Hearthstone

Look. I'm bored. You're bored. It's still about a week until the reveals start. So let'S have some fun speculating about things that probably will end up very differently anyways.

Now the new expansion brings us dual-class cards. We also already know all the 10 dual class combinations. Finally, we also know (basically) that there will be a legendary for each dual class combo which will be one of the teachers at the school.

The question is, how will these dual class cards (especially the legendaries) turn out?

Here's what we got so far:

Wand Thief: a basic minion with a Rogue keyword as the activator and a classic Mage staple of discovering a Mage spell (as opposed to just discovering a spell in general). It demonstrates the core philosophy of these cards of being a combination of two class specific previously established mechanics.

Lightning Bloom: Same principle as before, but even more simplified. They took a previously nerfed card (Innervate) and essentially "rebooted" it with the added caveat of Shaman overload. Not so much a strong combination of effects, but rather a very powerful effect (that previously only Druid had access to) balanced by a downside.

Devolving Missiles: a more interesting example of combining a Shaman staple (Evolve/Devolve) and combining it with a recurring Mage theme of damage being applied through split missiles

Shan'do Wildclaw: finally, our first and so far only dual class legendary. She seems to be a rather unique case because instead of having an effect that combines two aspects from both classes she splits them up by utilizing the Druid-only [Hearthstone Card (Choose one) Not Found] keyword. As a result we're getting the Keleseth-esque deck buff that is (currently) clearly intended for midrange Beast Hunter, while the other option is a 3-mana tribal Faceless Manipulator which, while still useful for Hunter, has some rather obvious synergies with the Big Beasts that Druid keeps getting from time to time (such as Winged Guardian). The interesting part is that while there seems to be a clear divide between the options, there is always the option to add support for either class, making it very well executed concept. Basically it confirms that Beasts will be more relevant for these classes in the future.

So...with all that in mind, where will these dual class cards go mechanically and thematically? Let's speculate:

Demon Hunter/Warlock

It's pretty obviously going to be a Demonology focussed class. The teacher will either be a demon or have demon synergy. Similar things will occur with the other cards. I think there's a decent possibility that some sort of Lifesteal-control tool will be among them. Most definitely some sort of Big Demon support for both DH and Warlock. A self-damage synergy card might be in there as well seeing how DH also has the proclivity of ramming their face into spiky things.

Druid/Hunter

As evidenced by the legendary it will most likely be Beast focussed. Maybe there'll be one of the classic Choose One shapeshifters with a possible Hunter twist. Or we just get some allround beasts (both big and small). Either way it's a great opportunity to support the beast archetype for both these classes without having to print lame neutrals

Hunter/Demon Hunter

now the most obvious overlap here would be sm0rc, but I actually think that's not gonna be the case. I think we're gonna be looking at a more token focussed approach. Both Hunter and DH have synergy with small rushing tokens (and Token DH so far has been quite weak...most likely intentionally). Either way I don't believe they'd just push more aggro cards for two classes that already excel at it. THere's also potential for a weapon somewhere in there.

Mage/Shaman

Missiles aren't really much to go by, but it'S fair to assume that there will be an emphasis on spells. Maybe we'll even get some more Burn Spells (which is a major shared theme), some Overload limited card draw, or just some strong AoE. I think it's a safe bet that they'll be referencing the Freeze Shaman meme one more time....but like...good..

Paladin/Warrior

Really hard to evaluate. There's not a lot of overlap between these classes. Handbuff could make a return, but at this point that mechanic just seems dead anyways. A weapon is probably a safe bet. Maybe there'll be more Armor+Healing interactions like Thekal....or maybe Paladin can finally get a proper boardclear by proxy. Big taunts are also a possibility.

Priest/Paladin

aside from the ultra-obvious healing cards there might also be some stat manipulation going on. Perhaps we even see the return of Reborn by way of a substitute teacher from Uldum or something like that. The classes also occasionally share a Deathrattle theme so maybe there's something here. Honestly I feel like there'S too much similarity to really predict how they'll make interesting combinations, but I assume they wouldn't have paired them up if they didn't have a plan.

Rogue/Mage

Equal possibility for burn spells or single target removal. Spell damage with a twist could also be in there. If I had to guess the legendary it would probably involve something about generating extra value. Maybe there'll be some cool stealth minions for mage. The most obvious combo will be a secret though. Both Mage and Rogue need more Secret support and this can easily take care of both...although how a shared secret would look like is anyone's guess.

