Beginner’s tips and tricks
Do you love Hearthstone? Because we here at TechRadar Towers love us a few hands of Heroes of Warcraft. From its earliest incarnations to the many updates and overhauls, the uber-popular collectible card game (CCG) has seen as many rebirths as the MMO that inspired yet – so if can be a little intimidating for the uninitiated, or those that have been away for so long it seems like a brand new game.
But you’re in luck, as TechRadar has compiled the very best tips, tricks and tactics that will help up your card-carrying game and start gaining victories like a boss. So sit back, grab a mug of ale from the inn and let us take you on a trip into the world of CCG goodness.
Pick your Starting Hand
When you start a match, you’ll be given a three-card starting hand. This is selected at random from the deck you’ve chosen (if you’re playing a ranked match or alone in Adventures this could be from your own customised decks) or from a premade one in the Arena so there’s no real way to influence which ones you’ll get.
As a result, these cards might not be to your liking (for instance, many of them might have a high mana cost, making them ineffective for a number of turns), but don’t lose heart – you can actually swap any or all of them out for another set of random cards. This might sound counter-intuitive but you can choose to keep one or more of the cards, so in a way you have a better chance or scoring a stronger opening hand to play with.
Get your mana spread right
If you’re new to the world of CCGs, all those elements on screen might seem a little overwhelming, but there’s one element you need to get to grips with first: mana. Mana equals in-game resources in Hearthstone and effectively represents how many cards you can use each turn.
And while which cards you get dealt is essentially random, choosing cards that have the right ‘costs’ can help you play a better game regardless of what order they come in. So make sure you mostly build a deck that contains low to medium cost cards. It also pays to remember that your mana goes up by one with each new turn.
Choose cards that work well with your Hero and others
Much like keeping mana costs in mind, choosing cards that work well together is a key factor to consider before you even step into your first match. The buzz word here is synergy – for instance, if you’re playing with a Mage, you’ll notice most of your minions suck, but by selecting the right number of spells you can increase the stats of these cards. More powerful creatures such as an Archmage can also buff their own credentials and make serious waves against your opponents.
Some cards work well with others, enabling you to stack attacks together should they be dealt into your hand so start planning for future tactics. Finding the right balance of class specific cards is really important here – don’t be afraid to try different combos out.
Learn to use card positions
Much like every other CCG out there, Hearthstone matches are all about cards being played against those of your opponent, much like forces on a battlefield. So when you play a card, your opponent will usually play a card in front of it to act as block between you and the Hero. Since the whole point of the game is reduce the health of your opponent’s Hero card to zero, such blocks are the bread and butter of Hearthstone play.
A great beginner tactic is to avoid bunching your cards together and spread them out, forcing your opponent to do the same. Also use that blocking in reverse by placing them in front of cards that apply higher damage but hold weaker health.
Learn the ways of Taunt
If you’re a new player, Taunt can be one of the best ways to get into a few matches with a little extra protection. Taunt, for the uninitiated, is a special ability that certain minions can use that effectively turns them into public enemy number one (in other words, your opponent will more than likely try to attack them outright first).
This is a great way to either direct your opponent away from cards that have only been played and will make all the difference in the next round or as a means of wasting your opponent’s turn and their current mana resources.
Think like a chessmaster and plan ahead
Since this is a CCG, each game works in rounds where each player takes a turn, makes their moves, then ends the turn so their opponent can do the same. It’s very much a reactive experience as a beginner, with each player changing tactics to suit the cards played by their foe. However, just playing that way will keep your games flat and boring. It’s all about planning a turn or two ahead.
Most cards, and we mean pretty much all bar a handful, can only be used in the turn after the one that’s chosen from your hand, so just because you have the mana to bring a big card into the mix doesn’t mean you can play with it yet. So use cards with Taunt and your Hero Power to cover their deployment.
Hero Powers make all the difference
Each of the Heroes in Hearthstone come with a special, unique ability that reflects the playstyle and cards that relate to that Hero. For instance, Rogues such as Valeera can equip daggers that can be used to take out enemy minions and help readdress the state of the battlefield.
