History of Un'Goro Crater - Keeping up with the Tortollans

Journey to Un’Goro is Hearthstone’s fifth full expansion, and with it the trend of taking the fantastic world of Azeroth and expanding upon and playing with it continues. While familiar faces crop up, and familiar crops do too, we also see more of Hearthstone’s own interpretation of the world in the Tortollans.

Now, Turtles are nothing new to Hearthstone or Warcraft. One of the original Basic cards, likely featuring in many players’ first Inner Fire Priest or Beast Hunter decks and not much else is a great example – Oasis Snapjaw. Paladins also got their very own turtle in The Grand Tournament – well, technically it was a Tuskarr Jouster riding a turtle, but nobody played it outside of Arena anyway, so we’ll fudge that detail. Besides, look how happy he is just to be there! And of course, how could we forget the most powerful turtle of them all, Mal'Ganis?

One of these things is not like the others…

The Tortollans, however, are different. Professor Doyle’s notes on his preparation for the expedition to Un’Goro Crater make note of “an entirely new race of primitive crater-dwellers” that he hopes to be able to prove exist there, in addition to finding the mysterious Galvadon. They turned out to be pretty helpful too.

According to E. Malone’s journal, the Tortollans seem like some of the friendliest denizens of Un’Goro Crater, if a bit reclusive, forming not only a cohesive society with a single leader, but also a friendship with the Murloc tribe of the region led by Megafin. I imagine after travelling from the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan – and voting for Kazakus – they were pleased to find some less hostile locals. How the Tortollans came to be in Un’Goro Crater is somewhat of a mystery, but we have some clues to their origins in their name and some of their dialogue.

Tortolla and the Tortollans

Tortolla is an Ancient Guardian, one of many Wild Gods who protect Azeroth and its inhabitants. Several other Ancient Guardians have already made their way into Hearthstone, unsurprisingly all related to the Druid class – Cenarius, Malorne and Aviana. Cenarius is the most interesting of the three, as he is recorded as having a great many descendants, who take various forms – Hearthstone players might recognise Keeper of the Grove and even Magnataur Alpha as possible contenders. This lends credence to the idea that the Tortollans could be direct descendents of Tortolla, who have evolved over time – indeed, when Tortolla is encountered in World of Warcraft, one of the missions the player is tasked with is helping to rescue some of his young children, so we know he isn’t opposed to the idea.

Looking not bad for having been around so long, he’s even spiked up his shell

Alternatively, the Tortollans could simply view Tortolla as the godlike figure that he would be to them, being the patron ancient of all creatures that move between land and sea. Tortollan Shellraiser, on being played, says “Tortolla, preserve us!”, which sounds pretty worshippy, especially coming from a Priest minion.

Whatever the case, the various powers the Tortollans display support their connection to a Wild God – just as Cenarius obtained his command over nature from his father Malorne, the Tortollans have obtained a wide variety of Druidic powers, along with some more general magic abilities, from whatever connection they have to Tortolla; be it direct descendance or determined devotion.

Tortollan Tactics

The Tortollans seem to be a very insular tribe at heart – they’re helpful, but guarded all the same, and it shows in their card design. They gave us three very powerful Taunt cards this expansion – the previously mentioned Tortollan Shellraiser for Priest; the powerful Paladin buff Spikeridged Steed features a Tortollan who tamed the Stegodon; and the surprise hit Stonehill Defender, who for some reason has Tirion Fordring’s number. They also gave the less memorable Shellshifter, who embodies both their defensiveness and their offensiveness with her dual Taunt and Stealth forms.

Their magical prowess, beyond the druid shapeshifting ability, is apparent in Tortollan Primalist, the best card in the set hands down – though he prefers his hands up – and in the leader of the group, Spiritsinger Umbra. Umbra was the one to lead Doyle and Malone safely through Un'Goro, even going so far as to send a Pterrordax to save them from an erupting volcano – which, admittedly, she led them to in the first place. While her Deathrattle activating abilities haven’t proven too useful in this set, with the amount of knowledge she seems to have I’m sure she’s just biding her time.

Powerful magic or sideffects of toxic waste exposure? Splinter won’t say.

We even know what the Tortollans like to eat; or at least, one particular thing they like. Eggs. While the Tortollan Forager seems content to accidentally stumble upon some eggs and pretend they’re berries, the Eggnapper has no such qualms – he just wants an omelette. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) neither of them seems particularly good at getting the eggs before they hatch, or before the mother comes looking for them. Not sure how Deathwing laid that nice pink egg, but you can be sure he’ll be having words with the Forager about it.

Shelling Out

So now that you know the rich history of our new turtle friends, it’s time to get to using them.

If you’re looking for something competitive, why not try out one of the Paladin decks below? All three of them make great use of two copies of Stonehill Defender, easily one of the best cards for Paladin due to the fact that they have three great legendary minions with Taunt – Tirion Fordring, Sunkeeper Tarim and Wickerflame Burnbristle. They also all have at least one copy of Spikeridged Steed – apparently tamed Stegodons make for great companions.

If you’re looking for something a bit more out there, one of the lesser used Quest decks might be more up your alley. Quest Druid - that's Jungle Giants - often finds a home for Tortollan Forager and Shellshifter, and you could even throw in some Tortollan Primalists if you’re looking for some fun. A Quest Priest looking to Awaken the Makers almost always includes Tortollan Shellraiser as a great combination of Deathrattle and defensive minion. If you’re looking to try something different with it, Spiritsinger Umbra could also be a great addition. I wouldn’t recommend Eggnapper, but it’s an option if you’re desperate.