Okay everyone, time to walk the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan because Hearthstone‘s (Free) latest expansion has just released in the Americas (it will release tomorrow in Europe). There are now 132 brand new cards for you to get your hands on, and some of them are quite fantastic. A few quick words about the expansion first. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan puts you in the middle of a clash between three crime families running Gadgetzan, the Grimy Goons (Hunter, Paladin, Warrior), the Kabal (Mage, Priest, Warlock), and Jade Lotus (Druid, Rogue, Shaman). Each of the families plays differently with the Grimy Goons buffing minions in your hands, the Kabal using all kinds of crazy potions, and the Jade Lotus using stealth and the ever-growing Jade Golems to take down the opposition. There are also the Tri-Class Cards, neutral minions that can only be used by one family.

Although it’s too early to make any predictions, it does look like Priest will get much stronger after Mean Streets (let’s face it, though, it really doesn’t take much for that to happen given Priest’s current state), Reno decks are getting stronger with cards like Inkmaster Solia and Kazakus, and Pirate decks should be a fun and semi-viable choice (big emphasis on the semi).

The mechanic that seems to be the one to dominate the expansion is the Jade Golem, especially in Druid. Being able to summon ever-growing Jade Golem cards and throw them at the opponent is going to make for some interesting games. And since the Jade Golems can’t be silenced, we are about to either see lots of aggro decks trying to take out Druids early on or decks packed with removal. I’ll be opening my 50 Mean Streets pack later today on our Mobcrush stream, so stay tuned to see how lucky I’ll get (or not).