Hearthstone 20: What is your Quest?

[Psyren]

Removing charge comes to mind as an option. Anarion's suggestion of second Pirate played seems reasonable as well. Other than that, I think you'd need to fundamentally alter him, since you literally can't nerf his stats and his mana cost doesn't matter - but it's not like that has never been done before (Unleash the Hounds, Warsong Commander).

I'm not against the second pirate thing but honestly, I don't think he's the major problem as is. At the very least I would say, let's see how Pirate Warrior does with the nerfed Fiery and go from there. I think Patches is decent design for a legendary.

[Zevox]

I'm not against the second pirate thing but honestly, I don't think he's the major problem as is. At the very least I would say, let's see how Pirate Warrior does with the nerfed Fiery and go from there. I think Patches is decent design for a legendary.

Right, I'm not advocating that they do that now, just saying I believe that's what they should have done instead of the nerfs they've actually done (both Small-Time Buccaneer and especially Firey War Axe).

[Beelzebub1111]

I hate the druid deck in this brawl so much. it's way way WAY OP.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I hate the druid deck in this brawl so much. it's way way WAY OP.

So it's accurate?

[Anarion]

I hate the druid deck in this brawl so much. it's way way WAY OP.

Have you tried the Warrior or Mage decks against it? I've done well with both of those.

[Rodin]

This Brawl trolled me so hard. I have two quests - Play 15 demons, and Play 10 Secrets.

Started with Warlock. No demons in the deck.

Moved on to Mage. No secrets.

Hunter?? No secrets.

Paladin???? Only has Hydrologist.

*mutter mutter*...make me do it the hard way...*mutter*

[Psyren]

This Brawl trolled me so hard. I have two quests - Play 15 demons, and Play 10 Secrets.

Started with Warlock. No demons in the deck.

Moved on to Mage. No secrets.

Hunter?? No secrets.

Paladin???? Only has Hydrologist.

*mutter mutter*...make me do it the hard way...*mutter*

You can swap out your quests as well if doing those are really difficult. Just hit the X in the corner.

[Mando Knight]

This Brawl trolled me so hard. I have two quests - Play 15 demons, and Play 10 Secrets.

Started with Warlock. No demons in the deck.

Moved on to Mage. No secrets.

Hunter?? No secrets.

Paladin???? Only has Hydrologist.

*mutter mutter*...make me do it the hard way...*mutter*

Play Secrets is super-easy to complete without going into the Tavern Brawl. Create a new Paladin deck in Wild, and stuff it with every last secret you own (as well as 2x Hydrologist and some draw effects). You'll lose, but not before forcing your opponent to deal with the most irritating puzzle wall in the game.

[Joran]

This is a remarkable video showing how well a pro player can read someone's mulligan (especially if they know the deck list)

I would have played directly into the kept card and probably lost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAAW-IFrI6A (Firebat plays Zalae)

[Anarion]

This is a remarkable video showing how well a pro player can read someone's mulligan (especially if they know the deck list)

I would have played directly into the kept card and probably lost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAAW-IFrI6A (Firebat plays Zalae)

Two thoughts. First, that's a really, really good learning video. He explains his thinking with what I would call exceptional clarity. Most pros are just awful at explaining that kind of thing, and you see them making weird or crazy plays and it takes a ton of work to figure out why. So definitely would recommend, really awesome.

Spoilering the second so I don't ruin the experience of going through the video for people

Spoiler

Show

I think even if you don't know the decklist, you can do something similar to that. It doesn't have to be starting cards either, if somebody draws a card and hangs onto it for a long time, you can go through a similar thought process. "What beats me here?" and "what can I play around?" are good questions to ask. You can also figure out some key cards once you determine the archetype, e.g. as soon as you realize you're going up against singleton priest (which is indicated by the doomsayer on 2, it's not typically run in Big Priest right now), you know that you need to play around a bunch of removal pieces including Deathknight Anduin. Like, we know from the shadow visions turn that he doesn't have shadow words of either the death or pain variety because he would for sure have played one of them into the dragon plus whatever the name of the windfury 3/3 is. He's kept that card since the start of the game and didn't mulligan it, so it's got to be one of his better cards, and you don't care about dragonfire potion or Kazakus during the critical turn that's setting up for lethal. So, realizing that if you bonemare before he plays the deathknight you'll lose your whole board is, I think, a decision you can figure out from context even without knowing the actual decklist.

