FAQ And Walkthrough - Guide for Hearthstone

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Game: Hearthstone, Heroes of Warcraft
System: PC/Mac
FAQ: General Walkthrough
Written By: NoWorries
Allowed Website: www.gamefaqs.com
                 www.neoseeker.com
                 www.supercheats.com
                 www.cheatcc.com
*If you have a website you would like to post this at just shoot me an email*
				 
**As always, the most up-to-date guide will always be found at gamefaqs**

Version History: 1.0 Submitted 20 of October of 2014
                    -I've not proof-read this, so be warned of a few updates
                     in the near future as I discover horrible grammar
                     mistakes or anything spelling related. I've reread each
                     section, but not the whole thing over again. Thank you
                 2.0 Submitted 03 of November of 2014
                    -Spent on and worked a great deal on Arena. Specifically,
                     added a new section, Advanced Arena Strategies
                    -Added www.cheatcc.com as an allowed website thanks to
                     David Allison for the outreach
                    -Added some more to the general Arena section, including
                     two samples of some of my recent Arena's demonstrating
                     the algorithm and that it works quite accurately, which
                     is cool
                    -General proof-reading and typo updates
                 3.0 Submitted 06 of December of 2014
                    -Added some new decks
                        -Miracle (Deckhand)
                        -F2P Warlock (control)
                    -Changed some decks
                        -F2P Paladin
                        -F2P Warlock
                        -F2P Rogue
                    -Added another Arena win. Talked about "combos"
                    -Added Goblins verse Gnomes cards
                    -Talked about possible changes. Expect another update
                     in the future to discuss deck changes
                 4.0 Submitted 4 of February of 2015
                    -Card updates (Undertaker)
                    -Added general discussion regarding updates in general
                    -Added to the decklist and changed up some decks
                    -Mild reformatting in a few spots


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-Who should be reading this FAQ?- #The NoWorries Contract to Greatness

    I put this in every faq I've ever written, and it goes something along the
lines like this. By writing this, I commit to you the reader that I will bring
to you not only my vastness of knowledge but do it with a sense of humour. I
understand it's easy to get bogged down in detail as well as a mush of opinion
but I strive to bring you something more than just a guide to greatness.
    So who should be reading this? Well to be perfectly frank anyone wanting
to play Hearthstone should. I was scouring the webs the other night waiting to
publish my Naxxramas Heroic decklist when I noticed that of the two
Hearthstone pages, there was only one half-written guide out there. Now I
realize there are a plethora of Hearthstone guides out there elsewhere, but
none for gamefaqs and that's not really fair. So it strengthened my desire to
go further and not just do a Naxxramas guide, but do a complete guide
regarding Hearthstone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


So to begin. I'll elaborate first a little on why I am someone you can afford
to listen to and read. First, I am a celebrated guide writer. I've published
several guides available on gamefaqs as well as several more on specific
websites such as mtg.net or dota-allstars (extinct) or even playdota.com
which I don't really visit anymore due to time constraints.


I also enjoy these strategy games. I've been a long time Magic the Gathering
player all the way back to Masques block which predates most of you even being
alive who would be reading this. When Hearthstone came out, I was excited to
try a new fresh take on MTG as honestly, every card game post MTG has failed
for me.

....Pokemon, not a good card game
....Yugioh, not a good card game
....Harry Potter, wtf were they thinking
....ergh

Anyways, I've tried MANY of the thousands of games out there, and they've all
been disappointing ripoffs that just suck and make me wish I was playing good
ol MTG. Then you have MTG online which seemed like the new future except I
didn't feel like buying cards I couldn't have. I left MTG (sorta)


-------------------


    Anyways, enter Hearthstone. It's a fresh take on an old concept. You draw
cards, play creatures, use spells, and eventually beat your opponent down to
a pulp of 0 life. It would seem that it too is a horrible ripoff, but there's
something unique about Hearthstone, it's animated. It's not just animated, but
it has a very cool maker behind it, Blizzard.

    What that means, is that anything Blizzard touches turns to gold! (Sorry,
I'm not a Blizzard fanboy, but I do own and enjoy nearly everything they have
ever made except Heroes of the Storm). No but seriously, Warcraft, Starcraft,
Diablo... it means that all of that mythology is golden for Blizzard to take
advantage of and put into this cardgame.

    It's very exciting. We've already seen the first installment of an
expansion set that shows Hearthstone has a very promising future ahead of it.
But I digress...

    I'm here, because I want to give you the lowdown on exactly what this
game is, and more importantly, how do you play it. Let's move on



                             Table of Contents
                             00. Card Changes                           [0000]
                             01. Introduction                           [1000]
                             02. The Basics of Hearthstone              [2000]
                             03. Understanding the Heroes               [3000]
                             04. How to Level (and what you get)        [4000]
                             05. The Basics part 2                      [5000]
                             06. Battle Basics (Playing the game)       [6000]
                             07. Deck Basics (free to play)             [7000]
                             08. Deck Basics (constructed)              [8000]
                             09. Ranked Play                            [9000]
                             10. Tournaments                            [AAAA]
                             11. How to Improve                         [BBBB]
                             12. Arena                                  [CCCC]
                             13. Advanced Arena Strategies              [DDDD]
                             14. Expansion Sets                         [EEEE]
                                -Goblins verse Gnomes
                             15. The End?                               [FFFF]
							 
							 
You can hit [CTRL]+F and type out the brackets search more easily

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                             00. Card Changes                           [0000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    December 8, 2014
	
        -Gadgetzan Auctioneer cost increased by 1 (from 5 to 6)
        -Flare cost increased by 1 (from 1 to 2)
        -Soulfire cost increased by 1 (from 0 to 1)
		
      My thoughts
    These changes definitely are going to have an impact, so let's start with
the biggest one, Soulfire. Without a doubt, this is going to impact Warlocks
in a huge way, both handlock and zoo. Is Soulfire not going to be used? No way
it's still extremely strong. However, Zoo decks will need to consider their
play more carefully to leave that 1 mana available and Handlock will not be
able to splurge their mana so freely.
    Gadgetzan is easily the second biggest, however, I don't think it will be
as drastic as what people have claimed. Malygos Miracle is certainly going to
be unplayable now, but the Deckhand Miracle is barely affected, simply because
their goal is to get to 8 mana with their opponent at 20 life or less.
    Regarding Flare, not much to be said. It's more expensive to cycle, but
that won't make the card unplayable.

    Februrary 2015
	
        -Undertaker now only gains attack instead of attack and health
		
      My thoughts
    The biggest consequence of this is that Naxxramas is a total joke now.
Half of the bosses relied heavily on Undertaker blowing up because of their
deathrattles but now he's always easy to get rid of. Not that is a huge change
since most people are done with Naxxramas but anyway
    Regarding constructed play: I think this is simply a shift in the meta as
Deathrattle decks aren't going to be as strong anymore. That's not to say that
Undertaker can't be used with Deathrattle; it's just that he's too easy to get
rid of and most decks have access to 2 damage means now. In fact, it's quite a
shift as pure aggro decks are becoming much more difficult to play in general.
Murlocs and pure zoo are extremely vulnerable to any form of board clear and
doing so really hurts them.
    What I think we'll see in the future is more utility from decks; namely
the midrange style. Midrange covers early and transitions to late which gives
a deck quite a bit of depth to work with.


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                             01. Introduction                           [1000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hearthstone is a game that is completely free to play. You can download it
any number of ways. It does require an internet connection and a decent
computer to run it. According to Blizzard's website:


Windows: XP, Intel Pentium D | AMD Athlon 64 X2, 256MB Video
Mac: Mac OS X 10.7, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT or ATI Radeon

That's concerning the OS, Processor, and Video. As for Memory, Storage,
Internet, Input, and Resolution they are the same. Their minimum reqs are:
2 GB RAM memory, 3 GB available storage, Broadband Internet, Keybord/Mouse or
Touchscreen, and 1024x768 resolution.

    So that all looks confusing, but basically, if you are reading this online
then you are probably good to go with hearthstone. It doesn't use much of your
computer =)


    Anyways, let's talk briefly now about what is Hearthstone.
	
    Hearthstone is a game in which you take control of one of nine Blizzard
heroes of legend, Malfurion Stormrage, the Druid, Rexxar, the Hunter, Jaina
Proudmoore, the Mage, Uther the Lightbringer, the Paladin, Anduin Wrynn, the
Priest, Valeera Sanguinar, the Rogue, Thrall, the Shaman, Gul'dan, the Warlock
or Garrosh Hellscream, the Warrior, and battle another opponent who also takes
control of one of those nine heroes and you battle it out to the death.

    To win, you must construct a deck of 30 cards (no more, no less) and play
your cards smartly, attack wisely, defend when you need to, and eventually,
slay your opponent or force them to concede giving you the victory. So, let's
talk a little bit about the basics.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             02. The Basics                             [2000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hopefully you don't feel too overwhelmed. I always find the best place to
start is the beginning so let's talk some very basic terminology that will be
used, A LOT.


    HEALTH
	
There is two kinds of health in this game, your hero, and your minions. First,
let's talk about your hero. Your hero always starts with 30 health, indicated
by the 30 with the heart in your hero's portrait. Unlike MTG, you can never go
above 30 health. Also unlike MTG, you can in fact go below 30 health assuming
some action would restore you back above 0 so that you don't lose. It's quite
fancy.

There's also then, health for your minions, indicated as the second number on
the card.


    Fig. 1
	
                            -------------------------------
                            | Card Name                   |
                            |                             |
                            | The Card Picture            |
                            |                             |
                            | Any Card Text               |
                            |                             |
                            | Card Power      Card Health |
                            -------------------------------

                            *Card not exactly to scale
							
Unlike MTG, minions in Hearthstone do not regain all their health at the end
of each turn (most notably, because MTG uses TOUGHNESS, whereas Hearthstone
uses actual HEALTH). There are ways to restore health, but we'll get more into
that later. When a minions health has reached 0, just like your hero, it dies
and leaves the battlefield. Unlike MTG, there is no GRAVEYARD. If a minion is
killed in battle, it's gone forever and ever.


    POWER
	
So using Fig. 1 as our reference, every minion has a POWER number as well. It
could be 3, or 6, or 0! Power cannot be negative. POWER reflects how much
damage a minion will do when it attacks. It's just simple math. A minion with
2 power will deal 2 damage, and the minion with 4 health will survive the
attack with 2 health leftover. Power can also be referred to as Attack.


    BATTLING
	
Alright, so there's a lot to cover here in small sections so let's talk about
battling. In MTG, there is a set rule about what you can or cannot do. For
example, you have the beginning of your turn, untap, upkeep, draw, main,
declare attackers, attack, declare blockers, block, declare damage, combat...
it goes on and on, but the point is there's a system in place for how things
go down.

In Hearthstone, there isn't any of that. You have the beginning of your turn
where you auto draw a card, and then you have the end of your turn when you
click the little yellow END TURN button. Everything else that takes place in
between there is up to you. You could play a minion, attack, play a minion,
attack, and then attack. You could just pass the turn. So, let's talk then
a bit about what encompasses your turn

(we'll come back to BATTLING)


    YOUR TURN
	
Alright, so step 0, it's your turn. You draw a card. Now, what can we do?

STEP 1, MY MANA CRYSTALS

    Whoa whoa, what are mana crystals?
	
    It's alright, see those blue things next to your hero portrait?
	
    No! There's only 1 there!
	
    It's alright! More will come
	
OK, jokes aside, everything in Hearthstone uses Mana Crystals. Unlike MTG
which uses MANA produced by TAPPING LANDS, Hearthstone gives you a preset
MANA CRYSTALS. At the beginning of the game, everybody starts at 0. On your
turn, you gain 1 Mana Crystal, indicated by the blue crystals. If you use them
then they go black until your next turn. At the beginning of your turn, you
get back whatever crystals you used, and 1 more. At 10, you no longer get new
Mana Crystals.

QUESTION, CAN I SAVE MANA

ANSWER, No. If you choose not to spend mana on your turn, then it is
considered "wasted" as your next you will have the same mana plus 1 up to 10
Mana Crystals.

QUESTION, I WANT TO DO STUFF ON THEIR TURN, PLEASE

ANSWER, No. Unlike MTG, everything in Hearthstone is considered a "Sorcery"
which basically means you only act on your turn. When it is not your turn, you
must sit there and wait. You cannot do "in response" or anything like that.
Because of how the game works, this is why it is.

