Shaman

The Shaman is one of the nine classes in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, represented by Thrall and Morgl the Oracle.

Heroes[edit | edit source]

Thrall is the default hero for shamans. Players who have unlocked the Morgl the Oracle alternate hero may choose to play as him instead when using any shaman deck. Both heroes use the same gameplay mechanics; the difference is purely cosmetic.

Background[edit | edit source]

Main article: Shaman

Shaman are spiritual guides and practitioners, not of the divine, but of the very elements. Unlike some other mystics, shaman commune with forces that are not strictly benevolent. The elements are chaotic, and left to their own devices, they rage against one another in unending primal fury. It is the call of the shaman to bring balance to this chaos. Acting as moderators among earth, fire, water, and air, shaman summon totems that focus the elements to support the shaman’s allies or punish those who threaten them.

These masters of the elements can also call upon elemental forces directly, unleashing torrents of lava and bolts of lightning against foes. The elements can create, destroy, support, and hinder. The experienced shaman balances the vast spectrum of these primordial forces into an array of diverse abilities, making shaman versatile heroes and valued members of any group.^[1]

Hero Power[edit | edit source]

Hero Powers are unique abilities, specific to each class, usable used once each turn.

The shaman's Hero Power is Totemic Call, which randomly summons 1 of 4 possible Totem-type minions, each with different stats and abilities: Healing Totem, Stoneclaw Totem, Searing Totem, or Wrath of Air Totem.

Totemic Call always summons a Totem the hero does not already have in play in the battlefield; if the shaman already has all 4 different Totems in play, the Hero Power cannot be used until one of them is removed. Enemy Totems and Totems in the hand are irrelevant to this determination. Totems are created directly by the Hero Power, not played from the hand or drawn from the deck. Most Totems start with 0 Attack but cards like Bloodlust or even Raid Leader can turn a board of weak Totems into a force to be reckoned with.

Strategy and gameplay[edit | edit source]

Shamans are highly flexible, boasting a wide variety of class cards that lend themselves to many different methods of achieving victory. With their unique mechanic Overload, Shamans can also play very strong spell and minion cards for little mana, at the cost of losing available mana the subsequent turn. Their board control is excellent with removal and transform effects such as Lightning Storm and Hex. Shamans also have some of the strongest minions in the game, ranging from low-cost (Flametongue Totem, Totem Golem) to the late-game (Fire Elemental, Al'Akir the Windlord).

Totems support the Shaman throughout a match, and can even be made into a fighting force in their own right. Totemic Call provides a steady stream of reinforcements, although their effects are random and they are unlikely to do much without more proactive minions to support. However, cards such as Bloodlust, Thunder Bluff Valiant, Primal Fusion, and Thing From Below reward a shaman for amassing totems.

Shamans have many ways to close out a game. Bloodlust and Windfury allow for game winning turns with super-buffed minions. The shaman can also deal huge burst damage with spells such as Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst, or even with their own weapon - a Rockbiter Weapon-enhanced Doomhammer is an iconic and devastating way to finish the game. Alternatively, a more control-oriented shaman can starve out enemies with massive heals (Healing Wave, Jinyu Waterspeaker, Hallazeal the Ascended), making them very difficult to remove.

As wielders of the elemental forces, Shamans have an affinity with Elementals, possessing more Elemental synergy effects out of any other classes. Shamans have access to both early-game Elementals with tons of utility like Fire Plume Harbinger and Hot Spring Elemental and late-game Elemental finishers like Stone Sentinel and Kalimos, Primal Lord for a huge tempo swing.

Another element unique to Shamans are cards that transform minions into an entirely new and random minion. Evolve and Master of Evolution transforms their own minions into a more costly minion, while Devolve does the opposite to their enemies. Although the effects are random, with proper setup their multiple high-cost, low-stat minions can turn into something else with stats and possible effects to better match their costs.

Counters[edit | edit source]

Totems will be a continuous part of the game when playing against a shaman, especially the slower kinds. Try to control the number of totems, since they can give the shaman strong beneficial effects along with minion count. This is especially important when playing against Totem Shaman/Bloodlust decks. The totems can range from being 1/1, 0/2, or 0/3 so they are quite fragile and nonthreatening by themselves, but totems like Mana Tide Totem which allow an extra draw per turn will give an enormous advantage if left unchecked. Totems are treated as minions and can be buffed with increased Attack as well as Health so leaving too many on the field at once may become dangerous if the shaman plays cards like Raid Leader or Bloodlust, or even Flametongue Totem for unexpected trades. You may even be able to use the totems against the shaman if you play cards like Sea Giant or Flesheating Ghoul which benefit with more minions on the field, but this is rarely worth the risk of leaving them in place. Good methods of removing totems include AoE damage like Hellfire or Holy Nova, or low-Attack minions that can trade with them without wasting too much face damage. The druid's Swipe can also be extremely effective against totems, especially when paired with Spell Damage.

