Game format


Info

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Game formats present distinct ways to play Hearthstone The Hearthstone icon Hearthstone (formerly known as Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft 1] 2]) is a free-to-play digital collectible card game from Blizzard Entertainment. It was first announced in a presentation by Rob Pardo at the hearthstone . There are two main game formats: Standard Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to featureSpecial attraction a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards hearthstone and Wild Wild format or Wild is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Standard format. Wild format appears in game modes in which players are allowed to play decks without the deck restrictions of hearthstone . Other game formats present themselves in tournaments Tournaments in Hearthstone are comprised of official Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments and unofficial non-Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments. Contents 1 Competitive formats 1.1 Conquest 1.2 Last Hero Standing 2 Official tournaments 2.1 Hearthstone Championship Tour 2.2 Hearthstone Collegiate National Championship hearthstone as tournament formats Tournaments in Hearthstone are comprised of official Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments and unofficial non-Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments. Contents 1 Competitive formats 1.1 Conquest 1.2 Last Hero Standing 2 Official tournaments 2.1 Hearthstone Championship Tour 2.2 Hearthstone Collegiate National Championship hearthstone (e.g. Conquest Tournaments in Hearthstone are comprised of official Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments and unofficial non-Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments. Contents 1 Competitive formats 1.1 Conquest 1.2 Last Hero Standing 2 Official tournaments 2.1 Hearthstone Championship Tour 2.2 Hearthstone Collegiate National Championship hearthstone , Last Hero Standing Tournaments in Hearthstone are comprised of official Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments and unofficial non-Blizzard-sanctioned tournaments. Contents 1 Competitive formats 1.1 Conquest 1.2 Last Hero Standing 2 Official tournaments 2.1 Hearthstone Championship Tour 2.2 Hearthstone Collegiate National Championship hearthstone , Sealed Deck, Pauper, etc.).

Standard format only allows using cards from the last two years, as well as from the Basic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone and Classic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone sets, whereas Wild format allows players to use cards from any card set.

Game formats are available in both Ranked The 25 numbered ranks in Ranked play. Ranked (also known as Ranked Play) is the serious side of Play mode, with players able to earn special ranks to reflect their prowess in battle this season. hearthstone and Casual Preparing for battle in Ranked play mode, in Standard format Play mode is a game mode that matches players against other human players of similar skill. Players can choose to play Casual friendly games, or hearthstone Play mode Preparing for battle in Ranked play mode, in Standard format Play mode is a game mode that matches players against other human players of similar skill. Players can choose to play Casual friendly games, or hearthstone matches, as well as Friendly Challenges The Friendly screen Friendly Challenge, also known as Friendly Play, is a game mode in which players can battle against other players on their friends list in private unranked matches, often referred to as duels. hearthstone . Wild is the default game format, and is the effective game format in all other game modes, including Adventures and Tavern Brawls The Tavern Brawl interface Tavern Brawl is one of Hearthstone s lighter game modes. A weekly event, a new Tavern Brawl begins each Wednesday (Thursday in Asian regions), ending the following Monday. Outside of these times, hearthstone , although Standard format is occasionally used for specific Brawls.

Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with the limited pool of cards allowing greater design space and a more dynamically shifting meta "The metagame is the mix of different decks that players bring onto the ladder, that you can expect to see. If you know what decks players are bringing, your deck can be especially good against , as well as more balanced play. Standard is the intended format for new players, and is also used for all official tournaments. In contrast, Wild format provides an unrestricted environment where players can combine the full range of Hearthstone cards, resulting in an experience that is a little less balanced but also at a slightly higher power level. Wild format is only unlocked for new players once they have unlocked all 9 classes and then opened Crafting menu and crafted a Wild only card (even if undone immediately).

