrattle of another dying minion (e.g. Abomination). Also, for spells which distribute damage between multiple targets, each point of Spell Damage adds one additional randomly targeted "hit", thus increasing the total damage dealt by one, rather than increasing the damage of each hit by one.

Strategy[edit | edit source]

Some RNG elements within Hearthstone can be minimised by controlling the prevailing situation. For example, Deadly Shot destroys one random enemy minion. When faced with several enemies, this can prove extremely random; however, when faced with only a single fearsome enemy its RNG element is removed, and it becomes a simple and effective removal spell.

Order of play is often important when dealing with RNG in target selection. Players may wish to first remove non-desirable targets for abilities such as Arcane Missiles and Cleave, to ensure that only the ideal targets remain available. More often though, players will generally want to use RNG abilities early in the round, in order to plan the rest of their actions around the resulting situation.

The uncertainty of RNG elements causes many players to avoid them whenever possible, preferring guaranteed effects which can be relied upon to achieve their intended goals, and RNG options are often considered to be slightly poorer than their average effect, due to the undesirability of their randomness, which also makes planning for their use much harder. However, the satisfaction of a successful roll of the dice can be very gratifying, and to some degree form a reward in itself for attempting a risky play. The seeming unfairness of being defeated by an opponent due almost entirely to luck or chance can be particularly exasperating for the loser, and particularly entertaining for the victor. Some players also choose to use cards with strong RNG elements (such as Gelbin Mekkatorque) in order to add variety, unpredictability and fun to the game.

Card draw itself is inherently a randomised process, and cards granting card draw can also be considered to provide players with random effects.

Cards[edit | edit source]

For Wild format listings, see Random effect/Wild format

This section lists Hearthstone cards and Hero Powers with random effects. Note that card draw, shuffle into deck and Discover effects are not listed here, but can be found on the linked pages.

