Thank you for writing the transcript and notes. I almost gave up after failing twice using Zeddy's link on step 1. Your step hints helped me out. I am registering the account to thank you.
You mean vS' report pre-nerfs? Yeah that's not very relevant right now, is it?
Quote from their latest podcast (2 days ago) "However, because top 3 most played decks right now are a combo of Handlock, Quest Shaman, and Quest Mage, its winrate looks okay."
Handlock and Quest shaman are the clear best decks in the game, and definitely tier 1. With the possible exclusion of top legend where both those decks are so popular that people run polarizing hard counter decks in the forms of Garotte rogue and quest mage.
I completed the Yogg Champ achievement yesterday! Quite unexpectedly too. I've had this Quest Mage down to 3 health but I've stalled out, unable to deliver the finishing blow because my stuff keeps getting removed. As a last resort, I play Oh My Yogg!, hoping to prevent the opponent from dealing lethal damage with at least 1 spell.
The Mage then plays a 0-mana Ignite that turns into a Raise Dead. Fantastic. Of course, I have to BM after that, because screw Mages.
Mccree is a big character but the first name change stuff they did was just random NPCs in WoW referencing Afrasiabi. I think they probably want to stay away as much as possible from now on.
Because Diamond cards should be iconic and high power level so you can actually use them in decks. Definitely not bad cards that never see play. It just feels like a waste otherwise and brings down diamonds as a whole. I guess the best criteria would be quality of golden animation to begin with.
The theming and flavor of the set as a whole is definitely rough, but many individual cards carry with them their own wonderful stories. There's definitely some balance issues and the overall story feel convoluted. Small misses like that are definitely out weighed by the heavy hitter designs though, in particular I love the familiar cycle and many of the unique weapons. House of Madness, Protective Fosora, Dark Magic, Sahaquiel, Armored Packrhino, Drink of Kings, and Smuggler's Pinata are probably my favorites.
I think banning the usage of certain cards just because you're playing the Questline is a really bad solution. I would much rather find a middle-ground nerf, like sharing the damage as you noted.
1) make some cards banned to use with the questline.. for example crystalizer, spirit bomb, stealer of souls.. (pick up your choice)
2) change Tamsin's Battlecry to: for the rest of the game, whenever your hero takes damage on your turn enemy hero takes it as well.. this is better than reverting all the damage your hero takes to the enemy hero because that sounds stupid and unfair
A sidenote: Tamsin's Battlecry voice line says: "all of stormwind shall *SHARE* my pain" and this nerf suggestion above is the actual meaning of "share"
3) you could also make the questline progress harder by changing if from taking points of damage on your turn.. to how many times you took damage on your turn.. which means the questline should say: "take damage X times on your turn" instead of: "take X points of damage on your turn"
And the last nerf suggestion will be great to slow down the questline unless blizzard some day prints a card that can deal sperated damage to your hero.. in that case you could just change the questline progress mechanic to: "play X cards that deal damage to your hero"
Sorry my English is not perfect, feel free to tell me your thoughts, and hopefully i didn't miss or mess up something, thanks for your time :)
I have played Arena, gwent, hearthstone and shadowverse starting at gold in the early days, but reliably hitting diamond as I've gotten older and more patient for correct plays.
When I say a meta is anti meta, it's more that meta decks have correct answers built in to the card pool, and no individual card is grosly overpowered. Belive me thats rare.
Like I might say Zoe Nami feels strong but thats when I play a deck with next to no hard removal. The deck is strong in the sense it demands answers, but so does discard so I wouldn't describe it as toxic.
The problematic metas are when you do everything you're supposed to from a deck building and player standpoint and still loose. Azir Irelia was a great example as a deck that won more games than it should have.
The recent nerf to Blade dance and the Sivir package did help a lot, without that, darkness and landmark decks would have disappeared after the first two weeks.
I think you believe the gold cost will be far more punishing than it actually will be. I honestly don't see any of the people in your examples balking at the cost of building a village. The people who refuse to try Mercenaries because of the gold cost are hard-line free players who hold on to their gold with a death grip because they cannot or will not ever spend money on Hearthstone.
The assumption that Mercenaries will be totally unplayable without spending gold is ridiculous. A brand new player with no gold reserves at all has to be able to jump in and play without grinding gold in some other mode. There's no way Blizzard would make the mistake of excluding fresh blood like that. So it stands to reason that Mercenaries itself will give you a way to earn enough gold to get further into Mercenaries. F2P people who are dedicated to Hearthstone may choose to buy Hearthstone packs with that gold, and I'm sure many will, but I think most people won't mind using it on the village.
