Hm, I never would've thought of BHG or Blood Knight as especially swingy... unless you're holding it forever. If they were 1/1's for 3, I could see it, but they're 4/2's and 3/3's for 3. BGH trades with most non-yetis in the early game, which is sometimes all you need. I view him almost like a card with kicker.
It does feel a little counter-intuitive that the big finishers in this game, the 8/8's, usually trade with a 4/2 and a 4/4 and... they're more like guaranteed turn-eaters than finishers. (Edit: This isn't necessarily a bad thing. In Magic's draft/sealed, there are so many bombs you just lose to. I guess it's kind of cool that not every efficiently-costed big creature in Hearthstone is a bomb.)
One of my favorite cards in the game is actually that priest spell that changes the hero ability, because it can't be answered. It's still perfectly beatable, but once it's down, they have a considerable edge in the late game. Jarraxus is equally exciting. It's unfortunate that he's not good enough to be a popular control finisher, but he's still really cool.
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I'll be sad if people don't start calling The Chain Veil "Fleetwood Mac."
Jaraxxus is perfectly fine in Handlock builds as a second life total reset alongside Alexstraza. He's quite nuts, especially when you pop out a 6/6 for 2 and immediately give it Taunt.
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Providing a plethora of pompous and pedantic postings here since 2009.
:dance:Fact or Fiction of the [Limited] Clan:dance:
Signalling is like farting: it's a natural thing that helps people avoid being where you are, and if you try to do it deliberately, things turn to crap fast.
Quote from Hardened »
I hereby found the American Chapter of the Zealots of Semantics. All glory to The Curmudgeon.
I don't disagree with your post in any way except except the above word. If you design your game to make every card playable and potentially relevant forever, the way Hearthstone seems to be trying to do, then yeah, sure, that's a problem. But formats don't just exist to keep formats fresh in Magic. They also exist to compartmentalize problems. They allow you to break the game every once in a while and have it be a good thing. It broadens the experience.
So I am listening to a video where three highly respected Arena players are discussing Hearthstone cards... the "Pros" in this game seem terrible at card evaluation. They draft based on pick-order spreadsheets, and are almost always incorrect when they try and explain statistics.
Right now they're discussing Stampeding Kodo and Lava Burst. In magic terms, it's a pick between a 5 mana FTK and 3 mana removal/burn spell that essentially has Echo 2. The pick is close, but their discussion... makes me wonder how these are pro players.
"Well, they're both five mana spells." This is not the first time I've heard these guys talk about Hearthstone's echo mechanic (overload) in this way. It's like listening to a brand new Magic player trash the leveler mechanic.
Why does this matter? It doesn't, really, but I really wish we could see some of the great MtG teachers turn their skills to Hearthstone. It would be so cool to watch someone do an Arena draft and actually explain their decisions intelligently. (And not rush through untimed Arena picks like their house is on fire.)
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I'll be sad if people don't start calling The Chain Veil "Fleetwood Mac."
It would be cool, to be sure, but the fact that Arena is *not* a draft means there are no self-balancing elements between players, and so making intelligent decisions in Arena not-draft matters less. You can't outpick anyone else, or plan around other people's picks, or influence other people's picks, and if you perform well in the games, then inevitably you'll play against someone who got sufficiently luckier than you in their opens that any complexity in pick orders doesn't really matter.
there are no self-balancing elements between players
I'm confused as to why you think such elements exist in Magic. Almost every time we do an 8-way with a decent number of players there's a substantial power disparity between decks at the same table. You're to a large degree at the mercy of nearby players and there is no sense at all in which the draft process will balance your decks against theirs. Sure, there's a lot of skill in reading signals, but the result of successfully doing so is a better deck than you would otherwise have had, not an even contest of skill in all your matches.
If I open a Planeswalker to your right, how are you better off against me than if I opened the same Planeswalker at a different table?
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It might be easier to make a comparison against a control. Does it seem obvious to you that Draft has lower variance than Sealed? Does it also seem obvious to you Arena has higher variance than Sealed?
The former does, to me, just based off of personal experience over 15 years with both formats, but I'm not sure how to prove it. The latter also does, since Arena is patently the same as Sealed except with additional unknowns during deckbuilding: same number of cards in the initial pool, distributed to players in the same way, except that you have to blind pick most of them and there is no sideboarding.
I agree with this, but I find that Blood Knight is far more swingy than BGH,
True, although it happens far less often for two reasons. First, a player with no other 3-drop will usually play Blood Knight on turn three but may well hold BGH. Second, there are far fewer Divine Shields in Arena than big creatures.
Very much debatable. Scarlet Crusader, Silvermoon Guardian and Sunwalker are all solid cards in arena. The best lategame threats of Ogre and Stormwind Champion do not get hit by BGH, and War Golem and Core Hound are bad cards that are rarely seen past 5 wins into the arena. The most common target I find myself using BGH on is Venture Co. Mercenary, unless I happen to be paired against a Druid.
A much better argument would be that there are more ways to deal with divine shields than large creatures, making BGH more valuable as an answer.
I really wish we could see some of the great MtG teachers turn their skills to Hearthstone. It would be so cool to watch someone do an Arena draft and actually explain their decisions intelligently. (And not rush through untimed Arena picks like their house is on fire.)
I have good enough of a win ratio to sustain infinite arenas as long as I play one or two each day and do the daily quests. Managed to mass up enough gold to buy the Naxx wings while I was at it, so apparently I make some gold slowly. I'm by no means a great player, but I'd like to think I'm doing alright. I'll do an Arena draft and try to explain my choices below, if you want any further explanation please feel free to ask.
Picked Hunter out of Warlock/Warrior/Hunter. I had a daily quest, and the classes were pretty close in power level. I generally try to pick Mage or Druid if they are available.
Blood Knight - Southsea Captain - Bestial Wrath Bestial Wrath is a solid trick, which often serves to further tempo a lot. Blood Knight would've been an acceptable less-risky alternative, but I'm pretty certain I'll get some beasts.
Ogre Magi - Arcane Shot - Spectral Knight Spectral Knight is incredibly annoying. Something like 75% of players above 7 wins being mages makes it even better. The fact that the 5-mana 4/6 weaponsmith guy was played in decks without weapons speaks volumes to the power level here.
Kobold Geomancer - Magma Rager - Leper Gnome Geomancer does not die to mage hero ability, making it the least bad card of the bunch. If I was later into the draft and knew I was going to be very aggressive, a case could be made for Leper Gnome. Magma Rager is awful.
Priestess of Elune - Young Dragonhawk - Raging Worgen Priestess of Elune is mana-inefficient enough to not make it into consideration. Dragonhawk dies to various hero abilities. Worgen is a 3/3 with an upside.
Kill Command - Darkscale Healer - Silverback Patriarch Kill Command is a pseudo-fireball removal. It's great if I'm aggro as reach, and great if I'm control as removal. Darkscale Healer is a decent card, but nowhere near as good. Patriarch is awful.
Kill Command - Argent Squire - Freezing Trap Squire is bad if you're not a mage, Freezing Trap is alright but not nearly as good as KC.
Frostwolf Warlord - Dark Iron Dwarf - Dragonling Mechanic Dark Iron Dwarf is a great trick attached to a solid mana-efficient body. He allows your 3/2s to trade with enemy Yetis and Senjins. Frostwolf Warlord isn't bad, but not great outside Shaman/Paladin either. Dragonling Mechanic suffers from losing his Lego-dragon to pings too easily.
Gnomish Inventor - Ogre Magi - Houndmaster Houndmaster is like hunter-specific Dark Iron Dwarf, only it refuses to work with non-beasts. When it works it's amazing though, and a 4-mana 4/3 is not too bad. Gnomish Inventor would be fine, and would be correct if it was later into the draft and I had a low beastcount.
Hungry Crab - Snake Trap - Mountain Giant Mountain giant does a great job of getting stuck in your hand and being unplayable lategame. Hungry Crab does a great job at killing creatures that no one wants to play. Snake Trap is a decent card, and also makes beasts.
Young Priestess - Misdirection - Twilight Drake Young priestess dies to pings. Misdirection is a bad card when you're ahead, and not particularly great when playing from behind either. Drake is often a 4/6, 4/5 or a 4/4 for four mana, which is perfectly fine.
Mana Wraith - Nerubian Egg - Violet Teacher I have only one way to utilize the 0/2 Egg. Mana Wraith is surprisingly decent card that I did stop to consider. Having four spells makes Violet Teacher the correct pick though, especially since she has a decent body.
Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion I hope I can get 2-drops later on, and take one of the more impressive lategame threats available. Ancient Brewmaster is another passable card, but I already have plenty of 4-drops and not much to bounce.
Savannah Highmane - Young Priestess - Nerubian Egg I believe I have explained why the latter two are not very good. I believe I don't need to explain why being 10/9 worth of stats for 6 mana makes Scar amazing.
Stoneskin Gargoyle - Tracking - Magma Rager The other two are bad cards. Gargoyle is passable if you can buff it, but incredibly unreliable and risky. Tracking cantrips and makes my games smoother at the cost of decking earlier. It's also another spell for Violet Teacher.
Kobold Geomancer - Webspinner - Jungle Panther Geomancer is an acceptable 2-drop, but I need beasts. Webspinner always gives you Captain's Parrot. Jungle Panther is solid and stays on table so I can utilize Bestial Wrath/Houndmaster.
Sunwalker - Mind Control Tech - Misdirection Sunwalker is very annoying for non-mage classes to deal with, and extremely reliable no matter what the game situation is. MCT is perhaps the most swingy card in the game, but amazingly unreliable. Misdirection isn't very good in Arena, where you have too many creatures to make it worthwhile.
