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Ranked (also known as Ranked Play) is the serious side of Play mode Preparing for battle in Ranked play mode, in Standard format Play mode is a game mode that matches players against other human players of similar skill. Players can choose to play Casual friendly games, or 
, with players able to earn special ranks to reflect their prowess in battle this season. Winning and losing matches can gain or lose players rank, with the player`s rank determining matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of determining appropriate pairings in Hearthstone. The matchmaking process functions differently for each game mode. Casual Play mode, Ranked Play mode at Legend rank, and non-cooperative Tavern Brawls determine pairings using 
. There are two separate Ranked ladders, one for each game format Game formats present distinct ways to play Hearthstone. There are two main game formats: Standard and Wild. Other game formats present themselves in tournaments as tournament formats (e.g. Conquest, Last Hero Standing, Sealed Deck, Pauper, 
: Ranked Standard Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to featureSpecial attraction a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards 
and Ranked Wild Wild format or Wild is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Standard format. Wild format appears in game modes in which players are allowed to play decks without the deck restrictions of 
.
Each player`s rank is reflected in a special medal, visible during Ranked play and in the Quest Log The Quest Log The Quest Log lists the player s current quests, as well as the level of each of their heroes and their current rank, medal and number of wins for Play mode and Arena. 
. 25 numbered ranks exist, with the Legend rank above those. The Legend rank additionally shows the player`s precise numerical ranking in their region. The player`s current rank is also displayed on their friends list, using whichever is higher of their Standard or Wild ranks.
Ranked play occurs in seasons, each a month long. At the end of each season rewards are handed out, and each player`s current rank is reset to a far lower number. Rewards mostly come in the form of Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards golden cards Golden cards often add movement and visual effects, like with this golden Piloted Shredder "Golden" redirects here. For information on golden heroes, see Golden heroes. Golden cards are special, rarer versions of cards. Each card 
and arcane dust Crafting mode, in Standard format mode The crafting system is an element of Hearthstone that allows players to directly create new cards. It can be accessed through the My Collection screen. Crafting consumes Arcane Dust 
, and are determined by the player`s highest rank that season. Reaching Rank 20 each season will also earn that season`s unique card back The Collection s Card Backs tab Some of the game s card backs Card backs are a feature which allows players to replace the standard design on the reverse of their cards with alternate designs. Players can 
, while reaching Legend during any season will award the Legend card back.
Ranks
There are 25 regular ranks, and an extra rank, `Legend` above that. Each rank has its own medal and title, with ranks 2-25 named after minions Bloodfen Raptor, a simple minion card. A Beast-type minion, it has 3 Attack, 2 Health and a mana cost of 2. Minions are persistent creatures on the battlefield that will fight for their hero. Minion 
from the game. New players start at rank 25: Angry Chicken. Note that ranks are numbered in decreasing order: the smaller the number, the higher the rank.
Winning games will reward players with extra `stars` above their medal. Each rank has a specific number of slots waiting to be filled with stars, and once all slots have been filled, earning another star will grant the player the next rank with a single star. Above Rank 21, losing games will also cause players to lose stars, and potentially ranks.
There is one exception to this: milestones. Once a player has reached certain milestone ranks, they will be unable to drop below that rank for the rest of the season. The milestone ranks are 20, 15, 10, 5 and Legend. Losing games at any of these ranks will not cause the player to lose rank below that level. For instance, a player who has reached Rank 5 will be unable to drop below Rank 5 and 0 stars that season. Be that as it may, at the end of the season ranks will be reset according to the usual rules (see below), regardless of milestones.
The winning streak feature grants players a bonus star if they also won the previous two ranked matches (below Rank 5). This means that winning three games, followed by losing three games, will result in a net gain of one star; while winning five games, followed by losing five games, will result in a net gain of three stars. Note that games do not need to be played in the same session to qualify as a winning streak.
If the player is in the top 10,000 Legend players in their region Hearthstone is divided into four geographical regions: Americas, Europe, Asia and China. Each country Hearthstone is available to play in is assigned to one of these regions. Each player by default uses their Battle.net account 
, their precise ranking will be displayed inside their medal. For instance, if a player`s Legend medal shows the number 275, that player is currently ranked the 275th best Ranked player in their region.