QUESTION, THANK YOU

ANSWER, Alright let's move along


STEP 2, WHAT TO DO WITH THESE THINGS

    First MANA, now BATTLING, I'm DONE
	
    It's really not that bad
	
So I mentioned you win with playing minions and usings spells. That's what
your Mana Crystals are for. So let's talk briefly about what you can splurge
your Mana Crystals on.

        a. Minions
		
The most basic way to win is to play Minions. Using Fig. 1 again as a
reference, every Minion has some certain qualities about it. Every Minion has

    A name
    A picture
    A power number
    A health number
	A textbox
    A cost
	
The textbox may be empty. Chillwind Yeti is an example of this.
The cost may be zero, or 5, or 20, but we'll get into those a bit later.

So there are some things that can go into that textbox, we'll come back in a
second though.

        b. Spells
		
The second most basic way to win is to use spells. Spells in Hearthstone are
extremely versatile and can do nearly anything. What is unique about Spells,
is that there are no neutral spells. Sigh, let's talk about this, revisiting
Minions again real quick here.

        c. Class versus Neutral
		
Every class (Paladin, Mage, etc) has their own Class-Specific-Cards. Amongst
those, include what makes the class unique (Weapons, Secrets, Spells) as well
as they have their own specific Minions. Then, there is the huge section, of
Neutral Minions. When building a deck, you choose your class, and then build
your deck from your Class cards, and the Neutral cards. You cannot put Mage
cards in a Priest deck for example. OK

        b. Spells
		
Alright, so coming back to spells. They are roughly broken down into 4
categories as such

    -Enchantment
    -Removal
    -Ramp
    -Secrets
	
Let's explain what each of these are

    ENCHANTMENT
	
Everyone should be familiar with "Auras" from MTG. Enchantments that you can
play onto a creature to give an advantage. In Hearthstone, they are very much
the same though they are called Spells. You can play MARK OF THE WILD, to give
your Minion +2 power, +2 health, and Taunt (we'll get into that). You could
also play BLESSING OF KINGS, to give your Minion +4 power and +4 health. On
the flip side, you could play HUMILITY on your opponents dragon to set its
power to 1. These are all Enchantment-type spells. You can check to see what
is enchanting your Minions by hovering over them with the mouse and the game
will tell you what it has (or doesn't have).

    REMOVAL
	
Everyone should know what Removal is. It's a spell that makes things go away.
They can be cheap and small, or large grand amounts of damage. I could play
FIREBALL, to deal 6 damage to my opponents dragon killing it; but I could play
FIREBALL to deal 6 to my opponent potentially killing them. Some cards though
can only affect certain types, such as GRIMOIRE OF SACRIFICE which can only
target a DEMON, or FLAME STRIKE only targets enemy Minions, but HELLFIRE hits
ALL Characters, which means Minions and Heroes. Removal doesn't have to be
damage. It could be Shadow Word Pain, which kills a creature with 3 or less
power.

    RAMP
	
Ramp basically means card advantage. While Removal technically gives advantage
what separates Ramp is how it accomplishes it. Ramp can be something as simple
as WILD GROWTH, which gives you an empty Mana Crystal (increasing your total
by 1 then, up to 10) or could be SENSE DEMONS, which puts 2 random DEMONS from
your deck into your hand (which is card draw). It could also be as simple as
ARCANE INTELLECT, Draw 2 cards, or SPRINT, Draw 4 cards.

What about something like, MIRROR IMAGE, which gives you two creatures? That
technically would be RAMP as it gives card advantage (2 creatures for 1 card,
that's an advantage).

    SECRETS
	
So if ain't Removal, Enchantments, or Ramp it must be a secret? Nah, some
cards don't really have a category, like "gain 6 health" doesn't really fit
into any category but regardless, Secrets are special.

There are only 3 classes that get Secrets, MAGE, HUNTER, and PALADIN. Every
Secret is unique but the rules are all the same. You cannot trigger Secrets
on your turn, you can only play them. That's about it.

You may ask, what's the point? Well, you have to look at what the secrets
can do to understand that. For instance,

MAGE, has COUNTERSPELL. You play it as a Secret. Your opponent sees you have
a Secret down, but they don't know what it is. They rack their brain thinking
what Secret it could be (as it is a set-list) but they can't figure it out
via TESTING (testing to see what the Secret is by meeting "qualifications")
so they try to FIREBALL you. Badda bing badda boom, your Secret activates and
your opponent groans as their best spell got "countered" and fizzles out.

HUNTER has FREEZING TRAP. You drop it down, and eliminate all your opponents
small cheap creatures. They have no way to break it (testing) so they attack
with their large expensive creature. FREEZING TRAP activates and puts it back
in their hand and now it costs 2 more.

So Secrets, they are not exactly Secrets as you can look up and know what
cards they could be; but they are Secrets in that you can Bluff, or put your
opponent in a horrible situation if they cannot figure out what the Secret is.

    d. Weapons
	
Yeah yeah it could be under Spells but Weapons get their own category. Only a
few classes get Weapons, Warrior, Rogue, Shaman, Hunter, and Paladin. Weapons
are NOT Spells, so cards that are affected by Spells don't care about Weapons.

The most basic Weapons, have 5 things, a Name, a Picture, a Cost, a Damage
Value, and a Durability. Some more fancy Weapons have a Textbox as well.

        Damage Value
		
The first number of the weapon; it means how much damage you can do. Yeah that
is right! Your hero actually attacks with the weapon. Pretty cool

        Durability
 	   
The second number, means how many times you can attack. Once that number
reaches 0, then the weapon breaks and is gone forever. You can replace a
weapon with another which makes the first weapon also go away even if the
Durability isn't 0.

    e. Hero Power
	
The last thing you can use your Mana on (jeeze, I guess that is what started
this tanget isn't it?) Every hero has their own unique Hero power. Those will
be talked about when we get into the Class specifics section.

STEP 2, NOW WHAT

    Alright, to refresh, we have
        Step 0, Draw a card (done automatically)
        Step 1, Mana Crystals (also done automatically, though you choose
                              what to play with them)
    Now we have, Step 2, Now what?
	
    So, we know what Step 3 is right? Yes, Step 3 is End your Turn.
	
    Whoa whoa, what about battling?
	
    Yeah that happens here under Step 2, or Step 1
	
    You lost me
	
    Alright let me explain
	
QUESTION, WHAT CAN I DO ON MY TURN

ANSWER, We've been over that. Here is exactly what you can do though, which
brings us back to something we mentioned earlier, Battling.


    Battling Specifics
	

So the game consists quite a bit of fighting. Minion on minion brutality. It
works like this.


--->Every Minion has summoning sickness
    *Except those with Charge
	
Alright, let's explain

    Summoning Sickness
	
In MTG, when you played a Creature, it could not Tap, or Attack, when it came
into play as it had Summoning Sickness. The exception was if you could give it
Haste, or it had Haste as an ability. Haste overrules Summoning Sickness. In
Hearthstone, all Minions have Summoning Sickness, meaning they cannot battle
the turn they are played.

    CHARGE
	
Charge is Haste, pure and simple. Charge means your Minions can attack as soon
as they hit the battlefield. Alright? Simple enough


QUESTION, HOW DO I ATTACK

ANSWER, You have 3 targets. The first, is attacking the enemy Hero. The second
is attacking an enemy Minion. The third, is being forced to attack a Taunt.

    Whoa whoa, you lost me
	
Alright, so in MTG, you "Declared Attackers" and your opponent chose how to
block. When Planeswalkers were introduced, you could specify "attacking you"
or "attacking Lilliana". In Hearthstone, there is no "Declare Attackers" you
just choose who to attack. That means anything on the battlefield is
vulnerable to being attacked. That brings us to, Taunt

    Taunt
	
You must attack a Minion with Taunt

Simple enough, no?

QUESTION, TAUNTS SOUND OVER-POWERED, MAKE ALL DECK OF TAUNTS

ANSWER, Not exactly. We'll get into that later

RESPONSE, FINE


--->More Battle Specifics

There are 4 kinds of battles that can happen:

    Minion on Minion
    Minion on Hero
    Hero on Minion
    Hero on Hero
	

Alright, they are quite similar but let's go into this

  Minion on Minion
  
It's simple enough. Minion A has chosen to battle Minion B. Minion A runs into
Minion B. Minion A deals its damage to B, and B deals its damage to A. If
either's health drops to 0, they die and go away. Otherwise they live with a
new reflected Health total.

    EXAMPLE
	
I control a 4/5 Chillwind Yeti and choose to attack your 1/7 Mogu'shan Warden.
My Yeti deals 4 damage to the 7 health of the Warden, leaving it at 3
Your Warden deals 1 damage to my 5 health of the Yeti, leaving it at 4

Understand? My Yeti's power (4) goes against the 7 health (7 - 4 = 3) so the
end result is 3 health on your Warden. Vice-versa, your Warden's power (1)
goes against my 5 health (5 - 1 = 4) so the end result is 4 health on my
Yeti.

Let's take another look at an example

    EXAMPLE
	
I control 2/3 Flesheating Ghoul. Now this particular creature gains +1 attack
per each Minion that dies. So in addition to my Ghoul I also have two 1/1
Stonetusk Boars. You are sitting there, feeling confident, with a gigantic
3/6 Taunt Fen Creeper, thinking there's no way I can kill him. I attack with
a Boar, dealing 1 damage (from 6 to 5) and my Boar dies, giving +1 attack to
my Ghoul. I attack again, dealing another damage (from 5 to 4), giving another
+1 attack to my Ghoul (from 2 to 3, and now 3 to 4 because the two deaths) so
my Ghoul is now a 4/3. But I don't want to lose my Ghoul, so I play HAND OF
PROTECTION, giving my Ghoul Divine Shield. I attack your Fen Creeper. My Ghoul
kills your Creeper (4 - 4 = 0, dead Creeper) but my Ghoul lives. My Ghoul also
gains another attack, and is now a 5/3.

WHYYYYYY

Because Divine Shield

    Divine Shield
	
The first time this Minion is dealt damage, ignore it

(See how I transition nicely there)

Alright, so Divine Shield is just another effect. Let's talk about some of
these effects that you may come across (all of which, are defined in
Hearthstone if you just hover over it).


    Battlecry
	
Battlecry triggers when the Minion is played from your hand
	
    Choose One
	
This is an effect exclusive to Druids. When you play the card (it's not a
Battlecry!) you choose one of the effects
	
    Combo
	
Another exclusive, this time to Rogues. A card "Combos" if you played
another card this turn
	
    Deathrattle
	
An effect that happens once the Minion dies
	
    Enrage
	
An effect that only happens if the Minion is damaged (that means healing will
remove the Enrage). Also, a 1 health Minion cannot be enraged
	
    Freeze
	
Freeze can affect any character, and it means their following attack is
skipped. That means, if I freeze your Minion on my turn, on your next turn,
it will be able to attack. On the other hand, if your Minion becomes frozen
on your turn, it will feel much longer as you finish your turn, take a turn,
and then it will finally be able to attack
	
    Immune
	
Simply put, cannot be damaged
	
    Overload
	
An ability exclusive to Shamans. Overload means you have {X} less Mana
Crystals to use next turn. For example, I have 3 Mana Crystals this turn and
play Feral Spirit which overloads 2. Next turn, I still gain my Mana Crystal
to bring me to 4, but I'm overloaded 2, so I only get to use 2 Mana Crystals
this turn.
	
    Silence
	
Silence wipes out all card texts and enchantments from a Minion.
NOTE! There are cases in which you should be aware of, allow me to explain.

  EXAMPLE
  
My minion, is normally a 2/4. He was wounded, and brought down to 2/2. I cast
a BLESSING OF KINGS, making him a 6/6, and attacked, bringing him down again
to a 6/4. You Silence him on your turn. What should be his health?

A) 0  B) 1  C) 2  D) 4

Answer is D, 4. Why? Because you remove the card text, taking out the 4/4.
However, his health when enchanted is already at 4. Simply put, you cannot
"wound" a Minion via Silence. If my Minion were at 6/3, then Silence would
put him back to 2/3. But since my Minion was up to 6/4, Silence would put
him at 2/4 again
	
    Stealth
	
Minions with Stealth cannot be targeted by enemy spells, abilities, or attacks
until they deal damage. Once they deal damage, Stealth is removed. Attacking
counts as well, but that's just a fancy dealing damage.

