Hearthstone

Vorret · Post by **Vorret** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 3:21 pm

Oh no, the tutorial was easy, I had 1 loss in the whole thing.
I can't win in practice mode.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:32 pm

Vorret wrote:Oh no, the tutorial was easy, I had 1 loss in the whole thing.
I can't win in practice mode.

I found that certain heroes have inherent weaknesses against certain others. In the practice mode you don’t initially have access to the cards to make up for some of these weaknesses which can make it very frustrating. Try playing against another practice opponent until you unlock some additional cards; if I recall correctly you unlock a full set of your base class cards by level 10.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:50 am

After, what, my 600th or so game? I had my first draw, in arena. I'd exhausted all my options for winning; I was at one health after lifetapping, my opponent was at three. He had me next turn. So I Hellfired, killing us both. We both "lost", but it didn't count as one for the sake of our arena records. So was just kind of a meaningless game.

Cortilian · Post by **Cortilian** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:24 pm

I'm playing now. Add me if you want a noob to crush. Cortilian

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:38 pm

I'm not sure but I think you need to post the number that follows your name for someone to be able to friend you. If you're using the Battle.Net launcher app you can see the number if you mouse over your user name.

wonderpug#1592

Angnomander · Post by **Angnomander** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 6:47 pm

Medger#1680

Not much good at Hearthstone.

Cortilian · Post by **Cortilian** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:44 pm

I am Cortilian#1221

kganey · Post by **kganey** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:03 am

Just picked this up yesterday and I must say that I'm loving the Arena. It really scratches my long standing itch to play booster draft Magic: The Gathering. I'm enjoying this much more than Scrolls.

But I'm not good enough to play the Arena for free. I've done three rounds with 1, 2, and 3 wins. All three times, I earned a pack of cards. Only the time with 3 wins did I receive gold - and then it was only 50 gold.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:43 am

You'll always get a pack of cards as a reward, even for a 0-3 run; so there's really no point to buy packs with gold outright unless you have no interest in arena. Other rewards are randomized to an extent between gold, dust, and single cards, but I believe the break-even point for earning enough gold for a new arena entry is around 7 wins. If you do really well you have a shot of getting 2 packs as a reward.

Don't lose confidence if you start out with some bad runs; just grind gold in constructed by doing your daily quests and you'll be back in arena in no time. I've only got a 58% win percentage, but have managed to play 400+ individual games across arena runs since I got into the beta in the middle of October, and that's with only having purchased one entry fee for $1.99. The rest have all been earned with gold.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:26 am

kganey wrote:Just picked this up yesterday and I must say that I'm loving the Arena. It really scratches my long standing itch to play booster draft Magic: The Gathering. I'm enjoying this much more than Scrolls.

But I'm not good enough to play the Arena for free. I've done three rounds with 1, 2, and 3 wins. All three times, I earned a pack of cards. Only the time with 3 wins did I receive gold - and then it was only 50 gold.

3 wins is average. That means you did great, especially for having just started out. The 50 gold prize also means you didn't waste any gold. The card pack you won would have cost you 100 gold to just straight-up buy, so the 50 gold prize you got covered the extra you paid to get into The Arena.

Cortilian · Post by **Cortilian** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:26 pm

Hoo boy the matchmaker needs some tweaking. I was going to do the daily quest I had yesterday which is win 2 games with the Paladin. I've only unlocked the Paladin and never played him so I queue up for a regular game with the default deck and get crushed by some guy with a full custom deck with epics and legendaries and all that. I never laid a finger on him. Was ugly.

Arena is a blast. I need to read up on deck strategies though.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:55 pm

Cortilian wrote:Hoo boy the matchmaker needs some tweaking. I was going to do the daily quest I had yesterday which is win 2 games with the Paladin. I've only unlocked the Paladin and never played him so I queue up for a regular game with the default deck and get crushed by some guy with a full custom deck with epics and legendaries and all that. I never laid a finger on him. Was ugly.

As far as I’ve been able to tell, the matchmaker only takes into consideration your current win streak, not what is actually in your deck. I was trying to level my warrior deck (lvl1) and I fell 4 levels in rank before I had collected all my cards for it.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 2:19 pm

Lordnine wrote:
Cortilian wrote:Hoo boy the matchmaker needs some tweaking. I was going to do the daily quest I had yesterday which is win 2 games with the Paladin. I've only unlocked the Paladin and never played him so I queue up for a regular game with the default deck and get crushed by some guy with a full custom deck with epics and legendaries and all that. I never laid a finger on him. Was ugly.
As far as I’ve been able to tell, the matchmaker only takes into consideration your current win streak, not what is actually in your deck. I was trying to level my warrior deck (lvl1) and I fell 4 levels in rank before I had collected all my cards for it.

