I reached Legend for the first time. I've been #1 rank several times but never got into Legend territory. Anyway, it was with face hunter, not exactly a brag deck and not a deck I normally play -- I just switched to it while I was waiting for payday to buy the mini set.
It is the only exploit I know of at least. Something one should maybe address is the fact that damage dealt by a jungle invade (no matter if you use it or your opponent) counts as noncombat damage so that Swain levels in this mode all the time without even using a single burn spell but that is not really an exploit, more of a mechanical issue that should be fixed
Loving all the stories people are sharing! Completely forgot to put in a mention of Scheming enemy minions, so it's awesome to hear about people's experiences with it!
I don't know why all I wrote was deleted but lets try again then^^
So for those who don't know what the Jungle lab is about: both players have a jungle monster on their side of the field which is vulnerable and immobile. Killing it grants you very powerful Spells- the buffs.
The problem with Spell Thief here is that you can steal Jungle buffs that your opponent played and paying 1 mana to steal a 0 mana jungle buff that is worth about 5-12 mana is pretty unfair and basically punishes your opponent for playing the game.
Therefore I think Riot should eighter block the steal of buffs or remove spellthief from the game mode simply because it is way too powerful for 1 mana
I've been playing Galakrond OTK Rogue since Galakrond first came out, and it's definitely gotten a lot better as a deck! This list is super similar to Dane's list, which he plays here:
If you find yourself with a Tenwu, definitely consider playing this deck if you also have a bunch of the cards, it's a lot of fun!
Just used this deck to climb from Diamond 8 to 5. My last game I played 9 Yoggs which almost killed me before a final Pyroblast fireworks show barely pushed me into a win.
I would say the one thing that I didn't realize until I used it to crush a priest is that Togwaggle's Scheme can be used on your enemy's opponents.
Looking at the current Wild debate, it still sounds like they don't quite know what to make of the mode.
There seem to be two main opinions: one group wants Wild to be a place where you can play your old favorite decks, while another group wants Wild to be a balanced meta with its own unique decks. I get the impression though that the first group mainly plays Standard and the second group mainly plays Wild.
I'm still amazed just how bad they are at monetizing Battlegrounds. It could so easily work with cosmetics - skins, emotes, boards, hero power fluff. And it's something many games out there do well. But Blizzard barely does it, aside from the early way too overpriced attempts or as bundle bonuses.
This is a problem with Hearthstone in general: even if you are willing to spend money, a lot of what they sell is so expensive for what you get that it doesn't feel like a good deal to actually buy it. For example, if I knew that every pack I bought would add a new card to my collection, I would be buying more packs. But a lot of packs will be 40 dust instead.
It's a typical mobile business model: make lots of money from a small group of players (whales), instead of trying to make less money per player from a larger group of players. It might not last though if anti-lootbox regulations are adopted in the coming years, so it would be wise for Blizzard to improve ways of monetizing Hearthstone besides packs.
I definitely think there are some older heroes that could be removed to make room for the newer ones. I wish they would rotate the heroes more often to maintain variety but also reduce some of the randomness.
I'm a little late to the discussion here, but just wanted to put this out there for anyone who, like me, may have just heard the news. Guessing Deathspeaker gets nerfed to "Battlecry: Give a friendly minion Immune during (on? until the end of?) its next attack." Deathspeaker would fully retain its intended functionality, so the wombo combo can be deleted with no (almost no?) collateral damage to Arena balance or other decks that might run any of these three cards. Thoughts?
Arbor Up is a scary card. I decided to try out a Spell Druid for fun last night (the list posted on this site) and accidentally climbed to Legend... Oops?
I dropped Blessing of the Ancients to a single copy, because I also found it was often stuck in my hand until the lethal turn. Perhaps a second Solar Eclipse can replace the remaining copy.
I have been spending the majority of my time in Duels and agree with the points in the article and comments. The mode can certainly get better but it'll take work on several fronts, starting with Blizzard being less greedy and reducing the collection requirements. That seems unlikely to happen. However, the mode can still get better if the buckets are tweaked to reduce the high/low roll effect between something like Double Time / Cannibalism or Staking A Claim / Sticky Fingers. There's definitely some balance work needed, as well. Outlander remains overpowered and Warlock has incredible synergy.
I will say that the new HPs and Treasures have helped quite a bit with balance. [Hearthstone Card (Harvest Time) Not Found] looks strong (and has wrecked me a few times) for token druid builds. Frost Shards gives Mage a strong stall tactic that can work as a counter to DH's 1 mana hoards. Stormcatcher is totally busted and [Hearthstone Card (Magnetic Tiles) Not Found] has performed well in the games I've faced it. I think we will definitely see a more diverse meta based on those additions, which is great. Then again, Traktamer Aelessa makes Stelina even more scary...
The avatar pins are a bit adventurous at times. I can see your pin, but it's covering your profile pic, just like everyone else's. Guess it must be a styling/css issue
I finally opened my copy of the Year of the Mammoth book over the weekend and yeah, the books really are amazing. There's some sweet concept art I had never seen for the set logos and the Knights of the Frozen throne logo, in particular, felt like "what were they even considering with this one". So great to see that development insight.
