The Happy Hearthstone Podcast

Strategy Potluck 4 — In Your Back Pocket - Episode 80

Hello!

• Ben is on the show this week
• Topic: Strategy Potluck!/li>
• Reasons to be happy

News!

• BlizzCon happens Nov 4-5! Josh will be on the Con Before the Storm Hearthstone podcasts panel!
• Scott Lantz’s card game launched on Android and iOS this week! Go play Plants vs. Zombies Heroes RIGHT NOW!
• Win free card packs from Blizzard By Choosing Your Champion!
• Heroic Tavern Brawl is coming soon. Here are the rewards!
• Thailand Facebook group with amazing infographics

In Your Back Pocket: Preparing for the Game

Mastermind: Ben

• First and foremost, remember it is a game so have fun.
• If you are not having fun maybe try a different deck or class or even mode.
• If you are still not having a good time maybe play a different game.
• Limit distractions.
• Especially visual. Music should be fine.
• This guide isn’t going to be about how to ladder. If it was, I would be telling you to play face shaman and concede early and concede often to keep your win ratio to time ration high.
• This has been more of a guide to get better.

The Element of Surprise

Mastermind: Jayme
“Information warfare. Sun Tzu states that all war is based on deception. Control the battle by only playing cards as necessary and you will maximize your card’s potential! For example, it’s generally a bad idea to play an Arcanite Reaper and then not attack with it that turn. In theory, you’re following the advice above of keeping weapons for killing minions. But if they know that it’s coming, they’re never going to play good minions onto this board. Or worse, they’ll destroy your weapon before you get any value from it. Save your threats for the opportune time to strike to maximum effectiveness.”

In Your Back Pocket: Knowing Which Mode to Play

Mastermind: Ben

• What environment, mindset, situation are you looking for when you choose to play Ladder?
• What about for Arena?
• When do you choose to play Wild over Standard?
• The age-old question — Do you play more than 1 win of Tavern Brawl?

Tournament Modes

Mastermind: Matt Thomas
“What do you and *insert guest host here* want to see from any tournament functionality that is implemented in the game? In my mind there are actually two different things that are being asked for when the internet hive mind shouts about a tournament mode…

1) In game client tournaments instigated by Blizzard, they would set the rules for entry, any cost required, prizes etc. In my mind this would function in a similar way to Arena, you join a tournament make a deck that follows it’s rules and start playing. Obviously the issues here would revolve around how many people are in the bracket and the time constraints that could cause when matching up with people.

2) A tournament organising tool which allows the members of the public to organise their own competitions, with their own sets of rules.
The comparison I keep thinking of when mulling this part over is when I used to create custom games in Halo. You could set all manner of different parameters, not just the basic number of kills etc, and then play that with your friends.
In hearthstone this would end up allowing you to customise things like tournament type, bans, number of people, wild/standard, and what ever else you can think off.

What do you guys think? What would you like implemented in game?”

In Your Back Pocket: Picking Your Deck Type

Mastermind: Ben

• First, you should have a look around and see what other people are playing. It’s no shame jumping on Youtube or Twitch to watch a streamer play or even going Hearthhead or Tempostorm or even Reddit to see what everyone is playing.
• What are good counters or tech choices?
• You don’t have to use those decks if you don’t want to and if you find a deck that looks fun or good you don’t have to copy the deck card for card.
• Pick a class you know or want to know and work out what kind of deck you want.
• Aggro: Face Hunter, Face Shaman, and some warlock zoo decks.
• Midrange: Midrange Shaman or Totem Shaman, some Dragon Warriors, and quite a few Paladins.
• Control: Control Warrior, Dragon or N’zoth Priest, N’zoth Paladin, and Anyfin Paladin
• Combo: Miracle Rogue, OTK Priest, Freeze Mage

Casino Decks

Mastermind: Matt
“Casino decks – I’ve seen a few of these Casino-style decks lately. @jaugustine, we should build some and have some fun!”

In Your Back Pocket: Picking Cards For Your Deck

Mastermind: Ben

• Right once you have a deck type idea have a play around with it work out what cards you want to put in it. What’s fun and what’s vital?
• Always have rotating cards in a deck. Try and leave 1 or 2 card spots for wiggle room for Tech Cards.
• Tech Cards usually refer to cards that specifically combat the current meta.
• Playing a lot of Warriors and Rogues? Throw in an Acidic Swamp Ooze or Harrison Jones.
• Lots of Taunt Druids? Play The Black Knight.
• Lots of Secret Hunters or Freeze Mages? Pop in a Secret Eater or Kezan in Wild.
• Getting run down too quickly? Pop in a Sunwalker or Shieldmasta or another AOE spell.
• If it’s feeling slow today, add Ragnaros or a few heavy-mana cards.
• Remember you deck is not set in stone when you press the finish deck button. You can adapt and amend it as much as you want and if it isnt working you can always chuck it out and start anew. Tech cards are mostly to your own discretion how you feel the game is when you play.
• I currently have 11 priest decks some are very similar with only 2 or 3 cards different depending on how the meta feels while others have 28 cardes different from the others.
• As stated before about meta decks, it is important to have a basic grasp on them. How they work and more importantly how they kill you. Most classes have a few archetypes. Try and learn them or at least the popular ones and know the telltale signs of them.