I don't think the matchmaker looks at your deck at all. You could have every single card in the game unlocked and still build crappy decks and play like crap.

My understanding is that the ranked play matches you with other people of similar rank, plain and simple. You can still get mismatches if there are highly skilled players who are still on their way up the ranks to a more appropriate position--and this is even more pronounced when they reset ranks for a new season--but generally it seems to work pretty well.

As for the 'Casual' play mode, I've been told that it still has a matchmaking system to some degree using Blizzard's secret behind-the-scenes "MMR matchmaking rating." Not sure on the specifics if it's true, but at least in other games it tries to arrange it so're matched so you win 50% of the time.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:08 pm

Arena has given me the most BS deck I have ever seen. It contains four fireballs (6 dmg to anything), three freeze all enemy minions, and a DeathWing(12-12 minion whose battle-cry is to destroy every minion on the board.

Gryndyl · Post by **Gryndyl** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:29 am

Lordnine wrote:Arena has given me the most BS deck I have ever seen. It contains four fireballs (6 dmg to anything), three freeze all enemy minions, and a DeathWing(12-12 minion whose battle-cry is to destroy every minion on the board.

So...how did it do?

And I'm Gryndyl #1623 if anyone wants to add me. I've been in since closed beta but don't play fanatically so I'd describe myself as a "moderate challenge".

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 12:27 pm

Not as well as I expected but still pretty good by arena standards. It went 6-3.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:24 pm

Removal is definitely godlike in arena. I recently drafted a hunter deck and was offered 3-4 explosive shots, multi-shots, and deadly shots. I didn't take all of them, but along with the solid minions that were available, I managed to go 10-3, my best record yet. Unfortunately I ran into 3 mages and a shaman that ended my run.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:04 am

First 12-win arena run!

12-2 with a mage (don't hate me). I think half of the matches were against other mages.... Scored 400 gold, 1 pack, 20 dust, and a golden Mana Tide Totem (rare; disenchanted for 100 dust).

I thought my draft was very solid, but not phenomenal. I definitely drew the right combination of cards at the right times in spots.

Arcane Missiles
Mana Wyrm
Frostbolt x2
Armani Berseker
Faerie Dragon
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Youthful Brewmaster x2
Counterspell (great anti-mage tool; pop it [or any secret] out there on turn 7 and imagine them squirming)
Mirror Entity
Harvest Golem x2
Imp Master
Raging Worgen
Scarlet Crusader
Shattered Sun Cleric x2
Fireball
Cult Master
Dragonling Mechanic
Ethereal Arcanist
Ogre Magi
Abomination
Gurubashi Berseker x2 (my all-stars; though you have to get lucky/invest fireblasts in them)
Venture Co. Mercenary
Argent Commander
Flamestrike
War Golem

So... I was loaded with upper tier neutrals and had a pretty good mana curve, but I didn't have a ton of dominating spells (for a mage). Only one taunt, interestingly, and a situational one at that (Abomination). No Defenders of Argus or Sunfury Protectors, either. There was a time I'd be concerned if I didn't come out of draft with at least 2-3 solid taunts, but this goes to show, as with any ability/class of card, they're situational and their absence can be worked around.

Those of you who have struggled, don't get discouraged; I'm still only a 59% arena player. I actually only have 5 runs above 7 wins. That's out of 62 recorded runs. All you need are a couple of good runs in close proximity, and between those and daily quests you can coast on free arena entries for a while.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:24 pm

Been in the beta since a couple months before it went open. I unlocked all the heroes and leveled a mage (shocker) up to about 20th, but never tried the arena until last night.

I cheated a little and had open an arena card evaluation page while I was drafting--mostly to confirm if what I thought about the cards was in line with common wisdom. For the most part the cards I thought were good are good and the cards I thought were crap are, in fact crap

Anyway, I drafted a mage deck, but wasn't really happy with the mana curve. I felt I had too many cards in the 4-5 mana range and I was concerned that I'd have slow starts because of it. This really only turned out to be the case in one of my games though.

I think I went 2-3 which is fine for my first arena. I had several good cards but lacked the practical experience to maximize their synergies in the arena setting. I'm sure this will improve the more I play.

