Summary
Before its release, Showdown in the Badlands was regarded by many as a relatively weak Hearthstone set. But even the worst collections of cards have some gems contained within. And the expansion has had more of an impact on the meta than many anticipated.
As you would expect from a set that saw the return of some of Hearthstone’s most famous characters, members of the League of Explorers, many of Showdown in the Badlands’ best cards are minions. Let’s seewhich minions from this western-themed expansion are worth crafting.
These minions were chosen based on how much they cost, how powerful their effects are despite these costs, and how wildly useful they can become given the right circumstances.
10Azerite Chain Gang
Azerite Chain Gang’s effect doesn’t immediately feel like it would warrant a spot on this list. Getting three 2/3s for four mana is decent value, but that only happens if you activate the Quickdraw effect, which depends largely on luck.
However, if you are able to buff its stats, the Chain Gang is exceptional even if you don’t get the third body. And if you do, it becomes a massive threat, which makes it an automatic inclusion in a variety of archetypes that run multiple hand and deck buffs.
Those who have been playing Hearthstone for a long time will know that Azerite Chain Gang is direct power creep over a much older card, Saronite Chain Gang, which was the same minion minus the Quickdraw effect.
9Blindeye Sharpshooter
Blindeye Sharpshooter decks are reminiscent of older Naga Mage lists that ran Spitelash Siren, playing spells and Nagas until you won the game. Except instead of gaining infinite mana, the Sharpshooter just kills your opponent, which is often more effective.
You can play cheap, damage-dealing spells and low-cost Nagas to basically combo your opponent out in a single turn. It’s an extremely aggressive, all-or-nothing strategy that can go wrong if it runs out of gas, but when it works, the results are truly explosive.
8Kobold Miner
Kobold Miner is a somewhat unassuming entry on this list, as there are more powerful Excavate cards out there. However, the fact that the Miner is both extremely cheap and available to all classes has made it a significant player in the meta.
If you’ve played the game during Showdown in the Badlands, you’ll be well aware that some of the Legendary rewards for Excavating, like the Azerite Snake and Rat, are exceptionally powerful. And if you want to reach those rewards quickly and consistently, you’ll want to include Kobold Miner in your deck.
7Fye, The Setting Sun
At nine mana, Fye, the Setting Sun is definitely overcosted, so you need to play them in a dedicated Dragon deck for the card to be effective. Fortunately, it doesn’t take too much work; playing just five Dragons already puts Fye at a reasonable cost.
Once it’s playable, Fye can save you from some truly dire situations thanks to Rush, Lifesteal, and a decent attack total. Better still, adding Taunt on top of that means your opponent can’t just ignore Fye, even after the initial impact has been felt.
6Spirit Of The Badlands
Spirit of the Badlands is one of the main reasons to play Highlander Paladin. As a three mana 3/4, you can play it without much fear early in the game, and while the card it creates is called a Mirage, the effects you get from it are very real.
Assuming you still have minions in your deck, the Mirage will give you infinite value. The minion it turns into won’t always be perfect for your situation (or even playable, depending on how much mana you have), but control decks never say no to more options.
5Elise, Badlands Savior
Many of the Highlander cards from Showdown in Badlands—including the others on this list—give you what are effectively infinite value engines. Elise, Badlands Savior sacrifices some of that value in favor of more immediate board impact.
In addition to the raw stats she creates, each minion summoned by Elise’s Battlecry will often have useful effects. Depending on how exactly you’ve chosen to build your deck, these can range from board-dominating Rush minions, to powerful Colossals and Titans, to sticky Deathrattles.
4Reska, the Pit Boss
Reska, the Pit Boss is a powerful removal tool; the card can easily become a zero-mana 6/3 with Rush and stealing a minion on top of that only makes the card better. But what really pushes Reska to the next level is the Legendary Excavate reward for Death Knights, The Azerite Rat, which re-summons your highest-cost minion that died, giving it an extra 2/2, Lifesteal, and Reborn.
Assuming Reska is dead, The Rat will always summon them unless something very strange has happened. And Reska benefits massively from the Rat’s buffs, as it can attack immediately, heal you, and potentially steal multiple minions.
3Rheastrasza
An 8/8 Dragon is far from the sort of card you want to include in your deck; even in the earliest days of Hearthstone, that wouldn’t be worth playing. Fortunately, Rheastrasza’s main body doesn’t represent the real threat.
What you’re really after is the Permanent Rheastrasza summons, the Purified Dragon Nest, which allows you to bury your opponent under a swarm of Dragons. Making the deal even better is the fact that the Nest isn’t a minion your opponent can attack or blow up with spells, so the Dragon train never stops.
A card that can easily remove the Purified Dragon Nest, Reno, Lone Ranger, was also released in Showdown in the Badlands, so watch out for him.
2Messenger Buzzard
At its worst, Messenger Buzzard’s effect draws and buffs a card. That alone is a pretty good deal for the cost (most people won’t say no to card draw), although as a Deathrattle it’s a bit slow.
Fortunately, the Buzzard’s peak is much higher than that. The more minions you have in hand, the better this effect is, and Hunter can play several minions that can deal damage not just to the minion they attack, but also the ones next to it, so they love to be buffed.
1Dragon Golem
In its base form, Dragon Golem is really only good if you have a bunch of other Dragons in hand. At that point, the number 3/4s you get is enough that the underwhelming statline stops mattering.
But where Dragon Golem truly excels is with cards that buff its stats before it hits the battlefield, like Snapdragon or Azsharan Gardens. It turns out that summoning a full board of 6/7s with Taunt is going to win you the game in a lot of scenarios, and even summoning two or three is extremely strong.
