I'm clearly doing something wrong ATM in BGs; I'm 600-700 rating down from my peak, basically, currently alternating between -95ish 8th places to easy second/third with +50s. I'm seeing no core cards in the bad runs. That last run, literally the only treble I managed was just after I hit 3, got a Bolvar, saw some mediocre DS stuff, then proceeded to hit Nef every other game, so... not much happened there. Deathrattles? Erm? If I don't have a solid plan by the time I'm solidly into T4, I'm basically dead (~25-30HP left due to chip damage from 50/50s I lose is my usual state there), and mechano-egg/kaboom/harvest is never enough to reach that point. i'm usually upgrading on 2 and 5 for early game, picking token producers to bank gold at this point, and looking for stats and solid cards. At this point, I muddle along with a vague menagerie build because there's nothing open (no hyenas/token producing beasts, or at best one, no cobalt, I've seen one warleader in about ten matches, occasional growing demon, but by then I'm low enough that it's suicide), hit T4 usually around turn 8ish, by which point people have T5 build definings and I lose.
Should I be picking random chaff up middle/lategame just to build trebles, rather than looking for stuff that is good/has synergies? If I could last two turns or so longer, I could probably squeeze 4th/5th for only about -10-20 rating or so, as the bottom three usually get knocked out roughly at once in th early lategame (when 15ish HP per loss is the norm, at TT4/5).
ETA: Just squeaked 5th for -25; still at TT4, trying desperately to get some deathrattle synergy, and I get wrecked by a mama bear, goldrinn, 16/18 cleave etc.. team. Just.. not winnable half the time, it feels, which means I'm doing something wrong. Probably going to be down to 5k soon enough, I guess; already down at 5250ish.
Let's first make sure you have the early game down.
Turn 1: Buy unit
Turn 2: Tavern up
Turn 3: rolls/hero power + unit OR sell token + 2 units
Turn 4: 2 units
Turn 5: 1 unit + tavern up
Turn 6: 2 units + hero power/rolls
Turn 7: Tavern up + unit
From turn 8 onwards, you've hit 10 mana, and whatever you do is really up to you. You're mainly looking for specific cards that you can build your strategy around, like Cobalt Guardian, Brann Bronzebeard, or Pack Leader. You'll find a lot of these at tavern tiers 3 and 5. Once you pick up those, focus on finding units to complement them and let them carry you to victory, or at least top 4.
Let's first make sure you have the early game down.
Turn 1: Buy unit
Turn 2: Tavern up
Turn 3: rolls/hero power + unit OR sell token + 2 units
Turn 4: 2 units
Turn 5: 1 unit + tavern up
Turn 6: 2 units + hero power/rolls
Turn 7: Tavern up + unit
From turn 8 onwards, you've hit 10 mana, and whatever you do is really up to you. You're mainly looking for specific cards that you can build your strategy around, like Cobalt Guardian, Brann Bronzebeard, or Pack Leader. You'll find a lot of these at tavern tiers 3 and 5. Once you pick up those, focus on finding units to complement them and let them carry you to victory, or at least top 4.
Let me know if you want something more specific.
That's my rough plan for the early game, yeah, though sometimes the upgrade to 4 is delayed by stuff like being darryl and dancing, or being nearly dead due to lots of chip damage early (such as hitting bad minions on T1 and thus losing the first three or so turns, or hitting the early game power opponents early). The problem I'm having is that none of these build around cards seem to be appearing half the time, or if they do, it's around turn 12, by which point I'm one loss off death (~15-20HP), which means one chunk of bad RNG or bouncing off top two for a turn or so and I'm 8th and down 100ish rating.
By the time I'm upgrading to TT5, it's around Turn 11-12ish, and I need to be in synergy by then to not be nearly dead. I hit almost no trebles - is my issue that I'm passing useless stuff that everyone ignores, in favour of some stats or minor synergy to try and stem the hemorrage of HP? Should I be picking chaff like righteous protector for trying to get trebles instead of rerolling to aim for useful stuff? Is it just a huge chunk of bad RNG since the most recent set of changes? (spoiler - probably not this :P Too prolonged for that).
And no, I don't have the time to watch streams for hours, unfortunately.
