I currently do the folliowing: 1) If you enemy is Mage, don't overextend at Turns 6+ (or 5+ if he has a coin), but don't expect he will have removal on that turn.
2) Against Paladin, keep the board empty or at least have the same amount of taunts as the opponent minions at the board
3) Against Rogue, play around Betrayal only
4) Against Priest, play around Mind Control (better not play expensive single minions on turn 8+), Dragonfire Potion (less often, but don't overextend), Shadow World: Horror (don't have more than 2 minions with less than 3 attack at the board) and a Potion of Madness
Mage: while Flamestrike is more of a rarity these days, they still have at least two other aoes (Blizzard, Volcanic Potion) and few other neutral aoes (Corrupted Seer, Primordial Drake) that u might want to play around, if ur in a good spot. The neutral ones goes for every class obviously.
Hunter: generally try to clear beasts to lower the value on any kind of combo they might have (sometimes its even worth killin a 1/1 beast over a 3/2 non-beast, but that takes experience to recognize the situations ... tho i dont want to sound like its some kind of a rocket science :D), id say the only consistent thing these days is, when they have a secret, its a friggin Venomstrike Trap, so be sure u have a way to deal with that and ur not giving them a big drop for free. Sometimes its better to not even test for that and let him trade into u, tho its not very safe option, since that can just result in more face dmg. Obviously play around Explosive Shot with positioning since thats basically free and u should do it always anyway, but no other card is rly worth playin around atm.
Warlock: this one is actually pretty hard, since playin around Defile can be VERY hard. But it can be done, keep constant tabs on the board state and try to not have like 2 or 3 hp minions on the board to interrupt the chain early, but like i said, that is not a very easy thing to do constantly and consistently. Playing around T5 Despicable Dreadlord is a safe bet tho, thats about it. U play wound any hard removal as vs any other class basically. Keeping the pressure on WLs face is always a good thing, WL relies on his hero power to get card advantage over u, if he can tap freely most of the game, chances r, ur not gonna win, cause u cannot keep up with the trades (even 1for1).
Paladin: pass T3 never, ever, let a paladin have a single minion out, if u can afford it. There is just SO many things that he can do with an active minion, that it is not worth risking the game over ... only do that if u want to bait out that Bonemare/Spikeridged Steed into a silence/poly/etc and want him to essentialy "waste" his turn or if u have enough burn in hand to finish him off even through the taunt wall.
Priest: always, always, always play around Pint-Size Potion. That little shit turns gams BIG time. its easier to play around that than Shadow Madness (SM is less common anyway, cause of its cost), since 2-attack minions are not as common as 3-attack minions, but most of those 2/1-attack minions u do pick have some extra value added to em, so thats even more devastating, when priest can not only trade 2for1, but also take your deathrattle etc. I would say generally dont play around priests AOEs any more than u have to, their r not as common (not even Holy Nova in my experience). SW:P/SW:D cant rly do much about, just keep that in mind, but u cant rly not play your big guys in fear of sw:d, u would give priest too much space to take the board with his big guys and u will never get it back (mostly). Same goes for MC, obviously try to play around it if u can, but dont give him too much space, or he WILL draw into something that u will not be able to remove and will win.
Warrior: i suppose nothing ... just normal stuff, weapons on turn (tho not rly, since drafts are very inconsistent), Execute, so avoid gettin damaged your important minions etc, just normal stuff, nothing too important and generally u dont even worry about these things if ur in a good spot.
Rogue:Sap/Assassinate/Vilespine Slayer. These r the big three that turn the tides for rogue, ofc sometimes u dont have a choice and just have to play that big taunt, but vs rogue u should play the game as so u dont have to rely on "yoloing" the big minions. Try to keep a sizeable board, rogue doesnt have much ways to deal with big boards, if u can overwhelm them and do some face dmg, then they will have problems even using their hero power/weapons to help with board control, similar to WL that uses it to keep card advantage. Obviously play around Betrayal, since its free, tho i havent seen it for ages, but all better arena players play around spells that depend on minions positions if they can (when u dont need the buffs from adjacent minions etc).
Druid: T10 UI ofc, try not to give him a perfect 5 HP target. Druids also generally strugle vs a big boards, so try to swarm them, but preferably with 3+ hp minions, since they do have some decent aoe. They also have problems with big minions (if they have no board), tho lately ppl started to play Naturalize a lot (for obvious reasons and it is a worth pick up lately), tho im not sayin play around that just yet. Spreading Plague is still as strong of a comeback mechanic as ever, so as much as i advise u to have big board, kinda keep that in mind, that u might have to go through a lot of taunts. And generally dont let druids have the board, they have more than just neutral buff cards that can ruin your day.
