Analysis

This is the third, and final post in our series on the best cards that could be added to basics and commons decks, both for the C4 format and for general play. This list is meant to be a starting point to help players make the transition, as well as a resource for those who may not have played Commons or C4 before. See the first post, for a detailed methodology and Druid, Mage, and Hunter; and the second post for Paladin, Priest, and Rogue.

Shaman

[Feral Spirit]

Another class with a number of strong rares, but for sheer power and flexibility, Feral Spirit is my #1. It fits in pretty much all flavors of Shaman decks, from very aggressive to very controlling, and is great value for its cost. Stick a [Flametongue Totem] between your wolves for bonus value.

Honorable Mentions: [Thunder Bluff Valiant]/[Thing from Below] are very strong cards that enable a Shaman deck with a much heavier totem focus to be successful. [Mana Tide Totem] is a fantastic card drawer if you can protect it (perhaps hide it behind the Feral Spirits?) [Lava Burst] is a lot of damage for not a lot of mana, and is a solid finisher for aggressive versions of Shaman.

Warlock

[Forbidden Ritual]

Warlock Zoo is a deck that likes to “go wide”, creating a lot of board presence and using its minions to control the flow of the game. Forbidden Ritual is an incredible way to flood the board with a single card (although watch out for [Ravaging Ghoul]), and combos incredibly well with [Darkshire Councilman] and [Dire Wolf Alpha] (put the Dire Wolf in the middle, and as you use each tentacle to trade up and die, the next one moves over and gets buffed). Ritual just helps Zoo do more of the things it wants to do.

Honorable Mentions: [Doomguard] was a classic zoo finisher, coming in for the final few points of damage, or even killing a minion and surviving. The drawback is real, but if it’s the last or second to last card in your hand, you can mitigate or eliminate the disadvantage. [Shadowflame] and [Siphon Soul] are cards you see in more controlling Warlock decks (such as “Handlock”), although those typically rely fairly heavily on epics and legendaries.

Warrior

[Frothing Berserker]

Warriors like to deal 1 damage to everything (or sometimes just some things) with a number of their cards. Simply playing Berserker before attacking on your turn and trading guys can make him an easy 4/4 for 3 mana. Combined with a [Whirlwind] effect with a few guys in play, Berserker’s power can shoot into the double digits fairly easily – an incredible deal for 3 mana that plays very nicely with Warrior’s core themes.

Honorable Mention: [Armorsmith] is a staple in controlling warrior decks looking to go to the long game. Similar to controlling Warlock decks though, these often feature a large number of legendaries and may not be a good fit for a newer player or the C4 format. [Bloodsail Cultist] is a fantastic addition to a Pirate-based deck, as it’s a very nice body already, and upgrading a weapon is very strong.

Neutral

[Azure Drake]

Finally, the neutral cards, and probably the most versatile and valuable rare in the game. I said that the best rare for a Mage deck was neutral, and the argument could be made that it’s the best for Rogue, Priest, Druid, and maybe even Shaman as well – any deck that uses a decent number of removal spells that benefit from spell damage. Azure Drake doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but the combined value from the whole package is very, very high. It has a solid, if slightly under curve, body. It draws a card when it comes into play, replacing itself immediately. It gives a spell damage increase. And it’s a dragon, which is actually a relevant creature type for cards such as [Blackwing Corruptor] and [Blackwing Technician]. It’s just an exceptionally well-rounded package.

Honorable Mentions: [Knife Juggler] is a staple card for any kind of aggressive deck, especially those that flood the board with guys – Aggro Paladins, Zoo-lock and Face Hunter all get nice value from this guy. [Disciple of C’thun] is really only viable in C’thun decks, but is an integral component in them – the combination of removal spell, small body and C’thun buff is strong.

Adventure Honorable Mention: [Grim Patron] pretty much only goes in warrior decks, but fits the theme of them incredibly well, and enables some truly absurd plays.

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This is the second post in our continuing series on the best cards that could be added to basics and commons decks, both for the C4 format and for general play. This list is meant to be a starting point to help players make the transition, as well as a resource for those who may not have played Commons or C4 before. See the first post, for a detailed methodology, and Druid, Hunter, and Mage picks.

Today we’re tackling Paladin, Priest, and Rogue. Check back later this week for the final post of this series.

Paladin

[Aldor Peacekeeper]

Another hard one, but for a good reason this time. Paladin has a lot of very strong rare cards, and settling on Peacekeeper was tough. One of Paladin’s struggles in the Commons format is a lack of removal for larger creatures. While Peacekeeper isn’t true removal, it usually neutralizes a large minion sufficiently to mitigate its impact on the game. [Humility] isn’t worth spending a full card on, but when you can get that effect on a 3/3 body, all for 3 mana, it makes for a good deal.

