The Meta Report #18

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Until there are new cards we are going to see the same decks or variations of them. What is amazing, is that the Meta continues to change; so let’s get to it! Rogue still reigns supreme in this week’s DKMR Meta Report, but the rest of the meta remains in turmoil! Will Hunter shine again? Is Shaman poised to usurp Rogue? Read on to find out!

Check out Team DKMR’s meta rankings below. Don’t forget, the name of the game is popularity, not power. While Warrior Control may be an incredibly powerful deck, a poor match-up against Miracle Rogue or prohibitive dust cost could be enough to keep the deck unpopular. That’s just how the meta works!

Rogue - Rogue is still meta menace number one. Miracle Rogue continues to dominate both tournament and ladder play with no clear end in sight. While it has some unfavorable match-ups, each is winnable and competent Rogue players nearly always stand a chance. Many Miracle Rogue builds have adopted double Cold Blood and sometimes even double Conceal to improve the mirror match.

Warlock - Handlock’s favorable match-up versus Miracle Rogue continues to raise its stock on the ladder. The deck has moved toward removing both Alexstrasza and Lord Jaraxxus since a reset to 15 health means little against a Rogue who can deal 22+ damage from hand. Shadowflame has become more popular as it can deal with a 4 health Gadgetzan Auctioneer more consistently than Hellfire. Shadow Bolt has also seen some play as a means to remove Auctioneers and Azure Drakes. Some builds have adopted a single Big Game Hunter for the mirror match and Cold Blooded minions. Warlock Aggro also remains an incredibly popular deck on the ladder for both its consistency and inexpensiveness.

Shaman - The absence of Hunter and the rise of Handlock has revitalized Shaman. Earth Shock and Hex allow Shaman to handle Handlock better than nearly any other class. Feral Spirit serves as a significant roadblock to Miracle Rogue’s combos, giving Shaman a reasonable match-up against the meta’s most dominant deck. Last weekend’s Deck Wars tournament also saw a new direction for Shaman, eschewing some its standard control elements for value minions like Harvest Golem and Chillwind Yeti.

Druid - Druid has seen increased play largely on the back of Druid Tokens. Druid Tokens can fight back against Miracle Rogue with its own combos and an aggressive curve, often ending the game before Leeroy Jenkins can do his worst. Druid Ramp and Midrange still see some play as well, keeping Druid a popular choice on the ladder.

Warrior - With no especially strong match-ups, Warrior has fallen off as of late. While its match-ups against Miracle Rogue and Handlock are not bad, there are stronger decks one can choose to combat the meta’s top contenders. Warrior is also reasonably weak against Shaman’s diverse removal suite. While this may be a down week for Warrior, we expect it won’t take much re-imagining to bring the class back up the rankings.

Paladin - In a blaze of justice, Paladin has risen in popularity on the merits of Paladin Aggro. This hyper aggressive deck is strong against both Miracle Rogue and Handlock. Both those decks tend to consistently have seven or eight cards in hand, making Paladin’s Divine Favors game winning. Paladin Aggro is a bit of a glass cannon, but it’s a blast to play and will likely retain a strong fringe presence on the ladder as long as Miracle Rogue and Handlock remain at the top.

Hunter - Hunter’s fall from grace has opened the meta for Handlock and Shaman. However, Hunter Aggro still has a fantastic match-up against Miracle Rogue, Handlock, and Shaman. We expect Hunter to see significantly increased play as the stigma of the Unleash the Hounds nerf wears off. This is still a great tournament deck.

Mage - While outstripped by Paladin, Mage Aggro continues to have a place on the edge of competitive ladder play. It has some of the fastest starts in the game as well as the best burn spells to end a game. It will be interesting to see if Curse of Naxxramas changes this paradigm for Mage.

 

Priest - Priest continues to languish at the bottom of the meta rankings. While Priest has some fantastic tools, its strategies aren’t quite as fast or powerful as many of the meta’s top decks. Time will tell if Priest has what it takes to take the ladder.

 

Deck of the Week

The deck we showcase this week is the one that [DKMR]Brad mainly used to get legendary this season. This week we’re going to go over handlock which has been becoming more and more popular ever since the nerf of unleash the hounds. Hunter is one of the biggest, if not, the biggest counter to handlock out there. Now that the hunter has become less popular due to the nerf, handlock has become more powerful on the ladder. The deck relies on being passive for the first few turns followed up by bombs on turn 4 and after which is usually hard for the opponent to keep up on. Although there are a few semi-counter still going around on the ladder, such as shaman, handlock can still be a contender in that matchup.