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The longest running Hearthstone podcast in the history of space and time and cards. Join GuyGrumpy and a rotating host of guests from The Happy Hearthstone community as they help you get better at the game and have a blast doing it.
Episodes
Monday Nov 09, 2015
Monday Nov 09, 2015
Hello!
- Nik is on the show this week
- Topic: BlizzCon
- Reasons to be happy
- News: EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
Hearthstone Reveals
- League of Explorers
- New cards
- Hands-on
- Story + characters
Hearthstone Dev Interview
Hearthstone Tournament
- SPOILERS
- What decks they used
- How they played
Hearthstone on the Show Floor
- The Hearthstone tavern
- Battle the devs
- Making friends
BlizzCon Impressions
- Nik’s first BlizzCon
- Josh’s favorite BlizzCon
- Other Blizzard Games
Cards to Discuss
- Murloc Tinyfin
- Summoning Stone
- Raven Idol
- Animated Armor
- Forgotten Torch
- Fierce Monkey
- Entomb
- Gorillabot A-3
Community
- Question: What is the best card you saw from the new set?
- iTunes Review: From the Hearthstone tavern!
Donations
- Mikkel Weider – $2/month
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Nik on Twitter or add him on Battle.net: Shipwrecked#1869.
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
Hello!
- Blizzard Devs Yong Woo (Hearthstone, Senior Producer) and Erid Dodds (Hearthstone, Game Director) are on the show this week
- Topic: BlizzCon
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: League of Explorers!
The Interview
- League of Explorers
- Which adventurer would you team up with?
- Golden Monkey shenanigans
- Funniest new card
- Battle.net business cards
Community
- Question: What are the actual odds on RNG cards like Imp-losion?
- No iTunes Reviews
Donations
- Do hand-shakes from developers count?
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Yong Woo on Twitter and send your messages telepathically to Eric Dodds.
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Monday Oct 26, 2015
Monday Oct 26, 2015
Hello!
- Matt is on the show this week
- Topic: Strategy Potluck!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: Warsong Commander nerf, BlizzCon!
Organizing Fireside Gatherings
Mastermind: Matt
- My experiences hosting Fireside Gatherings
- How to host your own
- Tips for hosting successful events
- Introducing WCS points + prizes
The Fake Out Deck
Mastermind: Dan
- 66% of the deck is aggro (mechs, murlocs)
- 33% is big fatties (Ragnaros, Klel’Thuzad)
- Possible to win outright with aggro, and by turn 7 they think they’ve stalled you out
- That’s when you start dropping the bombs and they’ve likely used all of their removal already
Save The Best For Last
Mastermind: Jayme
- It may not be intuitive, but you should play your worse minions first — even if they’re the same cost
- Playing the cards you card about less first will bait out the opponents’ removal
- That will let you play your best cards more safely later
When a 1-Drop is not a 1-Drop
Mastermind: Zorin
- I was helping my wife play Priest, and learned that Northshire Cleric isn’t always a good early drop
- Because you want to get more value out of it — especially on the turn that you play it, before they can react
- Another way to look at it: Some 1-drops have value throughout the entire game, not just at the beginning
- Have to always make the best choice for the factors you do know
Mill Decks?
Mastermind: Max
- I really liked playing Mill decks in Magic: The Gathering, but there doesn’t seem to be a good way to make one in Hearthstone
- Druid or Rogue are the best options
- Is there a better way to do it, like with Lorewalker Cho?
How to Test Card RNG
Mastermind: Josh
- You should test the actual odds of any RNG card you use frequently, to help you know how to best use it
- I’m happy with 100 test, which is actually easier to get than it sounds
- Build a specific deck that helps you test it faster.
- Include: Whatever cards you want to test, 30% card draw effects, no spell power, taunt, and heal effects
- Specialty cards: Lorewalker Cho (if testing spells), Chromaggus (any card), Faceless Manipulator (any card — use on Lorewalker Cho if testing spells)
- Play as Warlock if you can, for the card draw
- Play against the easy Priest AI — very little removal and very defensive
Community
- Question: What are the actual odds on RNG cards like Imp-losion?
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- Chris Flores – $2/month
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to our supporters:
- Jake Crawford: 10 packs
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Matt on Twitter and read his awesome Hearthstone articles on BlizzardWatch and his personal blog
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
Hello!
- Andrew is on the show this week
- Topic: Deck Battle!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: We’re going to BlizzCon!
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: Andrew’s Warlock Demon Zoo deck has reigned supreme for 4 months, and has beaten 3 decks before this episode.
Challenger Deck: That-Other-Andrew has brought out a Taunt Warrior deck that relies on a sturdy defensive wall that sustains it through to the end-game.
