Deceptively simple in design but epically engaging, Hearthstone will be instantly accessible to players regardless of their familiarity with Warcraft or collectible card games. Whether players prefer to wield magic or arms in battle, strike from the shadows or head on—or have never given any of that much thought—they’ll be able to jump right in, create a deck, and get in on the card-slinging action.

In addition to honing their skills in practice matches against the computer and taking on their buddies via their Battle.net friends list, players can challenge each other in two competitive game modes. “Play Mode” features traditional head-to-head battles, with players facing off for a chance to increase their medal ranking and earn card packs along the way. And for a different type of challenge, players can enter “The Forge,” where they start each match by building a deck from a new set of cards, and then use that deck to duel other Forge participants. Aside from winning new cards, players will be able to round out their collections by purchasing new card packs or disenchanting some of their existing cards to craft the ones they’re missing.

With hundreds of cards to choose from, featuring a wide range of colorful Warcraft spells, weapons, and characters, players will have limitless possibilities for developing and fine-tuning their deck-building strategies.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity awaits the intrepid scientists, engineers, and . . . test subjects of Azeroth in The Boomsday Project.

On August 7, the infamous Dr. Boom’s delightfully irresponsible experiments will be unleashed upon players in the form of 135 new cards and a slew of mischievous new gameplay mechanics.

Dr. Boomhas built a complex of hidden laboratories in the ever-churning Netherstorm, where he and his colorful crew of renegade researchers are hard at work on all manner of ill-advised scientific endeavors. Players will marvel at the discovery of nine new, immensely powerful Legendary Spells! They’ll be awestruck by Projects, spells with wondrous effects that appear to benefit both players—but appearances can be deceiving! And they’ll tremble before the terrible power of Omega cards, which give incredible rewards when played at 10 mana crystals!

Dr. Boom also has a well-documented affinity for bots and bombs, and he’s using The Boomsday Project as an opportunity to debut what might be his most mind-boggling Mech-related innovation yet: Magnetic attraction. Magnetic is a new keyword that allows players to merge Mech minions, combining their attack, health, and abilities to construct fearsome amalgamated automatons.

With so much R&D in the works, Dr. Boom and his staff are about to go into recruitment overdrive. In addition to testing Boom Bot fuses and piloting experimental sky golem prototypes, daring interns will also be responsible for solving puzzles in The Puzzle Lab—the challenging new single-player Hearthstone experience coming with The Boomsday Project. Dr. Boom and his staff are not yet accepting applications, but they will share more details about this exciting opportunity in the weeks ahead.

• NEW KEYWORD: MAGNETIC – Merge Mech minions with the Magnetic keyword, combining their attack, health, and abilities to construct truly fearsome amalgamated automatons.
• LEGENDARY SCIENTISTS & SPELLS – Dr. Boom has recruited Azeroth’s most eccentric scientists and inventors—each a Legendary minion in their own right—who have brought along their own crazy inventions: an awe-inspiring assortment of Legendary Spells.
• SCIENCE + TEAM WORK = PROJECTS – Projects are Spells that provide a bonus to both players when played. Those who build around the bonus most effectively will be able to edge out the competition.
• ΩMEGA – Omega cards offer powerful bonuses when played at 10 mana, rewarding players who hold out until they can harness their full power.

The Boomsday Project card packs will be winnable in Hearthstone’s Arena mode, and players can purchase them with in-game gold or real money at the same prices as Hearthstone’s other card packs. Starting today and up until the expansion is released, reckless qualified candidates can sign a stack of liability waivers and pre-purchase The Boomsday Project card packs in two different bundle options: the 50-pack bundle includes a free random golden class Legendary and the Mecha-Jaraxxus card back, while the 80-pack Mega Bundle also includes a free golden class Legendary and Mecha-Jaraxxus card back, as well as a new playable Warlock Hero—Mecha-Jaraxxus, Eredar Lord of the scientific community. These one-time-only bundles are available on any platform for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively, and can each be purchased once per account.

In The Boomsday Project’s single-player mode, The Puzzle Lab, players can earn Dr. Boom’s favor by solving over 100 different mind-boggling puzzles. Players will be have to wrestle with a variety of brain-teasers that’ll put their wits to the test, like Lethal puzzles, which challenge them to make a match-winning play with a specific board state, or Survival puzzles, which task them to stay alive against stacked odds with scant tools at their disposal. Bright researchers who survive the gauntlet will earn a one-on-one with Dr. Boom himself, at his personal workshop.

The Puzzle Lab opens on August 21.