Competitors will be playing on the new expansion during the Hearthstone World Championship

Blizzard have announced the Hearthstone Championship Tour World Championship on April 25-28 will take place in a post-rotation world.

This means we will get to see the best strategies for the new (currently unreleased) expansion unfold before our eyes on the grandest stage possible.

We also now know the final days of the Championship Tour will take place after the new expansion is live. This tells us that, not only can we expect to play the new expansion before April 25, but we will get to see the pros themselves use it during the championship.

This will also be the last time (for now) we see the format that has previously been used for the Hearthstone Championship Tour. Earlier this year, Blizzard unveiled the new Hearthstone Masters Tour format which aims to make competitive Hearthstone more accessible to all players.

We know the Year of the Dragon will have an overarching storyline and it appears part of that story is associated with a host of Hearthstone villains that are forming an alliance. Over the past few weeks Blizzard has released a number of trailers detailing these villains, many of whom are bosses from Hearthstone’s past.

It’s likely Togwaggle, Hagatha, and Dr. Boom will all be involved in the solo mode of the game, but that doesn’t tell us anything about the competitive meta. Getting the opportunity to see the pros compete using the new expansion will be a huge benefit to anyone who is looking to craft a new deck. This tournament will surely impact the meta, so expect to see the most dominant decks surface on the ranked ladder when the time comes.