Shaman/Druid

Lightning Bloom isn't much to go by. I also doubt they'd just print some powerful single-target or AOE removal for Druid (unless it comes with a heavy overload cost). Healing is a shared theme so maybe there's something to find there. There's also shared token strategies between the two. I feel like a Choose One card with two Shaman effects is a likely outcome.

Warlock/Priest

Healing for Warlock. If they don't give us healing for Warlock via this (even if conditional) I'm gonna lose it. Aside from that there's probably going to be some crazy mixed boardwipe and maybe some "kill own stuff and also rez it" shenanigans.

Warrior/Rogue

Aside from the obvious weapons and pirates (perhaps too obvious), this might be a sneaky way for Rogue to get some sort of lifegain. So far nothing suggests that these dual class cards will undermine class weaknesses, but who knows at this point? They can always just come up with a gimmick to limit its usefulness. Either way we should get some sort of BUrgle support through this.

And that's it. That's all I can come up with, but maybe someone else has even more ideas. Feel free to share.

Spellburst - A new keyword! This is an effect that triggers only one time, on casting a spell.

How exactly it works? Once x game or once x spell cast or once x turn ?

Turn ten 24 damage to the face. This guy is getting hotfixed. I main control shaman and yeah two card combo deal 24 to the face and add a card to your hand.. nice. 

After the update, I rerolled quest and it deleted the quest without giving me a different one.

And yes I did  relog in multiple times

from

https://patch.land/v/hearthstone/retail

I'm prolly just ignorant here but Why Doesn't Blizzard do More Crowdfunding Promos to Increase the Prize Pools of Tournaments?

By this mean, promos like the pack promo earlier this year where 50% of the income was used to increase the prize pool of Masters.

Why don't we have more of these? I'm thinking bigger prize pools would be better for all the players. For example, they could increase the consolation prize for players, they could increase the prizes from 3rd place below, etc.

I personally wouldn't mind buying more packs if they support the competitive side of HS.

So about 2 months ago I just kinda short-circuited and uninstalled Hearthstone for the first time in years (which I assume all of you have noticed seeing how I was clearly the most illustrious personality on this site and my sudden absence must have been considered a national tragedy comparable to the Hindenburg disaster).

Surprisingly enough during that whole time I didn't actually miss Hearthstone at all. It was an incredibly freeing experience and I would honestly recommend it to anyone who feels burnt out with the game. Losing a few months of gold/cards really isn't that bad now that you easily get all your rares and commons within the first 30 packs of a new expansions anyways.

Spent my time catching up with League again, but now that has lost its appeal again and since the new expansion is just around the corner (and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to cash in on the nerf refunds) I decided to check back in.

Now obviously I'm not completely out of the loop, but I thought it would be fun to let you people give me a TL;DR of the last two months, just so I can get into the spirit of losing my sanity once I realize why I quit in the first place.

Also, if you wanna hear a funny anecdote: I quit just before the Priestess of Fury nerfs hit so despite holding on to my extra copies because I knew it would get hit eventually I still didn't manage to actually cash in on the extra dust...and the funny thing is I don't even really care anymore. i realized I was way too focused on trying to maximize ressources when I barely even used them. I'm really going to try and focus on just building fun decks now and probably only play every other day for fun and quests while I let my absurdly large dustbin and draconic dusting policy carry me through the expansions.

Was thinking of a good way to nerf rez priest that would still make the deck playable and it came to me. Make the rez mechanic the same as in Skyrim. 

If you don't know in skyrim you have spells to resurrect things,just like in hearthstone, those things come to life and do your bidding even though they're dead. But after they die a second time, after being reanimated they turn to ash, and you can't resurrect them again. This is the change to rez priest that i think would be the best for both sides. Priest can still be bullshit resurrecting the lich king or ragnaros, but not several times throughout the game, they would have to play more minions which would dilute their pool so they wouldn't automatically get the lich king or ragnaros, or statue every time. This would make the deck less consistent, and make it easier to win against.

What do you think?

in other words ... how much time I still have to try to reach Legend with my DH, before the nerf? tks

for the announcement of the announcement?

Looking at the nerf patch date and the proximity to august, the new expansion WILL be announced before the 14 July patch that means either tomorrow or in 2 days cause they normally patch the game to put the pre-order bundle.

So any guesses/expectation what's the expansion is gonna be about?

hoping for an expansion about an old warcraft event  since I didn't play wow, TBH I didn't see any hint or something about the expansion.. looking at the nerfed cards we might see more impactful dragons, high cost rogue cards and strong warrior weapons.. but as a theme.. no clue apart from the article in the site.

Just in case I'm not the only one who missed it: HSReplay has finally extended their deck tracker to mobile! Look for "Arcane Tracker" in your app store (Android only as far as I can tell).