Cards from non-Standard sets are not available in Standard format matches, and during Standard matches, random Yogg-Saron, arguably the most random card ever released Random effects are effects which include some degree of randomness or RNG (random number generation). Random effects introduce an element of chance into Hearthstone. They can be hearthstone effects such as Murloc Knight Murloc Knight Set: The Grand Tournament Type: Minion Subtype: Murloc Class: Paladin Rarity: Common Cost: 4 Attack: 3 Health: 4 Abilities: Inspire, Summon Tags: Hero Power-related, Murloc-generating, Random Inspire: Summon a random Murloc.Hee hee! Look hearthstone , Summoning Stone Summoning Stone Set: The League of Explorers Type: Minion Rarity: Rare Cost: 5 Attack: 0 Health: 6 Abilities: Summon Tags: Cost-related, Random, Spell-related, Triggered effect Whenever you cast a spell, summon a random minion of hearthstone or Discover Discover in action Discover is an ability that allows the player to choose from three different pseudo-randomly selected cards, with the chosen option generated and added to their hand. Some Discover effects offer random Hero hearthstone will only select from current Standard options. Standard format is updated annually when the first new expansion of the year is released, marking the start of the "Standard year". The arrival of Standard format in 2016 saw Curse of Naxxramas "Whispers of an ancient tomb… holding horrors in every room. Ghastly ghouls, poisons galore… but in the shadows lurks something more. Knights of death and abominations… cleaving your bits for new creations. And if by hearthstone and Goblins vs Gnomes "Goblins and gnomes… goblins and gnomes! Both are super-brilliant - but you would never know! Everything they seem to make is faulty or explodes… Perfecting imperfection - goblins and gnomes!" Wild format Goblins vs Gnomes hearthstone moved to Wild format, making cards from those sets unavailable in Standard format play.

Game formats also affect the availability of adventures Choosing an adventure Game formats Each Standard year, any adventures released prior to the previous calendar year are marked as Wild format. The adventures are removed from the Shop, and players will be unable to hearthstone and card packs Card pack concept art Card packs are items that players can open to acquire cards for filling a player s collection. Only card packs for the current Standard format sets are available for purchase in the hearthstone , as well as crafting Crafting mode, in Standard format mode The crafting system is an element of Hearthstone that allows players to directly create new cards. It can be accessed through the My Collection screen. Crafting consumes Arcane Dust hearthstone and disenchanting Crafting mode, in Standard format mode The crafting system is an element of Hearthstone that allows players to directly create new cards. It can be accessed through the My Collection screen. Crafting consumes Arcane Dust hearthstone of cards from adventures. When an expansion Expansions are major card set additions to the game of Hearthstone. Expansions introduce large amounts of cards into the game, in contrast to adventures, 1] with expansions featuring around 130-145 new cards and adventures only hearthstone moves from Standard to Wild format, its card packs will no longer be available from the Shop The Goblins vs Gnomes tab of the Cards pane The Adventure pane The Heroes pane The Shop is the in-game facility for purchasing new card packs and wings of adventures. Purchases may be made in hearthstone , and its cards and card packs will no longer be granted as rewards. Wild adventures are not available for purchase through the Shop The Goblins vs Gnomes tab of the Cards pane The Adventure pane The Heroes pane The Shop is the in-game facility for purchasing new card packs and wings of adventures. Purchases may be made in hearthstone , although players who have already unlocked at least one wing of a Wild adventure will be able to unlock the others with gold The gold counter, found in the bottom right corner of most menu screens Gold is a type of in-game currency that can be exchanged for card packs, or entry into either Arena or Heroic Tavern hearthstone . Instead, players are able to craft and disenchant all Wild format cards for regular Arcane Dust Crafting mode, in Standard format mode The crafting system is an element of Hearthstone that allows players to directly create new cards. It can be accessed through the My Collection screen. Crafting consumes Arcane Dust hearthstone amounts, whether from expansions or adventures.

Game formats were released alongside Whispers of the Old Gods  "Now I ve got a tale to tell you... of the ones from long ago. There s an evil that s been dreaming, but now it s softly screaming! From the darkness their power will grow. Their voices are hearthstone , on Apr. 26/27, 2016.

Standard

Standard icon large.png
See more: Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards hearthstone

Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards hearthstone or Standard is the more balanced and competitive Hearthstone format. Games played in Standard format include only cards from card sets The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone released in the current or previous calendar year, as well as the Basic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone and Classic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone sets. Cards from other sets cannot be included in decks A deck is a collection of exactly 30 cards. All cards drawn by the player during a game come from their deck. Each deck is tied to a specific class. Decks can be created and hearthstone used in Standard matches, and random Yogg-Saron, arguably the most random card ever released Random effects are effects which include some degree of randomness or RNG (random number generation). Random effects introduce an element of chance into Hearthstone. They can be hearthstone effects such as Murloc Knight Murloc Knight Set: The Grand Tournament Type: Minion Subtype: Murloc Class: Paladin Rarity: Common Cost: 4 Attack: 3 Health: 4 Abilities: Inspire, Summon Tags: Hero Power-related, Murloc-generating, Random Inspire: Summon a random Murloc.Hee hee! Look hearthstone , Summoning Stone Summoning Stone Set: The League of Explorers Type: Minion Rarity: Rare Cost: 5 Attack: 0 Health: 6 Abilities: Summon Tags: Cost-related, Random, Spell-related, Triggered effect Whenever you cast a spell, summon a random minion of hearthstone or Discover Discover in action Discover is an ability that allows the player to choose from three different pseudo-randomly selected cards, with the chosen option generated and added to their hand. Some Discover effects offer random Hero hearthstone will only select from current Standard options.