In Your Back Pocket: Turn By Turn

Mastermind: Ben

• Turn 1: Watch out for Warriors here. Either they have mulliganed their whole hand and seen 6 to 8 of their cards, or they kept them all they will probably have Fiery War Axe.Maybe you don’t want to drop that Mana Wyrm or Northshire Cleric
• Turn 2: Priest will almost always heal your face this turn then say “the light will burn you”. It’s their way of saying they’re probably not playing dragon priest or they just had really bad draw. Watch out for Shamans. This is where they start snowballing, so try to clear as fast as you can and hold board. Hunter will try and Coin Cloaked Hunter and dump their Secrets this turn too. Have a system prepared to check for their traps. I usually attack a minion first to check for Freezing and Snake, then go face to check for Explosive and Bear. The new Cat trap is in the mix, but you cant really play around it except by not playing spells.
• Turn 3 + 4: You need to be careful of Innovate here against Druids. You have to be careful of it always, of courrse, but they’re now in range of their good cards. They can Coin Innovate to get Druid of the Claw or Savage Combatant and Hero Power or even Violet Teacher, Innovate, then a multitude of cheap spells to build a massive board out of thin air. Hold your AOE if you feel like they’re holding back. Sometimes taking 8 face damage this turn is worth it, if they empty their hand next turn and you get a full clear. They also have Swipe here.
• Turn 5: This is the time AOE shows up usually. Watch out for Brawl, Holy Nova, and Excavated Evil. They’re all pretty good AOE and is especially brutal if they have spell power down from Bloodmage or a Coin Azure Drake.
• Turn 6: Some mages will drop Blizzard here. It’s not super common, but Coin Flame Strike is bread-and-butter. Gadgetzan Auctioneer appears this turn followed by usually Coin Conceal. Only Flame Strike or Bomb Lobber can kill him at this point, without some big-luck random damage. This is the turn to prepare for a massive turn next from both Rogues and Druids. Bloodmage and Swipe is a strong clear this turn from druid too. Sylvanas also come down this turn and so does Entomb. Try to bait these cards early to protect your better ones later.
• Turn 7: Hello, Flamestrike. The amount of times I’ve played into it is shameful. It will decimate Shaman, Hunter, and Warlock. It can singlehandedly win some matches. Try to make them play it on a turn where they can’t spend their mana efficiently, like turn 8 or 10. Also Coin into top Legendaries (most 8-cost) is here. A well-placed Ragnaros can spoil everything for you.
• Turn 8: The Legendary level! If you’re playing Forbidden Shaping, play it now or Hero Power and play it on Turn 10. 8 mana is the most consistent to get a good minion. Also Tirion Fordring comes out now, so hold your Entomb or Silence to be able to keep going face.
• Turn 9: Most Dragons pop up here, like Nefarion and Ysera.
• Turn 10: Anyfin can happen! I hope you’ve been keeping track of slimy swarmers. If a Paladin has played any murlocs, they will have this and they can do mammoth amounts of damage instantly. It can also be pulled off of Ivory Knight to to heal a lot. Deathwing Dragonlord in some Priest or Warrior decks may show up. Try to silence it or don’t kill it if they have a big hand (or, on the very outside chance that you have a Mind Control, use it!). No one expects it, so mabye pop one in for fun!

Favorite Character Art/Voice/Spell FX

Mastermind: Jellybone
“Your “Best/Worst” animation reminded me of a topic I’ve been meaning to suggest; the “Aesthetics of Hearthstone” episode! Which class has the best/worst card art? Character art vs. Spell art. Best card voice acting/dialogue/sound fx. Best in-game animation/fx. Best flavor text. Maybe not episode caliber but maybe enough for a segment. Best wishes, Jellybone.”

In Your Back Pocket: After the Match

Mastermind: Ben

• Take a breath, take a break!
• Were there any cards in your deck that were dead in your hand?
• Were there any cards that you wish you had?
• Are there any single copies in your deck that you want to change to a double?
• Did the opponent obliterated you and you don’t know why?
• Try to make their deck. Reconstruct it from your notes and memories.
• An old music teacher told me practice does not make perfect it makes permanent if you practice wrong you will not get better. Watch people who are better than you. Don’t get salty. Learn from losses!
• Accept every friend request you get and send them to everyone you have fun playing with.
• Reddit: CompetitiveHS
• Thailand Facebook group with amazing infographics

Community

• Questions: N/A
• iTunes Reviews
• Donations (More info)

Card of the Week

This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. You can find more of my made-up cards on Twitter.
 

Farewell

• Follow Ben on Twitter!
• What do you want to see in future episodes?

Pickpocket Rogue Deck - Episode 79

Hello!

• Drew is on the show this week
• Topic: Deck Battle!
• Reasons to be happy this week
• News: Cards got nerfed, Josh will be on the Con Before the Storm Hearthstone podcasts panel!

What is a Deck Battle?

Once a month, a guest host brings their favorite deck onto the show to battle the current reigning champion deck for control of the Happy Hearthstone Deck Battle Throne!

If the challenger wins the best-of-3 series, their deck becomes the new Reigning Champion Deck and will fight off future challengers until it loses, or until it’s earned its place in the Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame!

View the Deck Battle Archive + The Happy Hearthstone Hall of Fame

Defending Deck: Craig’s Dragon Priest deck puts an aggressive twist on the standard control class.
Challenger Deck: Drew’s Pickpocket Rogue uses the element of surprise and a few key combos to outsmart and outvalue opponents.

Pickpocket Rogue

Creatures

• 2x Swashburglar: Don’t use on Turn 1 — this is a combo piece. Best with Brann or Gang Up in faster matchups. Shadowcaster works well too.
• 1x Bloodmage Thalnos: Early game draw, late game board clear with Fan of Knives, or used to bump up damage from Backstab, Eviscerate, or Shadowstrike. In most match-ups right now, use as an extra Loot Hoarder.
• 2x Loot Hoarder: Mulligan for this, you want card draw and early game board presence.
• 2x Undercity Huckster: Mulligan for this, starts your combos, provides good board presence early on.
• 1x Brann Bronzebeard: Combo with Earthen Ring Farseer, Swashburglar, Ethereal Peddler, Defender of Argus, Shadowcaster, Azure Drake, and even Nefarian.
• 2x Earthen Ring Farseer: Heal face for 3, combo with Brann for 6 healing. Keeps play going with a solid body for the board.
• 2x SI:7 Agent: Keep in mulligan if you have Coin or Backstab. Play as a tempo 3 drop. Rogue staple.
• 2x Defender of Argus: Turns a board into a wall. Wonderful target for Shadowcaster, because you can have a 3/4 taunt, a 4/4 taunt for 6 mana since you would already have the Defender of Argus on the board as a target. Amazing with Brann too.
• 2x Azure Drake: Draws a card, boosts spell damage, great with Brann and removal spells. Almost never a bad Turn 5 play.
• 2x Ethereal Peddler: The reason this deck works. It turns a bad concept (filling your hand with cards with no synergy) into a working archetype. You lose tempo by using substandard cards, but the cost reduction from this makes it the tempo swing in your favor again. Use with Brann for even more shenanigans.
• 2x Shadowcaster: The ultimate shenanigan. With all of the battlecry effects, this card makes them more work even more often. Use on Brann to get two Branns that only cost 1 mana to use with other battlecries. Use with Defender of Argus for even more taunts and buffs. Use with Swashburglar to steal even more cards (it essentially just gives you another Swashburglar, so not incredible value, but still value). Note that since Brann makes battlecries trigger “twice” not “double,” it doesn’t help to have more than one Brann on the board at a time.
• 1x Nefarian: Gives two spells, which are usually pretty good. Good as a late game threat too, which is nice against control decks. If it survives for a Shadowcaster the next turn, you can get some insane value.

