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炉石
Hearthstone World Championship Day 1: Control Reigns
The
recent nerf
of left many wondering what would fill the gap left behind on the competitive stage. Preliminary rankings had and Druid archetypes like Aggro () and Midrange taking control of the meta. But after the first four matches of this year's Hearthstone World Championships, it's clear that things may not be as cut and dry as the community imagined.
Let's start things off by taking a look at which classes were brought to the competition. Surprisingly all nine were utilized with Druid being the most popular, Priest being the least. As you can see, Warrior has fallen significantly with the fall of Patron Warrior with both Druid and Mage rising up to take its place. Despite the fact that Patron Warrior was the main factor holding Zoolock back, it continues to be underrepresented. Meanwhile the Asian regions were just crazy enough to bring Shaman to the table and it managed to walk away 1 - 0 on the afternoon.
But how did they actually fare today? Find out after the jump when we break down class and archetype win rates.
炉石
Hearthstone World Championship Begins Tomorrow
Yesterday evening, Blizzard released
the final brackets
for the group stages of this year's Hearthstone World Championship. The brackets will be double elimination meaning every player must lose two matches prior to being eliminated. Let's take a look at Group A to get an idea as to how this will work:
As you can see, Group A consists of Europe's Thijs, China's NoTomorrow, Asia-Pacific's Kno, and North America's JAB. Victors of the first matches will advance up to the Winners bracket while losers will be placed on the lower side, one loss away from elimination.
Group A:
Thijs vs. NoTomorrow
Kno vs. JAB
Group B:
Kranich vs. Lifecoach
Zoro vs. Nias
Group C:
LoveCX vs. Ostkaka
Hotform vs. Neilyo
Group D:
Purple vs. Pinpingho
Neirea vs. DieMang
Want more information? Tomorrow we'll have a look at exactly what decks were brought to the tournament. Everything else you could ever want to know can be found in the full article.
炉石
Five Fun Casual Hearthstone Combos
There's no shortage of cool and interesting combo plays to be made in Hearthstone. From the straightforward and competitive to the most obtuse RNG fueled combinations that you can think of, there's plenty to go around. This week's video highlights five that we think are particularly fun to pull of in a more casual setting. They're primarily looked upon as bad or just are too unlikely to ever be relied upon, but are a ton a fun to pull off.
My personal favorite? All of the combos made possible due to and like in .
After you've checked out the video in the full article, head to the comments section and share your own favorite combos. We'll be taking a look at them later in the week!
炉石
Hearthhead at Blizzcon - Wowhead Party
Yet another Blizzcon is upon us and as a result you can expect to find us there. We'll be kicking things off with Wowhead, our sister site, by celebrating its tenth anniversary with a party you don't want to miss.
Sound like something you're interested in? Let us know you're coming! Admission to the party is free, but RSVPing helps us get an estimate of you viewers will be coming. It allows us to send an email/calendar reminder when our party draws closer.
Click here to RSVP to the Wowhead Blizzcon Party
We've also got some fantastic pins created by the folks over at
GamingPins
. The Hearthhead one is below, for a peek at the rest head on over to
Wowhead
. They all look absolutely fantastic including those custom
Overking
pins.
What else is going on? Lots! Keep reading for more details including the chance to
win one of ten Virtual Tickets
.
炉石
Warsong Commander Nerf Set to Change Hearthstone's Meta
It's been a long time since Blizzard has changed any released cards in Hearthstone. Way back in January when was the definition of anti-fun, the developer finally decided enough was enough and brought it down a peg. The interesting thing about is that it was actually fine until a bug fix was released that finally allowed it to perform as intended, granting charge to minions that were spawned through on board effects. Previously it had only worked with those that you cast from your hand. For that reason only your first would be given Charge and as a result Grim Patron Warrior was a much weaker deck overall. But we all know what happened once this was set in motion: the deck rose to the top of competitive play and never really wavered.
How will this have an impact on the meta? What will we see replace it? Is this truly the end of Grim Patron Warrior? All this and more is discussed in this week's video.
炉石
Crafting Guide - Arcane Dust, Golden Cards, & Disenchanting
Ever found yourself perplexed as to exactly what you should be doing with extra cards? Maybe you aren't so sure you want all of those goldens sitting in your collection. Or perhaps you just want to know what you should be crafting. Our new Crafting Guide talks you through arcane dust, what crafting and disenchanting are, and how golden cards play into all of this. You have some decisions to make for sure, so let us know if you have any questions.
