14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Blizzard working on Hearthstone is ready to announce that they are planning to deliver a new core feature called game formats, designed to offer players a variety of ways to engage with the card game based on their expectations and their ability.
The Standard format will be added to the Play mode that's designed to allow players to get into matches that only use the most recently released sets of cards for the game.
Blizzard states in the official announcement that, "You’ll play Standard using a deck built solely from a pool of cards that were released in the current and previous calendar year, along with a core foundation of the Basic and Classic card sets (which will always be valid for Standard). You’ll be matched against other players who are also using Standard decks."
According to the studio, the meta-game for Hearthstone will be more balanced and dynamic and will give developers the freedom they need to create exciting new cards for the game.
The Standard concept also means new players will be able to get right into the action without collecting too many cards and without having to learn about everything that was introduced to Hearthstone since it launched.
The format can only be played in Friendly Challenges, Ranked, and Casual play and the sets that are open for it are Basic, Classic, Blackrock Mountain, The Grand Tournament, The League of Explorers and the coming spring 2016 content.
All adventures and expansions that are not featured in Standard will no longer be featured in the shop, including Naxxramas and Goblins vs. Gnomes in 2016, but cards can still be crafted by players who want to have a full collection.
Hearthstone is going Wild
The name is being used to denote the already available version of Hearthstone because it emphasizes that there are many possibilities for interactions and tactics, and their number will only grow as more cards are introduced.
Blizzard is not planning any major changes yet and says that when a player chooses Ranked Play, he will have to choose between the two formats and will get to have two separate ranks for each gamer profile, reflecting his two identities in the Tavern.
According to the studio, the introduction of Standard means that it is a perfect time to evaluate cards from both the Basic and the Classic sets and to make changes that can improve the overall balance of a match.
More deck slots are being introduced to the game, and Blizzard is also teasing more changes for later in the spring.
The Year of the Kraken season for Standard play will also allow the company to improve the competitive scene for Hearthstone, making match-ups more exciting because of the smaller set of cards that are featured.
Blizzard is not yet saying when the two format systems will go live, but the company wants gamers to offer feedback both now and during the coming testing phase to make sure that the feature improves the game and makes it more accessible.