Bloodlust and totem buffs like Thunder Bluff Valiant can allow the shaman to abruptly win the game if they have lots of minions on the field, so make sure to keep the number of minions the shaman has to a minimum. This includes 0-Attack Totems and other seemingly unthreatening minions. Remember that shamans often include a lot of burst damage spells like Lava Burst and Rockbiter Weapon, which when combined with a strong board can defeat even full-Health opponents.

When you play large drop cards, remember your opponent might have Hex. Try and bait out this card by playing threatening minions before playing your biggest minions or strong buffing spells, and keep in mind there are only 2 maximum in a deck (outside of Arena). Shamans also have Lightning Storm, so try to not have a large field when your opponent hasn't played them yet.

Unique mechanics[edit | edit source]

Overload is an ability which reduces the amount of mana available the next turn by the stated amount. Most cards with Overload have a lower printed mana cost than similar cards from other classes (for instance, compare Forked Lightning and Cleave). This allows powerful spells and minions to be played for a low mana cost, allowing the shaman to gain a great amount of value in a turn at the cost of being able to play fewer cards the next turn. The shaman has many cards allowing him to put massive power into the board in one turn, such as Bloodlust, Lightning Storm, and Lava Burst. You can also overload more mana than you will have the next turn. Cards with this ability are limited to the shaman class.

Spells[edit | edit source]

For Wild format listings, see Shaman/Wild format

See Spell.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Class	Cost	Description
Ancestral Healing	Free	Shaman	0	Restore a minion to full Health and give it Taunt. I personally prefer some non-ancestral right-the-heck-now healing, but maybe that is just me.
Bloodlust	Free	Shaman	5	Give your minions +3 Attack this turn. blaarghghLLGHRHARAAHAHHH!!
Frost Shock	Free	Shaman	1	Deal 1 damage to an enemy character and Freeze it. FROST SHOCK!
Hex	Free	Shaman	3	Transform a minion into a 0/1 Frog with Taunt. If you Hex a Murloc... it really isn't much of a change, is it?
Rockbiter Weapon	Free	Shaman	2	Give a friendly character +3 Attack this turn. This would be real handy if your enemy is made of rock.
Totemic Might	Free	Shaman	0	Give your Totems +2 Health. Totem-stomping is no longer recommended.
Windfury	Free	Shaman	2	Give a minion Windfury. Windfury is like Earthfury and Firefury, but more light and airy.
Call in the Finishers	Common	Shaman	4	Summon four 1/1 Murlocs. When you really need a job done… but you don't really care if it gets done right.
Earth Shock	Common	Shaman	1	Silence a minion, then deal 1 damage to it. Earth Shock? Shouldn't it be "Azeroth Shock"?
Forked Lightning	Common	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.
Ice Fishing	Common	Shaman	2	Draw 2 Murlocs from your deck. Glow fish, war fish... blow fish, more fish...
Jade Lightning	Common	Shaman	4	Deal 4 damage. Summon a Jade Golem. Jade Lightning, goooo Jade Lightning!
Lightning Bolt	Common	Shaman	1	Deal 3 damage. Overload: (1) Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!
Primal Fusion	Common	Shaman	1	Give a minion +1/+1 for each of your Totems. Golce and Dabbana have a new line of Earth Totems available at vendors everywhere this holiday season.
Stormcrack	Common	Shaman	2	Deal 4 damage to a minion. Overload: (1) WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH THE PURPLE BALL OF LIGHTNING
Tidal Surge	Common	Shaman	4	Deal 4 damage to a minion. Restore 4 Health to your hero. Also good for removing pesky stains.
Ancestral Spirit	Rare	Shaman	2	Give a minion "Deathrattle: Resummon this minion." It was just a flesh wound.
Avalanche	Rare	Shaman	4	Freeze a minion and deal 3 damage to adjacent ones. One of our more snowbally cards.
Devolve	Rare	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.
Evolve	Rare	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.
Feral Spirit	Rare	Shaman	3	Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. Overload: (2) Spirit wolves are like regular wolves with pom-poms.
Lava Burst	Rare	Shaman	3	Deal 5 damage. Overload: (2) It's like an ocean of liquid magma in your mouth!
Lightning Storm	Rare	Shaman	3	Deal 2-3 damage to all enemy minions. Overload: (2) An umbrella won't be effective, I'm afraid.
Maelstrom Portal	Rare	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.
Volcano	Rare	Shaman	5	Deal 15 Damage randomly split across all minions. Overload: (2) Many young shaman summon a volcano as their first school project.
Cryostasis	Epic	Shaman	2	Give a minion +3/+3 and Freeze it. We'll thaw you out when we find a cure!
Far Sight	Epic	Shaman	3	Draw a card. That card costs (3) less. Drek'thar can't see, but he can see. You know what I mean? It's ok if you don't.
Finders Keepers	Epic	Shaman	1	Discover a card with Overload. Overload: (1) INFINITE LOOP!
Spirit Echo	Epic	Shaman	4	Give your minions "Deathrattle: Return this to your hand." I guess you can say they’re… “soul survivors.”
Unite the Murlocs	Legendary	Shaman	1	Quest: Summon 10 Murlocs. Reward: Megafin. Form feet and legs! Form arms and body! Oh. Sorry. I was thinking about Mechafin.
Showing all 30 cards

