The 5 Most Powerful Legendary Cards Coming in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan

Hearthstone's newest expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, releases this Thursday, December 1st. Gadgetzan will bring over 100 new cards to the game. Many of these cards build upon existing class mechanics. Others, such as the new tri-class cards, introduce completely new concepts to the game. As with any expansion, there are a few cards that stand out among the rest.

This article showcases the five most powerful legendary cards coming to Hearthstone that will most likely have a strong influence over the game.

5. Wickerflame Burnbristle

On the surface, Wickerflame Burnbristle does not look terribly impressive. Its 2/2 body means that it will not kill very many minions. However, the fact that it has Divine shield and Taunt means that it will frustrate many aggressive opponents. Though it lacks the ability to completely take back board control, it is a good card to help slow down early pressure making it viable to run in Control Paladin.

This card would also be incredibly powerful in a more Mid-range Paladin that uses cards like Blessing of Kings and Blessing of Might. Since Wickerflame heals you for the amount of damage it deals, playing it later in the game and then buffing it could potentially turn the game around if you are facing defeat. It also works well with the new mechanic in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan that buffs minions when they are in your hand.

While certainly not the most game-changing card being added, Wickerflame Burnbristle is a solid card that could find its way into multiple styles of Paladin decks.

4. Aya Blackpaw

Similar to the previous card, Aya Blackpaw does not have an impressive stat line. In fact, paying 6 mana for a 5/3 creature is pretty terrible. However, she more than makes up for it with her Battlecry and Deathrattle ability which summons a Jade Golem. The Jade Golem is a new token which players are not able to put in their decks. Instead they put in other cards which summon Jade Golem tokens. These tokens get stronger for each Jade Golem the player has summoned. The first one is a 1/1, the second a 2/2, the third a 3/3 and so on.

This means that in the very worse case scenario Aya will be a 5/3 with a Battlecry to summon a 1/1 and a Deathrattle to summon a 2/2. While not amazing, this is pretty decent. However, she has the potential to get pretty insane, especially in a Druid deck which has the potential to summon a ton of Jade Golems. Furthermore, since she has Deathrattle, she will be re-summoned if you are playing N'zoth.

While it is too soon to know if decks focused around Jade Golems will be super popular, Aya's synergy with N'zoth helps make her a solid card.

3. Wrathion

 Wrathion is a pretty solid card with the potential to be really strong. At worse, he is a 6 mana 4/5 with Taunt that allows you to draw one card. While not terribly exciting that makes Wrathion a pretty average card. However, Wrathion becomes much more powerful in any dragon based deck. Even if he only draws you two cards instead of one, he will definitely be worth his 6 cost.

With every expansion since Blackrock Mountain, the idea of running a dragon deck has slowly become more popular. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will continue this pattern with many new dragon cards meaning Wrathion will certainly find his way into decks.

2. Raza the Chained

Raza the Chained is one of three class cards coming in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan which use the "no duplicates" deck idea introduced by Reno Jackson in the League of Explorers. With a 5/5 body and a 5 cost, Raza has an average body. However, its Battlecry reduces the cost of your hero power to 0, meaning you will be able to heal yourself or a minion for two health each turn regardless of what else you play that turn. If played exactly on turn five, this means that you will get a lot of value out of Raza.

What makes Raza even more interesting is how she interacts with some other cards. From Confessor Paletress to Justicar Trueheart, there are many cards that will become even more powerful for Priests if your hero power becomes free. This synergy will help make a Raza the Chained/Reno Jackson Priest deck not only viable, but quite powerful.

1. Kazakus

Kazakus was the first legendary that Blizzard announced this year at Blizzcon and sadly nothing was able to live up to it. Similar to Raza the Chained, Kazakus relies on the Reno Jackson "no duplicate" mechanic. However, it is playable by Priests, Mages, and Warlocks.

Playing Kazakus allows you to create your own unique spell. To do this you first select a cost, 1, 5, or 10. Next you select two effects for the spell. These effects vary from dealing damage, to drawing cards, to buffing your minions. The main strength of Kazakus is that it is incredibly flexible. If you get it early on in the game, you can craft a cheap spell to help you take control of the game. However, if you draw it later in the game, you can craft a much stronger card that can help either save you or put the final nail in your opponent's coffin.

Kazakus is by far the most exciting, as well as powerful card coming in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. While players furiously open packs on Thursday, it will be the card that everyone is looking for above all the rest.

These five Legendary cards provide a good preview of what to expect from the newest Hearthstone expansion. Some of the cards will fight quite nicely into already existing decks, while others will help create completely new deck ideas. It will be exciting to watch how the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan influences the ladder. It will also be interesting to see how professionals players use these cards in Hearthstone's every expanding competitive scene.

Be sure to log in on Thursday, December 1st, to get your packs for what looks to be an exciting new Hearthstone expansion!