Blizzard recently announced that Magni Bronzebeard would be a new hero “skin” for the Warrior class in Hearthstone, and it got me thinking about all the other Warcraft characters that we haven’t seen yet. Warcraft is such a rich universe with plenty of interesting characters, so it’s no surprise that Blizzard hasn’t managed to incorporate them all in such a short amount of time. But, just for fun, I thought I’d list off some notable absences and speculate about their future in Hearthstone.

Arthas Menethil/The Lich King has been pegged as the go-to character for the Death Knight class, and to me that is still a safe bet. Arthas is one of the most memorable characters from both Warcraft III and World of Warcraft so there’s no way he won’t appear in Hearthstone. Making him a new hero class just makes sense when you consider his role as the undead “king,” and I cannot wait to see what Blizzard does with him.

Vindicator Maraad has already graced Hearthstone with an excellent card back released earlier this year, but obviously that’s not enough for such a prominent Alliance character. I’d say he’s a potential contender for a skin that replaces Uther in the Paladin class, but on the other hand he could just as easily be a Paladin legendary. He could even gain stats every time a friendly minion dies or have his cost reduced in-hand when a friendly minion dies to play off some of his lore.

Lor’themar Theron is a shoe-in for a Warrior class legendary, the only question is how he would be implemented. Perhaps with a built in Execute Battlecry to simulate how the blood elves overthrew Kael’Thas. Lor'themar is the character that I know the least about on this list, admittedly, but since he's the leader of the blood elves I think he'll definitely have a future in Hearthstone.

Chen Stormstout is another character that players think will become a class in Hearthstone, specifically the Monk class. I see no problem with this happening, potentially in a patch alongside the Death Knight class to really throw a wrench in the meta, but I think Chen also has potential as a legendary. If you think about it, the ogres and murlocs already have their own legendaries, so why not the pandarens?

Varian Wrynn was my pick for an Alliance-themed Warrior reskin back when the idea was just a fan theory floating in the back of some players’ minds. But since Magni Bronzebeard has stolen that “job” then Varian could also work as a Paladin legendary. Maybe he could be the Paladin’s version of Jaraxxus or Majordomo Executus, with a new hero power and a Shalamayne weapon when he’s played or dies.

Kael’Thas Sunstrider could be a replacement for Jaina as a Mage due to his obsession with magic, but Blizzard's "new Mage hero" teaser looks nothing like Kael. If he’s going to be a card instead it would be interesting to see if Blizzard decides to focus on his Flame Strike attack from Warcraft III or his ability to summon a Phoenix. I could see the Flame Strike being mimicked in a way that’s similar to Foe Reaper 4000, but that’s too much redundancy. The Phoenix focus could create another minion "partner" creature where Kael’Thas summons a lower attack Phoenix as his own Battlecry. If you want to go really far with it the Phoenix could have a Deathrattle that it’s added to your hand or summoned back to the field at the end of the turn while Kael is still on the board.

Tyrande Whisperwind is probably the most flexible of the characters on this list, given her affiliations in the Warcraft universe. She could replace Anduin as the Priest character due to her healing abilities in World of Warcraft and Heroes of the Storm, but she could also be a Priest legendary because she is a “Priestess of the Moon.” I would have thought this was a stretch before Goblins vs. Gnomes, but since Vol’jin is a Priest legendary I guess anything is possible. However, Tyrande could also be a class legendary for Druids, due to her relationship with Malfurion and because Druids are essentially the “night elf class.”

Muradin Bronzebeard could work really well as a neutral legendary with some sort of ability that mimics his Avatar state from Warcraft III. Perhaps he could have the “elusive” effect that cards like Faeire Dragon have so that he can’t be targeted by spells or hero powers. I think that would certainly be an interesting new addition to the neutral legendaries and possibly make him a pick for an anti-spell style deck alongside cards like Loatheb.

Kil’jaeden’s impact on the Warcraft universe cannot be ignored, so there’s no doubt he’ll be introduced eventually. He’d probably work best as a neutral legendary so that he can splash into several decks that would fit under his sphere of influence, such as the Warlock, Warrior, and the not-yet-released Death Knight class.

Mannoroth is sort of in the Warlock class already with the Pit Lord card, but there’s no reason he can’t be a legendary too. I see him being the Warlock equivalent of Cenarius, which would both be a fitting tribute to his role in the games and a cute reference to Mannoroth’s blood leading to Cenarius’ fall in Warcraft 3. Summoning two blood thirsty orc minions or giving all friendly minions on the board a buff seems very much in line with Mannoroth, though it has to be one or the other since the “choose one” mechanic is owned by the Druid class. Mannoroth would also need to have seven or less health due to his endless susceptibility to Gorehowl in Warcraft lore.

One of my favorite things about card games is how they can constantly update and improve at the drop of a hat. Hearthstone is especially unique in this regard because card updates can occur on the fly without any messy ban lists or errata that may confuse players, and the possibilities for new cards are endless thanks to the digital-only format. Pair this with the numerous unique characters that Warcraft has to offer and you have a recipe for exciting new cards and abilities as Hearthstone moves forward. I can’t wait to see what the next expansion brings us.