Wow, you are really grinding! Thanks for noting that you are earning more gold, but ALSO playing a lot more too. I am in the same camp - I hit level 173 last night and have completed all of the ranked XP achievements except C'thun lethal and the Oh My Yogg! one. Have not done much in duels, my best run is/was 6 wins.
I know that I will have saved more gold this expansion than any previous (even accounting for the 500 gold from Blizzard as their mea culpa for the rewards track mess). I don't expect to reach level 350 by the rotation, but I am probably playing more on average right now. I actually got my first complete set (Darkmoon Faire) with the two variable bundles that were offered last week. I am really close to a full set on Scholomance - duplicate protection has been huge!
I primarily play on mobile, and I have been having the iOS login issues for about a week. I haven’t been reinstalling the game each time, but I just come back to it when I can and usually it works again after a while. Very frustrating, especially because there aren’t other connectivity issues at our house.
Edit: I did report this on the official Blizzard forums.
Yeah, I don't think you should let the 1000 win portraits or golden cards intimidate you. Anyone playing long/often enough can reach many of those milestones. Certainly it's an indication of experience, but not necessarily skill.
I really like the approach of thinking in terms of tiers because I have a hard time ordering the classes 1-10. I will happily play any class, standard and wild, but there are definitely some that I gravitate towards more. During Witchwood, Genn Greymane was my free legendary (I think* that was a thing back then, or maybe it was in my first 10 packs(?), I don't remember) - so you may see a theme.
Top Tier: Warlock, Paladin, Shaman
Before I had a more fleshed out collection, I played sub-optimal decks in these classes a lot, often the even variant. I bought the League of Explorers adventure at some point, and loved playing a "budget" Renolock too. Before that I loved playing Zoolock. I also unpacked Shudderwock, so have always enjoyed that archetype in Shaman. Paladin was my favorite class when I played WoW, so I have always been drawn to that class through time.
Mid Tier: Hunter, Rogue, Mage, and sort of Druid
I think I have the most ranked wins out of any class with Hunter, even though I know this class isn't great in Wild. That said, I still enjoy dusting off Zul'jin and Deathstalker Rexxar for nostalgia. I loved/love Odd Rogue (historically played a sub-optimal list, because it wasn't until recently that I crafted Patches the Pirate). I love the play-style of Mage in general, and I have fun with Druid, especially since I received Malygos as my reward for reaching first-time legend last year and opened Aviana in a Wild Packs bundle sometime before that.
Low Tier: Priest, Warrior, Demon Hunter
I generally enjoy playing Priest more in standard, but sometimes I like Big archetypes when I can use nostalgic cards like [Hearthstone Card (Kel-Thuzad) Not Found] and The Lich King. I never crafted/unpacked Raza the Chained, so Reno Priest has never been a thing for me. I wish Quest Warrior was more viable, that was one of the only quests I unpacked during Un'Goro - I enjoy playing Warrior in standard a fair bit, but I have definitely enjoyed the Galakrond decks that are Tier 2-3 in Wild lately. Demon Hunter I am just kind of "meh" on in general. The power-level of the class isn't off-putting to me, but I didn't play WoW by the time it was introduced as a class there, so I think I just don't identify with it much.
I don’t have Nozdormu the Timeless, which I believe is a core card, so I have not tried the deck. I faced this deck 6 or 7 times on ladder today and lost all but one of them handily. Seemed like the opponents always drew the nuts and had a board full of murlocs or a Scrapyard Colossus on turn 5. I was playing memey achievement hunting decks so it felt brutal to face this deck. The one win I had was a miracle- somehow I was able to contest the board and stole some enemy minions to deny the murloc prime etc.
I'm halfway through level 147. Still averaging 1-2 levels a day, and enjoying this period of experimentation on the ladder. I made Wild Legend earlier in the month and have been hovering between Diamond 2-4 since the expansion dropped, so I don't mind playing suboptimal decks as I grind the new XP achievements before next month.
That deck seems to be everywhere on ladder in wild right now. It’ll pass, and if it doesn’t, they’ll probably nerf something.
For my part, having a freezing trap down as hunter seemed to be very effective. When that sends the tiller back to hand there were a lot of concedes across from me yesterday.