Minions[edit | edit source]

For Wild format listings, see Shaman/Wild format

All classes can also use neutral minions in their decks. See Minion.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Fire Elemental	Free	Elemental	Shaman	6	6	5	Battlecry: Deal 3 damage. He can never take a bath. Ewww.
Flametongue Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	2	0	3	Adjacent minions have +2 Attack. Totemsmiths like to use the rarest woods for their totems. There are even rumors of totems made of Ironbark Protectors.
Windspeaker	Free	General	Shaman	4	3	3	Battlecry: Give a friendly minion Windfury. Is there anything worse than a Windspeaker with halitosis?
Air Elemental	Common	Elemental	Shaman	1	2	1	Can't be targeted by spells or Hero Powers. Makes a mean puff pastry.
Brrrloc	Common	General	Shaman	2	2	2	Battlecry: Freeze an enemy. He may be frozen fish, but he fights fresh!
Drakkari Defender	Common	General	Shaman	3	2	8	Taunt Overload: (3) Sometimes, the best defense is an offensive troll.
Dust Devil	Common	Elemental	Shaman	1	3	1	Windfury. Overload: (2) Westfall is full of dust devils. And buzzards. And crazed golems. And pirates. Why does anyone live here?
Flamewreathed Faceless	Common	General	Shaman	4	7	7	Overload: (2) He's on fire! Boomshakalaka!
Hot Spring Guardian	Common	Elemental	Shaman	3	2	4	Taunt Battlecry: Restore 3 Health. NONE SHALL PASS until at least an hour after eating.
Jade Chieftain	Common	General	Shaman	7	5	5	Battlecry: Summon a Jade Golem. Give it Taunt. Seeing his Jade Golem grow up into the tall, handsome 6/6 standing before him was the proudest moment of his life.
Jade Spirit	Common	Elemental	Druid, Rogue, Shaman	4	2	3	Battlecry: Summon a Jade Golem. "He's so cute! I just want to squeeze him, then use him for Jade Golem parts!" - Aya Blackpaw
Unbound Elemental	Common	Elemental	Shaman	3	2	4	Whenever you play a card with Overload, gain +1/+1. Unlike bound elementals, Unbound ones really enjoy a night on the town.
Wicked Witchdoctor	Common	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.
Fire Plume Harbinger	Rare	Elemental	Shaman	2	1	1	Battlecry: Reduce the Cost of Elementals in your hand by (1). Good for summoning elementals. Great for making s'mores.
Jinyu Waterspeaker	Rare	General	Shaman	4	3	6	Battlecry: Restore 6 Health. Overload: (1) Waterspeakers can tell the future! So the Jade Lotus employs them to speculate on the Auction House.
Lotus Agents	Rare	General	Druid, Rogue, Shaman	5	5	3	Battlecry: Discover a Druid, Rogue or Shaman card. Mostly, they stand around and look cool.
Mana Tide Totem	Rare	Totem	Shaman	3	0	3	At the end of your turn, draw a card. It is said that some shaman can say "Floatin' totem" 10 times, fast.
Master of Evolution	Rare	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.
Primalfin Totem	Rare	Totem	Shaman	2	0	3	At the end of your turn, summon a 1/1 Murloc. Emits a sound only murlocs can hear, which is good because it’s REALLY annoying.
Thing from Below	Rare	General	Shaman	6	5	5	Taunt. Costs (1) less for each Totem you've summoned this game. Just can't resist the opportunity to hang around with a bunch of totems.
Voodoo Hexxer	Rare	General	Shaman	5	2	7	Taunt Freeze any character damaged by this minion. The Silver Hand recruits shuddered in terror when they saw the dreaded totem of the Hexxer: A tiny little snowman, impaled with pins.
Earth Elemental	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	5	7	8	Taunt. Overload: (3) Nothing beats rock.
Eternal Sentinel	Epic	General	Shaman	2	3	2	Battlecry: Unlock your Overloaded Mana Crystals. Just try to avoid eye contact.
Lotus Illusionist	Epic	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!
Snowfury Giant	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	11	8	8	Costs (1) less for each mana crystal you've Overloaded this game. This minion goes all the way to 11!
Stone Sentinel	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	7	4	4	Battlecry: If you played an Elemental last turn, summon two 2/3 Elementals with Taunt. He and his friends just want to rock out.
Al'Akir the Windlord	Legendary	Elemental	Shaman	8	3	5	Windfury, Charge, Divine Shield, Taunt He is the weakest of the four Elemental Lords. And the other three don't let him forget it.
Aya Blackpaw	Legendary	General	Druid, Rogue, Shaman	6	5	3	Battlecry and Deathrattle: Summon a Jade Golem. Though young, Aya took over as the leader of Jade Lotus through her charisma and strategic acumen when her predecessor was accidentally crushed by a jade golem.
Hallazeal the Ascended	Legendary	Elemental	Shaman	5	4	6	Whenever your spells deal damage, restore that much Health to your hero. Hallazeals all your dallazamage.
Kalimos, Primal Lord	Legendary	Elemental	Shaman	8	7	7	Battlecry: If you played an Elemental last turn, cast an Elemental Invocation. All that's missing is a little heart.
Moorabi	Legendary	General	Shaman	6	4	4	Whenever another minion is Frozen, add a copy of it to your hand. Most disturbing is how Moorabi covers all those frozen minions with flavored syrup.
White Eyes	Legendary	General	Shaman	5	5	5	Taunt Deathrattle: Shuffle 'The Storm Guardian' into your deck. My life for Aya!
Showing all 32 cards

