Article written by SimonkeyIsland, published by Raindet.
If you look at the tweet from hsreplay.net last week, which shows decks that perform best in the Diamond to Legend ranks, there’s really nothing wrong with it.
Across all three Hearthstone regions, we see 14 different decks here that have over 52% win rate.
That’s actually a good thing, right?
So what is the discussion about, which includes that the current meta is boring and even unplayable for some?
Especially if you look at the deck archetypes. Almost every deck is an Aggro deck.
There is even the opinion that you don’t need much game intelligence for certain decks and that you just play all the cards you can without paying more or less attention to what those cards actually do.
Now you have to keep in mind who these people are who have these opinions just mentioned and who are particularly stringent in asking for a balance patch.
Because:
There is a huge difference on which ranks you are on the ladder with which deck.
Maybe these statements only apply to Top 100 Legends players?
What is below that?
What about the Bronze to Platinum ranks?
Does it look the same there?
Well, almost.
As you can see on the pictures below (meta of all regions combined from Bronze to Gold), a deck does not take place at all: Miracle Rogue.
You can find it at the bottom of Tier 2.
However, most of the calls for a balance patch are related to that Miracle Rogue.
And then there’s Shockspitter Hunter, and even Spell Demon Hunter, which is only in the Top Tier in Europe.
So why are there these calls for nerfs and buffs?
Why don’t they include decks like Evolve Shaman with its huge minion evolving when having the right RNG luck? Or Pure Paladin with its Divine shield minions, cost-reduced Taunts or cheap Legendaries from The Countess? And what about Big Spell Mage having that Cost-Swapping mechanic and then using that “magic slot machine” and cheap Dragons? These are far more successful than the Rogue, aren’t they? And powerful, too.
These are some good questions with few good answers. If any.
First answer is that picture from the games Norwis135 playec in high legend at the beginning of the year:
He played against 73% Rogues and 27% Demon Hunters while he was playing a Priest!
In addition to that player’s experience, the Shockspitter Hunter also is played in this legend area because this is a good counter to the Rogue.
So here we have more or less only three classes or decks that you play or play against.
Means regarding this example: A boring Meta in (High) Legend is obviously existing.
And that’s where the suggestions for buffing cards for these three decks come from, i.e. Miracle Rogue, Shockspitter Hunter, and (Quest) Spell Demon Hunter.
Playing against any of the three decks can be frustrating.
Rogue just throws cards around, using a few cards to reduce the cost of other cards (starting with trading Blackwater Cutlass, playing Shadowstep, Preparation, and Shadow of Demise) plus committing mana cheat with Scribbling Stenographer.
At the end of the turn with that “card rush”, Sinstone Graveyard enters the field and creates a huge Stealthed Ghost, usually around the very early turns.
In the Shockspitter Hunter, the problematic combination of Brann Bronzebeard and Shockspitter is the one to be somehow defused.
With the Quest Spell Demon Hunter, you ask for a nerf of Final Showdown and Sinful Brand. Mana cheat by reducing card cost with the quest and the indirect attack on the opponent’s hero via Sinful Brand (very powerful if you play both plus Fel’dorei Warband as a combo). Without the quest, the other version of Spell Demon Hunter as a nerf candidate once again finds Relics. Especially Relic of Dimensions (again the Mana-Cheat as reason!) is mentioned.
But that doesn’t mean that all of the nerf candidates mentioned will actually be touched.
And if you play in lower ranks, the variety of decks you can play (against) is much higher.
A possible balance patch will not only consist of nerfs.
A combination of nerfs and buffs should weaken decks that are too strong and make decks that are too weak stronger.
That is the goal.
And where are some control decks?
What about Warrior? Other decks than Frost Death Knight from this new class? Priest? Or even Ramp Druid?
Maybe those could (should?) get some buffs or gain profit from the nerfs of other cards / decks.
And it must be said that the development team of the game somehow tends towards aggro decks. Control decks are almost impossible to find.
Here, too, a balance is needed.
But the developers also pay attention to how it “feels” to play against a certain deck and like to make changes here to improve the game experience and reduce frustration.
And thus make a meta healthier as well.
A balancing of the decks in many ways and for as many ranks as possible is the goal.
And until the balance patch is released, we should have trust in the Hearthstone team.
Stay Hype!