The Deck
Creatures
- 2x Armorsmith
- 2x Acolyte of Pain
- 1x Big Game Hunter
- 2x Sludge Belcher
- 1x Emperor Thaurissan
- 1x Justicar Trueheart
- 2x Master Jouster
- 2x Sunwalker
- 1x Ragnaros the Firelord
- 1x Ysera
- 1x Varian Wrynn
Spells
- 2x Execute
- 2x Shield Slam
- 2x Fiery War Axe
- 2x Bolster
- 2x Bash
- 2x Shield Block
- 2x Brawl
Sideboard
In case you don’t have some of the ideal cards, here are some quality back ups and alterations you can make that keep with the same theme and strengths of the deck.
- 2x Sen’jin Shieldmasta
- 2x Death’s Bite
- 2x Annoy-o-tron
- 2x Shieldmaiden
- 2x Antique Healbot
The Duel!
Post-Duel Commentary
- Who won
- Obligatory bragging session
- Challenger Deck: How well did it perform?
- Defending Deck: How well did it perform?
- Best moments in the matches
- The Happy Hearthstone Champion Ceremony(tm)
Community
- Question: Most fun TGT deck
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- No donations this week
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to our supporters:
- No pack donations this week
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Andrew on Twitter, Email him, or add him on Battle.net as anoverdrive#6189
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show
DECK GUIDE:
Hold the line! Andrew’s Taunt Warrior deck for Hearthstone is sturdy and fun. It relies on building up solid defenses to hold out into the late-game, when big heroes drop onto the board to swing the tide in your favor. You can check it out on the latest episode of Happy Hearthstone.
Note from Josh: The rest of this article was written by Andrew. Thanks, Andrew!
The Taunt Warrior
This deck is my own version of the taunt warrior deck that people like to play. It consists of a lot of taunt minions with high health to keep your hero safe and heaps of removal and control cards to make sure you stay in charge of the game.
Let’s get straight into the cards I used in my deck for the mighty showdown with Josh. You can find a completely plain deck list on the podcast episode. Here, I’ll provide additional commentary where I feel it’s helpful or necessary.
2x Armorsmith
Good early game card to establish board presence on turn 1 (with coin) or 2. Gets you early armor and gives your opponent something to deal with while you stall for your bigger cards.
Another early game minion. Very annoying card for the opposition and normally draws you at least 1 or 2 cards. If they want to waste a silence on it then that’s good as well
Useful card to hang onto for late game to gain tempo and a quick, easy answer to big minions that manage to hit the board early.
Fits the taunt theme perfectly, combos well with bolster and very annoying to deal with. I prefer this over Sen’jin Shieldmasta because of the extra body it spawns, which you can also buff up.
Good turn 6 play if your hand has many cards in it. Allows more comboing as well as letting you use your hero power more often. Especially good to knock the cost of Varian Wrynn down. This lets you combo Varian with execute or shield slam in 1 turn or more if Emperor Thaurissan sticks around longer.
This card is mainly in the deck for fun and to showcase some new TGT cards. However, when played in the correct situations, this card proves to be very useful. Using your hero power most turns after playing him keeps your armor at an all time high and with all the taunts and big minions this deck has your hero stays very safe and if the game takes you to a fatigue race, you will generally win.
4 out of 5 times you will win this joust using this deck or a similar one. Majority of the minions in this deck cost 5 or higher. If you win the joust this is an extremely solid card for its cost. Even if you don’t win the joust there are worse cards out there to drop for 6 mana.
2x Sunwalker
Very good vanilla minion in my opinion. Stats are well balanced and divine shield + taunt is not something to be taken lightly. 1 point less attack and health compared to Master Jouster but you get the guaranteed added bonuses. Very useful.
Extremely powerful vanilla legendary. We all love ragnaros, let’s be honest. Applies huge amounts of pressure, especially when drawn out with Varian Wrynn.
1x Ysera
Amazing if drawn out with Varian Wrynn. Otherwise a great late game card and very threatening. If Ysera Awakens is drawn, it can most of the time be used as a finisher.
1x Varian Wrynn
Amazing and very fun card to play in any warrior deck. Makes it possible to get 4 beefy minions out in a single turn very cost efficiently. Worst case scenario, you are still drawing 3 cards!
2x Execute
Especially good to take out minions with very high health such as opposing Ysera or other dragons. Also buffed minions that the opponent used to trade with.
2x Shield Slam
This is generally considered hard removal in this deck because it is extremely easy to have 10+ armor so it basically takes out almost any minion. An easy 4 mana combo is to Shield block then Shield Slam afterward. On turn 4 this takes out most minions and gives you a tempo lead.
Straight up overpowered weapon and a staple in most warrior decks. Early game removal and keeps high threat.
2x Bolster
Buffs up your taunt minions to help keep a stable and very solid board.
