As we get closer to the Whispers of the Old Gods release, the card reveals are coming with an increasing pace, which means we have plenty of new cards to talk about today. However, this week also had plenty of other things going on in the Hearthstone (Free) world, a pleasant change from the last few weeks when everyone in the community seemed to hold its collective breath, waiting for the release of Standard and all the new toys. This week we have news about an eventful patch that caused all kinds of issues, a new Hero portrait, upcoming changes to the way Rank will be displayed, and more. And, of course, we have plenty of videos ranging from pro analysis of the spoiled cards to funny Hearthstone moments. So, let’s proceed.
Blizzard Stream Will Unveil a Number of Whispers of the Old Gods Cards
The Old Gods are almost upon us, so you can join Ben Brode and caster Frodan in a series of show matches against members of the design team to see a number of new WoG cards unveiled. With the release drawing closer (April 26th?), we keep seeing more and more cards and getting increasingly excited. The stream will be on Hearthstone‘s official Twitch Channel on April 21st at 10am PDT.
The New Hunter Legendary, Princess Huhuran, Will be Fun
Hunter players always complain – and rightly so – that they never get any good Legendaries, but today those voices went silent, at least for a bit. Princess Huhuran, a 5-mana 6/5 Beast Legendary, has a battlecry that lets it trigger a friendly minion’s Deathrattle. Now, while you don’t usually have great deathrattle minions by turn 5, this is definitely a legit Legendary and might help push Control Hunter into some kind of viability. Impressed, or not that much? Take a look at the card here.
Mages Get Two Very RNG Minions in WoG
Now, I wonder why these Mage cards got people complaining about Hearthstone dipping once more into the RNG honey pot. The first one, Faceless Summoner, is a 6-mana 5/5 that summons a random 3-cost minion and the second, Servant of Yogg-Saron, is a 5-mana 5/4 that casts a random spell that costs 5 or less on random targets. So yes, there’s a bit of RNG one could say, and many immediately complained that both these cards seem not to fit Blizzard’s new approach of controlled RNG, as seen with the Discover mechanic. Faceless Summoner has been especially criticized by the community because as a common card, it might create issues in Arena. Go here to check out the two cards.
Breaking Down More Whispers of the Old Gods Cards
This story provides some analysis of some of the latest WoG reveals, including the amazing Legendary Deathwing Dragonlord, as well as cards like Demented Frostcaller, Embrace the Shadow, Possessed Villager and more. Check out the (premature) analysis here.
Hearthstone Latest Patch Notes
This past week we got another patch that primarily added a new Hero Portrait, Khadgar, Azeroth’s protector Mage. The new Portrait can only be purchased on iOS between now and April 24th, it costs $5, and all proceeds go to the World Wildlife Fund. We are also getting the very cool Cluth of Yogg-Saron card back that you’ll get if you reach Ladder rank 20 in April. Go here to check out all the details.
Hearthstone Patch Causes Issues, Including a Pro Getting DQ
When the latest patch rolled out for iOS the other day, it did so around four hours before PC and Android, which created all kinds of issues. For instance, Rdu was playing in the Turning Point Open Cup, which awards HWC points, and went ahead and bought the new Mage skin. However, once he did get the skin, it became obvious that he wasn’t running the same version as other competitors, so he was disqualified along with any other iOS player who had already updated the client. There were additional issues after the patch with iOS players being unable to play against PC players and so on, making the new patch slightly embarrassing for Blizzard. Read the story here.
Just got DQ'ed from an open cup for saving the wildlife EleFuckingGiggle
— Radu Dima (@G2Rdu) April 14, 2016
The Way Rank is Displayed is About to Change
After careful consideration, Blizzard decided it wants to ensure that players will be recognized for their efforts in Ladder regardless which format they prefer. Therefore, the way rank is displayed on your friends list will change once Standard hits. Previously, Blizzard had said that only your current Standard rank would be displayed next to your name on your friends list, but now your best current rank will be displayed, whether that one is Wild or Standard. A nice change for those who plan on spending most of their time playing Wild. Go here for the full story.
A Beginner Attempts to Master the Game in 30 Days
In this story, a Hearthstone amateur tries to become a pro player in as little time as possible, with interesting results. First the story talks about what it takes to be a pro players (stamina, concentration, patience, and so on), and then proceeds to talk about how he went about trying to become a pro. From talking to a number of well-known players (which not everyone can do) to discussing how streaming impacts play time to what decks work better than others and so on, this is an interesting account of how someone can go about “professionalizing" himself or herself in the game and how much it takes to play at the pro level. Read the whole story here, and promptly get demotivated.
A Closer Look at Ladder Climbing
This story offers a closer look at what it means to try and make Legend each week. According to the writer, you need to be playing about 50 games a day, and win around 2/3 of those games if you want to make it to the top. I barely have time for 5, let alone 50. A player like Trump, for example, plays around 3-5 hours a day, which adds up to about 30-50 games depending on the decks you face. So, do you have it in you to play that long? Read the whole story here.
Hearthstone Arena is Not Fun
As this story points out, playing Arena is usually not fun since it’s such a tempo-driven mode that all the combos that make the game fun fall by the wayside in favor of strong minions on curve. The lack of synergy kills it for this writer, and not getting some of the staple – and most entertaining – cards of a class kills all the fun. Add to that a lack of removal, and Aggro decks rule Arena. Do you agree with this story, or do you find Arena enjoyable? Read the whole story here.
Charsiew Space’s Hearthstone Gifs are Awesome
If you want to see your favorite Hearthstone characters in funny gifs, check out Charsiew Space‘s page for gifs going all the way back to the game’s mobile launch. Go here for the original story, and check Space’s page here.
Hear Hearthstone Cards Sing Britney Spears
When you think of Hearthstone, doesn’t Britney Spears jump in your mind immediately? No? Must be just Grun Lung, then, who took a number of Hearthstone cards, sampled their sounds, and had them sing Baby One More Time, which is fascinating in so many ways. Take a listen here and enjoy the show.
Meta Report
Yes, I know, I’m anxiously waiting for WoG to overhaul the meta, too. But we are still in the pre-WoG era, so it’s always good to keep an eye on the meta and make sure we are playing the right decks (or at least know why we keep losing repeatedly). According to the HearthHead meta report, at the moment Zoo Warlock is the top pick because of the absence of Freeze Mage, Midrange Druid is still too strong – and irritating to play against – Secret Paladin holds third place, but definitely not for long, and Elise Control Warrior and Reno Warlock form the rear guard. If you want to read more about why each deck is where it is, go here.
Kibler’s WoG Review #6
Amaz’s WoG Card Reveal
Trump’s WoG Review #6
Trump’s WoG Review #7
Kripp’s WoG Review #5
Amaz’s WoG Review #5
Kripp on the Future of Secrets
Best Fails
Funny and Lucky Moments #160
Best of Murlocs
Funny Plays #204
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, although with all the changes coming up, we might need to update everything.
Hearthstone Deck-building Guide
