Hearthstone Basic Info Guide

Hearthstone Basic Info Guide by darhoth

The below is primarily based on information from the forums and wikis, and relies on posts from Blizzard staff where available.  Also, Angelcrest has been invaluable in providing feedback, corrections and ideas for this guide.  There are two parts to this guide:

I. Overview of the Game
II. Card Clarifications

I.  Overview of Game

Each player selects a Hero representing one of nine classes: Malfurion Stormrage (Druid), Rexxar (Hunter), Jaina Proudmoore (Mage),Uther Lightbringer (Paladin), Anduin Wrynn (Priest), Valeera Sanguinar (Rogue), Thrall (Shaman), Gul’dan (Warlock) and Garrosh Hellscream (Warrior).  Each Hero has a set of cards that are specific to them, in addition to a pool of cards that are available to all Heroes.  Each Hero also has a Hero ability that can be used at any time for 2 mana, but only once per turn.

Every card has a mana cost associated with playing it.  This mana cost is represented by the number in the blue crystal on the upper left of the card.  Players start with 0 mana and gain 1 mana at the beginning of their turn.  Players may only play cards from their hand into the battlefield during their turn, not on their opponent’s turn.

Each player’s Hero starts the game with 30 health.  The game ends when a Hero has 0 health.  A Hero may never have more than 30 health, regardless of any cards played.  Each player also starts with 30 cards exactly, no more or less.  A player cannot have more than 10 cards at any time.  When you have 10 cards in your hand, any new card drawn will go directly to the graveyard.

If a player runs out of their 30 card deck, the player adds 1 fatigue for every card the player attempts to draw until the game ends.  This is true even if you have 10 cards in your hand and cannot add another card, because you still take 1 fatigue for attempting to draw 1 card.  Fatigue cumulatively increases every time you attempt to draw a card.  For example, at the beginning of your turn you have 0 cards remaining to draw.  You attempt to draw a card, triggering 1 fatigue, which results in 1 damage.  The following turn you again attempt to draw a card, but have no cards to draw.  Your fatigue increases to 2, and you take 2 damage from fatigue for that turn.    If a player draws fatigue cards after dealing fata damage to an opponent and dies, the game ends in a draw.

The players flip a coin to start the game.  The winner of the coin toss goes first, drawing 3 cards.  That player can choose to draw replacements for up to 3 of those cards.  The originally drawn cards are then put back into the coin toss winner’s deck.   Once the coin toss winner sets their starting hand, the coin toss loser draws 4 cards.  The coin toss loser can choose to draw replacements for up to 4 of those cards.  The originally drawn cards are then put back into the coin toss loser’s deck.  The coin toss loser also gets an additional card called “The Coin,” which can be used by that player to generate 1 additional mana for 1 turn.  Once both players have set their hands and placed their discarded cards back into their respective decks, the game begins.  Each player has 90 seconds to complete their turn.

The coin toss winner starts first, adding 1 mana and drawing 1 card.  The coin toss winner then plays cards and any effects from those cards are resolved.  Once the coin toss winner finishes playing cards and taking any other actions (i.e. attacking with minions or their Hero – see below), their turn ends.  The coin toss loser takes their first turn, adding 1 mana and drawing 1 card.  Once the coin toss loser completes any actions and their turn, play returns to the coin toss winner.  This continues until one Hero reaches 0 health.

You can never have more than 10 mana crystals regardless of any card effects that add mana.

Types of Cards

There are three types of cards in Hearthstone: 1) minions, 2) equipment and 3) spells.  All cards that are not minions or equipment are spells.  This is true even though minions and weapons require mana (as all cards require mana).  Hero Abilities are also not spells.

Minions

Minions are creatures that can be summoned into play.  You can never have more than 7 minions in play at any one time.  Any minion summoned beyond 7 will fizzle and not enter the battlefield.

Each minion has a mana cost in the upper left, an attack value on the lower left (yellow background with a sword) and health on lower right (red background).  The attack is the amount of damage done by that minion if it attacks a target.  Minions are generally able to attack only once per turn and may not usually attack on the turn in which they are summoned.  The health is the max health of the minion.  When the minion’s health reaches zero, it is removed from play.  Damage done to minions does not heal between turns.  For example, if a 4/3 minion took 2 points of damage in turn 1, it would become a 4/1 minion for turn 2.  Minions with an attack value of 0 cannot perform an attack, including declaring an attack against any Hero or enemy minion.

