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Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Hearthstone AMA #31 5:00PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/a1kEGVbmlv

Hearthstone AMA #31 5:00PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/a1kEGVbmlv

  • Iksar
    Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
    Hearthstone AMA #31 5:00PM - 6:30PM PST Ask me a question about Hearthstone! Or Design! (or anime...) https://t.co/a1kEGVbmlv

    • ggahSoO
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hi iksar 🤠

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @ggahSoO hi

    • coolboypai
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What are the odds of getting design articles from you or the team? I personally love seeing the behind the scenes processes for games and they can be great resources for fans too like with the class identity article.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @coolboypai From card design? Probably low. I've thought about making content, but I'd probably make it in video form. People don't read articles anymore!

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @coolboypai For written content you should be passionate about sharing info with the community and also a talented writer. A rare combo. Rosewater and Ghostcrawler are great, but they are rare gems.

        • hsdecktech
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @coolboypai Liking for you making videos. Crying about people not reading articles anymore.

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @hsdecktech @coolboypai Okay in retrospect that was rude, sorry decktech we still love articles. Was mostly meant as a joke about getting older and the kids and their dang whippersnapper tiktoks

            • hsdecktech
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @IksarHS @coolboypai TikTok dance design articles would do really well.

          • coolboypai
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @hsdecktech @IksarHS If only there was someone who is both a writer and also involved with the Hearthstone team... :p

            • hsdecktech
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @coolboypai @IksarHS 🤔🤔🤔

    • FroggyHSxD
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are there plans on adding 2000 win portraits/diamond borders? I have 1000 wins on 8/10 classes, but I’m not a fan of all the 1000 portraits and I think it would be cool to show off the 1000 wins using a different portrait. For example burning 500 win garrosh with a diamond border

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @FroggyHSxD No plans on 2000 win specific stuff but we have tons of new cosmetics in the works. Would love to do things like more frames, alternate art, boards, etc. Just takes time to concept. We'll make some as products to sell but also want to make things to show off your achievements.

    • AlonsoArrietaC1
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Mercenaries and Constructed feel to me like 2 completely separate things except for the gold that you'll need to spend for buildings and to buy packs. Is there anything that you think might help to connect the 2 games in a more cohesive game overall?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @AlonsoArrietaC1 We're okay with having different experiences across each core game mode. I'd still consider them in the same broad genre of slow strategy games but you are right in that they are mostly their own standalone experiences.

    • Rami94HS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS @Celestalon The Spanish Latam version of the game still has Ignite's card text bugged! Could you please do something about it? (spell damage is not applied to the card text)

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Rami94HS @Celestalon Fixed in upcoming patch. @Celestalon just let me know!

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Rami94HS @Celestalon Didn't make it into the mercs patch, but one shortly after.

    • kurgan_
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS As we got 4 portraits for Guff, Tamsin and Scabbs, is there any chance for 1 more portrait for previous mercs, esp Rokara? Or is this just a "from now on" kind of thing? Also, what's the best anime fight you've ever seen? In and outside of Naruto, that is. Cheers!

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @kurgan_ They'll be more portraits for previous mercs in the next expansion. No comment on who just yet. Best anime fight... Naruto is hard. The original Sasuke vs Naruto at the waterfall is so iconic that it would be hard to beat. Naruto vs Pain, Sasuke vs Itachi, Madara vs everyone...

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @kurgan_ Outside of Naruto.... Tanjiro and Nezuko vs Rui in Demon Slayer was probably my favorite from an art perspective.

    • aqword2
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Finally! I've been wanting to catch an AMA live for a long time. I have so many questions. I'll limit it to two.

      • aqword2
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @IksarHS 1. I'm curious about the philosophy behind hero emotes. For example, if I try to sincerely emote "Well Played" with Arcanist Jaina, it comes out "You are something else" (an insult) so then I switch to Lady Katrana Prestor and it becomes "You are so very clever" (another insult).

        • aqword2
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS It feels like it makes the game culture more snarky (and feels rather off-brand), so I'm wondering what the thought is behind it.

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @aqword2 Maybe a better question for a T5 writer like @themattlondon. Sounds like a good question :).

      • aqword2
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @IksarHS 2. I'm wondering about the approach to card art and inclusiveness. It seems like orcs are represented with the facial features of Black people, trolls are given Caribbean accents, but most of the "humans" are white, and mainly men.

