The Happy Hearthstone

Hello! Scott is on the show this week Topic: Karazhan Class Card reviews! Reasons to be happy this week News: Buy the Welcome Bundle, Big Arena Changes, Regional Championships starting, Read Josh’s articles on Red Bull Esports Review Scoring Guide (NEW!) 0 = Awful, unplayable (Runic Egg, Poison Seeds) 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Dust Devil, Corruption) 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Crazed Alchemist, Shadow Bolt) 3 = Solid value (Senjin Shieldmasta, Assassinate) 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Animal Companion, Fireball) 5 = So good you always have to play it (Tirion Fordring, Call of the Wild) Druid Cards Enchanted Raven Scott says: I’m less excited about this card than most people. I don’t agree w/ the hype. But I can sit over on the side with my hipster glasses eschewing the zeitgeist. Josh says: Very good. Pre-emptively trumps every 3/2 and will keep them from playing them. Also gives a 1-cost Beast card that’s not bad, which combos great in druid Beast deck. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 3 Menagerie Warden Scott says: Hoo boy. Now we’re talking. I already liked Beast Druid, though it wasn’t Tier 1 or anything. This will be a nice addition. The cost premium is a bargain, but being attached to a big body gives it a big enough cost that it’ll only come out late-game and will be hard to combo. Compares well to Ram Wrangler — this has more control (good and bad) but also charges 1 mana less for ability. Josh says: Borderline Bonkers (BB?) when it happens. Blizz is determined to make Beast druid good and this card is blatant in its intentions. Only trouble is finding sticky beasts for the earlier turn, but is reasonable to expect that to happen. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Moonglade Portal Scott says: I’m not a fan of most of these portals. The health is fine, and the minion is fine, I guess. But meh. Josh says: The “free” health is nice when you’re getting rushed down, but doesn’t usually help you win. That summoned minion is same-cost, randomized, and doesn’t trigger Battlecry effects. I’m not excited. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Hunter Cards Cat Trick Josh says: Interesting to see all the classes slowly get all of the triggers. Seems like this will be more likely to proc in the upcoming spell-heavy meta. Scott says: Not sure how I feel about this, as it saves you a mana, but at the loss of control and determinism. It does have a ‘mind games’ factor though. I think I’d rather have a 3/3 taunt as a secret trigger in many cases than the 4/2 stealth, as the 3/3 taunt can more actively disrupt their plans. Seems like this most wants to be in an aggro deck. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 3 Cloaked Huntress Josh says: Secret Paladin’s baby sister isn’t going to win awards like her big bro. Dumping secrets out of your hand isn’t always a smart move. They don’t combo as well as Paladin or Mage secrets. Scott says: Sure it synergizes with secrets, but I’d usually rather have more oomph than cheaper secret cost. This really only buys you tempo, so it implies it wants to be in a faster-paced deck. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Kindly Grandmother Josh says: I really doubt this card’s longterm appeal. Twilight Summoner gave you 5/5 for 4 to make up for the slowness. Here, you’re just waiting to get less than what you paid for in the first place. Scott says: Yeah, this isn’t great. Both forms are beasts, so that’s something. Seems like it wants to be in a horde and/or beast deck. Seems a bit better than a 3/2 on its own, plus it’s got synergy potential. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Mage Cards Babbling Book Scott says: Josh has a good bead on this. It may be possible to leverage synergies somehow, but by default, you shouldn’t be sacrificing control of the cards in your deck just so you can cast a 1/1 for 1. Josh says: This seems like a trap. If you want mage spells, put one in your deck instead of this card. The 1/1 won’t do much and you’re likely to get a sub-optimal spell. Not much else for Mage to do on Turn 1 atm, but that doesn’t make this card good — it just means it’s likely to get replaced when good Turn-1 options exist. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Medivh’s Valet Scott says: Again, I find myself agreeing with Josh. 3 targeted damage is very good, but it means you’ll need to wait until later in the game to cast this. You can always cast it early in a pinch, but how often will you know you’re in a pinch on turn 2? Josh says: Interesting. Obviously this guy wants to get played on Not-Turn-2. Insane value, but do cards like this typically win out over just a solid card that uses the full mana of the turn it’s meant to be played on? Seems like maybe it works well in spell Mage, who wants to have some mana leftover for a spell each turn? Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Firelands Portal Scott says: Probably my favorite of the portals, but that’s not saying much. Feels especially good in arena. Josh says: Tempo king. It’s slow, but it’s worth the wait. It counts as a spell in decks that want only spells, and provides a solid minion option to that deck. Unlike healing, this is almost a guaranteed 2-for-1 with the flexibility to go face if needed. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 4 Paladin Cards Nightbane Templar Scott says: If you’re in a dragon deck, it’s pretty good. Otherwise it’s not. Probably fine. Works in a menagerie deck. Josh says: Haha “Probably fine” is the perfect phrase for this. Standard risk-reward payoffs. Nothing special here. Could replace the Blackwing Technician (once it cycles out). Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 3 Silvermoon Portal Scott says: I’d much rather have Blessing of Kings. Josh says: No thanks. You’re breaking even on vanilla stats. +2/2 gets “charge” BUT the summoned minion gets no battlecry — seems like a wash, leaving it as a randomized Chillwind Yeti. I want more nowadays. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 1 Ivory Knight Scott says: This one has found a home in control paladin decks. A very solid mana sink near the end of the game, where the player with the biggest punches left in their hand often take control of the game. Josh says: I was fairly confident this card is bad — just like a lot of Paladin spells, but I have to admit it’s looking good in practice. Discover is significantly better than a random card, and I underestimated how often you’ll get at least one good option offered to you. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Priest Cards Purify Josh says: I don’t think this card is quite as bad as the ragers are saying, but I agree it’s weak. I would love to see this at 1-cost, but there are some fun synergies! Scott says: Agreed — cost should be 1. Does nothing on its own and has limited, very specific targets (who suffer if they don’t get this card comboed with them). Not sure why anyone would add this to a deck they want to win with. Arena Score: NOT DRAFTABLE Constructed Score: 2 Priest of the Feast Josh says: Sub-par vanilla stats and a lame effect. Pass! Scott says: Good vanilla stats and a decent effect for free! Take! Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 3 Onyx Bishop Josh says: I think this effect is EXTREMELY underrated (second-most underrated in the game). This guy’s a little clunky because he actually works against his own effect (the strength of spell cards like this is that they don’t dilute the pool of targets when played). Still, very solid. Only needs to grab a vanilla 2/2 to break even on stats. Needs to only get a 2/3 to be “good” — in the right decks, should almost always get WAY more than that. Scott says: This effect generally gets better when cast later in the game, since you can get back more expensive minions. Isn’t great on minions w/ Battlecry. Seems solid. Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 5 Rogue Cards Swashburglar Scott says: Great fun factor, but not great value. It’s nearly impossible to synergize w/ a random card, though class cards are above-average. Still, I think a random mage spell (in a mage deck) is better than a random class card in a rogue deck. Pirate synergy may help a little. Josh says: I inititally liked this card more than Babbling Book, because this at least lets you do something you can’t at deck-creation. But I think you’re right. Combo synergy helps some, especially in Arena. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 1 Deadly Fork Scott says: 2 overcosted cards in 1. Has some synergy potential, but not great. Josh says: The 3-cost on the weapon that goes into your hand killed my enthusiasm for this guy. Still cool idea, but demands both your Turns 3 and 4. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 2 Ethereal Peddler Scott says: I love the idea, and I hope it’s fleshed out more soon. But right there I just don’t think there’s enough synergy to warrant this, and that cards that give you random class cards just aren’t very good on their own. So this is really just a vanilla card with minor added value in a bad deck archetype. Josh says: I have many conflicting emotions. It looks bad, but Blizzard is pushing the Burgle archetype pretty heavily. Maybe they seem some potential that I’m missing?. At its worst, it at least has solid vanilla stats. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Shaman Cards Spirit Claws Scott says: 3/3 weapon for 1 is seriously intense. But folks don’t generally play spell damage anymore. So this is pushed to encourage that. And Shaman is a place where spell damage is better than most anyway. Josh says: Heart attack. I’m in love. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 5 Maelstrom Portal Scott says: They just out-maged mages. Weird. A good value, but low impact. Gets much better in the spell damage deck they’re trying to promote. Josh says: I think this up for debate as the best portal in the set, with Firelands Portal. Shaman will have a kickass spell power deck, and this is a key part. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Wicked Witchdoctor Scott says: Works well in totem or hoard decks, or any deck w/ Thing from Below. Might also be good in heavy spell (and spell damage?) decks, as you could get extra air totems. Basic totems generally aren’t very good, and these could clog your board for better or worse. Josh says: Plays well in the totem deck, for sure. Allowing duplicates of basic totems is a unique feature that does have some potential. Only needs one proc to pay for itself. Seems good. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Warlock Cards Malchezaar’s Imp Josh says: I want to believe in this caryou can’t expect to get more than one turn with it. Seems like it could trick you into putting sub-optimal cards in your deck, so have to be smart when deckbuilding. That said, opens some cool Zoo variants and only asks for 1 mana. Scott says: Is this effect better than taunt? Maybe in a discard deck, if that’s actually a thing. And it seems it might be. Discard Warlock could always hit fast and hard, but ran out of juice quickly. Effects like this may dampen that. A turn 2 Darkshire Librarian or Succubus after a Turn 1 Malchezaar’s Imp seems pretty good. And if you discard a Silverware Golem, fuggetaboutit. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Silverware Golem Josh says: I have a hard time coming up with reasons to need this in my discard deck that aren’t best-case scenarios relying on some good RNG. Discard deck has me nervous, and the payoff doesn’t seem that huge to me. Maybe in zoo? Scott says: Hard to say how often this will proc. Clearly it only wants to be in a discard deck, but even then, how often will it do what it’s trying to do? Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 3 Kara Khazam Josh says: Sometimes I confused “bad” with “boring”. This card isn’t bad, right? It’s just sooo boring. Scott says: Seems pretty solid to me. 6/6 of stats for 5 mana across 3 bodies. If you’re playing Hordelock or maybe even zoo, this seems like a good addition. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Warrior Cards Protect the King! Josh says: I’ve had a rollercoaster of emotions with this one. Seemed great at first. Lots of stats. But can never outpace the opponent, is constrained by board limit, and will likely give them great trade opportunities. I think it’s bad? Scott says: I want to live the Bolster dream! Outside of that, though, I’m not sure it does what Warrior is trying to do. You can’t put this in a deck w/ whirlwind effects. Has some good synergies w/ cards like Frothing Berserker, Cult Master, King’s Defender, etc. Maybe would go well in an aggro deck if you want to protect your charge guys for another turn? Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Fool’s Bane Josh says: Violet Illusionist’s BFF. That turn-8 combo is going to be SOOOO FUN. Outside of that synergy, This is a dangerous weapon in reckless hands. Perfect name! Scott says: I think I’d rather have an Arcanite Reaper? This is clearly good for control, but I’m not sure it’s great if you’re behind (unless you have Violet Illusionist.) Upgrade is pretty solid on this one! Arena Score: 5 Constructed Score: 3 Ironforge Portal Josh says: I’m bored. This is boring. You’re boring, Zoidberg! Scott says: Boo this card! Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 1 Community Questions: Buying the new Adventure iTunes Reviews Donations (More info) Card of the Week This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. We talk about it on the show.  Farewell Follow Scott on Twitter! What do you want to see in future episodes?