Most minions also have card text that includes any specific effects of that minion.  These abilities are discussed below in the “card effects” section.

Equipment

Equipment cards give your Hero a weapon.  Equipment cards have a mana cost in the upper left.  Heroes cannot directly attack without a weapon or other card that gives the Hero attack (i.e. Bite).  Weapons have a mana cost in the upper left, an attack value in the lower left and a durability in the lower right.  The attack value is the amount of damage your Hero does if it attacks.  Each time the Hero attacks with the weapon, it loses 1 durability.  At 0 durability, the weapon is destroyed.  Your Hero can attack with the weapon the same turn it is created.  Heroes do not deal retaliation damage with a weapon as a defender if they are attacked.  The weapon is inactive on the enemy player’s turn.

Spells

All cards that are not minions or equipment are considered spells.  Spells have a mana cost in the upper left.  Spells requiring a target must have a valid target to be cast.  For example, a spell increasing a friendly minion’s stats by +1/+1 cannot be cast if you do not have any friendly minions on the battlefield.

Secrets are a subset of spells.  Unlike all other cards, secrets are put into the battlefield face down (represented by a question mark icon over the head of your Hero in Hearthstone).  These secrets have a triggering condition that once met, activates the secret.  Secrets may (and usually are) triggered on your opponent’s turn by an attack or other action taken by them.

Resolving Cards/Combat

Unlike other games, combat and spells are not resolved in phases.  Instead, each action taken by a player is immediately resolved and then the player can take further actions.  For example, if you want to attack with three minions, you attack with each minion one at a time, resolve that attack and then move to the next minion.  As the attacker, you usually choose the target.  Friendly minions/Heroes cannot attack other friendly minions (but a Hero may be able to use its Hero Ability on friendly minions).

Resolving actions one at a time is not limited to combat.  You can use card abilities, Hero abilities, play cards from your hand (at mana cost), attack with your minions and/or attack with your Hero in any order you prefer.  Your strategy may change during the course of a turn based on the results of random or other effects from cards.  For example, you could play a card, attack with a minion, attack with your Hero, and then play another card.

Card text effects are generally resolved in the order in which they are played, with card text effects already on the battlefield resolving before the card text effect of a card that is being played.  For example, if a Knife Juggler is in play and you play a Leeroy Jenkins, the 1 point of damage from the Knife Juggler will resolve before Leeroy Jenkins and his whelps enter the battlefield.  Therefore, the whelps cast for your opponent cannot be targeted by the Knife Juggler damage.

For resolving combat, the attack value of the attacking minion/Hero is subtracted from the health of the defender.  If the defender’s health is reduced to 0, the defender is destroyed.  At the same time, the defender’s attack value is subtracted from the health of the attacker.  This is known as retaliation damage.  If the attacker’s health is reduced to 0, the attacker is destroyed.  The same mechanic applies for direct damage spells or card abilities.  The damage of the spell or ability is subtracted from the target’s health.  However, the target does not deal retaliation damage back to the “caster” of the spell or ability.

Hero Abilities

Each Hero has a Hero Ability that can be used for 2 mana once per turn.  Hero Abilities may be used on enemy or friendly characters, unless otherwise stated on the Hero Ability (i.e. Rexxar is limited to enemy Hero).

• Malfurion Stormrage (Druid) – Gain 1 attack this turn and 1 armor.  The attack is temporary, while the armor is remains until used.
• Rexxar (Hunter) –  Deal 2 damage to enemy Hero.
• Jaina Proudmoore (Mage) – Deal 1 damage.
• Uther Lightbringer (Paladin) – Summon a Silver Hand Recruit.  Paladins cannot control where this minion comes into play, it is always to the right of the furthest right friendly minion on the battlefield.
• Anduin Wrynn (Priest) – Heal target minion or Hero for 2.
• Valeera Sanguinar (Rogue) – Equip a 1/2 Wicked Knife or give your weapon +1 attack this turn.
• Thrall (Shaman) – Randomly summons a Healing Totem, Stoneclaw Totem, Searing Totem or Wrath of Air Totem.  Always summons a random totem that is not already in play, regardless of whether that totem in play was originally summoned by the Hero Ability.  Shamans cannot control where their totem comes into play, it is always to the right of the furthest right friendly minion on the battlefield.
• Gul’dan (Warlock) – Lose 2 life and draw a card.
• Garrosh Hellscream (Warrior).  – Gain 2 armor.

