Following the exciting showing at gamescom in Cologne, Germany, the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft team has an announcement to make—the European closed beta test is nearly here!

In a few weeks, assuming all the cards have been properly shuffled, the murlocs have all been corralled, and the mana crystals have all been polished, we’ll start inviting players who’ve opted in to start playing. Exciting times!

We’re really looking forward to you all getting a chance to check out this game, and we think everyone’s going to enjoy it—whether you love card games or have never played them before.

There’s still time to sign up, so don’t delay! Once the EU closed beta test starts, we’ll begin working through the list of everyone who’s signed up, letting in a few groups at a time, so please be patient if you don’t get in straight away. Those murloc minions take a while to enter Battle.net addresses. Once you’ve been checked off the list, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to download the game and start playing. Happy dueling!