Hello, everyone! This is the start of my second quest to improve in the arena. My first quest (Teach a Man to Fish #1 [Druid]) was a thread that covered an Arena draft were I made my picks after getting feedback from the fine folks here. I shared my gut reactions to my options and got feedback from the community on what they'd pick, and more importantly why. It was super helpful for me; I got 5 wins out of my run, which was the second best I've ever done. Surprisingly I got a lot of positive feedback from others that they appreciated reading through the thread to help themselves as well, and because of that, I'm doing it again. So join me for another arena draft quest: Teach a Man to Fish #2!
OPTIONS FOR PICK #20: Mind Control Tech vs Stampeding Kodo vs Sunfury Protector. All a bunch of tech cards apparently. MCT sounds like it would potentially be the most difficult to use properly, but a 3/3 for 3 also isn't terrible. The Kodo can certainly be quite helpful, but is also rather situational. Then again, perhaps the greater focus on 2 and 3 drops in arena match-ups makes this a more powerful option. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on that. And finally, the Sunfury is a 2/3 for 2, which is decent and can give taunt. I've seen this used with deadly purpose of course in constructed. Does that translate over into arena?
Yikes... so as I understand the arena (which bear in mind, always take my understandings with a grain of salt) Paladin and Mage are the top dogs. My best arena run ever was 7 wins with a Mage, but that was frankly due to 4 Flamestrikes and 2 Fireballs. In regards to the Warrior class, I just straight up don't know where it stands in regard to the others in arena. I'm frankly open to all three classes and would love to hear some thoughts on what you fine folks would pick.
Pally is my go to in arena. I rarely get below 5 wins even if I feel I had a bad draft. Mage is solid but I feel it's a little overrated. Flamestrike is so expensive it usually takes your whole turn and you can't put anything significant on the board. Minibot for pally is such a good card in arena and the rares are great tempo or board control tools, Aldor, equality, muster.
Im glad you're doing another one of these btw, I had to comment so I could follow it easily in notifications.
I'd say the pick between Paladin or Mage is really about your familiarity and comfort with the classes. They both have some very good class/common cards (including ae spells) that make them effective in arena. Either one is going to be a good pick and a learning experience which is what you are after right?
Mage and Paladin (in that order) are the two top-performing classes as far as statistics go. It's hard to go wrong with either of these. Warrior isn't bad either and can make for some good value/control games, and as the statistics go we're not talking anything drastic, just a 4% difference in win rate.
I would just go with what you want to learn about in the thread.
Learning is definitely what I'm after. I would say that I'm probably most comfortable with Mage in constructed play, although none of these three classes are what I main in. I'm primarily a Druid and Hunter player. Based on what I'm seeing, most of you would go Mage and I'd be most comfortable playing Mage out of these three, so Mage it is!
Options for pick #1: Hungry Crab vs Fel Reaver vs Doomsayer. Yikes... I feel like all of these kinda suck for arena picks. These don't sound great as constructed picks either unless you specifically build around them. I frankly have noooo idea which of these to pick. #startingstrong
Hungry Crab is just terrible in arena because no one plays murlocs consistently.
Doomsayer is only good if you can clear out a large board. And usually when your opponent has a large board they can take out doomsayer easily. You would need some kind of freeze spell to make doomsayer work consistently.
Fel Reaver is a card you need to know when to play. If you play it at a wrong time, your opponent can mill you. Otherwise, it can provide good tempo and give you the push to win the game.
I'd go with Fel Reaver personally. Things to keep in mind with the reaver
1) Arena games rarely go to fatigue. You can't reliably build a control deck or a mill rogue/druid, etc. 2) If you do somehow get to fatigue it doesn't do damage to you when you opponent plays a card. It's a discard mechanic not a draw mechanic. 3) Your opponent is a lot less likely to have a bunch of cards in hand to play on turn 5 or 6 to make you discard a bunch of cards in the arena.
A lot of people don't like the Reaver and psychologically see all the cards that get discarded and "losing" them is hard but the reality is you have no idea what order the deck is in and you could just as easily end up drawings something good because it discarded bad cards for you as the other and if you don't run out of cards entirely it hasn't really hurt you. It's just a big cheap minion.