Uncollectible[edit | edit source]

For Wild format listings, see Shaman/Wild format

The following minions are generated by other shaman cards or effects, and are uncollectible.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Murloc Razorgill	None	Murloc	Shaman	1	1	1
Rock Elemental	None	Elemental	Shaman	2	2	3	Taunt
Stone Elemental	None	Elemental	Shaman	1	1	1
Twilight Elemental	None	Elemental	Shaman	3	4	2
Healing Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	1	0	2	At the end of your turn, restore 1 Health to all friendly minions.
Searing Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	1	1	1
Stoneclaw Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	1	0	2	Taunt
Wrath of Air Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	1	0	2	Spell Damage +1
Frog	Common	Beast	Shaman	0	0	1	Taunt
Spirit Wolf	Rare	General	Shaman	2	2	3	Taunt
Megafin	Legendary	Murloc	Shaman	5	8	8	Battlecry: Fill your hand with random Murlocs.
The Storm Guardian	Legendary	General	Shaman	5	10	10	Taunt
Showing all 12 cards

Weapons[edit | edit source]

For Wild format listings, see Shaman/Wild format

Shamans have access to a limited range of weapons.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Spirit Claws	Common	Shaman	2	1	3	Has +2 Attack while you have Spell Damage. They'll be MUCH easier to use once they add the spirit thumb.
Stormforged Axe	Common	Shaman	2	2	3	Overload: (1) Yo, that's a nice axe.
Ice Breaker	Rare	Shaman	3	1	3	Destroy any Frozen minion damaged by this. A great way to end a conversation.
Jade Claws	Rare	Shaman	2	2	2	Battlecry: Summon a Jade Golem. Overload: (1) "Best manicure ever!" - Aya Blackpaw
Doomhammer	Epic	Shaman	5	2	8	Windfury, Overload: (2) Orgrim Doomhammer gave this legendary weapon to Thrall. His name is a total coincidence.
Hammer of Twilight	Epic	Shaman	5	4	2	Deathrattle: Summon a 4/2 Elemental. Stop! It's Twlight Hammer time.
Showing all 6 cards

Leveling rewards[edit | edit source]

As a hero reaches various levels they are awarded new cards, with each class having its own rewards. All cards awarded by gaining levels are soulbound, and cannot be crafted or disenchanted.

Levels up to 10 award new basic class cards, while levels after this award only golden versions of existing cards.

Starting cards[edit | edit source]

All shaman start with the following class cards.

Level 2-10[edit | edit source]

Up to level 10, reaching each even-numbered level will award the player two copies of a new Basic class card. These cards are not obtainable through any other means.

Level 2

Level 4

Level 6

Level 8

Level 10

Level 11-60[edit | edit source]

Above level 10, reaching certain levels will award golden versions of existing Basic cards. As they are uncraftable, it is not possible to disenchant these cards, making the reward purely cosmetic. Reaching each required level will award one golden card. Levels after 10 award golden Basic class cards, whereas levels after 50 award golden Basic neutral minion cards.