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.
Notes[]
- AoEs affect all valid targets simultaneously. However, triggers resulting from each character affected are still applied one at a time, in the order the minions were played.
- AoEs affect all targets before any related triggers are activated. For example a Circle of Healing will heal all minions before any Northshire Clerics will begin to activate.
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
- 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
- Damage all minions of a specific type
- Damage all enemies
- 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
- Damage all friendly minions
- AoE healing
- Heal all characters
- Heal all minions
- Heal both heroes
- Heal all friendly characters
- Heal all friendly minions
- AoE destroy
- Destroy all minions
- Destroy all minions after silencing them
- Destroy all minions of a specific type
- Destroy all friendly minions
- Destroy all friendly minions of a specific type
- Destroy all enemy secrets
- Make all minions disappear
- AoE return
- Return all minions
- Return all friendly minions
- AoE Transform
- Transform all minions
- Transform all enemy minions
- Transform all friendly minions
- Transform all friendly minions of a specific type
- AoE Enchantments
- Targets all minions
- Targets all enemy minions
- Targets all friendly characters
- 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
- Ongoing effects
- Targets all characters
- Targets all minions
- Targets both heroes
- Targets all friendly characters'
- Targets all friendly minions
- Targets all friendly minions of a specific type
- Targets all Hero Powers
- AoE Deathrattle trigger
- AoE remove Stealth
- Targets all minions
- Flare**
- Targets all enemy minions
- Targets all minions
- AoE remove Divine Shield
- AoE Silence
- Silence all enemy minions
- Silence all friendly minions
- AoE Freeze
- Freeze all enemy minions
- Freeze all friendly minions
- AoE force all minions to attack
*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.
Cards[]
- For Wild format listings, see Area of effect/Wild format
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