Hearthstone

Gilgamel_sl said:

You just can't tell with this game. I thought this deck was shit, but.....

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The most important thing in arena isn't what most people say (removal, card draw); it's always having something to play. Card draw and removal help with that goal a lot, but having a curve that peaks at 2/3 is the easiest way to do that. You don't have any bad cards in there, just a couple less-than-ideal ones.

Grayson Carlyle_sl said:

The most important thing in arena isn't what most people say (removal, card draw); it's always having something to play. Card draw and removal help with that goal a lot, but having a curve that peaks at 2/3 is the easiest way to do that. You don't have any bad cards in there, just a couple less-than-ideal ones.

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I've been starting to think that way - seems every blowout loss I've had recently has been being overwhelmed with 2/3 drops.

Vaclav_sl said:

I've been starting to think that way - seems every blowout loss I've had recently has been being overwhelmed with 2/3 drops.

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Well and it is what everyone with consistent arena results says. Drafting your curve correctly is easily the hardest thing to do, you can pick the "best" card every time and still lose easily if you screw your curve.

Heh, when I say overwhelmed by - I mean literally topping their curve at 4 though and only a few 4's at that. There's a difference between managing your curve properly and going weeny exclusive.

Anyone in the higher (as in top) ranks have any good suggestions on a solid deck in the meta that is more of a counter to mass meta deck (I hate playing the most common). I've messed around here and there with this game but never truly got serious with it and took a break. I've got about any card I really need to make whatever deck so flexible there. I'll end up tweaking to my own liking but would like something solid to start with.

Currently just started this season tonight for the first time, ran to rank 17 without a loss at least but had some close calls already against some priests. I'm running a paly deck with fairly large amount of legendaries combined with primarly spells from palidin (2 conc, 2 equalities, 1 LOH, etc. Throw some wild pyro's, etc (think legends i have tink, tyrion, cyleaf, ysera, rag, nal, sorry names are off abit).

Open to change classes except to rogue or warrior, just don't enjoy their play style.

Paladin control is probably the least played deck I see watching high end constructed streams, so if you want something unusual stick with it.

Paladin control is odd in that it really about the slowest of all the control decks. Pally seems to wreck mid range decks, but has probably the worst suicide aggro matchup of all the slow control decks. Like I've played Tryhard against slow pally control at least once in ranked and I beat him even after he swept the board and used a LoH and a guardian. I'd say you're probably about even odds vs other slow control decks.

So yeah, if you're running into a lot of Murlock and other aggressive aggro, I'd switch to druid or handlock, otherwise pally control is fine.

I can't stress enough that you should be ranking up with aggro instead of control, at least until you get into the single digits. I think last season I hit rank 10 in like 3-4 hours with aggro.

Vaclav_sl said:

Heh, when I say overwhelmed by - I mean literally topping their curve at 4 though and only a few 4's at that. There's a difference between managing your curve properly and going weeny exclusive.

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Hey, if you can get a draft like that, it'll probably win a ton of games. But it is way to unreliable to draft that way on purpose.

Gavinrad_sl said:

Paladin control is probably the least played deck I see watching high end constructed streams, so if you want something unusual stick with it.

Paladin control is odd in that it really about the slowest of all the control decks. Pally seems to wreck mid range decks, but has probably the worst suicide aggro matchup of all the slow control decks. Like I've played Tryhard against slow pally control at least once in ranked and I beat him even after he swept the board and used a LoH and a guardian. I'd say you're probably about even odds vs other slow control decks.

So yeah, if you're running into a lot of Murlock and other aggressive aggro, I'd switch to druid or handlock, otherwise pally control is fine.

I can't stress enough that you should be ranking up with aggro instead of control, at least until you get into the single digits. I think last season I hit rank 10 in like 3-4 hours with aggro.

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Thanks, appreciate the feedback. What might be a good aggro deck you might suggest (general terms I can figure out specific cards)? Rather talk to someone on here then read 1 of 10,000 different posts of the dipshits on the official forums.

Well, if you don't like warrior, your options for aggro are basically Murlock or Huntard. You can do paladin aggro too but the few times I've seen it it's very inconsistent and relies entirely on hitting a good divine favor for staying power. Mind you these are observations from watching streamers in high level constructed, not playing it myself. I've only been playing for 3 weeks so the only ranked deck I could put together was netdecking Tryhard without the legendaries.

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I should add that I never see any hunters at all at high level play, but the deck should be fine for ranking up with.

Divine favor is a nice comeback mechanic against control, but it isn't essential. I only run one in my aggro deck, of course I've only played mine up to rank 10 so who knows how it does at a high level.

