7. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Choose your hero and duel it out in Hearthstone

Hearthstone is another offering from Blizzard – the makers of World of Warcraft and Overwatch. A free-to-play online card game that focuses on the lore behind the World of Warcraft universe, Hearthstone is a unique and addictive experience.

In the game, two players will face off against one another in a strategic battle of the wits. Each player will choose one of nine heroes, whom are important figures in World of Warcraft lore and are equipped with a special power. For example, Rexxar, the savage hunter, will deal 2 damage to the enemy hero, while Garrosh Hellscream’s power allows him to gain 2 armor. As you can see by this example, choosing a hero that can fight or defend themselves efficiently against the other player can change the course of the game.

Use your 30 card deck to cast spells and effects

Each player gets 30 cards each and winning a match gives you in-game gold and new cards so that you can customize your deck to make it more difficult to beat. You will use your deck of cards to equip weapons and cast spells and effects at your enemy.

Players battle it out using one card at a time to outwit and beat the other player. Creating your deck is the key to a success and you must consider each card that you play carefully as it may backfire on you. You are able to construct 18 different decks to use in-game and familiarizing yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of each deck will allow you to better strategize.

Players can also craft new cards to add to their deck. In order to craft new cards, you must destroy existing cards to create arcane dust. Arcane dust will then go into the recipes that you use to make a brand new, potentially more powerful card.

Care for a little gamble?

There are five different modes of play. Play mode will match you up against players in either a ‘friendly’ or ranked match. Ranked matches earn players ranks based on their wins and losses. Ranks are determined by stars. Each win earns a player a star, and once players hit level 20, they will then begin to lose stars for losses.

There are also Solo Adventures, which pits a human player against a computer. Within this mode, you can choose between practice and adventure. Practice is as it sounds, but adventure allows players to compete against bosses to win cards and gold. Each boss battle has unique dialog, similar to action adventure games.

Each magic card uses mana so be careful which you choose

Arena mode is similar to a gamble. In order to enter the arena, you must throw down 150 gold (in-game currency) or real money as a bet on yourself. You will be awarded prizes at the end of your arena match – which is triggered when you lose three matches or win twelve matches – whichever comes first.

Tavern Brawls are very different. They are weekly tournaments set by Blizzard with a set of new rules each week for one-on-one or two-on-two matches. Playing in this mode will count toward quests competitions, and at the end of the week, with winner will take home the Classic Pack.

Finally, there are duels, which allow players to play against their friends in unranked matches. These duels offer no rewards.

In this high risk, nail-biting strategy game, you can either take home massive winnings or go home a loser and each game is always a toss-up. Blizzard reported more than 50 million players on Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. With so many potential opponents with a variety of deck set-ups, each game will be completely different from the next. This critically acclaimed game also has taken a spotlight in eSport tournaments, with a large following.