Standard format is only available as a format in Play mode Preparing for battle in Ranked play mode, in Standard format Play mode is a game mode that matches players against other human players of similar skill. Players can choose to play Casual friendly games, or hearthstone matches ( Ranked The 25 numbered ranks in Ranked play. Ranked (also known as Ranked Play) is the serious side of Play mode, with players able to earn special ranks to reflect their prowess in battle this season. hearthstone and Casual Preparing for battle in Ranked play mode, in Standard format Play mode is a game mode that matches players against other human players of similar skill. Players can choose to play Casual friendly games, or hearthstone ) and Friendly Challenges The Friendly screen Friendly Challenge, also known as Friendly Play, is a game mode in which players can battle against other players on their friends list in private unranked matches, often referred to as duels. hearthstone . Tavern Brawls The Tavern Brawl interface Tavern Brawl is one of Hearthstone s lighter game modes. A weekly event, a new Tavern Brawl begins each Wednesday (Thursday in Asian regions), ending the following Monday. Outside of these times, hearthstone may "occasionally" use Standard format, but are normally Wild. The focus for balance and design work, Standard format is used for all official (and most unofficial) tournaments, including the Hearthstone World Championship and Hearthstone Championship Tour. Standard format is also the default format for new players.

Standard format aims to provide a fresher Hearthstone experience. With older cards steadily eliminated from the format, the meta "The metagame is the mix of different decks that players bring onto the ladder, that you can expect to see. If you know what decks players are bringing, your deck can be especially good against will shift more regularly and more significantly, since new cards will have a larger impact. Design space is also increased, since older cards no longer restrict the possibilities for creating new cards. The smaller pool of relevant cards makes it easier for players to acquire the cards they need to be competitive. The combination of a smaller card pool and less limited design space is also expected to help the developers to balance the game.

The prefix Standard is used to refer to cards, game modes and adventures which fall within the Standard format, or which are only available in Standard format. For instance, a Standard adventure is one which is currently part of Standard format. Cards which are currently valid in Standard content are termed Standard cards.

Videos

Wild

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See more: Wild format

Wild format or Wild presents an unrestricted playing experience without the deck restrictions of Standard format, allowing the use of cards from any card set.

Wild is technically the default game format, and is used for all game modes where game format selection is not available, including Arena, adventures Choosing an adventure Game formats Each Standard year, any adventures released prior to the previous calendar year are marked as Wild format. The adventures are removed from the Shop, and players will be unable to hearthstone and Tavern Brawls The Tavern Brawl interface Tavern Brawl is one of Hearthstone s lighter game modes. A weekly event, a new Tavern Brawl begins each Wednesday (Thursday in Asian regions), ending the following Monday. Outside of these times, hearthstone . Be that as it may, where the player is able to select a game format, Wild format is locked for new players until they obtain a card which is not available in the current Standard format. Prior to this the player will only be able to select Standard format and create Standard decks.

Wild cards can only be obtained through crafting Crafting mode, in Standard format mode The crafting system is an element of Hearthstone that allows players to directly create new cards. It can be accessed through the My Collection screen. Crafting consumes Arcane Dust hearthstone . Card packs from Wild expansions are not available from the Shop The Goblins vs Gnomes tab of the Cards pane The Adventure pane The Heroes pane The Shop is the in-game facility for purchasing new card packs and wings of adventures. Purchases may be made in hearthstone , and Wild cards and card packs are never granted as rewards. Wild adventures Choosing an adventure Game formats Each Standard year, any adventures released prior to the previous calendar year are marked as Wild format. The adventures are removed from the Shop, and players will be unable to hearthstone also are not available from the Shop, although unlike Standard adventures players are able to craft all cards from Wild adventures without completing the relevant boss encounters, for the usual amounts.

With cards from any set allowed, Wild format sees a far larger range of cards in play. As a result, more synergies and combinations are available, with a higher power level overall. The format is expected to steadily grow in power over time, outstripping Standard format, and allowing for `wild` combinations not possible in Standard. This can also allow for a far greater variety of decks in play, making a refreshing alternative to the refined meta of Standard play.

