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[Hari Seldon]

I started playing it with the iPhone release. The one improvement I wish they would make is matchmaking people by the amount of cards they have unlocked. Although when I match with someone with tons of ridiculous crap I just concede fast and try again.

 

[KiefbladeMaster]

Except at the end of the day its not, because Magic's game play and accessibility are tied to it's terrible infrastructure and dated model. It's had how many years to get an online client "working" for them and their relationship with physical retailers has left them far behind. Prices are outrageous and the sheer number of card sets and what can or can not be used in a deck all make for an easy decision between Magic and Hearthstone.

Don't play standard and you're set. The only reason you'd play that religiously is if you were expecting to play tournies on the regular. My friends and I have been playing casually for over five years and we use whatever we want. And the physical retail part is just.. not true. You can go into any retail store and buy the last few blocks released, local card shops will do repacks for even less than boosters, etc. It's not bad.

 

[tell yourself.]

Hearthstone was alot of fun getting up to rank 15 with a standard deck, but it's almost impossible to win at higher brackets without paying alot of money for good cards or grinding a long time for card packs. So it is pretty much pay2win.

Which is why i left

 

[tanooki27]

iPhone version here. so far, game of the year for me easily. hearthstone is the only f2p game I've spent money on - around $60 so far

the cool interface. the simple and quick connections. and most importantly, the dredged-up ol' Magic itch

 

[Magnus]

Its 30 millions accounts total, which means that HS has less than 5m active playerbase for sure.
I would predict its more like 200-300k active in general, which is still huge active userbase for a game.

I have trouble believing the drop is that dramatic from total accounts to active players (which I would define as someone who plays the game at least once or twice a week).

The 500k number might make sense for the daily diehards like us who play at least a match a day on average.

 

[Interfectum]

Hearthstone was alot of fun getting up to rank 15 with a standard deck, but it's almost impossible to win at higher brackets without paying alot of money for good cards or grinding a long time for card packs. So it is pretty much pay2win.

Which is pretty much why i left.

Is that what you tell yourself when you lose?

I've seen Twitch players start brand new accounts and hit legendary.

 

[Devilgunman]

Don't turn this into Hearthstone vs MTG. It's silly argument.


Well deserved for Hearthstone, even though some new cards are quite broken.

 

[clav]

I just quit this game. Too many good cards in adventures now.

 

[fuzzyset]

Is that what you tell yourself when you lose?

I've seen Twitch players start brand new accounts and hit legendary.

I'm pretty sure that was true a year ago, but not now. The card pool has increased such that Basic really hits a wall.

 

[ZanDatsu]

I've heard tale of people getting addicted to this game, and though I don't expect it to appeal to me in the slightest due to the fact it's a card game I'm reluctant to even try... just in case. I didn't care about MMOs before WoW and and then the years 2005-2008 didn't even happen for me. I might as well have been in a coma.

 

[Impeccable]

Is that what you tell yourself when you lose?

I've seen Twitch players start brand new accounts and hit legendary.

They just did a four man race with scratched accounts over 24 hours, think they hit rank 6.

Like, Saturday. So. Yeah.

 

[diamount]

I'm guessing that's people who have tried the game, not active players.

Still an impressive number

The game isn't subscription based, so how do you gauge 'active' players? People who just play lots without paying anything or people who buy card packs/adventures/arena tickets?

 

[Mutombo]

It's a great game, I don't feel bad spending about 30 euros on it, but I'm also glad I stopped playing. I sucked at Arena, and even though it was fun playing it, you never really start collecting money unless you get good at arena. And playing ranked is fun to me with original decks, but the thing with original decks is they only work against a few decks in the meta, or other original decks. Once decks become good and popular all you can do is counter those.

 

[PulseONE]

It is indeed a fun and addicting game, even though I think gold and dust are a bit TOO hard to come by

Now if only Wizards would make something with a similar level of quality with MTG...

 

[Willy Wanka]

I don't play it as much these days (bored of Arena and the ladder system is garbage) but it's a brilliantly designed game.

 

[Gully State]

It's not p2w. I have all playable cards, both adventures, have hit legendary multiple times, and have only paid $12. Could have easily spent 0 and still be in the same spot.

