Hearthstone Arena Drafting!

[Jormengand]

Free mage hero power is nice. Ogre is nicer.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

The BOULDERfist is no longer conflicted.

(Anyone? Anyone? Zevox?)

[Mando Knight]

Free mage hero power is nice. Ogre is nicer.

There's only a handful of cards I'd ever pick Ironforge Rifleman over, since it's an Elven Archer (which is mediocre, but occasionally useful as a cheap ping+body) with +1/+1 for 2 more mana. Boulderfist Ogre is a solid Arena card in his own right, and far superior to trash like Rifleman.

[GAAD]

What you lookin at?

Blackwing Tech, Warbot, Shield Block

[CantigThimble]

I believe in dragons. Also the others are meh. My twerk is paramount!

[Destro_Yersul]

Shield Block's not bad. +5 health and draw a card. I'd only pick Blackwing Tech over that if we had a bunch of dragons already, and we don't, so...

[CantigThimble]

I really don't agree, health is practically worthless compared to creatures and if you want to waste mana gaining health your hero power already does that. Now, shield block is better than most not-helping-you-win cards but that doesn't change what it is.

[Zevox]

I really don't agree, health is practically worthless compared to creatures and if you want to waste mana gaining health your hero power already does that. Now, shield block is better than most not-helping-you-win cards but that doesn't change what it is.

Remember though that with Warrior, health is often an important resource. Weapons are Warrior's biggest advantage over other classes, and you need health to use them. Now, we don't have any yet, but this is also only pick number 3, and most of Warrior's weapons will be auto-picks if we're offered them (only Ogre Warmaul is really an exception there). So yeah, there's a definite argument for taking Shield Block here, given the competition is uninspiring and it fuels Warrior's most important class feature.

I think I'd take it, in fact, though it's not that much above Blackwing Tech.

[Fleeing Coward]

I vote tech. Doesn't matter that Health is a resource, you're losing tempo casting it.

[GAAD]

The Zevox hath spaken and point hath been crafted. Bringeth the Blockinge of the Shielde.

Target Dummy, Azure Drake, Master Swordsmith

[Jormengand]

Drake, next pick.

[CantigThimble]

See what happens when you don't believe in dragons? Easy drake.

[Fleeing Coward]

Yeah that's why you always pick the card with potential over a card that's going to be consistently bad.

[Destro_Yersul]

Shield Block isn't actually bad, though. The thing is that it's not an early-game card. Tempo doesn't matter as much past turn 6 or so.

[Gandariel]

Yeah that's why you always pick the card with potential over a card that's going to be consistently bad.

Shield block is not consistently bad. it's very consistently mediocre. And after some time, you learn to appreciate consistency over potential

[Fleeing Coward]

Shield block is not consistently bad. it's very consistently mediocre. And after some time, you learn to appreciate consistency over potential

The fact that you can't play it as a 3 drop because of all the tempo you'd lose makes it bad. Until you hit 9-10 mana, the cost is a huge drawback as you're greatly restricted in what you can do on the turn you played it while having no impact on the actual board. This isn't constructed where you can design your whole deck to make it work. The only thing that stops me from calling it horrible is that it at cycles so you at least don't lose card advantage playing it.
Blackwing Tech had the potential to be great and even as a 2/4, it still trades with or outright kills most other 2/3 drops which is all you should ask for out of a 3 drop.

[Destro_Yersul]

The fact that you can't play it as a 3 drop because of all the tempo you'd lose makes it bad. Until you hit 9-10 mana, the cost is a huge drawback as you're greatly restricted in what you can do on the turn you played it while having no impact on the actual board. This isn't constructed where you can design your whole deck to make it work. The only thing that stops me from calling it horrible is that it at cycles so you at least don't lose card advantage playing it.
Blackwing Tech had the potential to be great and even as a 2/4, it still trades with or outright kills most other 2/3 drops which is all you should ask for out of a 3 drop.

We're three picks in. Picking a good late game card that happens to cost 3 over a average to good card that also costs three is not the end of the world.

[Fleeing Coward]

If it was a good late game card it'd be a different story but Shield Block isn't a good card.
Also, I'm more discussing which card is the correct pick which I thought was the point of this thread - to give timely feedback and discussion as a draft is going rather than waiting to the end.

[Zevox]

The Zevox hath spaken and point hath been crafted.

Okay, no more of that please. It kinda weirds me out. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at this game, but however good I may or may not be, I'm by no means infallible or anything.

As everyone has said though, easy Azure Drake on the current pick.

[Gandariel]

If it was a good late game card it'd be a different story but Shield Block isn't a good card.

Well, it is a decent lategame card (which happens to be extremely good if you are facing an aggressive deck).
Also, Health gain in Warrior always has some extra bonus, become Weapons trade card Health into Card advantage.