I noticed it yesterday in a Reddit post with a screenshot. Played about 10 games with it. Seems to run smoothly, doesn't use up too much space on the screen, very convenient!

Hi, I just wanted to make this thread to discuss how HS could potentially learn from the innovations that LoR introduced and make the game better. Of course, HS is very unlikely to change any of its core gameplay even if it would be an improvement (due to it confusing new and returning players) but I think it could be an interesting thought experiment. Alternatively, this could be a new game mode!

1. Spell Mana: In LoR up to 3 of your unspent Mana can be kept as Spell Mana, which you can only spend on spells. HS could just directly implement Spell Mana, but I think it'd be more fitting for how HS works to make it so that any unspent Mana you have at the end of the turn reduces the cost of your next Hero Power by that much. This would allow players to play off-curve more often and might occasionally lead people to purposefully not spend Mana to save it for their next Hero Power. Additionally, it would make Inspire cards more interesting and viable.

2. Rounds instead of turns: In LoR, players also gain Mana at the start of their opponent's turn, and whenever a player plays a card the other player may play a card in response. One player has all the odd Mana turns and the other player has all the even Mana turns. HS could have a similar version of this, where whenever a player plays a minion their opponent gets initiative. Spells and minions would still resolve immediately, but with initiative swapping the opponent would still have the chance to react. For example, if your opponent plays a charge minion you could play a Taunt minion in response, or destroy the charge minion with a spell. Attacking would still work like normal and not swap initiative, which would encourage players to attack at the start of their turn. The advantage of this system is that it allows for counterplay and is a lot more engaging. It also eliminates the advantage for the first player.

What do you all think about these changes? Would this work in regular HS, or would it be better as a new mode? 

Excruciating. Feels like the longest wait ever for one. Wasn’t a big fan of AoO, pretty much why but I have a feeling this new one will be really good. Maybe news tomorrow. Sigh!

I prolly just missed it, but what were the 2 locked features of Phase 1?

Just wondering what others thought about getting an alternative 'wild-themed' card back for hitting legend in wild.  It could just be a re-work of the usual one with a few more wild-esque flourishes.

As a mainly standard, occasional wild player, I think I might be more motivated to try and hit legend in wild if it resulted in an alternative card back.

Thoughts?

Time for some positivity! What do you like about the decks you like? For instance, I like the wide variety of combos in Quest Warlock, and I love how outcast and the amount of damage available make you think ahead in Tempo Demon Hunter. What are yours?

Okay, so we're near the end of the AoO expansion with one month left to go, and the next expansion will very likely be announced after the felfire festival, so let's have a look at demon hunter as a class throughout its introduction.

Identity

What the class was imagined to be was, aggressively stated minions, with powerful card draw options, and clears minions using the hero via weapons etc. Its weak to board clears, have weak card generation, and supposedly big minions.

Meta Tier Performance

This needs no mention. Dhunters are currently at the top of the tier in both standard and wild, and it used to be top in arena as well until it was taken down. Suffice to say if you crafted Kayn Sunfury, Warglaives of Azzinoth, and Metamorphosis you'll not be left disappointed throughout this expansion.

Admitably, its no longer so easy to play as dhunter, at least in standard. There's plenty of counters and with a third round of nerf/change, dhunters are actually only barely on top of standard. But if ranking up is your game, then dhunters are easy picks. Even amid nerfs, changes, counters and predictability, the deck can still win with multiple options for burst and tempo.

Variety of decks in Demon Hunter Class

There's currently five archetypes of varied viability other than tempo: control, highlander, big demons, combo and token. That's a lot considering that they have the least number of cards between the classes.

Control dhunter (introduced by pro hearthstone player Eddie) is surprisingly good. In the current meta, there's just not enough healing so this deck practically kills you using nothing but Warglaives of Azzinoth + Metamorphosis. Reload via Hoard Pillager and Vulpera Scoundrel. Its actually insane how much damage you can put down with only those two cards, not even mentioning Magtheridon and Zephrys the Great. The deck preys on druids, aggro-tempo decks, mages, priest and rogues on a good day.

Highlander lacks consistency but is far from unplayable. I personally don't like the deck, and have only played limited amounts of it even in its heyday. Cant comment much, but I dont recall ever losing a match to highlander dhunters.

Big dhunter is perhaps the most interesting. Its actually not half bad, but suffers from lack of value. Pit Commander is absolutely insane, as is Coilfang Warlord. Unfortunately, the deck lacks reload, and since all Galakrond decks basically out values it, its hard to play this deck without an overwhelming sense of being screwed.

