# 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:** 57
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1121 "2015-12-11T03:13:47Z")
I’ve put a Beneath The Grounds into my Oil Pirate deck, and it’s had one success so far. It’s there to counter Reno Jackson decks, but it works pretty well against Mill Druid too. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1122 "2015-12-11T12:42:14Z")
Holy shit, Miracle Roguenis back. [Reddit - Dive into anything](http://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/3wch40/miracle_is_back/) This was the first deck that I really crafted, I remember dusting cards just to craft preps. You have no idea. Man I’m conflicted now, I really just want to make miracle again, but I want to play HOTS as well… Argh ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1123 "2015-12-12T00:31:30Z")
So… I happened upon a whole bunch of dust. (golden Clockwork Giant pull, hurray! 😃 That’s getting recycled!) What should I do with it? Like, on one hand, I’m eyeing Doomguards, Leper Gnomes, and Flame Imps to round out my Zoolock deck, so that I have one solid deck I can run up the ladder with. On the other hand, _most_ of those three are, well, class-specific, and outside of Zoolock, Doomguard and Flame Imp are pretty awful. On the other hand I could pick up a few classic “good for everyone” cards - Azure Dragon, Argent Commander, Defender of Argus… But I’m not sure those fit into my build as well. I’m honestly not sure what I’m doing. Particularly because at the moment, I’m not running my ZooLock; I’m running this kind of stupid Pally buff build with Echoing Ooze and Shade of Naxxramus, which is just all kinds of stupid with the Paladin’s buff engine. 😃 Like, the Leper Gnomes should probably hit my collection sooner rather than later, but they’re common. So it’s like… Huh. Should I just wait to pull them? Any advice? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1124 "2015-12-12T02:51:22Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > The trick in fight number 3 of the last wing of the adventure is the bestest ever. (Super easy to beat once you’ve been warned but OMG). Heh, to beat it on heroic I made the worst possible deck I could, and of course one of the cards I put in there was Magma Rager. When the boss drew it, he actually commented “Magma Rager? Why would you put _that_ in your deck?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1125 "2015-12-13T02:00:34Z")
I have built myself a Facelock deck. AKA “Downside? What downside?” Turn one flame imp into turn two Wrathguard is a pretty strong opening; if your deck can’t drop dudes fast, good luck. 😃 ---
**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:** [December 14, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1126 "2015-12-14T01:26:47Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I have built myself a Facelock deck. AKA “Downside? What downside?” Turn one flame imp into turn two Wrathguard is a pretty strong opening; if your deck can’t drop dudes fast, good luck. 😃 I’ve seen decks like this, ran one myself a long time ago before wrathguard… I have to say, a bit wary about aggro decks and wrathguard in particular now, though. Everyone seems to be mad into control. How is it doing for you? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1127 "2015-12-14T01:41:22Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > So… I happened upon a whole bunch of dust. (golden Clockwork Giant pull, hurray! 😃 That’s getting recycled!) What should I do with it? > > Like, on one hand, I’m eyeing Doomguards, Leper Gnomes, and Flame Imps to round out my Zoolock deck, so that I have one solid deck I can run up the ladder with. On the other hand, _most_ of those three are, well, class-specific, and outside of Zoolock, Doomguard and Flame Imp are pretty awful. > > On the other hand I could pick up a few classic “good for everyone” cards - Azure Dragon, Argent Commander, Defender of Argus… But I’m not sure those fit into my build as well. > > I’m honestly not sure what I’m doing. Particularly because at the moment, I’m not running my ZooLock; I’m running this kind of stupid Pally buff build with Echoing Ooze and Shade of Naxxramus, which is just all kinds of stupid with the Paladin’s buff engine. 😃 > > Like, the Leper Gnomes should probably hit my collection sooner rather than later, but they’re common. So it’s like… Huh. Should I just wait to pull them? > > Any advice? The only thing I’ll say for sure is craft epics before rares, rares before commons. You’ll be overflowing with commons soon enough. Also, craft neutral cards before class cards, but this depends a lot on whether you want to play a particular class or not. All the crafting guides I went to look for are woefully out of date at this point, so I can’t really give you any in depth advice, but try to craft rares that fit your preferred style of play. Only craft epics if they allow you to play a deck that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to play - for example, Preparation for Miracle Rogue, or Ancients of Lore for any non-aggro Druid. Epics generally are more niche than rares, so in terms of bang for your dust I would rather craft rares. Absolute powerhouse rares are things like Knife Jugglers, Violet Teachers, Defender of Argus, Azure Drakes. These would all work in a zoo type deck, regardless of class. Flame Imp is a common, so I would just go ahead and craft these - 40 dust isn’t a lot, and flame imps add a LOT of power to a zoo deck. Doomguard