Hearthpwn

Quote from GingerKidz >>

I have been wondering how much the loss of the outward-facing "community" people... due to the lay-offs... has affected the card reveals/timing/quality etc. Coordinating card reveals seems like a natural role for the community-based staff/resources.

 This.

Yes, Ben Brode was the joyful face of Hearthstone, but there was somebody writing the scripts, doing the camera work, getting the card reveals organized and watching social media for problems.

Guys who crunch numbers for a card game and do other programming chores have only so many hours to put in -- and talents.

/also, there were plenty of bad cards and trends on Brode's watch.

The academic in me is intrigued by the PR disasters, or at least how the peanut gallery of social media views it, that the current Hearthstone promotion is going through. Would be a good case study for a video game industry article to review in several months, in comparison with the next expansion's promotions.

The control player part of me is saying I like the box thing just for the frustration it's bringing the idiot masses.

It's a good, maybe very good card.

However, looking at what Year of the Raven leaves as a possible direction ... Thief Priest as a deck needs the following to be successful:

1. Less aggro in meta (wishing wishing wishing)

2. Decks that aren't buffing/synergy with garbage minions (silver hand recruits for Paladin, hunter beast buffs, murlocs, minions like Fire Fly, evolve decks and buffs for specific types or worse, weapon buffs). You either end up with useless cards or minions that can't kill their mirror on the other side.

3. Good cards that help you steal (SECRET AGENT COMING THROUGH, Glimmerroot).

I know this because I played Thief Priest, and it pretty much died in Un'Goro times. It's reappeared in Rastakhan era and has a nice trick with Princess Talanji, but it's still weak in standard (wild ... it's a respectable, fun meme.).

/Bet on a Hex Lord Malacrass clip with this card in a Trolden video

If you have everything, you get bored more quickly.

If you have enough to win but still have gaps, the latter pushes you. Interest pops by watching streamers or opponents with unusual decks or mechanics you are fond of.

If you're F2P, you have to like repetition. Same deck, same deck, same deck for days/weeks/months.

I see more hunter in wild than Big Priest. And I have decks built more for BP matches. And lately I've been running into oddball priests -- dragon or buff/spell.

I do agree that Blizzard isn't giving the non-hero classes (everybody but Shaman, Hunter, Warrior) hope, because so far cards and synergies look like those three classes will have a considerable edge.

Also, I still want the aggro/smorc toned down in standard. Druid and Warlock look to be board flooders, and Big Spell Mage is leaving. 

- The argument for who has it easier, Rogue (by chance; the Priest doesn't even have to carry the other card) to get Romeo and Juliet than Priest to get both (Rogue has to carry the other half in their deck/hand). I think I'd be more pissed by not carrying a R&J card and getting killed by the combo than having my opponent copy the needed half actually carried in my deck. Also, 6th turn OTK would really rile people up.

- I like the Soul Consuming Ethereal concept, but it would be better renamed and put in the demon tribe as a random punishment (and further filter the random demon pool).

- In another universe, clips of mill suicide, mill kills and ragequits by Traveling Cleric Priests with Northshire Cleric on the table flood Trolden's videos.

- Point to Screwjank for the Moorabi callback. This is a card I would happily experiment in wild with control shaman.

The clothies (Warlock, Priest, Mage) look to be hit hardest. Before HOF announcement, Mage might have been one of the more promising ones due to Odd Mage builds. Priest is down to steal cards or Inner Fire tricks, while Warlock will have to find a new zoo until a control-ish deck emerges.

Paladin has to find a new build other than OTK gimmicks. Might be a Hakkar build there too. Also might be mech/deathrattle potential.

Druid has aggro trees. Might become the next Odd Paladin aggro annoyance.

Warrior might be the survivor at the top, but like Mage, loses luster with Odd going away.

Hunter is questionable (has a hero and some synergies, but the best stuff left). But some are convinced it's vying with Warrior for most potential because Rastakhan cards were powerful.

Shaman might be on the rise. Great hero, Shudderwock, still has synergies for aggro or potential control. New Hagatha card looks promising. Could be the stealer of the expansion.

Rogue always takes a week or three to find the way back into the mix every expansion. Takes time for someone to discover the WTF deck. Only Priest is usually slower in finding the unicorn to ride.