Card Rarity

Cards have one of 5 rarities (from most common to most rare), indicated by the colored gem in the middle of the card:

• Starter (no gem)
• Common (white gem)
• Rare (blue gem)
• Epic (purple gem)
• Legendary (orange gem)

Your 30 card deck can include 2 of any one card, but only 1 of that card if it is a Legendary.

Specific Card Text Effects

The text of any card, as well as the Hero Abilities, indicate the effect of that card or power.  To understand how the impact of a card’s text, it is useful to understand some other terms used by Hearthstone to describe minions and the players:

• Enemy – other player’s hero or minions
• Your/friendly – your hero or minions
• Character – both Heroes and all minions
• Adjacent/next to – minions immediately to the left and right of the target, you can choose where to place your minion on the battlefield to maximize this effect.
• Damaged – current health is less than maximum health (shown as a red number in Hearthstone)

Unless otherwise indicated, the stated effect exists as long as the card is in play.

Most common effects:

• Armor – Absorbs any source of damage to the Hero until the armor is 0.  This includes damage from fatigue.
• Attack – The use of a Hero or minion to directly attack an enemy Hero or minion using the attack damage value on the weapon for a Hero or on the lower left of the card for a minion.  Hero Abilities and minion card text effects, as well as all spells, are not “attacks” even if they deal damage to the target.
• Battlecry – Triggered immediately when the card enters play from your hand and before any other effects (including resolving any enemy secrets).  Battlecries do not trigger for minions that are summoned by means other than playing a card from your hand.  For example, if a player plays a Faceless Manipulator that copies a Novice Engineer, the player does not get to draw a card from the newly summoned Novice Engineer’s Battlecry.  A minion cannot target itself with its own Battlecry.  A player cannot choose not to use a Battlecry.  If there is a valid target for the Battlecry, it must be used.  For example, if Ironbeak Owl is played and the enemy player has no minions on the field, but there is a friendly minion on the field, the Ironbeak Owl will (and must) silence the friendly minion.
• Charge – A minion with charge may attack the turn it is summoned.
• Choose One – The player chooses between the two listed effects (druid only).  Choose Ones are considered battlecries in terms of timing and resolving actions.
• Combo – The combo effect is triggered if the card is not the first card played by that player on their turn (rogue only).
• Deathrattle –Triggers when the minion is removed from the battlefield.  The player controlling the minion at the time of its removal receives the Deathrattle.
• Divine Shield – Absorbs the first source of damage taken by the minion.  The shield disappears after one use.  Cards that “destroys” a minion (i.e. [card]Siphon Soul[card]) are not absorbed by Divine Shield because such effects are not damage.
• End of Turn/Start of Turn – Effect triggers either at the very beginning or very end of a turn.  If multiple end of turn/start of turn effects are on the battlefield, they are resolved in the order in which they originally entered the battlefield.
• Enrage – Effect is triggered when the minion is below max health.  Effect remains until minion is restored to full health.  Effect can be re-triggered if minion is again damaged below max health.  Effect does not stack (i.e. taking 2 points of damage as a 1/3 only triggers the Enrage effect once, not twice).
• Freeze – Target is frozen for the casting player’s turn and the turn of their opponent.  Target unfreezes at end of opponent’s turn.  Target cannot attack while frozen (but will still deal damage as a defender if attacked).  Heroes can be frozen.  Frozen targets can still use their card text effects and Heroes can continue to use Hero Abilities.
• Heal X – Increase the current health of the target by X up to maximum health of target.  Heal is not affected by Spell Power.  If the target is already at max health, any effect conditioned on healing being done will not trigger.
• Overload (X) – The player using the card has X less mana available for their next turn (shaman only).  Overload does not trigger if the card is put into play through a card text effect or mechanic other than the playing of the card.  For example, a minion withOverload summoned by Alarm-o-Bot does not trigger the Overload effect.
