Hearthstone Classic Mode Being Retired For New "Twist" Format

gamespot.com:

Hearthstone will soon be retiring its Classic Mode and replacing it with a new, more dynamic way to play called Twist. Like Classic, you'll be able to climb ranks in Twist just like the Standard and Wild modes, but unlike those other modes, Twist will be regularly rotating new unique mixtures of sets and themes to play with.

A Twist beta will launch with patch 26.6, coming later this month. Twist formats will be composed of specially curated card pools and rule sets, which means that every new Twist season will have a new meta to figure out. Twist will be in beta during the June and July seasons, with an official launch coming later.

The beta format will be called New Age, which will include the Core Set along with every set released since Ashes of Outland. That makes 11 active sets in all, much more than Standard format which tends to include six sets at a time. The beta format will also include a special variant: no neutrals. That means you'll have a much wider card pool to choose from, but only class cards will be allowed. On June 22-23, some Hearthstone Twitch streamers will be giving a special preview of the Twist beta, and tuning in can earn you packs from all the New Age sets.

Classic format was a treat for longtime fans of Hearthstone, bringing the game back to its initial launch state. But in an interview, Blizzard said that same quality made it very static, which naturally meant that interest tapered off. Twist aims to give longtime players more to do with their full card collection, while differentiating itself from the everything-allowed Wild format.

We've seen similar rule variants to some Tavern Brawls, the game mode that refreshes every week. But Blizzard said that Tavern Brawls are built to be fun for a