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"This poor town has seen its share of trials. Now we face a new force, sinuous and vile.
Is something wicked twisting trees and turning them to ill? Some diabolic expertise strives to break our will.
Do my eyes play tricks on me, will monsters seal our doom? What were those things? What did I see hiding in this gloom?
We're turned around and taunted, but moonlight is our friend.
The way ahead is haunted, our hackles stand on end!
We'll make our stand right here, our choice is crystal clear! We are the beasts the monsters fear!"
Wild format
Wild icon
With the arrival of the Year of the Phoenix, The Witchwood is now a Wild format card set, which means cards from the The Witchwood will no longer be playable in Standard format matches. For more information, see Game format.

The Witchwood is Hearthstone's eighth expansion. Featuring 135 new collectible cards,[1] and the new Druid alternate hero Hero SkinsLunara, the expansion released on April 12, 2018.[2]

The expansion introduced three new keywords: Start of Game, Echo, which allows a card to be played multiple times on the same turn, and Rush, which acts like Charge but doesn't allow the minion to attack the enemy hero the turn it is played. It also added a new game mode called Monster Hunt, a single-player mode akin to Dungeon Run with four exclusive playable classes.

As the first expansion of 2018, the release of The Witchwood ended the previous Standard year, the Year of the Mammoth, and started the new one, Year of the Raven.

How to get[]

The Witchwood craftable cards can be obtained by one of the following methods:

  • Opening card packs with the usual prices and purchasing options
    The Witchwood Pack
    Wild Pack
    Golden Wild
  • Crafting for the usual amounts of Arcane Dust depending on the cards' rarity
Uncraftable cards

These specific cards can be obtained through other means. For more information, see their respective articles.

    Pre-order
    • Prior to the expansion's release, players are able to pre-order a bundle of 70 The Witchwood packs for $49.99 USD/€49,99 EUR/£44.99 GBP/$64.99 AUD or equivalent.
    • The pre-order bundle comes with a unique card back (see below) and 20 additional The Witchwood packs.

    Cards[]

    The set contains 135 collectible cards in total. Each class receives two Legendary minion cards, with the exception of shaman which receives one Legendary minion card and one hero card.[3] Witchwood cards can be recognized with a special watermark (a decaying log) behind the card text, not found on other cards.

    Originally, The WitchwoodGenn Greymane, The WitchwoodBaku the Mooneater, The WitchwoodBlack Cat, The WitchwoodMurkspark Eel, The WitchwoodGloom Stag, and The WitchwoodGlitter Moth were moved to the Hall of Fame on April 9, 2019. However, they returned back to The Witchwood set on March 30, 2021.

    Customize this list

    Neutral

    GIL 816
    GIL 558
    GIL 513
    GIL 529
    GIL 143
    GIL 561
    GIL 534
    GIL 683
    GIL 201
    GIL 212
    GIL 213
    GIL 680
    GIL 527
    GIL 528
    GIL 809
    GIL 646
    GIL 667
    GIL 121
    GIL 120
    GIL 526
    GIL 119
    GIL 118
    GIL 207
    GIL 622
    GIL 125
    GIL 624
    GIL 601
    GIL 584
    GIL 648
    GIL 623
    GIL 202
    GIL 815
    GIL 681
    GIL 614
    GIL 819
    GIL 581
    GIL 682
    GIL 124
    GIL 117
    GIL 616
    GIL 620
    GIL 692
    GIL 198
    GIL 578
    GIL 826

    Related cards

    HERO 10bp2
    GIL 683t
    HERO 11bp2t
    NEW1 009
    GIL 682t
    AT 132 ROGUEt
    CS2 050
    CS2 101t
    CS2 051
    CS2 058
    GIL 616t2
    HERO 05bp2
    HERO 06bp2
    HERO 08bp2
    HERO 11cbp2
    HERO 09bp2
    HERO 03bp2
    HERO 07bp2
    GIL 529t
    HERO 01bp2
    HERO 04bp2
    HERO 02bp2
    GIL 201t
    GIL 616t
    GIL 528t
    GIL 202t

