Hearthpwn

Mage draft:  I probably would have taken Forbidden Flame over Tome.  The tome provides great value, but it's slow in a deck that's already running slow.  I would have preferred the removal.  I hope this isn't the typical mage draft moving forward....too many secrets makes for a cumbersome arena.

Game 2 - if you're pinging the alleycats, ping the one with the battlecry.  Avoids brewmaster synergy.

Game 3 - You matched up against a pre-patch priest with strong cards you shouldn't see anymore (fel reaver, 2x shrinkmeister, dark cultist).  That being said, I think towards the end you were trying to rely upon spells/HP to remove minions, when you probably needed to play stormwind champion to get a big minion on the board to contest his larger drops.  I think this was a loss either way.

Game 4 - I wouldn't keep potion of poly in the mulligan.  I don't think you played this game well.  You played incredibly slow and refused to play anything to challenge your opp's board.  The odds were stacked against you due to his incredible dragon synergy, but you made poor plays the entire way.

Game 5 - I throw back ice barrier too.  You need cards to establish board presence early.  Ice barrier doesn't help your board position, and a cabal lackey without the synergy is better than not having a 2 or 3.  Footman on turn 1 is poor, play the lackey (2 attack) to challenge his next play.  Turn 4 - oh look another pre-patch deck....   At this point your hand is awful and it's a slow decline into death.

Something I took away from your draft/replays is that with the increase in spell options, it's important to be choosy in order to have a good deck balance.  In some cases it may be a good idea to draft a lower-scoring minion instead of a higher quality spell.  For instance, looking back over your draft, #17 you'd probably be better with the questing adventurer just for the extra early drop.  #23 refreshment vendor instead of A.E., #26 southsea captain instead of iceblock.  Now if you're getting offered a ton of fireballs and frostbolts, those are really good cards.  but a plethora of secrets is difficult to play with.

@Drakbak: yeah, that draft could have been better. Never really got invested in that deck. The silver lining on it was playing that run out completed my "It's a secret" quest. /shrug

After that last run, I sit down for a quick study session on the new Arena environment. Once I've brushed up, I slot my coin and select my companion--it's time to do it like rogues do it...

ROGUE RUN 8

http://www.heartharena.com/arena-run/bp7371

OK, I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to see Anduin or Rexxar again. Most of my heroes are at 8 runs (including Rogue when this one is done), with only Paladin still at 7, but Priest and Hunter are still stuck at 6. Of course, given my Challenge rules and their higher avg. wins, it's natural for them to be a bit behind, but it's entirely possible I'll have 9 runs with some classes before they hit 7. Of course, this could also lead to 2 or 3 runs in a row with either of them. RNG will come around eventually. Anyway...

Heartharena classified this as aggro-control, but I've been playing more tempo-based, and it's been nice! A few comments on picks:

Pick #4: I really like Blood Knight. At worst it's a vanilla 3/3 for 3, but catching even one divine shield can be instantly game-winning.

Pick #10: I realize Hungry Crab is the lowest rated of the 3, but the other two felt too slow for how I wanted the deck to flow, plus the chance of sniping off an opposing murloc would be a huge swing. A bit risky, but it can also be a combo-activator.

Pick #28: I want this one back. I grabbed the Seer for the board clear, but looking back the Azure Drake was the right pick, both for card draw and to pair with my 4xJade Shuriken. Oh well.

Match 1: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/gjaqjrARg6R8kXoAk4rFfc

This one never really got going for me. I started off fairly decent, but my hand soon became awkward and my opponent began to out-value me. 0-1.

Match 2: Paladin.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/viJyZWCbt7wShFN6eKWg7d

Big swing on Turn 4 got me board control, then a Sap on Sunwalker on Turn 6 put Opp. way behind. Slight misplay on Turn 7 (maybe?): I could have hit the 'walker with Kooky Chemist, then Bomb Squad and 2/2, finishing it with Jade Shuriken and leaving my 4/1 alive. All good, though, Opp. conceded next turn. 1-1.

Match 3: Shaman.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/7cC44yJVkvS4RPybWk2kuF

This one starts rough, with Opp. coining an Unbound Elemental on Turn 2, followed by Totem Golem and Lightning Bolt on Turn 3 both to buff the Elemental and remove my Blood Knight. I hang in there, though, as Opp. is forced into a weak Turn 4 due to overload, and Turn 7 I manage to swing the board and take command. Turn 8 I manage to remove Opp.'s Sunwalker while still developing more board. Turn 9 I drop an activated Drakonid Crusher... which gets Hexed, followed by Elemental Destruction from Lotus Agents. Alas for my opponent, Turn 10 I drop another Crusher. 2-1.

Match 4: Shaman.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/HGanZiVt96gpiUDM4Vj7Df

Two very nice gets from Swashburglar and Undercity Huckster: Earth Elemental and Fireguard Destroyer. The latter gets Hexed, but the former does some major clean-up to put me ahead for good. 3-1.

