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Not much changed about Hearthstone before these cards were added.
Hearthstone isn’t the oldest card game out there, but it has been out for almost ten years. Many new cards have been added to the game over that time, each leaving its own small mark on its past.
Of course, some of those cards have had bigger effects than others. Their effects were either so strong or so unique, or both, that they completely changed the way the game was played. These ten cards really changed the game by weaving it around themselves more than any other cards.
Undertaker
As Curse of Naxxramas was Hearthstone‘s first expansion, a lot of the cards that came with it were used a lot. But none of them were as powerful as Undertaker. When you put it together with the other Deathrattle troops that were added in Naxxramas, it could quickly get out of hand.
In those days, turn-one minions weren’t as strong, and other teams didn’t have as many tools to deal with them. Because of this, an Undertaker played on the first turn would often not be stopped and could win games by itself.
Shudderwock
Shudderwock isn’t really on this list because it’s a very strong card like most of the other cards, though it was and still is very strong. I put this card here because, with the possible exception of Nozdormu, a base card, its movement times are one of the worst things that Hearthstone has had for a long time.
Because Shudderwock could copy so many Battlecries, when you played against a Shudderwock Shaman deck and the minion in question hit the board, you had to wait forever for either death or the combo to stop. The Hearthstone team fixed the problem in the end by speeding up animations, but Shudderwock made the Hearthstone ladder a nightmare for a while.
Barnes
Cards that change the meta often do so in a bad way, and Barnes is one of the worst examples of this in Hearthstone. When he was first released, he cost four mana, and his ability to call a copy of a minion from your deck was very strong in Priest. This could resurrect a 1/1 minion right after it died, making it a full-stat minion soon after. Even though that was already annoying, things went really bad when Barnes and Y’Shaarj were put together. At the end of your turn, this 10/10 Legendary card took a monster from your deck.
If Barnes called up Y’Shaarj, you would get one of your huge monsters right away on turn 4. It was possible for the copy of Y’Shaarj to even pull off the real one. The plan wasn’t always working because it depended on certain events happening for the best-case scenario to happen. But when they did, the game was pretty much over. Because of this, a lot of games in this meta relied on whether the player with the Resurrect Priest had Barnes on Turn 4. It wasn’t really a fun time to climb the Standard ladder.
Reno Jackson
Reno Jackson might not be seen as a big deal these days. But when he was free, there was no denying his effect. So Reno could save games in cases where they couldn’t be recovered otherwise. Because of this, players had to change how they built their decks so that Reno would be available when they needed him.
Reno also made the other players change how they played. For example, lowering someone to one health makes it less clear what to do if there’s a chance they can undo all of your damage the next turn.
Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End
It makes sense that Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End should have been a joke card. In an ideal world, casting a bunch of random magic would have no effect at all. Yugg-Saron instead played at the World Championships and decided the outcomes of some of the most important Hearthstone matches ever.
If Yogg hit you in the face with ten Pyroblasts, it could kill you. But most of the time, it would clear the board, even when no other card could. If you were really lucky, it could even change the game in your favor by calling down troops. Hearthstone became even riskier because of Yogg’s changes, which eventually led to this very silly card being nerfed.
Genn Greymane
Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater were legendary helpers from The Witchwood who changed how your Hero Power worked. So Genn can lower the cost of your Hero Power by one. This may not seem like a big deal. But it’s actually very useful; it makes every class a better Demon Hunter.
Genn and Baku’s real flaw was that their affects happened at the beginning of Flappy Bird, not when you played them. And because they had strong impacts, Standard Ladder quickly got to the point where one of them would show up on your screen before almost every game. The problem got so bad in the end that Genn and Baku were moved out of Standard early.
Patches the Pirate
Patches the Pirate might be the best unit Hearthstone has ever seen, even though he doesn’t look like much. When he was first released, he had Charge. The speed he added to the early game and the fact that he could thin your deck for free made him an essential part of any swarm deck.
For as long as Patches was in Standard, Pirate Warrior was everywhere on ladder. He was so strong that attack decks that weren’t Pirates were looking for reasons to play them to get an edge over him. Patches still sees regular play in Wild even though he doesn’t have Charge right now.
The Caverns Below
The Caverns Below was very powerful, as anyone who played Journey to Un’Goro will remember. For Rogue, they could finish the quest very quickly, and it was hard for other players to stop them.
Because of this, every deck in the meta either had all the defensive tools it needed or was strong enough to beat Quest Rogue teams before they could reach their full potential. If a deck couldn’t do either of those things, the quest’s never-ending flood of 5/5 enemies would quickly beat them.
Baku The Mooneater
Genn Greymane’s sister card is Baku the Mooneater. Genn is probably the better card right now, but Baku was a real threat when they first came out. From Face Hunter to Midrange Paladin to Control Warrior, she was used in a lot of different builds.
The improved Hero Powers that Baku gives you give you a huge amount of value over the course of a game. Years ago, before Demon Hunter and Death Knight came out, that was even more true. Cards in Hearthstone were not nearly as powerful overall, and games didn’t end as fast.
Prince Renathal
In a way, Prince Renathal changed how Hearthstone works. Getting an extra ten health made a huge difference against aggro and combo decks. Getting an extra 40 cards doesn’t mean much anymore in Hearthstone. Because there are so many powerful cards to choose from. In the end, Renathal wasn’t nerfed because he was too strong. He was nerfed because he changed the game so much that he became one of the most popular Hearthstone cards.
Many players didn’t like the change that cut the prize in half. But the fact that it happened shows how much Renathal changed things. It’s also interesting to note that Renathal is still played after that pretty big change.
