Hearthstone 20: What is your Quest?

[Zevox]

Welcome to twentieth GitP thread for Hearthstone. For anyone who doesn't know, Hearthstone is a video card game from Blizzard, based on the Warcraft series. The game is free to play and available here, so if you're interested, give it a shot. You've got nothing to lose but your free time.

For new players, something to be aware of is that there are a number of hidden "quests" you can complete which will give you free gold, dust, or even a pack. A complete list can be found here. Be aware that not quite all of those are ones you'll be able to complete quickly though.

And here is a list of Playgrounders currently in the game, for both NA and EU servers:

Spoiler

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GitP Username	Battle.net ID (US)
aethernox	ethernox#1948
AgentPaper	AgentPaper#1193
AmberVael	AmberVael#1225
Anarion	Anarion55#1254
Antonok	Antonok#1704
Anxe	GoCorral#1879
Baelot	Baelot#1149
Cogwheel	OmegaNixon#1123
banthesun	banthesun#1782
Dancing Owlbear	Owlbear#1586
Destro Yersul	DestroYersul#1239
D_Lord	Volrock#1367
Duck999	Duck999#1349
Duos	DoctorDapper#1491
Firedaemon33	Firedaemon#1486
flat_footed	Hiigara#1357
Fleeing Coward	Scorch#1432
GAAD	GAAD#1126
Gaelbert	SamHouston#1563
Gamerlord	Gamerlord#1612
Gandariel	Ciabatta#2958
Ganorenas	Ganorenas#1457
Gomipile	Glodd#1784
Gray Mage	GrayMage#1723
Grytorm	Grytorm#1777
Hamste	Theorules#1234
Haruspex_Pariah	HaruspexPari#1254
Hatevah	Hatevah#1405
heronbpv	Avan#1991
Hircine	IllusiveMan#1616
Jaxzan Proditor	Jaxzan#1878
jindra34	JinRia #1770
Johnjimco	JohnJimco#1482
Karoht	Karoht#1505
Kish	Grazzt#1417
Krade	Krade#1266
LegoShrimp	legoshrimp#1722
Landis963	Landis963#1789
Loreweaver15	Loreweaver#1199
Lunix Vandal	LunixVandal#1952
MacGiolla	MacGiolla#1982
MathMage	MathMage#1797
MCerberus	MCerberus#1734
mistformsquirrl	mistformsqrl#1430
moosabi	Moossabi#1325
Mystic Muse	NSFJunkblade#1400
Neon Knight	VultureCrook#1434
Neriractor	neriractor#1483
Nerocite	JoeKage#1852
nhbdy	Nohbdy#1927
Olinser	Olinser#1393
Onionbreath	GiantSquid#1845
OrcusMcP	Orcus#1805
otakuryoga	Scootaloo#1471
Pokonic	pokonic#1166
PsyBomb	PsyBomb#1878
Qwertystop	Qwertystop#1897
r2d2go	r2d2go#1262
Rodin	Rodin#1811
Rosstin	Rosstin#1609
SamBurke	SamBurke#1486
Shishnarfne	Gruschenka#1375
Sholos	Veebeebee#1383
Stabbity Rabbit	StabityRabit#1362
Techwarrior	Techwarri0r#1572
Temotei	Temotei#1507
Tesla_pasta	teslapasta#1973
Thanatos 51-50	Thanatos5150#1407
TheGlyphstone	Glyphstone#1419
The Hellbug	thehellbug#1216
The_Jackal	TheJackal#1499
Togarth	Asparag#1680
Trouble Brewing	HairyPoppins#1949
UserClone	UserClone #1545
Volatar	Volatar#1750
Yael	Urashima#1810
Yana	Raltis#1807
ZeroNumerous	ZeroNumerous#1913
Zevox	Zevox#1522
Zmek	JadeReaver #1783

