Goblins vs Gnomes




 * "Goblins and gnomes… goblins and gnomes! Both are super-brilliant - but you would never know! Everything they seem to make is faulty or explodes… Perfecting imperfection - goblins and gnomes!"

Goblins vs Gnomes (often abbreviated as GvG) is the first expansion for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and its fourth significant card set. It was released on December 8th 2014 in the Americas region, and on 9th/10th December in other regions. . The second infusion of new cards to be added to the game, the expansion features 123 collectible cards, with a strong mechanical theme, and introduced the Mech minion type, as well as debuting the long-awaited spectator mode.

As well as introducing new cards and features, the expansion saw the minion type of numerous minions changed, with many mechanical minions becoming Mechs, and certain bestial druid minions becoming Beasts. The accompanying patch also brought some card changes, with the cost of Flare, Soulfire and Gadgetzan Auctioneer all increased by 1.

A few days prior to its full release, the expansion was heralded with a special launch event, running from December 4-8. The event saw all Goblins vs Gnomes card available in Arena, as well as some uncollectible cards available in constructed play. In addition, all players who logged in during the event received one free Arena run - in the form of a special ticket courtesy of Trade Prince Gallywix - with the Arena button on the main menu jumping and crackling with electricity for the duration of the launch event. All players who logged into Hearthstone from the expansion's launch until December 19 also received three free Goblins vs Gnomes card packs.

The launch event was implemented with the accompanying patch 2.0.0.7234, also bringing with it spectator mode, a new battlefield, and all planned card and system changes.

On April 27, 2016, the card set was restricted to Wild format with the beginning of the first Standard year, the Year of the Kraken.

How to get

 * Goblins vs Gnomes card packs can be obtained through the ingame shop, or with real money purchases on the Blizzard Shop.


 * Individual cards from Goblins vs Gnomes can be obtained from crafting.

Cards
The Goblins vs Gnomes card set features 123 collectible cards, including 51 neutral cards and 72 class cards (8 for each class), as well as 20 uncollectible cards. Goblins vs Gnomes cards can be recognised by the cogwheel marking behind the card text, not found on other cards.

Neutral

 * Common (22 cards)


 * Rare (10 cards)


 * Epic (8 cards)


 * Legendary (11 cards)

Spare Parts (uncollectible)
Spare Parts are special uncollectible spell cards, granted by certain other cards. Costing 1 mana each, these randomly granted spells can be used to alter existing minions.

Class cards
Each class received 8 new collectible cards, for a total of 72 new collectible class cards. 10 uncollectible class cards were also added: 7 for druid (mostly Choose One effects), and 1 each for rogue, warlock and warrior.

Druid

 * Uncollectible

Rogue

 * Uncollectible

Warlock

 * Uncollectible

Warrior

 * Uncollectible

Changes to existing cards

 * 9 mechanical minions were changed to Mechs, previously having no minion type: Harvest Golem, Damaged Golem, Alarm-o-Bot, Demolisher, Mechanical Dragonling, and all of Gelbin Mekkatorque's inventions: Repair Bot, Emboldener 3000, Homing Chicken and Poultryizer.
 * The druid minions resulting from Druid of the Claw's Choose One effect were changed to Beasts: Druid of the Claw (Cat Form) and Druid of the Claw (Bear Form).

Mechs
Goblins vs Gnomes saw the introduction of the Mech minion type.

Spectator mode

 * "Alongside Goblins vs Gnomes, we’re introducing Spectator mode so you and your friends can observe each others’ explosive battles, fiery strategies, and hard-won victories. If someone on your friends list is playing and has allowed spectators (enabled by default), you can jump into your pal’s game and watch right away!"

Goblins vs Gnomes saw the introduction of the long-awaited spectator mode, allowing players to view other players' matches as they take place, from within the game client.

Battlefield
The expansion brought the game's sixth battlefield. The battlefield contains features and designs representing both goblins and gnomes, and comes with a full assortment of gizmos and explosives to be tinkered with.

For more details on the battlefield and its interactable features, see Battlefield.



Card backs
The card backs for Ranked play Seasons 8 and 9 match the expansion.

Lore
The expansion revolves around the ongoing competition between two classic  races: the s and the s.

For a visual display of existing goblin and gnome cards, see Goblin art and Gnome art.

Goblins
''"Goblins are known for their business acumen and their love of big explosions, and definitely not in that order. At the heart of Goblin engineering lies a deep, overwhelming desire to see things explode. Sure, ideally that means the enemy, but that’s not what you’d call a strict requirement. As long as someone is getting blown up, then your average Goblin will be happy."


