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Secret
Hidden until a specific action occurs on your opponent's turn.
Secret shaman screenshot

A shaman with mage and paladin Secrets.

A Secret is a spell card that is cast normally but has a delayed, hidden effect, which only takes place when a specific event occurs. When a Secret is played, a Secret icon appears in the hero zone on the caster's portrait, but the name and details of the Secret are not revealed to the opponent until the card is activated by its hidden condition.

Secrets can only be activated on the opponent's turn, preventing the player from triggering them themselves. The only exception are Secrets which specifically activate at the start of your turn, such as The Grand TournamentCompetitive Spirit and Madness at the Darkmoon FaireOpen the Cages, although these effects can still be interacted with by the opponent.

Secret is also the name of the ability all Secret cards have.

Originally, secret cards were limited to mages, paladins, and hunters. In the Kobolds and Catacombs expansion, rogues became the fourth secret class.

Notes[]

  • Secrets triggered by a minion being played will take place after any Battlecry. For example, LegacyMirror Entity will copy a LegacyTwilight Drake after its additional Health has been applied.
  • All Secrets available to a class have the same mana cost. This prevents opponents from guessing the Secret based upon its cost, which is the only information revealed when a player plays a Secret from their own class.
  • Each class' Secrets are a different colour: pink for mages, yellow for paladins, green for hunters, gray for rogues. If a player plays a secret belonging to another class, it will retain its original class colour.[1]
  • Secrets created by LegacyLorewalker Cho are revealed publicly when played, and can be revealed after play by hovering over the Secret icon.[2]
  • In some cases a Secret's triggering event may occur, but the Secret's effect cannot activate. This can happen with LegacyMirror Entity and LegacyNoble Sacrifice if there is no room remaining on the hero's board, with NaxxramasAvenge if there are no friendly minions left on the board, and with multiple Secrets when a Secret's specific target is removed by another effect, such as a previous Secret (see below). In such cases, the Secret will simply remain in place without taking effect, revealing itself, or giving any indication that its trigger condition was met.
  • The limited choice of Secrets available to each class allows experienced players to logically determine the identity of unrevealed Secrets. Since each Secret has a specific trigger, players can intentionally test the Secret to attempt to determine its effect, attempt to draw the Secret out with weak cards and actions, or simply hedge their bets in order to minimise its negative consequences. For example, a player facing a mage with a single active Secret may choose to summon a weaker minion before summoning a stronger one, in case their opponent has LegacyMirror Entity, and then attack with the weaker minion first, in case that Secret is a LegacyVaporize.
  • While they have special trigger conditions, Secrets are spells, and will activate all spell-related effects. Likewise, Secrets that deal damage can be improved by Spell Damage.
  • When Secrets and triggered effects are activated from the same trigger, the effects will activate in the order in which they were played.[3]
  • Quest cards are like Secrets in that they take up a Secret slot, but they cannot be affected by Secret-interacting cards like Whispers of the Old GodsEater of Secrets, Goblins vs GnomesKezan Mystic, or LegacyFlare.
  • If a hero is destroyed by the activation of an enemy Secret, the game will end there, without allowing any triggering actions to complete.[4] Example: Both players are at 2 Health. One player sends a LegacyStormwind Knight to attack the enemy hero, thus activating the opponent's LegacyExplosive Trap. The Trap deals 2 damage to the first player, defeating them. The game then ends with the Stormwind Knight frozen mid-attack, with the second player still at 2 Health, resulting in a win for the second player. On the other hand, Secrets always resolve before the game can end, allowing Secrets such as LegacyEye for an Eye to result in a draw, with both heroes destroyed as a result of the same action. For further details, see Advanced rulebook#Secrets.

Multiple Secrets[]

  • Players cannot have more than one copy of the same Secret active at any one time. Players are unable to play Secret cards which match one of their active Secrets.
  • When played directly from the hand, players can have up to 5 different Secrets active at a time. Once this limit is reached, the player will be unable to play further Secret cards.[5] Goblins vs GnomesKezan Mystic also does not allow the player to exceed 5 Secrets.[6] The Grand TournamentMysterious Challenger will not play more than 5 Secrets from your deck.[7]
  • As of January 2015, a bug[8] allows NaxxramasMad Scientist to place additional different Secrets into play through its Deathrattle, even if this causes the number of Secrets to exceed 5.[1][9][10] Secrets beyond the 5 limit will activate and take effect normally, and in the correct order.[11]
  • Only one Secret can take effect at a time, and multiple activated Secrets will always take effect in the order in which they were played. For example, a minion attacking a hunter who has played LegacyMisdirection followed by LegacyFreezing Trap will be Misdirected before then being returned to the controlling player's hand. This can make the order in which Secrets are played extremely significant.
  • If a Secret removes the specific target for another Secret which was already triggered, the second Secret will not take effect, since it now lacks a target. For example, if LegacyFreezing Trap removes the minion which would have been the target of LegacyMisdirection, the Misdirection will not trigger, since it no longer has a target.
    • Note that this rule only applies for Secrets which require specific targets; Secrets such as LegacyExplosive Trap and LegacySnake Trap do not require targets, and will always take effect once triggered, even if the original trigger minion has been removed from play.