That's the beauty of having a shared resource. You can reinvest the gold in Mercenaries if you like it, or you get a nice "thanks for trying it out" parting gift if you choose to use the gold elsewhere.
I'm not assuming it will be oppressively expensive. I'm just saying that because it's clear that your village costs gold, there are open questions about the costs of the mode, and that's a legitimate reason to be frustrated by the reveal.
Based on the reveal, I think the only things we can say for certain about the F2P economics are that a) the mode will cost gold to develop your village, b) there's a separate currency for merc upgrades that you'll get by playing, and c) playing games will reward XP for the rewards track (which in turn will eventually give you gold). That's not much info, and I think it's a major failure on Blizzard's part not to provide more information on that (particularly because of the confusion around the packs in the store that feature Diamond portraits rather than "exclusive" mercs).
Why are we picking trash tier cards for diamond in outland? Vash is the worst prime. Almost any other one would be better. Murgle, Zixor, Solarian?!? Kayn also makes thematic sense because outland was the DH set. Maive is GARBAGE and never sees play! What about Teron Gorefiend? Or even Magtheradon for the memes?
Ashes: I would love a prime. However I worry that doing both sides might impact them making another card. Still if I were to choose a prime Kargath! I also agree that Maieve is a great pick.
Scholo: I'm all in on KT. Love that card and concept alot. Would love him Diamond. Alura, priest pally legend, would be good too. Rattlegore is always a top pick too!
Faire: Tickatus for sure. Loved and hated and great art. Again concern about the time but still, I want it. Also one of the gods should get it. I love N'zoth but I think YShaarj should get it for the corrupt theme. Don't forget the races too. Moonfang would look cool I think.
What you're saying about Free-to-Play games is entirely correct, but the idea that weeding out players that won't pay a dime is a good idea is ridiculous. Blizzard has no idea why any individual player is F2P. Maybe they're F2P because they like to spend on cosmetics in game but weren't offered any (that's clearly true for some players, as Blizzard introduced Diamond cards and tons of new hero portraits). Maybe they're F2P because their financial situation is difficult right now, but in a few months they'll get a new job or promotion and have a little spending money to put into a game. Maybe they've just bored with traditional Hearthstone and looking for a new game mode that they'll love enough to spend money on.
Regardless of reason, the way F2P works is to cast a wide net and convert players into customers. They will have less success if they intentionally weed players out before they've even had a chance to try the game. That's why the question of cost to reach some "base fun play" state is important.
I think you believe the gold cost will be far more punishing than it actually will be. I honestly don't see any of the people in your examples balking at the cost of building a village. The people who refuse to try Mercenaries because of the gold cost are hard-line free players who hold on to their gold with a death grip because they cannot or will not ever spend money on Hearthstone.
The assumption that Mercenaries will be totally unplayable without spending gold is ridiculous. A brand new player with no gold reserves at all has to be able to jump in and play without grinding gold in some other mode. There's no way Blizzard would make the mistake of excluding fresh blood like that. So it stands to reason that Mercenaries itself will give you a way to earn enough gold to get further into Mercenaries. F2P people who are dedicated to Hearthstone may choose to buy Hearthstone packs with that gold, and I'm sure many will, but I think most people won't mind using it on the village.
That's the beauty of having a shared resource. You can reinvest the gold in Mercenaries if you like it, or you get a nice "thanks for trying it out" parting gift if you choose to use the gold elsewhere.
NEW - Clown Druid (video Guide)
why Northshire Farmer ? It weaken the beast package with no real advantage
Solving the "???" Gift of Elune Card Back Achievement in Hearthstone - Solve the Stormwind Mysteries
Thank you for writing the transcript and notes. I almost gave up after failing twice using Zeddy's link on step 1. Your step hints helped me out. I am registering the account to thank you.
Solving the "???" Gift of Elune Card Back Achievement in Hearthstone - Solve the Stormwind Mysteries
Not enraged, and I stand by what I said
Hearthstone's Stormwind Questline Cards Were a Mistake - Here's How We Can Fix Them
You mean vS' report pre-nerfs? Yeah that's not very relevant right now, is it?
