Welcome to the Standard Forums!
Welcome everyone to the Standard Discussion Forum. This forum was created to facilitate discussion of the Standard format, the format that Blizzard has decided will be used for Hearthstone Championship events going forward.
Please use this forum to discuss anything and everything with the Standard format. We ask that all threads in this forum are kept constructive in nature. Non-constructive threads will be deleted upon notice and the poster will be given a formal warning.
If your post is simply an image, or an image with a line of text, it probably isn't going to be creating any thought-provoking discussion. Add some meat to it!
If you wish to discuss the Wild format, please do so in the Wild forum.
Current Set Rotation
In standard, only the newest cards are in play! Each standard year consists of up to 6 card sets; the latest releases, as well as the basic and classic card pools. For a detailed look at how Standard works, check out our guide!
Additionally, a new pool was created as of the Year of the Mammoth known as the Hall of Fame. This set is restricted to Wild format as well. Cards currently in this set can be viewed on our Hall of Fame Guide!
Standard Format FAQ
How often will Standard format change?
Standard format will be updated with the first new Expansion released each year. When that happens Standard format will be updated to include card sets from the current and previous calendar year. The Basic and Classic card sets are always part of the Standard format.
Why are Basic and Classic always part of Standard?
These cards serve as a foundation for Hearthstone. They help give Hearthstone its flavor, they have mechanics that are great for introducing new players to the game, and players who have taken a break can return to Hearthstone confident that they’ll be familiar with these cards.
What is the Year of the Dragon?
The Year of the Dragon is a thematic way to refer to the first year of Standard format play. Next year, when the first new Expansion of the year is released, a new Hearthstone year will begin, Standard format will be updated, and a different beast will symbolize the year!
How will random effects work in Standard?
Random effects (including summoning random minions or cards, the Discover mechanic, transformations, or any other similar effects) will only summon cards that are eligible for the format you are playing. Thus, random effects in Standard will summon only cards that would be usable in the Standard format. All cards are legal in Wild format, so such effects will function as they always have.
Will Arenas use Standard format?
Arena has recently been modified to utilize the same Standard format as constructed! No wild cards here.
Will Tavern Brawls use formats?
Tavern Brawls have different rules each week, so some Brawls will be in Wild format, while others could be in Standard format, but they’ll all be crazy fun!
Will my Adventure decks be affected by the new formats?
Adventures will be in Wild format, thus allowing you to use your entire collection to build Adventure decks.
Can I play a Standard deck in Wild?
Yes! The Wild format includes your entire collection regardless of release date, including all of your cards that are usable in Standard format, so you can queue up for Wild using a Standard format deck directly.
Can I play Friendly Challenges in Standard format?
Yes! You will have the option to issue a Friendly Challenge using Standard or Wild format, and your opponent will only have the option to use decks of the appropriate format.
Are Standard cards labeled in the Collection Manager?
Individual cards are not labeled by format, though there will be visual cues in the Collection Manager to let you know whether you are building a Standard or Wild deck. There will also be a filter in the Collection Manager to display only Standard format cards.
Are the new deck slots only available for use with Standard decks?
You can use the new deck slots for either Standard or Wild decks. These extra deck slots become available after unlocking all nine Hearthstone heroes.
How will collecting cards work?
Adventures and Expansions that are part of Standard format will be available for purchase with gold or real money. Card sets that aren’t part of Standard format won’t be available for purchase from the in-game Shop, but you will be able to purchase them on battle.net website with real money or craft any of those cards using Arcane Dust, including cards from Adventures that previously could not be disenchanted or crafted.
How will purchasing Adventures work?
You will be able to purchase Adventures that are part of the current Standard format normally. Adventures that are not part of Standard can only be purchased with real money on battle.net website. If you already own at least one wing of such an Adventure, you’ll have the option to unlock the remaining wings using in-game gold.
Can I still craft or disenchant cards that aren’t part of Standard format?
Yes, you can craft or disenchant all of these cards—including cards from Adventures which previously could not be disenchanted or crafted—for their normal Arcane Dust value. This excludes Basic cards, which can never be crafted or disenchanted.
Note that you can also craft and disenchant cards from Standard format Adventures, as long as you’ve already earned them by completing the necessary challenges.
Will Reward set cards such as Gelbin Mekkatorque and Old Murk-Eye be part of Wild or Standard format?
All current Reward set cards, including Promo cards, will be restricted to Wild format.
When Standard format arrives, the Captain’s Parrot and Old Murk-Eye cards won’t be given for collecting their associated classic cards, but can instead be crafted (and disenchanted).
Acquiring the Promo cards Gelbin Mekkatorque and Elite Tauren Chieftain remains unchanged: the normal versions of these cards can still be crafted or disenchanted, while the golden versions were acquired via special events and cannot be disenchanted or crafted.
Which of my Ranks will be shown to my Battle.net friends?
Your current best Rank, whether Standard or Wild, will be automatically displayed to Battle.net friends.
Will Blizzard feature the top 100 Ranked players for both the Standard and Wild formats?
Currently, they feature the top 200 players for both formats.
Can I earn Hearthstone Championship Tour points by competing in Ranked in both formats?
No. Standard will be the only format that offers Hearthstone Championship Tour points for 2017.
Will all official Blizzard esports events be played in Standard format?
Yes. Standard is the official format of the Hearthstone Championship Tour and the Hearthstone World Championship.
Will any sets that leave Standard format become part of Standard again in the future?
There are currently no plans to add Wild format only sets back into the Standard format.
