World of Warcraft Trading Card Game retired as Hearthstone readies its deck

Hearthstone

I cashed a great deal of my spare hours last week into the beta for Hearthstone, Blizzard’s new Warcraft-set trading card game. So it’s a source of some bemusement to remember that they already have one: a World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, I mean.

It seems Blizzard are only too aware of the potential conflict therein, and have seen to it that WoW TCG’s twenty-first set, Timewalkers: Reign of Fire, is its last.

There’ll be no further official tournaments from Blizzard or publisher Cryptozoic (who have their own promising digital TCG in the works: Hex) – though players are free to host their own according to tournament guidelines.What’s more, Blizz have no plans to renew the game’s license with another partner.

“We wanted to take a moment to thank all of you World of Warcraft Trading Card Game players out there for your support of the game for close to seven years,” wrote the developers in a blog update.

“We are grateful for being able to collaborate with the artists and everyone else who helped make this game a reality all these years. We’re also thankful for all the players and retailers who’ve participated in the community globally. You made ripping open booster packs, discovering the wonders they held, and then building decks and taking them into battle a truly awesome experience.

“Thank you all again for your support in making the WoW TCG one of the most epic trading card games of all time.”

Need a hand in building your Hearthstone decks? You should probably check out ourbest Hearthstone decks for beginners.

Set 21 is reportedly chocka with the precious Loot cards WoW TCG players prize, and offers a chance to meander about the story of Warcraft III through a new medium. Loot cards will continue to be redeemable via WoW’s promotion code page.

I suppose it’s rubbish consolation to players whose rafters are brushed by WoW TCG booster packs, but Hearthstone is absolutely worth it. We’ll have some early thoughts up on that in the next couple of days.