Christmas is coming, and our wish list is ready. We already sent it to Team 5, and we can only hope that Hearthstone's team will hear our thoughts...
Santa Claus, here is our gift list for Hearthstone in 2020...
Let's go straight to the taboo subject, the in-game Tournament Mode. It still doesn't seem destined to happen and it's not the transition to 2020 and the upcoming Year of the Dragon that should change anything. Despite the proven security concerns with Battlefy, Blizzard has continued to trust them and it seems to be paying off so far. But let's focus instead on the things that can be done.
Thousands of skins and card backs?
Hearthstone's business model is often criticized, as boosters are ultimately quite expensive, and gold farming is very laborious if you want to have a competitive deck of each class. With Legends of Runeterra set to arrive on the scene in the near future, why not think about overhauling the economic system? Boosters could be the cheapest part of the shop, and one could think of many more cosmetics to invest in: new heroes, animated heroes, different animations, or cards with special artwork (as in Gwent or Magic Arena for example). Giving players the possibility to buy back missing card backs could also please them. This would be similar to a League of Legends system, which is ultimately very lucrative for Riot Games.
A revised Specialist mode and competitive system?
Acknowledging mistakes is something Team 5 has been learning to do for some time now. The removal of the Specialist Mode from the competitive system is a prime example of this.
If there were some good ideas in this mode, it might be possible to change the basics: the number of cards that can be changed after each game (10, 12?), or other details that players have probably already mentioned. A round table discussion with some of them could unlock the situation at this level and help Blizzard to choose a format for the next competition.
It's also quite disturbing to note that some of the cards released with Descent of Dragons are clearly intended for this particular mode: Platebreaker, Murozond the Infinite, many cards that allow you to switch from a Midrange archetype to a Control/Value archetype for example, or make a deck more aggressive. Would it be a problem of communication between the esports and design teams?
As far as the competitive side is concerned, you will have understood that the project is huge: trying to give life to an amateur/semi-professional scene by organizing other official tournaments than the unique Masters Tour. Five tours are planned for 2020 against three in 2019, but this will certainly not be enough to satisfy everyone. Especially when timing problems — such as the end of the ladder on 31 December at 11.59 p.m. and on 31 January during the Arlington Master Tour — are still present.
Aberrations that shouldn't happen anymore after so much time spent organizing tournaments. As far as the Grandmasters are concerned, the exact model for the upcoming seasons has not yet been revealed. How many climbs/descents? How many games per week? In what format? Will only Grandmasters be able to access the year-end Worlds? Hopefully, Blizzard will have listened to the community in the upcoming announcements concerning the Hearthstone esports scene.
A reactivity that we must continue to cultivate...
Everyone has the right to make mistakes, even a global publisher like Blizzard. The key is to admit them, correct them, and move forward. If certain cards or synergies are not sufficiently tested beforehand, we must continue to 'crackdown' fast enough, as has been done for the past few months. Of course, everyone would like not to have to do this, but no one is infallible, especially when it comes to balancing a game with so many cards and randomness.
Full rotation for the coming year?
Wizards of the Coast does it for Magic, and the game has been around for 25 years now. Adding the base set (or the classic set) to the expansions that come out of Standard mode would be a great tool to give Hearthstone a boost. It would be very interesting to see everyone learn how to play the game again and take new reflexes. While most of the cards in the basic set are from World of Warcraft's spells and abilities, there's a reservoir of cards big enough to produce a brand new one. This would, of course, be a great first for the game.
A constant follow up of Battlegrounds?
The new mode announced at BlizzCon 2019 clearly surprised everyone. And no one expected it to be so successful. So far, there's nothing wrong with Battlegrounds. Regular patches, balancing, communication, and hero rotations that inevitably change a meta. At the moment, the game is still in its infancy and we don't have any information about the final version yet. Will there be anything other than Mechs, Murlocs, Beasts, and Demons? A bigger pool of cards? The good news is that we can't help but be pleasantly surprised by this mode in the coming year, and that's what we're asking for!