2x Bash
Very good early game removal and great tempo play with the armor gain.
2x Shield Block
Armor gain and card draw. Perfect for the deck. Good to play on turn 3 or 4.
2x Brawl
Excellent removal if behind and especially if your opponent blew all their cards on one board. I personally prefer to have 2. If it gets to the point where 2 is too clunky then you’re generally going to win anyway in most cases.
Possible Additions
As stated previously this deck revolves around control and taunt so some possible additions are below if you don’t have the cards listed in the main deck.
Pretty much only here to sub for Sludge Belcher for those who haven’t bought the Naxxramas expansion. Can be subbed in for other taunts as well.
Can be put in for removal and the whirlwind effect combos well with execute for hard removal. Good amount of attack on a weapon to control the board with.
Very annoying to deal with. Enough said. Works well with Bolster.
Mostly subs for Justicar Trueheart. Very solid card for 6 mana. Can never have enough armor.
Great card for late game. The heal is very powerful but hopefully you never really need to use it. Mainly there to sub for cards that gain you a lot of armor.
Final Thoughts
This is not a masterminded, perfect deck to rank up on ladder with as-is, but it’s definitely tons of fun! With a few adjustments, it could absolutely be a competitive deck for tournament play.
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Hello!
- Scott is on the show this week
- Topic: The Grand Tournament Review!
- Reasons to be happy this week
- News: The expansion is out!
The Review Format
- We want to give real, valuable insight into the cards we talk about, but there are too many cards in an expansion to do that for every one.
- So we picked the ones that we think are most important to talk about.
- This week, we’re reviewing class cards!
- For each class, we choose: The best card to CRAFT, DRAFT, and DUST
- We reviewed neutral cards last week
Druid
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This card’s a lot of fun, and leads to some interesting potential. If you silence it, polymorph it, or return it to your hand you get a free Wild Growth!
- Josh says: It blew my mind when someone described this as a Mechwarper that affects all of your cards. I’m sold!
Best to Draft
- Scott says: I think this is very strong card. Its cheap mana cost lets you do other things the turn you cast it. Cast it late in the game on a nasty big minion for best effect.
- Josh says: Yeah, I don’t worry too much about the downside, especially in Arena. Removing their one big threat is a huge play.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: A novelty that won’t pan out very often. Extremely inconsistent, but might be good in some Tavern Brawl someday?
- Josh says: Maybe there’s some discard synergy in the future, where you can draw cards when discard. But in the current game, yeah, I don’t see this ever working out.
Hunter
Best to Craft
- Josh says: Great stats, great scare tactics if they’re worried about Explosive Trap or Frozen Trap.
- Scott says: What’s not to like about a 3/3 taunt beast for 2 mana?
Best to Draft
- Josh says: We finally have a beast replacement for the boring ol’ Bloodfen Raptor! Even at 50% proc chance, this is solid value.
- Scott says: Hoo boy, this guy’s great! A 3/2 beast with tremendous upside.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: I don’t get it. I see some minor synergies and a ton of RNG. There are so many things to spend 6 mana on that don’t murder your tempo.
- Scott says: Only useful in the slowest of slow decks.
Mage
Best to Craft
- Josh says: He fits really well into Spell Power decks, but unlike Malygos has the inherent value to be solid in almost any Mage deck. Fun to play.
- Scott says: Arcane Missiles gets overlooked a lot as a spell, but getting 3 of them in hand is far better than an avenging wrath. It’s cheaper, does more damage, can be broken up over turns, gets additional spell damage boosts, and fires multiple spell triggers. And his stats aren’t bad to begin with.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: I love this card. Great on defense and offense, cheaper than Polymorph: Sheep! Fun fact: It resets the attack counter on your minion. I’ve won games by casting it twice on a single minion for immediate 8 damage.
- Scott says: Versatile? Yes. Efficient? No. Its costs are high no matter how you look at it. I am less a fan than most.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: Mages already have better, cheaper ways to kill minions, that aren’t so restrictive.
- Scott says: The ultimate giant-killer, but I’d much rather just have a Fireball. The inability to hit your opponent sets this card back a lot.
Paladin
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This little guy almost always pulls his weight. He’s a lightning rod, but that’s because he’s quite good. It’s especially fun when he makes another Murloc Knight. Fun Fact: Shaman can get this guy too from Neptulon.
- Josh says: Paladin is getting a lot of great tools to keep their board full, and this is the most interesting, fun one.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Combines with a smaller minion to make a huge unexpected punch, and leaves a big-attack threat that your opponent still needs to clean up.
- Josh says: I’m less sold on this card due to its situational use, but it will definitely shine in some cases. Removal that leaves a threat behind the opponent has to deal with.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: I do actually use this in some situations, but it’s not a good card. You’re generally better off saving for a more powerful weapon.
