Esports
When it comes to mobile esports they don’t get much bigger than Hearthstone and now's the perfect time to join in. Here's how.
Hearthstone is the game that kicked off the digital collectable card game craze and inspired everything from Clash Royale to Artifact. A once-small side project from Blizzard turned into one of the most successful games of the last decade. It spearheaded the trend of having mobile and PC cross-platform play and inspired other major developers, such as Valve and Riot, to release games in the same style for their own successful properties.
Hearthstone quickly spawned a competitive scene around it and proved to be one of the most popular games on Twitch, regularly battling the big names such as Dota 2, League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for the top spot on the platform. Prize pools reached six figures very quickly and soon Blizzard started to assert more control over the pro scene. But its popularity meant that, unlike some other titles, a thriving amateur and tier two scene continues to this day.
Hearthstone is a substantially bigger game than it was when it launched and CCGs are never simple to just pick up and start winning at, but really there's no better time than now to get into Hearthstone. The game is well balanced, the top level scene is still going strong and the pathway to pro is clearer than ever. So here’s where to start.
How to download Hearthstone
You’ll need a Blizzard account to sign up and play Hearthstone. Fortunately it’s completely free to sign up and start playing. On a desktop all you have to do is head to the Blizzard Account Creation page, set up your account and then download the Blizzard Launcher, which will allow you to install Hearthstone.
Once the launcher has downloaded and installed you can simply navigate to the Hearthstone section of the app and hit install. Once the installation is complete you can hit the play button and start your journey to Hearthstone pro.
If you prefer to play on a mobile device, then all you have to do is head to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for Hearthstone. Download the app and boot it up and you're good to go, although you'll also need a Blizzard account to play on mobile.
How to play Hearthstone: The basics
Hearthstone is a one-versus-one game where you must take the health of your opponent down from 30 to 0 in order to win. Attacking them directly with units on the board or spells will reduce their health, but some characters and cards can heal them back up. Each player takes a turn to draw a card from their deck into their hand, play any cards they wish and then attack the opponent directly or the minions they have on the board.
Each card you play costs mana, with you having a limited amount each turn, meaning you can't play all the best cards in the same turn. Your mana increases by one each turn up to 10, meaning the strongest cards cannot be played until the later rounds.
As you progress in your abilities you'll head into the world of deck building, where you can select the cards you want to play with in each match. With thousands of cards to choose from and unlock you could be one amazing deck away from a run at the top level of play and it's discovering new strategies that makes Hearthstone’s deck building so fun.
How to learn more complex ideas
At times learning the intricacies of Hearthstone can feel like an impossible task. There’s so much to remember that even the best minds in the scene can sometimes struggle to understand every possibility. But fear not, as there are a ton of resources you can use to learn more.
One of the easiest ways to learn many of the more complex strategies is simply to watch top level players on Twitch and listen to them explain their actions. The slower pace of the game compared to a MOBA or FPS means players can explain their every move and many of the most popular streamers do that all the time. Simply head to Twitch and start watching a range of the most popular players and you'll start to pick it up in no time.
If you're looking for more specific training, then sites that feature curated and user-generated deck lists and guides such as MetaBomb and HearthPwn are great places to look for the killer deck that'll give you an advantage. But don’t always take their word for gospel – tinker a little and you might find a secret they overlooked.
The meta right now
Hearthstone is in a constant state of flux, with new cards being released almost weekly and constant updates to the new content, which means a successful deck one day could be nerfed into the ground another. However a few popular decks you could try out are Rogue decks that centre around the Galakrond, the Nightmare card and the ever-faithful Handlock strategy that's been around and successful since the very earliest days of Hearthstone.
The big events to watch
The Blizzard-organised Hearthstone Masters Tour features the biggest names in the scene and the biggest prize pools. That all leads to the Global Finals, or world championship as it’s more popularly known, which takes place every year at Blizzcon. You’ll certainly learn some new tricks and be amazed at the 200 IQ plays the top level pros will play.
While the Blizzard-organised events are the main event of the Hearthstone world, other events throw up even better storylines. Red Bull M.E.O., for example, is an event that anyone over the age of 16 can take part in, which means that anyone stands a chance of making it to the big stage to challenge the top players. There’s nothing better than seeing someone new come out of the woodwork with some crazy deck that takes everyone by surprise, so make sure you tune in and watch the action.
The Red Bull M.E.O. finals take place on April 25-26, 2020. Find out more about how to join in here.
