The league of explorers are back in the newest Hearthstone expansion, Saviors of Uldum!
Reno, Elise, Finley, and Brann return in new forms and with new abilities. They come alongside quests that give players new hero powers, too.
As usual, players will get quest cards on turn one, with the option to mulligan them away.
Also, in order to activate the effects of the league of explorers, players will have to construct Highlander decks, meaning that they can't have more than one copy of a card in their decks.
This opens up a lot of new opportunities for deck-building. So keep reading this guide to learn what cards will dominate the new meta of Saviors of Uldum.
EVIL Recruiter
Currently, there are two lackey generators in Warlock: EVIL Genius and EVIL Cable Rat. This means that you can produce six lackeys a game. That is more than enough to play EVIL Recruiter, which basically summons a 3/3 and a 5/5 for only three mana.
This could potentially come as early as turn three, which would be an incredibly aggressive and powerful move. Not that many decks are capable of dealing with a 5/5 minion so early.
So it looks like lackey-based Zoolock will thrive in this meta.
Oasis Surger
Druid players will have a blast playing this card alongside a new quest card that allows you to cast "Choose One" cards with both effects active at the same time.
This means that Oasis Surger will summon two 5/5 minions with Rush for five mana, and that is incredibly strong.
Of course, it doesn't work that well without the quest, so it will be less than exciting in other archetypes — unless you are an avid Arena player.
Questing Explorer
This is an auto-include card in any quest deck. If you have it on turn two, right after you cast your quest, then this is probably the best card you can have in the current meta.
It's a two-mana card with much better stats than Loot Hoarder, which could be seen in almost any Midrange and Control deck.
It is also very similar to Arcanologist from Journey to Un'Goro, and that card was super useful in every single game.
Hyena Alpha
These days, it's really easy for any Hunter player to cast secrets, which means that Hyena Alpha will be broken in this meta.
Unlike Savanna Highmane, that summons two 2/2 Hyenas after it dies, Hyena Alpha summons them immediately as it comes into play, which is far more effective.
It also plays like Emerald Spellstone from Kobolds & Catacombs, which was a staple card for all secret-based Hunter decks. But Hyena Alpha is cheaper and much better in every way.
Crystal Merchant
This is one of the best epic Saviors of Uldum cards.
This card can easily turn into a very productive draw engine in the new Quest Druid deck. All you need for it to work is to keep one mana unspent every turn, which is basically what you pay to draw that one card.
Think of it as Acolyte of Pain where you pay one life for a card. However, Acolyte has only three life, while you can exploit Crystal Merchant's ability as long as the game goes on.
Plague of Murlocs
Imagine if Hex was an AoE ...
Well, it looks like Blizzard gave us exactly that in Plague of Murlocs. And guess what, it's cheaper than Hex. It's also much better than Devolve, and that card single-handedly broke many games.
Big Mage players can no longer rely on Conjurer's Calling to summon giant minions each turn; Plague of Murlocs will transform all those expensive cards into tiny little creatures, which are basically useless to Mage.
Anubisath Defender
This is a functional reprint of the Arcane Tyrant card from Kobolds & Catacombs, but it has Taunt this time.
Druid has some really good big spells in Standard, such as Nourish and Starfall, that it won't be hard to cast Anubisath Defender for zero mana.
There are also two completely new spells, such as Hidden Oasis and Overflow, and both can be successfully played in the new Quest Druid decks.
So it looks like Druid is combing to dominate Hearthstone once again this season.
Wild Bloodstinger
Let's begin by saying that this Beast has incredibly high stats for such low cost. It also has one of the strongest effects for breaking enemy combos in the Dirty Rat effect.
Since there are several very strong combo decks in Standard right now, Wild Bloodstinger is highly valuable. You can break the gameplan of decks that run Mecha'thun, Antonidas, Shudderwock, for example.
On top of that, it will attack those cards and make it easier for you to finish them off. So definitely craft this one if you're aiming at playing Hunter this season.
Activate the Obelisk
A new Priest quest is reminiscent of the Shadow Priest effect, but instead of dealing three damage, this quest gives you a hero power that will not only heal your minions but also give them +3/+3.
Completing this quest is really easy, since it also counts minions on the board. With cards like Divine Hymn and Circle of Healing, it won't be difficult to get the Obelisk's Eye, which is the new hero power.
Bazaar Burglary
This Rogue quest is not as powerful as the Caverns Below from Journey to Un'goro, but it's still much stronger than many other quests in Saviors of Uldum expansion.
The reward is an infinite 3/2 weapon that has a massive upside: it makes your hero immune when attacking.
Remember how many times you have died because of weapon damage? Now, that vexing problem is eliminated, putting, for example, Midrange Rogue decks in a much better spot this meta.
Corrupt the Waters
Imagine that Shudderwock battlecries trigger twice. Imagine that all of your battlecries trigger twice. Sounds good, right? Well, that's the reward you get for completing a new Shaman quest.
Of course, you must pay two mana each turn to activate this ability, since it works like a hero power. However, if you have the coin, or you managed to reduce the cost of Shudderwock with the help of Far Sight, then it just becomes twice as powerful.
Sir Finley of the Sands
Hero powers are super valuable, but upgraded hero powers are game-winning.
Think of powers like Tank Up!, which gives you four armor every turn, Ballista Shot, which deals three damage to enemy hero, or Soul Trap, which draws you a card each turn.
Each of these effects give you a huge advantage in various situations. That's the beauty of Sir Finley: it gives you a choice, which is so important.
Zephrys the Great
Zephrys is the card that Blizzard is most proud of in Saviors of Uldum. It is actually a brand-new card type that uses AI not for RNG but to actually help players win games.
If you find yourself in a dire situation, you can cast Zephrys and it will offer you three cards to choose from, which fit your situation the best. For example, imagine your opponent has a full board of minions, then Zephrys will offer you three spells that can clear the board.
This is definitely a very interesting design, and it should see a lot of play.
Dark Pharaoh Tekahn
This is probably the most divisive legendary in Saviors of Uldum. Some players think it's going to be nuts, while others say it's completely useless due to a lack of lackeys (no pun intended) in Warlock class right now.
But there are two great arguments in favor of this card. The first one is that Blizzard will add more lackeys to the game in the future expansions, thus automatically increasing this card's value.
The second is the combo, which can be achieved with Glinda Crowskin. It gives all of your minions Echo, thus you can play as many copies of your 4/4 lackeys as you want.
Siamat
Siamat is arguably the best neutral legendary in the new set. It has already been compared to The Lich King and Zilliax.
First of all, it's super flexible and allows players to choose what effects they want Siamat to acquire. Secondly, all four effects are viable in the current meta, which will make Siamat a top-tier card in top-tier decks.
It's hard to tell which archetypes would fit Siamat best, but the card is so good that it is possible it will be played in almost every deck in the format.
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Which cards will you craft in the Saviors of Uldum meta? Share your thoughts below in the comments section, and be sure to come back soon for more Hearthstone guides at GameSkinny.
Published: Aug 1, 2019 10:05 am