Spells

• 2x Backstab: Mulligan for this. Early game removal. Rogue decks start with this and then start building a new deck.
• 2x Eviscerate: Mulligan for this. Early game removal. Don’t be afraid to use it as 2 damage if needed.
• 1x Gang Up: Use on really good minion steal or on Swashburglar for faster matchups. Can also use it if an opponent plays a great card to copy before you kill it. Don’t use it on Reno Jackson unless you are literally at the end of your deck.
• 1x Sap: Good for getting rid of Barnes-products, taunts, Flamewreathed Faceless tempo shifts, pesky deathrattles that threaten to go off, or just to prolong your life through tempo. Good against Druid’s Innervate shenanigans too.
• 1x Fan of Knives: Good against Zoo. It at least cycles, even better when combined with Bloodmage Thalnos and Azure Drake.
• 2x Shadow Strike: This plus Loot Hoarder can kill a certain 4 mana 7/7. Great against Darkshire Councilman, and anything else with 5-6 health. Can even get the party started on the enemy’s face (though I would generally save this for removal).

Substitutes

In case you don’t have some of the ideal cards, here are some quality back-ups and alterations you can use, which all keep with the same theme and strengths of the deck.

• Grand Crusader: This is a battlecry card that gives Paladin cards, which is great, but it is a 6 mana 5/5 which I think is too slow in this deck. Perhaps it is better in a more controlling deck.
• Nexus-Champion Saraad: Alternative to Nefarian. A bit slow, requires a hero power to be useful, and has substandard stats at 5 mana 4/5. That being said, if you can get him to stick, he will be consistently giving you cards to use. Might pair him with Sir Finley Mrrgglton to get a more useful hero power for the kinds of matchups that this card would struggle in.
• Shifter Zerus: How about some randomness with your randomness? Does maintain cost decreases from previous Ethereal Peddlers.
• Tomb Pillager: This card is even better than it looks as a tempo card. It trades up, it has the potential to draw out removal like Shadow Word: Death, and it gives a coin back for even more tempo. Swap it in for Defender of Argus if larger, slower decks are in the meta.
• Crazed Alchemist: Alternative for Bloodmage Thalnos. Weird as it sounds, this is helpful to remove enemy minions, as it makes trades more favorable sometimes, and anytime you swap a damaged minion’s health, it is no longer damaged, allowing the use of Backstab or Shadow Strike.

The Duel

CONGRATULATION TO CRAIG’S DRAGON PRIEST DECK, WHICH EARNED ITS SPOT IN THE HALL OF FAME ON THIS EPISODE!

Strategy Advice for Playing the Pickpocket Rogue Deck

(Meta comments are current as of Sept. 2016. This was written by Drew.)

You have to know how to play other classes at least in theory to play this archetype, because you want to be looking for common combos, such as Divine Spirit and Inner Fire from Priest.

Your worst matchups are going to be Priest, Shaman, and Warlock. They have incredibly wide variance in their selection of good vs. bad cards.

The best matchups are probably Warrior, Druid, and Mage, because they have really good standalone cards. You are never disappointed to steal Bash or Shield Block. Druid has a lot of large minions, but the Ethereal Peddler discount makes them so you can play multiple large minions in one turn. Mage secrets are nice to play because they have no idea what to do, and their thinking is sometimes biased towards what secrets they actually have in their deck, instead of the full range of Standard secrets.

Playing Against Priest

Priest has cards that only have healing triggers, really bad cards like Power Word: Glory, and other extremely situational cards that might be entirely useless. Weirdly enough, Purify isn’t terrible, since it allows you to get rid of a terrible Priest card and to draw one of the cards from your deck, which is probably much better. In all seriousness, Purify is actually pretty good, because a Shadowcastered 1/1 minion can be silenced to be full-sized again. And I will say that Priests that are built to Thoughtsteal and other things like that are hilarious to play this deck against. I mean, you’re probably going to lose, since they get Rogue cards and you get Priest cards, but it is pretty funny when you have a bunch of Priest minions on your side and they have a bunch of Rogue minions on their side.

Right now, the most prominent deck is the Barnes-silence deck. You want Sap if it comes to your hand, as well as your standard early game removal. Don’t waste it on small damage (like Northshire Cleric, unless you want to play a minion, so it can’t ping, heal, and draw off of it).

Playing Against Shaman

Shamans give overload cards that screw up your curve and are sometimes so cheap that Ethereal Peddler can’t reduce their cost that much, since a lot of the mana cost is in the overload. A LOT of cards require totems too.

Get early game removal. If you don’t, and they curve out, you will lose by turn 6. Sap isn’t bad, especially against Flamewreathed Faceless. At this point in the meta, Flamewreathed Faceless isn’t a standard include, but Sap can also be used to get rid of a buffed Tunnel Trogg, a Thing from Below, and so forth. Later in the game, don’t feel bad about playing a Defender of Argus on one minion to save some health.

Playing Against Warlock

Warlocks have terrible downsides to their cards unless they synergize, which is not likely (such as discarding cards, destroying your own minions, hurting yourself, destroying mana crystals). In fact, the best card you can probably get from Warlock is Renounce Darkness, because the discounts stack, and they’re random cards anyway.

Early game removal is necessary against Zoo, and the two-health minions are more valuable than the one-health minions, to deny card draw from Mortal Coil. Fan of Knives is also great in the Zoo matchup. The current meta deck for Renolock isn’t as strong, but it has some dragon synergy, so if you think you are playing against dragon Renolock, save Gang Up for Twilight Guardian if you have Nefarian in hand.