        • aqword2
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS What's the approach to trying to make the game more inclusive of people other than white men? Has there been any consideration of updating older cards?

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @aqword2 Our intention, especially the last few years, has been to try and create a more diverse set of characters. You can see that through gender, age, and human race diversity in characters we've created over the last couple years.

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @aqword2 Warcraft has been historically heavy on white-male characters and it's one of the reasons we've tried to branch out and create core characters like Elise, Cariel, Rokara and Bob that are unique to the Hearthstone universe.

            • aqword2
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @IksarHS I've actually been pleased by some of the strides I've seen there (esp Varden). But for a new user starting out with the core set (which uses mainly old art), nearly all the characters (31 of 32 at a quick count) are white. Has there been any consideration of updating old art?

              • Iksar
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @aqword2 A good question. Starting experience something we're looking at in the near future. I think it's less likely we'll update the art of a character to be a different race, but I like the idea of looking for existing cards of a more diverse group to represent the early experience.

    • baney64
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Don’t ask why, but recently I did a statistical analysis on card cost by class, and all but Rogue and Druid show no statistical difference. Is this a conscious design decision, ie Druid is the expensive card class, rogue the cheap card class?

      • oEltinho
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @baney64 @IksarHS I'd guess Rogue cheaper to enable Combo triggering, Druid expensive to cash on the mana ramp spells.

        • baney64
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @oEltinho @IksarHS I guess I’m more interested in how the others are the same. It feels like, say, Hunter should have cheaper cards than warrior but they don’t. I wonder if this is a conscious choice.

          • ASMRxism
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @baney64 @oEltinho @IksarHS curious how you determined the statistical analysis. if hunter has only 3-cost cards and warrior has an even split of 1- and 5-cost cards, the average will be the same even though the card pool is very different.

            • baney64
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @ASMRxism @oEltinho @IksarHS It’s basically this https://t.co/oyVIbfEa4K. See the F-test Could be wrong, was just testing, I use hearthstone json when I need a test data set. Also I realise I’m p-hacking a bit

              • Iksar
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @baney64 @ASMRxism @oEltinho To be honest I'd also have expected Hunter to have cheaper cards than Warrior on average. The other commenter was correct, though. Druid needs high cost cards to capitalize on ramp and Rogue needs lower cost stuff to capitalize on high card velocity and combo fantasy.

    • Oakijak_HS
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Does the Dev team prefer low power or higher power sets? I can see arguments for both, but there have been many higher power sets lately (UiS especially). Will the next standard year be more like Year of the Raven?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Oakijak_HS Given the choice between either, probably high-power. High-power sets are pretty high on complaints and emotion but low-power sets mean players get bored and quit. Obviously we'd rather be somewhere in the middle.

    • Hyyyyl
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What's your favourite deck rn? Mine is probably Garrote rogue. Btw, tried Outer Wilds DLC yet?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Hyyyyl I basically never buy DLC. When I'm done with a game it's hard for me to go back to it.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Hyyyyl Been playing mostly BG lately, but before that my favorite deck was Maxima Blastenh.... I mean Even Hunter.

    • imik_plays
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS How's that "upgrade to a golden card" feature doing? Btw what do you think would be the price for let's say upgrading a normal common/rare/epic/legendary to a golden version?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @imik_plays That's a good question I don't know the answer to. Will check in with our UI team.

    • Hearthstoneisd
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS About modes, cant qe just use all banned cards on Adventure Modes??? Please I want to use them on Adventure modes

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Hearthstoneisd I'll check in with team and ask about it. Reasonable request.

    • FroggyHSxD
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Are there plans on adding diamond cards for scholomance, Outland and darkmoon? And a coin for Outland?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @FroggyHSxD yes, all of the above

    • eminent_panda
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hey Iksar 👋 Whenever a number of players want a card to be nerfed, do members of Team 5 ever knudge the card designer in question and give friendly jabs to them like, "hey, nice going, DEREK, you made the players mad." I like to think ya'll do.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @eminent_panda We do, I like to jokingly blame @Chakki_HS and @Songbird_HS for things.

        • Cora
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @eminent_panda @Chakki_HS https://t.co/7fttRF1bMP

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @Songbird_HS @eminent_panda @Chakki_HS (she loves it, really likes to be blamed for stuff)

    • TexPine
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Will we ever see Console releases?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @TexPine Ever is a long time, but not anywhere in the near future.

