Late last year, Blizzard revealed that they were hard at work evolving Hearthstone esports into a more sustainable, entertaining, and accessible program. Now they have shared details about Hearthstone Masters—see below for a quick rundown, and head to our announcement blog for more information.
Hearthstone Masters Tour
Hearthstone Masters Tour events will feel familiar to many competitors. Picture tables wired to the teeth with ethernet, primed for players to prove their merit in Swiss and elimination rounds over three days. There’s a $250,000 USD prize pool at stake, plus the chance to prove yourself worthy of Hearthstone Grandmaster status—but more on that in a bit.
Players can qualify for Masters Tour events in 2019 through multiple routes, including:
- Winning an online Masters Qualifier (hosted on Battlefy and open to all players)
- Placing in the top four of a Ranked Ladder Qualifier
- Securing an invitation through licensed third-party tournaments
- Finishing as a top-performer at a previous Masters Tour event
- Qualifying through the China Gold Series
- Finishing out Year of the Raven with at least 120 Hearthstone Competitive Points
The first stop on the Hearthstone Masters Tour will be Las Vegas from June 14–16. After Vegas, the Masters Tour will head to Asia and Europe, with even more destinations planned for 2020.
New Format
We are sending the Conquest format out with a bang at the 2019 Hearthstone World Championship this April. Replacing Conquest will be a brand-new format we’re calling Specialist.Here’s how it works:
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- Players submit three decks from the same class
- Players designate one deck as a primary deck, then the other two as secondary and tertiary
- Secondary and tertiary decks may have up to five cards different from the primary deck (for the purposes of this modification, two duplicate cards in the primary deck list count as two cards)
- Players must play game one of each match with their primary deck
- At the beginning of game two and onward, players may decide to keep playing their primary deck or switch to their secondary or tertiary decks
- Deck decisions for games two and three, if necessary, are performed at the start of each game simultaneously and in secret from the opposing player
- All Masters Qualifier and Ranked Ladder Qualifier matches will be best-of-three; all matches at Masters Tour events will be best-of-three as well, with the exception of a best-of-five finals
Hearthstone Grandmasters
Last, but certainly not least, Blizzard has Hearthstone Grandmasters. They are not quite ready to share full details about Hearthstone Grandmasters yet, but note that one way you can be invited to join is via consistent top finishes at Masters Tour events.