Combo dhunters are dead, basically. With Twin Slice no longer at 0 mana, you can't activate [Hearthstone Card (kael'thas) Not Found] to do that massive 20 + damage anymore. Ironically now we all got our golden kael'thas, the card is no longer relevant in standard.

Token never got off and as it stands its not going anywhere. More than any other archetype for this class, I've experimented with token dhunters to no success worth mentioning. Wrathscale Naga is excellent, but because theres no way to consistently manipulate all the 3 damage to face, the combo isnt worth preparing for. Not to mention that token dhunters can't maintain much tempo and doesnt have available the burst damage needed even if they somehow manages to stick a board.

Has the class been a net positive to hearthstone as a game?

Fans have been clamoring for a new class ever since KotFT when everyone thought death knights would make an excellent class. They've got their wish, but perhaps not in the way they hoped. The class dominated so much in its early days that opinions on dhunters as a class cannot be anything less than scornful (at least from what I've seen in both this and hearthpwn forums/comments), both at how it was designed to be OP from the start, and the multiple nerfs it had to endure, including an early nerf coming 2 weeks after the expansion started (and announced a week after it started)

I'm of the opinion that unless the next expansion quickly introduces some better taunts and healing options, the class as it stands now is not a net positive for the game. That is mostly not because the class itself is problematic, but because tempo dhunters is messing around the way how an aggro deck should theoretically work like, and the available counters to it.

The basic gameplan of an aggro deck is to pump everything in the early turns to get them to lethal range before it eventually gets outvalued around turn 5 and above, while the opponent (if not an aggro deck itself) actively removes the board as efficiently as possible, stabilizes and present a counter board for lethal. If the aggro deck is able to continuously and consistently reload, i.e. zoolock via hp, aggro rogue, and now tempo dhunter, then clearing board is no longer efficient, and the way out now is to race while staying out of lethal range.

The problem currently: There's not enough good early game taunts. And with the identity thing that team5 is subjecting the classes to means that healing options are limited. In other words, you cannot have an aggro class with an aggressive draw engine without also providing decent (but not overpowered) counter options for midrange-control decks. Unsurprisingly, the only decks that competently counters tempo dhunters are warrior, and quest warlock.

Also, aggro deck mirrors used to be a battle of efficiency, planning and tempo. Now its just about playing around Warglaives of Azzinoth, with some traditional aggro decks (primarily murlocs and token) having absolutely no counter to how warglaives work.

This is basically what aggro rogue used to be (in the early days of RoS). Raiding Party at 3 mana and un-nerf prep was the skull of its time, and its late game burst with leeroy + [Hearthstone Card (wagglepick) Not Found] is comparable to Metamorphosis finisher turns. That deck was promptly nerfed, with many players expressing their disapproval with aggro rogue's dominance and gameplan. What made it bad then but acceptable now in dhunter?

Ironically, tempo dhunters are so efficient that its nearly impossible to consider any other archetypes in the same class. So this one archetype is not only screwing everyone but warrior, its also screwing itself.

What Next?

I don't necessarily think nerfing the class for any further should be warranted. As much as I think tempo dhunters is not healthy for hearthstone, a fourth change/nerf will be ridiculous, especially with an expansion incoming in a months time. I will list down what I personally think team5 should consider in the forthcoming expansion.

- No more new direct damage dealing spells or minions for dhunter class.

- Better early game taunts. Honestly just bring back Tar Creeper. I'd even go so far as to suggest that Wax Elemental would be a good fit for the current meta.

- A better replacement for Earthen Ring Farseer. nearly everthing in classic got powercrept, why not this one? a 3 mana 2/4 taunt that heals only face for 3 is a somewhat good card against aggro. Would also give Frozen Shadoweaver a run for her money.

- Late game value cards for dhunter class. Best still if its a demon. Maybe a 7 mana 4/4, summon a random demon at the end of your turn.

- Something to help out tempo in token dhunter. Maybe a 1 mana 1/2, give your illidari initiates +1+1. Or something like Goru the Mightree for illidari initiates.

What do you guys think about demon hunters as a class, and what future can we look forward to, with the forthcoming expansion in mind?

I'm going to assume her current emote is related to the Fire Festival, as are all of the Greetings emotes currently. When the Festival ends her emote will go back to normal...

Anyone else not opening legendaries? I've open 44 packs from ashes since the bundle came out and no legendaries

I opened the bundle for 20, i bought 15 with coins, 4 from the season, 3 from felfire 2 from twitch for a total of 44 ashes packs

I also bough 10 dragons packs with coins and opened the rest of the felfire packs 

I have opened 100 plus ashes packs