Hearthstone

[Kuro]

MTGO: Raging Riven isn't hard. Click and drag, press done, click a pile. The program then doesn't let that pile block that creature. It should be really simple, honestly.

Every corner case needs to be tested, but that just means it needs a long developement time, and MTGO has been around for 13 years. Magic is not so complex of a game that it should take that long to get a proper Magic Online: Granted, MTGO was servicable for when it came out, but it's been outdated for quite a while. If you wanted a macro for infinite combos, add a "no to all" or whatnot function just like many downloads. In addition time taken to decide if you counter shouldn't be deducted from the turn player's timer anyway, so it isn't an issue.

Heck, online third party Yu-Gi-oh programs have been able to handle infinite combos, as have their handheld games, and while Yu-Gi-Oh is simpler than MTG, there's no real reason MTG can't except for the fact that resources are not being put into it, which IMHO is a large mistake. Online infrastructure helps fix up or patch many of the largest issues trading card games face in the first place. I think it's easily something that can be "the future" of TCGs, essentially. (Sadly, I don't have the resources to try and go for my own...)

Hearthstone: Not a bad deck! Got some powerful cards here, though perhaps somewhat tricky to play. It's got no Flamestrikes but it is still quite good. I would personally guess a finish in the 6-8 win range for my skill level (Which is an average of about 5.10 wins per Arena run, meaning it's slightly above to fairly above average to me.)

I would say that HA's recommendations are for the most part good: Until you get into a groove, following them is fine. As you get experienced at drafting, you'll find the right places to disagree with it and to find your personal preference. HA tends to have the issue of sometimes overadjusting (I find this most common on pings and things like Goldshire Footman) and that its archetype algorithm can tunnel vision/not properly read the deck.

[Cheater Hater]

How about 2 wins? Of course, variance is complete garbage (notably a game where Spellslinger gave me Eye for an Eye and my opponent Pyroblast)--seriously, you can't get consistent Arena runs by definition.

Edit: New run, and even though I don't play much Druid, this deck seems really good--somehow I actually got enough mech synergies to have a decent deck! Two deviations this time, one in a virtual tie, and the other because I don't value Innervate at all (seriously, Dark Ritual was never good in Limited outside of combo decks in Cube; why would it be good in Hearthstone when you're guaranteed your mana?).

[Kuro]

How about 2 wins? Of course, variance is complete garbage (notably a game where Spellslinger gave me Eye for an Eye and my opponent Pyroblast)--seriously, you can't get consistent Arena runs by definition.

Edit: New run, and even though I don't play much Druid, this deck seems really good--somehow I actually got enough mech synergies to have a decent deck! Two deviations this time, one in a virtual tie, and the other because I don't value Innervate at all (seriously, Dark Ritual was never good in Limited outside of combo decks in Cube; why would it be good in Hearthstone when you're guaranteed your mana?).

A lot of people average 7+ Arena wins, getting consistant Arena runs isn't impossible, unless consistant means every time.

Innervate isn't usually good in Arena, but HearthArena likes it for blowout potential, and because if you pick it in the right deck (one with card draw) it IS good (It's problem in Arena is that unlike Constructed, you don't get something like Ancient of Lore to replenish your hands).

[Cheater Hater]

How about 2 wins? Of course, variance is complete garbage (notably a game where Spellslinger gave me Eye for an Eye and my opponent Pyroblast)--seriously, you can't get consistent Arena runs by definition.

Edit: New run, and even though I don't play much Druid, this deck seems really good--somehow I actually got enough mech synergies to have a decent deck! Two deviations this time, one in a virtual tie, and the other because I don't value Innervate at all (seriously, Dark Ritual was never good in Limited outside of combo decks in Cube; why would it be good in Hearthstone when you're guaranteed your mana?).

A lot of people average 7+ Arena wins, getting consistant Arena runs isn't impossible, unless consistant means every time.

Innervate isn't usually good in Arena, but HearthArena likes it for blowout potential, and because if you pick it in the right deck (one with card draw) it IS good (It's problem in Arena is that unlike Constructed, you don't get something like Ancient of Lore to replenish your hands).

Seriously, how can you average 7+ wins? I mean, even if you take the first 3 wins for granted (since you're playing against a clearly lower tier at the ~50/50 tiers), you'd still need a meaningful edge to get past 6 wins or so, and I don't know how practical that is with the inherent randomness in Hearthstone and Arena in particular.

Any thoughts on the deck itself? It's performing as promised, going 4-0 so far, and the only close match was the last one against another Druid which was a mirror match, but I had the Ancient of Lore and just had more cards.

[Kuro]

How about 2 wins? Of course, variance is complete garbage (notably a game where Spellslinger gave me Eye for an Eye and my opponent Pyroblast)--seriously, you can't get consistent Arena runs by definition.

Edit: New run, and even though I don't play much Druid, this deck seems really good--somehow I actually got enough mech synergies to have a decent deck! Two deviations this time, one in a virtual tie, and the other because I don't value Innervate at all (seriously, Dark Ritual was never good in Limited outside of combo decks in Cube; why would it be good in Hearthstone when you're guaranteed your mana?).

A lot of people average 7+ Arena wins, getting consistant Arena runs isn't impossible, unless consistant means every time.

Innervate isn't usually good in Arena, but HearthArena likes it for blowout potential, and because if you pick it in the right deck (one with card draw) it IS good (It's problem in Arena is that unlike Constructed, you don't get something like Ancient of Lore to replenish your hands).

Seriously, how can you average 7+ wins? I mean, even if you take the first 3 wins for granted (since you're playing against a clearly lower tier at the ~50/50 tiers), you'd still need a meaningful edge to get past 6 wins or so, and I don't know how practical that is with the inherent randomness in Hearthstone and Arena in particular.

