Hearthstone is a Competitive Card Game based around the Warcraft theme, created by Blizzard

Entertainment.

In Hearthstone players compete in one versus one card battles between either two players or a
player and an A.I opponent.

Players are required to choose one of nine Heroes and create card decks of thirty cards in order to
compete in a Hearthstone Battle.

Players take turns in playing cards from their hands which include Spells, Weapons and Minions
in attempt to destroy the enemy opponent.

Each Hero in Hearthstone has thirty Health Points, in order to win the game a player is required
to reduce the opposing Heroes Health Points from thirty to zero.

The game starts with a coin flip to determine which player will go first. Players then draw their
starting cards from their own constructed thirty card decks. The player who goes first draws three
cards and the player who goes second draws four cards and is given a special card called The
Coin.

The players a both then given one chance to swap out any of their starting cards for another card
from the top of their deck, the cards they swap out are then shuffled back into the deck.

After both players are finished with their starting card draws, the game begins.

Each turn players are granted one additional mana crystal. On the first turn, each player has one
mana crystal, up to turn ten where a player will have the maximum amount of Mana, 10. Mana
Crystals are replenished with Mana each turn.

During a turn, a player can choose to play any of the cards in their hand as long as they have
enough Mana Crystals for the required card they desire to use. From a players hand they can
either put a Minion on the board, cast a Spell or equip a Weapon.

Minions are played into the center board area between both player Heroes. Minions can be used to attack
Heroes or other minions and come in a wide variety all with their own unique statistics and effects.

Spells are played directly from a players hand and have an immediate effect unique to each Spell Card.

Weapons, like spells, are also played directly from a players hand, however they add a Weapon
to a players arsenal allowing him to attack directly with his Hero, rather than their minions and
spells.

A player can only have ten cards in their hand at a time, any cards drawn over this limit, are
destroyed.

Players can also use Hero Powers, which cost two mana and each is specific and relevant to his
chosen Hero. For example, a Priests Hero Power is Heal and a Mages Hero Power is Fire Blast.

As the match goes on, playing turn by turn, eventually one player will have been reduced to zero
health points. This player has lost the game.

If a match goes on for too long without a player being destroyed, after a player has drawn all
thirty cards from his deck they will start to take damage which increases by one point each turn,
eventually destroying them.

A player can choose to concede at any point during a game, if a player concedes, they will lose
the game.

General Game Rules List

To determine who goes first, a coin is flipped.
The player who goes first, draws three starting cards.
The player who goes second gets an extra starting card and The Coin.
Each player draws a card every turn.
Each player is granted one additional Mana Crystal, every turn.
Each players Mana Crystals are replenished with Mana every turn.
The maximum Mana Pool a player can have is ten.
The maximum amount of cards a player can have is ten.
You can have only one Weapon eqipped at any given time.
You can have a maximum of seven minions on the board at once.
You can only have two of the same card in a deck.
You can only have one of each Legendary card in a deck.
A Hero can only attack when it has a Weapon equipped.
If a Weapon Card is played whilst you already have a Weapon, the current equipped
Weapon will be overwritten.
 If a player has no cards left in their deck, everytime they try to draw a card, including the
card draw at the start of a turn, they will start to take damage starting with one and
increasing by one on every card draw.
Each deck must contain exactly thirty cards.
If a minion has a the Taunt ability, Heroes or Minions that are attacking directly, are
forced to target it first. Spells are an exception to this rule.
If a minion has the Battlecry ability, it will be applied immediately after the minion has
been played, and before any effects that were caused from it being played, such as
Secrets.
If a minion has the Charge ability, it will be able to attack on the same turn that it was
played.
If a minion has the Divine Shield ability, it will be able to take any amount of damage
from any source, before it is able to take damage directly to it's Health Pool.
If a minion has the Windfury ability, it will be able to attack twice on any given turn.
A secret card will not have it's effects applied until it is trigged by what it's card has
specified for it's required activation.
When a minion is silenced, it will lose all of the current bonus effects applied to it, but it
can still recieve bonus effects after being silenced.

Matchmaking System
There are multiple play modes in Hearthstone, but all follow the above rules of game play.
Outside of a match, there are different modes of play that a player can choose to play in, which
will result in different types of matchmaking.