Crafting is a means of obtaining cards without buying packs. It is currently the only way you can collect cards without relying on random chance from either packs or rewards from various game modes. Cards are crafted with varying amounts of Arcane Dust () depending on their rarity and quality.
Cards fall under various categories that effect whether they can be crafted or not. Those rewarded from Adventures for example must be earned by playing their respective wing. Golden versions of those cards can be crafted at the appropriate price however. Others such as Soulbound cards earned by leveling up your heroes can't be crafted in either form. Then there are promotional cards like and which can only be obtained through crafting.
Click here to keep reading.
炉石
Pros React to Warsong Commander Nerf
Needless to say, the impending nerf has the community both rejoicing and up in arms. Many knew the deck was problematic as there just wasn't enough counterplay around it. Any minions at all on your board just served to make their s stronger, leaving every match feeling like a delicate race against time as you hoped they didn't draw the right cards. That said, it's easily one of the hardest decks to ever exist in Hearthstone, and because of that many pros appreciated the depth it brought to competitive play. Casual players on the other hand were punished if they didn't know all the right win conditions and ways to play around .
So what seems to be the consensus among the best players in the world? Actually there doesn't appear to be one, most knew it was an issue, but many thought Blizzard's nerf was a little too hamfisted.
Kripparrian
Kripp finds himself in the latter camp that is glad to have had the issue taken care of but thinks is now a flaming pile of garbage. He takes exception to Ben Brode's assertion that players, "just don't know how good ] is." It may be a bit of a misunderstanding as we took it to mean that we know it's bad, but new players don't, whereas Kripp seems to believe Brode is saying the card is still very good.
More pros including the likes of Trump, ADWTCA, and Kibler weigh in after the jump.
炉石
Patch 3.2.1 Live on Android - Warsong Commander Nerfed
Update: Blizzard appears to be compensating players affected by the issue, check out the full post for details.
Android players have been greeted with a new Hearthstone patch that includes the upcoming Warsong Commander nerf. While Blizzard has said that this patch was planned for next week, it's already available on the Amazon Appstore and Google Play Store.
Blizzard
What's new in version 3.2.10604
General
Hearthstone has been localized in Japanese.
The following card back has been added:
-- Highmaul - Acquired by reaching Rank 20 or higher in Ranked Play mode during the month of October.
The following card has been changed:
-- Warsong Commander now reads "Your Charge minions have +1 Attack."
Various audio, graphical, and UI issues have been resolved.
You may want to avoid playing on your Android device until the patch is released on PC, we explain why after the jump.
炉石
Why Isn't Shaman Viable?
I remember when I first started playing Hearthstone competitively I chose Shaman as the class that I liked the most. Over the span of a few months I managed to crack into past Rank 15 and felt so very accomplished. It was a rough ride full of frustrating RNG, painful losses, and close wins. It wasn't until some time later that I discovered the joy that was Hunter that I realized exactly how hamstrung I was simply by choosing the Shaman class. Despite three sets of new cards releasing since then, Shaman is still in a very bad spot at the bottom of the meta rankings. Only Priest, which recently got a competitive Dragon archetype is even somewhat close to the numbers that Thrall puts up month after month.
Looking back at it, as someone who's broken Rank 2 a few times, I remember the class fondly in a time where I wasn't worried what was in the meta or even knew what netdecking was. But here and now, with most now being more aware than ever what's good and what's terrible, Shaman struggles to make a case for itself.
After the jump, we take a look at exactly why this class isn't viable.
炉石
Randomonium Tavern Brawl, Best of Hearthstone Americas Championship
Randomonium Tavern Brawl
Good luck predicting anything this week as this brawl randomizes not only which cards are in your deck, but each and every turn their mana costs are randomized too! Turn 1 anybody? However, it does seem the randomness does follow a couple of standard rules.
A card can only have a reduced mana cost.
Cards drawn after the turn starts will not have a reduced mana cost.
For a history of Tavern Brawls and to get the full schedule, check out our guide.
Designer Insights: Warsong Commander
Ben Brode has uploaded a 10 minute video to Youtube, that discusses the upcoming nerf to Warsong Commander.
Best of Hearthstone Americas Championship
4. Conquest Explanation
The official competitive format of Hearthstone, Conquest can be tough to explain to folks unfamiliar with how the game works. Just prior to this weekend's competition, Blizzard showed a quick, informative walkthrough of how the format works including how decks are prepared, picked, and how winners are declared. For those new to the esports side of the game, it's a must watch before diving into the action.
Skip to 2:20 for the video.
Three more after the jump!
