![]() That's a different question and one we're evaluating everyday. There's always the question of whether something is too powerful. ![]() ![]() I think Lackeys have been really postiive. It helps them with cards like Eviscerate and Raiding Party and a lot of tools that they already have in ways that aren't entirely obvious. It was like, "Are playing Lackeys fun?" It led us to make some of the Lackey cards fairly powerful, like the EVIL Genius in Warlock, EVIL Miscreant in Rogue, we targeted them to be very powerful, because after a lot of playtesting we decided, "This is actually really fun." Figuring out how to play Lackeys, especially in a class like Rogue, which is really oriented around comboing a lot of cards together in the same turn. It was one of the things we were most confident in from a design standpoint going into Rise of Shadows. Shacknews: What's been the player base's reception to the Lackey system?ĭean Ayala, Hearthstone Lead Balance Designer: Really positive. This is kind of cool." We were just laughing the whole time thinking, how awesome is this? To know that something exists, but not see it something at a level of play like Worlds is awesome and a great indicator of this decision to hold this one week or two weeks after the release of a set allows these sorts of things to happen. And Dean read it out to us in the car on the way to the airport and we all shook our heads, like "Whaaaat? That sounds crazy!" And in the days that have followed, starting to figure out, "Wow, maybe this is a thing. It's one of those things where we got the deck lists while we were traveling. Shacknews: Are there any decks that you've seen from pro streamers or from any of the players here at the HCT World Championship that have surprised you? Now that the set has come out, we've been hearing a lot of positive response to not just the season rotation, but also the decks that we're starting to see get built in the two weeks since release. I think people followed a lot of the early teasers and cinematics, just trying to guess who the next villain was that was going to get added. There's been a lot of positive feedback to the vibe and the setting for all of this, the idea of bringing together some of the greatest villains in Hearthstone's Azeroth, has been super cool for not only the team, but for players as a whole. Shacknews: What's been the feedback to Rise of Shadows so far?īen Thompson, Hearthstone Creative Director: I think it's been good on a number of fronts. But in-between some of the incredible matchups between players like David "JustSaiyan" Shan, Raphael "Bunnyhoppor" Peltzer, and Casper "Hunterace" Notto, Thompson and Ayala had some time to speak to Shacknews.įollowing Friday's unforgettable match between JustSaiyan and Kacper "A83650" Kwiecinski, Shacknews reached out to Thompson and Ayala to ask about Rise of Shadows, the Lackey mechanic, balance changes, Arena, and a certain kind of Tavern Brawl. In the meantime, Hearthstone Creative Director Ben Thompson and Lead Balance Designer Dean Ayala have come to Taipei to catch some of the World Championship action. But this is just the beginning for what the publisher has in store for its five-year-old card game, with more expansions and a big focus on PvE content still forthcoming. It's been less than a month since Blizzard released the Rise of Shadows expansion, which officially launched the Year of the Dragon. ![]() However, Hearthstone itself will continue on, both on the competitive scene and along the casual scene, where millions of players continue to enjoy the digital card game on a daily basis. The HCT World Championship continues to unfold from Taipei, an event that will officially bring the Hearthstone Championship Tour to a close. Throughout the past several days, Hearthstone has been moving ahead to crown a new world champion.
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