Spring is coming, and Hearthstone’s annual Core set rotation is coming with it. This year, 79 cards will rotate out of the Core set and 76 cards will be added. Furthermore, 28 cards will receive small changes. The changes were announced yesterday (you can find a full list here), but they will not be live in the game until the expansion launch, more details of which will be announced next week.
In this article, I try to put all changes into context. Which ones will really matter? What could be relevant, depending on what cards come out next year?
Usually, the Core set looks more promising than it turns out to be. The vast majority of the Core set cards will see little to no play, but there are always some that turn out to be important. From the class of 2024, Leeroy Jenkins has seen play throughout the year, as have the Rogue staples Preparation and Shadowstep. As an example of a more meta-dependent card, Mind Control Tech has found a lot of success as of late, even though it was barely played at the start of the last Standard year.
So, what could be the winners of Core Set 2025? Let’s take a look!
Death Knight
Death Knight gets to keep all of its important Core set class cards: Chillfallen Baron, Horn of Winter, Harbinger of Winter, and Frost Strike are all staying in Core.
As a newer class, the overall power level of Death Knight cards is quite high, so even the departing cards that are not currently popular have seen play fairly recently. I will miss Soulstealer the most because it has been a great building block for slow control decks. Might of Menethil and Corpse Bride also had some good moments, even though they are currently not played at all. Noxious Cadaver, Plagued Grain, and The Scourge were less strong, at least by Death Knight standards.
Death Knight will receive two brand-new cards for their Core set, most likely because the class has such a small pool of cards overall. Falric looks thoroughly mediocre: a 3-drop that draws a card and has an aura effect could have been a big deal some years ago, but now it just does not feel like much of anything. If the double-corpse effect was permanent, it could have been more impressive.
Poison Breath, on the other hand, looks quite impressive. The ability to give a minion Poisonous has historically been very powerful, as then any area damage dealt by that minion turns into a board clear. With Soulstealer out, Poison Breath may become an important part of any control Death Knight toolkit.
I also have some hope for Malignant Horror. Minis that create exact copies of themselves can be strong: maybe you’ve seen some Zerglings around, for example. The Horror is more expensive and also requires corpses to use, but it has seen play in Handbuff Death Knight before, and may do so again.
I don’t expect much from Tomb Guardians, Death Metal Knight, Deathchiller, or the buffed Deathbringer Saurfang (now 4/6 instead of 3/6).
Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter will lose Metamorphosis, which has been one of their most popular cards. At least Kayn Sunfury will stay in Core. The loss of 1/1 tokens that are inferior to pirates – Expendable Performers, Coordinated Strike, and Umberwing – will have no effect.
Of the new additions, Zai, the Incredible has always been disappointing and Felrattler was one of the weakest cards that was able to see play in Deathrattle Demon Hunter a long ago.
Priestess of Fury was a top-tier card some years ago, but you can’t play it for seven mana nowadays. It can be a nice addition to the Demon pool for some shenanigans, so it may have an effect on the game even without appearing in decks.
That leaves Tuskpiercer. Now, if there is a specific Deathrattle card you want to tutor, or a Deathrattle-heavy deck in general, Tuskpiercer can be a fine option. It does not fit into the current Demon Hunter decks, so more Deathrattle support would be needed from the new year. Perhaps the addition of Tuskpiercer is a sign of a future Deathrattle direction of Demon Hunter.
Druid
Druid loses nothing of importance. Cenarius, Ancient of Lore, Druid of the Claw, and Lesser Jasper Spellstone are leaving, but none of them were used for anything anyway.
There is some more hope for the newcomers. Best in Shell and Flipper Friends are unlikely to see play. The return of Fandral Staghelm, buffed up to a 3/6, looks more like nostalgia than a real addition to the game as well.
But there is one card that has been strong before. Vibrant Squirrel has been a powerful tool in Token Druid, and could be the type of card Blizzard would add to the Core set if they were thinking of supporting Token Druid again.
Hunter
Hunter loses one relevant card, Kill Command. Dragonbane also saw some play during its stay in Core, even though it is currently not part of the Standard meta. It has shown some staying power in Wild, so it could have been a useful card this year. The loss of Savannah Highmane and Lesser Emerald Spellstone will not be felt in any way.
Savannah Highmane and Lesser Emerald Spellstone are good examples of the hopes and nostalgia that surround the Core set. Both were absolutely top-tier cards back when they were introduced to the game. Savannah Highmane was often called a Legendary card that you could run two copies of. But that was a decade ago. It was brought back to the Core set, even buffed upon its reintroduction, and it was just not good enough.
