Hearthpwn

*squees*

I didn't notice the change in voice command. This is certainly a pleasant surprise! :D

Quote from Shissan >>

The deck where I have The Mistcaller helps me win games, not lose them

Yeah, it adds a lot of value to your whole deck. I always keep it in Mulligan and it's always my 6 drop unless I have to deal with a threat.

Quote from Cryshantua »

Why people hink arena is worth pay with gold or real money? you dont get anything good in there if you dont get lucky and they offer you good cards. So why even try arena? rewards arent very good if you dont win atleat 6 times a row. 

The moment you earn 50 gold in the arena you've broke even for the value of a pack + what you paid.

Anything at all you get beyond that is a better net worth. Getting 7+ wins pays for the run entirely and earns you additional goodies. Free packs, free dust, free cards.

Practice doing drafts here with this tool. There are people to help you improve your draft choices here.

The proper way to play the Starving Buzzard + Snake Trap combo is to use Hunter's Mark on an enemy minion when laying the cards to make the opponent think it's an Explosive Trap.

Quote from PunisherUSA »

At least you can DE commons. In paper TCGs, you throw them away, draw on them, sell them by the thousand. 320 extra commons will get you a legendary!

This is the best logic in this entire thread.

What does the token look like for the 1/1 Murlocs?

Blizzard has said multiple times that they will not add a discard your opponents card effects because it causes gameplay to lose fun for the player forced to discard.

Quote from Cronaz »

Actually I'm over 20. I only do that to Hunters, because I wanna make them mad and they should feel bad about playing that class (oh how ironically, I play warlock, right?). So the queston is: Are you a hunter player Megatron? Because you already feel insulted by my thread.

That's not really fair. I've been playing Hunter since I started playing Hearthstone and it's not my fault that everyone is playing Hunter this week. Two weeks ago everyone was playing Zoo. Last week everyone was playing Ramp Druid. I've stuck to Hunter for months, even when it's weaker and unpopular. Why single out all Hunters and Huntresses? We're not all bandwagon junkies.

Quote from dwl_ »

Haha, np ;)

Be careful for Flare when playing against Hunter though!

Counter stops Flare.

 What is Arena?

Arena is a fun, yet challenging game mode that gives you an opportunity to improve your playing skills and earn some serious rewards.  You select the class you want to play from a choice of three randomized Heroes, then select cards to compile your deck, also from 3 randomized choices, until you have 30 cards.  After your deck is complete, you will play against other players with the same or similar win/loss record until you have either lost 3 games or won 12, whichever comes first.  The entry fee for the Arena is 150 gold or $1.99 USD (€1.99 EUR, £1.99 GBP or R$4.50 BRL). Check out the video below to see more details about the Arena game mode.

What kind of rewards can I earn?

For competing in the Arena you can earn Gold, Arcane Dust, regular or golden cards, and packs of cards.  Regardless of your final score you will always be awarded at least 1 pack of cards from the current expansion.  If you'd like to see a complete list of possible rewards you can view them HERE.

How do I get started?

If you are playing on a new account you will need to unlock ALL 9 classes before you are eligible to enter the Arena.  You can go to Solo Adventures > Practice Mode to defeat each hero at least once in order to unlock them.  After you unlock all the classes your first entry fee into the Arena will be free, as part of a one-time promotion.

Which class should I choose to play?

Ideally, you should  play the class that you are most comfortable with, but your favorite hero may not be one of your choices.  If you want to know how each class is currently rated you should check out the stats on HSReplay. Currently the top 4 classes according to win rates are Rogue, Warlock, Druid, and Paladin (in that order).  You can find more detailed discussion on who the players think are the best classes on the tier lists HERE.

What is a mana curve?

A mana curve is a graphical representation of the card distribution for the deck that you've drafted.  You will be able to see this during your actual draft, so you can more effectively plan which cards to pick based on the type of deck you're trying to build (i.e. Aggro, Midrange, Control, etc.) and how many cards you've already selected for a particular slot.  You can learn more about the mana curve from the article found HERE.

 How do I know which cards to pick?

