The Meta Report #1

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We’re almost at 5 months of closed beta and the game itself has changed a lot since the beginning. Not only due to nerfs, but a lot comes from the metagame itself.

What do you mean “Meta”? Why is it so important? Great question, the “Meta” is the flavor of the month, decks that you’ll probably see when playing with other people. The meta decks are usually very efficient decks that have an average-to-good matchup against most others, and that’s what makes them so popular. Every now and then, a new deck shows up that counters the current meta and thus they become the new flavor. The cycle continues. It’s part of what makes this game so fun. The diversity that a healthy meta can bring to the table is something unique, especially in a game as dynamic as Hearthstone. Since we’re still in closed beta and the cards are still being changed and tested, you can expect the meta to change on a daily basis. Yes, it’s that crazy! This is true especially after a patch or when a new season begins, where everything is a mess and you can expect players to try new things everywhere. From this, a new metagame is established.

Without further ado let’s move on to the specific classes and see more about how they’re doing in the current mess… I mean meta! Keep in mind, all the information here is subject to change at any point, but it’s still gives good insight of what you can expect.

Druid: “Nature will rise against you!” - Yep just like old Malfurion said it would, everytime you used the threaten emote. Druids have been in a pretty good spot ever since Frost Mages were dominating the scene, and they still remain a solid class to this day. This is partially due to the fact that they don’t have many terrible matchups to consider while they’re playing late game control. However, expect different Druid decks to show up in the near future as they still have a lot going on for them that players have yet to find out.

Warlock: “That was a mistake.” - Pre-patch, Warlock Aggro was everywhere, killing everyone at the same time, only having trouble mostly against some Rogues, Druids and Mages. After the most recent changes, Warlocks had to adapt. On the positive side, Blizzard threw Pyroblast out of the window and old Burn Mages aren’t as relevant as they used to be anymore. On the negative side, aggro Warlock really fell out of flavor due to the nerfs (especially the nerfs to Blood Imp.) Right now Warlock Giants is the flavor for the class, but I firmly believe that new Aggro lists will pop up really soon. An example of this would be the old “MurLock”, who is also still around despite the nerf hitting them as well.

Paladin: “Justice demands retribution!” - Indeed, Paladins weren’t in a great position before the patch. Pretty much every Druid did what they could do, with a bit more consistency. When it came to Aggro, most Paladins were just a tad too slow to compete with Mages and Warlocks. But right now, I believe they are in a great spot. Lately there have been signs that Paladin board control might become a powerful deck build. Healing will never become out of place against burst damage, be it through a couple big creatures/spells or via a lot of small minions. I’d say it’s a good time to put your faith in the Light.

Rogue: “Watch your back.” - Rogues were one of the top choices before since their only terrible matchup was against Mage. As of now, it seems like the old flavor Rogue decks were hit hard by the current nerfs. Novice Engineer a 1/1? The Dark Iron Dwarf buff is no longer permanent? This has been really rough and so far their only alternative is to play Spell Power or Miracle Rogue, both of which don’t have a lot of good matchups to consider. Rogue has seen better days, but they’re definitely not out of the scene yet.

Mage: “Whoops.” - Everybody used to hate Mages, and for a good reason. It was the one class that didn’t care about the board, the meta, or even about matchups since they’d almost always have a very solid performance against anything. In the past, games against Mages were mostly a “do or die” affair. You either kill him before turn 8 or you lose. But now that Pyroblast is a turn 10 play, Mages lost a lot of flavor. Frost Mages used to be great but those were nerfed as well. I guess we won’t be seeing too many Mages for a while (at least not like it used to be), but the class itself still have a lot going on for them. Mage Midrange could still be a thing and there are already some players using Secret-based builds with a fair amount of success. Even after being nerfed twice, I believe they won’t fall too far behind the other classes.

Hunter: “I hunt alone!” - No, you don’t. Remember when Hunters used to be the “underdogs” of Hearthstone? Well, not anymore. Hunter Aggro is here to show what Rexxar can do. And it does quite a lot actually, it’s pretty much one of the fastest decks around. While it used to be kind of an all-in, the new Unleash the Hounds - Starving Buzzard combo added a lot of consistency to the archetype, and it even has some pretty good synergies with other cards like Leeroy Jenkins and even Sea Giant. This new deck took the current meta by complete surprise, destroying Warlock Giants and even having a fair fight against Druids! I’m not really sure about how long this is going to last since new counters are being come up with very fast. I do believe that Hunters will still have their place in the meta, be it through aggro or even control.

Warrior: “Victory or Death!” - Warrior is a very interesting class, and one that was also hit by nerfs. It used to be very dominant, due to the OTK combos it had with Molten Giant, and especially Gorehowl and Alexstrasza. The fact that these strategies have been removed from the game completely has certainly reduced the Warrior’s presence in the meta. Nevertheless, it’s still a solid pick as a control class. They might also have a place in Aggro lists as well, but I’m not really sure yet.

Priest: “The Light shall bring victory!” - Another class that has lost a lot of flavor. Originally it was considered by many to be out of question where competitive play was considered. If there was ever a moment for Priests to make a comeback, this is it. The rise of control decks is itself an advantage for a class that’s purely based on late game and the fact that Priests have four instant removals against big minions (Shadow Word: Death and Big Game Hunter) is just amazing. We can’t forget about Mind Control as well, it suddenly has a LOT of good targets and even cards like Mind Vision are being played. I believe Priests will re-earn a solid place among the rankings. Even though Aggro decks can still pose a threat, I believe that Priests are much more prepared to fight Aggro now than it ever was.

Shaman: “I wonder…” - This class was kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place not too long ago, but this patch brought pretty much only good news for Thrall. In the new meta, it’s definitely a solid pick, as it has an insane amount of options against anything. In addition, now that the old-school Mage archetypes are gone, they’re definitely in a better spot. I believe Shamans will become much more relevant than they previously were.

Card-specific placements in the current meta:

Acidic Swamp Ooze: Guess what, everyone’s favorite slime is going to make a comeback! Sure it had its place on sideboards, but with the rise of Hunter and Warrior decks (even Paladin to a certain extent), I believe these little fellas will reappear in a lot of decks.

Chillwind Yeti: You better believe it. Now that Dark Iron Dwarf has been nerfed, these big guys are starting to show up in a few lists. It’s still too early to say for sure if he’s here to stay, but he’s definitely not a bad pick by any means.

Big Game Hunter: Bang! There goes your big minion, which is what we’ve been seeing people play pretty much every time. Some players are even using it with Abusive Sergeant and Dark Iron Dwarf to kill 5 attack minions. Not a bad idea, I must say.

Crazed Alchemist: It gets rid of stuff like Nat Pagle, Doomsayer and totems for free, and can even combo well with some other cards. He’s definitely one minion to keep in mind nowadays.

Stampeding Kodo: Just like its Alchemist friend, it gets rid of important stuff for free only its kill range is a bit larger and its aim a bit worse. Now that Sylvannas left the 5 mana spot, maybe this guy will see more play. Can be especially good in Paladin decks.

Sen’jin Shieldmasta: Against the new Hunter Rush, this guy might actually find a spot in a deck designed to counter all the hunters. He’s a fast taunt with great stats that can be hard for Hunters to deal with.

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