Targeted doesn't save them though from AoE or randomness though. Just targeted
spells or abilities.
	
    Spell Damage
	
Makes your spells deal X more damage. In cases of cards like PROPHET VELEN,
who "doubles" spell power, any additive property happens first, IE +1 to
spellpower happens first, and then it is doubled
	
    Summon
	
Essentially, create whatever creature is supposed to be summoned. This could
be via deathrattle, battlecry, or a spell effect
	
    Transform
	
Transform changes the card completely into whatever it is supposed to be.
This means the previous card is GONE and cannot be "Silenced" to be saved. If
your Minion gets hexed into a Frog, it is now, forever a Frog
	
    Windfury
	
Can attack twice each turn. Simple enough


ALRIGHT. That's all the good old card text, I know it's a lot, but I think we
are finally done with CARD BASICS. Hooray let's move along to something else



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             03. Understanding the Heroes               [3000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


So now that we understand the basics of Hearthstone, let's talk about the
basics of Understand the Heroes. Recall that we have

    Warlock
    Hunter
    Priest
    Paladin
    Shaman
    Mage
    Rogue
    Druid
    Warrior
	
Let's delve now into them and explore a bit more about who they are and what
they do


-----------------------------

    WARLOCK
	
-----------------------------


    The Demonic Gul'dan makes an appearance here as the Warlock, a devilish
class with power effects and outrageous minions.

    The Warlock class focuses on really strong spells and minions, with some
pretty strong downsides. The Warlock also has arguably the most powerful hero
ability in the game, the ability to draw an extra card each turn. As such,
there are 2 primary decks that revolve around Warlock, aggro and control. But
first, let's talk a bit more about his cards.


    Hero Power, Life Tap, (2) Pay 2 life, Draw a Card
	
Sure, losing 2 life seems like a big deal, but everyone knows how important
card advantage is. The ability to draw an extra card is extremely nice to
have.

    Free-to-Play Warlock Cards
	
###########
FREE? AS OPPOSED TO NOT FREE????
###########

ANSWER, Right, so there are some important things to note real quick before
we go deeper into this. Every card has a crystal (or doesn't!) and this is
what they mean.

GREY = COMMON
BLUE = RARE
PURPLE = EPIC
GOLD = LEGENDARY
BLANK = FREE

What does this mean?

Every Class (including Neutral) has "free" cards, these are known as Free-To-
Play cards. You get them, by simply playing the game. Some cards are unlocked
by leveling your hero to level 10 (done by playing the game) and others are
completely free and there from the get-go. Post level 10, you unlock Golden
versions of the cards, which is simply a neat graphical enhancement, that's
all. All the other cards, Grey, Blue, Purple, and Gold, are cards you get
through Packs.

WHOA WHOA, PACKS SOUNDS LIKE MONEY

And sure, you can buy them if you want, at 2 for $2.99, 7 for $9.99, 15 for
$19.99, or 40 for $49.99, all USD. You also can get packs through ARENA (we
will talk about Arena later) or by buying them for 100 gold.

WHOA WHOA, GOLD?

Yes. You get Gold by playing the game (10 gold per every 3 wins when you
play against humans) or by doing Quests which appear daily (we'll talk
more about Quests later).

ALRIGHT I THINK I UNDERSTAND

Awesome, back to Warlock


    Warlock Cards
	
Warlock cards are typically powerful cards with downsides. Here is a complete
list of all the Warlock Cards

    SPELLS

  Free
  
Corruption (1) Choose an enemy minion. At the start of your turn, destroy it

Drain Life (3) Deal 2 damage (to a character). Restore 2 health to your hero

Hellfire (4) Deal 3 damage to all characters

Mortal Coil (1) Deal 1 damage to a minion. If that kills it, draw a card

Sacrificial Pact (0) Destroy a Demon. Restore 5 health to your hero

Shadow Bolt (3) Deal 4 damage to a Minion

Soulfire (0) Deal 4 damage (to a character) Discard a card at random*

  Common
  
Demonfire (2) Deal 2 damage to a minion OR give a friendly Demon +2/+2

Power Overwhelming (1) Give a friendly minion +4/+4 until end of turn.
                       Sacrifice it at end of turn
					   
Sense Demons (3) Put 2 random Demons from your deck into your hand**

  Rare
  
Shadowflame (4) Destroy a friendly minion and deal its Attack(Power) damage
                to all enemy minions
				
Siphon Soul (6) Destroy a minion. Restore 3 health to your hero

  Epic
  
Bane of Doom (5) Deal 2 damage to a character. If that kills it, summon a
                 random Demon***
				 
Twisting Nether (8) Destroy all minions

*If you have no cards to discard, then you *do* discard a card but obviously
you have nothing to discard. As such, you can abuse certain card effects by
working around them

**If you have no more Demons in your deck, you get 1/1 Worthless Imps instead

***The list of Demons are: Blood Imp (0/1 Stealth, gives +1 health randomly)
                           Dread Infernal (6/6)
                           Felguard (3/5 Taunt)
                           Flame Imp (3/2)
                           Succubus (4/3)
                           Voidwalker (1/3 taunt)
    These Minions are put into play, so no battlecry is triggered nor
    does these affect the total in your deck
						   
						   
    MINIONS (these are all Demons)
	
  Free
  
Dread Infernal (6) [6/6] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage to all other characters

Succubus (2) [4/3] Battlecry, Discard a card at random*

Voidwalker (1) [1/3] Taunt

  Common
  
Blood Imp (1) [0/1] Stealth. At the end of your turn, give another random
                    friendly minion +1 Health**
					
Flame Imp (1) [3/2] Battlecry, Deal 3 damage to your hero

Summoning Portal (4) [0/4] Your minions cost 2 less but not less than 1

Voidcaller (4) [3/4] Deathrattle, Put a random Demon from your hand onto
                     the battlefield***
					 
  Rare
  
Doomguard (5) [5/7] Charge. Battlecry, Discard 2 cards at random*

Felguard (3) [3/5] Taunt. Battlecry, Destroy one of your mana crystals****

Void Terror (3) [3/3] Battlecry, Destroy the minions on either side of this
                      one and gain their attack and health
					  
  Epic
  
Pit Lord (4) [5/6] Battlecry, Deal 5 damage to your hero

  Legendary
  
Lord Jaraxxus (9) [3/15] Battlecry, Destroy your hero and replace him with
                         Lord Jaraxxus*****
						 
*See same footnote for Soulfire

**Cannot target himself, but can target other Blood Imps

***Does not trigger battlecries

****You will replace the Mana Crystal (IE if you go from 10 to 9 you will go
    back up to 10 next turn)
	
*****Lord Jaraxxes replaces Gul'dan and the following happens:
    -Life total is set to 15 (max health now 15)
    -Hero power changes to (2) Summon a 6/6 Infernal
    -Equip a 3/8 weapon called Blood Fury
    -Emotes change
	

For "leveling" see the next section


-----------------------------

    HUNTER
	
-----------------------------

    Rexxar the Hunter is a devilish hunter who uses wild Beasts to dispose
of his enemies. Many of his spells involve different shots, shooting explosive
arrows or deadly poison-laced shots that kill instantly. Hunters can use
deadly traps as they set Secrets, and also wield a number of different Bows
as their weapons.

    Hero Power, Steady Shot, (2) Deal 2 damage to the enemy hero
	
    Seeing his ability, it's pretty clear what Hunters are about; dealing
damage quickly and forcing his opponents into a tricky decision as their life
ticks lower and lower.


    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Animal Companion (3) Summon a random Beast Companion*

Arcane Shot (1) Deal 2 damage (to a character)

Hunter's Mark (0) Change a minion's Health to 1**

Kill Command (3) Deal 3 damage. If you control a Beast deal 5 instead

Multi-Shot (4) Deal 3 damage to 2 random enemy minions***

Tracking (1) Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Draw one and discard
             the others
			 
  Common
  
Deadly Shot (3) Destroy a random enemy minion

Unleash the Hounds (3) For each enemy minion, summon a 1/1 Hound with Charge

  Rare
  
Explosive Shot (5) Deal 5 damage to a minion and 2 damage to adjacent ones

Flare (1) All minions lose stealh. Destroy all enemy Secrets. Draw a card

  Epic
  
Bestial Wrath (1) Give a Beast +2 attack and Immune this turn

*You can summon one of three companions: Huffer (4/2 charge)
                                         Misha (4/4 taunt)
                                     Leokk (2/4, give other Minions +1 attack)
									 
**This can be silenced off (hint it's an enchantment)

***Can only be played if they control at least 2 or more creatures

****Unleash the Hounds summons Hounds, that are Beasts

  SECRETS
  
  Common
  
Explosive Trap (2) When your hero is attacked, deal 2 damage to all enemies

Freezing Trap (2) When an enemy minion attacks, return it to its owner's hand
                  and it costs 2 more
				  
Snipe (2) When your opponent plays a minion, deal 4 damage to it

  Rare

Misdirection (2) When a character attacks your hero, instead he attacks
                 another random character

  Epic
				 
Snake Trap (2) When one of your minions is attacked, summon three 1/1 snakes

--------
| Note |
--------

    Explosive Trap *only triggers* upon your hero being attacked
    Freezing Trap triggers *upon a minion attacking*
    Misdirection requires at least one minion in play to trigger
    Those 1/1 Snakes are beasts as well
    Spell power *does* affect the traps
	
----------
| Advice |
----------

    Take heed of how the Traps work so that when facing them, you can know
    and try to predict what they are.
	
    Explosive Trap Clues
  
-Opponent plays Hunters Mark but doesn't kill your creature
-Opponent tries to get your Minions to 2 or less health

  Ways around this
  
-Attack his minions
-Wait to play other minions until it triggers

    Freezing Trap Clues
	
-Opponent leaves just 1 creature on your board (usually a fairly obvious ploy
when this happens)

  Ways around this
  
-Try to wait to attack until you can get a Battlecry minion bounced back to
your hand. You can then turn this into an advantage

    Those 2 are the most common, and can be solved by attacking. Snipe is
less common, but if you have attacked him with a minion and it hasn't
triggered then it's like Snipe. Obviously, play something that can get hit
with 4 damage or play something you don't need


    MINIONS (these are all beasts, except Houndmaster)
	
  Free
  
Houndmaster (4) [4/3] Battlecry, Give a friendly beast +2/+2 and Taunt

Starving Buzzard (5) [3/2] Whenever you summon a Beast, draw a card

Timber Wolf (1) [1/1] Your other beasts have +1 attack

Tundra Rhino (5) [2/5] Your beasts have Charge

  Common
  
Scavenging Hyena (2) [2/2] Whenever a friendly beast dies, gain +2/+1

Webspinner (1) [1/1] Deathrattle, Add a random Beast card to your hand*

  Rare
  
Savannah Highmane (Scar) (6) [6/5] Deathrattle, Summon two 2/2 Hyenas

  Legendary
  
King Krush (9) [8/8] Charge

*You can literally get *nearly* any Beast in the game. Here is a complete list

    Stonetusk Boar (1) (1/1 charge)
    Timber Wolf (same)
    Bloodfen raptor (2) (3/2)
    River Crocolisk (2) (2/3)
    Ironfur Grizzly (3) (3/3 taunt)
    Silverback Patriarch (3) (1/4 taunt)
    Oasis Snapjaw (4) (2/7)
    Starving Buzzard (same)
    Tundra Rhino (same)
    Core Hound (7) (9/5)
	
    Webspinner (same)
    Young Dragonhawk (1) (1/1 windfury)
    Dire Wolf Alpha (2) (2/2, Adjacent minions have +1 attack)
    Haunted Creeper (2) (1/2, deathrattle, summon two 1/1 spiders)
    Ironbeak Owl (2) (2/1, battlecry, Silence a minion)
    Scavenging Hyena (same)
    Jungle Panther (3) (4/2 Stealth)
    Stranglethorn Tiger (5) (5/5 Stealth)
    
    Angry Chicken (1) (1/1 Enrage, +5 attack)
    Emperor Cobra (3) (2/3, Destroy any minion damaged by this one)
    Stampeding Kodo (5) (3/5, Battlecry, Destroy a random enemy minion with
                         2 or less attack)
    Scar (same)
    
