Hearthpwn

How High Can I Climb? May Rank Season: Part 2

Hey gang! It’s time for the conclusion to our epic adventure (watching a casual player attempt to climb the ladder as high as possible). I want to say thanks to everyone who followed along especially for all the helpful tips I’ve picked up from you guys. It was definitely an interesting experience and I learned a lot along the way.

Previously On…

To read the previous two articles in this series, go here and here. Last time, we left off, I had just reached Rank 10 and I’d been playing a pre-nerf Cubelock.

Shortly after that article was written, the next round of nerfs was announced. Nerfs that were targeted at none other than Cubelock! With the patch coming a few days later, I decided it was a good a time as any to start playing around with fun decks.

Thanks to the floor at Rank 10, I didn’t have to worry about dropping down in the ranks drastically and I had been floundering with my Cubelock deck for a few days, so I was ready for a switch. I played with a lot of different decks. I made no progress but I did have some fun as I waited for the patch and the inevitable shift in the meta. My plan was to just play around until the meta settled enough that I could pick a new Tier 1 deck and go from there. I figured waiting a few days was worth the tradeoff of finding a really good deck that would help me in the next stage of the climb.

A New Day, A New Deck

Things didn’t go exactly according to plan, because before I could do any of that one of the decks I started playing, a form of Taunt Druid, stole my heart. I featured a Taunt Druid deck last time, which is where I got my inspiration, so I figured why not give it a try? For reference, here is the deck I featured last time:

However, as great as that deck is, I ended up going with on that uses Oakheart, since I have him anyways. Not quite exactly like, but very similar to this deck:

I didn't have to craft anything to build this deck, I already had the legendaries from previous expansions, and I found pretty easy substitutes for the epics I was missing. I ended up enjoying this deck so much and had such success with it that I completely forgot to check around and see which decks were considered Tier 1 after the patch was released.

This is the deck I played for the rest of the season, not only did it get me through my slump at Rank 10 but it carried me all the way to the next floor at Rank 5, where I subsequently ran out of time and the season ended.

A Variety of Opponents

Something I was happy to discover during these past weeks was a reversal of what bothered me most in previous articles: the lack of variety in my opponent’s decks.

During the course of the games I played for the last two articles, I was constantly seeing the same decks over and over again to my endless frustration. Nothing against those decks, or the players using them, if it works, it works. It just became a bit tedious and rote (aka boring and no fun at all).

I was so sick of seeing Paladins that I flat out refused to build a Paladin deck when I got serious about the climb and instead built a more expensive Cubelock deck out of sheer stubbornness and annoyance. For the record, I am still sick of Paladins, though I suspect that will ease with time.

Again, this is not a condemnation of people playing Paladin decks, you do what you’ve got to do to win or have fun, I am the last person to pass judgement for that (hello, Cubelock).

This time around, however, I noticed a much greater variety of classes and decks. In the first article, there was the highest concentration of the same decks, during the second there was less but still plenty, and this time it just seemed “normal”. There were still decks I could easily identify, and there were still plenty of Spell Hunters, but it wasn’t one after the other, over and over again.

Instead of playing 8 out of 10 games against Paladins, I played against almost every class in a day. I encounter more decks that seemed like it was the opponent’s own thing and less like an archetype.

I don’t know if this is because I’d hit the floor at Rank 10 and Rank 5 (which certainly gives you room to experiment with your decks) or simply because more time has passed and the meta is adjusting and settling. Either way, it made the experience a lot more fun for me, so I’m happy to report it.

The Experiment Comes to an End

Now that I’ve completed the experiment, I want to answer two questions:

Did I have fun?

The short answer is “mostly”.

I had quite a few moments of frustration and boredom, which normally would be when I just walk away and come back to play more games when I feel like it. However, that just wasn’t possible during this experiment. I had to play whether I felt like it or not or risk losing precious time to climb higher.

That being said, I did have fun playing outside those moments. I really enjoyed each new rank I achieved, I felt like each one was a mini success, and each floor I achieved felt like success and blissful relief at the same time.

I also really liked that this experiment got me to try decks I would never have considered before, like Cubelock, that I had a ton of fun playing while it lasted. It got me out of my comfort zone. If it weren’t for these articles, I’m not sure if I ever would’ve tried to make a serious climb and I’m really glad I did.

So, yes. I did have fun but it was interspersed with more negative feelings than my usual casual play style. I think the same would be true with any game that you have to play so regularly in order to achieve your goal in it. It can start to feel less like a game, and more like work. I don’t think the negative parts outweigh the positive parts though, which leads me to…

Would I do it again?

Definitely. But probably not every season. It requires more play time and concentration than I’m usually able to put in. However, since I made it Rank 5 this season, I feel more confident in my ability to go even further. I’d like to see if I can make it a little bit higher.

I’m also curious how it would go with such a higher starting point since I started off this season at Rank 9. That’s a significant amount of the climb already gone, including the areas I’d most struggled at the past season. Will my curiosity win out? I guess we’ll see…

TLDR; I finished the season at Rank 5 (Woo!).

I was secretly hoping I’d get to Rank 5 after the last article when I reported that I made it to Rank 10 (my previous best in a season being Rank 12).

I achieved my secret goal. I wasn’t sure I would since I’ve never been this high on the ladder I didn’t know what to expect. However, after an extended struggle at Rank 10, I switched decks and made it Rank 5 similar to any other level I’d achieved so far.

Thanks to reaching Rank 5 during May’s season, I’ve started out June’s season at Rank 9 with 4 Stars. Perhaps this extra edge will inspire me to try again this month? I haven’t decided yet, but considering how many Ranks I would no longer have to climb through to get as far, I’m definitely tempted.

Especially considering that there were clear points of struggle for me on the ladder. I would no longer have to fight my way through several of those points.

I’m curious to know if others experience this as well and at what levels. I initially struggled at the very early levels (Rank 20-18) then again around Rank 13-14 and again at Rank 10 and finally at Rank 5 (which, unfortunately, I ran out of time to try and struggle my way through to the other side). What about you guys? Do you encounter periods of struggle at any particular Rank on the ladder? I’m also curious if any of our casual players might consider an experiment like this of their own, what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below!