Great start, aside from that awkward first game. Haven't seen the Jade Swarmer yet, but the Shurikens have definitely been earning their keep. It's really satisfying to have those flip-the-board swing turns, and I've had one in each win so far. I'm enjoying this one!

Match 5: Druid.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/U9aKFR3Gmm5sjBhrJBB7p8

Nearly ran out of steam on this one, but managed to keep just enough board presence to keep up the pressure and finally put Opp. away. 4-1.

Match 6: Paladin.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/asTEiSAZoMMEHKXqDJwb2T

This one was back-and-forth on the board, but eventually I did run out of steam. The 10/8 The Beast Opp. dropped on Turn 11 sealed it. 4-2.

Match 7: Paladin.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/SrjmSkbYPfsaS5Jk89TLcM

Too many value minions from Opp. eventually wear me down and out of resources. 4-3.

Not bad. Looking back at my draft, I think the two card draw opportunities I passed on would have served me well (Fan of Knives and Azure Drake)... but then again, I only saw the Swarmer twice I think. Card draw seems to be the key for the new format, as games tend to go a bit longer.

Haven't done the draft yet, but I went ahead and ponied up the coin for my next run: Mage, Rogue, Warrior. STILL no Anduin or Rexxar. It'll be Mage this time, but I'm thinking about putting out MISSING posters...

MAGE RUN 9

http://www.heartharena.com/arena-run/p8hmby

This deck looks much more cohesive than my last Mage deck, but I still had some awkward picks. I managed to get a bit of card draw this time in the Drake and the Burglebot (though the 'bot is iffy), and finally got a Legendary in the new system. Gonna sleep on this draft; may get to it tomorrow morning... if i'm awake enough.

Match 1: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/vSCYHAMTn796oS4EGeBbsm

Long, slow match that came down my opponent running out of threats before I ran out of answers. Arcane Giant + Divine Spirit should have been GG for him, but I had my Polymorph. 1-0.

Match 2: Mage.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/P7MVPrnfHXzDS6d9XNhbGE

Another match where I simply out-lasted my opponent. 2-0.

Match 3: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/jNWqnSTx9fBJkRdHHWCqLG

Match 4: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/TcJk8QMRL8mbvBoQGE26H4

Match 5: Shaman.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/wawS6GDgFPuzBdstndtAhU

In Matches 3-5, I played too slow. The arena meta may have slowed a bit, but not THAT slow. I let my opponents get too far ahead and buried myself. 2-3.

So it seems I still need to adjust a bit to the new standard. It's odd--Mage used to be one of my better classes, but lately I've been struggling a bit with Jaina. Might need to jump into constructed with her for a while to reacquaint myself with her (it worked with Warlock).

Dialing up my next run, we have a Rexxar sighting! Finally!

HUNTER RUN 7

http://www.heartharena.com/arena-run/53pni1

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Let's go eat some faces!

Match 1: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/wYBGVFJug2Rq6CaPcUKhYN

This one was quick and brutal. Going first, after we both pass Turn 1, I draw into good curve with Huge Toad into Hired Gun into Houndmaster; meanwhile, Opp. coins Kabal Courier Turn 2, uses it and Mortal Coil to kill my Hired Gun and taps Turn 3, and drops Violet Illusionist Turn 4. Turn 5 I put the hammer down: Desert Camel draws my Worgen Infiltrator... and nothing for Opp. Quick Shot takes care of the Illusionist, and me go face (Opp. to 11). Opp. plays Imp Master and Sunfury Protector... which leaves lethal on board (with HP). 1-0.

Match 2: Rogue.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/Pav4i4kqY7uBAty7UCNrNS

Going second, my opening hand is great curve: 2xDispatch Kodo, Huge Toad, and Infiltrator. Turn 1 I drop the Infiltrator after Opp. passes. Turn 2 Opp. plays Undercity Huckster; I trade and drop the Toad. Turn 3 Opp. plays Desert Camel (no fair!) and gets Zealous Initiate for free; after taking a moment to consider proper order, I coin a Kodo, hitting the Camel, then kill it with my Toad and win the 50/50 to kill the Initiate. Turn 4 Opp. plays Jade Spirit (1/1 golem); I drop my second Kodo on the Spirit and use the Kodo on board to kill it. Turn 5 Opp. plays another Spirit (2/2 golem... not liking this) and Small-Time Buccaneer and pings my face with the 1/1; I drop Midnight Drake (5/4), pop the 2/2 golem with Arcane Shot, and clear the 1/1's with my Kodos. Turn 6 Opp. gets annoying: hits me in the face with Spirit, daggers up to kill my 1 health Kodo, Conceals the Spirit, and hits my Drake with Eviscerate; I play Tomb Spider (Acidmaw, The Beast, Rat Pack--took the rats) and Pompous Thespian and hit face. Turn 7 Opp. plays Lotus Assassin (ah, hell...), trades Spirit for Thespian, goes face to face, and daggers up; I play the Rats and Cloaked Huntress and go face with Kodo and Spider. Turn 8 Opp. buffs the Assassin with Shadow Sensei, kills my Huntress, then heals the Assassin with Earthen Ring Farseer and goes face to face again; I reload my hand: I drop Cult Master, trade Spider for Farseer and both Kodo and Rats for Sensei (popping 2 Rats), drawing 3 cards in the process, then drop the newly-drawn Trogg Beastrager (which hits my 3rd Dispatch, nice!) and HP. Turn 9 Opp. is getting desperate: Assassin into Cult Master and face into Rat, then Opp. uses Bomb Squad on the Beastrager? I drop Knife Juggler, Loot Hoarder (knife into Assassin), and my 3rd Kodo (kill the bombardier, knife into Assassin again), then hit face with Rat (Opp. to 12). Turn 10 Opp. goes all-in, playing every card in hand: Tomb Pillager, Unearthed Raptor (copy Pillager), and Toxic Sewer Ooze, then kills my Hoarder with face; I play my Crowd Favorite, then kill the Pillager with Bomb Squad, trade Juggler for Ooze (thank you flying knives), and hit face with Rat. Turn 11 Opp. concedes. 2-0.

