Didn’t see a thread for Hearthstone so I thought I’d throw one up here.
ElderMason#1385
We’ve got a Hearthstone channel on the Stimhack Slack chat that’s fairly active.
Crimson#1547
1 Like
There’s a Hearthstone channel on Slack?!?!
Jai#1750
1 Like
chaosjuggler#6862 - Feel free to friend and spectate me, although you might be waiting a while for your pack if you do so 
1 Like
Bah. Hearthstone is for newbs.
3 Likes
You don’t like randoming a random random? Praying to RNGesus, as it were? 
4 Likes
For years I have been trying to find a single legitimate reason to play this game.
I’m still searching.
It really is total RNG at the highest competitive level, same as MTG. It is my opinion that a properly programmed computer could play MTG and Hearthstone perfectly, whereas I don’t think the same can be said of ANR.
To clarify, it would require a far more advanced AI to play ANR than MTG/HS.
1 Like
Honestly, the casual nature of Hearthstone is what first got me into it. If I want to play a card game that requires a high degree of strategy and skill, I doubt I’ll ever find anything that will top my personal enjoyment for Netrunner. Hearthstone was something I could pick up when I only had a few minutes to spare or wanted to play something that didn’t require a whole lot of thought.
Now that I’ve played casually since closed beta and started playing competitively more recently (played in my first two tournaments the past three weeks), there’s honestly a lot more subtle nuance and strategy to the game than I originally gave it credit for. That doesn’t change the insane amount of random elements, of course. Fortunately, I’ve got a better card game to go play when Hearthstone’s randomness annoys me.
4 Likes
phette23#1324
What @CrimsonWraith said. Netrunner is definitely the better card game but Hearthstone is surprisingly deep. & also pretty fun when you don’t want to expend too much mental energy.
Not trying to sound like a dick, but this was spoken like someone who truly does not understand the game. The game has lots of nuanced decisions to be made, and even with a basic aggro deck, you can lose a game by placing a minion in the wrong spot on the board - a position that only matters four turns later. Understanding matchups, what may be in your opponents deck, your outs (and theirs) and playing to the odds all come into play at high levels.
Oh, and Dashakan#1566 if you wish to add me.
1 Like
You can get a card game experience in 10-15 minute chunks, whenever you feel like it on whatever device, with a very polished and visceral interface.
There are better games mechanically out there imo, but people want those things. Blizz made a card game that fits around people, other card games need people to fit around them.
Ajar#1786 on the Americas server.
I actually do understand the game quite well. I watch more than a fair amount of competitive HS on Twitch, when there’s nothing better on. I enjoy eSports.
That said, I don’t consider the things you listed to be particularly deep. As I said before, I consider HS at the highest level to be pure RNG, because the correct (optimal) plays are singular and known. The factors you listed can be learned by anyone.
I consider HS a game that you learn, not a game that you master. I know this sounds like semantics and is vague.
I have no idea what you are trying to say. Everything is learned. And a play that seems optimal given the board state may not actually be optimal based on something that happens four turns later. Having that foresight is part of the skill of the game. There is not always a 100% for sure correct line, as you seem to be implying.
2 Likes
remorhaz#1659
i had nearly stopped playing after being an infinite arena player since closed beta but the new standard format is pretty cool. I like old gods a lot. Today I had this awesome back and forth priest mirror match ending with my opponent killing himself with a lava burst and mortal strike to his own face from his own yogg-saron. it was so absurd and just not something you could ever see in a physical card game.
Try playing freeze Mage or miracle rogue those two decks have the highest skill factor especially in standard since they lost their two most overpowered cards mad scientist and blade flurry.
I’ll make this my last comment. I do not disparage those who play HS; everyone is entitled to fun.
In your given example, the short-sighted move would not be optimal. The optimal move would be the move taking into consideration all possibilities and weighing their likelihood. Optimal plays are never short-sighted. In the case of HS, I have yet to encounter a situation at the highest level where there is not a clear-cut optimal play. This is why HS to me feels very solitaire, especially at the highest level, where decks are codified and it becomes a game of mere probabilities, eg: I know my opponent has been holding a card all game; what is the likelihood that it is Minion A, and where should I place Minion Z to prepare? This is what I mean by learning versus mastering, a false juxtaposition to be sure. Anyone who plays enough will learn the optimal play given any match-up. The only real thing that ameliorates this is ANR is the bluffing aspect. There is a minor element of bluffing to HS, but it is so negligible as to not be worth mentioning or considered at high-level play, in my hours of watching.
I had a game this morning that perfectly summed up my frustrations with Hearthstone. I was playing tempo/totem shaman and my opponent was some kind of spellpower druid.
He got a good Innervate/Wild Growth start, but I got awkward draws and was a bit slow in the early game. I managed to hold on and get board state established in the mid game, but he was stopping me from really getting anywhere with good use of removal spells. I didn’t over-extend, thought hard about trades vs face, kept back my own removal for the big threats, and generally kept the game on a knife edge despite it going well past my deck’s ideal game length.
And then he played Yogg-Saron and a bunch of RNG shit happened that ultimately ended up favouring my opponent by sheer, dumb luck and he wins two turns later.
1 Like
There are a lot of spells that can only have a positive effect for you. Secrets, for example. There are very few spells that will only have a negative effect.
Spells that target minions tend to have a negative effect on that minion far more than a positive one.
When you cast a well-charged up Yogg, your opponent has minions but you don’t, and drawing won’t mill or fatigue you, it’s going to have a positive effect. Probably killing all minions on the board, drawing you cards, and/or giving you secrets. There’s not a lot of dumb luck involved.
Fair enough. Fwiw, he was slightly ahead on board state at the time, although I had lethal in hand if my board survived the turn (Bloodlust was a big factor).