• Play (a card) – The use of any card from a player’s hand to the battlefield, regardless of the type of card.
• Return to hand – Minion is returned to the owner’s hand and wiped of all buffs/debuffs, damage done and effects cast on it while it was on the battlefield.  It is as if the returned minion was drawn from your deck fresh.  For example, a minion that attacks withcharge that is returned to your hand from Youthful Brewmaster can attack a second time if it replayed again during the same turn.
• Secret – The effect is triggered once the stated conditions are met.   You may only have 1 of each secret in play at any given time, though you may have multiple, different secrets in play at the same time.  For example, you could have 1 Ice Barrier and 1Ice Block in play at the same time, but not 2 Ice Barriers.  If multiple Secrets are on the battlefield and triggered at the same time, they are resolved in the order in which they were cast on the battlefield originally.  In order for a Secret to be triggered, all conditions listed to trigger the Secret must be met.  For example, assume a minion attacks your Hero with both an Explosive Trap(played first) and a Misdirection in play.  The Explosive Trap will trigger first dealing 2 damage to all enemies.  If this results in the destruction of the attacking minion, then Misdirection never triggers (because the attacking minion no longer exists).  Secrets count as a spell at the time they are played.  They do not count again as a spell when they are triggered (and therefore do not trigger any spell-casting conditions, such as the card text effect of Gadgetzan Auctioneer).
• Silence – Remove all text and non-aura buffs from the target.  This removes all effects/abilities indicated by the text.  The interaction of silence and buffs can be complex.  Below is a post from Blizzard on the topic with examples:
  • Health in Hearthstone works much like it works in World of Warcraft.  Imagine a Priest running through Warsong Gulch with 1 Health remaining, only protected by the power of his Power Word: Fortitude. If a Shaman purges away the PW: Fortitude, the Priest’s maximum Health decreases, but his current Health isn’t affected.  He lives to carry the flag another day.  This is also true in Hearthstone. Silence removes buffs but doesn’t affect current Health, unless the new max Health is lower than the current Health.
  • Silence effects are technically not heals but can remove instances of damage. Let’s look at some in-game examples:
    • A 3/3 minion is buffed by Blessing of Kings (making it a 7/7).  5 damage is dealt to the minion.  The minion goes from a 7/7 to 7/2.  Silence is cast on it.  The minion becomes a 3/2.  Four of the instances of damage were removed along with the Blessing of Kings, and 1 instance of damage carried over to the minion.  If the silence was cast first, the minion would have become 3/3, and then died to the 5 damage done to it.
    • A 3/3 minion is buffed by Blessing of Kings, making it a 7/7.  1 damage is dealt to the minion, making it a 7/6.  Silence is then cast on it.  The minion goes from a 7/6 to a 3/3 with no damage on it. The one instance of damage was removed along with the Blessing of Kings.
    • This 3/3 minion we are picking on is buffed by a +1/+1 non-Aura effect (like Shattered Sun Cleric), turning it into a 4/4.  2 damage is dealt to the minion, becoming a 4/2.  Silence is then cast on it. The minion becomes a 3/2 with 1 damage on it.  One instance of damage was removed along with the +1/+1 buff, and one remains on the minion.
  • Aura effects do not remove instances of damage when they are removed, because Aura effects will still persist throughSilence unless the origin of the Aura buff is Silenced.
    • The enemy Stormwind Champion is buffing his Murloc Raider, making the Raider a 3/2.  Silence the Murloc Raider (ahh why would ever do that??). The Murloc Raider is still a 3/2 – the Aura is coming from the Champion, and Silencing the Raider won’t accomplish much.  After the terrible misplay, the player does 1 damage to the Murloc Raider, bringing him to a 3/1. Then, the Stormwind Champion dies, eliminating the +1/+1 buff on the Murloc. That instance of damage is not removed with the Aura and remains on the Murloc, who goes back to being a 2/1 (with one damage on him) and dies.