I've just had a game where I managed 3rd (+30ish) where literally the other three of the top four were all fully poisonous DS murlocs by about turn 15ish. Then a 5th (just, three of us went out that turn, -39) on turn 12 just after I'd managed to hit the 6 mana upgrade to TT5, with a cobalt, a golden harvest golem, a cleave, a moderately buffed amalgam, and so forth (not in that order obv). That last one I'd been ahead, then suddenly got stormed down by massive boards with heavy synergy again starting on t10ish (massive weavers, full heavy murlocs with multiple goldens, and similar).
Let's first make sure you have the early game down.
Turn 1: Buy unit
Turn 2: Tavern up
Turn 3: rolls/hero power + unit OR sell token + 2 units
Turn 4: 2 units
Turn 5: 1 unit + tavern up
Turn 6: 2 units + hero power/rolls
Turn 7: Tavern up + unit
From turn 8 onwards, you've hit 10 mana, and whatever you do is really up to you. You're mainly looking for specific cards that you can build your strategy around, like Cobalt Guardian, Brann Bronzebeard, or Pack Leader. You'll find a lot of these at tavern tiers 3 and 5. Once you pick up those, focus on finding units to complement them and let them carry you to victory, or at least top 4.
Let me know if you want something more specific.
That's my rough plan for the early game, yeah, though sometimes the upgrade to 4 is delayed by stuff like being darryl and dancing, or being nearly dead due to lots of chip damage early (such as hitting bad minions on T1 and thus losing the first three or so turns, or hitting the early game power opponents early). The problem I'm having is that none of these build around cards seem to be appearing half the time, or if they do, it's around turn 12, by which point I'm one loss off death (~15-20HP), which means one chunk of bad RNG or bouncing off top two for a turn or so and I'm 8th and down 100ish rating.
By the time I'm upgrading to TT5, it's around Turn 11-12ish, and I need to be in synergy by then to not be nearly dead. I hit almost no trebles - is my issue that I'm passing useless stuff that everyone ignores, in favour of some stats or minor synergy to try and stem the hemorrage of HP? Should I be picking chaff like righteous protector for trying to get trebles instead of rerolling to aim for useful stuff? Is it just a huge chunk of bad RNG since the most recent set of changes? (spoiler - probably not this :P Too prolonged for that).
And no, I don't have the time to watch streams for hours, unfortunately.
I've just had a game where I managed 3rd (+30ish) where literally the other three of the top four were all fully poisonous DS murlocs by about turn 15ish. Then a 5th (just, three of us went out that turn, -39) on turn 12 just after I'd managed to hit the 6 mana upgrade to TT5, with a cobalt, a golden harvest golem, a cleave, a moderately buffed amalgam, and so forth (not in that order obv). That last one I'd been ahead, then suddenly got stormed down by massive boards with heavy synergy again starting on t10ish (massive weavers, full heavy murlocs with multiple goldens, and similar).
I can't tell you exactly where you go wrong without knowing exactly what you do each game, unfortunately. Here's some stuff I can tell you that might help though:
Make sure you're not spending too much on rerolls. One of bob's quotes is "Better buy a minion while you can", and that's completely right. It doesn't have to be perfect: it just has to work.
You might not see the potential synergies sometimes: some cards that are strong build-arounds that people sell too often are Rat Pack and Cobalt Guardian. Pay close attention, and don't let tilt get in the way of good decision-making.
Make sure you see potential for triples. Tripling cards usually grants a gigantic power increase, since the card you get is from the next tier. This means that even picking up a double can sometimes be worth it - I heavily prioritize the second Spawn of N'Zoth or Kaboom Bot, as well as most other doubles and triples.
Don't get tilted. Understand that you can't always aim to get first place - your goal should be to just be ahead of the middle. You'll take losses now and then - everyone does - but you just have to get top 4 more often than bottom 4.
Hmm, thanks. Not picking up enough mid-tier minions (like spawn) with doubles to aim for trebles, I guess (or ending up having to sell a bunch of them for space just before seeing more :P). I'll try a bit with less rerolls and more grabbing/holding of stuff midgame, see if that can get me back into a winning swing of things.
Tilt is always an issue for me, unfortunately - just how I am, and given my sheer number of posts in the salt thread over the years, I'm experienced with it :P Usually manage it with long breaks (which also limits the amount I play :P). Example of this - how do you not tilt when you go: T1 get a token (beast one), lose to a voidwalker. T2 upgrade, lose to Darryyl's weaver+demon who didn't upgrade. T3 sell token, buy two, lose to AFK. Bounce off curator (who's top), AFK and Darryl who are both middle and by T7 - literally T7 when I'd normally be upgradnig to 3, which I delayed for multiple goldens in an attempt to get some kind of synergy - Darryl has a 17/17 and a bunch of giant demons. That's -82, two 2nd/3rd place finishes wiped out, with a bit of change, too. All the time I'm getting good beast 2s, but no beast buffing stuff to go with them, and rat pack does little without the buffing or the hyena.
