Gnome art

A gnomish inventor working on some mind control technology

Gnomes are a diminutive race of humanoids, known for their remarkable intellect, their engineering and mechanical prowess, and their impressive if unpredictable inventions. In Hearthstone they are best known for bringing powerful and often hard to control effects to the board, with a particular penchant for summoning and transforming minions.

The gnomes and their inventions are featured in Hearthstone's first expansion, Goblins vs Gnomes.

Lore[edit | edit source]

This section uses content from the Warcraft Wiki.

"The clever, spunky, and oftentimes eccentric gnomes present a unique paradox among the civilized races of Azeroth. Brilliant inventors with an irrepressibly cheerful disposition, this race has suffered treachery, displacement, and near-genocide. It is their remarkable optimism in the face of such calamity that symbolizes the truly unshakable spirit of the gnomes."

- World of Warcraft introduction

The ingenious gnomes, masters of technology and the former denizens of Gnomeregan, are a race of diminutive humanoids who spent years in exile in Tinker Town in the dwarven capital of Ironforge before launching a partially-successful recapture of Gnomeregan. Their main base of operations is now New Tinkertown.

Gnomes are a diminutive, wiry race of tinkers who live underground. In the Second War, they built gadgets and vehicles, such as submarines and flying machines, for the Alliance to combat the Horde. They are great mechanics and inventors, renowned for their knowledge and eccentric natures. The gnomes had a city, Gnomeregan, built into Ironforge Mountain, but invading troggs destroyed it and slaughtered its citizens. Many survivors now live with the Ironforge dwarves, a few traveling with their dwarven friends to Kalimdor. The gnomes are still reeling from the destruction of their home city and are loath to leave the safety of the dwarven tunnels.

In Hearthstone[edit | edit source]

What Gnomes do, they do FOR SCIENCE! While Gnomish inventions are less likely to leave smoking craters, they are significantly more likely to turn innocent bystanders into poultry. In fact, it seems like a lot of Gnomish engineering is a combination of the wackiest technology imaginable and a hefty dose of ‘turning-things-into-other-things probably-by-accident.’ Odds are, rather than blowing something up, a Gnomish invention will usually just leave the unfortunate target wishing they’d been blown up.^[1]

Gnomes are at the heart of the first Hearthstone expansion Goblins vs Gnomes, where they represent the Alliance. They are contrasted with the explosive and volatile goblins, with the gnomes tending toward more mechanical and clockwork constructions. They are also somewhat more lawful and less chaotic than the goblins, although they still have their share of accidents. While malfunctions (and indeed correct functioning) in goblin technology tend to result in fiery explosions, gnomish technology is more likely to transform the target into a Chicken or other critter.