Honorable Mentions: [Selfless Hero]/[Rallying Blade]/[Steward of Darkshire] These cards all help provide the backbone of a heavily Divine Shield-based Paladin deck. Peacekeeper really only wins out over these due to its flexibility – with critical mass of Divine Shield cards, these can all be very strong. [Equality] also deserves a mention – how can an effect that looks symmetric be so important? Well, if your guys have divine shields and theirs don’t, it’s great. If you follow it up immediately with [Consecration], it’s incredible. Even if you just trade your hero power minions for their real minions, you’re getting great value.

Priest

[Auchenai Soulpriest]

Since the game’s release, the combination of Soulpriest and [Circle of Healing] has been one of priests most reliable board clearing mechanics, dealing 4 to everything in play. The ability to use your hero power or other healing effects as removal makes this pretty clearly Priest’s top rare. Just be careful about playing [Holy Nova] while it’s in play! It may not turn out the way you’d like.

Honorable Mentions: [Wyrmrest Agent] requires a critical mass of dragons in your deck, but once you have it, a 2/4 taunt for 2 mana is excellent early defense. [Shifting Shade] is another new card from Whispers of the Old Gods, but another solid value guy – half of a [Thoughtsteal] tacked onto a 4/3 body is a solid deal for 4 mana.

Rogue

[SI:7 Agent]

Another long time staple, this card is again a solid body with a good effect attached. Coined out on turn 2 to remove an early opposing play and stabilize the board, or following up on a [Backstab] or other cheap spell to enable combo, SI:7 does good work. Combine with [Shadowstep] for max value and hilarity.

Honorable Mention and Adventure Honorable Mention: [Journey Below] and [Unearthed Raptor] Journey is from Old Gods, Raptor from the League of Explorers adventure. Combined, along with some other deathrattle guys such as [Loot Hoarder] and [Southsea Squidface], they make for a pretty viable Deathrattle-based Rogue deck.

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As the IEL’s Basics and Commons league wraps up, and players move on to casual, or future IEL seasons, it seemed like a good time to discuss some of the cards that could be added to basics and commons decks, both for the C4 format and for general play. This list is meant to be a starting point to help players make the transition, as well as a resource for those who may not have played Commons or C4 before. Because rares are both useable in the C4 format and the cheapest non-common way to upgrade your decks (100 dust per rare, as opposed to epics at 400, or legendaries at 1600), they’re likely to be some of the better bang for your buck cards out there.

I’m going to pick one best rare for each class and neutral, as well as some honorable mentions. Notably, this will not include rares acquired through adventures, because those aren’t as easily accessible for newer players. Where there are relevant ones though, I’ll include Adventure Honorable Mentions as well. When cards are close together, I’ll generally err on the side of the more flexible card – one that you want in more variations of decks, rather than one that only fits in one specific deck.

Today we’re tackling Druid, Hunter, and Mage. Check back later this week for the rest of the classes, plus Neutral cards. Here we go!

Druid

[Mire Keeper]  

Alphabetically first, but one of the hardest decisions – druid has long been known for the power of its epics, while its rares have often played second fiddle or filler roles. Mire Keeper is pretty emblematic of this – it is a very solid value card, but not one that’s likely to have a big wow factor. Still, the flexibility the card presents (5 power and 5 toughness for 4 mana, or a medium body and a mana “ramp”) is quite appealing.

Honorable Mentions: [Starfall] and [Nourish]  Two more examples of the flexibility that the “choose one” mechanic can provide, Starfall is a very flexible removal spell, taking out a bigger minion, or clearing a bunch of small ones. Nourish is more often used for the draw 3 ability (one of the best pure card drawers in the game), but going from 5 mana to 8 the next turn can make for some big plays as well. One more honorable mention here as well. Many of the Commons druid decks have a heavy Beast theme, meaning [Savage Combatant] is a nice on-theme addition.

Hunter

[Savannah Highmane]

This one is easy. Hunter has a handful of good rares, but Highmane is just incredible. It’s 6/5 body for 6 is pretty close to on curve by itself, the fact that it’s a beast is highly relevant, and the “stickiness” it presents, spawning 2 2/2 beasts when it dies, means that a single removal spell can’t even fully clear it from the board. This card single-handedly makes a big difference in the ability of a hunter deck to win in the late game if their early aggression is blunted.

Honorable Mention: [Eaglehorn Bow] Without any secrets being triggered, the Bow is 6 damage for 3 mana (albeit split over a couple of turns), a very nice rate of return. Either going face, or cleaning up pesky opposing minions, the Bow is very nice. If you can trigger a secret or two however, and get extra durability, the card becomes crazy strong, and often times changes how the opponent plays – trying to play around triggering a secret to avoid giving you the extra attack with the weapon.