炉石
Card Back Guide Now Live
Have you ever looked at our
card back database
and found yourself wondering exactly how you get that one really awesome design that you've seen countless times in game? Or maybe it's that weird one with the purple flame that you rarely ever see? Well to make things simpler for you, we've launched our Card Back Guide which conveniently explains what card backs are, how to obtain them, manage your collection, and exactly which ones are still available to unlock.
Along with that you'll find every single ranked reward that's ever existed, which one is up for grabs this month, and what ones are locked behind a pay gate. There's a whole slew of them and the collection only keeps growing as time goes on, so don't miss out on one because we never know when they'll come back, if ever.
Click here to go to our Card Back Guide.
炉石
Announcing Deck of the Day
Those of you that follow us on social media may already be aware of our Deck of the Day efforts. Though we don't always highlight one every single day, we do like to draw attention to some decks that are getting attention from our community. To make it easier (and a bit more visually appealing), we also create a cool graphic to give you a quick glance at what we're talking about. Of course if you do appreciate and use the deck, make sure to click through the link and give the creator your feedback. Whether that comes in the form of upvotes/downvotes or comments is completely up to you.
For example, here's today's along with some previous entries:
Each week we'll also be making a post on the front page gathering the entire week's decks including a summary of each, our thoughts, and ways to best utilize them. You can expect this to start on Friday and we look forward to seeing you there.
Want more frequent updates than that? Head on over to our newest
Sticky'd Topic on the forums
where you can also discuss each deck in the same location every time. Or you click the images below to be brought to our social media accounts where you'll receive updates including news posts, discussions, and of course each Deck of the Day.
炉石
Video: Piloted Shredder, Design Space, and the Meta & Free Hearthstone Pack
In this week's video we break down the different ways has affected Hearthstone both in and out of game. It's a quick look at how that infamous 4/3 with a deathrattle has impacted the current meta, what its existence means for the future, and how other cards compare to that. So lets head over to the chalkboard and do some explaining...don't worry though, this will only take four minutes.
Want that free pack? We tell you how after the jump!
炉石
The Glory of Effigy, Behind the Scenes of The Grand Tournament
I'll be the first to admit that can sometimes be debilitating. With the increased number of Mage secrets since the release of vanilla Hearthstone, there are more and more considerations you need to make before making any moves. Is that secret ? ? Or maybe it's just a Freeze Mage with .
Back when was first revealed,
we broke down
how we thought it would fare in the popular decks at the time. Ironically we thought we'd see very little of it in some of the more expensive control decks that were already heavy with secrets that stall the game out, but that's exactly where they've prospered. It simply hasn't proven to provide enough value in the more aggressive Tempo Mages of the world.
And why is it so good? Set it up correctly and it can oftentimes be an instant victory. Just watch these clips from Kibler's ladder climb this month.
Even more after the jump!
炉石
Quest Guide Now Available
For every player that doesn't actually spend money on Hearthstone, quests are arguably the most important part of the game. It takes experience to learn how to play, but after that you'll eventually need the right cards to make the proper decks. And without spending some cash, the only way to do so is to earn your weight in gold. In our latest guide, which focuses on quests, we talk about the basics, when you should reroll, how to maximizing your gold income, and some hidden quests you may not know about.
Click here to go to Quest Guide - Complete List, Rerolling, & Maximizing Gold
Want a quick preview? Check out the full article.
炉石
The Post-Grand Tournament Arena Class Tier List
It's now been just over a month since The Grand Tournament released and it's safe to say that the Arena meta has finally settled down. While many debate how influential this expansion was for Constructed, there's no debating that's a solid mark has been left on the Arena scene. The general class rankings have shifted just about everywhere, but here's our own take on which ones you should be prioritizing.
9. Warrior
Blizzard
has
to hate Warriors in Arena. Almost all of its Grand Tournament cards are situational and rely on other cards for them to be worth playing. Only the rares could be considered sometimes playable and those aren't nearly as good as other class rares to begin with. Outside of which you'll maybe see once ever, Warrior only proceeded to get even worse. RIP.
8. Priest
We almost feel like Priest should be ranked higher but the truth is we just can't. Even with a slower Arena meta, there's just not enough grey area with the class. Either you have a board presence and win or you're behind and lose. is a fantastic threat but problems with the class itself means it can't knock Warlock down a peg.
7. Warlock
You would think Warlock was ranked higher than this but The Grand Tournament simply wasn't kind to the class. Just about everything it got was mediocre or actually terrible. is the lone exception, especially if you get it from various RNG cards like .
