Getting To Know Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Through the years, I have enjoyed playing Warcraft, a real time strategy game or RTS. I wisely spent a lot of my free time wandering in the World of Warcraft. However, as most gamers know, you need a desktop or a laptop to play Warcraft since it's the only platform available.  But Blizzard, the creator of Warcraft, has decided to change that. In the first quarter of this year, the company released Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. This game is not only available on Windows and Mac but on iPad as well. Users of iPhone and Android will just have to wait a little longer for Blizzard to make the game ready for their respective platforms. Unlike the World of Warcraft, which requires you to pay a subscription fee in order to play, Hearthstone is available for free. You can download and play it without paying a single cent.
I downloaded and installed the game on an iPad2, which is the oldest version that you can play Hearthstone. I have played Warcraft and knew the storyline and characters but I have mixed feelings since this game is not an RTS, a genre I am very fond of but a card game in which I have very little experience. After installation, I waited patiently for the game to load and was rewarded by a series of images of Warcraft characters. While listening to the game's playful tune, I followed the instructions. Since it is my first time to play Hearthstone and don't have an account yet, I have to play the tutorial first. The tutorial was very helpful as it introduced me to the basics of the game.
In the tutorial, I play the character of Jaina which is the only hero allowed. Your hero will face six heroes and. each battle will introduce you to the intricacies of the Hearthstone card game. Make sure to learn everything you can from the tutorial. I found out too late that I can play the tutorial only once unless I create another account. You will have more heroes to choose from after you completed the tutorial and proceed with the game. The objective is simple enough; I need to defeat the enemy hero before he destroys mine. There are nine different Warcraft heroes each representing their respective classes. The Human Jaina Proudmoore represents the Mage class, while the Orc hero Thrall represents the Shaman class. Each hero has a unique power or ability that can be used during the game. 
Hearthstone is not a multi-player game but a PvP or player versus player game. In a regular game, you and your opponent will need to choose 30 cards to complete your deck. While the game is in progress, any of these chosen cards will be given to a player and in turn used them on the board. Each player will have a hero with a starting health of 30. Hearthstone is a turn-based game which means that each player will take turns in placing the cards. Every card that you use will cost you mana. It is a resource that you will slowly accumulate every time you take a turn. The first player to reduce the enemy hero's health to nothing wins. In order to accomplish your objective, you will need the cards on your deck. 
There are three kinds of cards, minion, weapon and spell. A minion card is basically a character that you lay down on the board. When you look at a minion card, you will notice a number on the upper left side and two numbers on the bottom left and right side. The upper number represents the mana cost of using the card. The number at the bottom left represents the amount of damage the minion can inflict on the opponent's hero or minions. The number at the bottom right represents the health level of that minion. Spell cards on the other hand, are use to either inflict direct damage to the opposing hero or minions or make them behave in a certain way. Spell cards do not usually contain characters. Just like any other collectible card games, there are common and rare cards. The most rare and usually most powerful cards are called Legendary cards. If you want to know more, download and play the game.