Hearthstone presented a new kind of collectible, Signature cards, incoming in the next March of the Lich King expansion. This new type of card adds to the already existing Golden and Diamond variants. Let’s go over what Hearthstone Signature cards are, how to get them and their drop rate.
Lord Marrowgar – Image via Blizzard
A new cosmetic variant
Signature cards are a new cosmetic variant Hearthstone is introducing in the March of the Lich King expansion. These new cards will have stylized full-art images and will have a different framing for every new set.
“For March of the Lich King, the Signature cards will all feature an icy sepia style, evoking the Lich King’s powers over Frost and the Undead. The art style of Signature cards within each expansion will match their respective expansion’s style and the card frame for future Signature cards might also change from time to time.”
Hearthstone quote from March of the Lich King announcement
The next Hearthstone expansion, March of the Lich King, will include 18 Signature cards, 15 of them being Legendaries. Something worth mentioning is that these cards cant be either crafted or disenchanted.
Blizzard has been pushing more and more cosmetic monetization into the game this past year. This is another step in that direction, giving high spenders another reason to put more money into the game while not increasing the cost for free-to-play players.
How to get Hearthstone Signature cards
New Signature cards, unlike Diamond ones, will appear in Hearthstone packs. Hearthstone will also give some Signature cards for free. During a March of the Lich King expansion event, players will be able to get the 3 non-legendaries cards. Moreover, two Signature cards will be part of the Hearthstone Rewards Track and the Mega-Bundle will also include a pair of them.
Starting with the March of the Lich King expansion, Golden Packs will upgrade to Signature Golden Packs. The only change this brings is that this new pack type will also include Signature cards on top of the Golden versions. The addition of these new Signature cards will boost the odds of getting legendaries in Signature Golden Packs.
Hearthstone Signature card pack odds
Blizzard disclosed the odds of getting Signature Cards in Hearthstone packs. These special cards can be obtained in:
March of the Lich King packsStandard packsClass packsSignature Golden Packs
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For every Hearthstone pack besides Signature Golden ones, the odds of getting a Signature card is 1 in 181 packs on average. This is the same drop rate as Golden Legendaries. These drops will not reduce the chance of getting other cards besides Normal Common ones. So it can be seen as a slight increase in the average Legendaries drop rate.
The case of Signature Golden Packs is a special one, and it seems that Hearthstone is trying to push them hard going forward. Signature cards will have a drop rate of 1 in 7 packs on average.
This means that if you add the Golden Legendaries drop rate to Signature ones you will get a Legendary (Golden or Signature) every 5 packs. Legendary drop rate is 4 times higher in Golden Signature packs than in regular packs.
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Signature cards and duplicate protection
Understanding that players might want Signature versions of Legendaries that they already have, Hearthstone has implemented a “Reverse Duplicate protection” system. In a clarification blog post Blizzard explains the following:
“We knew many players would want to get the Signature quality of a card that they already own, so we handle duplicate protection in reverse. They can drop, but when they do, you’ll get a popup that asks if you’d like to reroll your existing normal/golden copy for free. Say yes, and it rerolls to a different card of the same set, rarity, and quality.”
Hearthstone clarification on Signature cards on a blog post
This creates a clever solution that satisfies both big spending and budget players. Players that want to collect every card in the game can get this special variant of cards they already own.
Invencible – Hearthstone Signature Card – Image via Blizzard
At the same time, budget players can reroll their existing copy of the repeated Signature card, so this cosmetic doesn’t hurt their economy. In practice, it would be like opening a new Legendary and, at the same time, upgrading your existing copy. So, it’s actually a net positive.
Blizzard monetization plans
Hearthstone is a mature game, and Blizzard is trying to squish every cent out of it. Standard is the most profitable mode in the game. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t explore more monetization options.
This new cosmetic is a way of pushing Signature Golden Cards Hearthstone pack sales. This approach aims to get more money from big spenders while not affecting budget players. After seeing the Battlegrounds Tavern Pass backlash, it seems a clever move.
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That’s all for now, but stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Hearthstone news and updates. See you next time in the Tavern.
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