To bolster our usual Theorycrafting Livestreams and Pre-Release Weekend, we’re introducing something completely new: A Pre-Launch Party! To sum it up, we’ll be doing Mega Bundle code giveaways, Twitch Drops, sub giftings, and more in the lead up to the launch of Madness at the Darkmoon Faire and Duels: Season One!

Our goal with the Pre-Launch Party is to make this period feel a bit more interactive for everyone while celebrating our incredible community and the launch of the new expansion. Check out the calendar to see what’s happening around the community and what we've got in store for you!

Card Reveal Livestream & Reddit Deck Contest

Join Kripp, Community Manager Chris Sierra, and Game Designer John McIntyre on November 11 at 10:00 a.m. PT as they reveal the final Madness at the Darkmoon Faire cards on stream at Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone and Youtube.com/Hearthstone!

After the stream, head over to the Hearthstone Subreddit to participate in a community deck building contest. ...

Zheng “iGXc” Qianhao is the Masters Tour Online: Madrid champion! In the final Masters Tour event of 2020, with 304 players from more than 40 countries, iGXc secured the championship following an intense 3-1 final against Asia-Pacific Grandmaster Yashima “Alutemu” Nozomi. He is the first Chinese player to win a Masters Tour, earning the Masters Tour Online: Madrid trophy, and $32,500 in champion prizing!

With the relegation of nine Grandmasters following Grandmasters 2020 Season 2, as well as the retirement of Americas Grandmaster Fei “ETC” Liang, Masters Tour Online: Madrid was the last chance for players aiming to earn enough to advance to Grandmasters. The top three players from Asia-Pacific and Europe, and top four from Americas, based on total winnings from all six Master Tours in 2020 have earned invites to join the top-tier of competitive Hearthstone. Two invitees, David “justsaiyan” Shan and Enzo “Warma” Flock, were themselves relegated following Grandmasters 2020 Season...

The 18.6 Patch brings the introduction of a new game mode: Hearthstone Duels, pre-purchase for Hearthstone’s newest expansion Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, Battlegrounds updates, game improvements, and more! 

Duels Early Access, Live Today

We’re pleased to announce Hearthstone Duels, a new collection-based game mode that mixes Dungeon Run fun with the excitement of head-to-head competition! Pre-purchase either Madness at the Darkmoon Faire bundle to instantly get early access to Duels along with a special Legendary Quest chain that rewards 6 Scholomance Academy Packs! Pre-purchase for Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will go live with the 18.6 patch at ~10:00 a.m. PT on 10/22. Read the Duels announcement blog to learn more.

The Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Mega Bundle includes Duels: Early Access*, 80 Madness at the Darkmoon Faire card packs, 5 Golden Madness at the Darkmoon Faire packs, one random Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Golden Legendary card, the N’Zoth Warlock Hero, th...

We’ve been hinting at a new progression system for a while, and it’s finally here! In what is shaping up to be Hearthstone’s biggest systems update ever, the progression revamp includes four major parts:

• The addition of an Achievements System that tracks your in-game accomplishments.
• A central Rewards Track for all earnable rewards outside of Ranked play.
• A Quest Revamp that supports daily and weekly quests.
• An updated Profile Page with player info, ranks, and stats.

You’ll be able to access each of these pages by clicking on a new Journal icon that will replace the Quest Log on the main menu. The Progression & Rewards revamp detailed here will go live on November 12!

Achievements System

The new Achievements system tracks a diverse set of stats and in-game accomplishments, and there are a ton of them! There are achievements related to each class, your collection, ranked milestones, adventure content, Tavern Brawls, new modes such as Duels and Battlegrounds, and gameplay a...

INTRODUCING HEARTHSTONE DUELS!

Welcome to Duels, a new competitive Hearthstone game mode that changes every season! In Duels, you’ll choose a Hero, a Hero Power, a starting Treasure, and build a 15-card starter deck from your collection before facing off against a series of worthy human opponents—Dungeon Run-style! Devise your path to victory by enhancing your deck after each match with minions, spells, and powerful Treasures to aid in increasingly difficult encounters with other players!

How It Works:

Duels will be accessible through the Modes button from the Hearthstone main screen, where you’d go to play Battlegrounds or Arena. Here’s how it works:

• When you start a Duels run, you’ll choose a Hero, a Hero Power, and starting Treasure.

• Then, you’ll build a starter deck of 15 cards from your Collection and play your first match. In its debut season, Duels will include a curated assortment of cards from a number of sets, including:
  • Scholomance Academy...