Hunter gets a relatively strong set of cards to the new Core set: Veranus, Terrorscale Stalker, Mountain Bear, and Wound Prey all saw a reasonable amount of play back in their heyday. With Yelling Yodeler on its way out of Standard, maybe there is room for the Deathrattle support Terrorscale Stalker brings. None of the cards have an obvious use right now though.
Mage
Mage loses four cards in the Core set rotation: Stargazer Luna, Babbling Book, Arcanologist, and Shooting Star. None of them see much play right now, but they’ve all had their moments. Stargazer Luna, Arcanologist, and Babbling Book all still see some play in Wild, showcasing the potential in the cards.
Mage gets a brand-new card, Babbling Bookcase. It seems like a weak version of Babbling Book: comes in too late and costs too much. Oasis Ally also returns, but it was never a great Secret.
Mage’s big nostalgia trip this year comes from Archmage Antonidas. With proper discounts, setting up an infinite stream of Fireballs used to be an effective strategy. I doubt Hearthstone will give players access to appropriate levels of mana cheating to make it a thing, but it is an iconic card that I’m happy to see back.
Once again, the card I have the highest hopes for is the cheapest one. Violet Spellwing returns in a buffed state as a 2/1. A cheap early-game minion, that can now trade up thanks to two attack, and that gives you some resources when it goes, looks like a solid addition to the Core set.
Paladin
Paladin has not been doing well recently, and its losses seem heavy-handed. Lady Liadrin and Warhorse Trainer have both been influential cards during the current Standard year, and their loss may be felt during the next. Hammer of the Naaru and Stand Against Darkness were not doing as well.
The new additions focus on Dragons and Murlocs, themes that Paladin has explored many times. None of them look particularly strong though. Anachronos may have a purpose as a temporary board clear, and Redscale Dragontamer can tutor for some Dragons, but neither has ever been a top-tier card. Underlight Angling Rod seems largely obsolete and Immortalized in Stone has never found a good use.
Paladin does get a buff to Spikeridged Steed, lowering its cost from 6 to 5, but it’s hard to see that change making it strong enough for the current meta. It is still the “new” card I expect the most of for the class.
Priest
Priest is losing Crimson Clergy, which is one of the biggest losses in this rotation. Shadow Word: Pain also saw some play. Catrina Muerte, Mana Geode, and Lesser Diamond Spellstone will not be missed.
While Crimson Clergy is a big loss, Priest also gains one of the strongest cards coming in: Power Word: Shield. A wonderful cantrip that allows Priest to fight for the early board while cycling through the deck. However, Priest has Orbital Halo now, so the Power Word has some competition. Maybe they will both fit in a deck?
Other than the Shield, Priest gets Natalie Seline, Lightshower Elemental, Greater Healing Potion, and Spirit Guide. Lightshower Elemental and Spirit Guide were part of a strong Priest deck long ago, but their current power level is questionable. Natalie Seline is coming back with a buff to 7 cost instead of 8, which may mean that she is a viable single-target hard removal card.
Rogue
Rogue has a very strong Core set, and somehow most of the good stuff gets to stay for another year. Rogue only loses Spectral Cutlass and Sap from its popular cards. Flik Skyshiv has seen a bit of play, but not much. Fal'dorei Strider and Elven Minstrel, two cards that were good originally, did not make an impression on their Core set run.
In return, Rogue receives another bunch of cards that used to be good years ago: Shaku, the Collector (buffed to 2/4), Waggle Pick, Undercity Huckster, Defias Ringleader (buffed again, this time to 3/2), and Foxy Fraud.
Foxy Fraud is my pick for the next successful Rogue Core set card. Essentially a free enabler for a Combo card, it is something a fast-paced Rogue deck can always use.
Shaman
Shaman has one of the biggest sets of changes. Kalimos, Primal Lord, Overdraft, Thing from Below, Muck Pools, Air Elemental, Spirit Claws, and Ancestral Knowledge are all leaving. Kalimos already lost its main strength last month when it stopped working with Shudderblock, but Ancestral Knowledge has been a strong card and many of the others had their moments depending on the meta and other support. A bit of everything is leaving: Totem support, Overload support, evolve support, and spell damage stuff.
The new cards are mostly unimpressive: Krag'wa, the Frog, Earth Elemental (buffed to 7/9), Jinyu Waterspeaker, Voltaic Burst, and Marshspawn don’t elicit much of an emotional response.
But there are some interesting additions too with Blazing Invocation coming back in a buffed form that reduces the cost of the Discovered minion by one and Wailing Vapor returning as a scalable early-game threat. Shaman does get some Elemental support, so maybe that is a direction the class is headed for the next year.
Warlock
Warlock is losing a lot of defensive capabilities with Defile, Lesser Amethyst Spellstone, and Twisting Nether all leaving the Standard format. Combine this with TITANS rotating out of Standard and thus Sargeras, the Destroyer leaving the format, and Warlock’s removal capabilities look like their weakest in years. Farewell Control Warlock? We’ll see with the new expansion because a single expansion can easily bring back anything Blizzard wants to see in the game.