Playing Against Warrior

The tier 1 deck is Dragon Warrior right now, so you should try to keep a low curve minion as well as Eviscerate or Backstab. If you keep Backstab, do keep Bloodmage Thalnos as well. The reason for the low curve minion is Faerie Dragon can’t be killed with a spell, and it is really inconvenient to hit it with your face if you don’t have an early minion. Coin + SI:7 Agent is ideal. Don’t keep Fan of Knives, as the other Warrior decks (Control, Worgen OTK, C’thun, Patron) are usually trying to draw with Acolyte of Pain and things like that anyway. Your best use of Fan is on a blank enemy board for cycle probably. If you see Emperor Thaurissan, you are probably facing Worgen OTK, and you need to create a taunt wall, so use Shadowcaster on Defender of Argus and start taunting as many minions as possible. It is very hard for it to win if you have a bunch of taunts.

Playing Against Druid

The top tier deck is Malygos right now, and the problem with this one is its reach usually exceeds what you can keep your health above. It also has Yogg-Saron, so just expect a weird and fun game. There is also Token Druid, and that one you’ll want to save your Fan of Knives + Azure Drake or Bloodmage Thalnos to clear the board. It has several reset options too, though, so you might just hope for a stolen Swipe or Starfall.

Playing Against Mage

The main deck right now is Tempo mage, and it is going to be a more consistent tempo game than you can probably play, unless you are lucky with your steals. Save your Eviscerates for Flamewaker.

Playing Against Paladin

Paladins are hit-or-miss, because while the cards you get are good, there are two distinct types of cards you get for Paladin, control and token. Sometimes you get too much of a mix, and the synergy just isn’t there. Luckily, the cards are pretty good, so something usually works, and Paladins have the best legendaries in the game, probably. Tirion Fordring for 6 mana? Yes, please. Gang Up on him and you win.

Murloc Paladin and N’zoth Paladin are the dominant types, and the key for both of these will be to win before they do. Tempo out, but don’t overcommit or your board will be cleared with Equality. If you can Gang Up a really good minion of theirs, do it, but one note: Ivory Knight is not as good as you think, because it gives you Rogue spells, not Paladin spells, and that means you won’t heal for much because we have really low-cost spells.

Playing Against Hunter

Hunters are similar to Paladins in that they can be very hit-or-miss. A Call of the Wild for 6 mana is amazing, though. And then sometimes you get a Ram Wrangler and a bunch of spells with no beasts to trigger them.

I actually think Hunter is one of our best matchups with regards to tempo right now, since we can basically out tempo most of their decks. Sap on a Savannah Highmane is a huge setback, but be aware that turn 8 Call of the Wild is a serious problem and can end you if you leave any minions on the board on turn 7. Mulligan for early game removal and keep Shadow Strike if you get it.

Playing Against Rogue

Finally, there is Rogue. This is a pretty bad match-up, because Ethereal Peddler doesn’t work on Rogue cards, obviously. That being said, you often get good cards when you steal, because you’re playing Rogue for a reason. I don’t mind having more Rogue cards to use, because I love Rogue. Rogue cards don’t exactly have synergy with each other, they just have efficient, tempo-based cards, so it isn’t the worst scenario. I’ve won some of the matchups just because this deck has a decent tempo backbone. Short story, long: I don’t think that the Rogue mirror problems are a reason to NOT play this deck.

The usual archetypes that are played right now (Fall 2016) are Miracle (usually with Leeroy, though an Arcane Giant variant has shown up recently), N’Zoth (sometimes combined with Pickpocket-style), Malygos, and some variant of this pickpocket deck type. Because of all the taunt-possibilities, Miracle is often stymied. Gadgetzan Auctioneer is a good clue you are playing a Miracle Rogue, though the Malygos Rogue also runs Auctioneer, so you might look out for Shiv, which is only in the Malygos variant usually. N’Zoth is a problem, but it is really just a type of tempo deck, so sometimes you can out-tempo them if you get a good draw. If they land N’Zoth and you weren’t lucky enough to steal Vanish, it is probably over. The pickpocket archetype is having the same problems you are, so it is really up to luck.

That being said, focus on drawing cards, because you’ll need the card advantage. Keep Loot Hoarder and Undercity Huckster. You want to make them take some initial damage while keeping the cards flowing to your hand.

Other Variations of this Deck You Can Try

(In order of Drew’s opinion of viability)

• Brian Kibler’s: Best pacing and balance of value and tempo. Not too greedy on stealing, just solid cards. Pretty consistent.
• Trump’s: Super aggro. Can sometimes run out of gas, but solid curve with good cards
• Drew’s (This one!): More fun than the others because of craziness. Definitely less consistent against aggro, but wins most control matchups.
• Kripparian’s: Really greedy, as this includes literally every way you have to gain cards from opponent’s class. Less consistent.
• Day9’s: Could be good in certain matchups, but suffers from worst of both worlds of aggro and greedy. Runs out of gas and is very inconsistent.

Community

• Questions: Wild and Crazy Predictions for Hearthstone at BlizzCon
• iTunes Reviews
• Donations (More info)

The Dust Bowl

Card of the Week

This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. You can find more of my made-up cards on Twitter.

Farewell

• Follow Drew on Twitter!
• What do you want to see in future episodes?

Karazhan Review (Class) - Episode 78

Hello!

• Scott is on the show this week
• Topic: Karazhan Class Card reviews!
• Reasons to be happy this week
• News: Buy the Welcome Bundle, Big Arena Changes, Regional Championships starting, Read Josh’s articles on Red Bull Esports

Review Scoring Guide (NEW!)

• 0 = Awful, unplayable (Runic Egg, Poison Seeds)
• 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Dust Devil, Corruption)
• 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Crazed Alchemist, Shadow Bolt)
• 3 = Solid value (Senjin Shieldmasta, Assassinate)
• 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Animal Companion, Fireball)
• 5 = So good you always have to play it (Tirion Fordring, Call of the Wild)

Druid Cards

Enchanted Raven

• Scott says: I’m less excited about this card than most people. I don’t agree w/ the hype. But I can sit over on the side with my hipster glasses eschewing the zeitgeist.
• Josh says: Very good. Pre-emptively trumps every 3/2 and will keep them from playing them. Also gives a 1-cost Beast card that’s not bad, which combos great in druid Beast deck.
• Arena Score: 4
• Constructed Score: 3

