Feeling a little burned out on the current Hearthstone meta? There's some major shake-ups planned for around the release of the game's first expansion of 2017.
Once Hearthstone left beta, it was up to Blizzard to keep the card game feeling fresh with rule changes and new cards much the same way many card game manufacturers keep their titles running smooth.
When those expansion sets started to roll out, big blue was practically forced into offering the current Standard and Wild formats - allowing players to either use any and all the cards they've accumulated over the months and years into a deck of their own creation or being limited to a more selective catalog derived from the Classic and add-on sets released over a specific timeframe. With numerous expansions out in the open by now, things are starting to get a little trickier with Blizzard having to turn a new leaf to keep the machine well-oiled.
This Isn't The First Time Blizzard Has Attempted To Mix Things Up
Should recent rumours hold true, the Spring 2017 expansion - reportedly titled 'Lost Secrets of Un'Goro' will cull the Blackrock Mountain, Grand Tournament and League of Explorers sets from the clutches of Standard mode, whereas those from last year's trio of expansions will - alongside the Classic set - continue to be permitted. But not all of those Classic set cards are making the cut. Those are as follows:
- Azure Drake
- Sylvanas Windrunner
- Ragnaros the Firelord
- Power Overwhelming
- Ice Lance
- Conceal
Essentially thrown off-guard by the state of these cards being considered necessities due to their strength, Blizzard are attempting to reduce the deck construction limitations inherently imposed upon players by having these cards being in such high regard.
And that's not all that's changing. Go forward - or more specifically with the release of the year's second expansion - gaining cards through the single-player adventures will no long be possible. The adventures will persist - and will be offered free of charge - but earning the new cards of a new set will be locked within card packs.
Win 10 games once the new content goes live, however, and you'll nab yourself a new hero with Maiev Shadowsong. Big blue plans to up the ante of the Wild format by resurrecting the Heroic Tavern Brawl mode while better supporting the use of the rules within third-party tournaments. There's a silver lining in all this, really. Except the lack of a release date of the start.
