With the Year of the Phoenix, the new ranked system will soon hit live in Hearthstone. How does the star multiplier work? Why do we no longer see the rank of the opponent? How does the algorithm find an opponent who has the same level as ours?
League systems, multiplier and winning streak
Previously, Hearthstone was divided into 25 ranks, themselves broken down into stars. The passage of each rank between rank 25 and rank 15 required three stars, that between rank 15 and rank 10 would require 4 stars and that of rank 10 to legend rank required the player to earn 5 per rank. However, from three victories, a victory series bonus earned the player an additional star, a bonus that disappeared at rank 5.
In the new system, some things remained, others did not. First of all, each rank corresponds to a league.
From this year, the ranking obtained in the previous month will grant the player a star multiplier, as shown below:
This means that you will earn not one star per victory, but 7 if you finished Platinum 5 the previous month. Same treatment with the winning streak: your third victory will grant you 18 stars at once if you finished Diamant 5 last season. Please note, this bonus disappears from Diamond 5.
In addition, the multiplier bonus is reduced as you pass through the stages and is in no way affected by defeats. Let’s say you finished Gold 3 the previous season. You will start in Bronze 10 with a multiplier bonus * 5. Once Bronze 5, it will pass * 4. Silver 10, it will decrement and go to * 3. Don't panic either, the bonus won't go away if you miss an entire season.
New MMR
MMR is the way used by the Hearthstone algorithm to find fair matches according to the level of the player — and inevitably, it changed with the redesign of the game.
Kerfluffle, Community Manager of Blizzard, informs us that there are two different MMR: " There is one which is based on your star multiplier which is allocated to you at the end of the season. When this is 1, one another takes over and builds on your current rank . "
This allows balanced matches since each start of the season, all players start at Bronze 10 rank: " The best players will have a multiplier bonus * 10 in Bronze 10, which will prevent them from meeting those who finished last season's Gold 3 with a multiplier bonus * 5. Behind, when the bonus becomes zero, this allows players wishing to progress to meet opponents of the same strength . " deepens Kerfluffle.
Since the MMR system is based on the star multiplier awarded at the end of the month, it is very likely that players of different ranks will compete. For example, a player finished at Diamond 5 the previous season and is awarded a 9-star multiplier bonus. It will advance until reaching Gold 5 and will have a 5-star multiplier bonus. However, the game will only take into account the bonus granted at the end of the season, that of 9 stars. So even being Gold 5, this player can meet Bronze 10 having finished their season also Diamond 5.
It is for this reason that we no longer see the opposing rank partially classified: it could question the players, frustrate them in losing against a rank well below theirs - even if they are at the same level.
Overall, this recasting of the ranked games makes defeats less punitive than before and makes the passage to Legend rank shorter (we said shorter, not more accessible;)). It is therefore not excluded that more players will become Legend in the coming seasons since only 15 stars are required to access the Grail, against 25 previously.
Ashes of Outland will be available from April 7. Here is our selection of decks made by professional players or streamers, to have fun once your boosters are open.