Also, Frost Lich Jaina in all her glory is an excellent sight to the eyes!
Oh and my favourite part about the art books as someone who has been using some of this art for content creation over the past 7 years is that I can think about almost every time and way I've used each of the pieces for banners, headers, news article images, and more.
Just a couple of months for Year of the Raven which is gonna be awesome!
As with so much of Hearthstone, the root of the problem is Blizzard's initial decision to pretend the game is free to play. Yes, the word "free" will get you all kinds of attention, but all of that turns sour the moment people realize all of the good stuff is firmly locked behind a paywall.
And then there's the whole dust scam. Letting people dust non-duplicate cards -- literally cannibalizing their own collections for a mere pittance when new cards are already very expensive to buy -- has been the greatest evil genius plan in video game history. Step one: convince people to pay $3 for 10 random cards. Step two: Allow players to literally destroy what they just bought if it wasn't exactly what they were looking for. Yes, "destroy," because the dust you get back does not even come close to making up for what you already spent.
I've been saying from the beginning that it's foolish to dust anything but duplicates, but free players are so desperate to create even one good deck that no one ever listened. I get that they are just doing what they have to do to be competitive in the game, but it all goes back to my original point: Hearthstone was never intended to be kind to free players. Like all free-to-play games, the goal is to make people want what they don't have and then convert from free player to paying customers. If you never pay, you get punished over and over.
This will never end until Hearthstone drops the f2p pretense and starts charging a fair price -- to everyone.
The Pepper Thread - Share Some Good Vibes!
I reached Legend for the first time. I've been #1 rank several times but never got into Legend territory. Anyway, it was with face hunter, not exactly a brag deck and not a deck I normally play -- I just switched to it while I was waiting for payday to buy the mini set.
Change or Ban Spellthief from the Welcome to the Jungle Lab
It is the only exploit I know of at least. Something one should maybe address is the fact that damage dealt by a jungle invade (no matter if you use it or your opponent) counts as noncombat damage so that Swain levels in this mode all the time without even using a single burn spell but that is not really an exploit, more of a mechanical issue that should be fixed
Triple Threat Shuffle Rogue Deck List and Guide - Memes and Dreams #4
Loving all the stories people are sharing! Completely forgot to put in a mention of Scheming enemy minions, so it's awesome to hear about people's experiences with it!
Snowpocalypse
I actually thought about this exact post when that deck became a thing. Weird . . .
Change or Ban Spellthief from the Welcome to the Jungle Lab
Lol that definitely sounds unintended.
I haven't been playing Jungle lately -- has it degenerated to this exploit alone yet?
The History and Story So Far of Hearthstone Duels - Can It Get Better?
The mode should let us choose a starter deck instead having to build one.
It takes too much time each run and is incredibly unfriendly to newer players.
Change or Ban Spellthief from the Welcome to the Jungle Lab
I don't know why all I wrote was deleted but lets try again then^^
So for those who don't know what the Jungle lab is about: both players have a jungle monster on their side of the field which is vulnerable and immobile. Killing it grants you very powerful Spells- the buffs.
The problem with Spell Thief here is that you can steal Jungle buffs that your opponent played and paying 1 mana to steal a 0 mana jungle buff that is worth about 5-12 mana is pretty unfair and basically punishes your opponent for playing the game.
Therefore I think Riot should eighter block the steal of buffs or remove spellthief from the game mode simply because it is way too powerful for 1 mana
Quest Trading - Play A Friend!
DONE.
Snowpocalypse
A mistake... or an omen.
Tenwu OTK!
I've been playing Galakrond OTK Rogue since Galakrond first came out, and it's definitely gotten a lot better as a deck! This list is super similar to Dane's list, which he plays here:
If you find yourself with a Tenwu, definitely consider playing this deck if you also have a bunch of the cards, it's a lot of fun!
Mythgard's The Winter War Launches This Afternoon, Servers Down For 3 Hours
GAME IS LIVE!
A Site for Hearthstone Sounds - HearthSFX
Thanks for all your hard work! I love this
Rewards Track: Current progress
Just reached lvl 100! Happy with my earning so far doing dailies and Weeklys
Triple Threat Shuffle Rogue Deck List and Guide - Memes and Dreams #4
Just used this deck to climb from Diamond 8 to 5. My last game I played 9 Yoggs which almost killed me before a final Pyroblast fireworks show barely pushed me into a win.
I would say the one thing that I didn't realize until I used it to crush a priest is that Togwaggle's Scheme can be used on your enemy's opponents.
Mythgard's The Winter War Launches This Afternoon, Servers Down For 3 Hours
Launch day!!! <confetti goes everywhere>
The History and Story So Far of Hearthstone Duels - Can It Get Better?
There seem to be two main opinions: one group wants Wild to be a place where you can play your old favorite decks, while another group wants Wild to be a balanced meta with its own unique decks. I get the impression though that the first group mainly plays Standard and the second group mainly plays Wild.
