Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is an online card game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in March 2014. It is distributed under a free-to-play model.
The game is based on the famous Warcraft universe, featuring legendary heroes such as Malfurion, Valeera Sanguinar, and Garrosh Hellscream. The narrative, or more precisely, the literary foundation of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, revolves around the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance – factions engaged in centuries-old, bloody wars to the death. On the battlefields, fantasy creatures led by their leaders clash, and this is structured according to the conventions of collectible card games (CCGs) – duels take place on a tabletop where players play their cards, thereby performing various actions: summoning new creatures, casting magical attacks, and so on. In this respect, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft resembles another card game – the famous Magic: The Gathering.
Before each match, the player must choose a hero – which can be the druid Malfurion, known for his buff spells, the hunter Rexxar, who summons beasts and strikes hard with arrows, or the warlock Gul'dan – with his army of demons, along with many other characters, each possessing a unique set of traits and powers. Next, one needs to assemble a deck of cards, which can be tied to a specific heroic identity. Cards come in various types, from basic ones given for free to every player to expert cards. The latter can be obtained after purchasing additional card packs, known as boosters – either for in-game currency or real money. Each expert card has its own value: the cheapest are white, and the most expensive (and powerful) are purple, the epic cards, and legendary ones marked in orange. Additionally, there are golden cards, which are identical to regular ones except that they are animated. All cards obtained from boosters can be disenchanted, earning arcane dust needed to craft other cards.
The objective of each duel is to defeat the opponent by killing their hero. The game is played in a turn-based mode, with mana spent on various actions. Thanks to the variety of cards, players can create various tactical combinations, using cards with creatures or magical abilities. Upon victory, the player receives gold coins (which are also awarded for completing daily quests), which can later be spent on purchasing boosters or gaining access to the Arena – a special type of ranked game. The more rounds a player wins in the Arena, the greater the reward – they not only achieve a higher rank but also receive a substantial amount of arcane dust and gold.