50 is not that old. They could work well into their 70s .
Check the ages of senior management at any studio founded at a comparable period of time. Or where the founders of those companies are now. Off the top of my head? Will Wright, Maxis, 59: in game design, not in business operations. Tim Schafer, LucasArts, 51: in game design, not in business operations.
The fact that they’re younger than the minimum age to draw Social Security doesn’t mean they’re young. 50 IS old to be engaged in day-to-day operations of a company 30 years after you founded it.
My assumption is they don't like the direction Activision forced the company. We'll have a better idea of whether or not that is accurate if Mike Morhaime (or Frank Pearce) starts a new studio in the next few years or joins other ex-Blizzard folks elsewhere.
50 is not that old. They could work well into their 70s . It's more likely they don't like working for a big corporation. When they started blizzard was a small independent company. They have lost alot of freedom they had when they were inde. That is why Ben left so he could have more freedom and go in a direction corporate wouldn't approve of.
There's a simple 2-turn combo in wild that gets you 2.5k armor.
1) You have in your hand the following: Thaurissan, Linecracker, 2x Bees and 2x Earthen Scales (1 will do too).
2) Play Thaurissan
3) Next turn gain 2563 or 1281 armor by playing Bees into your Linecracker twice followed by Earthen Scales
Knowing blizzard it wouldn't be a surprise this combo would go under their radar as they have already stated that bees works with overkill on own board.
So do they nerf:
A) Before the launch
B) In week or two which would be fair
C) In blizzard way in 2 months
D) Never at all
First I was on the board that they have to nerf it but I quess this is also a OTK even though it's in my opinion fairly easy to pull off against any slower decks. Druid also has quite good survival tools in Wild so they might survive the aggro in good enough percent until they draw the combo.
The deck would even be immune to fatigue with jade idol if some hard control decks would try to outlast it.
A 6 card combo that doesn't outright win you the game? Sounds like garbage. For something that requires that much setup it better be an outright TTK, not something that can still potentially get beat. Even if chipping off 1000 or 2000 armor is impossible, your deck is basically 100% to lose to mechathun since a fatigue win condition doesn't work against mechathun. And speaking of jade idol you also lose to jade druid since they dont fatigue and again, you don't have a win condition (that jacked up linecracker will not get a chance to attack 90% of the time).
Shaman decks also do well against Big Priest, and I imagine next month we won't see many Big/Rez Priests (and demon rez/cube warlock decks) because of the new Shaman card that turns everything into murlocs.
I'm hoping Kazakus decks get popular again with the return of Reno and company in the new expansion, though I expect murloc paladin and shaman to join in the fray with Quest Mage in wild.
It also looks like Hunter won't be going away either as they get a possible answer to Quest Mage with their class version of Dirty Rat.
Any chance Bomb Warrior comes up to spoil the no copy decks
I know the plethora of "Another one gone" and "More rats jumping a ship" comments will be on here, but there's a very obvious reality here: The 3 original founders are getting old.
I don't know their specific ages, but they founded Silicon and Synapse back in '91 right after graduating UCLA. That would put them at somewhere around age 22 back then. It's been 28 years since then. That means they are probably in their 50's. They have seen their company grow to dizzying heights of success; and probably have been compensated for it immensely; in more ways then just financially too.
I know that people like to think the worst of blizzard, and it's always a popular to hate-train on them; but the fact of the matter is; companies change and so do people. Enjoy what they founded for us.
They gave us the classics: Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo. We've enjoyed almost 3 decades of games from Blizzard's founders. It's time to let them retire, move on and enjoy what he said he plans on enjoying; music, the outdoors; and life.
Strong doesn't equal broken. You have to have tier 1 decks. If it wasn't Odd Pally it would need to be something else. Tier 0 is what is concerning. Odd Pally, Even Shaman, Odd Rogue still are not warping the entire meta like Giant Lock, Giant Hunter, & SA Druid did, there are obvious counters. The point is that not everyone plays those counters, or the counters are countered by a different deck in the meta so again players don't use them.
