New Hearthstone expansion leaks ahead of official announcement

It is almost time for a summer Hearthstone expansion, which is usually revealed around early July and released sometime in August or early September.

This evening, official Hearthstone Twitter account posted a short teaser video, letting us know that a new expansion will probably be revealed tomorrow.

As you can see above, the teaser contains a set of cards with a new cardback, pouring with some kind of dark purple magic(Warlocks, Necromancers?), on a wooden desk with carvings, which reminds us of a school desk.

And, according to several leaked images, the theme of the expansion will indeed be connected with school and necromancy.

According to a leaked Italian logo below, the name of this expansion is "Scholomance Academy".

In World of Warcraft, the Scholomance is a vile academy for prospective necromancers of the Scourge. It is located in the ruins of the palatial House of Barov, on a rise overlooking the abandoned city of Caer Darrow.

It is a school of necromancy founded by Kel'thuzad and his Cult of the Damned, to train Kel'thuzad's mortal agents so he could release the plague of undeath upon Lordaeron.

Reddit user Imicekczech provided visual evidence that it probably is something related to Scholomance, by comparing official teasers with a location within Scholomance.

Scholomance compared with expansion teasers (Picture: Blizzard/Imicekczech)

For now, the only reason people think that it might not be Scholomance-themed expansion, is because nothing grows inside it, it is completely dead, everything is withered and rotting, but the cardback introduced in the teaser video contains a lot of grass and flowers, which contradicts that.

Read more: Hearthstone 17.6 balance patch hits Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, Galakrond Rogue, and several Demon Hunter cards

Nonetheless, the Hearthstone team is known for doing their own twists and "what if" changes to the established lore of Warcraft, so this might be something like that as well.

Finally, there is a Chinese leak as well, which adds the most info about the expansion and some new things we can expect from it.

Reddit user Jotarun provided a rough translation from Chinese to English.

• The new expansion is about [Scholomance] launch on 4th August PT:

  • Prepurchase: Kel'thuzad hero portrait /card back

  • Naxx Card Back will be back for purchase with 500 gold or 18RMB(~2.5$)

  • 2 free epic cards (login prize): Transferred Student(probably the name of a new card)

  • Amazing LP video

• Battleground:

  • New Hero: Tess Greymane - Hero Power: ? mana, refresh tavern, minions will be the minions of your last opponent.

  • Returning Hero: Brann Bronzebeard

     - hero power: 1 mana, refresh tavern and all minions will be minions with battlecry
    

  • Returning Hero: Mukla

     - hero power: 1 mana, get 2 bananas, everyone else will get 1 banana at the end of your turn.
    

  • New minion: Mega Amalgam(?) Tier 6

     - Adapt for each different type minion you own

All things considered, leaks will probably turn out to be true tomorrow when Blizzard officially reveals the latest expansion. Scholomance is a dark place, but Team 5 will probably make it wacky and silly, as they usually do, and we can probably expect some kind of a "School of Magic" expansion, probably in the spirit of "whimsical Azeroth's Hogwarts".

Official Scholomance History

The Scholomance is housed within a series of crypts that lie beneath the ruined keep of Caer Darrow. Once owned by the noble Barov family, Caer Darrow fell to ruin following the Second War.

As the wizard Kel'thuzad enlisted followers for his Cult of the Damned he would often promise immortality in exchange for serving his Lich King.

The Barov family fell to Kel'thuzad's charismatic influence and donated the keep and its crypts to the Scourge.

Scholomance is WoW (Picture: Blizzard)

The cultists then killed the Barovs and turned the ancient crypts into a school for necromancy known as the Scholomance.

Though Kel'thuzad no longer resides in the crypts, devoted cultists and instructors still remain. The powerful lich, Ras Frostwhisper, rules over the site and guards it in the Scourge's name - while the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as the school's insidious headmaster.