I recently got into the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft PC beta. Hearthstone is an interesting game that comes from an interesting company: Blizzard. Yes, the people behind all of Warcraft have made a card game, and it may surprise you how good it is.

Hearthstone is a simple card game that has the same premise of others (Magic, Pokemon, etc.), in that your ultimate goal is to destroy the opponent’s cards and whittle him down into eventual defeat. What is interesting about Blizzard’s new attempt at this genre is how well they integrate it with a universe millions of fans already know and love.

You will see all sorts of familiar faces here, especially if you have played World of Warcraft. From Frostwolf minions to super powerful heroes like Deathwing or Garrosh Hellscream, so much of the Warcraft universe is present in the form of a playable card in the game. It is pretty neat to think you are going to lose a game, only to draw the rare Malygos dragon from your deck and unleash hell upon your foe.

Of course, you need to collect the good cards to actually play them. Here is my one issue with the game: There is a crafting system instead of a trading system. Those who want to trade cards with other people will have to look elsewhere; your deck is entirely up to you and your luck (or currency). Cards are randomly obtained through small quest rewards, winning in arenas, or simply leveling up. All cards in the game are accessible to players immediately, but you would pay heavily for enough in-game currency to get someone as legendary as Deathwing. You can destroy other cards to build up currency to make better ones, but it is pretty obvious that the return you get back is so low because Blizzard wants you to spend real money.

Why? It’s a free-to-play game. Like most F2P games, it has microtransactions. Unfortunately, I have played so much that it feels like I have reached a point where I have to spend money to get new decks and cards. It is an awesome feeling to get a rare card from a pack you worked hard for, but it is equally defeating to realize you are so very far from being able to unlock any better cards. If a trade system were here, this game could have so much more depth.

It is a good thing the game play is fantastic. Hearthstone is an easy game to learn, and with a bit of luck from your deck, not a hard one to master. I learned in five minutes and was addicted for weeks.

The best part about Hearthstone is that it does not even feel like it is in beta. The sound effects, animations, voice acting and everything else feel so polished that you will wonder what they are holding out on before they release the full title. It is insanely fun and, in my opinion, more rewarding than physical card games. What can I say, I like explosions and animations to happen when I play a card.

Hearthstone is a great time-waster. Cards are fun to unlock, fun to play and fun to get a sense of nostalgia with, if you are familiar with the lore. But the serious setback of not being able to trade cards is what will probably keep me from returning to this game once I have exhausted my beta time. Unless something drastic is done to the crafting system, or if they implement card trading down the road, I am not quite sure how this game will live up in the long run to those who do not want to spend lots of real money.