Hello everyone and welcome to another Touchstone Tavern, our roundup of the most interesting Hearthstone [] news and videos of this past week. This wasn't the most fascinating week in the history of the game, so don't expect to read any ground-breaking stories. Since we are a few weeks after the launch of Un'Goro, there's an understandable lull in the world of Hearthstone. Still, there were some interesting articles, and it's not every day you get to talk about Buffalo Wild Wings and Hearthstone in the same sentence. There's also an interview with Reynad, talk of Wild, and much more, so let's jump right in and begin.
In an interesting turn of events, Hearthstone's Spring Championships will take place across 10 US venues, and five of those are Buffalo Wild Wings locations. Some players aren't very happy about this choice because the last time a tournament was held at a BWW, the internet disconnected more than a few times and the wait staff interrupted the flow of the game. According to , Blizzard said that working with BWW allowed them to bring the Spring Playoffs to new locations. What do you think about Blizzard's choice?
Reynad, or Andrey Yanyuj, is one of the most popular pro players in the game, so it was interesting to read this article about his history, the reasons behind Tempo Storm, and more. If you want to see how Reynad became Reynad and how card games can teach you how to be good in business, read the whole story .
Many sometimes see Hearthstone as being too simple, and a big part of that has to do with some of the older keywords being retired every time a new Standard cycle kicks in. According to Max McCall, retiring keywords makes the game more accessible for newer players, who would otherwise be overwhelmed by having to play many cards they don't fully understand. At the same time, having fewer keywords enables the developers to support them more, which can increase the strategic decision-making. Read the whole story .
focuses on one of the main things players dislike about the game: aggro decks. This writer talks about how aggro isn't bad by itself but, rather, is bad because of how the game adapts to it. Because of your inability to respond to your opponent's plays, you can't react to aggressive decks in the way you can in a game like Magic. Additionally, the way Ranked play is structured forces players to use aggro decks to grind their way to Legend, which means players encounter more aggro decks along the way.
As we've talked about in the past, Blizzard has been pushing the Wild side of the game these last few weeks, and this writer believes that now's the time for the mode to thrive. Un'Goro has freshened up the Wild meta and made it feel substantially different than Standard. Also, the Heroic Tavern Brawl and the upcoming Wild tournament have shown to players that Blizzard is pushing Wild, and that made them feel more confident about spending time on that side of the game. goes on to talk about what to expect on the Wild side of life, so you should read it if you're thinking of crossing over.
believes that it's time to add a Tournament mode to the PC client but feels that the mobile client won't allow that to happen, and since Blizzard wants parity between the two clients, we won't be seeing that happening any time soon. And that is a problem for the game because of how the mobile client is limiting opportunities for development of new features and new ideas.
Looking at the Rogue Quest a month after release, the writer of this article concludes that the Quest isn't broken and has been tamed by aggro decks like Pirate Warrior and the rising Beast Druid. He does point out that Shadowstep and Preparation do make the Quest feel broken but can't really be nerfed in any way that makes sense. What he thinks should get nerfed are the "return to hand" minions because they are just too cheap as they stand now. He goes into more details about where the Quest stands now, so you should .
If you have extra dust and are looking to boost your card collection, check out this story about the five best Un'Goro Legendaries you can craft. The five are Sunkeeper Tarim, Elise the Trailblazer, Fire Plume's Heart, Lyra the Sunshard, and The Caverns Below. There are also the more situational ones like Sherazin Corpse Flower and Kalimos Primal Lord.
As always, we have some good resources on the site for you in case you are new to the game or simply want to sharpen up your game. There's never such a thing as too much help in Hearthstone, so check out our guides.
Playoffs to be Held in Buffalo Wild Wings
In an interesting turn of events, Hearthstone's Spring Championships will take place across 10 US venues, and five of those are Buffalo Wild Wings locations. Some players aren't very happy about this choice because the last time a tournament was held at a BWW, the internet disconnected more than a few times and the wait staff interrupted the flow of the game. According to , Blizzard said that working with BWW allowed them to bring the Spring Playoffs to new locations. What do you think about Blizzard's choice?
Meet Reynad
Reynad, or Andrey Yanyuj, is one of the most popular pro players in the game, so it was interesting to read this article about his history, the reasons behind Tempo Storm, and more. If you want to see how Reynad became Reynad and how card games can teach you how to be good in business, read the whole story .
Developer Max McCall Talks Standard and Keywords
Many sometimes see Hearthstone as being too simple, and a big part of that has to do with some of the older keywords being retired every time a new Standard cycle kicks in. According to Max McCall, retiring keywords makes the game more accessible for newer players, who would otherwise be overwhelmed by having to play many cards they don't fully understand. At the same time, having fewer keywords enables the developers to support them more, which can increase the strategic decision-making. Read the whole story .
Why Aggro Decks Aren't Fun
focuses on one of the main things players dislike about the game: aggro decks. This writer talks about how aggro isn't bad by itself but, rather, is bad because of how the game adapts to it. Because of your inability to respond to your opponent's plays, you can't react to aggressive decks in the way you can in a game like Magic. Additionally, the way Ranked play is structured forces players to use aggro decks to grind their way to Legend, which means players encounter more aggro decks along the way.
Now is the Time for Wild to Shine
As we've talked about in the past, Blizzard has been pushing the Wild side of the game these last few weeks, and this writer believes that now's the time for the mode to thrive. Un'Goro has freshened up the Wild meta and made it feel substantially different than Standard. Also, the Heroic Tavern Brawl and the upcoming Wild tournament have shown to players that Blizzard is pushing Wild, and that made them feel more confident about spending time on that side of the game. goes on to talk about what to expect on the Wild side of life, so you should read it if you're thinking of crossing over.
The Mobile Client is Holding Back the PC Experience
believes that it's time to add a Tournament mode to the PC client but feels that the mobile client won't allow that to happen, and since Blizzard wants parity between the two clients, we won't be seeing that happening any time soon. And that is a problem for the game because of how the mobile client is limiting opportunities for development of new features and new ideas.
Rogue Quest One Month Later
Looking at the Rogue Quest a month after release, the writer of this article concludes that the Quest isn't broken and has been tamed by aggro decks like Pirate Warrior and the rising Beast Druid. He does point out that Shadowstep and Preparation do make the Quest feel broken but can't really be nerfed in any way that makes sense. What he thinks should get nerfed are the "return to hand" minions because they are just too cheap as they stand now. He goes into more details about where the Quest stands now, so you should .
The Five Best Un'Goro Legendaries to Craft
If you have extra dust and are looking to boost your card collection, check out this story about the five best Un'Goro Legendaries you can craft. The five are Sunkeeper Tarim, Elise the Trailblazer, Fire Plume's Heart, Lyra the Sunshard, and The Caverns Below. There are also the more situational ones like Sherazin Corpse Flower and Kalimos Primal Lord.
The Worse Un'Goro RNG Moments #3
Kripp Plays the 100th Tavern Brawl
Trump and Murlocs
Kibler and The Last Kaleidosaur
Un'Goro OTKs and Combos
WTF Moments #108
The Lyra Thief Mage
Savjz's Un'Goro Silent Priest
Best Un'Goro Moments
Best of Board Clears
As always, we have some good resources on the site for you in case you are new to the game or simply want to sharpen up your game. There's never such a thing as too much help in Hearthstone, so check out our guides.