Match 3: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/Ebnw8zBruJfAej7jkxaoeT

Going first again, I again have good curve... or I think I do until Opp. coins Wrathguard on Turn 1 after I pass. Turn 2 I catch a break and draw into Trogg Beastrager... only to watch Opp. nuke it with Bluegill Warrior and smorc me for 4 (at least it buffed my Kodo). Turn 3 I play Cloaked Huntress (just can't seem to draw that and my trap together...); Opp. trades and drops Spider Tank. Turn 4, despite it not being quite enough to kill it, I hit the Tank for 3 with my 3/5 Kodo; Opp. plays Voidcaller (wtf... ah, hell, it's a wild deck) and... runs the Tank into my Kodo? Turn 5 I play Knife Juggler and Amani Berserker (knife go face!) and go face with Kodo; Opp. taps, plays Second-Rate Bruiser, and kills my Juggler. Turn 6 I play Savannah Highmane and run both minions into the taunt to kill it; Opp. plays Archmage and goes face. Turn 7 I drop my Stormwind Champion and kill the wizard; Opp. kills my Highmane with the 'caller (pulls Imp Gang Boss, not bad), plays Hellfire to clear my Hyenas (and pop an Imp), and drops another Imp Gang Boss. Turn 8 I play Mukla's Champion, HP, and SMOrc with the champion (Opp. to 9); Opp. goes face with everything and drops Felfire Potion, clearing my board and leaving 2 Imps behind... but also dropping to 4 health. Turn 10 Dispatch Kodo + HP ends it. 3-0.

I. Like. This. Deck. It really is mid-range, just the right balance of aggression and control. It's a style I'm comfortable with, like the Midrange Hunter decks from before the CotW nerf. Hopefully I can find the time to play this one out soon, 'cause it's hunting season!

One note from watching the some of these runs....when you're given the choice to ping one of 2 or more 1/1's, you need to make sure to consider your opponent's class.  In that last Mage match (against the shaman) you had the choice of pinging the 1/1 sheep or the 1/1 totem.  Against the shaman, i will ALWAYS ping the totem for 2 reasons:  1) reduces his odds of getting a needed totem should he HP the next turn since the fire totem is thrown back into the RNG machine. 2) Totem synergy with other cards like Thunderbluff Valiant.  Shaman don't have synergy with beasts, so the 1/1 sheep is safe.  Against paladins, I will usually pick the 1/1 recruits, and against hunters I will pick a 1/1 beast over a non-beast.  With the alley cat card that summons an extra 1/1, I make sure to ping the one with the battlecry to avoid brewmaster synergy.

Just a tip since I see you consistently missing these choices.

Holy crap there's an app that records your matches!? 

I need to get in on this action

Quote from Drakbak »

Just a tip since I see you consistently missing these choices.

Thanks, Drak. In all 3 of the instances you mentioned, I thought about those exact points AFTER making my play. Went a bit too quick I guess. As always, much appreciated.

Match 4: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/hbjdW8xpSnqi4snxjiKpoc

Going first as Hunter against Warlock is easy when you curve out... or when you don't curve out, but the Warlock curves poorly as well. 4-0.

Match 5: Paladin.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/afEbfPvXW3VL2BWPyepCTQ

Not quite sure where this one went south, but Opp.'s Turn 7 Grimestreet Protector put me in a bad spot and gave my Opp. board control. SO hard to come back against paladin when they get the board. 4-1.

Match 6: Mage.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/wBx7auQJnm2Ga5gKLNECoh

Turn 5 I play Tomb Spider and get offered Dreadscale, Fiery Bat... and King Krush! I take the dinosaur (duh!), and sure enough, come Turn 9 I've lost the board, but Opp. is down to 11 health... well, make that 3 health. Opp. tries to rush me down and even plays a secret with 1 health... but it wasn't Ice Block. 5-1.