These decisions are always up for a lot of debate, but the most important things to consider are value, cost, and effect.  You should give preference to solid 2-drops, cards that offer removal, and cards that include the Discover mechanic or draw effects.  Below is a current list of cards that are potent enough on their own that they should always be on the forefront of your decision-making.  I've only included five cards from each class and omitted any Legendaries, so it will not include absolutely everything that should be given consideration.  When viewing this list keep in mind there will always be exceptions, but it's a good reference point.  You can also find a detailed tier list put together by HearthArena, right HERE.  They also have a handy tool that creates an overlay on your screen and will give you draft advice in real time.  You can download the HearthArena Companion App (Overwolf) for free right HERE.

Neutral: Bog Creeper, Primordial Drake, Tar Creeper, Bonemare, and Cobalt Scalebane.
Druid: Swipe, Druid of the Claw, Wrath, Shellshifter, and Spreading Plague.
Hunter: Kill Command, Savannah Highmane, Alleycat, Crackling Razormaw, and Bearshark.
Mage: Flamestrike, Fireball, Firelands Portal, Meteor, and Ice Walker.
Paladin: Truesilver Champion, Blessing of Kings, Aldor Peacekeeper, Vinecleaver, and Spikeridged Steed.
Priest: Holy Nova, Shifting Shade, Dragonfire Potion, Free From Amber, and Obsidian Statue.
Rogue: Assassinate, SI:7 Agent, Eviscerate, Vilespine Slayer, and Shadowblade.
Shaman: Fire Elemental, Hex, Lightning Storm, Flamewreathed Faceless, and Volcano.
Warlock: Dread Infernal, Siphon Soul, Abyssal Enforcer, Blastcrystal Potion, and Defile.
Warrior: Arcanite Reaper, Execute, Gorehowl, Brawl and Blood Razor.

 I've already drafted two Eviscerate, can I draft a third one?

Absolutely!  Arena does not follow the same deckbuilding rules as Constructed and you can draft multiple copies of the same card.  You can even draft more than one of the same Legendary card.

I never see certain cards in Arena.  Is something wrong?

There are certain cards that are not offered for Arena drafts or have a significantly lowered drop rate.  You will not find any Quest or C'thun cards and several others were removed that were either too situational or negatively impacted the game.  You can find a complete list of changes on the official Blizzard forum, HERE.  On average your Arena drafts will be offered 60% Commons, 28% Rare, 10% Epic, and about 2% Legendary cards, with Class Minions being offered 100% more than Neutral cards and Class Spells and Weapons showing up 175% more often than Neutral cards.

Do I have to play all my games in one sitting?

No.  You can take as long as you like to finish your current Arena draft.  If you close the game and go back to the Arena button later you'll find your deck intact and ready for you to continue.  You can also retire a deck early if you choose not to finish your games, but I don't recommend it, as you will always get less of a reward than would be possible if you played to completion.

I'm terrible!  I went 0-3 on my last Arena run!

Don't beat yourself up too bad, because according to statistics found on the Hearthstone Wiki, only 50% of players will reach three wins during a run and less than 1% will actually achieve twelve wins! Even the best streamers sometimes have bad games and end up with zero wins too.

What is the program that shows your decklist on the screen, and is it legal?

There are several programs that will display your decklist for constructed or Arena play and they are perfectly legal and accepted by Blizzard for use with Hearthstone.  You can download our very own Innkeeper to keep track of everything for you, or try another popular one called Hearthstone Deck Tracker.

I'm trying hard, but I really need help to get better.  What can I do?

There are a LOT of things you can do to improve your gameplay and start gaining some consistency in your Arena drafts.

1. Minimize distractions when you play.  It's best if you can find some place quiet so it's easier to concentrate, but you definitely want to turn OFF the TV.  I'm guilty of this infraction and I can attest that it's just not possible to pay attention to what's on the TV and simultaneously play your best game.  Be prepared for lots of frustration if you choose to ignore this suggestion.
2. Watch popular streamers to see how they draft, evaluate cards, and win in tough situations.  You'll find links to some of my favorites below:
   
   

