Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is an MMO card game that spins off the Warcraft game installments. Published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2014, the game continues to serve as a pleasant satisfaction to both newcomers and veterans in the card gaming industry. With over 1,500 trading cards available for play, it offers an incredible variety, but it takes some time to gain full mastery of the wheels.

This free-to-play game puts two players against each other in the exciting Warcraft universe. The game has two sets of cards – heroes and regular. With nine heroes in the system, each has its unique cards and can supplement them with the regular cards. That arrangement gives every hero the ability to create different types of decks.

Undoubtedly, Hearthstone is one of the first classic cross-platform games to truly strike a chord, and it’s available on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac OS.

Getting Started

Hearthstone employs a simple but elegant approach in assigning classes to players every turn. There’re nine different classes, modeled after those World of Warcraft, with unique styles and specialties in building decks. As a new player, there’s a tutorial to strengthen your hands. This tutorial comes as a card challenge with AI, and there are six games in total. You may choose to ignore the tutorial, depending on your experience level in collectible card games (CCG).

The first shocker you’ll receive is how different Hearthstone is from other traditional card games. Here, you have colorful cards interacting in an exciting way. Unlike every other CCG, you have minions blurting out interesting words when you issue them. They also voice the characteristic sound when they attack an enemy or die. While many people think card games are just static, Hearthstone is exactly the opposite, with dripping animations and splendid effects.

Hearthstone will continuously have you make decisions throughout gameplay. With intuition and practice, you’ll learn the deck styles that work best for you. With time, you develop a playstyle out of these decisions you’ve made over several games.

Paying for the Game Won’t Hurt.

Hearthstone is a free-to-play game, but there’s an option to buy. There’s no need to reiterate that buying will offer you more features and pecks. But taking the free route isn’t bad at all. You still get to access a variety of competitive decks and have thoroughly enjoyable gameplay. With a potential of 150 gold rewards every day for completing requests, you get enough to buy good packs. But good isn’t just enough.

Hearthstone doesn’t shy away from continually updating its packs, which fuels every player’s desire to get more cards. No one wants to be left behind. Even the free cards you get once a while aren’t just enough. The best way, therefore, is to spend some money. Buying the game outright will give you access to even a more outstanding collection of decks. With Hearthstone’s model, you can build enviable decks with dedication and hard work. But when you stand before heavy spenders with Legendaries, you’d almost hide your cards in shame.

Without a doubt, playing the game for free is an entire world on its own. For Blizzard, they get many people playing the game, but that’s only possible if people are buying. You have the budget players and the ‘big boys.’ When both meet for a match, you have two unequal pairs, and victory – many a time – is decided before they even begin. We can disagree with this arrangement, but it’s the only way for the publishers to sustain their business.

Why It Stands Out

Like every other game, there’re things not to like. What we cannot deny is the fact that Hearthstone is an utterly exciting game. The game’s vast and complex deckbuilding system offers a thrilling experience no matter how many times you play it. With over 1500 cards and 9 nine classes, Hearthstone keeps me coming back.

Even as a hardened lover of the game (although not willing to spend my money on it), mastering it is taking forever. To make matters more fascinating, the expansion never stops happening. So, every time there are new sets of cards and decks. I’ve lost how many times I discover new archetypes before Blizzard floods us with another expansion.

Hearthstone is a game you have to go deep into. The systems are far from basic, and lots of strategy is required to succeed. A lot of work goes into calculating odds, predicting the opponent’s move, and even managing your resources. It’s safe to say that many people unduly underrate Hearthstone. Understanding your mana curve and playing your cards to sit right into it are some of the most invaluable lessons you will learn.

Another way Hearthstone stands out is the minion combat. Winning the game requires you completely dominating the board. While draining your opponent’s life is essential, crashing your minions into things is even more important. That’s because it gives you control of the game. You don’t want to get into a situation where you have fewer minions that mana turns.

It’s important, again, to mention how fascinating Hearthstone’s cards are. The effects on the cards put them in the league of videogames.   

In Conclusion

We do not doubt that Hearthstone will remain at the top for a very long time to come. Of course, many competitors are trying hard to displace it, but none presently comes close. There are several reasons while Hearthstone sits atop the CCG ladder. One of such is its incredible graphics and visuals. Take a look at the class system, cards, and deckbuilding, and you’ll understand why the game is still very compelling eight years after its first release.