ANNOUNCING

MADNESS AT THE DARKMOON FAIRE

HEARTHSTONE’S NEWEST EXPANSION

Come one, come all...

...to the Darkmoon Faire, Azeroth’s one and only traveling carnival! Bear witness to supernatural wonders, spectacular performances, and exotic beasts! Sample a dazzling array of sweet and savory treats from around the world, discover rare treasures at our enchanting night market, or perhaps have your fortune read under the watchful orange eye of Darkmoon’s iconic midway gate! 

Ignore the ugly rumors you may hear about friendly and exuberant faire-folk! Many guests, overcome with excitement and joy, may report seeing strange or unusual things. Pay them no heed! Ignore the whispers! Come for the wholesome fun and stay. . . forever.

Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will launch worldwide on November 17 with 135 new collectible cards! You can find the full schedule for card reveals and see which cards were announced today by visiting the card library here. Ch...

With more than 300 players to keep an eye on, Masters Tour events are full of new competitors to follow. For every returning player at each event there is someone new hoping to make a name for themself, and everyone is playing for their shot at joining Hearthstone Grandmasters. It is this mix of players that makes the Masters Tour so exciting to watch!

Although Grandmasters also participate in the Masters Tour, I’m going to introduce you to regular players who have incredible stories you may not be familiar with, all of which you should keep an eye on. This is the second of two Tales from the Tavern explorations for Masters Tour Online: Madrid, live beginning this Friday only on YouTube!

Paradox

Oliver “Paradox” Barnett got into Hearthstone in 2014, and has since held many different roles within the community, including: player, caster, analyst, coach, and streamer.

He first made a name for himself when in 2016 he beat BoarControl to qualify for the WESG European finals in Kiev. ...

With more than 300 players to keep an eye on, Masters Tour events are full of new competitors to follow. For every returning player at each event there is someone new hoping to make a name for themself, and everyone is playing for their shot at joining Hearthstone Grandmasters. It is this mix of players that makes the Masters Tour so exciting to watch!

Although Grandmasters also participate in the Masters Tour, I’m going to introduce you to regular players who have incredible stories you may not be familiar with, all of which you should keep an eye on. This is the first of two Tales from the Tavern explorations for Masters Tour Online: Madrid, live beginning this Friday only on YouTube!

GivePLZ

Yo Hsin “GivePLZ” Pa is one of the most consistent performers in the Masters Tour program and currently the second highest non-Grandmaster earner in APAC in 2020. A strong player in the region, I was particularly excited to be able to ask him a few questions and share his Hearthstone stor...

The final Masters Tour of 2020 is here! Over 300 invited players from more than 40 countries, will compete for the Masters Tour Online: Madrid trophy and their share of the $3,000,000 (USD) total prize pool for Hearthstone Masters Tour 2020. Join us this weekend for all of the competitive action only on YouTube Gaming!

After this weekend, the top total earners across all six 2020 Masters Tours in each region will earn invites to Hearthstone Grandmasters. There are currently a total of 10 spots open: three spots opened by Grandmasters Season 2 relegation in each region, and a fourth in Americas following Fei “ETC” Liang retirement from competitive Hearthstone. The field is wide open for players to prove themselves worthy of joining Grandmasters and competing for their shot at the World Championship!

Details

• Venue: Online - YouTube.com/HearthstoneEsports
• Dates: Friday, October 23, 2020 – Sunday, October 25, 2020
• Broadcast Start Time: 6:00 AM PDT Thursday – Sunday
• Caste...

Come one, come all! On October 22 at 8:00 a.m. PT, on both Twitch and YouTube, Hearthstone Game Director Benjamin Lee will open our Fall Reveal stream with several major announcements! From there, Game Designers Pat Nagle, John McIntyre, and John Yang will speak to each reveal in-depth with our host, Brian Kibler. We’ve got some very exciting news in store that you won’t want to miss!

Scholomance Academy Twitch Drops

On October 22, watch 15 minutes of the Hearthstone Fall Reveal on Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone between 7:30 a.m. PT - 9:00 a.m. PT to get 1 Scholomance Academy card pack. Watch for at least 30 minutes total to get another one! Before you can receive awards, you'll need to link your Twitch.tv and Battle.net accounts. Here's how:

• Log in or create an account on Twitch.tv.
• Navigate to the Settings menu by clicking your account name in the top-right corner of the home screen.
• Navigate to the Connections tab of the Settings menu.
• Find the Battle.net section, then follow t...