   
   Adwcta and Merps    
   Trump    
   ItsHafu    
   Amaz

   
   Kripparrian    
   Shadybunny    
   Dreads    
   Isherwood

3. Record your games.  Being able to go back and see where you made a mistake or should have done something differently will really help to develop your evaluation skills.
4. Participate in discussions here on the Arena forum.  People are always willing to assist players and give suggestions when they can.  You'll find that other players can be a great resource for improving.
5. Take plenty of time to complete your turns. It's not a race and if you make snap decisions just to end your turn quickly you will discover that you're often making the wrong plays. Give yourself a moment to think about ALL the possible actions for your turn and you'll see your gameplay improve drastically.
6. Even though it's from several years ago, Pilleri wrote an excellent Guide that still holds up pretty well today.  He also put together a great resource to familiarize yourself with many of the terms you will encounter in Arena and Hearthstone in general.  It can be found HERE.

Below you will find quick links for all the sources in this article.

Reference:

• Blizzard Arena Forums
• Hearthpwn Arena Forums
• Hearthstone Wiki
• Pilleri's Arena Guide
• Shadybunny's Going Infinite Guide

Statistics:

• HSReplay
• HearthArena Tier List
• Hearthstone Meta Stats
• Vicious Syndicate

Tools:

• Innkeeper
• Hearthstone Deck Tracker
• HearthArena Companion App (Overwolf)
• Open Broadcaster Software

So you're new to card games, you enjoy playing Hearthstone and you want to get good at it, but you don't understand why you lose so much. This is the guide for you.

I'll explain some basic mechanics that most players take for granted, help you building your decks, help you improve your decision making, and overall, hopefully help you become a better player, and correctly evaluate your cards.

Step 1: Deckbuilding

Yes, netdecking is easy, you can grab someone else deck, some streamer that went 12-1 with it and then you find out, you suck at playing that deck, immediately blame your skills/luck and proceed to change way too many cards and make the deck worst or even delete the deck. This mentality is wrong, chances are, you're just playing in a different rank and the metagame at that rank is different, or, you don't understand the deck and make poor decisions.

Also, decks become more and more famous and people somewhat learn to play against them, people do research just like you do, sometimes they know your deck better then you do, that's why creating your own deck is imperative. It's exceptionally good to play a deck your opponent doesn't know already card by card.

When you create/play a deck, you have to keep in mind that you probably don't know the deck, even if the winning condition is pretty obvious, you don't know the match ups, what to mull for, when to play your hand or when to aggressively try to draw different cards, when to go to the face and when to keep board control, when to save your cards and what to save them for, knowing your deck's weaknesses and strengths is absolutely essential in Hearthstone. This can only be achieved in one way, play your deck A LOT, make sure it fits your meta, and then make changes accordingly, do not start changing decks after your first loss, get a good 10~20 games under your belt and only then try to understand why are you losing or as important, why are you winning?

Let me give you an example, I'm going to post a deck I created (the mechanics are pretty obvious). And explain how a deck can go terribly wrong even if the concept is amazing.

Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself.

In simple terms, it is the use of out-of-game information or resources to affect one's in-game decisions.

Simply put, if everyone around your rank is playing Face Mage, Face Rogue, Face Warrior, face anything that takes no skill to play and quickly escalates newbie ranks. Son, you need to protect your damn face!

The value of The Coin in a Rogue deck is significantly better than, let's say a Warrior deck. In the same sense, the value of a Sludge Belcher is always high, but in a predominantly aggressive metagame, is invaluable. He's the Ysera of the metagame, he wins games by himself, he makes opponents beat themselves, he's the nightmare of Miracle Rogues. You get the picture.

This is why in a sense, making your own deck and having multiple decks that fit into different metagames, is usually important, Trump (a renown player in the Hearthstone community) was stuck between rank 5~2 with a deck he used with high success in Legendary, and wasn't being able to get to Legendary again, after Hafu (another renown streamer in the Hearthstone community) helped him build a Miracle Rogue, he immediately got to Legendary, sang a winning song and he was happy, as he was, so can you.

Understand that sometimes, it's not you, it's not your luck, or skill, you were just placing yourself in a situation where you were set up to lose. Playing a lot and against many archetypes is the only way to succeed, only then you will truly understand a deck, regardless if you made it or it's a netdeck. Do not be afraid to lose, or lose your rank, chances are, no one is seeing, no one cares, and if you succumb under pressure, just instantly Squelch the opponent as soon as you start the match.

