Many cards in Hearthstone are designed to have synergy, but sometimes the most recently released cards don't have the back support to make them work. Blizzard looks to avoid this problem with two new sets of cards with built-in synergy, released alongside a new warrior legendary, Geosculptor Yip!
The first of the three-card sets is the Lesser Amethyst Spellstone, and its corresponding activators. The spellstone, which deals 3-7 Lifesteal damage to a minion, is upgraded when your own cards damage you. Flame Imp and Bloodbloom might have been activators enough, but Blizzard has gone the extra mile, introducing the first 1 mana drawcard in Hearthstone with Kobold Librarian, as well as an early taunt with the 2/4 Vulgar Homunculus. Each deals 2 damage to your Hero in exchange for their services.
The second set is a bit sillier, revolving around a 5 mana 3/5 called Windshear Stormcaller. His battlecry is to summon Al'Akir, the Windlord, but only if you control all four basic totems. To help reach this unconventional goal, Shaman is getting two new cards: Kobold Hermit, which summons a basic totem of your choice, and Primal Talismans, which makes your creatures summon basic totems when they die. All in all, the set-up may be more expensive than the payoff, but the idea is fun.
Finally, a new Warrior legendary is here, Geosculptor Yip. For him, the setup is as basic as it can be for a control Warrior: have a lot of armor. At the end of each turn, Yip summons a minion with a cost equal to your armor (max 10). This means he not only has an immediate effect, but also a persistent one that demands removal. Unless your opponent has a very powerful board wipe, Yip has the potential to quickly close out the game, a tool Warrior often lacks.
As we approach the official release date for Kobolds and Catacombs, Dec. 7, there will certainly be more exciting cards and combos to evaluate.