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Notes
- Each rank can be attained with no stars, some stars, or all stars collected. Once all stars for a rank have been collected, gaining another will take the player to the next rank, with a single star displayed. Be that as it may, losing that star will not return the player to the previous rank, but will simply remove the star, leaving them on the new higher rank with no stars. Losing another star from this position will cause the player to drop a rank, but will leave them a single star missing.
- The consequence of this is that any given rank with full stars is equal in value to the next rank up with no stars. The difference is that full stars in any rank can only be attained through winning the last match played, while no stars can only be gained through losing the previous match, or when first starting at Rank 25: Angry Chicken.
- If you have full stars for a rank, and win a game, all stars plus bonus stars (if applicable) will be applied straight to the next rank upon attaining the stars. For instance, if you are on rank 25 with 2 stars, and you win your next match, one star will be applied straight onto rank 24, making it 1/2. If you were to receive a bonus star due to a streak begun on this match, you would be on 2/2 stars on rank 24.
- Win streak bonus stars stop being awarded at Rank 5 and higher. Be that as it may, bonus stars earned at Rank 6 can carry the player one or two stars into Rank 5.
- The milestone ranks take pressure off players, preventing losing streaks from bringing them below a certain level. They also allow room for experimentation with new decks or modifications, or simply fun with less reliable decks; being unable to lose rank allows the player to then resume their laddering efforts from where they left off.
- Because stars cannot be lost below Rank 20, it can be considered possible for all players to reach Rank 20, given sufficient time. It can therefore be argued that the ranking system truly begins at Rank 20, with the lower ranks serving as a launch pad into the real competition.
Season reset
Each month of Ranked play is called a season. At the start of each Ranked play season ranks are reset, with each player`s new rank determined by the highest rank attained in the previous season. Players are awarded one bonus star for each rank above 25 they attained, and the player will begin the new season at the rank and star rating resulting from their total bonus stars.
For instance, a player whose highest rank during the season was Rank 15 qualifies for 10 bonus stars (25 - 15 = 10). The player will therefore begin the next season as a Rank 21: Southsea Deckhand with 2 stars. Note that higher ranks contain larger numbers of stars. The highest rank attainable in this way is Rank 16: Questing Adventurer, with 3 stars, gained by reaching Legend rank in the previous season. Reaching Legend rank therefore guarantees players to start the following season at this rank.
The first time the player logs in, or enters a match, following the start of the new season, they will be shown a special announcement informing them of their rank at the end of that season, the number of stars they have earned, their rank at the start of the new season, and the ranking percentile they achieved during the last season of play, intended to reflect the position of the player`s rank within the total pool of active players in that region. Note that although the season reset process displays the player`s rank at the end of the season, all rewards are based on their highest rank that season, with the rank at which a player ends a season having no impact on either rewards or placement.
Note that if activated by the start of a match, the season reset window will appear during the mulligan phase, and will prevent the player from selecting cards or taking any other action until it has been removed, including waiting for its animations to complete. If playing during a season reset it is therefore recommended to log out in order to avoid disruption.
Matchmaking
Matchmaking at ranks 1-25 is determined by each player`s rank and number of stars, aiming to match players against others of equal or similar rank.
While the match is usually fairly close, at times players are matched against others of far lower or higher rank. As a rule, matchmaking tends to be most precise at around ranks 20-15, while at higher ranks it is common to see pairings between players with several ranks` difference. This appears to depend on the pool of available players at the time, with the matchmaking system accepting looser matches if necessary in order to ensure players are not left queueing for too long. Be that as it may, gains and losses from matches are fixed, and do not vary based on the player`s relative ranks.
Players at Legend rank are matched according to a hidden Ranked matchmaking rating (MMR). MMR is in fact tracked during all Ranked Play activity, but only affects matchmaking involving at least one Legend rank player. MMR also determines the player`s initial numbered seeding upon reaching Legend rank.
While the system aims to limit Legend/sub-Legend matchings as much as possible, Legend rank players are sometimes matched against sub-Legend players. When Legend and sub-Legend players are matched, matchmaking is determined by each player`s MMR.
Rewards
Participating in Ranked play can earn players special rewards, through several means: the Highest Rank Bonus chest, card backs and golden heroes.