    Hungry Crab (1) (1/2, Battlecry, Destroy a Murloc and gain +2/+2)
    Captain's Parrot (2) (1/1, Put a random Pirate from your deck into
                          your hand)
						  
    King Mukla (3) (5/5, Battlecry, Give your opponent 2 Bananas)*
    Maexxna (6) (2/8, Destroy any minion damaged by this one)
    The Beast (6) (9/7, Deathrattle, Summon a 3/3 Finkle Einhorn for your
                   opponent)
    King Krush (same)
	
*Banana (1) Give a minion +1/+1


    WEAPONS
	
  Rare
  
Eaglehorn Bow (3) [3/2] Whenever a friendly secret is revealed, gain +1
                        Durability
						
  Epic
						
Gladiator's Longbow (7) [5/2] Your hero is Immune while attacking



-----------------------------

    PRIEST
	
-----------------------------

    Anduin appears here to represent the Priest, a master of healing and of
the holy sacred powers. Unsurprisingly, the Priest typically is a slower
more control oriented deck and many of their cards represent that. Given
enough time, the Priest may just take control of your minions and completely
dismantle his opponent

    Hero Power, Lesser Heal, (2) Restore 2 health a a character
	

    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Divine Spirit (2) Double a Minion's health

Holy Nova (5) Deal 2 damage to all enemies and restore 2 health to all
              friendly characters
			  
Holy Smite (1) Deal 2 damage

Mind Blast (2) Deal 5 damage to the enemy hero

Mind Control (10) Take control of an enemy minion*

Mind Vision (1) Put a copy of a random card from your opponents hand
                into yours**
				
Power Word Shield (1) Give a minion +2 health and draw a card

Shadow word Death (3) Destroy a minion with attack 5 or more

Shadow word Pain (2) Destroy a minion with attack 3 or less

  Common
  
Circle of Healing (0) Restore 4 health to all minions

Inner Fire (1) Change a minion's attack to be equal to its health

Silence (0) Silence a minion

Thoughtsteal (3) Copy 2 cards from your opponents deck and put them
                 into your hand**

  Rare
  
Holy Fire (6) Deal 5 damage and restore 5 health to your hero

Mass Dispel (4) Silence all enemy minions. Draw a card

Shadow Madness (4) Gain control of an enemy minion with 3 or less
                   attack until end of turn***

  Epic
  
Mindgames (4) Put a copy of a random minion from your opponent's deck
              into the battlefield under your control****
			  
Shadowform (3) Your hero power becomes "Deal 2 damage" If already in
               Shadowform, instead "Deal 3 damage"
			   
*You literally now own that creature

**You do not steal versions of the cards, you just get your own versions
added into the game (like Webspinner)

***If you return the creature to your hand and replay it, it becomes
yours. Any effect that happens while you own the creature also happens
for you (IE Deathrattle, draw a card) you would draw the card

****Just like the other Mind-stuff, this does not remove the enemy
creature from your opponents deck, you simply get one. Also does not
trigger battlecries. ERRATA, if you play this and they have no creatures
then you get a 0/1 Shadow of Nothing creature


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Northshire Cleric (1) [1/3] Whenever a minion is healed, draw a card*

  Common
  
Lightspawn (4) [0/5] This minion's attack is always equal to its health**

Temple Enforcer (6) [6/6] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion +3 health

  Rare
  
Auchenai Soulpriest (4) [3/5] Your cards and powers that restore health
                              now deal damage instead***
							  
Lightwell (2) [0/5] At the start of your turn, restore 3 health to a friendly
                    damaged character
					
  Epic
  
Cabal Shadow Priest (6) [4/5] Battlecry, Take control of an enemy minion
                              that has 2 or less attack
							  
  Legendary
  
Prophet Velen (7) [7/7] Double the damage and healing of your spells
                        and hero power
						
*A minion is only healed if it is damaged

**This means that effects like Dire Wolf Alpha do not work with Lightspawn

***A strategy side-note, Auchenai+Circle of Healing deals 4 damage to all
minions. It's a fairly popular strategy and the cheapest board clear in the
game



-----------------------------

    PALADIN
	
-----------------------------

    Uther Lightbringer represents the Paladin, a class that's all about
minions. He likes large armies and his ability reflects that. However,
many of his cards are quite flexibile and as a result you do get aggro
and control Paladins, both with equal success.

    Hero Power, Reinforce (2) Summon a 1/1 Silver Hand Recruit
	
    Easily disregarded as a throw-away, the Paladin's hero power becomes very
very strong approaching turns 7+ as he generates an extra 1/1 every turn which
66% of the classes can't deal with for 2 mana for free. It easily turns the
tide to his victory (or helps to)
	
	
    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Blessing of Kings (4) Give a minion +4/+4

Blessing of Might (1) Give a minion +3 attack

Consecration (4) Deal 2 damage to all enemies

Hand of Protection (1) Give a minion Divine Shield

Hammer of Wrath (4) Deal 3 damage and draw a card

Holy Light (2) Restore 6 Health*

Humility (1) Change a minion's attack to 1

  Common
  
Blessing of Wisdom (1) Choose a minion. Whenever it attacks, draw a card**

  Rare
  
Blessed Champion (5) Double a minion's attack

Divine Favor (3) Draw cards until you have as many in hand as your opponent

Equality (2) Change the health of all minions to 1

Holy Wrath (5) Draw a card and deal damage equal to its cost***

  Epic
  
Avenging Wrath (6) Deal 8 damage split randomly among enemy characters

Lay on hands (8) Restore 8 health. Draw 3 cards*

*Can target any character

**Regardless of what minion you enchant (yours or an opponents) whenever it
attacks you still draw the card

***You must target first and then draw. Risky

    SECRETS
	
  There are 5 common Paladin Secrets
  
Avenge (1) When one of your minions die, give a random friendly minion +3/+2

Eye for an Eye (1) When your hero takes damage, deal that much to
                   the enemy hero
				   
Noble Sacrifice "Get Down" (1) When an enemy attacks, summon a 2/1 Defender as
                               the new target
							   
Redemption (1) When one of your minions die, return it to play with 1 health

Repentance (1) When your opponent plays a minion, reduce its health to 1

---------
| Notes |
---------

  Avenge only works if you have at least 2 Minions in play
  
  Get Down triggers upon attack, doesn't matter who is being attacked
  
  Redemption does not trigger battlecries, which can be helpful for certain
  cards. It does restore things like Divine Shield if that is a part of the
  Minion (or Stealth)
  
  Repentance sets it to 1, so you cannot heal it back to the original amount
  
--------
| Tips |
--------

    The most common Paladin secrets are Avenge and Get Down. Get Down is
fairly obvious as it triggers upon attack. Avenge is scary (+3/+2 is no joke)
but it only triggers if his minions die on your turn. So you can either
never kill his minions OR only board wipe all them together OR kill a minion
when you are prepared to answer Avenge (with Silence or something)

    As for the others, there isn't much you can do nor should you run into
them all that much


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Guardian of Kings (7) [5/6] Battlecry, Restore 6 health to your hero

  Common
  
Argent Protector (2) [2/2] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion Divine Shield

  Rare
  
Aldor Peacekeeper (3) [3/3] Battlecry, Change an enemy minion's attack to 1

  Legendary
  
Tirion Fordring (8) [6/6] Divine Shield. Taunt. Deathrattle, equip a 5/3 wpn


    WEAPONS
	
  Free
  
Light's Justice (1) [1/4]

Truesilver Champion (4) [4/2] Whenever your hero attacks, restore 2 health
                              to it*
							
  Epic
							
Sword of Justice (3) [1/5] Whenever you summon a minion, give it +1/+1 and
                           this loses 1 Durability
						   
  Legendary
  
Ashbringer (5) [5/3] This is what you get from Tirion Fordring

*If you were to die (via Explosive Trap) Truesilver Champion will save you
assuming you don't take more damage as well


-----------------------------

    SHAMAN
	
-----------------------------

    Thrall picks up the role here as the noble Shaman, master of trickery and
powerful turns. Most of the Shaman cards are defined by big turns that shift
control of the game towards their favor. A control Shaman, is a dangerous
opponent.

    Hero Power, Totemic Call, (2) Summons a random Totem
	
    Healing Totem, 0/2, End of your turn, restore 1 health to all friends
    Searing Totem, 1/1
    Stoneclaw Totem, 0/2 Taunt
    Wrath of Air Totem, 0/2, Spell Damage +1
	
    While Shaman would seem to be cool like Paladin, his hero power is largely
considered much weaker than others due to how uninteractive they can be. Sure
getting the Taunt is nice, or the spell damage when you need it, but it can
also be a liability when you are relying on it.
	

    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Ancestral Healing (0) Restore a minion to full health and give it Taunt

Bloodlust (5) Give your minions +3 attack this turn

Frost Shock (1) Deal 1 damage to an enemy and Freeze it

Hex (3) Transform a minion into a 0/1 Frog with Taunt

Rockbiter Weapon (1) Give a friendly character +3 attack this turn

Totemic Might (0) Give your Totems +2 health

Windfury (2) Give a minion Windfury

  Common
  
Earth Shock (1) Silence a minion, then deal 1 damage to it

Forked Lightning (1) Deal 2 damage to 2 random enemy minions; Overload 2

Lightning Bolt (1) Deal 3 damage; Overload 1

Reincarnate (2) Destroy a minion then return it to full life

  Rare

Ancestral Spirit (2) Give a minion "Deathrattle, Resummon this minion"

Feral Spirit (3) Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt; Overload 2

Lava Burst (3) Deal 5 damage; Overload 2

Lightning Storm (3) Deal 2-3 damage to all enemy minions; Overload 2

  Epic
  
Far Sight (3) Draw a card. That card cost 3 less


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Fire Elemental (6) [6/5] Battlecry, Deal 3 damage

Flametongue Totem (2) [0/3] Adjacent minions have +2 attack

Windspeaker (4) [3/3] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion Windfury

  Common
  
Dust Devil (1) [3/1] Windfury; Overload 2

Unbound Elemental (3) [2/4] Whenever you play a card with Overload gain +1/+1

  Rare
  
Mana Tide Totem (3) [0/3] At the end of your turn draw a card

  Epic
  
Earth Elemental (5) [7/8] Taunt, Overload 3

  Legendary
  
Al'Akir the Windlord (8) [3/5] Windfury, Charge, Divine Shield, Taunt


    WEAPONS
	
  Common
  
Stormforged Axe (2) [2/3] Overload 1

  Epic
  
Doomhammer (5) [2/8] Windfury, Overload 2


-----------------------------

    MAGE
	
-----------------------------

    The most anticipated class I'm sure, Magicians, Mages, and Wizards have
always been a favorite of most everyone due to raw spell power. They can post
early game victories with aggressive magic, as well as secure victory in the
late game with giant balls of fire to the face.

    Hero Power, Fireblast, (2) Deal 1 damage
	
	
    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Arcane Explosion (2) Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions

Arcane Intellect (3) Draw 2 cards

Arcane Missiles (1) Deal 3 damage randomly split among enemy characters

Fireball (4) Deal 6 damage

Flamestrike (7) Deal 4 damage to all enemy minions

Frost Nova (3) Freeze all enemy minions

Frostbolt (2) Deal 3 damage to a character and freeze it

Mirror Image (1) Summon two 0/2 minions with Taunt

Polymorph (4) Transform a minion into a 1/1 Sheep

  Common
  
Cone of Cold (4) Freeze a minion and the minions next to it and deal
                 1 damage to them
				 
Ice Lance (1) Freeze a character. If it is already frozen, deal 4 damage

  Rare
  
Blizzard (6) Deal 2 damage to all enemy minions and freeze them

  Epic
  
Pyroblast (10) Deal 10 damage

    Secrets
  
  Common
  
Duplicate (3) When a friendly minion dies, put 2 copies of it into your hand

Ice Barrier (3) As soon as your hero is attacked gain 8 armor

Mirror Entity (3) When your opponent plays a minion summon a copy of it

  Rare
  
Counterspell (3) When your opponent casts a spell, Counter it, it's fizzled

Vaporize (3) When a minion attacks your hero, destroy it

  Epic
  
Ice Block (3) When your hero takes fatal damage, prevent it and become Immune
              this turn
			  
Spellbender (3) When an enemy casts a spell on a minion, summon a 1/3 as the
                the new target
				
---------
| Notes |
---------

    Mirror Entity only counts played Minions, not hero power summons, OR if
a minion is summoned as part of the battlecry you only get the initial
creature
    Counterspell stops the enemy spell (no effect)
    Spellbender only works if the target is a Minion, doesn't matter yours
or the opponents

--------
| Tips |
--------

    Most often, you will see two Secrets, Mirror Entity, and Duplicate. In
cases of testing, an attack to the face tests for Ice Barrier and Vaporize
(And both trigger if they are both down). For Duplicate, you want to trigger
it on a lesser minion; and similarly with Mirror Entity don't play a huge
Minion until you've ruled our Mirror Entity.

