Should we be alarmed about the state of the built on Hearthstone, and especially its popularity? According to the South American GrandMaster Fled, there is no doubt: the standard is going through a bad period, especially since the game mode would be “in the shadow” of its cousin Battlegrounds. It was with a tweet that the pro player recently set fire to the powder, reproaching the standard for having become “a rock-paper-scissors game“
Fled thus deplores theextreme weariness that emanates from metagames, extension after extension. Dominant decks float in the ladder, with match ups very polarized that would rob Hearthstone of some of its flavor. However, the developers of the standard have been much more reactive on the balancing and the health of the meta for a few months now, by applying each month well-felt nerfs to the archetypes that are too oppressive.
The pro player even fears a very soon “replacement” of the standard mode, by the very fashionable Battlefields. A little later in the thread, he even mentions the fact that “80% of Hearthstone’s Twitch Viewership Happens Through BG Mode“. Even if this figure deserves to be qualified by the fact that a giant BG patch has just been released, and that the standard is coming to the end of its aging rotation, it underlines the great popularity of Battlefields. A month after the release of each extension, the latter is largely taking precedence over the standard, among streamers and players.
For J.Alexander, the problem with the standard does not come from its metagame, but rather from its accessibility and its expensive nature. While BG is completely free, it’s impossible to build the standard’s best decks without making big sacrifices in dust and gold..
However, it seems to us that the coexistence between the standard AND Battlefields is quite possible and healthy. Nothing prevents our favorite TCG from alternatively highlighting two very distinct game modes. And it is moreover what Blizzard achieves by making Hearthstone a “Hub” of fun puzzle games.
Fled’s point of view, even if it has to be admitted to have a certain veracity, is a tad dramatic in that it opposes game modes like rivals. Blizzard hasn’t given up either at the latest news, however, and the standard remains the go-to mode for the title’s esports ecosystem.
The first major patch of 2022, this update highlights the Battlegrounds mode, with the integration of a brand new type of minion: Companions. The Standard is not left out since “Thief Thief” and Quest Warrior are suffering from the lightning of the nerves!