6. Hunter
Secrets have always been one of the Hunter's strengths and though has added to that, it's still not the same tier as or . Another common, can be huge if you win the
Joust
. Overall, Hunter just didn't get a huge boost to its quality of Arena cards.
Top five after the jump!
炉石
Revisiting Solo Adventures with Grand Tournament Cards
There's always something immensely enjoyable about taking newly released cards and bringing them back to a time to challenges that were created before they existed. We did exactly this for three of the more infamous encounters with a bunch of Grand Tournament cards and each time we ended up with the victory.
Heroic Naxxramas
You may remember the
Heroic Loatheb
challenge as the one with all the s. Dealing with early aggression and the consistent damage from his hero power is usually the biggest challenge. As such, we added TGT cards like , , and to keep you alive. Since all but two of his minions cost four or less mana, winning Jousts should really be no problem and they'll keep you alive in the Tempo game.
is a surprisingly good card in adventures so you'll probably see him in most future decks. In 's case, this forces him to decide between playing a bunch of cards or reducing his field presence for a hero power activation. is simply a way to get more of a board presence before you ping off his s.
We revisit a few Blackrock Mountain bosses after the jump.
炉石
Check out the Winning Decks from the ATLC Finals
Last weekend Team Nihilum took home the Archon Team League Championship over Cloud9. It's been a good amount of time since
we last covered the tournament
, but thought it would be a good time to highlight the six decks that led the team to a $150,000 victory. Understandably there's no tremendous outlier as far as risks go, but as always there are some very important tech decisions that inevitably made all the difference.
Thijs
The Grand Tournament has certainly instilled some amount of variance among Druids. Sometimes you'll see and , but the only card Thijs was sure about including was which has the chance to completely ramp the game out of control. There are few surprises in the deck aside from which simply looks to deal with aggro and pose a big problem for Grim Patron Warriors that have already blown their .
You always have a few decisions when running this deck archetype. You can see here that Thijs has opted for a instead of two s to help him relieve some early game pressure. Everything else is your basic run-of-the-mill Freeze Mage.
Four more decks from RDU and Lifecoach follow the jump.
炉石
Joust Guide Now Live
Click here to go to our Joust Guide.
Though it doesn't have a keyword Joust is one of the most complicated automated interactions in Hearthstone. Understanding exactly how it works and in what situations you'll be favored is extremely important. As such, we've released a new guide to help you get a grasp on what many view as one of the trickier mechanics in the game.
Want a quick preview? The Introduction is available in the full post.
炉石
Appreciating Randomized Tavern Brawls
It doesn't seem that long ago that anyone and everyone was clamoring for more Constructed Tavern Brawls. Especially following the release of The Grand Tournament, the entire community was anxious to see how the new cards changed some of the previous brawls. But as time has gone on, I've come to readily appreciate the purely randomized events where playing any class is quick and easy.
Aside from the fact that Heart of the Sunwell (start with 10 mana) and It's Raining Mana (gain two mana each turn) feel genuinely uninspiring every time they roll around, others like Double Deathrattler Battler make me feel as if I'm trying a bit to hard to win each match. I play ranked religiously and the Tavern is my main way of escaping some of the seriousness that comes with it. So having to run things like and can leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth. And lately, as I've found myself slightly burned out on the ladder, I've turned to these weekly outings as a way to keep playing the game I love without all of the seriousness.
Don't get me wrong, I had a ton of fun running a Combo Shaman with , , and . Those plays were fantastic when opponents actually failed to destroy me in just a few turns. But when Blizzard announced that this week's Brawl was Too Many Portals, I knew I was ready to spam it for the remainder of the week. For one, everyone has relatively the same deck (aside from the seven random spells), so you don't need to worry about maximizing its power. Random chance takes over from there: if you get bad spells, it's not your fault, bad s? Again, nothing you can do. And somehow that comes as a comfort to me.
Plus you get to see some crazy stuff. Yesterday as you may have seen from our
Twitter account
, I ended up playing into two s. It was amazing in every way possible and is representative of exactly why I've come to enjoy Encounter at the Crossroads, Too Many Portals, and Spiders, Spiders Everywhere so much. There's just so many situations that would never happen without these specific Brawls. Combined with the fact that you'll almost certainly see cards that are almost never played, you just never know what's going to happen next.
While I've been asking for Constructed Brawls just like everyone else for quite some time, being able to just select a class and hop into a match has become a welcome sight. (And plus you can finish pesky bounties for classes you don't really play).
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