Update: We misspoke earlier on how you calculate your multiplier. We were off by 1!
Update 2: Looks like your MMR can increase your star bonus. (Source)
Hearthstone's ranked play is getting a huge overhaul! Originally announced with the Year of the Phoenix information almost two weeks ago, the changes are going live with start of the April 2020 season. Here is everything you need to know.
Hearthstone's Ranked League System
No longer do we have only a numerical place on the ladder, but we've now got individual leagues much like other titles.
- There are 5 leagues - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.
- Everyone will start in Bronze at the beginning of each season.
- Each league has 10 individual ranks from 10 - 1. Each rank requires 3 stars to move through.
- The Legend rank has not changed and is the progression after Diamond 1.
- New players have their own league that spans 40 ranks.
A feature that still remains from the previous ranked system is the introduction of ranked floors. These are ranks at which once hit, you cannot decrease from during that month.
- Ranks 10 and 5 within each named league are your floors.
- Rank 10 is your "promotional rank floor". Congratulations, you made it.
- Rank 5 is your "non-promotional rank floor" - you still have work to do.
- You cannot get knocked out of Legend once you get there.
Unlike previous iterations of Hearthstone's Ranked System, everyone's matches are now decided based on a matchmaking rating (MMR). Prior to the April ranked changes, your opponents were chosen by what rank you were on the ladder with no prior experience taken into account.
- This allows them to reset everyone back down to Bronze 10 each season yet everyone still plays with opponents at their previous skill level.
- With MMR-based games, things get fairer everywhere on the ladder.
- Good luck sitting at Bronze 10 Legend players while you grind newbies for portraits - it won't be happening.
Here is an image with all the new ranks laid out.
The Ranked Stars Explained
Another part of the system is the ranked star bonuses, which have been updated and now use a multiplier to get you back up to your rank from the previous season.
- Each season your rank starts at Bronze 10.
- When a new ranked season starts, you earn a star multiplier based on your previous rank.
- The maximum star multiplier you can earn is 11. That comes from reaching Legend.
- When you reach a ranked floor (10 or 5) your star multiplier decreases by 1, slowing down your progression.
- Your multiplier will be gone by the time you reach your previous season's rank.
- You cannot lose your multiplier by losing games.
In the previous ranked system, going on a win streak rewarded you with a bonus star. This remains a feature of the new system and helps push you up to the top even more. If you went on a win streak and had a multiplier of 10, you'd be gaining 20 stars! Each rank has 3 stars so you would jump up 6 ranks thanks to that streak and multiplier.
There is an easy way to figure out what your base multiplier for the next season is. Simply add up the number of ranked floors you hit and subtract 1 (it can't go below 1). You may also gain additional multiplier based on your previous MMR. If you're Silver 5, you've hit 4 ranked floors which would give you a star multiplier of 3. Legend players will receive a star multiplier of 10, unless you are "high legend" which gives you a multiplier of 11. If you get close to a ranked floor, you should do your best to hit it to speed up your progression in the next season.
Better Rewards Than Ever Before
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper overhaul without also focusing on the rewards. We've got your usual end-of-season rewards but also, first-time bonuses each time you hit a ranked floor!
- As soon as you hit 5 wins each season, you will now receive your monthly card back reward - no more waiting!
- The first-time bonuses reward classic cards and packs to help new players.
- End of season rewards that reward packs give you packs for the latest expansion.
- End of season rewards are additive. Hitting a rank floor gives you those rewards and the ones before it!
- Since this is a new system, everyone can earn the first-time rewards!
Hearthstone Ranked End of Season Rewards
Here is a table that shows you exactly what you will receive at the end of the season based on your rank.
Rank Floor | Latest Expansion Packs | Rare Cards | Epic Cards |
---|---|---|---|
Bronze 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Silver 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Silver 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Gold 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Gold 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Platinum 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Platinum 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Diamond 10 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Diamond 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
Legend | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Hearthstone Ranked First Time Rewards
Here's a table showcasing the first-time rewards, also seen above.
Rank Floor | Reward |
---|---|
Bronze 5 | 1 Classic Pack |
Silver 10 | 4 Random Classic Rare Cards |
Silver 5 | 1 Classic Pack |
Gold 10 | 4 Random Classic Rare Cards |
Gold 5 | 1 Classic Pack |
Platinum 10 | 1 Random Classic Epic Card |
Platinum 5 | 1 Classic Pack |
Diamond 10 | 1 Random Classic Epic Card |
Diamond 5 | 1 Classic Pack |
Legend | 1 Random Classic Legendary Card |
Closing Thoughts
The new ranked system is a welcome change to Hearthstone. The reward changes mean that higher ranked players are getting more rewards than ever which makes shooting for higher ranks a good goal for all players. Although it may feel weird getting reset each month to Bronze 10, it incentives playing so that you don't have to regrind the entire ranked ladder because you decided to not play for a month.
Comments
Content aside: some of these new portrait choices seem... bizarre? I like the Diamond league being represented by the League of Explorers and EVIL. But, like, why is Eviscerate -- a spell, not a minion -- even an icon? Why is Alexstraza after C'Thun? Why is Zul'jin, a hero card, in the same category as Doomsayer and Big Game Hunter?
This way madness lies.
My boy Leeroy Jenkins got stiffed on a portrait. He should be the Eviscerate one.
I think they just took iconic cards and didn't really do a theme.
It's not like the old one made that much sense either
From which set are the end of season rare cards given? Classic or the latest expansion?
They specified they are standard cards in the announcement. I kept it vague because I wasn't certain if that was also the case for wild, though I suspect that it is.
Now climbing ranks is a lot more justified than before. Definitely a welcome change.
I'm gonna try a speedrun in order to get that sweet sweet Hogger in my collection.
Thanks for your work in getting all of this info in one place. I had not previously understood that the monthly rewards are additive and I find that to be exciting.
Is there any sense of how these leagues are roughly going to line up with the existing ranks? I'm wondering what would be the new equivalent of the "rank 5 floor."
Now that we have confirmation that the monthly rewards are additive, that's actually a great incentive to rank up each season. Do we have confirmation that every card we receive will be golden (for both first-time rewards and monthly rewards)?
Yeah, it is very exciting that the rewards are additive. This is probably the most confusing part about the system from discussions I've seen on it. "Why would I move up when I'm getting a pack of 5 cards?"
I suspect the old Rank 5 floor will now be Diamond 10. The way I've looked at it is your old Rank 25 is now Bronze 10 and every 10 ranks is 5 in the old system. They added in additional floors halfway through each league so that it would be less painful if you went on large losing streaks. It definitely doesn't covert perfectly though considering there are now more stars than ever before to grind through (150 compared to 100), so it'll be interesting to see how the ladder fills in though over the next month.
You only get your monthly golden epic at Diamond 5 and above.
Does the new single player intro to Demon Hunter also come out tomorrow?
No, that's on thursday.
I think it drops on Thursday the 2nd.
Great breakdown of the new system!
I'm so excited for the new ladder and all the new rewards!