The Meta Report #19

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It’s that time of the week again; only a few short weeks since the UTHs nerf, how are you doing on the ladder? Has Rogue finally been deposed? How long will it last? The meta continues its rampant ravings in this week’s DKMR meta report.

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!

Warlock – Despite the dominance of Miracle Rogue in the competitive scene, Warlock wins the popularity contest on the ladder this week. Zoo has always been one of the game’s most popular decks both for its ability to steal a win in nearly any match-up and its low dust cost. Recent builds have dropped the Shieldbearers and Harvest Golems for Leper Gnomes, Leeroy Jenkins, and Power Overwhelming to add more burst in the Rogue match-up. Handlock also remains popular with a strong Miracle Rogue match-up and Hunter’s disappearance.

Rogue – Playing second fiddle to Warlock this week, Miracle Rogue is still largely regarded as the game’s most powerful nemesis. Double Cold Blood and double Conceal has become relatively common to combat the mirror match. Big Game Hunter has also made some appearances in Miracle Rogue to help combat Handlock. With Leeroy Jenkins beginning to garner the public’s general distaste, it will be interesting to see if Blizzard shatters the maniacal Rogue’s win condition with the nerf hammer or waits for Curse of Naxxramas to work things out.

Druid – Druid gains a lot of its popularity from the sheer diversity of decks it enables. While Druid Murlocs may not be the current craze, Druid Tokens, Druid Ramp, and Druid Midrange are all powerful and distinct directions in which to take the class. Druid Tokens in particular has enjoyed a rise in popularity due to its reasonable Miracle Rogue match-up. Druid Midrange playing Ancient Watcher has also seen a mild increase in play. As one of the game’s most consistent classes, it’s unlikely we’ll see Druid ever move too far from the top.

Shaman – Shaman has stolen one of Druid’s tricks recently, packing Violet Teachers alongside Bloodlust in Shaman Token lists to maximize burst against Miracle Rogue. Shaman Midrange remains a powerful contender as well, sporting no truly awful match-ups now with Hunter taking a backseat. Feral Spirit and Lightning Storm ensure slightly unfavorable aggro match-ups are far from unwinnable and Rockbiter Weapon continues to provide extreme blow out potential alongside Doomhammer and Al’akir the Windlord for the control match-ups.

Warrior – While Warrior Control has no especially terrible match-ups, it also does not have any particularly good match-ups in the current meta. The class can make a game out of any match, but there are few reasons to play it over some of the game’s more powerful decks. Match length and dust cost are also not favorable for those seeking to play Warrior Control. There is always something to be said, however, for having reasonable match-ups across the board, and Warrior remains a reasonably popular deck on the ladder.

Mage – Aggro Mage has made a reasonable showing as of late, burning Miracle Rogue and Handlock alike in its wake. DuckwingFACE has streamlined some of the deck’s former inconsistencies and made it a contender in the current meta. Unfortunately, Mage has few other successful builds and remains a relatively unpopular pick overall.

Paladin – Paladin Aggro remains a viable pick in a field of Rogues and Handlocks and Reynad’s release of a Paladin Midrange deck is sure to see a slight increase in the class’s popularity. It’s not terribly surprising to see new builds of Paladin emerging, as many can’t help but root for this plucky underdog, long maligned as the refuse of the meta.

Hunter – Oh where art thou, Hunter? Hunter seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, only emerging on the tournament scene to counter Miracle Rogue and Handlock. The class has quickly lost its thunder after the Unleash the Hounds nerf. Zoo’s current popularity makes that third mana sting all the more.

 

Priest – Priest remains at the bottom of the meta. Too slow and inconsistent for top tier ladder play, Priest is relegated to tournament play and for the brave of heart. Hopefully with the expansion we will see some more decks!

 

Deck of the Week

This week we are going to explore the freeze Mage! This is a deck that is really only seeing play in tournaments. It can be a great deck to start with, catching your opponent off guard and stealing a win! This deck is not something that you want to play on the ladder too much, because it is weak to some of the more popular decks that we are seeing. If you want to try something new, this is the deck to try!