on the other hand is a rare, and I actually don’t think they’re that powerful. Sure, whenever you see them hit the board you lose, but what you don’t see is your opponent holding them in hand for the longest time because he couldn’t afford the discard. Many warlock decks don’t run doomguard any more. For 40 dust, I would rather have 2 flame imps. That said, I’m a fan of just crafting whatever cheap cards you need. Better to have more fun now and slowly build your collection, with the caveat that if you are ever going to spend money on packs, better to spend now rather than later. The worst feeling is crafting a card and then opening it in a pack. I find myself buying packs with gold at a rate of many 4 a week, just on dailies. But if your card collection isn’t great yet, I would suggest you just buy classic packs - they have most of the good staple cards aside from adventures. Only go GVG if you want to play mech decks (just craft the piloted shredders), and TGT is a big bust - only buy if you have already most of the classic and GVG cards. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1128 "2015-12-14T20:00:29Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > I’ve seen decks like this, ran one myself a long time ago before wrathguard… I have to say, a bit wary about aggro decks and wrathguard in particular now, though. Everyone seems to be mad into control. How is it doing for you? Bad. Really, really bad. Seriously regretting buying those Doomguards. Prolly should have seen it coming in this meta. I just can’t hit 30 before they drop something with major healing or end me, and I can’t keep consistent board control. Every time I see Reno Jackson drop, I die a little inside, then a lot in-game. > [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > The only thing I’ll say for sure is craft epics before rares, rares before commons. You’ll be overflowing with commons soon enough. Also, craft neutral cards before class cards, but this depends a lot on whether you want to play a particular class or not. > > All the crafting guides I went to look for are woefully out of date at this point, so I can’t really give you any in depth advice, but try to craft rares that fit your preferred style of play. Only craft epics if they allow you to play a deck that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to play - for example, Preparation for Miracle Rogue, or Ancients of Lore for any non-aggro Druid. Epics generally are more niche than rares, so in terms of bang for your dust I would rather craft rares. > > Absolute powerhouse rares are things like Knife Jugglers, Violet Teachers, Defender of Argus, Azure Drakes. These would all work in a zoo type deck, regardless of class. Flame Imp is a common, so I would just go ahead and craft these - 40 dust isn’t a lot, and flame imps add a LOT of power to a zoo deck. Doomguard on the other hand is a rare, and I actually don’t think they’re that powerful. Sure, whenever you see them hit the board you lose, but what you don’t see is your opponent holding them in hand for the longest time because he couldn’t afford the discard. Many warlock decks don’t run doomguard any more. For 40 dust, I would rather have 2 flame imps. > > That said, I’m a fan of just crafting whatever cheap cards you need. Better to have more fun now and slowly build your collection, with the caveat that if you are ever going to spend money on packs, better to spend now rather than later. The worst feeling is crafting a card and then opening it in a pack. > > I find myself buying packs with gold at a rate of many 4 a week, just on dailies. But if your card collection isn’t great yet, I would suggest you just buy classic packs - they have most of the good staple cards aside from adventures. Only go GVG if you want to play mech decks (just craft the piloted shredders), and TGT is a big bust - only buy if you have already most of the classic and GVG cards. I picked up Knife Juggler, Defender of Argus, and a few Zoolock staples with my dust. Then I pulled _another_ mediocre golden epic (hooray for stupid luck!), which I immediately recycled as well, and I’m still sitting on like 200 dust, and not too much plans. Maybe the Azure Drakes next? Or just wait until I see a deck I _really_ want to get built. Or maybe just pimp out my current Pally deck, which seems to be doing pretty darn well for me - fairly decent win rate, honestly. I call it “Slimed”. 2x Blessing of Might 2x Hand of Protection 2x Repetance 2x Abusive Sergeant 1x Zombie Chow 1x Argent Protector (would replace a Repetance with #2 if I had one) 2x Echoing Ooze (Fun fact: turn four Ooze + Hand + Blessing of Might is kind of amazing.) 1x Ironbeak Owl (another I would love to play 2 of) 1x Shielded Minibot (and another) 2x Shade of Naxxramus (stealth + constantly getting bigger + buff engine = all kinds of nasty) 2x Shattered Sun Cleric 2x Truesilver Champion 2x Blessing of Kings (turn 6 ooze plus this is dumb. Turn 7 ooze plus this and Hand is just ridiculous if you can get it off.) 2x Consecration 1x Spellbreaker (not sure if I should run two, ditch one and run a second owl, or what…) 1x Loatheb 2x Sludge Belcher 2x Stormwind Champion 1x Kel’Thuzad (Not sold on this guy, honestly.) Any suggestions for improvements or cards I really ought to be playing? 🙂 I feel like I should make room for Defender of Argus, but the 4-slot is a little cluttered. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1129 "2015-12-14T20:02:08Z")
Make yourself another shielded minibot, it’s probably the second best two-drop in the game behind mad scientist (for hunter or mage). Two of them should be a staple in pretty much any paladin deck. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1130 "2015-12-14T20:09:25Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Make yourself another shielded minibot, it’s probably the second best two-drop in the game behind mad scientist (for hunter or mage). Two of them should be a staple in pretty much any paladin deck. Is it really better than Annoy-O-Tron? Also, yeah, Mad Scientist is _nutso_. Christ, that card just drives me up the wall every time I see it. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1131 "2015-12-14T20:09:52Z")