Secrets[]

For Wild format listings, see Secret/Wild format

This section lists all collectible Secrets in Standard.

Hunter[]

Customize this list

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TTN 504
CORE KAR 004
TSC 929
CORE EX1 610
CORE EX1 611
JAM 003
MAW 010
CORE LOOT 079
NX2 013

Mage[]

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CORE EX1 287
CORE LOOT 101
CORE EX1 289
MAW 006
REV 516

Rogue[]

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CORE BT 707
CORE LOOT 204
REV 825
REV 828
MAW 018
CORE SCH 706
REV 827

Sources of Secrets[]

For Wild format listings, see Secret/Wild format

Secret-generating cards[]

This section lists cards which generate Secrets.


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TTN 075t3
MAW 018
CORE BT 188
REV 945
TTN 302
TTN 302t
ETC 028
JAM 000t4
REV 515
TTN 075

Related cards[]

For Wild format listings, see Secret/Wild format

The following cards have specific synergy with Secrets, such as providing additional effects when Secrets are cast, or destroying Secrets already in play.

For cards which have synergy with spells in general, but not specifically with Secrets, see Spell-related.

Customize this list

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JAM 001
REV 841
CORE UNG 020
CORE BT 188
REV 959
MAW 032
REV 513
CORE OG 254
REV 829
REV 515
REV 826
REV 900
MAW 101
TTN 088

Format pools[]

Arena[]

The following secrets are offered in the current Arena rotation.

Hunter[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
TTN 504
CORE KAR 004
CORE EX1 610
CORE EX1 611
JAM 003
DMF 123
BT 203
ULD 152
CORE LOOT 079
NX2 013

Mage[]


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CORE EX1 287
CORE LOOT 101
ULD 239
CORE EX1 289
BT 003
DMF 107

Paladin[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
DMF 236

Rogue[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
BT 707
CORE BT 707
BT 042
CORE LOOT 204
BT 709
CORE SCH 706
DMF 513
YOP 017

Twist[]

The following secrets are offered in the current Twist format.

Hunter[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
CORE KAR 004
TSC 929
CORE EX1 610
CORE EX1 611
JAM 003
AV 226
MAW 010
DMF 123
BT 203
CORE LOOT 079
NX2 013

Mage[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
CORE EX1 287
CORE LOOT 101
CORE EX1 289
BT 003
BAR 812
MAW 006
DMF 107
REV 516

Paladin[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
BAR 550
WC 033
DMF 236

Rogue[]


Swipe left or right to see the cards.
BT 707
CORE BT 707
BT 042
CORE LOOT 204
BT 709
REV 825
REV 828
MAW 018
SCH 706
CORE SCH 706
DMF 513
YOP 017
REV 827

Achievements[]

CategoryNameDescriptionRewards
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 2 logoGameplay - General - Neutral KeywordsDear Diary…Play 15 Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 2 logoGameplay - General - Neutral KeywordsDear Diary…Play 50 Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 2 logoGameplay - General - Neutral KeywordsDear Diary…Play 150 Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 2 logoGameplay - General - Neutral KeywordsDear Diary…Play 500 Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 2 logoGameplay - General - Neutral KeywordsDear Diary…Play 1500 Secrets.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 63 logoGameplay - Barrens - PaladinJust Between You and MeTrigger 5 Paladin Secrets in one turn.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 63 logoGameplay - Barrens - NeutralTop Secret SnoopCopy 5 Secrets with a single Horde Operative.20 Achievement Point, Golden Horde Operative (Uncraftable Rare)
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 157 logoGameplay - Alterac Valley - HunterIt's a Trap!Trigger 75 Hunter Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 157 logoGameplay - Alterac Valley - HunterIt's a Trap!Trigger 150 Hunter Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 157 logoGameplay - Alterac Valley - HunterIt's a Trap!Trigger 250 Hunter Secrets.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 167 logoGameplay - Castle Nathria - MageMagical Mansion Mystery TourCast 40 Mage Secrets from Orion, Mansion Manager.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 167 logoGameplay - Castle Nathria - RogueThe WHOLE Truth?!Cast 25 Secrets with Perjury.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 167 logoGameplay - Castle Nathria - RogueThe WHOLE Truth?!Cast 50 Secrets with Perjury.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 168 logoGameplay - Core (Hydra) - ClassesMiserable Pile of SecretsPlay 75 0-Cost Hunter Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 168 logoGameplay - Core (Hydra) - ClassesMiserable Pile of SecretsPlay 150 0-Cost Hunter Secrets.20 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 178 logoGameplay - Core (Wolf) - ClassesActing SusTrigger 150 Rogue Secrets.10 Achievement Point
Achievement Category 2Achievement SubCategory 178 logoGameplay - Core (Wolf) - ClassesActing SusTrigger 300 Rogue Secrets.20 Achievement Point

History[]

Secrets likely evolved from the cancelled "Combat Tricks" feature, removed early in the game's development. Similar to Secrets, these allowed players with active Combat Tricks who attacked their opponent to play a card on their opponent's turn, disrupting their play. Ultimately it was found that removing Combat Tricks actually made the game more fun, as well as further improving its speed. It seems the idea was not wholly abandoned though, since Secrets appear to represent a weaker form of the same mechanic.