Click Expand to view the card list

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Atiesh	None	Weapon		Any	3	1	3	After you cast a spell, summon a random minion of that Cost. Lose 1 Durability.
Build-a-Beast	None	Hero Power		Hunter	2			Hero Power Craft a custom Zombeast.
DIE, INSECT!	None	Hero Power		Any	2			Hero Power Deal 8 damage to a random enemy.
Death Grip	None	Spell		Death Knight	2			Steal a minion from your opponent's deck and add it to your hand.
Frozen Champion	None	Minion	General	Mage	1	0	1	Deathrattle: Add a random Legendary minion to your hand.
Kazakus Potion	None	Spell		Mage, Priest, Warlock	5
Kazakus Potion	None	Spell		Mage, Priest, Warlock	10
Kazakus Potion	None	Spell		Mage, Priest, Warlock	1
Totemic Call	None	Hero Power		Shaman	2			Hero Power Summon a random Totem.
Transmute Spirit	None	Hero Power		Shaman	2			Hero Power: Transform a friendly minion into a random one that costs (1) more.
Un'Goro Pack	None	Spell		Any	2			Add 5 Journey to Un'Goro cards to your hand.
Animal Companion	Free	Spell		Hunter	3			Summon a random Beast Companion. You could summon Misha, Leokk, or Huffer! Huffer is more trouble than he's worth.
Arcane Missiles	Free	Spell		Mage	1			Deal 3 damage randomly split among all enemies. You'd think you'd be able to control your missiles a little better since you're a powerful mage and all.
Cleave	Free	Spell		Warrior	2			Deal 2 damage to two random enemy minions. Hey you two…could you stand next to each other for a second…
Mind Vision	Free	Spell		Priest	1			Put a copy of a random card in your opponent's hand into your hand. I see what you did there.
Multi-Shot	Free	Spell		Hunter	4			Deal 3 damage to two random enemy minions. You see, it's all about throughput.
Soulfire	Free	Spell		Warlock	1			Deal 4 damage. Discard a random card. Are you lighting a soul on fire? Or burning someone with your OWN soul? This seems like an important distinction.
Succubus	Free	Minion	Demon	Warlock	2	4	3	Battlecry: Discard a random card. Warlocks have it pretty good.
Arcanologist	Common	Minion	General	Mage	2	2	3	Battlecry: Draw a Secret from your deck. What did you draw? Shhhh… it’s a secret.
Breath of Sindragosa	Common	Spell		Mage	1			Deal 2 damage to a random enemy minion and Freeze it. Is it cold in here or is it just Sindragosa?
Deadly Shot	Common	Spell		Hunter	3			Destroy a random enemy minion. Accuracy is not a highly valued trait among the mok'nathal. Deadliness is near the top, though.
Faceless Summoner	Common	Minion	General	Mage	6	5	5	Battlecry: Summon a random 3-Cost minion. They never get the recognition they deserve.
Fiery Bat	Common	Minion	Beast	Hunter	1	2	1	Deathrattle: Deal 1 damage to a random enemy. He'll always be our first.
Firelands Portal	Common	Spell		Mage	7			Deal 5 damage. Summon a random 5-Cost minion. Come to beautiful Firelands! Where it's "Way nicer than the Abyssal Maw!"'
Forge of Souls	Common	Spell		Warrior	2			Draw 2 weapons from your deck. Powerful weaponry forged by Bronjahm, the Godfather of Souls.
Forked Lightning	Common	Spell		Shaman	1			Deal 2 damage to 2 random enemy minions. Overload: (2) If you combine it with Spooned Lightning and Knived Lightning, you have the full dining set.
Grimestreet Smuggler	Common	Minion	General	Hunter, Paladin, Warrior	3	2	4	Battlecry: Give a random minion in your hand +1/+1 She's got anything you want. Need the latest derpinger? No problem!
Grimscale Chum	Common	Minion	Murloc	Paladin	1	2	1	Battlecry: Give a random Murloc in your hand +1/+1. Listen, see? We'll take 'em to the docks, see? And throw 'em in the sea, see?
Grimy Gadgeteer	Common	Minion	General	Warrior	4	4	3	At the end of your turn, give a random minion in your hand +2/+2. "You look like a Gadgetgun 3000-Mark IV man, am I right?"
Howlfiend	Common	Minion	Demon	Warlock	3	3	6	Whenever this minion takes damage, discard a random card. The problem is that he carries those cards in his mouth.
Ice Fishing	Common	Spell		Shaman	2			Draw 2 Murlocs from your deck. Glow fish, war fish... blow fish, more fish...
Ironforge Portal	Common	Spell		Warrior	5			Gain 4 Armor. Summon a random 4-Cost minion. Come to beautiful Ironforge! Where irons are forged and the forges are iron!
Jeweled Macaw	Common	Minion	Beast	Hunter	1	1	1	Battlecry: Add a random Beast to your hand. It’s not LITERALLY jeweled. The goblins were terribly disappointed.
Kabal Chemist	Common	Minion	General	Mage, Priest, Warlock	4	3	3	Battlecry: Add a random Potion to your hand. Sure you could have that Polymorph potion, but wouldn't you rather have this mystery potion? It could be anything. Even a Polymorph potion!
Mad Bomber	Common	Minion	General	Any	2	3	2	Battlecry: Deal 3 damage randomly split between all other characters. He's not really all that crazy, he is just not as careful with explosives as he should be.
Menagerie Magician	Common	Minion	General	Any	5	4	4	Battlecry: Give a random Beast, Dragon and Murloc +2/+2. Just between us, if things get tight the Menagerie Magician position will probably be the first to go.