    Druid

    GIL 663
    GIL 188
    GIL 637
    GIL 571
    GIL 833
    GIL 507
    GIL 553
    GIL 130
    GIL 800
    GIL 658

    Related cards

    GIL 553t
    GIL 663t
    GIL 188t
    GIL 188t2
    GIL 188t3

    Choice cards

    GIL 188a
    GIL 188b

    Hunter

    GIL 607t
    GIL 828
    GIL 562
    GIL 200
    GIL 518
    GIL 905
    GIL 577
    GIL 607
    GIL 650
    GIL 128

    Related cards

    GIL 200t
    GIL 577t

    Mage

    GIL 801
    GIL 838
    GIL 664
    GIL 147
    GIL 645
    GIL 640
    GIL 548
    GIL 116
    GIL 691
    GIL 549

    Paladin

    GIL 203
    GIL 145
    GIL 545
    GIL 685
    GIL 634
    GIL 596
    GIL 903
    GIL 635
    GIL 817
    GIL 694

    Priest

    GIL 661
    GIL 835
    GIL 156
    GIL 134
    GIL 805
    GIL 190
    GIL 813
    GIL 837
    GIL 142
    GIL 840

    Related cards

    GIL 190t

    Rogue

    GIL 506
    GIL 827
    GIL 902
    GIL 696
    GIL 510
    GIL 557
    GIL 672
    GIL 687
    GIL 677
    GIL 598

    Related cards

    GAME 005

    Shaman

    GIL 600
    GIL 531
    GIL 678
    GIL 836
    GIL 586
    GIL 530
    GIL 583
    GIL 807
    GIL 504
    GIL 820

    Related cards

    GIL 504h

    Warlock

    GIL 608
    GIL 508
    GIL 191
    GIL 543
    GIL 665
    GIL 693
    GIL 515
    GIL 565
    GIL 618
    GIL 825

    Related cards

    GIL 508t
    GIL 191t

    Warrior

    GIL 654
    GIL 653
    GIL 113
    GIL 155
    GIL 803
    GIL 655
    GIL 580
    GIL 537
    GIL 547
    GIL 152

    Monster Hunt[]

    Main article: Monster Hunt

    Monster Hunt is a single-player game mode in which the player battles sequentially more difficult bosses to win and complete a run, similar to the game mode of Dungeon Runs featured in Kobolds & Catacombs. Monster Hunt released on April 26, 2018.[4]

    Four special heroes are featured, each having access to a special hero power:[5] Clearing Monster Hunt with all four classes makes them all join forces against Hagatha the Witch. Completing this Final Challenge earns the player the "Monster Hunt" card back.

    Themes[]

    The Witchwood logo

    Echo[]

    Shifting shapes and ephemeral phantasms manifest out of the fog—the curse on the Witchwood has unsettling effects on both material beings and spells alike. Some will Echo, reproducing themselves.
    The wily can channel this spectral side effect to their advantage: cards with Echo can be played again and again on the same turn—as long as you have the mana to pay the price.[1]

    Cards with Echo can be played multiple times on the same turn.

    Rush[]

    The power emanating from the Witchwood imbues feral vigor into those who are in tune with their predatory instincts, urging them to unnatural aggression and startling speed.
    Minions with the new Rush keyword can attack opposing minions—but not Heroes—on the same turn they are played. Rush offers the immediate gratification of Charge without its game-ending potential, so you’ll encounter more minions that hit the ground running with this new keyword.[1]

    Minions with Rush can attack the same turn they are played, but are not allowed to attack heroes. While not as strong as Charge, they make up for it in other areas; mainly stats.

