The new 27.4 Patch took everybody by surprise. Yogg-Saron is for sure one of the coolest characters in the Warcraft world, and this patch is dedicated to his glory. The main new mechanic from the patch is that there are going to be new Hearthstone Anomalies in Standard, Arena, Wild, Twist, Casual, and Practice modes. We are all used to Anomalies in Hearthstone Battlegrounds and Hearthstone Solo Adventures, but we never saw them in “normal” Hearthstone.
The first thing that we need to point out is that these Anomalies will appear in 100% of the games in the first week, and then in only 25% in the weeks after that. While these Anomalies can be impactful, there are some interesting ones, and some that are really plain and boring (Both players start with an extra Mana Crystal). As with anything in Hearthstone, not everything is created with balance in mind. In this list, we will rank all the new Hearthstone Anomalies from the most fun and impactful ones to the most plain and mundane ones.
S Tier
Approaching Nightmare
Probably one of the most interesting anomalies, having Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End is always fun! Don’t get this card confused with the new Titan card, which is called Yogg-Saron, Unleashed. Getting this minion at the start will ensure the game will be a rollercoaster. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the player with more spell cards will be at an advantage. This is, of course, because Yogg-Saron, Hopes End effect. If you have a deck that has a lot of small 1-2-3-cost spells, Yogg-Saron will be much more effective. Nevertheless, this Anomaly will make any game unpredictable, and we like that!
Surging Inspiration
Surging Inspiration is also, one of the most fun anomalies. Each player will get adequate upgrades to their Hero Power. If you are not aware, and many players aren’t, here is a list of how the upgrade looks like for each calss.
These abilities are defined as “Upgraded”. This means that your Hero Power will have a great impact on the game. For example, playing a Rogue Hero Power for a 2/2 Weapon is very powerful. This just means that players will need to manage their mana better because the Hero Power is greatly buffed.
Shifting Futures
We would consider this Anomaly very impactful. Having 2 Shifting Zerus cards that can transform into any random card will surely make the game have some surprises and twists. The real challenge is to hold on to these cards and make a decision on when you want to play your random given card. Maybe next turn you can get a more impactful one? This makes the game very interesting and “RNG in a fun way” type of thing.
A Tier
Shifting Fate
There isn’t too much to be said about this Anomaly. Basically, you and your opponent have the Gear Shift card which you use when you see fit. It’s a way to replace some of your more useless cards with hopefully the better ones from your deck.
Seeing Double
This Anomaly will for sure change the game every time. Getting each other cards will ensure a guessing game and interesting scenarios. We like this idea because it’s simple and effective, and you feel the impact right from the start of the game.
Unimaginable Horrors
While Hero Powers aren’t that impactful, it can be very “colorful” to play an Arena game with this Anomaly. Getting random different Hero Powers will dictate the pace of the game in the early stages and can sometimes be used in clutch situations if you’re lucky enough to get the Hero Power for the adequate situation.
B Tier
Spread of Corruption
This is one of the Anomalies that works very well with some decks, and not well with others. Basically, the more spells you have, the better. For example, playing this anomaly as a Svalna Priest is a godsend, while some other more minion-based decks won’t see too many benefits. More spells = more efficiency.
Opportunity Knocks
One of the more interesting concepts. This basically means that you will always have a “perfect” card when drawing. Moreover, once you reach a certain amount of mana, you will get your big and key minions with drawing cards. For example, if your only 8-cost card is Primus Titan, you know for sure that on your 8-mana turn, you will draw it, which is pretty powerful. Overall, an interesting Anomaly that changes the game fundamentally.
Twist Reality
Infinite cards! Twist Reality is one of the better new Hearthstone anomalies and can create some interesting scenarios, like playing a control vs. control deck for 5 hours, and non-impactful in others, like playing an aggro deck that will make the game end in a few turns. We like the idea of this Anomaly and can make for some quirky scenarios, like players having multiple same legendaries in play, or drawing powerful cards over and over again.
C Tier
Army of the Corrupted
A minion-special Anomaly is exactly the same as Spread the Corruption but with minions. The premise is the same, if you have a lot of minions in the deck, compared to spells, this Anomaly will help you a lot.
Driven to Greed
This Anomaly will certainly impact the first few turns and the momentum of the game. For example, if you have a 3-cost card, you can just skip your first turn and get a coin to cast the 3-cost card in the second turn. This is the line of thinking that will go hand in hand with Driven to Green anomaly. We don’t see much impact in the later stages of the game, but it will be impactful in the early stages.
Gift of Gluttony
There’s nothing too spicy about this one. You get two more cards at the start of the game, and that’s it. It’s a bit underwhelming, but it can make the game faster and more robust.
Light in the Dark
The ultimate spam Anomaly. This effect essentially means that both players will probably just spam their Hero Power every chance they get. This is especially effective if you are playing an Arena match because the power creep is not that big. On more refined and meta decks, we would probably assume that this anomaly won’t have that much impact, since Hero Powers are not that strong compared to regular meta ones, even with their reduced cost.
Driven to Excess
Driven to Excess Anomaly essentially takes care of the drawing problems your deck may face. If you keep just one mana at the end of the turn, which is really not an issue after the early stages of the game, you will draw 1 extra card each turn. This will stack up very fast, and both players will have plenty of cards to go around. Also, your Hero Powers will become more useless, since you will always have cards to play. The only thing to worry about here is depleting all your cards if the game goes on for too long.
Fast Track
The ability of this Anomaly says one thing: rapid early game development. Keep this in mind when you mulligan your cards. It’s best not to take any 1-cost cards but rather aim for 2-3-4-cost ones so you can play more efficiently. Other than that, the rest of the game will look the same.
D Tier
Uncontrollable Growth
Just like Fast Track, this Anomaly will speed up the game, but in a more impactful way. Having the extra mana crystal essentially means everything will happen one turn early. We don’t find this Anomaly that fun or creative, but bumping up the pace of the game can be cool.
Control the Makers
Underwhelming Anomaly. If you have something that works well with Weapons, like a Demon Hunter Weapon deck, this Anomaly can help, other than that, there won’t be any significant impact this Anomaly will have on the game.
Severed Souls
One of the most boring new Hearthstone anomalies, +5 HP to both players is an effect that can just be completely ignored. The only thing we see here is that aggressive decks will be at a slight disadvantage, given the extra life each player has.
Fortifications
The contest for the worst new Hearthstone anomalies is a fierce one, this may be not the absolutely boring one, but it’s up there. Getting the extra +1 Health on a random minion each turn just feels like a joke. It can very rarely help you save a key minion, but most of the time, both players will play the game like there are no Anomalies, which defeats the whole purpose.
Your Eyes Betray You
Nothing to be said about this Anomaly. Every card is Golden which means they are pretty, with no impact on the game whatsoever.
Conclusion
While these new Hearthstone Anomalies will only impact the game for the next few weeks, they will shake up the meta pretty well, which is needed from time to time. As we mentioned, while some anomalies can almost be entirely ignored, other ones will require you to have a bit of finesse and adaptation to your gameplay.
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