Dirty Rat

Dirty Rat is an epic neutral minion card, from the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan set.

Strategy
This minion's considerable stats for its cost are offset by its extremely risky Battlecry. Unless the opponent has a hand full of spells or weapons, chances are they'll have a minion on the field to join Dirty Rat, which will be capable of attacking when the turn ends and without having to pay the Mana cost.

Dirty Rat works well against decks that primarily focus on weak, cheap minions, which it can favorably trade with using its high health and Taunt status. Forcing a minion out of the opponent's hand also prevents the activation of any enemy Battlecries, such as that of Reno Jackson, N'Zoth, and even Quest reward minions. Conversely, the high dependence on random odds means that Dirty Rat could just as easily summon a huge minion, such as those that tend to be run by Druid, Handlock or Dragon decks. It's usually a bad idea to play Dirty Rat on Turn 2, when giving your opponent a big minion for free, even if the Battlecry is denied, could lose you the game due to the enormous tempo gained by the opponent.

Another use for Dirty Rat is against control or combo decks that are reliant on one or several specific minions. Using Dirty Rat to pull out Reno Jackson, Kazakus or Raza the Chained against Highlander decks will deny your opponent a lot of value from the minion's Battlecry or even disrupt their win condition if you pulled out important combo pieces (for example, Sorcerer's Apprentice from an Exodia Mage opponent) and can afford to instantly remove them with board clear or removal. However, this is very difficult due to the random nature of Dirty Rat and requires a lot of patience, preparation and careful hand reading from the player. Brann Bronzebeard can greatly help with the consistency of this strategy.

Combos well with board clears, such as Brawl and Twisting Nether, other effects that benefit from a large number of enemy minions on the field, such as Mind Control Tech, Second-Rate Bruiser and Unleash the Hounds.

Lore
From Hearthpwn:
 * ''It’s not his fault… Someone keeps stealing his soap!


 * ''Our card reveal for Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is the dirtiest, blingest, smartest, and unfortunately shortest Kobold in Gadgetzan. Don't let his short stature fool you though, he packs a powerful, gem-filled punch.


 * What are Kobolds?
 * ''You no take candle! Kobolds have an unhealthy obsession with candles due to their poor nocturnal sight, although our friend seems to be missing his.
 * ''Kobolds enjoy seclusion from the other races of Azeroth. Caves, Mines, and Quarries are some of their favourite spots.
 * ''Aieee me run! Kobolds are cowards and they're dumb enough to start fights with others that they can't win. Dirty Rat certainly didn't make his way up the chain being cowardly though!
 * ''Fists and small weapons are the primary combat methods used by Kobolds. Those gold knuckles on Dirty Rat must have cost a fortune, but damn he blingin'.


 * ''Kobolds are a race of diminutive, rat-like subterranean humanoids who dwell in and around caverns and mines throughout the, and the . They are not particularly intelligent and are notoriously cowardly, preferring to keep their distance from other, larger races. Kobolds are famous for being obsessively protective of the candles they wear upon their heads and which help them light their way through the dark tunnels they call home.


 * ''A race of arctic kobolds known as snobolds make their home in the frozen wastes of.

Trivia

 * Former Senior Vice President of Story & Franchise Development Chris Metzen came up with the name and "flavor behind the card" for Dirty Rat, as one of his last collaborations with the Hearthstone team before retiring in 2016.
 * Dirty Rat is the first collectible kobold minion to not possess Spell Damage.
 * This minion is wielding Brass Knuckles on its left hand.

Patch changes

 * History tile now shows which minion was pulled, if any.
 * Added.