    Odd and even[]

    The Witchwood’s growing influence drives even the redoubtable citizens of Gilneas to fearful flights of fancy. Uneasy townsfolk share bizarre stories of black cats with knowing eyes, and giant moths that peer into windows during the dead of night. Stranger still, they all seem to share the same horrid dream, night after night: a feeling of unspeakable dread as they watch huge, spectral fangs devour the moon.
    Striking back against the fear that grips the city requires iron discipline and sacrifice. Superstition must be cast aside in favor of strict order. Those with the will to banish this evil must find it in them to do what must be done—even when close to the limits of their strength.[1]

    Some cards activate a powerful effect as long as your deck contains only odd- or even-cost cards.

    Odd
    Even

    Worgen[]

    The cursed denizens of the Witchwood will not find the people of Gilneas to be easy prey. Even the city’s humblest citizen hides a beastly secret: they are Worgen, capable of assuming the form of a hulking, ferocious wolf-beast when threatened.
    Each turn they are in your hand, these cards swap their attack and health. Spring them on an opponent when their form best matches your desired function.[1]

    When Gilneas was hit with the curse of the worgen, many of the kingdom's human inhabitants were transformed into monstrous beasts, but have since then gained the ability to switch between the two forms.

    Some cards alternate between forms each turn while in your hand and change their stats to represent this ability.

    Battlefield[]

    The expansion came with a new battlefield. A partial shot of the new board is shown below.

    Battlefield - The Witchwood

    Card backs[]

    A special card back was available as part of the expansion's pre-order bundle. The card back for Ranked play Season 48 is related, due to the end of the Year of the Mammoth that was on the same day of the expansion's release, while Season 49's card back is related to the expansion's theme. There is also the card back for completing the Monster Hunt.

    Trailer[]

    Lore[]

    In World of Warcraft[]

    Gilneas City WoW

    Light's Dawn Cathedral overlooking Gilneas City in World of Warcraft.

    Gilneas[]

    Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
    The kingdom of Gilneas (or the Gilnean kingdom), pronounced Gil-NEIGH-uhs,[gɪlˈniːəs] is one of the seven human kingdoms located in the peninsula of Gilneas and situated south-west of Silverpine Forest on the continent of Lordaeron. It is ruled by The WitchwoodGenn Greymane of the House of Greymane. With the events of the Cataclysm, Gilneas has rejoined the Alliance.
    Gilneas is a large peninsula that juts into the sea south of western Lordaeron. Silverpine Forest lies to the north-east and Kul Tiras awaits across the sea to the south. The kingdom was founded following the splitting of Arathor and besides the peninsula, the kingdom also included the island of Zul'Dare, and formerly held lands in southern Silverpine Forest including Pyrewood Village and Ambermill. The southwestern reaches of Hillsbrad Foothills in the area around Azurelode Mine were also part of Gilneas.
    Its king Genn Greymane never ardently supported the Alliance of Lordaeron in the Second War. Thus, after the war, he constructed the Greymane Wall: a massive barrier spanning the entire northern border. The enormous wall barricaded Gilneas from the rest of Lordaeron for around two decades.
    It was later discovered that the 'worgen curse' has swept mercilessly across the nation, eventually turning nearly all of its inhabitants into savage beasts. Escalating tensions among the survivors escalated into bloody civil war that all but wrecked the nation. Following the Cataclysm and an invasion by the Forsaken, some of these Gilnean worgen have regained their free will. After Gilneas fell to enemy hands, Gilneas rejoined the Alliance.

    Worgen[]

    Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
    Worgen [ˈwɔɹgɛn] are large, lupine humanoids reminiscent of werewolves that walk upright, but lope on all fours to run. They primarily inhabit forests and are skilled hunters. Being bitten by or drinking the blood of worgen causes humans and night elves to be transformed into one. After the transformation, worgen are overcome by rage and guilt, gradually losing all vestiges of their former lives and turning feral. By controlling their emotions, worgen may resist being overcome by their feral instincts.
    Originally inadvertently created as a result of night elf druids assuming a Pack Form that embraced the fury of the wolf Ancient Goldrinn during the War of the Satyr, they were sealed within the Emerald Dream after it was discovered they were spreading their beastly form through what would become known as the worgen curse. Centuries later, they were unleashed once more by the human Archmage Arugal to fight the undead Scourge. Eventually the curse found its way to Gilneas, where many of its inhabitants were transformed into worgen, including King Genn Greymane. After being taught how to control their inner beast by the night elves, many worgen are now members of the Alliance.

