The competitive meta that emerged for those players who could be bothered was quite complex and many early tournaments showcased the skill inherent in the mode. Which is more than can be said for the newest mode on the block. Even if it isn't a banker for Blizzard, Battlegrounds' future looks very bright. Official competitions will be held in 2022 under the Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends banner, with invitations determined purely by ladder ranking. Multiple designers have been hired, so this might still be a work in progress, and resources are finally being allocated to Battlegrounds esports. The Battlegrounds team has tested ideas and pushed the boundaries of power much like the constructed team, though admittedly it doesn't seem like the resources were present to react quickly to the outliers that popped up this year. He hadn't made a lot of friends (opens in new tab). He was so powerful and so prominent in games that Diablo ended up being removed a mere month after his introduction. After a buff… he was OK (opens in new tab)! And then they buffed him again and all hell broke loose. High-MMR streamers commented that his initial implementation was so underpowered (opens in new tab) that it was like picking from three heroes rather than four. At first, the big red boi was little more than a meme. Yes, believe it or not, Diablo joined up with Battlegrounds. New systems have been implemented too, including a 15-damage cap until someone in the lobby dies, a brilliant variable armor system that allows for heroes to be dynamically adjusted based on their current performance, and… Diablo. In August of last year, 70 minions changed and several entirely new mechanics were introduced. The discourse around Standard became emotionally charged.Ģ021 saw Battlegrounds evolve, receiving a massive overhaul intended as a functional equivalent to the Standard rotation. I'm "other players".) I can't remember a meta quite as polarized as Stormwind and I'm not just talking about the matchup percentages. Others found themselves loving the plentiful draw and effective win conditions in every class, with the hilarious exception of Priest. The contrast from Barrens' plodding environment was jarring and players who preferred slower games suddenly found themselves without a home. The power of the game felt pushed to the brink and combo decks built around effects like Stealer of Souls broke some of Hearthstone's most fundamental rules regarding Mana, even without including the Warlock Quest. And that meta was about speed, giant combos, and games ending with players sighing: "Oh, guess I'm dead." This time around, the quest cards defined the meta. Prior quest cycles were much patchier in terms of power, with the notable exception of The Caverns Below, which had to be nerfed twice. Now called Questlines, these cards rewarded their players with bonuses at multiple steps on the way to a final game-shattering reward. Stormwind brought the return of Quests but with a twist. That future arrived with United in Stormwind. The Barrens meta was heavy on grindy value, but the groundwork was laid for a future world of hyper-efficient card draw and fast kills from hand. Starting with Forged in the Barrens, cards were more aggressively priced than we've seen in the past, with the set not including a single card over 8 Mana. This year's expansions had to fill the power vacuum left by the Year of the Dragon, but instead of going for more splashy card generation, the approach was instead to push efficiency. Getting rid of crusty old cards and replacing them with new stuff, while also making the game cheaper? We take those. (Flame Imp without Void Walker is like peanut butter minus the jelly, only with more ichor.) Overall, the move was well-received. It was replaced by the free Core set, which was loaded with returning cards from older sets, brand new creations, and some staples that were bafflingly kept around-I'm talking to you, Shadowstep-while other cards that seemed impossible to live without like Shield Block, Savage Roar, and my beloved Voidwalker, got cut. Since we spoke in January 2021, the Classic set was removed from Standard in one of the largest upheavals to the format ever. (Image credit: Blizzard) Alright, let's start with Standard Hours played by mode, according to the 3rd party data app Firestone.
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