H
earthstone’s new
Duels mode feels a bit
like playing the results
of a teleporter
accident. Blizzard has
spliced something I love with
something I very much do not. The
result feels like an amped up
version of the already fairly
deranged main game.
The unevenness comes as no surprise
given that, as I write this, Duels is in
Early Access. Borrowing from Arena,
your aim is to build a deck capable or
racking up 12 wins against human
opponents – but lose three times and
you’re out. Where the Dungeon Run
element comes in is that you add to
the deck after each game, picking
bundles of cards from themed
‘buckets’ which will nudge your
playstyle in a particular direction.
So far, so Hearthstone. The real
spice comes from the inclusion of
Treasure cards, some of which are
blatantly overpowered. These include
spells, minions and passive buffs.
Again, you’re given a choice of three,
and what’s offered tends to define
both how long your deck lasts and
how much fun you have playing it.
For example: Band of Bees makes all
your minions which cost two or less
Poisonous, which means Pen Flinger
can kill anything.
And then there’s Wax Rager. This
is a 5/1 Minion which resummons
itself upon Death. So the only way to
actually remove the bastard is with a
Silence effect. I was agog when one
opponent played this into a passive
Treasure that meant the first
Deathrattle of each turn triggered
automatically, giving him two Wax
Ragers and effectively ending the
game on the spot.
What I like best about the mode is
that because the ten classes have
unique hero powers, and because you
can use select expansions from the
past when building your 15 card (no“It feels like a wacky spin on the usual
format rather than a fresh new entity”
duplicates) starter deck, Duels feels
like it has its own distinct flavour.PICK A CARD
The use of old cards has led to some
backlash from players who’ve been
dusting the Wild cards in their
collection. I have some sympathy, but
honestly the exact design of your
starter deck is much less important
than the treasures you discover along
the way. Just build any sort of
half-decent tempo deck that can deal
with early aggro and you’ll do OK. As
with Arena, my interest dwindles
when you get a poor selection of
starting Heroes, or trash treasures,
and the run turns into a slog.
Duels will likely also be helped by
the changes to the way Hearthstone’s
incentive systems work, which
should mean that playing any mode
is almost equally rewarding in terms
of XP gained on the Tavern Pass. I
don’t think it’s likely to find quite the
same rapt audience that
Battlegrounds has, because it feels
like a wacky spin on the usual format
rather than an entirely fresh new
entity. Honestly, I’m just glad
Hearthstone has shaken off its
lethargy and is becoming the kind of
game for which launching new
modes is the norm.TIM CLARK
THIS MONTH
Found out the true treasure
was inside him all along.ALSO PLAYED
Destiny 2,
HadesDigging for treasure in HEARTHSTONE’S bonkers new Duels mode
THE USE OF OLD CARDS HAS
LED TO SOME BACKLASH
FROM PLAYERSTHE GAMES WE LOVE RIGHT NOW
NOW PLAYING
Killing a minion with the Mage hero power
summons a Mana Wyrm – excellent value.Wax Rager is absolutely disgusting in
any good Deathrattle-themed decks.