Twist format
Twist format (or Twist) is one of Hearthstone's three game formats in Play mode, replacing Classic format, with the others being Standard format and Wild format. Twist is a regularly rotating format, where each rotation can include curated card pools and special rulesets.[1]
Definition[edit | edit source]
Twist itself is a game format, while individual rotations within it are also officially called formats. Formats are formed from the available card sets that are in rotation. These formats can have unique names, such as "New Age", which includes Core and every card set from the Year of the Phoenix and onwards. Each format within Twist can also have special rules variants, such as disallowing the usage of all neutral cards. Formats can be reintroduced in the future, and they might come back with the same rules variant, a different one, or no rules variant at all.[1]
Some classes may be banned during certain formats, for example due to not having any cards from the card sets that are available. These bans are not considered rules variants by developers, as there may be another rule active besides just having the classes banned.[2]
The symbol for Twist format is a whirlwind surrounded by leaves.
Availability[edit | edit source]
Format[edit | edit source]
For new players, Twist format will be locked away until they complete the New player experience's Apprentice Track system, which is the same way to unlock Wild format. They also must obtain a card which is not part of the current Standard format.
Cards[edit | edit source]
Twist formats are usually in one of two categories: Formats with deck-building, and formats with pre-built decks.
Deck-building formats[edit | edit source]
Cards that can be used in deck-building Twist formats are based on the card sets that are currently in rotation. The individual cards can be unlocked normally, from card packs of the corresponding expansions as well as individual purhcases of adventures and mini-sets, which are all available both the in-game Shop and the Blizzard Shop.
Most of these Twist formats have "Battle-Ready Decks", which are pre-built decks which contain cards from the card sets that are available in the ongoing rotation.[3] Battle-Ready Decks for Twist format can be purchased with gold or real money.[4]
Cards within Twist format can only be unlocked from rewards such as Arena or Ranked play if their sets are also available in Standard format.
Pre-built deck formats[edit | edit source]
Formats that use pre-built decks have unique unlock requirements to play the decks, and the unlock criteria for a hero can be checked by hovering over it. For example, the Whizbang's Heroes format requires players to own the card with the same name as the hero (e.g. own 
King Krush to unlock the hero King Krush).
In these formats, instead of building a deck, players select a hero from the Play mode screen with Twist format selected, then enter a game with a pre-built deck. Decks can be viewed by clicking the eye icon on the top right, while possible Passives and special hero powers can be viewed by hovering over them.
For premium quality cards, cards in the deck will match that of the unlock requirement card.[5] For example, if you own a golden King Krush for Whizbang's Heroes, your entire King Krush hero deck will be golden. For higher qualities such as diamond and signature, all cards that can match that quality will match it or select the highest quality available, and the rest will default to golden.
Design[edit | edit source]
Variety[edit | edit source]
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One intention of the Twist format is to give players' collections more value. For Standard players, most of their cards become unusable after two years, and while they can be played in certain Tavern Brawls (and previously Duels), developers wanted a competitive format where players could use these cards outside of Wild.[6]
While Standard format rotates yearly, and Wild format allows almost every card to be used in combination with each other, both formats are still predictable, and get solved after a while. Twist is meant to be unpredictable, where the changing card pools ensure that no single strategy can dominate the format for more than a few weeks.[6]
Twist got inspiration from Tavern Brawls, but it is intended to be an actual ladder format. Where Tavern Brawl is designed to hold players' interests for a day or two, Twist aims to keep players engaged for a month by featuring tamer rulesets than those of Tavern Brawls.[6]
One of the main goals of Twist is to provide a space for developers to try new things that they wouldn't necessarily try in ranked Standard.[5]
Balance[edit | edit source]
Twist-exclusive balance is expected to be mostly from card bans, not card changes. This is due to Twist formats only lasting a month, where it's better to simply ban a problematic card for a few weeks until it rotates out of the format again.[7]
Twist is generally expected to get less overall balance support than Standard, but more than Wild.[7]
Off-seasons[edit | edit source]
Twist is not always active in the game, which has received critique from players. Often, developers leave the mode offline for one or a couple months while they work on a new season.
According to developers, Twist isn't an "always on" mode like all other modes in Hearthstone, but more of an "extended event". The reasoning for this is that developers want Twist to "feel fun and fresh, rather than something that quickly fades to background noise."[5]
Twist will receive repeated formats and updates when developers feel like they fit into that overall goal, but not as the default.[5]
Current format[edit | edit source]
Twist's current rules variant is: None - There is no rules variant during this format.
Card sets
The following card sets are available in Twist with its current format: Wonders
| Format | Card set | Release date | Type | Year | Collectible | By rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild |  Caverns of Time | August 31, 2023 | Card set | 147 | 54  /45  /23  /25  | |
| Wild | Legacy | March 30, 2021 | Card set | 205 | 18 /20 /9 /15 | |
| Wild |  Mean Streets of Gadgetzan | December 1, 2016 | Expansion | Kraken | 132 | 49 /36 /27 /20 |
| Wild |  One Night in Karazhan | August 11, 2016 | Adventure | Kraken | 45 | 27 /12 /1 /5 |
| Wild |  Whispers of the Old Gods | April 26, 2016 | Expansion | Kraken | 134 | 50 /36 /27 /21 |
| Wild |  The League of Explorers | November 12, 2015 | Adventure | 45 | 25 /13 /2 /5 | |
| Wild |  The Grand Tournament | August 24, 2015 | Expansion | 132 | 49 /36 /27 /20 | |
| Wild |  Blackrock Mountain | April 2, 2015 | Adventure | 31 | 15 /11 /0 /5 | |
| Wild |  Goblins vs Gnomes | December 8, 2014 | Expansion | 123 | 40 /37 /26 /20 | |
| Wild |  Curse of Naxxramas | July 22, 2014 | Adventure | 30 | 18 /4 /2 /6 | |
| Wild | Legacy | March 14, 2014 | Card set | 245 | 94 /81 /37 /33 |
History[edit | edit source]
Formats[edit | edit source]
This section documents the history of Twist formats through each season.
| Season | Format | Start date | End date | Card sets | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Wonders XL | January 6, 2025 | February 1, 2025 | |
|
| 11 | Wonders | December 3, 2024 | January 6, 2025 | |
|
| 10 | Whizbang's Heroes | July 1, 2024 | August 1, 2024 | No specific sets. | |
| 9 | Whizbang's Heroes | June 1, 2024 | July 1, 2024 | No specific sets. | |
| 8 | Fast Forward | March 1, 2024 | April 1, 2024 |                         |
|
| 7 | Commons | February 1, 2024 | March 1, 2024 |  |
|
| 6 | Return to Un'Goro | December 1, 2023 | January 1, 2024 | |
|
| 5 | Return to Un'Goro | November 1, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | |
|
| 4 | Wonders XL | October 1, 2023 | November 1, 2023 | |
|
| 3 | Wonders | September 1, 2023 | October 1, 2023 | |
|
| 2 | New Age | July 1, 2023 | August 1, 2023 | |
|
| 1 | New Age | June 27, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | |
Rules variants[edit | edit source]
As of now, Twist has a total of 6 different rules variants.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 XL - Players can include 30-40 cards in their deck, and their starting HP will match their deck size.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 None - There is no rules variant during this format.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Special heroes - Players can only play with special heroes using unique hero powers, passive effects, and a pre-built deck.
- ↑ Increasing sets - Starting with Legacy, a new set is added to the pool each day until Showdown in the Badlands.
- ↑ Commons only - Only common cards are eligible in deck-building and generation.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 No Neutrals allowed - Neutral cards are banned from both deck-building and generation.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Twist is the first format to replace another existing format.
- For the collection and Finding Opponent screens, Twist uses Classic format's coloring and assets.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
- Gameplay
Finding Opponent screen in Twist format
The collection in Twist format mode
Crafting a Twist format card
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- Key art
Wonders key art
Whizbang's Heroes key art
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Blizzard Entertainment (2023-06-20). Introducing Hearthstone’s New Mode: Twist!.
- ↑ 27.2 Patch Notes. (2023-08-17).
- ↑ Eric Law (2023-06-20). Hearthstone Developers Explain How Twist is Changing the Game.
- ↑ Celestalon on Twitter (X). (2023-06-20).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Explore New Heroes in Twist!. (2024-05-29).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Eric Law (2023-06-21). Hearthstone Devs Share How Twist Came to Exist.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 DeckTech on Twitter (X). (2023-07-04).