Sense Demons	Common	Spell		Warlock	3			Draw 2 Demons from your deck. Generally demons are pretty obvious and you don’t need a spell to sense them.
Shadow Ascendant	Common	Minion	General	Priest	2	2	2	At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1/+1. When you're at the bottom, there's nowhere to ascend, but up.
Shaky Zipgunner	Common	Minion	General	Hunter	3	3	3	Deathrattle: Give a random minion in your hand +2/+2. The Grimy Goons can get you any weapon you want but if you want it to not explode you gotta pay extra.
Shimmering Tempest	Common	Minion	Elemental	Mage	2	2	1	Deathrattle: Add a random Mage spell to your hand. HATES being summoned for Kirin Tor party lighting.
Silvermoon Portal	Common	Spell		Paladin	4			Give a minion +2/+2. Summon a random 2-Cost minion. What's Millhouse Manastorm doing in Silvermoon?
Smuggler's Crate	Common	Spell		Hunter	1			Give a random Beast in your hand +2/+2. Are you sure these are the crates that are supposed to go to the Gadgetzan petting zoo?
Swashburglar	Common	Minion	Pirate	Rogue	1	1	1	Battlecry: Add a random class card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Was almost named "Swashb-AAAARRHHH-gler"
Thoughtsteal	Common	Spell		Priest	3			Copy 2 cards from your opponent's deck and put them into your hand. "What do you get when you cast Thoughtsteal on an Orc? Nothing!" - Tauren joke
Tortollan Forager	Common	Minion	General	Druid	2	2	2	Battlecry: Add a random minion with 5 or more Attack to your hand. In the Tortollan tongue, Un’goro is known as the “Land of the Lost and Found.”
Volatile Elemental	Common	Minion	Elemental	Any	2	1	1	Deathrattle: Deal 3 damage to a random enemy minion. Currently in an anger management class with Raging Worgen, Grommash Hellscream, and The Angry Chicken. It isn't helping.
Wicked Witchdoctor	Common	Minion	General	Shaman	4	3	4	Whenever you cast a spell, summon a random basic Totem. You can easily defeat her by either dealing 4 damage, or dropping a house on her.
Zealous Initiate	Common	Minion	General	Any	1	1	1	Deathrattle: Give a random friendly minion +1/+1. Ok, Initiate. You need to settle down and do your job. In this case, that means die so someone else can get a minor buff.
Zoobot	Common	Minion	Mech	Any	3	3	3	Battlecry: Give a random friendly Beast, Dragon and Murloc +1/+1. The Murloc is taking the picture.
Alarm-o-Bot	Rare	Minion	Mech	Any	3	0	3	At the start of your turn, swap this minion with a random one in your hand. WARNING. WARNING. WARNING.
Babbling Book	Rare	Minion	General	Mage	1	1	1	Battlecry: Add a random Mage spell to your hand. His idol is the Green Hills of Stranglethorn, and he won't shut up about it.
Bone Drake	Rare	Minion	Dragon	Any	6	6	5	Deathrattle: Add a random Dragon to your hand. The bone drake brings all the dragons to the yard. He would teach you, but you have no cards.
Cobalt Scalebane	Rare	Minion	Dragon	Any	5	5	5	At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +3 Attack. You get a sword! And you get a sword! Everybody gets a sword!
Cruel Dinomancer	Rare	Minion	General	Warlock	6	5	5	Deathrattle: Summon a random minion you discarded this game. As that old saying goes: "you don't get into dinomancing to make friends."
Crystalline Oracle	Rare	Minion	Elemental	Priest	1	1	1	Deathrattle: Copy a card from your opponent's deck and add it to your hand. Being made of light has its disadvantages, but at least it's always looking on the bright side.
Darkshire Librarian	Rare	Minion	General	Warlock	2	3	2	Battlecry: Discard a random card. Deathrattle: Draw a card. Do NOT be late with your overdue fines.
Demented Frostcaller	Rare	Minion	General	Mage	4	2	4	After you cast a spell, Freeze a random enemy character. He prefers that you refer to him by his nickname: 'Frostwaker.'
Demolisher	Rare	Minion	Mech	Any	3	1	4	At the start of your turn, deal 2 damage to a random enemy. Laying siege isn't fun for anyone. It's not even all that effective, now that everyone has a flying mount.
Devolve	Rare	Spell		Shaman	2			Transform all enemy minions into random ones that cost (1) less. Ragnaros looked down. He looked like some kind of War Golem. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME," he yelled. But all that came out was a deep grinding sound. He began to cry.
Devour Mind	Rare	Spell		Priest	5			Copy 3 cards in your opponent's deck and add them to your hand. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Seconds, anyone?
Doomguard	Rare	Minion	Demon	Warlock	5	5	7	Charge. Battlecry: Discard two random cards. Summoning a doomguard is risky. Someone* is going to die.*
Evolve	Rare	Spell		Shaman	1			Transform your minions into random minions that cost (1) more. So you say you want an evolution. Well, you know. We all want to change the board.
Grimestreet Pawnbroker	Rare	Minion	General	Warrior	3	3	3	Battlecry: Give a random weapon in your hand +1/+1. "I don't know a lot about used GvG cards, so I'm going to have to call in an expert."
