Hearthstone: The Best Neutral Cards Leaving Arena in 2019 - Part 1

Hearthstone is due for its next Standard cycle soon (usually April every year). It has been nearly 2 months since the release of Rastakhan's Rumble, Hearthstone's latest and last expansion of 2018. We covered the meta-defining cards that defined constructed. Arena also follows the Standard format and will rotate out cards from 2-year-old sets (Journey to Un'goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne and Kobolds & Catacombs).

Arena's game archetype is not quite like how Constructed is because of the deck drafting mechanic. For the longest time, Arena has favoured Paladin, Mage and Rogue because of the insane amounts of board clears and comeback mechanics these classes have. However, that has changed a lot over the past 2 years. We have seen the rise and fall of different classes. Blizzard has also tweaked the occurrence bonus once in a while to make sure this happens.

In Arena, there are neutral and even class cards that see close to no play at all in Constructed (some cards being so good they stand out in both game modes) but they shine in Arena, serving at very high powerful levels.

How are cards rated in Arena? One such service is Hearth Arena, which regularly updates the power level of cards through their tier list. So let's look at some of the most powerful and impactful cards in Arena that will be leaving the game mode in 2019.

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#5 Fire Fly

Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro

Fire Fly is by far, one of the best-designed cards in the game. Don't let this little guy fool you. A 1/2 on turn 1 is actually powerful and the fact that he adds a second 1/2 to your hand makes him really good. Along with Elemental synergy, it is a very versatile card to play in the 1-drop card slot. It has proven to be exceptional in Arena as well.

#4 Tar Creeper

Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro

Tar Creeper is another very versatile card that also saw a lot of play in constructed. The 3-drop slot is lacking in powerful taunts and this card is purely defensive. In Arena, you can spam your minions and hide it behind Tar Creeper. Your opponent will think twice before deciding to sacrifice his 1,2 or 3-drops into your Tar Creeper just to kill one minion. Board control is everything in Arena.

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#3 Bonemare

Expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne

Bonemare used to cost 7 mana when it released! Even when it was nerfed to 8 mana, it still proved to be exceptionally powerful. Bonemare allowed a player to gain a gigantic minion to attack as well as a well-statted minion to defend, in case you're losing the board. A 5/5 body with +4/+4 stat gains in Arena is still insanely powerful. The card is much better in Arena than it is in constructed (especially after the nerf).

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#2 Fire Plume Phoenix

Expansion: Journey to Un'Goro

Fire Plume Phoenix sees no play in Constructed. But in Arena, it proves to be a card that can really turn the game around for you. Board control really matters. If you can deal 2 damage and clear out your opponent's minion to give you an advantage, you can win the game. It is a great way to kill off your opponent's smaller minions or even their 3-drops / 4-drops.

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#1 Violet Wurm

Expansion: Kobolds & Catacombs

Violet Wurm is another card that sees close to no play in Constructed. It has seen some play in Recruit Hunter, but it turns out that King Krush and Witchwood Grizzly and other beasts are just a much better fit. An 8 mana 7/7 isn't all that great, but Violet Wurm's deathrattle is what makes it a very sticky and difficult to kill a minion.

If Violet Wurm is killed, it will spawn 7 1/1 minions (or less if you don't have the board space) which can be used to take down your opponent's minions or smash them in the face. Its stats are big enough to be a threat and its deathrattle is good enough for opponents to not want to kill it at all.

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The cards in this list are not even close to the power level of some other cards in these sets. We'll show you the best ones tomorrow!