Although this list only contains 4 classes, I'd dare say almost every class has a decent fighting chance to ladder as well.
Demon Hunter - Aggro Demon Hunter
Mage - Highlander Mage
Priest - Highlander Priest
Warlock - Pain-lock
Druid - Beast/Dragon Druid
Shaman's unfortunately don't get much love... yet.
This is one of the best metas IMO because regardless of which class you are mainly focusing on, there is a deck that you CAN ladder effectively with them. Which all the more makes predicting the meta very difficult.
That mentality is exactly what pushes power creep and is why I generally oppose buffs. Cards are in Standard for 16-24 months, and often find a home sooner or later. If you push everything to be viable in their own expansion then they are ridiculous when the decks that would have made use of them without needing buffs arrive. To deal with that while making all the new expansion's cards viable forces rampant power creep.
I disagree - wanting the cards I buy to be of any relevance is not a mentality that hurts the game. I don't think the cards need to be outright busted. Rather, I would like to see changes to game modes, more ways to acquire cards etc. The main power creep reason, in my opinion, is to make people buy cards. But that's not really what this topic is about so let's leave it at this.
Buffs are the most direct form of power creep you can conceive of: they literally increase the power of cards. You cannot decouple the two things. That is not to say buffs will always have a detrimental effect on the meta in either the near or far future, but they absolutely can and we have already seen it happen where they need nerfing again.
While wanting every card to have some relevance sounds sensible, you have to be clear on what you mean by 'relevant'. Not all cards are designed with the constructed meta in mind, and even those that are won't suit everyone's play style. Cards like Tess Greymane are far more relevant to me than, say, Blazing Battlemage, even though it is much more relevant to the metagame than Tess ever was.
Before I am willing to support any buffs, I first need evidence that the cards in question aren't serving any purpose to anyone. There are some examples that I would absolutely support buffs for. E.g. Holomancer was awful for absolutely everyone. Even Treachery combos left you with a whopping 2 mana to work with! But buffing cards that are OK and already have potential either for the meta or for meming, is exactly the sort of thing that I personally want to avoid, especially when there is a growing trend of expansions being released with some seriously broken cards already, which mask how solid a lot of cards are.
I'm certainly not arguing against changes to game modes and more ways to acquire cards, though that is genuinely off-topic in a buff suggestion thread...
I've played this deck about 10 times and legit didn't come close to winning any game at all. Your deck is just too slow for the meta. You have too many beast options so by the time you even get to the beastmaster you are summoning beasts and either don't get the battlecry effect or you arent able to buff the cards that actually matter.
So maybe this card isn't the Dumpster fire it appears to be. It's half the cost of Wyrding Stones, and it can block a spider or two at the very least, or absorb a burn spell that might have otherwise hit the nexus. Played on curve, and assuming it lives, you can cast Catalyst of Aeons on the very next turn (turn 3, which is a pretty good investment). That bumps you up to 6 mana the following turn, when your opponent has only 4.
Except its not any more. They lowered the cost of Wyrding Stones a few patches back, and they still haven't found a spot other than super-ambitious Warmother's decks.
LOL, just goes to show how often I play or see Wyrding Stones, which is still terrible at 3.
As I mentioned, that was all pure devil's advocacy. No one has to convince me Faces of the Old Ones is one of the worst cards in the expansion.
That mentality is exactly what pushes power creep and is why I generally oppose buffs. Cards are in Standard for 16-24 months, and often find a home sooner or later. If you push everything to be viable in their own expansion then they are ridiculous when the decks that would have made use of them without needing buffs arrive. To deal with that while making all the new expansion's cards viable forces rampant power creep.
I disagree - wanting the cards I buy to be of any relevance is not a mentality that hurts the game. I don't think the cards need to be outright busted. Rather, I would like to see changes to game modes, more ways to acquire cards etc. The main power creep reason, in my opinion, is to make people buy cards. But that's not really what this topic is about so let's leave it at this.
Tidal Wave is outclassed by Earthquake at the moment, and if healing if your game you'll find Walking Fountain still does pretty well. To make this playable it has to be 6 mana, maybe deal 2 instead of 3.
I play shaman and Tidal Wave seems fine to me. You have Hagatha's Scheme on turn 5, Earthquake on 7. Tidal Wave at 6 dealing 2 damage to all minions wouldn't be good - 2 damage to all minions for 6 mana with no board development would leave you behind. At 7 it would compete with Earthquake. So, settling on 8 mana seems ok.
