Blizzard has announced some big new changes to Hearthstone, by splitting play into two distinct formats.
As detailed on the Hearthstone Blog, play will now be split into "Standard" and "Wild" formats. Standard will be the play mode for recently released expansions, allowing Blizzard to create a more tightly balanced experience with limited formats. Wild is the new name for the play mode we already know, where all previous expansions are in play allowing for more crazy card combinations.
Both formats will have both Ranked and Casual play, and your Rank will be tracked separately in each format and matched against other players using the same format. You can even reach Legend in both formats. Standard will become the new official format for the Hearthstone Championship Tour as well. However, Arena, Solo, and Adventures aren't available in Standard format. Plus, Adventures and Expansions that aren't part of Standard format will be cycled out of sale in the Shop, so you'll have to either buy those before the deadline or craft the cards individually.
Standard will consist of the Basic and Classic card sets, along with any expansions released within the current or previous calendar year. For the initial roll-out this spring, that will mean no curse of Naxxramas or Goblins vs Gnomes cards. Moving forward, new card sets will be added to Standard while others cycle out of play. Each Standard play year will be named after an Azeroth constellation, so this first one will be called the Year of the Kraken. Blizzard says the move is intended to make it easier to balance new expansions, and to allow new players to jump in without needing to collect such a wide array of cards.
The announcement also includes word of more deck slots. The long-requested feature will be added sometime before Standard format comes into play, letting anyone who has unlocked all nine heroes access 18 slots instead of the usual nine.
Finally, though the announcement doesn't share more details, it does note the Standard format will include a "Spring 2016 Expansion," confirming suspicions that another one is on the way soon.
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