A week after a nerf and it's time to revisit the meta once the dust settles. The last time we got there the meta was pretty diverse, with 16 viable decks. The meta was oriented significantly towards agro and mid-range (mainly in the latter case).
But this is old information. There are now about 2 viable decks, although more spread out in the Tier 1 category than the nearly equal Tier 2 and XNUMX levels last time around. On an even better note. There is now no class without a viable deck! Good start, Mage.
However, the cream of the crop is even better this time around. Where there used to be five level 1 decks for supremacy (and at earning rates very close to decks below level 2), we now only have three: Secret Highlander Hunter, Token Druid and Mech Paladin, all hover at about a 55% gain rate. The difference between the best viable deck (Secret Highlander Hunter) and the worst level 2 deck (Aggro Overload Shaman) is now 5%, almost exactly.
This is probably due to the severe switch to an extremely aggressive meta this time around.
Let's quickly describe the classes (in order or the highest overall win rate) and their viable decks:
Hunter: Secret Highlander Hunter (milieu de gamme T1), Face Hunter (aggro T2), Quest Hunter (aggro leaning midrange T2)
Naughty: Highlander Galakrond Rogue (midrange value T2), Galakrond Rogue (midrange value), Highlander Deathrattle Rogue (midrange T2 greedy combo-y), Malygos OTK Rogue (T2 combo)
Druid: Token Druid (focused aggro card T1), Embiggen Druid (focused card median value T2)
Warlock: Galakrond Zoo Warlock (focused aggro T2 board), Hand Warlock (midrange T2 lean control), Galakrond Warlock (midrange T2 lean control)
Warrior: Pirate Warrior (concentrated aggro T2 board), Galakrond Warlock (mid-range T2 value)
Paladin: Mech Paladin (aggro focused card T1), Pure Paladin (midrange value T2)
Priest: Quest Resurrect Priest (hardcore T2 control), Combo Priest (T2 aggro focused on the board)
Mage: Highlander Mage (control with one side of the T2 combo)
Shaman: Aggro Overload Shaman
And the distribution of the deck:
Aggro: 7
Mid-range: 10
Control: 2
Combo: 1
Keep in mind that while there are technically more midrange decks than aggro, most midrange decks are unusually aggressive for this archetype, with many tipping points in between ( like the quest hunter).
This leaves games feeling brutally fast paced unless you're paired with one of the control bridges or slower midrange types like Handlock and Galakrond Warlock, and even then they tend to need a good enough draw to outshine your aggressiveness.
Key takeaways from this:
-Play an aggressive deck so you can keep up with other decks. Even if you are looking for a slower game, an early presence on the board is essential for survival.
-Make sure you can deal 2-3 damage to a board at least a few times per game. Part of the reason Secret Highlander Hunter is so good is that it has cards like Explosive Trap and Unleash the hounds to punish wide planks like Mech Paladin and Token Druid love.
-Healing, counter-intuitive, is less essential. Most of the healing cards are too slow to keep you alive in this board-driven game. If you need healing, get it from fast, tempo-friendly cards like Zilliax or upgraded Vicious Scale Skins that upgrade you by removing threats.
-As an aggro player, make sure you have a reliable card draw engine so you don't get overwhelmed by decks like Handlock which have a favorable match, but not as overwhelming as Priest.
That's all for the moment. I'm excited to see what surprising new decks will pop up soon when Galakrond's Awakening unleashes, but for now, remember to play fast and hard for fear of being overwhelmed.
