With Season 2 of Duels upon us, it feels like the perfect time to take a look at the brief history of this newest of all Hearthstone modes.

We will also be setting up for a more detailed coverage going forward: with general and class guides, more deck suggestions, as well as any other concepts that might be of use to the community (so if there is something you'd specifically like to see, do let us know!). Even if you didn't think much of the whole mode before, the new opening could be just the right opportunity to jump in with a fresh perspective. 

Duels Banner


How It All Began

As with most everything in this special Hearthstone universe - with an announcement. But not of the announcement itself, we got to the meaty part right off the bat. Or... at least some folks out there did. Early Access (granted for pre-purchasing Darkmoon Bundles; or later with Twitch Drops) created a lot of hype and excitement - as shiny new exclusive things tend to.

Many streamers hopped on the Duels bandwagon, with some taking it to very competitive heights. In fact, for a while, it became a common sight to stumble onto Bundle giveaways on Twitch every time somebody hit a desirable amount of wins. Perhaps not always the full 12, as that might've proved to be a little too ambitious and not as easy as expected even for the most skilled (or the luckiest, depending on whom you might ask) out there.

Why we even got some promotional tournaments here and there

Duels New
So much early promise.


With the new take on the beloved Dungeon Run concept - spicy treasures and powers to be used in Player vs Player combat - the new mode was poised for a strong opening. The early free Casual option did not offer any rewards beyond the satisfaction of climbing up the rankings, but we knew that Heroic would emulate Arena both in its loot offerings and the entry cost (Tavern Ticket = 150 gold). Season 1 arriving with the Darkmoon Faire set held an added promise of even more cards, hero powers, and signature treasures to play with.

And if it feels like the entire mode has not taken over Hearthstone by storm in the end, one of the main reasons for that situation seems to have been its...


General Accessibility

It's worth noting that Duels enjoyed its fair share of controversy upon premiering - in part due to expected imbalance between some wacky combinations, yet largely because of inconsiderate entry requirements. 

Many veteran players who never cared much for maintaining their Wild collection over the years (dusting their old cards just to try to keep up with the Standard meta in this rather "heartless" economy we have) were in for a very unpleasant surprise: suddenly there was something novel that utilizes all these cards of yore again. Not the most appealing concept to new players either, when they have so much caught up to do as is. Unfortunately, as it stands Hearthstone does not offer any particular discounts or ways for obtaining cards from previous eras. Which exacerbated this problem. 

Alas, that wasn't the only issue. Duels has also greatly suffered from what we could only call unwieldy "gating" (or "paywalling", should you heed various comments): hero powers and treasures being locked in their own ways. Requiring a player to own 20 unique epic Scholomance cards, for example, was a particularly bad call. Even if the system was kind enough to count duplicate cards, it's still quite an obstacle to overcome. 

Locked Treasure
Well, that is no fun to see.


While these particular requirements have been somewhat lessened with the arrival of 19.2 patch a month later - it all felt (and still does) as too little, too late and I'm sorry to say, they are still following the same concept with unlockables for the foreseeable future. 

The same patch also touched upon balance issues, as there was probably no shortage of players who got devoured by evil Warlocks or (Demon) Hunters. It can be quite discouraging to run into powerful combinations and feel like you can only bear witness to your inevitable doom, something we know all too well from various metas of Constructed or Arena. Undoubtedly there is more work to be done in this particular aspect as well. So...


Can It Still Get Better?

I definitely believe so.

It's always a shame to see something with greater potential become severely handicapped from the get-go through questionable design decisions. As an ardent fan of the mode regardless, it pains me to admit that's exactly what took place here. Couple of months down the line, all these concerns still remain. Whenever you stumble onto some discussion about Duels, somebody inevitably comments how much of it remains inaccessible. That's the community sentiment. 

Team 5 could still turn this around and do away with the aspects of the game mode that make little sense - if only they get the message. Perhaps some of the vague announced improvements that are in store for 2021 might help with the ease of access here as well?

Duels Duels
Team 5, please.


This concept probably looked fine on paper, yet foresight was simply lacking. After all, it is indeed fun to have unlockable goals in games as something to strive for. At least against AI, being rewarded for playing as you go. It was an arguably appealing aspect of Dungeon Runs. But this gradual sense of progression does not work so well in a competitive environment with other players. It alienates too many. Even more so if you are already paying an entrance fee for Heroic mode. 

Everyone should be able to partake in all that Hearthstone has to offer (Battlegrounds can still be reasonably played without Perks, even if it's not the most elegant solution). And with Duels, we still have a lot of... 


Unique Themes

Somewhat lost among valid concerns, perhaps one aspect that isn't fully recognized or appreciated is how well the entire concept holds up. And just how much work went into designing it. And by that, I don't just mean constantly coming up with creative hero powers or treasures.

The entire Season 1 had its special theme with Wizard Duels (now continued in Season 2), following a small narrative with the varied cast of Scholomance Academy. Each of them equipped with their own emotes and voice lines, not to mention special interactions with one another as your match begins. Some are actually quite brilliant, and most players probably have their personal favourites (ahem... Rattlegore). For the BM connoisseurs out there, other basic Hearthstone heroes do not even come close. 

They display enough flavor to warrant a full-fledged hero skin option for their respective class. And all of that in the same period of time that saw the Hearthstone team get a lot of flak for initially releasing a rather lacklustre version of Jaina through the Book of Heroes bundle.

Razorgore Emote
Efficient communication at its best. 


Between the ability to choose 15 starting cards (no duplicates), clever loot buckets, all these imaginative hero powers/treasures, and the option to continue evolving our deck as we climb further, it is of no surprise that Duels has spawned its own rich meta. While the encounters here tend to be a little more unique or unpredictable in their nature than what you might see on the ladder (providing a welcome respite if repetitive matches cause great boredom), with enough knowledge you can still develop an appropriate skillset and come up with sound strategies to help you get ahead. In the end... 


It Is Very Much Worth It

As those of us who have been playing for a while know very well. Even in this imperfect form. For now, it does help your enjoyment if you already have a larger collection and a taste for limited formats governed by their own rules. If you are not sure or the very early experiences discouraged you, the mode can hold appeal for every type of player (be they more familiar with Constructed and Arena, or tired of Battlegrounds). 

Some solutions do exist: crafting Common or Rare cards from previous adventures or expansions is luckily not very expensive dust-wise. And if you've never opened any packs from these older sets (such as Whispers of the Old Gods), mind that you are guaranteed a Legendary within the first 10 (on average it comes sooner). 

You also have greater control over your run than it might initially seem. Conveniently, there is no cost to trying out ideas in Casual mode. When you are a little more accomplished, the entrance fee for Heroic mode often pays off. Even if you go 0-3, you are guaranteed a card pack from the current expansion and a small amount of gold or dust, just like in Arena. And with a couple more wins you break even and start gaining.

Duels Decks
If you're in need of some inspiration.


In the long run, it can become a much more efficient way of collecting your packs than through direct gold purchases in the in-game shop. While earning experience and completing quests all the same. And achievements, if you care about those. Duels' achievements remain much more precious than most because you get to earn a nice chunk of extra experience for your wins (several weekly quests worth), not just fluffy points. 

And you know, there is simply a lot of fun to be had if you embrace the concept. The scope for possible improvement remains high, many players out there have sound suggestions on where it could all go. Hopefully, we can count on someone in charge taking heed before long.