I'm not some high tier player (~6500 currently), but have been consistently climbing when I get to play with very few drops in ranks, so maybe I can be of help?
It's clear above that you know the standard progression to TT4.
Making no further assumptions...
Are you keeping a close eye on your gold? You want to make sure you are trying to spend it all, even those last few, often forgot about golds, from selling you last few minions. Similar to Hearthstone or Starcraft, you want to be spending you money / mana every turn (within reason), and put it to use in the game (aka, not hold minions in you hand if you can avoid it). Even a few coins left over in a recruit round can mean the difference in these games. There will be times you'll be floating a gold or two when you want to freeze a board, but even when those happen, start looking at how you might sell minions to be able to spend those last 1-2 gold (it might be well worth it at times).
Also, based on the above, it sounds like you "have a game plan" before playing / you are trying to improve your "strategy". Honestly, this isn't much of a strategic game; it is far more tactical.
From above, it sounds like you want to be guiding your decisions towards a particular build before the game even starts, but that isn't how this game works. You can't force something the game never gives you. Instead you are trying to make the best with what the game gives you. Yes, there are times where you'll want to be thinking about what minions to shoot for in the next few rounds, as well as which minions on your board can be sold and aren't core to your comp. But you shouldn't be thinking "what does my end comp need to be?" when you aren't even close to TT5 yet (just a heuristic there). You want to be using your gold and minions in the most efficient form to maximize improving your board with what the game gives you. And until you approach the endgame, I feel you should be minimizing rerolls within reason.
Generally, I also think that you shouldn't aim for doubles to have a chance for triples. If you pick up a minion that improves your board while also getting a double, great! But you don't want to spend three gold just for a chance of getting a triple. Also, try not to hold minions in your hand: they represent gold / resources that you are not putting into play against your opponent (aka, they are effectively unspent gold).
Assuming too you aren't getting whooped on in the early game, I feel there is commonly a point in the game when I need to retool my comp or setup for a future round, and I'll be taking some damage to do so, but, assuming I survive, I'll be much stronger in 1 or 2 rounds. After all, if get 1st with with 1HP or 40HP doesn't matter: HP is a resource at times.
Again, once you get into the late game (around top 4), I think things become much more situational. But until then, there isn't a point in planning for that point of the game when you aren't sure you'll even get there. And there are all sorts of particulars on how to play certain heros, but I think first, working on the stuff that applies to all heros is best, then honing hero specific play styles is next.
I'm not some high tier player (~6500 currently), but have been consistently climbing when I get to play with very few drops in ranks, so maybe I can be of help?
It's clear above that you know the standard progression to TT4.
Making no further assumptions...
Are you keeping a close eye on your gold? You want to make sure you are trying to spend it all, even those last few, often forgot about golds, from selling you last few minions. Similar to Hearthstone or Starcraft, you want to be spending you money / mana every turn (within reason), and put it to use in the game (aka, not hold minions in you hand if you can avoid it). Even a few coins left over in a recruit round can mean the difference in these games. There will be times you'll be floating a gold or two when you want to freeze a board, but even when those happen, start looking at how you might sell minions to be able to spend those last 1-2 gold (it might be well worth it at times).
Also, based on the above, it sounds like you "have a game plan" before playing / you are trying to improve your "strategy". Honestly, this isn't much of a strategic game; it is far more tactical.
From above, it sounds like you want to be guiding your decisions towards a particular build before the game even starts, but that isn't how this game works. You can't force something the game never gives you. Instead you are trying to make the best with what the game gives you. Yes, there are times where you'll want to be thinking about what minions to shoot for in the next few rounds, as well as which minions on your board can be sold and aren't core to your comp. But you shouldn't be thinking "what does my end comp need to be?" when you aren't even close to TT5 yet (just a heuristic there). You want to be using your gold and minions in the most efficient form to maximize improving your board with what the game gives you. And until you approach the endgame, I feel you should be minimizing rerolls within reason.