Shaman: to be honest, i havent faced many shamans in KFT meta, so i cant speak too much on this account, but i think its pretty much the same as ever, just keep in mind all of their aoe/removal potential, but dont play around any too much, they dont have very consistent drafts, thats why they r the gutter class. Clear the board ofc if u can to deny potential Flametongue Totem trades or surprise Bloodlust finishers and obviously dont leave that Wrath of Air Totem alive if u can avoid it :)
Neutrals:Bonemare, Cobalt Scalebane, Deathspeaker, Corpse Raiser are the cards that hard carry decks, so if u can, always clear your opponents board, so he doesnt get the extra value of these cards and/or cannot comeback.
What is worth playing around?
I currently do the folliowing:
1) If you enemy is Mage, don't overextend at Turns 6+ (or 5+ if he has a coin), but don't expect he will have removal on that turn.
2) Against Paladin, keep the board empty or at least have the same amount of taunts as the opponent minions at the board
3) Against Rogue, play around Betrayal only
4) Against Priest, play around Mind Control (better not play expensive single minions on turn 8+), Dragonfire Potion (less often, but don't overextend), Shadow World: Horror (don't have more than 2 minions with less than 3 attack at the board) and a Potion of Madness
In this meta? Turn 6-7+ on, be prepared for Bonemare from any class.
Old school WoW Mage motto: if you don't end the run with the most damage dealt AND the most deaths, you're not trying hard enough.
I've probably missed some, but this is what you should play around in the current meta:
Mage: Meteor, Flamestrike, Blizzard, Frost Nova + Doomsayer, secrets (if it's tempo).
Hunter: Deadly Shot, Houndmaster, Crackling Razormaw, Bonemare, Deathstalker Rexxar (sometimes). Expect Eaglehorn Bow on 3, Houndmaster on 4, Tundra Rhino on 5 (not always) and Savannah Highmane on 6
Warlock: Defile, Despicable Dreadlord, Hellfire, Abyssal Enforcer, Twisting Nether, Siphon Soul, Blastcrystal Potion. Expect each of this cards in the turn they can be played. Also be prepared for Bloodreaver Gul'dan.
Paladin: since the warleader nerf I'm only seeing handbuff paladins, so Rallying Blade on 3, Sunkeeper Tarim on 6, Bonemare on 7. Expect Tirion Fordring on 8.
Priest: Dragonfire Potion, Potion of Madness, Shadow Word: Horror (+) Pint-Size Potion, cabal shadowpriest, Holy Nova, Shadowreaper Anduin, kazakus potion, Auchenai Soulpriest + Circle of Healing (not that common), Spirit Lash.
Against big priest, only some of those + Eternal Servitude (you can poly/hex/PoM/whatever to prevent it). Expect Barnes on 3 or 4, servitude on 4 after barnes, Shadow Essence on 6, The Lich King on 8 and Obsidian Statue on 9.
Warrior: Southsea Captain, Southsea Deckhand, Patches the Pirate, Bloodsail Cultist, Mortal Strike, Spellbreaker
Rogue: Vilespine Slayer, Backstab, Fan of Knives, Vanish (if you see he's playing mill).
Druid: Spreading Plague, Swipe, Ultimate Infestation
Shaman: Evolve, Thrall, Deathseer, Bloodlust, Flametongue Totem, Devolve, Maelstrom Portal, Jade Claws, Jade Lightning. Expect Bloodlust on 5 and Doppelgangster + Evolve on 6.
Dont even bother playing around Betrayal, and around Mind Control only if you see Medivh and/or Free From Amber.
Old school WoW Mage motto: if you don't end the run with the most damage dealt AND the most deaths, you're not trying hard enough.
Mage: while Flamestrike is more of a rarity these days, they still have at least two other aoes (Blizzard, Volcanic Potion) and few other neutral aoes (Corrupted Seer, Primordial Drake) that u might want to play around, if ur in a good spot. The neutral ones goes for every class obviously.
Hunter: generally try to clear beasts to lower the value on any kind of combo they might have (sometimes its even worth killin a 1/1 beast over a 3/2 non-beast, but that takes experience to recognize the situations ... tho i dont want to sound like its some kind of a rocket science :D), id say the only consistent thing these days is, when they have a secret, its a friggin Venomstrike Trap, so be sure u have a way to deal with that and ur not giving them a big drop for free. Sometimes its better to not even test for that and let him trade into u, tho its not very safe option, since that can just result in more face dmg. Obviously play around Explosive Shot with positioning since thats basically free and u should do it always anyway, but no other card is rly worth playin around atm.
