There's no question that the gameplay of Hearthstone is exciting. However, a big change is coming later this month with Patch 26.6. The Classic Mode is going to be replaced with a new one called Twist.
Twist is a ladder mode offering regularly rotating seasons, with each having a twist on the rules, including curated card pools and special rulesets. While these are sure to bring back some of the favorites, they'll come in a new setting with a new meta to boot.
The Hearthstone team revealed that they already have some formats planned for release this year. However, they also want to hear what formats players like to see and those they like to return.
Once Patch 26.6 goes live, Twist will begin in beta status and players start Twist at Bronze 10. The first season is going to be rather short, only lasting until July 1. Even if that's the case, players can still earn ranked rewards from the Twist ladder, similar to Standard or Wild. Plus, the ranked rewards for June will be based on the highest ladder rank players obtained across Standard, Wild, Classic, or Twist.
By the way, once Twist Beta begins, the official leaderboards are going to switch from Classic to Twist. The beta is planned from June to July and once that's done, Twist is going to be temporarily deactivated for a short time as the team prepares for its official launch.
Beta Format
Since the June season of Twist is short, there's one format for the June and July Beta seasons called "New Age." This is a new evergreen format that includes the Core Set and all sets from Ashes of Outland forward. This means that the beta period will have:
- Core
- Ashes of Outland
- Scholomance Academy
- Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
- Forged in the Barrens
- United in Stormwind
- Fractured in Alterac Valley
- Voyage to the Sunken City
- Murder at Castle Nathria
- March of the Lich King
- Path of Arthas
- Festival of Legends
For the beta seasons, a special rules variant will be introduced to the format: no neutrals allowed. This should let players re-experience the New Age with new eyes.
Hearthstone is available on PC, Android, and iOS.
