I only tried this once, and I coined the combo for a turn 5 OTK in that only game I played. Then I deleted the deck, afraid that I'll be banned (I also didn't want to cheat my way into wins :P)
It was the only time I've ever used (and will ever use) Maxima Blastenheimer, and it was worth it.
Only casual Duels games count towards achievement progression. Casual (traditional Hearthstone) ladder however does not unfortunately. Tavern Brawl which is IMO also casual, does not contribute as well. Inconsistencies galore, really weird.
🙄
Oh, so casual Duels games count towards achievements? I thought they only count on Heroic Duels, similar to how they only count on ranked play. This is great then, now I can screw around more in Casual Duels knowing I'll actually be getting something out of it.
And I just saw your suggestion about completing the Bolner achievement quickly. So they haven't patched that bug yet? I'll definitely try that out.
I completed the Yogg Champ achievement yesterday! Quite unexpectedly too. I've had this Quest Mage down to 3 health but I've stalled out, unable to deliver the finishing blow because my stuff keeps getting removed. As a last resort, I play Oh My Yogg!, hoping to prevent the opponent from dealing lethal damage with at least 1 spell.
The Mage then plays a 0-mana Ignite that turns into a Raise Dead. Fantastic. Of course, I have to BM after that, because screw Mages.
I'm at Level 68. I rolled some really bad daily quests this week, such as extremely specific ones like playing 10 murlocs or low-XP ones like playing 20 spells. As a result, climbing has been a grind.
I've been playing a lot of Elemental Shaman and Secret Paladin the past few days, and both decks are working really well after the latest nerfs (not that they did anything drastic, since Handlock is still a monster). I unpacked Find the Imposter as well so I've been playing some Rogue, and it was pretty good in lower ranks until I ran into a lot of Warlocks the higher I climbed.
I managed to complete a number of achievements this week:
- Simply Enchanting (the one with Runed Mithril Orb) - The Return of the King (give Varian rush, divine shield and rush) - Expecting an Exploding Pen? (play all spy gizmos in one game) - What is your Profession? (play 60 0-attack weapons)
I failed to complete the Tamsin one before the nerfs, and now D6 Warlock is dead. Even with all those completions, I'm still only at 30% completion with the Stormwind quests. I seriously don't get how some people here have already hit 80+% of the achievements. Do you guys play all day or something? I'd like to have the amount of time you guys have :P
I don't understand how anyone could be offended over something as trivial as this. I've been playing this game for 4 years and I wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. It's not like they completely hid the other modes; all you have to do is click "Modes" and you'll find the rest there. Besides, Tavern Brawl has been dead for a loooong time, so removing it from the main menu just feels right. Does anyone still get excited over Tavern Brawls?
This is just another instance of people hating on change. You'll get used to it, it's really not that big a deal.
I've hit level 60, with the only achievement I've accomplished being the one with Spice Bread Baker. I was hit with work for the past three days so I was unable to play, which hindered my progress a bit. I managed to climb three levels today though.
I'll try to complete the Tamsin achievement tomorrow. I just can't finish it with Handlock since games never get to the point where I need to complete the quest. I'll bite the bullet and play D6 Warlock, that way I can finally cross that achievement off my list (together with the Runed Mithril Rod one).
By next week, my goal is to reach level 70. I'm lagging in my progress again.
Just one of those days where everything went right for me.
I played Raza Hunter in Wild and went 20-5 with it all the way from Platinum 5 to Diamond 4. It just razed everything in its path (yes, even Darkglare Warlocks) and most importantly, it's so fun to play! It's absolutely satisfying to mow down your opponent with non-stop 3-damage from your hero power. I even had a game where a Shaman healed up with Reno Jackson from 13 to full health, only for me to gatling-gun him down for 25 damage in a single turn for lethal a couple of turns later. Not fun for him, but very fun for me.
I had a good time playing Standard as well with Quest Handlock, lost only a single game all the way to Diamond 1. I know everyone hates this deck, but it's just a very fun deck to play.
To top it all off, I got a golden Ringmaster Whatley from the standard pack reward in the battle pass. This is as good as it gets.
