Seasons and Points

Seasons The Hearthstone Championship Tour is now three four-month long seasons, each with a Playoffs and

Championships. Players will earn Hearthstone Competitive Points by playing in Ranked Play, Tour Stops,

HCT Playoffs, HCT Championships, and World Championships.

2018 Season 1*: January, February, March

2018 Season 2: April, May, June, July

2018 Season 3: August, September, October, November

* December 2017 is an offseason and will not count toward your point total for competitive Hearthstone

in 2018.

Point Targets Each HCT season will now have a point target, which will be announced before the season begins. All

players who earn at least that many points will qualify to play in the Seasonal Playoff. Players will be

able to earn points from events in all regions, and then compete in Playoffs based on their country of

residence.

The points target for Season 1 is 45 points for all regions (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe), with

points targets for the following season announced two weeks before it starts.

Earning Points Players can earn Hearthstone Competitive points by:

• Playing in Standard Ranked Play on the Hearthstone Ladder;

• Competing in Hearthstone Championship Tour Stops;

• Competing in the Seasonal Playoffs in their region;

• Competing in the Seasonal Championship; and

• Competing in the 2017 Hearthstone World Championship.

Ranked Play Playing Standard Ranked games in Hearthstone and reaching Legend grants HC Points. The higher your

rank at the end of each month of Ranked Play, the more points you receive. Your top three finishes on

the ladder contribute points for that season.

Ranked Play

1st Place 16 points

2nd - 25th Places 15 points

26th - 50th Places 12 points

51th - 100th Places 9 points

101st - 200th Places 6 points

201st -500th Places 4 points

501st -1000th Places 2 points

1001st and below Places 1 point

Hearthstone Tournaments Some Blizzard-sanctioned events reward points for doing well in the tournament. All point grated

tournaments are listed below. Some point grated tournaments are invite-only. More details about the

tournaments can be found in the Rules and FAQ Section.

Tour Stop

Hearthstone Tour Stops

1st Place 15 points

2nd Place 12 points

3rd - 4th Places 10 points

5th - 8th Places 8 points

9th- 16th Places 6 points

17th – 32nd Places 4 points

Playoffs

Seasonal Regional Playoff Tournaments

1st – 4th Places 0 points

5th Place 11 points

6th Place 10 points

7th Place 9 points

8th Place 8 points

9th – 16th Places 7 points

17th – 32nd Places 6 points

Season Championship

Seasonal Championship Tournaments

1st Place 30 points

2nd Place 25 points

3rd - 4th Places 20 points

5th - 8th Places 15 points

9th - 16th Places 12 Points

World Championship

World Championship

1st Place 20 points

2nd Place 15 points

3rd - 4th Places 10 points

5th-8th Places 6 points

9th-16th Places 4 points

Playoffs and Challengers

Playoffs The three Seasonal Playoffs take place toward the end of their respective Seasons and determine who

moves on to the Season Championships. Each of these Seasons will now have a point target announced

before the Season begins. The points target for Season 1 for all regions is 45 points.

All players that earn at least that many points will be qualified for their Regional Seasonal Playoff.

Players can earn points from events in all regions, but they will play in the Playoffs based on their

country of residence. If less than 64 players meet the point target, additional players will be invited so

there is a minimum of 64 players per region.

An additional 8 players will join these point earners via the new HCT Challengers system.

Playoffs take place across multiple Tournament locations simultaneously. All participants must show up

in person to compete and provide a government issued photo ID to prove they are the qualified

account’s owner to participate.

Seasonal Playoffs

2017 2018

Placement Prize # of

Players Total Prize

Prize # of Players Total Prize

1st $ - 1 $0 1 $0

2nd $ - 1 $0 1 $0

3rd $ - 1 $0 1 $0

4th $ - 1 $0 1 $0

5th $ 5,000 1 $5,000 $ 6,000 1 $6,000

6th $ 5,000 1 $5,000 $ 5,500 1 $5,500

7th $ 5,000 1 $5,000 $ 5,000 1 $5,000

8th $ 5,000 1 $5,000 $ 4,500 1 $4,500

9th $ 100 1 $100 $ 4,250 1 $4,250

10th $ 100 1 $100 $ 4,000 1 $4,000

11th $ 100 1 $100 $ 3,750 1 $3,750

12th $ 100 1 $100 $ 3,500 1 $3,500

13th $ 100 1 $100 $ 3,250 1 $3,250

14th $ 100 1 $100 $ 3,000 1 $3,000

15th $ 100 1 $100 $ 2,750 1 $2,750

16th $ 100 1 $100 $ 2,500 1 $2,500

17-24th $ 100 8 $800 $ 1,500 8 $12,000

25-32nd $ 100 8 $800 $ 1,250 8 $10,000

33rd + $ 100 40 $4,000 $ 1,000 40 $40,000

per region per season $26,400 per region per season $110,000

HCT Challengers Consists of the following types of tournaments:

• Challenger Cups – similar to Online Cups from the 2016 and 2017 HCT Seasons, this will be

focused toward players who are looking to make an entrance into the HCT system rather than a

point earning method

• Tavern Hero Qualifiers -> Tavern Hero Qualifiers (no change)

These two types of tournaments provide the winner an invite to:

• Regional Challenger Finals – made up of all the qualified players per Season from the Challenger

Cups and Tavern Hero Qualifiers for their region

The Regional Challenger Finals will qualify the top eight players of the event to their respective Regional

Seasonal Playoff

It is only open to players who have not qualified for Playoffs in any of the three previous Seasons.

Challenger Cups and the Regional Challenger Finals will take place online. Tavern Hero Qualifiers will

take place at various approved Fireside Gatherings throughout their qualifying Season.

Championships and Teams

Seasonal Championships The sixteen players comprised of top four players from each region (as determined by the Seasonal

Regional Playoffs + a tournament series in the China Region) will face off in a Season Championship to

compete for their slice of the $250,000 prize pool and a spot in the Hearthstone World Championship.

There will be three Seasonal Championships in the 2018-2019 HCT Season. Travel expenses are covered

for all sixteen players in each of the Season Championships.

Seasonal Championship

2018

Placement Prize # of Players Total Prize

1st $ 50,000 1 $50,000

2nd $ 40,000 1 $40,000

3rd-4th $ 25,000 2 $50,000

5th-8th $ 12,500 4 $50,000

9th-16th $ 7,500 8 $60,000

per season $250,000

HCT Team Standings The HCT Team Standings will reward the top teams with cash prizes. Organizations can choose three

players to representative them as an official team. These choices are set for an entire four-month

season. Updated rosters are due two weeks before the beginning of the next season.

Organizations must be approved by Blizzard to participate in the HCT Team Standings. Approved

organizations will have their logo featured on HCT Tournament Series broadcasts when one of their

players are competing.

At the end of each season the top eight teams will receive a cash prize based on the combined total of

seasonal points for the three members of the team. HCT Team Standings will begin in 2018 Season 2.

Team Standings

2018 (Season 2 and 3 only)

Placement Prize # of

Players Total Prize

1 $ 7,500 3 $22,500

2 $ 4,500 3 $13,500

3 $ 3,000 3 $9,000

4 $ 2,500 3 $7,500

5 $ 2,000 3 $6,000

6 $ 1,750 3 $5,250

7 $ 1,500 3 $4,500

8 $ 1,250 3 $3,750

9 $ 1,000 3 $3,000

10 $ 750 3 $2,250

per season $77,250

Worlds and Masters

World Championships

Each spring 16 of the best Hearthstone players will face off in the HCT World Championships with a $1

million prize pool. Players earn their spot in the World Championships by placing in the top four of the

three Seasonal Championships.

Regional Points Leader The existing HCT Last Call qualifying player—based on a player’s total points earned for a calendar year’s

three HCT seasons—will now be known as the Regional Points Leader. The Regional Points Leader will

still earn an invitation to the HCT World Championship, and top players in each region will receive cash

prizes.

Regional Points Leader Final Standings

Prize

1st $8,000

2nd $6,000

3rd $4,000

4th $2,000

Hearthstone Masters

3-Star Master 200 Hearthstone Competitive points

- Invite to Playoffs - $2500 appearance bonus for up to three Tour Stop events per

season - Invite to Blizzard online tournaments with cash prizes - End-of-year commemorative swag

2-Star Master 175 Hearthstone Competitive points

- $1000 appearance bonus for one event per season - Invite to Blizzard online tournaments with cash prizes - End-of-year commemorative swag

1-Star Master 150 Hearthstone Competitive points

- Invite to Blizzard online tournaments with cash prizes - End-of-year commemorative swag

The Hearthstone Masters system will recognize top players based on the consistency of their

performance. There will be three tiers, with rewards for eligible players increasing at each level. The 1-,

2-, and 3-Star Master tiers offer tournament appearance bonuses, invitations to HCT Playoffs and online

Blizzard-run tournaments with cash prizes, and special commemorative memorabilia.

A player’s tier will be determined using the rolling sum of their points over the most recent three HCT

seasons. Players must hit a point target to be granted or to maintain their status. Status levels are

recalculated on the last day of each HCT season, so your tier benefits will last for four months.

Rules and FAQs The Hearthstone Championship Tour promises to be action-packed, offering players the chance to forge

their own unique stories at the dueling tables. Climb the Ranked Play ladder, duel at tournaments both

online and in-person, and accumulate points to secure your invite to the Hearthstone World

Championship!

Rules If you are looking for the 2018/2019 Rules for the Hearthstone Championship Tour, you’ll be able to find

them here in January 2018.

FAQ Can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Send an email to HearthstoneAdmin@blizzard.com and we’ll

get back to you as soon as we can.

When is the deadline for submitting Challenger Cups and Tavern Hero Qualifiers??

