In-match Process and Issue FAQ
Pre-Match Requirements
- Players must add their opponent as a friend on Battle.net before their scheduled match time. Opponent battletags can be found on the “Players” page for each series.
- The cards Whizbang the Wonderful and Zayle, Shadow Cloak are banned in all THL series. Any cards that cannot be crafted and are only obtainable via payment (such as for pre-ordering) are also banned. Any deck that contains any of these cards cannot be played.
- Nozdormu is allowed in Wild Series. However, upon request the opponent of a player with Nozdormu may ask that it be replaced with Nozdormu the Eternal instead.
Legacy and Hero Series
- Exactly 1 standard deck of each class they submitted
- Multiple decks of the same class, even if they are incomplete, are not allowed.
- Exactly 1 deck labeled “BAN”
- If a player already has a deck of the class they would like to ban, they must label that deck “BAN”.
- If a player is banning a class that is not from one of their 4 selected classes, that player must bring a deck from the class they wish to ban and label it “BAN”.
- Players must have the exact decklists they submitted as playable decks.
- If the format includes a ban, players must submit their ban on the THL website prior to the beginning of the match.
Current Match Formats
- Legacy Series: Best of 5 Conquest (Closed decklists)
- Hero Series: Best of 5 LHS (Closed decklists)
- Pro Series: Best of 5 Conquest (Open decklists)
- Wild Series: Best of 5 Conquest (Open decklists)
- Duos Series: Best of 5 Conquest (Open decklists/All players on team play one match together))
Match Process
- Players must be taking appropriate steps to begin the match no later than 15 minutes after their scheduled match time.
- At the time of their scheduled match, players should message their opponent in-game to confirm they’re ready to begin the match. Once that has been confirmed, one player should challenge the other using the “Challenge a Friend” button.
Legacy and Hero Series
A more comprehensive guide to banning in Legacy and Hero Series can be found within the official THL Discord Server here.
- Players must take a screenshot of their deck selection screen to confirm they have the correct number of playable decks and have clearly indicated a ban. A player may have NO MORE THAN 9 (nine) standard decks in their collection.
- Included in this screenshot must be a chat bubble from their opponent to ensure the screenshot was taken at the time of the match.
- Players must then send this screenshot to their opponent.
- Once either player sends their screenshot to the opponent, the match is considered “started” and players should not leave the challenge screen. Leaving the challenge screen and entering “My Collection” will result in a DQ.
- Once both screenshots have been received by both players, players should confirm the ban with their opponent via chat message. Example: "You ban Warrior, I ban Druid?"
- After bans have been confirmed, players should proceed with the match according to the correct format of the series.
- Note: to accommodate visually impaired teams, a ban may be done for matches including these players by borrowing decks to view bans first. This should only be done when a visually impaired player who received approval to ban this way is playing in the match. If you are unsure if you should ban this way, contact a board member to confirm.
- After challenging your opponent, players should proceed with the match according to the correct format of the series.
↓ GO HERE FOR CURRENT MATCH ISSUES
Match Troubleshooting
My opponent and I tied our game
- In a tie game, the game will count as a win and a loss for both players.
- In Hero, this means that both players shall queue a new deck.
- The winner of the match will submit this result as two games played.
- If a tie occurs in the final possible game of the match (e.g. game 5 of a best-of-5), there are two possible scenarios:
- In a game that goes to the turn limit, the player with a higher life total receives a game win. If the life total of two players in a game that goes to the turn limit is equal, the game is replayed.
- In the case where both players are below 0 when the game ends, the game is replayed.
My opponent was late to our match
- Being over 15 minutes late to a scheduled match time is punishable with a DQ.
- If your opponent is over 15 minutes late, please take a screenshot that clearly documents their absence, and send it along with proof of your scheduled match time to help@teamhearthleague.com
My opponent banned a class I did not bring or does not have a valid ban deck in their screenshot
- If a player selects a class as a ban for their match that was not brought by their opponent, they lose their ability to ban for that match.
- The opponent of the player who banned incorrectly may earn wins with any 3 of their 4 decks to win the match.
- A player who does not have a deck labeled “BAN” or multiple decks labeled “BAN” that could be valid bans for their match loses the ability to ban for that match.
- The opponent of the player who banned incorrectly may earn wins with any 3 of their 4 decks to win the match.
- The opponent of the player who did not have a valid ban may play any of their 4 decks to start the match, and switch to any of their decks that have not yet been eliminated when they lose a game.