The first EMEA Battlegrounds Cup begins! Utilizing the new Battlegrounds Lobbies, the top 8 Hearthstone Battlegrounds players on the European Ladder and 8 invited streamers are ready to compete this weekend, October 16-18, for a share of the $10,000 (USD) prize pool and bragging rights as the best Battlegrounds players in the region.

Details

Dates: Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18

Broadcast Start Time: 9:00 a.m. PDT

Where to Watch: YouTube.com/HearthstoneEsports, Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone, and co-streamed by the players!

Casters: Collins “EducatedC” Mensah, Jia “Jia” Dee, Simon “Sottle” Welch

Prize Pool: $10,000 (USD)

• Team 1: $5,000 (USD) - $2,500 each
• Team 2: $2,400 (USD) - $1,200 each
• Team 3: $1,600 (USD) - $800 each
• Team 4: $1,000 (USD) - $500 each

Language Streams on YouTube:

English

Russian

Players

The EMEA Battlegrounds Cup consists of eight known members of the Hearthstone community and eight of the top European Ladder players. Players have been comb...

On October 15, we’ll be releasing the 18.4.2 patch that includes numerous Battlegrounds balance updates! You can check out the full details of the patch below.

Battlegrounds Hero Updates

• Bartendotron has been removed from the Battlegrounds Hero Pool.

• DIE, INSECTS!
  • Old: After you kill 20 enemy minions, get Sulfuras. → New: After you kill 25 enemy minions, get Sulfuras.

• Sulfuras
  • Old: At the end of your turn, give your left and right-most minions +4/+4. → New: At the end of your turn, give your left and right-most minions +3/+3.

• Imprison
  • Old: Make a minion in Bob's Tavern Dormant. After 2 turns, get it with +1/+1. → New: Make a minion in Bob's Tavern Dormant. After 2 turns, get it with +1 Attack.

• Avalanche
  • Old: After you play 3 Elementals, reduce the cost of upgrading Bob's Tavern by (2). → New: After you play 3 Elemental...

Grandmasters 2020 Season 2 has concluded, and three more players have secured their spot in the Hearthstone 2020 World Championship! Congratulations to Pramet “Bankyugi” Putchakan, Jaromir “Jarla” Vyskočil, and Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher on your Season 2 victories.

In Americas, Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher’s path through the playoffs was full of challenges. The number 1 seed in Group B secured difficult victories against Mihai “Lnguagehackr” Dragalin and Luke “NoHandsGamer” Kooken to make it to the Top 4. On day 2, Monsanto once again faced close matches as David “killinallday” Acosta forced him to a 3-2 final, before facing off against ETC in an intense back and forth final before securing the 3-2 score to advance to the 2020 World Championship.

In Asia-Pacific, Pramet “Bankyugi” Putchakan went into Playoffs in second place for Group A and initially fell to first place Jung-Soo “Surrender” Kim. He battled his way back to the Top 4 after defeating Sato “glory” Kenta, the Season 1 c...

Hearthstone Grandmasters Season 2 reaches its epic conclusion this weekend! Following seven incredible weeks, including the rise and fall of Turtle Mage, the top eight players from each region are set to compete to see who will secure the final three Grandmasters spots for the 2020 Hearthstone World Championship.

The final matches to determine regional champions is not all that is on the line this weekend. Following the conclusion of last weekend’s regular season, the bottom two players from Division B were automatically relegated but this weekend will see the last relegation spot filled for each region. In a 3-match play-in, involving the 7th and 8th places from Division A, and 5th and 6th places from Division B, these players will compete to avoid relegation and remain a Hearthstone Grandmaster!

Details

Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday – October 9 – October 11, 2020

Broadcast Start Time: Broadcast kicks off with the Asia-Pacific region playing at 2 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. CEST / 6 ...

The 18.4 patch marks the beginning of the Masquerade Ball limited-time event and includes a major Battlegrounds update that welcomes Elementals as a new minion type! Beyond that, we’ve got a new Hearthstone Book of Heroes featuring Rexxar, the return of Dual-Class Arena, Legendary Quests and rewards, new Tavern Brawls, and more!

Please note that mobile players may need to log-in again after updating to 18.4.

New Battlegrounds Heroes

Ragnaros the Firelord

• DIE, INSECTS! [Passive]
  • After you kill 20 enemy minions, get Sulfuras.
• Sulfuras [Passive]
  • At the end of your turn, give your left and right-most minions +4/+4.

