Shaman

The Shaman is one of the ten classes in Hearthstone, represented by Thrall, Warchief Thrall, Morgl the Oracle, King Rastakhan, The Thunder King, and Lady Vashj.

Heroes[edit | edit source]

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.

Replacement Hero Powers[edit | edit source]

Justicar Trueheart Battlecry and Baku the Mooneater's Start of Game effect will replace Totemic Call with Totemic Slam.

Charged Hammer Deathrattle will replace the current Hero Power with Lightning Jolt.

Thrall, Deathseer will replace the current Hero Power with Transmute Spirit, as well as replacing the hero.

Hagatha the Witch will replace the current Hero Power with Bewitch, as well as replacing the hero.

Corrupt the Waters will replace the current Hero Power with Heart of Vir'naal once the Quest is completed.

Galakrond, the Tempest will replace the current Hero Power with Galakrond's Fury, as well as replacing the hero.

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, but even their overloaded crystals can be used to their benefit with cards like Tunnel Trogg and Vessina. Their board control is excellent with removal and transform effects such as Lightning Storm, Hex, and Earthquake. Shamans also a wide range of powerful minions to choose from, ranging from low-cost (Flametongue Totem, Totem Golem), medium-cost (Flamewreathed Faceless, Earth Elemental), 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, Totemic Surge, 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 Guardian and synergy effects like Earthen Might, 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, Unstable Evolution, Master of Evolution, Thrall, Deathseer, and The Storm Bringer 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.

Shamans also have an affinity for murlocs. They can call upon lesser murlocs with cards like Primalfin Totem and Call in the Finishers and have cards that reward swarming with murlocs like Everyfin is Awesome and Unite the Murlocs. After all, the first murloc hero in Hearthstone is also a Shaman.

Battlecry is a common keyword that Shamans associate with. Along with their wide range of powerful Battlecry cards, the quest Corrupt the Waters, once completed, lets them double their Battlecry effects, making their already powerful cards even stronger. What's more, the dreaded Shudderwock repeats all the Battlecries they've played to create one incredibly devastating turn. Some more subtle related cards are cards that return minions back to the Shaman's hand, like Spirit Echo and Grumble, Worldshaker, so they they can be played again.

