Summary

• Perils in Paradise introduces 145 new cards and the Tourist mechanic for class synergies.
• Hand buff returns to Warrior decks, and drink spells offer subtle power in the right strategy.
• Line Cook's trade mechanic adds value and potential for scaling in control Warrior decks.

The next major game's increasingly liberal use of Warcraft lore to present a stylish, unique take on what's usually a more traditional fantasy universe. The set releases on July 23, 2024, and will introduce 145 new cards into the game. One of the biggest draws to the set is the introduction of the Tourist mechanic, which let's players combine synergies among two classes as long as they include the Legendary tourist that corresponds to that crossover option.

Hearthstone has done dual classes before, but not in a way that's this interesting. It's a much more involved deckbuilding decision that isn't as simple as splashing one card into a strategy, so players can expect some detailed decklist decisions in their near future. Beyond that mechanic, there's a few more to keep an eye on - including drink spells that have three uses. Even though they're relatively weak at first glance, the fact they're spread across three card uses makes them subtly powerful in the right strategy.

There's also some returning mechanics, too, which are part of Screen Rant's exclusive Perils in Paradise card reveals today! Hand buff has been a powerful strategy at times in Standard, with the most recent iteration being the Paladin deck featuring Muscle-O-Tron. Now, Warrior is getting back in on the action, with several potent cards that could create a new design direction for a class that has been pretty solidly defined by either Bran or Odyn over the last several months.

Hearthstone Perils in Paradise Warrior Card Reveals

Hand Buff Is Back On The Menu In A Warrior Smorgasbord

Screen Rant's Hearthstone: Perils in Paradise preview cards are a sort of package deal showing off what could be possible with these cards. Individually, the most powerful Hearthstone card is probably Char, which is a pricey 4-mana removal spell that deals 7 damage to a minion and gives a minion in the 's hand bonus stats equal to the excess damage. Cards like these tend to be extremely powerful in Arena but less obviously so in Standard - Arcane Overflow springs to mind as an example. However, 7 damage is a lot, and lines up well with minions played on turn three or earlier, so could reasonably buff a card as much as 5 or 6 extra stats.

Cup o' Muscle, on the other hand, is a much more standard buff spell. While +2/+1 is pretty anemic for an entire mana's worth of a card that doesn't immediately affect something in play, the repeated effect gives this potential to create some wild turns. There are plenty of good minions with rush in the Warrior class that only get more impactful with extra stats to work with, so setting up mid-game swing turns is a viable option for this card. Late game, the one mana isn't as taxing and might help push a lower cost minion to be strong enough to contest a battlefield as a result.

It's what these cards all do together that makes them truly interesting.

Finally, Line Cook is an interesting take on the Tradeable mechanic. Trade cards that provide bonuses for trading them aren't new, but Line Cook's bonus doesn't kick in until its drawn, where it adds a copy of itself to its player's hand. It provides immediate value in a 2/4 taunt body that reasonably helps gum up the battlefield in early turns, and can also be traded for a new card later. It's the type of value-laden design that seems inherent to control Warrior philosophy and could be better than it looks at first glance.

Of course, it's what these cards all do together that makes them truly interesting. Traded cards retain enchantments, after all, so Char and Cup o' Muscle buffing Line Cook in hand makes trading it and drawing it way more valuable. Copying a 2/4 taunt that can exchange for another card is good - but what about a 4/5? Or a 6/6? The fact that these will naturally scale - the copy will retain the enchantments too, so playing one and then trading the other doesn't reset the Line Cook back to a 2/4 - is an exciting design philosophy.

How Does Line Cook & Hand Buff Slot Into Warrior Decks?

Can Anything Compete With Control Warrior's Current Builds

While a few patches ago it would've been silly to consider cards like Line Cook making a splash in Warrior decks, it's not as unlikely now that Bran has been nerfed and Control Warrior is struggling. That said, Warrior decks need their individual cards to be good because they're so often playing catch up to faster decks. Having an unbuffed Line Cook mid-game could spell disaster, while its accumulation of resources in hand might make copies a liability as the game goes on.

The fact is, however, that Warrior is in a pretty low-power place right now in Hearthstone Standard. That means there's plenty of room for experimentation and refinement, and the burden of having every card need to slot into an already existing dominant strategy is lessened as a result. I'm eager to see where these new Perils in Paradise Warrior cards find a home for themselves and if they just end up as broken Arena dream combos or something much more tangibly impactful to other formats, too.

Screen Rant was provided with preview card materials from Blizzard for the purpose of this article. Perils in Paradise launches on July 23, 2024.