The Meta Report #53

Team IHEARTHU: Twitter | Website

Sponsored by: Kinguin | Waypoint Media

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.

Druid: Druid rose quickly this week, with variants of Ramp Druid becoming the most popular deck to ladder with. The majority of builds eschew Force of Nature and Savage Roar for Kel’thuzad and resilient taunt minions. When facing a Druid, expect two Big Game Hunters, Sludge Belcher, and Mind Control Tech. In fact, be wary of Mind Control Tech in many popular decks as people are playing it to counter Dr. Boom. As a Druid player, expect your opponents to be playing The Black Knight due to Druid’s popularity. While Druid has waned some since it peaked over the weekend, it is still a force to be reckoned with.

Hunter: Hunter has also seen increased play recently. All three of the popular traps are seeing play, but expect most builds to lean toward Freezing Trap and Snake Trap. The most popular build of Hunter is a midrange build which tops out with Dr. Boom and only runs one Snake Trap and one Freezing Trap. Expect some opponents to play Hunter with Wolfrider and Explosive Trap in order to counter the mirror.

Warlock: Warlock will likely never sink much lower in popularity than it is at the moment. Handlock is in a reasonably poor position with Hunter and Big Game Hunter seeing significant play. Druid and Hunter are currently the decks of choice for those players looking for a proactive deck, meaning Zoo has also waned. Despite this, one must always be ready for the Warlock menace. Sea Giant no longer sees play in Zoo with other decks running both copies of Big Game Hunter.

Paladin: Mid-range Paladin teched to beat aggressive decks is a strong choice in the current meta. Paladin naturally counters Druid with Aldor Peacekeeper ruining Innervated Yetis and Truesilver Champion allowing your recruits to trade up against most of Druid’s minions. The majority of current Paladin builds are using a large complement of heals. Some popular builds run as much as two Guardian of Kings and two Lay on Hands. We recommend Antique Healbot to improve the Hunter match-up.

Mage: Mech Mage recently did well in a tournament, so expect it to be the current Mage deck of choice. If an aggressive Mage player plays a secret, expect Mirror Entity. “Medic” and fatigue Mage remain fan favorites. Look to identify the style of your opponent’s deck early in order to better navigate the later turns and appropriately play around the correct secrets.

Rogue: Rogue has seen a significant boost in play with Miracle Rogue being successful in several tournaments and popular streamers using Mech Rogue to reasonable ladder success. Expect most Rogue opponents to be using a variant of Miracle Rogue, and don’t be surprised if your opponent finishes the game with Leeroy Jenkins!

Warrior: Warrior continues to be a well-polished and powerful deck despite where it may appear on our rankings. The deck continues to be powerful in tournament play, but has seen less ladder play due to Druid’s popularity. Expect Warrior decks to be teched to win the aggro match-up and to improve the Druid match-up. Expect Baron Geddon in your opponent’s line-up of Legendary game enders.

Priest: While players have seen individual success with Priest, generally Priest has dropped in popularity due to the popularity of Druid. Expect most builds to be similar to the one featured in last week’s Meta Report, using Prophet Velen and Auchenai Soulpriest to empower Light of the Naaru.

Shaman: Shaman continues to see little play on the ladder although tournaments have seen some interesting builds. Expect to face midrange builds utilizing a light mech theme to empower Powermace.

 

Deck of the Week – Ramp Druid

Ramp Druid has seen a significant rise in popularity over the past week. Zombie Chow and the deck’s plethora of 3-drops gives this version of Druid a significant edge over aggressive decks which other builds of Druid lack. Additionally, the taunts allow Druid to claw its way back from a losing position. Big Game Hunter ensures you have an answer to your opponents’ huge threats. Mind Control Tech is an excellent counter to Dr. Boom and still performs well against board control decks like Paladin and Zoo. Kel’thuzad allows you to go over the top to compete with control decks. Note that this particular build runs The Black Knight to counter the mirror match. If you’re not running into the mirror, Sylvanas Windrunner should be used instead.