Match 7: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/dxZ9xvzRfCo9pkgJmjw52V

So, my opponent went first: pass Turn 1, Dark Peddler Turn 2, tap Turn 3, Drain Life on my Huge Toad Turn 4, Crystalweaver Turn 5, Kabal Chemist + tap Turn 6... meanwhile I've had a beautiful 1-2-4-4 curve, and Turn 5 is Dispatch Kodo + Arcane Shot to remove the 'weaver... Opp. conceded with 9 cards in hand. 6-1.

Match 8: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/QaTqR3L8pCYkckmM2kvkNJ

I was doing well with this one, but Turns 7 and 8 I think I misplayed. First, Turn 7: after my Desert Camel pulled Opp.'s Dragon Egg into the battlefield (triggering Opp.'s Unlicensed Apothecary), I should have popped the Egg with my 'bot, then killed the Apothecary with my Kodo. Had I done that, Opp. would have lost 2 more health and would NOT have an extra 2/1 after dropping Abyssal Enforcer. I dunno, things got bad after that all around, but that could have been better. Anyway, this one got away. 6-2.

Match 9: Mage.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/PkQQWA7LoLKnAf8DdqEVPW

At this point I'm on edge a bit, staring the 7-win hurdle straight in the eye. Going first, things start rough: Turn 1 mutual pass, Turn 2 I HP while Opp. coins Silver Hand Regent. Turn 3 my choices are HP, Desert Camel, and Quick Shot, and even though it floats 1 mana, I use Quick Shot to remove the Regent; Opp. drops Kabal Courier. Turn 4 I remove the Courier with a Kodo; Opp. surrenders tempo and plays Arcane Intellect. From there on, I'm in command, forcing Opp. to come up with answers that aren't quite enough. I even have the opportunity to play Infest for more fuel. Finally, Turn 9 Opp. concedes when I show lethal. 7-2.

Match 10: Shaman.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/vL8kkchAWQ5Tdp9qc8A7wg

This match turned on Turn 5 when I lost a 25% juggle: with Knife Juggler and Dispatch Kodo on board, I play Trogg Beastrager and Zoobot. All I need is for 1 knife to hit Opp.'s Streetwise Investigator and I can remove it... but they both go face. Next turn, after killing my Kodo, Opp. hits the Investigator with Master of Evolution... and gets Windfury Harpy. I don't get board control back, and Shaman is almost as bad as Paladin when in control of the board. 7-3.

7! Best Hunter run to date, which irks me a bit considering it's my favorite class. Rewards kicked me in the genitals again, though: Gadgetzan pack, 150 gold, and a f*ing Lightning Bolt. Talk about rolling low...

P.S. Happy Anniversary to my thread.

Match 5 - Your deck played itself for the most part until turn 7.  The first play I saw here was the one you ended up making - playing mukla's and HP, running the buffed hyenas into the protector.  But I really didn't like the outcome of that play because it didn't do enough to challenge his board position...he can simply trade the prophet, keeps the manager in play and can use 8 mana to further build his board.  The play I was leaning towards was to run the unbuffed minions into the protector and killing it with arcane shot, then dropping the tiger since it's a larger body that can better contest your opponent's board.  I also considered dropping toad, using infest, then killing protector with hyenas and arcane shot, but again I didn't like the board position afterward and the random beasts you receive don't usually offer recovery options.  I don't know whether this would have won the match....ever since he played the protector he was in a winning position and he continued to play strong cards making it near impossible to push for victory.

Match 8 - There were a few things I didn't like this game, starting with the mulligan.  Without the coin, there's no way I'm keeping a 4 drop without having a 3 in hand...even with synergy.  Missing a turn can be a death sentence in arena.  Popping the egg on turn 7 doesn't make sense to me....I think you made the right play in going face.  Force him to activate his own egg.  The big mistake you made this game was using the kodo to kill the 2/1.  You should have hit the infernal and traded your own 2/1's into it...my initial thought was to play infest this turn to get immediate value, but I think playing the shieldmasta instead would provide better tempo.  Either way, your opponent has a lot of answers, but without that infernal, it's easier to overcome.  When you rewatch and see his deck....it's very high quality and would be difficult to overcome in any scenario.

Match 10 - I think your turn 6 could have been better.  I would have played cult master and traded both minions into the harpy because a windfury minion is very dangerous....especially with shaman.  I would then play the bear trap.  Having played the spider...I would have picked the Rhino because the charge effect provides the opportunity to make a comeback on the board.  Knuckles is just too slow and overpriced for what he provides in this situation.  I looked at turn 8 long and hard to figure out how to achieve lethal next turn lethal, but the cards were too cumbersome and he played very conservatively so there really was no way out.

@Drakbak: Match 5 I didn't even see the play with Arcane Shot, that would likely have been my play if I had. Match 8 yeah, keeping the 4 was greedy, and again, I didn't see clearing the Abyssal. Match 10 I think I was slightly tilted at both not being able to clear the Investigator and the evolve result; looking over the replay for my post I saw clearing the Harpy was the better play. Thanks as usual for the insights!