    • Minico_20
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Do you plan to continue with this masterpiece??? (or doing something similar) https://t.co/e5P1oXZ9zQ

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Minico_20 unfortunately not, it was before its time (or after its time?)

    • BroccoliReef
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS I’m playing through God of War Rn and love it. Any other recs?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @BroccoliReef Ghosts of Tsushima was great. Last of Us 2 was great. Horizon Zero Dawn..... great. FTL is my favorite IPad game not named Hearthstone.

    • HolyKnight077
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Do you think some Questlines should be revamped once they fully rotate to Wild?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @HolyKnight077 I suspect that quests are the topic of today and by the time they rotate to Wild players will be focused on a different topic :)

    • Bored_Certified
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Your AMAs always feel very linear with just HS questions and answers. Any chance we could see something like Marvel storyline discussing or your favorite songs of the past year?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Bored_Certified I fear that players will discover I am not that interesting of a person to ask questions unrelated to Hearthstone.

    • shanedestroys
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS i've heard devs say sometimes perception of balance is more important than actual balance. have you guys made any changes to any decks or cards because of perception even if your internal stats said it wasn't an issue? ever use sites like hsreplay to see the stats players do?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @shanedestroys Most of the changes we make are due to perception. I'd only really consider something truly imbalanced if win rates are exceeding 54-55%. That usually only happens 0-1 times per set.

    • mancalledZ
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Any chance we could see more cross promotion with Hearthstone and WoW like the Sarge mount perhaps the wow tcg mounts could be added as a chance drop from Hearthstone packs?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @mancalledZ Our teams would love to do more cross-promo. I was recently on a thread where we were trying to brainstorm better ways to work together. I think the reality is that we get so busy with our own games it can be hard to make time for it, especially when we have to coordinate times.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @mancalledZ We will do more, though!

    • DatMageDoe
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Over the game's life cycle, what card(s) would you say dodged the nerf bat the most relative to their time in Standard?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @DatMageDoe Gadgetzan Auctioneer dodged nerfs and rotations so, so, so many times.

    • Pokeniner2
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have the dev team ever snuck Easter eggs of themselves or their interests in HS, their trailers, or animations before? If so, what were they?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Pokeniner2 @Songbird_HS says it was a coincidence but I DONT KNOW pupbot sure does look A LOT like her dog....

        • Cora
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @Pokeniner2 I personally don't see the similarities. https://t.co/hvBy3y8Q6G

      • Slysssa
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Pokeniner2 @IksarHS In BGs the made a card for @DreadsGaming 🥺 peggyyyy

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Slysssa @Pokeniner2 @DreadsGaming We talked awhile back about doing an update with streamers as BG heroes for a limited time. We even had some example Stormwind heroes like @Kripparrian the Stormwind Guard.

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @Slysssa @Pokeniner2 @DreadsGaming @Kripparrian I'd like to do this, think BG is a place where most anything goes and celebrating community figures seems fun. Just have to find a way to partner that benefits everyone.

          • Slysssa
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @IksarHS @Pokeniner2 @DreadsGaming @Kripparrian Dibs on captain Hooktusk 🥺🙂

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @Slysssa @Pokeniner2 @DreadsGaming @Kripparrian No you'd just be your own hero. Cap'n Slyssa.

    • RTwoCTwo
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Seriously, though - is it “lie-bram” or “lee-bram”? I lean into the former because of the similarity to “library”.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @RTwoCTwo I'm pretty sure it's Lee and not Lie

      • HS_Alec
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @RTwoCTwo @IksarHS I believe it’s a shorter “li” sound, so neither. That’s at least what @Celestalon told me many times before shooting the hearthside chat :)

        • Chadd Nervigg
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @GW_Alec @RTwoCTwo @IksarHS Rhymes with "BIB-RUM". Despite having the same root word as Library (LIE-BRAR-EEE), it is not pronounced (LIE-BRUM), but rather (LIB-RUM). At least that's how we always pronounced it on the WoW team, that I heard.

    • BocLife
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Can you provide a humorous reason why Hearthstone will be better off with Alec leaving? We all need some copium today.

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @BocLife I tried to think of something but came up empty, sorry :(

    • kirayamatoXV
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Alec will be leaving Hearthstone, who will be in charge of balancing from now on?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @kirayamatoXV The final design team will be @Chakki_HS, @GallonHS, and @BoarControl. I'll still have oversight as was the case with Alec but I wouldn't expect any major changes in philosophy.