The prefix Wild is used to refer to cards, game modes and adventures which fall within the Wild format, or which are only available in Wild format. For instance, a Wild adventure is one which is no longer part of Standard format, while a Wild game mode is one which uses Wild format. Cards which are not currently valid in Standard format are termed Wild cards.

The symbol for Wild format is an infinity symbol formed from thorny vines. This matches the general theme of branches and vines overgrowing Wild interface elements, such as Wild decks, the player`s Wild rank and the Play screen when Wild format is selected.

Notes

For notes regarding Standard format itself, see Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards hearthstone

Decks and the collection

  • Decks can be either Wild or Standard decks, with the latter only able to include cards appropriate to the current Standard format. Players are able to select deck type in the collection. Switching a deck to Standard will mark all current Wild cards for replacement.
    • When game formats were added to the game, all decks containing current Wild cards were converted to Wild decks, while those without any current Wild cards were converted to Standard decks.
  • The arrival of game formats brought numerous user interface changes, specifically for sorting of card sets.
    • One new addition was a filter to show only Standard cards. Right-clicking on a card will reveal whether it is Wild or Standard, although this will not otherwise be clear. Certain "visual clues" show whether the player is building a Wild or Standard deck.
  • Deck slots can be used for either Wild or Standard decks, without restriction.
  • Players can use Standard decks to queue for any type of play, since all Standard card sets are also eligible in Wild play.

Card changes

The introduction of game formats was accompanied by a wave of changes to existing Basic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone and Classic The card set interface Card sets are categories into which collectible cards are divided, reflecting how they can be obtained, and determining whether they are eligible for use in Standard format. Card set does not hearthstone cards. The intention of the changes was to address an over-reliance on cards from these sets, resulting in stale gameplay as new cards are unable to outstrip this already available options. By nerfing Basic and Classic cards, the developers hoped to help the releaseAnnounce of new content to be more impactful, resulting in a more dynamic and shifting meta "The metagame is the mix of different decks that players bring onto the ladder, that you can expect to see. If you know what decks players are bringing, your deck can be especially good against as well as a less stale experience for deckbuilders.

This was the biggest balancing change the released game had yet seen, with 12 cards changed, as well as changes to how the 2 cards then in the Reward set were obtained.

The planned card changes were announced on Apr. 20, a week before the release of Whispers of the Old Gods on Apr. 26/27. The official blog noted, "There’s a simple guiding principle that underlies each of the changes you’re about to see: New card releases should have an impact on Standard and enrich Wild, to make sure that Hearthstone is always as dynamic, fresh, and fun as it can be. ... We also still think it’s good for some signature Class cards to be in ... decks, too. For instance, Innervate and Wild Growth embody the Druid’s unique strength, so we’ve chosen not to adjust them."

For a full list of the card changes made to prepare for game formats, see Card changes, or the official blog.

Druid was by far the class hit hardest by the nerfs. The official blog explained, "The most popular Druid decks are consistently composed of the same big chunk of Druid cards. That puts a damper on deckbuilding creativity and has left the Druids feeling stagnant. We want to inject some life into Druid deckbuilding, so we’re adjusting some of the worst offenders." The developers had previously stated that druid`s reliance on such cards was something they had "known for some time" they would eventually have to deal with. Other changes included those to common Silence, removal and aggro deck choices, as well as altering Master of Disguise`s function to open up design space for future cards. Most nerfs were intended to increase diversity by making the cards slightly less automatically-included in players` decks.

One other change was that Captain`s Parrot and Old Murk-Eye, which prior to this were obtained through collecting all Classic Pirate and Murloc minions respectively, were made craftable, and the achievements that awarded them removed. Be that as it may, despite official blogs having announced plans for this some time in advance, the change took a number of players by surprise, resulting in a swift reversion and temporary extension until May 1. This allowed players wishing to complete the related quests time to do so, as well as justifying the awarding of the Reward cards to frustrated players who had spent Arcane Dust meeting the requirements after the patch, without realising the quests had been removed. A side effect was that while not valid in Standard format decks, the two minions continued to appear in Standard format matches through random effects such as Murloc Knight Murloc Knight Set: The Grand Tournament Type: Minion Subtype: Murloc Class: Paladin Rarity: Common Cost: 4 Attack: 3 Health: 4 Abilities: Inspire, Summon Tags: Hero Power-related, Murloc-generating, Random Inspire: Summon a random Murloc.Hee hee! Look hearthstone and Ram Wrangler, confusing players.

