Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a free-to-play card game where players compete in a one-versus-one setting to defeat each other's hero.

The heroes, famous faces from Blizzard's Warcraft, are used to represent each participant in the game and have a maximum health of 30 points. The first person to knock their opponent down to zero health is the winner.

Each player's deck has 30 cards in it that are selected prior to the start of the game. Players have the option to pre-build decks based on their style preference if they so choose.

The heroes possess unique abilities that contribute to the game. From damage enhancements to more armour, the selection of a hero is not only telling of a player's style, but could also prove to be the difference maker in the heat of battle.

In any deck there are cards that feature different creatures, called minions, that can attack the opponent's hero or enemy minions that have been played. Minions also have abilities that focus on their own side, from diverting attention away from the hero and taking damage upon themselves to enhancing the abilities of ally minions.

In addition to the actual cards being played, mana is another vital aspect of Hearthstone. Each card has a mana value and can only be used if the player has accumulated the necessary mana.

At the beginning of each turn the player draws a card from the deck and is then given one mana point. Players earn an extra mana point each turn until their 10th turn - so one mana after one turn, three mana after three turns, etc. Players may use all or none of their mana points each turn and the mana is refilled at the beginning of each turn.

Hearthstone matches can end in one of four ways:

• A player's health is completely depleted

• A player leaves the game or concedes to their opponent

• Both heros run out of health at the same time; the match is declared a draw

• At the beginning of the 90th turn the game will end in a draw

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IMPORTANT FACTS

• There are more than 40 million registered Hearthstone accounts.

• The eSports Association (TeSPA) hosts a collegiate tournament, the Hearthstone Open, for North American students offering $5,000 scholarships.

• Other major eSports organizations Major League Game (MLG) and Electronic Sports League (ESL) also host minor tournaments and leagues for everyday players.

• Blizzard hosts the Hearthstone World Championship in the fall with 16 players competing for $100,000. The total prize pool is $250,000.

• James "Firebat" Kostesich was the first ever Hearthstone world champion (2014) and the defending champion is Ostkaka.