Welcome to the “Year of the Pegasus” – Community Day with Free Packs, 2024 Expansions Teaser, Core Set Update, New Twist Format, 10th Anniversary Celebration, And More!

Huge news, everyone! Blizzard has just revealed the next Standard year. Year of the Wolf will end with the first expansion of 2024, after which it will get replaced by “Year of the Pegasus”. Of course, the name itself is not the most important part. What’s important is all of the things that will come with it. And after reading the blog post, I can safely say that there’s a lot to look forward to. Here’s a summary of what has been announced:

• Year of the Pegasus Expansions Teaser – Finally, after not getting one of those for 2022 and 2023, we’re back with another “tri-expansion” teaser. I’m sure that people will have lots of theories, but the first one looks to be something whimsical, with toys and rainbows, the second one might be treasure map/pirates and the third one might be related to some cosmic-beings, constellars maybe (such as Algalon the Observer?
• Core Set Update – I’m sure that we will get a full list of new/returning cards soon, but for now Blizzard has posted a small teaser. Leeroy Jenkins, Justicar Trueheart (in a buffed form) and Fiery War Axe seem to be returning. What’s more unexpected is that Wrath of Air Totem (+1 Spell Damage) is also back! I wonder if it’s going to replace Strenght Totem once again.
• 12 Special Cards – When Patch 28.6 goes live, player swill get 12 special cards. One is the tavern keeper himself – Harth Stonebrew, and the other 11 are “Gift” cards for each class. We don’t yet know what any of those cards do, but they should be revealed later today. Those cards will be IN ADDITION to the free card you get with the reveal of each expansion (which should happen soon according to the blog post).
• 10th Anniversary Rewards – Starting on February 27, a new in-game event will drop. Complete it to get Golden versions of the “Gift” cards discussed above plus a special “Birthday Coin”. On March 11, players will get a Legendary Quest rewarding a 10-Year Anniversary Card Back.
• Community Day – To celebrate the 10th Anniversary, Community Day is also back. For 24 hours starting on March 11 at 10 AM PT (19:00 CET), drops will be active across the whole Hearthstone category. We don’t have details yet, but the last two “Community Days” gave us 11 and 9 packs respectively. So I think we can expect something in this ballpark this time too.
• New Twist Format – “History” – On March 1, a new Twist format launches and it’s the craziest one we had so far. On March 1, only Legacy (old Basic + Classic) will be legal. Then, each day, a new set will be added. So on March 2 we’ll get Curse of Naxxramas (NAXX OUT), on March 3 we’ll get Goblins vs Gnomes, and so on. This way we’ll fast-forward through the entire history of Hearthstone. While I think that it’s an incredibly cool idea in theory, I’m a bit worried about it in practice. It’s going to move very fast, players will have a very hard time keeping up, not to mention that if someone doesn’t already own a full Wild collection, they will have basically no chance to play this format (no one will craft a deck just to play it for one day). It will also be a nightmare from the content creation perspective because the meta will change daily so anything you write/record will be pointless after one day.
• Free WoW Mount – Any player who logs into Hearthstone between March 11 and May 14 will receive a free Fiery Heartsteed World of Warcraft mount. Additionally, between March 11 and 18 players will be able to seek out special “Hearthstone” matches in capital cities to earn more Hearthstone-themed rewards.
• Hearthstone: Music from the Tavern – On March 11, over 30 of the in-game tracks from Hearthstone will be released on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and more. There will also be two more soundtrack releases later this year.

Read more in the full blog post below:

The time draws near for the great Hearthstone clock in the sky to count down to a new year of Hearthstone, a year-long celebration of Hearthstone’s past and future: the Year of the Pegasus!

A Message from the Game Director

Greetings, denizens of the Tavern! 

This year, we’re celebrating 10 years of Hearthstone. That’s 10 years of defining the digital card game genre through iconic characters, tall tales in the tavern, new and familiar friends, and lots of fun! Over that time, Hearthstone expanded into a wide range of game modes. As we move into the future, we’re focusing on the areas where we can surprise and delight the most players with our absolute best ideas. We’re excited to spend all year celebrating the past and the future of Hearthstone with you. 