 * ''The cunning s are small green creatures from the isle of . Their love of money, explosives, and technology leaves them to be a very dangerous race, both to their enemies and themselves. Most goblins have a neutral standpoint, preferring to sell their contraptions, knowledge and services to other races.


 * ''Goblins are small humanoids, crafty and shrewd, bearing an overwhelming interest in commerce and a strong curiosity about mechanical things. Goblin society is fragmented, defined chiefly by commerce and trade. The ultimate schemers and con artists, goblins are always in search of a better deal. Despite their seemingly chaotic natures, they exist in a fairly strict and straightforward hierarchy. Other races universally view goblins as inventors, merchants and, without exception, maniacs. Goblins value technology as a useful aspect of commerce. Some say that their advantage — and their curse — is to be the primary users of technology in a world governed by magic. While dwarves and gnomes share a similar gift, goblin technology is more far-reaching and sinister and makes a larger impact on the natural world.

In World of Warcraft, the are a playable  race.
 * ''"The wise and cunning goblins of Kezan have lived in relative peace for generations. Though some of their race sided with the marauding orcs during the Second War, most goblins remained neutral throughout the various conflicts of the Alliance and Horde. Ruled over by corrupt yet highly affluent Trade Princes, the goblins created a virtual paradise for themselves throughout the islands of the South Seas. Their fantastic feats of engineering and vast trade fleets helped make their island capital of Kezan one of the great technological wonders of the world. And now, as the elements themselves rise up in anger across the world, the goblins' mechanical paradise will be put to the test. For, very soon, fate will force them to choose sides in a conflict that will shape the very history of the world."

Gnomes
''"What Gnomes do, they do FOR SCIENCE! While Gnomish inventions are less likely to leave smoking craters, they are significantly more likely to turn innocent bystanders into poultry. In fact, it seems like a lot of Gnomish engineering is a combination of the wackiest technology imaginable and a hefty dose of ‘turning-things-into-other-things probably-by-accident.’ Odds are, rather than blowing something up, a Gnomish invention will usually just leave the unfortunate target wishing they’d been blown up."


 * ''"The clever, spunky, and oftentimes eccentric gnomes present a unique paradox among the civilized races of Azeroth. Brilliant inventors with an irrepressibly cheerful disposition, this race has suffered treachery, displacement, and near-genocide. It is their remarkable optimism in the face of such calamity that symbolizes the truly unshakable spirit of the gnomes."


 * ''Gnomes are a diminutive, wiry race of tinkers who live underground. In the Second War, they built gadgets and vehicles, such as submarines and flying machines, for the Alliance to combat the Horde. They are great mechanics and inventors, renowned for their knowledge and eccentric natures. The gnomes had a city, Gnomeregan, built into Ironforge Mountain, but invading troggs destroyed it and slaughtered its citizens. Many survivors now live with the Ironforge dwarves, a few traveling with their dwarven friends to Kalimdor. The gnomes are still reeling from the destruction of their home city and are loath to leave the safety of the dwarven tunnels.

Themes
Goblins vs Gnomes features a number of themes. Some are major elements of the expansion, while others are simply new traits found on a handful cards.

Most of these themes are explored in detail either elsewhere on this page, or in their own articles; click links for more information.

RNG
Many cards in Goblins vs Gnomes feature strong RNG elements, with effects targeting (or summoning) random minions, or simply having a percentage chance of activating in the first place. While already present in some cards prior to the expansion, Goblins vs Gnomes substantially expanded the number of random effects in the game, as well as taking their significance to new levels.

Ejection Deathrattles
A number of minions are piloted vehicles, featuring Deathrattles which cause them to 'eject' a randomly selected minion.


 * Sneed's Old Shredder
 * Piloted Shredder
 * Piloted Sky Golem

Clumsy ogres
Main articles: Ogre, Forgetful
 * With all that racket of smashing, clanging, and other noises of mechanized destruction, it was bound to draw some attention from another Azerothian race that loves to smash things up: Ogres. These heavy hitters really, really like to smash things, and they’re ready to join the fray in Goblins vs Gnomes''!


 * In Goblins vs Gnomes'', many ogres will have the “50% chance to attack the wrong enemy” card text, reflecting their wild and uncontrollable nature. Like previously mentioned, ogres don’t care about what they hit as long as they hit “something,” so their ability can also potentially bypass Taunt and Stealth if one of their wild swings manages to connect. When you see an Ogre on the battlefield, watch out; something is about to get smashed!


