What is Spellburst?
Spelburst is a keyword ability in Hearthstone that was introduced with the Scholomance Academy expansion in 2020 (note: list of best decks for Scholomance Academy release). Spellburst cards are all minions that have a special one-time effect that occurs the first time a spell is cast after the spellburst minion is played.
List of Spellburst Cards
Card Name | Expansion | Class | Card Text |
---|---|---|---|
Gibberling | Scholomance Academy | Druid | Spellburst: Summon a Gibberling |
Intrepid Initiate | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Spellburst: Gain +2 Attack |
Pen Flinger | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Battlecry: Deal 1 damageSpellburst: Return this to your hand. |
Diligent Notetaker | Scholomance Academy | Shaman | Spellburst: Return the spell to your hand |
Ceremonial Maul | Scholomance Academy | Paladin/Warrior | Spellburst: Summon a student with Taunt and stats equal to the spell’s cost |
Enchanted Cauldron | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Spellburst: Cast a random spell of the same cost. |
Firebrand | Scholomance Academy | Mage | Spellburst: Deal 4 damage randomly split among all enemy minions. |
Goody Two-Shields | Scholomance Academy | Paladin | Divine ShieldSpellburst: Gain divine shield. |
Speaker Gidra | Scholomance Academy | Druid | Rush, WindfurySpellburst: Gain attach and health equal to the spell’s cost |
Cabal Acolyte | Scholomance Academy | Priest | TauntSpellburst: Gain control of a random enemy minion with 2 or less attack. |
Crimson Hothead | Scholomance Academy | Priest | Spellburst: Gain +1 attack and taunt. |
High Abbess Alura | Scholomance Academy | Paladin | Spellburst: Cast a spell from your deck (targets this if possible). |
Krolusk Barkstripper | Scholomance Academy | Hunter | Spellburst: Destroy a random enemy minion. |
Reaper’s Scythe | Scholomance Academy | Warrior | Spellburst: Also damages adjacent minions this turn. |
Shifty Sophomore | Scholomance Academy | Rogue | StealthSpellburst: Add a combo card to your hand. |
Wretched Tutor | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Spellburst: Deal 2 damage to all other minions. |
Headmaster Kel’Thuzad | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Spellburst: If the spell destroys any minions, summon them. |
Wyrm Weaver | Scholomance Academy | Mage | Spellburst: Summon two 1/3 Mana Wyrms. |
Forest Warden Omu | Scholomance Academy | Druid | Spellburst: Refresh your mana crystals. |
Onyx Magescribe | Scholomance Academy | Neutral | Spellburst: Add 2 random spells from your class to your hand. |
Common Questions about Spellburst
Does spellburst only work once?
Does spellburst only work once?
Yes, spellburst only works once. That’s what makes Pen Flinger an interesting card. Due to the “return to hand” effect, you can use the ability repeatedly throughout the game as long as you have spells to play.
Which Spellburst cards are seeing early use in successful decks?
Here is a list of the ten most played spellburst cards right now (September 2020):
Card Name | Most Played Class | Common Decks Played |
---|---|---|
Intrepid Initiate | Hunter | Face Hunter, Aggro Demon Hunter, Gibberling Druid |
Goody Two-Shields | Paladin (class card) | Libram Paladin |
Pen Flinger | Warlock | Zoo Warlock, Rogue (aggro decks) |
Firebrand | Mage (class card) | Small Spell Mage |
High Abbess Alura | Paladin (dual-class card) | Libram Paladin |
Cabal Acolyte | Priest (class card) | Galakrond Priest (any variety) |
Speaker Gidra | Druid (dual-class card) | Guardian Druid, Spell Damage Shaman |
Reaper’s Scythe | Warrior (class card) | Big Warrior, Pirate Warrior |
Crimson Hothead | Mage | Highlander Mage, Galakrond Dragon Priest |
Gibberling | Druid (class card) | Gibberling Druid |
Highlights for Some Spellburst Cards
Gibberling
Gibberling has spawned its very own eponymous deck: Gibberling Druid. Like other Savage Roar decks before it, Gibberling Druid floods the board with little minions, and then uses Savage Roar or other buffs as a finisher.
The difference here is that Gibberling Druid is its own self-contained small minion generating machine. Check out the opening game from Alliestrasza’s video:
Pen Flinger
Kibler used a Quest Shaman deck, powered in part by the numerous battlecries from Pen Flinger (as well as other value-driven battlecry minions).
Goody Two-Shields / High Abbess Alura
I’m including these two together because they both fit so well with the Libram Paladin deck that is sporting a pretty high win rate in the current Scholomance meta. Along with other Scholomance cards (looking at you Blessing of Authority who combos so well with Alura), the Paladin deck can hold its own against most other decks.
26-minute gameplay video from Ecore 100:
Cabal Acolyte
The current priest combo that everyone loves to hate is Cabal Acolyte + Wave of Apathy. This is a good example of timing rules with spellburst cards. Wave of Apathy full resolves before triggering the spellburst effect on Cabal Acolyte, which means that you have the opportunity to steal any of your opponent’s minions since they will all have 1 attack.
Note: As of September 3, Cabal Acolyte has been nerfed to have only 4 toughness instead of 6 (2/6 instead of 2/4)