    Other than that, there isn't much else to do. For dealing with Ice Block
(if you've ruled that it is the only option) when triggering it try to do as
much damage as possible first (getting them as low to 1) before triggering it
that way they are easier to defeat next turn


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Water Elemental (4) [3/6] Freeze any character damaged by this minion

  Common
  
Mana Wyrm (1) [1/3] Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 attack

Sorcerer's Apprentice (2) [3/2] Your spells cost 1 less

  Rare
  
Ethereal Arcanist (4) [3/3] If you control a Secret at end of turn, gain +2/+2

Kirin Tor Mage (3) [4/3] Battlecry, the next Secret you play this turn cost 0

  Legendary
  
Archmage Antonidas (7) [5/7] Whenever you cast a spell, put a "Fireball" spell
                             into your hand
							 
							 
-----------------------------

    Rogue
	
-----------------------------

    Valeera the hot sexy Cosplay of most Hearthstone female streamers
represents the Rogue, a crafy choice who specializes in annoying the opponent
and whittling them down for a grand finish. The most popular Rogue deck is
that, called "Miracle" whereas another aggressive style known as "Backspace"
is out there as well.

    Hero Power, Dagger Mastery, (2) Equip a 1/2 Dagger
	

    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Assassinate (5) Destroy an enemy minion

Backstab (0) Deal 2 damage to an undamaged minion

Deadly Poison (1) Give your weapon +2 attack

Fan of Knives (3) Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions, Draw a card

Sap (2) Return an enemy minion to your opponent's hand

Shiv (2) Deal 1 damage, Draw a card

Sinister Strike (1) Deal 3 damage to the enemy hero

Sprint (7) Draw 4 cards

Vanish (6) Return all minions to their owner's hand

  Common
  
Betrayal (2) Force an enemy minion to deal its damage to the
             minions next to it
			 
Cold Blood (1) Give a minion +2 attack. Combo, 4 attack instead

Conceal (1) Give your minions stealth until your next turn

Eviscerate (2) Deal 2 damage. Combo, 4 intead

Shadowstep (0) Return a friendly minion to your hand. It costs 2 less

  Rare
  
Blade Flurry (2) Destroy your weapon and deal its damage to all enemies

Headcrack (3) Deal 2 damage to the enemy hero. Combo, return it to
              your hand next turn*
			  
  Epic
			  
Preparation (0) The next spell you cast this turn costs 3 less

*Headcrack combo only requires a something else be played that turn. You
don't necessarily have to play something before Headcrack


    MINIONS
	
  Common
  
Anub'ar Ambusher (4) [5/5] Deathrattle, Return a random friendly minion
                           to your hand
						   
Defias Ringleader (2) [2/2] Combo, Summon a 2/1 Defias Bandit

  Rare
  
SI7 Agent (3) [3/3] Combo, Deal 2 damage

Master of Disguise (4) [4/4] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion stealth

  Epic
  
Kidnapper (6) [5/3] Combo, Return a minion to its owners hand

Patient Assassin (2) [1/1] Stealth. Destroy any minion damaged
                           by this minion
						   
  Legendary
  
Edwin VanCleef (3) [2/2] Combo, Gain +2/+2 for each card played
                         earlier this turn
						 
						 
    WEAPONS
	
  Free
  
Assassin's Blade (5) [3/4]

  Rare
  
Perdition's Blade (3) [2/2] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage. Combo, deal 2


-----------------------------

    DRUID
	
-----------------------------

    Malfurion is the Druid, the class that is the most versatile of any class.
Many of the Druid cards literally give you a choice, deal 3 damage, or 1 and
draw a card. Do I want a 4/4 charger or a 4/6 taunt? Druid's are one of the
most intensive classes meaning you need the newer, stronger, better cards to
play Druid as many of their better, many of their *best* cards that define
who they are rares and epics.

    Hero Power, Shapeshift, (2) Gain +1 armor and +1 attack for this turn
	
	
    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Claw (1) Give your hero +2 attack this turn and 2 armor*

Healing Touch (3) Restore 8 health

Innervate (0) Gain 2 mana crystals this turn only**

Mark of the Wild (2) Give a minion taunt and +2/+2

Moonfire (0) Deal 1 damage

Savage Roar (3) Give your characters +2 attack this turn

Starfire (6) Deal 5 damage, draw a card

Swipe (4) Deal 4 damage to an enemy and 1 to all other enemies

Wild Growth (2) Gain an empty Mana Crystal***

  Common

Mark of Nature (3) Choose one, give a minion +4 attack OR +4 health and taunt

Naturalize (1) Destroy a minion. Your opponent draws 2 cards
  
Poison Seeds (4) Destroy all minions and summon 2/2 treants to replace them

Power of the Wild (2) Choose one, Summon a 3/2 panther, OR give your
                      minions +1/+1
					  
Soul of the Forest (4) Give your minions "Deathrattle, summon a 2/2 treant"

Wrath (2) Choose one, Deal 3 damage to a minion, or 1 damage and drawa  card

  Rare
  
Bite (4) Give your hero +4 attack this turn and +4 armor

Nourish (5) Choose one, Gain 2 mana crystals OR draw 3 cards****

Savagery (1) Deal damage equal to your hero's attack to a minion

Starfall (5) Choose one, Deal 5 damage to a minion, OR 2 damage to all
             enemy minions
			 
  Epic
  
Force of Nature (6) Summon three 2/2 treants with Charge that die
                    at the end of the turn
					
*Armor gained through Shapeshift, Claw, and Bite stays until removed by damage

**You cannot Innervate past 10 mana crystals

***If you cast Wild Growth at 10 mana, you gain an Excess Mana card that
costs 0 to let you draw a card

****Nourish's mana crystals are not empty and can be used right away

^><^ Force of Nature + Savage Roar is 14 damage


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Ironbark Protector (8) [8/8] Taunt

  Common
  
Druid of the Claw (5) [4/4] Choose one, Charge, OR +2 health and Taunt

  Rare
  
Keeper of the Grove (4) [2/4] Choose one, Deal 2 damage, OR Silence a minion

  Epic
  
Ancient of Lore (7) [5/5] Choose one, Draw 2 cards, OR Restore 5 health

Ancient of War (7) [5/5] Choose one, +5 attack, or +5 health and Taunt

  Legendary
  
Cenarius (9) [5/8] Choose one, Give your other minions +2/+2
                   OR Summon two 2/2 treants with taunt
				   
				   
-----------------------------

    WARRIOR
	
-----------------------------

    Mr. Hellscream comes in as our last hero, representing the bloodthirsty
Warrior of a brutal nature. He hits hard and fast, as well as puts up extreme
duration for control matches with a very passive, defensive playstyle. When
Control Warrior shows up, you are in for a long match.

    Hero Power, Armor Up! (2) Gain 2 armor
	
	
    SPELLS
	
  Free
  
Charge (3) Give a friendly minion +2 attack and Charge

Cleave (2) Deal 2 damage to two random enemy minions

Execute (1) Destroy a damaged enemy minion

Heroic Strike (2) Give your hero +4 attack this turn

Shield Block (3) Gain 5 armor, draw a card

Whirlwind (1) Deal 1 damage to all minions

  Common
  
Battle Rage (2) Draw a card for each damaged friendly character

Inner Rage (0) Deal 1 damage to a minion and give it +2 attack

Rampage (2) Give a damaged minion +3/+3

Slam (2) Deal 2 damage to a minion. if it survives draw a card

  Rare
  
Commanding Shout (2) Your minions can't go below 1 health this turn.
                     Draw a card
					 
Mortal Strike (4) Deal 4 damage. If you have 12 or less health deal 6 instead

Upgrade (1) If you have a weapon, give it +1/+1. Otherwise, equip a 1/3

  Epic
  
Brawl (5) Destroy all minions except one (chosen randomly)

Shield Slam (1) Deal 1 damage to a minion for each Armor you have


    MINIONS
	
  Free
  
Kor'kron Elite (4) [4/3] Charge

Warsong Commander (3) [2/3] Whenever you summon a minion with 3 or
                            less attack. Give it charge
							
  Common
  
Arathi Weaponsmith (4) [3/3] Battlecry, Equip a 2/2 weapon

Cruel Taskmaster (2) [2/2] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage to a minion and give
                           it +2 attack
						   
  Rare
  
Armorsmith (2) [1/4] Whenever a friendly minion takes damage, gain +1 Armor

Frothing Berserker (3) [2/4] Whenever a minion takes damage, gain +1 attack

  Legendary
  
Grommash Hellscream (8) [4/9] Charge. Enrage, +6 attack


    WEAPONS
	
  Free
  
Fiery "Win" War Axe (2) [3/2]

Arcanite Reaper (5) [5/2]

  Common
  
Death's Bite (4) [4/2] Deathrattle, Deal 1 damage to all minions

  Epic
  
Gorehowl (7) [7/1] Attacking a minion costs 1 attack instead of 1 durability



-----------------------------

    That's the extent of a "brief" overview of the heroes. For more extensive
discussion, we'll get into that later. But for now, let's look at the leveling
that occurs and what cards you can get (to complete this list).




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             04. Leveling                               [4000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As explained, you level by playing. You gain more experience against
humans though it is suggested to play against the computer at least until you
are level 10 that way you get all your free cards. Here is the lists of what
you earn for each class.


    Warlock
    Hunter
    Priest
    Paladin
    Shaman
    Mage
    Rogue
    Druid
    Warrior
	
	

    Warlock

  START
Drain Life
Hellfire
Shadow Bolt
Succubus
Voidwalker

  New Cards
Corruption (at level 2)
Mortal Coil (at level 4)
Soulfire (at level 6)
Sacrificial Pact (at level 8)
Dread Infernal (at level 10)

  Gold (Animated) Cards
Sacrificial Pact (15/20)
Dread Infernal (23/26)
Soulfire (28/30)
Corruption (32/34)
Voidwalker (36/38)
Succubus (40/42)
Mortal Coil (43/44)
Drain Life (45/46)
Shadow Bolt (47/48)
Hellfire (49/50)

  After 50 (for all classes) you earn golds of the Neutral Basics
Boulderfist Ogre (51/52)
Grimscale Oracle (53/54)
Ogre Magi (55/56)
Gurubashi Berserker (57/58)
Kobold Geomancer (59/60)


    Hunter
	
  START
Arcane Shot
Houndmaster
Multi-Shot
Timber Wolf
Tracking

  New Cards
Animal Companion (2)
Starving Buzzard (4)
Hunter's Mark (6)
Tundra Rhino (8)
Kill Command (10)

  Gold Cards
Tracking (15/20)
Timber Wolf (23/26)
Houndmaster (28/30)
Arcane Shot (32/34)
Multi-Shot (36/38)
Hunter's Mark (40/42)
Tundra Rhino (43/44)
Animal Companion (45/46)
Starving Buzzard (47/48)
Kill Command (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
Core Hound (51/52)
Stonetusk Boar (53/54)
Razorfen Hunter (55/56)
Bloodfen Raptor (57/58)
Ironfur Grizzly (59/60)


    Priest
	
  START
Holy Smite
Mind Blast
Northshire Cleric
Power Word Shield
Shadow Word Pain

  New Cards
Divine Spirit (2)
Mind Vision (4)
Holy Nova (6)
Shadow Word Death (8)
Mind Control (10)

  Gold Cards
Mind Blast (15/20)
Holy Smite (23/26)
Divine Spirit (28/30)
Mind Vision (32/34)
Shadow Word Pain (36/38)
Northshire Cleric (40/42)
Shadow Word Death (43/44)
Holy Nova (45/46)
Power Word Shield (47/48)
Mind Control (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
Murloc Raider (51/52)
Shattered Sun Cleric (53/54)
Darkscale Healer (55/56)
Gnomish Inventor (57/58)
Lord of the Arena (59/60)