• Spell Power + X – The player using the card increases their spell power by X.  Spell power increases the base damage of all damage spells cast by that player.   Spell power affects secrets that deal damage (i.e. Explosive Trap).  Spell Power does not increase healing spells (it only increases base damage).  Spell power does not increase the opponent’s spell power.  Spell powerdoes not affect armor increases/decreases.  Cards are updated in real time to reflect the amount of Spell Power in play.  For example, +2 Spell Power would change the numbers displayed on a Mind Blast from “5 damage” to “7 damage.”  In this way, spell power is always applied before all other effects in the game.  Aoe spells have their base damage increased, and then applied to the targets.  For example, +2 Spell Power Arcane Explosion will do 3 damage to all enemy minions.  Remember, any card that is not a minion or equipment is a spell and is increased by spell power.  This includes, for example, Rogue cards like Headcrack.  If a minion that grants Spell Power is removed from the battlefield, the Spell Power of the player that controls that minion decreases by the same amount.
• Stealth – A minion with stealth cannot be specifically targeted by an enemy Hero, minion or spell, but the minion can be affected by aoe and random damage (damage that does not specifically target the minion itself, but instead is a general target).  A friendly minion in stealth can be targeted by the player who owns the minion.  A minion comes out of Stealth whenever that minion does damage through any means, including through card text effects.  For example, a Stealth Knife Juggler will be revealed the first time the Knife Juggler’s card text effect triggers and does 1 damage to a random enemy.
• Summon – Summon the stated minion into the battlefield.  This includes both playing a minion from your hand and summoning a minion from a card text effect.  Summoned minions must be placed to the right of your minions already on the battlefield.
• Taunt – Minions with taunt must be attacked before any other minions and the Hero of the player with the taunt minion.  Tauntdoes not apply to Hero abilities (but does apply to the Hero attacking with a weapon or Hero attack like Bite), card text effects or spells.  For example, if you attack with a 3/1 minion against a player with a taunt minion, you must first clear that minion before you can attack any other minion or the Hero.  However, if you cast a spell that does 3 damage, that spell can target the Hero or any minion, regardless of the taunt minion being on the battlefield.  A minion with both Stealth and Taunt does not actually Tauntuntil the Stealth is removed.  After all, a minion can’t both be hidden and demanding attention at the same time.
• Transform – Turns the target into the stated minion. The target loses all original text effects, including Divine Shield, Taunt,Stealth, etc.  For example, Hex turns the target into a 0/1 Frog minion with Taunt.  The effect is permanent.  If you return a transformed minion to your hand it returns as the minion it was transformed into (0/1 Frog with Taunt in the example of Hex), not the original minion prior to the transformation.
• Windfury – Minion can attack twice in one turn (as opposed to the normal one attack).
• +X/+Y – The effect increases/decreases the attack and health as indicated (X = attack, Y = health).  The interaction of these buff effects and Silence is complex, particularly for aoe buffs.  Generally, you should Silence away a buff before attacking an enemy minion to ensure maximum impact of the Silence.

II.  Card Clarifications

Below are specific card clarifications from Blizzard or otherwise recognized generally by the Hearthstone community:

• Animal Companion – Summons ones of the following random minions: Misha, Leokk or Huffer.  If you play a 2nd Animal Companion card, you will summon from the same 3 possible beasts (it is possible to therefore have 2 of the same Beast summoned, i.e. 2 Leokks).
• Ancestral Spirit – Because the minion first dies, Deathrattle effects will trigger before Ancestral Spirit applies.  The minion is returned to the field in its base form.  It is not affected by any buffs, debuffs etc.  However, if the minion has been transformed (i.e. into a Sheep by Polymorph), then minion is returned to the battlefield as the Sheep.
• Arcane Missiles – Spell power increases the number of missiles fired, not the damage of each missile.  For example, Spell power+ 1 would change Arcane Missiles to fire a 1 damage missile at a random enemy 4 times, instead of 3.  This applies the same way to any other random damage abilities (i.e. Avenging Wrath).  Each missile is resolved one at a time.  If a minion with 1 current health is targeted by the first missile, it will be sent to the graveyard.  The remaining missiles cannot target they newly destroyed minion.
• Auchenai Soulpriest – While Spell power does not affect healing spells, Spell Power would increase the base damage of any healing spells turned into damage spells when the Auchenai Soulpriest is on the battlefield.
• Avenging Wrath – Spell power increases the number of missiles fired, not the damage of each missile.  For example, Spell power+ 1 would change Avenging Wrath to fire a 1 damage missile at a random enemy 9 times, instead of 3.  This applies the same way to any other random damage spells (i.e. Arcane Missiles).  Each missile is resolved on at a time.  If a minion with 1 current health is targeted by the first missile, it will be sent to the graveyard.  The remaining missiles cannot target they now destroyed minion.
• Bane of Doom – The demons summonable from Bane of Doom are Blood Imp, Voidwalker, Flame Imp, Dread Infernal, Succubusand Felguard.
• Blade Flurry – Player’s Spell Power is added to the damage dealt.
• Blessing of Wisdom – If cast on an enemy minion, the player who cast Blessing of Wisdom gets to draw a card when that enemy minion attacks (not the owner of the minion).
• Counterspell – Only counters spells (yes this should be obvious from the name).  Does not counter minions, minion abilities, Hero Abilities or equipment cards.  Counterspelling a spell does not prevent that targeted spell from triggering a Rogue’s Combo effect for a 2nd card (because the first card is still considered “played” even if Counterspelled).  Overload works differently.  A Counterspelled spell with Overload never completes its cast, and Overload does not trigger.
• Crazed Alchemist – Applies buff based on the minion’s current stats and those stats become permanent.  For example, a 1/1 minion with +0/+3 buff (so now 1/4) becomes a 4/1 base stats once Crazed Alchemist is played.
• Divine Spirit – Buffs a minion’s current health and increases maximum health by the same amount.  For example, you have a 4/4 minion who has taken 1 point of damage, becoming now a 4/3 (with a max health of 4).  You cast Divine Spirit.  The effect doubles the minion’s current health to 6, a net increase of 3 current health.  The minion is now 4/6.  Divine Spirit also increases the minions’ maximum health by 3 for a total of 7 (original 4 + 3 from buff).  The final result is a 4/6 minion, with a maximum health of 7.  The minion could be healed to 4/7.
• Doomsayer – Effect triggers at beginning of turn before any other effects.  With Sylvanas Windrunner, the Doomsayer effect will trigger first, destroying all minions.  Because Sylvanas Windrunne will have no valid targets, her Deathrattle effect will fizzle.  Effect includes Doomsayer himself.  He destroys himself as part of all minions.
• Faceless Manipulator – Becomes an exact copy of the target card.  This includes base stats, buffs, debuffs, card text effects and minion type.  However, the new Faceless Manipulator copy minion is not considered to have come into your play from your hand (instead it was played from your hand and then was replaced with the summoned minion).  Therefore, if the targeted minion has aBattlecry effect, that effect will not trigger.
• Faerie Dragon/Laughing Sister – Cannot be targeted by spells and effects that specifically target a minion, friendly or enemy.  These minions are still able to be affected by secrets if they meet the correct requirement for activating it, such as Snipe.  Playing either of these minions (Faerie Dragon or Laughing Sister) while your opponent has a Snipe in play will result with these minions receiving 4 damage.  Spells that can randomly hit minions and aoe spells are not spells that target.  Therefore, these minions can be on the receiving end of these spells as well.
• Gelbin Mekkatorque – The inventions are Emboldener 3000, Homing Chicken, Poultryizer and Repair Bot.
