All about Hearthstone - rules, instructions, heroes, effects, game modes
Yuriy SheremetHearthstone is a free-to-play computer collective card game based on the Warcraft university and produced by Blizzard Entertainment.
Each player chooses one of the Heroes presented in 9 different classes: Anduin Wrynn (Priest), Valeera Sanguinar (Rogue), Garrosh Hellscream (Warrior), Gul'dan (Warlock), Jaina Proudmoore (Mage), Malfurion Stormrage (Druid), Rexxar (Hunter), Thrall (Shaman), or Uther the Lightbringer (Paladin). The hero has a set of unique class cards and additional cards available for all heroes. The hero also has his own hero power available once per turn for 2 mana.
Each card costs some mana crystals necessary to activate it. Cost of activation is placed in the blue crystal at the top left corner of the map. At the beginning of the game each player has 0 mana crystals and receives 1 mana crystal at the beginning of each turn until the mana reaches 10. Players can use cards during their turn only.
The hero starts the game with 30 health points. The game is over when Hero has 0 or less health points. Hero cannot have more than 30 health points regardless the cards he has. At the beginning of the game a player has a deck of 30 cards. The hand consists of 10 cards maximum. If the number of cards is exceeded, each new card a player takes is discarded
If a player losses all 30 cards from the deck, hero receives one point of Fatigue each time a player needs to take a card from the deck. Even if a player has already a hand of 10 cards, but he requires one more card, and the deck is empty, hero still receives one point of Fatigue. The Fatigue effect is summed up. For example, a player does not have available cards at the beginning of the turn. A player tries to take the card, and receives one Fatigue point, which results in one damage point. The next time a player tries to take card, Fatigue rate increases, and a player receives 2 Fatigue points during this turn.
Each game starts with tossing a coin. The winner gets the right to make the first turn and takes 3 cards. He may replace up to 3 cards drawn at the first turn. Another player draws 4 cards, and he may replace up to 4 cards at this turn. The replaced card returns to the deck of cards. The player who loses gets The Coin card used to receive one additional mana crystal per turn. When both players are ready with their starting hands, the game itself starts. Each turn lasts for 90 seconds and 15 seconds of countdown.
The winner of tossing coin competition gets one mana crystal and draws one more card. He plays his cards. When the cards have been played and a player completes all the actions (minion or hero attacks), the turn is over. The loser of tossing coin competition performs his turn, receives one mana crystal and draws one more card. When he has completed his turn, the turn goes to the first player. The game lasts until heath points of one of the heroes are 0 or lower.
Hero Power
Each hero has his hero power available one time per turn, and costs 2 mana crystals. The hero power can be applied either for enemy or ally unit, if the other description is not provided. For example, Rexxar’s hero power can be applied for the enemy hero only.
- Anduin Wrynn (Priest) – restores 2 health points of the minion or hero
- Valeera Sanguinar (Rogue) – equips target with ½ dagger
- Garrosh Hellscream (Warrior) – adds 2 armor points
- Gul'dan (Warlock) – losses 2 health points and draws a card
- Jaina Proudmoore (Mage) – 1 damage point
- Malfurion Stormrage (Druid) – adds 1 attack point and 1 armor point for the turn. Attack is limited by the time, armor does not disappear until is used
- Rexxar (Hunter) – damages enemy hero with 2 points
- Thrall (Shaman) – summons random totem (Healing Totem, Searing Totem, Wrath of Air Totem, or Stoneclaw Totem). Summoned totem is always random, and is never identical to the totems that have been already used in the game. Shamans never control the place where totem appears. The totems usually appear to the right from the rightest ally unit.
- Uther the Lightbringer (Paladin) summons 1/1 Silver hand recruit. Paladins do not control the place where recruit appears. The recruits usually appear to the right from the rightest ally unit.
Rarity of cards
- Basic (no crystal)
- Common (white crystal)
- Rare (blue crystal)
- Epic (purple crystal)
- Legendary (orange crystal)
The deck of 30 cards may contain two copies of any card, but only one Legendary card of each type.
The most common effects
- Armor – devours all the damages, until it reaches 0. The devoured mage includes Fatigue effect damages.
- Attack – usage of minion or hero to attack enemy minion or hero. Uses weapon attack if hero combats, or minion attack which rate is stated at the low left corner of the map. Hero power, text card effects and spells are not considered as attacks even if they deal damage to the target.
- Battlecry is activated when the card is drawn from the hand and before other effects are activated (including enemy’s effects). Battlecry does not affect minions summoned not by the playing card from the hand.
- Charge – minions can attack at the turn they have been summoned.
- Choose one – a player chooses between two effects. Time and conditions of activation make Choose one effect a Battlecry type of effect.