GitP Username	Battle.net ID (EU)
Adumbration	Adumbration#2419
Aran Thule	AranThule#2780
Avaris	Avaris#2378
Avilan the Grey	Beardedgeek#2355
Beelzebub1111	SirArthurIV#1244
boomwolf	BoomWolf#1169
Dada	Scrattlebear#2863
D-naras	Dinos #2811
Epinephrine_Syn	SilverSeraph #2931
Fleeing Coward	Scorch#1432
Frog Dragon	Vasemmasti#2618
FyreByrd	FyreByrd#2962
Gandariel	Ciabatta#2958
GolemsVoice	CrazyCat#29897
Hewhosaysfish	HeWhoSezFish#2503
Hippie_Viking	HippieViking#2866
Infernally Clay	Winny#1904
Jormengand	Trianna#2529
Lionheart	Lionheart#2440
Mr.Silver	SilverSmiles#2462
Murmaider	Murmaider#2273
Posca	Mazura#2636
Raddish	Raddish#2730
ScionoftheVoid	JayPsi#2775
ShinyRocks	MoodyTuskarr#2790
Sian	Sian#2690
Silfir	Silfir#2863
SlyGuyMcFly	SlGuyMcFly#2562
Tokay	Tokay#2518
Tome	Taejix#2836
Volthawk	Volthawk#1214
Weimann	Weimann#2716
Wraith	Illusionist#2224
Xiander	Xiander#2814

[Destro_Yersul]

I haven't run into a single patches deck in the brawl, yet. How am I supposed to counter patches decks when I'm not seeing any?

[Joran]

That may have been better for balance, but realistically I can't see Blizzard going through the design necessary to create a minion, voice it, stat it, give it new art...etc.

There's only three ways the card was likely to get balanced.

1) Increase number of bounces.

2) Increase mana cost of Crystal Caverns.

3) Decrease the stats on the quest.

Of the 3, I think 1 was the best. Increasing the mana cost makes the Rogue win if they have Preparation and lose if they don't have it. Decreasing the stats is very hard to balance - if you don't do it by enough it's pointless, and if you nerf the stats too hard the entire deck becomes non-viable even if the quest is completed.

Increasing the bounces by one is the best compromise. It slows the quest down a bit, doesn't allow cheating like Preparation, and keeps the explosive lategame power. It just makes it less likely for the Rogue to be completing the quest on turn 4, which I don't think was ever intended.

Of course, I may be a bit biased here since I hate Quest Rogue with a passion. Regardless of balance it is the least fun deck to play against I have ever seen, even including OTK Warrior. The Rogue just sits there playing solitaire without even trying to interact with your board, and then suddenly explodes and you have no chance of winning.

I agree, Quest Rogue was one of the annoying decks to play against; the other really annoying deck I hate is Freeze Mage.

However, I think Quest Rogue was a pretty skill intensive deck to play properly, especially if the Quest Rogue doesn't get the god draw of a couple shadowsteps + prep. There are a lot of interesting lines of play I see from people like Kolento, who likes playing Firefly turn 1 instead of quest to contest the board against aggro decks.

[Hamste]

I haven't run into a single patches deck in the brawl, yet. How am I supposed to counter patches decks when I'm not seeing any?

Run forbidden healing? Counter priest as well which is nice and can survive pretty well against a few. I also ran dirty rat for a bit but that was pretty meh.

[Togath]

With the new free packs promotion, anyone have advice on who to vote on?
While "best player" or whatever may very well be subjective, I'd imagine "just barely got in to this rank" might have lower odds of winning...
But I also don't keep track of competitive Hearthstone, so I don';t know who falls in to the
"just barely made it" category, if anyone.

[Rodin]

I agree, Quest Rogue was one of the annoying decks to play against; the other really annoying deck I hate is Freeze Mage.

However, I think Quest Rogue was a pretty skill intensive deck to play properly, especially if the Quest Rogue doesn't get the god draw of a couple shadowsteps + prep. There are a lot of interesting lines of play I see from people like Kolento, who likes playing Firefly turn 1 instead of quest to contest the board against aggro decks.

Right, I don't have a problem with it being easy, or even particularly imbalanced from a meta perspective. It's a good deck that requires a lot of skill that can run into hard counters. From a pure competitive balance perspective, it's pretty decent.