Warlock: this one is actually pretty hard, since playin around Defile can be VERY hard. But it can be done, keep constant tabs on the board state and try to not have like 2 or 3 hp minions on the board to interrupt the chain early, but like i said, that is not a very easy thing to do constantly and consistently. Playing around T5 Despicable Dreadlord is a safe bet tho, thats about it. U play wound any hard removal as vs any other class basically. Keeping the pressure on WLs face is always a good thing, WL relies on his hero power to get card advantage over u, if he can tap freely most of the game, chances r, ur not gonna win, cause u cannot keep up with the trades (even 1for1).
Paladin: pass T3 never, ever, let a paladin have a single minion out, if u can afford it. There is just SO many things that he can do with an active minion, that it is not worth risking the game over ... only do that if u want to bait out that Bonemare/Spikeridged Steed into a silence/poly/etc and want him to essentialy "waste" his turn or if u have enough burn in hand to finish him off even through the taunt wall.
Priest: always, always, always play around Pint-Size Potion. That little shit turns gams BIG time. its easier to play around that than Shadow Madness (SM is less common anyway, cause of its cost), since 2-attack minions are not as common as 3-attack minions, but most of those 2/1-attack minions u do pick have some extra value added to em, so thats even more devastating, when priest can not only trade 2for1, but also take your deathrattle etc. I would say generally dont play around priests AOEs any more than u have to, their r not as common (not even Holy Nova in my experience). SW:P/SW:D cant rly do much about, just keep that in mind, but u cant rly not play your big guys in fear of sw:d, u would give priest too much space to take the board with his big guys and u will never get it back (mostly). Same goes for MC, obviously try to play around it if u can, but dont give him too much space, or he WILL draw into something that u will not be able to remove and will win.
Warrior: i suppose nothing ... just normal stuff, weapons on turn (tho not rly, since drafts are very inconsistent), Execute, so avoid gettin damaged your important minions etc, just normal stuff, nothing too important and generally u dont even worry about these things if ur in a good spot.
Rogue: Sap/Assassinate/Vilespine Slayer. These r the big three that turn the tides for rogue, ofc sometimes u dont have a choice and just have to play that big taunt, but vs rogue u should play the game as so u dont have to rely on "yoloing" the big minions. Try to keep a sizeable board, rogue doesnt have much ways to deal with big boards, if u can overwhelm them and do some face dmg, then they will have problems even using their hero power/weapons to help with board control, similar to WL that uses it to keep card advantage. Obviously play around Betrayal, since its free, tho i havent seen it for ages, but all better arena players play around spells that depend on minions positions if they can (when u dont need the buffs from adjacent minions etc).
Druid: T10 UI ofc, try not to give him a perfect 5 HP target. Druids also generally strugle vs a big boards, so try to swarm them, but preferably with 3+ hp minions, since they do have some decent aoe. They also have problems with big minions (if they have no board), tho lately ppl started to play Naturalize a lot (for obvious reasons and it is a worth pick up lately), tho im not sayin play around that just yet. Spreading Plague is still as strong of a comeback mechanic as ever, so as much as i advise u to have big board, kinda keep that in mind, that u might have to go through a lot of taunts. And generally dont let druids have the board, they have more than just neutral buff cards that can ruin your day.
Shaman: to be honest, i havent faced many shamans in KFT meta, so i cant speak too much on this account, but i think its pretty much the same as ever, just keep in mind all of their aoe/removal potential, but dont play around any too much, they dont have very consistent drafts, thats why they r the gutter class. Clear the board ofc if u can to deny potential Flametongue Totem trades or surprise Bloodlust finishers and obviously dont leave that Wrath of Air Totem alive if u can avoid it :)
Neutrals: Bonemare, Cobalt Scalebane, Deathspeaker, Corpse Raiser are the cards that hard carry decks, so if u can, always clear your opponents board, so he doesnt get the extra value of these cards and/or cannot comeback.
I suppse thats the basics ;-)
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Play around secrets, play around Bonemare. That's about it. I don't play around most removal cards unless I'm winning far ahead on board.
Some honorable removals are: Defile, 2 damage AoE.
Regular NA Arena Leaderboard player.
Reached #1 in NA arena leaderboard in May 2018 with a 9.07 average!