The Meta Report #45

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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 has cemented itself at the top of the ladder for months now due to its brutal efficiency when ranking up. While last week saw Hunter using Explosive Trap and Wolfrider to gain an edge in the mirror match, recent builds are gravitating back to more midrange builds. Don’t be surprised if your Hunter opponent lands a Sludge Belcher. Expect Snake Trap and Freezing Trap, but be sure to play around Explosive Trap in case your opponent is still playing a more aggressive build. In very rare cases, some players are even teching The Black Knight in their Hunter decks.

Warlock: Zoo has remained much the same. Still one of the dominant forces on the ladder, most variation comes with the inclusion of Power Overwhelming, Ironbeak Owl, and perhaps the number of Dark Iron Dwarves.

Handlock remains an incredibly powerful deck, particularly in tournaments. Variation in Handlock typically revolves around one’s selection of AOE (i.e. – two Hellfire or two Shadowflame) and how greedy one wants to be with threats. If you expect many control opponents, you can overload Handlock with threats like Sylvanas Windrunner and Ragnaros the Firelord at the expense of cards like Mortal Coil. If you’re playing on the ladder, it may be best to gear Handlock more against aggro by running two copies of Mortal Coil and both Ironbeak Owls.

Priest: Priest continues to be a powerful counter to the ladder’s top two contenders. The deck has gained more support recently due to its strong ladder performance by several prominent streamers.

Deathrattle Priest has also made somewhat of a comeback, so be ready for Undertaker shenanigans. In Control Priest, consider using Earthen Ring Farseer over a copy of Thoughtsteal to add another effective tool against aggressive strategies.

Rogue: Rogue continues to see a good amount of play on the ladder due to its fantastic Priest match-up and reasonable Zoo and Hunter match-ups. There’s a fair bit of flexibility in Miracle Rogue builds. Some choose Southsea Deckhand and Faceless Manipulator as their finishers. Some have gone back to using Leeroy Jenkins and a single Shadowstep. Others rely solely on their double Cold Blood to end the game. Be mindful of losing tempo to Sap when playing against Miracle Rogue and keep an eye out for which finisher to expect.

Warrior: Warrior continues to see a steady amount of play on the ladder due to its strong match-ups. Builds haven’t changed significantly from last week, with most builds focusing on countering aggro and cards like Baron Geddon seeing increased play. Warriors trying to counter Priest and Druid may be playing Gorehowl as a one-of.

Druid: Druid saw a small bump in popularity with the emergence of Miracle Druid. Miracle Druid uses Gadgetzan Auctioneer alongside cheap spells like Moonfire and Claw in order to draw into the Force of Nature and Savage Roar combo. The deck is unique and could surprise ladder opponents.

Shaman: Shaman hasn’t seen significant ladder play recently, but can be a reasonable pick with Hunter decks again moving away from Explosive Trap. Several players have experimented with aggressive Shaman decks using Undertaker and Zombie Chow in order to counter other aggressive decks.

Mage: Mage hasn’t changed significantly from last week. Secret Mage is still the most commonly played build of Mage on the ladder. Most builds of Secret Mage play two copies each of Mirror Entity and Counterspell and a single copy of Duplicate. The key to beating Secret Mage is correctly predict their secrets and avoid giving them a huge tempo edge.

Paladin: To no one’s surprise, Paladin remains at the bottom of the ladder. However, yet another powerful Paladin card has been spoiled! Coghammer looks to provide incredible value as it can vastly improve your board and serve as removal against aggressive decks. Hopefully Goblins vs. Gnomes will boost Paladin’s ladder rank.

Deck of the Week – Yeti Hunter

Some recent builds of Hunter have adopted Chillwind Yeti as popularized by Impact. Chillwind Yeti provides a large threat in the mid-game, which Hunter generally lacks. Adding such a threat allows Hunter significant resiliency and the ability to trade against opposing minions. It also gives you another effective means to break through Sludge Belcher, especially when paired with Leokk. Give Yeti Hunter a try on the ladder, and see how it works for you!