2013 WCS Europe

Introduction by monk


Since Since the last major Hearthstone patch , the metagame has made a complete 180 degree shift. What used to be good now lurks at the bottom of the totem pole and many threats that had previously been overlooked due to rogue dominance now get to show their true colors. At the forefront of all the action and the top of the ladder is the TL Hearthstone writing team. We've been documenting some of the subtle changes at the current highest echelon of Hearthstone and today we'd like to share them with you. This is monk bringing you the first article in what is sure to be a long line of Hearthstone updates.

Shifts in Class Usage

Most Used Classes in TLOpen #1

Class Usage # Usage % Druid 7 5.0% Hunter 16 11.4% Mage 27 19.3% Paladin 18 12.9% Priest 30 21.4% Rogue 5 3.6% Shaman 7 5.0% Warlock 9 6.4% Warrior 21 15.0% Total 140 100.0%


Druids were more off the radar, but I would argue equally as strong, being omnipresent at the top of the ladder. Two common Druid archetypes included a more Gadgetzan Auctioneer


Of course, both classes were nerfed quite heavily in the huge patch and the results showed in our first Teamliquid Open tournament that featured 140 players. Priests and Mages dominated the signups while Rogues and Druids were almost nowhere to be seen. Keep in mind, however, that this sample size consists of players from all different skill levels and lower level players may be swayed by hype coming from more professional players. So are Rogues and Druids are truly bad classes now or is it just people recoiling too much at the nerfs and too eager to try out their new Priest toys?


Let's take a look from another perspective. Below is data on class distribution collected from the top of the NA ladder in the last week. As members of the TL Hearthstone coverage team laddered (while maintaining 90% win rates), we collected data about what classes we faced. The results are not too surprising:


Most Used Classes at the Top of the Ladder

Class Usage # Usage % Druid 12 9.1% Hunter 17 12.9% Mage 17 12.9% Paladin 14 10.6% Priest 24 18.2% Rogue 7 5.3% Shaman 10 7.6% Warlock 18 13.6% Warrior 13 9.9% Total 133 100.0%

Apparently, the best players on NA seem to agree with the sentiment that Priest is the best class. And I would certainly agree it's one of the most consistent classes to play with if you intended to go into the late game. Almost all Priest decks are control decks to some degree, though some choose to focus more on the early game, while others attempt to stabilize more in the midgame.


Warlock might be a surprising pick on this list, but it's actually the most versatile class. It can play all sorts of aggro styles, including Murloc aggro. On the flip side, it can also play control with Twisting Nether Malygos Soulfire


Mage can run both aggro, which runs more Pyroblast Flamestrike Flamestrike Pyroblast Flamestrike Cone of Cold


Hunter decks are usually a mix of One-Turn-Kill Unleash the Hounds King Krush Unleash the Hounds


Paladin are often played as aggro decks, using Divine Shield and Sword of Justice Tirion Ragnaros Ysera


Warrior decks can mainly be broken into two types. There's the enrage combos that are the more standard versions and what you typically see from them(mostly because the cards used to build those decks are commons). Then you have decks based on variations of Shield Block Shield Slam Molten Giant Warsong Commander Youthful Brewmaster Bloodsail Raider


Druids are still doing what they know best, mostly late-game control decks. Unfortunately, the number of win-conditions they have has greatly been decreased thanks to the patch. No longer can they sit on a mountain of cards only to directly go for the throat at their opponents' life in one swoop. Another factor is the popularity of Priests, a class which I consider to have a slight class advantage against Druids.


Shaman is in kind of an awkward position in the world. They're not really bad at all, but not really too great at anything. Decks that rely on Bloodlust


And last and least is our poor Rogues. They're still running the same three types of decks that they used to: Spellpower, Weapon, Miracle Rogue. (And yes, people still attempt Miracle Rogue combos.) However, I'd say they're certainly less threatening than they use to be.


Most Used Classes Pre-Patch

Class Usage # Usage % Druid 8 12