Is the Return to Naxxramas Hearthstone Miniset worth buying?

The Hearthstone Return to Naxxramas Miniset has been out for a week now, and for those that are doubting buying it, today we will analyze its value. This is the first Miniset release after the arrival of the new Death Knight class, so let's go over the value the Miniset brings.

Hearthstone Minisets has been the same since their introduction in 2020, until now. The usual 35-card bundle released a month after each expansion to shake things up now contains 38 cards. The three extra cards correspond to the addition of the new Death Knight class.

The Hearthstone cards players can buy included in the Miniset have the following rarity distribution:

How much value is this? In terms of crafting the whole set, it's worth nearly 12,000 Arcane Dust. If you would like to get the cards in packs, that would take you around 70 packs, which means 7000 in-game gold. This happens because Legendary cards' drop rate is 1 every 20 packs on average.

However, Hearthstone players can buy Minisets in bundles for 2000 gold or 1500 Runestones (worth $15, depending on your region). This offer gives you the best value in terms of acquiring resources, especially if you compare it to the other options, only near to some special shop bundle offers. 

But is this enough to say that the Hearthstone Miniset is worth buying? Well, not yet.

Hearthstone Minisets' value highly depends on the legendary cards they include, and that is a key element to analyze if you want to buy them. In this case, the Legendaries are:

These legendaries account for 65% of the value of each Miniset. Their success is the set's success. Hearthstone meta hasn't settled after the Miniset release, so there isn't a concrete answer if these cards justify buying the Miniset. Despite this, some indicators can help you make up your mind.

To begin with, if we analyze popularity, Thaddius and Rivendare are in over 10% of decks in the Diamond to legend bracket. That is a significant representation! Some of this might be accounted for by people playtesting new combos, but numbers are still decent.

On top of these indicators, you should think about what those legendaries mean to you. Do you enjoy their playstyle and the decks that might be included? That would give you a reason to buy this Hearthstone Miniset independently of the actual powerlevel of the cards.

Despite not being legendary, the epic Mistake card, worth 800 Arcane Dust if you want to craft both copies of it, will see play in every tempo deck with tribal synergies. Remember that these cards will stay in standard for almost 14 months until the 2024 set rotation happens with the first expansion of that year.

This is the first time that Hearthstone allows players to buy the all-golden miniset version with Gold. The gold-to-dollar ratio implied in the Golden version is not as beneficial compared to the regular version, since the premium Miniset costs 10,000 Gold, or $70, against the 2,000 or $15. Blizzard is trying to incentivize players to spend money instead of gold for these premium cosmetic purchases.

I would only recommend buying the Golden Return to Naxxramas miniset version of Hearthstone whales. It is meant to be a cosmetic luxury and it does not bring anything special despite an extra Diamond copy of the Thaddius, Monstrosity Legendary minion.

So, we have thrown many "it depends" when trying to answer if the Hearthstone Miniset is worth buying. Let's go over some more clear guidelines. Resource-wise, buying the Miniset is a good move for almost any Hearthstone player. But there are some exceptions.

If you plan to buy the next Hearthstone expansion, then buying the Miniset makes complete sense. I would even recommend you buy it with money instead of gold so you save up for buying packs from the next expansion.

Free-to-play Hearthstone players should think about how much gold they have before they jump into this Miniset. If you have extra gold, you can consider buying it for 2000 gold coins. On the other hand, if your chests are empty, think if the legendaries apply to your decks before pushing the button.

Last case scenario, if you are a casual or returning player, I would recommend you hold your horses. Hearthstone Minisets aren't that impactful usually, so saving up for the next expansion might be your best move. Moreso considering that you will still be able to buy the Hearthstone Miniset later if their legendaries became staples in the game.

I hope this analysis helps you make up your mind if you were about to buy the Return to Naxxramas Hearthstone Miniset. As always, stay tuned to find out and check out more Hearthstone content. Be sure to visit Esports.gg for all the latest esports news.