Hearthstone screenshot of the burnt Orc from the cinematic

Hearthstone's Arena is currently in a very strange position. One one hand it is entirely feasible to consistently secure high wins if you're skilled enough, but on the other it's also possible to draft a completely subpar deck and then get crushed regardless of your actual decisions. With that in mind, I am beyond delighted to say that Blizzard has finally announced that they are working towards making the Arena card picking process much more consistent and strategic!

Once Patch 10.4 rolls around each Arena pick will feature three cards with a similar power level regardless of their rarity, though Legendary cards are going to be excluded from this for obvious reasons. For example, instead of having two terrible cards and a Fireball to choose from, you will have a Fireball and two other incredibly powerful cards that each fit a certain playstyle. So instead of simply picking the objectively best card, you will have to carefully consider your deck composition, your mana curve, and what exactly you really need for your strategy to work.

Additionally, the new Arena system will have a decreased chance for sub-par cards to appear. You'll still have to make your deck from a variety of cards that might not be the best, but there probably won't be any Wisps just pointlessly clogging your draft. A bit of an extreme move on Blizzard's part, but I can't help but agree with it given that some of these cards were only ever picked by beginners who simply didn't know any better.

And if that wasn't enough, you might also be glad to hear that Blizzard will be adding one new Arena-exclusive card per class! Some I can already see being top-tier, while others are mostly for fun, but either way these are some much welcome additions to the Arena. You can find the whole set over here.

I don't know how much this will affect your average Hearthstone player, but as someone that hasn't played in well over a year this is certainly an incredible incentive to come back. Arena has always been my favorite mode, so to see Blizzard give it this much thought and attention is quite the pleasant surprise. I can only hope there will be more updates like this in the future as well!

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