Area of effect

Area of effect (AoE) is the term for an effect which affects all characters of the specified type. Common targets for AoEs include all enemy minions, all minions, and all characters.

AoE is defined in contrast to 'single-target' and 'multiple target'. While AoEs may affect multiple targets, they have no limit to the number of targets affected, and their targets are determined by the nature of the AoE (e.g., "all minions") rather than by selecting a set number of individual targets. Positional effects function as limited-area AoEs, but in game terms are multiple target effects. AoEs are distinguished from multi-targets spells such as Arcane Missiles and Cleave, which are essentially multiple single-target effects.

The term AoE refers solely to the effect's target and does not describe its actual outcome. The most common types of AoE are healing and damage-dealing spells.

Strategy
The effect of an AoE on a given target is not diminished by the presence of more targets. This means that AoEs are generally more valuable the more valid targets are in play, since the AoE takes full effect on all of them. Damage-dealing AoEs can be very effective for tackling large groups of minions. AoEs tend to be most effective against large groups of weak minions, and least effective against small numbers of powerful minions.

AoEs can be very useful for dealing damage to targets with Stealth. Although stealthed minions cannot be targeted directly, AoEs will still affect them. Mage is a class with strong AoE damage abilities, but all classes have some form of AoE available.

Types
Below is a breakdown of the many types of AoE.
 * AoE damage
 * Damage all characters
 * Hellfire, Abomination, Baron Geddon*, Dread Infernal*, Ysera Awakens*, Flame Leviathan, Felfire Potion, Abyssal Enforcer*, Missile Launcher*, Rain of Fire, Crazed Netherwing*
 * Damage all minions
 * Chaos Nova, Whirlwind, Wild Pyromancer, Unstable Ghoul, Death's Bite, Explosive Sheep, Lightbomb, Revenge, Elemental Destruction, Chillmaw, Dreadscale*, Excavated Evil, Tentacle of N'Zoth, Ravaging Ghoul*, Anomalus, Volcanic Potion, Primordial Drake*, Fatespinner**, Spirit Lash, Defile, Blood Razor, Bladestorm, Dragon's Fury, Duskbreaker, Reckless Flurry, Hagatha the Witch, Lord Godfrey*, Warpath, Beakered Lightning, Dragonmaw Scorcher*, Arcanosaur*, Blast Wave, Shriek, Tunnel Blaster, Hagatha's Scheme, Earthquake, Depth Charge, Annihilation, Breath of the Infinite**, Awaken!, Risky Skipper, Immolation Aura, Shattered Rumbler*, Bladestorm
 * Damage both heroes
 * Shadowbomber, Spawn of Shadows, Emerald Reaver
 * Damage all minions of a specific type
 * Scarlet Purifier, Demonwrath, Corrupted Seer, Dragonfire Potion, Sleep with the Fishes, Waste Warden
 * Damage all enemies
 * Wrathspike Brute, Altruis the Outcast, Consecration, Explosive Trap, Swipe, Death and Decay, KABOOM!, Highkeeper Ra
 * Damage all enemy minions
 * Arcane Explosion, Blizzard**, Flamestrike, Holy Nova**, Lightning Storm, Starfall, Shadowflame, Blade Flurry, Fan of Knives, Twilight Flamecaller, Maelstrom Portal, Sergeant Sally, Invocation of Air, Exploding Bloatbat, Deathstalker Rexxar, Despicable Dreadlord, Impferno**, Flame Ward, Arcane Flakmage, Holy Ripple**, Sandstorm Elemental, Malygos's Explosion, Malygos's Flamestrike, Breath of the Infinite**, Chronobreaker, Imprisoned Observer
 * Damage all enemy minions of a specific type
 * Dark Iron Skulker, Worgen Abomination
 * Damage all friendly minions
 * Sea Reaver, Ticking Abomination
 * AoE healing
 * Heal all characters
 * Tree of Life, Overflow
 * Heal all minions
 * Circle of Healing
 * Heal both heroes
 * Refreshment Vendor, Mistress of Mixtures, Nozari
 * Heal all friendly characters
 * Darkscale Healer, Holy Nova**, Fungal Enchanter, Divine Hymn, Potion Vendor, Holy Ripple**
 * Heal all friendly minions
 * Healing Totem