Apparently, my "Missing" posters were successful, because after finally seeing Rexxar for the first time in forever, Anduin pops up for my next run:

PRIEST RUN 7

http://www.heartharena.com/arena-run/76zr9d

... so, yeah... 2-drops... they seem to be a bit harder to come by now. No board clears, though... going to have to aggressively mulligan for early game, because falling behind will be deadly.

Match 1: Rogue.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/y5ASWhuuD2hGhyAmtoyPQm

And my assertion about falling behind being deadly is proven correct. I don't help my cause on Turn 5 when I hit my Maiden of the Lake with Power Word: Tentacles, forgetting in the process that rogue excels at single target removal, not mass removal. Opp. top-decked a Sap and that pretty much sealed it. 0-1.

Match 2: Paladin.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/YcoJXsu7DLeAUAmPkpFcRj

Hand-buffs are really annoying, but they're also slow. What turned this game, though, was having Shadow Madness on Turn 4, which allowed me to clear Opp.'s board. After that it was just a matter of keeping the board clear. 1-1.

Match 3: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/m3i9VP8QaYSv7hzyp7wkNF

OK, this match was salt-inducive. Going second, I find myself with a handful of 2 cost cards after my mulligan: Friendly Bartender, Wild Pyromancer, Museum Curator, and Shadow Word: Pain. Turn 1 Opp. drops Injured Kvaldir; I coin the Bartender. Turn 2 Opp. taps and hits face; I put Opp.'s minion out of its misery and drop the Curator: my choices are Mistress of Mixtures, Sergeant Sally, and Shifting Shade (pick the Shade). Turn 3 Opp. plays Argent Horserider and ends my free drinks; I have my Kabal Talonpriest in hand, but I don't want to hit my Curator with it, so I drop my Toxic Sewer Ooze instead and kill the cavalry. Turn 4 Opp. plays Stormwind Knight and charges my face; I inflict Pain on the Knight, play Wild Pyromancer, and hit face. On Turn 5, the salt begins to flow: Opp. hits my Pyro with Bane of Doom and gets... Abyssal Enforcer (that's just wonderful); I drop Ancient Shade to challenge the Enforcer and go face. Turn 6 Opp. hits the Enforcer with Bloodfury Potion (of COURSE he has that...), drops Felguard (well at least I'm ahead on mana now...) and smashes my face; I buff the Shade with Kabal Talonpriest, kill the taunt, and hit face. Turn 7 Opp. plays Jeweled Scarab and Second-Rate Bruiser, then kills my Shade; I drop Mukla's Champion, heal my face, and trade Ooze for taunt and Talonpriest for Enforcer. Turn 8 Opp. pings face with Scarab and Hellfires, then drops Unlicensed Apothecary (from the Scarab, of course); I drop Midnight Drake (which buffs to 5/4 to challenge the Apo) and heal face. At this point I'm just trying to hold on until I have 10 mana and Opp. drops something game-winning so I can Mind Control it. Turn 9 Opp. trades Apo for Drake, taps, and plays Gurubashi Berserker (from the tap); I drop Maiden of the Lake and Shifting Shade and heal face (I'm at 20, Opp. at 11). Turn 10 the salt is more abundant--Opp. buffs the Berserker with DID to kill my Shade, gifting me with a card from Opp.'s deck... Possessed Villager (oh COME ON!), then drops Chillwind Yeti and Mistress of Mixtures; I make my board as strong as I can: Hired Gun, Villager (why not?), and another Mukla's, then heal face to buff my board and get my Maiden to 3 attack to kill the Berserker. Turn 11 Opp. finally drops a big, game-changing MC target... except I CAN'T MIND CONTROL Soggoth the Slitherer!!!! Opp. then reduces my board to just my 2/2 Villager, leaving the Yeti at 4/1 and Soggoth on his side; I try to remain calm, drop Tomb Spider (Oasis Snapjaw, Stranglethorn Tiger, Young Dragonhawk, take the Tiger) and Drakonid Operative (unactivated), and run the Villager into Soggoth. Turn 12 Opp. plays Aberrant Berserker, trades Yeti for Spider, takes the Operative down to 1 health with Soggoth, and drops Dread Infernal, clearing my board and enraging the Aberrant (this just gets better and better...); I have 3 cards in hand: MC, SW:D, and the Tiger. I decide it's now or never, so I MC the Infernal. I am almost instantly punished: Turn 13 Opp. taps, removes the Infernal with Blastcrystal Potion, plays Kabal Courier, and wrecks my face; just trying to survive at this point, I hit the Berserker with SW:D, drop the Tiger, and heal face. AGAIN I am punished: Turn 14 Opp. taps, drops Gruul (ARE YOU KIDDING ME???), and hurts my face more; I play the only cards I have: Kodorider and Twilight Whelp, heal face to spawn a War Kodo, then finally remove Soggoth at the cost of my Tiger. Turn 15 Opp. is 1 off lethal and tries to buff Gruul with Demonfire... except it's not a demon. After mutual "Oops" emotes, Opp. drops Argent Horserider. Let the salt-rage commence. 1-2.

