(Update: Week 2 Live Now!) Hearthstone Grandmasters 2021 Season 2 Starts This Weekend! Get 6 Free Packs From YouTube Drops This Season

Update: Week 2 has just started. You can get two packs between Weeks 2 and 7 – sadly it’s the longest period, so if you’ll be done this weekend then you will get no further rewards until the Play-Offs.

The first season of Grandmasters 2021 has finished just a couple of months ago, and now we’re starting fresh in a new expansion. Season 2 is starting this Friday (August 13) and will run all the way until October 10, with a brief break for Masters Tour Silvermoon happening August 27-30.

The biggest change is in the format – Specialist is gone once again and we’ll be rotating between Conquest and Last Hero Standing each week (with Finals played in Conquest). Another change is in casting – Frodan has announced that he’ll be stepping down from the casting role starting this season.

And last, but not least – YouTube drops are back. Just like last time, you will be able to get two packs during the opening weekend, two more between Weeks 2-7 (yeah, that one sucks) and last two during Finals. In other words, that 6 packs in total, but sadly if you get them during Week 2, you will have to wait all the way until Finals for more. If you haven’t connected your YouTube and Battle.net accounts yet, refer to the official blog post below:

Hearthstone Grandmasters returns for the second season of 2021! The top 48 players from around the world will compete to earn a spot at the 2021 World Championship. Here’s everything you need to know to keep up with this season’s Grandmaster action. We’ll see you in the Tavern!

Details

• Venue: YouTube Gaming
• Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday: August 13 – August 22 and September 3 – October 10, 2021
• Broadcast Start Time:
  • ASIA-PACIFIC: 2 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. CEST / 6 p.m. KST
  • EUROPE: 7 a.m. PDT / 4 p.m. CEST / 11 p.m. KST
  • AMERICAS: 12 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. CEST / 4 a.m. KST
• Casters: TJ “Azumoqt” Sanders, Darroch “Darroch” Brown, Jia “Jia” Dee, Neil “Lorinda” Bond, Alex “RavenCasts” Baguley, and Simon “Sottle” Welch
• Prize Pool: Global prizing of $486,000 (USD), split between $64,500 (USD) each tournament for Weeks 1 through 7, and $34,500 (USD) for the playoffs
• Language Streams on YouTube:
  • English (Hearthstone)
  • English (HearthstoneEsports)
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Mandarin
  • Portuguese (LATAM)
  • Spanish (LATAM)

Format

During weeks 1-7, players will compete in a Weekly Dual Tournament format, starting each Thursday, to earn placement in the weekend Top 8 Stage. Players will receive points based on total number of wins each week, which will determine final standings before Playoffs.

• All 16 players in each region will compete against each other off-broadcast in Dual Tournament Group play on Thursday.
• On Friday, the 4 Decider Matches will be played to determine who joins the Top 8 per region, live on YouTube.
• The Top 8 players compete in a single-elimination tournament on Saturday, with the Top 4 advancing to Sunday.
• Gameplay format changes every other week:
  • Week 1 – Conquest
  • Week 2 – Last Hero Standing
  • Week 3 – Conquest
  • Week 4 – Last Hero Standing
  • Week 5 – Conquest
  • Week 6 – Last Hero Standing
  • Week 7 – Conquest
  • Week 8: Finals – Conquest

Drops Return!

You can earn up to 6 total packs as you watch Grandmasters throughout Season 2! On any of the above YouTube channels, watch two total hours to receive one pack and two more hours for your second. Time watched is cumulative within each of the three reward blocks, so even if you can’t watch for the full four hours in one sitting your time will still count toward earning the Drops.

• Grandmasters Week 1: United in Stormwind (max 2 packs)
• Grandmasters Weeks 2 – 7: Year of the Phoenix (max 2 packs)
• Grandmasters Playoffs: United in Stormwind (max 2 packs)

Connecting Your Accounts

Before you can receive rewards, you’ll need to link your YouTube and Blizzard Battle.net accounts. Here’s how:

• Log in or create an account on YouTube.
• Navigate to Account Sharing under “Connected Apps” in Settings.
• Select “Connect” next to Battle.net.
• Follow the simple prompts to finish connecting accounts.
• When connecting accounts, be sure that you’re currently logged into the Blizzard account on which you’d like to receive your Drops.
• Click here for a full set of official rules for Hearthstone Grandmasters 2021 Season 2 YouTube Drops.

Keep up with all of the latest Hearthstone Esports news and content on the Hearthstone Esports website, Twitter, and YouTube. Good luck, have fun, and we’ll see you in the Tavern!