The Meta Report #51

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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.

Warlock: GvG hasn’t even been out for a month and players are back to their aggressive tendencies. Zoo is one of, if not the most popular deck on the ladder right now. This is likely due to its cheap cost to craft, forgiving gameplay, and Xixo’s recent success with the deck on the ladder. Most builds have cut Echoing Ooze and Sea Giant, but still watch out for Implosion! Many players are still playing Handlock as well despite Hunter’s resurgence. Expect Zoo when facing Warlock, but consider keeping cards which are reasonable against both decks like Ironbeak Owl or Aldor Peacekeeper when mulliganing.

Hunter: Hunter continues to experience rising popularity. This is likely due to its relatively cheap cost, ability to finish games quickly, and success by high Legend rank players. While many players are using standard midrange Hunter builds, the very aggressive builds using charge minions like Arcane Golem and Wolrider are more popular. Explosive Trap is currently the most popular trap, so be sure to play accordingly. As a Hunter, be mindful that some players are currently teching Kezan Mystic.

Warrior: Warrior Control remains popular due to its strong match-ups against Hunter and midrange Paladin. Many Warrior players are currently running two copies of Whirlwind as well as Baron Geddon to further solidify aggro and Paladin match-ups. Be sure to play in such a way as to minimize the effectiveness of Whirlwind and Baron Geddon. Whirlwind, in particular, is usually easy to play around and can be catastrophic if it catches you off guard.

Mage: Both Mech and Giants Mage continue to see play on the ladder with players having already achieved Legend rank with both variants. The more aggressive Mech Mage variants have returned to using Unstable Portal for its ability to single-handedly swing a game given the right RNG. Giants Mage relies heavily upon Echo of Medivh in order to generate value. Removing your opponent’s board is critical against both decks. Mech Mage needs board presence to enable its mech synergies while Giants Mage frequently relies on a strong late game board presence in order to cast a powerful Echo of Medivh. Be sure to save answers to Giants as well!

Paladin: Team IHEARTHU’s midrange Paladin deck continues to see a reasonable amount of play on the ladder. If teched appropriately, the deck can be particularly potent against the current meta of Zoo, Hunter, and Warrior. The deck can be teched for aggro by running additional Sludge Belchers and perhaps even an Antique Healbot. Quartermaster is usually your win condition against Warrior and other control classes. Be sure to save your Muster for Battle and Quartermaster for turn 8 so that your opponent cannot use Whirlwind to easily clear your recruits.

Druid: The most popular build of Druid remains the double Force of Nature/Savage Roar combo Druid. While having many negative match-ups in the current meta, Druid is no worse than a 45-55 underdog in most games and has a strong Warrior match-up. While you should expect the double combo deck when facing Druid on the ladder, many players have adopted the use of a Mill Druid deck. Be mindful of Tree of Life if your Druid opponent is playing some unorthodox cards.

Priest: Many of the Priests on the ladder have begun using at least a single copy of Velen’s Chosen in order to improve minion trades and enable mid-game aggression. Unlike classes like Warlock and Warrior, a staple Priest list has yet to be disseminated, so be mindful of potential unorthodox strategies when facing a Priest. One should also prioritize removing any Lightwardens your Priest opponent may summon from Light of the Naaru as the little minion can become a lethal threat very quickly.

Rogue: Most Rogue decks you encounter on the ladder will likely be a form of Tempo/Miracle hybrid which replaces the Gadgetzan Auctioneers with Sprints and uses Violet Teacher as the win condition. With the nerf to Gadgetzan Auctioneer, players seem to finding Preparation into Sprint to be a suitable alternative. Less often you will run into incredibly aggressive Rogue decks using Tinker’s Sharpsword Oil as additional copies of Cold Blood to combo with Arcane Golem. Most Rogue decks focus on efficiency and sacrifice threat density for draw power. Take advantage of this by taking the game long. Conserve your life total and seek to gain card advantage whenever possible.

Shaman: Shaman has changed little in the past week. Shaman ranges from moderately aggressive Whirling-zap-o-matic decks to the standard Shaman midrange faire. AOE is especially strong against Shaman. As always, be sure to save answers to Flametongue Totem. Remember that Reversing Switch can kill any totem with zero attack!

Deck of the Week – IHEARTHU Mech Mage

Mage has been particularly strong recently, earning several players Legend rank already this season. The deck leaves a fair amount of room for tech. One Legend player even ran Blingtron 3000 and Harrison Jones over the Azure Drakes. The weapon from Blingtron 3000 gives the deck additional reach and emergency removal. Harrison Jones obviously synergizes well with Blingtron 3000 while already being very strong in the current meta. IHEARTHU recommends to run the more consistent Azure Drakes, but feel free to experiement!