card-backs
Latest
Hearthstone announces its sixth season and a new card back
Are you ready for the sixth season of competitive Hearthstone play? Because it's live right now, complete with a new card back for players to show off. This season offers a nautical look with the Pirate back available through September. Players who have hit at least Rank 20 or higher in ranked play mode will be awarded the card back at the end of the month. As in previous months, success in ranked play will earn you bonuses toward the next season, but even if you start at or above Rank 20 this season you'll need to play at least one ranked match to earn the new card back. Fortunately, you have plenty of time to do just that if you want your deck to tell opponents that they'd better buckle their swashes.
Hearthstone ranked play season 2 ending soon
Season 2 of ranked play in Hearthstone will come to a conclusion at the end of this month. The reward for participation in season 2 is the Black Temple-themed card back, seen above. You only need to hit rank 20 before June 1 to earn the skin, a relatively easy feat for most players -- losses don't cause you to lose ranking until you've surpassed rank 20. The top players of the season may qualify to compete in the Americas Qualifier Tournament, the winners of which will move on to compete at BlizzCon. The full qualification details can be found on Battle.net.
How Hearthstone won over a skeptical Magic veteran
I started playing Magic: The Gathering in 1995. I've loved the game ever since a friend introduced me to it. I've played both face to face and online, in one-on-one tournaments and in 12-player free-for-alls. It's the only collectible card game I've ever committed myself to playing. Then along came Hearthstone. I received an invitation to the closed beta. I gave it a few hours and then I dismissed it. I had a long list of reasons. The game was too simple. I felt helpless during my opponent's turn. I couldn't protect my most valuable creatures by keeping them out of combat. I didn't have enough interesting cards to develop the quirky strategies that I prefer in Magic. A few weeks ago, on the advice of a fellow Magic player who had been playing Hearthstone nonstop since open beta, I gave it another shot. I tried to approach the game without my Magic prejudices. I soon discovered that Hearthstone has a lot more to offer than I first thought. Here's how Blizzard won me over.
BlizzCon 2013: New card skins coming to Hearthstone
At BlizzCon 2013 this past weekend, the Hearthstone developers announced a new way to customize your decks: card backs, also called "card sleeves" among the TCG/CCG community. At the top of this post is one example, a Mists of Pandaria-themed card back. The specifics of how these card skins will be unlocked is still up in the air, but the current idea is that you will earn the art by playing/winning X number of matches per month. Once you earn the card skin, you'll have it permanently. New card backs will be released on a regular basis. When creating or editing a deck, you'll be able to choose which skin you want to use for that deck. Both you and your opponent will see the skin you use during gameplay, giving the playing field a more diverse, customized appearance. [via /r/hearthstone]
