I must admit, I'm super out of the Hearthstone loop. So much so, the idea of back-tracking through even the last year of content just to learn how the meta has morphed into whatever it is today, and what it will likely be going forward is... daunting. But it's awesome to see Blizzard's CCG has shown absolutely zero signs of slowing, and with another year of new content on the cusp of release, I find myself contemplating diving back in.

Water themes... see what I did there?

Anyway, On April 13 Voyage to the Sunken City kicks off The Year of the Hydra, Hearthstone's next season which will see a number of changes across the board, but kicking off more specifically with the following:

The Year of the Hydra will see the free Core set grow to 250 cards, with 72 returning and adjusted cards rotating in, including classics such as Reno Jackson and Wild Pyromancer.

Many Heads Are Better Than One

The new Hearthstone year, the Year of the Hydra, is all about providing fresh new content and updates for our established modes—with a renewed focus on sustainability and optimisation. You can expect quality-of-life and other improvements, such as being able to equip a random hero skin, in-game reporting, and an overall emphasis on client-performance improvements. That’s on top of our usual three card sets and a mountain of planned new content for Battlegrounds, Mercenaries, and more.

Refreshing the Foundation

• The Year of the Hydra will kick off when Voyage to the Sunken City launches on 13 April AEST/NZST and set rotation takes place—sending Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy, and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire to Wild.
  
• After set rotation, the Standard card pool will include Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley, Voyage to the Sunken City, and the Core set.
  
• Updates for the Core set will go live alongside set rotation in a shakeup that rotates out 57 cards and brings in 72, for a new total of 250 total cards in Core—15 more than last year. These new additions are made up of returning cards, although some have been adjusted for the modern game.
  
• Cards of note returning to the Core set are the original League of Explorers: Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard, Elise Starseeker, and Sir Finley Mrrgglton. Other returning favourites include Voidwalker, Wild Pyromancer, Acolyte of Pain, Mossy Horror, Cloaked Huntress, and Fandral Staghelm.

You can learn more by clicking here, and I have to say it could almost be the art and vibe of this next water-themed season that sucks me back in.