Generally, I also think that you shouldn't aim for doubles to have a chance for triples. If you pick up a minion that improves your board while also getting a double, great! But you don't want to spend three gold just for a chance of getting a triple. Also, try not to hold minions in your hand: they represent gold / resources that you are not putting into play against your opponent (aka, they are effectively unspent gold).
Assuming too you aren't getting whooped on in the early game, I feel there is commonly a point in the game when I need to retool my comp or setup for a future round, and I'll be taking some damage to do so, but, assuming I survive, I'll be much stronger in 1 or 2 rounds. After all, if get 1st with with 1HP or 40HP doesn't matter: HP is a resource at times.
Again, once you get into the late game (around top 4), I think things become much more situational. But until then, there isn't a point in planning for that point of the game when you aren't sure you'll even get there. And there are all sorts of particulars on how to play certain heros, but I think first, working on the stuff that applies to all heros is best, then honing hero specific play styles is next.
I'm guiding my decisions towards a rough set of builds, because, well... if I don't, then I have no synergy and a pile of mediocre cards. Not a specific build, but some kind of synergy. Some of the key build around cards (though beasts require multiple of them) are the things I aim for because... you just get smashed without them. When they don't appear, I have nothing and lose.
I end up with 1 gold left over a couple of times per match, usually, because I reroll and hit something I want, so I freeze. Maybe I should be buying chaff more? A lot of times there is nothing that improves my build, so I reroll a fair chunk. The cards I'm offered are no upgrade, so I don't sell stuff to make room for them. But you're saying I shouldn't be rerolling much or buying stuff to hold onto for chance of trebles? I'm puzzled here as to what you're suggesting that I do when stuff offered does not pose an upgrade to my board (which is most of the time on turns 10+).
Commonly, I can't retool and change plans, because I get so much chip damage that I'm down to 25-30ish by the time we're talking TT4, and that's literally two hits away from dead by that point, even excluding the crazy T9 smashed by Kangor's apprentice and mechano-egg RNG that just went on last run (yay for Zerus!). Changing strategy and taking almost guaranteed hits when you're two hits from death seems crazy.
If you are taking that much damage in the early to midgame, you are definitely being way too picky and way too pessimistic.
You need to build a board quickly -- take literally anything to get to seven minions ASAP -- and then do what you can to improve it from there. Adopt the attitude of: "This may not be the ideal minion at this tier, but I can probably make it work for now."
DO NOT set your sights on a specific build or even a general tribe. Do your best with what's offered until TT4. You will often have a mixed bag at this point that may seem very weird, especially if you're comparing it to the previous meta.
Once you are doing better in that regard, you can start developing a sense of when it's appropriate to start driving toward an end build. By now, you'll have a good idea of which battlecries and keepers you want to fish for. (Even so, it's sometimes better to go with the flow.)
NEVER bet the bank on getting a specific triple. It if comes, it comes; but you have to have a backup plan for when it does not. This may even involve selling half of a pair (unless both minions are buffed up and performing well even without the triple).
If you are taking that much damage in the early to midgame, you are definitely being way too picky and way too pessimistic.
You need to build a board quickly -- take literally anything to get to seven minions ASAP -- and then do what you can to improve it from there. Adopt the attitude of: "This may not be the ideal minion at this tier, but I can probably make it work for now."
DO NOT set your sights on a specific build or even a general tribe. Do your best with what's offered until TT4. You will often have a mixed bag at this point that may seem very weird, especially if you're comparing it to the previous meta.
Once you are doing better in that regard, you can start developing a sense of when it's appropriate to start driving toward an end build. By now, you'll have a good idea of which battlecries and keepers you want to fish for. (Even so, it's sometimes better to go with the flow.)
NEVER bet the bank on getting a specific triple. It if comes, it comes; but you have to have a backup plan for when it does not. This may even involve selling half of a pair (unless both minions are buffed up and performing well even without the triple).
But... I am picking stuff to get a full board of decent stuff early. I simply can't compete with people using nef HP on T5 to wipe my board, people not upgrading as fast and thus getting better earlygame, with Curator or SIndy earlygame, of AFK T3, of simple bad luck on where attacks go, or bouncing between the top, full health person and someone else. I'm not losing HP faster than most others, generally, most people are losing HP at a similar rate, with 2-3 not (stuff like curator etc.), and this holds until the bottom three get knocked out at once, with the next two or three in th next two turns. Being 1/3rd dead by TT4 seems the norm, and I don't really see how you can avoid it reliably. Yes, I am pessimistic, but that kind of HP loss seems standard to me with most heroes.
