Wow, deep and insightful post OP. You really raised some interesting points. I’m going to have to think long and hard about this before I reply properly but here are some initial thoughts.
I played Battlegrounds for the first time yesterday and I enjoyed it. It seems like an interesting mode, totally different from anything else we’ve seen in HS to date. It will make a nice change from ladder especially while we wait for the new expansion. Is it the bestest thing in the all the world ever? No, I don’t think it is. But it is a lot of fun and it’s essentially a new game. I can see it getting very popular though. While Rng is a factor there are so many little choices that affect how games turn out. The time limit is also quite stressful and there’s a lot to think about in the minute you have to get everything setup. I’ll definitely be playing more and trying to improve. I would kind of describe Battlegrounds as Deceptively simple, insanely fun. Hmm, now where have I hear d that before??
Re Tournament Mode, I really think that not more than 5% of the people who want it would actually use it more than once. It’s now been blown so out of proportion that everyone is mad that we don’t have it but nobody would actually use it. If they delayed Tournament Mode for Battlegrounds then I think that was an excellent move. Tournament Mode would have been fun for maybe a small group of players but Battlegrounds is something that everyone can enjoy.
Also remember the Battlegrounds is still in beta so it will get better.
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Seems strange not to have Ahune and Arthas as the last two, given that both have been heavily involved in Hearthstone up to this point.
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Thinning my deck for me to draw my biggies is a gift in my eyes.
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So now you can run 4 1/1 DS minions now I guess. Taunt doesn't do much on this lil lady.