Hearthpwn

Just wondering what other people's thoughts are on the game play now that Naxx has been around.

At first all the new cards were refreshing and interesting, many new decks and combos were surfacing.  Like many people my initial reaction was positive.  However my gaming experience seems pretty different now then before the release.  To make broad generalizations before the Naxx, the games were much closer in outcome and decisions in the last few turns could turn the game either way.  Currently many matches are often determined within a few turns, if not turn one.  I have witnessed many more concedes in the early game, because players know that the game is highly unlikely to swing back into their favor.  There are outliers with particular match ups that do not fall into this category, so I am not saying every match up slowly snowballs out of control.

This has created mulligan phase to be more skillful then before Naxx, in that you really need to know what deck/class you are up against largely due to specific Naxx cards, yet frustrating in that if you don't get the cards you need you know from that same knowledge that you know that you are unlikely to win (yet a slim possibility).  

The games now are much more likely snowball out of control in favor of one player, regardless of aggro, midrange, or control.  I have been on both sides of the fence where I am either dominating or getting destroyed, so its not about winning or loosing.  What I am talking about here is gameplay.  Frankly playing a game that often snowballs out of control is less enjoyable to me then one that leaves me on my toes who shall win.  Again there are a few match ups that avoid this problem.

A part of me really appreciates the mulligan phase more now as it really tests knowledge of classes and decks, yet on the other hand specific Naxx cards have created an condition where you need very specific counters to stand a chance when you mulligan

Note: I am not saying all matches snowball, or the entire game, or hunter this or zoo that.  Just that Naxx cards have created an environment more prone to snowballing than before.

Quote from hearthstring »

To make broad generalizations before the Naxx, the games were much closer in outcome and decisions in the last few turns could turn the game either way.  Currently many matches are often determined within a few turns, if not turn one.

tl;dr - in bold

If you remember how things were in Pre-Naxx, we had quite a few decks that were able to snowball as well.  Most notably, Zoo.  The difference is that back then, we didn't have many of the tools available now to stop such strategies from becoming abusive or un-fun.

Pre-Naxx, many games were still actually decided in the first few turns but because Aggro wasn't as ubiquitous, the situations weren't as obvious.  Post-Naxx, we've gotten key, anti-meta cards like Zombie Chow, Unstable Ghoul, Loatheb, Sludge Belcher, and even Deathlord to stop things from getting out of control.  Of course, there will be those games where the opponent drops Undertaker-Coin-Leper, or Double Flame Imps and you just don't have the answers in hand, but those un-winnable snowballing scenarios should be very rare cases.  If it happens often, then that's a sign that you really need to start teching for the meta.

As for why Aggro has become so ubiquitous now compared to pre-Naxx?  The first reason is obviously Undertaker, and the second reason is because the effective counter decks to Undertaker Hunter are significantly more expensive compared to the effective counter decks to Zoo pre-Naxx.  With a low amount of dust, and limited skills in deck building, most players would rather just roll the dice and hope for the best, because, with a bit of tech, a little luck, and a lot of grinding, they might just win the slew of mirror matches and make it to Legend.

So really, for the competitive player (which is what you should be if you're playing ranked, for goodness sake), the game has gotten far easier post-naxx because ranked play has become more predictable than ever before and hence so much easier to stomp (assuming you have all the cards).  Gameplay outside of ranked has become actually become a lot more fun because of the crazy card interactions you can pull off with all the new cards.

As for midrange and control... the only relevant cards post-Naxx that allow for harder snowballing are Baron Rivendere and Kel'Thuzad.  However, Baron Rivendere is kept in check by Aggro, whereas Kel'Thuzad is relatively conditional and can only be included at the opportunity cost of cutting another win condition.  The most significant case for snowballing, post-Naxx, still remains in Aggro.

So really, what's the complaint?  Do you really want to play to win?  If so, you'll never have a right to complain, because a real winner will do whatever it takes to make it happen.  Or do you want to play for fun?  If so, casual mode is just as hunter-light and healthy as ever.  Sometimes, you just can't have it both ways.

I like the gameplay after Naxxramas. Only reason the game feels more snowbally is because aggro decks are more common, which are more snowball in nature.

However, with the new cards, it feels more in my control to build a counter deck.

I feel like the game is no more or less snowball heavy than it was before. There are new snowball type cards (Undertaker comes to mind), but with things like Sludge Belcher, it's also easier to take back control of the game. There is of course always going to be an element of snowball when your opponent gets a critical amount of tempo and board presence. But that isn't a bad thing. It rewards players for playing well by making efficient trades and avoiding board wipes.

The game is much better in every way except Undertaker, but that card is so problematic and so ubiquitous that I would rather play without Naxx.