    In Hearthstone[]

    The city of Gilneas once lived in uneasy peace with the sprawling, ancient forest that looms beyond its walls. Though the wilderness was grim and forbidding, the citizens of Gilneas—being no ordinary folks—roved and hunted there without fear.
    That was before a darkness began to fester in the heart of the forest. . . . Before the wicked witch Hagatha cast a dire curse!
    A sunless gloom now cloaks winding trails, and gnarled branches claw hungrily at passersby. Terrified travelers speak of misshapen shadows flickering in an unearthly mist. In the witching hours, eerie figures have even been seen to stalk the narrow alleys and foggy, cobble-stoned streets of the city itself.
    Foolhardy travelers who dare venture beyond the city walls after nightfall disappear into the wilderness, never to return. The Witchwood is safe for none to tread![2]

    The Witchwood[]

    Blackwald WoW

    The Blackwald in World of Warcraft.

    The titular Witchwood featured in the expansion was once called the Blackwald.

    Wowpedia iconThis section uses content from Wowpedia.
    The Blackwald is a forest in southern Gilneas, located south of Gilneas City and north of the village of Stormglen. The Blackwald was the home of the Druids of the Scythe, who eventually became the first worgen. Tal'doren - a tree identical to the one where the original worgen were imprisoned in the Emerald Dream - is in the forest's center. The Blackwald is full of Howling Banshees, Sylvanas' scouts looking for Tal'doren.

    However, since the witch Hagatha took up residence in the forest, she has used her magic to twist the forest, awakening and empowering the trees and beasts of the woods. The Blackwald has now become very dangerous, and the Gilneans have taken to calling it "The Witchwood".[6][7][8][9]

    Official site
    Hush, brave heroes, and take heed; you tread on dangerous ground. See how the light dims all around, and moving shadows creep? The Witchwood calls, but I implore: do not its treasures seek! Stay where it’s safe, pull up a chair, let’s play another round! I see, your minds are quite made up; please hear me importune: Keep your decks close, and your wits sharp…
    lest the Witchwood be your doom![5]

    History[]

    Development[]

    Team 5 has wanted to do a worgen-themed expansion for years and knew that they specifically wanted to explore the transformation from human to worgen.[10] The expansion that later became The Witchwood was originally known as Murder on the Gilnean Express[11] and was primarily based in Gilneas City and themed around Gilneans and murder mysteries.[10]

    During this early stage development, the Hearthstone team experimented with various new mechanics and keywords, such as "Investigate", which would allow the player to create a "murderer" minion through several Discovers to determine their stats and abilities. Another mechanic was "Mysteries"; this allowed the player to Discover a card, after which the same Discover options were presented to the opposing player. If the opponent correctly guessed which card the first player had picked, they would also receive a copy of it. Finally, to capture the "spooky vibe" of the fateful train ride, Blizzard experimented with "Ghostly", a keyword that would cause a card to discard itself from the player's hand at the end of the turn if not played. As Blizzard iterated on Ghostly, they found that the most fun version of the ability was the cards that added Ghostly duplicates of themselves to the player's hand.[11]

    To get a feel for Gilneas, the Hearthstone team replayed the worgen starting experience in World of Warcraft and found that they really liked the "creepy, Gothic" feel of the area. They specifically focused on the Gilnean forest known as the Blackwald and asked themselves what would happen if the forest began to grow and become twisted, and this was the direction the team ultimately went with for the Gilneas-themed expansion.[10] Over the following months,[11] the setting of the expansion was moved outside of Gilneas City to the forest around the capital[10] and the expansion's main theme evolved from a murder investigation on a train ride to a haunted forest, causing Murder on the Gilnean Express to become The Witchwood. The keyword Ghostly became more and more the perfect fit for the flavor of the set and eventually became Echo, one of the two new keywords introduced in the final version of the expansion.[11]

    Teasers and announcement[]

    Year of the Raven teaser

    A sneak peek at the content released during the Year of the Raven.

