It's because Warlock has too much healing. I've been saying this since Barrens.
One of the main points of Warlock is that it uses Health as a resource. That's all well and good, and makes for interesting decisions ... until you give the class so much healing that there are no more decisions. Just go ahead and spend that Health willy-nilly in full confidence that you'll have no trouble getting it back.
When you're trying to draw through your entire deck, life tapping and cards like Backfire are not the least bit scary because you are guaranteed to get 12 points of healing from quilboars and two 1-mana 6/6 taunts, not to mention all the lifesteal removal you'll draw along the way, some of which may be doubled by Tamsin.
Warlock may not technically have more healing than Priest, but it definitely has far more efficient healing, and a lot of it.
The problems go hand-in-hand, but I do think the latest "OwlTK" Warlock decks shows that card draw is the biggest issue. It's true that decks that care about self-harm (i.e. Questline Handlock) use Barrens Scavenger and Blood Shard Bristleback to recover, but they're only enabled by drawing your whole deck really fast. Meanwhile the "OwlTK" Warlock doesn't use either of those cards to stabalize, instead getting by with cheap AOE like Grimoire of Sacrifice along with extra card draw like Bloodmage Thalnos and the Tour Guide/Manafeeder Panthara combo.
Honestly, I think it is too early to decide whether or not OTK Warlock is an issue. It absolutely crumples to Libram Paladin and Quest Mage, and I imagine once people start playing Face Hunter it will suffer even more. Currently I feel like it is only good against grindy decks who win through attrition.
This is exactly the kind of argument I and many others were making about Questline Warlock at the start of United in Stormwind, and we all know where that went. That's not to say the Owl OTK will need some kind of nerfs, per se, but it's clear Warlock is a problem. When it was just Questline Warlock, you could at least argue the deck was consistent because it always started with its win condition (i.e. the quest) in hand. But the success of Owl OTK makes it clear that Warlock is just way too good at consistently and rapidly drawing their whole deck.
It reminds me a bit of that brief time when Gonk OTK and Maly OTK Druids were both surprisingly effective decks because they shared a fairly OP shell of draw and defensive tools.
It's because Warlock has too much healing. I've been saying this since Barrens.
One of the main points of Warlock is that it uses Health as a resource. That's all well and good, and makes for interesting decisions ... until you give the class so much healing that there are no more decisions. Just go ahead and spend that Health willy-nilly in full confidence that you'll have no trouble getting it back.
When you're trying to draw through your entire deck, life tapping and cards like Backfire are not the least bit scary because you are guaranteed to get 12 points of healing from quilboars and two 1-mana 6/6 taunts, not to mention all the lifesteal removal you'll draw along the way, some of which may be doubled by Tamsin.
Warlock may not technically have more healing than Priest, but it definitely has far more efficient healing, and a lot of it.
forget about what I said about Ahri being good. You kill or stun the unit next to her and she just dies
the broken champion of this expansion is without a doubt Kennen who singlehandedly combines aggro supression, free spellshield procs and in combination with Ezreal a ton of burn damage for free ... as a 1 drop
I wondered if I had fucked up when I saw the headline and had already disenchanted him. Thankfully I'd done so on the 7th and so I'd gotten the 1600 dust.
I've been able to evade the Owl OTK once as Deathrattle priest thanks to Korrak. I've been at high health/armor already at the end game and half the owl deathrattles hit Korrak when they died and since he kept ressurecting himself he absorbed a lot of hits and saved me. My opponent conceded after that since he was in fatigue.
That being said I'm not even going to touch standard except for the weekly quest any time soon.
Since the Diamond one is on the Rewards track, people who opened a regular or Golden copy get a little screwed because they get the Diamond one for free. So they have a period at the start of the expansion where he should be disenchantable for full dust so you don't lose anything by opening him in a pack.
I haven't seen one of these yet, if it exists please point me to it. I rushed to diamond 5 before the expansion and now I'm trying to use this initial week or so to grind out some achievements before continuing my attempt at ladder climbing. While I don't expect achievement centered decks to be super competitive I do want to at least present a challenge while completing them. I'm not a great deck builder myself and have just been throwing a few pieces of class and neutral achievements into various 'good' decks and going from there. It has been a bit slower than I really wanted it to be and I'm hoping to find better ways to do this. Who is willing to share the decks they are using to get that bonus XP?
Just remembered one more bug, possibly my favorite, having suffered it and made others suffer it myself.