Craft another Ironbeak Owl and Shielded Minibot. The Ironbeak is an incredibly useful card in all sorts of decks, and the shielded minibot was about the best 2-drop in the game the last time I kept an eye on the meta (prior to the most recent expansion). edit: walked away for a while and got ninajed before I could post again. > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is it really better than Annoy-O-Tron? Much better. The annoy-o-tron is great, but the minibot can trade way up in terms of value. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1132 "2015-12-14T20:25:44Z")
That unfortunate feeling when a rogue mill deck has you right where they want you and then lose because the clock ran out on them while they were in the process of killing you. I almost feel bad for taking that win. Almost. And yeah, okay, I’ll get that shieldbot. 2/2 divine shield for 2 really is kinda awesome. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1133 "2015-12-14T20:33:56Z")
There’s basically no good way to trade for a minibot. However you deal with it, they’re going to get the best out of that deal. It’s too much, IMO. > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is it really better than Annoy-O-Tron? Annoy-o-tron has its place in certain decks, but minibot has its place in all decks. The number of units you can kill with 2 attack instead of 1 early in the game trumps the overall usefulness of the taunt. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1134 "2015-12-14T20:40:18Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > There’s basically no good way to trade for a minibot. However you deal with it, they’re going to get the best out of that deal. Apart from Blood Knighting it, but that’s super edge case. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1135 "2015-12-15T02:23:04Z")
Let me change your mind! ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1136 "2015-12-15T03:33:53Z")
As a (sole) Pally player, I can say that Shieldbot is a must-have. But be careful against Priest. When I see him plop down that Northshire I cringe. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1137 "2015-12-15T03:34:56Z")
Also: Entomb is utter OP trash. Can’t put in a hard removal that doesn’t trigger deathrattles AND gives you the opportunity to only play low-cost cards and steal free Booms/Tirions/Yseras. Trash. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1138 "2015-12-15T15:48:16Z")
I finally got sick of stalling out at level 16 in ranked mode because I don’t have the uber-legend cards like Dr. Boom, Ragnaros, Antonidas, Ysera, etc. So I did something I told myself I was never going to do: I built a face hunter deck. I now see why these decks are so popular. You don’t need legendary cards and very few rare or epic cards to make them work. So I am using it to climb the ladder and rank up my rewards so I can craft the legendary cards I want, and then I will probably toss it aside in disgust… It’s really so easy to play, you just put out a creature and smash the opponent in the face. I almost feel bad for doing it, but it overjoys me when my opponent puts out Dr Boom and I still just roll right over and crush him. I really hate seeing Dr. Boom, almost as much as I hate going up against face hunters. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1139 "2015-12-15T15:51:07Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Also: > > Entomb is utter OP trash. Can’t put in a hard removal that doesn’t trigger deathrattles AND gives you the opportunity to only play low-cost cards and steal free Booms/Tirions/Yseras. > > Trash. Eh, it’s 6 mana, so much more expensive than any other hard removal in the game. Polymorph also does not trigger deathrattle, and it’s only 4. Plus it shuffles it into your deck, so it’s not like you get to drop it right back out on them. About the only time it’s a guaranteed swinger is if you’re using it against a mill/fatigue deck late game and you swipe their Ysera or Malorne. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172/1140 "2015-12-15T17:55:09Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Eh, it’s 6 mana, so much more expensive than any other hard removal in the game. Polymorph also does not trigger deathrattle, and it’s only 4. > > Plus it shuffles it into your deck, so it’s not like you get to drop it right back out on them. About the only time it’s a guaranteed swinger is if you’re using it against a mill/fatigue deck late game and you swipe their Ysera or Malorne. Agreed. Entomb is far from OP. It’s a niche card with a handful of strong use cases, but otherwise not very good as a general purpose card. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172.md?page=56) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hearthstone-thread/687172.md?page=58)