For the first time since release, Hearthstone is getting a new hero class! This isn’t just a new hero avatar like switching out Jaina and Medivh – this is a whole new class!
“Embracing chaotic soul magic and fel energy, the fearsome Demon Hunter features an in-your-face playstyle, cutting down foes with weapons and claws, or crushing them with enormous Demon minions,” Hearthstone describes the new class. “Illidan Stormrage, the newest playable Hero in Hearthstone, embodies the Demon Hunter’s class identity.”
It seems that with the addition of Demon Hunter, we’ll have a new extremely aggressive playstyle coming to the table. There will also inherently be a greater buff to Demon cards because of this, as previously Warlocks were the main class to use Demon-family cards in.
Illidan’s hero power is Demon Claws, which is a one mana-cost boost to his attack, granting +1 attack for the turn. This is similar to the Druid’s ability, which grants +1 attack and armor, but costs half the mana in favor of forsaking the armor. This low mana cost will allow it to fit better into low-cost curves, as well as making high-cost decks more viable.
“In addition to being aggressive attackers, Demon Hunters can control the battlefield with their fel magic, benefiting from the souls of their sacrificed Illidari allies, and finding devious ways to deploy massive demons to the battlefield far earlier than expected.” Complimenting this aggressive high-risk all-reward playstyle is the fact that the Demon Hunter class will have very few ways to directly heal, but will benefit from smaller heals via lifesteal mechanics, especially through weaponry.
New to the game is the Demon Hunter’s new keyword, Outcast. These cards will have impactful bonuses depending on where they are in your hand, with left-most and right-most cards earning their Outcast bonus. This forces players to carefully think out their plans and use their cards in a specific order to trigger these bonuses, which can radically change a game.
One example given is the new Eye Beam spell, which deals three damage to a minion and causes lifesteal. If the Outcast mechanic is triggered, the card becomes 0-cost instead of 3-cost. The same is true for the Skull of Gul’dan, which allows players to draw three cards and reduce their cost by 3 with the Outcast bonus.
All in all, it seems like the new class will be a highly aggressive and risky class to play that can end the game swiftly, prolonging death through vast amounts of lifesteal as the battle goes on. The class drops on April 7th, so do everything you can to be prepared!
