I'm not sure what you are asking, if you are asking how do I not be frustrated with this game, that's impossible. The game is consistently frustrating, for a variety of reasons, it's unavoidable. From the player base to just the way the game was designed, swingy turns, ridiculous decks, people playing things you aren't used to, it goes on and on.
Just try not to break anything in your room and don't play for that long of a stretch.
If you want to concede, concede, if you really don't think you'll win, maybe you will, but meh.
Since the beginning, I've been referred to as an "R20 Scrub."
There is this rampant attitude of "you don't know anything because you're R20."
I just want to get to a respectable rank, is all. However, the ladder, especially control matches are just ick. I would like to reach R15 to prove that I can, and that I do take this game seriously. It's just easier for me to read articles than it is to watch streams. (I watch my own replays/spectate friends)
As for spending more time at work, labor laws won't let me and they have recently put a cap on how much over-time I can attain.
Well, there are decks that are near auto wins against a bunch of popular classes, if played correctly, that should easily get you win streaks. You just need to understand how to play them. Quest Dragon Priest is one, easy wins against Paladin, Warlock, and competitive against most of the top decks. It's an expensive deck to craft however. It's also a slow deck that may not fit your playstyle.
Aggro Hunter isn't the go to quick climb deck it used to be.
Just play for fun and forget about tanking in the ladder. Ranked doesnt translate to skill anymore, so a rank 5 and 20 player are likely almost identical in ability. Believe it or not.
I used to get to 5 regularly, but now I’m stuck st 15 because HS will only match me against my hard counters. So I play for fun with memes and haven’t looked back.
Also Rank 5 and Legend players are very similar in skills, Legend is basically rank 20, you've read it here first folks!
The only difference with both is only being up 100 wins.
So, my question is are there any tips/tricks that can help me focus on the prize? Rather than just concede, I'd like to be a better player and a better opponent. I am open to constructive criticism.
Quick background - I started during The Grand Tournament, but it took me a long time to get much past rank 15. Eventually I had some epiphanies about the mistakes in my play, and would reach rank 5 regularly. Finally got Legend for the first time 2 months ago. So I absolutely know where you are coming from.
A traditional midrange hunter isn't terribly strong right now. There are a lot of control decks out there, so things like Spreading Plague can just cripple your board with a single card. Additionally, board clears like Volcano can wipe out your board, and decks like HealZoo warlock can have crazy swing turns where suddenly they trade your board down, but throw out some heals and now have 3 minions again. So admittedly, while I love midrange hunter, I dont personally think it's very strong in the current meta.
The good thing is that this meta is so diverse - there are several viable decks for every class. If you want to climb from 15-10 more effectively, you might want to try a different deck that is slightly more powerful.
That said, the most important part of being good at any collectible card game is understand your opponent's deck. Once you understand what your opponent is playing, you should be asking yourself "what is their likely or best play next turn?" That should help you answer the other questions you need to take into account. For example, if its turn 4 and you have a good amount of minions on board ask yourself "is this board scary enough to make my opponent drop a volcano on turn 5?" Obviously, you dont know for sure if they have it, but if that answer is yes, they'll drop it, then maybe you want to hold the Bearshark in your hand instead of playing it, since it's just going to get removed anyways.
You also mention a problem I used to have - holding cards for too long to try and gain MAXIMUM value from it. What I've learned watching top players is that sometimes, you just have to play what's in your hand because it's the best play for the turn. Yeah, maybe you have a Hex in hand and they only have a 4/4 on board, and you really want to hold it until you can Hex an 8/8. But if you hold it, and that 4/4 ends up beating the hell out of you, what's the point? By the time that 8/8 comes down for you to Hex, the game is essentially already over since you took a huge beating from the 4/4 and are now way behind.
I'd be happy to friend you and watch some games and give you pointers. My wife plays, and I've been working with her lately, and over the last 2 months she has gone from just getting to 15 at the end of each month to easily hitting 15 now, and ending around rank 11. If you're interested, just shoot me a private message with your info so I can friend you.
Oh, and one more thing - I learned a LOT from watching top players explain their plays. Before I go to bed at night, I just take 15 minutes and usually watch the latest video from my favorite players. You can learn a hell of a lot very quickly that way.