Prepare your ear drums for almost 3 hours of sweet, sweet card debates! Scott and I dissect each of the 27 new class cards in One Night in Karazhan and debate their power level for the short-term and long-term. We don’t always agree, but we promised to still be friends afterwards, so that’s good at […]

After the party has ended, Karazhan’s disco floor has been packed up, and all the guests have left the tower, Scott and Josh take a sober look at the cards we received as party favors. Which cards are worth playing with, which are good enough to build decks around, and which are best left to […]

Hello! Scott is on the show this week Topic: Karazhan Neutral Card reviews! Reasons to be happy this week News: Karazhan is out! Review Scoring Guide (NEW!) 0 = Awful, unplayable (Runic Egg, Poison Seeds) 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Dust Devil, Corruption) 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Crazed Alchemist, Shadow Bolt) 3 = Solid value (Senjin Shieldmasta, Assassinate) 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Animal Companion, Fireball) 5 = So good you always have to play it (Tirion Fordring, Call of the Wild) Neutral Cards – Common Arcane Anomaly Scott says: Low-impact. If I’m going to play a 1-drop minion, I want it to have more impact or at least some synergy. A (very) poor man’s Mana Wyrm Josh says: I’ll go one step further: this is bad. Very high-risk (dies to half the hero powers), very low-reward (2-damage yawn). Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 3 Runic Egg Josh says: I wouldn’t play this for 0 mana, and would have to think about it at -1 mana. Scott says: I don’t get it. At best, I work hard to get it to… Almost break even? I get my card back, but not my mana or those few minutes of my life. Arena Score: 0 Constructed Score: 0 Netherspite Historian Scott says: In a dragon deck, seems really good. Small mana premium for the ability, but huge upside. And a Neutral! This feels pushed to keep Dragon decks relevant. Josh says: Deceptively strong. Always have to think about what you’re drawing with Discover. Dragons tend to be big, very strong, and often unique. Late-game gold. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 4 Pompous Thespian Josh says: Can trade up, but will most often just break even or a little under. Seems like solid vanilla. Scott says: Agreed. Solid vanilla. From a strictly stats perspective, I feel like it’s a good value. But from a configuration perspective, not as much. Less than the sum of its parts. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 1 Pantry Spider Scott says: Beast keyword helps it. Some decks just want lots of minions, and this gets there. Low-impact, but good for beast and/or swarm decks. Josh says: I can’t follow you into this charge, Scott. 1-attack is just so underwhelming. You’ll likely trade both into the same minion just to deal 2 damage. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Violet Illusionist Josh says: Extremely interesting in Warrior control/attrition. Guaranteed one effect, and that’s all it takes to make it worthwhile. Lots of upside. Scott says: Agreed. Warlock can get some mileage from him too. In a self-harm warlock deck, he might actually make a big difference. Not sure it’ll see much play, but should always prevent a few damage over the course of a game in the right deck. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 3 Zoobot Scott says: This card may skate under the radar, but has the potential to provide the overlooked value of a card like Houndmaster. It is a bit win-more, as you’re more likely to have more minions when you’re ahead. Feels like a rare case of a strong archetype anchor in neutral. It’s hilarious that it’s a mech. Josh says: Deceptively strong. Think it will do well in any murloc, Dragon, or beast deck — particular zoo/aggro. One proc is good enough. Shattered Sun Cleric for the modern meta. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 4 Arcanosmith Josh says: Am I wrong for preferring to just get a 3/5 body with taunt at this cost(Sen’jin Shieldmasta)? The 0/5 taunt feels like a throwaway. Scott says: Hard to know how to judge this. Decks that want lots of minions will likely prefer this. And while the 0/5 will fall over quickly, the 3/2 can survive to attack. Strangely, I think this is an aggro-leaning taunt card. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Menagerie Magician Scott says: This is hard to evaluate. If you have coverage of 2 of the types, this is really, really good. But that’s a pretty tall order. Getting coverage of 1 type will be the most common scenario, and you may need to work a bit to even get that. Higher cost also means harder to combo. It’s also a little bit of a win-more card, since you’re more likely to have more cards on the table if you’re ahead. Josh says: I agree. This sort of effect has diminishing effects as you get higher up the cost scale. Getting 2 bonus stats is less impressive when you paid 5 instead of 3. The penalty for whiffing is higher, AND you’re going to run into a lot of competition for top-notch dragons and beasts up in this cost range! Zoobot is better. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 2 Neutral Cards – Rare Avian Watcher Scott says: You’d better be playing a secret-heavy deck if you’re playing this card. Just plain bad if it doesn’t trigger. Josh says: Seems like a really low payoff (slightly above vanilla) for something that’s hard to guarantee outside of Ice Block. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 3 Book Wyrm Josh says: As a rule, I generally dislike cards with 2 conditionals — especially if you can’t control one of them. That said, it’s similar to Stampeding Kodo, which saw high-level play despite hitting smaller targets and being random. There’s gotta be more potential here than I’m seeing. Scott says: This charges you 2 mana for the ability, so it’d better fire with a worthwhile target to be worth it. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 3 Moat Lurker Scott says: I love the versatility of this ability, but it comes at a huuuuge cost premium (3.5 mana). Most at home with deathrattle minions and shenanigans. (Cairne, Sylvanas, N’Zoth, Ancestral Spirit, Princess Huhuran.) Dat cost premium tho. Josh says: Brilliant fun. So many potential uses for defense and offense. Works as a “heal” like Evolve does. But I agree that it’s too risky. It’s easy for me to best-case-scenario this, but when it comes to actually building a deck, I’ve found that I’m consistently avoiding it. Arena Score: 2 Constructed Score: 3 Neutral Cards – Epic Arcane Giant Scott says: Requires a very high spell density to be good, and even then, only in the later game. Can’t really be cheated out early like some other minions. You’re casting it late no matter what — the only question is whether you saved some mana. Josh says: Mages just got a little more obnoxious. This guy is a powerhouse minion that gives massive late-game oomf to the spell-heavy decks like mage. The big difference between this and other big 8/8s is that you can cast a bunch of spells AND play this for 0 on the same turn to keep up tempo. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 4 Neutral Cards – Legendary Moroes Scott says: I really want to like this guy, but he’s got a lot going against him. Must survive 3+ turns to turn a profit, and that’s a bit of a danger sign. Good luck playing against warrior. Josh says: Fun idea, but there are enough AOE/randomized pings to make me steer clear. (Fun fact: he was undead in the raid, but alive here. WHAT HAPPENED?) Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 1 Barnes Josh says: Worst case: 4/5 for 4 across 2 bodies. Best case is near-instant-win. Sylvanas, Tirion, Northshire Cleric. Grabbing anything with deathrattle or a passive effect makes this card insane value. There is so much strategy and fun packed into this card, I think it’s the high-water mark for design in this set. Scott says: Priest and Rogue both have fun decks that work well with it. You need to be careful about what you put into the deck, though. Lots of room for fun shenanigans. And maybe a use for Purify since you can silence these to restore their full stats? Arena Score: 4 Constructed Score: 5 Prince Malchezaar Scott says: Pure vanilla stats, so his ability is ‘free’. The question is: Is the ability a net positive? In Arena, likely yes. In Constructed, likely no. I will say, if people like Elise so much, why wouldn’t Machezaar be better? (I think neither is good.) Josh says: Awful. Dilutes the card pool, and there are a LOT of bad Legendaries. This card is for the dust-poor who simply must play every Legendary before they die. Elise doesn’t dilute your card pool or strip out your chosen cards until AFTER the payoff hits with the giant taunt monkey idol gold thingy. This guy sabotages your deck before the game even starts. It has all the downsides of Elise without any reliable upside. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 1 The Curator Josh says: How many does he have to draw before you’re happy? I could see a two-tribe deck working well (beast druid with some high-end dragons?) and loving this card. Gotta use it like King’s Elekk in Yogg’n’Load to draw specific targets from a very limited pool of options in your deck. Scott says: 2 mana premium for the ability. Agreed that 2-tribe is probably enough. I could see putting Murloc Knights or Sir Finley in the right deck too. I wonder how much natural coverage you’d get in an average arena deck without trying. Arena Score: 1 Constructed Score: 3 Medivh, the Guardian Scott says: The staff is pretty cool, and I love that they finally gave non-weapon classes something to do with their weapon slot. Could work well in Rogue? Not sure how good it’ll be. Seems much better in Arena. Josh says: Cool effect, but is definitely slow. Can tempo mage afford to take a slow turn after they’ve built up an advantage in the early and mid game? With Arcane Golem, there are some fun incentives for something like Freeze mage to try to end via huge creatures at the end. Arena Score: 3 Constructed Score: 4 Community Questions: Buying the new Adventure iTunes Reviews Donations (More info) Card of the Week This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. We talk about it on the show. Farewell Follow Scott on Twitter! What do you want to see in future episodes?