Menagerie Warden

• Scott says: Hoo boy. Now we’re talking. I already liked Beast Druid, though it wasn’t Tier 1 or anything. This will be a nice addition. The cost premium is a bargain, but being attached to a big body gives it a big enough cost that it’ll only come out late-game and will be hard to combo. Compares well to Ram Wrangler — this has more control (good and bad) but also charges 1 mana less for ability.
• Josh says: Borderline Bonkers (BB?) when it happens. Blizz is determined to make Beast druid good and this card is blatant in its intentions. Only trouble is finding sticky beasts for the earlier turn, but is reasonable to expect that to happen.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 4

Moonglade Portal

• Scott says: I’m not a fan of most of these portals. The health is fine, and the minion is fine, I guess. But meh.
• Josh says: The “free” health is nice when you’re getting rushed down, but doesn’t usually help you win. That summoned minion is same-cost, randomized, and doesn’t trigger Battlecry effects. I’m not excited.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 2

Hunter Cards

Cat Trick

• Josh says: Interesting to see all the classes slowly get all of the triggers. Seems like this will be more likely to proc in the upcoming spell-heavy meta.
• Scott says: Not sure how I feel about this, as it saves you a mana, but at the loss of control and determinism. It does have a ‘mind games’ factor though. I think I’d rather have a 3/3 taunt as a secret trigger in many cases than the 4/2 stealth, as the 3/3 taunt can more actively disrupt their plans. Seems like this most wants to be in an aggro deck.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 3

Cloaked Huntress

• Josh says: Secret Paladin’s baby sister isn’t going to win awards like her big bro. Dumping secrets out of your hand isn’t always a smart move. They don’t combo as well as Paladin or Mage secrets.
• Scott says: Sure it synergizes with secrets, but I’d usually rather have more oomph than cheaper secret cost. This really only buys you tempo, so it implies it wants to be in a faster-paced deck.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Kindly Grandmother

• Josh says: I really doubt this card’s longterm appeal. Twilight Summoner gave you 5/5 for 4 to make up for the slowness. Here, you’re just waiting to get less than what you paid for in the first place.
• Scott says: Yeah, this isn’t great. Both forms are beasts, so that’s something. Seems like it wants to be in a horde and/or beast deck. Seems a bit better than a 3/2 on its own, plus it’s got synergy potential.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Mage Cards

Babbling Book

• Scott says: Josh has a good bead on this. It may be possible to leverage synergies somehow, but by default, you shouldn’t be sacrificing control of the cards in your deck just so you can cast a 1/1 for 1.
• Josh says: This seems like a trap. If you want mage spells, put one in your deck instead of this card. The 1/1 won’t do much and you’re likely to get a sub-optimal spell. Not much else for Mage to do on Turn 1 atm, but that doesn’t make this card good — it just means it’s likely to get replaced when good Turn-1 options exist.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 2

Medivh’s Valet

• Scott says: Again, I find myself agreeing with Josh. 3 targeted damage is very good, but it means you’ll need to wait until later in the game to cast this. You can always cast it early in a pinch, but how often will you know you’re in a pinch on turn 2?
• Josh says: Interesting. Obviously this guy wants to get played on Not-Turn-2. Insane value, but do cards like this typically win out over just a solid card that uses the full mana of the turn it’s meant to be played on? Seems like maybe it works well in spell Mage, who wants to have some mana leftover for a spell each turn?
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 4

Firelands Portal

• Scott says: Probably my favorite of the portals, but that’s not saying much. Feels especially good in arena.
• Josh says: Tempo king. It’s slow, but it’s worth the wait. It counts as a spell in decks that want only spells, and provides a solid minion option to that deck. Unlike healing, this is almost a guaranteed 2-for-1 with the flexibility to go face if needed.
• Arena Score: 4
• Constructed Score: 4

Paladin Cards

Nightbane Templar

• Scott says: If you’re in a dragon deck, it’s pretty good. Otherwise it’s not. Probably fine. Works in a menagerie deck.
• Josh says: Haha “Probably fine” is the perfect phrase for this. Standard risk-reward payoffs. Nothing special here. Could replace the Blackwing Technician (once it cycles out).
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 3

Silvermoon Portal

• Scott says: I’d much rather have Blessing of Kings.
• Josh says: No thanks. You’re breaking even on vanilla stats. +2/2 gets “charge” BUT the summoned minion gets no battlecry — seems like a wash, leaving it as a randomized Chillwind Yeti. I want more nowadays.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 1

Ivory Knight

• Scott says: This one has found a home in control paladin decks. A very solid mana sink near the end of the game, where the player with the biggest punches left in their hand often take control of the game.
• Josh says: I was fairly confident this card is bad — just like a lot of Paladin spells, but I have to admit it’s looking good in practice. Discover is significantly better than a random card, and I underestimated how often you’ll get at least one good option offered to you.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 4

Priest Cards

Purify

• Josh says: I don’t think this card is quite as bad as the ragers are saying, but I agree it’s weak. I would love to see this at 1-cost, but there are some fun synergies!
• Scott says: Agreed — cost should be 1. Does nothing on its own and has limited, very specific targets (who suffer if they don’t get this card comboed with them). Not sure why anyone would add this to a deck they want to win with.
• Arena Score: NOT DRAFTABLE
• Constructed Score: 2

Priest of the Feast

• Josh says: Sub-par vanilla stats and a lame effect. Pass!
• Scott says: Good vanilla stats and a decent effect for free! Take!
• Arena Score: 4
• Constructed Score: 3

Onyx Bishop

• Josh says: I think this effect is EXTREMELY underrated (second-most underrated in the game). This guy’s a little clunky because he actually works against his own effect (the strength of spell cards like this is that they don’t dilute the pool of targets when played). Still, very solid. Only needs to grab a vanilla 2/2 to break even on stats. Needs to only get a 2/3 to be “good” — in the right decks, should almost always get WAY more than that.
• Scott says: This effect generally gets better when cast later in the game, since you can get back more expensive minions. Isn’t great on minions w/ Battlecry. Seems solid.
• Arena Score: 4
• Constructed Score: 5

Rogue Cards

Swashburglar

• Scott says: Great fun factor, but not great value. It’s nearly impossible to synergize w/ a random card, though class cards are above-average. Still, I think a random mage spell (in a mage deck) is better than a random class card in a rogue deck. Pirate synergy may help a little.
• Josh says: I inititally liked this card more than Babbling Book, because this at least lets you do something you can’t at deck-creation. But I think you’re right. Combo synergy helps some, especially in Arena.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 1

