Hearthpwn

Last time I played was Kobolds and Catacombs, I login in today and was quite overwhelmed with all the new content. Is there a starter guide I can watch somewhere about all the new modes and what's in standard right now? 

I like constructed, what is the most cost efficient way to build my collection again? I have like 8k dust. I'd be willing to spend like $100 

Quote from Banur >>

The traditional hearthstone mode has four modes: standard, wild, classic and casual.

Standard is a restricted mode with only the past two years worth of expansions allowed plus the current selection in the core set.

Wild allows all cards (minus two banned warlock cards).

Classic allows only cards from the original set and uses their versions from launch, regardless of future changes.

Legend can be reached in all of these.

Casual is unranked, but smart. In the sense that it will queue you into the right mode depending on your selected deck.

The Core set is a new addition that temporarily grants a base stock of cards to all players (replacing the basic and classic cards). The selection changes every year and can contain cards from all expansions not just basic and classic. Cards are unlocked by leveling classes to 10 (do that for DH).

Arena has a different selection of expansions, that changes every so often. Search around for what is currently included.

BGs don't require cards, so try that.

Mercs just came out and while you can spend money, there are a few free packs available. So try that as well.

Adventures are not important anymore for the most part. Some cards are used in wild though.

Quest can be completed in most PVP modes (even BGs, do your X of tribe there).

The Tavern pass is optional for the reward track and grants more experience from quests (they no longer yield gold, it solely comes from the reward track) and some cosmetics.

Expansions contain a legendary within the first 10 packs and we have duplicate protection. Which means that you won't see more copies of a card until you have collected every card (of that expansion) of the same rarity. (Dusting counts as having had a card.)

They have also introduced a mini set that releases halfway through the expansion, costing 2000g or money.

For competitive decks check hsreplay or vicioussyndicate.

As a returning player you should also be able to pick a starter deck that is somewhat viable.
Play around with that, see if you can grind out some gold (2k) and grab the mini set in a couple of weeks and save your money for the bundles of the next expansion. That will start the next HS year, rotating the oldest sets and changing the core set.

First I would suggest that you search for guides on YT, there are quite a few on there from fairly reputable players. Next, you should go to HSreplay and familiarize yourself with the meta and which decks are performing particularly well. You will have to pay 5 dollars for premium if you want to see which decklists are best past gold and their meta tier list, but I think this is a small price to pay for this information, even if only for a month. It is worth noting that a major balance patch is happening tomorrow, so the metas in wild and standard will certainly shift as several tier 1 archetypes are getting nerfed. So if I were in your position I would wait a few days before I craft anything just to see how things play out and ensure that the list that you decide to go with is relatively safe to craft.

The traditionally most cost efficient way (and efficient way in general) to build up a collection in HS has been to play arena, at least if you're good at it. Nowadays you can also play duels to receive similar rewards, which is essentially arena but with your own cards, a special HP of your choosing, and random bundles of cards that you can select to augment your starting deck of 15 cards after each win, as well as powerful special cards that can you select every few games.

Alternatively, if you don't want to play arena or duels, you should make it your goal to hit at least Diamond 5 each month as this rank provides optimal end of month rewards. Also, as a returning player you should be eligible to receive a free deck from the class of your choosing which should help fill out your collection a bit. Here's a link that to an article about that: https://outof.cards/hearthstone/guides/3-what-are-the-free-hearthstone-decks-for-new-and-returning-players-decklists/ . 

If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a message and I'll try to help however I can. Best of luck and welcome back!

Welcome back! 

Which mode do you intend on playing most? If it's standard, I'd highly recommend paying close attention to the top decks there and craft the cheapest ones you can afford and do some resource grinding. It takes some time but should be doable. 

If you wanna focus on any one set I'd highly recommend United in Stormwind. Easily best set (In terms of power level) of the year and its filled with the most powerful and broken cards and a lot of current decks are centered around those recent Legendary Quests. 

I'm in wild and there, Pirates and Tavish hunter variants are HUGE. Both decks are getting hit with the latest nerf patch but don't let the patch fool you, the meta won't change much. Hunters will merely forgo Baku if need be and it will still be a strong deck. Both tavish and pirates are relatively strong and cheaper decks to craft in wild. 

Quote from LordCheesus >>

Welcome back! 

Which mode do you intend on playing most? If it's standard, I'd highly recommend paying close attention to the top decks there and craft the cheapest ones you can afford and do some resource grinding. It takes some time but should be doable. 

If you wanna focus on any one set I'd highly recommend United in Stormwind. Easily best set (In terms of power level) of the year and its filled with the most powerful and broken cards and a lot of current decks are centered around those recent Legendary Quests. 

I'm in wild and there, Pirates and Tavish hunter variants are HUGE. Both decks are getting hit with the latest nerf patch but don't let the patch fool you, the meta won't change much. Hunters will merely forgo Baku if need be and it will still be a strong deck. Both tavish and pirates are relatively strong and cheaper decks to craft in wild. 

