In the great and varied world of card games in eSports , we could not fail to mention Hearthstone, the Blizzard title that has represented in recent years one of the top of the series in terms of cards games. Let’s see today a series of tips for beginners and for those who have recently played Hearthstone and intend to do it seriously to become a pro player.
Have a good collection
Before addressing any discussion about the game in its most advanced aspects, it is good to say that anyone who aspires to become a pro player must have a good collection. This is due to the fact that Hearthstone is a very meta-dependent game. It therefore means a game that tends to form, following the release of the expansions, lists that remain stable above the others and catalyze the meta. To deal with this in Hearthstone there are often no “cheap” alternatives for those who may not have all the necessary cards. If the goal is to compete then there is little to do: you need cards in the collection. Hearthstone is free to play so you can play it for free and compete with the best, howeverthe only way to have a good collection without buying packs is to play every day. Complete the daily mission every day and play as much as you can to earn as much gold as possible. The average by completing the mission and capping the maximum limit of gold obtainable from the victories each day is about 150 gold, the equivalent of 3 packages every 2 days . With this medium you will be safe and can easily have a collection in the long run that allows you to build lists in meta and bring more than one competitive deck to tournaments.
Watch streaming pro players
Many are unaware that even on Hearthstone there are coaching offered by professionals who through real-time spectating highlight the mistakes made and suggest the right way to play. For those who want to become a pro player and learn the mechanics of the game without going through this step, it is important to watch the pro players in streaming. There are two main reasons to watch the pros play . First of all, for those who want to improve it is a necessary step to understand why to make one play rather than another. For example why to hold a minion in hand one turn and, make hero power rather than play. In addition to honing your knowledge of the game and tackling advanced thinking processes, you have to look at pro players for another reason. The meta decks that are built and that you play were made by them. Watching them play allows you to understand how you should play that particular deck and how to use the resources you have in the various matchups. Last but not least, by looking at them you will understand, based on your opponent, how to mulligan and what your priorities are in the game.
Study the meta by rank and alternate the lists
In Hearthstone, we mentioned how meta matters earlier. Although there are so-called tier lists of decks, in which these are ordered according to their strength, not all play the “strongest” deck as there are generally more lists on paper at the same level. For this reason, you should always study the meta according to the rank you are in. Not necessarily all ranks are played the same lists so always take into account the rank you are at and understand which lists you face more by acting accordingly. The thing to do is therefore to alternate your list always. Don’t worry about always playing the same deck as it may not perform in the meta of certain ranks.Changing according to the opponents that happen to you and the trend of the day is very important. Also at the beginning it is very important to learn how to play all the heroes, and by changing the list often you will gain experience with all classes.
Use the deck tracker
As irrelevant as it may seem to use it, the hearthstone deck tracker is very useful and allows you to have a much clearer overview of your path. Through this software you will have a sort of archive of the games played with all the data relating to the matchups, the victory percentages, and above all you will have access to the replays of the games. As for those who use analysis software for poker or other eSports, offline study is also very important in Hearthstone and distinguishes a pro player from a casual player.Review your games to see which rounds you played wrong and try to figure out how it would have gone if you had played differently. The path to becoming a true pro player also involves sacrifice, and a lot of time spent not playing unfortunately. But be careful of one thing, if you want to get used to Hearthstone tournaments to be a pro player, do not use the tracker in game as it is not allowed during official matches.If you get used to having the tracker on your side that indicates the remaining cards in the deck and those played by the opponent then you may have problems when you cannot use it. Consider all the archive and study options it offers instead and use it to manage your lists perhaps by marking the games you have with one version of the deck rather than another, understanding which decks you are in trouble against and how to act accordingly.
Manage the RNG
Hearthstone is known for better or for worse for its rng effects. The feature that over the years has made it the most played game has been its simplicity combined with its dynamism and its graphic effects. Gameplay side unfortunately this is reflected in very stressful situations. Any regular player will have happened to lose 66% continuously, or even to suffer random effects that upset the game and take you from victory to defeat. There are not a few cases, even during the most important competitions, in which a series of plays have occurred in the match with less than 1% chance of happening. Just like percentages in online poker are important, they shouldn’t be taken as a dogmatic law that they always have to come true.
For this reason, keep an ideal mindset during the game sessions and do not let yourself be destabilized by the RNG. It is part of this game and you have to face it otherwise you just change the game. Many underestimate the psychological aspect in a game but instead, particularly in Hearthstone, it is very important. Consider that if you want to become a pro player, you will be hit with series at best of 5 for example. You can’t assume that if you lose to the rng in the first game, you immediately tilt and play the rest of the competition badly. Get used to going beyond bad luck and bypassing it without being conditioned.In the same way, do not be random “gamblers” relying on fantasy-possibilities or luck but consider your every choice carefully.
These were the tips to follow if you want to become a Hearthstone pro player and compete with the best. Remember that Hearthstone more than any other is a game where the amount of games you play counts. The skill threshold between one player and another is on average lower and from a certain point on it is only the constancy and the number of daily games that allow you to be at the top of the ranking and thus qualify for official tournaments. Studying the pros in streaming, playing a lot and staying calm is the most effective recipe for getting stronger in Hearthstone.