After the party has ended, Karazhan’s disco floor has been packed up, and all the guests have left the tower, Scott and Josh take a sober look at the cards we received as party favors. Which cards are worth playing with, which are good enough to build decks around, and which are best left to […]

Arena guru Ryan returns to the show one year after his first visit, where he explained the basics of winning in Hearthstone’s Arena mode. Now he’s back to give us an update on the state of Arena: what the meta’s like, which classes are doing best, which classes should you avoid, and which cards you […]

Hello! Ryan is on the show this week Topic: How to win Arena Reasons to be happy this week News: One Night in Karazhan!!! Our Previous Arena Guide Episode 52, almost exactly one year ago Was focused on basic tips and general strategy and advice. Most of it is still extremely relevant today. 7 wins let you play infinitely for free. Choose your most comfortable class (when in doubt: Mage, Paladin, Priest) For your first 10 picks, just take the best cards regardless of mana Arena meta was aggressive, so 1-drop and 2-drops were very important You can’t have too many removal spells, and you always want 2-3 AOEs Watch your opponent’s mulligan to make better choices with yours How to use the Coin in early-game When to face and when to trade State of the Arena in 2016 Releases since the last update: The Grand Tournament, League of Explorers, Whispers of the Old Gods Mechanics since the last update: Inspire, Joust, Discover. C’thun and his cultists are excluded from Arena. Game system updates: Reveal of the increased chance to be offered class cards and cards for the newest set. Your newest class cards will always be offered most. Draft guarantees Rare or better on picks 1/10/20/30. The odds of being offered Epic or Legendary choices are very low (10%/2%). Meta Report: Meta is shaped by newest Neutral Commons and Class Commons. Old Gods meta is SLOW b/c of addition of good neutral taunts (Infested Tauren, Psychotron, Bog Creeper). One or two of these will usually stall out aggro decks. Additionally, OG neutral cards aren’t that aggressive in nature. Meta will naturally become faster in next Adventure by removal of OG offering bonus. Enchanted Raven may be enough to move Druid to top 3. Best classes right now: Mage and Rogue. Consistency is why: they have the best hero powers and best basic class cards and OG common class cards. Mage: Twilight Flamecallerand Faceless Summoner. Rogue: Shadow Strike and Southsea Squidface. Worst classes right now: Priest and Hunter. Worst hero powers (along with Warrior), in that they don’t impact the board directly. Their strong cards are too reliant on synergy to succeed. OG common class cards. Priest: Darkshire Alchemist and Hooded Acolyte is N/A because it’s a C’thun card. Hunter: Fiery Bat and Carrion Grub Arena Warriors got big love after being in an awful place for a long time, with N’zoth’s First Mate and Ravaging Ghoul. The Best Classes in Arena From best (Mage) to worst (Priest). You should pick the highest class on this list, if you feel comfortable playing all of them. Mage Rogue Warlock Shaman Warrior Paladin Druid Hunter Priest The Best Arena Strategies for Each Class Druid: Tempo/Mid, Removal, Buffs, Beasts Hunter: Aggro/Tempo, Charge, Damage, Beasts Mage: Tempo/Mid/Control, Removal, MOST FLEXIBLE Paladin: Mid/Tempo/Control, Weapons, Buffs Priest: Tempo/Control, Removal, Buffs, Taunts Rogue: Tempo/Mid, Removal, VERY FLEXIBLE Shaman: Tempo/Mid, Removal, Totem, Buff, Evolve Warlock: Aggro/Tempo, ZOO! Warrior: Mid/Control, Weapons, Taunts, Removal The Best Arena Cards for Each Class If every class card was offered on pick 1, which card should you take? Druid Basic/Common: Swipe Rare: Savage Combatant Hunter Basic/Common: Glaivezooka Rare: Savannah Highmane Mage Basic/Common: Ethereal Conjurer or Flamestrike Rare: Flamewaker Paladin Basic/Common: Keeper of Uldaman Rare: Muster for Battle Priest Basic/Common: Velen’s Chosen Rare: Auchenai Soulpriest Rogue Basic/Common: Sap Rare: SI:7 Agent or Dark Iron Skulker Shaman Basic/Common: Fire Elemental Rare: Master of Evolution or Lightning Storm Warlock Basic/Common: Imp Gang Boss Rare: Imp-losion Warrior Basic/Common: Fiery War Axe Rare: Frothing Berserker The Best Neutral Arena Cards If every neutral card was offered to you on Turn 1, and you only know what type of deck you hope to make, which do you take? Aggro Basic/Common: Bog Creeper Rare: Sludge Belcher Mid-Range Basic/Common: Dark Iron Dwarf Rare: Bomb Lobber Control Basic/Common: Haunted Creeper Rare: Defender of Argus Attrition Basic/Common: North Sea Kraken Rare: Sunwalker Bonus Arena Tips Draw first. Always. When to face and when to trade: “Once you run out of good trades, go face” – Merps 2016 Dilution of the card pool over time and the lessening likelihood of removal. (Lots of good stuff that’d take way to long to type up here — listen to the show!) Check out the Lightforge Tier List Listen to the Lightforge podcast! Community Questions: Buying the new Adventure iTunes Reviews Donations (More info) Card of the Week Farewell Follow Ryan on Twitter! What do you want to see in future episodes?