Deadly Fork

• Scott says: 2 overcosted cards in 1. Has some synergy potential, but not great.
• Josh says: The 3-cost on the weapon that goes into your hand killed my enthusiasm for this guy. Still cool idea, but demands both your Turns 3 and 4.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 2

Ethereal Peddler

• Scott says: I love the idea, and I hope it’s fleshed out more soon. But right there I just don’t think there’s enough synergy to warrant this, and that cards that give you random class cards just aren’t very good on their own. So this is really just a vanilla card with minor added value in a bad deck archetype.
• Josh says: I have many conflicting emotions. It looks bad, but Blizzard is pushing the Burgle archetype pretty heavily. Maybe they seem some potential that I’m missing?. At its worst, it at least has solid vanilla stats.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Shaman Cards

Spirit Claws

• Scott says: 3/3 weapon for 1 is seriously intense. But folks don’t generally play spell damage anymore. So this is pushed to encourage that. And Shaman is a place where spell damage is better than most anyway.
• Josh says: Heart attack. I’m in love.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 5

Maelstrom Portal

• Scott says: They just out-maged mages. Weird. A good value, but low impact. Gets much better in the spell damage deck they’re trying to promote.
• Josh says: I think this up for debate as the best portal in the set, with Firelands Portal. Shaman will have a kickass spell power deck, and this is a key part.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 4

Wicked Witchdoctor

• Scott says: Works well in totem or hoard decks, or any deck w/ Thing from Below. Might also be good in heavy spell (and spell damage?) decks, as you could get extra air totems. Basic totems generally aren’t very good, and these could clog your board for better or worse.
• Josh says: Plays well in the totem deck, for sure. Allowing duplicates of basic totems is a unique feature that does have some potential. Only needs one proc to pay for itself. Seems good.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 4

Warlock Cards

Malchezaar’s Imp

• Josh says: I want to believe in this caryou can’t expect to get more than one turn with it. Seems like it could trick you into putting sub-optimal cards in your deck, so have to be smart when deckbuilding. That said, opens some cool Zoo variants and only asks for 1 mana.
• Scott says: Is this effect better than taunt? Maybe in a discard deck, if that’s actually a thing. And it seems it might be. Discard Warlock could always hit fast and hard, but ran out of juice quickly. Effects like this may dampen that. A turn 2 Darkshire Librarian or Succubus after a Turn 1 Malchezaar’s Imp seems pretty good. And if you discard a Silverware Golem, fuggetaboutit.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 4

Silverware Golem

• Josh says: I have a hard time coming up with reasons to need this in my discard deck that aren’t best-case scenarios relying on some good RNG. Discard deck has me nervous, and the payoff doesn’t seem that huge to me. Maybe in zoo?
• Scott says: Hard to say how often this will proc. Clearly it only wants to be in a discard deck, but even then, how often will it do what it’s trying to do?
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 3

Kara Khazam

• Josh says: Sometimes I confused “bad” with “boring”. This card isn’t bad, right? It’s just sooo boring.
• Scott says: Seems pretty solid to me. 6/6 of stats for 5 mana across 3 bodies. If you’re playing Hordelock or maybe even zoo, this seems like a good addition.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Warrior Cards

Protect the King!

• Josh says: I’ve had a rollercoaster of emotions with this one. Seemed great at first. Lots of stats. But can never outpace the opponent, is constrained by board limit, and will likely give them great trade opportunities. I think it’s bad?
• Scott says: I want to live the Bolster dream! Outside of that, though, I’m not sure it does what Warrior is trying to do. You can’t put this in a deck w/ whirlwind effects. Has some good synergies w/ cards like Frothing Berserker, Cult Master, King’s Defender, etc. Maybe would go well in an aggro deck if you want to protect your charge guys for another turn?
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Fool’s Bane

• Josh says: Violet Illusionist’s BFF. That turn-8 combo is going to be SOOOO FUN. Outside of that synergy, This is a dangerous weapon in reckless hands. Perfect name!
• Scott says: I think I’d rather have an Arcanite Reaper? This is clearly good for control, but I’m not sure it’s great if you’re behind (unless you have Violet Illusionist.) Upgrade is pretty solid on this one!
• Arena Score: 5
• Constructed Score: 3

Ironforge Portal

• Josh says: I’m bored. This is boring. You’re boring, Zoidberg!
• Scott says: Boo this card!
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 1

Community

• Questions: Buying the new Adventure
• iTunes Reviews
• Donations (More info)

Card of the Week

This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. We talk about it on the show.
 

Farewell

• Follow Scott on Twitter!
• What do you want to see in future episodes?

Karazhan Review (Neutral) - Episode 77

Hello!

• Scott is on the show this week
• Topic: Karazhan Neutral Card reviews!
• Reasons to be happy this week
• News: Karazhan is out!

Review Scoring Guide (NEW!)

• 0 = Awful, unplayable (Runic Egg, Poison Seeds)
• 1 = Underpowered, but it could work out (Dust Devil, Corruption)
• 2 = Acceptable backup plan or niche filler (Crazed Alchemist, Shadow Bolt)
• 3 = Solid value (Senjin Shieldmasta, Assassinate)
• 4 = Great, with lots of upside (Animal Companion, Fireball)
• 5 = So good you always have to play it (Tirion Fordring, Call of the Wild)

Neutral Cards – Common

Arcane Anomaly

• Scott says: Low-impact. If I’m going to play a 1-drop minion, I want it to have more impact or at least some synergy. A (very) poor man’s Mana Wyrm
• Josh says: I’ll go one step further: this is bad. Very high-risk (dies to half the hero powers), very low-reward (2-damage yawn).
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 3

Runic Egg

• Josh says: I wouldn’t play this for 0 mana, and would have to think about it at -1 mana.
• Scott says: I don’t get it. At best, I work hard to get it to… Almost break even? I get my card back, but not my mana or those few minutes of my life.
• Arena Score: 0
• Constructed Score: 0

Netherspite Historian

• Scott says: In a dragon deck, seems really good. Small mana premium for the ability, but huge upside. And a Neutral! This feels pushed to keep Dragon decks relevant.
• Josh says: Deceptively strong. Always have to think about what you’re drawing with Discover. Dragons tend to be big, very strong, and often unique. Late-game gold.
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 4