Hidden Cache	Rare	Spell		Hunter	2			Secret: After your opponent plays a minion, give a random minion in your hand +2/+2. There is an urban legend that the first Toxic Sewer Ooze was born because a rookie Goon stashed an open container of milk in a Hidden Cache.
Infest	Rare	Spell		Hunter	3			Give your minions "Deathrattle: Add a random Beast to your hand." The best part is the look on their face when you jump out of the cake! Err… corpse.
Knife Juggler	Rare	Minion	General	Any	2	2	2	After you summon a minion, deal 1 damage to a random enemy. Ambitious Knife Jugglers sometimes graduate to Bomb Jugglers. They never last long enough to make it onto a card though.
Lightning Storm	Rare	Spell		Shaman	3			Deal 2-3 damage to all enemy minions. Overload: (2) An umbrella won't be effective, I'm afraid.
Lightwell	Rare	Minion	General	Priest	2	0	5	At the start of your turn, restore 3 Health to a damaged friendly character. It isn't clear if people ignore the Lightwell, or if it is just invisible.
Maelstrom Portal	Rare	Spell		Shaman	2			Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions. Summon a random 1-Cost minion. They bill this as a popular resort attraction, but they try and get your money up front.
Master Swordsmith	Rare	Minion	General	Any	2	1	3	At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1 Attack. He's currently trying to craft a "flail-axe", but all the other swordsmiths say it can't be done.
Master of Evolution	Rare	Minion	General	Shaman	4	4	5	Battlecry: Transform a friendly minion into a random one that costs (1) more. Will be really useful in the new "Hearthémon" game.
Mind Control Tech	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	3	3	Battlecry: If your opponent has 4 or more minions, take control of one at random. Mind Control technology is getting better, but that's not saying much.
Molten Blade	Rare	Weapon		Warrior	1	1	1	Each turn this is in your hand, transform it into a new weapon. It’s a sword! It’s a knife! It’s a swizzle-stick!
Moonglade Portal	Rare	Spell		Druid	6			Restore 6 Health. Summon a random 6-Cost minion. Ain't no party like a Moonglade party ‘cause a Moonglade party got bears.
Onyx Bishop	Rare	Minion	General	Priest	5	3	4	Battlecry: Summon a friendly minion that died this game. B4 is a nice place to visit, but he wouldn't want to live there.
Selfless Hero	Rare	Minion	General	Paladin	1	2	1	Deathrattle: Give a random friendly minion Divine Shield. "Don't worry about me… I'll just be here... under these tentacles."
Servant of Yogg-Saron	Rare	Minion	General	Mage	5	5	4	Battlecry: Cast a random spell that costs (5) or less (targets chosen randomly). Yogg-Saron always likes to complain about how he has too many servants and there are too many mouths to feed.
Shadow Essence	Rare	Spell		Priest	6			Summon a 5/5 copy of a random minion in your deck. Difficult to bottle up and sell. But it packs a punch.
Shallow Gravedigger	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	3	1	Deathrattle: Add a random Deathrattle minion to your hand. It's hard to put them six feet under when you're three feet tall.
Shifting Shade	Rare	Minion	General	Priest	4	4	3	Deathrattle: Copy a card from your opponent's deck and add it to your hand. Yeah, it's cooler in the shade, but you're also more likely to get JACKED.
Spreading Madness	Rare	Spell		Warlock	3			Deal 9 damage randomly split among ALL characters Most citizens of Darkshire wear those surgical masks to prevent spreading Madness to tourists.
Stampeding Kodo	Rare	Minion	Beast	Any	5	3	5	Battlecry: Destroy a random enemy minion with 2 or less Attack. This Kodo is so big that he can stampede by himself.
Stolen Goods	Rare	Spell		Warrior	2			Give a random Taunt minion in your hand +3/+3. It fell off a kodo, I promise!
Trogg Beastrager	Rare	Minion	General	Hunter	2	3	2	Battlecry: Give a random Beast in your hand +1/+1. Still angry that the Gadgetzan Rager Club wouldn't accept him as a member.
Undercity Huckster	Rare	Minion	General	Rogue	2	2	2	Deathrattle: Add a random class card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Psst! Wanna buy a random class card (from your opponent's class)?
Unwilling Sacrifice	Rare	Spell		Warlock	3			Choose a friendly minion. Destroy it and a random enemy minion. Stand right... there. Perfect, perfect! Now don't move.
Volcano	Rare	Spell		Shaman	5			Deal 15 Damage randomly split across all minions. Overload: (2) Many young shaman summon a volcano as their first school project.
Young Priestess	Rare	Minion	General	Any	1	2	1	At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1 Health. She can't wait to learn Power Word: Fortitude Rank 2.
Ancient Harbinger	Epic	Minion	General	Any	6	4	6	At the start of your turn, put a 10-Cost minion from your deck into your hand. "honey, can u run down to the store and pick up some 10 cost minions? thx"