Unstable Ghoul - Raging Worgen - Silvermoon Guardian These are all viable choices. I'm not confident in my earlygame, and I have no ways to clear trash from paladins. Ghoul should help where help is most needed.
Animal Companion - Tauren Warrior - Youthful Brewmaster Animal Companion makes a incredibly cost-efficient creature at random. Said creature is a beast. I need beasts. Animal Companion is also yet another spell for Violet Teacher.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Faerie Dragon - Tracking I need two drops to make my earlygame passable. Faerie Dragon happens to be a good one, especially against priests/mages. Warden is a bad card, and Tracking is nothing special unless you have plenty of combos to dig for.
Snake Trap - Gladiator's Longbow - Bestial Wrath Gladiator's Longbow often kills two creatures for seven mana. It's not the most mana-efficient solution, but it does get you the card advantage. Or then it just hits your opponent twice for ten damage, which is also fine. I don't have enough beasts to justify second BW, and I have nothing to combo Snake Trap with. Nor am I aggressive enough to just use it as a backup. Longbow it is.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Acolyte of Pain - Multi-Shot Slam Jam Thank you Bam. I needed the boardclear here. The other cards aren't particularly good either. Acolyte of Pain is good in Mages/Warriors, but not here.
Multishot - Ancient Brewmaster - Timber Wolf I'm suddenly much more confident in my likelihood of surviving the earlygame. Word on Timber Wolf: Only if you have buzzards/UTHs already.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Wisp - Frostwolf Warlord Warden is still bad. Wisp is.. Barely better than Shieldbearer if you're a rogue with too many combo cards. Frostwolf Warlord is often at least a 5/5 for 5, which makes it the best card of the bunch by a fair margin.
Worgen Infiltrator - Goldshire Footman - Amani Berserker Goldshire is obviously awful. I'd rather have the 1-drop that might trade with a 2-drop here. Dying to Mad Bomber isn't much fun, but I'm pretty sure it's the better card here.
War Golem - Stormwind Knight - Ancient Brewmaster This certainly isn't thrilling. I take the Stormwind, because it has immediate effect on the board. If I get lucky I can trade it for two 3/2s.
Archmage - Nightblade - Multi-Shot Not aggressive enough to take the Nightblade. Not desperate enough for lategame drops to take the Archmage. Very happy with the third multishot.
Nightblade - Young Dragonhawk - Dread Corsair Forget what I said last pick. We're certainly aggressive enough to take the nightblade. I'm totally not taking it because the competition is formed by two really bad cards.
Young Dragonhawk - Explosive Trap - Core Hound Core Hound is a beast, but that doesn't stop it from being awful. I don't even know what is up with these Dragonhawks today, this must be the fourth one that I didn't pick. Trap is great and makes our earlygame better.
Houndmaster - Razorfen Hunter - Scarlet Crusader With just three beasts and Snake Trap, and this being the second-last pick, I actually forgo another Houndmaster in return for a solid 3-drop. I almost wanted to take the Hunter because the boar is a beast though.
Coldlight Seer - Imp Master - Deathlord The good, the bad, and the ugly. Or the bad, good and the ugly if you insist on the correct order. Coldlight Seer is out of the question, but the choice between the remaining two is a difficult one. They are both better in aggressive decks that establish board control, but they're not bad cards here either. Deathlord is incredibly risky, but often very oppressive of enemy earlygame. Imp Master is a solid 3-drop, and usually at least trades for something. I'm taking the Deathlord, but I admit it might be because the card is new and shiny and I haven't seen it enough in action to accurately judge.
See attachment for final product. Not a great deck, but I'm fairly confident on 6+ wins.
ATTACHMENTS
Hunterded
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
The best lategame threats of Ogre and Stormwind Champion do not get hit by BGH
True, but Sea Giant, Molten Giant, Ravenholdt Assassin, Ironbark Protector, Venture Co and a number of playable Legendaries do, plus various buffed things, plus you have the option to boost your opponent's creature into range.
I'll do an Arena draft and try to explain my choices below, if you want any further explanation please feel free to ask.
Good draft - I like your picks. Two I'd have made differently (although I might be wrong):
"Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion" - I'd have picked the Youthful Brewmaster. Partly for being a 2-drop, but partly also because you already have Houndmaster and Dark Iron Dwarf by this point, which significantly increases its value.
"Sunwalker - Mind Control Tech - Misdirection" - Mind Control Tech may be swingy, but it's one of the few cards which lets Hunter get traction on a crowded board, so you absolutely want it here. Sunwalker is OK, but the divine shield is seldom good enough to make up for the poor base stats. (The card was overrated early on since it frequently wrecks weak opponents.)
"Unstable Ghoul - Raging Worgen - Silvermoon Guardian" - As you say, this one is close. I'd pick the Worgen simply because Hunter always wants to be the aggressor if possible (due to hero power), plus I have a marginally better curve than you by this point.
As an aside: Worgen Infiltrator is one of the best Neutral Commons in Arena. Most of the time the opponent doesn't have the Mad Bomber and a 1-drop which takes out the opponent's two-drop is a game-winning tempo play a lot of the time. Also good for some gloriously unfair free wins against Priests and Hunters.
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<Limited Clan>
The best lategame threats of Ogre and Stormwind Champion do not get hit by BGH
True, but Sea Giant, Molten Giant, Ravenholdt Assassin, Ironbark Protector, Venture Co and a number of playable Legendaries do, plus various buffed things, plus you have the option to boost your opponent's creature into range.
Molten Giant is rarely seen aside from Rogues/Warlocks, because it's really unreliable. This might be a difference between US/EU servers, but I can't remember when I last saw it. Sea Giant is great, but it's still an epic.
I'll do an Arena draft and try to explain my choices below, if you want any further explanation please feel free to ask.
"Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion" - I'd have picked the Youthful Brewmaster. Partly for being a 2-drop, but partly also because you already have Houndmaster and Dark Iron Dwarf by this point, which significantly increases its value.[/quote]
This may have been right. I would've been more optimistic about the prospects if I had enough beasts to make bouncing Beastmaster relevant.
"Sunwalker - Mind Control Tech - Misdirection" - Mind Control Tech may be swingy, but it's one of the few cards which lets Hunter get traction on a crowded board, so you absolutely want it here. Sunwalker is OK, but the divine shield is seldom good enough to make up for the poor base stats. (The card was overrated early on since it frequently wrecks weak opponents.)
With the quality of deck that I was having, hoping to beat weak opponents was more or less the only thing that could happen. There was no real chance of those cards going more than 8 wins, since the minion quality simply wasn't there without Harvest Golems, Yetis, Senjins, or Silver Hand Knights.
Ended up going 5-3, (Seems my estimate was generous.) with sunwalker saving my butt a few times. At the same time Deathlord managed to give my opponents Ragnaros and Boulderfist, in the two games I played it. Highly recommend this card, barely no drawback at all. (Should probably try it out at a later date to get better statistics.)
As an aside: Worgen Infiltrator is one of the best Neutral Commons in Arena. Most of the time the opponent doesn't have the Mad Bomber and a 1-drop which takes out the opponent's two-drop is a game-winning tempo play a lot of the time. Also good for some gloriously unfair free wins against Priests and Hunters.
I certainly wouldn't pick it over Yeti, Senjin, Silver Hand Knight, Harvest Golem or even Boulderfist Ogre, unless I felt I really needed the earlygame. It still might warrant a place in the top10 commons.
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I certainly wouldn't pick it over Yeti, Senjin, Silver Hand Knight, Harvest Golem or even Boulderfist Ogre, unless I felt I really needed the earlygame.
It's not close to Yeti or Silver Hand, but it's about equal to Ogre and better than Golem. The main reason is that there is no card in the whole game which is redundant with it, whereas whilst Golem is a good 3-drop there are lots of good 3-drops and likewise late drops (although Ogre is admittedly one of the best late drops).
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<Limited Clan>
Ok, so I'll finally get into the Hearthstone discussion here. I am, so far, extremely mediocre at Arena. I average just under 4 wins per run. The only class I average better than 5 wins with is Paladin, which I enjoy a lot. I also finally had my first 0 win arena with Rogue (which I have yet to really figure out how to use in the arena).
My one frustration with the game (from a rules standpoint) is this: My opponent has Stormwind Champion on the board, and another damaged minion with only one toughness left. When I kill the Champion and remove the +1/+1 bonus from the board, his other damaged minion doesn't die. Instead it loses one power and stays at one toughness. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
Now I have to figure out what to buy with the 1600 powder I have accumulated. I mostly use a mid-range paladin deck in ranked play, but to make that deck truly competitive, I need something like 4 more Legendary cards. I already own a Leeroy for some of my more aggro decks. It seems like a lot of decks want to run Bloodmage Thalnos. Is he really that good? Sorry for the non-arena related question.
Also, breaking from Hearthstone a bit, I played the following deck at Game Day last weekend. Someone won a grinder at GP Utrecht with it, and as soon as I saw the deck list, I had to try it. I ended up going undefeated and just had a blast playing with this mess. Enjoy:
@Hearthstone: this topic doesn't interest me in the slightest, so excuse me if I bow out while you folks talk it out...
@GPT deck: that does look rather fun! I'm not sure how it performs against another control deck though, seeing as it has so many weak cards in the maindeck against non-creature decks. But nice find.
I certainly wouldn't pick it over Yeti, Senjin, Silver Hand Knight, Harvest Golem or even Boulderfist Ogre, unless I felt I really needed the earlygame.
