Hearthstone Deadmines mini-set, is it worth buying?

Edwin VanCleef is making a glorious return to Hearthstone's standard format and this time around he is bringing the Defias crew with him in the latest mini-set named the Deadmines, which is a well-known hideout of these outlaws and a famous dungeon from World of Warcraft.

As with previous mini-sets, Deadmines builds upon its predecessor, United in Stormwind, by introducing more pirates and further refining the Tradable mechanic, which now has several new synergy cards.

The Deadmines set has quite a few strong common and rare cards, but those are not the reason to buy the whole mini-set, as you can easily get them from United in Stormwind packs (all mini-set cards are added into packs of their corresponding expansions). Rather, the value of the four legendary cards is what you should take into consideration.

And now with all cards being revealed, including the four legendaries, let's take a look at four cards of the highest rarity and conclude if they are worth paying 2000 golds or $14.99 USD.

Edwin, Defias Kingpin

Edwin is back and he wants vengeance! The new version of VanCleef looks like a combination of Gadgetzan Auctioneer and Questing Adventurer.

While he will definitely not be as monstrous and scary as his original version, this Edwin can act both as a value generator and as a huge threat on the board which must be dealt with.

Unfortunately, this Edwin seems rather slow for the current meta, dominated by the combo Questline decks, which are mostly archetypes with little to no interaction and can only be countered by fast and aggressive decks.

Cards like this thrive in midrange and control environments, and so, while definitely a powerful card in a vacuum, we don't see space for Edwin if the Stormwind meta doesn't change.

Goliath, Sneed's Masterpiece

There is one really exciting thing about this card, but unfortunately, that will not be its influence on the meta.

What we do love about Goliath, Sneed's Masterpiece is the fact that it introduces multi-targeting technology in Hearthstone. Before, these kinds of effects were usually random and not controlled by a player.

And while not particularly powerful (it's a slow card with a not-that-impactful effect in late game), Goliath might usher in a new era in Hearthstone, where we will get more cards that allow players to choose multiple targets. It will be a great card in Arena!

Cookie the Cook

At first glance, this might look like a new support card for the Murloc Shaman archetype, which never really became a thing, but this is actually a rather versatile tool that might find its place in a number of Shaman decks.

This is one of those unimaginative Legendary cards that look boring but offer a lot of value for a small price. Just compare it with the Demon Hunter's weapon, Aldrachi Warblades, and you will see how much more you get here.

We can see this card being played in almost any meta, so get ready to look at Cookie the Cook for another year and a half.

Mr. Smite

Finally, arguably the most important card of this mini-set in terms of its influence on the meta and one that has many players worried it might be broken.

Players are already getting PTSD as this card reminds them of the infamous Leeroy Jenkins which was one of the most ubiquitous finishers/burst cards in a number of decks throughout Hearthstone's history.

Mr. Smite is a strong burst card on its own, but it also comes with an aura effect that gives all your pirates Charge.

The Charge effect has been historically problematic because of its inherent non-interactivity, as players are often unable to react to it.

Mr. Smite will definitely be played not only in pirate decks, but also as a finisher on his own in various combo decks, and he is definitely a reason to buy this mini-set. We wouldn't be surprised if he gets nerfed a few weeks after the set's release.

Should you buy Hearthstone Deadmines mini-set?

So, now when we've seen and evaluated all the Legendary cards from the mini-set, there's only one question that remains to be answered: is this set worth buying?

While we think that the Deadmines mini-set is on the weaker side of the power spectrum, its Legendary cards are good enough on their own and well worth investing in the mini-set. Especially if you take into consideration that for 20 golds you can buy 20 regular packs, which will, on average, net you only 1 random Legendary card, and often not even a single Legendary.

If you are planning on playing Hearthstone's Standard format for the next 18 months, buying the mini-set is a no-brainer decision.

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Featured image courtesy of Blizzard