Usually, midgame, I'm picking minions that are fine without being trebles. I'm trying to work on getting more trebles, because that's one metric I seem to be low on. Lategame, I'm usually fishing for trebles to upgrade, but by then I'm top four, usually, so only looking at a small loss in rating even worst case.
Mixed bag/menagerie-ish by the time I'm hitting TT4 seems to be being outclassed by massive stuff from demons, cobalt synergies, and the like, and it just feels like I should be in something by then to not be outclassed so hard. So I shouldn't be expecting to pick up synergies before then, basically taking losses to those with that?
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I'm clearly doing something wrong ATM in BGs; I'm 600-700 rating down from my peak, basically, currently alternating between -95ish 8th places to easy second/third with +50s. I'm seeing no core cards in the bad runs. That last run, literally the only treble I managed was just after I hit 3, got a Bolvar, saw some mediocre DS stuff, then proceeded to hit Nef every other game, so... not much happened there. Deathrattles? Erm? If I don't have a solid plan by the time I'm solidly into T4, I'm basically dead (~25-30HP left due to chip damage from 50/50s I lose is my usual state there), and mechano-egg/kaboom/harvest is never enough to reach that point. i'm usually upgrading on 2 and 5 for early game, picking token producers to bank gold at this point, and looking for stats and solid cards. At this point, I muddle along with a vague menagerie build because there's nothing open (no hyenas/token producing beasts, or at best one, no cobalt, I've seen one warleader in about ten matches, occasional growing demon, but by then I'm low enough that it's suicide), hit T4 usually around turn 8ish, by which point people have T5 build definings and I lose.
Should I be picking random chaff up middle/lategame just to build trebles, rather than looking for stuff that is good/has synergies? If I could last two turns or so longer, I could probably squeeze 4th/5th for only about -10-20 rating or so, as the bottom three usually get knocked out roughly at once in th early lategame (when 15ish HP per loss is the norm, at TT4/5).
ETA: Just squeaked 5th for -25; still at TT4, trying desperately to get some deathrattle synergy, and I get wrecked by a mama bear, goldrinn, 16/18 cleave etc.. team. Just.. not winnable half the time, it feels, which means I'm doing something wrong. Probably going to be down to 5k soon enough, I guess; already down at 5250ish.
I reccomend look on some commented streams. (Personaly i like dogdog on twitch.)
Hey:)
The key is to find transitions units, units that you will sell if you get a card you want.
So to answer your question yes you should buy some stuff mid game to get into a stable board state.
Especially without amalgan decks tend to grow much more aggressive.
I have a friend who chills at around 4500 and even in this elo you will die if greed to level to fast
LG hoped it helped
Let's first make sure you have the early game down.
Turn 1: Buy unit
Turn 2: Tavern up
Turn 3: rolls/hero power + unit OR sell token + 2 units
Turn 4: 2 units
Turn 5: 1 unit + tavern up
Turn 6: 2 units + hero power/rolls
Turn 7: Tavern up + unit
From turn 8 onwards, you've hit 10 mana, and whatever you do is really up to you. You're mainly looking for specific cards that you can build your strategy around, like Cobalt Guardian, Brann Bronzebeard, or Pack Leader. You'll find a lot of these at tavern tiers 3 and 5. Once you pick up those, focus on finding units to complement them and let them carry you to victory, or at least top 4.
Let me know if you want something more specific.
www.twitch.tv/mistermath314
Check out some of my decks:
That's my rough plan for the early game, yeah, though sometimes the upgrade to 4 is delayed by stuff like being darryl and dancing, or being nearly dead due to lots of chip damage early (such as hitting bad minions on T1 and thus losing the first three or so turns, or hitting the early game power opponents early). The problem I'm having is that none of these build around cards seem to be appearing half the time, or if they do, it's around turn 12, by which point I'm one loss off death (~15-20HP), which means one chunk of bad RNG or bouncing off top two for a turn or so and I'm 8th and down 100ish rating.
By the time I'm upgrading to TT5, it's around Turn 11-12ish, and I need to be in synergy by then to not be nearly dead. I hit almost no trebles - is my issue that I'm passing useless stuff that everyone ignores, in favour of some stats or minor synergy to try and stem the hemorrage of HP? Should I be picking chaff like righteous protector for trying to get trebles instead of rerolling to aim for useful stuff? Is it just a huge chunk of bad RNG since the most recent set of changes? (spoiler - probably not this :P Too prolonged for that).