Arena guru Ryan returns to the show one year after his first visit, where he explained the basics of winning in Hearthstone’s Arena mode. Now he’s back to give us an update on the state of Arena: what the meta’s like, which classes are doing best, which classes should you avoid, and which cards you […]

Sometimes you need to throw yourself in the arms of fate and let destiny take its course. Tony’s fun Yogg-Saron Hunter deck is all about that, aiming to burn down his opponents with spells and weapons early — and then relying on some good ol’ fashioned RNG to save the day if things go too […]

Hello! Tony is on the show this week Topic: Deck battle! Reasons to be happy this week News: None. There is no news. Nothing happened. At all. What is a Deck Challenge? Once a month, a guest host brings their favorite deck onto the show to battle the current reigning champion deck for control of the Happy Hearthstone Deck Battle Throne! If the challenger wins the best-of-3 series, their deck becomes the new Champion Deck and will fight off future challengers until it loses, or until it’s earned its place in the Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame! View the Deck Battle Archive + The Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame Defending Deck: Craig’s Dragon Priest deck puts an aggressive twist on the standard control class.Challenger Deck: Tony’s Yogg-Saron Hunter goes for the unconventional win. Tony’s Yogg-Saron Hunter Deck Creatures 1x King’s Elekk: Effectively doubles your chance of drawing Yogg-Saron and gives some minor Beast synergy. 1x Yogg Saron, Hope’s End: Saves your bacon in unwinnable games. The king of RNG. Spells 2x Hunter’s Mark: Efficient removal, combos nicely with On the Hunt, Explosive Trap, and Quick Shot. 2x On the Hunt: A bit of removal, a Beast, and Hunter’s Mark’s best friend. 2x Bear Trap: Gives you a minion, pumps up Eaglehorn Bow, and has Beast synergy. 2x Explosive Trap: The only AoE spell in the deck, necessary to hold Aggro decks at bay. 2x Freezing Trap: Great for eliminating beefy minions, especially 9 and 10 mana minions. 2x Lock and Load: Card draw AND gives you minions, usually Beasts. 2x Quick Shot: Removal. Basically Hunter’s version of Frostbolt. 2x Snipe: More removal, almost always a surprise, and it pumps Eaglehorn Bow. Hunter’s version of Flame Cannon. 2x Eaglehorn Bow: The key to the deck and your most efficient way to control the board and hit an opponent. 2x Animal Companion: Gives you a Beast, but doesn’t impact Elekk’s search effect and pumps up Yogg-Saron. 2x Deadly Shot: Usually kills any minion, especially with other removal in the deck. 2x Kill Command: Hunter’s Fireball and great removal with 1 Beast and 10 spells that generate Beasts. 2x Unleash the Hounds: Not exactly AoE, but close; good counter to Zoo. 2x Call of the Wild: The deck’s true finisher. Substitutes In case you don’t have some of the ideal cards, here are some quality back-ups and alterations you can use, which all keep with the same theme and strengths of the deck. Tracking: Almost, sorta card draw in Hunter. Not in the deck because it could get rid of Yogg, Call of the Wild, or Eaglehorn Bow. Maybe include one. Multi-Shot: Very situational, but can be a game breaker. Not great with tons of removal. Gladiator’s Longbow: A great control card, a bit pricey and can conflict with lots of extra durability on Eaglehorn Bow. Emperor Thaurissan: Probably should be in the deck; makes Lock and Load better. Makes Elekk worse. Harrison Jones: In a weapon heavy meta, quite good but adds inconsistency. Arcane Shot: More removal, good with Lock and Load. Snake Trap: So many beasts packed into one spell! The Duel Community The awesome stats site that Tony mentioned on the show, Vicious Syndicate Questions: Emotes, Tavern Brawls iTunes Reviews Donations (More info) Card of the Week Farewell Follow Tony on YouTube, listen to his podcast, and check out his blog! What do you want to see in future episodes?