That one treasure in duels that puts two fel rifts into your deck whenever you play a fel spell. There's presently a bug that place them right above your deck after a fel spell, which means you'll more or less be pulling two 3/3s every turn, or within the same turn if youve a draw spell handy.
Dhunter in duels is fairly rubbish. But this bug alone makes it a force to be reckon with. Imagine if this was standard instead. Seeds of Destruction would be the most overpowered card in the game.
If your gonna build an allegiance deck, make sure to not have more than 6 cards from the secondary region, otherwise you will be missing allegiance more than the papaya lord himself.
Assuming they nerf owl (probably never) if zoo is meta, then phylactery would be. Either that or they print another busted deathrattle card. The fact is that a card like Tamsin's Phylactery would never be irrelevant because its powerful and its dependent on something which is generally printed every expansion. Even something as simple as Leper Gnome has the potential of breaking the meta because of this card.
If youre worrying about the dust cost, probably better to wait a couple of weeks when the meta settles down a little. But I crafted mine because Im almost certain I'll never regret it, whether its for memes or just plain competitive.
The Hearthstone Team Talks About Last Year's "Free Your Mind" Hack-a-thon Which Includes an Adorable Card Back
Nimbus - the only card back I can pay for...
Great Tavern Brawl Decks to Play During the Tinyfin Commons & Rares Brawl Featuring Alterac Valley Cards
I played a 2 year old secret mage deck and got my win without issue.
It's an older deck sir but it checks out. I was about to copy it. Shall I create something original?
No...use it.
The Early Top Overall Cards in Alterac Valley Showcase That Warlock is Remarkably Popular
How about all you otk playing losers out there take a flying leap off a tall Building
What is the Alterac Valley Meta going to be?
The problems go hand-in-hand, but I do think the latest "OwlTK" Warlock decks shows that card draw is the biggest issue. It's true that decks that care about self-harm (i.e. Questline Handlock) use Barrens Scavenger and Blood Shard Bristleback to recover, but they're only enabled by drawing your whole deck really fast. Meanwhile the "OwlTK" Warlock doesn't use either of those cards to stabalize, instead getting by with cheap AOE like Grimoire of Sacrifice along with extra card draw like Bloodmage Thalnos and the Tour Guide/Manafeeder Panthara combo.
The Hearthstone Team Talks About Last Year's "Free Your Mind" Hack-a-thon Which Includes an Adorable Card Back
That is a fluffy card back!
What is the Alterac Valley Meta going to be?
It's because Warlock has too much healing. I've been saying this since Barrens.
One of the main points of Warlock is that it uses Health as a resource. That's all well and good, and makes for interesting decisions ... until you give the class so much healing that there are no more decisions. Just go ahead and spend that Health willy-nilly in full confidence that you'll have no trouble getting it back.
When you're trying to draw through your entire deck, life tapping and cards like Backfire are not the least bit scary because you are guaranteed to get 12 points of healing from quilboars and two 1-mana 6/6 taunts, not to mention all the lifesteal removal you'll draw along the way, some of which may be doubled by Tamsin.
Warlock may not technically have more healing than Priest, but it definitely has far more efficient healing, and a lot of it.
Runeterra Theorycraft Decks for Magic Misadventure's New Champions: Kennen, Pantheon, Rumble, and Ahri
forget about what I said about Ahri being good. You kill or stun the unit next to her and she just dies
the broken champion of this expansion is without a doubt Kennen who singlehandedly combines aggro supression, free spellshield procs and in combination with Ezreal a ton of burn damage for free ... as a 1 drop
Kurtrus, Demon-Render
You must be blind. The hero power is very clearly under Related Cards and has been for some time.
Lazy lazy lazy.
The Winners of Anton Zemskov's FanArt Brawl #16 'Citizens of Stormwind' - A Custom Hearthstone Art Competition!
If I had a nickel for everytime a demon hunter became a pizza chef I would have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
The Winners of Anton Zemskov's FanArt Brawl #16 'Citizens of Stormwind' - A Custom Hearthstone Art Competition!
I love all of these. Such great pieces.
The cheese thief is my favorite. Made me laugh. Reminds me of something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.
Don't Disenchant Korrak! Hearthstone Known Issues Update Includes a Missing Alterac Valley Board & More
I wondered if I had fucked up when I saw the headline and had already disenchanted him. Thankfully I'd done so on the 7th and so I'd gotten the 1600 dust.
