# The Hearthstone Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 28, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172 "2014-04-28T07:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/721 "2015-05-14T16:28:20Z")
Yeah, probably a good idea to fill in the neutrals first. If you don’t already have it, Dr. Boom should probably be at the top of everyone’s list. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/722 "2015-05-15T06:12:29Z")
I find that I use Sylvanas a lot more than Rag. She just seems to fit in more decks that are my “type”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/723 "2015-05-15T11:47:14Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Keep in mind that the top level players put in a huge amount of time … it’s a full time job for them. Some streamers are on 40 to 70 hours a week – and that’s just actual online streaming time, not time spent researching and thinking about the game. Yes, thank you. I’m well aware of how professional gaming works. Still though, Hearthstone is pretty low on the overall complexity scale compared to most other gaming endeavors. There’s no “physical” component like in FPSs or MOBAs. No twitch reflexes, no split-second decisions, no teamwork. I enjoy watching MOBA tournaments because I appreciate the high levels of skill and teamwork that go into making a champion team. I enjoy watching Hearthstone streams because it’s much more likely that I’ll be able to pick up enough to actually utilize what I’m watching. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/724 "2015-05-19T13:51:02Z")
Okay, the shit warriors can pull with warsong commander + grim patron is absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/725 "2015-05-19T14:14:07Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Okay, the shit warriors can pull with warsong commander + grim patron is absurd. My quote earlier: “I have been crushed three times by that damn Grim Patron card in a Warrior deck. It’s self replicating at the same power and combined with the Death’s Bite, Damage all, and Cruel Taskmaster, it’s a killer” Your response: I have no idea why you play this game, you only post about how much you hate it and how unfair it is and how unhappy it makes you. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/726 "2015-05-19T14:38:55Z")
It’s definitely hard to play around, but it can’t be dropped as a one-turn combo until round eight. There are lots of cards that you need to get rid of before they snowball, and grim patron is one of them. Grim Patron + Warsong Commander is a lot less annoying imo than some of the other “win condition” combos. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/727 "2015-05-19T14:56:25Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > My quote earlier: > > “I have been crushed three times by that damn Grim Patron card in a Warrior deck. It’s self replicating at the same power and combined with the Death’s Bite, Damage all, and Cruel Taskmaster, it’s a killer” > > Your response: > > I have no idea why you play this game, you only post about how much you hate it and how unfair it is and how unhappy it makes you. That wasn’t the most appropriate post for me to respond to, but you have a history of at least 30 posts in this thread where you talk about how unfair the game is, how it’s all about buying good cards, and you can’t win, and you hate it, and it makes you miserable, and you have no idea why you play it. Why I chose that post to respond to and mention it, I can’t remember, honestly, but obviously it looks out of place without context. I certainly could’ve picked my spot better. IIRC, I may have been re-reading earlier parts in the thread looking for links to helpful streams and such, so I may have just read over some of your earlier postings. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/728 "2015-05-20T03:15:01Z")
I read an interesting thing about how to deal with Patron Warrior , but I can’t find it again. Basically, key takeaways on how this deck works - they must combo to win, unlike wallet warrior, so try to prevent draw so that they don’t get card advantage. They only run 2 executes and no shield slam (usually) so they are far more vulnerable to big guys. Trade off your 2 damage or fewer minions once they hit 8 mana, or you will get flooded. Save your AOE for the big patron turn. Usually they win after they hit a big patron turn and then frothing OTK or just hit face. Remember, if he’s making patrons, he’s not hitting your face, so you have 1 turn to deal with it. If you’re seeing too many of them, Rogue/Blade Flurry is an auto win, almost. So is Handlock. Mage can do ok with Flamestrike for the Patron turn, but it can be hard to prevent card draw. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/729 "2015-05-20T08:50:58Z")
I got a Mal’Ganis. He sort of fits into my mid-range demon deck, but I’m not sure having two 8+ mana cards works. My warlock deck is as follows: 2x Power Overwhelming 2x Abusive Sergeant 2x Flame Imp 2x Voidwalker 1x Ancient Watcher 2x Dire Wolf Alpha 2x Knife Juggler 2x Nerubian Egg 2x Harvest Golem 1x Hobgoblin 2x Implosion 2x Dark Iron Dwarf 2x Defender of Argus 2x Voidcaller 2x Doomguard 1x Dr Boom 1x Lord Jaraxxus Is it viable to add Mal’Ganis to that deck? I don’t see why not, except that it’s not a deck that often goes to turn 9+. But it’s a deck that will have a lot of demons on the board. And occasionally using Jaraxxus and then Mal’Gannis on the next turn will pull wins out of my ass that massively frustrate the other guy. Suggestions for tweaks? Hobgoblin is a recent test - figured I had enough 1-mana minions to make it worth trying. Ancient watcher is sort of out of place too, I only use it for defender of argus and it could easy be dropped. I also hit 1600 dust. Deciding between Sylvanis and Rag. Seems like I can use Sylvanis in more decks, but Rag is just an awesome finisher, especially if they blew their removal on Dr. Boom the previous turn. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/730 "2015-05-20T09:14:30Z")