It's not close to Yeti or Silver Hand, but it's about equal to Ogre and better than Golem. The main reason is that there is no card in the whole game which is redundant with it, whereas whilst Golem is a good 3-drop there are lots of good 3-drops and likewise late drops (although Ogre is admittedly one of the best late drops).
But the value of having a 1-drop isn't very high unless your deck can reliably curve out 1-2-3. Worgen is better in decks that are good to begin with. Kind of like Counterspell, since high-level arena decks tend to run more powerful spells and having a good deck increases the chances you'll be paired against them eventually.
But eh, fine. We both agree it's a great card, so there's not much to argue here.
[quote from="smellyrebel »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/outside-magic/clans/443214-limited-hearthstone-arena-counts-as-limited?comment=3769"]Ok, so I'll finally get into the Hearthstone discussion here. I am, so far, extremely mediocre at Arena. I average just under 4 wins per run. The only class I average better than 5 wins with is Paladin, which I enjoy a lot. I also finally had my first 0 win arena with Rogue (which I have yet to really figure out how to use in the arena).
I recently got my first 0-3 in Arena as well. It was my 112th Arena Run, and a horrendous Shaman deck. The deck would've probably been better if I took all the seven Totemic Mights I was offered.
Rogues, as far as I have noticed, require a fair amount of class cards to do well. Strong Rogue decks are looking for Assassinates and Deadly Poisons to supplement a solid minion base. The Hero power incurs a lot of damage, but is very efficient in getting tempo/board control. That being said, I don't think I've ever been able to draft a deck with both assassinates and deadly poisons, so my success with Rogue isn't particularly good either. Might not be the best person to take advice from, if you want to try and go 10+ wins.
My one frustration with the game (from a rules standpoint) is this: My opponent has Stormwind Champion on the board, and another damaged minion with only one toughness left. When I kill the Champion and remove the +1/+1 bonus from the board, his other damaged minion doesn't die. Instead it loses one power and stays at one toughness. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
Rather than having two stats, the Toughness and the Damage Taken, Hearthstone just has a Toughness stat. It's simpler, but I agree that it was a bit counterintuitive at first when I started. Years of MtG do that to you.
It seems like a lot of decks want to run Bloodmage Thalnos. Is he really that good?
He's alright. I don't think that any of the decks need him, but having extra spellpower dork can be valuable. Basically there's no real reason to not include him in some lists, as he is going to cantrip anyway.
EDIT: I'll do another Arena.
Murloc Warleader - Southsea Captain - Ancient of War Two tribal 3-drops that aren't particularly impressive. Southsea Captain is actually decent because the 2/3s are viable creatures. Ancient of War makes your opponents cry if they do not have hard removal or silences handy. I'll take that.
Mark of Nature - Ironbark Protector - Poison Seeds Poison Seeds is a fair card, but it's not an amazing card. Neither is Ironbark, but having big guys is nice. Mark of Nature isn't really worth considering.
Zombie Chow - Healing Touch - Dark Iron Dwarf I'm not certain on this one. On one hand, Dark Iron Dwarf is tested and true to be a very powerful tool. On the other the Zombie Chow quite certainly trades with a 2-drop. I take the Zombie Chow partly just to see how it goes. Druids don't tend to be very aggressive early so the lifegain shouldn't matter much. If I can stabilize my lategame threats should be able to bring victory.
Dread Corsair - Murloc Tidehunter - Soul of the Forest This is one of those picks you do not wish to make. Corsair is plain bad apart from Warriors/Paladins, and Tidehunter dies to too many hero abilities without earning a card back. Soul of the Forest is not a bad card, so I'll take it, but I'm not really happy with it unless I get Imp Masters/Token Generators.
Innervate - Dread Corsair - Claw Innervate is a bit risky, and not exactly my favourite card in arena to begin with. Claw is a strong removal spell, a 2-drop and claw to kill enemy 2-drop turn 3 is one of the stronger plays.
Mark of the Wild - Lord of the Arena - Moonfire Mark of the Wild is average, but I wish to get some cards to combo with it. Lord of the Arena is a lategame threat that does a very bad job of staying alive, and doesn't really do much as a defensive taunt option either. Moonfire is not worth a card.
Acolyte of Pain - Leper Gnome - Stormwind Knight Leper Gnome can be discounted on the basis of being a bad card, but the other two are quite close in power level. If I was Mage or Warrior I would take Acolyte without considering it, but right now I'm at a bit of a loss. I would say that Stormwind is stronger in vacuum, but I already picked Mark of the Wild, and that could matter. I'll take the acolyte and see how it goes.
Druid of the Claw - Poison Seeds - Kobold Geomancer Druids actually get quite a lot out of Geomancers since Swipes benefit a ton. That being said, Druids of the Claw are the bread and butter of Druid decks, and there's no real contest here. Just wanted to put in my 2c regarding Geomancers.
Ironbark Protector - Swipe - Loot Hoarder Swipe is Amazing with a capital A. I don't think there are many, if any, commons I would pick over it.
Mana Wraith - Nourish - Sludge Belcher This is another difficult one for me. I haven't had much time to assess Sludge Belcher, but everything points towards it being more or less as good as Kodo is. Really what this comes down to is the fact that I would pick Kodo over Nourish.
Power of the Wild - Murloc Tidehunter - Southsea Deckhand Two bad cards. One good card. Nothing more to say, really.
Injured Blademaster - Starfall - Abomination Premium removal is premium removal. Abomination is generally average at best, and Injured Blademaster isn't anything impressive outside priests either.
Coldlight Oracle - Starfall - Bite Starfall is much better than Bite, though Bite is a decent card as well. Coldlight Oracle is bad and should feel bad.
Sen'Jin Shieldmasta - Bloodsail Raider - Bloodfen Raptor I'm a bit strapped for 2-drops, but I'm only 13 cards in at this point. Senjin is an amazing card, and much better than Bloodfen will ever be.
Nightblade - Bloodfen Raptor - Moonfire I'll take the Bloodfen now. Nightblade isn't good even when you're very aggressive, and I'm not very aggressive.
Gnomish Inventor - Harvest Golem - Savage Roar Inventor is a very solid card I'm rarely sad to have. That being said, Harvest Golem is the best neutral 3-drop and fits my curve better. Savage Roar is generally unimpressive, but does have its moments.
Wild Growth - Gnomish Inventor - Stormwind Knight Cards getting passed and then making comeback in worse company seems to be the theme here. Very happy to take the Inventor. Taking Wild Growth is generally a mistake I see people make a lot: Card Dissadvantage is very painful in Hearthstone, and the ramp is only relevant if played on the earliest turns.
Lord of the Arena - Wrath - Dalaran Mage I have already explained why Lord of the Arena is bad, and I hope I do not need to explain why Dalaran Mage is even worse. Not a difficult pick in the least, as Wrath is a solid removal spell.
War Golem - Cult Master - Novice Engineer Novice Engineer used to be 1/2 and it was amazing. Now it's an extra activation of your hero ability. War Golem is a poor finisher, and I already have better options. Cult Master is a solid card, despite not fitting greatly with the rest of my deck.
Murloc Tidecaller - Coldlight Seer - Bite Tribal isn't good in Arena. Bite is a removal spell, and removal spells are good in Arena.
Ironbark Protector - Moonfire - Kobold Geomancer I'm really top-heavy here, but it should be worth it. The other options are just horrible and poor, respectively.
Leper Gnome - Jungle Panther - Windfury Harpy Windfury and Leper are garbage-tier cards that I'm never happy to include in my deck. Panther isn't great, but I'll gladly take it over the competition.
Dark Iron Dwarf - Wild Growth - Power of the Wild DID is marginally the better card, but I need 2-drops.
Ancient Brewmaster - Kobold Geomancer - Oasis Snapjaw Not a great selection here. I'll take a bad card to fix my curve, but I'm not really sad to pass on Brewmaster and Snapjaw either.
Wild Growth - Savage Roar - Dark Iron Dwarf Two bad cards. One good card. Not much to say here.
Keeper of the Grove - Ravenholdt Assassin - Pint-Sized Summoner Keeper is a keeper. The other two pale in comparison to the 2-for-1 potential that Keeper provides.
Stranglethorn Tiger - Poison Seeds - Dalaran Mage I'm not sure how close this is. I can't leverage Poison Seeds so I take the solid 5-drop.
Youthful Brewmaster - Ogre Magi - Spellbreaker Silences are nice, and Spellbreaker is a strong card. I still need 2-drops though, and Brewmaster is a good one. It gets extra value from Keeper/DID and my high-toughness lategame threats as well.
Venture Co. Mercenary - Reckless Rocketeer - Druid of the Claw Venture Co. is one of the best curvetoppers for aggressive decks, and a very solid creature overall. That being said, Druid of the Claw is even better, and I'm not aggro.
Arcane Golem - Nerubian Egg - Lightwarden Excuse me as I throw up on top of my keyboard. None of these cards are good. I do have a Mark of the Wild and Dark Iron Dwarf, so I can get value out of the Egg. Or it might just sit around and die to Consecrate/Flamestrike. Not happy with it, but it'll make do. EDIT: And 2x Power of the Wild. Egg was definitely correct here.
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Hey, here's another draft. Not sure about some of the choices either then or in retrospect.
Sea Giant - Big Game Hunter - Molten Giant
BGH is good but I'd rather have a top tier threat, and thanks to limited boards being cluttered, Sea Giant is a 5 or 6 drop pretty often
Dalaran Mage - Truesilver Champion - Shattered Sun Cleric
Mage is very bad; I would need 5 or 6 burn spells and a bad pack to choose him. Shattered Sun Cleric is very good, but Truesilver is one of the best cards in the game. I can't imagine a deck where I would pick this any other way.
