How to use the Quickdraw keyword in Hearthstone

One of the new keywords in the newest Hearthstone expansion, Showdown in the Badlands, is Quickdraw, and it works by giving cards an extra effect if they’re played on the same turn as they enter a player’s hand. So you’re aiming to be quick on the draw — quite literally — when playing those cards.

The most likely way players will activate Quickdraw is by drawing cards that have that keyword from their decks. But “entering a player’s hand” doesn’t mean just drawing them: Quickdraw will also be active and usable when cards enter your hand from other places, such as being bounced back from the board.

In addition, cards that are created directly in your hand — whether its from other cards’ effects, from your own Discover results, or anything else — will also allow Quickdraw to activate on the turn they’re created. So whenever you’re Discovering a new card, be mindful if that card has Quickdraw (and if you have the mana to play it, of course) for that extra boost.

To give you some examples of what to expect from how Quickdraw can really enhance otherwise ordinary cards when activated, here are some of the most interesting (and possibly powerful) cards with Quickdraw we’ve seen so far:

• The Paladin Holy spell Lay Down the Law, which costs 2 mana, has Tradeable, and reads: “Set a minion’s Attack and Health to 1.”
  • But it’s Quickdraw effect is: “Then deal 1 damage to it.” That essentially turns it into a much more aggressive spell that will destroy most minions it targets, rather than just pacifying them.
• The Priest minion Benevolent Banker, which costs 3 mana, has 2/4 stats, and reads: “Battlecry: Discover a spell from your deck.”
  • Its Quickdraw effect reads: “Enemy deck instead.” So rather than seeking a specific spell you need from your own deck, you’re stealing a spell directly from your opponent’s deck!
  • That completely changes the effect of the card, but the interesting part is that there will be moments when you might prefer the regular, non-Quickdraw effect, and wait a turn before playing this card.
• The Shaman spell Dehydrate, which costs 3 mana and reads “Lifesteal. Deal 4 damage to a minion. Quickdraw: Costs (1).”
  • This is a more straightforward enhancement to the card — a simple mana discount. But the difference between getting this effect for 3 mana and 1 mana is enormous: it goes from an “okay” spell if played normally to a powerful spell if played with the discount from its Quickdraw.
  • Which makes this a prime example of a card that players will really want to pick from their Discover effects when possible: whenever you see this on the Discover pool of options, you’re essentially getting the much more powerful 1-mana version (assuming you have at least 1 mana left to play it instantly).

Quickdraw is interesting enough that we could see it even becoming an evergreen keyword in the future, assuming it’s successful. We can’t wait to try it in our games.

The Quickdraw keyword goes live with the Showdown in the Badlands expansion, launching November 14!