[Zevox]

Two thoughts. First, that's a really, really good learning video. He explains his thinking with what I would call exceptional clarity. Most pros are just awful at explaining that kind of thing, and you see them making weird or crazy plays and it takes a ton of work to figure out why. So definitely would recommend, really awesome.

Yeah, I've noticed that when watching his Deck Doctor videos too - he's very good at explaining his thinking, seemingly as he's doing it, clearly and concisely, and it makes him easy to learn from. I probably would never have thought of some of the things he did with the Jade Rogue deck he made, and would have thought they didn't make sense if I just saw the deck list, but seeing him put the deck together and use it in a couple matches, it made perfect sense. Very impressive all around.

Oh, and some credit where it's due on this week's Brawl: they did this one only a month after the new set came out this time, instead of near the launch of the next one. Would still be better to do it at the start, but hey, progress.

[Anarion]

Oh, and some credit where it's due on this week's Brawl: they did this one only a month after the new set came out this time, instead of near the launch of the next one. Would still be better to do it at the start, but hey, progress.

You don't want to do it right at the start because offering any sort of preconstructed archetype will direct people's creativity. Give them a few weeks to experiment, and then offer some new archetypes that you were thinking of as the designer and see if they draw from those.

[Zevox]

You don't want to do it right at the start because offering any sort of preconstructed archetype will direct people's creativity. Give them a few weeks to experiment, and then offer some new archetypes that you were thinking of as the designer and see if they draw from those.

I can't say I really agree, but then again I'm not really in the game for the deck building part, and don't consider myself particularly good at that, so that could just be me. Still, I think something like this is good for letting people test out new cards they don't have, so putting it near the start of the expansion seems best from that angle.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

You don't want to do it right at the start because offering any sort of preconstructed archetype will direct people's creativity. Give them a few weeks to experiment, and then offer some new archetypes that you were thinking of as the designer and see if they draw from those.

Eh, I mean...by that logic, overarching mechanics like Jade and C'thun cards shouldn't exist either, since they direct peoples' creativity.

[Joran]

You don't want to do it right at the start because offering any sort of preconstructed archetype will direct people's creativity. Give them a few weeks to experiment, and then offer some new archetypes that you were thinking of as the designer and see if they draw from those.

I believe all these decks are the deck recipes that every player skips over as they hit "Custom Deck".

[Morphic tide]

I believe all these decks are the deck recipes that every player skips over as they hit "Custom Deck".

Actually, they tend to be a useful starting point for how to set up decks by being not-completely-horrible. They're generally functional archetype baselines, like Jade Druid. There's also the Classic variety, that's more or less just Decent Deck premade. Not a good deck, but not a dysfunctional mess.

[Kish]

Joran's point, unless I'm missing it, is that saying that Blizzard shouldn't do a brawl that provides class templates because it will stifle creativity is pointless, as the templates used in the brawl are already in the game, readily viewable by any player who chooses to look instead of just going straight to "Custom Deck" when creating a new deck.

[Anarion]

Joran's point, unless I'm missing it, is that saying that Blizzard shouldn't do a brawl that provides class templates because it will stifle creativity is pointless, as the templates used in the brawl are already in the game, readily viewable by any player who chooses to look instead of just going straight to "Custom Deck" when creating a new deck.

It is and he's right, I didn't even realize they were the same deck recipes because I never look at them.

[Spore]

Play Secrets is super-easy to complete without going into the Tavern Brawl. Create a new Paladin deck in Wild, and stuff it with every last secret you own (as well as 2x Hydrologist and some draw effects). You'll lose, but not before forcing your opponent to deal with the most irritating puzzle wall in the game.

Seeing as I cannot get anything done right now on the ladder I might as well do this. Contenders are Mysterious Challenger Paladin and Putricide/Cloaked Huntress. FOR SCIENCE!

[Seerow]

So, finally got power back on after a week without. Come back to find a 5 Warrior Wins quest. Not feeling up to trying to remember how to Dead Man's Hand Warrior, I went into brawl and tried the deck there.

It was actually surprisingly good. Like, not constructed quality. But I went 5-0 in my games, playing against Druid, Rogue, Paladinx2, and Warlock. The Rogue was the only one I didn't feel like I earned (the player fumbled, forgetting important cards were combo cards on at least 3 different occasions, resulting in tons of wasted resources). But ultimately the enrage synergy in the early game combined with two good early-mid game weapons resulted in snowballing early to strong victories.