The way people generally use Mal’Ganis is to cheat him out with Voidcaller. This is the kind of absolute bullshit that makes Hearthstone suck (a 3/4 and a 9/7 double Stormwind with taunt+ for 4 mana), but it is effective. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/731 "2015-05-20T09:35:29Z")
Right, that’s why he might fit in my deck - I already run voidcallers for Jaraxxus and the doomguards. But I’d have to use him on turn sometimes since I’ve only got 2 voidcallers to pull 4 big demons. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/732 "2015-05-20T12:10:53Z")
Sylvanus is still a strong 2nd place to Dr. Boom in terms of neutral legendary strength. I’d take her over Rag. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/733 "2015-05-20T12:30:25Z")
A priest thoughtstole my Jaraxxus, became Jaraxxus, and then mind controlled my Mal’Ganis. So a priest with demon immunity. I bet that doesn’t happen often. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/734 "2015-05-20T16:31:26Z")
Here’s the Demonlock I’ve been doing well with this month: 2x Power Overwhelming 2x Abusive Sergeant 1x Flame Imp 2x Voidwalker 1x Dire Wolf Alpha 2x Haunted Creeper 1x Ironbeak Owl 2x Knife Juggler 2x Nerubian Egg 2x Imp Gang Boss 1x Void Terror 2x Imp-losion 2x Defender of Argus 2x Voidcaller 1x Bane of Doom 2x Doomguard 1x Dr. Boom 1x Mal’Ganis 1x Sea Giant Mulligan hard for a 1-drop if you go first. Aim to use mana efficiently on-curve for the first two or three turns if you have the Coin. Don’t be tempted to hold a Voidcaller & Mal’Ganis – it doesn’t work out often enough to be worthwhile and you don’t really want Mal’Ganis out that early anyway. The Sea Giant can often come out very early and draws out their BGH or other hard removal, leaving your Dr. Boom and Mal’Ganis safer. If you have pumped up an Egg (or other minion) with PO and /or Abusive and it doesn’t die after you hit, put the Void Terror next to it and you have a threat that they must deal with immediately. This is still basically a Zoo deck. Make efficient trades, try to keep their board clear and hit face when you can until you can finish them off. Don’t let Druids have minions. Deal with Cleric and Armorsmith quickly – however, it is better to take one point of face damage from them if you must than to put out a minion that can’t kill it the next turn. Sylvanis or Rag? Sylvanis is useful in more decks because it can come out earlier. Rag is only good if you tend to play long games. You won’t often get to steal a minion with Sylvanis anymore; people have learned to play around it – but it does put pressure on them and often forces them to make sub-optimal plays when they have to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/735 "2015-05-20T16:49:22Z")
I ended up crafting Sylvanas due to being useful in more decks. I’ve been lusting after Ragnaros since I started playing the game, but I found reasons to craft two other legendaries instead. I dropped a hobgoblin and then dropped an abusive sergeant the same turn. But the abusive sergeant didn’t get the +1/+1 boost, it just dropped in as the normal 2/1. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/736 "2015-05-20T16:58:19Z")
Because hobgoblin affects creatures with **1 attack** , not creatures which cost **1 mana.** ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/737 "2015-05-20T17:09:44Z")
Aha, yeah, I can’t believe I didn’t check that. I just got the card the other day - I hadn’t tested it out much. Would require a very specialized deck to be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/738 "2015-05-20T18:41:09Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Aha, yeah, I can’t believe I didn’t check that. I just got the card the other day - I hadn’t tested it out much. Would require a very specialized deck to be useful. Yeah. I’ve heard that a hobgoblin can make the wisp card (of all things) pretty awesome. Drop a hobgoblin and then throw down two free 3/3 creatures in the same turn. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/739 "2015-05-21T03:26:10Z")
I did a Hobdruid back when GVG first dropped. Was amusing to innervate out Hobgoblin and Echoing Ooze/Haunted Creeper or other things, and had Savage Roar as a finisher, but it didn’t have any staying power. And it’s always so obvious when you’re playing a hobgoblin deck when you play things like Argent squire and Echoing Ooze. Boar is actually really good - a 3/3 with charge for 1 is amazing! ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/740 "2015-05-22T05:22:48Z")
Mal’Gannis is actually a little better than I expected so far, mostly because if I play him after an implosion combo, it turns those extra imps into 3/3s. Jaraxxus and Mal’Gannis back to back can save a game for you - that’s a lot of survivability to pull out of your ass. I had like a 15ish game win streak yesterday going from level 15 to 9, but the game gets a lot harder at level 9, which is what I’ve experienced before. Since then I’ve been up and down. Here’s my current deck. I’m looking for suggestions for tweaks. 2x Power Overwhelming 2x Abusive Sergeant 2x Flame Imp 2x Voidwalker 1x Dire Wolf Alpha 2x Knife Juggler 2x Nerubian Egg 2x Harvest Golem 2x Implosion 1x Shadowflame 2x Dark Iron Dwarf 2x Defender of Argus 2x Voidcaller 2x Doomguard 1x Sylvanas 1x Dr. Boom 1x Jaraxxus (Golden! Very important) 1x Mal’Gannis [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172.md?page=38)