And no, I don't have the time to watch streams for hours, unfortunately.
I've just had a game where I managed 3rd (+30ish) where literally the other three of the top four were all fully poisonous DS murlocs by about turn 15ish. Then a 5th (just, three of us went out that turn, -39) on turn 12 just after I'd managed to hit the 6 mana upgrade to TT5, with a cobalt, a golden harvest golem, a cleave, a moderately buffed amalgam, and so forth (not in that order obv). That last one I'd been ahead, then suddenly got stormed down by massive boards with heavy synergy again starting on t10ish (massive weavers, full heavy murlocs with multiple goldens, and similar).
I can't tell you exactly where you go wrong without knowing exactly what you do each game, unfortunately. Here's some stuff I can tell you that might help though:
Make sure you're not spending too much on rerolls. One of bob's quotes is "Better buy a minion while you can", and that's completely right. It doesn't have to be perfect: it just has to work.
You might not see the potential synergies sometimes: some cards that are strong build-arounds that people sell too often are Rat Pack and Cobalt Guardian. Pay close attention, and don't let tilt get in the way of good decision-making.
Make sure you see potential for triples. Tripling cards usually grants a gigantic power increase, since the card you get is from the next tier. This means that even picking up a double can sometimes be worth it - I heavily prioritize the second Spawn of N'Zoth or Kaboom Bot, as well as most other doubles and triples.
Don't get tilted. Understand that you can't always aim to get first place - your goal should be to just be ahead of the middle. You'll take losses now and then - everyone does - but you just have to get top 4 more often than bottom 4.
I hope this helps!
www.twitch.tv/mistermath314
Check out some of my decks:
Hmm, thanks. Not picking up enough mid-tier minions (like spawn) with doubles to aim for trebles, I guess (or ending up having to sell a bunch of them for space just before seeing more :P). I'll try a bit with less rerolls and more grabbing/holding of stuff midgame, see if that can get me back into a winning swing of things.
Tilt is always an issue for me, unfortunately - just how I am, and given my sheer number of posts in the salt thread over the years, I'm experienced with it :P Usually manage it with long breaks (which also limits the amount I play :P). Example of this - how do you not tilt when you go: T1 get a token (beast one), lose to a voidwalker. T2 upgrade, lose to Darryyl's weaver+demon who didn't upgrade. T3 sell token, buy two, lose to AFK. Bounce off curator (who's top), AFK and Darryl who are both middle and by T7 - literally T7 when I'd normally be upgradnig to 3, which I delayed for multiple goldens in an attempt to get some kind of synergy - Darryl has a 17/17 and a bunch of giant demons. That's -82, two 2nd/3rd place finishes wiped out, with a bit of change, too. All the time I'm getting good beast 2s, but no beast buffing stuff to go with them, and rat pack does little without the buffing or the hyena.
I'm not some high tier player (~6500 currently), but have been consistently climbing when I get to play with very few drops in ranks, so maybe I can be of help?
It's clear above that you know the standard progression to TT4.
Making no further assumptions...
Are you keeping a close eye on your gold? You want to make sure you are trying to spend it all, even those last few, often forgot about golds, from selling you last few minions. Similar to Hearthstone or Starcraft, you want to be spending you money / mana every turn (within reason), and put it to use in the game (aka, not hold minions in you hand if you can avoid it). Even a few coins left over in a recruit round can mean the difference in these games. There will be times you'll be floating a gold or two when you want to freeze a board, but even when those happen, start looking at how you might sell minions to be able to spend those last 1-2 gold (it might be well worth it at times).
Also, based on the above, it sounds like you "have a game plan" before playing / you are trying to improve your "strategy". Honestly, this isn't much of a strategic game; it is far more tactical.
From above, it sounds like you want to be guiding your decisions towards a particular build before the game even starts, but that isn't how this game works. You can't force something the game never gives you. Instead you are trying to make the best with what the game gives you. Yes, there are times where you'll want to be thinking about what minions to shoot for in the next few rounds, as well as which minions on your board can be sold and aren't core to your comp. But you shouldn't be thinking "what does my end comp need to be?" when you aren't even close to TT5 yet (just a heuristic there). You want to be using your gold and minions in the most efficient form to maximize improving your board with what the game gives you. And until you approach the endgame, I feel you should be minimizing rerolls within reason.