I've faced zero Mages so far, I think the class died or people just don't want to try it anymore. Personally, I'm happy about this because the spell-only archetypes of Mage are getting boring to play against.
Because of this, Warlock has become incredibly powerful. I've seen a couple of variations with the questline, from the handlock version to the more combo one (Stealer of Souls + Darkglare). I'm personally playing the handlock version, and I think it's a lot of fun to play. Not so much for my opponent, though. That 9-mana "nerf" to Flesh Giant did absolutely nothing; I can still drop them down on turn 4 or 5 sometimes.
Elemental Shaman and Questline Shaman are the other prevalent decks I see on ladder. The questline version looks strong but is held in check by Warlock. Elemental Shaman remains solid as ever.
There are a handful of Paladins here and there, but overall, it's a Warlock-dominated meta.
I have to say I was guilty of this for one game. My opponent had the nuts draw in wild as Quest Priest, where he was able to equip the weapon by turn 5. It was so frustrating that I conceded out of spite. Not my proudest moment :P
I'm at level 53, and the level 50 legendary that I got was Auctioneer Jaxon. I knew it would be a crap one. I KNEW IT. Ugh.
I'm mostly on achievement-completing mode right now. I recently completed the "Claws Out" one for Druid, playing an Odd Quest Druid in Wild that somehow had a decent win rate.
I'm also trying to complete the "Share Your Pain" achievement for Warlock wherein I have to redirect damage to myself to the enemy hero using Blightborn Tamsin, but unfortunately, my games don't even need Tamsin to win. I played 10 games with Quest Handlock, and I only managed to complete the questline ONCE. The Big Warrior that I faced conceded the second I got Tamsin. I won a lot of games so that's a nice consolation, but unfortunately this is a sad reflection of the current meta. With Mages out of the way, Warlocks are running roughshod.
My ex-girlfriend introduced me to the game, which was sometime around the middle of the Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion (so maybe Sept or Oct 2017). She wanted me to play Hearthstone because it could be another activity we could do together, and for a while, it was. She wasn't a serious player though, we just fooled around with off-meta decks composed mostly of basic and classic cards. She eventually grew tired of the game (and tired of me a few years later lol).
I didn't really take the game too seriously until around the end of the Kobolds and Catacombs expac; I decided to ditch being F2P and bought the Witchwood bundle, and I've been a whale ever since (I'm trying to cut back on my expenses now though). Once I took it seriously, I grew to love the game much more.
So while my relationship with my ex didn't survive, my relationship with Hearthstone did, and it's as strong as ever. It sounds pretty sad when you put it that way, but that's how it shook out lol
Hit Level 45 without the tavern pass, feels nice. I'm currently sitting at 2,200 gold, and I'm getting frustrated with my progress there. I really wish they'd stop having those dumb golden rares and epics in the rewards track, especially since they can't be dusted. They're just a waste of space.
The achievements I've managed to complete are from Warrior (attack 500 times with pirates, and summon 50 minions from deck), Priest (deal X damage with your hero power), and trade 500 times. I'm close to completing the Warlock one where you redirect your damage to the enemy, but my Quest Handlock games don't even reach the point where I can play Blightborn Tamsin; either I kill them quickly with the Flesh Giants + Battleground Battlemaster, or they kill me first. I'll hit level 50 in the next few days, once the new weekly quests come in.
Oh, and I hope the devs massacre Mage in the nerfs next week. People really should direct their hate for Priest to Mage as well. That class has been degenerate and boring for a while now, with nothing but spell-only archetypes. I wonder why they even bothered printing new minions for that class this expansion. Just kill Incanter's Flow, Sorcerer's Gambit, and Ignite, then buff some other strategies for the class (I hope they do something for Hero Power Mage). I'm sick of getting hit by 18 damage from two Fireballs in one turn.
Currently at level 38. My quest to complete the rewards track has begun!
I've been playing a lot of Quest Warrior in both Standard and Wild. The Wild deck is an Odd list I got from Roffle, and it's been so-so but a lot of fun. You basically complete the quest, play Brann Bronzebeard + Cap'n Rokara to get two The Juggernauts causing havoc in the late game.