Chenvaala

• Avalanche [Passive]
  • After you play 3 Elementals, reduce the cost of upgrading Bob's Tavern by (2).

Rakanishu

• Tavern Lighting [Cost 2]
  • Give a random friendly minion stats equal to your Tavern Tier.

Al'Akir the Windlord

• Swatting Insects [Passive]
  • Start of Combat: Give your left-most minion Windfury, Div...

The administration of Scholomance Academy cordially invites you to a reception for the ages. We’re throwing a Masquerade Ball, right here on campus! What better way to celebrate a frightful holiday than embracing the supernatural spirit with a definitely-not-haunted costume ball?

The Tavern will undergo a makeover for the Masquerade Ball limited-time event and will feature brand new content unlocking weekly including Tavern Brawls, the return of Dual-Class Arena, a new Hearthstone Book of Heroes solo experience, and more!

September 29 - Exercise the Elements in Battlegrounds

On September 29, you’ll be able to recruit and wield the awesome power of Elementals in Battlegrounds! The addition of this new minion type comes in the form of 16 new minions and 4 new Heroes—the iconic Chenvaala, Rakanishu, Al’Akir the Windlord, and Ragnaros the Firelord!

What’s more, Battlegrounds ratings will be reset for all players and a new progression system will be introduced. The new system is si...

Greetings! I’m Tian, a Lead Data Scientist on the Hearthstone team. In 18.4, we are updating our Battlegrounds rating system and I’m here to talk about some science behind it!

Before I get into it, check out our previous blog on Battlegrounds rating if you’re interested in understanding the basics about personal rating and what it represents, how it’s updated after each game, and how variance works.

Now, let’s go to the main topic—the new rating system!

What are the motivations behind updating the rating system?

We want our rating system to both provide a sense of progression through gameplay and create fair matchmaking. It’s very hard to achieve these two things simultaneously by using only one rating. Therefore, we designed a “dual-rating” system to address our intention. In the updated rating system, there are two ratings—external rating and internal rating:

1. External rating: this rating is shown in your Battlegrounds lobby interface. The main purpose of this rating i...

As we near the end of Hearthstone Grandmasters 2020 Season 2, it’s time to look toward this year’s World Championship! Beginning at 8 a.m. PDT on December 12-13, the top eight players from around the world will battle in the online-only Hearthstone World Championship for their share of the $500,000 (USD) prize pool as they battle to join the Hall of Champions!

Here are the first four competitors to secure their spots at the Hearthstone 2020 World Championship:

• Brian "bloodyface" Eason – Grandmasters 2020 Season 1, Americas
• Sato “glory” Kenta – Grandmasters 2020 Season 1, Asia-Pacific
• Vladislav “SilverName” Sinotov – Grandmasters 2020 Season 1, Europe
• Fan “iG.Syf” Yilun – Gold Series, China

The final four competitors to head to World Championship will be decided in the coming weeks. Grandmasters 2020 Season 2 concludes on October 11, where the champions for the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe will be decided. China’s Gold Series champion will be decided on November 15.

Below are the Arena leaderboards for July 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020. Arena rankings reflect players’ best 30 consecutive runs throughout a season. The players featured below have exhibited top-notch deckbuilding skills, in-the-moment decision making, and unyielding dedication to achieve a most noteworthy feat!

For an Arena run to be included in this season, its end time must have been between July 1 at 10:00 a.m. and August 31 at 9:59:59 a.m.

Dynamic ladder rankings are now also available for the Standard and Wild ladders.

• Americas

Closing out the fifth Masters Tour of 2020, David “Frenetic” Quiñones of Spain is the latest to earn the title of Masters Tour champion! Frenetic defeated Edoarado “cagnetta99” Cutajar in the finals 3-0. With his victory, Frenetic finishes the weekend with $32,500 in first place prizing, the Masters Tour champions trophy, and one step close to earning a promotion to Grandmasters Europe for the 2021 season!

Frenetic’s run at the championship began after securing his Top 8 spot with a 7-2 record in the initial swiss rounds. He made quick work of his Day 3 matches, starting off with a 3-1 victory over Paul “Nightning” Rolfes before a masterful 3-0 win against Wesley “Lambyseries” Seek to secure his spot in the final match. Despite skilled plays from cagnetta99, Frenetic finished Masters Tour Online: Montreal with a 3-0 victory.

Even though the year is almost over, Hearthstone Esports still has plenty of twists and turns to look forward to as we finish up Season 2 of Grandmasters. Wh...