    The Witchwood was first teased on February 27th, 2018, when Blizzard announced the changes and new content planned for the Year of the Raven, the third year of standard format. The announcement blog post and accompanying video included a teaser image for the planned three expansions of the year.[12]

    Similar to Journey to Un'Goro, the official announcement of the expansion was preceded by several teasers posted on Twitter. On March 3rd, the official Latin American Hearthstone Twitter account posted an image featuring characters from the card sets released during the Year of the Mammoth as well as earlier expansions, apparently searching for clues about the upcoming expansion in a foreboding forest.[13]

    On March 6th, Lead Mission Designer Dave Kosak tweeted that he was "goin' camping" to look for the next Hearthstone expansion, noting that "Nothing gets the @playhearthstone creative juices flowing like some time outdoors."[14] Kosak did not return for several days thereafter, and after some back-and-forth between various Hearthstone developers on Twitter and Reddit, Game Director Ben Brode and Lead Artist Ben Thompson headed out to look for him, asking the playerbase to get in touch with Yong Woo if they weren't back by Sunday night.[15]

    On March 12th, The Witchwood was officially announced in a special reveal video featuring Brode and Thompson reuniting with Kosak and discovering the details of the expansion in the dark woods outside Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California. The video is presented in the style of "found footage" horror films such as The Blair Witch Project.

    Card reveals[]

    Card reveals for The Witchwood began with a special card reveal livestream featuring Game Designer Peter Whalen and Dan "Frodan" Chou on March 26. The day following the livestream, other cards from the expansion began being revealed one at a time through selected websites and streamers.[16] The final card reveal livestream featuring Game Director Ben Brode and Sean "Day[9]" Plott took place on April 9,[2] after which all of the remaining cards from the expansion were revealed via Hearthstone's official Facebook account.

    Trivia[]

    Gallery[]

    Banners

    References[]

     
    1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Daxxarri (2018-12-03). Be Ready to Brave The Witchwood. Retrieved on 2018-12-03.
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Daxxarri (2018-04-05). Face The Witchwood April 12. Retrieved on 2018-04-05.
    3. The Witchwood Card Reveal Livestream - Twitch (25:00). (2018-03-26). Retrieved on 2018-03-26.
    4. Daxxarri (2018-04-12). Enter The Witchwood Now!. Retrieved on 2018-04-13.
    5. 5.0 5.1 Official site - The Witchwood. Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    6. Ben Brode on Twitter. (2018-03-12). 
    7. Mike Donais on Reddit. (2018-03-12). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    8. Mike Donais on Reddit. (2018-03-12). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    9. Ben Brode on Reddit. (2018-03-12). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Shacknews (2018-04-06). PAX East 2018: Hearthstone Ben Brode Developer Interview (0:35). YouTube. Retrieved on 2018-04-08.
    11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Hearthside Chat with Peter Whalen: Echo - YouTube. (2018-03-22). Retrieved on 2018-03-22.
    12. Daxxarri (2018-02-27). The Year of the Raven Soars Ahead. Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    13. Hearthstone LATAM on Twitter. (2018-03-03). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    14. Dave Kosak on Twitter. (2018-03-06). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    15. Oh Boy... The Hearthstone Team has Gone Looking for Dave Kosak - News - HearthPwn. (2018-03-09). Retrieved on 2018-03-18.
    16. Blizzard Entertainment (2018-03-21). The Witchwood Card Reveal Schedule. Retrieved on 2018-03-21.
    17. Christie Golden on Twitter. (2018-03-12). 

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