I've been fooling around with Aggro Shadow Priest too, but it's pretty boring to play. I might tinker around with Quest Druid since I recently unpacked that questline, and I'm gonna try out Odd Questline Hunter as well.
Ladder seems to be a bit better now. I've been playing a lot of Quest Warrior (a high-tempo version) and it's killing it. It's not really an aggro deck but a faster midrange one, and it beats the Quest Warlocks and Quest Mages pretty consistently. Raid the Docks still doesn't warrant a nerf though, contrary to the OP's point.
There are a wide variety of decks being played, and that makes this meta a little more fun. Some Elemental Shamans (Whack-A-Gnoll Hammer and Doomhammer variants), Quest Shaman, Aggro Shadow Priest(!), Quest Paladins, Quest Rogues...it's pretty nice! I even tried a Big Warrior list and it's working well too.
The devs might still nerf some Warlock cards to save Wild, if they actually care about that mode. But from my ladder experience, the meta's looking pretty balanced.
Raid the Docks is straight up consistent. I've not had many issues with it sucking I'll say that. Against many of the other decks out there, it provides longevity with taunt pirates a Ship's Cannon effect in the long haul, and continual board presence. Do I still think it needs a nerf, not necessarily given that the meta is far from evening out, but it certainly maintains a top deck in my plays
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You mentioned in your OP that it'll need a nerf, I'm saying it won't because it's simply a solid and fun card whose infinite value in the end game isn't that oppressive.
I saw Roffle play this Odd Quest Warrior deck, which looks incredibly fun. Just tank up, then play Brann Bronzebeard + Cap'n Rokara to get two Juggernauts. Definitely gonna try that out.
Ladder seems to be a bit better now. I've been playing a lot of Quest Warrior (a high-tempo version) and it's killing it. It's not really an aggro deck but a faster midrange one, and it beats the Quest Warlocks and Quest Mages pretty consistently. Raid the Docks still doesn't warrant a nerf though, contrary to the OP's point.
There are a wide variety of decks being played, and that makes this meta a little more fun. Some Elemental Shamans (Whack-A-Gnoll Hammer and Doomhammer variants), Quest Shaman, Aggro Shadow Priest(!), Quest Paladins, Quest Rogues...it's pretty nice! I even tried a Big Warrior list and it's working well too.
The devs might still nerf some Warlock cards to save Wild, if they actually care about that mode. But from my ladder experience, the meta's looking pretty balanced.
I couldn't stop laughing at my opponent who burned his Blightborn Tamsin because of a full hand. Hilarious!
Unfortunately, the very same thing happened to me the next game, when I played Raise Dead which filled my hand, forgetting I would be completing the questline while doing so. Bye, Blightborn Tamsin! Thank my stupidity for your getting burned!
As if that wasn't mortifying enough, I did it AGAIN in the very next game. I have never felt so embarrassed to be a Hearthstone player at that moment, I wanted to shrink out of existence
Gotta disagree with the OP here. Raid the Docks feels really weak right now. I tried building a control shell with it and a somewhat midrange one, and I didn't win a game in 6 tries. Maybe my builds just suck, but it feels really slow compared to the burn meta we're having right now. A better list might emerge, but I don't think it's gonna be a nerf candidate at all.
Defend the Dwarven District seems to be Tier 2 at best for now. I haven't played it, but from my observations while facing this deck, it struggles against board-centric decks and loses gas fast, which was expected. Its ideal game plan is to just direct every damage to face, but with its lack of card draw options that's just not a reliable plan. An interesting strategy would be to go the control route and basically set up for an OTK turn in the late game, but Hunter just doesn't have many defensive tools. I've beaten all Tavish Hunters I've faced with my Quest Warlock, which sounds insane.
Speaking of Quest Warlock, it feels really good to play, and pretty solid too. Warlock's defensive toolkit is really strong right now so surviving into the late game against aggro isn't impossible now. Touch of the Nathrezim and Demonic Assault(one of the underrated cards of the set) make this deck viable. I'm still not sure about this deck's viability once some refined aggro decks come out, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
And once again, Mage is a huge pain in the ass at the start of the expansion. It just sucks when your opponent doesn't play any minions and just burns your face again and again, especially when your gameplan is dependent on interacting with opponents' minions. The Mage quest looks like bait though; a more straightforward Spell Mage seems like the better option.
