Core

Core

• Collection
• Watermark

Format:

Standard

Ann. date:

February 20, 2021

Release date:

March 30, 2021

Total cards:

284

Total cards by rarity

155

59

29

41

Core is the primarycard set ofHearthstone. It was first made available on March 30, 2021, along withForged in the Barrens launch.

The purpose of the Core is to provide a moderncollection of starting cards to players of all types and makeHearthstone even more approachable for newcomers. Some of the Core cards are returning from previous sets, some are reimagined favorites, some are completely new. Regardless, all Core cards can be obtained for free through leveling upclasses, while their golden cards can be obtained by winning inRanked,Arena, orDuels games.

UnlikeBasic andClassic, which were the main card sets ofHearthstone, Core will be refreshed each year. At the end of every year, a new Core Set will take the place of the previous, comprised of new and existing cards. When that happens, Core cards that are rotating will be swapped with new ones in the player's Collection automatically. The original versions of these cards can still be crafted and disenchanted, but the player will be unable to keep their Core versions.^[1][2]

Core cards can be used at any time inStandard andWild format, as well asTwist format provided the set is in the current available card sets, although you may still only have the normal number of copies of any given card in your deck (two for mostrarities, one for legendaries).

Notes[]

• All the old cards in the Core set will have two versions that exist in parallel: One from the original set, and one from the Core set.
  • The original version can becrafted or disenchanted forArcane Dust, while the Core version isuncraftable.
  • The Core set version is temporary and can be removed depending on the announcement of the next year's Core set.
  • InWild format, both the original and Core versions are associated; therefore you can only bring either 2 copies of either of them. For example, you can only put:
    • 2Annoy-o-Tron (Core)
    • 2Annoy-o-Tron
    • or 1Annoy-o-Tron and 1Annoy-o-Tron (Core).
  • Both versions are treated as the same cards for theHighlander cards' conditions.
  • Both versions are treated as separate cards for some mechanics likeDiscover andgeneration. For example:
    • In Wild format, you can DiscoverGorillabot A-3 withGorillabot A-3 (Core).
    • In Wild format, after you useIllidari Studies, there is chance thatSpectral Sight andSpectral Sight (Core) are offered at the same time.
  • InCollection manager, when you filter cards by format (Standard Cards or Wild Cards), the collection manager will prioritize the Core version over the original one if you have any copies of the Core version to display.
  • The Core set version functions like howWild Event did.
• Core versions ofLegacy cards are not usable inClassic format. Only their original Legacy versions are usable.

How to get[]

Core cards are free to obtain without using gold or real money to purchase them.

• Regular Core cards can be obtained by raising yourclass levels, up to 10 for class cards, and sum of them to 60 forneutral cards.
• Golden Core cards can be obtained through the Progressionachievements, which involve in winningRanked,Arena, orDuels games.

Cards[]

Year of the Wolf's Core set consists of

THIS IS THE OLD WIKI. There will be outdated information.See this page in the new wiki

collectible butuncraftable cards. They can be recognized with the year's watermark behind the card text, not found on other cards.

Neutral

Death Knight

Demon Hunter

Druid

Hunter

Mage

Paladin

Priest

Rogue

Shaman

Warlock

Warrior

Design[]

At the time of the Core set's introduction, the Classic set comprised 240 cards while the Basic set had another 143, for a total of 383 evergreen cards. With 148 less cards each year, the dev team can focus on making each set of evergreen cards more consistently impactful and relevant to the current meta.^[3]

History[]

• Year of the Gryphon Core set
  • On February 9, 2021, Core set was first announced, giving the players a brief description of how the Core set and the rotation works.^[4]
  • On February 19, 2021, along with announcement ofForged in the Barrens andYear of the Gryphon, some of the core cards had been revealed.^[5]
  • On February 25, 2021, the full details of Year of the Gryphon's Core set had been revealed onPlayHearthstone Library website.
  • Between February 25 and early March 2021,Stonetusk Boar andBluegill Warrior were originally part of the first Core set, but both were changed fromCharge toRush in exchange for 1 more attack. Due to player feedback, the two minions were left unchanged for the Legacy set, while the new minionsEmerald Skytalon andRedgill Razorjaw took their place with the intended changes.^[6]
  • On March 30, 2021, Year of the Gryphon's Core set was released.
• Year of the Hydra Core set
  • On April 5, 2022, the full details ofYear of the Hydra's Core set had been revealed, with 57 cards leaving the Core set and 72 cards entering, increasing the total number of cards of Core set from 235 to 250.^[7]
  • On April 12, 2022, Year of the Hydra's Core set was released.
  • During theKnights of Hallow's End event, all Core versions ofKnights of the Frozen Throne cards, excluding ones which were already available likeDrain Soul, were created to make them available in Standard untilMarch of the Lich King release.A list of those versions can be seen here.
  • OnPatch 25.0.0.158725, 32Death Knight cards were added, but unavailable untilMarch of the Lich King launched.
    • This patch was also the first time new Core cards were introduced into the set outside of the regularset rotation.
• Year of the Wolf Core set
  • On March 23, 2023, the full details ofYear of the Wolf's Core set were revealed, with 70 cards both leaving and entering the Core set.^[8]
  • On April 11, 2023, Year of the Wolf's Core set was released.
  • Year of the Wolf's Core set introducedTradeable as a new evergreenkeyword, as well asMagnetic returning for just this year.Priests also received a new class-exclusive keyword,Overheal, which was proactively added to older cards.
  • This year's Core set was designed to be "more flexible" than usual by allowing for both planned adjustments and unplanned balance changes. Cards could be rotated from Core early or new cards could be added in the middle of the year as needed.
  • InPatch 27.0.0.181554, two new cards were added to the Core set and used right away:Resistance Aura andCrusader Aura. From this onwards, Aura is considered to be one ofPaladin's design spaces.^[9]

References[]

Card sets (Expansions /Adventures /Mini-sets) Standard Path of Arthas Core TITANS Festival of Legends (Audiopocalypse) March of the Lich King (Return to Naxxramas) Murder at Castle Nathria (Maw and Disorder) Voyage to the Sunken City (Throne of the Tides) Wild Caverns of Time Fractured in Alterac Valley (Onyxia's Lair) United in Stormwind (Deadmines) Forged in the Barrens (Wailing Caverns) Madness at the Darkmoon Faire (Darkmoon Races) Scholomance Academy Demon Hunter Initiate Ashes of Outland Galakrond's Awakening Descent of Dragons Saviors of Uldum Rise of Shadows Rastakhan's Rumble The Boomsday Project The Witchwood Kobolds & Catacombs Knights of the Frozen Throne Journey to Un'Goro Mean Streets of Gadgetzan One Night in Karazhan Whispers of the Old Gods The League of Explorers The Grand Tournament Blackrock Mountain Goblins vs Gnomes Curse of Naxxramas Legacy Classic Classic Removed Promotion Reward Basic Classic Hall of Fame Wild Event