I've been using a stealth rogue mostly to climb. However Regis Killbin posted a Making Mummies deck which caught my attention. I didn't have Keymaster Alabaster. A real fun deck to run and I needed an excuse to run Sir Finley of the Sands, which I just happened to open golden. Also Educated Elekk is hilarious and one of my favorite Ashes cards Replicat-o-tron makes for a weird threat. Deck doesn't always win but makes for some real interesting games.
Willow needs to be 8 mana. The body doesn't really matter. The main problem with her is there isn't really any demons you really want to pull out in standard at the moment aside from Enhanced Dreadlord, and that minion cost 8 mana. So why would anyone play this card when they can just play the dreadlord a turn earlier and not die in the process.
Tidal Wave is outclassed by Earthquake at the moment, and if healing if your game you'll find Walking Fountain still does pretty well. To make this playable it has to be 6 mana, maybe deal 2 instead of 3.
Wyrm Weaver is honestly very strong. But most people would rather just play mana giant as the big minion than this one. Dropping this to 4 would make this the next cancerous card in standard second only to Lightning Bloom. Might see play in standard at some point in its life, the effect just cant be ignored, so this doesn't really need buffs.
Those archetypes can come back/be powerful with subsequent expansions or with rotation next year.
That's true, but, at least me personally, I'd like to see new cards make more impact in general when an expansion hits, instead of having to wait 2-3 expansions for them to be even slightly viable.
That mentality is exactly what pushes power creep and is why I generally oppose buffs. Cards are in Standard for 16-24 months, and often find a home sooner or later. If you push everything to be viable in their own expansion then they are ridiculous when the decks that would have made use of them without needing buffs arrive. To deal with that while making all the new expansion's cards viable forces rampant power creep.
The current pure/libram paladin is a good example of this: it was so important to people to make libram pally strong last expansion that now the deck has a win rate that would usually have people complaining that it needs a nerf.
Aside from whether the changes are needed, let me comment on your proposed changes:
Archwitch Willow - without the change, the card is much less consistent unless you build your deck around it. With your change, you would be able to create a massive power swing by summoning (potentially) two very powerful demons. Consider post-nerf Dragonqueen Alexstrasza - you can only play one of the dragons on the same turn (if you're at 10 mana), and they are random. Still, that is already one of the most OP effects in the game in my opinion. I think that your proposed change is even over this level - a tad too much. Perhaps keep it random, but summon copies of the demons?
Tidal Wave - I think that card is good as it is, considering that shaman already has a strong turn 7 removal - Earthquake. And you can still combo Tidal Wave with spell damage totem or a card like Bloodmage Thalnos.
Wyrm Weaver - I thought this card would see more play. Mana reduction is ok, but I would also reduce health to 5 in this case.
Those archetypes can come back/be powerful with subsequent expansions or with rotation next year.
That's true, but, at least me personally, I'd like to see new cards make more impact in general when an expansion hits, instead of having to wait 2-3 expansions for them to be even slightly viable.
Data is a bit limited at this point, but it doesn't seem like any of these classes need that much help. Zoo Warlock, Totem Shaman, Bomb Warrior, and Highlander Mage are all pretty good decks. These cards you're highlighting focus on archetypes that aren't very good, but that's not that important. Those archetypes can come back/be powerful with subsequent expansions or with rotation next year.
Shudderwock Shaman :-) It's back! Thanks to Boltzmann (https://twitter.com/boltzmann2718) for the deck. This deck excels against aggro, as you can see from the first two games. How would we fair against a Reno Priest?
2:20 Vs Darkglare Warlock 8:41 Vs Mech Paladin 12:52 Vs Reno Priest ft. Prince Keleseth?! 27:00 "My jaws that bite, my claws that catch" :-)
New Targon Card - Moondreamer
A new Common Targon Unit, Moondreamer, has been revealed!
Discuss this card below or head on over to the card page to give it a rating!
Learn more about Call of the Mountain
Head on over to our dedicated guide for Call of the Mountain!
New Targon Card - Solari Priestess
A new Rare Targon Unit, Solari Priestess, has been revealed!
Discuss this card below or head on over to the card page to give it a rating!
Learn more about Call of the Mountain
Head on over to our dedicated guide for Call of the Mountain!
New Targon Card - Lunari Priestess
A new Rare Targon Unit, Lunari Priestess, has been revealed!
Discuss this card below or head on over to the card page to give it a rating!
Learn more about Call of the Mountain
Head on over to our dedicated guide for Call of the Mountain!
Finish Your August 2020 Ranked Climb With These Top Performing Standard Hearthstone Decks
Although this list only contains 4 classes, I'd dare say almost every class has a decent fighting chance to ladder as well.