Doomsayer isn't bad. It's basically either a cheap board wipe or eats a removal or 7+ damage that doesn't go to your face but as a Mage you've got plenty of removal options that are pretty common.
I'd also go with Fel Reaver. It's risky, but the right type of risky where you'll often get good value from it and only occasionally mill out. You do want to make sure you're not playing it in a big stall situation. Say your opponent just duplicated a belcher; don't play it then.
Doomsayer seems tricky to get value from. I've seen it used in arena as a clever tempo play, where the opponent has maybe two small creatures and can't just use them to kill it. You either save some damage and they use a card to kill it, or they lose their creatures and can't play anything that turn. But it's very situational and can easily just be worthless when you draw it.
Loving this thread very much so I finaly decided to register.
Yeah mage, just because Flamestrike is so good that it plays for you even when you haven't drafted it.
About option 1: Crab is just terrible. Fel Reaver vs Doomsayer is really tough choise as first card cause it completely different playstyles. Still i'd choose Reaver because it's easier to get fast deck on arena.
I believe that the Fel Reaver is the best choice, as it provides a sticky minion on the board for low cost. You can't look at the potential of cards getting milled, as Arena games rarely see one player get milled. Plus there is always the potential of you picking up a silence, where you could essentially stop the mill process.
If you opt for the Doomsayer you will need to try and pick up at least 1 freeze spell to try and capitalize on its use.
EDIT: By the way, I'm glad that this thread is back! I like comparing my thoughts and notes to other arena runners.
Fel Reaver is pretty much an all in card though, don't try to drop it on curve. Save it for turn 7/8 when you already have an established field unless you're in a losing position and need something big.
Hungry Crab and Doomsayer are both very specific picks and I would avoid most of the time.
Sounds like Fel Reaver is the communal choice. After reading through the comments, I can definitely see it's potential now, and especially over the other two options. Picked it up and on we go!
OPTIONS FOR PICK #2: Force-Tank MAX vs Shattered Sun Cleric vs Archmage. So, gut reaction here is the Shatter Sun Cleric. Force-Tank MAX seems like a close second, but I feel like I should value the 3-drop that can help buff/keep alive a 1- or 2- drop a little higher. Thoughts?
Sounds like Fel Reaver is the communal choice. After reading through the comments, I can definitely see it's potential now, and especially over the other two options. Picked it up and on we go!
OPTIONS FOR PICK #2: Force-Tank MAX vs Shattered Sun Cleric vs Archmage. So, gut reaction here is the Shatter Sun Cleric. Force-Tank MAX seems like a close second, but I feel like I should value the 3-drop that can help buff/keep alive a 1- or 2- drop a little higher. Thoughts?
That's not even a choice really. Shattered Sun Cleric. Force Tank max is good if you have need of a late game card, Archmage is okayish but there' just way better 6 mana cards you could be drafting, and with a Fel Reaver in tow, both him and tank seem rather clunky. Cleric is most flexible plus has better potential due to the buffs.
Archmage is a low tier card. Shattered Sun Cleric is better than Tank in the general case and you already determined your deck as fast one by choosing Reaver.
I second (third?) this statement - Shattered Sun Cleric is a nice trick, whereas the other two come in late. You're better off having strong early game and weak late game than the opposite (of course, ideally you'd have both).
SSC it is then! It feels good to actually feel like I knew the right pick. =) Here's another one I'm feeling pretty darn good about, but we'll see if someone decides to disagree:
OPTIONS FOR PICK #3: Haunted Creeper vs Fireball vs Stranglethorn Tiger. Fireball seems to me like it's going to be the pick in like 99% of the time it comes up. I gotta think it's the right pick here. Am I overvaluing in my general statement though?
SSC it is then! It feels good to actually feel like I knew the right pick. =) Here's another one I'm feeling pretty darn good about, but we'll see if someone decides to disagree:
OPTIONS FOR PICK #3: Haunted Creeper vs Fireball vs Stranglethorn Tiger. Fireball seems to me like it's going to be the pick in like 99% of the time it comes up. I gotta think it's the right pick here. Am I overvaluing in my general statement though?
Well, how many two drops do you have in relation to the number of cards you have? Do you have another fireball? If the answer to the prior is "I don't think so" or something, you may want to seriously consider haunted creeper. If the answer to the latter is "Yes" you can lower that 99% down to an 80 or something. Besides that, tiger is a fine minion, but comparatively not as good as the other 2 picks imo.
