Welcome to another Touchstone Tavern, our weekly roundup of the most entertaining, interesting, or important Hearthstone (Free) news and videos. This week we had more news about possible changes coming down the road as well as stories about the game’s meta state and what can be done to improve and freshen it up. There were also stories about what the pros are currently playing as well as some fun decks that you can take for a ride. And, as always, we have many highly entertaining videos. Overall, though, the whole community seems to be talking about the same topics, which means we have many of the same stories going around. Let us begin.
Developers Testing 20% Increase in Arena Spell Frequency
Arena is usually all about minions clashing with each other, which is why going first is much more advantageous than going second. This according to developer Dean Ayala, who recently talked about how the team is considering increasing spell occurrences in arena picks by about 20%, although they’re worried that switching to standard and then increasing the frequency in a small pool of cards will make those cards appear all the time. Still, it’s good to see that we might be getting possible changes in the way Arena plays that should help players have more options when building Arena decks.
Why The Meta Gets So Stale and What Can be Done About It?
A big part of the discussions on the health of Hearthstone is the fact that the meta gets quickly stale and predictable, and most players don’t enjoy that part. This story talks about how winning the game is part of the fun of it, so you can’t just make silly decks and still have fun. So, you end up having to play the same decks as everyone else, and that makes the game boring and predictable. The game as it is now doesn’t allow for players to experiment and still be competitive unless it’s the very early days of an expansion/adventure.
The question is what can be done about this issues. The writer of the story points out that some players want to see cards released more often, but the problem will be that unrefined decks will get chewed up by the well-refined ones. If, on the other hand, the developers gives us very powerful cards to boost specific classes or decks, we risk getting the kinds of cards that find their way in every deck. The writer’s solution is nerfing overpowered cards because that’s the best way to create new content. At the same time, such a move has its dangers. An interesting story with some well-reasoned arguments. What do you think?
Blizzard Releases January’s Top 100 Arena Players, and Kripp is First
The developers said a few days ago that they were planning on releasing a list of the best Arena players as a way to give those players some recognition. This week then, we got the 100 best Arena players for the month of January, and the list is fun to read. Kripp is Rank 1 with 37 runs and an average of 7.78 wins. The second is 3104 with 30 runs and 7.77 average wins, and the third is Ownerism with 31 runs and 7.74 wins. Check the full list here.
Which Cards Should Stay After Standard Rotates
Many of the cards we know and love (and some we hate) are getting ready to leave the world of Standard soon, so this story is all about which cards from the evergreen ones should stick around and not get nerfed. For instance, some of the classic minions are very useful in the game because they introduce new players to important concepts of the game, so cards like Chillwind Yeti and Boulderfist Ogre have their place in the game. Also, cards that define classes (like Innervate for instance) are also ones that should stick around to help classes feel distinct. The writer also looks at more powerful cards like Ragnaros the Firelord and considers which ones should stick around. Read the whole story for more.
European HCT Winter Playoffs Notable Decklists
If you want to netdeck and tech like the best, check out this list from the European HCT Winter Playoffs. Players sure liked the company of Reno Mage, Pirate Warrior, and Aggro Shaman, while cards like Beneath the Grounds and Burgly Burgle were common tech cards. You can also get the decklists of some of the top players in the game – including LifeCoach, StanCifka, Powder, DrHippi, and ThijsNL – so check them out and get some ideas on where the meta is at the moment. Until we get nerfs, of course.
Fun Wild Decks
If you like playing on the Wild side of things, check out this list from HearthPwn that includes some pretty wild (excuse the pun) decks. You can play a N’Zoth Naxxramas Necromancer, a Thief Priest, a Feugen & Stalagg Meet N’Zoth, a Secret Face Hunter, and more. Ready to take a walk on the Wild side?
Pirates – A Hearthstone Documentary
WTF Moments #92
Trump: Always Shuffle
Kripp’s Best of Djinni Priest
Best of Noggenfogger
Shaman Destroyer Deck
Kripp on Why Grimy Goons Suck
Best of Lethals
3 Card OTK Combo
Best of Thijs
A Day in the Arena
As always, we have some good resources on the site for you in case you are new to the game or simply want to sharpen up your game. There’s never such a thing as too much help in Hearthstone, so check out our guides.