Warlock also loses Arch-Villain Rafaam, Bloodbound Imp, and Voidwalker, which are less important.
Rotating in we have a number of Demons, led by the newly-buffed 4/6 Despicable Dreadlord. The other new arrivals are Vulgar Homunculus, Fiendish Servant, Demonic Assault, Dark Peddler, and The Soularium.
The new Demons look weak, and the most interesting piece is The Soularium, which sees play in Demon Seed decks in Wild to this day.
Warrior
Warrior loses one of its important board-clear tools in Bladestorm. It also loses Deathwing, Mad Aspect, Town Crier, Frightened Flunky, and Whirlwind.
There are three old staples coming in: Bulwark of Azzinoth, Bloodhoof Brave, and Ravaging Ghoul. It is hard to see what the minions could do now. There are some of these 1-damage area effects coming in now, so maybe there will be a meta where you need to counter tokens. Otherwise, they will not do anything. Warrior also gets Hookfist-3000 and I Know a Guy, neither of which should matter.
Neutral
There are lots of changes in the Neutral set, including surprisingly many strong cards. Leeroy Jenkins is gone. Its Charging friend Southsea Deckhand is also leaving. So is Zola the Gorgon. The Dragon aspects are all leaving. The neutral Giants are all leaving: Molten Giant, Mountain Giant, and Sea Giant. Mind Control Tech is gone, just as it found its way into the meta. As soon as they arrived, the Warcraft Rumble celebration cards are all gone except for one: Gnomelia, S.A.F.E. Pilot gets to stay to remind us of the other Blizzard mobile game. But there are no more Warsong Grunt. It’s a huge hit to the lethality of the Core set.
Of course, there are lots of cards coming in as well, but most of them will not matter. Chillmaw was not good in one of the weakest Hearthstone sets ten years ago, and it is not good today.
Steamcleaner is one of the most interesting additions. We’ll see what kinds of cards end up being shuffled in decks next year (Asteroids, maybe), and if those cards are good, they will end up getting erased.
Mo'arg Forgefiend is another card I’m slightly interested in. There’s this theme of Deathrattle cards being added to the Core set, and resurrecting Forgefiends has been a viable strategy in the past.
Dragons and Murlocs are other recurring themes, and Netherspite Historian and Finja, the Flying Star come to provide some support for those archetypes. Prize Vendor now draws a card for both players as a Battlecry and as a Deathrattle, and could provide some fuel for Murloc decks.
People are also curious whether some memes or real combos can be built around the Deathrattles of Octosari and Sneed's Old Shredder. Neither will see play without a specific combo built around them.
The Curator receives an interesting buff as its cost is reduced by two to a mere 5 mana. That’s low enough to make a Taunt minion that draws three cards interesting.
Conclusions
While it is fun to speculate on things based on the Core set, most of the cards in the Core set will see very little play. This time, the Core set loses more power than it gains, so decks will need to rely more on expansion cards for their win conditions.
Here are, in my opinion, 20 strongest cards leaving Core Set (not in an exact order):
- Leeroy Jenkins
- Zola the Gorgon
- Defile
- Bladestorm
- Molten Giant
- Crimson Clergy
- Ancestral Knowledge
- Metamorphosis
- Mind Control Tech
- Spectral Cutlass
- Mountain Giant
- Southsea Deckhand
- Sea Giant
- Lady Liadrin
- Sap
- Twisting Nether
- Warhorse Trainer
- Kill Command
- Stargazer Luna
- Alexstrasza
That’s a lot of powerful stuff.
I couldn’t list 20 similarly strong cards that are entering core, even though there are a few promising ones:
- Poison Breath (new)
- Power Word: Shield
- Foxy Fraud
- The Soularium
- The Curator (buffed to 5 mana)
- Vibrant Squirrel
- Violet Spellwing (buffed to 2/1)
- Steamcleaner
- Malignant Horror
- Netherspite Historian (buffed to 2/3)
- Bulwark of Azzinoth
I think that some other new Core Set cards might see occassional play, but they most likely won’t push the needle.
There is a clear shift from win conditions and big cards towards smaller support pieces. Perhaps that is the proper role of the Core set.
There is also a bunch of support coming for Deathrattles, Murlocs, and Dragons. There’s also some Demon support, especially in Warlock, and some Elemental support, especially in Shaman. The announcement blog mentioned a menagerie, and the big buff to The Curator promises as much.
Whichever direction Hearthstone takes during the next year, the Core set is a weaker one and in more of a support role, and the win conditions will come from the expansion sets.