For example, I get my first legend (really first time past rank 5 even) with Reno Dragon Priest the season just before the Even Shaman nerf. On the meta snapshot Reno Priest was marked as one of the tier 1 decks (although now it is nowhere to be seen on any tier for some odd reason). I was able to very quickly take myself from being stuck at rank 3 clear up to legend. Want to know my easiest match-up during the grind? Even Shaman (pre nerf). Having a bunch of midrange & late game board clears, along with midrange minions and late game burn easily carried me against one of the "strongest decks in the game". I will admit Odd Pally was still strong due to their persistent staying power and Odd Rogue was 50/50, but I'm bringing this up because there are counters for the decks. Don't allow a tier list to tell you what can or can't beat the meta.
One-dimensionality shouldn't play a role in balance design in most cases. I for one find decks like Reno Lock or Reno Mage just as one dimensional as decks like Even Shaman or Odd Rogue. The more you play a deck the more auto-pilot it becomes due to the skill and familiarity you get with said deck(s).
You seem to be under the impression that a deck needs to be tier 0 with no hard counters before it becomes a nerf candidate. Sure, this might be the cause of Blizzard since that is their mentality towards wild (and even then they take ages to actually do something) but it doesn't necessarily need to be. Just look at rogue in standard. Was it broken before the nerfs to EVIL Miscreant, Raiding Party and Preparation? No, it even had a hard counter which was immensely popular in the form of warrior. Hell, I believe it dropped to tier 2 on vS' meta report right before the nerfs. But it still got nerfed nonetheless.
Odd paladin, even shaman and odd rogue have been the top decks in the wild meta pretty much since Genn and Baku were released. This has not changed and most likely won't ever change unless Blizzard intervene. You ask why reno priest doesn't see play? Because it cannot beat the consistency that Baku provides for odd rogue and odd paladin. Cherry picking a niche deck's winrate against one of the three decks doesn't change that. Hell, odd warrior hard counters all three of those decks. But what's that in its name? Oh wait, it's "odd". Surprise.
One dimensionality shouldn't usually be a factor taken into account when balancing. But when every wild player can pretty much dream the matchup against odd and even decks, because they've been around forever, it becomes extremely stale.
Why do you think Blizzard removed Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater from standard and threw them in Hearthstone's dumpster, aka wild, in the first place? Because they're problem cards and Blizzard have no idea what to do with them.
I think that Genn wouldn't be overpowered if it worked like Raza, but I don't see why it should be changed. The only real difference is that you could have a 1-Mana upgraded Hero Power with Justicar or a 1-Mana Deathknight Hero power, which would be stronger but I'm not sure what deckbuilding opportunities it would really open up, unless we get an even-cost way to have a repeatable Hero power.
Amazing deck! I feel bad for my oponents, those final animations must be painfull..
I don‘t own the pocket galaxy and replaced it with more draw at first but that‘s definitly not needed. A doomsayer fits perfectly though! Helps in allmost every game and i‘m even thinking about a second one. It would replace Magic trick, since it’s probably one of the weaker cards. he quest completion is never a limitating factor.
Doomsayer is definitely a good card, the problem is it can get silenced or killed just when you really need it to go off. Still not bad as a one of though! Thanks for the feedback, glad you are enjoying the deck :)
The foundation of the deck came from Brian Kibler, who made an all-out anti-aggro priest deck that excelled against trash decks in Un'Goro era. As you may point out, this is before the rez stuff comes in Knights of the Frozen Throne and Kobolds and Catacombs, but the survival mechanics that carry the deck came here.
Plus, it was the only thing keeping me interested in Hearthstone as Evolve Shaman was a goddamn nuisance, and I find Silence Priest too reliant on the perfect mulligan and Inner Fire combos a crap way to win for Priest.
Big Priest is a very good deck, but it has limitations. Shaman, Quest Mage, Aggro Paladin, Mill Rogue are decks that do quite well against it IMO.
Treachery Warlock (which is my personal favorite deck) is a fun deck to go against it, but it's maybe slightly below 50% win rate. Still, nothing like having Howlfiend, Fel Reaver and Doomsayer resurrected by your opponent, and Big Priest can be slow to deal with a turn 5/6 Rin, the First Disciple.
Shaman decks also do well against Big Priest, and I imagine next month we won't see many Big/Rez Priests (and demon rez/cube warlock decks) because of the new Shaman card that turns everything into murlocs.