But Hero Powers aren’t just for attack. Each of the nine classes of Hero in Hearthstone rely on different styles, which affects the kind of Hero Power they possess. Take Malfurian – this Druid character offers an experience that’s more geared towards defence so his ability offers additional protection. So try out each of the nine Hero types and see which one works for you – that’s the basis from which you start building decks.
Building your first deck
Building your deck is the lifeblood of Hearthstone, and it will influence how you fare in both Adventures and the Arena, but for a new player the idea of choosing the right set of cards can be the most intimidating prospect. However, it’s actually one of the most fun and uplifting tasks you can undertake in your road to Hearthstone glory.
First choose your Hero, then start picking low level cards that don’t cost a lot of dust to create (dust is related to crafting, but we’ll get to that in the intermediate section). Be smart and use a mixture of class cards (which only work with certain classes) and neutral cards (which work with any). And don’t worry – every player started here, and the more you play through Adventures you’ll unlock more cards.
Unlock more cards in solo play
Watch a Twitch steam of a Hearthstone match or catch a few videos on YouTube and it’s easy to assume Blizzard’s CCG is all about taking matches online with competitive play. Okay, it’s mostly about that, but did you know Hearthstone comes with its own ever-changing set of solo adventures?
Adventures are good for two things – a) learning the ways of the game by testing your mettle and your deck against an AI opponent, and b) earning new cards to bolster said deck. A number of the Adventures that were available in the early days of Hearthstone have been patched out (much like World of Warcraft itself), but there’s still plenty to try out including Curse of Naxxramas, Blackrock Mountain, League of Explorers and One Night in Karazhan.
Learn from the masters
There’s a reason Hearthstone is consistently in the top five most watched games on Twitch – it makes for some of the best viewing. Not only do most, if not all, of the best professional players tend to stream daily or a few times a week (giving you an insight into how a player plans and executes strategies at that high a level), but so do most of the players in the community.
It’s here you can do some homework and watch a game that entertains you. So take the time to browse the streams and start picking out plays and little tricks other players use. What cards do they use? How do they use a poor hand? When do they use their Hero Powers? Some things won’t work for you, but seeing how the best and the brightest turn the tide of a match with only a few cards is a brilliant way to get inspired to raise your own game.
Intermediate Hearthstone tips and tricks
Use those Quests
If you’re a regular Hearthstone player, there are more ways to earn resources than simply playing through online matches, the Arena and through solo Adventures. There’s also the staple of the free-to-play mobile game – the daily task or quest. Hearthstone doesn’t break tradition here, employing two types of Quest that serve as running challenges.
They come in two distinct flavors: Daily Quests and Unique Quests. Daily Quests can be found in the Quest Log and, as the name suggests, these update every day to keep you pushing for rewards in different ways (win a number of matches, use a certain hero a number of times, etc). Unique Quests are one-off challenges – they don’t appear in the Quest Log and only pop up once you complete a certain milestone.
Get to know your currencies
There are two main currencies in the world of Hearthstone – gold and dust. Gold is your generic currency, which can be earned from reaching level 10 each with Hero, completing Daily Quests, Unique Quests, beating other players in online play and more. If you’re looking to buy booster packs, then gold is the surefire way to get there (other than actual cash).
Dust is the other resource, and it’s one beginners don’t often know how to use. Dust (or Arcane Dust) is the heart of Hearthstone’s crafting mechanic, which uses this resource to create brand new cards. Yes, actual cards. You can also get dust by ‘disenchanting’ or destroying cards you don’t want.
Get crafty with crafting
So you’ve been working hard to hone your craft in Hearthstone, building a deck that’s gone from basic to something more akin to who you are as a player, but there’s something missing. It’s time to start using the resources that you’ve been gathering after all those daily quests and ranked matches for something worthwhile.
Crafting is that worthwhile venture – and since dust is marginally easier to farm than gold, it’s worth avoiding buying boosters with gold and using this method instead. Enter Crafting mode and select which cards you want to disenchant. The higher the amount of dust at your disposal, the rarer the card you can craft.
Get into the Arena
Alongside traditional competitive play on online matches and the single-player fun of Adventures, Hearthstone also offers another means of earning gold and levelling your Hero – the Arena. The Arena works like a gauntlet, where you play with a pre-designed deck and try and get as many wins as you can before your deck gets taken out. Each time you win, you can gamble for more gold. It’s risky, and costs 150 gold just to be admitted, but it’s a goldmine if you’re brave.