Avenging Wrath	Epic	Spell		Paladin	6			Deal 8 damage randomly split among all enemies. Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!
Bane of Doom	Epic	Spell		Warlock	5			Deal 2 damage to a character. If that kills it, summon a random Demon. My advice to you is to avoid Doom, if possible.
Blackguard	Epic	Minion	General	Paladin	6	3	9	Whenever your hero is healed, deal that much damage to a random enemy minion. "Did I ever tell you the story of when I single-handedly took down a 29/29 C'thun?" - Reno Jackson
Brass Knuckles	Epic	Weapon		Warrior	4	2	3	After your hero attacks, give a random minion in your hand +1/+1. For the goon that wants to make a fashion statement.
Brawl	Epic	Spell		Warrior	5			Destroy all minions except one. (chosen randomly) Do you know the first rule of Brawl Club?
Cabalist's Tome	Epic	Spell		Mage	5			Add 3 random Mage spells to your hand. What's in there? I bet it's cookie recipes!
Deathaxe Punisher	Epic	Minion	General	Any	4	3	3	Battlecry: Give a random Lifesteal minion in your hand +2/+2. Don't fear the Arcanite Reaper.
Dirty Rat	Epic	Minion	General	Any	2	2	6	Taunt Battlecry: Your opponent summons a random minion from their hand. It's not his fault… Someone keeps stealing his soap!
Forbidden Shaping	Epic	Spell		Priest	0			Spend all your Mana. Summon a random minion that costs that much. But the minion arrives covered in goo.
Giant Anaconda	Epic	Minion	Beast	Druid	7	5	3	Deathrattle: Summon a minion from your hand with 5 or more Attack. Must be something it ate.
Greater Arcane Missiles	Epic	Spell		Mage	7			Shoot three missiles at random enemies that deal 3 damage each. Wow, and I thought Arcane Missiles was great!
Kabal Trafficker	Epic	Minion	General	Warlock	6	6	6	At the end of your turn, add a random Demon to your hand. She ships illicit mana crystals around the world in packages marked: FUNNEL CAKE.
Lotus Illusionist	Epic	Minion	General	Shaman	4	3	5	After this minion attacks a hero, transform it into a random 6-Cost minion. If you think her Illidan and Sylvanas cosplay is great, wait till you see her Reno Jackson!
Mindgames	Epic	Spell		Priest	4			Put a copy of a random minion from your opponent's deck into the battlefield. Sometimes it feels like this is all a game.
Obsidian Statue	Epic	Minion	General	Priest	9	4	8	Taunt. Lifesteal. Deathrattle: Destroy a random enemy minion. The original artist spent many hours with a fine chisel perfecting the facial expression for maximum tauntiness.
Renounce Darkness	Epic	Spell		Warlock	2			Replace your Hero Power and Warlock cards with another class's. The cards cost (1) less. SEE YA DARKNESS!
Stampede	Epic	Spell		Hunter	1			Each time you play a Beast this turn, add a random Beast to your hand. Many hunters long for the pitter-patter of enormous feet.
Tomb Lurker	Epic	Minion	General	Any	5	5	3	Battlecry: Add a random Deathrattle minion that died this game to your hand. She hangs out in all the tombs, but she rarely posts.
Tortollan Primalist	Epic	Minion	General	Any	8	5	4	Battlecry: Discover a spell and cast it with random targets. I see pizza in my future.
Arfus	Legendary	Minion	Beast	Any	4	2	2	Deathrattle: Add a random Death Knight card to your hand. There must always be a Lick King.
Barnes	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	4	3	4	Battlecry: Summon a 1/1 copy of a random minion in your deck. He used to play every part, until Moroes confiscated his Orb of Deception.
C'Thun	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	10	6	6	Battlecry: Deal damage equal to this minion's Attack randomly split among all enemies. C'Thun's least favorite Hearthstone card: Eye for an Eye.
Don Han'Cho	Legendary	Minion	General	Hunter, Warrior, Paladin	7	5	6	Battlecry: Give a random minion in your hand +5/+5. The brilliant mastermind of the Grimy Goons, Han sometimes thinks about ditching the idiot Cho, but that would just tear him apart.
Finja, the Flying Star	Legendary	Minion	Murloc	Any	5	2	4	Stealth. Whenever this attacks and kills a minion, summon 2 Murlocs from your deck. The last true master of Finjitsu.
Lilian Voss	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	4	4	5	Battlecry: Replace spells in your hand with random spells (from your opponent's class). She doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And she absolutely will not stop... ever, until all necromancers are dead.
Lyra the Sunshard	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Priest	5	3	5	Whenever you cast a spell, add a random Priest spell to your hand. Arise, fair sun, and kill my envious foes. They don't have a legendary as beautiful as you.
Madam Goya	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	6	4	3	Battlecry: Choose a friendly minion. Swap it with a minion in your deck. She has set up her Black Market here in Gadgetzan for one purpose, to make a KILLING when Beanie Babies make their inevitable comeback.
Malkorok	Legendary	Minion	General	Warrior	7	6	5	Battlecry: Equip a random weapon. Garrosh's best buddy. It's true. Look it up.
