Aegonostic (talk | contribs) (→Duplicate protection: Duplicate protection rules) |
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'''Card packs''' are items that players can open to acquire [[card]]s for filling a player's [[collection]]. |
'''Card packs''' are items that players can open to acquire [[card]]s for filling a player's [[collection]]. |
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| − | Each [[expansion]] has its own type of card pack with unique artwork, containing only cards from that [[card set]]. As of |
+ | Each [[expansion]] has its own type of card pack with unique artwork, containing only cards from that [[card set]]. As of [[Patch 16.0.0.37060|Patch 16.0]] (''[[Descent of Dragons]]'' patch), all card packs are available for purchase in the in-game [[shop]]. However, only card packs from the current [[Standard format]] can be [[Tavern Brawl]]s' first-win reward. |
| − | Each card pack contains 5 cards from the corresponding set. Each card has a chance to be of [[common]], [[rare]], [[epic]] or [[legendary]] [[rarity]], but each pack is guaranteed to contain at least one card of at least rare |
+ | Each card pack contains 5 cards from the corresponding set. Each card has a chance to be of [[common]], [[rare]], [[epic]] or [[legendary]] [[rarity]], but each pack is guaranteed to contain at least one card of at least rare rarity.<ref>It is possible to open a pack with no Rares in it, if it has Epics/Legendaries instead: [https://i.imgur.com/axFNorG.jpg Imgur link]. Tested in [[Patch 2.7.0.9166]] (Tavern Brawl patch). Also see [[Card pack statistics#Notes]].</ref> While the majority of cards in card packs are common, it is possible to find multiple cards of high quality within a single pack. Each card also has the chance to become a [[golden card|golden]] version of that card. The chances for rarities and golden versions are the same for all types of card packs,<ref name="S">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un_Y9o5bJRs#t=2270|date=2014-11-07|title=Hearthstone Fireside Chat Goblins vs Gnomes}}</ref><ref name="B">{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/540529674829328384|2014-12-04|Ben Brode}}</ref><ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/632623482925248512|2015-08-15|Ben Brode}}</ref><ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/722996827969060865|2016-04-20|Ben Brode}}</ref> and buying options do not in any way affect the contents of packs.<ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/543806852421525504|2014-12-13|Ben Brode}}</ref> |
| − | The contents of each pack are decided at random, at the time of opening.<ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/610472091008106497|2015-06-15|Ben Brode}}</ref><ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/770347620032065536|2016-08-29|Ben Brode}}</ref> Details such as the amount of cards you currently have |
+ | The contents of each pack are decided at random, at the time of opening.<ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/610472091008106497|2015-06-15|Ben Brode}}</ref><ref>{{tw|https://twitter.com/bdbrode/status/770347620032065536|2016-08-29|Ben Brode}}</ref> Details such as the amount of cards you currently have, and which [[hero]]es you have unlocked. |
Card packs are potentially the most cost-efficient means of obtaining cards, but also one of the most random. With their generous but unpredictable contents, they offer a quick way of expanding the player's collection for a particular set, but when wishing to obtain a specific card, players will generally find it cheaper and quicker to [[craft]] the card instead. |
Card packs are potentially the most cost-efficient means of obtaining cards, but also one of the most random. With their generous but unpredictable contents, they offer a quick way of expanding the player's collection for a particular set, but when wishing to obtain a specific card, players will generally find it cheaper and quicker to [[craft]] the card instead. |
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* A single pack will never contain more than two copies of the same Common, Rare, or Epic card, or more than one copy of the same Legendary card. |
* A single pack will never contain more than two copies of the same Common, Rare, or Epic card, or more than one copy of the same Legendary card. |
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* Within each new set, you are guaranteed to get at least one Legendary within the first ten packs. |
* Within each new set, you are guaranteed to get at least one Legendary within the first ten packs. |
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| + | [[File:Duplicate protection Phoenix.png|thumb|300px|In-game notification of duplication protection after March 26, 2020]] |
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| − | |||
On March 17th, 2020, Blizzard announced that duplicate protection would be extended to all [[Rarity|rarities]] when opening card packs, meaning that commons, rares, and epics would now be given triplicate protection.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/23319441 |title=Welcome to the Year of the Phoenix! |author=Blizzard Entertainment |date=March 17, 2020 |accessdate=2020-03-31}}</ref> The new triplicate protection rules and some additional rules to pack opening were officially implemented on March 26th 2020, about two weeks prior to the launch of the [[Ashes of Outland]] expansion, and were as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/23357896/ashes-of-outland-17-0-patch-notes-march-26 |title=Ashes of Outland – 17.0 Patch Notes – March 26 |date=March 26, 2020 |accessdate=2020-03-31 |author=Blizzard Entertainment}}</ref> |
On March 17th, 2020, Blizzard announced that duplicate protection would be extended to all [[Rarity|rarities]] when opening card packs, meaning that commons, rares, and epics would now be given triplicate protection.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/23319441 |title=Welcome to the Year of the Phoenix! |author=Blizzard Entertainment |date=March 17, 2020 |accessdate=2020-03-31}}</ref> The new triplicate protection rules and some additional rules to pack opening were officially implemented on March 26th 2020, about two weeks prior to the launch of the [[Ashes of Outland]] expansion, and were as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/23357896/ashes-of-outland-17-0-patch-notes-march-26 |title=Ashes of Outland – 17.0 Patch Notes – March 26 |date=March 26, 2020 |accessdate=2020-03-31 |author=Blizzard Entertainment}}</ref> |
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* Duplicate protection is now in place for each rarity when opening card packs (i.e. Commons, Rares, Epics, and Legendaries). For example, when you open a Rare card, you are guaranteed to find a Rare that you do not yet have two copies of (non-golden and golden inclusive), unless you already own two copies of all Rares in the set. |
* Duplicate protection is now in place for each rarity when opening card packs (i.e. Commons, Rares, Epics, and Legendaries). For example, when you open a Rare card, you are guaranteed to find a Rare that you do not yet have two copies of (non-golden and golden inclusive), unless you already own two copies of all Rares in the set. |
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==Patch changes== |
==Patch changes== |
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| + | * {{Patch 17.0.0.44222}} Duplicate protection applied to all rarities. (''[[#Duplicate protection|Read details]]'') |
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* {{Patch 16.0.0.37060}} [[Wild]] card packs can now be purchased with in-game [[gold]]. |
* {{Patch 16.0.0.37060}} [[Wild]] card packs can now be purchased with in-game [[gold]]. |
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| + | * [[File:Knights of the Frozen Throne logo.png|44px|link=Knights of the Frozen Throne]] '''Server-side patch (2018-08-10):''' Duplicate protection applied to Legendary. |
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* {{Patch 2.0.0.7234}} Expert card packs have been renamed to “Classic” card packs. |
* {{Patch 2.0.0.7234}} Expert card packs have been renamed to “Classic” card packs. |
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Revision as of 16:04, 7 April 2020
Card pack concept art
Card packs are items that players can open to acquire cards for filling a player's collection.
Each expansion has its own type of card pack with unique artwork, containing only cards from that card set. As of Patch 16.0 (Descent of Dragons patch), all card packs are available for purchase in the in-game shop. However, only card packs from the current Standard format can be Tavern Brawls' first-win reward.
Each card pack contains 5 cards from the corresponding set. Each card has a chance to be of common, rare, epic or legendary rarity, but each pack is guaranteed to contain at least one card of at least rare rarity.[1] While the majority of cards in card packs are common, it is possible to find multiple cards of high quality within a single pack. Each card also has the chance to become a golden version of that card. The chances for rarities and golden versions are the same for all types of card packs,[2][3][4][5] and buying options do not in any way affect the contents of packs.[6]
The contents of each pack are decided at random, at the time of opening.[7][8] Details such as the amount of cards you currently have, and which heroes you have unlocked.
Card packs are potentially the most cost-efficient means of obtaining cards, but also one of the most random. With their generous but unpredictable contents, they offer a quick way of expanding the player's collection for a particular set, but when wishing to obtain a specific card, players will generally find it cheaper and quicker to craft the card instead.
Opening a pack
A gnome opening a new card pack.
Card packs can be opened by clicking on the "Open Packs" icon from the main menu screen. The number underneath the icon indicates how many unopened card packs you currently possess.
Once the Open Packs screen has been reached, all current unopened packs will be displayed on the left-hand side. Drag a pack over to the right-hand section or hit the space bar to open it. Once you open a pack, 5 cards appear face down. This forces you to turn each card individually either by hitting the space bar or clicking each card.
Hovering over a card shows a border depending on the rarity of the card. Hearthstone uses quality colors based on World of Warcraft's gear system.
- No color means the card is of common rarity
- A blue glow means the card is of rare rarity
- A purple glow means the card is of epic rarity
- An orange glow means the card is of legendary rarity
How to get
Standard format card packs can be obtained in many ways. They can be gained from competing in the Arena, for your first Tavern Brawl win each week, from certain quests, or they can be purchased from the in-game Shop, either for gold or for real money. Standard format card packs can also be purchased from the online shop. Classic card packs can also be obtained as rewards through the Recruit A Friend system.
Wild format card packs are never granted as rewards. However, Wild format card packs can be bought from the in game store. Players who had packs left over when the set moved to Wild format can still open them and receive cards as normal, and players can still obtain Wild format cards through crafting.
Purchasing
The following purchasing options are available. Only the single pack option is available for gold (although players can buy more than one pack at a time); all other options require real money. Players can use any of the payment methods that are also available for buying games and goodies from the Blizzard store.
Some of these prices were subject to changes on March 22, 2017 and may no longer be accurate.[9]
| Packs | Gold | USD | GBP | EUR | RUB* | BRL | AUD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | ||||||
| 2 | $2.99 ($1.495 per pack, $0.299 per card) | £2.99 (£1.495 per pack, £0.299 per card) | €2.99 (€1.495 per pack, €0.299 per card) | 149.00 р. (74.50 р. per pack, 14.90 р. per card) | R$ 7,00 (R$ 3,50 per pack, R$ 0,70 per card) | A$3.95 (A$1.975 per pack, A$0.395 per card) | |
| 7 | $9.99 ($1.427 per pack, $0.285 per card) | £8.99 (£1.284 per pack, £0.257 per card) | €9.99 (€1.427 per pack, €0.285 per card) | 499.00 р. (71.28 р. per pack, 14.25 р. per card) | R$ 21,00 (R$ 3,00 per pack, R$ 0,6 per card) | A$13.50 (A$1.929 per pack, A$0.386 per card) | |
| 15 | $19.99 ($1.333 per pack, $0.267 per card) | £16.99 (£1.133 per pack, £0.227 per card) | €19.99 (€1.333 per pack, €0.267 per card) | 999.00 р. (66.60 р. per pack, 13.32 р. per card) | R$ 39,00 (R$ 2,6 per pack, R$ 0,52 per card) | A$26.95 (A$1.797 per pack, A$0.359 per card) | |
| 40 | $49.99 ($1.250 per pack, $0.250 per card) | £44.99 (£1.125 per pack, £0.225 per card) | €49.99 (€1.250 per pack, €0.250 per card) | 2500.00 р. (62.50 р. per pack, 12.50 р. per card) | R$ 99,00 (R$ 2,475 per pack, R$ 0,495 per card) | A$66.95 (A$1.674 per pack, A$0.335 per card) | |
| 60** | $69.99 ($1.167 per pack, $0.233 per card) | £59.99 (£1.000 per pack, £0.200 per card) | €69.99 (€1.167 per pack, €0.233 per card) | 3500.00 р. (58.33 р. per pack, 11.66 р. per card) | R$ 145,00 (R$ 2,417 per pack, R$ 0,483 per card) | A$94.95 (A$1.583 per pack, A$0.317 per card) |
- * Russian Ruble prices are frequently changing due to unstable exchange rate.
- ** Only available on PC and Mac.
Note that a discount is offered when buying in bulk. Purchasing 40 packs of cards at once presents a 12-16% discount compared to buying cards in sets of 2. Exact prices and discounts vary by currency.
While no bulk purchase option is presented for gold transactions, players can double-click on the '1 pack' option to instantly order multiple packs by entering a number from 1 to 50. No discount is offered. Players are informed of this option upon entering the shop for the first time with a sufficiently large amount of gold.[10]
Duplicate protection
Duplicate protection in Hearthstone pack opening refers to the protection given to a player that prevents them from opening a card which the player already has more than more than one copy of (for legendaries) or more than two copies of (for commons, rares, and epics). Duplicate protection did not exist as a rule in Hearthstone before June 22nd, 2017. Duplicate protection can also be referred to as 'triplicate protection', in the case for opening commons, rares, and epics. Duplicate protection arises from the fact that normal game rules prohibit players from using more than one copy of a legendary card, or more than two copies of a common, rare, or epic card, in a typical playing deck. This means duplicate protection helps players to collect cards without worrying about frequently getting useless duplicate and triplicate cards.
On June 22nd, 2017, Blizzard announced the brand new rule of duplicate protection would be implemented for legendary cards opened from card packs.[11] The announced duplicate protection rule and some additional rule changes to pack opening were officially implemented on August 10th 2017 with the launch of the Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion and were as follows:
- When you open a Legendary, you are guaranteed to find a Legendary that you do not yet own a (non-golden or golden) copy of, unless you already own all Legendaries of the set.
- A single pack will never contain more than two copies of the same Common, Rare, or Epic card, or more than one copy of the same Legendary card.
- Within each new set, you are guaranteed to get at least one Legendary within the first ten packs.
In-game notification of duplication protection after March 26, 2020
On March 17th, 2020, Blizzard announced that duplicate protection would be extended to all rarities when opening card packs, meaning that commons, rares, and epics would now be given triplicate protection.[12] The new triplicate protection rules and some additional rules to pack opening were officially implemented on March 26th 2020, about two weeks prior to the launch of the Ashes of Outland expansion, and were as follows:[13]
- Duplicate protection is now in place for each rarity when opening card packs (i.e. Commons, Rares, Epics, and Legendaries). For example, when you open a Rare card, you are guaranteed to find a Rare that you do not yet have two copies of (non-golden and golden inclusive), unless you already own two copies of all Rares in the set.
- However, if a player has yet to acquire all copies of cards from a particular rarity and disenchants a card of that rarity, the card that was disenchanted will no longer show up in card packs until all other copies of cards from that rarity in that set are acquired. Tracking for such disenchanted cards began when the patch went live on March 26.[14]
- Chadd Nervig also confirmed on Twitter that when a player has obtained for example 2 of all Commons, future Commons will be random but non-goldens will be ones which the player still hasn't gotten non-golden of, and goldens will be ones the player still hasn't gotten golden of.[15]
- Additionally, outside of card pack openings, if players receive single-card rewards from elsewhere in the game, such as from Ranked rewards, these cards will also obey the duplicate protection rules afforded to card pack opening.
Statistics
Hovering over an Epic card.
- Main article: Card pack statistics
Various attempts have been made to establish the chances of receiving each rarity of card when opening card packs. Note that all types of card pack have the same chances at rarities and golden cards.[2][3]
The following numbers combine data from several other studies. Since the numbers provided by each study are relatively similar, this is mostly for the convenience of a single overview of the statistics, as well as improved accuracy in the rarer cases. The original studies can be found in the linked article.
Currently included studies: Steve Marinconz (June 2014), E. R. Kjellgren (August 2014), Amaz (February 2015), HearthSim (August 2015). This produces a total sample size of 27,868 card packs, describing 139,340 cards in total.
| Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of total | 71.65% | 22.84% | 4.42% | 1.10% |
| Count per 27,868 packs | 99,836 | 31,821 | 6,152 | 1,531 |
| Probability of at least 1 per pack | 99.81% | 72.64% | 20.21% | 5.37% |
In April 2017, in compliance with Chinese law, Blizzard published official probablities of card drops.[16] Though the official announcement applies to the Chinese region only, it is likely that the drop rates are across all regions.
The officially announced drop rates are:
- RARE - At least 1 rare or better in each pack. (This was already known).
- EPIC - Average of 1 every 5 packs. (This implies that at least 4% of all cards are epic).
- LEGENDARY - Average of 1 every 20 packs. (This implies that at least 1% of all cards are legendary).
The reported drop chances are slightly lower than the observed drop rates. This is likely an indication that the announcement drop rates have to be read as "at least 1 epic every 5 packs", and "at least 1 legendary every 20 packs".
- Golden cards
Golden card data gathered prior to The Grand Tournament show significant differences from that gathered after. For this reason the below information is currently taken solely from the most recent study: HearthSim (August 2015).
- This yields a disenchantment value of 98.25 Arcane Dust per pack, on average.
| Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of total | Regular | 70.36% | 21.60% | 4.08% | 0.94% |
| Golden | 1.48% | 1.27% | 0.19% | 0.07% | |
| Count per 15,109 packs | Regular | 53,151 | 16,319 | 3,086 | 710 |
| Golden | 1,120 | 957 | 146 | 56 |
The following table describes the likelihood of getting at least 1 golden card in a given pack.
| Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | Any rarity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probability of at least 1 golden per pack | 7.4% | 6.35% | 0.95% | 0.35% | 15.05% |
The following table describes the percentage of cards of each rarity which will be golden.
| Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage golden | 2.06% | 5.54% | 4.52% | 7.31% |
| Rough probability | 1 in 48.5 | 1 in 18.1 | 1 in 22.1 | 1 in 13.7 |
Notes
Purchasing options in the Americas region.
- All types of card pack feature the same chance of producing cards of any given rarity, and of golden and regular versions.[17][18] This suggests that the internal process for the selection of each card functions by first determining a rarity, then randomly selecting a card of that rarity to produce. There is evidence suggesting that cards can have "predetermined rarities", experienced when opening packs "again".[19]
- The cards rewarded from card packs are selected randomly, and may not suit the player's taste or preferred classes. Additionally, players can only use 2 of each card in a deck (and only 1 of each Legendary), meaning additional copies of cards beyond these limits are of no value. When receiving unwanted cards from card packs, the disenchant option can be used to destroy unwanted cards in exchange for Arcane Dust, which can then be used to craft new cards. This process allows players to convert unwanted cards into more desirable options.
- When opening packs, cards are displayed using the player's currently selected card back.
Strategy
There are many strategies to opening card packs to maximize their utility, depending on factors such as how much gold a player earns on average per day, if the player is new, etc.
Trivia
Concept art for the Goblins vs Gnomes card pack opening animation
The Goblins vs Gnomes card pack and its opening animation was originally designed by Jomaro Kindred,[20] and animated by John Zwicker.[21]
Videos
Gallery
Patch changes
Patch 17.0.0.44222 (2020-03-26): Duplicate protection applied to all rarities. (Read details)- Patch 16.0.0.37060 (2019-12-05): Wild card packs can now be purchased with in-game gold.
- Server-side patch (2018-08-10): Duplicate protection applied to Legendary.
- Patch 2.0.0.7234 (2014-12-04): Expert card packs have been renamed to “Classic” card packs.
References
- ↑ It is possible to open a pack with no Rares in it, if it has Epics/Legendaries instead: Imgur link. Tested in Patch 2.7.0.9166 (Tavern Brawl patch). Also see Card pack statistics#Notes.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hearthstone Fireside Chat Goblins vs Gnomes. (2014-11-07).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-12-04).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2015-08-15).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-04-20).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-12-13).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2015-06-15).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-08-29).
- ↑ Price adjustments for PC, Mac and Android - Battle.net Forums. (2017-03-10).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-04-19).
- ↑ Hearthstone Update: Upcoming Card Pack Changes. (2017-06-22).
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (March 17, 2020). Welcome to the Year of the Phoenix!. Retrieved on 2020-03-31.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (March 26, 2020). Ashes of Outland – 17.0 Patch Notes – March 26. Retrieved on 2020-03-31.
- ↑ Chadd Nervig on Twitter. (2020-03-26).
- ↑ Chadd Nervig on Twitter. (2020-03-26).
- ↑ Official Card Rarity Drop Probabilities from Packs. (2017-05-05).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-11-19).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2017-02-03).
- ↑ Hearthstone Packs Hypothesis for "Predetermined Rarity" - Reddit. (2017-01-19). Retrieved on 2017-01-19.
- ↑ John Zwicker on Twitter. (2014-12-09).
- ↑ Yong Woo on Twitter. (2014-12-08).