The Meta Report #37
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Well, it didn’t take Hunter long at all to climb back near the top of the ladder. Hunter has proven to be incredibly resilient to nerfs. With Blizzcon NA qualifiers right around the corner and the Blizzcon EU decks released there have been some popular decks showing up on the ladder after the reset. Let’s see what’s popular this week!
Here’s Team DKMR’s weekly Meta ranking. Keep in mind, it’s about which classes and archetypes are played the most, not about which are the strongest. Most of the time, the strongest decks will also be the most frequently played, but that’s not always the case. That’s just part of how the Meta works.
Warlock: Even with Hunter’s return to prominence, Warlock maintains the top spot. Handlock is once again playable without Hunter being a ubiquitous ladder menace. Zoo remains a popular choice by beginners and pros alike for both ladder and tournament play. Some builds of Zoo are even sneaking in a single Sea Giant.
Hunter: It only took about a day for Hunter to come back! New builds of Hunter have dropped the freshly nerfed Starving Buzzard and adopted a more linear aggressive strategy. Most builds aren’t even running Unleash the Hounds. Ready your shields for a new onslaught of Undertaker powered Hunters.
Priest: Priest remains a popular choice on the ladder. Control Priest is now more popular than Deathrattle Priest. Expect Priest to play Wild Pyromancer and a single Silence if you face it on the ladder.
Warrior: Warrior has gained popularity with its success on the ladder at the very end of last season. Builds have eschewed Unstable Ghoul for a Cleave and a slightly better midgame and Alexstrasza for Ysera. Cards like Ysera and Faceless Manipulator improve your control match-up while Cleave retains your strong aggro match-up.
Shaman: Shaman remains a powerful deck even with Hunter’s resurgence. The lack of Unleash the Hounds in most builds of Hunter means you can totem and Feral Spirit at will without fear of repercussions. Shaman can be teched to fight either aggro or control, making it a flexible choice in today’s meta.
Druid: Druid remains an excellent proactive deck in the meta. Unfortunately, the new builds of Hunter use their linearity to capitalize on Freezing Trap’s ability to disrupt tempo – making Innervate plays that much more perilous. Expect most builds of Druid to rely on Wild Growth and Innervate to fuel powerful plays like Spectral Knight and Chillwind Yeti.
Mage: Mage remains a strong, but generally unpopular deck in the current meta. Aggressive and mid-range builds featuring Duplicate and other secrets remain the most common builds. However, old school Freeze Mage has been cropping up as of late as well.
Paladin: Paladin has seen a steep decline in play. With players once more gravitating toward aggressive decks, Paladin has had a hard time keeping up. Expect to see Paladin Control in tournament environments, but don’t expect it to make a huge showing on the ladder.
Rogue: While variants of Rogue remain playable and see some tournament play, the deck rarely shows up on the ladder. The once dominant Miracle Rogue is nigh unplayable. Current iterations have kept the Gadgetzan Auctioneers and replaced Leeroy Jenkins and Shadowstep with Cold Bloods and an increased focus on a linear curve (generally highlighted by Shade of Naxxramas).
Deck of the Week: Fishou Aggro Mage
This week we take a look at the class that many people have stopped playing, Mage. This deck is a heavy aggro deck that Thefishou used in the European Qualifiers for Blizzcon with great success. With many early threats and great burst this deck is one of the strongest Aggro decks at the moment.
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