Hello everyone and welcome to another Touchstone Tavern, our weekly roundup of the best stories and videos from the world of Hearthstone (Free). Last week was quite an interesting one, with Blizzard announcing some big upcoming additions to the client. I was glad to see that the developers are actively working on ways to improve the game, and I’m hoping for a Tournament mode soon (fingers crossed). We also saw a new way to get free cards, and, more importantly for most players, some very good guides for some of the strongest decks in the current meta. We also had some fun tournaments. Scroll down to read all the stories and watch some of the best videos of the past week.
The Art of Jim Nelson, The Man Behind Tar Elementals
If you like to read about Hearthstone‘s art, then this is the article to read this week. Jim Nelson is a freelancer who’s been working with Blizzard since GvG. He’s responsible for Un’Goro’s tar elementals, which are some of the best cards of the set in terms of art, and you can check out some of his work in this article. The article also goes into Nelson’s earlier work from Mean Streets, Karazhan, Old Gods, and more, so check it out here.
Hearthstone Getting Decklist Sharing and Completing Quests in Friendly Challenges
In what was the biggest news of the past week, Blizzard announced that we are getting the ability to copy and share decklists with Deck Importing, which should make netdecking easier and should promote deck sharing among friends. If you don’t have all the cards required, the client will offer suggested replacements. We are also getting the ability to complete quests in Friendly Challenges, which should give players even more reasons to play with friends. Check out the details in our story.
Everyone Got a Free Card Last Saturday
In a welcome move, Blizzard decided to give every player who logged into the game this past Saturday a free Fight Promoter card. This move was a way to “spice up the game," according to Ben Brode, and is just one of many ways the developers are considering in order to help make the game even more “spicy." There are even bigger events planned in the future, and this is simply the developers warming up. Check out the full story here.
Does it Matter That Warlock Sucks Right Now?
This article focuses on the current sad state of Warlock decks and talks about how it’s okay for some classes to occasionally be weak, and after Warlocks long-standing dominance, it was about time for it to, well, suck. The article goes into the reasons why Warlock has fallen on hard times, with Zoo not being able to match decks like Pirate Warrior, Aggro Druids being able to smash Zoo quite quickly and so on. At the same time, Un’Goro didn’t give us any realistic alternatives to the classic Warlock archetypes, with the Discard mechanic remaining but a dream and the Quest not working well enough as a Control deck.
Murloc Paladin Deck Guide
Murlocs are back with a vengeance, so if you want to join the Murloc party, check out this deck guide. The guide talks about the Un’Goro cards that have helped the deck, what other cards you’ll need to build a strong deck, and how you should go about playing the deck. Check it out here.
Silence Priest Guide
Silence Priest used to be a joke, but as this guide points out, it’s now one of the stronger decks in the game. If you want to go the Silence Priest way, check out this decklist and guide. The guide talks about the overarching strategy of the deck, which combos to rely on, and how to handle the various matchups. Check out the guide here.
Secret Mage Guide
According to this guide, Un’Goro has pushed Secret Mage over the edge, and you should probably be playing the deck right now. The guide talks about the various cards that have found newfound relevance, like Kirin Tor Mage for instance, and how to go about building a strong Secret Mage deck. Check out the full guide here.
Host a Summer Tavern Hero Qualifier
Blizzard announced this past week that it’s accepting applications from those interested in hosting Tavern Hero Qualifiers. Select Fireside Gatherings will be eligible to host Tavern Hero qualifiers that will determine the player to represent the local inn at the Tavern Hero Tournament. This is a fun idea and a great way for Blizzard to involve the community, especially since the top 8 players of the Tavern Hero Tournament will be invited to the Americas Summer Playoffs. Read the rules here.
US Claims the First Spot in Global Games’ Stage Two, Germany Falters.
The US team proved those who considered it a favorite right by becoming the first team to book a place in the second round of the Hearthstone Global Games. The team improved its record to 4-0 after beating Thailand, previously having also taken down the UK, Romania, and the Netherlands. Germany, on the other hand, lost 0-3 to Belarus in a surprise result. Go here for more on the Global Games.
Hoej Prevails in the European Spring Playoffs Top 8 – Check Out Decklists and VoDs of the Event
After winning 3-2 in both the Quarters and the Semis, Hoej went on to beat Kolento 3-0 in the finals and become the European Spring Playoffs champion. Next weekend we’ll have the Americas Playoffs, and the weekend after that are the Asia-Pacific playoffs, so things are starting to heat up in the world of pro Hearthstone. Check out all the decklists as well as VoDs of the event here.
Meta Report
According to the Tempo Storm Meta Snapshot, Midrange Paladin has become the best deck in the meta, dethroning Pirate Warrior along the way. The deck can’t be hard countered by a single archetype and does well across pretty much any other deck. Because of the rise of Murloc Paladins, Hungry Crab has become a staple tech card. Aggro Druid has moved to Tier 1, partly because it can use many of the relevant tech cards quite well. Control Mage is also on the rise and could be the best control deck right now. Taunt Warrior is going the other direction, falling from Tier 1 to Tier 2. Finally, Shaman and Warlock are the only two classes that don’t have a decent deck in Tier 2 or higher. Check out the whole snapshot here.
Kripp on the Game’s Big Problems
How to Make the Enemy Concede
When Bad RNG Hits Both Players
Best Pro WTF Moments
WTF Moments #138
Best Un’Goro Fails #42
80 Damage Priest in One Turn
How to Deal 0 Damage
Best of Secrets
Trump’s Taunt Warrior
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.
Hearthstone Deck-building Guide