Mayor Noggenfogger	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	9	5	4	All targets are chosen randomly. This flavor text was randomly generated. If it happens to form words and make sense, that is purely by chance.
Megafin	Legendary	Minion	Murloc	Shaman	5	8	8	Battlecry: Fill your hand with random Murlocs.
Nat Pagle	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	2	0	4	At the start of your turn, you have a 50% chance to draw an extra card. Nat Pagle, Azeroth's premier fisherman! He invented the Auto-Angler 3000, the Extendo-Pole 3000, and the Lure-o-matic 2099 (still in testing).
Nat, the Darkfisher	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	2	2	4	At the start of your opponent's turn, they have a 50% chance to draw an extra card. You can take away his humanity, but you will never take away his fishing pole.
Prince Malchezaar	Legendary	Minion	Demon	Any	5	5	6	When the game starts, add 5 extra Legendary minions to your deck. He was super excited to acquire Gorehowl at a garage sale! Then super disappointed to find out it was a foam reproduction.
Professor Putricide	Legendary	Minion	General	Hunter	4	5	4	After you play a Secret, put another random Hunter Secret into the battlefield. Among his more notable inventions: A tentacle-groomer, a plague that would wipe out all life on Azeroth, and a fidget spinner.
Ragnaros, Lightlord	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Paladin	8	8	8	At the end of your turn, restore 8 health to a damaged friendly character. What happens when you try and corrupt a corrupted firelord? DOUBLE NEGATIVE, INSECT!
Rotface	Legendary	Minion	General	Warrior	8	4	6	Whenever this minion survives damage, summon a random Legendary minion. Daddy! I think I made a Legendary!
Shaku, the Collector	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	3	2	3	Stealth. Whenever this minions attacks, add a random card to your hand (from your opponent's class). Aya even staged an intervention once, but Shaku still insists that he is not a hoarder.
Shifter Zerus	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	1	1	1	Each turn this is in your hand, transform it into a different minion. It's like being able to play with THREE angry chickens!
The Lich King	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	8	8	8	Taunt At the end of your turn, add a random Death Knight card to your hand. "All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance, 8 attack - I bestow upon you, my chosen knight."
Tinkmaster Overspark	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	3	3	3	Battlecry: Transform another random minion into a 5/5 Devilsaur or a 1/1 Squirrel. Tinkmaster Overspark nearly lost his Tinker's license after the Great Ironforge Squirrel Stampede of '09.
Xaril, Poisoned Mind	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	4	3	2	Battlecry and Deathrattle: Add a random Toxin card to your hand. It's basically your own fault if you go around drinking weird green potions handed out by creepy mantid dudes.
Y'Shaarj, Rage Unbound	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	10	10	10	At the end of your turn, put a minion from your deck into the battlefield. When he's working out, he binds all that rage back into a ponytail.
Yogg-Saron, Hope's End	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	10	7	5	Battlecry: Cast a random spell for each spell you've cast this game (targets chosen randomly). I spell your doom... Y-O-U-R D-O-O-M!
Ysera	Legendary	Minion	Dragon	Any	9	4	12	At the end of your turn, add a Dream Card to your hand. Ysera rules the Emerald Dream. Which is some kind of green-mirror-version of the real world, or something?
Showing all 133 cards

History[edit | edit source]

In the build-up to Curse of Naxxramas, the adventure's class cards were revealed to players one by one, many of which featured Deathrattle effects, with text that did not specify that the effects were randomly targeted. This led to widespread confusion over the function of the effects. In a special forum post, Ben Brode explained that by omitting the word 'random', card text could be shortened. By establishing the rule that Deathrattles were never targetable, the developers would not have to explicitly state this on each card, which could eventually allow for the development of more "strategically deep" card effects, due to having more card space in which to describe them, potentially otherwise a limiting factor. Brode stated that "setting expectations now that triggers never allow choices allows us to make cards that otherwise would have too much text",^[5] explaining that the omission of explicit statements to this effect "lays the groundwork for shortening the text."^[6]

However, in the face of player confusion and preference for random effects to be explicitly described as such, the policy was altered, and the word 'random' added to several Naxxramas cards.