Mean Streets of Gadgetzan revealed as Hearthstone's next expansion

With the opening of BlizzCon 2016 comes the announcement of Hearthstone's next expansion. Dubbed Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, players can expect to find more than 100 new cards in this expansion. However, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will bring with it some new mechanics that even Hearthstone veterans may be surprised to see.

Details on this new expansion are still relatively slim at the moment, but Blizzard has revealed some aspects of it. All nine of Hearthstone's classes will be split up into three different factions. Hunter, Paladin, and Warrior comprise the Grimy Goons; Mage, Priest, and Warlock will be the Kabal; and Druid, Rogue, and Shaman are the Jade Lotus.

Blizzard says that each of the three factions will have its own "special twist," but doesn't get more specific than that at this early stage. These factions also facilitate the introduction of multi-class cards. Whereas before cards in Hearthstone were either exclusive to one class or usable by all of them, some of the cards in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will be exclusive to three classes.

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan follows One Night in Karazhan, Hearthstone's latest single-player adventure. Karazhan was released back in August, and unlike expansions, adventures only add a handful of new cards to the game. The last full expansion for Hearthstone was Whispers of the Old Gods, which was released in April.

From here, Blizzard will likely slowly reveal new cards in the Gadgetzan before showing off the full set right before the expansion launches. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will launch in early December, but if you're feeling confident in Blizzard's ability to deliver, you can pre-order 50 packs now for $49.99.