    Paladin
	
  STARTING
Blessing of Might
Hammer of Wrath
Hand of Protection
Holy Light
Light's Justice

  New Cards
Truesilver Champion (2)
Consecration (4)
Humility (6)
Guardian of Kings (8)
Blessing of Kings (10)

  Gold Cards
Holy Light (15/20)
Hand of Protection (23/26)
Humility (28/30)
Hammer of Wrath (32/34)
Light's Justice (36/38)
Truesilver Champion (40/42)
Consecration (43/44)
Blessing of Might (45/46)
Guardian of Kings (47/48)
Blessing of Kigns (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
Stormpike Commando (51/52)
Bluegill Warrior (53/54)
Stormwind Knight (55/56)
Goldshire Footman (57/58)
Stormwind Champion (59/60)


    Shaman
	
  STARTING
Ancestral Healing
Frost Shock
Hex
Rockbiter Weapon
Windfury

  New Cards
Bloodlust (2)
Flametongue Totem (4)
Totemic Might (6)
Windspeaker (8)
Fire Elemental (10)

  Gold Cards
Ancestral Healing (15/20)
Windfury (23/26)
Totemic Might (28/30)
Frost Shock (32/34)
Rockbiter Weapon (36/38)
Bloodlust (40/42)
Flametongue Totem (43/44)
Windspeaker (45/46)
Hex (47/48)
Fire Elemental (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
Magma Rager (51/52)
Frostwolf Warlord (53/54)
Booty Bay Bodyguard (55/56)
Frostwolf Grunt (57/58)
Reckless Rocketeer (59/60)


    Mage
	
  STARTING
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Intellect
Arcane Missiles
Fireball
Polymorph

  New Cards
Frostbolt (2)
Mirror Image (4)
Frost Nova (6)
Water Elemental (8)
Flamestrike (10)

  Gold Cards
Arcane Intellect (15/20)
Frost Nova (23/26)
Arcane Explosion (28/30)
Arcane Missiles (32/34)
Mirror Image (36/38)
Frostbolt (40/42)
Fireball (44/46)
Polymorph (47/48)
Water Elemental (49/50)
Flamestrike (51/52)

  After 52 Cards
Dragonling Mechanic (53/54)
Ironforge Rifleman (55/56)
Archmage (57/58)
Dalaran Mage (59/60)


    Rogue
	
  STARTING
Assassinate
Backstab
Deadly Poison
Sap
Sinister Strike

  New Cards
Assassin's Blade (2)
Fan of Knives (4)
Shiv (6)
Vanish (8)
Sprint (10)

  Gold Cards
Sinister Strike (15/20)
Vanish (23/26)
Fan of Knives (28/30)
Assassin's Blade (32/34)
Backstab (36/38)
Sap (40/42)
Deadly Poison (43/44)
Shiv (45/46)
Assassinate (47/48)
Sprint (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
War Golem (51/52)
Murloc Tidehunter (53/54)
Voodoo Doctor (55/56)
Acidic Swamp Ooze (57/58)
Sen'jin Shieldmasta (59/60)


    Druid
	
  STARTING
Claw
Healing Touch
Innervate
Mark of the Wild
Wild Growth

  New Cards
Starfire (2)
Savage Roar (4)
Moonfire (6)
Swipe (8)
Ironbark Protector (10)

  Gold Cards
Healing Touch (15/20)
Wild Growth (23/26)
Mark of the Wild (28/30)
Claw (32/34)
Innervate (36/38)
Moonfire (40/42)
Savage Roar (43/44)
Starfire (45/46)
Swipe (47/48)
Ironbark Protector (49/50)

  After 50 Cards
Oasis Snapjaw (51/52)
Nightblade (53/54)
River Crocolisk (55/56)
Elven Archer (57/58)
Novice Engineer (59/60)


    Warrior
	
  STARTING
Charge
Execute
Fiery Win Axe
Heroic Strike
Warsong Commander

  New Cards
Cleave (2)
Kor'kron Elite (4)
Whirlwin (6)
Shield Block (8)
Arcanite Reaper (10)

  Gold Cards
Heroic Strike (15/20)
Charge (23/26)
Shield Block (28/30)
Whirlwind (32/34)
Warsong Commander (36/38)
Cleave (40/42)
Kor'kron Elite (44/46)
Execute (47/48)
Fiery Win Axe (49/50)
Arcanite Reaper (51/52)

  After 52 Cards
Silverback Patriarch (53/54)
Chillwind Yeti (55/56)
Raid Leader (57/58)
Wolfrider (59/60)



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             05. Basics Part 2                          [5000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Alright. So we've talked about the heroes, we've talked about the cards,
and we've talked about some of the basics. I'm sure you want to know some
other things, like Strategy, Deck Building, and how to be better, but before
we can get into that, we have one more section to talk about concerning the
basics of understanding the game.


    So when you first log in, your screen gives you a handful of options.
	
                            [Play]
                      [Solo Adventures]
                            [Arena]
							
            [Shop] [!] [Open packs] [My Collection] [Gold] [*]
			
    What do each of these mean?
	
	
--------
| Play |
--------

    This is the main section to engage in playing Hearthstone. Inside, you
can select a deck and choose to play generally, or to play ranked. So briefly,
Ranked play pairs you against similar opponents. You can go from rank 25 down
to rank 1, and then to Legend. Each win moves you forward, each loss sends
you back. Early on, each rank has several wins necessary before moving on.
Once you approach the end, you may have to win 5 or 6 times at that rank
before you can advanced to the next rank.

-------------------
| Solo Adventures |
-------------------

    This is where you play against the Computer. You can play against normal
basic AI with each of the nine classes, or expert versions. You can also enter
Naxxramas, the expansion set, where you can play in three different variations
including normal Naxxramas, heroic Naxxramas, and class challenges where you
unlocked different cards.

    In the beginning, this is a good place to start to level up your decks to
at least level 10 so you can get all the basic cards.

---------
| Arena |
---------

    This is an area where you assemble a deck from 30 random packs and then
compete against other people with similar decks. The Arena costs $1.99 USD,
or 150 gold to play in. You are then offered 3 classes to choose from. From
there, you are offered 3 cards at a time, thirty times, to choose your deck.

    The Arena, is completely random. The first and last "packs" will be at
least a Rare. Other than that, totally random. You may have a Mage with 6
Fireball cards. You may have a deck with 4 legendaries in it. You might also
play a spell-less Mage with mostly basic cards.

    Once you lose 3 times or win 12 times, your deck is retired and you get
prizes based on how well you do. You will always get a Pack. From there,
the rewards are completely random, from crafting material, to gold, to
individual cards. At 7 wins, you will get back at least 150 gold almost
every time. If you win 12 times, you will get 5 prizes and usually 2 packs.

    There is a lot to Arena, but I'll get into that more later in a different
section.

--------
| Shop |
--------

    This lets you buy Packs. You can buy them for 100 gold, or in the
different amounts of money I listed earlier.

-----
| ! |
-----

    This is your "conquest" page. It tracks your different quests (up to 3)
as well as keeps track of how many wins you have had (both Arena and normal
play) as well as the levels of all of your classes.

--------------
| Open Packs |
--------------

    This is where you open packs. Each pack contains 5 cards and all cards
that are considered "expert" cards, which are anything common/gray or better.
You will always get at least one Rare or better as well.

--------
| Gold |
--------

    This tracks how much gold you have
	
-----
| * |
-----

    This is the options menu. You can access the graphics and sound, as
well as miscellaneous things. You can also select your card back. You
start with the basic card back, and at the end of each month, if you got
to at least rank 20, you get that month's card back. You also get cardbacks
for all kinds of different things, like beating Heroic Naxxramas.

-----------------
| My Collection |
-----------------

    This is your collection of cards. You can see how many and which cards
you have, as well as this is where you make decks (up to 9) of them. There
is also something called "Crafting Mode" which I'm sure you are curious. Well,
one of the curious aspects of Hearthstone is that in addition to building your
collection by playing and getting lots of packs; you can also create your own
(well, I say that loosely) cards by crafting them. If you pick "Crafting Mode"
then you can see every card available to put into a deck.

    The costs are this:
	
    Common, 40 to make, 5 to disenchant
    Rare, 100 to make, 20 to disenchant
    Epic, 400 to make, 100 to disenchant
    Legendary, 1600 to make, 400 to disenchant
	
    So, because you can only have 2 copies of a card in deck, if you have
more than 3 copies of a card you get to disenchant that card "for free" as
the same 2 copies of a card can go in 9 decks if you want. This is helpful
as you can build and craft the cards you need, or the card you are looking
for.

    You can certainly disenchant cards that you don't need either. For
instance, I have gotten about 5 Spellbender cards. Only now do I finally have
two copies of it. Because I think the card sucks, I've been disenchanting it
A LOT for the 100 crafting so I can make better Rares. It's up to you though,
and mostly I would deter disenchanting because you'd rather have a full
collection of cards.

    You cannot disenchant "Soulbound Cards" which is any basic card. As those
are given for free to you, you cannot disenchant them.

    Now you may ask about gold versions of the other cards. Gold expert cards
are considered "special" and are worth 4 times the craft material. Yes, that
means a gold legendary could be disenchanted for 1600 crafting, which could
make you 16 rares. However, Golds are hard to come by and even more expensive
to make and they do provide a cool animation so I'd think twice about
disenchanting those cards.



    Alright, so let's talk about these Quests then, so you can understand
better how they work. There are a number of quests, and here they are.

----------------
| Daily Quests |
----------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|            Name                 | Requirements                  | Reward  |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Class 1] or [Class 2] Victory    | Win 2 games with either class | 40 gold |
[Class 1] or [Class 2] Dominance  | Win 5 games with either class | 60 gold |
|       Destroy Them All          | Destroy 40 minions            | 40 gold |
|       Only the Mighty           | Play 20 minions that cost 5>= | 40 gold |
|    The Meek Shall Merit         | Play 30 minions that cost 2<= | 40 gold |
|      Spell Master               | Play 40 spells                | 40 gold |
|      Beat Down                  | Deal 100 damage to the enemy  | 40 gold |
|     Total Dominance             | Win 7 games in any mode       |100 gold |
|        3 Victories!             | Win 3 games with any class    | 40 gold |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*5>= means 5 or more, 2<= means 2 or less

The Class combinations can come in these following pairs:
                                                         Druid or Hunter
                                                         Druid or Rogue
                                                         Hunter or Mage
                                                         Mage or Shaman
                                                         Paladin or Priest
                                                         Paladin or Warrior
                                                         Priest or Warlock
                                                         Rogue or Warrior
                                                         Shaman or Warlock

    This means that having three good decks basically covers your ground on
what you might need. For instance, Druid (covers Druid, Hunter, Rogue), Mage
(covers Mage, Hunter, Shaman) and Paladin (covers Paladin, Priest, Warrior)
which leaves the lone Warlock left out but frankly aggressive Warlock decks
are super cheap to make and quite effective so no worries. Also, this is
simply a helpful hint so you don't worry about trying to have 9 awesome decks
right away. Focus on getting a couple really good ones before expanding. For
instance, my Mage/Druid have been level 60 for some time now and my Hunter
and Rogue are still in the low 30s. I hate them so I don't play them =)
														 
-----------------
| Unique Quests |
-----------------

    These are special, hidden quests that you can complete but aren't
visible to you as Hearthstone tracks them discretely.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|   Name                 | Requirements                         | Reward     |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Blood              | Complete a game in play mode         | 1 pack
The Duelist              | Play 3 games in play mode            | 100 gold
Level Up                 | Get any class to level 10            | 1 pack
Crafting Time            | Disenchant a card                    | 95 crafting
Enter the Arena          | Enter the Arena                      | a free arena
Arrrrr!!!                | Acquire every Pirate                 | 2 Captains
                         |                                      | Parrot
Golden Arrrrr!!!         | Acquire every Golden Pirate          | 2 Gold
                         |                                      | Parrots
Mrglglgl!!               | Acquire every Murloc                 | Old Murk-Eye
Golden Mrglglgl!!        | Acquire every Golden Murloc          | Old Murk-Eye
                         |                                      | (Golden)
Chicken Dinner           | Win 100 games in any mode            | 300 gold
Big Winner               | Win 1000 games in any mode           | 300 gold
Ready to go!             | Unlock every hero                    | 100 gold
Crushed them All!        | Defeat every Expert AI Hero          | 100 gold
Got the basics!          | Collect every card in the basic set  | 100 gold
One of everything!       | Collect every card in the Expert Set | 100 gold
Golden Hero              | Win 500 games in ranked with a class | Golden Hero
Greater Reaper of Packs  | Purchases Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls   | 3 packs
Mount Up!                | Win 3 games in Arena or Play mode    | Hearthsteed
You are Legend           | Reach Legend rank                    | New cardback
Fireside Friends         | Play 3 matches against other players | New cardback
                         | on the same subnet                   |
Reaper of Packs          | Purchase Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls    | 1 pack
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*With Diablo 3, you have to enter a code





------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             06. Battle Basics (Playing the game)       [6000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    Alright, the meat and potatos of what most of you have come here I'm sure,
here let's talk about some battle/play basics and what generally happens/goes
on during a game of Hearthstone. As always, the best way to learn is to play
the game but I'll do my best to give as many constructive tips as possible.

