The Meta Report #44

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Here’s Team IHEARTHU’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.

Hunter: Hunter remains a constant in the competitive ladder scene. Recent builds have gravitated back to the Explosive Traps and Wolfriders of yore in order to gain an edge in the mirror match. So be mindful of Explosive Trap if your Hunter opponent seems to be playing a more aggressive build of Hunter!

Warlock: As much as Hunter, Warlock also continues to be a constant on the ladder. The majority of Warlock players are playing Zoo due to its brutal efficiency and lack of truly poor match-ups. Most Zoo builds are packing at least one Ironbeak Owl to counter Undertaker and taunts. Many are also speculating that Zoo may be the best shell for an aggressive Mechwarper powered Mech deck once Goblins vs. Gnomes hits. Handlock is still a powerful deck as well, although Hunter often keeps it in check on the ladder. Some builds of Handlock have dropped the second Defender of Argus and now play a second Hellfire in order to have access to a full complement of AOE spells against aggressive decks.

Rogue: Rogue has seen a spike in popularity on the ladder after its success at Worlds. It sports a strong Zoo and Priest match-up, and is not unreasonable against Hunters who still run large, Sap-friendly threats like Savannah Highmane. Hunter also keeps Rogue’s nemesis, Handlock, in check. Expect Miracle Rogue to continue to see significant play as long as the ladder meta provides a hospitable environment for it.

Priest: Priest is another strong deck on the ladder. It has a strong Zoo and Hunter match-up as well as the ability to out grind other control decks. Many builds of Priest have been teching a Harrison Jones to help against Hunter, Rogue, and Warrior. Also expect nearly every Priest you face to be packing one Shadow Madness and one Mind Control.

Warrior: Warrior frequently sees brief spikes in popularity due to its strong Hunter match-up. It is particularly strong against the new breed of face Hunter with Explosive Trap. Warrior generally finds itself being quickly pushed out of the meta by Zoo, Miracle, and Priest. Most Warrior players are playing the deck on the ladder in order to beat Hunter, so expect Warriors to be teched with cards like Unstable Ghoul, Cleave, and Whirlwind. Harrison Jones has also becomes a near staple in Warrior due to its value against both Hunter and some control decks. Baron Geddon has also been appearing in more recent Warrior builds as a means to potentially shut down Zoo opponents.

Druid: Both “fast” Druid and Ramp Druid are reasonable plays on the current ladder. Druid has more outs to the newer iterations of face Hunter since those decks don’t run Freezing Trap and Savannah Highmane. Freezing Trap frequently ruined many of Druid’s most powerful starts. While the new Hunter deck can still steamroll Druid with a strong draw, Savannah Highmane was the card that gave older Hunter builds a second wind when Druid began to stabilize. Give Druid a try while the Hunters are foregoing their Freezing Traps.

Shaman: Shaman has lost a lot of steam since Hunter switched to Explosive Trap. Relying on building a strong board and packing no heal, Shaman suffers significantly against the faster builds of Hunter. On the bright side, Harrison Jones has seen a decline in non-Warrior decks, meaning double Doomhammer Shaman could make a small comeback.

Mage: Mage sees infrequent play at the higher Legend ranks. Freeze Mage is strong against many of the slower control decks, but is dismal against the ever popular Hunter. Secret Mage is more popular than Freeze Mage on the ladder, but is still weak to Hunter. Hunter is playing few to no Flares at the moment, however, so Mage may be a reasonable ladder choice for the time being.

Paladin: Paladin remains one of the least popular decks on the ladder. Control Paladin leads to a brutally slow ladder climb and doesn’t sport a particularly powerful spectrum of match-ups. Paladin Aggro hasn’t found a strong or consistent build since beta. Muster for Battle is looking to change all of this, however. This new spell is aggressively costed and may be the proactive spell Paladin needs to power up its playstyle.

Deck of the Week: Miracle Rogue

You approach this Miracle variation similar as the others. You try to keep your opponents board clear and fight off any early pressure he puts out with your removal spells until you draw into your Gadgetzan or other card draw. Then you try to overwhelm him with your cheap removal and efficient minions until you can finish him with your Leeroy Shadowstep Cold Blood Combo. Try this deck out in your next tournament and let us know how you do!