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Hello, everyone! This is the start of my second quest to improve in the arena. My first quest (Teach a Man to Fish #1 [Druid]) was a thread that covered an Arena draft were I made my picks after getting feedback from the fine folks here. I shared my gut reactions to my options and got feedback from the community on what they'd pick, and more importantly why. It was super helpful for me; I got 5 wins out of my run, which was the second best I've ever done. Surprisingly I got a lot of positive feedback from others that they appreciated reading through the thread to help themselves as well, and because of that, I'm doing it again. So join me for another arena draft quest: Teach a Man to Fish #2!
OPTIONS FOR PICK #20: Mind Control Tech vs Stampeding Kodo vs Sunfury Protector. All a bunch of tech cards apparently. MCT sounds like it would potentially be the most difficult to use properly, but a 3/3 for 3 also isn't terrible. The Kodo can certainly be quite helpful, but is also rather situational. Then again, perhaps the greater focus on 2 and 3 drops in arena match-ups makes this a more powerful option. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on that. And finally, the Sunfury is a 2/3 for 2, which is decent and can give taunt. I've seen this used with deadly purpose of course in constructed. Does that translate over into arena?
Draft History in Spoiler
MAGE CLASS ARENA DECK
PICK A HERO: PALADIN vs MAGE vs WARRIOR
Yikes... so as I understand the arena (which bear in mind, always take my understandings with a grain of salt) Paladin and Mage are the top dogs. My best arena run ever was 7 wins with a Mage, but that was frankly due to 4 Flamestrikes and 2 Fireballs. In regards to the Warrior class, I just straight up don't know where it stands in regard to the others in arena. I'm frankly open to all three classes and would love to hear some thoughts on what you fine folks would pick.
Mage all day every day on this one, warrior is one of the worst classes in arena right now. Paladin is no where near as good as mage.
I returned to this game much like how a recovering alcoholic can relapse.
Mage obv. Paladin is you're next best pick but you only pick paladin if you don't see mage.
Pally is my go to in arena. I rarely get below 5 wins even if I feel I had a bad draft. Mage is solid but I feel it's a little overrated. Flamestrike is so expensive it usually takes your whole turn and you can't put anything significant on the board. Minibot for pally is such a good card in arena and the rares are great tempo or board control tools, Aldor, equality, muster.
Im glad you're doing another one of these btw, I had to comment so I could follow it easily in notifications.
I'd say the pick between Paladin or Mage is really about your familiarity and comfort with the classes. They both have some very good class/common cards (including ae spells) that make them effective in arena. Either one is going to be a good pick and a learning experience which is what you are after right?
Mage and Paladin (in that order) are the two top-performing classes as far as statistics go. It's hard to go wrong with either of these. Warrior isn't bad either and can make for some good value/control games, and as the statistics go we're not talking anything drastic, just a 4% difference in win rate.
I would just go with what you want to learn about in the thread.
Learning is definitely what I'm after. I would say that I'm probably most comfortable with Mage in constructed play, although none of these three classes are what I main in. I'm primarily a Druid and Hunter player. Based on what I'm seeing, most of you would go Mage and I'd be most comfortable playing Mage out of these three, so Mage it is!
Options for pick #1: Hungry Crab vs Fel Reaver vs Doomsayer. Yikes... I feel like all of these kinda suck for arena picks. These don't sound great as constructed picks either unless you specifically build around them. I frankly have noooo idea which of these to pick. #startingstrong
Fel Reaveris the way to go.
Hungry Crab is just terrible in arena because no one plays murlocs consistently.
Doomsayer is only good if you can clear out a large board. And usually when your opponent has a large board they can take out doomsayer easily. You would need some kind of freeze spell to make doomsayer work consistently.
Fel Reaver is a card you need to know when to play. If you play it at a wrong time, your opponent can mill you. Otherwise, it can provide good tempo and give you the push to win the game.
I'd go with Fel Reaver personally. Things to keep in mind with the reaver
1) Arena games rarely go to fatigue. You can't reliably build a control deck or a mill rogue/druid, etc.
