Two new card backs were added in yesterday's patch and they're both ranked gameplay rewards for the last two months of 2020.

Autumn Leaf

  • This card back makes the most satisfying crunching sound if you step on it.

Valorous Virtue

  • Bad behavior will not be tolerated! Unless it's extremely amusing.

The most interesting part about card backs in Hearthstone is that there is sometimes a relationship between their themes and upcoming expansion content. If take a look back at this year and last, there were some card backs that shared themes of current or upcoming sets.

  • (April 2019) Card of Shadows - The Rise of Shadows expansion launched in the same month.
  • (December 2019) Hellfire Peninsula - Starting zone in WoW for Outland. This is related to the Ashes of Outland set that came out next.
  • (April 2020) Blushroom - An aesthetic that comes from another zone in Outland, Zangarmarsh. Ashes of Outland launched in the same month.
  • (August 2020) Scholomance - The Scholomance Academy set was celebrated with this card back.

Could this mean that Valorous Virtue has something to do with an upcoming set? Is it another predictive card back? Whether it is at the end of this year or the start of next remains to be determined, though if I was going to wager a bet, I'd guess next year since things are pointing to Darkmoon Faire arriving in December of this year.

If we want to look at World of Warcraft, the Klaxxi and Mantid come to mind. The Klaxxi are a faction that was introduced in Mists of Pandaria, the same expansion that gave World of Warcraft the Pandaren playable race and Monk class. The Mantid are an insectoid race native to Pandaria and descended from the Aqir, a race created by the Old Gods. I'm always a huge fan of Old Gods related themes, so if we're going to get involved with some Old Gods stuff in another Hearthstone set, sign me up now! There's a few key pieces on the card back's art that clue me into Mists of Pandaria.

  • The border feels very Pandaria. The blocky swirls are a part of the aesthetic.
  • The vibrant golden borders and organic bits on the swirl interior appear in Mantid architecture.
  • The top and bottom triangles on the Hearthstone emblem appear to be amber, a cornerstone of the Mantid.

The green backdrop of the card back initially threw me off, but I just wasn't remembering all the details of the Heart of the Fear raid from Mists of Pandaria. If we look inside, the Mantid have plenty of green accent within their seat of dominion.

Are we going to Pandaria? Could the Mantid and Klaxxi be a big part of an upcoming set? It could give Blizzard a solid opportunity to add another Brewmaster card into the game for that sweet Neutral bounceback.

Of course, this is all just a bit of fun speculation and there are plenty of other card backs that contain Warcraft-themed goodies that didn't predict an upcoming set, but what if this card back is one of those predictors? Honestly, I'm just happy to have some awesome bug-people represented!

Are you looking forward to obtaining either of these card backs? Which one is your favourite? Do you have any thoughts on possible upcoming expansion content?