HEX, Evo Gauntlet and Me

HEX: Shards of Fate released their fourth set “Primal Dawn” 2 days ago. Along with 250 new cards, the update shipped with a new game mode: Evolving Gauntlet.

Evolving Gauntlet (or Evo for short) is an incredible idea. For 500p — making this the cheapest tournament experience in the game to date at around $5 — you‘ll get a pack of Primal Dawn and a pack of Armies of Myth as well as 3 packs of commons and uncommons (2 from Primal Dawn and 1 from Armies of Myth) to construct a deck. Yes, that’s 5 packs for 500p.

You’re tasked with winning 5 games before you lose 3. After your first win, you’ll get an opened booster added to your card pool. You can use the contents of this to buff or even completely rebuild your deck. You’ll get another opened pack after your 3rd win. On your 5th win, you’ll get a sealed pack. Assuming you go 5/X you’ll be walking away with the equivalent of 8 packs worth of cards — 7 opened and 1 sealed.

On top of this, players who logged in to HEX at least 30 days before Primal Dawn went live received a free Evo tournament entry ticket. I tweeted HEX asking if there was a free pack on launch day, their sly reply was a retweet. This is much better than a free pack.

What I love most about Evo? It feels casual while still being competitive. What I mean by this is even though you’re going to be battling other people, you’re not rushed to construct your deck, or tied to your desk for hours. Once you’ve enrolled, you’re in until you win 5 or lose 3. You can take as much time as you’re comfortable with to construct your deck, and at any point (apart from during a game itself) you can take a break. The queueing system is pulling from a pool of people who’ve indicated their ready for a single game, not an entire tournament. This is huge for me. Players are also matched against players with the same match outcomes as them, so you’ll never be against a player who’s had an extra pack opened advantage against you.

While I can definitely see everyone enjoying this format, it’s especially great for those new to the game — like myself — who are looking to beef up their collection. I love getting sealed packs, but there’s always that inner conflict as to if you should sell it, crack it or hold it. When you’re given an open pool of cards that decision is made for you, and your collection grows.

I love this format, and I can’t wait to play again tonight.