• Gruul – Effect is triggered at end of your turn and your opponent’s turn.  For example, you play Gruul on your turn.  At the end of your turn, he becomes 8/8.  At the end of your opponent’s turn, he will become 9/9 and so forth until he is destroyed, silenced, transformed etc.
• Gurubashi Berserker – The stated effect is different than an Enrage.  The effect triggers whenever the Gurubashi Berserker takes damage.  Therefore, it can trigger multiple times and does not disappear if the Berserker is healed to full health (unlike Enrage, which only triggers once and can be removed if the Enraged minion is healed to full health).  Note however, that the playing of aCommanding Shout on a Gurubashi Berserker with 1 current health will prevent him from taking any damage that turn, and will therefore prevent any increase in his attack.
• Holy Wrath – The player must first select a target, and then draw a card and deal Holy Wrath’s damage to the target.
• Imp Master – Using Commanding Shout on the Imp Master will prevent her from going to 0 health, but Imp Master’s effect still triggers at the end of your turn.  For example, a 1/1 Imp Master with Commanding Shout, will still be a 1/1 Imp Master at the end of the turn and will still summon the 1/1 Imp.  Commanding Shout will prevent the Imp Master from going to 1/0 and being destroyed.
• Innervate – Can still be used if you have 10 mana.  However, unless mana is used prior to casting Innervate (and therefore having empty mana crystals), Innervate will fizzle.
• Lord Jaraxxus – While not indicated on the card, Jaraxxus comes into play with a 3/8 “weapon” (Blood Fury) and has a Hero ability to summon a 6/6 Infernal once per turn at the cost of 2 mana.  Jaraxxus is still a Demon even when it takes the place of your Hero.  He can be destroyed by Sacrificial Pact, in which case the warlock player will automatically lose.  However, Jaraxxus is not included in the list of Demons you can summon with Bane of Doom.  The Demons summonable from Bane of Doom are Blood Imp, Voidwalker, Flame Imp, Dread Infernal, Succubus and Felguard.  Jarraxus comes into a play as a minion, so you must have room on your battlefield for him (max of 7 minions).  As a minion played from your hand, Jaraxxus will first trigger any Secrets, resolve those Secrets and then become your Hero.  For example, if your opponent has a Repentance Secret in play, Lord Jarraxus will enter the battlefield, turn into a 3/1 minion and then become your Hero with 1 health.  Note: This is an exception of sorts to the general rule that Battlecry effects trigger before any effects from Secrets.  Once Jarraxus becomes your Hero, he is no longer a minion.  He cannot be targeted by minion only effects, including buff effects like Demonfire.  Jarraxus is a unique card in his mechanics and may be changed by Blizzard with more testing.  His exact mechanics are still subject to debate.
• Knife Juggler – Effect triggers whenever a minion comes into play on your side of the battlefield, even if the result of a card played by your opponent.  For example, the Whelps summoned by your opponent’s Leeroy Jenkins card will trigger the effect of your Knife Juggler twice.  However, if your opponent also had a Knife Juggler in play, Leeroy Jenkins himself would trigger the Knife Juggler effect once, but it would not trigger for your opponent for the two Whelps played on your side of the battlefield.
• Lorewalker Cho – If a player plays a secret, then the enemy player gets a copy of the secret.  The secret is still put into the battlefield unrevealed by the player who cast it, though the enemy player will obviously know which secret was played from Lorewalker Cho’s ability.
• Mind Control – The targeted minion is considered owned by the player of Mind Control.  Cards that bounce the minion back to the “owner’s” hand will put the Mind Controlled minion in the current owner’s hand.  For example, a Priest player casts Mind Control on a Ragnaros the Firelord.  The opposing Rogue player casts Sap on Ragnaros.  Ragnaros will return to the Priest’s hand.
• Mindgames – The random minion is selected from your opponent’s remaining cards that have not yet been drawn, not their entire deck.  If there are no minions left in your opponent’s deck a Shadow of Nothing is summoned.
• Misdirection – Cannot force a Hero to attack itself.  If no minions are in play and the opposing Hero attacks the player with Misdirection in play, Misdirection does not trigger.
• Molten Giant – The cost of Molten Giant is constantly updated based on the change in your Hero’s health.  Molten Giant’s cost will reflect your current health when you draw it before any other effect can trigger.
• Mountain Giant – The cost of Mountain Giant is constantly updated based on the number of other cards in your hand.  Mountain Giant’s cost will reflect the number of other cards in your hand when you draw it before any other effect can trigger.
