How to Play Wild in Hearthstone

As part of streamlining the new player experience, Hearthstone developers have made several changes over the years to hide advanced features from new players. One such change is the Wild format. While players were previously free to browse formats without official requirements, new players no longer have this option available when they log in for the first time.

Thankfully, the road to Wild isn’t particularly challenging, and new players will generally unlock it in a few days of gameplay using any deck they want. Here is how to unlock Wild mode in Hearthstone.

How to Unlock Wild Mode in Hearthstone in 2021

The Wild format has shifted from being generally better for new players to a format intended for Hearthstone veterans and players with sizeable game knowledge. Since the card pool for the format is considerably more extensive than the Standard card selection, players need more possible synergies and cards to play. Blizzard has made a few adjustments to the introductory game experience over the years, including locking Wild format behind a rarely-known barrier. Luckily, you shouldn’t have too much trouble unlocking it.

To unlock Wild play, you need to participate in a Tavern Brawl with a Wild card pool available for crafting. These Tavern Brawls are more common than Standard-only modes, and a new Brawl is rotated every week for players to enjoy.

Alternatively, you can unlock Wild by playing Ranked matches. Initially, new players are put into a separate game queue to match similar skill levels and experience against one another. There are 40 introductory ranks (dubbed Apprentice 40 to Apprentice 1). During the Apprentice league, players can’t lose ranks and receive various rewards for participating, such as card packs and Gold.

Once players advanced above Apprentice 1, they are put into the regular Ranked ladder, beginning with Bronze 10. From then on, they can start crafting Wild cards and participate in the Wild ladder.

Another, although less common way to unlock the Wild format is to obtain cards that have rotated into Wild. Players can accomplish this simply by waiting for the yearly card pool rotation. If they have any cards from the last year’s expansion, these cards will become a part of Wild and they can immediately start playing in the format.

How to Play Wild in Hearthstone?

Once you’ve unlocked the Wild format and accompanying ladder, playing Wild is straightforward enough. But first, you’ll need to create a deck.

Wild decks are created similarly to Standard decks. The only difference is that you can now use the filter on the bottom-left (the book icon) to select “Wild. You will get an expanded card collection to browse from. You can also use the crafting menu to create cards you lack for decks you want to play.

You can also play in Wild with a Standard-legal deck, since all the cards in the Standard rotation are immediately a part of Wild. However, due to significant power level and deck discrepancies, you’ll be highly pressed against opponents using powerful cards from older expansions.

Once you’ve created or chosen a deck you wish to play, simply enter the Wild ladder:

1. Open the “Play” screen.
   
2. At the top-right, you’ll see a symbol corresponding to the current game mode, above the “Casual” and “Ranked” banners. You can click on this symbol to change it.
   
3. Select “Wild.” It has a prominent infinity symbol (signaling cards from all of Hearthstone’s history available in it).
   
4. Select the deck from the list on the left.
   
5. Select whether you want to play casual matches or participate in the ranked ladder by pressing the corresponding banner on the right.
6. Press “Play” to queue up for a game.
   

The Best Wild Decks for Hearthstone

Since the Wild format has a significant breadth of cards to choose from, new strategies are formed whenever a new expansion comes out. Old cards can become hugely popular if they have significant synergy or combo potential with new releases.

Overall, decks in Wild follow similar patterns between aggressive, midrange, control, and combo decks, without one deck’s overwhelming presence in the top ranks. It is up to the player to either choose a strategy they prefer and build a deck around it, or to use some of their most powerful cards to construct a deck.

Most popular Wild decks are usually aggressive, oriented towards finishing up the game as fast as possible. This has two-fold implications. First, players can progress through the Ranked ladder quicker by using a more powerful deck. It won’t require a lot of free time to reap the end-of-season rewards. Secondly, since aggressive decks tend to lose steam later in the game, they mostly aim to keep overall match duration short if they go on the back foot. This helps them play more games in a comparatively short time, so even a moderate win-to-loss ratio turns into overall rank gain.

Some of the most successful Wild decks include various forms of Murloc decks, with the Murloc Shaman being the most popular version. These decks swarm the board with low-cost, effective minions and pressure the opponent’s life total from turn one or two. They can rebuild relatively quickly but can run out of interactive pieces in the late game.

Another popular aggressive variant is the ever-present Aggro Paladin. There are various lists and versions available, most with a similar play pattern. These decks deploy low-cost minions, bolster them with efficient spells and buffs, and use effects that provide massive value when they start running out of cards (such as Divine Fervor).

However, some of the strongest decks usually use more interaction and develop cards that have a significant board impact and push the advantage further. These decks are generally incredibly resilient to removal cards and disruption pieces.   If these decks lose a card, they can just play a stronger one the next turn. Decks that utilize Reno Jackson see the most action due to the significant lifegain mechanic provided by this legend.

If you don’t want to utilize existing popular decks, you can still create a powerful deck to reach high ranks. Developing a solid strategy and optimizing how you play each card will inevitably lead to higher ranks given enough time, effort, and some luck.

Additional FAQ

Why Can’t I Play Wild in Hearthstone?

If you’re a returning player, you might be locked out of the Wild ladder. To unlock the Wild format again, go through the new player introductory experience and reach at least Bronze 10 in the Standard ranked ladder.

If you have followed our instructions in the “How to Unlock Wild” section and still can’t unlock the Wild format, contact Blizzard support.

What Is a Wild Hearthstone Card?

A Wild card is a card that is not part of the expansions that came out within the current or previous Standard year. Cards rotate out of Standard and into Wild annually when the first expansion of the year releases – usually somewhere around March or April. Once players obtain Wild cards, they can craft Wild cards to use in the appropriate decks. Players can obtain them naturally as older pieces rotate out of Standard, or by opening card packs from previous expansions.

Should I Play Standard or Wild Hearthstone?

The choice is entirely up to you. Standard decks are usually more streamlined, less powerful, and don’t have as many replacement pieces. The metagame usually evolves relatively slowly after the most powerful decks are discovered, and some players might get bored of repeatedly seeing similar decks.

The Wild format has the advantage, due to a significantly larger card pool, by bringing cards all the way from the first expansions. While most newer cards are powerful, some unique cards released a while back still remain centerpieces in Wild decks.

You can also use the Hall of Fame to gauge how different Standard and Wild are. These powerful cards were created at the game’s beginnings, and their design meant they had to be removed out of Standard to keep it healthy. Cards such as Sylvanas, Azure Drake, or Ragnaros are some of the most iconic pieces that Standard players will most likely never see again.

Wild Times in Hearthstone

The game’s bevy of formats and strategies is what keeps players coming back for more. If you used to play the game, you might still enjoy playing with the cards you remember and are accustomed to in the Wild format. You can still reach high ranks with these cards and obtain seasonal rewards.

What is your favorite Wild deck in Hearthstone? Let us know in the comment section below.