Since its release in March 2014, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has becoming one of the most popular free-to-play games on PC and mobile, and it is consistently in the top 5 most-watched games on Twitch. Now, Blizzard Entertainment has announced Tavern Brawl, a new gameplay mode for Hearthstone that is aimed at giving the 1-year-old game some new variety.

“Each week, a different Tavern Brawl will pit you head to head versus another player using exciting and unique rules,” Blizzard said in an announcement. “One week might feature preset decks, while another week could have you crafting a brand new Tavern Brawl deck following specific guidelines, while others might offer buffs to specific minion types—who knows!”

The possibility of battling using preset decks would seem to be a welcome addition for newer players who might not have all of the flavor of the week cards that are popular in the current meta, but the new Tavern Brawl game mode is only available to players who already have a level 20 hero.

Preset decks could also give more seasoned players a chance to battle opponents on more predictable grounds, but they could also make the games much more luck-dependent, something for which Hearthstone is already frequently criticized.

Buffing specific minion types could be interesting, as those cards would suddenly become overpowered for a limited time, making some typically useless cards temporarily more desirable.

The upcoming patch will add a few other new features, including the ability to customize card backs for different decks. Aside from adding a level of personalization to decks, this feature will also make it easier for players to quickly distinguish between their decks in the menu.

The patch will also introduce new hero skins that players can purchase for $10, giving the game yet another form of monetization. The skins are purely cosmetic, so while the price may seem a little steep, they have no effect on the game itself and offer no advantages to players who buy them. Besides being a status symbol, of course.

According to Blizzard, the new patch will be arriving in mid-June, so it will likely roll out within the next two weeks.

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment (c)