Hearthstone New Mechanic: Joust and New Rank Rewards

Joust Clarifications

• The basic rule for Joust is that in order to win the Joust, the initiating player must reveal a higher mana cost minion than the opponent. If this is not achieved, for whatever reason, the initiating player will not win the Joust, and the Joust effect will not be activated. It is not possible to "draw" in a Joust; the initiating player either wins or does not.
• If the minion is lower cost, or the two are of equal cost, the secondary effect will not activate.
• If the initiating player has no minion left to reveal, they will automatically lose the Joust. If neither player has minions left to reveal, the initiating player will lose the Joust.
• If the opponent has no minion left to reveal, but the initiating player does, the initiating player will win the Joust by default.

• Jousting uses the base cost of the minions, regardless of any modifications, such as Molten Giant.
• During a Joust, both minions are revealed to both players.
• Jousting reveals a minion from each player's unused deck. The minions are selected at random, not by order of placement in the deck.

Highest Rank Bonus

We love receiving feedback from the Hearthstone community. One thing that we’ve been hearing a fair bit of is that, when playing on the Ranked Play ladder, people often feel hesitant to continue playing after reaching a particularly good rank. It simply feels like too much of a step backwards if they lose a rank or two. Based on that feedback, we’re making a change that we think will help put players’ minds at ease so that they can continue enjoying Ranked Play and pursuing even greater heights.

Beginning this month, each player’s Quest Log will display the highest rank they have reached during the month and recognize their accomplishment. Additionally, we’ll be awarding players who progress past rank 20 with some minor rewards as a way of congratulating them for their achievements. Eligible players will receive a treasure chest at the end of each season containing the season’s Ranked Play card back, one or more golden cards, and some Arcane Dust. What’s in the chest is determined by your highest rank over the course of the season. For example, a player whose highest rank was 17 will receive a golden common card, 20 dust, and the season card back. 

Below is an example of what a player who reaches rank 5 might receive.

New Card Reveals

We also unveiled a number of cards at gamescom, some of which can be found below!

        
 

Saddle up your steed, sharpen your lance, and prepare for The Grand Tournament, coming later this month!