 I would definitely hesitate to assert that the meta in wild won't change much. Obviously ignite and apm mage are no longer going to be tier 1, which in and of itself is a massive shift for the current wild meta (at least at the ranks in which those decks are prevalent). I also don't think any non-odd iteration of quest hunter will be able to achieve the same power level as odd quest hunter, although I suppose time will tell if people do decide to go that route. It is true that pwarr should still be very relevant since the "nerf" it was hit with was particularly minimal, but I could certainly see more players moving to evenlock, freeze sham, and cthun/linecracker druid in the wake of this upcoming patch. Particularly druid since ignite won't be around to hard counter it anymore. All of which is to say, I do think it would serve Talenalet to be cognizant of the upcoming changes and to let the dust settle a bit before he decides on crafting anything.

don´t

Worst thing you can possibly do to your life, just dont.

Honestly, I'd hold off on any major purchases until after rotation (late March or early April). We will get a new Core set then, and three entire expansions will disappear. Every archetype that exists right now could easily become a meme. HOWEVER, you definitely want to buy the mini-set when it appears in the next few weeks. Those are always the best bang for your Hearthstone buck.

Until then, you can earn gold by completing your quests in Duels and Arena (and to a lesser extent, Mercenaries and Battlegrounds). Arena will cost you if you aren't a strong player, so Casual Duels is probably your best bet for completing quests. If you "git good," you can start playing Ranked Duels and earn gold on top of the quest completion.

Also, maybe get the Rewards Pass so you can get the accelerated XP -- but this might not be worthwhile if you don't play enough. Get it if you like the portraits, I guess?

If you absolutely must buy cards before rotation, stick to Barrens, Stormwind and Alterac ONLY. Unless you're a big Wild player, you won't get much use out of the older stuff before it's gone.

Questline Pirate Warrior / Imposter Rogue / Quest Hunter...go to legend with 60 percent win-rate...decks are super easy to navigate. enjoy the post stomp invites and relish the hatred

if you are going to wait till rotation, this is the worst time to do it. Just don't is the real answer though

I was in the same situation and climbed to legend first time ever last month with face hunter, and yet again this month. You will likely only need 1500 or so dust to craft new cards for it. If you prefer slower decks, Combo Mage and Freeze Shaman (mid-rangey) are great picks.

 Should I buy the StormWind miniset before its gone?

Why? Run away!!! lol

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Worst thing you can possibly do to your life, just dont.

 And why is that?

Welcome back!

Are you going to be playing Wild or Standard? Some constructed players also like Duels, so maybe give that a try.

Finish your dailies, weeklies and grind the Rewards Track. There are a few free cards on it and the rewards are significantly improved over those you'd have got during the K&C era. 

Consider purchasing the last miniset and the one likely to be released next month. They are hard to beat for 2k gold each. Each miniset to date has consisted of 66 cards, including 4 legendaries and 2 epics.

Personally, I'd probably wait to pick up the Mega Bundle for the next expansion ($80). You could purchase the Tavern Pass ($20), but it might be a bit late. Again maybe worth waiting until the next one in April.

Oh, and get a heroic Duels run to two losses before the reset later today. That'll net you a Tavern Ticket and a pack at the very least. More if you do well!

Regis Killbin is good for Duels. Kibler is one YouTuber, around during K&C, who is still playing Standard. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone doing Battlegrounds. It's the most popular game mode now.

Vicious Syndicate just released their report on the current Wild meta (23 Jan) as well as one for Standard (20 Jan): https://www.vicioussyndicate.com/

Watch high legend players. Doesn't matter who, as long as they are top 500. You will see what the best decks are, how they think and how they play. Use ViciousSyndicate, read the last meta report but don't use HsReplay unless you have premium - the bronze stats are useless. Finally, sell all your wild stuff, very few cards are viable in wild anyway.

Pick the free deck that offers you the most dust and wait for a few days after the nerfs to see what's good. I'd also spend on the cheapest bundles. Generally speaking, any bundle that gives you more packs than dollars/euros you spend is good.

I think you can have 2-3 top tier decks without even spending 100, but if you want variety it's best to spend it I guess. Also make sure you work your way up to 2000 gold for the mini set coming out next month. Good luck and welcome back, I think this meta is great.

Quote from UltraJeeves >>

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Worst thing you can possibly do to your life, just dont.

 And why is that?

 Because there's no playable mode in HS right now, all of them are beyond trash, that's why. Thank me later.

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Quote from UltraJeeves >>

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Worst thing you can possibly do to your life, just dont.

 And why is that?

 Because there's no playable mode in HS right now, all of them are beyond trash, that's why. Thank me later.

 That's weird ... I've been playing pretty much every day. Maybe you should contact tech support.

Quote from FortyDust >>

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Quote from UltraJeeves >>

Quote from Reinan23 >>

Worst thing you can possibly do to your life, just dont.

 And why is that?

 Because there's no playable mode in HS right now, all of them are beyond trash, that's why. Thank me later.

 That's weird ... I've been playing pretty much every day. Maybe you should contact tech support.

 Good for you, i dont care tbh.