 * AoE destroy
 * Destroy all minions
 * Doomsayer, Deathwing*, Brawl*, Twisting Nether, Poison Seeds, Enter the Coliseum*, DOOM!, Doom Pact, Cataclysm, Magtheridon*, Keli'dan the Breaker*
 * Destroy all minions after silencing them
 * Plague of Death
 * Destroy all minions of a specific type
 * Shadow Word: Horror, King Mosh, Shadowreaper Anduin, Mossy Horror, Plague of Wrath
 * Destroy all friendly minions
 * Darkest Hour, Plague of Flames, Teron Gorefiend*
 * Destroy all friendly minions of a specific type
 * Mimiron's Head, Totem Cruncher
 * Destroy all enemy secrets
 * Flare**, Eater of Secrets, Chief Inspector


 * Make all minions disappear
 * The Amazing Reno


 * AoE return
 * Return all minions
 * Vanish
 * Return all friendly minions
 * Grumble, Worldshaker*, Daring Escape


 * AoE shuffle into deck
 * Psychic Scream


 * AoE Transform
 * Transform all minions
 * Kazakus Potion (10 mana), Plague of Murlocs
 * Transform all enemy minions
 * Devolve
 * Transform all friendly minions
 * Evolve, Thrall, Deathseer, The Storm Bringer, Boggspine Knuckles
 * Transform all friendly minions of a specific type
 * Treespeaker


 * AoE Enchantments
 * Targets all minions
 * Equality, Confuse, Corrupting Mist, Sunkeeper Tarim*, Fatespinner**, Void Ripper, Shrink Ray
 * Targets all enemy minions
 * Eadric the Pure, Pint-Size Potion, Curse of Weakness, Lazul's Scheme, Quicksand Elemental, Veranus, Libram of Justice
 * Targets all friendly characters
 * Savage Roar
 * Targets all friendly minions
 * Conceal, Bloodlust, Power of the Wild, Cenarius*, Soul of the Forest, Enhance-o Mechano*, Mukla's Champion*, Competitive Spirit, Everyfin is Awesome, Spawn of N'Zoth, Wisps of the Old Gods, Infest, Mark of the Lotus, Spirit Echo, Evolving Spores, Anti-Magic Shell, Boisterous Bard, Branching Paths, Blessed Maul, Purifier's Maul, Sacred Maul, Primal Talismans, Lost Spirit, Silver Sword, Glitter Moth*, Tending Tauren*, Serrated Tooth, Grim Rally, Blessing of the Ancients, Never Surrender!, Soul of the Murloc, Domination, Storm's Wrath, Fiendish Rites, Rustsworn Cultist*
 * Targets all friendly minions of a specific type
 * Totemic Might, Coldlight Seer*, Quartermaster, Metaltooth Leaper*, Thunder Bluff Valiant, Bolster, Rallying Blade, Crystalweaver, Lightfused Stegodon, Gentle Megasaur, Strongshell Scavenger, Level Up!, Impferno**, Totemic Surge, Scalelord*, Felfin Navigator*


 * Ongoing effects
 * Targets all characters
 * Mayor Noggenfogger
 * Targets all minions
 * Mogor the Ogre
 * Targets both heroes
 * Jungle Moonkin
 * Targets all friendly characters'
 * Kayn Sunfury
 * Targets all friendly minions
 * Raid Leader*, Stormwind Champion*, Leokk*, Commanding Shout, Crystal Core, Sneaky Devil*, Cauldron Elemental*, Houndmaster Shaw*, Vessina*, Living Dragonbreath
 * Targets all friendly minions of a specific type
 * Southsea Captain*, Timber Wolf*, Tundra Rhino, Grimscale Oracle*, Murloc Warleader*, Warsong Commander, Baron Rivendare, Mal'Ganis*, Warhorse Trainer, Frost Lich Jaina, Whirlwind Tempest, Sky Claw
 * Targets all Hero Powers
 * Mindbreaker


 * AoE Deathrattle trigger
 * Feign Death
 * AoE remove Stealth
 * Targets all minions
 * Flare**
 * Targets all enemy minions
 * Streetwise Investigator
 * AoE remove Divine Shield
 * Blood Knight
 * AoE Silence
 * Silence all enemy minions
 * Mass Dispel
 * Silence all friendly minions
 * Wailing Soul*
 * AoE Freeze
 * Freeze all enemy minions
 * Frost Nova, Blizzard**, Malygos's Nova
 * Freeze all friendly minions
 * Hyldnir Frostrider*
 * AoE force all minions to attack
 * Mass Hysteria

* Cards like Baron Geddon and Brawl exclude one minion from the effect, but hit all other targets as described. Ysera Awakens and Dread Infernal are two other examples of this type of targeting. Minions such as Stormwind Champion that provide ongoing AoE buffs similarly exclude themselves from the effect.

** Cards like Holy Nova, Blizzard, Fatespinner, and Breath of the Infinite have combined or alternate effects and thus falls into multiple categories.