It's just utterly painful to play against no matter what deck you're playing, and like Jade Druid last expansion it strangles out certain deck types in Ranked. With Jade Druid simply waiting for set rotation was sufficient, but there's no rotation on the horizon for Quest Rogue. Hence the nerf.

[Joran]

Right, I don't have a problem with it being easy, or even particularly imbalanced from a meta perspective. It's a good deck that requires a lot of skill that can run into hard counters. From a pure competitive balance perspective, it's pretty decent.

It's just utterly painful to play against no matter what deck you're playing, and like Jade Druid last expansion it strangles out certain deck types in Ranked. With Jade Druid simply waiting for set rotation was sufficient, but there's no rotation on the horizon for Quest Rogue. Hence the nerf.

Jade Druid's still a good deck; it's just absolutely miserable against Quest Rogue and some of the Quest Rogue counters (Token Shaman, Aggro Murlock Paladin, Secret Mage). However, you can crush the soul of Quest Warrior, any kind of Burn Mage, and any kind of Priest that's not Silence.

Jade Druid's seen a lot and is more common in tournaments.

With the new free packs promotion, anyone have advice on who to vote on?
While "best player" or whatever may very well be subjective, I'd imagine "just barely got in to this rank" might have lower odds of winning...
But I also don't keep track of competitive Hearthstone, so I don';t know who falls in to the
"just barely made it" category, if anyone.

Personally, I'd just go with someone you want to root for. Last time we'd have told you to pick Thijs and he got one pack or Pavel and he only got one pack.

Looking at groups, I'm personally picking between Kolento (C9 player and someone I like watching on stream) and Muzzy (NA pride and he's supposedly good).

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, there's no one from Canada this time around, so I just picked Kolento because he was the only one I recognised.

[Spore]

I don't think Quest Rogue will be dead because of that. But it's cards will shift towards Midrange a bit. Vanish was pretty popular in the decks anyway and I personally enjoyed the games vs. Quest Rogues where I legit had a chance. Example actually being a game with Dragon Lyra Spell Priest because the deck has enough discover effects and spell generation to keep up with the Quest Rogue as well as enough Tempo due to the Dragons present (and double/triple Dragonfire if needed).

But I think people on ladder will refrain from using Quest Rogue for a bit and either rush towards now playable Control decks or play the OTHER cancer that is Token druid.

[Mystic Muse]

Well, this is a one and done brawl for me.

[neriractor]

With the new free packs promotion, anyone have advice on who to vote on?
While "best player" or whatever may very well be subjective, I'd imagine "just barely got in to this rank" might have lower odds of winning...
But I also don't keep track of competitive Hearthstone, so I don';t know who falls in to the
"just barely made it" category, if anyone.

wait, what free pack promotion?

[Togath]

Vote for some competitive guy and for every match they win during this event, you get a pack.
...but I also don't watch or read anything on competitive gaming, so I know virtually nothing. But if it seems unpredictable to people who do track this stuff, then I guess I'll go with a random pick.

[Joran]

wait, what free pack promotion?

The choose your champion for HCT Spring

Choose your champion

You have until July 4th to pick one of 16 competitors and you'll get a number of packs between 1-4 depending on how far they advance. You're guaranteed a minimum of at least 1, so feel free to pick someone at random.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

It'll be interesting to see what effect the Quest Rogue nerf has on the game. Maybe there's a way to make it less auto-fail against aggro, and it'll morph into a more rounded deck. That's the best case scenario, admittedly. My current deck has redundant bounces, so 5 is perfectly doable. Just that it will take one bounce more than usual and that could be a big deal. We'll have to see.

My dust is all but depleted at this point, and I'm not looking forwards to crafting another rogue deck.

[PsyBomb]

It'll be interesting to see what effect the Quest Rogue nerf has on the game. Maybe there's a way to make it less auto-fail against aggro, and it'll morph into a more rounded deck. That's the best case scenario, admittedly. My current deck has redundant bounces, so 5 is perfectly doable. Just that it will take one bounce more than usual and that could be a big deal. We'll have to see.