When did you start playing and how often do you play? It's not 100% p2w but there certainly is a significant advantage for those that choose to spend. I started playing in Feb and I would consistently run up against netdecks with legends even at the starting tier. There's a lot of grinding involved to build up a sizeable collection.

 

[BlackBuzzard]

༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽ EVERYONE, GET IN HERE! ༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º༼ ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽

 

[Vanillalite]

The thirst is real!

Biggest game release of last year!

 

[partyphone]

I'm pretty sure that was true a year ago, but not now. The card pool has increased such that Basic really hits a wall.

yeah getting to legend with basic is probably impossible at this point. or at least highly impractical.

but there good cheap decks that are competitive and getting dust for commons and rares is easy.

plus they've done a decent job fixing the matchmaking system for new players. you're much less likely to be paired against people with a ton of cards.

 

[Mobius and pet octopus]

When did you start playing and how often do you play? It's not 100% p2w but there certainly is a significant advantage for those that choose to spend. I started playing in Feb and I would consistently run up against netdecks with legends even at the starting tier. There's a lot of grinding involved to build up a sizeable collection.

Throughout the game's history there have been many top tier budget decks, several not including a single legendary.

 

[Tamanon]

I will say it has ballooned at my workplace since the mobile version came out. Initially, three of us played occasionally. Now, a good dozen do daily.

 

[bj00rn_]

But it isn't AAA! And I can't see it in the NPD AAA sales lists. Ergo it isn't a game and therefore the 30 millions are invalid.

Spoiler

/s

 

[tell yourself.]

Is that what you tell yourself when you lose?

I've seen Twitch players start brand new accounts and hit legendary.

It seems pretty clear that the cards you have to grind for have become meta picks, which are leagues better, case in point dr.boom.

these "ive seen some players" anecdotes are pretty weak

 

[GustyGardner]

Very well deserved. I played this for the longest time, then stopped for a long time. Now with the mobile release I once again find myself playing all the time. I'm currently grinding gold via the dailies to try and complete my solo adventure collection. One more for Naxx, and yet to start with blackrock but I'll get there one day!

 

[Princess Carl]

Don't play standard and you're set. The only reason you'd play that religiously is if you were expecting to play tournies on the regular. My friends and I have been playing casually for over five years and we use whatever we want. And the physical retail part is just.. not true. You can go into any retail store and buy the last few blocks released, local card shops will do repacks for even less than boosters, etc. It's not bad.

Seems like you're hamstrung by physical friends that you have to rely on to have fun playing your version of MTG. And if not them, who would you play with(that hour, that day)?

Different card sets, the difficulty to get on and play the card game against someone who isn't your friend or someone you scheduled a meetup with at a local retailer, and lack of good infrastructure for today's card games really make it hard to buy into it.

 

[sanhora]

Is that what you tell yourself when you lose?

I've seen Twitch players start brand new accounts and hit legendary.

Pay2win doesn't mean that it's impossible to win without paying money. It means that you can get an advantage by paying, sometimes a significant one.

 

[Zemm]

They just did a four man race with scratched accounts over 24 hours, think they hit rank 6.

Like, Saturday. So. Yeah.

They also bought each player a ton of packs, which incidentally made it boring to watch after a few hours.

 

[Hellshingu]

Mobile release really helped. I played during the beta then stop playing a couple months after release. Once it was released on phones I picked it up again and used Amazon coins to get the expansions and some packs.

Mobile really does this game well as it's pick up and play style makes it perfect for me as I can get a game in on my downtime and not have to worry about being at my desktop to play. I got a few of my friends into it as well from the mobile release. Now actually winning on the other hand.....

 

[Kornflayx]

Hearthstone has been a blessing for me. There's a dull moment at work? Whip out your phone at work and play a game. It's awesome

And I happily pay money for a game I enjoy as much as Hearthstone. So it's a win all around for me

 

[Gully State]

Throughout the game's history there have been many top tier budget decks, several not including a single legendary.

Great..still doesn't refute that you do get an advantage for spending money (like any CCG)..I definitely think it's rough for someone to come in and try to F2P their way through right now compared to when the game was first released. Granted, I think those that are interested in playing HS should spend money on the game (I have no problems with the current monetizing strat) and that's fine but it's not an easy grind without cards.

 

[Z3M0G]

I'd love to know how many jumped on board since the phone release.

 

[Sheroking]

Unique players?