Mage

[Cult Sorcerer]

The actual best rare for a Mage deck is actually a neutral card (stay tuned for the next article in this series), but Whispers of the Old Gods brought us this cheap but powerful play. Ignore the text about C’thun – you’re playing this card because it’s a 3/2 (about the best deal you can get for 2 mana) that comes with an ability that is very relevant for mage – spell damage isn’t so good that you’d want to play cards with below average bodies to get it, but when it’s essentially free on a reasonable body, like here, it’s just gravy – more damage is good.

Adventure Honorable Mention: [Flamewaker] I’d be remiss if I failed to mention this card. The current version of Tempo Mage decks exist largely because of it, and getting additional value off of your cheap spells is just huge.

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The C4, or Commons + 4 Rares, format is used in our Hearthstone Midseason Open tournament.

• Decks are limited to basic and common cards only, plus 4 total rares. No epic or legendary cards are allowed.
• Rares are limited to 4 total cards per deck, not 4 unique cards, so 2 copies of 2 different rares would meet the limit.
• Cards of any rarity may be played if discovered through an in-game mechanic.
• Decks are also limited to standard cards.
• For regular play, we stick to regular Conquest (three decks is a lower bar for new players), though competitive play should consider adding a “Bring 4, Ban 1” provision to prevent the overwhelming power of Warlock Zoo from warping the meta in this format.

Goal: The C4 format helps level the playing field between players with large card pools and newer players, while allowing for a wider variety of deck archetypes. There is still an advantage to the more experienced players, but newer players have a better chance to stay closer, win occasional games, and be generally competitive.

Analysis

(See also: Analysis of the Commons format)

Allowing 4 rares in a deck changes things slightly from the Commons format. Board and Card Advantage will still be relevant, but rares open up some increased synergy options, can potentially have a higher power level, and can enable decks to be built specifically around the card, as they tend to have more interactions than basics and commons. A C4 deck also has the potential for more payoff from themes than in a Commons deck.

Simple Upgrades

Hunter: [Savannah Highmane] – adding Highmane to a B/C deck doesn’t fundamentally alter the way they play, but it will be a strict upgrade over whatever was previously in the deck. This the most basic improvement that adding rares will allow, but just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s not powerful or worthwhile. Highmane is GREAT.

Neutral: [Knife Juggler] – adding [Knife Juggler] to almost any low-curve deck that plays out a bunch of creatures is likely to generate a good bit of value when played right, and as such, it’s a very good 2-drop for that style of deck without changing the overall feel of the deck.

Build-arounds

Mage: [Flamewaker]/[Demented Frostcaller] – these are good examples of build-around cards. They could slot into a pre-existing mage deck and help out a bit, but they’re at their best when you craft a deck around them with cheap spells that might not otherwise get played, but create value when played with one or both of these cards out.

Warrior (technically neutral): [Grim Patron] – Patron is a neutral card, but goes exceptionally well with warrior’s ability to deal a single damage to a lot of different things at once. It only requires an increased commitment to whirlwind type effects to really benefit it, rather than requiring you to build from scratch but is still a potentially strong build around.

Synergy

Paladin: [Divine Favor] – as previously discussed, one of the issues with non-Warlock aggro is that they tend to run out of cards. [Divine Favor] potentially allows paladin to refill its hand after playing out a bunch of early guys, and really makes that style of deck potentially viable, rather than fringe playable.

Rogue: [Unearthed Raptor] – if a rogue deathrattle deck is viable, this card will likely be a major reason why. The ability to copy deathrattle effects on an efficient body is a really nice boost to a deathrattle based deck, which doesn’t really exists in basics/commons only.

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These a just a few examples of the possibilities with a C4 deck. The rest are left as exercises for the reader.

This format is used in our Hearthstone Wednesday Commons league.

• Decks are limited to basic and common cards only. No rare, epic, or legendary cards are allowed.
• Cards of any rarity may be played if discovered through an in-game mechanic.
• Decks are also limited to standard cards.
• For regular play, we stick to regular Conquest (three decks is a lower bar for new players), though competitive play should consider adding a “Bring 4, Ban 1” provision to prevent the overwhelming power of Warlock Zoo from warping the meta in this format.

Goal: The commons format helps level the playing field between players with large card pools and newer players. There is still an advantage to the more experienced players, but newer players have a better chance to stay closer, win occasional games, and be generally competitive.

Analysis

I thought I’d share my views on the basic/commons format, both to help more experienced players adapt more quickly to its restrictions, and to assist newer players in understanding what is important. The biggest difference with the no higher rarity cards is the lack of some of the crazy impactful single cards, as well as combo-style strategies. This is kind of Hearthstone 101. So, some keys to the format:

 

Board Control

This is probably the most important element of the early game in the format. With very limited board clear available, if you are able to get on board and stay ahead, making favorable trades and dictating game flow, you’re likely to win the game. There is no super strong individual card like [Sylvanas Windrunner], [Ancient of War], or even turn 3 [Feral Spirit]s to quickly wrest board control back. Simply staying ahead on board, making good trades, and chipping in damage to the enemy hero’s face is a very valuable strategy for many decks. For example, the games Priest wins is usually those where they can keep things under control, and the ones where they lose are when the opposing board spirals out of control and holy nova either doesn’t show up or can’t clear everything.