Commentary
  • Online survey for player reactions to the changes

Release schedule

Adventures

  • While adventures are referred to as Wild or Standard, this only reflects the crafting options for the adventure`s cards, and whether they will be usable in Standard format matches. All adventures will themselves be played in Wild format, allowing cards from any set to be used. Adventures will be developed with the full range of cards available in Wild format in mind.
  • The developers are "still talking about what the future of Wild adventures is", although for the time being the emphasis is on helping new players to focus on the latest adventures. According to Yong Woo, the developers are "excited to make use of Wild adventures in the future", but haven`t yet decided on the details of their return.
  • The changes to crafting adventure cards make it cheaper to access cards from Wild adventures, since players no longer have to purchase one or more wings in order to obtain a single card. Players are also able to disenchant unwanted adventure cards, allowing them to craft other cards instead, effectively adding value to the purchase of adventures.

Arena

  • Arena uses the Standard format for its matches, using cards from the Standard set. Be that as it may, Arena rewards will only include those currently usable in Standard format.

The problem

"Mostly we’ve kind of been trying to look towards the future of Hearthstone and make sure that we’re set up to be fun and exciting for many years. We don’t want Hearthstone to be a game that’s just around for a year, we want it to be around for a lot of years, and when we think about the cadence of releases and how to keep the game fresh and exciting, it’s not too hard to see where Hearthstone is headed if we don’t make any changes. The problems are that the game gets less and less versatile and dynamic with new releases because they have more cards to compete against, and it’s hard for new players to get into. Given those two problems we just felt like we had to do something." - Ben Brode

Prior to the announcement of game formats, players had expressed widespread concern over the future of the game. With an ever-increasing card pool, the effort and/or money required by players to create competitive decks was steadily increasing. The increasing range of card packs and adventures was also a concern regarding new players, who might have a hard time knowing where to start. More critically, the need to have new cards impact the meta "The metagame is the mix of different decks that players bring onto the ladder, that you can expect to see. If you know what decks players are bringing, your deck can be especially good against was cause for concern over power creep, due to the need for new cards to outshine older options in order to get played. Without power creep, the prospect of certain cards staying in their dominant positions indefinitely increased the call for nerfs on cards like Dr. Boom and even Piloted Shredder.

With no plans to stop adding new content, it was admitted that this was a problem that would only get worse as the game expanded. Ben Brode states, "We didn’t feel like we were at the point of disaster just yet, but that feedback got louder and louder. If we didn’t do something soon it really was going to be affecting things for us."

Discussion

In the last week of Sep. 2015, 5 months before the feature would eventually be announced to the public, Blizzard took the unprecedented step of inviting prominent community members to a special meeting where the problem of the game`s ever-expanding card pool was discussed, and current plans shared. Invited were well-known streamers and competitive players, including Trump, Reynad, Gnimsh, StrifeCro, Brian Kibler, Savjz and Eloise, as well as a small selection of press. The company`s "work in progress" plans for game formats were presented to the group by members of Team 5 as well as Blizzard founder Mike Morhaime, for feedback, criticism and suggestions.

Several significant changes were made as a result of this feedback. "Legacy" format was changed to "Wild" format, in response to Kibler`s suggestion that the title should feel more connected to Warcraft lore. Wild format was given its own Ranked ladder, something suggested by Savjz. Trump and Kibler were also in favour of rotating the Classic set out of Standard format, due to concerns that keeping both the Classic and Basic sets perpetually in Standard would eventually lead to stagnation. While the developers did not choose to adopt this change - due to wanting to keep a reliable core of cards in Standard for returning players - they did decide to remove Goblins vs Gnomes "Goblins and gnomes… goblins and gnomes! Both are super-brilliant - but you would never know! Everything they seem to make is faulty or explodes… Perfecting imperfection - goblins and gnomes!" Wild format Goblins vs Gnomes hearthstone from the initial Standard format line-up, where previously only Curse of Naxxramas "Whispers of an ancient tomb… holding horrors in every room. Ghastly ghouls, poisons galore… but in the shadows lurks something more. Knights of death and abominations… cleaving your bits for new creations. And if by hearthstone was to be removed.

Other ideas were not adopted. Notably, the removal of Wild adventures from the Shop, making them impossible for new players to purchase, was criticised by community members but was not changed. Be that as it may, the developers explained that there were possibilities for the future of such adventures. Despite some disagreements, community members expressed appreciation at the openness and receptivity of the developers.