Now other quest I have left is play 30 murlocks. Think I may just hold off and reroll that one. Don't really feel like rebuilding murloc paladin, and no other decks really run enough murlocs to complete that in a timely manner.

[Destro_Yersul]

what I generally do for the 'play X murlocs' quest is just make a jank warlock deck filled with a pile of murlocs, go into casual, and play as many murlocs as possible before I lose.

[Rodin]

The way to do any Murloc quest is to just go to Wild and run Murloc Shaman. With Send in the Finishers, Everyfin is Awesome, Bloodlust, and if you have him Thrall. Murloc quest is a bonus, again only if you already have it because the deck doesn't need it at all.

You either get the Murloc synergy early and overrun your opponent, or you get Finishers into Everyfin and generate a huge board. Then just Bloodlust your problems away.

It's a surprisingly strong deck, and Shaman got a lttle bit unlucky in it not becoming a thing - the various cards needed for the deck just rotated out at exactly the wrong time.

[Anarion]

I don't think Send in the Finishers counts for playing murloc. It "summons" but does not "play." You can absolutely go into Wild and jam 30 cheap murlocs into a deck though to complete the quest in 10 minutes win or lose.

[Rodin]

I don't think Send in the Finishers counts for playing murloc. It "summons" but does not "play." You can absolutely go into Wild and jam 30 cheap murlocs into a deck though to complete the quest in 10 minutes win or lose.

Right, but that's boring. My way, you get to complete the quest AND stomp face.

[Joran]

Decided to test the nerf with Jade Druid; I replaced my two innervates with another Mire Keeper and a MC Tech.

So far, it's still a stupid deck that's really powerful.

[Anarion]

Decided to test the nerf with Jade Druid; I replaced my two innervates with another Mire Keeper and a MC Tech.

So far, it's still a stupid deck that's really powerful.

Did you keep the spreading plagues?

[Joran]

Did you keep the spreading plagues?

Yup. It's still really good at stalling. Haven't run into any issues with it being at 6 mana rather than 5. I run two copies of Mark of the Lotus, so making a stupid wide board of 2/6s is really good. With or without Mark of the Lotus, it's saved my bacon a bunch against the Hunters/Mages.

I copied Zalae's list. He had 27 core cards with 3 tech cards, I chose the ones he recommended. This video is great about explaining the tech card choices and what mulligans to keep (albeit prior to the nerf) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJMxEYZyoPo)

The core
2 * Jade Idol
2 * Mark of the Lotus
2 * Wild Growth
2 * Wrath
2 * Jade Blossom
2 * Swipe
2 * Jade Spirit
Fandral
2 * Nourish
Aya
2 * Jade Behemoth
2 * Spreading Plague
DK Malfurion
2 * Ultimate Infestation

Tech cards (removed the two core innervates too)
1 * MC Tech
1 * Spell Breaker
1 * Big Game Hunter
2 * Mire Keepers

[Rosstin]

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Nice!! What's your Shaman list? I've been trying to make it work for me.

[Rosstin]

Nice!! What's your Shaman list? I've been trying to make it work for me.

My deck code - ### Token Shaman - Standard
# Class: Shaman
# Format: Standard
# Year of the Mammoth
#
# 2x (1) Bloodsail Corsair
# 2x (1) Evolve
# 2x (1) Fire Fly
# 1x (1) Patches the Pirate
# 2x (2) Devolve
# 2x (2) Flametongue Totem
# 2x (2) Jade Claws
# 2x (2) Maelstrom Portal
# 2x (2) Primalfin Totem
# 2x (3) Mana Tide Totem
# 2x (4) Jade Lightning
# 1x (4) Saronite Chain Gang
# 2x (5) Bloodlust
# 1x (5) Doppelgangster
# 1x (5) Thrall, Deathseer
# 1x (6) Aya Blackpaw
# 2x (6) Thing from Below
# 1x (7) Bonemare
#
AAECAaoIBpG8ApS9Avm/ApvLAqbOAuvPAgyBBOUH8AeTCfqqAvuqAqC2Aoe8AtG8Ava9Ap HBAuvCAgA=
#
# To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone