Hearthstone’s massive success holds it back

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>"In a fashion we should probably be accustomed to by now, Blizzard effectively kickstarted an entire genre when they launched Hearthstone back in 2014. Three-and-a-half years later, the card game finds itself growing a legacy that mirrors the situation with World of Warcraft in its prime years - many contenders, but only one crown, and nobody even pretending they’re going to take it any time soon."

>"In its initial form, Hearthstone directly targeted the biggest issues that had faced Magic: The Gathering - then market leader - and its predecessor, the real-world World of Warcraft TCG. Not drawing the right combination of resources and spells is frustrating, so Hearthstone has one mana crystal per turn. One of the difficulties Blizzard found when digitising an interrupt system of responding to your opponent’s actions was that it slowed everything down and made it impossible to add that free-flowing polish the company’s known for. So they dumped the lot, replacing them with Secrets and other auto-triggering effects. "

>"The problem for Hearthstone is there is no kitchen table. There is no way to play these just-for-fun, four-to-six player, free-for-all games. Hearthstone doesn’t support the social politics, backstabbing, and chaos that stops these games always being won by the most powerful deck."

>"What we’re left with is a hole that could do with being filled - there’s no place in Hearthstone where you can simply throw a deck together and have some fun. Hearthstone doesn’t support the social politics, backstabbing, and chaos that stops these games always being won by the most powerful deck. You can’t gather a few laptops or iPhones around for a drunken evening and just have a nice time together. "

>"Play just ten matches on the ladder and you will run into someone with a tuned, powerful deck made up of the best cards in the game. "

Do you agree with this sentiment, /v/?

https://www.pcgamesn.com/hearthstone/hearthstone-casual-new-player-experience-future