    So for starters, the battlefields are all the same. Yes, visually they are
different, from the basic Azeroth, to the fancy Orc stage, to the most things
ever Naxxramas stage, but those are just visuals; in no way does it affect
the game.

    What I mean is, visually you can mess up the battlefield. For example, in
Naxxramas (the dark, evil looking one) you can click the spider eggs to watch
baby spiders come out. You can also *bop* the toadstools. I won't spoil it
for you, have some fun seeing what you can or can't destroy on the different
maps.

    Alright, so here is the battlefield.
	
	
	
-----------------------------Opponent---Opp Life-----Hero Power---------------
                                                                             D
                                                                             E
                                                                             C
                                                                             K
-----------------------------Halfway Marker-----------------------------------
                                                                             D
                                                                             E
                                                                             C
                                                                             K
-----------------------------You-----Your Life-------Hero Power---------------


    Despite what it would seem, your opponent sees it from your perspective,
that is, you the player are always on the bottom and your opponent is always
across from you.

    Unlike MTG, the position of your Minions on the battlefield MATTER. This
is because Hearthstone is similar to "battle tactics" or however you want to
call it, and if you recall from reading some of the cards from above, certain
cards affect "adjacent" minions. That's because once they are down, they are
down and you can't move them.

*When playing something, if you right click before setting it down you can
redo your play. This works for things with battlecries

    So before we can get into a bit, there is one thing to note. Whenever you
summon something, it always comes in on the right. This works with Hero Powers
and Spells. This is important so that we can know how we want to place our
minions.


    Typically, you want to place your minions so that your strongest ones, OR
the ones you'd be most likely to buff are together.

    DEF, BUFF
	
        To play a spell or minion that positively affects your other minions
		
    For instance, there are a number of minions that do this. Some of them are
	
  Defender of Argus (4) [2/3] Battlecry, Give adjacent minions +1/+1 and Taunt
  
  Flametongue Totem (2) [0/3] Adjacent minions get +2 attack
  
  Ancient Mage (4) [2/5] Battlecry, Give adjacent minions +1 spellpower
  

    So you can see, placement of your minions is very important. Defender of
Argus is the most noted because he is a neutral that can go into any deck and
the +1/+1 effectively makes him a 4/5 for 4 (a good bargain) but the addition
of Taunt to both of the minions makes him a highly sought after Neutral.

    But we want to make sure that we get the most use out of any minion that
is like Argus. For instance, in what order would we play these Minions?

Minion A (1) [1/2] Taunt
Minion B (2) [2/2] Spellpower +1
Minion C (3) [1/4] Taunt
Minion D (3) [2/3] Windfury
Defender of Argus

    Well obviously, we will play 1 drop, 2 drop, 3 drop, but assuming our
enemy doesn't remove any of them, how would we want Argus to be down? Here's
a couple of options.

    Minion A | Minion B | Minion C     Minion B | Minion A | Minion C
    Minion B | Minion A | Minion D     Minion A | Minion B | Minion D
	
    You might be inclined to say, "NoWorries! Two of those have taunt already
so obviously we want Minion A | Minion B | Minion D, or least B and D to be
together to give them Taunt!"

    And you may not be wrong. However, in the case of Minion B, Spellpower is
something that we typically want to protect right? Any time we can get 1 more
damage out of our spell, means an advantage to us. So the correct answer would
be any pairing, that includes Minion A next to Minion C or D. Despite Minion
A already having Taunt, buffing it from a 1/2 to a 2/3 is a huge buff, and
that is OK despite it already having Taunt. As for having Minion C or D, at
that juncture we don't really know because we don't know what our opponent is
playing. Making the 1/4 a 2/5 is fairly nice, as there does not exist a 2/5
for 3 mana; and at the same time Minion D has Windfury so that extra attack
can be looked at as +2 attack whenever it gets to attack.

    Does that make sense?
	
	
    Now let's look at another example.
	
	
    You're facing a Hunter with no Minions and he has no cards in hand. He's
at 12 life. He just pushed quite a bit of damage and you are now at 2 life,
which means you lose next turn if you cannot win.

    Your battlefield looks something like this:
	
	
    Healing Totem | Flametongue Totem | Stoneclaw Totem
	
    And you are holding a Wolfrider (3) [3/1] Charge, and a Stonetusk Boar (1)
[1/1] Charge. Can you win? Recall that all the totems have 0 attack, but that
Flametongue Totem gives +2 attack to adjacent Minions.

    Give up?
	
	
    Here's what to do.
	
	
    Attack with each of your totems for 4 damage. Then play between the
Healing Totem and the Flametongue Totem, one of your charge minions. On the
other side (between Flametongue and Stoneclaw) play your other minion. You
can then attack (they both have Charge) for 3 and 5, which is exactly 12
damage. You win the game.

    So in that example, you can see how important it is to think through
every turn and be very aware of how you play your Minions. If you were
careless and played either of the Minions before attacking with the Totem OR
you played them not next to the Flametongue Totem, you would lose.




    Alright, so now that we have looked at placement of Minions, let's talk
briefly about your turn. As I've described before, you can do pretty much
anything on your turn. However, there is a very good "guideline" for the
order of how you should do things. Naturally things can always change, and
this is just a guideline, but here it is.


    1. THINK about your turn
    2. Can you clear your opponents board?
    3. Do anything that draws you a card
    4. Attack with anything you have on the board
    5. Play stuff from your hand
    6. End your turn
	

	
    The reason behind this, is two-fold.
   
  #1, HEARTHSTONE IS A GAME OF BOARD CONTROL
  
    9 times out of 10, you win the game by controlling the board. As such, 9
times out of 10 you are going to want to eliminate your opponents board before
you worry about attacking your opponent. Unlike MTG, you have 30 health. That
number is a huge resource to have (think of it, as a 30 health Taunt for your
other Minions) and as long as it is above 10, you are really safe from losing.
So don't be afraid to take some damage, because your Minions are how you win
the game.

  #2, HEARTHSTONE IS A GAME OF CARD ADVANTAGE
  
    As with MTG, the player who draws the most will win the most (often). At
the beginning of the game, you start with 4 or 5 cards depending if you go
first or second. From there, you draw just 1 card a turn. That means if you
empty your hand and are stuck to "top-decking" you have very little control
over your turns and are sometimes pitted into situations you don't want to
get into because you have no option.

    Now, Card Advantage doesn't always mean just having cards in hand, it can
also be having Minions on the battlefield. If I have 3 Minions in play and 2
cards in hand, and you have 4 cards in hand, who is better off? I am, because
I have 5 cards and you have 4. Even though you might think you are because you
have more options, I have 3 minions out there, that means I control the board.

    You always want to be in control of the board. So many times, you will see
people lose the game because the board gets away from them and they cannot
recover. If you keep clearing your opponents Minions and playing new ones, all
while attacking them, watch to see how long that 30 drops to 0, it only takes
a few turns.

    So something to think about then, is how to protect your Minions? How
many ways can your Minions be destroyed?

    -Combat (they fight another Minion and die)
    -Combat (your opponent attacks them and they die)
    -Spell  (your opponent casts something to kill them)
    -Extermination (your opponent casts a big board clear)
	
	
    So with the exception of 4, you have quite a few options at your disposal
for working around this (and even, we can work around 4). So let's tackle this
then one piece at a time.

    COMBAT, MINIONS FIGHTING AND DYING
	
    Simple enough, you can choose more favorable trades. Now, here is
something to ponder. Your opponent has a 3/5 Taunt, you have a 5/4 Taunt, a
3/2, and a 2/3. How should you clear it?

    It's fairly easy, use your 5/4 to kill it. Have a 3/2, 2/3, and 5/1 is
much much better than having just one 5/4 Taunt. Because mass removal is rare,
it is safer to play into that as opposed to killing your 3/2 and 2/3 to save
just one Minion that can be disposed of by a Spell (much more frequent).

    Now, it is worth noting a few cases:
	
	
    Case 1, Mage
	
The Mage Hero Power does 1 damage to anything. As a result, trying to keep
Minions above 1 health is REALLY IMPORTANT less she removes it for 2 mana
next turn

    Case 2, Druid and Rogue
	
Similar to the Mage, these fools can attack with their hero for 1 damage.
HOWEVER, because they attack, you can protect 1 health Minions behind Taunts.

    COMBAT, HEROES FIGHTING MINIONS
	
    So you might be asking yourself, how to protect this? Well frankly you can
not BUT the reason for this is to talk about YOU attacking to protect YOUR
minions. Here's a scenario (or two)


    Enemy has a 2/3 Taunt
	
    You have a 3/2, and you have a 3/2 Weapon, what do?
	
	
    Obviously, you attack with your weapon, save your 3/2. Easy situation
	
	
	
    Enemy has a 5/1
	
    You have a 2/4 and a 4/2, you have a 3/2 Weapon, what do?
	
	
    "But 5 damage hurts!"
	
    Nonsense. Slay the Minion with your hero and keep your critters alive
	
	
	
    Enemy has a 8/8 Taunt
	
    You have a 4/4, a 4/5, a 3/2, a 2/1, and a 5/2 Weapon, what do?
	

    "BUUUUUT NO WORRIES! 8 DAMAGE! OWWWWWW"
	
    And enjoy every moment of it. Swing at that beast with your hero and take
it out with your 3/2.



    Are you noticing a trend here? If you can protect your Minions, DO SO. It
is how you win games. Obviously if 8 damage would you then you can't do that
but 9/10 times you want to do that as having as many minions alive is best.


    SPELL, OPPONENT FIREBALLS YOUR GUY
	
    Well that's annoying. But here are some things to think about.
	
    1. Your opponent has limited spells. Unless it's Arena, they cannot have
       5 fireballs and 3 frostbolts. No, they can have 2 fireballs, 2 frost
       bolts, and 2 polymorphs. They can have 2 Hex and 2 Lightning bolts.
       Their spells are limited, keep track of that! Also, if they cast a
       spell guess what? A spell is a 1 for 1 trade, meaning there isn't a
       creature. Play another!
    2. Getting the most out of your creatures. So I said before, most new
       players think Taunt is king. Well, to be frank, most Taunts suffer
       a penalty to have that Taunt. You may ask, what do you mean? Allow me:
	   
	   
    A "Vanilla" card is something blank that we compare others to so that we
can see just how good the card is. The Vanilla test for Minions goes as follow

    1 Mana, 2/1 (3 stats)
    2 Mana, 3/2 (5 stats)
    3 Mana, 3/3+ (6+ stats)
    4 Mana, 4/5, 5/4 (9 stats)
    5 Mana, 5/5 +/- (10+ stats)
    6 Mana, 6/6 +/- (12+ stats)
	
    That means, that a 3/2 blank text box is a good bargain. It has 5 stats,
it has at least 2 health (as to avoid pesky Mages) and can trade up thanks to
the 3 attack. One may think of Chillwind Yeti, the 4/5 for 4, as the standard
of effective creatures. Well, let's look at some common taunts real quick.