Because I have like 7 accounts and I don't even play the game that much.

 

[Princess Carl]

Unique players?

Because I have like 7 accounts and I don't even play the game that much.

I play the game a lot and have 1, weird.

 

[Interfectum]

It seems pretty clear that the cards you have to grind for have become meta picks, which are leagues better, case in point dr.boom.

these "ive seen some players" anecdotes are pretty weak

Sure, you have the play the game and participate in the economy of the game (gold or money) to reach the highest status in the game, ie legendary.

Getting stuck at rank 15 and blaming "bu bu p2w" for not being able to progress any further is pretty weak.

 

[ninjabat]

Started playing it this weekend on android. its a lot of fun, Definitely will be playing for a while. I like that the game is easy to pick up and play.

 

[Nzyme32]

Started playing recently and really love it. So much fun and so much depth.

 

[hipbabboom]

This is the death of hardcore gaming as we know it I was really hoping this game was going to bankrupt Blizzard so they'd be forced to return to their hardcore roots and make an new IP like WoW. They turned their backs on millions of hardcore WoW players and were rewarded with an even bigger audience. I hope they all become whales and lose their livelihoods to that cancer of a game and I hope Blizzard is crushed to death when the collapse into themselves from the weight of all that money. I hate this so much. Prepare for the next 10 years being all your favorite IPs chasing that CCG money. God this sucks! Gaming is dead.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Now give me more deck slots

Also fuck hunters

 

[Mobius and pet octopus]

Great..still doesn't refute that you do get an advantage for spending money (like any CCG)..I definitely think it's rough for someone to come in and try to F2P their way through right now compared to when the game was first released. Granted, I think those that are interested in playing HS should spend money on the game (I have no problems with the current monetizing strat) and that's fine but it's not an easy grind without cards.

I guess you are free to believe what you want. But 0 paywall, top tier budget decks, and arena all say otherwise.

 

[Karl Hawk]

This is the death of hardcore gaming as we know it I was really hoping this game was going to bankrupt Blizzard so they'd be forced to return to their hardcore roots and make an new IP like WoW. They turned their backs on millions of hardcore WoW players and were rewarded with an even bigger audience. I hope they all become whales and lose their livelihoods to that cancer of a game and I hope Blizzard is crushed to death when the collapse into themselves from the weight of all that money. I hate this so much. Prepare for the next 10 years being all your favorite IPs chasing that CCG money. God this sucks! Gaming is dead.

MMO-Champion mentality right here

 

[Ferrio]

This is the death of hardcore gaming as we know it I was really hoping this game was going to bankrupt Blizzard so they'd be forced to return to their hardcore roots and make an new IP like WoW. They turned their backs on millions of hardcore WoW players and were rewarded with an even bigger audience. I hope they all become whales and lose their livelihoods to that cancer of a game and I hope Blizzard is crushed to death when the collapse into themselves from the weight of all that money. I hate this so much. Prepare for the next 10 years being all your favorite IPs chasing that CCG money. God this sucks! Gaming is dead.

You know blizzard was kinda getting really beat up over shit games until hearthstone came along.

 

[Servbot #42]

This is the death of hardcore gaming as we know it I was really hoping this game was going to bankrupt Blizzard so they'd be forced to return to their hardcore roots and make an new IP like WoW. They turned their backs on millions of hardcore WoW players and were rewarded with an even bigger audience. I hope they all become whales and lose their livelihoods to that cancer of a game and I hope Blizzard is crushed to death when the collapse into themselves from the weight of all that money. I hate this so much. Prepare for the next 10 years being all your favorite IPs chasing that CCG money. God this sucks! Gaming is dead.

Tell us how you really feel, i hope that you are joking. Anyway God Blizzards deserves all of their success, Hearthstone is so fucking good and fun, it has completely replaced Dota 2 as my multiplayer game of choice.

 

[Parshias7]

It seems pretty clear that the cards you have to grind for have become meta picks, which are leagues better, case in point dr.boom.

these "ive seen some players" anecdotes are pretty weak

Play Arena. Seriously, if you consider yourself skilled at the game but can't win in Constructed due to a lack of cards, you can make tons of gold out of playing Arena. There's no paying for a better Arena draft, so its more reliant on player skill. (and draft luck, but pro Arena players can average 7-8 wins with shit luck included)

Win enough and you can play indefinitely, getting card packs, earning gold and dust. If you don't feel like you have enough good cards in your collection then why bash your head against the ladder over and over again until you quit?