This is a problem with Hearthstone in general: even if you are willing to spend money, a lot of what they sell is so expensive for what you get that it doesn't feel like a good deal to actually buy it. For example, if I knew that every pack I bought would add a new card to my collection, I would be buying more packs. But a lot of packs will be 40 dust instead.
It's a typical mobile business model: make lots of money from a small group of players (whales), instead of trying to make less money per player from a larger group of players. It might not last though if anti-lootbox regulations are adopted in the coming years, so it would be wise for Blizzard to improve ways of monetizing Hearthstone besides packs.
I just want to play greybough.
I definitely think there are some older heroes that could be removed to make room for the newer ones. I wish they would rotate the heroes more often to maintain variety but also reduce some of the randomness.
Blizzard Costs A Hardworking Farmer His Job - Wretched Tiller & Hysteria Immunity Interaction is Getting Nerfed Next Week
I'm a little late to the discussion here, but just wanted to put this out there for anyone who, like me, may have just heard the news. Guessing Deathspeaker gets nerfed to "Battlecry: Give a friendly minion Immune during (on? until the end of?) its next attack." Deathspeaker would fully retain its intended functionality, so the wombo combo can be deleted with no (almost no?) collateral damage to Arena balance or other decks that might run any of these three cards. Thoughts?
Ready. Set. Go! The Standard Darkmoon Races Druid Decks Spotlight
Arbor Up is a scary card. I decided to try out a Spell Druid for fun last night (the list posted on this site) and accidentally climbed to Legend... Oops?
The second culprit, though, which I'd never taken note of, is Solar Eclipse. Double Savage Roar for five mana, double Arbor Up for five mana and a Lightning Bloom, that hits HARD.
Ready. Set. Go! The Standard Darkmoon Races Druid Decks Spotlight
I dropped Blessing of the Ancients to a single copy, because I also found it was often stuck in my hand until the lethal turn. Perhaps a second Solar Eclipse can replace the remaining copy.
This is my current version:
Wild · Token Druid · by Zelgadis · 5 years, 8 months ago
The History and Story So Far of Hearthstone Duels - Can It Get Better?
I have been spending the majority of my time in Duels and agree with the points in the article and comments. The mode can certainly get better but it'll take work on several fronts, starting with Blizzard being less greedy and reducing the collection requirements. That seems unlikely to happen. However, the mode can still get better if the buckets are tweaked to reduce the high/low roll effect between something like Double Time / Cannibalism or Staking A Claim / Sticky Fingers. There's definitely some balance work needed, as well. Outlander remains overpowered and Warlock has incredible synergy.
I will say that the new HPs and Treasures have helped quite a bit with balance. [Hearthstone Card (Harvest Time) Not Found] looks strong (and has wrecked me a few times) for token druid builds. Frost Shards gives Mage a strong stall tactic that can work as a counter to DH's 1 mana hoards. Stormcatcher is totally busted and [Hearthstone Card (Magnetic Tiles) Not Found] has performed well in the games I've faced it. I think we will definitely see a more diverse meta based on those additions, which is great. Then again, Traktamer Aelessa makes Stelina even more scary...
Snowpocalypse
The avatar pins are a bit adventurous at times. I can see your pin, but it's covering your profile pic, just like everyone else's. Guess it must be a styling/css issue
Hearthstone is Getting a New Art Book Dedicated to the Year of the Dragon
I finally opened my copy of the Year of the Mammoth book over the weekend and yeah, the books really are amazing. There's some sweet concept art I had never seen for the set logos and the Knights of the Frozen throne logo, in particular, felt like "what were they even considering with this one". So great to see that development insight.
Also, Frost Lich Jaina in all her glory is an excellent sight to the eyes!
Oh and my favourite part about the art books as someone who has been using some of this art for content creation over the past 7 years is that I can think about almost every time and way I've used each of the pieces for banners, headers, news article images, and more.
Just a couple of months for Year of the Raven which is gonna be awesome!
Hearthstone is Getting a New Art Book Dedicated to the Year of the Dragon
Thanks! I've been so damn good with it so far >.>
The History and Story So Far of Hearthstone Duels - Can It Get Better?
As with so much of Hearthstone, the root of the problem is Blizzard's initial decision to pretend the game is free to play. Yes, the word "free" will get you all kinds of attention, but all of that turns sour the moment people realize all of the good stuff is firmly locked behind a paywall.
And then there's the whole dust scam. Letting people dust non-duplicate cards -- literally cannibalizing their own collections for a mere pittance when new cards are already very expensive to buy -- has been the greatest evil genius plan in video game history. Step one: convince people to pay $3 for 10 random cards. Step two: Allow players to literally destroy what they just bought if it wasn't exactly what they were looking for. Yes, "destroy," because the dust you get back does not even come close to making up for what you already spent.
I've been saying from the beginning that it's foolish to dust anything but duplicates, but free players are so desperate to create even one good deck that no one ever listened. I get that they are just doing what they have to do to be competitive in the game, but it all goes back to my original point: Hearthstone was never intended to be kind to free players. Like all free-to-play games, the goal is to make people want what they don't have and then convert from free player to paying customers. If you never pay, you get punished over and over.
This will never end until Hearthstone drops the f2p pretense and starts charging a fair price -- to everyone.