- The player with an invalid ban still only needs to defeat 3 decks of their opponents to win the match.
My opponent has more than one playable deck for a class they brought
- Any class that has multiple playable decks is ineligible to be played for that series. If a player is put into an in-game situation where they would have to queue an ineligible deck, they instead receive a game loss.
- Because any deck with less than 30 cards can be completed from the match screen, any deck that appears in the match screen during a match is considered a playable deck.
My opponent disconnected during our match
- Players should immediately message their opponent in-game as soon as they see the disconnect timer pop up. If the other player has screenshot proof that they are still in-game, the player seeing the disconnect timer should attempt to restart their client. Please also contact the board and both captains as soon as possible if this situation occurs.
- The following criteria involving disconnects will result in a DQ
- A player disconnects during a match on 5 separate turns.
- A player’s single disconnect exceeds 10 minutes
- The non disconnecting player being forced out of the Challenge screen, receiving the “Your Opponent Has Left” message.
- The following criteria involving disconnects will result in a game loss
- A player’s single disconnect exceeds 5 minutes
- If any of these criteria are met, you should take a screenshot as proof and send it to help@teamhearthleague.com, or DM a board member on Discord.
My opponent or myself is experiencing an in-game bug or glitch
- Both players should continue to play the game if one experiences any software bug or glitch. If a bug causes a card to be unplayable, freezes or crashes the game, or prevents any game action from being taken, the player experiencing the bug should disconnect and attempt to reconnect as soon as possible. The opposing player should rope their turn if the disconnect pause dialog does not come up.
- At the sole discretion of the board, known software bugs could be subject to an alternative treatment. Any exceptions to the above bullet point will be announced in the THL Discord.
My opponent queued an invalid deck
- When a misqueue is suspected, players should wait for their opponent to confirm before conceding the game, to avoid a concession in error due to a Maestra deck presenting as another class.
Legacy Series
- If the queueing mistake was caught in the mulligan stage and the game is stopped with a concession
- The opponent of the player who queued incorrectly chooses any valid deck for their opponent to play that game
- If a queueing mistake occurs twice in one match, the player who queued incorrectly will receive a game loss even if it is caught in the mulligan both times
- If the game is stopped after the mulligan stage
- The player who queued an invalid deck receives a game loss, and the opposing player receives a game win with the deck they queued.
- The player who queued an invalid deck recieves a game loss, and the opposing player receives a game win with the deck they queued.
- After the first game is played
- If the queueing mistake is caught in the mulligan stage and the game is stopped with a concession, the players will re-queue the game with eligible decks.
- If a queueing mistake after the first game occurs twice in one match, the player who queued incorrectly will receive a game loss even if it is caught in the mulligan both times
- If the queueing mistake is not caught in the mulligan stage
- If the player who commits the queueing error won the prior game, they receive a game loss on the class that they should have queued (the class they won with in the prior game).
- If the player who commits the queueing error lost the prior game, they will receive a game loss. The opponent of this player may choose which one of their decks receives the game loss.
Pro, Pro EU and Wild Series
- If the queueing mistake was caught in the mulligan stage and the game is stopped with a concession
- The opponent of the player who queued incorrectly chooses any valid deck for their opponent to play that game
- If a queueing mistake occurs twice in one match, the player who queued incorrectly will receive a game loss even if it is caught in the mulligan both times
- If the game is stopped after the mulligan stage
- The player who queued an invalid deck recieves a game loss, and the opposing player receives a game win with the deck they queued.
- If a player mistakenly did not bring one of the decks they submitted, they may enter the collection to make a valid deck(s) after the conclusion of a game.
My opponent did not submit a valid lineup, or submitted a deck that contains one or more illegal cards
- Players with invalid lineup submissions will have their decks rolled over to their previous week’s lineup, or the previous player’s lineup if they are a sub
- Players with invalid decks due to banned or illegal cards, including invalid decks from rollover, will have those cards replaced with 0 mana 1/1s of their opponent’s choice
- Invalid decks include decks with banned cards, or decks with cards that are not appropriate for the format of the series (a wild card in Pro Series, for example)
- This card replacement rule also applies if a nerf or buff to a card causes it to invalidate a start of game affect in a player’s deck.
- If a deck with Baku the Mooneater is invalidated by a card change, the card will be replaced with a 1 mana 1/1 (Angry Chicken or Gurubashi Chicken) of the opponent’s choice instead of a 0 mana 1/1.
- These replacements are allowed only within 1 week of changes making these effects invalid
Last updated 7/7/2025