- Combo is activated when the card with this ability appears after any other card has been played during the turn. Available only for Hunter heroes .
- Deathrattle is activated when the minion dies. Owner of dead minion receives the effect of Deathrattle.
- Divine Shield devours damage received by a minion with Divine Shield effect. Divine Shield disappeared after the first triggering. Divine Shield does not devour effects of the card which destroy minions (technically, the effect is not the damage, but disappearing)
- Triggered effects – activated at the start or the end of turn. If there are several effects of this type at the battlefield, they are activated according to the time there were played.
- Enrage – is activated when the health point are not full. When the HP restores to maximum, the effect disappears. If a creature receives damage and loses health points again, the effect re-activates. Enrage effects are not summed up.
- Freeze – a target is frozen for the current and the next one turn. The effect is lost at the end of the enemy’s turn. A hero can be frozen. Target can use text effect, and frozen hero still can use Hero Power. To remove the effect, use Silence ability on the target.
- Restore health – restores health points of a target up to maximum. Power of spell does not influence the effect. If the target has maximum HP, the effect won’t work.
- Overload – a player who uses this card has less mana points during the next turn. Overload is not available if the card is activated with the text effect of another card or non-direct playing card activation. Available for Shaman heroes only.
- Return – a minion returns to the hand and loses all applied effects or damage. Can be compared with playing a new minion from the hand.
- Secret – an effect activated under certain conditions. A player has only one active secret effect of each type, but the effects can be activated simultaneously. Several effects activate in the course of they were played from the deck. To activate all secret effects, the conditions for activation of each effect must occur. Secrets are considered to be spells at the moment of playing, but they are not spells when they are activated.
- Silence – removes all text effects and non-aura effects from the target.
- Spell Damage – card increases spell damage by X. Spell damage increases basic damage rate for all spells played by a player. Spell Damage also increases damage of secret effects. Spell Damage does not affect healing spells.
- Stealth – a minion cannot be selected as a target for the enemy hero, his minions, or spells, but remains a target for area of effect spells and randomly received damage. Can be a target for the allies. Stealth effect is removed when minion deals damage, including texting effects of the map.
- Summon – summons a minion to the battlefield. It does not replace minion, but summons a new minion with the identical features of the target. Summoned minion appears to the right from other units.
- Taunt – makes a minion the #1 target to attack for enemy minions and hero.
- Transform – transforms a minion into another minion with features stated in text effects of the map. A target loses all applied text effects, including Divine Shield, Taunt, Stealth, etc.
- Windfury – a target achieves the possibility to attack 2 times per turn.
- +X/+Y – increased/decreases attack and health of a target (X – attack, Y – health)
- Inspire – hero power triggers the effect
- Battlecry: discover – choose one of three offered cards.
Game modes
Hearthstone has 5 basic modes of the game: Adventure, Tavern Brawl, Play, Arena, and Duel.
- In this game mode players compete against AI. Here players can learn game basics, play against enemies who use basic cards, or against players who use expert cards. Before the game starts, players choose hero of their enemy. In Adventure mode players can also play Naxxramas, Black Mountain, and League of Explorers modes, competing with bosses to receive new cards.
- In this mode players compete against real opponents, using previously compiled or starting decks. Players receive certain rank when the game is finished. This rank shows player’s skill in the game. The opponents are always selected according to their ranks. Rank increases when a player receives 3 stars of ranks (3 stars are necessary for the starting ranks, and then the number of stars increases). To get stars player needs to win the game against random opponent. Several winnings in a row bring additional stars for ranking. Stars are not added by series of winnings for the 5 – 1 rank. There are 25 ranks: starting from The Angry Chicken and up to Innkeeper with additional Legend rank. The higher rank a player has, the higher rank his opponents have.
- A rank type game. To play Arena mode a player needs to pay gold or real money. A player chooses one of three randomly selected heroes. After that, a player chooses cards in the same manner. A player chooses one of three cards with equal rarity until he gets 30 cards for his deck. Deck may contain unlimited number of identical cards. When the hero and the cards are chosen, the game starts. A player may lose up to 3 times, and win up to 12 times. When the maximum of wins or defeats is reached, the arena mode is over and a player receives his rewards. The rewards depend on the winnings. Players may be rewarded with gold, cards or arcane dust. Regardless the result of the arena, a player receives one booster.
- In this mode a player can compete against players in his friend list. The reward in this game mode is hero experience.
- Tavern Brawl. A unique mode of the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft A player receives special deck of card, created by the developers, or make up his own deck according to the game rules. Heroes are also special in this game mode. The rules of Tavern Brawl change each week.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.