The Meta Report #47

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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.

Mage: With GvG hitting virtual shelves this week, the meta is topsy turvy! Expect the meta to shift violently and frequently as popular players create new and powerful decks. The first class which seems to have received a lot of attention from pros is Mage. Many players believe Unstable Portal is one of the strongest cards in GvG. It has the potential to allow you to play incredibly powerful minions such as Ysera a full three turns early. Unstable Portal provides immense value if it fetches a minion costing 5 or more and at worst typically gives you a 2 or 3 mana minion you can play on curve. Most popular Mage decks on the ladder currently are mid-range Mech decks using standard removal, Snowchugger, and Mechwarper.

Warlock: Unsurprisingly, Warlock continues to see extensive play on the ladder. Surprisingly, it’s because of Handlock and not Zoo! It recently hit #1 Legend on NA replacing Earthen Ring Farseer with Antique Healbot and Soulfire with Darkbomb. These builds also usually play a Recombulator to upgrade their Healbots or heal a giant. While not as competitively successfully, the ladder is also full of players trying to make Demonlock work. While you should expect Handlock or Demonlock if you run into a Warlock, there are still a fair number of players playing old Zoo or testing Mech Zoo.

Priest: Priest was one of the most hyped class going into GvG, and for good reason. Shrinkmeister is proving to be as good as people expected. Expect most Priest opponents to be playing control and packing at least two Cabal Shadow Priest and one Shadow Madness. Light of the Naaru can also be powerful when combined with Injured Blademaster, providing a minion which can frequently trade up very efficiently.

Paladin: Muster for Battle has breathed new life into Paladin just as people hoped. Muster for Battle into Quartermaster is quickly becoming many players’ favorite interaction. The class also received a powerful boost in the early game with Shielded Minibot. Minibot gives Paladin a much needed answer to early minions like Flame Imp and Knife Juggler. Be wary of Paladin’s Silver Hand Recruits and be sure not to fall pretty to a devastating Quartermaster!

Warrior: Warrior Control has remained much the same but has gained several powerful tools. Shieldmaiden is particularly powerful, providing life gain, enabling Shield Slam, and putting a large body on the board. Many players have also experimented with Bouncing Blade and Crush to diversify Warrior’s removal suite. However, Bomb Lobber appears to be Warrior’s new go-to removal. Much like Shieldmaiden, Bomb Lobber provides significant value, frequently removing a minion and putting a body on board. Expect Warrior Control when facing a Warrior opponent, but don’t be too surprised if your opponent is trying a spicy Iron Juggernaut into Youthful Brewmaster deck.

Rogue: Rogue appears to be one of the better classes to take advantage of Mechwarper. Iron Sensei and Goblin Auto-Barber are two of the cheaper class mechs and each is very good at building a strong board. A turn 1 Coin into Mechwarper followed by a turn 2 Iron Sensei effectively gives you a turn 3 Chillwind Yeti. If the Iron Sensei isn’t answered immediately, it can end the game very quickly. Expect a lot of players to be experimenting with various builds of Mech and Tempo Rogue. Many players are using Tinker’s Sharpsword Oil in slower Miracle-esque Rogue decks as it serves as both a Cold Blood and a Deadly Poison in a single card. Sprint has also seen more play with the Gadgetzan Auctioneer nerf. Expect Trade Prince Gallywix to make a huge splash in the meta as well.

Hunter: Hunter has yet to find a particularly consistent build. Most players are experimenting with Gahz’rilla decks using Call Pet or mid-range Steamwheedle Sniper decks. It seems inevitable, however, that a newer more efficient build of face Hunter will emerge. Once that happens, expect the deck to once more claim the top seat on the ladder.

Shaman: Shaman hasn’t seen significant play on the ladder, but has some potentially brutal tools. Whirling Zap-o-Matic is especially powerful and has already been the source of several turn 4 wins. Dunemaul Shaman and Crackle further enforce this burn centric theme. Powermace also conveniently buffs the little windfury mech. While Shaman isn’t seeing significant play at the moment, expect some flashy windfury fueled brews to make a scene sooner rather than later.

Druid: Druid is at a strange place when it comes to ladder play. Standard Druid was already fairly poor on the ladder due to its weakness to Freezing Trap, Sap, and Zoo. While all of these cards and archetypes have briefly fallen to the wayside, Druid didn’t receive any cards that immediately reinvent the class. Troggzor and Grove Tender are reasonable plays in Fast Druid, but don’t change the deck substantially. Druid definitely has the tools to succeed though. Expect significant experimentation with the class and a potential ramp or mill deck to arise.

Deck of the Week – Control Warrior

Firebat crushed RDU on the first episode of Deck Wars S3 using this interesting Control Warrior brew. Explosive Sheep shores up the deck’s weakness to some aggressive strategies such as Zoo. Bomb Lobber also provides significant value against aggressive strategies, but scales well against larger minions as well. Perhaps the most significant addition is Shieldmaiden. This card gives Warrior a safe play in the mid-game and enables many of Warrior’s powerful tools. Expect this deck to be fairly popular on the ladder as it was the premiere deck in one of the first popularly televised show matches after GvG’s release.