In Part 1 of our How To Be A Pro At Hearthstone series, we had a quick overview of the game and discussed general tips relevant to players of any skill level.
To kick off Part 2 with a bang, here’s what Team Abyssus has to say about the perks of playing Hearthstone. Sometimes, we all need a reminder that the grass is perfectly green on our end, too.
What Makes Hearthstone Your Game Of Choice? Abyssus Says:
- Hearthstone is fully turn-based and accessible on mobile phones, making it convenient for daily play and one of the few games where you can actually multitask while playing. In short: if your goal is to stream Netflix without causing consecutive wipes for your team or raid, this is the game for you.
- There’s a low commitment level required to maintain a high skill level as compared to most other competitive games, which often have a heavy focus on technical mechanics – think last hitting and positioning in DotA and League of Legends, movement and aim in CS:GO etc. Hearthstone also has a huge, committed player base and a comparatively non-toxic (not to mention English-speaking!) community to get involved in.
- Hearthstone is single player for the most part, which means no more spam-calling four different RL friends during supper hours and begging them to log on before you can start a game. Being a single player game also means that you don’t have to rely on others: if you lose, you know it was your own misplay. Of course, this does have the adverse effect of…you knowing it was your own misplay.
Okay, let’s say you’re convinced that Hearthstone’s the game for you and you’re itching to get right into it. So…what’s all this talk about casual and competitive play?
Casual VS Competitive? Abyssus Says:
The difference? Casual players enjoy playing and experimenting with ‘fun decks’, while competitive players usually opt to play ‘meta decks’ in order to boost their win rates and rankings. Competitive players also emphasise researching and testing new ideas and deck concepts in order to stay ahead of the meta.
And on making the shift:
Getting Into Competitive Hearthstone? Abyssus Says:
- Start by joining online tournaments. These are plentiful on sites like Strivewire, Battlefy etc. Note: most online tournaments are based either in the US or Europe. As a Singaporean, you’ll need to be up past midnight in order to take part. Plan your sleep schedule accordingly.
- Learn about the different tournament formats and rules (Conquest, Last Hero Standing etc.) Find out the pros and cons of each format and know your strategy going in – the last thing you want happening is getting disqualified or even blacklisted because you weren’t using an approved messaging software.
Gfinity Hearthstone Spring Masters
- Practise and scrim with like-minded players to improve as a group. Having a set schedule where you train by playing Best of 3 or Best of 5 series will go a long way in netting you match experience.
- Join an online community where you’ll get plenty of opportunities to hold discussions with and learn from other players. For starters, check out Reddit’s /r/hearthstone and the Liquid Hearth forums.
There you have it: insights and advice that any Hearthstone player wanting to improve and become more competitive can dig into. If you’re itching to go even more in-depth, feel free to hit up Team Abyssus with your many burning questions. Otherwise, have fun and enjoy the ladder climb!