Practice Mode
In practice mode, players are matched up against a computer controlled opponent. Players can
choose which Hero they want to practice with and against and they can choose what difficulty
they would like to play against.

Casual
Players are matched up dependant on the history of all of the games they have played. If you are
new to the game, you will be matched up with other new players, if you are a veteran, you will
be matched up against veterans.

Ranked
In Ranked mode, players are matched up dependant on their current Rank. When you win
matches your Rank increases and when you lose matches your Rank decreases. As such, the
more you win the harder your opponents will be and the more you lose, the easier your
opponents will be.

The Arena
In The Arena, players are not allowed to use pre-constructed decks and are instead required to
conscruct an Arena deck from the cards provided to them in The Arena.

Players are matched up with each other depending on how successful they are on their current
Arena Run.

Please see: The Arena for more information.

efore you can make your way to becoming a Hearthstone master, you must build your army of
minions, prepare your spells, stash away your secrets, grab your weapons, and choose your
hero! This section lists simple rules that go into building your deck in Hearthstone:

Choose Your Hero!

To build a deck, you must first choose a hero. Heroes include the Mage: Jaina Proudmore,
the Hunter: Rexxar, the Paladin: Uther Lightbringer, the Warrior: Garrosh Hellscream, the
Druid: Malfurion Stormrage, the Warlock: Gul'dan, the Shaman: Thrall, the Priest: Anduin
Wrynn, and the Rogue: Valeera Sanguinar. The first hero you will play as, and start your tutorial
with, iw Jaina, the Mage. To unlock the other heroes, you must defeat their A.I. counterparts in
Practice Mode. Upon defeating the A.I. opponent, that hero will be unlocked and available to
use when building your decks. Each hero has a series of cards available only to them when
building a deck, so choose wisely!

Select Your Cards!

After choosing your hero, you must select the minions, spells, weapons, and secrets you will
use to combat your opponents. Each hero has certain cards that can only be used exculsively by
them when building decks. Decks consist of 30 cards, no more, no less. If you are not happy
with the selection of cards you have, more cards can be obtained by buying packs (either with in-
game gold or real-world money), leveling up your Heroes, battling through the Arena, or using
Dust to create just the right card you need.

earthstone offers simple, but enjoyable rules that allow for fun and interesting gameplay. Here
are the rules you will need to abide by if you are going to climb your way to the top!

Your Starting Hand

At the beginning of a match, you will receive three cards drawn randomly from your deck. A
randomized coin flip will determine who will go first. The player who goes second will be given
a fourth card and later given the card, The Coin. Both players now have the option of replacing
one or more of their cards to their deck and replacing each one with a new card drawn from the
deck. At this point, the player who goes second will receive their The Coin card and play will
begin!

Playing the Game

Mana crystals
 At the start of your first turn, you will recieve one Mana Crystal. One additional Mana
Crystal will be given at no cost at the beginning of each turn up to a maximum of 10. Cards in
your hand will require a certain number of Mana Crystals in order to be put into play. Expended
Mana Crystals will be refilled at the beginning of the player's turn.

playing your cards

A player can use the Mana Crystals they have to play cards from their hands. The number of
Mana Crystals required can be found in the upper left of each card. Players may choose to use
any number of cards from their hand in any order as long as they have sufficient Mana
Crystals. Cards can be played at any point during the player's turn.

Using your hero powers

In addtion to having specific cards available to them, each Hero has their own unique Hero
Power. Each Hero Power costs two Mana Crystals. Hero Powers can be used at any point
during a player's turn.

Attacking

Player's may use the minions they summon, the spells they cast, the weapons they equip, or
their Hero Powers to attack the opposing player's minions or Hero. Minion cards have an attack
power and life points indicated in the lower left and lower right of each card, respectively. If a
Hero has been given attack power, this will be indicated in the lower left of their portrait. Each
Hero begins the match with 30 life points, shown in the lower right of their portrait. Once
summoned, minions must wait until the next turn before they can attack, unless they have the
Charge ability. Once they can attack, minions may only attack once per turn, but twice if they
have the Windfury ability. Heroes abide by the same rules when attacking. Once attacked, the
health points of each combatant is subtracted by the attack power of the other combatant. Once a
minion or Hero's life points reach or exceed zero, they are destroyed. Minions or Heroes may
choose to attack the opposing minions or Hero as they see fit. Attacking can be performed at any
point during a player's turn.

