It turns out that regardless of the meta, all you really need is a metric ton of removal!
Also, the dark horse pick of the entire run has to be Defias Cleaner. Between Violet Wurm, Voidlord and a number of other nefarious deathrattles, Defias Cleaner can ruin an opponent's day like nobody's business!
Didn't draft a mage in arena, but still want some of that sweet selection of high-roll spells? Not to worry! Oh, Cabalist's Tome, your card text might as well read, "Get ready for the highlight reel!"
It's no secret that Frost Lich Jaina is an OP card in arena and appears frequently thanks to it qualifying as a "synergy pick" card for mages. Thankfully, you can deny Jaina free Water Elementals, but you have to make a few unusual plays to do so.
This video includes other highlights as well, with appearances by Mad Bomber, Shadowcaster and a very resilient Patient Assassin!
I think the most surprising thing about this run was the variety of classes I saw higher up at zero losses, such as druid and hunter. Also, Emerald Hive Queen turned out to be a strong 1-drop in a spell/weapon-heavy deck!
Get 12% off my entire Etsy shop using coupon code FROSTY120ARENA (orders of $20+)!
I don't understand how people get so lucky in arena to draft decks that are constructed quality. I'll have a followup video soon of a particularly fortunate shaman arena I had immediately after these runs.
This is the most triggering, soul-crushing game of Hearthstone I've ever played. It happened last week in arena, and the full VOD is available in my Twitch highlights.
It turns out that my predictions were true. I was an early naysayer to the "Standard" version of arena, citing that synergy would be too good. Due to arena not having deck restrictions, it would be entirely possible (and now more probable) to draft a deck that was actually better than constructed. Arena has never had deck restrictions, and in the past I've been opposed to even the thought of it. Now, I'm not so sure. Whether it's deck restrictions, more cards on the ban list, reverting to "Wild" arena, or something else entirely, I'm not sure - but something needs to change.
The highlighted game is of course only one of many arena matches I've played since the Un'Goro release. While it's a fairly extreme case of synergy, it's not uncommon to have ridiculous plays. For example, earlier that night an opposing paladin had turn 5 Stand Against Darkness into turn 6 hero power plus Lightfused Stegadon, getting +3 Attack on the adapt. That's +18 damage (15 of which can attack immediately) and a 3/4 beast for 4 mana (6 with the additional hero power). Note that the +3 Attack buff is permanent, making it literally better than Bloodlust here. Keep in mind I'm still talking about arena, where you're largely at the mercy of the draft to determine your success.
The Standard form of Hearthstone arena now is essentially "One-Sided Fist Fights: The Card Game". GG, Blizz.
I've suspected that HearthArena's not been entirely on top of the meta for a while, but seriously, what in the blue hell!? There's no deck I can fathom that would want Bittertide Hydra over Cabalist's Tome.
Just between you and me, HearthArena, I know what this is about. You miss Fel Reaver, I get that. He was a good guy and a lot of people didn't understand him, but you did. Sure, Bittertide Hydra reminds you of him, but they're not the same. I gotta be honest with you, though; Hydra's not the guy you think he is, or even the guy you want him to be. The thing is, Fel Reaver's moved on... and so should you.
Arena on day one of Journey to Un'Goro was... interesting. We learned a few things - Free From Amber is often amazing and Bittertide Hydra is essentially the opposite.
Grimestreet Informant (and to a lesser extent, Grimestreet Protector) doing work in arena again. This deck had a 63.8 tier score (according to Hearth Arena), the lowest I've had since before Christmas. It fared much better than I could've hoped and I feel the cards mentioned above are what carried it so far.
Deathlord may be the focus of this video, but I gotta hand it to the Grimy Goons. It's astonishing how often their largest buffs land on things that either can't be targeted or have a relevant battlecry (like Dispatch Kodo).
This is perhaps the most dominating arena deck I've ever had. The synergy was so high it felt like a constructed deck.
I'd like to take a moment to mention just how amazing Grimestreet Protector is. If you stay mindful of your minion position, you can just about close out a game with this guy. Getting a divine shield on something large that can then kill something equally large for free is huge. The meta right now seems too fast and aggressive to play cards like this, but if things slow down just a bit, you're looking at the new "Dr. 7" for standard.
It's like we're back in GvG with this mech-centric arena! A friend and I express our Winter Veil wishes for a special Tavern Brawl and the Dirty Rat provides a pinch of salt!
Also, a quick stream announcement. I'm taking some time off to enjoy the holidays, so no streams until at least Thursday!
I got to try out Grimestreet Enforcer in arena this week and I'm pretty impressed by the results. I got fairly lucky, but it feels stronger than similar cards (Jeweled Scarab, Dark Peddler, even Babbling Book) due to the high RNG swing. It seems like chances are good you'll see at least one card that helps your current position, with the possibility of just getting something nuts.
I'll be checking out the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan tonight (8pm ET) live on Twitch! Join me for Tavern Brawls, pack opening, and maybe even an Arena with the new cards!
My stream for Hearthstone arenas and tavern brawls starts tonight at 8pm ET on my Twitch channel. It's been a rough day, so I'll probably be extra salty tonight!