My dust is all but depleted at this point, and I'm not looking forwards to crafting another rogue deck.

I already use a slightly anti-Aggro bent to mine, with Bilefins summoning taunts. May need to drop my Engineers for Glacial Shards, but we'll see how it goes.

[Rodin]

The choose your champion for HCT Spring

Choose your champion

You have until July 4th to pick one of 16 competitors and you'll get a number of packs between 1-4 depending on how far they advance. You're guaranteed a minimum of at least 1, so feel free to pick someone at random.

Also known as "pick the guy that has been doing the best recently, then watch them crash and burn in their first two matches".

Last couple times I picked people from other countries based on how good they were, and they sucked. This time I'll stay loyal and pick someone from the US in the hopes of averting my horrible luck.

I don't even remember getting my packs from the last couple tournaments. They were only one or two packs each so I think they just kinda got lost in the free packs from set rotation/new expansion.

[Destro_Yersul]

I just had what was possibly the greatest Brawl matchup of all time. Crystalline Oracle mirror. I don't know what his 8 non-oracle cards were, or what mine were. I know he had Lyra, Holy Nova and Mind Vision. Excavated Evil got involved somehow, from somewhere. Probably me. I had an Auchenai and the priest C'thun guy. It was madness. Absolute brilliant madness. By the end of the game both our hands were nothing but excavated evils and holy nova. I won by fatigue.

Needless to say, I got my 'play deathrattles' quest done.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

Well I tried to clear a win daily in the Tavern Brawl. Though random, you can usually tell how the match will go in a few turns (or even just the first card) so the games tend to end quick.

Saw a few people messing around with Kabal Courier. Didn't go so well for them, even when I was playing weird things like the 1/2 Combo Cultist (for a Combo daily).

Patches was pretty much autowin in a lot of cases. Even when I was running Voidwalker, the enemy still won. Though that was a close one. The one time I tried Patches the enemy conceded before I knew what their card was. So I decided to not be that guy and simply hope I got a good match if I conceded enough games. Not even sure what counters Patches in this meta.

Other decks I ran into were Explosive trap, Mind Blast/Sinister Strike face decks, Jade Druid and those 1/1 buffwolves. I think somebody actually tried that 2/1 with the divine shield deathrattle, but I was playing Forbidden Ritual and they conceded.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

It'll be interesting to see what effect the Quest Rogue nerf has on the game. Maybe there's a way to make it less auto-fail against aggro, and it'll morph into a more rounded deck. That's the best case scenario, admittedly. My current deck has redundant bounces, so 5 is perfectly doable. Just that it will take one bounce more than usual and that could be a big deal. We'll have to see.

My dust is all but depleted at this point, and I'm not looking forwards to crafting another rogue deck.

I have large numbers of duplicate minions, the Fire Elemental package (2x Igneous, 2x Fire Fly), and six bouncers. I still sometimes have trouble getting to four bounces during the early turns. Having to draw into three of those bouncers probably breaks the deck. As one person put it, you're giving it a 25% nerf on its trigger condition, just like what happened to Molten Giant (which no longer sees play).

[Seerow]

I ran patches for the one and done. Got into a mirror match; so thankfully didn't intrude on anybody else's fun too badly.

I was Mage with Patches against a Warrior with Patches. Was actually a surprisingly close match with a lot of back and forth, nearly lost due to one of his random 8 being an Armorsmith, but I wound up pulling a Hazael from Unstable portal, which gave the extra health cushion and board presence needed to swing the game. It helped that like 3 of his 8 were weapons (I saw an Ogre Warmaul, Fool's Bane, and Tentacles for Arms, so not even any really good weapons out of that). All in all, not something I'd play again, but surprisingly fun considering I deliberately played the scumbag deck to get it over with.