I am nearly done with level 127. Progress is 1-2 levels a day, except for Monday/Tuesday when the weekly quests provide a boost to XP. I will use gold or cash for the mini set once the details are confirmed (wondering how they haven’t announced it formally yet?!!).
I had hoarded some packs from DMF, but it seems like buying the bundle is most efficient.
Seems like crazy good value, whether in gold or $$. I reluctantly held back packs from the expansion day 1, and accrued a few more of them from the month-end rewards since November.
I was thinking I wouldn't get much of the mini-expansion with my 30 or so packs unless I chipped in for some bundle that they would no doubt announce at the release. But getting everything for $15 or the value of 20 packs in gold feels terrific. It will be interesting to see what they have printed.
I don't know which is better - my gut says that 10 gold for three wins probably felt better because winning felt like it mattered then. I do know that the current rewards track feels better than the first iteration did, and I feel like I will have a good deal of gold to show for my efforts by the end of the expansion. I'm a paying player (I buy most bundles), but I like to supplement with gold-bought packs at the beginning of an expansion too.
I'm at level 100, halfway to 101 as of today. I like the fact that I can get a level or two a day with the daily and a little bit (or more, for two) of play time.
Or perhaps its something scummy. They expand the expansion card pool and remove away classic. In that case standard will be more approachable to new players while also making it more expensive. Obviously this is perhaps the worst of the worst of what can happen, but as long as we're speculating, might as well make it clear that money making will likely be part of the equation.
This is where the cynical part of my head is going too, unfortunately.
Did anyone else notice as they were reading how many decks were from the Rastakhan’s Rumble era? For as much as that set is generally disparaged by the community, seems like they (blizzard) must have got something right. I believe it was a pullback in terms of power level versus the sets that immediately preceded it , but I just thought it was interesting that so many folks who contributed are nostalgic for that time.
Wow, you are really grinding! Thanks for noting that you are earning more gold, but ALSO playing a lot more too. I am in the same camp - I hit level 173 last night and have completed all of the ranked XP achievements except C'thun lethal and the Oh My Yogg! one. Have not done much in duels, my best run is/was 6 wins.
I know that I will have saved more gold this expansion than any previous (even accounting for the 500 gold from Blizzard as their mea culpa for the rewards track mess). I don't expect to reach level 350 by the rotation, but I am probably playing more on average right now. I actually got my first complete set (Darkmoon Faire) with the two variable bundles that were offered last week. I am really close to a full set on Scholomance - duplicate protection has been huge!
I'm really glad you said something about this not being out on NA yet, because I WAS ABOUT TO FREAK OUT!!! :D
I primarily play on mobile, and I have been having the iOS login issues for about a week. I haven’t been reinstalling the game each time, but I just come back to it when I can and usually it works again after a while. Very frustrating, especially because there aren’t other connectivity issues at our house.
Edit: I did report this on the official Blizzard forums.
Yeah, I don't think you should let the 1000 win portraits or golden cards intimidate you. Anyone playing long/often enough can reach many of those milestones. Certainly it's an indication of experience, but not necessarily skill.
I really like the approach of thinking in terms of tiers because I have a hard time ordering the classes 1-10. I will happily play any class, standard and wild, but there are definitely some that I gravitate towards more. During Witchwood, Genn Greymane was my free legendary (I think* that was a thing back then, or maybe it was in my first 10 packs(?), I don't remember) - so you may see a theme.
Top Tier: Warlock, Paladin, Shaman
Before I had a more fleshed out collection, I played sub-optimal decks in these classes a lot, often the even variant. I bought the League of Explorers adventure at some point, and loved playing a "budget" Renolock too. Before that I loved playing Zoolock. I also unpacked Shudderwock, so have always enjoyed that archetype in Shaman. Paladin was my favorite class when I played WoW, so I have always been drawn to that class through time.
Mid Tier: Hunter, Rogue, Mage, and sort of Druid
I think I have the most ranked wins out of any class with Hunter, even though I know this class isn't great in Wild. That said, I still enjoy dusting off Zul'jin and Deathstalker Rexxar for nostalgia. I loved/love Odd Rogue (historically played a sub-optimal list, because it wasn't until recently that I crafted Patches the Pirate). I love the play-style of Mage in general, and I have fun with Druid, especially since I received Malygos as my reward for reaching first-time legend last year and opened Aviana in a Wild Packs bundle sometime before that.