Also, since the Arena often attracts a faster style of play than normal online play, different Heroes tend to rise above others. If you want to really make a name for yourself in this area, try picking a Hero from the Mage, Paladin or Rogue classes. Stay away from the likes of the Priest or Hunter classes as they often get eaten alive in the Arena.
Preserve the health of your deck
With our minds still fresh from that introduction to the Arena, let’s cover one aspect of the mode that’s key to surviving for as long as possible: maintaining the health of your deck. Since you only have a choice of three decks at your disposal, you have to build them wisely. There’s a limit on how many of one particular card you need, but don’t get foolish and just fill it with mid to high-level cards – cards are pulled blindly (you don’t hold a hand like in normal play) so fill your deck with plenty of spells and a lot of versatile creatures.
By having a lot of minions of varying types in your decks, you can change tactics on the fly to find lethal (reduce your opponent’s health to zero). With that in mind, be sure to play less flexible minions first to ensure those that follow allow for more flexible moves (such as rushing your opponent for the quick lethal.
Advanced tips and tricks
Master board control
Once you start playing Hearthstone with an eye for competitive play, you’ll realise the it’s less a game of chance and more a game of numbers. Once you realise that, the way you play the game and view every match up completely changes.
When it comes down to the wire, it’s all about board control – forcing the other player to burn more resources dealing with your cards then you spend dealing with theirs. Hitting your opponent with powerful debuffs will force them to use a valuable spell, while attacking a Hero directly will push them to waste resources a powerful card with Taunt. Use the numbers to your advantage and you’ll bleed your opponent out with every turn.
Use your Hero class effectively
When you start playing Hearthstone competitively, the Hero at the head of your deck and the cards you surround them with transcend the simple factor of how much you like them. When you get to the really advanced skill levels, you need to have multiple decks on hand, each one tailored for certain play styles.
Mages are often best avoided as they’re super popular online – same goes for Warlock as it’s one of the stiffest and hardest decks to deploy among the higher echelons of ranked play. Rogues are an ideal choice, thanks to its reliance more on spells and buffs than straight up creature play. It’s a riskier choice, but higher level play runs on risk. Druid is another fine choice due to its versatility and core reliance on defence. If you like to play wars of attrition, Druid is the class for you.
Use third-party resources
If you’re taking your Hearthstone play to a really competitive level, then you need to have data to hand that shows how you’re playing from game to game. There are a whole host of third-party sites, apps and bits of software that effectively track your account and record everything from how often a card is pulled to the average time it takes you to make lethal.
Hearth Arena is one of our favourites, mainly because it offers a variety of resources, including that all important stat tracker, the ability to study the potential uses of your deck and offer advice on drafting picks. The only way to improve your Hearthstone game at this level is to break your plays down to the numbers and refine those mistakes out of your playbook, so make sure you use one of these resources.
Relearn the way of the combo in the Arena
When playing in the Arena you can suffer up to three losses, or rack up a total of 12 wins, before the game forces you to cash your progress in for gold. With this in mind, your time in the Arena can be over in the blink of an eye so you effectively have to dismiss a lot of the principles that serve you well elsewhere in the game.
Take synergy, for example. In normal online play, your deck is built to perform in harmony with itself, but in the Arena cards are ‘drafted’ from other decks, making it far harder to create a mutually beneficial relationship. You can still perform combos, you just need to think in broader terms rather than simply choosing cards based solely on your type of playstyle.
Learn to farm those bots
Bots in Hearthstone? Still? Yup – they’re not as common as they used to be since Blizzard has been clamping down on them, but they do still exist and seeking them out can prove one of the most unconventional ways to farm gold and resources.
Bots are basically AI routines written by advanced players to simulate working accounts – taking one on will provide you a way to play a skill level that’s limited in certain ways. Blizzard has understandably banned them, but if you come up against a player with a golden Hero portrait that shows no natural movement (hovering cursors, checking cards, etc) then you’ve caught an AI. Most of these accounts operate late at night, so be sure to deploy a deck that counters the most popular, aggro-based deck of the month.
Source: techradar.com
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