It all starts soon with birthday giveaways, in-game events, a spicy Core Set update, and the first of three lively card set expansions. Then, just a little further down the line, we’ll be launching Battlegrounds Duos! We’re excited to bring this cooperative experience to Hearthstone, where friends and strangers alike can work together to build up each other’s boards and take the crown. We saw a great response to the mode at BlizzCon (shout out to those of you we got to meet in person), and your energy is what keeps us moving in the right direction. Alongside our regular Standard and Battlegrounds updates, the team is working on fascinating Twist formats and Arena updates for even more fun all year long! 

The Year of the Pegasus is shaping up to be a great year for Hearthstone. To all our players who champion and challenge the game, we hear you and thank you for being so passionate about Hearthstone. I look forward to chatting with you in the Tavern. 

– Tyler Bielman, Game Director 

Hearthstone in the Year of the Pegasus

We have three amazing expansions coming throughout the year, continuing to both build on Hearthstone’s past and take us to new frontiers! We’ll be announcing the first of these expansions soon, but first, here’s a little preview of all three upcoming expansions:

Iconic Core Set Update

A new year of Hearthstone means a new Core Set update. This year’s update is a big one, bringing back several iconic cards from Hearthstone’s history!

Get the Party Started!

Once Patch 28.6 goes live, we’re kicking things off early with 12 extra special card grants for each player, just for logging in!* These card grants include one “Gift” card for each class, as well as the big man himself: Harth Stonebrew! These cards will be revealed today on the official Hearthstone social channels, so don’t miss them.

* These 12 login rewards are in addition to the normal expansion preview card grant (to be revealed with the expansion announcement, soon). All 13 cards will be granted upon login until Patch 29.6, at which point they will be granted upon opening your first pack of the 29.0 expansion instead. 

Earn In-Game Anniversary Rewards

From February 27 to March 19, kick the party up a notch with an in-game event. Complete the Event Rewards Track to earn Golden versions of all the “Gift” cards, plus a special Birthday Coin!

Then, on March 11, Hearthstone’s official anniversary, there will also be a Legendary Quest that you can complete to earn the 10-Year Anniversary Card Back! Here’s to ten years in the Tavern and many more to come!

Play Through Hearthstone’s Entire History in Twist!

This March, take a walk through Hearthstone history in Twist! On March 1, only Legacy will be legal. On March 2, Hearthstone’s first infusion of cards, Curse of Naxxramas, will be added to the legal card pool. On March 3, Goblins vs Gnomes will be added. Each day, the next infusion of cards will be added until we’ve fast forwarded through the entire history of Hearthstone! Will you play a game each day to relive all the memories or will you wait until your favorite meta and jam all your games in one day?

Jam Out with the Sounds of the Tavern

On March 11, celebrate Hearthstone’s anniversary with the Hearthstone: Music from the Tavern album (Anniversary Picks) with over 30 Hearthstone in-game tracks! There will also be two more Hearthstone: Music from the Tavern releases later in the year, including songs from the Anniversary Picks and more. Look for all three Music from the Tavern albums on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and more when they launch.

Save the Date: Community Day Anniversary Celebration

Everyone gets to join the celebration in our next Community Day, from March 11 (10 a.m. PT) to March 12 (10 a.m. PT). Party with your favorite Hearthstone streamers and collect Twitch Drops all day long! Just make sure you connect your Twitch account to your Battle.net account to make sure you get progress towards your drops. More details on Community Day drops to come closer to the event.

World of Warcraft Joins the Festivities

The party has spilled out of our Tavern and all of Azeroth is joining the celebration. Starting on March 11, log into Hearthstone to get a new Fiery Hearthsteed World of Warcraft mount for free!*

Also, from March 11 to March 18, you can seek out special “Hearthstone” matches in capital cities. Stick around long enough and you’ll face a special encounter where you can defeat iconic minions to add to your deck and earn other fun new Hearthstone-themed rewards! More details coming closer to the event.

* No additional purchase necessary for the Fiery Hearthsteed mount. Limited-time offer only available to those who login to Hearthstone between March 11 and May 14. Mount not available in World of Warcraft® Classic games. 

Don’t Miss the Party

That’s only the beginning! Make sure you claim your free login rewards once Patch 28.6 goes live, and keep an eye out for more information about the next expansion, upcoming in-game events, community events, and more, coming soon and throughout the year. We can’t wait to see all our friends in the tavern for this year-long celebration!

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