The nerf targets I'm seeing are Incanter's Flow (should've been nerfed last expansion, honestly) and Ignite. The latter will just murder any control deck with its infinite value. Why did they print that?
I only tried this once, and I coined the combo for a turn 5 OTK in that only game I played. Then I deleted the deck, afraid that I'll be banned (I also didn't want to cheat my way into wins :P)
It was the only time I've ever used (and will ever use) Maxima Blastenheimer, and it was worth it.
Oh, so casual Duels games count towards achievements? I thought they only count on Heroic Duels, similar to how they only count on ranked play. This is great then, now I can screw around more in Casual Duels knowing I'll actually be getting something out of it.
And I just saw your suggestion about completing the Bolner achievement quickly. So they haven't patched that bug yet? I'll definitely try that out.
I completed the Yogg Champ achievement yesterday! Quite unexpectedly too. I've had this Quest Mage down to 3 health but I've stalled out, unable to deliver the finishing blow because my stuff keeps getting removed. As a last resort, I play Oh My Yogg!, hoping to prevent the opponent from dealing lethal damage with at least 1 spell.
The Mage then plays a 0-mana Ignite that turns into a Raise Dead. Fantastic. Of course, I have to BM after that, because screw Mages.
I am so pissed off that Questline Mage is still alive. I hope Blizzard stomps this stupid deck to the ground in the next round of nerfs.
QUESTLINE MAGE IS FOR LOSERS. LOSERSSSSSS
I'm at Level 68. I rolled some really bad daily quests this week, such as extremely specific ones like playing 10 murlocs or low-XP ones like playing 20 spells. As a result, climbing has been a grind.
I've been playing a lot of Elemental Shaman and Secret Paladin the past few days, and both decks are working really well after the latest nerfs (not that they did anything drastic, since Handlock is still a monster). I unpacked Find the Imposter as well so I've been playing some Rogue, and it was pretty good in lower ranks until I ran into a lot of Warlocks the higher I climbed.
I managed to complete a number of achievements this week:
- Simply Enchanting (the one with Runed Mithril Orb)
- The Return of the King (give Varian rush, divine shield and rush)
- Expecting an Exploding Pen? (play all spy gizmos in one game)
- What is your Profession? (play 60 0-attack weapons)
I failed to complete the Tamsin one before the nerfs, and now D6 Warlock is dead. Even with all those completions, I'm still only at 30% completion with the Stormwind quests. I seriously don't get how some people here have already hit 80+% of the achievements. Do you guys play all day or something? I'd like to have the amount of time you guys have :P
I don't understand how anyone could be offended over something as trivial as this. I've been playing this game for 4 years and I wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. It's not like they completely hid the other modes; all you have to do is click "Modes" and you'll find the rest there. Besides, Tavern Brawl has been dead for a loooong time, so removing it from the main menu just feels right. Does anyone still get excited over Tavern Brawls?
This is just another instance of people hating on change. You'll get used to it, it's really not that big a deal.
I've hit level 60, with the only achievement I've accomplished being the one with Spice Bread Baker. I was hit with work for the past three days so I was unable to play, which hindered my progress a bit. I managed to climb three levels today though.
I'll try to complete the Tamsin achievement tomorrow. I just can't finish it with Handlock since games never get to the point where I need to complete the quest. I'll bite the bullet and play D6 Warlock, that way I can finally cross that achievement off my list (together with the Runed Mithril Rod one).
By next week, my goal is to reach level 70. I'm lagging in my progress again.
Just one of those days where everything went right for me.
I played Raza Hunter in Wild and went 20-5 with it all the way from Platinum 5 to Diamond 4. It just razed everything in its path (yes, even Darkglare Warlocks) and most importantly, it's so fun to play! It's absolutely satisfying to mow down your opponent with non-stop 3-damage from your hero power. I even had a game where a Shaman healed up with Reno Jackson from 13 to full health, only for me to gatling-gun him down for 25 damage in a single turn for lethal a couple of turns later. Not fun for him, but very fun for me.