Highest Rank Bonus chest
At the end of each season, players who have reached Rank 20 or higher in either game format Game formats present distinct ways to play Hearthstone. There are two main game formats: Standard and Wild. Other game formats present themselves in tournaments as tournament formats (e.g. Conquest, Last Hero Standing, Sealed Deck, Pauper, ( Standard Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards or Wild Wild format or Wild is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Standard format. Wild format appears in game modes in which players are allowed to play decks without the deck restrictions of ) will be granted a Highest Rank Bonus chest (also known as a Ranked Chest) containing rewards based on their highest rank attained that season, using whichever is higher of their Standard or Wild ranks.
Rewards may be golden cards Golden cards often add movement and visual effects, like with this golden Piloted Shredder "Golden" redirects here. For information on golden heroes, see Golden heroes. Golden cards are special, rarer versions of cards. Each card of common, rare or epic rarity (not legendary) , and Arcane Dust, along with that season`s card back The Collection s Card Backs tab Some of the game s card backs Card backs are a feature which allows players to replace the standard design on the reverse of their cards with alternate designs. Players can (see below). As with Arena rewards, only cards available in Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards card packs will be awarded. Card packs themselves do not feature as rewards. All card rewards are craftable, allowing them to be disenchanted if desired.
The Ranked Chest is partly intended to encourage players who have achieved a high seasonal rank to enjoy Ranked play, without worrying about losing rank in subsequent matches.
Chest rewards
Rewards are handed out from the Highest Rank Bonus chest, corresponding to the player`s highest rank, each with its own comical title, based on the matching rank. Precise legend numbering does not affect rewards.
A new chest is available every 5 ranks (Legend seemingly awards the same chest as ranks 5-1, but actually featuresSpecial attraction different contents). For instance, the Shieldbearer`s Footlocker is awarded for ranks between 20 and 16, while the Ogre Magi`s Stash is awarded for ranks between 10 and 6. The chest determines the number and rarity of rewards, although individual cards are still selected randomly, with a chance to be from any Standard format Standard format, or Standard, is one of Hearthstone s two game formats, the other being Wild format. Standard format is intended to feature a fresher and more focused Hearthstone experience, with a limited pool of cards set. All chests except that awarded at Legend include Arcane Dust. The amount of arcane dust awarded is determined by how high the player`s rank is within that chest`s rank range, ranging from 5 to 25 in increments of 5.
Due to the substantial reward increase from rank 6 to rank 5 (280 Dust value), many experienced players will aim for at least rank 5 during a season even if they don`t plan on pushing to Legend.
Since Highest Rank Bonus chests are not awarded below Rank 20, all chests include the previous season`s Ranked card back (see below).
| Rank | Title | No. | Rewards | Dust value | Dust gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legend | Sea Giant`s Treasure (Legend) | 5 | 3 golden commons, 1 golden epic, card back | 550 | 25 |
| 1 |  Ranks 5-1: Sea Giant`s Treasure | 2 golden commons, 1 golden epic, 25 dust, card back | 525 | 5 | |
| 2 | 2 golden commons, 1 golden epic, 20 dust, card back | 520 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 2 golden commons, 1 golden epic, 15 dust, card back | 515 | 5 | ||
| 4 | 2 golden commons, 1 golden epic, 10 dust, card back | 510 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 2 golden commons, 1 golden epic, 5 dust, card back | 505 | 280 | ||
| 6 |  |
Achievements
| Date | Placement | Tier | Tournament | Team | Result | Prize | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-06 | 3rd | Major | WCA 2015 - China Pro Qualifier | 4₠:₠1 | ₠Blue | $3,228 | ||
| 2015-01-25 | 9 - 16th | Premier | Gold Series 2014 - Grand Finals | 0₠:₠3 | ₠TiddlerCelestial | $0 | ||
| 2014-12-28 | 7 - 8th | Major | G-League 2014 | 1/0/2 | Grp. S. | $0 | ||
| 2014-01-07 | 4th | Major | Red Bull Esports Champion League 2013: Grand Finals | 0₠:₠3 | ₠xyuan | $0 | ||
| About achievementsComplete Results in any Tournament | ||||||||