- Josh says: Paladin already has plenty of good weapons. You don’t need to gamble on a bad one.
Priest
Best to Craft
- Scott says: As long as you’re willing to wait to cast him until you have a dragon, he’s a great deal.
- Josh says:You almost always have a dragon in starting hand in a real dragon deck. 20% more stats that vanilla, plus Taunt! This guy simply breaks the usual balance. This is Blizzard telling you to play Dragon Priest.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Lightwarden and Light of the Naruu showed these effects can be quite powerful, and here it’s added to a cost-efficient body that can survive more easily. This is a scary, scary card.
- Josh says: Yeah, the trouble with heal-scaling cards like this previously has been that they all die to 1 or 2 cost removal. This card changes that and makes the archetype scary again!
Best to Dust
- Scott says: It’s at its best when combined with spells that trigger from healing effects, or with Auchenai Soulpriest.
- Josh says: Priest already has too many ways to heal, and not enough safe ways to benefit from it. This just isn’t worth a card spot by itself.
Rogue
Best to Craft
- Josh says: It’s slim pickins on the Rogue list this expansion. This guy at least has a lot of interesting potential for trigger Combo effects, but his 2/2 stats hold him back.
- Scott says: The trick is being able to attack with him at least once. If you can, you’ll get a coin as a reward, which in turn will help trigger other combo effects. Makes an especially good Turn 1 (w/ coin) play if your opponent didn’t cast a 2/1.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: I enjoy this effect. It’s worked well in Priest and should work well in control Rogue. On-paper card advantage and some fun surprise plays.
- Scott says: Class cards are generally pretty good, and you can’t get stuck w/ dead weapon-enhancing spells like other classes.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: I was super excited for this card until I learned about all the things NOT in the card text. If you mill the card, it doesn’t spawn a 4/4. They draw a new card when they draw this, so you aren’t preventing draw. So it’s meant for non-mill control rogue? No thanks.
- Scott says: Too many conditions!
Shaman
Best to Craft
- Scott says: This effect ranges from fine to great. There are currently 8 possibilities — half from the hero power and half that are from actual cards.
- Josh says:Yeah, and even the worst totem RNG still makes this card a great play. A lot of shaman decks just need bodies on the board.
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Insaaaane. So good.
- Josh says: He wants to fight any minion played in the first 3 turns. And he’ll win almost every time!
Best to Dust
- Scott says: Very expensive — basically makes you skip your next turn. And you kill your own stuff too. Not a fan.
- Josh says: Yeah, this card is confused. It takes the worst parts of Hellfire and Lightning Storm, combines them together, and then jacks up the mana cost.
Warlock
Best to Craft
- Josh says:Fun. Fun. Fun. I really wanted this card to be viable, and I’m so glad people have found a way to make it work. This will be relevant and fun to play with for years to come.
- Scott says: By himself, not great. Also susceptible to silence and polymorph effects. Needs to be in a combo of some sort to be worth much.
Best to Draft
- Josh says: He’s risky, and sometimes too dangerous to even play late-game. But strong board control early. Similar to a Flame Imp.
- Scott says: Too much of a liability IMO.
Best to Dust
- Josh says: How lucky are you feeling? You’d need to hit the jackpot on RNG every since time you played this for it to be worth running in a deck.
- Scott says: There may be times when this is the one card that would win you the game. But most of the time, it will be too expensive to justify.
Warrior
Best to Craft
- Scott says: Assuming it fires, this is quite good. Is Warrior Dragon a thing yet?
- Josh says:It’s not ready for primetime yet, but Blizzard obviously wants Dragon Warrior to be a thing. And with all the strong control cards Warrior already has, I can see it getting real big with a few more cards. Compare this to Wolf Rider!
Best to Draft
- Scott says: Amazing if it survives, but it’s a bit hard to kill. Can be a 3-for-1 if it lives a turn.
- Josh says: Hard to kill? This guy is as easy to kill as a Wrathguard, and he drops two turns later! Maybe in Arena he stands a chance of living to attack once.
Best to Dust
- Scott says: You’ve got to be pretty desperate for whirlwind effects to want one to happen outside of your control at some random point in the game.
- Josh says: Haha yeah, I see this effect accomplish nothing most of the time. In the right deck, it is more likely to help you than hurt you, but too out of control for the control deck that wants it.
Community
- Question: None this week!
- iTunes Reviews
Donations
- No donations this week
The Dust Bowl
We open card packs donated by listeners, and pick our favorites and least favorites on the show!
Thanks to our supporters:
- Jake Crawford: 7 Packs
Card of the Week
Farewell
- Contact Scott on Twitter
- What you want to see in future episodes
- What hosts you want to visit the show