Blizzard has announced that Hearthstone’s Year of the Hydra will begin on April 12, 2022, signaling the launch of its latest expansion, Voyage to the Sunken City.

This update will see the free core set increase to 250 cards, with 72 returning and adjusted cards rotating in, including classics such as Reno Jackson and Wild Pyromancer.

Alongside this are multiple quality-of-life and other improvements, such as being able to equip a random hero skin, in-game reporting, and an overall emphasis on client-performance improvements. That’s on top of our usual three-card sets and a mountain of planned new content for Battlegrounds, Mercenaries, and more.

To wrap things up:

• The Year of the Hydra will kick off when Voyage to the Sunken City launches on April 12 and set rotation takes place—sending Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy, and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire to Wild. 
• After set rotation, the Standard card pool will include Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley, Voyage to the Sunken City, and the Core set. 
• Updates for the Core set will go live alongside set rotation in a shakeup that rotates out 57 cards and brings in 72, for a new total of 250 total cards in Core—15 more than last year. These new additions are made up of returning cards, although some have been adjusted for the modern game.
• Cards of note returning to the Core set are the original League of Explorers: Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard, Elise Starseeker, and Sir Finley Mrrgglton. Other returning favorites include Voidwalker, Wild Pyromancer, Acolyte of Pain, Mossy Horror, Cloaked Huntress, and Fandral Staghelm. 

Related – Hearthstone Journey To The Sunken City Interview

We also get a good look at the planned roadmap for 2022, which will see Hearthstone make a lot of changes to keep the game fresh and sustainable.

For the full list of changes to the core set, you can check out the official Hearthstone website.