Sometimes you need to throw yourself in the arms of fate and let destiny take its course. Tony’s fun Yogg-Saron Hunter deck is all about that, aiming to burn down his opponents with spells and weapons early — and then relying on some good ol’ fashioned RNG to save the day if things go too […]

Good guy Zerotio comes on the show to help walk us through how to adapt to an ever-changing meta. What’s the best way to identify what the meta is? How do you know when to join it or counter it? Why should Priest be your anti-burnout class? We tackle everything to help you keep winning […]

Hello! Zerotio is on the show this week Topic: How to adjust to the meta Reasons to be happy this week News: None. There is no news. Nothing happened. At all. What is the Meta? Definition of Meta What makes the meta change? Why is it important to adapt to the meta? Do you HAVE to adapt to the meta? Casual vs. Ranked play vs. Pro play How do you Identify What the Meta Is Currently? Sites like TempoStorm Meta Snapshot and Hearthpwn What you’re facing most often in game Is the Meta what’s popular or what’s strong? (Is there a difference? Example: Cthun decks right after release) Does this mean that Ranked 20s have a different meta than Legendaries? Adapt: Beat Em’ or Join Em? Knowing when to join the Meta and when to counter it Identifying how to Counter the meta Adapt: Identifying Burn Out and Tilt Knowing when to take a break or modify your deck for the Meta Finding a way to handle Burn Out Deciding if a Play Schedule is right for you Identifying if you are making misplays or just getting bad match ups Tips for identifying Misplays or Bad Matchup Adapt: Keep the game fun by creating your own Meta Design unexpected decks to play on the ladder. The element of surprise can be fun and profitable on the ladder Note: These decks usually don’t hold a win streak, once people realize the “Win Condition”. Keep it ever changing and unpredictable Priest is a good Class for this type of deck. Community Questions: Deck trackers, Deck recipes iTunes Reviews Donations (More info) Card of the Week Farewell Follow Zerotio on Twitter and listen to his amazing podcast, Hero Power! What do you want to see in future episodes?

Good guy Zerotio comes on the show to help walk us through how to adapt to an ever-changing meta. What’s the best way to identify what the meta is? How do you know when to join it or counter it? Why should Priest be your anti-burnout class? We tackle everything to help you keep winning […]

Sometimes, large scaly beasts don’t want to lounge around at home and wait for prey to show up. Sometimes they go on the hunt and actively seek those faces they’re so fond of shredding. That’s the plan with Craig’s versatile Dragon Priest deck this week! Subscribe to The Happy Hearthstone Podcast on iTunes or via […]