Threw together 5 level 30s and a level 13, hoping for an easy match vs AI. Nope: got creamed by 6 maxxed out level 30 Mercs.
This is exactly what discourages me from even trying PvP: I know I cannot just avoid strong opponents by self-harming my own comp, but there has to be some form of compromise in the middle!
There's definitely room for improvement: I feel like in some cases they just didn't know what tasks to come up with (especially, but not limited to the Neutral section) and just settled on the "do something with this card over and over again" - Kobold Taskmaster's achievement is a clear example. I feel like Stormpike Quartermaster could've received an achievement, but it is what it is.
However, things have changed (for the better) since achievements were introduced with Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, and I am sure the positive trend will continue.
As for the bugged achievements, I think they just happened to take place in a rather unfortunate window of time, since Team 5 went home for the winter holidays roughly two weeks after Alterac went live - I dare to say that if it weren't for the vacation, those bugs would've already been fixed.
I played a lot of Mercenaries the first week it was released, but then I suddenly stopped because of many reasons:
Even if you sink money into the mode, you are required to grind a remarkable amount of PvE.
PvE, after a few runs, becomes repetitive and boring.
Even if you start upgrading a Merc, you'll never want to bring it to PvP if it's not maxed (or at least has the most important moves at level 5).
This means that the hours you spend grinding your Mercs in PvE are absolutely useless unless you complete your goal.
While there are "F2P" builds, PvE is completely dominated by Legendary Mercenaries, with the preorder ones being very prevalent.
Long story short, I am not saying that the mode is pay to win, but rather that you never started on a equal foot and you need an absurd amount of time to get on par with those with a larger collection - way more time than you need to actually enjoy Constructed.
See, this last point is particularly enlightening for me: if you need more grind than Constructed (which is the emblem of "grind" in Hearthstone), then there's definitely something wrong going on. And if I ever had to choose between a game move I've been playing for 4+ years (and that gets massively shaken up with a regular frequency) and a new and even more time-consuming one, there's no way in hell I would pick the latter. Sure, I would try it, but nothing more.
Just my two cents, so please don't take me as the most informed/influential person ever.
I've seen some discussion in the comment section (and in other parts of the site, really), so I figured out I may as well express my humble opinion.
I feel like people already forgot how may bad achievements there were in previous expansions. It is true: we are definitely experiencing a swift in Team 5's philosophy, moving away from combo achievements and directing towards grindy ones, but... is it really a bad thing?
Let's take United in Stormwind for example: while there were some really grindy achievements in there, here's a list of the combo ones:
BBQ Broiler - Deal 10 damage with a single cast of Ignite.
Not the Face! - After playing Antonidas, have all 3 Fireballs hit the opposing hero and destroy them.
The Usual Suspects - Summon a Legendary minion from Stubborn Suspect.
On the other hand, the only real "combo" achievements we've got in Alterac are:
Snowball Effect - Have 10 minions participate in a single Snowball Fight!
You're In Irondeep Trouble - Control 7 Irondeep Troggs at the same time.
Grindy achievements may take more time to complete and may ask you to play otherwise unplayable cards, but at least you can actively work towards your goal, and bit by bit you'll get there. Sure, they won't be finished in a couple games, but we can say that your plays (and not your luck) do matter.
Long story short, I'll take long achievements all day instead of "hey, hope you're feeling lucky today" ones, and Alterac did go in that direction, which I think is an improvement, especially from the F2P point of view, given that most grindy achievements are tied behind Commons/Rares.
Sometimes, animations take longer than the time you actually need to play cards: casting multiple spells one after another increases this difference in time - therefore, there might be occasions in which it seems like your opponent's turn lasts more than yours, but it's just animations resolving.
However, some players have been using some simple yet effective trick to speed up in-game animations and therefore do more stuff in a single turn: casting more Ignites, for example. While I am not saying the opponent you met was a cheater, there are people who actively exploit this method, which (just in case someone who reads this comment think it's worth trying out) is totally against ToS and will get you banned sooner or later.
It's basically the same thing that happened a couple years ago with SN1P-SN4P Warlock.
In the end, I think it's going to be either Mage or Shaman, given that both classes see competitive play and I am close to hitting the 1000 wins goal with both.
Lightforged Uther is another incredibly sick skin (despite that strange, robotic, tubular armguard in the bottom right corner), but 540 wins are a lot...
Unfortunately yes, it appears that the first month of the expansion isn't the best period for a Master Duelist challenge. Not even I was able to have a shot at 1.5: between the (huge) content creation of these weeks and the fact that, you know, I wanted to try the new cards, I think I had just a couple Duels runs.
Thanks Calemnir for the submission and congratulations for your 12er: definitely an interesting take on the archetype, and I am glad it worked out in the end!
B-but... they're special deals! You cannot refuse them!