And here's Old Guardian (Dat voice) giving a decent prediction. Worth a listen.

Wild: Might be an uptick in aggro with Rexxar Hunters and Odd Paladins continuing their thing until the Standard meta finds decks.

PS Kibler mentioned dragon mage might be a possibility with Kalecgos.

Great, let's makeColdlight Oracle rogues more ridiculously oppressive than they already are when you stumble upon one in wild.

Beat a Mill Rogue with Treachery Howlfiend lock this week by luck, with an early game Gnomeferatu discarding a Coldlight. Had my opponent had this new card, I think he might have won in late game as they did fish out another oracle and copy it, but the three copies went down to the bottom of his deck, while I was one hand away from unleashing Azari, the Devourer when the rogue conceded.

/Howlfiend combo also eliminated draw, deathknight and other copying mechanics he/she had in hand. Really wanted to ask them "how does it feel?"

The basic priest set has nice tricks for control purposes. Shadow Word: Madness and Mass Dispel are greatly underrated and can swing a game. And for not being always effective in what it captures, it is amazing to see ragequits from using card copying techs like Thoughtsteal.

Unfortunately, Hearthstone generally isn't control vs. control, and aside from getting lucky with Inner Fire and a really big health minion on the board, they don't have a fast victory condition in the default set.

So comes the need for big mass removal vs. aggro, so comes the need for victory conditions, etc.

I can see this working in wild format with Frost Lich Jaina decks, particularly Big Spell Mage and Odd Mage.

A preferably second act to Dragoncaller Alanna, as her and the dragons won't heal you but Nomi's elementals will.

And considering the freakout over elementals opponents have, it's unlikely you'll run into someone with a fourth big clear, let alone third.

The question is does BSM/Odd Mage survive in wild, as it generally is home to OTK/combo decks or those that can crank out an all-star list of big stuff, rather than aggro decks the duo is used to negating on the standard ladder, and both have difficulty with deathrattles -- if N'Zoth gets popular again, eek.

Treachery Warlock for the win.

Won with Rin's seals instead of the Howlfiend combo, although, I think C'Thun mage wasn't expecting someone else also putting up a wall and tearing their deck apart.

No mage, you can't revive C'thun if he's been discarded by a hungry Azari, the Devourer.

Overhyped? No.

Taking its goddamn sweet time? Yes.

Then again, look how clunky can't-miss hype like Knights of the Frozen Throne launched out in previews ... for almost a day, the VERY FIRST DAY of card previews spitting out, Ticking Abomination was the only card announced. And this is weeks after the trailer and teaser cards like DK Rexxar. So hype-hungry people went into a WTF panic on the quality to expect.

/weird to think Ticking Abomination has more play than a majority of the Year of the Raven cards out there.

A Warlock weapon honoring my favorite deck and combo from the Year of the Mammoth. High mana cost to prevent aggro decks from abusing it early (also, Treachery+Howlfiend+Defile is an 8-mana combo).

Quote from Qniinq2018 >>

Is it Just me, or do the People over at Blizzard have a Hard on for Priests ? ?

They have never had a card hall of famed that I know of (Hint Hall of Fame divine spirit. Blizzard the deck is been around since the dawn of time )

They get some of the best cards every expansion. ( this is just my opinion )

What are your thoughts people am I alone ?

Purify.

Treachery Howlfiend Warlock and Control Warlock with Rin -- Destroying OTK decks and others built around a card or two is soooooo gratifying. Fortunately, they should transition to wild well as OTK, Big Priest and slow decks tend to be more common (although watching an odd paladin lose their deck made my month).

Big Spell Mage -- Because of Odd Paladin and other aggro garbage, I felt hostage to playing this for the past several months. However, it not only holds up against that crap, it's balanced enough to do well against most control decks and even has a counterplay to some OTK (with luck).

Raza-era DK Anduin (Control, not Velen) -- I didn't have Velen then for the infamous burst, but instead made a priest deck that used a balanced approach with heavy hitters for late game, and the then-free pew-pew action to shred minions. It was fun to use Medivh's staff to bust out 10-mana minion on a Mind Control target, or getting two 8-mana minions with Free From Amber.