Any thoughts on the deck itself? It's performing as promised, going 4-0 so far, and the only close match was the last one against another Druid which was a mirror match, but I had the Ancient of Lore and just had more cards.

I'll check the deck out in a moment and edit it in.

Trump is a good streamer to look at if you are wanting to start to learn how people average 7+ wins, although he is not the best Hearthstone player he tends to play a good amount of Arena, has an easy and laid back personality and explains his moves a lot, while still making his own mistakes, making him a good person to learn from due to easy listening and ability to try and spot his mistakes. Trump's iDraft series is pre-TGT, but it does help go through the thought process of someone who has an intense amount of Arena games played, knowledge an winrate.

Trump has played 4,498 Arena Games (as of this writing) and has a 71.90% overall winrate. Another good streamer to watch is Hafu, who has similiar stats but a very different playstyle from Trump, favoring aggression over value. Sadly I don't have a link to her youtube if she has one. ADWCTA, the creators of HearthArena, also periodically stream and average over 7 wins an Arena run. (They are, in fact, streaming at the moment I posted this!).

In general, some tips for improving your Arena performance:

1. You must learn a variety of decktypes and to recognize what type of deck you are drafting. A Force-Tank MAX is good, for example, but it is significantly less in value in an extreme face deck and has significantly more value as a late game drop in a late game, controlling deck. If you are only able to play a few deck types or recognize a few, then you will have more inconsistant Arena runs because you will not always draft your deck type.

2. Arena is not just drafting, but playing. I feel I would have a significantly better Arena record if I focused harder on playing the game (I tend to play it while doing other things and give it half attention). Considering your plays for a longer amount of time if you play quiickly can help. Just like the first, the ability to play various deck types is important, and to learn how to play with unexpected cards: For example, using a Frost Elemental.

3. The ability to gain value out of marginal cards or unexpected places is important. Arena gave me a surprising appreciation for Frost Elemental because the tempo gain it gives can be very real in Arena. Arena can bring unexpected hands and combos, so being able to intellectualize these differences is a good mental space. 7+ Arena players are able to get stronger runs out of weaker decks by the value of their skill in playing the deck, allowing them to get high marginal value. Something to consider is that I would say most decks are "good" than "bad", in the sense of potential, because most people will get the "good" offered cards in any draft and there are more "good" cards than "bad" cards.

4. Get used to the differences in classes and how cards are valued in them. Playing a Mage is a lot different from a Priest due to the Hero Power for example, and this in turn can lead to different draft strategies.

I'll edit some comments on the deck in later.

EDIT: This deck is good! I'd say it is aggro mixed with midrange. Although you are a Druid, your late game is small, however your late game is very POWERFUL. Innervate would be very bad in this deck! The mech synergy is high and you have a good ability to play on curve. You also have good beast synergy. This deck's weakness is a lack of comeback mechanics, as cards like Wildwalker and Clockwork Knight (some of your key mid/late cards) require a board presence. I would predict this deck to go about 7-3. (As a note for my predictions, I give them a +/- of 2 wins because I feel I am not amazing at predicting, so a prediction of 7-3 has an expected range of 5-9 wins to me. However 5/9 would mean I was pretty far off, 6/8 mean I am not far off, 7 wins on point.)

[Kuro]

So speaking of Druid Arenas...

Feel like I'm getting some real "in the zone" runs lately.

[uberfish]

so... many.. taunts

[Kuro]

so... many.. taunts

I had a match vs. a Paladin where I was at 3 HP for /so long/...but I kept dropping Lumberers and Ironbarks and he just had /barely/ enough to clear them until I got through his stuff. I made sure to armor up once and /not/ hit a dude when I could.

That armor ended up winning me the game when he topdecked Hammer of Wrath when I had lethal on board and I had 1 HP left after that 1 armor. :D

[v8mark]

Nice Kuro! I still don't think I've ever gone 12 with a Druid, which is completely ridiculous given that it's my favourite class, or at least one of my two favourites with Rogue.

I finished this run last night, which was my first solo 12-win Shaman run. Something that I've seen bandied around a lot since TGT has been released, and that was borne out by this deck, is that spot removal is very strong in the current meta. I picked a lot of it in this deck, and I was never unhappy to see it.

Honourable mentions for some unglamorous cards: the Recruiter (5 mana 5/4, Inspire: add a Squire to your hand) and Lava Burst (several times I used it for 6 damage, and once for 7 with the Snobold to kill an Ogre outright). Some equally honourable mentions for some more glamorous cards: Fireguard Destroyer and Flametongue Totem are OP, and Lightning Storm is also a fabulous card.

Dishonourable mentions for Wailing Soul, Force Tank MAX (which sat dead in my hand twice as my Priest opponent held a single card on the left of his hand for the whole game... yep, it was a Mind Control on both occasions), and Mad Bomber, which lost me a game vs a Paladin on Turn 2 when it failed to hit either of his 1-health early drops.

That 12-win run puts my average to exactly 7 wins since I started recording my runs, with 22 arenas in total. I don't think I'm that good, and that number will come down a) as I branch out into more classes and b) as variance starts working against me.

[uberfish]

The reason it's possible to average 7+ is because Arena game states are really complicated to evaluate and even good players make mistakes all the time. I think most of the edge is in the play rather than the draft. Mulligans, deciding whether and how to trade, when to play for tempo vs card advantage, reading opponent's hand, playing risky vs safe, setting up strong/efficient future turns in advance all increase your win percentage. I probably missed some things.