Hearthstone has a relatively high entry threshold for beginners. However, this did not prevent the game from gathering a large audience of gamers. Players who have perfected their skills to the maximum participate in professional championships. Looking at the schedule of tournaments, it becomes clear that Hearthstone competitions are held very often, and a fan of this game will always be able to watch matches of the highest level.
Championship Format
Tournaments are matches combined into one system. Dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of players take part in the championships. First of all, tournaments differ in format – there are online and offline events.
In the first case, all matches are played remotely. The players are at home or at the bootcamp and play from there. Previously, less prestigious championships were held in this way. In 2020, all competitions began to be held online. Gradually, the world is returning to normal, but this format of tournaments is still predominant.
Offline championships mean the presence of all players in one place. It can be a tournament as part of a festival, or an independent event. Thus, in the era before the pandemic, top championships were held, which were distinguished by large prize money and a high level of participants. The entertainment of the matches was on top. Esportsmen are in the same room with their rivals, and this only adds to the intensity of passions and vivid emotions. You can check new tournaments and their ranking at the escharts website.
Hearthstone Masters
All top professional XC tournaments are united under the auspices of one system. Hearthstone Masters starts in 2019. Since then, all the most prestigious championships have been held within the framework of this series. They can be attended by e-sportsmen who are just taking their first steps on the professional stage, as well as already masters of XC.
Masters Qualifier is the first stage of this esports system. It is a series of qualifying tournaments that take place every week during the active season. Blizzard itself holds about 30 championships using the Battlefy service. To take part in such a tournament, you must have an account and your own deck of cards on one of the servers.
Masters Qualifier matches are played in the best-of-3 format, that is, up to two wins. The fight format is Conquest. The single draw tournament is underway. There can be up to 1024 participants, and only one wins in this intense battle. The champion of the qualifying tournament enters the Masters Tour competition. Top 128 players receive consolation prizes ranging from 1 to 20 packs.
You can find the schedule of current Masters Qualifier tournaments on the official Hearthstone website. By going to the Battlefy platform, you can register in one of them. You can do this if you have an active account. After that, you must wait for the start of the competition and start playing your matches.
The next step in the esports system is the Masters Tour. Winners of qualifying championships get to these tournaments. Here they fight not only for packs, but also for real money. In total, six tournaments of this series are held per year: Ironforge, Orgrimmar, Dalaran, Silvermoon, Stormwind, Undercity. In which player qualifies, in that championship he participates.
400 esportsmen participate in the tournaments of this series. The rules are standard for the discipline. Each player has 4 decks, matches are played in Conquest mode up to three wins. On the first day, 5 Swiss rounds are played. Participants are divided into pairs and play matches. Then the winners meet each other. Losers play the same way. On the second day of such rounds, four pieces are held. Based on the results of two gaming sessions, 16 strongest esportsmen are determined who play in the playoff series. The format is the usual single grid. The winner receives 25 thousand US dollars. In total, 250 thousand are played within the framework of the tournament, and the cash prize goes to the players who are in the top 200.
Tournaments of the Grandmasters Tour series are divided into 2 seasons, each of which consists of 8 game weeks. Competitions, in turn, are divided into three regions: Asia, Europe and America. The game session starts on Thursday. 16 esportsmen in each region play matches with each other. On Friday, four decisive matches are held in order to determine the top eight. On Saturday and Sunday there is a further struggle for prizes. Players earn points for their final positions.
Once every two weeks, the match format changes: Conquest, Specialist, Last Hero Standing and again Conquest. After that, the final session begins. Within week 8, the top eight players advance to the playoffs, where they play in a standard singles bracket. The four worst e-sportsmen leave the league at the end of all gaming seven days, and the winners of the season from each region go to the World Championship.
Hearthstone World Championship
The result of the gaming season in XC is this tournament. As part of the World Championship, the top 6 players from the Grandmasters Tour draws, as well as the 2 winners of the Chinese Gold Series, are fighting for the title of the strongest in Hearthstone.
The World Championship starts from the group stage. The 2 strongest players from each four advance to the playoffs. There they expect matches in the format up to three victories. The winner receives 200 thousand US dollars and the title of the strongest Hearthstone gamer.