Escape from Violet Hold: Key Details
Escape from Violet Hold is Hearthstone’s next expansion, launching on July 7. The set is built around a prison-break theme in Dalaran’s Violet Hold, with Vanessa VanCleef organizing the breakout and Maiev Shadowsong stepping in as Warden.
- Expansion launch: July 7.
- Pre-Release Tavern Brawl: June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT through July 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
- Patch timing: Patch 36.0 goes live with the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl on June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
- Main new systems: Legendary Rulebreaker minions, the Prepare keyword, Disguised minions, and Bribe cards.
- Free early Legendary: Vanessa the Ringleader is available by logging in now.
Legendary Rulebreakers
Each class receives a Legendary Rulebreaker minion that changes a core Hearthstone rule. Blizzard highlighted three examples from the new expansion announcement.
Chainbreaker Hogger
Chainbreaker Hogger duplicates all Legendaries in your deck at the start of the game, letting Warrior decks play with extra copies of those cards.
Blood Doctor Thal’ena
The Death Knight Rulebreaker, Blood Doctor Thal’ena, unlocks a second Hero Power named Vampyr’s Kiss. This Hero Power uses Corpses instead of mana.
Irida Sinseeker
Irida Sinseeker sends your entire deck into the Void and gives you two cards from it each turn. The announcement also notes that Irida has Lifesteal to help manage Fatigue damage, with empty-deck cards like Eternal Hold and Omen of the End called out as possible payoffs.
New Keyword: Prepare
Prepare lets players bank mana into a card for a later turn. To Prepare a card, drag it onto your deck. You spend your remaining mana, reduce that card’s cost by that amount plus one, and the card returns to your hand for a future turn.
Example from Blizzard: if you have three mana left, the Prepared card becomes four mana cheaper.
Vanessa VanCleef is tied closely to the new keyword and appears as Vanessa the Ringleader.
Additional Prepare cards shown in the announcement include Defias Smuggler, Tunneling Geomancer, Black Market Auctioneer, and Commissary Crook.
Moragg and Prepared Demon Turns
Moragg is presented as a Warlock card connected to the Demon Vaults. The announcement describes Moragg as an Observer demon that opens cells and releases other demons, with Prepare letting players time those effects for later turns.
Warden Maiev
Warden Maiev is another major card shown for the expansion. Her effect traps anything you play for one turn, then returns it with a large buff.
Disguised Minions
Disguised minions introduce a major board-position twist: they can be played on your opponent’s side of the board.
The Warrior example shown is Disguised Watchman. Blizzard notes that the card can work naturally on your own board with Warrior’s damage-focused minion themes, but can also be placed on the opponent’s board to punish wide boards.
Bribe Cards
Bribe cards provide a strong effect, but give the opponent something as part of the deal. The announcement shows Deadly Bribe and Dark Bribe.
Free Cards Before Launch
- Vanessa the Ringleader: available for free by logging in now.
- Tunneling Geomancer: available before launch through in-game events.
- Commissary Crook: available before launch through in-game events.
- Deadly Bribe: available before launch through in-game events.
For players planning early theorycrafting, Vanessa gives immediate access to the Prepare mechanic before the full expansion launch.
Pre-Release Tavern Brawl
The Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Release Tavern Brawl begins on June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT and runs until the expansion launches on July 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
- Decks are built using only Escape from Violet Hold cards.
- Cards from any class can be used together in one deck.
- There are no Rune restrictions.
- The Discover pool includes both Standard and Escape from Violet Hold.
- All players receive temporary trial copies of all Escape from Violet Hold Common cards for the brawl.
- Opened Escape from Violet Hold cards can also be used in the brawl.
- Trial Common cards are removed when the brawl ends on July 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
Pre-Purchase Options
Pre-purchase bundles are available until the expansion launches on July 7. Players can buy the Pre-Purchase Bundle, the Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle, or both.
Buying both the Pre-Purchase Bundle and the Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle grants two free Random Golden Epic Cards from Escape from Violet Hold and unlocks the option to purchase the Pre-Purchase Sequence Bundle, which includes the Moragg Diamond Legendary Card.
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle
- 80 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 10 Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 1 Random Signature Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
- 1 Random Golden Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
- 4 Tavern Tickets, usable for the Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Release Tavern Brawl and Arena
- High Commander Beatrix Paladin Hero Skin and Card Back
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Bundle
- 60 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 2 Random Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Cards
- High Commander Beatrix Card Back
Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Purchase Sequence Bundle
This bundle becomes available to purchase after buying both main pre-purchase bundles.
- 15 Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 30 Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 1 Random Signature Escape from Violet Hold Legendary Card
- 1 Diamond Legendary Moragg Card
Source: Blizzard Entertainment official Hearthstone news.