How Do I Improve My Skills in Hearthstone?

Developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2014, Hearthstone is an online digital collectible card game built on the existing lore of the Warcraft series. Hearthstone is free to play and is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android systems. The card game is turned-based between two players with the outcome and rewards determined by the individual players skill. Unlike World of Warcraft guilds, there are no groups Hearthstone players can join to improve the chances for better rewards.

Hearthstone averages around 4 million live players monthly and is even played as an esport. While many play casually, just for fun, Hearthstone can also be very competitive with ranked matches so that players can see how they compare to others as well as reap rewards. Some players may purchase a Hearthstone boost to better their rank while others focus on improving their skills.

Gameplay in Hearthstone is a battle between two opponents, each who start with a constructed deck, usually of 30 cards depending on the game mode. Players construct decks using the cards from their collection so the more cards you have the better your deck is likely to be. Every new player starts with a basic card set. More cards can be obtained by purchasing packs with gold (in-game currency) or real money as well as by playing the game.

Hearthstone is a relatively easy game to learn but it is difficult to become good. If you are determined to improve your Hearthstone skills here are some suggestions on how to become a better player.

Begin with Single Player Modes

Playing against the AI in Hearthstone gives new players a chance to pick up the basics of the game. Hearthstone has 10 classes and in Practice mode a beginner can play an AI opponent for each class to learn more about them. Some of the single player adventures such as Mercenaries and Solo Adventures will allow you to further hone your basic skills without hurting your ranking. Play against the AI to get the basics but keep in mind it will be much different when facing a human opponent as the AI can become a little predictable

Practice with Friends

Participating in practice session with friends is a great way to improve your Hearthstone skills. Practicing in Casual mode means you won’t affect your ranking detrimentally. You can try out new strategies and decks that you may be reluctant to test out in ranked games. Preferably your friends will have an equivalent or higher skill level than you, and you will be able to critique each other’s play and identify mistakes and what the proper play would have been. If you don’t have any friends that play Hearthstone, you can often find people on the forums willing to practice.

Limit the Classes You Focus On

By focusing on one particular class, it is easier to pick up information that will help you. Learning everything you can about a particular meta deck and the potential scenarios that may occur will improve your win rate. Theoretically, a 50%-win rate is all you need to climb the ladder and your odds of achieving a 50%-win rate or higher go up the more you know about the deck and how to react in different situations. This doesn’t mean you should never play any other classes, just that your main focus should be on1 or 2.

Take Your Time

Players are given 75 seconds to complete each turn in Hearthstone. While you don’t want to use all your available time even when you have no plays to make (roping) just to delay, take as much of your allotted time as necessary to examine potential options and outcomes. Don’t feel like you have to rush just because your opponent is a little impatient. Likewise, don’t get distracted while it’s your opponent’s play or you may miss something and have to waste time figuring it out on your next turn.

Watch Plenty of Streams

One of the best ways to improve your skills is to watch better players when you can. You can observe their play, and some of the best players streaming will explain the reasoning behind what they did. Many top Hearthstone players can be seen on Twitch. If you have a Twitch account you can occasionally chat with some of the streamers and get an explanation for why they made certain plays

Take a Break

Extended game play can wear on you and lead to mistakes. If you are making mistakes or have a losing streak don’t try and play your way through it as it will likely result in further losses as well as a loss in rank. Take a break and forget about the game for a while. Playing angry or upset will only hurt you.

Achieving a high rank in Hearthstone can be satisfying, but remember to have fun and enjoy the game while you are at it.