 

Card Advantage

It should make sense that having more cards is better than having fewer cards, in general. In Hearthstone, in some ways, your creatures are your removal as well, so the board often ends up trading off, leaving the person who has expended fewer resources in a better position in the long game. Obviously, raw card drawing is a way of accumulating card advantage, but there are other ways as well. If I have to crash my 2 3/2s into a [Chillwind Yeti] to get it off the board, Yeti got a 2 for 1. If I use Mage hero power to ping off a 1 toughness guy, I got a 1 for 0. Likewise, if my [Loot Hoarder] trades for a 3/2, I also got a 1 for 0 (since they’re down a guy and I drew a card to replace the Hoarder). A large taunt such as a [Bog Creeper] can usually take 2-3 guys with it when it goes down.
Of course, this is all well and good, but if you’re incredibly behind on board because you’re sending your loot hoarders in to hit Yetis and ping them off but taking 12 points from the Yeti before eventually killing it, well, I know who I’m betting on to win, and it’s the guy with the Yeti. It’s really a blend of these two concepts that will lead to success in this format.

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Additionally, there may come a point in the game where you’ve lost card advantage and board advantage, but your opponent is low enough that if you get lucky, you might just be able to go to the face enough to steal a victory. Knowing when you can abandon cards or board and just try and win is something that takes time to get used to, but is a critical skill for long-term success with the game.

So, how can we use this to tell us why certain heroes/decks are good (and which are not)?

Weapons, for example, are usually pretty easy 2 for 1 card advantage (barring an [Acidic Swamp Ooze] ruining your fun), and in particular, [Fiery War Axe] is one of the most efficient cheap “removal spells”. Yes, you’ll take some damage, but that’s usually damage you’d have taken from the creature by being attacked by it anyway, and you get it off the board, thus helping with board advantage as well.

The Mage hero power lets you trade up and kill x/1 creatures without spending a card, so it can be a big source of value as well.

Priest, in addition to having flexible removal (important for not falling behind early, and helpful for not having to trade 2-3 for 1 to take down a large minion like [Boulderfist Ogre]) and an outright card drawer in [Northshire Cleric], it also has an incredibly subtle 2 for 1 built into its hero power. In the absence of healing, imagine a [Chillwind Yeti] vs. a [Water Elemental]. They each hit each other once, and they both end up dead. The priest hero power allows the Yeti to hit, be healed up to 4 health and be able to survive another combat with the [Water Elemental].

Additionally, this also explains why Warlock Zoo (lots of good cheap, aggressive creatures) is just the best deck in the format once you have all of the pieces to build it – it both has insane board control (cheap creatures and enhancers to help them trade up) and the warlock hero power gives you just a ridiculous amount of card advantage if your life total isn’t being pressured (which maintaining board control should help you avoid).

Other pure aggro decks seem to be a bit inconsistent. Non-Warlock aggro decks are very good at doing the first 25 or so points of damage, but the last 5 are a crapshoot. It’s pretty much all down to the card advantage problem. Without the warlock’s ability to draw a lot of cards, eventually the constant 1 for 2s doom you – yeah, you’ll get through some damage, but then yeti or what have you will pick off 2 of your guys before dying, and a sweeper will set you way back. If you draw well, and your opponent doesn’t have the answer they need, aggro can get the job done, but if they have it, you’ve probably just lost because you have no way to refill your hand, leading to inconsistent results at best. There are a lot of coin flips where if your mid-range/control opponent has the right answer, you can’t win, and if they don’t, you almost can’t lose.

The implications for deckbuilding then are this – the starting point for most decks should be a mix of solid creatures along the mana curve, along with any good removal the class possesses. If you run all large drops, you’re pretty guaranteed to fall way behind on board in the early game and have an incredible struggle to catch up. If you have all 1 and 2 drops without a good way to reload, you’re likely to run out of cards by the midgame, and be left drawing small minions while your opponent is playing out solid 4, 5 and 6 mana guys. Certain classes can skew one way or the other, but it’s a good general guideline.

And finally, cards with the discover mechanic are exceptionally strong, as they enable cards with higher rarities to be played in the format, and open up the possibility of finding truly game-changing cards.

This has gotten very long, but hopefully, it was interesting and increased your understanding of the format. In the absence of single, game-changing cards, and with a fairly minimal amount of sweepers (most of which only do 2 damage), these 2 basic concepts seem to factor heavily into who wins, and what makes for a viable deck.