The plot of Hearthstone: Brawl in the Badlands takes place in the past, when the explorer Élise Starcher is still an outsider in search of freedom. A barren fragment of Khaz Modan, the Badlands are covered in red sands, infested with snakes and downright unfriendly, but their soils are rich in natural resources. So when the Bloodrock mining company discovers deposits of the precious Azerite (at the heart of Battle for Azeroth), its henchmen oppress the few honest people in the region to force them to dig the stone.
Gold fever
To represent the mining ambitions of Bloodstone and the wealth of the underground, Brawl in Badlands enters the keyword Dig up. Play a card with Dig up unearths a random treasure costing 1 mana point from five possible choices. The next two digs will increase in value with cards at 2, then 3 mana points before starting the cycle again from zero. That’s 15 different cards in total; once exhausted, the keyword Dig up will become inactive. Five classes working for Bloodrock – death knights, mages, thieves, warlocks and warriors – can push up to legendary treasure worth 4 mana instead.
After a hard day of work in the mine, the inhabitants put down their shovels and picks to head to the saloon… unless a duel breaks out on the main square. The mecanic Good pick simulates the fast triggers of the west. When a card carrying Good pick is added to your hand, playing it in the same turn triggers a bonus effect, a reduced cost for example. This should delight thieves who love big combos.
Continuing the theme of gunslingers, a handful of legendary outlaws will come to fight against Bloodrock’s company. These lone wolves will only trigger their special effects if you don’t have any duplicate cards in your deck, like good old Reno Jackson.
While waiting for the release of Brawl in Badlands, Blizzard suggests that you log in to collect the Lightning Bringer card, an 8-mana monster for 6/6 with provocation that summons an elemental and a beast from your deck when it dies. Pre-purchase packs are also in store.
Hearthstone: Brawl in the Badlands will arrive on November 14. All the subsidiary details can be found in the official Blizzard blog.