That 3rd match really got to me. Not only did RNG screw me over twice (Bane of Doom and Shifting Shade), Opp. miraculously had perfect counters to my most impactful plays. It's just really frustrating sometimes. Might be a good thing I haven't had opportunity to continue for a few days.

Match 2 - Turn 6:  You should play cleric and heal first to draw a card.  Those 4 remaining mana crystals might be useful depending on the draw.  Turn 10: Instead of playing SW:P, heal the kodo and use it to kill the 3/3, then play eldritch horror.  I'm guessing you forgot about the effect of pyromancer when you made your play.

Match 3 - Turn 8 is the big mistake I see.  You need to play 2 minions to challenge board position, and if it's me...I'm playing Shade and Maiden because he can't kill off his own Apothecary with a simple trade, which forces him into an awkward play where he has to play a spell to kill his own minion or take 5 damage for each minion he summons to challenge your board.  In his case, he'd have to kill your shade and play Dread Infernal to kill the apothecary....leaving him with 7 hp and unable to tap or he taps and can't play a minion.  Turn 12 you miss an opportunity by choosing to MC the infernal instead of using SW:D, then healing the berserker to reduce it to 3 attack, and playing tiger, this would open you up to killing soggoth with the tiger, playing kodorider and inspire to challenge his board, which is now weak, and you still have MC for whatever new threat arises (which may be below 5 attack).

@Emanon: I see your point about Match 3: Turn 2, and Turn 8 I wondered immediately afterward if playing the Maiden would have been better. But speaking of Turn 8...

@Drakbak: Shade + Maiden is the right play. I was tunnel-visioned on challenging the stats and didn't take into account the awkward position my opponent was in with that minion on board. And Turn 12: HEAL THE BERSERKER! I completely overlooked that "solution" to enrage.

And here I thought I'd been playing fairly well. Much appreciation gentlemen (I assume), my sodium content has greatly reduced. I still have the opportunity to save this run; time to wake up, pay attention, and do this.

Match 4: Mage.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/eSTWCGA3ZodBHmRKqEXfeL

Turn 1 thoughts: there's a chance I'm going to fall behind here (pass). Turn 2 thoughts: Mistress of Mixtures? Great. Not wasting SW:P on that (pass). Turn 3 thoughts: Fallen Hero... great, now no matter what I play it's dead. Well, the Ooze is less likely to be useful than the taunt (play Toxic Sewer Ooze instead of Hired Gun). Turn 4 thoughts: WOW! Not only did Opp. sacrifice the improved hero power by trading Hero into Ooze, but the Spellslinger Opp. played gave me Polymorph! On top of that, having another card in hand makes this even better (play Midnight Drake as 7/4). Turn 5 thoughts: OK, Opp. pinged the Drake and traded with 'slinger, then Coined Emperor Cobra... I can't play anything with that on the board, and I want to save my taunt to play with Kabal Talonpriest next Turn, so... (SW:P on Cobra, play Friendly Bartender). Turn 6 thoughts: wow, ping and Argent Horserider to kill the Bartender? Opp. is really attached to that Mistress. Time to build a wall (play Hired Gun, buff it with Talonpriest). Turn 7 thoughts: Polymorph: Boar on my taunt to trade it with Horserider is rude, but fine, but Saboteur is inconvenient considering all my minions are 5 mana... can't play either Mukla's Champion if I can't HP same turn, and still nothing worth sheeping, so it's between Streetwise Investigator and Drakonid Operative... I might draw a dragon (play Investigator, kill Mistress (finally) with Talonpriest). Turn 8 thoughts: Bog Creeper? Yup, that's a sheep... (Sheep the Creeper, drop Backroom Bouncer, trade Talonpriest for Saboteur (buff Bouncer to 5 attack), kill Sheep with Investigator). Turn 9 thoughts: ... wow... Opp. just passed the entire Turn. Yeah, "Whoops." is right, Jaina... (play Museum Curator (Abomination), play Mukla's Champion, heal face, smash face). Turn 10 thoughts: ok, 2 Fireballs to kill Champion and Bouncer... Opp. is obviously struggling, but just might have Skillstrike, so... (Power Word: Tentacles on Curator (4/9), play DrakOp (all minions at 6+ health), smash face). Opp. concedes. 2-2.

Match 5: Warrior.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/bdAcLoWjUSuL3DxE3wffwN

This match was viciously brutal. Opp. coined Knife Juggler Turn 1 into Huge Toad Turn 2 while I'm stuck with cards cost at least 3 mana. Turn 3, rather than play Toxic Sewer Ooze into an easy trade, I play Kabal Courier, both to try and get an answer and because it challenges both enemy minions (choices are Arcane Missiles, Shadow Madness, and Pit Lord... I went with Madness, but Missiles may have been better in hindsight); Unfortunately, Opp. drops Bilefin Tidehunter and Leper Gnome and wins the 50/50 to kill my Courier with the random knives. Turn 4 I drop Second-Rate Bruiser and Twilight Whelp unactivated just to try and stem the tide, but RNG continues to smile on my opponent; Opp. drops Eater of Secrets (knife hits Bruiser) and runs the Toad into the taunt... and of course, the Toad's deathrattle hits the Bruiser as well. Opp. then kills my whelp with Leper and smashes my face. Turn 5 my hand consists of Toxic Sewer Ooze, Ancient Shade, Shadow Word: Death, Shadow Madness, Kabal Talonpriest, and... Bomb Squad. Try though I might, there's just nothing I can do after that. 2-3.