Demon Hunter - Aggro Demon Hunter
Mage - Highlander Mage
Priest - Highlander Priest
Warlock - Pain-lock
Druid - Beast/Dragon Druid
Shaman's unfortunately don't get much love... yet.
This is one of the best metas IMO because regardless of which class you are mainly focusing on, there is a deck that you CAN ladder effectively with them. Which all the more makes predicting the meta very difficult.
New Targon Card - Spacey Sketcher
A new Rare Targon Unit, Spacey Sketcher, has been revealed!
Discuss this card below or head on over to the card page to give it a rating!
Learn more about Call of the Mountain
Head on over to our dedicated guide for Call of the Mountain!
New Targon Card - Mountain Scryer
A new Rare Targon Unit, Mountain Scryer, has been revealed!
Discuss this card below or head on over to the card page to give it a rating!
Learn more about Call of the Mountain
Head on over to our dedicated guide for Call of the Mountain!
Invoke is a New Keyword Coming in Call of the Mountain - 6 New Targon Cards Revealed
For people not understanding Polish, the revealed Celestial card reduces the cost of a chosen card in hand by (1).
Buffs Suggestion
Buffs are the most direct form of power creep you can conceive of: they literally increase the power of cards. You cannot decouple the two things. That is not to say buffs will always have a detrimental effect on the meta in either the near or far future, but they absolutely can and we have already seen it happen where they need nerfing again.
While wanting every card to have some relevance sounds sensible, you have to be clear on what you mean by 'relevant'. Not all cards are designed with the constructed meta in mind, and even those that are won't suit everyone's play style. Cards like Tess Greymane are far more relevant to me than, say, Blazing Battlemage, even though it is much more relevant to the metagame than Tess ever was.
Before I am willing to support any buffs, I first need evidence that the cards in question aren't serving any purpose to anyone. There are some examples that I would absolutely support buffs for. E.g. Holomancer was awful for absolutely everyone. Even Treachery combos left you with a whopping 2 mana to work with! But buffing cards that are OK and already have potential either for the meta or for meming, is exactly the sort of thing that I personally want to avoid, especially when there is a growing trend of expansions being released with some seriously broken cards already, which mask how solid a lot of cards are.
I'm certainly not arguing against changes to game modes and more ways to acquire cards, though that is genuinely off-topic in a buff suggestion thread...
Making Fletch happen (now with detailed guide)
I've played this deck about 10 times and legit didn't come close to winning any game at all. Your deck is just too slow for the meta. You have too many beast options so by the time you even get to the beastmaster you are summoning beasts and either don't get the battlecry effect or you arent able to buff the cards that actually matter.
New Freljord Card - Faces of the Old Ones
LOL, just goes to show how often I play or see Wyrding Stones, which is still terrible at 3.
As I mentioned, that was all pure devil's advocacy. No one has to convince me Faces of the Old Ones is one of the worst cards in the expansion.
Buffs Suggestion
I disagree - wanting the cards I buy to be of any relevance is not a mentality that hurts the game. I don't think the cards need to be outright busted. Rather, I would like to see changes to game modes, more ways to acquire cards etc. The main power creep reason, in my opinion, is to make people buy cards. But that's not really what this topic is about so let's leave it at this.
I play shaman and Tidal Wave seems fine to me. You have Hagatha's Scheme on turn 5, Earthquake on 7. Tidal Wave at 6 dealing 2 damage to all minions wouldn't be good - 2 damage to all minions for 6 mana with no board development would leave you behind. At 7 it would compete with Earthquake. So, settling on 8 mana seems ok.
Finish Your August 2020 Ranked Climb With These Top Performing Standard Hearthstone Decks
No mage love? :/
Finish Your August 2020 Ranked Climb With These Top Performing Standard Hearthstone Decks
I've been using a stealth rogue mostly to climb. However Regis Killbin posted a Making Mummies deck which caught my attention. I didn't have Keymaster Alabaster. A real fun deck to run and I needed an excuse to run Sir Finley of the Sands, which I just happened to open golden. Also Educated Elekk is hilarious and one of my favorite Ashes cards Replicat-o-tron makes for a weird threat. Deck doesn't always win but makes for some real interesting games.
Buffs Suggestion
Willow needs to be 8 mana. The body doesn't really matter. The main problem with her is there isn't really any demons you really want to pull out in standard at the moment aside from Enhanced Dreadlord, and that minion cost 8 mana. So why would anyone play this card when they can just play the dreadlord a turn earlier and not die in the process.
Tidal Wave is outclassed by Earthquake at the moment, and if healing if your game you'll find Walking Fountain still does pretty well. To make this playable it has to be 6 mana, maybe deal 2 instead of 3.