Redemption is far more clutch.

I'm playing control pally for my main deck and yeah it's simply laughable against murlock. I'm dead by turn 5ish every time.

Anyone in the higher (as in top) ranks have any good suggestions on a solid deck in the meta that is more of a counter to mass meta deck

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No such thing, you need to have multiple decks in high level play, and play certain decks when you know a certain meta will be more prominent then another. Depends on what time of the day

If you think you can get by with one deck up there you are going to have a tough route.

The advantage of high level play is everyone pretty much plays the same decks, so you don't have to deal with all the scrubs in the lower ranks with weird fucking decks they may win one game out of ten with.
In other words you can gauge whats coming..


My suggestion to anyone trying to rank into 5 and below fast is play a fast deck, and the best agro deck is still UTH.

You will get there really quickly and then you can play the more control decks without fear of getting a UTH in the mix.

I still run into Hunters who are rank 3-7. There are at least two Legend players who got there with Hunter and are still playing it. Ditto Murlocs. You never stop running into it. Paladin agro is also pretty brutal, it does depend on Divine Favor if your opponent lives that long (it is your only "reload" mechanic), but it'll win a lot of games if played correctly. This is stuff I am literally running into every third match at my current rank.

@Mountain: Watch Koyuki's stream. It isn't a favorable match up by any means, but he has a 40% win rate with his Paladin Giants/Control deck in that match up. He hit legend last season with his deck and he is rank 3 or 4 right now.

Probly depends when you play. I play during the day with strife and rage co with some handlock, and I rarely see hunters anymore.
Differing from 15-9 where they are literally every other game no matter what time you play.

Could really give a shit about bubble pallys or murlocks. Druid will wreck that shit all day long
And I'm pretty sure that is exactly why UTH is not as present because the large number of druids out there.

I still run UTH in the higher ranks at night occasionally, but I do it different then most people. If I win 5 games quickly I'll go to a slower deck which nets me positive most nights.

My deck and my play. Constructed. I have not spent any money. I am currently rank 16 with this deck. I have been playing for free for a few months. I like this Shaman deck above all others so I share it here:


This is 'Shaman Control', I suppose you could call it. The idea to this deck is to always be looking for an excuse to play a totem in order to slowly take board control. The idea is to exploit the Shaman class ability. Exploit it by using it. Summon totems.

On some turns (mostly early ones) you might be compelled to play a card or two and no totems at all. That is fine provided it gives you board control. Obtain board control, then use totems. Just summon the shit out of them. If in doubt, cast totem. Try to use the totem ability early in a turn so that it can inform you. I often find myself stuck between which two cards in my hand to play, so I summon a totem, and let that totem be the thing that decides for me. Did I get a taunt totem? Cast a creature. Spell power totem? Cast that direct damage card instead.

The idea is to always look for an excuse NOT to play a card. If a simple totem will maintain board control, then you should do that instead of anything. We are not looking to rush ahead of our opponent. We are in no rush. We are the most zen-like patient motherfuckers on earth. We just want to be one tiny-little step ahead at all times. You gain card advantage with this deck by not using them. You use your totems instead of cards (so long as you are maintaining board control). Let your opponent use up all their cards on your phantoms.

If you want to tighten the deck up a bit, you definitely want 2x Lightning Bolt, 2x Stormforged Axe, 2x Feral Spirit, and probably 2x Earth Shock. All are common except for Feral Spirit. Otherwise it looks fine and I can't really make a bunch of suggestions without just saying cram your deck full of more rares, epics, and legendaries. Also Rockbiter is a very commonly played removal spell.

Although you probably want at least one mana tide also since you don't have Pagle.

I don't like a 2nd Stormforged Axe without life gain.

Gavinrad_sl said:

Well, if you don't like warrior, your options for aggro are basically Murlock or Huntard. You can do paladin aggro too but the few times I've seen it it's very inconsistent and relies entirely on hitting a good divine favor for staying power. Mind you these are observations from watching streamers in high level constructed, not playing it myself. I've only been playing for 3 weeks so the only ranked deck I could put together was netdecking Tryhard without the legendaries.

*edit*

I should add that I never see any hunters at all at high level play, but the deck should be fine for ranking up with.

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Been seeing quite a few Warlocks doing it recently too - using the draw card as a constant fueling. But yea, mostly Hunter/Warrior for doing the 2/3's with a rare 4 types effectively.

The Master_sl said:

Well and it is what everyone with consistent arena results says. Drafting your curve correctly is easily the hardest thing to do, you can pick the "best" card every time and still lose easily if you screw your curve.

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as long as your curve looks like its flipping the bird at you its all ok