I then drafted a hunter deck. Having no experience with the hunter other than playing against him I didn't expect to do well. I think I've only played two games so far and I'm 1-1. Had a rogue in a rough position: it was late game and his side of the board was clear and he had no cards in hand. I was in a superior position with 3-4 minions out and two cards in hand. I think I was around 6-7 health and he was at 12. He then proceeded to top deck a Sprint (what a nasty card) not once but twice, filling his hand, and between his weapon and minion removal / dmg he beat me.

I always hesitated with the arena because I felt I didn't know the cards well enough and didn't want to waste the entry fee. The same thing has always plagued me in the past with Magic drafting. I've been a fan and understand the mechanics and strategies but could never pull the trigger.

I'm glad I did and look forward to more tonight.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 6:35 pm

My first arena (the freebie), I wiped out 0-3. I like the format, drafting and 3 loss and all. So I tried again last night. I've pulled a hunter deck, lots of beasts and low-mana cards. I'm currently at 3-2. Took out 2 rogues and a hunter. Got demolished by a priest and pally (I think). Fun.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:39 pm

Gratz on the 12-win run! Pretty solid deck, with the exception of the Ethereal Arcanist. Gutsy pick with only one secret.

gwartok · Post by **gwartok** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:24 pm

Redfive wrote:Been in the beta since a couple months before it went open. I unlocked all the heroes and leveled a mage (shocker) up to about 20th, but never tried the arena until last night.

I cheated a little and had open an arena card evaluation page while I was drafting--mostly to confirm if what I thought about the cards was in line with common wisdom. For the most part the cards I thought were good are good and the cards I thought were crap are, in fact crap

I could use something like that, which page did you use? Thanks!

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:50 pm

gwartok wrote:
Redfive wrote:Been in the beta since a couple months before it went open. I unlocked all the heroes and leveled a mage (shocker) up to about 20th, but never tried the arena until last night.

I cheated a little and had open an arena card evaluation page while I was drafting--mostly to confirm if what I thought about the cards was in line with common wisdom. For the most part the cards I thought were good are good and the cards I thought were crap are, in fact crap
I could use something like that, which page did you use? Thanks!

Try this. Not the one I used but very similar.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:39 pm

4-1 so far in my latest (3rd) arena effort.

Just wanted to mention that I am always up for friendly games with fellow OO'rs. I expect there is a way to play with your friends though I've yet to check.

Angnomander · Post by **Angnomander** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:29 pm

I keep running into people with multiple nice epics. Are they really lucky or dropping tons of cash? And how about the people in competitions/casters? Does blizzard give them a full set of cards? I don't see some of them being able to afford dropping a lot of cash on a game.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:41 pm

Angnomander wrote:I keep running into people with multiple nice epics. Are they really lucky or dropping tons of cash? And how about the people in competitions/casters? Does blizzard give them a full set of cards? I don't see some of them being able to afford dropping a lot of cash on a game.

Some people may have spent a lot of money, some people may have just been collecting cards since last summer, and many people have done both.

Not sure what you mean about competition/casters.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:41 pm

If you are playing constructed then people have been crafting those cards as well.

Angnomander · Post by **Angnomander** » Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:34 am

Reading the forums replies people claim they're simply really good at arena and average X dust per hour winning. They then use the dust to build the cards.

Biyobi · Post by **Biyobi** » Tue Mar 11, 2014 5:30 pm

The game came out of beta today. They also tied in WoW to it by offering a free mount if you win three games in Play or Arena mode. The battle.net login servers are getting hammered.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:25 pm

I thought we now had 60 seconds to reconnect.

I was literally in the midst of delivering the killing blow when I lost my internet connection. I was back online within a minute and didn't auto-connect to anything, so I requeued for Arena hoping that would work. It didn't; but I was pleased it allowed me to connect to a new game, because I'd been 4-2 when I got kicked, so I presumed my Arena run would have otherwise been over.

So what happens? I win the new match. And return to the Arena menu, only to see a 4-3 loss screen. I should have been 6-2.

Vorret · Post by **Vorret** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:47 am

I'm doing 95% arena now unless I have quest with heroes I don't really enjoy playing.

Druid = Warlock >>>> Everything else as far as my "fun" factor goes.

My best arena result is only 4 wins but I'm getting there, I managed 3 win with a Rogue on the worst possible deck ever.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 2:45 pm

Vorret wrote: Druid = Warlock >>>> Everything else as far as my "fun" factor goes.