Rogues originally had Secrets, but this was moved to Paladins during the game's alpha. The designers were struggling to give the Paladins a class identity while Rogues already had "a ton a sneaky things" with LegacyBackstab, Stealth and Combo effects. The change served to refocus each class' strategic focus, helping to give Paladins "something that was their own thing" and giving Rogues a clearer picture of what the class wanted to do.[13][14] Over 3 years later, Secrets were re-introduced to Rogues in the Kobolds and Catacombs expansion. According to Game Designer Peter Whalen, the developers wanted to capture the fantasy of each specific class in the expansion, with Secrets making a lot of thematical sense for the "sneaky and tricky" Rogues, and "now lots of classes have different stuff going on", allowing for the re-introduction of Rogue Secrets.[14]

The apparent original line-up of Rogues, Hunters and Mages may reflect a connection between Secrets and the Stealth/Camouflage/Invisibility mechanics in World of Warcraft, with these the only classes (except Druids in cat form) capable of employing such mechanics to ambush their opponents, similar to the function of Secrets in Hearthstone. In this respect Secrets are more similar to World of Warcraft Stealth than the Hearthstone Stealth ability itself, allowing the player to genuinely surprise the opponent.

Patch 1.0.0.4944[]

With Patch 1.0.0.4944, secrets were made to only be triggered on the opponent's turn. Prior to this, players could intentionally trigger their own secrets, allowing them to make use of them as additional spell effects, rather than counter-abilities.

While most secrets were unaffected, some interesting play options were intentionally removed by this change. The developers stated that the ability to trigger your own secrets was preventing them from creating new and powerful secrets, due to being easily triggered by the controlling player prior to this change. While removing certain strategic possibilities, this change was therefore intended to allow for the creation of a diverse range of new secrets. The subsequently announced Curse of Naxxramas mage secret NaxxramasDuplicate was confirmed as an example of a card that the earlier design would have prevented from being implemented.[15]

This rule was accepted as standard for all Secrets, until nearly 18 months later when The Grand Tournament added a specific exception, in the form of The Grand TournamentCompetitive Spirit.

Future of Secrets[]

Adding Secrets to a new class is unlikely to happen again. Secrets require build-around cards to support them, since players rarely play Secrets by themselves.[16] In order to set up an expansion, the class needs at least three Secrets (otherwise the effect isn't really a "Secret") as well as good support cards for them. That leaves very little room for other cards in that class that set.[17] The devs realized this while designing Rogue's Secrets after having explored the concept. Since then, the idea of another Secret class hasn't been seriously considered. Having four Secret classes is already a lot[18], and possibly even too much.[19]

However, if a new class were to get Secrets, it would probably coincide with a new Core set where all Secrets are removed from one or two classes, so that the new class' Secrets can still feel special. Warlock is a good thematic fit for another Secret class.[20]

Trivia[]

  • Having 5 secrets active can partially hide a hero's armor total, if playing on the desktop game client.[21]
  • In Patch 26.0.0.170824 (Festival of Legends), all Paladin Secrets were rotated out of the Core set, introducing the first ever year in Standard where no Paladin Secrets were present at all. Instead, Rogue received Secrets in the Core set to make Mage, Hunter, and Rogue the three main Secret classes.

Patch changes[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRIw0nT0vtM
  2. wowhobbs (2017-04-12). 🍀🎲 Secret Cho & Galvadon ~ Journey to Un'Goro ~ Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft at 2:34
  3. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-12-08). 
  4. Observed by User:Taohinton, 2014-12-25. Attacking with Stormwind Knight into Explosive Trap, player at 2 Health, opponent at 24 Health.
  5. [1] Tested by User:Taohinton and User:Xinhuan 2015-02-01
  6. Hearthstone Mythbusters Ep.6. (2014-01-30). 
  7. Screenshot - Deck contained 8 different Secrets when Mysterious Challenger was played.
  8. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2015-02-01). 
  9. Hearthstone Mythbusters. (2015-02-08). 
  10. [2] Tested by User:Taohinton and User:Xinhuan 2015-02-01
  11. [3] Tested by User:Taohinton and User:Xinhuan 2015-02-01
  12. Gahz'rilla attacking his owner. Retrieved on 2016-12-30.
  13. Senior Game Designer Ben Brode talks Hearthstone. (2014-12-19). 
  14. 14.0 14.1 Kobolds & Catacombs Card Reveal Kick-Off - YouTube. (2017-11-20). Retrieved on 2017-11-21.
  15. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-05-29). 
  16. Dean Ayala on Twitter. (2021-02-24). 
  17. Dean Ayala on Twitter. (2021-02-24). 
  18. Dean Ayala on Twitter. (2021-02-24). 
  19. Dean Ayala on Twitter. (2021-02-24). 
  20. Dean Ayala on Twitter. (2021-02-24). 
  21. Did you know if you have 5 Secrets your armor total also becomes a secret. (August 9, 2019). Retrieved on 2019-08-09.
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