Magma Rager - Thrallmar Farseer - Humility
Rager is terrible. Humility is sometimes sub-par removal. Farseer is also pretty subpar since he trades with most 2 drops and can't get through a tazdingo. Decided to go with the relatively low-drop dude. Not sure this is the right pick. Farseer did occasional work during the run.
Silver Hand Knight - Spellbreaker - Mad Bomber
Three good but not great cards. In any deck but Paladin I would probably have gone for Mad Bomber, who can be a great 2 drop, esp. if your opponent leads with a Worgen Infiltrator. But with the paladin 1/1s sitting around, Bomber ends up stuck in your hand way too often. Knight versus Spellbreaker is close; I went with Knight because Paladin has so many high-value 4 drop spells that I figured that I would get a fair amount on that point of the mana curve.
Argent Commander - Holy Wrath - Mana Addict
Argent Commander is clearly the best card here. I've seen Mana Addict as a budget alternative in miracle rogue, which makes him pretty scary, but not a limited card. I've never played Holy Wrath - the randomness scares me.
Sword of Justice - Doomsayer - Avenging Wrath
Doomsayer is not a limited card. Not sure I chose right here, as Avenging Wrath usually kills 2 or 3 things and does some face damage. Sword did a lot of work.
Blessing of Might - Stonetusk Boar - Blessing of Wisdom
Another case of "not sure I'm right" - wisdom almost always cycles for a card, sometimes forces bad use of removal, and sometimes acts effectively as an early removal spell. Might can get you great trades (especially with the paladin 1/1) or just let you speed up your clock. Boar is bad.
Starting to get a bit nervous about the lack of 2 drops, which made me consider Infantry as a way to knock out an opposing 2 drop. Knight is okay, but see above with respect to Paladin's 4 cost cards. Crusader is often a 2-for-1 and one of the best 3 drops.
River Crocodile - Blessing of Might - Noble Sacrifice
And a 2 drop. Not a good 2 drop, but there you go. Sacrifice can be good but is terrible vs. Druid or Rogue and also often easily played around even by other classes. As a pick 2 I might have taken Might here, but I wanted to have a chance at some early presence.
Coldlight Seer - Holy Wrath - Aldor Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper is terrific - always at least decent (even a 3/3 for 3 on an empty board is okay), sometimes a total blow-out (hello mercenary). Coldlight Seer is not a limited card and Holy Wrath is scary random.
Tauren Warrior - Holy Light - Blessing of Kings
Kings is a really great pump spell. Warrior is not a good card in any format. Healing is better than in MTG but not Kings good.
Noble Sacrifice - Mogushan Warden - Hand of Protection
3 bad cards. Sacrifice sometimes does something and can be played early vs. some classes. Am I underrating Hand? In the right circumstances (not to difficult to achieve) it seems like it could basically be a removal spell. I really don't like Warden, though it is sometimes super awkward when my opponent drops one.
Noble Sacrifice - Hand of Protection - Murloc Raider
See above.
Big Game Hunter - Avenging Wrath - Sword of Justice
Chose Sword 2 over Hunter 1 and Wrath 1 - all good cards. Having the relatively higher consistency of 2 of the same epics seemed good. Note that I now have 3 good epics that benefit from swarm cards (2x sword, Sea Giant).
3 subpar creatures that are sometimes good. Ghoul might have been the choice with my emerging swarm theme. I had a fair number of 3s already and wanted something meatier.
Nightblade - Worgen Infantry - Chillwind Yeti
Yeti is great. Infantry is okay but I would have to be really stretched for early game to pick him over yeti. Nightblade is bad.
Hammer of Wrath - Argent Squire - Wolfrider
Wolfrider is decent, Squire is not nearly as good as in constructed, and Hammer does basically what Wolfrider usually does and also draws you a card for 1 more mana.
Ironbeak Owl - War Golem - Lord of the Arena
Feeling my lack of early game, though usually you don't want to drop owl as a 2 drop. Golem might have been the pick here, as it's a decent finisher. Lord of the Arena dies too easily to cheaper cards for me to like it.
Acidic Swamp Ooze - Cult Master - Earthen Ring Farseer
Went with Master for the swarm theme. Probably should have gone Ooze for the 2 drop or Farseer for random value; Master only did me any good once or twice. I think I overvalue him due to my MTG background, and the card draw is enough harder to turn on and less valuable in Hearthstone that he's not as amazing as you would think.
Wailing Soul - Ancient Watcher - Crazed Alchemist
New card alert! I was super worried about having Wailing Soul in hand and a bunch of guys with 1/1 counters from the Swords in play. Alchemist is sometimes great value (I used it to knock over high-toughness minions on a few occasions) and also just gives me a 2-drop when I need it.
Blessing of Wisdom - Loot Hoarder - Light's Justice
Hoarder is a decent 2 drop against the 1-damage classes - at least they have to spend an early turn killing it - and great vs. the classes that can't trade a hero power for it. I think I like Light's Justice more than most, but people just don't play 1 toughness minions in Arena, thanks to all of the hero powers, so it's hard to get much value off of it. Plus the 2 swords make saving the durability awkward.
Haunted Creeper - Harvest Golem - Earthen Ring Farseer
Creeper is a 2 drop, but the step up in value makes the 3 drops just better, even with my early game issues. I like Golem better than Earthen Ring, especially with the two swords.
Worried about 2 drops, so I took the inferior Tidehunter over the superior (though not great) Mechanic and the not-really-a-1-drop Sergeant. Tidehunter is somewhat better as a sword follow-up.
Voodoo Priest - Young Priestess - Murloc Tidehunter
Instantly punished as the Murloc is the best of 3 bad cards. Enough 2 drops now that I can afford to only take good ones.
Gadgetzan Auctioneer - Equality - Mana Wraith
I have enough spells (and enough 1 mana spells) that Gadget seems worthwhile over Equality. Also, Auctioneer is always a removal magnet in Arena, even though he's not nearly as good as in constructed. I did manage to chain off 3 of my 1-manas in one game. Equality would have been interesting if I had taken the Wraths.
Harvest Golem - Acidic Swamp Ooze - Dragonhawk
An actually good 2 drop over a very good 3 drop.
Humility - Blessing of Wisdom - Light's Justice
I don't have much to deal with big scary things, so this seems good. Auctioneer makes it a bit more attractive. Wisdom might have been the pick.
Fen Creeper - Blessing of Kings - Zombie Chow
Still a bit worried about early presence, and not worried about giving a bit of life back. Chow generally did decent work. Not sure it's really the pick over Kings. My lack of taunts came back to bite me in a couple losses.
Magma Rager - Goldshire Footman - Stranglethorn Tiger
Good card over 2 terribles. Footman just dies for no value to almost all 2 drops.
Sludge Belcher - Hammer of Wrath - Murloc Tidecaller
Belcher is a great card, plays nicely with the sword, and gives me a taunt, which this deck is notably lacking. Hammer is also a great value card, but I felt that I wanted the taunt and value dude more.
Final curve:
1 1111 (only one true 1 drop)
2222 222 (incl 3 bad 2-drops vs. mage/druid/rogue)
333333
44444
55555
6
10*
Deck ended up going 8-3. Didn't save notes on the games.
"Magma Rager - Thrallmar Farseer - Humility" I would personally choose Humility. Farseer is almost always a very subpar use of a turn, whereas Humility can serve a purpose.
"Silver Hand Knight - Spellbreaker - Mad Bomber" This early in the draft I would almost always take Silver Hand Knight. It's amazing quality for the mana cost. I'd place it a solid tier above the other two.
"Blessing of Might - Stonetusk Boar - Blessing of Wisdom" You were absolutely right on this one. Wisdom is a solid card, either as pseudo-removal
"Noble Sacrifice - Mogushan Warden - Hand of Protection" Hand of Protection is better than Sacrifice. You choose where it goes, instead of your opponent. For the next pick, see this one again.
"Ironbeak Owl - War Golem - Lord of the Arena" Golem is heaps better than Owl. Owl dies to everything, and most often that everything includes hero abilities.
"Acidic Swamp Ooze - Cult Master - Earthen Ring Farseer" Ooze is one of the best 2-drops for arena play. Cult master is very strong in Paladin, but I would still opt for the ooze here.
"Abusive Sergeant - Dragonling Mechanic - Murloc Tidehunter" This is actually a difficult pick. Sergeant is much stronger in Paladin and Shaman decks than elsewhere, and likely the stronger card in all respects. The only thing Tidehunter has going for it is the synergy with your double bufftanks. I would take the sergeant either way, since you can push the "make-a-guy"-button if needed.
"Voodoo Priest - Young Priestess - Murloc Tidehunter" Another tough one. All of these cards are awful against pinging classes, so I'd take the Priestess. When it is strong it truly is strong.
"Gadgetzan Auctioneer - Equality - Mana Wraith" Equality is one of the few ways Paladin can deal with big guys. At this point it also has synergy with your Tidehunters, maybe allowing them to earn value. I'll take it even without that synergy though.
"Sludge Belcher - Hammer of Wrath - Murloc Tidecaller" Not debating the pick, just noting that Hammer of Wrath is a common whereas the other two ones are rares.
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
I guess that last one was Holy Wrath then. I just had "wrath" in my notes.
Looking at your draft, the only disagreement I have is Arcane vs. egg; Arcane is not something you play on curve or close to it, but the 4 hasty power can be big late game & at least it does something without other cards.
