Now that the first three wings of Hearthstone’s newest expansion, One Night In Karazhan , are out, we can start to see how these new cards are affecting the meta. This week’s Tempo Storm Meta Snapshot takes a look at the landscape of the game and how each new card makes a deck stronger or weaker.
Dragon Warrior and Aggro Shaman are still the best decks to use on ladder and they remained relatively unchanged after the release of this set. Control decks still find it impossible to keep up with the pure aggressive rush that a Fiery War Axe or a Totemic Golem can provide. Dragon Warrior even got another shiny new card to use in their deck, The Curator . Drawing a Fierce Monkey , another dragon and maybe even a Sir Finley Mrrgglton off one card that still has a 4/6 body just makes the deck even better.
That isn’t to say those two decks will remain on top for long. Menagerie Warden came out this week and it’s one of the best cards in One Night In Karazhan . Token Druid is still the best Druid deck, but Beast Druid might soon usurp its throne. A Stranglethorn Tiger turn five and then a Menagerie Warden turn six leaves you with two 5/5 Beasts with taunt and one 5/5. Most decks are going to struggle to compete with that sort of board pressure; throw in a Mark of Y’Shaarj and a Power Of The Wild and your board is practically unbeatable.
With the rise of Druids, we are going to start to see more of their direct counter, Tempo Mage. Druid has a hard time ramping up against Mage, which has tons of cards to remove threats like Druid Of The Claw and Violet Teacher. If Token Druid can’t create a field presence because Flamewalker keeps popping its tokens, Druid is going to have a hard time winning the game.
Mage also got a card that has been exploding in popularity, Babbling Book. It not only has the cutest voice line in Hearthstone , it is also insanely valuable. No matter what, getting a free card in your hand for one mana is a good deal. Raven Idol is a staple in Druid, though it does allow you to Discover a card, giving you a higher chance of finding something good. Still, Mage spells are mostly useful, with some exceptions (sorry Vaporize), so it’s worth taking a risk. There’s no better feeling than getting an extra Fireball , giving you just enough damage for lethal.
Overall, the meta seems to be changing for the better. Once wing four comes out and we get to add Medivh to our decks, control decks might start to creep back into popularity. Shaman and Warrior will still be on top, but at least slower decks might stand a chance. Hell, Priest has a top tier deck now, with Ressurect Priest being one of the most disgusting decks I’ve ever had the misfortune to play against.
