We encounter cycles in almost every facet of everyday life.

The Krebs cycle is the vital process behind cellular respiration, which keeps you alive and reading at this very moment. The water cycle constantly moves H2O through all the phases of matter, renewing it along the way.

In trading card games like World of Warcraft, cycles also hold a special place. A card cycle occurs when a group of mechanically related cards are printed in the same set or across multiple sets. The cards themselves do similar things, except for one element that varies from card to card.

The Heroes of Azeroth set introduced a cycle of quests that can find cards of a specific type from your deck: Kibler¡¯s Exotic Pets for allies, Zapped Giants for abilities, and Big Game Hunter for equipment. Through the Dark Portal completed the cycle by introducing The Scourge Cauldrons¡ªa quest that can find more quests!

What similarities stitch this cycle together? The cost of 2 to complete these quests is a crucial element, giving you the possibility of a better deal than the benchmark quest Your Fortune Awaits You. Not only can you find the card type that you want at a given moment, but you can also pay less for it than a regular random draw.

The catch? A card of that specific type has to come up within the top few cards of your deck, or you¡¯re out of luck¡ª¡°a swing and a miss,¡± as they say in baseball.

The following preview cards are two sides of the same coin. They can trace their lineage back to the aforementioned quests, yet they complete a cycle all by themselves: