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How much time/money do you need to spend before you actually have the ability to make decent decks? I'm stuck around L18 and I'm getting antsy to get newer decks. I think it would be less frustrating if they make it so you could get about a pack a day. At the current unlock rate, its almost better if you wait 2-3 days before playing.
Any optimal strategies? I heard you pretty much should always do arena from the gold you earn.
In Soviet Russia, Civilization Micros You!
"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
“I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.”
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(May 11th, 2014, 00:28)antisocialmunky Wrote: How much time/money do you need to spend before you actually have the ability to make decent decks? I'm stuck around L18 and I'm getting antsy to get newer decks. I think it would be less frustrating if they make it so you could get about a pack a day. At the current unlock rate, its almost better if you wait 2-3 days before playing.
Any optimal strategies? I heard you pretty much should always do arena from the gold you earn.
If you enjoy arena, you should not spend any gold on packs, because it will mean you get to play arena less, but you won't actually be getting more cards. The average arena prize is worth about the same as the entry fee. If your focus is on climbing the ladder then it is more complicated.
For constructed I would say, don't get hung up on all the missing cards. You can probably make something competitive with what you have. Or find a cheap solution to your issues and craft it. You don't need any legendaries, but you need a way to respond to the common ones (or put the game away before they can be played).
May 11th, 2014, 04:05
(This post was last modified: May 11th, 2014, 04:06 by antisocialmunky.)
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Its funny, it seems like there are a lot of good people stuck at L17-18. 16 by comparison is noticeably easier. I wonder if a lot of people get stuck at L17-18 because L16 seems to have more legendary cards.
In Soviet Russia, Civilization Micros You!
"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
“I have never understood why it is "greed" to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.”
May 11th, 2014, 06:15
(This post was last modified: May 11th, 2014, 06:38 by Nystul.)
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(May 11th, 2014, 04:05)antisocialmunky Wrote: Its funny, it seems like there are a lot of good people stuck at L17-18. 16 by comparison is noticeably easier. I wonder if a lot of people get stuck at L17-18 because L16 seems to have more legendary cards.
Some streaky luck probably. But it's early enough in the "season" aka May that a lot of good players haven't climbed back to the high ranks yet.
On a different note, my last questing game was rather funny. I was playing casual game as warrior against priest. I pass my first turn and he plays a shieldbearer. I draw into a combo opportunity of axe on 2 and bloodsail raider on 3. I choose to hit the shieldbearer with the axe. He plays holy word: shield, followed by holy word: shield. Interesting. So my raider comes out at 5/3 and the shieldbearer is currently 0/5. Apparently I am a bit daft, but this looks like a really great start for me. I have 1 more mana and execute, but I'm planning to save that for Ragnaros or something. Whatever he plays next turn should fall to my axe unless he wastes time healing the shieldbearer.
Next turn the priest plays divine spirit. Finally I realize the obvious. He's been playing for inner fire all along. He coins and plays another divine spirit. Yep, that's all of his mana. 0/20 shieldbearer. Buffed 4 times but no attack yet. Next turn it would be worse than Ragnaros. I start my fourth turn by playing execute. Priest concedes. Quest completed.
He drew into the perfect hand for that gimmick. A shieldbearer, 2 shields, 2 divine spirits, and inner fire, by turn 3. Probably started the game with 4 of those cards. Against a terrible hand he could have hit for 32 damage on turn 4. It would have been the best shieldbearer ever. Almost wish I had a bad hand so it would have happened. :P
May 11th, 2014, 12:15
(This post was last modified: May 13th, 2014, 18:18 by WilliamLP.)
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(May 11th, 2014, 00:28)antisocialmunky Wrote: How much time/money do you need to spend before you actually have the ability to make decent decks? I'm stuck around L18 and I'm getting antsy to get newer decks. I think it would be less frustrating if they make it so you could get about a pack a day. At the current unlock rate, its almost better if you wait 2-3 days before playing.
Any optimal strategies? I heard you pretty much should always do arena from the gold you earn.
I like arena a lot more than constructed anyway, so for me it's no problem. If you try to accomplish daily quests while playing arena you can do one free run a day when averaging 5-6 wins or so. 7 wins is where you get more than 150 gold back, and if you can get an occasional run toward 12, that gold fuels a lot more runs.
For "decent decks", it depends on your criteria. Trump has shown with 3 different classes (Control / Value Mage, Zoo Warlock, Value Shaman) that it's possible to get to legendary only grinding with a free start, no legendaries and maybe 1 or 0 epics. His deck lists are extremely easy to find. It took him about 200 wins each time I think. But that means disenchanting most of your cards and constraining yourself to a very limited deck type, and not building up a variety of cards and being able to build many versatile decks.
With some decks, no, it seems you really can't be competitive without the legendaries, especially those that need late game win conditions like Control Warrior. Or Miracle Rogue has a few key legendaries (Van Cleefe, Leeroy, Thalnos) and they aren't really replaceable since the deck is quite worse without them.
But if you like arena, it doesn't really take an unreasonable time to save up dust and craft the general tools you want with a key legendary or two. Maybe you get there in 2-3 weeks if you try to play every day and do all the daily quests? Or maybe sooner if you're willing to disenchant a lot of cards.
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Another way to play more if you are more interested in arena mode...
I play Europe "seriously", but recently bought into america as well. Playing tutorial one more time was...boring. Meeting hogger and the other "cards" again...played out same way as before as far as I remember...but I'm not doing it again for Asia.
Perhaps my kids could do it for me....
Anyway, America I play arena just for fun, trying out new classes and ways of drafting while Europa I try to maximize winnings. Results so far have been okay too. A bit more mages and paladins in europa, and more warlocks and hunters in americas. (Trying to make the cheap warlock-zoo aggro deck in arena, but not getting quite there yet). America is still positive on gold, I will get all classes to level 10 from arena runs when I need a bit more. (Defeating all AI doesn't take long but haven't had the need to yet, luckily). I also use arena to complete daily quests when I can. For fun.
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Had a bit of Bad Manner in constructed. I was mage (playing ranked for daily quest) and basically won. After his turn (which he really should have conceded to save us both some time) he had a 4/2 minion on table and 3 health. I had a 2-attack minion alive and my hero power.
So I trade my minion into his, pause a bit to make him think I just now realized my mistake....then played RAGNAROS. Finish in style.
Don't think he was too happy..."Justice demands retribution!"
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Lol, it's really the genius of this game, the "social" side. With 6 emotes, Blizzard gives you exactly enough to work with so you realize you're interacting with an intelligent entity on the other side, and not a single bit more.
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Yeah, those emotes can mean a lot...
I always give "Well played" after a match, win or lose. Exceptions are when opposing player wastes our time, by not conceding when game is over (I have lethal on board and fail to deal with it - if there is a theoretical chance to still win no problem) or takes far too long to play most of the turns. Sorry, no "well played" for you.
"Threaten" - this is not very serious emote to me. I give it when for example the opponent has had just a little too much luck, a little too good top-deck draw, a too perfect hand or similar. Also could mean "Okay you are ahead but I shall overcome". It does not mean I'm angry. Usually. If opponent is playing stupidly and still getting luck (on random effect, for example) I may use it and really be a bit annoyed. Deep inside.
"Greetings" - Always return a greeting. Sometimes I initiate, but forget quite a lot as well.
"Thank you" - Reply when opponent gives a "well played" in the middle of the match...the one that actually means well played. I can also use it when I play mad bomber and he nukes me 3 times. It is meant as a "thank you" to the bomber...thanks for nothing, "ally"...not opposing player. For me, when an opponent uses it after playing "mind control" or similar cards (mind control tech, and get the best of 4 minions)..I get extremely irritated. "Take the win but don't gloat, you smug b@stard" is how I feel when opponent uses the emote after that.
I use "sorry" in the cases when I steal/copy a minion, or when I have too much luck from random effects, or when I have the perfect low-odds answer to opponents huge threat on the board.
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On the other hand I just immediately squelch all opponents and imagine I'm playing the Innkeeper. 
I've got some dirt on my shoulder, can you brush it off for me?
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I have to admit that I'm guilty of BM'ing. On the bright side (for my opponents), I lose a lot of my games, so they can laugh at my face with increased joy afterwards.
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