I had a good time playing Standard as well with Quest Handlock, lost only a single game all the way to Diamond 1. I know everyone hates this deck, but it's just a very fun deck to play.
To top it all off, I got a golden Ringmaster Whatley from the standard pack reward in the battle pass. This is as good as it gets.
I've faced zero Mages so far, I think the class died or people just don't want to try it anymore. Personally, I'm happy about this because the spell-only archetypes of Mage are getting boring to play against.
Because of this, Warlock has become incredibly powerful. I've seen a couple of variations with the questline, from the handlock version to the more combo one (Stealer of Souls + Darkglare). I'm personally playing the handlock version, and I think it's a lot of fun to play. Not so much for my opponent, though. That 9-mana "nerf" to Flesh Giant did absolutely nothing; I can still drop them down on turn 4 or 5 sometimes.
Elemental Shaman and Questline Shaman are the other prevalent decks I see on ladder. The questline version looks strong but is held in check by Warlock. Elemental Shaman remains solid as ever.
There are a handful of Paladins here and there, but overall, it's a Warlock-dominated meta.
I have to say I was guilty of this for one game. My opponent had the nuts draw in wild as Quest Priest, where he was able to equip the weapon by turn 5. It was so frustrating that I conceded out of spite. Not my proudest moment :P
I'm at level 53, and the level 50 legendary that I got was Auctioneer Jaxon. I knew it would be a crap one. I KNEW IT. Ugh.
I'm mostly on achievement-completing mode right now. I recently completed the "Claws Out" one for Druid, playing an Odd Quest Druid in Wild that somehow had a decent win rate.
I'm also trying to complete the "Share Your Pain" achievement for Warlock wherein I have to redirect damage to myself to the enemy hero using Blightborn Tamsin, but unfortunately, my games don't even need Tamsin to win. I played 10 games with Quest Handlock, and I only managed to complete the questline ONCE. The Big Warrior that I faced conceded the second I got Tamsin. I won a lot of games so that's a nice consolation, but unfortunately this is a sad reflection of the current meta. With Mages out of the way, Warlocks are running roughshod.
My ex-girlfriend introduced me to the game, which was sometime around the middle of the Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion (so maybe Sept or Oct 2017). She wanted me to play Hearthstone because it could be another activity we could do together, and for a while, it was. She wasn't a serious player though, we just fooled around with off-meta decks composed mostly of basic and classic cards. She eventually grew tired of the game (and tired of me a few years later lol).
I didn't really take the game too seriously until around the end of the Kobolds and Catacombs expac; I decided to ditch being F2P and bought the Witchwood bundle, and I've been a whale ever since (I'm trying to cut back on my expenses now though). Once I took it seriously, I grew to love the game much more.
So while my relationship with my ex didn't survive, my relationship with Hearthstone did, and it's as strong as ever. It sounds pretty sad when you put it that way, but that's how it shook out lol
Hit Level 45 without the tavern pass, feels nice. I'm currently sitting at 2,200 gold, and I'm getting frustrated with my progress there. I really wish they'd stop having those dumb golden rares and epics in the rewards track, especially since they can't be dusted. They're just a waste of space.
The achievements I've managed to complete are from Warrior (attack 500 times with pirates, and summon 50 minions from deck), Priest (deal X damage with your hero power), and trade 500 times. I'm close to completing the Warlock one where you redirect your damage to the enemy, but my Quest Handlock games don't even reach the point where I can play Blightborn Tamsin; either I kill them quickly with the Flesh Giants + Battleground Battlemaster, or they kill me first. I'll hit level 50 in the next few days, once the new weekly quests come in.
Oh, and I hope the devs massacre Mage in the nerfs next week. People really should direct their hate for Priest to Mage as well. That class has been degenerate and boring for a while now, with nothing but spell-only archetypes. I wonder why they even bothered printing new minions for that class this expansion. Just kill Incanter's Flow, Sorcerer's Gambit, and Ignite, then buff some other strategies for the class (I hope they do something for Hero Power Mage). I'm sick of getting hit by 18 damage from two Fireballs in one turn.
Currently at level 38. My quest to complete the rewards track has begun!
