Hearthstone's Next Expansion, Rise of Shadows, Lets You Order Around Minions and Lackeys

Out from the darkness comes news of the next Hearthstone expansion. Blizzard announced Rise of Shadows earlier today, and as its name suggests, it's giving some of the series' villains a little time in the grimy, yellowed spotlight.

Rise of Shadows introduces the League of E.V.I.L, a gaggle of mischief-makers who've gathered under the leadership of the Arch-villain Rafaam. These villains are aware they're not smart / strong / suave enough to accomplish their goals as individuals, but as a pack, they just might have what it takes to take down their ultimate target: The Floating City of Dalaran.

What does this mean for you, O Hearthstone player? For starters, it means you get a trailer with a snappy musical number. It's no "Hellfire," but then again, few things in life are.

Of course, there's more to the Rise of Shadows expansion than a decent villains' song. You can also look forward to new cards (135 in total, according to Blizzard's official blog post about the expansion), new mechanics, and arena rotations.

Rise of Shadows introduces Lackeys, 1/1 cards that don't offer much in the way of raw stats, but still manage to pack a significant punch. The Battlecry of the "Faceless Lackey," for example, can summon a 2-Cost minion, and the Kobold lackey's Battlecry can deal two damage (hey, it adds up). There are also "Scheme" cards that become more powerful as they stay in your hand, and other tricky cards that can be used to defeat rivals in roundabout ways.

Needless to say, the people of Dalaran aren't going to sit around and scratch themselves while the League tries to take them down. The Defenders of Dalaran cards let you create and use copies of spells, and even summon artisans to help you pick off the minions and lackeys crawling all over the city.

Hearthstone's previous expansion was Rastakhan's Rumble. It was leaked in a game about virtual penises, because life is weird. We have guides, tips, and hints for Rastakhan's Rumble, and we guarantee they're free of reproductive organs (Disclaimer: I'm not fully prepared to stake my life on that guarantee).