@Smelly Rebel - You can of course discuss non-Arena! I know we've been on Hearthstone a lot, but just to be clear, this is still a Magic-related clan, whose primary purpose is to be a place where Draft/Sealed enthusiasts can interact. I know we all have varies interests, including Magic, Videogames, Hearthstone, Youtube, etc, so feel free, all of you, to discuss multiple topics at once. You aren't spamming at all - I trust you guys.
I don't want to scare off the non-Hearthstone players. I know I've been talking about Hearthstone a lot. The game just has a lot going on, right now, with its first ever expansion, while Magic is in the middle of a core set. I am assuming that things will balance out when Khans hits.
@What to do with 1600 dust - It's true that Bloodmage Thalnos is in a lot of decks, but it's just kind of an unexciting value two drop. I'd personally rather have Ysera, because I think it's fun. You could also just go get whatever epics you think you might need, like Faceless Void or Ancient of Lore.
(I tagged all those like Magic cards, for those of you with no idea what's going on.)
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I'll be sad if people don't start calling The Chain Veil "Fleetwood Mac."
Mana Curve, not as important as you'd think when you have Arcane Missiles, Arcane Missiles, Arcane Missiles and then some Arcane Missiles. I admit I got fairly lucky in some games, but that Mana Curve didn't deserve to go to 12 wins. Then again, strong cards tend to be more valuable than smoothness of the curve in Hearthstone.
Regarding Legendaries, the first legendary I crafted was Leeroy Jenkins. He's nearly omnipresent in aggro decks, and those are some of the best budget-options for climbing the ladder.
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Just chiming in to remind bateleur that, as he predicted, MaRo thinks Theros block was overall a success. :/
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Original quote byTacosnape "All ideas that give me knowledge without any effort involved on my part are good ideas. Chop chop, my dear fellow."
DCI L2 Judge GP:Madrid 2010 45th GP:Amsterdam 2011 74th GP:London 2013 67th Bazaar of Moxen 2013 32nd
What do you people think of the new block structure? Seems like a really good thing for Limited, at least. :-D
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--
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
Yeah, I'm very excited about the change. All my thumbs up (as it turns out, that's still only two, but you know what I mean!).
Since I'm back to following all PTs from my own sofa, I'm also pretty stoked about the changes from a spectator point of view. The last couple of Pro Tours had rather stale formats, this should help mitigate that quite a bit.
I do love the feeling of a full-set block, holding those varicolored packs. The idea of a complete block, of one pack per set being the fullest realization of a draft format, always appealed to me. But it was only ever an idea.
When was the last time a full set outshone a triple fall set? RGD? Maybe TPF, but I'd argue that triple Tsp is just as fun. My favorite formats have been triple Innistrad and triple ROE, so no great loss here.
I'd say that this is bad for reprints, but... it might not be. Time will tell. Right now the thing we're most hurting for are Fetchland reprints, and those could certainly come in a block. In fact, I'd expect them to come from a block way more than from a Core Set. At the end of the day, reprints and magic-finance aren't my priority.
I have to say, I'm really excited, surprisingly excited.
It's too early to tell, but I might even play standard again.
-----
Edit: Also MaRo's huge article on the change was adorable. Pages of "oh god please don't hate me... I promise I have the best intentions..." So cautious.
It does feel a little counter-intuitive that the big finishers in this game, the 8/8's, usually trade with a 4/2 and a 4/4 and... they're more like guaranteed turn-eaters than finishers. (Edit: This isn't necessarily a bad thing. In Magic's draft/sealed, there are so many bombs you just lose to. I guess it's kind of cool that not every efficiently-costed big creature in Hearthstone is a bomb.)
One of my favorite cards in the game is actually that priest spell that changes the hero ability, because it can't be answered. It's still perfectly beatable, but once it's down, they have a considerable edge in the late game. Jarraxus is equally exciting. It's unfortunate that he's not good enough to be a popular control finisher, but he's still really cool.
:dance:Fact or Fiction of the [Limited] Clan:dance:
I don't disagree with your post in any way except except the above word. If you design your game to make every card playable and potentially relevant forever, the way Hearthstone seems to be trying to do, then yeah, sure, that's a problem. But formats don't just exist to keep formats fresh in Magic. They also exist to compartmentalize problems. They allow you to break the game every once in a while and have it be a good thing. It broadens the experience.
Right now they're discussing Stampeding Kodo and Lava Burst. In magic terms, it's a pick between a 5 mana FTK and 3 mana removal/burn spell that essentially has Echo 2. The pick is close, but their discussion... makes me wonder how these are pro players.
"Well, they're both five mana spells." This is not the first time I've heard these guys talk about Hearthstone's echo mechanic (overload) in this way. It's like listening to a brand new Magic player trash the leveler mechanic.
Why does this matter? It doesn't, really, but I really wish we could see some of the great MtG teachers turn their skills to Hearthstone. It would be so cool to watch someone do an Arena draft and actually explain their decisions intelligently. (And not rush through untimed Arena picks like their house is on fire.)
If I open a Planeswalker to your right, how are you better off against me than if I opened the same Planeswalker at a different table?
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
The former does, to me, just based off of personal experience over 15 years with both formats, but I'm not sure how to prove it. The latter also does, since Arena is patently the same as Sealed except with additional unknowns during deckbuilding: same number of cards in the initial pool, distributed to players in the same way, except that you have to blind pick most of them and there is no sideboarding.
Very much debatable. Scarlet Crusader, Silvermoon Guardian and Sunwalker are all solid cards in arena. The best lategame threats of Ogre and Stormwind Champion do not get hit by BGH, and War Golem and Core Hound are bad cards that are rarely seen past 5 wins into the arena. The most common target I find myself using BGH on is Venture Co. Mercenary, unless I happen to be paired against a Druid.
A much better argument would be that there are more ways to deal with divine shields than large creatures, making BGH more valuable as an answer.
I have good enough of a win ratio to sustain infinite arenas as long as I play one or two each day and do the daily quests. Managed to mass up enough gold to buy the Naxx wings while I was at it, so apparently I make some gold slowly. I'm by no means a great player, but I'd like to think I'm doing alright. I'll do an Arena draft and try to explain my choices below, if you want any further explanation please feel free to ask.
Blood Knight - Southsea Captain - Bestial Wrath
Bestial Wrath is a solid trick, which often serves to further tempo a lot. Blood Knight would've been an acceptable less-risky alternative, but I'm pretty certain I'll get some beasts.
Ogre Magi - Arcane Shot - Spectral Knight
Spectral Knight is incredibly annoying. Something like 75% of players above 7 wins being mages makes it even better. The fact that the 5-mana 4/6 weaponsmith guy was played in decks without weapons speaks volumes to the power level here.
Kobold Geomancer - Magma Rager - Leper Gnome
Geomancer does not die to mage hero ability, making it the least bad card of the bunch. If I was later into the draft and knew I was going to be very aggressive, a case could be made for Leper Gnome. Magma Rager is awful.
Priestess of Elune - Young Dragonhawk - Raging Worgen
Priestess of Elune is mana-inefficient enough to not make it into consideration. Dragonhawk dies to various hero abilities. Worgen is a 3/3 with an upside.
Kill Command - Darkscale Healer - Silverback Patriarch
Kill Command is a pseudo-fireball removal. It's great if I'm aggro as reach, and great if I'm control as removal. Darkscale Healer is a decent card, but nowhere near as good. Patriarch is awful.
Kill Command - Argent Squire - Freezing Trap
Squire is bad if you're not a mage, Freezing Trap is alright but not nearly as good as KC.
Frostwolf Warlord - Dark Iron Dwarf - Dragonling Mechanic
Dark Iron Dwarf is a great trick attached to a solid mana-efficient body. He allows your 3/2s to trade with enemy Yetis and Senjins. Frostwolf Warlord isn't bad, but not great outside Shaman/Paladin either. Dragonling Mechanic suffers from losing his Lego-dragon to pings too easily.
Gnomish Inventor - Ogre Magi - Houndmaster
Houndmaster is like hunter-specific Dark Iron Dwarf, only it refuses to work with non-beasts. When it works it's amazing though, and a 4-mana 4/3 is not too bad. Gnomish Inventor would be fine, and would be correct if it was later into the draft and I had a low beastcount.
Hungry Crab - Snake Trap - Mountain Giant
Mountain giant does a great job of getting stuck in your hand and being unplayable lategame. Hungry Crab does a great job at killing creatures that no one wants to play. Snake Trap is a decent card, and also makes beasts.
Young Priestess - Misdirection - Twilight Drake
Young priestess dies to pings. Misdirection is a bad card when you're ahead, and not particularly great when playing from behind either. Drake is often a 4/6, 4/5 or a 4/4 for four mana, which is perfectly fine.
Mana Wraith - Nerubian Egg - Violet Teacher
I have only one way to utilize the 0/2 Egg. Mana Wraith is surprisingly decent card that I did stop to consider. Having four spells makes Violet Teacher the correct pick though, especially since she has a decent body.
Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion
I hope I can get 2-drops later on, and take one of the more impressive lategame threats available. Ancient Brewmaster is another passable card, but I already have plenty of 4-drops and not much to bounce.
Savannah Highmane - Young Priestess - Nerubian Egg
I believe I have explained why the latter two are not very good. I believe I don't need to explain why being 10/9 worth of stats for 6 mana makes Scar amazing.
Stoneskin Gargoyle - Tracking - Magma Rager
The other two are bad cards. Gargoyle is passable if you can buff it, but incredibly unreliable and risky. Tracking cantrips and makes my games smoother at the cost of decking earlier. It's also another spell for Violet Teacher.
Kobold Geomancer - Webspinner - Jungle Panther
Geomancer is an acceptable 2-drop, but I need beasts. Webspinner always gives you Captain's Parrot. Jungle Panther is solid and stays on table so I can utilize Bestial Wrath/Houndmaster.