I'm hoping Kazakus decks get popular again with the return of Reno and company in the new expansion, though I expect murloc paladin and shaman to join in the fray with Quest Mage in wild.
It also looks like Hunter won't be going away either as they get a possible answer to Quest Mage with their class version of Dirty Rat.
Not too great against aggro matchups though. You're pretty-well stuck waiting to draw the Portal minions, and your only defense are the cards you need to draw them!
Also, feel like this could benefit from an Elekk :D
Uldum Druid Card Reveal - Hidden Oasis
But the Lord of the Arena IS its baseline.. and it's a factor in concluding its power level.
The methodology was never perfect before but we continue to use it before new metas are explored.
This card is probably good/fair in a vacuum but I actually think it will be strong in its suggested archetype.
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
Check the ages of senior management at any studio founded at a comparable period of time. Or where the founders of those companies are now. Off the top of my head? Will Wright, Maxis, 59: in game design, not in business operations. Tim Schafer, LucasArts, 51: in game design, not in business operations.
The fact that they’re younger than the minimum age to draw Social Security doesn’t mean they’re young. 50 IS old to be engaged in day-to-day operations of a company 30 years after you founded it.
[Theorycraft] King Krush 24 damage Hunter
You could add Secret Plan giving you some control options
Quest Trading - Play A Friend!
Battletag : Virdo#11439
Server : NA
Trade : Yes! You go first!
DONE!!!
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
My assumption is they don't like the direction Activision forced the company. We'll have a better idea of whether or not that is accurate if Mike Morhaime (or Frank Pearce) starts a new studio in the next few years or joins other ex-Blizzard folks elsewhere.
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
50 is not that old. They could work well into their 70s . It's more likely they don't like working for a big corporation. When they started blizzard was a small independent company. They have lost alot of freedom they had when they were inde. That is why Ben left so he could have more freedom and go in a direction corporate wouldn't approve of.
Do you think Linecracker (or overkill) deserves a nerf?
A 6 card combo that doesn't outright win you the game? Sounds like garbage. For something that requires that much setup it better be an outright TTK, not something that can still potentially get beat. Even if chipping off 1000 or 2000 armor is impossible, your deck is basically 100% to lose to mechathun since a fatigue win condition doesn't work against mechathun. And speaking of jade idol you also lose to jade druid since they dont fatigue and again, you don't have a win condition (that jacked up linecracker will not get a chance to attack 90% of the time).
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
Circle of life. new blood should be more in tune with their target audience
A Weekend of Wild Decks
Any chance Bomb Warrior comes up to spoil the no copy decks
Idea for Genn and Baku Nerfs
One thing I would like to see is
"Start of game: WHILE your deck has only even cost cards, your starting hero power costs (1)."
Same for Baku.
Would require some pretty specific counter play to brick the cheaper/upgraded hero power, but it does offer counterplay.
At the minimum someone has the option to vent on these decks by making a hate deck that disrupts their gameplan.
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
I know the plethora of "Another one gone" and "More rats jumping a ship" comments will be on here, but there's a very obvious reality here: The 3 original founders are getting old.
I don't know their specific ages, but they founded Silicon and Synapse back in '91 right after graduating UCLA. That would put them at somewhere around age 22 back then. It's been 28 years since then. That means they are probably in their 50's. They have seen their company grow to dizzying heights of success; and probably have been compensated for it immensely; in more ways then just financially too.
I know that people like to think the worst of blizzard, and it's always a popular to hate-train on them; but the fact of the matter is; companies change and so do people. Enjoy what they founded for us.
They gave us the classics: Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo. We've enjoyed almost 3 decades of games from Blizzard's founders. It's time to let them retire, move on and enjoy what he said he plans on enjoying; music, the outdoors; and life.
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
"No king rules forever"
Blizzard Co-Founder Frank Pearce Leaves Blizzard
Another one bites the dust 😕. I just hope this will not have a too bug impact on their games.