Winning the game

When a Hero's life points are reduced to or below zero the game is over and the remaining
playeearthstone offers simple, but enjoyable rules that allow for fun and interesting
gameplay. Here are the rules you will need to abide by if you are going to climb your way to the
top!

Your Starting Hand

At the beginning of a match, you will receive three cards drawn randomly from your deck. A
randomized coin flip will determine who will go first. The player who goes second will be given
a fourth card and later given the card, The Coin. Both players now have the option of replacing
one or more of their cards to their deck and replacing each one with a new card drawn from the
deck. At this point, the player who goes second will receive their The Coin card and play will
begin!

Playing the Game

Mana crystals

At the start of your first turn, you will recieve one Mana Crystal. One additional Mana
Crystal will be given at no cost at the beginning of each turn up to a maximum of 10. Cards in
your hand will require a certain number of Mana Crystals in order to be put into play. Expended
Mana Crystals will be refilled at the beginning of the player's turn.

playing your cards

A player can use the Mana Crystals they have to play cards from their hands. The number of
Mana Crystals required can be found in the upper left of each card. Players may choose to use
any number of cards from their hand in any order as long as they have sufficient Mana
Crystals. Cards can be played at any point during the player's turn.

Using your hero powers

In addtion to having specific cards available to them, each Hero has their own unique Hero
Power. Each Hero Power costs two Mana Crystals. Hero Powers can be used at any point
during a player's turn.

Attacking

Player's may use the minions they summon, the spells they cast, the weapons they equip, or
their Hero Powers to attack the opposing player's minions or Hero. Minion cards have an attack
power and life points indicated in the lower left and lower right of each card, respectively. If a
Hero has been given attack power, this will be indicated in the lower left of their portrait. Each
Hero begins the match with 30 life points, shown in the lower right of their portrait. Once
summoned, minions must wait until the next turn before they can attack, unless they have the
Charge ability. Once they can attack, minions may only attack once per turn, but twice if they
have the Windfury ability. Heroes abide by the same rules when attacking. Once attacked, the
health points of each combatant is subtracted by the attack power of the other combatant. Once a
minion or Hero's life points reach or exceed zero, they are destroyed. Minions or Heroes may
choose to attack the opposing minions or Hero as they see fit. Attacking can be performed at any
point during a player's turn.

Winning the game

When a Hero's life points are reduced to or below zero the game is over and the remaining
player wins.
 These concepts are important ideas and concepts that will only effect specific scenarios, but are
important when they happen.

Card Destruction

If your opponent has 10 cards in their hand and then draws another card, the card will be shown
to both players and then destroyed.

Be careful of your hand size. Having a lot of cards is good, but there's such a thing as too
many cards.
When playing cards like Coldlight Oracle or Naturalize, look at your opponent's hand.
Playing that card may waste your opponent's cards.

Damaging Your Own Minions

You may think this makes no sense, but in some cases, it can. Using cards like Arcane Shot or
Ironforge Rifleman can be used to activate Enrage effects, or effects like Acolyte of Pain. In
addition, killing minions like Loot Hoarder or Sylvanas Windrunner can activate their effects on
your terms.

Metagame

This is the concept of the basic strategies of the game that are popular at any given time. It's
much like a fashion statement for the game. When certain strategies are popular, like Hunter rush
decks, or Warlock murloc decks, then people will play specific cards to counter those specific
strategies.

Think about what other people are playing. What counters them? What cards are weak to
those strategies? Be careful about which cards you put in your deck.
The metagame is currently changing rapidly. Slower control decks might be popular one
day, and then an aggressive rush deck the next. Be adaptable.

The Small Things

There are cards that are very unique in Hearthstone. Take Sylvanas Windrunner for example. Her
deathrattle is the only one like it. On the rare occasion when she kills a minion with a revive
effect (like Cairne Bloodhoof or Harvest Golem) and it is the only minion your opponent has, if
Sylvanas was played after the other card, you will not get control of the new card. If she was
played before it, you will. Deathrattles resolve in the order by which the cards were played.

There are other rules as oddly specific as this one for many other cards. Experiment with your
cards to see how they work in unusual situations.