New Hearthstone Expansion, Showdown in the Badlands

Blizzcon 2023 has just unveiled a storm of fresh changes coming to Hearthstone. The newest expansion, "Showdown in the Badlands," is set to arrive on November 14th, bringing with it a new set of cards for constructed, keywords, deck archetypes, and even a new type of card pack. This, along with a whole new way to play the Battlegrounds game mode, gives us a lot to cover for Hearthstone, so let's begin!

New Expansion

"Showdown in the Badlands" introduces a new keyword, "Excavate." In keeping with the theme of the Badlands in World of Warcraft, Excavate will add various powerful treasures and artifacts to your hand to turn the tides of battle. As for what exactly these treasures are, well, we'll just have to dig them up ourselves to find out.

Next, singleton decks are back! Reno returns in the form of "Reno, the Lone Ranger," and he's bringing incredible board-clearing potential. This, along with cards like Theldurin the Lost, all but ensures the return of singleton meta decks in constructed.

"Showdown in the Badlands" also arrives, as with all new expansions, with a fresh set of meme-worthy additions to the cardpool, beginning with "Living Prairie," allowing you to summon a horde of unruly cows.

Catch-up Packs:

This new type of card pack will contain huge sets of up to 50 cards per pack from the most recent 2 years of Hearthstone. The plan is to give returning players a simple and effective way to catch up and play with meta decklists without spending piles of cash or months farming arena mode.

Make sure to log in to Hearthstone on the 14th of November (when "Showdown in the Badlands" launches) to receive some Catch-up Packs for free, getting you up to speed on the same day the new expansion releases!

New Battlegrounds Mode:

Battlegrounds has been a massively popular mode in Hearthstone ever since it launched, but it has been an almost exclusively single-player mode until now. This will change with the introduction of Duo Battlegrounds, allowing you to pair up with a friend and queue as a team! Your health pools shall be shared, and with the ability to send cards to your teammate, quick thinking and quicker communication will be crucial for securing the win. Duo Battlegrounds are set to go live sometime in the early months of 2024.