2) If you do somehow get to fatigue it doesn't do damage to you when you opponent plays a card. It's a discard mechanic not a draw mechanic.
3) Your opponent is a lot less likely to have a bunch of cards in hand to play on turn 5 or 6 to make you discard a bunch of cards in the arena.
A lot of people don't like the Reaver and psychologically see all the cards that get discarded and "losing" them is hard but the reality is you have no idea what order the deck is in and you could just as easily end up drawings something good because it discarded bad cards for you as the other and if you don't run out of cards entirely it hasn't really hurt you. It's just a big cheap minion.
Doomsayer isn't bad. It's basically either a cheap board wipe or eats a removal or 7+ damage that doesn't go to your face but as a Mage you've got plenty of removal options that are pretty common.
I'd also go with Fel Reaver. It's risky, but the right type of risky where you'll often get good value from it and only occasionally mill out. You do want to make sure you're not playing it in a big stall situation. Say your opponent just duplicated a belcher; don't play it then.
Doomsayer seems tricky to get value from. I've seen it used in arena as a clever tempo play, where the opponent has maybe two small creatures and can't just use them to kill it. You either save some damage and they use a card to kill it, or they lose their creatures and can't play anything that turn. But it's very situational and can easily just be worthless when you draw it.
Loving this thread very much so I finaly decided to register.
Yeah mage, just because Flamestrike is so good that it plays for you even when you haven't drafted it.
About option 1: Crab is just terrible. Fel Reaver vs Doomsayer is really tough choise as first card cause it completely different playstyles. Still i'd choose Reaver because it's easier to get fast deck on arena.
Grammar nazi or just the people who care are warmly welcome in pm.
I believe that the Fel Reaver is the best choice, as it provides a sticky minion on the board for low cost. You can't look at the potential of cards getting milled, as Arena games rarely see one player get milled. Plus there is always the potential of you picking up a silence, where you could essentially stop the mill process.
If you opt for the Doomsayer you will need to try and pick up at least 1 freeze spell to try and capitalize on its use.
EDIT: By the way, I'm glad that this thread is back! I like comparing my thoughts and notes to other arena runners.
Fel Reaver is pretty much an all in card though, don't try to drop it on curve. Save it for turn 7/8 when you already have an established field unless you're in a losing position and need something big.
Hungry Crab and Doomsayer are both very specific picks and I would avoid most of the time.
Sounds like Fel Reaver is the communal choice. After reading through the comments, I can definitely see it's potential now, and especially over the other two options. Picked it up and on we go!
OPTIONS FOR PICK #2: Force-Tank MAX vs Shattered Sun Cleric vs Archmage. So, gut reaction here is the Shatter Sun Cleric. Force-Tank MAX seems like a close second, but I feel like I should value the 3-drop that can help buff/keep alive a 1- or 2- drop a little higher. Thoughts?
That's not even a choice really. Shattered Sun Cleric. Force Tank max is good if you have need of a late game card, Archmage is okayish but there' just way better 6 mana cards you could be drafting, and with a Fel Reaver in tow, both him and tank seem rather clunky. Cleric is most flexible plus has better potential due to the buffs.
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Archmage is a low tier card. Shattered Sun Cleric is better than Tank in the general case and you already determined your deck as fast one by choosing Reaver.
Grammar nazi or just the people who care are warmly welcome in pm.
I second (third?) this statement - Shattered Sun Cleric is a nice trick, whereas the other two come in late. You're better off having strong early game and weak late game than the opposite (of course, ideally you'd have both).
SSC it is then! It feels good to actually feel like I knew the right pick. =) Here's another one I'm feeling pretty darn good about, but we'll see if someone decides to disagree:
OPTIONS FOR PICK #3: Haunted Creeper vs Fireball vs Stranglethorn Tiger. Fireball seems to me like it's going to be the pick in like 99% of the time it comes up. I gotta think it's the right pick here. Am I overvaluing in my general statement though?
Well, how many two drops do you have in relation to the number of cards you have? Do you have another fireball? If the answer to the prior is "I don't think so" or something, you may want to seriously consider haunted creeper. If the answer to the latter is "Yes" you can lower that 99% down to an 80 or something. Besides that, tiger is a fine minion, but comparatively not as good as the other 2 picks imo.