Wyrm Weaver is honestly very strong. But most people would rather just play mana giant as the big minion than this one. Dropping this to 4 would make this the next cancerous card in standard second only to Lightning Bloom. Might see play in standard at some point in its life, the effect just cant be ignored, so this doesn't really need buffs.
Buffs Suggestion
That mentality is exactly what pushes power creep and is why I generally oppose buffs. Cards are in Standard for 16-24 months, and often find a home sooner or later. If you push everything to be viable in their own expansion then they are ridiculous when the decks that would have made use of them without needing buffs arrive. To deal with that while making all the new expansion's cards viable forces rampant power creep.
The current pure/libram paladin is a good example of this: it was so important to people to make libram pally strong last expansion that now the deck has a win rate that would usually have people complaining that it needs a nerf.
Buffs Suggestion
Aside from whether the changes are needed, let me comment on your proposed changes:
Archwitch Willow - without the change, the card is much less consistent unless you build your deck around it. With your change, you would be able to create a massive power swing by summoning (potentially) two very powerful demons. Consider post-nerf Dragonqueen Alexstrasza - you can only play one of the dragons on the same turn (if you're at 10 mana), and they are random. Still, that is already one of the most OP effects in the game in my opinion. I think that your proposed change is even over this level - a tad too much. Perhaps keep it random, but summon copies of the demons?
Tidal Wave - I think that card is good as it is, considering that shaman already has a strong turn 7 removal - Earthquake. And you can still combo Tidal Wave with spell damage totem or a card like Bloodmage Thalnos.
Bonechewer Raider - I like this change. It's like rogue's Underbelly Fence, but with warrior flavour. Me likey.
Wyrm Weaver - I thought this card would see more play. Mana reduction is ok, but I would also reduce health to 5 in this case.
That's true, but, at least me personally, I'd like to see new cards make more impact in general when an expansion hits, instead of having to wait 2-3 expansions for them to be even slightly viable.
Riot Teases New Emotes for Legends of Runeterra via Constellations
The last one brings to mind Taric with a gem hovering over his shoulder.
Riot Teases New Emotes for Legends of Runeterra via Constellations
Iv'e seen somewhere (probably Reddit) that the second one is the pose Kaiba strikes when hit by Exodia.
Buffs Suggestion
Data is a bit limited at this point, but it doesn't seem like any of these classes need that much help. Zoo Warlock, Totem Shaman, Bomb Warrior, and Highlander Mage are all pretty good decks. These cards you're highlighting focus on archetypes that aren't very good, but that's not that important. Those archetypes can come back/be powerful with subsequent expansions or with rotation next year.
Finish Your August 2020 Ranked Climb With These Top Performing Standard Hearthstone Decks
Dekkster has a video of a better bomb warrior. I've been doing very well with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ovhud9nfxs&t=155s
Darkseeker's channel - 13th November update: KOtsosKOtsos' Reno Evolve Shudderwock Shaman - ft. Archivist Elysiana
23rd August update: Boltzmann's Reno Quest Shudderwock Shaman (Scholomance Academy) (1080p)
Shudderwock Shaman :-) It's back! Thanks to Boltzmann (https://twitter.com/boltzmann2718) for the deck.
This deck excels against aggro, as you can see from the first two games. How would we fair against a Reno Priest?
2:20 Vs Darkglare Warlock
8:41 Vs Mech Paladin
12:52 Vs Reno Priest ft. Prince Keleseth?!
27:00 "My jaws that bite, my claws that catch" :-)
Deck code: AAEBAaoIHvUE3gWyBvoO1hHSE8MW9r0C+b8Cl8ECx8EC38QC08UCq+cC8+cCw+oC7/EC7/cC6voCi4UDrZED/KMD4aUDkKcD4agDk8ID4MwDm80Dj84D8NQDAAA=
https://youtu.be/p-FhOr2eOzE
Bomb Warrior - Top Decks to Climb August 2020
Dekkster has a video of a better bomb warrior. I've been doing very well with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ovhud9nfxs&t=155s
Valueplank
this deck lacks gp 1st 5 round face
[Game] Card Treasure Hunt (The Resurrection Attempt)
Balls. Sorry DestroyerR :/
Not sure how to proceed, but I'm more than happy to hand over my next turn to you if I correctly guess.
Buffs Suggestion
I'm suggesting the following changes to a few cards from this year, for classes that in my opinion could use a little help.
The aim of these buffs is to at least provide those classes with stronger options to consolidate some "non-oppressive" archetypes.
Do you think some other cards should be buffed ? Or do you think these buffs are exagerated ?