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Its just really infuriating if you go second and your deck doesn't abuse the coin. It feels so weak to go second right now specifically against pirate warrior. It already never felt good pre pirate warrior but now its highlighted that it sucks.
Pretty much. Going first gives you:
- Tempo advantage, you get to play the first minion.
- Mana advantage, you are one mana ahead for 9 out of the 10 first turns (assuming The Coin is used at some point).
- Slower fatigue, you draw your final card one turn later.
- Fewer cards in hand, which means that in control vs. control you reach the 10 card hand limit slower.
Going second gives you:
- 1 more card in hand, giving you more options.
The advantage of going second is practically irrelevant in a tempo battle unless:
1. The player going first runs out of on-curve plays
2. You draw a card that effectively counters the opponent's board and gives you a tempo advantage.
3. You can abuse The Coin.
Currently the advantage of number 1. is a small poop in the ocean compared to what most meta decks can do with a tempo advantage, and very few classes have the tools to make number 2. happen consistently. You need cards like Innervate, Preparation, Backstab, etc., cards that let you turn a hand size advantage into a tempo advantage, or a perfect answer like Ravaging Ghoul against Muster for Battle (there are extremely few such interactions atm). Number 3. is only relevant to Rogue, Tempo Mage and in super slow control vs. control matchups where having 11 mana lets you do cool stuff.
In ES:Legends the player going second doesn't get an extra card but instead they get 3 'coins' - which don't count as cards or spells (it's a ring with 3 gems, you can click once per turn for 1 extra mana that turn)
Yeah, a toast!
Just opened my deck tracker stats for all time ~4400 ranked games, 58% going first, 56% going second. But for last 3 seasons it's more interesting - ~390 games, 59% second, 55% first. So I don't know how it works, but in MSG for me it's better to play with coin =)
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There's another advantage to going first that none of you have mentioned. Because Player 1 often develops minion(s) before player 2, they have the initiative at deciding trades. The player who can attack first can decide to go face, trade minions or use a spell/weapon to respond to their opponents minion before it even gets to attack. Player 2 is at a mana disadvantage for the 1st 10 turns and also at a Tempo disadvantage because their opponent will dictate the flow of the game. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that many 1 drops like 2/1s trade favorably against 2 mana 3/2s, so it can be difficult to gain an immediate advantage from the coin. Blizzard needs to either rebalance going second or they need to make better reactive cards, like more board clears.
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Beat your opponent to a pulp with Revenant Warrior or outlast them with Demon Reno Warlock.
Yeah, a toast!
I think it's a perfect time to make some changes and give extra health to the player that goes second.
Hearthstone has gone nuts in the last few years and it's nowhere near the game it was in 2014. Just today, I went second against mage in Arena and the game was all about getting out of the pressure I've been under because of the initiative advantage they had. I've lost some free hp cause of the hits they could afford because they go first and if I only had 6-8 hp more, then the game could be a bit fair.
Going first is only an advantage if you make good use of the first few turns. After that, the person going second will start countering every strategy you try to employ, especially if they are familiar with the deck you are playing. At that point, I would rather go second than guess what their next move is going to be.
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