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.
Totemic Might	Free	Shaman	0	Give your Totems +2 Health. Totem-stomping is no longer recommended.
Frost Shock	Free	Shaman	1	Deal 1 damage to an enemy character and Freeze it. FROST SHOCK!
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.
Windfury	Free	Shaman	2	Give a minion Windfury. Windfury is like Earthfury and Firefury, but more light and airy.
Hex	Free	Shaman	4	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?
Bloodlust	Free	Shaman	5	Give your minions +3 Attack this turn. blaarghghLLGHRHARAAHAHHH!!
Mutate	Common	Shaman	0	Transform a friendly minion into a random one that costs (1) more. You'll get the transformation you want when murlocs fly.
Totemic Surge	Common	Shaman	0	Give your Totems +2 Attack. It's not really advanced shamanic magic, you just draw nasty eyebrows on them.
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.
Lightning Bolt	Common	Shaman	1	Deal 3 damage. Overload: (1) Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!
Explosive Evolution	Common	Shaman	2	Transform a minion into a random one that costs (3) more. Let's give a big hand for goblin experimentation!
Invocation of Frost	Common	Shaman	2	Freeze an enemy. Invoke Galakrond. Galakrond adores a little frosting.
Soul of the Murloc	Common	Shaman	2	Give your minions "Deathrattle: Summon a 1/1 Murloc." Previously thought nonexistent.
Serpentshrine Portal	Common	Shaman	3	Deal 3 damage. Summon a random 3-Cost minion. Overload: (1) This is why you never flush a three-cost minion.
Totemic Reflection	Common	Shaman	3	Give a minion +2/+2. If it's a Totem, summon a copy of it. "Upon reflection, I have decided that your board needs more ME."
Eye of the Storm	Common	Shaman	10	Summon three 5/6 Elementals with Taunt. Overload: (3) If that's the eye, I would hate to see the rest of the storm.
Storm's Wrath	Rare	Shaman	1	Give your minions +1/+1. Overload: (1) How many dragons does it take to destroy a hot air balloon? One, two, three, CRUNCH!
Ancestral Spirit	Rare	Shaman	2	Give a minion "Deathrattle: Resummon this minion." It was just a flesh wound.
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 Breath	Rare	Shaman	3	Deal 4 damage to a minion. If you're holding a Dragon, also damage its neighbors. Recipe: One dragon, four wool socks, thick shag carpet.
Lightning Storm	Rare	Shaman	3	Deal 2-3 damage to all enemy minions. Overload: (2) An umbrella won't be effective, I'm afraid.
Torrent	Rare	Shaman	4	Deal 8 damage to a minion. Costs (3) less if you cast a spell last turn. Weeks of underwater cross-training have really built up her fourarms.
Vivid Spores	Rare	Shaman	4	Give your minions "Deathrattle: Resummon this minion." Hey man, I just feel like... death is just a construct of our imaginations, ya know?
Hagatha's Scheme	Rare	Shaman	5	Deal 1 damage to all minion. (Upgrades each turn!) "All shall suffer!" "But Hagatha, those are your minions..." "I said ALL!!!"
Earthquake	Rare	Shaman	7	Deal 5 damage to all minions, then deal 2 damage to all minions. Shake it, sh-sh-sh-shake it like a Kalimdor fissure.
Witch's Brew	Epic	Shaman	2	Restore 4 Health. Repeatable this turn. The swill has eyes!
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.
Plague of Murlocs	Epic	Shaman	3	Transform all minions into random Murlocs. This is horrible! And adorable!
Dragon's Pack	Epic	Shaman	5	Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. If you've Invoked twice, give them +2/+2. Each dragon's pack is guaranteed to have at least one rare.
Corrupt the Waters	Legendary	Shaman	1	Quest: Play 6 Battlecry cards. Reward: Heart of Vir'naal. This is why Hagatha is banned from public pools.
Showing all 33 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
Flametongue Totem	Free	Totem	Shaman	3	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?
Fire Elemental	Free	Elemental	Shaman	6	6	5	Battlecry: Deal 3 damage. He can never take a bath. Ewww.
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?
Surging Tempest	Common	Elemental	Shaman	1	1	3	Has +1 Attack while you have Overloaded Mana Crystals. "Overloaded? Should've gotten a surge protector."
EVIL Totem	Common	Totem	Shaman	2	0	2	At the end of your turn, add a Lackey to your hand. A lot of people blame the parents when a totem goes bad.
Sandstorm Elemental	Common	Elemental	Shaman	2	2	2	Battlecry: Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions. Overload: (1) Doot doot doot doot doot [Pause] Doot doot doot doot doot DEE doot doot doot doot doot!
Marshspawn	Common	Elemental	Shaman	3	3	4	Battlecry: If you cast a spell last turn, Discover a spell. Hopes to someday promote to Marshsqueen.
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.
Squallhunter	Common	Dragon	Shaman	4	5	7	Spell Damage +2 Overload: (2) "Oh, the weather outside is frightful… But Squallhunter's so delightful! And since we've gone down this road--overload, overload, overload!"
Walking Fountain	Common	Elemental	Shaman	8	4	8	Lifesteal, Rush, Windfury The weirdest part is that it doesn't have legs.
Sludge Slurper	Rare	Murloc	Shaman	1	2	1	Battlecry: Add a Lackey to your hand. Overload: (1) You can't stop slurping this delicious sludge!