If I can recommend two players, check out Firebat (firebat on youtube, who is a Hearthstone world champion) and Brian Kibler (kibler on youtube). Firebat posts a new video each night, and Kibler usually posts 1-3 vids a day. They are both very, very good at explaining WHY they are making their moves, and explain each play. Simply watching Firebat's latest video every day, for example, can probably make you a better player, because his explanations will help you think about the game better, and make you a better player.
i play at legend regularly and most of the biggest mistakes at r20-10 are made in the mulligan tbh.
think about what is the most likely deck your opponent is playing and mulligan for the most important cards in that matchup.
also try to play around stuff like not dropping your spellstone into the 7th turn of a priest when you have a board already because you just make his potential scream probably gamebreaking. people tend to make more mistakes when they have to make not-so-clear-plays, pressure them this way by think about what of your cards is most likely the hardest to deal with in your opponents following turn.
hope this helps
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Well, there are decks that are near auto wins against a bunch of popular classes, if played correctly, that should easily get you win streaks. You just need to understand how to play them. Quest Dragon Priest is one, easy wins against Paladin, Warlock, and competitive against most of the top decks. It's an expensive deck to craft however. It's also a slow deck that may not fit your playstyle.
Aggro Hunter isn't the go to quick climb deck it used to be.
Also Rank 5 and Legend players are very similar in skills, Legend is basically rank 20, you've read it here first folks!
The only difference with both is only being up 100 wins.
want ez legend, make wild even shaman and cruise from 5 to legend at a modest 70% win rate.
Quick background - I started during The Grand Tournament, but it took me a long time to get much past rank 15. Eventually I had some epiphanies about the mistakes in my play, and would reach rank 5 regularly. Finally got Legend for the first time 2 months ago. So I absolutely know where you are coming from.
A traditional midrange hunter isn't terribly strong right now. There are a lot of control decks out there, so things like Spreading Plague can just cripple your board with a single card. Additionally, board clears like Volcano can wipe out your board, and decks like HealZoo warlock can have crazy swing turns where suddenly they trade your board down, but throw out some heals and now have 3 minions again. So admittedly, while I love midrange hunter, I dont personally think it's very strong in the current meta.
The good thing is that this meta is so diverse - there are several viable decks for every class. If you want to climb from 15-10 more effectively, you might want to try a different deck that is slightly more powerful.
That said, the most important part of being good at any collectible card game is understand your opponent's deck. Once you understand what your opponent is playing, you should be asking yourself "what is their likely or best play next turn?" That should help you answer the other questions you need to take into account. For example, if its turn 4 and you have a good amount of minions on board ask yourself "is this board scary enough to make my opponent drop a volcano on turn 5?" Obviously, you dont know for sure if they have it, but if that answer is yes, they'll drop it, then maybe you want to hold the Bearshark in your hand instead of playing it, since it's just going to get removed anyways.
You also mention a problem I used to have - holding cards for too long to try and gain MAXIMUM value from it. What I've learned watching top players is that sometimes, you just have to play what's in your hand because it's the best play for the turn. Yeah, maybe you have a Hex in hand and they only have a 4/4 on board, and you really want to hold it until you can Hex an 8/8. But if you hold it, and that 4/4 ends up beating the hell out of you, what's the point? By the time that 8/8 comes down for you to Hex, the game is essentially already over since you took a huge beating from the 4/4 and are now way behind.
I'd be happy to friend you and watch some games and give you pointers. My wife plays, and I've been working with her lately, and over the last 2 months she has gone from just getting to 15 at the end of each month to easily hitting 15 now, and ending around rank 11. If you're interested, just shoot me a private message with your info so I can friend you.
Oh, and one more thing - I learned a LOT from watching top players explain their plays. Before I go to bed at night, I just take 15 minutes and usually watch the latest video from my favorite players. You can learn a hell of a lot very quickly that way.
If I can recommend two players, check out Firebat (firebat on youtube, who is a Hearthstone world champion) and Brian Kibler (kibler on youtube). Firebat posts a new video each night, and Kibler usually posts 1-3 vids a day. They are both very, very good at explaining WHY they are making their moves, and explain each play. Simply watching Firebat's latest video every day, for example, can probably make you a better player, because his explanations will help you think about the game better, and make you a better player.
i play at legend regularly and most of the biggest mistakes at r20-10 are made in the mulligan tbh.
think about what is the most likely deck your opponent is playing and mulligan for the most important cards in that matchup.
also try to play around stuff like not dropping your spellstone into the 7th turn of a priest when you have a board already because you just make his potential scream probably gamebreaking. people tend to make more mistakes when they have to make not-so-clear-plays, pressure them this way by think about what of your cards is most likely the hardest to deal with in your opponents following turn.
hope this helps