....I Guess what I'm saying is Blizzard needs to seriously consdier rotating stuff back in to standard from Wild from time to time.
Or (and this is much more likely) than can just release cards that perform similar functions specific to the particular sets that they've released in standard that year.
I believe we'll start seeing glimpses of it after Standard rotates and most of the infinite value generators get dumped to Wild, but a truly healthy Meta will only be possible after Genn and Baku rotates.
In my opinion, a healthy meta has multiple solutions to a problem, has a stable power level cycle, doesn't need needs to mitigate badly design cards, tends to be less combocentric and more boardcentric, shy away from infinite value and most importantly, offers players a great degree of freedom and agency when building a deck.
Un'Goro, KFT and Kobolds were very exciting and brought a slew of new ideas, which was great to renew interest in the game. The problem is, there were also a lot of problems regarding class identity and weaknesses being mitigated. Warlock having unlimited amount of healing and Druid outclassing Warrior armor production being two very emblematic examples. A lot of ideas, designwise, were forcedly pigeonholed in a few archetypes that haven't really gone anywhere. The meta feels stale because most decks run a +70% core of Un'Goro/KFT/Kobolds goodstuff. Some of the most competitive Rastakhan decks prenerf weren't even using Boomsday or Rastakhan cards.
I believe the year of the Raven was a testing grounds for Blizzard's RnD. Now it's up to then to find the delicate balance between exciting, powerful mechanics and screwing up completely power balance and class identity. I'm not sure toning down the power level of cards like they did in Rastakhan is a good solution, though. And we'll still have Genn and Baku pigeonholing deckbuilding for an entire year, so brave yourselves.
The best Meta would obviously be with every class having strong decks (Tier1-2). 9 Classes with at least every class having 3 different decks (Aggro, Midrange, Control) and no OTK deck. Every deck needs a counter, especially combo decks. TTK-decks are totally okay for me, at least there's one turn to disrupt the inevitable end. Just a tiny chance would be enough.
We will never see a perfect meta, and there are many reasons.
1. Hero Powers in generell are the biggest problem. They limit card design space. Yeah i know we get Hero-Cards that change our Hero-Power, but for example warlock, has the most rediciolous to start with. Being able to draw cards in a cardgame is just insane.
2. The Classic-Set+Core-Set is totally unbalanced. Priest has nearly no good AOE, so they have to give the class a strong AOE with every Shift. Does anybody remember Priest after the last rotation? They basically had nothing against board centric decks. What happened? Psychic Scream happend.
There are many more examples, and i'm tired of always saying the same, but they seriously need to change the whole Basic of the Game.
Redesign Basic+Classic. Give every Class nearly the same identitiy, and try to define thair identities through the following expansions. That way Metas would change every 3-4 month. Instead of just 1 class with 1 power they could shape some kind of "personality" onto a priest, warlock, warrior, e.g.
Cards like DK hunter should never exist in the first place.
Let see what I will play today...
I like control warrior, but I can't play because one single f....... card completely outvalue and destroy your entire deck without any hope or definitive tech, it is just BS, the result of match is decide from the matching system and not for the skill or even the luck of the player.
Only meta worst than that is one class Tier S like shaman and druid have.
I love DK Rexxar precisely because it beats the shit out of Control Warrior. If not for the DK, Control Warrior would be all over the ladder. Great card.
CW exists from the beggining and never was a problem, very good vs aggro but weak vs other controls like warlock and priest.
One card, just one card, completely destroy one entire deck is terrible designed card.
Imagine if exist a card 6 manas 1/1 Battlecry "If your opponent is hunter you win the game", you will think that is a good designed card?
Cards like DK hunter should never exist in the first place.
Let see what I will play today...
I like control warrior, but I can't play because one single f....... card completely outvalue and destroy your entire deck without any hope or definitive tech, it is just BS, the result of match is decide from the matching system and not for the skill or even the luck of the player.
Only meta worst than that is one class Tier S like shaman and druid have.
I love DK Rexxar precisely because it beats the shit out of Control Warrior. If not for the DK, Control Warrior would be all over the ladder. Great card.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (no it doesn't).
Or (and this is much more likely) than can just release cards that perform similar functions specific to the particular sets that they've released in standard that year.
No Jaina or Rexxar, No 3 mana hyena 7/5, no baku and genn
I believe we'll start seeing glimpses of it after Standard rotates and most of the infinite value generators get dumped to Wild, but a truly healthy Meta will only be possible after Genn and Baku rotates.
In my opinion, a healthy meta has multiple solutions to a problem, has a stable power level cycle, doesn't need needs to mitigate badly design cards, tends to be less combocentric and more boardcentric, shy away from infinite value and most importantly, offers players a great degree of freedom and agency when building a deck.
Un'Goro, KFT and Kobolds were very exciting and brought a slew of new ideas, which was great to renew interest in the game. The problem is, there were also a lot of problems regarding class identity and weaknesses being mitigated. Warlock having unlimited amount of healing and Druid outclassing Warrior armor production being two very emblematic examples. A lot of ideas, designwise, were forcedly pigeonholed in a few archetypes that haven't really gone anywhere. The meta feels stale because most decks run a +70% core of Un'Goro/KFT/Kobolds goodstuff. Some of the most competitive Rastakhan decks prenerf weren't even using Boomsday or Rastakhan cards.
I believe the year of the Raven was a testing grounds for Blizzard's RnD. Now it's up to then to find the delicate balance between exciting, powerful mechanics and screwing up completely power balance and class identity. I'm not sure toning down the power level of cards like they did in Rastakhan is a good solution, though. And we'll still have Genn and Baku pigeonholing deckbuilding for an entire year, so brave yourselves.
TL;DR: April 2020 or bust.
UNITE THE MURLOCS!
The best meta is when thief rogue is top dock !!!!
The best Meta would obviously be with every class having strong decks (Tier1-2). 9 Classes with at least every class having 3 different decks (Aggro, Midrange, Control) and no OTK deck. Every deck needs a counter, especially combo decks. TTK-decks are totally okay for me, at least there's one turn to disrupt the inevitable end. Just a tiny chance would be enough.
We will never see a perfect meta, and there are many reasons.
1. Hero Powers in generell are the biggest problem. They limit card design space. Yeah i know we get Hero-Cards that change our Hero-Power, but for example warlock, has the most rediciolous to start with. Being able to draw cards in a cardgame is just insane.
2. The Classic-Set+Core-Set is totally unbalanced. Priest has nearly no good AOE, so they have to give the class a strong AOE with every Shift. Does anybody remember Priest after the last rotation? They basically had nothing against board centric decks. What happened? Psychic Scream happend.
There are many more examples, and i'm tired of always saying the same, but they seriously need to change the whole Basic of the Game.
Redesign Basic+Classic. Give every Class nearly the same identitiy, and try to define thair identities through the following expansions. That way Metas would change every 3-4 month. Instead of just 1 class with 1 power they could shape some kind of "personality" onto a priest, warlock, warrior, e.g.
CW exists from the beggining and never was a problem, very good vs aggro but weak vs other controls like warlock and priest.
One card, just one card, completely destroy one entire deck is terrible designed card.
Imagine if exist a card 6 manas 1/1 Battlecry "If your opponent is hunter you win the game", you will think that is a good designed card?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha (no it doesn't).
Curvestone was a fun time, lets have some more of that
No priest meta :)