Pompous Thespian

• Josh says: Can trade up, but will most often just break even or a little under. Seems like solid vanilla.
• Scott says: Agreed. Solid vanilla. From a strictly stats perspective, I feel like it’s a good value. But from a configuration perspective, not as much. Less than the sum of its parts.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 1

Pantry Spider

• Scott says: Beast keyword helps it. Some decks just want lots of minions, and this gets there. Low-impact, but good for beast and/or swarm decks.
• Josh says: I can’t follow you into this charge, Scott. 1-attack is just so underwhelming. You’ll likely trade both into the same minion just to deal 2 damage.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Violet Illusionist

• Josh says: Extremely interesting in Warrior control/attrition. Guaranteed one effect, and that’s all it takes to make it worthwhile. Lots of upside.
• Scott says: Agreed. Warlock can get some mileage from him too. In a self-harm warlock deck, he might actually make a big difference. Not sure it’ll see much play, but should always prevent a few damage over the course of a game in the right deck.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 3

Zoobot

• Scott says: This card may skate under the radar, but has the potential to provide the overlooked value of a card like Houndmaster. It is a bit win-more, as you’re more likely to have more minions when you’re ahead. Feels like a rare case of a strong archetype anchor in neutral. It’s hilarious that it’s a mech.
• Josh says: Deceptively strong. Think it will do well in any murloc, Dragon, or beast deck — particular zoo/aggro. One proc is good enough. Shattered Sun Cleric for the modern meta.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 4

Arcanosmith

• Josh says: Am I wrong for preferring to just get a 3/5 body with taunt at this cost(Sen’jin Shieldmasta)? The 0/5 taunt feels like a throwaway.
• Scott says: Hard to know how to judge this. Decks that want lots of minions will likely prefer this. And while the 0/5 will fall over quickly, the 3/2 can survive to attack. Strangely, I think this is an aggro-leaning taunt card.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 2

Menagerie Magician

• Scott says: This is hard to evaluate. If you have coverage of 2 of the types, this is really, really good. But that’s a pretty tall order. Getting coverage of 1 type will be the most common scenario, and you may need to work a bit to even get that. Higher cost also means harder to combo. It’s also a little bit of a win-more card, since you’re more likely to have more cards on the table if you’re ahead.
• Josh says: I agree. This sort of effect has diminishing effects as you get higher up the cost scale. Getting 2 bonus stats is less impressive when you paid 5 instead of 3. The penalty for whiffing is higher, AND you’re going to run into a lot of competition for top-notch dragons and beasts up in this cost range! Zoobot is better.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 2

Neutral Cards – Rare

Avian Watcher

• Scott says: You’d better be playing a secret-heavy deck if you’re playing this card. Just plain bad if it doesn’t trigger.
• Josh says: Seems like a really low payoff (slightly above vanilla) for something that’s hard to guarantee outside of Ice Block.
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 3

Book Wyrm

• Josh says: As a rule, I generally dislike cards with 2 conditionals — especially if you can’t control one of them. That said, it’s similar to Stampeding Kodo, which saw high-level play despite hitting smaller targets and being random. There’s gotta be more potential here than I’m seeing.
• Scott says: This charges you 2 mana for the ability, so it’d better fire with a worthwhile target to be worth it.
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 3

Moat Lurker

• Scott says: I love the versatility of this ability, but it comes at a huuuuge cost premium (3.5 mana). Most at home with deathrattle minions and shenanigans. (Cairne, Sylvanas, N’Zoth, Ancestral Spirit, Princess Huhuran.) Dat cost premium tho.
• Josh says: Brilliant fun. So many potential uses for defense and offense. Works as a “heal” like Evolve does. But I agree that it’s too risky. It’s easy for me to best-case-scenario this, but when it comes to actually building a deck, I’ve found that I’m consistently avoiding it.
• Arena Score: 2
• Constructed Score: 3

Neutral Cards – Epic

Arcane Giant

• Scott says: Requires a very high spell density to be good, and even then, only in the later game. Can’t really be cheated out early like some other minions. You’re casting it late no matter what — the only question is whether you saved some mana.
• Josh says: Mages just got a little more obnoxious. This guy is a powerhouse minion that gives massive late-game oomf to the spell-heavy decks like mage. The big difference between this and other big 8/8s is that you can cast a bunch of spells AND play this for 0 on the same turn to keep up tempo.
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 4

Neutral Cards – Legendary

Moroes

• Scott says: I really want to like this guy, but he’s got a lot going against him. Must survive 3+ turns to turn a profit, and that’s a bit of a danger sign. Good luck playing against warrior.
• Josh says: Fun idea, but there are enough AOE/randomized pings to make me steer clear. (Fun fact: he was undead in the raid, but alive here. WHAT HAPPENED?)
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 1

Barnes

• Josh says: Worst case: 4/5 for 4 across 2 bodies. Best case is near-instant-win. Sylvanas, Tirion, Northshire Cleric. Grabbing anything with deathrattle or a passive effect makes this card insane value. There is so much strategy and fun packed into this card, I think it’s the high-water mark for design in this set.
• Scott says: Priest and Rogue both have fun decks that work well with it. You need to be careful about what you put into the deck, though. Lots of room for fun shenanigans. And maybe a use for Purify since you can silence these to restore their full stats?
• Arena Score: 4
• Constructed Score: 5

Prince Malchezaar

• Scott says: Pure vanilla stats, so his ability is ‘free’. The question is: Is the ability a net positive? In Arena, likely yes. In Constructed, likely no. I will say, if people like Elise so much, why wouldn’t Machezaar be better? (I think neither is good.)
• Josh says: Awful. Dilutes the card pool, and there are a LOT of bad Legendaries. This card is for the dust-poor who simply must play every Legendary before they die. Elise doesn’t dilute your card pool or strip out your chosen cards until AFTER the payoff hits with the giant taunt monkey idol gold thingy. This guy sabotages your deck before the game even starts. It has all the downsides of Elise without any reliable upside.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 1

The Curator

• Josh says: How many does he have to draw before you’re happy? I could see a two-tribe deck working well (beast druid with some high-end dragons?) and loving this card. Gotta use it like King’s Elekk in Yogg’n’Load to draw specific targets from a very limited pool of options in your deck.
• Scott says: 2 mana premium for the ability. Agreed that 2-tribe is probably enough. I could see putting Murloc Knights or Sir Finley in the right deck too. I wonder how much natural coverage you’d get in an average arena deck without trying.
• Arena Score: 1
• Constructed Score: 3

Medivh, the Guardian

• Scott says: The staff is pretty cool, and I love that they finally gave non-weapon classes something to do with their weapon slot. Could work well in Rogue? Not sure how good it’ll be. Seems much better in Arena.
• Josh says: Cool effect, but is definitely slow. Can tempo mage afford to take a slow turn after they’ve built up an advantage in the early and mid game? With Arcane Golem, there are some fun incentives for something like Freeze mage to try to end via huge creatures at the end.
• Arena Score: 3
• Constructed Score: 4

Community

• Questions: Buying the new Adventure
• iTunes Reviews
• Donations (More info)

Card of the Week

This is a FAKE card designed by Josh. It is NOT real. We talk about it on the show.