If you want something fun for constructed, you should make a PRIESTLOL deck if you can. It sometimes whiffs embarrassingly, because you draw all your buffs and no actual minions, but when it works it's a) glorious and b) potentially the funniest thing you'll see in Hearthstone.

Yesterday I finished off a Mage by going to the face with a 41/41 Ysera. Today I yanked a Ragnaros out of my opponent's deck and played it on turn 4. Previously I've had games where I've played FOUR Ragnaros, (including three on the board at the same time), and the time I answered an opponent's Deathwing with a copy of his own Deathwing I'd stolen on turn one. Which I then hit with Faceless for side-by-side 12/12 fun.

The flavour text on Mind Control says something like "voted spell most likely to make your opponent punch a wall" and the whole deck is designed to elicit that response.

2x Mind Vision - Copy one card from your opponent's hand. (Good early on to see what sort of Mulligan your opponent made, although you can copy the coin too)
2x Thought Steal - Copy two cards from your opponent's deck. (This is where the fun really begins)
1x Mind Games - Put a copy of a minion from your opponent's deck onto the table. (Can be terrible for four mana, but can also put Rag on the table on turn 4)
1x Shadow Madness - Take control of an enemy minion with =<3 attack for one turn. (Useful for smashing someone's minions into themselves)
1x Cabal Shadow Priest - Take permanent control of an enemy minion with =<2 attack.
1x Faceless Manipulator - Choose a minion and become a copy of it.
1x/2x Mind Control - obviously.

I have a Mind Control Tech in there sometimes too, (steal a minion at random if the enemy has at least 4 minions), but I take that out a lot, in favour of something like Prophet Velen or Auchenai Soulpriest... but then I remember the deck is supposed to be all lulz, and put it back in again.

You end up playing so many of your opponents cards that it's something different every time you play.

Mr Bismarck · Post by **Mr Bismarck** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 10:26 pm

Case and point in a game I just finished.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:52 pm

Blech. I can't win for the life of me. I've played probably a fifteen games so far. I've won one, and haven't been within 50% of beating a single opponent since.

Angnomander · Post by **Angnomander** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:31 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Blech. I can't win for the life of me. I've played probably a fifteen games so far. I've won one, and haven't been within 50% of beating a single opponent since.

I do much better with aggro decks (I think of them as zerg decks) since I don't have any of the nice end game epic cards.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 1:34 am

Playing arena or constructed (ranked or unranked), Blackhawk? Do you have any experience with CCGs? I didn't have any MTG experience going in, but I'd watched a lot of TotalBiscuit's Lord of the Arena YouTube videos (I'd recommend starting with a recent one due to patch changes), as well as having gotten my feet wet with Mojang's Scrolls over the summer (though a very different breed of card game).

I think there are a lot of reasons it could be a tough game to break into, but once you know the core concepts, if you focus on one of constructed or arena you'll learn quickly.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 2:19 am

Sudy Nym wrote:Playing arena or constructed (ranked or unranked), Blackhawk?

Unranked.

Sudy Nym wrote:Do you have any experience with CCGs?

Not one whit. I own a deck of Magic cards that I bought clear back in '94 or so, but I've never played a single hand.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 7:20 am

Unranked can be an unreliable place to play. You may face other newbies just learning the ropes, but you'll also run into people testing odd decks that defy convention. Ranked may be as good an idea since you'll always be matched with equivalently talented players. Arena is also a good choice when you can afford it as even if you don't win any matches, you'll always come away with a card pack.

- A general beginner's resource

- Drafting guide for arena (not to be followed religiously but a good starting point)

- I still recommend TotalBiscuit's Lord of the Arena videos. He's not the best player (depending on where in the series you're watching his card values aren't to be taken as gospel), but fun to watch.

Make sure you're trading your minions for your opponents on your terms; don't attack your opponent directly unless attacking his or her minions would result in a bad trade (e.g. you have to spend two minions to destroy one of your opponents) or set up an otherwise bad situation. Similarly, don't waste spells attacking your opponent directly early in the match.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:43 am

I have been playing the game just by hitting the end turn button

. Actually got a few levels without ever playing a card

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:41 am

Why? Lol.

So Bahida.net apparently shut down over a month ago. I use Hearthstone Tracker now, one of a few available options. Seems I win around 65% of my games over the last 100, so I've definitely improved a little. Really sucks to lose the 100s of games tracked via Bahida though.