Events must be submitted at least 10 days in advance of the event.

What are the requirements to run a Challenger Cup?

All events must follow these criteria to be recognized as a Challenger Cup and award invitations to the

Seasonal Regional Challenger Finals

This short summary is not intended to replace the full HCT 2018 rules.

• Number of participants: At least 32 participants must play a match in order for any of the event

participants to be awarded points. A maximum of 128 participants can compete in a single

Challenger Cup.

• Player Eligibility: HCT Challenger Cups must be free to enter and open to all eligible participants.

Players who have competed in an HCT Playoffs within the last year as well as Hearthstone

Masters are not eligible to compete in an HCT Challenger Cup. Organizers may not participate in

their own tournaments.

Match Format: All matches must be a Conquest, Best-of-3 with a single ban. This means players

will create three (3) decks consisting of unique classes.

• Tournament Format: Challenger Cups can use either a double-elimination format or a Swiss

pairings format with a single-elimination playoff. Other formats will not be accepted.

• Event Sponsors: Events must not advertise, present, or contain logos or mentions of

organizations that contain Pornography, Alcohol, Tobacco or Cigarettes, Firearms, Gambling

websites, or any company that is detrimental to Blizzard`s business (ex. hacking, gold services,

account selling, key sellers). This includes all announcements, promotional material, and

broadcasts.

• Required Tournament Platform: Organizers must use an approved tournament platform for

their Challenger Cup.

• Exclusive Tournament Organizers: To ensure a fair and positive experience for all players,

Challenger Cups may only be held by exclusive tournament organizers with a proven track

record of hosting great events.

Do I have to reach first place in a Challenger Cup to receive an invitation to the Challenger Finals?

Placing 1st in a Challenger Cup will always grant an invitation to your region’s seasonal Challenger Finals.

However, additional placements may also provide invitations.

Prior to a season beginning, the Hearthstone Esports team will announce what Challenger Cups

placements grant invitations. For example, placing 1st or 2nd in a Challenger Cup during Season 1 will

result in two invitations to the Challenger Finals — one for each player.

What are the requirements to run a Tavern Hero Qualifier?

• Number of participants: At least 16 participants must play a match in order for the winner of the

Tavern Hero Qualifier to be accepted.

• Player Eligibility: Tavern Hero Qualifiers must be free to enter and open to all eligible

participants. Players who have competed in an HCT Playoffs within the last year as well as

Hearthstone Masters are not eligible to compete in a Tavern Hero Qualifier. Innkeepers may not

participate in their own tournaments.

• Match Formats: All matches must be a Conquest, Best-of-3 with a single ban. This means players

will create three (3) decks consisting of unique classes.

• Tournament Format: Challenger Cups can use either a double-elimination format or a Swiss

pairings format with a single-elimination playoff. Other formats will not be accepted.

• Event Sponsors: Events must not advertise, present, or contain logos or mentions of

organizations that contain Pornography, Alcohol, Tobacco or Cigarettes, Firearms, Gambling

websites, or any company that is detrimental to Blizzard`s business (ex. hacking, gold services,

account selling, key sellers). This includes all announcements, promotional material, and

broadcasts.

• Required Tournament Platform: Organizers must use an approved tournament platform for

their Tavern Hero Qualifier.

• Founding a Tavern: Only Innkeepers who have already Established Their Tavern as outlined on

www.firesidegatherings.com may apply to host a Tavern Hero Qualifier

Can I compete with two different BattleTags in Ranked Play?

The terms of the Battle.net EULA must be followed at all times. If an individual has two eligible

BattleTags, each BattleTag earns points individually. Points earned in sanctioned tournaments or cups

will be awarded to the BattleTag that was used in that competition. When it is time to check for

eligibility in the Season Playoffs, an individual player may only compete with one qualifying BattleTag

and will use the points earned by only that BattleTag.

What countries are eligible to participate?

See the official rules for a full list of eligible countries in January 2018.

What about China?

Details regarding China’s Hearthstone esports can be found on the official China Hearthstone website.

I’m a citizen in one eligible country and have a valid work visa in another eligible country. Where do

I compete?

The Championship Season that you will compete in corresponds to your Blizzard account’s country. If

this is not set to the country you wish to compete in, you must update the Blizzard account’s country

of residence prior to competing.

I have moved countries since I created my Blizzard account. How do I update it?

Please contact our customer service team to begin the process of updating your Blizzard account

credentials.

Am I allowed to compete in Ranked Play on other regions?Yes, you can compete in any Ranked Play to

earn points for your BattleTag.

What if I hit Legend on multiple servers?

For each season, you will earn points based on the best ranking in any region that you placed. You will

not be able to earn points from two or more regions in the same season.

I’m from Australia and my collection is on Americas, but I will compete in the Asia-Pacific

Championship. How will I compete with players from Korea using different collections?

At onsite Championship events, to provide an even playing field for all competitors, players will be

provided accounts that include all currently available cards for that tournament.