Farewell

• Follow Scott on Twitter!
• What do you want to see in future episodes?

How to Win Arena in 2016 - Episode 76

Hello!

• Ryan is on the show this week
• Topic: How to win Arena
• Reasons to be happy this week
• News: One Night in Karazhan!!!

Our Previous Arena Guide

• Episode 52, almost exactly one year ago
• Was focused on basic tips and general strategy and advice. Most of it is still extremely relevant today.
• 7 wins let you play infinitely for free.
• Choose your most comfortable class (when in doubt: Mage, Paladin, Priest)
• For your first 10 picks, just take the best cards regardless of mana
• Arena meta was aggressive, so 1-drop and 2-drops were very important
• You can’t have too many removal spells, and you always want 2-3 AOEs
• Watch your opponent’s mulligan to make better choices with yours
• How to use the Coin in early-game
• When to face and when to trade

State of the Arena in 2016

• Releases since the last update: The Grand Tournament, League of Explorers, Whispers of the Old Gods
• Mechanics since the last update: Inspire, Joust, Discover. C’thun and his cultists are excluded from Arena.
• Game system updates: Reveal of the increased chance to be offered class cards and cards for the newest set. Your newest class cards will always be offered most. Draft guarantees Rare or better on picks 1/10/20/30. The odds of being offered Epic or Legendary choices are very low (10%/2%).
• Meta Report: Meta is shaped by newest Neutral Commons and Class Commons. Old Gods meta is SLOW b/c of addition of good neutral taunts (Infested Tauren, Psychotron, Bog Creeper). One or two of these will usually stall out aggro decks. Additionally, OG neutral cards aren’t that aggressive in nature. Meta will naturally become faster in next Adventure by removal of OG offering bonus. Enchanted Raven may be enough to move Druid to top 3.
• Best classes right now: Mage and Rogue. Consistency is why: they have the best hero powers and best basic class cards and OG common class cards. Mage: Twilight Flamecallerand Faceless Summoner. Rogue: Shadow Strike and Southsea Squidface.
• Worst classes right now: Priest and Hunter. Worst hero powers (along with Warrior), in that they don’t impact the board directly. Their strong cards are too reliant on synergy to succeed. OG common class cards. Priest: Darkshire Alchemist and Hooded Acolyte is N/A because it’s a C’thun card. Hunter: Fiery Bat and Carrion Grub
• Arena Warriors got big love after being in an awful place for a long time, with N’zoth’s First Mate and Ravaging Ghoul.

The Best Classes in Arena

From best (Mage) to worst (Priest). You should pick the highest class on this list, if you feel comfortable playing all of them.

• Mage
• Rogue
• Warlock
• Shaman
• Warrior
• Paladin
• Druid
• Hunter
• Priest

The Best Arena Strategies for Each Class

• Druid: Tempo/Mid, Removal, Buffs, Beasts
• Hunter: Aggro/Tempo, Charge, Damage, Beasts
• Mage: Tempo/Mid/Control, Removal, MOST FLEXIBLE
• Paladin: Mid/Tempo/Control, Weapons, Buffs
• Priest: Tempo/Control, Removal, Buffs, Taunts
• Rogue: Tempo/Mid, Removal, VERY FLEXIBLE
• Shaman: Tempo/Mid, Removal, Totem, Buff, Evolve
• Warlock: Aggro/Tempo, ZOO!
• Warrior: Mid/Control, Weapons, Taunts, Removal

The Best Arena Cards for Each Class

If every class card was offered on pick 1, which card should you take?

Druid

• Basic/Common: Swipe
• Rare: Savage Combatant

Hunter

• Basic/Common: Glaivezooka
• Rare: Savannah Highmane

Mage

• Basic/Common: Ethereal Conjurer or Flamestrike
• Rare: Flamewaker

Paladin

• Basic/Common: Keeper of Uldaman
• Rare: Muster for Battle

Priest

• Basic/Common: Velen’s Chosen
• Rare: Auchenai Soulpriest

Rogue

• Basic/Common: Sap
• Rare: SI:7 Agent or Dark Iron Skulker

Shaman

• Basic/Common: Fire Elemental
• Rare: Master of Evolution or Lightning Storm

Warlock

• Basic/Common: Imp Gang Boss
• Rare: Imp-losion

Warrior

• Basic/Common: Fiery War Axe
• Rare: Frothing Berserker

The Best Neutral Arena Cards

If every neutral card was offered to you on Turn 1, and you only know what type of deck you hope to make, which do you take?

Aggro

• Basic/Common: Bog Creeper
• Rare: Sludge Belcher

Mid-Range

• Basic/Common: Dark Iron Dwarf
• Rare: Bomb Lobber

Control

• Basic/Common: Haunted Creeper
• Rare: Defender of Argus

Attrition

• Basic/Common: North Sea Kraken
• Rare: Sunwalker

Bonus Arena Tips

• Draw first. Always.
• When to face and when to trade: “Once you run out of good trades, go face” – Merps 2016
• Dilution of the card pool over time and the lessening likelihood of removal. (Lots of good stuff that’d take way to long to type up here — listen to the show!)
• Check out the Lightforge Tier List
• Listen to the Lightforge podcast!

Community

• Questions: Buying the new Adventure
• iTunes Reviews
• Donations (More info)

Card of the Week

Farewell

• Follow Ryan on Twitter!
• What do you want to see in future episodes?