Sunwalker - Mind Control Tech - Misdirection
Sunwalker is very annoying for non-mage classes to deal with, and extremely reliable no matter what the game situation is. MCT is perhaps the most swingy card in the game, but amazingly unreliable. Misdirection isn't very good in Arena, where you have too many creatures to make it worthwhile.
Unstable Ghoul - Raging Worgen - Silvermoon Guardian
These are all viable choices. I'm not confident in my earlygame, and I have no ways to clear trash from paladins. Ghoul should help where help is most needed.
Animal Companion - Tauren Warrior - Youthful Brewmaster
Animal Companion makes a incredibly cost-efficient creature at random. Said creature is a beast. I need beasts. Animal Companion is also yet another spell for Violet Teacher.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Faerie Dragon - Tracking
I need two drops to make my earlygame passable. Faerie Dragon happens to be a good one, especially against priests/mages. Warden is a bad card, and Tracking is nothing special unless you have plenty of combos to dig for.
Snake Trap - Gladiator's Longbow - Bestial Wrath
Gladiator's Longbow often kills two creatures for seven mana. It's not the most mana-efficient solution, but it does get you the card advantage. Or then it just hits your opponent twice for ten damage, which is also fine. I don't have enough beasts to justify second BW, and I have nothing to combo Snake Trap with. Nor am I aggressive enough to just use it as a backup. Longbow it is.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Acolyte of Pain - Multi-Shot
Slam Jam Thank you Bam. I needed the boardclear here. The other cards aren't particularly good either. Acolyte of Pain is good in Mages/Warriors, but not here.
Multishot - Ancient Brewmaster - Timber Wolf
I'm suddenly much more confident in my likelihood of surviving the earlygame. Word on Timber Wolf: Only if you have buzzards/UTHs already.
Mogu'Shan Warden - Wisp - Frostwolf Warlord
Warden is still bad. Wisp is.. Barely better than Shieldbearer if you're a rogue with too many combo cards. Frostwolf Warlord is often at least a 5/5 for 5, which makes it the best card of the bunch by a fair margin.
Worgen Infiltrator - Goldshire Footman - Amani Berserker
Goldshire is obviously awful. I'd rather have the 1-drop that might trade with a 2-drop here. Dying to Mad Bomber isn't much fun, but I'm pretty sure it's the better card here.
War Golem - Stormwind Knight - Ancient Brewmaster
This certainly isn't thrilling. I take the Stormwind, because it has immediate effect on the board. If I get lucky I can trade it for two 3/2s.
Archmage - Nightblade - Multi-Shot
Not aggressive enough to take the Nightblade. Not desperate enough for lategame drops to take the Archmage. Very happy with the third multishot.
Nightblade - Young Dragonhawk - Dread Corsair
Forget what I said last pick. We're certainly aggressive enough to take the nightblade. I'm totally not taking it because the competition is formed by two really bad cards.
Young Dragonhawk - Explosive Trap - Core Hound
Core Hound is a beast, but that doesn't stop it from being awful. I don't even know what is up with these Dragonhawks today, this must be the fourth one that I didn't pick. Trap is great and makes our earlygame better.
Houndmaster - Razorfen Hunter - Scarlet Crusader
With just three beasts and Snake Trap, and this being the second-last pick, I actually forgo another Houndmaster in return for a solid 3-drop. I almost wanted to take the Hunter because the boar is a beast though.
Coldlight Seer - Imp Master - Deathlord
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Or the bad, good and the ugly if you insist on the correct order. Coldlight Seer is out of the question, but the choice between the remaining two is a difficult one. They are both better in aggressive decks that establish board control, but they're not bad cards here either. Deathlord is incredibly risky, but often very oppressive of enemy earlygame. Imp Master is a solid 3-drop, and usually at least trades for something. I'm taking the Deathlord, but I admit it might be because the card is new and shiny and I haven't seen it enough in action to accurately judge.
See attachment for final product. Not a great deck, but I'm fairly confident on 6+ wins.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
True, but Sea Giant, Molten Giant, Ravenholdt Assassin, Ironbark Protector, Venture Co and a number of playable Legendaries do, plus various buffed things, plus you have the option to boost your opponent's creature into range.
Good draft - I like your picks. Two I'd have made differently (although I might be wrong):
"Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion" - I'd have picked the Youthful Brewmaster. Partly for being a 2-drop, but partly also because you already have Houndmaster and Dark Iron Dwarf by this point, which significantly increases its value.
"Sunwalker - Mind Control Tech - Misdirection" - Mind Control Tech may be swingy, but it's one of the few cards which lets Hunter get traction on a crowded board, so you absolutely want it here. Sunwalker is OK, but the divine shield is seldom good enough to make up for the poor base stats. (The card was overrated early on since it frequently wrecks weak opponents.)
"Unstable Ghoul - Raging Worgen - Silvermoon Guardian" - As you say, this one is close. I'd pick the Worgen simply because Hunter always wants to be the aggressor if possible (due to hero power), plus I have a marginally better curve than you by this point.
As an aside: Worgen Infiltrator is one of the best Neutral Commons in Arena. Most of the time the opponent doesn't have the Mad Bomber and a 1-drop which takes out the opponent's two-drop is a game-winning tempo play a lot of the time. Also good for some gloriously unfair free wins against Priests and Hunters.
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
It's essentially a 3/3 and 3/1 for 4 mana. It's not a great card, but at least I find myself having to pick it surprisingly frequently.
Molten Giant is rarely seen aside from Rogues/Warlocks, because it's really unreliable. This might be a difference between US/EU servers, but I can't remember when I last saw it. Sea Giant is great, but it's still an epic.
"Youthful Brewmaster - Ancient Brewmaster - Stormwind Champion" - I'd have picked the Youthful Brewmaster. Partly for being a 2-drop, but partly also because you already have Houndmaster and Dark Iron Dwarf by this point, which significantly increases its value.[/quote]
This may have been right. I would've been more optimistic about the prospects if I had enough beasts to make bouncing Beastmaster relevant.
With the quality of deck that I was having, hoping to beat weak opponents was more or less the only thing that could happen. There was no real chance of those cards going more than 8 wins, since the minion quality simply wasn't there without Harvest Golems, Yetis, Senjins, or Silver Hand Knights.
Ended up going 5-3, (Seems my estimate was generous.) with sunwalker saving my butt a few times. At the same time Deathlord managed to give my opponents Ragnaros and Boulderfist, in the two games I played it. Highly recommend this card, barely no drawback at all. (Should probably try it out at a later date to get better statistics.)
I certainly wouldn't pick it over Yeti, Senjin, Silver Hand Knight, Harvest Golem or even Boulderfist Ogre, unless I felt I really needed the earlygame. It still might warrant a place in the top10 commons.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
My one frustration with the game (from a rules standpoint) is this: My opponent has Stormwind Champion on the board, and another damaged minion with only one toughness left. When I kill the Champion and remove the +1/+1 bonus from the board, his other damaged minion doesn't die. Instead it loses one power and stays at one toughness. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
Now I have to figure out what to buy with the 1600 powder I have accumulated. I mostly use a mid-range paladin deck in ranked play, but to make that deck truly competitive, I need something like 4 more Legendary cards. I already own a Leeroy for some of my more aggro decks. It seems like a lot of decks want to run Bloodmage Thalnos. Is he really that good? Sorry for the non-arena related question.
Also, breaking from Hearthstone a bit, I played the following deck at Game Day last weekend. Someone won a grinder at GP Utrecht with it, and as soon as I saw the deck list, I had to try it. I ended up going undefeated and just had a blast playing with this mess. Enjoy:
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Izzet Staticaster
1 Keranos, God of Storms
2 Stormbreath Dragon
Spells
3 Shock
2 Izzet Charm
3 Lightning Strike
1 Mizzium Mortars
2 Polymorphist's Jest
2 Dissolve
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Ral Zarek
3 Stoke the Flames
3 Turn & Burn
1 Syncopate
4 Temple of Epiphany
4 Shivan Reef
4 Steam Vents
4 Mutavault
5 Mountain
4 Island
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Pithing Needle
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 AEtherling
2 Magma Spray
3 Negate
3 Counterflux
1 Gorgon's Head
@GPT deck: that does look rather fun! I'm not sure how it performs against another control deck though, seeing as it has so many weak cards in the maindeck against non-creature decks. But nice find.
But the value of having a 1-drop isn't very high unless your deck can reliably curve out 1-2-3. Worgen is better in decks that are good to begin with. Kind of like Counterspell, since high-level arena decks tend to run more powerful spells and having a good deck increases the chances you'll be paired against them eventually.
But eh, fine. We both agree it's a great card, so there's not much to argue here.
I recently got my first 0-3 in Arena as well. It was my 112th Arena Run, and a horrendous Shaman deck. The deck would've probably been better if I took all the seven Totemic Mights I was offered.
Rogues, as far as I have noticed, require a fair amount of class cards to do well. Strong Rogue decks are looking for Assassinates and Deadly Poisons to supplement a solid minion base. The Hero power incurs a lot of damage, but is very efficient in getting tempo/board control. That being said, I don't think I've ever been able to draft a deck with both assassinates and deadly poisons, so my success with Rogue isn't particularly good either. Might not be the best person to take advice from, if you want to try and go 10+ wins.
Rather than having two stats, the Toughness and the Damage Taken, Hearthstone just has a Toughness stat. It's simpler, but I agree that it was a bit counterintuitive at first when I started. Years of MtG do that to you.
