Put in the work, and you'll get this drift!

Such wise words to live by (most likely). Yet besides trying to teach us valuable life lessons, this month's card back also happens to mark a rather special occasion - it's the 100th Ranked Season of Hearthstone!

You probably wouldn't be able to tell just by playing the game or even following any of the official Blizzard sources, as there's been no actual mention of it whatsoever that we know of (not even a little tweet). Which is par for the course, really, seeing as they've stopped publicly counting and posting about ranked play seasons/months a good few years ago. And so it's down to those of us with a fondness for particular numbers.

We, on the other hand, have always been keeping track through the ever-expanding card back collection on the site. There just wasn't that much spare time to talk about it before, however, what with Hearthstone once again pulling off this "very busy end and start of a month" pattern. Among said Fire Festivals, Mercenaries events, Prince Renathal dilemmas, tournaments, and all the expansion card reveals, a lone unassuming card back could be seen drifting peacefully: 


Driftwood, Season 100

It doesn't noticeably dazzle with the power of 100 ranked seasons, now does it? Which is just as well for any players appreciative of such calmer themes. 

As always, the card back shown above can be acquired just by winning 5 ranked constructed games (Standard, Wild, Classic) over the next few weeks. With or without the help of 40 cards and Health. Just as the recent patch has made it true for the end of June season, this month's ranked rewards include packs from the upcoming Murder at Castle Nathria expansion.

If you want to look at all available Hearthstone card backs, we've got an entire gallery dedicated to just that! Also, don't forget that the game now has a special feature for Favorite Multiple Card Backs - so you don't ever have to settle on just one at any given time, instead being able to choose from a wider personal selection to randomly cycle through.

Ranked Season Milestones & Some History

So far it doesn't seem like Team 5 might've had any sort of fanfare or special celebration in mind for the 100th season of ladder struggles, despite some players wishing it could be so. But hey, it's a long month with too many card reveals to count, and we are only at its beginning. 

However, we would be quite (pleasantly) surprised if anything else happened in this regard. The 50th ranked season also went by without any apparent recognition. If there is one thing these two card backs might have in common, it would be the nature theme: 


Lunara's Garden, Season 50

The one above belongs to the past era in more ways than one, hailing from a time before the latest big ladder overhaul. And how about the very beginning of Hearthstone ranked play, taking us all the way back to April 2014? In these early years, the monthly card backs did not come as a result of winning a small number of games, but were instead being given out for reaching Rank 20 (out of the existing 25). 


Pandaria, Season 1

It's curious* that the very first ranked season was dubbed such, and yet here we are 8 years later, with Hearthstone players still clamoring for the Pandaria expansion (and a potential Monk class). For the record, said Monk angle is not guaranteed to happen either way; be it a year or two from now. But who knows? For now, we've been getting small tastes of Pandaria through various Mercenaries themes and random skins. 

* This is not accidental, of course. Back when Hearthstone was officially released (with a full name that included a "Heroes of Warcraft" byline, no less), Mists of Pandaria was still the reigning expansion of Blizzard's flagship MMO behemoth, World of Warcraft. Our not-so-little card game did benefit from massive cross-promotion plus rapid word of mouth at the time, bringing many stalwart Warcraft players into the tavern in the months and years that followed (including yours truly). Some of us have even stuck around to this day.

Anyhow, there is one more card back that has been with us since the very beginnings of ranked ladder's existence. You might've guessed it: 


Legend, Seasons 1-100

The one basic requirement remains, as it's in the name itself. The only aspect that's a little different nowadays is it being claimable through an associated achievement upon climbing the ranks. That's modern Hearthstone for you. 

Some things have changed rather considerably since then, others remain more or less the same. Whatever the next 100 or however many seasons might bring to the tavern, it will hopefully find us in merry moods!

Notable Hearthstone Events for July 2022

After this brief foray into the past, it's back to the present where it's business as usual. And we'll also be taking a peek at the foreseeable future, as has become our little tradition for these posts. The summer period continues with a number of highlights: a couple of them have already taken place, others fit into the 'ongoing' category, and there is a lot more yet to come. We'll list everything below in chronological order for your convenience, as it's happened or is happening, with links wherever possible:

We'll be sure to let you know if anything else comes up! Hearthstone's Team 5 rarely shares all their plans well in advance; there is always a possibility of a small balance patch happening, if the final weeks of the current ranked metagame prove to have distinct power outliers.

Current Shop Deals

Even more offers might appear throughout the month, as is modern Hearthstone's norm. We'll then aim to update this list accordingly at a later date, so keep it bookmarked if you are hunting for special shop deals: 

Happy 100th Ranked Season anniversary! Just how many of them have you personally played through, and which card back is your most valued possession? Let us know if we've missed any other relevant events and offers!