The Meta Report #38

Team DKMR: Twitter | Website

Sponsored by: Gunnar | 2P.com | Waypoint Media

The NA Qualifiers have shaken up the meta and solidified the meta’s movement toward more aggressive strategies. Hunter and Warlock remain two of the game’s most popular classes while even the midrange classes like Druid and Shaman have become more aggressive.

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: Warlock remains on top. While Handlock has seen some reduced play, Zoo continues to see significant play on the ladder. And it’s no surprise after its dominating performance at Phase 2 of the NA Qualifiers. Be prepared for Undertaker fueled Zoo decks on the ladder.

Hunter: Hunter has seen quite the comeback. The deck saw a fair deal of play at the NA Qualifiers and has become a staple on the ladder. While Starving Buzzard is likely never coming back, Unleash the Hounds is back in vogue this week. Don’t be surprised to see the powerful spell swinging games in the near future.

Druid: Druid was the other big winner along with Zoo at the NA Qualifiers. Most players had a Druid deck in their arsenal and the class had one of the highest win percentages of the tournament. “Fast” Druid was the most popular variant of the deck. Sporting two copies of Force of Nature and two copies of Savage Roar, this Wild Growth fueled behemoth ends the game quickly with some of the game’s most efficient minions. Expect to see Druid appearing more and more on the ladder.

Shaman: While Shaman’s popularity is artificially inflated by the epidemic of bots playing the class (watch out for those Sea Giants), Shaman is a legitimately strong deck for ladder play. Its diverse suite of removal allows it to retain answers to a wide array of threats while adapting its minion base to the particulars of the meta. The deck made a showing at the NA Qualifiers as well, with some players even packing two copies of Doomhammer and Lava Burst.

Priest: While Priest is still a strong class, its popularity has been recently overshadowed by the success of decks like Druid and Zoo in the NA Qualifiers. Most builds are running Wild Pyromancer, Holy Fire, and either Kel’thuzad or Ysera as a finisher. Be mindful of how your opponent may be able to clear your board with Wild Pyromancer combos.

Warrior: Warlock, Hunter, Shaman, and Priest make up the vast majority of ladder decks. Warrior has suffered in the recent shift back to proactive, aggressive decks. While powerful, Warrior’s passive game can often be overrun by Zoo and Hunter. Consider running Unstable Ghoul if taking Warrior on the ladder. Warrior remains one of the more popular fringe decks.

Mage: Mage saw a boost in popularity after Freeze Mage made a splash at the NA Qualifiers. The deck still packs a powerful game plan and was particularly unexpected after being off the radar for so long. With a strong Handlock match-up and a good Zoo match-up, Freeze Mage is a good option for tackling the meta’s top class, however, it suffers some from its poor Hunter match-up.

Rogue: Rogue made a showing at the NA Qualifiers, but was one of the event’s least successful classes. Despite this, the class has more than adequate tools to defeat Zoo, one of the ladder’s most popular decks, meaning it’s never a terrible choice for ladder play. Recent builds retain the Miracle Rogue draw engine and use Cold Blood and Shade of Naxxramas to finish the game. Some builds are even using Alexstrasza to facilitate lethal attacks.

Paladin: Control Paladin saw a little play at the NA Qualifiers and sees little play on the ladder. Paladin suffers in much the same way as Warrior. Both decks typically play a reactive game, only utilizing their Hero Power the first few turns. When most decks are opening with Undertaker, control decks will need to look to build a stronger early game.

Deck of the Week: Kolento Druid

Today we will take a look at the deck that Kolento played at the EU Regionals. We are going to break down the cards and take a look at the gameplan that this deck follows. Druid has always been one of the most consistent classes throughout the meta game and this version is just one of its many variations.