While the developers had planned to announce the upcoming changes prior to BlizzCon in early Nov. that year, after the feedback received during the community sharing it was decided to hold off on this, taking more time to tweak and discuss their plans before revealing them to the public. Brode explained that the face-to-face community sharing had been better than the usual forms of interaction such as watching community members` streams, describing the meet up as "wildly beneficial". He also confirmed that similar events would be held in the future.

Announcement

Wild icon (original).png

Game formats were officially announced Feb. 2, 2016. An official blog with extensive FAQ section was accompanied by a video by Ben Brode, explaining the changes.

Reception to the plans were mixed, with concerns over losing access to old adventures (and to a lesser extent, card packs) the main point of contention. Some players reacted negatively to what they felt was effectively the removal of many of their cards from play (due to their no longer being allowed in Standard), while others praised the creation of a sustainable plan for the future of the game. The future of Wild format was widely debated, with some players believing it would go on to serve as an interesting and active format, and others predicting it would become unbalanced and barely used before too long.

The game formats were to arrive at the same time as the upcoming Whispers of the Old Gods  "Now I ve got a tale to tell you... of the ones from long ago. There s an evil that s been dreaming, but now it s softly screaming! From the darkness their power will grow. Their voices are hearthstone , synchronising the removal of the cards from Curse of Naxxramas "Whispers of an ancient tomb… holding horrors in every room. Ghastly ghouls, poisons galore… but in the shadows lurks something more. Knights of death and abominations… cleaving your bits for new creations. And if by hearthstone and Goblins vs Gnomes "Goblins and gnomes… goblins and gnomes! Both are super-brilliant - but you would never know! Everything they seem to make is faulty or explodes… Perfecting imperfection - goblins and gnomes!" Wild format Goblins vs Gnomes hearthstone with the addition of the new cards from the expansion.

Commentary
  • PCPersonal Computer Gamer - Hearthstone pros give their verdict on the new Standard format (2016-02-09)

Preparation

Patch 4.2.0.12051 added temporary in-game notices regarding the upcoming game formats

With Patch 4.2.0.12051 the first changes appeared in-game in preparation for the arrival of game formats, mostly in the form of interface changes, including the addition of the long-awaited 9 extra deck slots. Special notices were added in the Shop to content which would become Wild at the start of the Standard year, and the Play mode screen gained the game format selection button (default format: Standard), although clicking it produced only a special message about the upcoming formats. The Wild format icon had also been changed from the classic Hearthstone swirl shown in the original promotional images to a thorny infinity symbol. More significantly, the patch featured an undocumented change updating the rules for which cards were uncraftable to the new system, more than a month ahead of the release of Standard format, allowing players to disenchant unwanted adventure cards for the first time.

A late change to the initial plans came on Mar. 11, when the developers decided that players` friends lists would show the player`s highest overall rank in either format; previously they had intended only to show the current Standard format rank. The changes was intended help players to enjoy the format of their choice, and "be recognized for their efforts ascending the ladder in Ranked Play, regardless of format."

Launch

Game formats were implemented on Apr. 26/27 2016, with the release of Whispers of the Old Gods  "Now I ve got a tale to tell you... of the ones from long ago. There s an evil that s been dreaming, but now it s softly screaming! From the darkness their power will grow. Their voices are hearthstone . Players logging in shortly after this date were treated to a special sequence (see Gallery, below) depicting the Hearthstone Zodiac, and the selection of the new Standard year, followed by a short explanation of the difference between the two formats and a chance to try converting a deck to Standard format. The convergence of game formats and Whispers of the Old Gods meant that the promotional quests "5 Old Gods Packs!" and "5 More Old Gods Packs!" had a dual purpose in promoting Standard format, offering Old Gods packs as rewards.

Legacy

The advent of game formats brought substantial changes throughout Hearthstone, but perhaps most significantly in its effects on Ranked play. Where previously there had only been a single Ranked ladder, there were now two separate ladders for Ranked Standard and Ranked Wild, with players able to choose between two different paths for pursuing their laddering ambitions.

For players focused on Standard format, the regular removal of older cards may accelerate the collection process for newer expansion sets, due to players disenchanting those cards no longer valid in Standard. This could impact the longevity of expansions, and affect the meta, due to a larger proportion of players having the dust to craft their desired cards at the very start of the expansion.

Gallery

New Standard year
Game formats introduction screenshot.jpg
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Game formats introduction screenshot4.jpg