If Blizzard wanted to take the smarter approach here, and make some new tech, maybe they could make Mercenaries an optional download (it's a lot of data, images, code) which would slim down the mobile install of the game.
An optional download would be a great solution, but I don't expect them to implement this unless they get the feature almost for free because they already have the infrastructure. Hearthstone has some live content download support, but it still requires frequent client upgrades, so the system probably has some limitations.
I believe this has already happened. When I click the Modes button, I can enter Arena or Duels, but the buttons for Mercenaries and Solo Adventures say "Download" as of a couple months ago.
I'm torn between two Azerite beasts for this week:
The Boar has a more flashy effect, but the Crab has better art (although it's one of the AI generated ones they have in Hearthcards) and is slightly more flavorful, as it can be seen as a slight reference to carcinization.
Feel free to post your cards if you decide to participate in the comp!
I've been missing the weekly card design competition we used to have in this site since they ended. So, some time afterwards, I started to participate in the comps they have at the r/customhearthstone subreddit.
However, these comps lack the part I enjoyed the most: giving and receiving feedback. To fulfill this, I decided to make this thread, so that we can some of that fun without overloading linkblade and Demon with work.
This week's comp is Bloodrock is hiring, in which you'll have to create an Azerite reward or an Excavate card for classes that didn't receive them. There's also a secondary reward for the card with the best artwork.
Nice to hear about clans. I notice there isn't any mention of in-game chat in there, though. It'd be odd to be in a clan with someone, yet be unable to chat with them. We'll see?
Destiny 2 [...] there is important lore in the removed content that is now completely inaccessible to new players.
Yup, and they removed ways to get items that are still useful in the game. Luckily, there is an alternative way to obtain exotics from the past, but it requires a potentially larger time sink than had the content remained in the game. It's possible they've adjusted it since 2021 though when I was last looking into obtaining stuff I was missing, so maybe it isn't as bad.
Note that for apps on Apple's mobile store, it is forbidden to download executable code, probably as a measure to avoid code bypassing review.
Yup, that's the exact reason! And it's a reason why some bugs can't be fixed via small hearthstone-provided updates. Blizzard has done a good job over the years though improving what they can and can't hotfix into the client, so that's a plus.
the market for live service games as a whole becomes worse, because players have no time left to play multiple games.
Yeah =(
The problem is that investors expect not just profits, but growing profits, which is not sustainable. This is a wider problem and I think it will take a lot of time and probably a few collapses before people will learn to be satisfied with just steady profits instead of expecting exponential growth in every market.
We're in for an incredibly rude awakening when this becomes a universal truth. Steady profits are so healthy, as is single digit growth, but of course, greed takes over on the side of everyone and is the reason we can't have nice things. If you aren't making returns that are beating the market, you're effectively losing money. Magic fairy money at that.
Yeah I was a little uncertain about how good it is, I imagine that it would be very powerful in the late game when you're trying to assemble your last few minions (it's essentially like permanently having access to the Tier 6 Spell that Refreshes the Tavern with minions of your most common type), but early on it might be weaker than something like Ysera's ability that doesn't cost gold. I think 3 Mana might actually be more appropriate on second thought, having consistency in finding the pieces for your comp late-game is very good, especially with a stat-buff.
Duels had a lot of untapped potential. Yes it has issues but nothing that can’t be fixed by a dedicated team.
like if the number of cards was the issue, why couldn’t just do a set rotation? Or a hero/treasure rotation ? Why did they have to switch to set-based buckets? Didnt they have a maching learning algorithm to fix the drop rate of individual cards in synergy-based buckets ?
but yeah, kotick’s new yacht aint gonna pay itself I guess
Yeah I think that's something a lot of people didn't properly evaluate with Raid the Docks when it was first revealed. Sacrificing some early-game potential to be able to win more easily in the late game definitely proved worth it.
Honestly I'm not sure if Odyn really falls into the same issue. Even though it is 1 card that lets you start pressuring the opponent down, the deck needs stuff like Shield Block or Heavy Plate to actually start clocking the opponent. I think its just one of the few times in recent HS where we've had 1 card that is a concise win condition as opposed to the usual "my win condition is the opponent falling asleep". Last card I can think that truly took up that mantle was Archivist Elysiana or Dr. Boom, Mad Genius.
And yeah Deathstalker Rexxar is definitely up there for cards that I love but also should never have been printed. I feel like it did what Order in the Court used to do of letting you swap your early game aggression for a killer late game, just on steroids. I still think the whole 'triple phase hunter' deck from Rastakhan's Rumble is probably my least favorite deck I've ever played against.
Glad you enjoyed it! It's always fun diving into older metagames and really taking a deeper dive in them.
I'm incredibly torn on the Stormwind meta for wild to be honest. It was 100% a miserable meta balance wise, but I am just an absolute sucker for playing metagames that are so heavily warped around a deck. There's something about just taking 1 deck that's pretty popular and deciding "I'm going to build a deck so bent on targeting this one deck and just hope I queue into them" that I love. That and I also have to come clean and admit I was a questline abuser but that's besides the point >_>. When I was doing my research there was a couple Demon Seed lists popping up from earlier this year but for the sake of brevity (and not having that one card take up like half the article) I didn't go too in-depth on it like I did for other cards since showing off the different variants from the cards initial launch was more interesting in my opinion.