The Early Top Overall Cards in Alterac Valley Showcase That Warlock is Remarkably Popular
I've been able to evade the Owl OTK once as Deathrattle priest thanks to Korrak. I've been at high health/armor already at the end game and half the owl deathrattles hit Korrak when they died and since he kept ressurecting himself he absorbed a lot of hits and saved me. My opponent conceded after that since he was in fatigue.
That being said I'm not even going to touch standard except for the weekly quest any time soon.
The Hearthstone Team Talks About Last Year's "Free Your Mind" Hack-a-thon Which Includes an Adorable Card Back
Wouldn't Raynor be hunter since he has a gun and Tass be the warrior rep? (I meant Artanis not Tassadar Tass would probs be more mage)
The Early Top Overall Cards in Alterac Valley Showcase That Warlock is Remarkably Popular
I guess it can be used like Soul of the Forest in sacrifice decks, so it's probably good enough indeed.
Even though I have some dust in the bank, I'm always worried about dust costs because it's gone in no time when crafting legendaries.
Don't Disenchant Korrak! Hearthstone Known Issues Update Includes a Missing Alterac Valley Board & More
Since the Diamond one is on the Rewards track, people who opened a regular or Golden copy get a little screwed because they get the Diamond one for free. So they have a period at the start of the expansion where he should be disenchantable for full dust so you don't lose anything by opening him in a pack.
Great Tavern Brawl Decks to Play During the Tinyfin Commons & Rares Brawl Featuring Alterac Valley Cards
I played Zoo Warlock of Deadmines. It's a cheap deck.
The Hearthstone Team Talks About Last Year's "Free Your Mind" Hack-a-thon Which Includes an Adorable Card Back
WE WANT Nimbus Card Back ! WE WANT Nimbus Card Back ! WE WANT Nimbus Card Back !
Alterac Valley Achievements
I haven't seen one of these yet, if it exists please point me to it. I rushed to diamond 5 before the expansion and now I'm trying to use this initial week or so to grind out some achievements before continuing my attempt at ladder climbing. While I don't expect achievement centered decks to be super competitive I do want to at least present a challenge while completing them. I'm not a great deck builder myself and have just been throwing a few pieces of class and neutral achievements into various 'good' decks and going from there. It has been a bit slower than I really wanted it to be and I'm hoping to find better ways to do this. Who is willing to share the decks they are using to get that bonus XP?
Ignite Combo OTK Mage. 99-28 (78%) record from Bronze to Legend
Ancient Mysteries is a spell and you want to have as few non-fire spells as possible to efficiently cycle with Sanctum Chandler .
Lots of bugs
Just remembered one more bug, possibly my favorite, having suffered it and made others suffer it myself.
That one treasure in duels that puts two fel rifts into your deck whenever you play a fel spell. There's presently a bug that place them right above your deck after a fel spell, which means you'll more or less be pulling two 3/3s every turn, or within the same turn if youve a draw spell handy.
Dhunter in duels is fairly rubbish. But this bug alone makes it a force to be reckon with. Imagine if this was standard instead. Seeds of Destruction would be the most overpowered card in the game.
Ignite Combo OTK Mage. 99-28 (78%) record from Bronze to Legend
isnt ancient mistery better for iceblock?
Valeera Sanguinar
Can somebody upload info about heropowers ? Tired of reading symbols instead of real data.
Don't Disenchant Korrak! Hearthstone Known Issues Update Includes a Missing Alterac Valley Board & More
Sorry, what is the issue with Korrak the Bloodrager? why should it be refunded with full dust?
Ok nvm I get it (just to mention : this was the first alterac legendary I got from packs both on EU and NA)
Runeterra Theorycraft Decks for Magic Misadventure's New Champions: Kennen, Pantheon, Rumble, and Ahri
If your gonna build an allegiance deck, make sure to not have more than 6 cards from the secondary region, otherwise you will be missing allegiance more than the papaya lord himself.
The Early Top Overall Cards in Alterac Valley Showcase That Warlock is Remarkably Popular
Assuming they nerf owl (probably never) if zoo is meta, then phylactery would be. Either that or they print another busted deathrattle card. The fact is that a card like Tamsin's Phylactery would never be irrelevant because its powerful and its dependent on something which is generally printed every expansion. Even something as simple as Leper Gnome has the potential of breaking the meta because of this card.
If youre worrying about the dust cost, probably better to wait a couple of weeks when the meta settles down a little. But I crafted mine because Im almost certain I'll never regret it, whether its for memes or just plain competitive.