Especially popular in Hearthstone are currently the rogues. Their deck is nearly perfect – and for this reason, it is played extremely often.
With “Conspiracy of Shadows” a state was quickly established in the Hearthstone meta that brings boredom and frustration to many players. Because very few of the classes have really good decks and the most popular decks are just variations or improvements of already existing archetypes.
The best example of this is the Lackey Rogue, which currently (more or less) represents the only truly competitive rogue deck. Through a mix of new Lackey cards, powerful pirates, and old constant stars like Leeroy Jenkins, the deck is nearly unmatched.
Deadly combos with no good counters: Rogues currently have enormous burst potential, which is due to numerous good combos. A popular combination is, for example, the Waggle Pick, which deals 4 damage and returns a minion to your hand as a deathrattle that then costs 2 mana less. If you combine the Waggle Pick from the previous turn with Leeroy Jenkins, you can deal 16 damage in a single turn – for only 8 mana (2x Leeroy and one attack with the weapon). Only a few other classes have such high burst potential.
The problem, however, is that it’s not just one problem with the rogue, but several. Many cards in the rogue appear so overpowered that the problem cannot be solved by just one nerf, but adjustments need to be made at several points.
We have presented 3 decks for the new expansion here.
Preparation is too powerful: Another example here is Preparation. The 0-mana spell ensures that the next spell costs 3 mana less. At the same time, the spell also acts as a “combo-trigger” because it is a played card itself. A “Sprint” for 4 mana is extremely powerful.
For comparison: The Druid had the card “Innervate”, which temporarily gives the Druid 2 mana, nerfed by 50% because it was considered too strong. Preparation only works for spells, but that’s exactly why you take the card anyway. An adjustment might be necessary.
More than 25% play Rogues: This dominance is also reflected in the distribution of classes. Data from Vicious Syndicate shows that Rogues made up more than 25% of all played decks in the last update (May 7) – so more than a quarter. In a game that relies on 9 different classes, this is an alarming number.
Warriors are the boring answer to Rogues: One possible answer to the rogue deck is the Warrior, which can simply outlast games with its also (too) strong cards like “Mad Genius Dr. Boom”. With the rush effect of its minions and cards like “Brawl”, the battlefield can be cleared quickly and then simply waited out until the opponent has no cards left in their deck and dies of exhaustion. How much fun these games, which often take 30 or even 45 minutes, are is something everyone must judge for themselves.
Hunters form the third major meta deck: These Warriors, in turn, are somewhat countered by Hunters who bring back dead minions with many deathrattle effects and spells. Furthermore, they can keep up against the Warrior’s clearing mechanics and can, in rare cases, also take out a Rogue before they unleash their combos.
This also explains why Hunters with just under 20% and Warriors with around 15% are in 2nd and 3rd place of the most played classes. In comparison: Paladin, Priest, and Warlock do not reach even 5%. They are currently the least popular classes.
The current meta of Hearthstone seems not only to be stagnant but also to favor a few classes more than ever. It’s time for Blizzard to make some adjustments to ensure the variety of classes and decks once again.
Because another three months with this meta are likely to do the game no good.
What do you think of the current meta in Hearthstone? Are you having fun with the prevailing decks? Or should Rogues and Warriors start receiving some nerfs? Which cards are the problem for you?