Very cool series of articles, thanks for doing these!
For me, the stormwind meta in wild was a very bad time. Wild is the place where stuff is meant to be crazy, but the questlines just went too far. So, no I really wouldn’t want them to make a comeback. Seedlock is still very viable in wild and an absolute pain to play against. If I queue a control deck into seedlock, I usually concede on turn 1. On the bright side, I just got legend two months in a row with Questline Il’gynoth Demon Hunter.
That said, I totally get your feelings about flavour and the questlines incorporating a narrative… but for me, that only really works in mage, where I’m still enjoying a Questline deck that I have merged with the rainbow stuff that is currently used in Standard (Sif being the poster girl here) - as a casual meme deck, mind you
It's great that I found you. I haven't paid much attention to my health for a long time and neglected my hair. Now I'm looking for useful resources to get myself back on track. I'm taking care of myself and using biotin with hyaluronic acid because a friend told me it's a supplement that helps improve skin and hair condition. It's been a short time, but I already feel better and look younger. I want to find advice on other hair growth support pills that could be beneficial for me, so I'll definitely bookmark you.
this is the most soul crushing news blizzard has dropped on me in years. i absolutely adore duels with every fiber of my being and i cannot fathom why they would remove it entirely instead of just letting it be like mercenaries. even if it slowly becomes more outdated and shitty and only gets one update a year that would be better than putting the entire mode in the trash bin. i cant even begin to comprehend what hearthstone looks like without duels. am i gonna have to spend gold on arena, a mode ive played probably like 20 times in the past 8 years, if i want to try and make my gold back?
i am unimaginably disappointed and deeply concerned for the future of this game
I'm with Caro, the 6-links I need I just buy, the chests I want to sell I attempt to 6-link myself; this league however, I've been so rich it's practically a waste of mouse longevity to bother linking!
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
I believe this has already happened. When I click the Modes button, I can enter Arena or Duels, but the buttons for Mercenaries and Solo Adventures say "Download" as of a couple months ago.
Maybe this change only impacts mobile players?
Gardencity
The tribal cannabis must be so high quality. I guess Sticky Seeds stickyseeds get some of theirs from a tribe as well. You should try it once I guess.
Reddit Design Comps - Feedback Thread
I'm torn between two Azerite beasts for this week:
The Boar has a more flashy effect, but the Crab has better art (although it's one of the AI generated ones they have in Hearthcards) and is slightly more flavorful, as it can be seen as a slight reference to carcinization.
Feel free to post your cards if you decide to participate in the comp!
Reddit Design Comps - Feedback Thread
I've been missing the weekly card design competition we used to have in this site since they ended. So, some time afterwards, I started to participate in the comps they have at the r/customhearthstone subreddit.
However, these comps lack the part I enjoyed the most: giving and receiving feedback. To fulfill this, I decided to make this thread, so that we can some of that fun without overloading linkblade and Demon with work.
This week's comp is Bloodrock is hiring, in which you'll have to create an Azerite reward or an Excavate card for classes that didn't receive them. There's also a secondary reward for the card with the best artwork.
Marvel Snap's 2024 Developer Roadmap - In-Game Events, Clans, Card Effects, Reactions, & More
Nice to hear about clans. I notice there isn't any mention of in-game chat in there, though. It'd be odd to be in a clan with someone, yet be unable to chat with them. We'll see?
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
Sad to see this. Not because of Duels leaving, I haven't played that mode in ages. But why does it leaving have to affect Arena?
Leave my boy be! I don't want that overpowered stuff in the chill cardpicker mode.
Snowpocalypse 4
They IS a snowball. ^^
(Don't throw them though!)
Top Wild Hearthstone Decks for Climbing the Ladder - Early January 2024 Season
I haven't played much Wild this season, so thanks for the ideas!
Snowpocalypse 4
I raise you... a cat throwing a snow ball 😸
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
No more monopolies around One Thing in a deck.
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
I will always have some sort of soft spot for Raid the Docks since I ended up reaching Legend for the first time because of it.
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
FWIW Kotick left Activision Blizzard.
That doesn't invalidate anything you've said, just wanted to clear that up for anyone that missed the message.
Heroic Brawliseum
My favourite comment :D
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
Yup, and they removed ways to get items that are still useful in the game. Luckily, there is an alternative way to obtain exotics from the past, but it requires a potentially larger time sink than had the content remained in the game. It's possible they've adjusted it since 2021 though when I was last looking into obtaining stuff I was missing, so maybe it isn't as bad.
Yup, that's the exact reason! And it's a reason why some bugs can't be fixed via small hearthstone-provided updates. Blizzard has done a good job over the years though improving what they can and can't hotfix into the client, so that's a plus.
Yeah =(
We're in for an incredibly rude awakening when this becomes a universal truth. Steady profits are so healthy, as is single digit growth, but of course, greed takes over on the side of everyone and is the reason we can't have nice things. If you aren't making returns that are beating the market, you're effectively losing money. Magic fairy money at that.
