Between its various game modes,Hearthstoneplayers have a lot of options when they boot up the game, but the core of the iconicWarcraftTCG is the traditional ladder formats. Until now, players could compete against each other in Classic, Wild, and Standard. However,Hearthstoneis throwing players for a loop with Twist - a new ladder format differentiated by a set of constantly-changing rules.
Game Rant participated in a group interview withHearthstone’slead modes designer Matt London and features lead Chadd Nervig about the new format. Twist shares some traits with Standard and Wild, but shakes things up in a big way. The developers talked about the difference between these modes and Twist, as well as how players can use the new format to enhance their collections.
A Twist on Hearthstone’s Wild and Standard Formats
New Age, the first Twist format, lets players create decks with any cards from the Year of the Phoenix onward, but without any neutrals. Its rules will be a middle ground between the Standard andWild modes inHearthstone, as London explained. “The synergies are more powerful, the gameplay is faster, and every mana crystal matters, but Twist is without the density of powerful cards you would find in Wild that lead toward more combo-based strategies.”
However, Twist’s rules are constantly changing, so that won’t always be the case. “Other Twist formats will have a significantly lower power level than you might find in Standard,” London continued, “formats that focus on older sets - a simpler time.” Regardless of the current rules, Twist will allow players to tap into their collections in a deeper manner than in Standard, but with more limitations than Wild imposes.
When building a deck for Standard, players are restricted to cards fromHearthstone’sCore set, plus expansions released since the previous calendar year. This creates a meta that can be “solved” by players. On the other hand, the rules for Twist will have new card pools, restrictions, and curveballs introduced regularly. “The natural rotation [of Twist] will create a cooling effect," London explained, “so as soon as players start to get a grip on the format, we’re moving on to a new, exciting puzzle to solve.” While some Twist rules will pull from the Standard card pool, Twist is all about preventing decks from becoming complacent, and avoiding singular strategies from dominating the meta.
Outside a few exceptions,Wild players can use any card in theirHearthstonedecks from its near-ten years of history. According to London, this breeds two types of players in the game mode: those who like to create decks that focus on fun and nostalgia, and those who seek to dominate their opponents with brutal efficiency. By constantly shifting the rules while imposing more restrictions than Wild, Twist seeks to cater to these players in a way Wild can struggle to.
“The Wild card pool isn’t really serving both of those audiences perfectly. Twist is an opportunity for us to provide targeted experiences that let people live out their favorite way of playing Hearthstone.”
Its unpredictable rules are one of Twist’s greatest strengths. While New Age will be a true middle ground between Standard and Wild, future formats promise to add fun and nostalgic Twists toHearthstone. London hopes that, “rather than trying to create one format that appeals to every single player in the game, by offering this rotation of formats, people will find the things that really speak to them.”
The ultimate goal of the Twist is to prevent stagnation and to make a buffet of ways for players to enjoyHearthstonebeyond popular modes like Battlegroundsand Standard. “The novelty [of Twist] is an intended part of it,” Nervig said, “so if people go and try out the new novel format each month… and then move back to Standard or Wild, that’s fine - in a few more weeks, there will be a new Twist format.” Every player won’t like every Twist, but its nature means the next one is only a few weeks away.
What Hearthstone Twist Brings to the Table
One of the biggest drawbacks ofHearthstoneTwist is that some players may struggle to build legal decks in certain formats. While players can bring their Standard decks into the New Age Twist inHearthstone, sans their neutral cards, future Twist rules may pull from older expansions newer players may not have cards from. Luckily,Hearthstoneis introducing a solution to this conundrum with the introduction of Battle-Ready Decks. London confirmed these pre-built decks are planned for most Twist formats and will contain cards that will tap into strategies available in the rules set. One example would be a Druid deck that combines the Hero Powersynergies from Festival of Legendsand armor cards from Rise of the Lich King with the Questline from United in Stormwind.
“We’re hoping there will be opportunities for players to use the balance of bundles and Battle-Ready Decks to make it really easy to jump in and play… We want to provide opportunities for people who don’t have built-out collections to be able to jump in and play Twist, but one of our primary goals is to create more value for player’s existing collections.”
Twist’s ladder provides an ever-changing method for players to earn their monthly rewards and progress through quests, theHearthstoneRewards Track, and in-game events. It seems like Twist may be exactly whatHearthstoneneeded to keep things fresh as it closes in on double-digit years of activity as a live-service game.
Hearthstoneis available now for Mobile and PC.