Generally, I also think that you shouldn't aim for doubles to have a chance for triples. If you pick up a minion that improves your board while also getting a double, great! But you don't want to spend three gold just for a chance of getting a triple. Also, try not to hold minions in your hand: they represent gold / resources that you are not putting into play against your opponent (aka, they are effectively unspent gold).
Assuming too you aren't getting whooped on in the early game, I feel there is commonly a point in the game when I need to retool my comp or setup for a future round, and I'll be taking some damage to do so, but, assuming I survive, I'll be much stronger in 1 or 2 rounds. After all, if get 1st with with 1HP or 40HP doesn't matter: HP is a resource at times.
Again, once you get into the late game (around top 4), I think things become much more situational. But until then, there isn't a point in planning for that point of the game when you aren't sure you'll even get there. And there are all sorts of particulars on how to play certain heros, but I think first, working on the stuff that applies to all heros is best, then honing hero specific play styles is next.
I'm guiding my decisions towards a rough set of builds, because, well... if I don't, then I have no synergy and a pile of mediocre cards. Not a specific build, but some kind of synergy. Some of the key build around cards (though beasts require multiple of them) are the things I aim for because... you just get smashed without them. When they don't appear, I have nothing and lose.
I end up with 1 gold left over a couple of times per match, usually, because I reroll and hit something I want, so I freeze. Maybe I should be buying chaff more? A lot of times there is nothing that improves my build, so I reroll a fair chunk. The cards I'm offered are no upgrade, so I don't sell stuff to make room for them. But you're saying I shouldn't be rerolling much or buying stuff to hold onto for chance of trebles? I'm puzzled here as to what you're suggesting that I do when stuff offered does not pose an upgrade to my board (which is most of the time on turns 10+).
Commonly, I can't retool and change plans, because I get so much chip damage that I'm down to 25-30ish by the time we're talking TT4, and that's literally two hits away from dead by that point, even excluding the crazy T9 smashed by Kangor's apprentice and mechano-egg RNG that just went on last run (yay for Zerus!). Changing strategy and taking almost guaranteed hits when you're two hits from death seems crazy.
If you are taking that much damage in the early to midgame, you are definitely being way too picky and way too pessimistic.
You need to build a board quickly -- take literally anything to get to seven minions ASAP -- and then do what you can to improve it from there. Adopt the attitude of: "This may not be the ideal minion at this tier, but I can probably make it work for now."
DO NOT set your sights on a specific build or even a general tribe. Do your best with what's offered until TT4. You will often have a mixed bag at this point that may seem very weird, especially if you're comparing it to the previous meta.
Once you are doing better in that regard, you can start developing a sense of when it's appropriate to start driving toward an end build. By now, you'll have a good idea of which battlecries and keepers you want to fish for. (Even so, it's sometimes better to go with the flow.)
NEVER bet the bank on getting a specific triple. It if comes, it comes; but you have to have a backup plan for when it does not. This may even involve selling half of a pair (unless both minions are buffed up and performing well even without the triple).
"Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose nor a body to kick." -- Lady Saba Holland
But... I am picking stuff to get a full board of decent stuff early. I simply can't compete with people using nef HP on T5 to wipe my board, people not upgrading as fast and thus getting better earlygame, with Curator or SIndy earlygame, of AFK T3, of simple bad luck on where attacks go, or bouncing between the top, full health person and someone else. I'm not losing HP faster than most others, generally, most people are losing HP at a similar rate, with 2-3 not (stuff like curator etc.), and this holds until the bottom three get knocked out at once, with the next two or three in th next two turns. Being 1/3rd dead by TT4 seems the norm, and I don't really see how you can avoid it reliably. Yes, I am pessimistic, but that kind of HP loss seems standard to me with most heroes.
Usually, midgame, I'm picking minions that are fine without being trebles. I'm trying to work on getting more trebles, because that's one metric I seem to be low on. Lategame, I'm usually fishing for trebles to upgrade, but by then I'm top four, usually, so only looking at a small loss in rating even worst case.
Mixed bag/menagerie-ish by the time I'm hitting TT4 seems to be being outclassed by massive stuff from demons, cobalt synergies, and the like, and it just feels like I should be in something by then to not be outclassed so hard. So I shouldn't be expecting to pick up synergies before then, basically taking losses to those with that?