Idea for Genn and Baku Nerfs
You seem to be under the impression that a deck needs to be tier 0 with no hard counters before it becomes a nerf candidate. Sure, this might be the cause of Blizzard since that is their mentality towards wild (and even then they take ages to actually do something) but it doesn't necessarily need to be. Just look at rogue in standard. Was it broken before the nerfs to EVIL Miscreant, Raiding Party and Preparation? No, it even had a hard counter which was immensely popular in the form of warrior. Hell, I believe it dropped to tier 2 on vS' meta report right before the nerfs. But it still got nerfed nonetheless.
Odd paladin, even shaman and odd rogue have been the top decks in the wild meta pretty much since Genn and Baku were released. This has not changed and most likely won't ever change unless Blizzard intervene. You ask why reno priest doesn't see play? Because it cannot beat the consistency that Baku provides for odd rogue and odd paladin. Cherry picking a niche deck's winrate against one of the three decks doesn't change that. Hell, odd warrior hard counters all three of those decks. But what's that in its name? Oh wait, it's "odd". Surprise.
One dimensionality shouldn't usually be a factor taken into account when balancing. But when every wild player can pretty much dream the matchup against odd and even decks, because they've been around forever, it becomes extremely stale.
Why do you think Blizzard removed Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater from standard and threw them in Hearthstone's dumpster, aka wild, in the first place? Because they're problem cards and Blizzard have no idea what to do with them.
Honest Hearthstone Cards (Game)
NEXT:
Calling All Big Priests!
Lots of people play Big Priest...
Idea for Genn and Baku Nerfs
@Yusuke
I think that Genn wouldn't be overpowered if it worked like Raza, but I don't see why it should be changed. The only real difference is that you could have a 1-Mana upgraded Hero Power with Justicar or a 1-Mana Deathknight Hero power, which would be stronger but I'm not sure what deckbuilding opportunities it would really open up, unless we get an even-cost way to have a repeatable Hero power.
Highlander Mill Mage (Saviors of Uldum edition)
Doomsayer is definitely a good card, the problem is it can get silenced or killed just when you really need it to go off. Still not bad as a one of though! Thanks for the feedback, glad you are enjoying the deck :)
A Weekend of Wild Decks
Thanks for the awesome shout out FrostyFeet!
Calling All Big Priests!
I've followed Big Priest for a while.
The foundation of the deck came from Brian Kibler, who made an all-out anti-aggro priest deck that excelled against trash decks in Un'Goro era. As you may point out, this is before the rez stuff comes in Knights of the Frozen Throne and Kobolds and Catacombs, but the survival mechanics that carry the deck came here.
Plus, it was the only thing keeping me interested in Hearthstone as Evolve Shaman was a goddamn nuisance, and I find Silence Priest too reliant on the perfect mulligan and Inner Fire combos a crap way to win for Priest.
Big Priest is a very good deck, but it has limitations. Shaman, Quest Mage, Aggro Paladin, Mill Rogue are decks that do quite well against it IMO.
Treachery Warlock (which is my personal favorite deck) is a fun deck to go against it, but it's maybe slightly below 50% win rate. Still, nothing like having Howlfiend, Fel Reaver and Doomsayer resurrected by your opponent, and Big Priest can be slow to deal with a turn 5/6 Rin, the First Disciple.
A Weekend of Wild Decks
Shaman decks also do well against Big Priest, and I imagine next month we won't see many Big/Rez Priests (and demon rez/cube warlock decks) because of the new Shaman card that turns everything into murlocs.
I'm hoping Kazakus decks get popular again with the return of Reno and company in the new expansion, though I expect murloc paladin and shaman to join in the fray with Quest Mage in wild.
It also looks like Hunter won't be going away either as they get a possible answer to Quest Mage with their class version of Dirty Rat.
Portal Shaman
Love the idea behind this!
Not too great against aggro matchups though. You're pretty-well stuck waiting to draw the Portal minions, and your only defense are the cards you need to draw them!
Also, feel like this could benefit from an Elekk :D
A bit Early Highlander Paladin
Looks intresting.
Always loved Finley so here is my shot on it. New cards might cause modifications :-).
Deck ID Not Found
A Weekend of Wild Decks
Awesome - thanks again Frosty!!
Theory about the evil class legendaries
I did not know about armagedillo being in wow, was just watching the trailer and thought it may be a hint but they may also just be setting the scene