The Meta Report #50

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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.

Warrior: Warrior Control builds remain similar to prior weeks. The primary difference is their choice in anti-aggro tech. Some builds eschew Brawl for Explosive Sheep and double Whirlwind. A few builds also play Gorehowl in order to improve the control and midrange match-ups. Warrior has proven to be one of the game’s most consistently powerful decks since GvG’s release. Be sure you’re prepared for Warrior when grinding the competitive ladder.

Warlock: Expect to face a lot of Warlock on the ladder and expect most of it to be Zoo. Zoo continues to be one of the game’s most competitive decks as well as one of the most accessible power decks for new players. The most popular build of Zoo runs Implosion. Expect many of the Implosion Zoo decks to have cut Sea Giant due to the rise in popularity of Big Game Hunter. Handlock still sees a fair amount of play on the ladder as well. Be sure to play around Mortal Coil and Shadowflame when up against a Handlock. Most Handlock players are playing Zombie Chow to combat aggressive decks.

Paladin: Slight variations of the IHEARTHU Paladin deck have been seeing significant play on the ladder. The vast majority of the deck remains consistent from list to list, but there are many options for the decks few tech slots. Tinkmaster Overspark, Bolvar Fordragon, Sludge Belcher, Harrison Jones, Coghammer, Big Game Hunter, and Loatheb are all cards you could expect from your Paladin opponent. Fewer builds are running the divine shield package, making Blood Knight less effective against Paladin recently. Ensure you have a way to deal with a Muster for Battle into Quartermaster combo.

Hunter: Unsurprisingly, Hunter continues to rise in popularity on the ladder. Recent builds have opted for the full charge package and Explosive Trap in order to combat the popularity of Paladin. Expect Wolfrider, Arcane Golem, Explosive Trap, and Unleash the Hounds. As always, anticipating your Hunter opponent’s traps is one of the surest ways to ensure victory. If your opponent is playing the charge minions, expect Explosive Trap. If your opponent plays a Sludge Belcher or Houndmaster, expect Snake Trap or Freezing Trap.

Druid: Druid has continues to see increased play as well. The most popular build is still double Force of Nature/Savage Roar combo “fast” Druid. Some builds have adopted a mech theme while others use Violet Teacher and Power of the Wild. Be wary of potential combos if you see a Power of the Wild. Be sure to remove any Mechwarpers your opponent plays ASAP as they are essentially a Wild Growth for the Druid.

Mage: Mage has seen a bit of a shift with Giant Mage usurping Mech Mage as the most popular archetype. Players are chaining the Molten Giant and Sunfury Protector package from Handlock into Echo of Medivh to produce an insurmountable and lethal board presence. Expect many Explosive Sheep and Frost Novas on the way in order to stymie Warlock and Hunter aggression.

Priest: Priest continues to struggle to find an identity in the current meta. It largely continues to see play due to its status as a fan favorite. Expect most Priest players to be using Shrinkmeister and double Shadow Madness. If possible, play around Shadow Madness as it can easily swing the game in the Priest’s favor. Most Priests are only running one Shadow Word: Death at the moment, so keep that in mind if you’re playing Handlock or Warrior Control.

Shaman: Shaman still does not see significant play. Newer builds are similar to their pre-GvG counterparts but have replaced Lightning Bolt with Crackle and squeezed in a Neptulon. Even outside of a Murloc shell, Neptulon is a powerful finisher. Four Murlocs is usually enough to provide synergy as all you need is one Murloc Warleader or Siltfin Spiritwalker to generate additional advantage.

Rogue: Rogue continues to struggle in the meta. Expect most Rogue opponents to play a variant of Miracle Rogue, however, Tempo or Mech Rogue variants are also reasonably popular. Be wary of Alexstrasza and Tinker’s Sharpsword Oil. Sprint has also been particularly popular in Miracle and Tempo Rogue.

Deck of the Week – IHEARTHU Mech Druid

IHEARTHU team member DTwo used this Mech Druid deck to great effect in his top 4 finish in The Pinnacle. The deck uses Mechwarper as its third and fourth copies of Wild Growth. The deck also has access to additional powerful four drops as it runs both Mechanical Yeti and Piloted Shredder. Overall, the deck sports a much more efficient curve. Its lower curve competes better against aggro. While it can lose steam against control, it has access to much more powerful starts than your standard Druid.