That was rather disappointing, but even while drafting it, that deck felt weak. Shrugging it off, I drop my coin for my next run and see Rexxar, Gul'dan, and Liadrin. Thanks to my recent 7 win with Rexxar, my average with hunter is higher than with paladin, and so...

PALADIN RUN 8

http://www.heartharena.com/arena-run/44z58t

... once again, I don't know what to make of this deck. At first it seemed it was moving in a Control direction, but then I started getting more and more early game. Who knows, arena is really screwy now.

Match 1: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/6U7tjYPQffd3CgVZvDtXLY

Either my opponent DC'd or had to abruptly leave his/her computer/phone. Whatever reason, after Turn 4 Opp. did nothing, and Innkeeper informed me they left on Turn 6. Free win, yo. 1-0.

Match 2: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/5CMzLDTg9Sp5Dy9Piu2XjQ

I was looking pretty good in this one, but I had a choice on Turn 5 and I think I chose poorly. Going second, Opp. has 1 minion on board (Djinni of Zephyrs) vs 2 minions for me (Flame Juggler and Boneguard Lieutenant 3/2). In my hand I'm holding Light's Champion, Stormwind Champion, Lay on Hands, Frostwolf Warlord, and Razorfen Hunter. I see 3 plays: drop Frostwolf (6/6) to directly contest Djinni; drop Light's Champion and hero power; or drop Razorfen and HP. I get greedy and drop Razorfen + HP, imagining the huge Frostwolf I can drop next turn. Opp. punishes me: Ancient of Blossoms, kill Boneguard with Djinni. Now I only have 6 attack on board, not enough to break the taunt, and all my minions are 3 or less health. I drop the Frostwolf as 8/8, but Opp. runs Djinni into it and blows up the board with Felfire Potion, leaving the Ancient at 3/3. That pretty much sealed it. I should have gone ahead and dropped the Frostwolf on Turn 5 as 6/6. 1-1.

Match 3: Priest.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/tBvVHuSVvmkTrrwtDyHQNP

Going second again, I consider coining out Grimestreet Outfitter on Turn 1 after Opp. passes, but decided to save The Coin. Turn 2 Opp. passes again and I drop Outfitter, buffing Argent Protector, Saboteur, and Earthen Ring Farseer. Turn 3 Opp. drops Blackwing Technician... activated (OK, so they have a dragon...); I drop Saboteur (5/4) and ping face. Turn 4 Opp. kills the Outfitter, then heals the Technician with a Farseer; I kill the Technician, heal my Saboteur with my own Farseer, and buff the Saboteur to 6/6 with Divine Strength (to keep the Farseer at 4 attack). Turn 5 Opp. kills my Farseer by running their Farseer into it, then hitting it with Blackwing Corruptor (... why not kill my 6/6?); I buff my Saboteur with Argent Protector, kill the Corruptor, and play Fel Orc Soulfiend (planning to hit it with Seal of Champions next turn to prolong its life). Turn 6 Opp. uses Shadow Madness on my Soulfiend and runs it into my Saboteur, then heals face; my Soulfiend dies immediately (well, drat), and I'm left with an awkward hand: 2xConsecration, Equality, The Coin, and Seal of Champions. For lack of anything better, I hit Protector with Seal and summon a Recruit, hitting face for 12. Turn 7 Opp. drops Sunwalker; I draw Frostwolf Warlord, but before I can decide how to proceed, Opp. concedes. 2-1.

Well... I guess that's a good start, but I'm not feeling any confidence in this deck just yet. Both Priest matches were handed to me, so the only "real" match I've played so far I lost. The deck just feels clunky; half of it feels like pre-standard curvestone, but I also have some heavy control elements, too. The problem is I don't have the late game bombs to support the control cards, so I feel like I'm on a timer anyway. Still, 2 wins is 2 wins. Onward!

Game 2:

Misplay in T3; you drop the Nerubian, instead of Light's Champion. The 1 extra health is not relevant for the given board, and saving the Nerubian would have allowed you to curve beatifully in T4 with a 2 mana Nerubian and the Flame Juggler. You get lucky with the two drop topdeck, but you still have a worse board (2/3 and 3/2) with that play while you now could have 4/4 and 2/3, so yougave away some tempo.

T5: I would have played it the same, and I do not consider it a misplay. Though dropping Warlord had been an equally okay-ish play; there is no really good thing you could have done in that spot. How it actually turned out made the Warlord the better alternative, but we could not know that at this point. No point in calling something a misplay with more information you didn't have at that time.

