Hearthstone Arena Drafting!

[Zevox]

Micro Machine is great. The others are not.

"Great" is giving too much credit, I think. If you can't play it to a board where your opponent has nothing or behind taunt, it just dies as a 2/2 for 2, which can be a problem in a surprisingly large amount of the time. Even if you get it down safely, you often just have to treat it as a 3/2 for 2 and trade it out immediately - which is fine and dandy, but not great. It has fringe cases where it does more, but they're rare.

Current pick: Snapjaw. Not only is it a 4, but I think it's actually a better card than the Archmage. Both have undesirable stats for the cost, but the Snapjaw has better stats for its cost, and the high health can present people with a problem at times, particularly if their hand is mostly small minions. Also, consider this in comparing them: for the extra 2 mana you pay for the Archmage over the Snapjaw, all you get is 2 points of attack and spell damage (and we have only one spell that can benefit from that). That's not much for such a significant cost difference.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther

Breaking the tie because no, no I'm not ready for this.

[GAAD]

Jungle Panther over inefficient minions.

[CantigThimble]

Frostwolf warlord over inefficient minions.

[The Glyphstone]

The frostwolves should stand ready.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar

Apparently, the frostwolves are ready for this.

[CantigThimble]

Micro machine is fine but tiger is excellent.

[Zevox]

Hm, well, we seem to have an acceptable amount of both early and late game, so no need to pick something for curve here. So I'll say Tiger. "Excellent" is overselling it, but it's solid, and as I mentioned before Micro Machine has some issues. Plus Priest likes higher-health minions he can heal more than weenies that are all but guaranteed to die when they hit something.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar
Silverback Patriarch/Murloc Tidecaller/Chillwind Yeti

Look, someone just say yeti and let's get this over with, shall we?

[CantigThimble]

I like 4/5s, yes I do.

[The Glyphstone]

Tidecaller!

[Jormengand]

Yes, Glyphstone, whatever you say. Whatever you say.

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar
Silverback Patriarch/Murloc Tidecaller/Chillwind Yeti
Silver Hand Knight/Drakonid Crusher/Frost Elemental

[The Glyphstone]

Easy Drakonid Crusher, great Arena card.

[CantigThimble]

Crusher is quite fantastic in arena, and since these are all lategame we don't have any competition at all.

[Zevox]

I haven't been convinced that Crusher is great as yet, but the competition isn't fantastic - Silver Hand Knight is good, but not great, and we have a few 5s at this point - so yeah, take the Crusher.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar
Silverback Patriarch/Murloc Tidecaller/Chillwind Yeti
Silver Hand Knight/Drakonid Crusher/Frost Elemental
Amani Berzerker/Spider Tank/Stormwind Knight

[CantigThimble]

Spider tank is awesome.

[The Glyphstone]

Spider tank, spider tank, does whatever a spider tank does...

[Draz74]

Yeah, but we have no 4-drops yet.

Told ya we should have taken Hungry Dragon.

Worst case is probably actually getting backstabbed, and you've gone card-for-card and wasted two mana.

Worst case is it gets Shadow Madnessed, then Recombobulated into something that loses you the game. (Patient Assassin maybe?)

Tidecaller!

Somebody call a mod to punish this troll.

Spider tank, spider tank, does whatever a spider tank does...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has that song get stuck in my head whenever Spider Tank is played.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar
Silverback Patriarch/Murloc Tidecaller/Chillwind Yeti
Silver Hand Knight/Drakonid Crusher/Frost Elemental
Amani Berzerker/Spider Tank/Stormwind Knight
Nerub'ar Weblord/Fen Creeper/Lightspawn

[Zevox]

Easy Lightspawn. Best card of the bunch, and another 4 is more helpful to us than another 2 or 5 anyway.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Easy Lightspawn. Best card of the bunch, and another 4 is more helpful to us than another 2 or 5 anyway.

Also, another good target for PW:Shield.

[Jormengand]

UTHER LIGHTBRINGER/ANDUIN WRYNN/REXXAR
Bloodsail Corsair/Wailing Soul/Dragon Egg
Dark Cultist/Flesh-eating Ghoul/Lightspawn
Velen's Chosen/Dire Wolf Alpha/Voodoo Doctor
Argent Squire/Mind Control/Murloc Tidecaller
Frostwolf Warlord/Dire Wolf Alpha/Shadow Word: Death
Darkscale Healer/Holy Nova/Shattered Sun Cleric
Puddlestomper/Loot Hoarder/Dread Corsair
Mind control/Divine Spirit/Force tank MAX
Lil' Exorcist/Gnomish Experimenter/Arcane Golem
Shadow Madness/Azure Drake/Madder Bomber
Stonesplinter Trogg/Inner Fire/Bluegill Warrior
Mind Vision/Argent Squire/Velen's Chosen
Amani Berzerker/Mad Bomber/Mind Control
Boulderfist Ogre/Fen Creeper/Burly Rockjaw Trogg
Lord of the Arena/Hungry Dragon/Shrinkmeister
Haunted Creeper/Frostwolf Warlord/Power Word: Shield
Lost Tallstrider/Puddlestomper/Shrinkmeister
Mechanical Yeti/Temple Enforcer/Explosive Sheep
Micro Machine/Unstable Ghoul/Voodoo Doctor.
Ancient Mage/Master Swordsmith/Imp Master
Silence/Amani Berserker/Voodoo Doctor
Inner Fire/Dragonkin Sorcerer/Fen Creeper
Frostwolf Grunt/Oasis Snapjaw/Archmage
Frostwolf Warlord/Darkscale Healer/Jungle Panther
Micro Machine/Stranglethorn Tiger/Stonetusk Boar
Silverback Patriarch/Murloc Tidecaller/Chillwind Yeti
Silver Hand Knight/Drakonid Crusher/Frost Elemental
Amani Berzerker/Spider Tank/Stormwind Knight
Nerub'ar Weblord/Fen Creeper/Lightspawn
Lightbomb/Mindgames/Sea Giant

[thirsting]

Boardclearbomb.

[Destro_Yersul]

I'd take the sea giant, personally. It's the best giant in Arena, I feel, and Priest can keep it alive longer.

[CantigThimble]

Sea giant is really really good.

[GAAD]

But Lightbomb can pull us back from behind.

[Azimov]

Whilst I am merely spectating this (and thus don't actually have a Vote) I feel the need to really really recommend the lightbomb, It is as mentioned one of your only come-back tools in the entire priest arsenal. Passing it over in favour of a sea giant (which you can happily manufacture with velens) would, in my opinion be a huge mistake.

[Destro_Yersul]

to which I say, a discounted 8/8 is only ever not a comeback tool if it gets answered efficiently. Easy enough in constructed, but much harder to do in Arena. Plus, lightbomb is not actually a comeback tool if your opponent's board has a couple minions with more health than attack. I'm not saying Lightbomb's not good, it's obviously good, I just think that Sea Giant is better.

[Jormengand]

Whilst I am merely spectating this (and thus don't actually have a Vote) I feel the need to really really recommend the lightbomb, It is as mentioned one of your only come-back tools in the entire priest arsenal. Passing it over in favour of a sea giant (which you can happily manufacture with velens) would, in my opinion be a huge mistake.

Hey, everyone has a vote! So long as they get their vote in before I decide that I'm bored with this pick and want to go to the next one. Or, in this case, actually playing.