Blackwing tech is..unexciting. Really. It trades with a 2-drop. It might become a good 3-drop, but there are really not that many dragons in the card pool, and it's not really guaranteed at all.

I believe Shield Block to be better, on average, and I agree with the pick.

[Destro_Yersul]

If it was a good late game card it'd be a different story but Shield Block isn't a good card.
Also, I'm more discussing which card is the correct pick which I thought was the point of this thread - to give timely feedback and discussion as a draft is going rather than waiting to the end.

I think shield block is the correct pick.

On the current one it's the drake, of course.

[Fleeing Coward]

Well, it is a decent lategame card (which happens to be extremely good if you are facing an aggressive deck).
Also, Health gain in Warrior always has some extra bonus, become Weapons trade card Health into Card advantage.

Blackwing tech is..unexciting. Really. It trades with a 2-drop. It might become a good 3-drop, but there are really not that many dragons in the card pool, and it's not really guaranteed at all.

I believe Shield Block to be better, on average, and I agree with the pick.

This is what I don't understand. The card doesn't offer card advantage or affect the board so I don't get why so many people here consider it to be a "good" card. In arena, it essentially says: pay 3, gain 5 life, cycle. It's not the worst card ever but my experience is that it's a bad card for the same reason the warrior hero power is considered bad in arena - you're paying valueable mana for something that does not affect the board at all which is not something you normally want to do in arena.

Technician, while not the most exciting card is at least reasonable.
It doesn't just trade with 2 drops, it kills the common 3/2 and lives while still trading with 3/3 and 3/4 3 drops.
Getting a dragon in hand is just a bonus that turns it from ok to great.

[Gandariel]

And we all agree it's an OK card.
But so is Shield Block, and while the difference is not great i still say that Block is the better pick.

Healing is often bad because it "delays" your death without doing anything else that may help you win.
So, the only heal cards that are actually used are the ones that do something else as well: Guardian of Kings, Lay on Hands, Healbot.

Shield block *does* sometihng in two ways:
First, it draws you a card. Something that cycles is never bad.
Second, Warrior will usually have a way of turning that healing into card or board advantage.

[Fleeing Coward]

Shield block *does* sometihng in two ways:
First, it draws you a card. Something that cycles is never bad.
Second, Warrior will usually have a way of turning that healing into card or board advantage.

Novice engineer cycles, it's considered bad.
Acolyte of Pain potentially draws multiple cards for the same cost and people still usually don't pick it. Cycling doesn't automatically make a card good.

It's weapons that turn health into the advantage, Shield Block doesn't. I've had plenty of Warrior drafts where I don't see a single weapon source.

Shield Block doesn't do enough for the cost to justify drafting it over Technician this early. Just my two cents based on my experience, you're free to disagree of course.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

FWIW, if it's between two cards which require synergy with other cards (dragons for Tech, weapons for Block), Shield Block is the one with a more likely synergy, since you're going to see specifically-tailored Warrior cards and weapons form a significant portion of that.

It doesn't lose you card advantage (which is not always the case with Tech, especially if you don't draw it until later), and that's a good positive as well.

RE: the card cycling, Novice Engineer isn't bad, it's just suboptimal because there's better things to do with your mana than put it on an ineffective body. Engineer used to be an autoinclude when it had 2 health, because you couldn't ping it to death in one turn. Loot Hoarder is a card that tends to get picked a lot more, because it cycles and often works as a 2-drop that takes out other 2-drops.

Shield Block works because it cycles and does something.

Also, Target Dummy is clearly the pro pick here.

[Gandariel]

Novice engineer was autoinclude because people didn't know how to build decks.
As of now, they could probably give it back that +1 HP and it wouldn't see much more play.

Anyways i agree that Novice is not bad. It's *OK*. Basically a paladin hero power.

Also, are you kidding? Master Swordsmith is clearly the pick. Every warrior would want some master to craft their swords (although i suppose Garrosh prefers Axes and hammers?)

[CantigThimble]

You need a pretty massive number of weapons or a series of situations where you desperately need to use weapons on 6+ attack minions before you aren't able to keep up with the damage using just your hero power. We don't have even the normal 3-4 weapons, let alone the 6-7 I'd want to see before calling block 'good'. The creature was the correct pick.

[thirsting]

I'm just glad there's not always that one perfect pick that everyone agrees on or drafting/arena would get a lot duller. Options! But also, don't get confused by all this arguing and take anything other than the Azure Drake this time...

[GAAD]

Gotcha. Dragon it is. Love the debate, by the way. It's WHY I made this thread in the first place.

Voodoo Doctor, Execute, Argent Squire

Oh, and roger that, Zevox. I shall transfer my irrational Arena worship to the no-less deserving Jormungand.

[CantigThimble]

Definitely execute. Hard removal is great and warrior doesn't get much.