T9: You DEFINITELY should have killed the 8/2 with the 2/2 here. Unlikely it had made a difference in the end, but misplay is misplay. ;)

Game 3:

No significant misplay, but I wouldn't have played Divine Strength. It doesn't have impact on the board and your 4 health minions are out of his killing range anyway. No need to use the buff where it might not have any impact at all, for just 1 face damage. Rather keep it, for when it actually makes a difference on the turn you play it.

Quote from Aeris »

T5: I would have played it the same, and I do not consider it a misplay. Though dropping Warlord had been an equally okay-ish play; there is no really good thing you could have done in that spot. How it actually turned out made the Warlord the better alternative, but we could not know that at this point. No point in calling something a misplay with more information you didn't have at that time.

I appreciate the reassurance, but I respectfully disagree for one reason: Felfire Potion. It's prevalent enough to merit playing around, and the way I played, I played right into it, though my opponent didn't immediately play it. Had I dropped the Warlord at 6/6, it sets my board where, if Opp. plays Felfire, he/she has to wipe his/her board as well to wipe mine, giving me initiative. Your point about Turn 3 is much appreciated, though; for some strange reason I was thinking the silence might actually be useful... silly me.

Quote from Caddage >>

Quote from Aeris »

T5: I would have played it the same, and I do not consider it a misplay. Though dropping Warlord had been an equally okay-ish play; there is no really good thing you could have done in that spot. How it actually turned out made the Warlord the better alternative, but we could not know that at this point. No point in calling something a misplay with more information you didn't have at that time.

I appreciate the reassurance, but I respectfully disagree for one reason: Felfire Potion. It's prevalent enough to merit playing around, and the way I played, I played right into it, though my opponent didn't immediately play it. Had I dropped the Warlord at 6/6, it sets my board where, if Opp. plays Felfire, he/she has to wipe his/her board as well to wipe mine, giving me initiative. Your point about Turn 3 is much appreciated, though; for some strange reason I was thinking the silence might actually be useful... silly me.

I respect your respectful disagreement with my disagreement, and I respectfully... see your point. Bottom line, I was in a tough spot. I still have trouble looking back at plays and knowing when I misplay vs when I get outplayed. Thanks again!

Match 4: Warlock.

https://hsreplay.net/replay/YHN48VwKfUzyPFadgDg45W

OK, I think I got the hang of this deck. I'm fairly sure I played this game well. Going first, I mulligan Divine Favor while keeping Light's Champion and Boneguard Lieutenant. Turn 1 we both pass. Turn 2 I'm feeling good, as I've drawn another 2 drop (Sunfury Protector), another 3 drop (Saboteur) and a 4 drop (Naga Corsair). I play the Lieutenant; Opp. Coins out Unlicensed Apothecary. Turn 3 I want to limit Opp.'s options while the Apo. is on the board, so I play the Saboteur to prevent Life Tap and go face; Opp. kills my Saboteur and drops one on his side, eating the 5 damage. Turn 4 I trade Boneguard for Saboteur and take a 50/50 with Flame Juggler... and miss, so I drop the Sunfury; Opp. trades Apo. for Juggler and plays Kabal Chemist. Turn 5 my best play is to float 1 mana with the Corsair and hit face with Sunfury; Opp. floats 1 as well with Evil Heckler and kill my Sunfury with Chemist. Turn 6, after looking at my hand for a long time (Light's Champion, Equality, Divine Favor, Young Priestess), I play Divine Favor (draw 3 cards: Spellbreaker, Mysterious Challenger, Grimestreet Outfitter), drop the Outfitter and the Priestess (3/2), then trade Corsair for Heckler; Opp. plays Questing Adventurer (MUST... KILL... IMMEDIATELY!!!) and plays a secret, which is obviously Potion of Polymorph. Turn 7 I know I'm going to lose my next minion, but the Adventurer demands an answer, so I sacrifice my Spellbreaker to silence the Adventurer, then drop the Champion and hit face with Outfitter; Opp. removes my Champion with Moat Lurker and kills my Outfitter. Turn 8 I draw Lay on Hands and get an idea: I play Equality so I can get my Champion back by killing the lurker with the Sheep, then drop the Challenger (7/7); Opp. plays Flame Juggler (hits face) and Windfury Harpy, then runs Adventurer into Challenger, taking it to 5 health. Turn 9 I kill the Harpy with Challenger, kill the Juggler with Champion, then hit the Challenger with Lay on Hands (Boom.), drawing Consecration, Kvaldir Raider, and Smuggler's Run; Opp. taps, then plays Cho'gall... and doesn't follow with a spell. Turn 10 I put the hammer down: Smuggler's Run into Stormwind Champion, then summon a Recruit and go straight face, taking Opp. to 3 health; Opp. drops MCT (steal the Light's Champion), drops Master Jouster (lose joust), trades Cho'gall for Stormwind, and concedes. 3-1.

That match felt good. This deck may actually have some hope after all. I normally don't post with just 1 match, but stupid server maintenance is stupid, denying my usual play time.