He's alright. I don't think that any of the decks need him, but having extra spellpower dork can be valuable. Basically there's no real reason to not include him in some lists, as he is going to cantrip anyway.
EDIT: I'll do another Arena.
Murloc Warleader - Southsea Captain - Ancient of War
Two tribal 3-drops that aren't particularly impressive. Southsea Captain is actually decent because the 2/3s are viable creatures. Ancient of War makes your opponents cry if they do not have hard removal or silences handy. I'll take that.
Mark of Nature - Ironbark Protector - Poison Seeds
Poison Seeds is a fair card, but it's not an amazing card. Neither is Ironbark, but having big guys is nice. Mark of Nature isn't really worth considering.
Zombie Chow - Healing Touch - Dark Iron Dwarf
I'm not certain on this one. On one hand, Dark Iron Dwarf is tested and true to be a very powerful tool. On the other the Zombie Chow quite certainly trades with a 2-drop. I take the Zombie Chow partly just to see how it goes. Druids don't tend to be very aggressive early so the lifegain shouldn't matter much. If I can stabilize my lategame threats should be able to bring victory.
Dread Corsair - Murloc Tidehunter - Soul of the Forest
This is one of those picks you do not wish to make. Corsair is plain bad apart from Warriors/Paladins, and Tidehunter dies to too many hero abilities without earning a card back. Soul of the Forest is not a bad card, so I'll take it, but I'm not really happy with it unless I get Imp Masters/Token Generators.
Innervate - Dread Corsair - Claw
Innervate is a bit risky, and not exactly my favourite card in arena to begin with. Claw is a strong removal spell, a 2-drop and claw to kill enemy 2-drop turn 3 is one of the stronger plays.
Mark of the Wild - Lord of the Arena - Moonfire
Mark of the Wild is average, but I wish to get some cards to combo with it. Lord of the Arena is a lategame threat that does a very bad job of staying alive, and doesn't really do much as a defensive taunt option either. Moonfire is not worth a card.
Acolyte of Pain - Leper Gnome - Stormwind Knight
Leper Gnome can be discounted on the basis of being a bad card, but the other two are quite close in power level. If I was Mage or Warrior I would take Acolyte without considering it, but right now I'm at a bit of a loss. I would say that Stormwind is stronger in vacuum, but I already picked Mark of the Wild, and that could matter. I'll take the acolyte and see how it goes.
Druid of the Claw - Poison Seeds - Kobold Geomancer
Druids actually get quite a lot out of Geomancers since Swipes benefit a ton. That being said, Druids of the Claw are the bread and butter of Druid decks, and there's no real contest here. Just wanted to put in my 2c regarding Geomancers.
Ironbark Protector - Swipe - Loot Hoarder
Swipe is Amazing with a capital A. I don't think there are many, if any, commons I would pick over it.
Mana Wraith - Nourish - Sludge Belcher
This is another difficult one for me. I haven't had much time to assess Sludge Belcher, but everything points towards it being more or less as good as Kodo is. Really what this comes down to is the fact that I would pick Kodo over Nourish.
Power of the Wild - Murloc Tidehunter - Southsea Deckhand
Two bad cards. One good card. Nothing more to say, really.
Injured Blademaster - Starfall - Abomination
Premium removal is premium removal. Abomination is generally average at best, and Injured Blademaster isn't anything impressive outside priests either.
Coldlight Oracle - Starfall - Bite
Starfall is much better than Bite, though Bite is a decent card as well. Coldlight Oracle is bad and should feel bad.
Sen'Jin Shieldmasta - Bloodsail Raider - Bloodfen Raptor
I'm a bit strapped for 2-drops, but I'm only 13 cards in at this point. Senjin is an amazing card, and much better than Bloodfen will ever be.
Nightblade - Bloodfen Raptor - Moonfire
I'll take the Bloodfen now. Nightblade isn't good even when you're very aggressive, and I'm not very aggressive.
Gnomish Inventor - Harvest Golem - Savage Roar
Inventor is a very solid card I'm rarely sad to have. That being said, Harvest Golem is the best neutral 3-drop and fits my curve better. Savage Roar is generally unimpressive, but does have its moments.
Wild Growth - Gnomish Inventor - Stormwind Knight
Cards getting passed and then making comeback in worse company seems to be the theme here. Very happy to take the Inventor. Taking Wild Growth is generally a mistake I see people make a lot: Card Dissadvantage is very painful in Hearthstone, and the ramp is only relevant if played on the earliest turns.
Lord of the Arena - Wrath - Dalaran Mage
I have already explained why Lord of the Arena is bad, and I hope I do not need to explain why Dalaran Mage is even worse. Not a difficult pick in the least, as Wrath is a solid removal spell.
War Golem - Cult Master - Novice Engineer
Novice Engineer used to be 1/2 and it was amazing. Now it's an extra activation of your hero ability. War Golem is a poor finisher, and I already have better options. Cult Master is a solid card, despite not fitting greatly with the rest of my deck.
Murloc Tidecaller - Coldlight Seer - Bite
Tribal isn't good in Arena. Bite is a removal spell, and removal spells are good in Arena.
Ironbark Protector - Moonfire - Kobold Geomancer
I'm really top-heavy here, but it should be worth it. The other options are just horrible and poor, respectively.
Leper Gnome - Jungle Panther - Windfury Harpy
Windfury and Leper are garbage-tier cards that I'm never happy to include in my deck. Panther isn't great, but I'll gladly take it over the competition.
Dark Iron Dwarf - Wild Growth - Power of the Wild
DID is marginally the better card, but I need 2-drops.
Ancient Brewmaster - Kobold Geomancer - Oasis Snapjaw
Not a great selection here. I'll take a bad card to fix my curve, but I'm not really sad to pass on Brewmaster and Snapjaw either.
Wild Growth - Savage Roar - Dark Iron Dwarf
Two bad cards. One good card. Not much to say here.
Keeper of the Grove - Ravenholdt Assassin - Pint-Sized Summoner
Keeper is a keeper. The other two pale in comparison to the 2-for-1 potential that Keeper provides.
Stranglethorn Tiger - Poison Seeds - Dalaran Mage
I'm not sure how close this is. I can't leverage Poison Seeds so I take the solid 5-drop.
Youthful Brewmaster - Ogre Magi - Spellbreaker
Silences are nice, and Spellbreaker is a strong card. I still need 2-drops though, and Brewmaster is a good one. It gets extra value from Keeper/DID and my high-toughness lategame threats as well.
Venture Co. Mercenary - Reckless Rocketeer - Druid of the Claw
Venture Co. is one of the best curvetoppers for aggressive decks, and a very solid creature overall. That being said, Druid of the Claw is even better, and I'm not aggro.
Arcane Golem - Nerubian Egg - Lightwarden
Excuse me as I throw up on top of my keyboard. None of these cards are good. I do have a Mark of the Wild and Dark Iron Dwarf, so I can get value out of the Egg. Or it might just sit around and die to Consecrate/Flamestrike. Not happy with it, but it'll make do.
EDIT: And 2x Power of the Wild. Egg was definitely correct here.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Sea Giant - Big Game Hunter - Molten Giant
BGH is good but I'd rather have a top tier threat, and thanks to limited boards being cluttered, Sea Giant is a 5 or 6 drop pretty often
Dalaran Mage - Truesilver Champion - Shattered Sun Cleric
Mage is very bad; I would need 5 or 6 burn spells and a bad pack to choose him. Shattered Sun Cleric is very good, but Truesilver is one of the best cards in the game. I can't imagine a deck where I would pick this any other way.
Magma Rager - Thrallmar Farseer - Humility
Rager is terrible. Humility is sometimes sub-par removal. Farseer is also pretty subpar since he trades with most 2 drops and can't get through a tazdingo. Decided to go with the relatively low-drop dude. Not sure this is the right pick. Farseer did occasional work during the run.
Silver Hand Knight - Spellbreaker - Mad Bomber
Three good but not great cards. In any deck but Paladin I would probably have gone for Mad Bomber, who can be a great 2 drop, esp. if your opponent leads with a Worgen Infiltrator. But with the paladin 1/1s sitting around, Bomber ends up stuck in your hand way too often. Knight versus Spellbreaker is close; I went with Knight because Paladin has so many high-value 4 drop spells that I figured that I would get a fair amount on that point of the mana curve.
Argent Commander - Holy Wrath - Mana Addict
Argent Commander is clearly the best card here. I've seen Mana Addict as a budget alternative in miracle rogue, which makes him pretty scary, but not a limited card. I've never played Holy Wrath - the randomness scares me.
Sword of Justice - Doomsayer - Avenging Wrath
Doomsayer is not a limited card. Not sure I chose right here, as Avenging Wrath usually kills 2 or 3 things and does some face damage. Sword did a lot of work.
Blessing of Might - Stonetusk Boar - Blessing of Wisdom
Another case of "not sure I'm right" - wisdom almost always cycles for a card, sometimes forces bad use of removal, and sometimes acts effectively as an early removal spell. Might can get you great trades (especially with the paladin 1/1) or just let you speed up your clock. Boar is bad.
Stormwind Knight - Worgen Infantry - Scarlet Crusader
Starting to get a bit nervous about the lack of 2 drops, which made me consider Infantry as a way to knock out an opposing 2 drop. Knight is okay, but see above with respect to Paladin's 4 cost cards. Crusader is often a 2-for-1 and one of the best 3 drops.
River Crocodile - Blessing of Might - Noble Sacrifice
And a 2 drop. Not a good 2 drop, but there you go. Sacrifice can be good but is terrible vs. Druid or Rogue and also often easily played around even by other classes. As a pick 2 I might have taken Might here, but I wanted to have a chance at some early presence.