Quote from their latest podcast (2 days ago) "However, because top 3 most played decks right now are a combo of Handlock, Quest Shaman, and Quest Mage, its winrate looks okay."
Handlock and Quest shaman are the clear best decks in the game, and definitely tier 1. With the possible exclusion of top legend where both those decks are so popular that people run polarizing hard counter decks in the forms of Garotte rogue and quest mage.
The Pepper Thread - Share Some Good Vibes!
I completed the Yogg Champ achievement yesterday! Quite unexpectedly too. I've had this Quest Mage down to 3 health but I've stalled out, unable to deliver the finishing blow because my stuff keeps getting removed. As a last resort, I play Oh My Yogg!, hoping to prevent the opponent from dealing lethal damage with at least 1 spell.
The Mage then plays a 0-mana Ignite that turns into a Raise Dead. Fantastic. Of course, I have to BM after that, because screw Mages.
Hearthstone's Newest Battlegrounds Hero, Master Nguyen, is a Tribute to the Late Dan Nguyen of the Hearthstone Team
Mccree is a big character but the first name change stuff they did was just random NPCs in WoW referencing Afrasiabi. I think they probably want to stay away as much as possible from now on.
Diamond Cards We'd Love to See From Hearthstone's Year of the Phoenix
Because Diamond cards should be iconic and high power level so you can actually use them in decks. Definitely not bad cards that never see play. It just feels like a waste otherwise and brings down diamonds as a whole. I guess the best criteria would be quality of golden animation to begin with.
Golden Hero Portrait - Completionist & Grind
I finally did it, I reached 1000 wins with Demon Hunter! My sweet reward when I crossed the finish line: Demonic Illidan.
Now I feel like celebrations are in order! 🍾🎉🥳🍻🥂
So, what is next for me to accomplish? Your suggestions are much appreciated. Also, good luck with your portrait grinds!
Why Bandlewood Will Be The Best Region
Bandle is good at card advantage. Nothing can be bad when you make it like that.
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (Hearthstone Riddles)
No worries. It has been an interesting time all around, so we all need to pitch in when we can.
LutriSpellcaster's "Rise of Endwhere" Custom Set - Hearthstone Fan Community Spotlight
Masterful set!
The card design is amazing through and through.
The theming and flavor of the set as a whole is definitely rough, but many individual cards carry with them their own wonderful stories. There's definitely some balance issues and the overall story feel convoluted. Small misses like that are definitely out weighed by the heavy hitter designs though, in particular I love the familiar cycle and many of the unique weapons. House of Madness, Protective Fosora, Dark Magic, Sahaquiel, Armored Packrhino, Drink of Kings, and Smuggler's Pinata are probably my favorites.
Hearthstone's Stormwind Questline Cards Were a Mistake - Here's How We Can Fix Them
I think banning the usage of certain cards just because you're playing the Questline is a really bad solution. I would much rather find a middle-ground nerf, like sharing the damage as you noted.
Rewards Track: Current progress 3.0
Hit level 80 while grinding with a multi-achievment Paladin deck which is surprisingly good in ladder. It grinds the following achievments:
Diamond Cards We'd Love to See From Hearthstone's Year of the Phoenix
Because this is a subjective article. Feel free to develop your own website and write your own opinion piece : )
Hearthstone's Stormwind Questline Cards Were a Mistake - Here's How We Can Fix Them
I have 3 nerf suggestions to nerf warlock quest:
1) make some cards banned to use with the questline.. for example crystalizer, spirit bomb, stealer of souls.. (pick up your choice)
2) change Tamsin's Battlecry to: for the rest of the game, whenever your hero takes damage on your turn enemy hero takes it as well.. this is better than reverting all the damage your hero takes to the enemy hero because that sounds stupid and unfair
A sidenote:
Tamsin's Battlecry voice line says: "all of stormwind shall *SHARE* my pain" and this nerf suggestion above is the actual meaning of "share"
3) you could also make the questline progress harder by changing if from taking points of damage on your turn.. to how many times you took damage on your turn.. which means the questline should say: "take damage X times on your turn" instead of: "take X points of damage on your turn"
And the last nerf suggestion will be great to slow down the questline unless blizzard some day prints a card that can deal sperated damage to your hero.. in that case you could just change the questline progress mechanic to: "play X cards that deal damage to your hero"
Sorry my English is not perfect, feel free to tell me your thoughts, and hopefully i didn't miss or mess up something, thanks for your time :)
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (Hearthstone Riddles)
That deck would be easy to make a highlander so you can enjoy Finley, Zeph and Reno
Thanks for filling in cat. I've been a little out of it lately
Why Bandlewood Will Be The Best Region
I have played Arena, gwent, hearthstone and shadowverse starting at gold in the early days, but reliably hitting diamond as I've gotten older and more patient for correct plays.