I've been playing a lot of Quest Warrior in both Standard and Wild. The Wild deck is an Odd list I got from Roffle, and it's been so-so but a lot of fun. You basically complete the quest, play Brann Bronzebeard + Cap'n Rokara to get two The Juggernauts causing havoc in the late game.
I've been fooling around with Aggro Shadow Priest too, but it's pretty boring to play. I might tinker around with Quest Druid since I recently unpacked that questline, and I'm gonna try out Odd Questline Hunter as well.
Wishing everyone luck on their grind!
I'm feeling extremely lucky today: I bought the Stormwind bundle, and I managed to get a number of legendaries:
Defend the Dwarven District (free)
Seek Guidance (free)
Archspore Msshi'fn
Sphere of Sapience (golden!)
Lost in the Park
Wasn't expecting this haul from the bundle at all! And I'm grateful for those new questlines, I'm definitely gonna try those out. Thanks, RNGesus!
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You mentioned in your OP that it'll need a nerf, I'm saying it won't because it's simply a solid and fun card whose infinite value in the end game isn't that oppressive.
I saw Roffle play this Odd Quest Warrior deck, which looks incredibly fun. Just tank up, then play Brann Bronzebeard + Cap'n Rokara to get two Juggernauts. Definitely gonna try that out.
Ladder seems to be a bit better now. I've been playing a lot of Quest Warrior (a high-tempo version) and it's killing it. It's not really an aggro deck but a faster midrange one, and it beats the Quest Warlocks and Quest Mages pretty consistently. Raid the Docks still doesn't warrant a nerf though, contrary to the OP's point.
There are a wide variety of decks being played, and that makes this meta a little more fun. Some Elemental Shamans (Whack-A-Gnoll Hammer and Doomhammer variants), Quest Shaman, Aggro Shadow Priest(!), Quest Paladins, Quest Rogues...it's pretty nice! I even tried a Big Warrior list and it's working well too.
The devs might still nerf some Warlock cards to save Wild, if they actually care about that mode. But from my ladder experience, the meta's looking pretty balanced.
I couldn't stop laughing at my opponent who burned his Blightborn Tamsin because of a full hand. Hilarious!
Unfortunately, the very same thing happened to me the next game, when I played Raise Dead which filled my hand, forgetting I would be completing the questline while doing so. Bye, Blightborn Tamsin! Thank my stupidity for your getting burned!
As if that wasn't mortifying enough, I did it AGAIN in the very next game. I have never felt so embarrassed to be a Hearthstone player at that moment, I wanted to shrink out of existence
I hate to be that guy, but that's technically a turn 2 win :P
It's hilarious though, it was only a matter of time before that kind of thing happened.
Gotta disagree with the OP here. Raid the Docks feels really weak right now. I tried building a control shell with it and a somewhat midrange one, and I didn't win a game in 6 tries. Maybe my builds just suck, but it feels really slow compared to the burn meta we're having right now. A better list might emerge, but I don't think it's gonna be a nerf candidate at all.
Defend the Dwarven District seems to be Tier 2 at best for now. I haven't played it, but from my observations while facing this deck, it struggles against board-centric decks and loses gas fast, which was expected. Its ideal game plan is to just direct every damage to face, but with its lack of card draw options that's just not a reliable plan. An interesting strategy would be to go the control route and basically set up for an OTK turn in the late game, but Hunter just doesn't have many defensive tools. I've beaten all Tavish Hunters I've faced with my Quest Warlock, which sounds insane.
Speaking of Quest Warlock, it feels really good to play, and pretty solid too. Warlock's defensive toolkit is really strong right now so surviving into the late game against aggro isn't impossible now. Touch of the Nathrezim and Demonic Assault(one of the underrated cards of the set) make this deck viable. I'm still not sure about this deck's viability once some refined aggro decks come out, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
And once again, Mage is a huge pain in the ass at the start of the expansion. It just sucks when your opponent doesn't play any minions and just burns your face again and again, especially when your gameplan is dependent on interacting with opponents' minions. The Mage quest looks like bait though; a more straightforward Spell Mage seems like the better option.
The nerf targets I'm seeing are Incanter's Flow (should've been nerfed last expansion, honestly) and Ignite. The latter will just murder any control deck with its infinite value. Why did they print that?