Coldlight Seer - Holy Wrath - Aldor Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper is terrific - always at least decent (even a 3/3 for 3 on an empty board is okay), sometimes a total blow-out (hello mercenary). Coldlight Seer is not a limited card and Holy Wrath is scary random.
Tauren Warrior - Holy Light - Blessing of Kings
Kings is a really great pump spell. Warrior is not a good card in any format. Healing is better than in MTG but not Kings good.
Noble Sacrifice - Mogushan Warden - Hand of Protection
3 bad cards. Sacrifice sometimes does something and can be played early vs. some classes. Am I underrating Hand? In the right circumstances (not to difficult to achieve) it seems like it could basically be a removal spell. I really don't like Warden, though it is sometimes super awkward when my opponent drops one.
Noble Sacrifice - Hand of Protection - Murloc Raider
See above.
Big Game Hunter - Avenging Wrath - Sword of Justice
Chose Sword 2 over Hunter 1 and Wrath 1 - all good cards. Having the relatively higher consistency of 2 of the same epics seemed good. Note that I now have 3 good epics that benefit from swarm cards (2x sword, Sea Giant).
Ironforge Rifleman - Darkscale Healer - Flesheating Ghoul
3 subpar creatures that are sometimes good. Ghoul might have been the choice with my emerging swarm theme. I had a fair number of 3s already and wanted something meatier.
Nightblade - Worgen Infantry - Chillwind Yeti
Yeti is great. Infantry is okay but I would have to be really stretched for early game to pick him over yeti. Nightblade is bad.
Hammer of Wrath - Argent Squire - Wolfrider
Wolfrider is decent, Squire is not nearly as good as in constructed, and Hammer does basically what Wolfrider usually does and also draws you a card for 1 more mana.
Ironbeak Owl - War Golem - Lord of the Arena
Feeling my lack of early game, though usually you don't want to drop owl as a 2 drop. Golem might have been the pick here, as it's a decent finisher. Lord of the Arena dies too easily to cheaper cards for me to like it.
Acidic Swamp Ooze - Cult Master - Earthen Ring Farseer
Went with Master for the swarm theme. Probably should have gone Ooze for the 2 drop or Farseer for random value; Master only did me any good once or twice. I think I overvalue him due to my MTG background, and the card draw is enough harder to turn on and less valuable in Hearthstone that he's not as amazing as you would think.
Wailing Soul - Ancient Watcher - Crazed Alchemist
New card alert! I was super worried about having Wailing Soul in hand and a bunch of guys with 1/1 counters from the Swords in play. Alchemist is sometimes great value (I used it to knock over high-toughness minions on a few occasions) and also just gives me a 2-drop when I need it.
Blessing of Wisdom - Loot Hoarder - Light's Justice
Hoarder is a decent 2 drop against the 1-damage classes - at least they have to spend an early turn killing it - and great vs. the classes that can't trade a hero power for it. I think I like Light's Justice more than most, but people just don't play 1 toughness minions in Arena, thanks to all of the hero powers, so it's hard to get much value off of it. Plus the 2 swords make saving the durability awkward.
Haunted Creeper - Harvest Golem - Earthen Ring Farseer
Creeper is a 2 drop, but the step up in value makes the 3 drops just better, even with my early game issues. I like Golem better than Earthen Ring, especially with the two swords.
Abusive Sergeant - Dragonling Mechanic - Murloc Tidehunter
Worried about 2 drops, so I took the inferior Tidehunter over the superior (though not great) Mechanic and the not-really-a-1-drop Sergeant. Tidehunter is somewhat better as a sword follow-up.
Voodoo Priest - Young Priestess - Murloc Tidehunter
Instantly punished as the Murloc is the best of 3 bad cards. Enough 2 drops now that I can afford to only take good ones.
Gadgetzan Auctioneer - Equality - Mana Wraith
I have enough spells (and enough 1 mana spells) that Gadget seems worthwhile over Equality. Also, Auctioneer is always a removal magnet in Arena, even though he's not nearly as good as in constructed. I did manage to chain off 3 of my 1-manas in one game. Equality would have been interesting if I had taken the Wraths.
Harvest Golem - Acidic Swamp Ooze - Dragonhawk
An actually good 2 drop over a very good 3 drop.
Humility - Blessing of Wisdom - Light's Justice
I don't have much to deal with big scary things, so this seems good. Auctioneer makes it a bit more attractive. Wisdom might have been the pick.
Fen Creeper - Blessing of Kings - Zombie Chow
Still a bit worried about early presence, and not worried about giving a bit of life back. Chow generally did decent work. Not sure it's really the pick over Kings. My lack of taunts came back to bite me in a couple losses.
Magma Rager - Goldshire Footman - Stranglethorn Tiger
Good card over 2 terribles. Footman just dies for no value to almost all 2 drops.
Sludge Belcher - Hammer of Wrath - Murloc Tidecaller
Belcher is a great card, plays nicely with the sword, and gives me a taunt, which this deck is notably lacking. Hammer is also a great value card, but I felt that I wanted the taunt and value dude more.
Final curve:
1 1111 (only one true 1 drop)
2222 222 (incl 3 bad 2-drops vs. mage/druid/rogue)
333333
44444
55555
6
10*
Deck ended up going 8-3. Didn't save notes on the games.
I would personally choose Humility. Farseer is almost always a very subpar use of a turn, whereas Humility can serve a purpose.
"Silver Hand Knight - Spellbreaker - Mad Bomber"
This early in the draft I would almost always take Silver Hand Knight. It's amazing quality for the mana cost. I'd place it a solid tier above the other two.
"Blessing of Might - Stonetusk Boar - Blessing of Wisdom"
You were absolutely right on this one. Wisdom is a solid card, either as pseudo-removal
"Noble Sacrifice - Mogushan Warden - Hand of Protection"
Hand of Protection is better than Sacrifice. You choose where it goes, instead of your opponent. For the next pick, see this one again.
"Ironbeak Owl - War Golem - Lord of the Arena"
Golem is heaps better than Owl. Owl dies to everything, and most often that everything includes hero abilities.
"Acidic Swamp Ooze - Cult Master - Earthen Ring Farseer"
Ooze is one of the best 2-drops for arena play. Cult master is very strong in Paladin, but I would still opt for the ooze here.
"Abusive Sergeant - Dragonling Mechanic - Murloc Tidehunter"
This is actually a difficult pick. Sergeant is much stronger in Paladin and Shaman decks than elsewhere, and likely the stronger card in all respects. The only thing Tidehunter has going for it is the synergy with your double bufftanks. I would take the sergeant either way, since you can push the "make-a-guy"-button if needed.
"Voodoo Priest - Young Priestess - Murloc Tidehunter"
Another tough one. All of these cards are awful against pinging classes, so I'd take the Priestess. When it is strong it truly is strong.
"Gadgetzan Auctioneer - Equality - Mana Wraith"
Equality is one of the few ways Paladin can deal with big guys. At this point it also has synergy with your Tidehunters, maybe allowing them to earn value. I'll take it even without that synergy though.
"Sludge Belcher - Hammer of Wrath - Murloc Tidecaller"
Not debating the pick, just noting that Hammer of Wrath is a common whereas the other two ones are rares.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Looking at your draft, the only disagreement I have is Arcane vs. egg; Arcane is not something you play on curve or close to it, but the 4 hasty power can be big late game & at least it does something without other cards.
I don't want to scare off the non-Hearthstone players. I know I've been talking about Hearthstone a lot. The game just has a lot going on, right now, with its first ever expansion, while Magic is in the middle of a core set. I am assuming that things will balance out when Khans hits.
@What to do with 1600 dust - It's true that Bloodmage Thalnos is in a lot of decks, but it's just kind of an unexciting value two drop. I'd personally rather have Ysera, because I think it's fun. You could also just go get whatever epics you think you might need, like Faceless Void or Ancient of Lore.
(I tagged all those like Magic cards, for those of you with no idea what's going on.)
Regarding Legendaries, the first legendary I crafted was Leeroy Jenkins. He's nearly omnipresent in aggro decks, and those are some of the best budget-options for climbing the ladder.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
DCI L2 Judge
GP:Madrid 2010 45th
GP:Amsterdam 2011 74th
GP:London 2013 67th
Bazaar of Moxen 2013 32nd
Has he ever said anything else?
For all I know, it might be true, but I also heard that Magic's growth reversed during this period (according to a Hasbro quarterly report):
The recent Twister expansion's emphasis on spin-heel kicking the opponent in the face really made the prerelease awful.
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
Since I'm back to following all PTs from my own sofa, I'm also pretty stoked about the changes from a spectator point of view. The last couple of Pro Tours had rather stale formats, this should help mitigate that quite a bit.
I do love the feeling of a full-set block, holding those varicolored packs. The idea of a complete block, of one pack per set being the fullest realization of a draft format, always appealed to me. But it was only ever an idea.
When was the last time a full set outshone a triple fall set? RGD? Maybe TPF, but I'd argue that triple Tsp is just as fun. My favorite formats have been triple Innistrad and triple ROE, so no great loss here.
I'd say that this is bad for reprints, but... it might not be. Time will tell. Right now the thing we're most hurting for are Fetchland reprints, and those could certainly come in a block. In fact, I'd expect them to come from a block way more than from a Core Set. At the end of the day, reprints and magic-finance aren't my priority.
I have to say, I'm really excited, surprisingly excited.
It's too early to tell, but I might even play standard again.
-----
Edit: Also MaRo's huge article on the change was adorable. Pages of "oh god please don't hate me... I promise I have the best intentions..." So cautious.