Hearthstone Arena Drafting!

[GAAD]

Game 1: VS Hunter: Loss

1 more loss and betting ends!

[GAAD]

Game 2: VS Shaman

Win

Score: 1-1

[GAAD]

Game 3: VS Mage

Win

Score: 2-1

[The Glyphstone]

Give us some short recaps as well. Overwhelming victory on either side? Close battle down to the nails? Topdeck war? Any drastic misplays or huge reversals?

[GAAD]

All right.

Game 1: VS Hunter

Not knowing how to play this deck, I YOLO face.
The Huntard with four Huffers YOLOs better and I cry.

Game 2: VS Shaman

Poor sap had an awful, awful deck. He had a really heavy mana curve that caused him to skip turns 1,2, and 3. Turn 4 Feral Spirit Earth Shock to stave off my onslaught cost him the game, as the Overload caused him to skip turn 5 as well and give me a huge tempo swing.

Game 3: VS Mage

A lot of trading back and forth. This mage drafted at least five secrets and two Mad Scientists. I deliberately vaporized my MechYeti - right after playing Junkbot. In response, Mage pulls out MCT, and takes my Junkbot. Unfortunately, I topdecked Savage Roar for lethal the turn after.

[GAAD]

Game 4: VS Hunter
Turn 1: Coin Micro Machine
Turn 2: Freezing Trap

With the momentum here, I was soon down to low life, against a strategy of removal covering huge-attack minions. When I eventually swarm him, he plays Unleash the Hounds Arcane Golem to put me at 7 health, against 2 1/1s (the other two picked off my Argent Commander), a 4/2, and a full-health Boulderfist Ogre. I Reversing Switch the ogre, then BGH it and use my minions to wreck his board for free, then Venture Co. He Cobra Shots to leave me at 4 health, then plays Mad Bomber. I live, and smash his face in.

Win

Score: 3-1

[Jormengand]

I'll say 6, though betting this far in is kinda cheating.

[GAAD]

Well, this is loss number 2! All bets are final (which is two)

VS Mage

Super trading; went into Topdeck Wars.
Failed to draw Ironbark and lost to a topdeck Fireball as we were trading minions and spells.

3-2

[GAAD]

Game 6: VS Druid

Turn 1 Zombie Chow
Turn 2 Coin Spidertank
Turn 3 Spidertank
Turn 4 Cultmaster

The Cultmaster went unchallenged and I built up quite a nest egg of card advantage, culminating in BGHing his on-curve Ironbark, at which point he conceded to me.

4-2

[The Glyphstone]

Spidertank, Spidertank, does whatever a spidertank does...

[GAAD]

Game 7: VS Shaman

Topdeck Wars

Topdeck Ironbark
Topdeck Hex

Plays Questing Adventurer, goes unchallenged, and it bashes my face in.

4 Wins!

Glyphstone's draft!

[The Glyphstone]

Ulp. Alrighty then...



Round 2: Class Selection:
SHAMAN, WARLOCK, or PALADIN?

[Zevox]

Meh, I wouldn't even have known what to expect as far as wins if I were piloting that deck. It had some good cheap cards and a high chance to activate Tinkertown Techs, so it could just win a lot off strong starts, but it also had some garbage, and drawing too much of that could cost you an otherwise-winnable game. And my own experience with Druids in arena has been very inconsistent.

New one: Warlock, because everybody plays Paladin (or Mage) in arena, and Warlock is probably rarer than Shaman.

[The Glyphstone]

Pick 1: Lightwarden, Ancient Watcher, Demonwrath

[GAAD]

Unless you REALLY want to push your luck for Handlock, Demonwrath over garbage.

[Mando Knight]

Demonwrath. The other two are terrible without activators, neither of which is all that likely in Arena. Demonwrath at least acts like a mini-Hellfire that ignores any Demons you might draft.

[The Glyphstone]

DEMONWRATH over garbage.

#2: Darkbomb, Mad Bomber, or Explosive Sheep

Very...volatile set of cards.

[GAAD]

I'd take Bomber for stats. Besides, who knows? You might get a Darkbomb off it.

[Anxe]

I'd go with Darkbomb.

[Zevox]

Darkbomb and Mad Bomber are both good, it's a close call. Darkbomb is better as a "fast" card to help you catch up or press an advantage, but Mad Bomber is value as a minion and damage, especially in the early game against things like Worgen Infiltrator. There's an argument to be made for either one.

Me, I think I'd have to consider it for a moment, but end up taking Darkbomb, just because lack of such "fast" cards to catch up with can get you killed if the opening exchanges don't go your way.

[The Glyphstone]

Taking DARKBOMB then, because Bomber always betrays me.

#3:Archmage, Imp Gang Boss, or Worgen Infiltrator.

Infiltrator, or start building Demon synergy?

[GAAD]

Imp Gang Boss best common. It doesn't matter about synergy, that thing is guaranteed to be AT LEAST a 3/5 for 3.

[Mando Knight]

Worgen is really good, but since you already have a Demonwrath, I'd go with the Gang Boss.

[The Glyphstone]

Imp Gang Boss for value and synergy, then.

#4: Blackwing Corruptor, Flying Machine, or Darkscale Healer.

[Zevox]

Hm, well, obviously not Flying Machine. So do we go for the 5-drop with the slightly preferable stat line and the non-conditional effect, or the one that's more powerful if we get its effect to activate? This early in the draft there's still the chance to pick up some good Dragons along the way.

Eh, I think I'd end up taking Darkscale Healer. I just can't bring myself to bank on getting synergy cards in the future for the Corruptor, even though it's not that much worse than the Healer if we don't get them.

[The Glyphstone]

I like Healer myself too - it's a free activation of my hero power if nothing else, on a not-terrible statline.

DARKSCALE HEALER.

#5: Wisp, Flame Imp, or Priestess of Elune.

[GAAD]

Flame Imp over garbage.

[The Glyphstone]

FLAME IMP over mega-garbage.

#6: Shattered Sun Cleric, Reckless Rocketeer, or Tauren Warrior.

[GAAD]

Hmm. Cleric is solid, but Rocketeer is burst. Honestly, comparing Rocketeer to Argent Commander, a Divine Shield is worth the 1 less attack, but we're not sure you'd get that. As 6-drops go, Rocketeer is kinda weak. I'd go with Cleric.

[Kish]

Absolutely, cleric.