Worgen Battlegrounds Miniset
Yeah I was a little uncertain about how good it is, I imagine that it would be very powerful in the late game when you're trying to assemble your last few minions (it's essentially like permanently having access to the Tier 6 Spell that Refreshes the Tavern with minions of your most common type), but early on it might be weaker than something like Ysera's ability that doesn't cost gold. I think 3 Mana might actually be more appropriate on second thought, having consistency in finding the pieces for your comp late-game is very good, especially with a stat-buff.
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
Duels had a lot of untapped potential. Yes it has issues but nothing that can’t be fixed by a dedicated team.
like if the number of cards was the issue, why couldn’t just do a set rotation? Or a hero/treasure rotation ? Why did they have to switch to set-based buckets? Didnt they have a maching learning algorithm to fix the drop rate of individual cards in synergy-based buckets ?
but yeah, kotick’s new yacht aint gonna pay itself I guess
back to dalaran heist it is
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
Yeah I think that's something a lot of people didn't properly evaluate with Raid the Docks when it was first revealed. Sacrificing some early-game potential to be able to win more easily in the late game definitely proved worth it.
Honestly I'm not sure if Odyn really falls into the same issue. Even though it is 1 card that lets you start pressuring the opponent down, the deck needs stuff like Shield Block or Heavy Plate to actually start clocking the opponent. I think its just one of the few times in recent HS where we've had 1 card that is a concise win condition as opposed to the usual "my win condition is the opponent falling asleep". Last card I can think that truly took up that mantle was Archivist Elysiana or Dr. Boom, Mad Genius.
And yeah Deathstalker Rexxar is definitely up there for cards that I love but also should never have been printed. I feel like it did what Order in the Court used to do of letting you swap your early game aggression for a killer late game, just on steroids. I still think the whole 'triple phase hunter' deck from Rastakhan's Rumble is probably my least favorite deck I've ever played against.
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
Glad you enjoyed it! It's always fun diving into older metagames and really taking a deeper dive in them.
I'm incredibly torn on the Stormwind meta for wild to be honest. It was 100% a miserable meta balance wise, but I am just an absolute sucker for playing metagames that are so heavily warped around a deck. There's something about just taking 1 deck that's pretty popular and deciding "I'm going to build a deck so bent on targeting this one deck and just hope I queue into them" that I love. That and I also have to come clean and admit I was a questline abuser but that's besides the point >_>. When I was doing my research there was a couple Demon Seed lists popping up from earlier this year but for the sake of brevity (and not having that one card take up like half the article) I didn't go too in-depth on it like I did for other cards since showing off the different variants from the cards initial launch was more interesting in my opinion.
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
Very cool series of articles, thanks for doing these!
For me, the stormwind meta in wild was a very bad time. Wild is the place where stuff is meant to be crazy, but the questlines just went too far. So, no I really wouldn’t want them to make a comeback. Seedlock is still very viable in wild and an absolute pain to play against. If I queue a control deck into seedlock, I usually concede on turn 1. On the bright side, I just got legend two months in a row with Questline Il’gynoth Demon Hunter.
That said, I totally get your feelings about flavour and the questlines incorporating a narrative… but for me, that only really works in mage, where I’m still enjoying a Questline deck that I have merged with the rainbow stuff that is currently used in Standard (Sif being the poster girl here) - as a casual meme deck, mind you
Bestlivingzone
It's great that I found you. I haven't paid much attention to my health for a long time and neglected my hair. Now I'm looking for useful resources to get myself back on track. I'm taking care of myself and using biotin with hyaluronic acid because a friend told me it's a supplement that helps improve skin and hair condition. It's been a short time, but I already feel better and look younger. I want to find advice on other hair growth support pills that could be beneficial for me, so I'll definitely bookmark you.
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
this is the most soul crushing news blizzard has dropped on me in years. i absolutely adore duels with every fiber of my being and i cannot fathom why they would remove it entirely instead of just letting it be like mercenaries. even if it slowly becomes more outdated and shitty and only gets one update a year that would be better than putting the entire mode in the trash bin. i cant even begin to comprehend what hearthstone looks like without duels. am i gonna have to spend gold on arena, a mode ive played probably like 20 times in the past 8 years, if i want to try and make my gold back?
i am unimaginably disappointed and deeply concerned for the future of this game
Top Hearthstone Decks to Play to Kickoff 2024 - Climb That Standard Rank!
Taunt Warrior seems quite strong, but does it really not have any terrible matchups in this current meta? And what list are you running?
Hearthstone Duels is Being Removed From the Client in April 2024
At least they are honest in their communication; it's a matter of limited resources and where to put the few that they have.
Orb of Fusing Quality of Life Updates Coming as Early as Path of Exile's Next League
I'm with Caro, the 6-links I need I just buy, the chests I want to sell I attempt to 6-link myself; this league however, I've been so rich it's practically a waste of mouse longevity to bother linking!
Should Questlines Return to Hearthstone? Looking Back at Stormwind's Shaman, Warlock, & Warrior Quests
Main difference between Excavate and Quest is that Quest starts in starting hand.