Low Tier: Priest, Warrior, Demon Hunter
I generally enjoy playing Priest more in standard, but sometimes I like Big archetypes when I can use nostalgic cards like [Hearthstone Card (Kel-Thuzad) Not Found] and The Lich King. I never crafted/unpacked Raza the Chained, so Reno Priest has never been a thing for me. I wish Quest Warrior was more viable, that was one of the only quests I unpacked during Un'Goro - I enjoy playing Warrior in standard a fair bit, but I have definitely enjoyed the Galakrond decks that are Tier 2-3 in Wild lately. Demon Hunter I am just kind of "meh" on in general. The power-level of the class isn't off-putting to me, but I didn't play WoW by the time it was introduced as a class there, so I think I just don't identify with it much.
Great idea for a Forums thread!
I don’t have Nozdormu the Timeless, which I believe is a core card, so I have not tried the deck. I faced this deck 6 or 7 times on ladder today and lost all but one of them handily. Seemed like the opponents always drew the nuts and had a board full of murlocs or a Scrapyard Colossus on turn 5. I was playing memey achievement hunting decks so it felt brutal to face this deck. The one win I had was a miracle- somehow I was able to contest the board and stole some enemy minions to deny the murloc prime etc.
Makes me want to craft the dragon...
I'm halfway through level 147. Still averaging 1-2 levels a day, and enjoying this period of experimentation on the ladder. I made Wild Legend earlier in the month and have been hovering between Diamond 2-4 since the expansion dropped, so I don't mind playing suboptimal decks as I grind the new XP achievements before next month.
Yes, Wretched Tiller + Hysteria + Deathspeaker. Particularly effective in Priest and Warlock.
Edit: not in that order :)
Thanks Avalon and Team for compiling these lists! As a non-creative player, I always appreciate seeing the latest, even if they're not the greatest.
That deck seems to be everywhere on ladder in wild right now. It’ll pass, and if it doesn’t, they’ll probably nerf something.
For my part, having a freezing trap down as hunter seemed to be very effective. When that sends the tiller back to hand there were a lot of concedes across from me yesterday.
Still waiting as of 4:36 pm Pacific.
I am nearly done with level 127. Progress is 1-2 levels a day, except for Monday/Tuesday when the weekly quests provide a boost to XP. I will use gold or cash for the mini set once the details are confirmed (wondering how they haven’t announced it formally yet?!!).
I had hoarded some packs from DMF, but it seems like buying the bundle is most efficient.
Seems like crazy good value, whether in gold or $$. I reluctantly held back packs from the expansion day 1, and accrued a few more of them from the month-end rewards since November.
I was thinking I wouldn't get much of the mini-expansion with my 30 or so packs unless I chipped in for some bundle that they would no doubt announce at the release. But getting everything for $15 or the value of 20 packs in gold feels terrific. It will be interesting to see what they have printed.
I don't know which is better - my gut says that 10 gold for three wins probably felt better because winning felt like it mattered then. I do know that the current rewards track feels better than the first iteration did, and I feel like I will have a good deal of gold to show for my efforts by the end of the expansion. I'm a paying player (I buy most bundles), but I like to supplement with gold-bought packs at the beginning of an expansion too.
I'm at level 100, halfway to 101 as of today. I like the fact that I can get a level or two a day with the daily and a little bit (or more, for two) of play time.
This is where the cynical part of my head is going too, unfortunately.
The next time in I drew the nuts, held the board easily, and never looked back.
Awesome article - I love the theme of this series!
No regrets here picking the Valeera skin. I am enjoying playing combo rogue in standard in the Diamond 5-3 range as I grind for 500 wins on Rogue.
Did anyone else notice as they were reading how many decks were from the Rastakhan’s Rumble era? For as much as that set is generally disparaged by the community, seems like they (blizzard) must have got something right. I believe it was a pullback in terms of power level versus the sets that immediately preceded it , but I just thought it was interesting that so many folks who contributed are nostalgic for that time.