Well, it is consistent with other effects from the past and it is good design.
The problem is that Gnoll is a bit too cheap or has a bit too much stats. But I am glad that Gnoll exists and I like this mechanic.
For the Alliance!
This is exactly what discourages me from even trying PvP: I know I cannot just avoid strong opponents by self-harming my own comp, but there has to be some form of compromise in the middle!
There's definitely room for improvement: I feel like in some cases they just didn't know what tasks to come up with (especially, but not limited to the Neutral section) and just settled on the "do something with this card over and over again" - Kobold Taskmaster's achievement is a clear example. I feel like Stormpike Quartermaster could've received an achievement, but it is what it is.
However, things have changed (for the better) since achievements were introduced with Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, and I am sure the positive trend will continue.
As for the bugged achievements, I think they just happened to take place in a rather unfortunate window of time, since Team 5 went home for the winter holidays roughly two weeks after Alterac went live - I dare to say that if it weren't for the vacation, those bugs would've already been fixed.
I played a lot of Mercenaries the first week it was released, but then I suddenly stopped because of many reasons:
Long story short, I am not saying that the mode is pay to win, but rather that you never started on a equal foot and you need an absurd amount of time to get on par with those with a larger collection - way more time than you need to actually enjoy Constructed.
See, this last point is particularly enlightening for me: if you need more grind than Constructed (which is the emblem of "grind" in Hearthstone), then there's definitely something wrong going on. And if I ever had to choose between a game move I've been playing for 4+ years (and that gets massively shaken up with a regular frequency) and a new and even more time-consuming one, there's no way in hell I would pick the latter. Sure, I would try it, but nothing more.
Just my two cents, so please don't take me as the most informed/influential person ever.
I've seen some discussion in the comment section (and in other parts of the site, really), so I figured out I may as well express my humble opinion.
I feel like people already forgot how may bad achievements there were in previous expansions. It is true: we are definitely experiencing a swift in Team 5's philosophy, moving away from combo achievements and directing towards grindy ones, but... is it really a bad thing?
Let's take United in Stormwind for example: while there were some really grindy achievements in there, here's a list of the combo ones:
On the other hand, the only real "combo" achievements we've got in Alterac are:
Grindy achievements may take more time to complete and may ask you to play otherwise unplayable cards, but at least you can actively work towards your goal, and bit by bit you'll get there. Sure, they won't be finished in a couple games, but we can say that your plays (and not your luck) do matter.
Long story short, I'll take long achievements all day instead of "hey, hope you're feeling lucky today" ones, and Alterac did go in that direction, which I think is an improvement, especially from the F2P point of view, given that most grindy achievements are tied behind Commons/Rares.
For Mary Had a Litte Ram, Playmaker and Oracle of Elune are basically equivalents in terms of achievement progression.
No.
Sometimes, animations take longer than the time you actually need to play cards: casting multiple spells one after another increases this difference in time - therefore, there might be occasions in which it seems like your opponent's turn lasts more than yours, but it's just animations resolving.
However, some players have been using some simple yet effective trick to speed up in-game animations and therefore do more stuff in a single turn: casting more Ignites, for example. While I am not saying the opponent you met was a cheater, there are people who actively exploit this method, which (just in case someone who reads this comment think it's worth trying out) is totally against ToS and will get you banned sooner or later.
It's basically the same thing that happened a couple years ago with SN1P-SN4P Warlock.
Tankard*
Cup*
Duels' season ends in a month or so, so my best bet is that it's going to be either Mercs or BG.
People are back to work and they started looking at the bugs: I expect most of them to be fixed with next Tuesday's patch (22.2).
That's a sick mug!
I mean, Thief Rogue is literally "play Wildpaw Gnoll and Double Agent as soon as possible", but sure.
Thanks Horus. And congrats: you just got yourself a Snowball Fight! worthy of that name!
NebuchadnezzarHS - So, the one you see below is my situation
Here are a couple notes about my personal tastes:
In the end, I think it's going to be either Mage or Shaman, given that both classes see competitive play and I am close to hitting the 1000 wins goal with both.
Lightforged Uther is another incredibly sick skin (despite that strange, robotic, tubular armguard in the bottom right corner), but 540 wins are a lot...
Unfortunately yes, it appears that the first month of the expansion isn't the best period for a Master Duelist challenge. Not even I was able to have a shot at 1.5: between the (huge) content creation of these weeks and the fact that, you know, I wanted to try the new cards, I think I had just a couple Duels runs.
Thanks Calemnir for the submission and congratulations for your 12er: definitely an interesting take on the archetype, and I am glad it worked out in the end!
I DID IT! OMG I am so happy! I was in love with Demonic Illidan since the very first time it was revealed, almost two years ago.
Moreover, I feel like Illidan Stormrage isn't that great, so I am very happy to have this huge upgrade in the cosmetic section.