 

[Draft]

Valve stole DOTA from right underneath Blizzard's nose, but Blizzard stole online CCG from Wizards. The circle of life.

 

[Shining Sunshine]

Considering how many people use Hearthstone as a "side game", "loading screen distraction", "queue time distraction", and the release of the mobile versions, It might not be too far from the truth.

It is FAR from the truth.

 

[I'm an expert]

Hard to believe I've been playing for almost two years now. Still never spent a cent on this game. Still have all the cards I need. Only thing ill never have is an all gold collection lol. The only challenge new players face now is they have to put more time into grinding gold for the xpacs. Otherwise, this game is hardly pay to win. Its play to win. Gotta put in the time for the reward. It took me a good year before I basically had every major card and enough gold to always be able to buy an xpac.

 

[Tenebrous]

Valve stole DOTA from right underneath Blizzard's nose, but Blizzard stole online CCG from Wizards. The circle of life.

Maybe if Wizards put some effort into online TCG/CCG games then Hearthstone wouldn't have been needed.

 

[Chairman Yang]

I'm very torn on Hearthstone. Some aspects of the design are brilliant: the uniqueness and orthogonality of most cards, the super-clear and transparent mechanics, the variety of playstyles, the amazing UI, and the vibrancy of the game's special graphical effects.

But it's absolutely pay-to-win. Not blatantly and overwhelmingly pay-to-win, but the characteristic is there and getting worse as the card pool expands, making new players start with a larger and larger disadvantage.

I've heard a number of objections to the pay-to-win characterization. They're all wrong. For example:

1. "You can theoretically get everything without paying a single cent!" Yeah, and you can do the same with any number of exploitative P2W garbage games on mobile. This isn't a real counterargument.

2. "Skill overwhelms the pay-to-win effect!" To some degree. But look at the top ranks, and you'll see a huge percentage of winning decks with at least a few key legendary cards. Let's say you could pay a buck and start each match with 2 extra life points. It wouldn't be impossible to overcome for the opponent, but it would still be a clear instance of pay-to-win.

3. "Git gud at Arena!" It's mathematically impossible for everyone to be good at Arena; it's a zero-sum game. And new players can't really practice much; they'll get enough gold for a few free Arena entries, and then have to pay-to-play after that. A free Arena mode (without rewards) could solve this, but Blizzard understandably has little reason to add this or change their current model.

I really hope more serious competitors enter the space and use an Android: Netrunner style "living card game" model. That would feel much less P2W-ish than Hearthstone.

 

[Tubie]

Wait wait wait ....I can play this on my Android Phone? I thought it was tablets only.

 

[Dreavus]

The thing with HS is you can get everything in the game for free, it just comes at a (gated-by-dailies) time cost.

The other option, of course, is to pay to unlock that stuff without having to save up gold (p2w), but there is nothing in the game that is only available to those who pay.

The unfortunate thing is that this cost is only getting higher for people just getting into the game now. It's not because any prices have gone up, but because the amount of gold you need to unlock just the two released adventures is quite a lot and new players won't have any gold saved up (because they are new).

It's actually kind of an interesting model, because if you love the game and play it a lot, then you will likely have enough gold saved up to buy anything new that comes out. There are plenty of players who had gold waiting to "buy" the new expansion for free the instant they were released. If you err on the more casual side, or just don't have as much time to dedicate to the game, then you'll find yourself running out of gold and considering purchasing some of the adventures with real money if you want the new cards (my case, atm). I suppose this is the norm for most "fair" f2p models, but it's just something I find interesting – you are essentially going after either the more casual player or the impatient player; the hardcore guys do just fine for gold, and people who don't really care will be happy to try it out with basic decks.


In any case I think complaints about F2P gaming are fine, but the model works so well for the CCG-style game that it is that I don't even know what the alternative would be. Give everyone all the cards? Paid expansions that add new cards, but possibly split the player base? If it doesn't split the player base, then you're right back into p2w territory. If you don't like F2P that is fine, but I don't expect HS to ever move away from it because it's pretty intrinsic to the type of game it is.