Underbelly Angler	Rare	Murloc	Shaman	2	2	3	After you play a Murloc, add a random Murloc to your hand. Attracts murlocs... and moths.
Bogstrok Clacker	Rare	General	Shaman	3	3	3	Battlecry: Transform adjacent minions into random minions that cost (1) more. This clacker's crackers for hacking slackers into whack attackers.
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.
Weaponized Wasp	Rare	Beast	Shaman	3	3	3	Battlecry: If you control a Lackey, deal 3 damage. Dr. Boom had one simple request: wasps with flippin' laser beams attached to their heads.
Corrupt Elementalist	Rare	General	Shaman	6	3	3	Battlecry: Invoke Galakrond twice. Her element is "Horns."
Mogu Fleshshaper	Rare	General	Shaman	9	3	4	Rush. Costs (1) less for each minion on the battlefield. He's here to shape clap* you up!*
Cumulo-Maximus	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	5	5	5	Battlecry: If you have Overloaded Mana Crystals, deal 5 damage. "Are your clouds not entertained?!"
Earth Elemental	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	5	7	8	Taunt Overload: (3) Nothing beats rock.
Muckmorpher	Epic	General	Shaman	5	4	4	Battlecry: Transform into a 4/4 copy of a different minion in your deck. Fan favorite in the muck morphin' sewer strangers.
Shattered Rumbler	Epic	Elemental	Shaman	5	5	6	Battlecry: If you cast a spell last turn, deal 2 damage to all other minions. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GROUND!
Lady Vashj	Legendary	General	Shaman	3	4	3	Spell Damage +1 Deathrattle: Shuffle 'Vashj Prime' into your deck. Personal handmaiden to Queen Azshara turned lieutenant to Illidan Stormrage. Also quite the hair sssstylist.
Scargil	Legendary	Murloc	Shaman	4	4	4	Your Murlocs cost (1). Wanna know how he got those scars? So does he.
Vessina	Legendary	General	Shaman	4	2	6	While you're Overloaded, your other minions have +2 Attack. She wasn't happy when Hagatha sent her back to Uldum. But her "angry" hiss sounds like her "happy" hiss, so no one knew the difference.
Bandersmosh	Legendary	General	Shaman	5	5	5	Each turn this is in your hand, transform it into a 5/5 copy of a random Legendary minion. The Shudderwock finds him particularly frumious.
Nithogg	Legendary	Dragon	Shaman	6	5	5	Battlecry: Summon two 0/3 Eggs. Next turn they hatch into 4/4 Drakes with Rush. Not to be confused with Nithogger.
The Lurker Below	Legendary	Beast	Shaman	6	6	5	Battlecry: Deal 3 damage to an enemy minion. If it dies, repeat on one of its neighbors. "Throw it back! THROW IT BACK!"
Swampqueen Hagatha	Legendary	General	Shaman	7	5	5	Battlecry: Add a 5/5 Horror to your hand. Teach it two Shaman spells. Rafaam mainly enjoys working with Hagatha because she never laughs at Dr. Boom's jokes.
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.
Showing all 30 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
Storm Egg	None	General	Shaman	1	0	3	At the start of your turn, transform into a 4/4 Storm Drake with Rush.
Brewing Storm	None	Elemental	Shaman	2	2	2	Rush
Spirit Wolf	None	General	Shaman	2	2	3	Taunt
Spirit Wolf	None	General	Shaman	2	2	3	Taunt
Windswept Elemental	None	Elemental	Shaman	2	2	1	Rush
Living Storm	None	Elemental	Shaman	4	4	4	Rush
Storm Drake	None	Dragon	Shaman	4	4	4	Rush
Drustvar Horror	None	General	Shaman	5	5	5	Battlecry: Cast {0} and {1}.
Stormblocker	None	Elemental	Shaman	5	5	6	Taunt
Vashj Prime	None	General	Shaman	7	5	4	Spell Damage +1 Battlecry: Draw 3 spells. Reduce their Cost by (3).
Raging Storm	None	Elemental	Shaman	8	8	8	Rush
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
Showing all 15 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
Stormforged Axe	Common	Shaman	2	2	3	Overload: (1) Yo, that's a nice axe.
Splitting Axe	Epic	Shaman	4	3	2	Battlecry: Summon copies of your Totems. The ancient shaman chant, "Control Axe, Control Vee."
Boggspine Knuckles	Epic	Shaman	5	4	2	After your hero attacks, transform your minions into random ones that cost (1) more. I would NOT want to put my hand in there. It's... SQUISHY.
Doomhammer	Epic	Shaman	5	2	8	Windfury, Overload: (2) Orgrim Doomhammer gave this legendary weapon to Thrall. His name is a total coincidence.
The Fist of Ra-den	Legendary	Shaman	4	1	4	After you cast a spell, summon a Legendary minion of that Cost. Lose 1 Durability. The mighty Ra-den was known as the Keeper of Storms. Unfortunately, he could not keep his fist.
Showing all 5 cards

Hero card

For Wild format listings, see Shaman/Wild format

See Hero card.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Class	Cost	Description
Galakrond, Azeroth's End	Legendary	Hero card	Shaman	7	Battlecry: Summon two 8/8 Storms with Rush. Equip a 5/2 Claw.
Galakrond, the Apocalypse	Legendary	Hero card	Shaman	7	Battlecry: Summon two 4/4 Storms with Rush. (Invoke* twice to upgrade.)*
Galakrond, the Tempest	Legendary	Hero card	Shaman	7	Battlecry: Summon two 2/2 Storms with Rush. (Invoke* twice to upgrade.)* Hagatha cried out over the winds: "Truly, you are as powerful as the Maelstrom!" To which the Tempest answered: "I AM THE MAELSTROM."
Showing all 3 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.