• Nourish – The mana crystals gained are permanent, start out full and can be used right away.  The player will have 2 extra mana crystals for all remaining turns, but can still have no more than 10 total mana.  Can still be used if the player has 10 mana, but will give the player an Excess Mana card instead.   Excess Mana counts as a spell.
• Pint-Sized Summoner – The effect of two Pint-Sized Summoners stack.  The first minion you play each turn will cost 4 less mana with 2 Pint-Sized Summoners on the battlefield.
• Prophet Velen – Factors Spell power in before doubling damage of the spell because the spells automatically update based on the amount of spell power on your battlefield.
• Rampage – Effect is persistent even if the minion is no longer damaged.  Rampage only requires that the minion be damaged at the time Rampage is cast.  If the minion is healed to full health, the Rampage effect will remain on the minion.
• Raging Worgen – Once damaged, Raging Worgen can immediately use his Windfury 2nd attack the same turn.  For example, if Raging Worgen attacks a 1/1 minion, he will destroy it and become a 3/2.  His Enrage effect will trigger, giving him Windfury and allowing him to attack a 2nd time in that same turn.  He does not, however, get to attack 3 times (once for initial and 2 for additional for Windfury).
• Redemption – The minion is returned in its original form, but set to 1 health.  All buffs, debuffs etc. are removed and all card text effects are reapplied (like taunt, divine shield etc.).
• Scavenging Hyena – If your opponent aoes with enough damage to kill the Scavenging Hyena and other friendly minions, the Scavenging Hyena dies before receiving any buffs from the other dying friendly minions.  This is because all damage from the aoe is resolved first, before any other effects are triggered.
• Sea Giant – The cost of Sea Giant is constantly updated based on the number of other minions on the battlefield.  Sea Giant’s cost will reflect the number of other minions on the battlefield when you draw it before any other effect can trigger.
• Sense Demons – If a player has 1 or 0 demons remaining in their deck, the player is given a Worthless Imp card instead for each unavailable demon.  Worthless Imp is a 1/1 demon for 1 mana.
• Shadow Madness – If the target minion has a Deathrattle effect and that minion dies during the same turn, the player who cast Shadow Madness receives the Deathrattle effect.
• Snipe – If the targeted minion has a battlecry, the battlecry triggers before the damage from Snipe is applied.
• Sorcerer’s Apprentice – The effect of two Sorcerer’s Apprentices stacks.  Your spells will cost 2 mana less if you have 2 Sorcerer’s Apprentices in play.
• Spellbender – Does not trigger off of aoe effects because no spell was cast on “a minion,” but instead on the area.
• Swipe – Spell Power increases the specific target damage and the aoe damage separately.  For example, Spell Power + 1 would result in a Swipe dealing 5 damage to the specific target enemy and 2 damage to all other enemies.
• The Coin – Provided to the player who lost the coin toss.  The Coin is a spell and can trigger any spell conditions.  If the player already has 10 mana, the player is given an Excess Mana instead.  Excess Mana counts as a spell.
• Thoughtsteal – The cards that are copied and put into your hand are chosen randomly.  You cannot copy the same card twice, unless your opponent has 2 copies of that card in their deck of cards not yet drawn.  In which case, you could get 2 copies of the same card if you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to hit the same card twice.  Your opponent does not get to see the cards you copied.
• Vanish – Minions are returned to a player’s hand in the order in which they were played.  If the resulting total number of cards is greater than 10, the minions over 10 will be destroyed.
• Void Terror – Gains the current attack and health of the destroyed minions.  This includes the effect of any buffs or debuffs currently on the destroyed minion.  For example, if Void Terror destroys a 1/1 minion with a +3/+3 buff (now +4/+4), the Void Terror will gain +4/+4.
• Water Elemental – Freeze effect applies for retaliation damage as a defender immediately.  If the Water Elemental is attacked by a Windfury minion, the attacker will be immediately frozen and unable to attack a 2nd time in that same turn.
• Wild Growth – The mana crystal gained is permanent, but is empty and cannot be used on the same turn (unlike Nourish).  The player will have 1 extra mana crystal for all remaining turns, but can still have no more than 10 total mana.  Can still be used if the player has 10 mana, but will give the player an Excess Mana card instead.  Excess Mana counts as a spell.
• Ysera – The dream cards are Dream, Emerald Drake, Laughing Sister, Nightmare and Ysera Awakens.