[Thialfi]

I don't think Quest Rogue will be dead because of that. But it's cards will shift towards Midrange a bit. Vanish was pretty popular in the decks anyway and I personally enjoyed the games vs. Quest Rogues where I legit had a chance. Example actually being a game with Dragon Lyra Spell Priest because the deck has enough discover effects and spell generation to keep up with the Quest Rogue as well as enough Tempo due to the Dragons present (and double/triple Dragonfire if needed).

But I think people on ladder will refrain from using Quest Rogue for a bit and either rush towards now playable Control decks or play the OTHER cancer that is Token druid.

My favorite game of this expansion was against a quest rogue with my dragon priest deck. He never overplayed his hand because he knew what he was going against. What he didn't count on was me playing dragonfire potion FOUR times (shadow visions is the bomb, like literally in this case) and Ysera Awakens once.

[otakuryoga]

only reliable counter I have seen to patches so far is priest using power word glory as his picked card..and just never kill a patches..you will stabilize around 8-10 hp and then you just fatigue him

[Joran]

I already use a slightly anti-Aggro bent to mine, with Bilefins summoning taunts. May need to drop my Engineers for Glacial Shards, but we'll see how it goes.

You should keep the Novice Engineers because you'll need that card draw to get your bounce effects.

You should cut one of your 1 drops for Glacial Shard; Glacial Shard is stupid good at delaying aggression from medium size creatures. I've seen people cutting Swashburgler because it draws Patches before you get the 5/5 or Hungry Crab now that Murlocs are not as oppressive anymore.

I think we might see more of the defensive Elemental Package from Quest Rogue (if it even still sees play). I saw people like Kolento playing Tar Creeper and Stoneshaper to protect against aggro. Bilefin is also a solid choice.

[Nerocite]

I missed the Patches train by getting my brawl in early, I picked Babbling Book, my opponent went with Naturalize. I didn't even get to fatigue by the time I burned him out.

[neriractor]

The choose your champion for HCT Spring

Choose your champion

You have until July 4th to pick one of 16 competitors and you'll get a number of packs between 1-4 depending on how far they advance. You're guaranteed a minimum of at least 1, so feel free to pick someone at random.

thanks, wasn´t aware of it.

As for the brawl, I´ve been running curse of raafam and it seems to be doing really well against card generating picks, haven´t found a patches deck yet but this one clearly loses to it.

[PsyBomb]

Ran into a Shaman running Maelstrom Portal as his Patches counter. Generally solid... except against Jade Idol, which is what I was using.

[tonberrian]

I needed 30 mage cards for a quest, so I crafted Glyphs. Went into Mirror. Bad news, I lost. Good news, I finished my quest in one go.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

You should keep the Novice Engineers because you'll need that card draw to get your bounce effects.

You should cut one of your 1 drops for Glacial Shard; Glacial Shard is stupid good at delaying aggression from medium size creatures. I've seen people cutting Swashburgler because it draws Patches before you get the 5/5 or Hungry Crab now that Murlocs are not as oppressive anymore.

I think we might see more of the defensive Elemental Package from Quest Rogue (if it even still sees play). I saw people like Kolento playing Tar Creeper and Stoneshaper to protect against aggro. Bilefin is also a solid choice.

I'd already been running Southsea Deckhand over Swashburglar (because 5/5, get a random card is way worse than getting a 5/5 charger that can summon a 5/5 charger), as well as Bilefin (not just because it stalls aggro, but because it puts two 5/5s on the board post-quest. And double Glacial Shard. And I still struggled against aggro.

If Quest Rogue didn't figure out how to deal with aggro before, it won't figure out now.

[PsyBomb]

15 minutes ago Blizzard Korea shared that July 7th will be the announcement of the next expansion.

[ChaosOS]

Warning: Random jumble of thoughts

Anyone else get really bored because of the rank system? I know climbing to legend is pointless because it's many hours of my life that go away at the end of every month, so I just go up to rank 5 because that's a reasonable amount of playtime for one month. I'd feel way more incentivized to climb the ladder if I didn't feel like it was just running up the down escalators. Sure, each month I can make progress, but Hearthstone isn't a deep or rewarding enough game to justify the amount of time it would take to go from rank 5 to legend.