 * Ogre Ninja
 * Ogre Warmaul
 * Dunemaul Shaman
 * Ogre Brute
 * Mogor the Ogre

Deathrattles
While not a new feature of the expansion, Deathrattles were announced as one area of Hearthstone that would see significant developments in Goblins vs Gnomes, specifically through the interactions of cards such as Feign Death, Lil' Exorcist and Scarlet Purifier.

Shuffle into deck
Goblins vs Gnomes saw the debut of the shuffle into deck ability, placing a card into a random position within the player's unused deck. While not a keyword, the ability was featured on 3 cards: Malorne, Iron Juggernaut and Recycle. This marked the first time the player was able to place cards into either player's unused deck.

In-hand effects
The expansion featured the first cards to have effects which trigger while they are in the player's hand: Burrowing Mine, Flame Leviathan and Bolvar Fordragon.

Draw-related effects
Also introduced with Goblins vs Gnomes were cards which activated based on being drawn by the player, namely Burrowing Mine and Flame Leviathan.

Development
Goblins vs Gnomes was chosen as the direction for the first Hearthstone expansion in part due to the mood set by the previous Curse of Naxxramas content. The developers wanted something light-hearted, colorful, and a little zany, to contrast with Curse of Naxxramas 's creepy, "very grim" and doom-and-gloom theme.

The developers also wanted to do something "very, very different" to Curse of Naxxramas, firmly returning the focus from single-player boss battles to the game's staple multiplayer matches, and with a far larger quantity of cards, making a far bigger impact on the game's decks and meta. In addition, Curse of Naxxramas took place in a specific location,, and therefore had a very specific geographic and even chronological setting. In contrast, goblins and gnomes could be found throughout Azeroth and its regions, and had already featured in multiple Warcraft games for nearly 20 years, making them "part of the entire Warcraft experience".

Teasers
Around October 30, press and members of the Hearthstone community began receiving special "blueprints" for various mechanical minions in the game, sparking speculation among players. The blueprints were accompanied by a note which read "Making plans for BlizzCon - I hope you like my invention!", the latter line referencing the summoning quote of the Novice Engineer, reinforcing the mechanical theme. Designs included the Harvest Golem, Demolisher, Poultryizer and Repair Bot. Notably, the teasers only featured cards already in the game, while teasers for later content releases would feature art depicting otherwise unrevealed upcoming cards.

Announcement
The expansion was officially announced at 2014 on November 7.

Following the revealing of the expansion, the Goblins vs Gnomes DeviantART challenge was announced on November 20, challenging players to create an original artwork based on the expansion, with a total prize pool of $8,500, as well as various other rewards.

Trivia

 * Arena packs were converted to the new expansion on the expectation that players would prefer to receive the 'new' cards as rewards.
 * Goblins vs Gnomes was foreshadowed by the announcement of the Goblins! card back, available through reaching Rank 20 during November. The card back was revealed a week before the expansion was announced.
 * The expansion was also hinted at by the second Innkeeper's Journal blog, High Stakes, which featured two dueling goblins using dynamite in place of the game's usual turn timer. The blog featured the art later revealed to be used for the Madder Bomber card, but was considered by many to be another hint in the direction of a goblin-themed expansion. The first Innkeeper's Journal blog, Patron Dispenser, also featured the art to be used in the Unstable Portal card, and revolved around mage portals bringing customers to the inn.
 * Following an initial reveal of several cards at 2014, new Goblins vs Gnomes cards were revealed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout November through a special voting process, with participants able to choose between two different cards. The most popular card was revealed, while the other was not. Additional cards were also revealed through specific fansites. This process continued in a piecemeal fashion until December 2nd, when all 63 remaining cards were revealed all at once on the official facebook page. This reveal was followed by the announcement of the expansion's release date.
 * A week after the release of GvG, Senior Producer Yong Woo stated that Team 5 were "already working a lot on future expansions", including "not only the next [expansion] but the one after that as well", describing the team as always "trying to get ahead of the curve".

Gallery

 * Teasers


 * Release


 * Launch event


 * Trailer

Patch changes

 * All Goblins vs Gnomes data added to the game, along with the new battlefield, new features such as spectator mode, and all card changes.
 * Goblins vs Gnomes cards are now available for selection in the Arena, but are not yet obtainable.
 * Goblins vs Gnomes cards are now available for selection in the Arena, but are not yet obtainable.