When I say a meta is anti meta, it's more that meta decks have correct answers built in to the card pool, and no individual card is grosly overpowered. Belive me thats rare.
Like I might say Zoe Nami feels strong but thats when I play a deck with next to no hard removal. The deck is strong in the sense it demands answers, but so does discard so I wouldn't describe it as toxic.
The problematic metas are when you do everything you're supposed to from a deck building and player standpoint and still loose. Azir Irelia was a great example as a deck that won more games than it should have.
Why Bandlewood Will Be The Best Region
The recent nerf to Blade dance and the Sivir package did help a lot, without that, darkness and landmark decks would have disappeared after the first two weeks.
Avalon's 12 Wins Questline Mage
Never tried it with Rise to the Occasion but will definitely do next run.
But giving the +2/+2 buff to all recruits isn’t too op plus the quest ? 3/3 seems a bit low only with quest.
Or trying to get double battle cry ?
Quest Trading - Play A Friend!
BattleTag: Ocelot#11334
Region: NA
Trade only?: Yes, I will show mine then you go first.
Edit: Done
Mercenaries: My First Impressions
I'm not assuming it will be oppressively expensive. I'm just saying that because it's clear that your village costs gold, there are open questions about the costs of the mode, and that's a legitimate reason to be frustrated by the reveal.
Based on the reveal, I think the only things we can say for certain about the F2P economics are that a) the mode will cost gold to develop your village, b) there's a separate currency for merc upgrades that you'll get by playing, and c) playing games will reward XP for the rewards track (which in turn will eventually give you gold). That's not much info, and I think it's a major failure on Blizzard's part not to provide more information on that (particularly because of the confusion around the packs in the store that feature Diamond portraits rather than "exclusive" mercs).
Diamond Cards We'd Love to See From Hearthstone's Year of the Phoenix
Why are we picking trash tier cards for diamond in outland? Vash is the worst prime. Almost any other one would be better. Murgle, Zixor, Solarian?!? Kayn also makes thematic sense because outland was the DH set. Maive is GARBAGE and never sees play! What about Teron Gorefiend? Or even Magtheradon for the memes?
Diamond Cards We'd Love to See From Hearthstone's Year of the Phoenix
My votes.
Ashes: I would love a prime. However I worry that doing both sides might impact them making another card. Still if I were to choose a prime Kargath! I also agree that Maieve is a great pick.
Scholo: I'm all in on KT. Love that card and concept alot. Would love him Diamond. Alura, priest pally legend, would be good too. Rattlegore is always a top pick too!
Faire: Tickatus for sure. Loved and hated and great art. Again concern about the time but still, I want it. Also one of the gods should get it. I love N'zoth but I think YShaarj should get it for the corrupt theme. Don't forget the races too. Moonfang would look cool I think.
Mercenaries: My First Impressions
I think you believe the gold cost will be far more punishing than it actually will be. I honestly don't see any of the people in your examples balking at the cost of building a village. The people who refuse to try Mercenaries because of the gold cost are hard-line free players who hold on to their gold with a death grip because they cannot or will not ever spend money on Hearthstone.
The assumption that Mercenaries will be totally unplayable without spending gold is ridiculous. A brand new player with no gold reserves at all has to be able to jump in and play without grinding gold in some other mode. There's no way Blizzard would make the mistake of excluding fresh blood like that. So it stands to reason that Mercenaries itself will give you a way to earn enough gold to get further into Mercenaries. F2P people who are dedicated to Hearthstone may choose to buy Hearthstone packs with that gold, and I'm sure many will, but I think most people won't mind using it on the village.
That's the beauty of having a shared resource. You can reinvest the gold in Mercenaries if you like it, or you get a nice "thanks for trying it out" parting gift if you choose to use the gold elsewhere.
Weekend of Wild Decks - Mill Druid, OTK Hunter, Highlander Warlock, Shadow Priest, & More!
Makes sense. It's useful to know that deck to know how to play around it until it's fixed (deathlords, dirty rats, etc.)