Now they're all here and they've seen a month in active play. We all had assumptions about how well they'd work during the previews. But how do they stack up in practice?
Perhaps the least surprising but most impressive effect they've had is in the "meta". This is the over-arching metagame of considering what deck styles are popular at a given moment, and changing yours to compensate.
With all those new cards, the meta hasn't settled down yet. And with all the random effects possible in Goblins vs Gnomes, perhaps it never will. But there are two key trends that seem to be solidifying out of the dust.
The first is that zoo decks, once the darling of cheapskate players (including me) everywhere, are now rather less effective. The expansion added a bunch of new area of effect spells, some cheap taunts and several minions that summon a replacement when they die.
Cheap aggro isn't dead yet, but it's a lot less potent than it was.
The other is that weapons have come back in fashion, thanks to some cool new ones in the expansion. So if you're looking for a cheap minion to pack out your deck, Acidic Swamp Ooze is the best choice once again.
Mech madness
Random effects are a big focus of Goblins vs Gnomes but they're not that popular in play. In practice, however powerful or fun that little slice of chaos looks, you need something more reliable if you want to climb the ladder.
As a result, only a minority of expansion cards are seeing regular play. On the plus side, it makes it easy to find the top picks to craft if you've got dust to spare.
Many of the most useful cards are common, so it's a moot point whether you want to craft them or just wait for them to turn up in booster packs. Piloted Shredder, which summons a random 2-cost minion when it dies, is probably the most all-round useful.
Rather more interesting are the synergies offered by mech focused decks. The Mechwarper, which reduces the cost of summoning new mechs, is the cornerstone of these builds. If you can keep it alive, perhaps with the help of an Annoy-O-Tron, it allows you to put out insane numbers of minions early in the game.
Their bedfellows include the Micro Machine, which can ramp up eye-popping damage in no time at all and the cheap but effective Cogmaster. If you put out several mechs, the Tinkertown Technician gains some brutal buffs.
Together, these common combos can completely overwhelm an opponent. It's a whole new kind of zoo deck.
Neutral noodles
There are a couple of other neutral commons worth mentioning. The Explosive Sheep does 2 damage to everything on the board, so it's anathema to most mech decks.
But it's useful as cheap board clearance, especially in Mage decks since they can set it off themselves with a fireball.
The Antique Healbot is also a common sight thanks to its massive healing boost. Health may be the least important resource on the board, but an extra eight can keep you alive long enough to play the big cards that are pivotal in control decks.
Since most of us are short on dust, we should be thankful that the less common neutral cards look a lot less interesting. But if you've got 400 dust burning a hole in your pocket, the epic cards Enhance-O-Mechano and Junkbot make powerful additions to mech "zoos".
Hobgoblins can provide a similar boost to more traditional zoo decks.
There are some powerful new legendaries in the expansion, but since most of us will see few, if any, in our collections, we'll skip over most. If you're lucky enough to have 1600 dust to craft one, Dr. Boom is the one best suited to a wide variety of deck styles.
Class crazy
Goblins vs Gnomes has also provided new class-specific cards. Some of these, slot neatly into traditional deck designs without changing core strategies. Other classes, however, got given a whole new lease of life.
Perhaps most notable is the Paladin. Muster for Battle is a rare card which puts down three 1/1 Silver Hand Recruits and gives you a 1/4 weapon. Played with Knife Juggler and the new rare Quartermaster which buffs recruits with +2/+2 it can be devastating.
Together with Shielded Minibot, a 2/2 minion with Divine Shield, it's now possible to build powerful, flexible mid-range Paladin decks.
Another big beneficiary is the Warrior. The 6-mana 5/5 Shieldmaiden may not look like much but it fills an aching void in the Warrior lineup, and synergises well with other cards. Now mid-range and control Warriors have something that can help them survive aggro onslaughts until the big cards come out.
Then there's Bouncing Blade, which has the potential to be brutal played in the right circumstances. Such as when your opponent as a couple of big minions out, and you have nothing.
Finally, the expansion has offered a surprising leg-up for the much maligned Mage. But this is not in terms of new cards offered, although Unstable Portal and Flamecannon could find a place in many decks. The real secret is how well the direct damage spells work alongside the aggressive Mech deck discussed above. Add in Goblin Blastmage for massive damage potential.
If your favoured class isn't among the particular winners, fear not.
Everyone got at least one useful card such as Imp-plosion for Warlocks and Anodized Robo Cub for Druids. Rogues and Hunters got several, with Goblin Auto-Barber and Sharpsword Oil alongside Glaivezooka and Feign Death respectively.
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