You are going to be very disappointed when the nerf happens and the "new" top deck is being a large portion of your matches.  Adapt and stop whining.

I like that the beast cards have synergy with each other. I think the Hunter deck has the most type synergy (outside of Murloc maybe). Warlock has demon synergy, but there just aren't a ton of demon cards. I'm actually more excited to play Hunter post-nerf because I will need to create new decks and new strategies which will be a lot of fun. :) Or who knows, maybe I won't need to change anything. In many matches I've played, Buzzard-UTH doesn't even come up (2 Buzzards in Tracking, noooooo!). I will keep playing it because I'm very familiar with those cards.

Additionally, I just really like playing beasts. They're...amiable? I like the sounds they make. Except for that Haunted Creeper shriek. Ugh. My main Hunter deck is actually named "Dr. Doolittle." The warrior class has never appealed to me because it's so angry. Paladin is just people. People are boring (not hating on Paladins, it can be fun to play). Rogue class cards are very morbid. Druid is okay if you like the sound of trees growing. Shaman and Mage let me pretend to be a meteorologist.

I play all of the classes at some point (daily quests, trying out new cards or decks) and like how they are all a little different.

That's a big freakin buzzard.  More like Roc.

Quote from Forrestleaf »

Somohexual, I think Elemental Awakening would be better if it was a 4 mana "Destroy a random friendly totem and put a random Elemental into play." because situational 3 mana card draw is just plain bad. That way, it's more balanced because you have a better chance at getting something good , as compared to Mind Games (most of the Elementals are 5+ mana), with the bad side of having to destroy a friendly totem. Also, Totemic Mastery is OP.

Thanks for the feeback. :3

I made Elemental Awakening a card draw because I didn't want it to feel bad when you pulled a battlecry like Fire Elemental, but in retrospect it does make a lot more sense as a summon. 

I don't think Totemic Mastery itself is really OP, but the Greater Totems might require a few tweaks to be balanced.

Just a few things to keep in mind:

1. Greater Totems have the cost of a 4 or 5 drop, which would allow a vanilla card an 8-10 stat total. 

2. Each Greater Totem requires 2 specific cards or a specific card + specific RNG Hero Power minion to play, making them more difficult to get out than many 4 or 5 drops.

3. Greater Totems are class cards, so they're allowed to be a bit stronger or more efficient than their neutral counterparts.

This depends on a lot of factors. In the totem case, if you're facing down multiple totems and an aggressive Shaman deck, clearing can good because it prevents Bloodlust or a random Rockbiter Weapon.

In the Paladin matchup, you should watch out for Equality when considering to clear 1/1s. if your opponent has Wild Pyromancer, then it won't matter so much, but you don't want to lose a valuable minion to a Silver Hand Recruit just because you went in for a little bit extra damage.

Of course, both of these cases are situational. If you can set up lethal, or figure that losing to your opponent's Equality/Bloodlust/etc. is worth leaving the tokens on board, then there might be a better play.

Shaman. I love the idea behind the hero power. Very original, very cool,... despite the RNG

Warlock is a close second as it's the second most original hero power and I used to play lock during vanilla/burning crusade WoW.

All the other hero powers are linear. Do damage or add armor/health

This is really tough for me to answer.

I have played Warlock about 10x more than I have any other class, but I don't know if it is my favorite. I love playing Rogue and Warrior a lot too, Hunter has a ton of synergy, and Priest can be one of the most fun decks to play. Honestly, the only class that I do not like is Paladin, I just do not like the way the decks function.

I guess that if I absolutely had to choose what my favorite class is right now, I would say Rogue. It is just the most fun to play for me right now :p

Priest; for the sheer unpredictability of what you may face. Am I going to steal some petty cards from your deck or hand? Or did I just take Force of Nature and Savage Roar? Will I destroy that Tazdingo with a Shadow Word: Pain? Will I "borrow" your Harvest Golem this turn just to grant me the deathrattle? Or will I snipe your Ragnaros the Firelord or Tirion Fordring?

...who knows? ^.^