        • gtluizmoratelli
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @kirayamatoXV @Chakki_HS @GallonHS @BoarControl Will any of them be in charge of giving spoilers on twitter?

          • Iksar
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @Chakki_HS @GallonHS @BoarControl Hmm, no I they will probably be pretty careful about spoilers. You are better off trying to get spoilers from me, @Celestalon, or @Songbird_HS. We're bound to let something slip.

            • Iksar
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @Chakki_HS @GallonHS @BoarControl @Celestalon @Songbird_HS If you just mean balance changes slightly ahead of the blog, it'll be more or @Chakki_HS if Keaton graces us with his twitter presence.

            • Chadd Nervigg
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @Chakki_HS @GallonHS @BoarControl @Songbird_HS https://t.co/jDUug3wrjW

              • Cora
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @Celestalon @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @Chakki_HS @GallonHS @BoarControl https://t.co/5iBVBjoSuI

            • Chakki_HS
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl @Celestalon @Songbird_HS you think i won't spoil stuff? the miniset has a 3 mana 3/4.

              • Iksar
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @Chakki_HS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl @Celestalon @Songbird_HS oh no it was 6:31 @GW_Alec is gone for literally 1 minute and he's on twitter spoiling cards

              • Chadd Nervigg
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @Chakki_HS @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl @Songbird_HS That’s just a good body!

                • Cora
                  Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                  @Celestalon @Chakki_HS @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl Good stats.

                • Iksar
                  Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                  @Celestalon @Chakki_HS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl @Songbird_HS a classic meme

              • Tabayrak
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @Chakki_HS @IksarHS @gtluizmoratelli @kirayamatoXV @GallonHS @BoarControl @Celestalon @Songbird_HS Hell yeah brother.

    • Kross3d_
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What will be the top priority for the dev team after Mercenaries is released?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Kross3d_ Improving BG with more systems like progression, more cosmetic options, and potential gameplay system changes/improvements. A bigger than normal expansion slated for late next year. Keeping up with content for expansions, bg, mercs. Brainstorming the next big things.

    • troldann
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Have you read The Expanse books, or just follow the show? How excited are you for Season 6?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @troldann No to the books, but very excited for the show. The last season was amazing!

    • TexPine
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Is the team concerned about the increasing fragmentation of the player base in multiple game modes?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @TexPine Not really, games are fast enough and population size is large enough that we don't have any problems supporting the various modes with enough players.

    • Gronmin
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What are your opinions on the common community complaint of decks/classes being able to draw through their deck to quickly and being able to do that consistently?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @Gronmin It's a real concern. A set where the keyword is essentially 'draw a card' is going to be heavier on card draw than most. It's a tough balance. Card draw is fun because it leads to having options.

        • Iksar
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Gronmin We can do it through random generation or through draw, but both have their downsides. Limited card draw leads to playing games on curve or off the top of your deck. Upsides and downsides to all.

    • sporkyreeve
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS You’ve pitched a few experimental ideas over the last couple months. Assuming the team decided to do one of these larger-scale ideas, how long would it realistically take to implement? (Counting getting it working in-game and then bug/balance testing)

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @sporkyreeve Something like class ban would be pretty fast implementation-wise, but things still take awhile to get into the game because every team has a log of things to get through. When you add a new 'thing' it usually goes to the back of the line. That line is often times 4-6 months long

    • TimRizzo
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Do you ever feel the sentiment that the Hearthstone team is working so much on what's coming next vs. improving what's currently broken/bugged in the game?

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @TimRizzo Not really, the truth is pretty simple. We're always doing both. There are people who prioritize fixing live bugs, there are people that focus on creating future content.

    • MyntyPhresh
      Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Can i ask you a question even if im 8 minutes late?

      • Cora
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @MyntyPhresh @IksarHS Well that's a pretty lame question...

        • MyntyPhresh
          Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
          @Songbird_HS @IksarHS >:( there are no lame questions

          • Cora
            Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
            @MyntyPhresh @IksarHS Lame question asker says what

            • MyntyPhresh
              Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
              @Songbird_HS @IksarHS https://t.co/MQKnNtnJtB

              • Cora
                Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
                @MyntyPhresh @IksarHS https://t.co/qI56rk0ej2

      • Iksar
        Posted 3 years, 11 months ago (Source)
        @MyntyPhresh no
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