    Goldshire Footman (1) 1/2 Taunt
    Frostwolf Grunt (2) 2/2 Taunt
    Silverback Patriarch (3) 1/4 Taunt
    Ironfur Grizzly (3) 3/3 Taunt
    Mogu'shan Warden (4) 1/7 Taunt
    Sen'jin Shieldmasta (4) 3/5 Taunt
    Booty Bay Bodyguard (5) 5/4 Taunt
    Lord of the Arena (6) 6/5 Taunt
	
	
    Alright, there is one up there that is worth playing. Care to guess? Here
he is: Shieldmasta. Why? Let's go through the others (which, all of these
except Mogu'shan are free cards by the way) and see why are they terrible.

    Goldshire. He's a 3 stat for 1! Except he has 1 attack, he won't ever
kill anything except maybe a 2/1 for 1, meaning at best he is a 1 for 1 trade.
This dude is no bueno

    Frostwolf Grunt. He's only 4 stats for 2. Already a bad a deal, but maybe
Taunt is good? Not really. Except for trading with 3/2 for 2 mana, he sucks
pretty hard. Add in a 2/3 taking him out and not successfully trading, (2/3
for 2 is also not bad) and you can see why he ain't so hot.

    Silverback Patriarch. Well, he only has 5 stats. But like Mogu'shan, and
like Goldshire, they have 1 attack. It's pointless. They will never kill
anything or be useful except maybe buying you 4 health. Bad cards.

    Ironfur Grizzly. With the much better Shieldmasta right behind him, and
that a 3/2 for 2 can trade out this guy who costs 3, he actually costs you
card advantage.

    Booty Bay and LotA. Unlike the supreme Das'Dingo, their power/health are
in the wrong order! If they were 4/5 and 5/6, they could be quite useful.
But the weaker health makes them far less helpful you would hope. To compare,
Boulderfist Ogre costs 6 and is a 6/7. He slays the 6 cost counterpoint and
lives to tell the tale. In terms of the Booty Bay, if we JUST look at other
free 5 cost Minions, we see one thing in common. Nightblade, Stormpike
Commando, and Darkscale Healer, they all have... 4 attack. So he just isn't
so good.

    Well why is Shieldmasta so good? He's a 3/5! That is HUGE having that 5
health. The 3 attack means he kills most things, but the 5 health means at 4
mana, he will trade positively (2 for 1) more often than not. Don't believe me
then look at this, comparing the other 4 cost, Free neutrals. Yeti, 4/5,
Dragonling Mechanic (2/4 and 2/1), Gnomish Inventor 2/4, Ogre Magi 4/4, Oasis
Snapjaw 2/7, Stormwind Knight 2/5.

    Sure, many of them have other abilities, but the point is look how he
positively trades! That's the point, positive trading. This brings us back to
my original point that we play effecient creatures, so that a spell removal
doesn't hurt us as bad! We throw trash cards aside, and play manly value
cards.

    Alright, moving on.
	
	
    MASS EXTERMINATION
	
    It happens. Here's a list of what may come your way.
	
    Mage
  Blizzard (6) 2 damage to all
  Flamestrike (7) 4 damage to all
    Paladin
  Concencrate (4) 2 damage to all
    Druid
  Swipe (4) 4 to 1, 1 to others
  Starfall (5) 2 to all
    Priest
  Holy Nova (5) 2 to all
    Rogue
  Poison+Blade Flurry (3) 3 to all
    Warlock
  Hellfire (4) 3 to all
    Shaman
  Lightning Storm (3) 2-3 to all
  
    It's a general list, and I know I left others out, but these are the "big"
things to worry about. What does this mean? Well it's fairly simple.

    You're against a Mage and you are garnering board control and approaching
turn 7. Do you play you 4 health minion? Not until you've seen a Flamestrike.
This may mean playing less cards and hanging onto them, but that's because
there is little point playing something when you know that next turn
Flamestrike is coming (and it will likely happen).
    You're against a Paladin. Similarly, turns 3, 4, and 5 you should try to
play 3 or more health Minions to avoid dying to Concencrate. Once you've seen
one you are safe as they can only have 2 copies in their deck. Same with
Priest and Holy Nova.

    The strategy stays much the same. There is one, and that is Priest, using
Auchenai+Circle of Healing. That is a turn 4, 4 damage to all Minions. In this
case there is literally almost nothing you can do to prepare, other than not
emptying your hand by turn 4. That's about it.


    Alright, so now that we have a better understanding of the actual basics
to the game, let's get into something a bit more specific: deck building.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             07. Deck Basics (free to play)             [7000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Alright, so at the beginning of this I mentioned "free to play" cards. You
may ask, "what's the point to "free to play decks". There's a number of
reasons, the first being that not everyone has every card from the get-go, as
well as new players are joining daily and need something basic to start off
with.

    If you watch some of the better/popular streamers, you can even see them
go to legend with mostly free-to-play to get an idea that it is both possible,
but more importantly that you don't always need the best cards to win with.
My first time playing through ranked I was playing a simple Druid deck that
lacked many of the defining Druid cards, like Ancient of War and Lore, or even
the game ending Force of Nature + Savage Roar combo.

    I used, what many people today use, just lots and lots of efficient
creatures; and I reached rank 4 without even breaking a sweat. I am most
definitely an Arena player at heart, but that's not to say I don't understand
the constructed format; I just prefer the "limited" style format of Arena
compared to the grinding-ness of Ranked, that's all.

    So, right into it, free-to-play. What follows in this section are decks
for every single class that features only free cards that you can play with.
As much as I want to include Naxxramas (which is "free" if you just play
through Naxxramas) I won't simply because you have to pay for Naxxramas.
Ready? Alright let's explore.


    Decklist Order:
                    Warrior
                    Shaman
                    Rogue
                    Paladin
                    Hunter
                    Druid
                    Warlock
                    Mage
                    Priest
					
*You'll see many of the same cards in each deck, for instance, Yeti and Senjin
are fantastic free-to-play cards
**I'll list cheap-to-easy substitutes and play strategies for each as well


    As I haven't listed what all the other cards are, here is a list of the
F2P Neutrals we will be using (mostly)

    Acidic Swamp Ooze (2) [3/2] Battlecry, Destroy your opponents weapon
    Bloodfen Raptor (2) [3/2]
    Kobold Geomancer (2) [2/2] Spellpower +1
    Novice Engineer (2) [1/1] Battlecry, Draw a card
    River Crocolisk (2) [2/3]
    Raid Leader (3) [2/2] Your other Minions have +1 attack
    Shattered Sun Cleric (3) [3/2] Battlecry, give a friendly Minion +1/+1
    Chillwind Yeti (4) [4/5]
    Sen'jin Shieldmasta (4) [3/5] Taunt
    Frostwolf Warlord (5) [4/4] Battlecry, gain +1/+1 for each other Minion
                                you control
    Gurubashi Berserker (5) [2/7] Whenever this Minion takes damage, gain +3
                                  attack
    Archmage (6) [4/7] Spellpower +1
    Boulderfist Ogre (6) [6/7]
    Stormwind Champion (7) [6/6] Your other Minions have +1/+1



    Free-to-Play Warrior
	
        2x Execute
        2x Whirlwind
        2x Fiery Win Axe
        2x Cleave
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Shield Block
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Gnomish inventor
        2x Kor'kron Elite
        2x Sen'jin "Das'Dingo" Shieldmasta
        2x Arcanite Reaper
        2x Gurubashi Berserker
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
		
    The Warrior free-to-play prefers a much more control oriented style,
winning in the lategame with its key monsters, Boulderfist, and Gurubashi. You
have Fiery Win Axe to start early game tempo by removing key creatures from
your opponent (try not to attack face), as well as Bloodfen and Ooze are great
early game creatures (the Ooze of course can counter other Weapon users).

    Turn 4 is great, as you have many choices to choose from. Yeti and
Das'dingo are solid board creatures, while Kor'kron can eliminate most
anything from your opponent and the Gnomish is just an efficient creature.
Arcanite Reaper serves as your big end-game clearing device as the 5 power
till cleave itself through many threats.

    Your spells are few but efficient. Shield Block is a nice filter, and
since you can have more armor and only 30 life, always attack first, and then
armor up. Cleave is good 2-1 removal, and Whirlwind serves two purposes, first
obviously being a  board clear, but more importantly setting up for your two
biggest threats: Executing a dangerous foe, or giving your Gurubashi +3 attack

    Many of the Warrior cards are great and can easily fit themselves in to
almost any deck. Some of the cheaper-more-available ones are:

    Shield Slam (epic) - replace Cleave
    Cruel Taskmaster (common) - replace Whirlwind
    Death's Bite (Naxxramas) - replace Arcanite Reaper
    Frothing Berserker (rare) - replace Gnomish Inventor
    Slam (common) - replace Cleave
    Arathi Weaponsmith (common) replace Gnomish Inventor
	
    The general play-style is always consider armoring up. You can stack armor
so it's almost better than gaining life. As the Warrior hero power doesn't
affect the board though, it's really important to stay on top of things and
try not to let the board get away from you. The Warrior does have a huge
board clear (Brawl) which is a 5 cost Epic, but that fits into the specific
Control Warrior deck.

    As for cheaper Neutral cards, here is a brief list of cards that work
well with Warrior:

    Argent Squire (common) (1) [1/1] Divine Shield
    Zombie Chow (Naxxramas) (1) [2/3] Deathrattle, restore 5 health to enemy
    Unstable Ghoul (Naxxramas) (Pairs well with the Warrior card, Armor Smith)
    Acolyte of Pain (common) (3) [1/3] Whenever this minion takes damage, draw
                                       a card
									   
    And that's the Warrior. Until you have an Acolyte of Pain, free-to-play
Warrior can be more difficult simply because of their complete lack of card
draw (having Slam helps). They are more vulnerable to removal simply because
they can run out of cards too quickly and let the game get away from them.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Shaman
	
        2x Rockbiter Weapon
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Flametongue Totem
        2x River Crocolisk
        2x Hex
        2x Raid Leader
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Gnomish Invetor
        2x Das'Dingo
        1x Windspeaker
        1x Bloodlust
        2x Frostwolf Warlord
        2x Fire Elemental
        2x Stormwind Champion
		
    F2P Shaman is one of the hardest out there in my opinion, simply because
they lack in their free cards any of their defining, annoying, and ultimately
game changing cards. They do have blow-outs like Bloodlust, Hex, and of
course the dangerous Fire Elemental who is one of the most efficient creatures
in the game, but they lack the almighty Lightning Storm, the brutal Lightning
Bolt, as well as Mana Tide Totem, or Doomhammer.

    That aside, because their Hero Power creates a Minion, we want to take
advantage of that. The early game here is all about control and trying to get
many Minions out there. Making lots of Totems is really helpful here. The
goal being a turn 5 Frostwolf Warlord that is at least a 6/6; that can turn
the tide.

    Other creatures, like Raid Leader, can turn your Totems into attacking
creatures (like Shattered Sun) as well as Flametongue Totem will be the most
focused Minion by your opponent due to its +4 attack to your allies.

    Rockbiter Weapon and Hex are your only sources of removal outside of
Fire Elemental's Battlecry. Generally speaking, use Rockbiter on yourself to
attack (saving a Minion) and save Hex for dangerous threats.

    IMPORTANT. Hex gives them a taunt so be prepared to have to work around
that sometimes.

    The F2P Shaman has a fairly strong late-game, with 6 strong creatures
and the game-ending Bloodlust. It's a bit too expensive and clunky for
multiple copies, but each for each creature added Bloodlust can eliminate a
near full-health opponent quickly. If you know you multiplication tables...

    1....3
    2....6
    3....9
    4....12
	
    So just 4 Minions, is 12 damage, plus whatever attack they have. It gets
fairly gross, so keep that in mind.

    As for cheap Shaman substitutes, there are many, but here are some:
	
    Earth Shock (common)
    Lightning Bolt (common)
    Stormforged Axe (common)
    Feral Spirit (rare)
    Lightning Storm (rare)
    Mana Tide Totem (rare)
    Unbound Elemental (common)
    Doomhammer (epic)
	
    It's impossible to say what cards to replace, as each serves a different
purpose and each changes the deck completely. As for neutral cheap cards:

    Undertaker (Naxxramas) (1) [1/2] Gain +1/+1 whenever you play a
                                     Minion with Deathrattle
    Zombie Chow
    Dire Wolf Alpha (common) (2) [2/2] Adjacent Minions have +1 attack
    Haunted Creeper (Naxxramas) (2) [1/2] Deathrattle, create two 1/1 Spiders
    Nerubian Egg (Naxxramas) (2) [0/2] Deathrattle, create a 4/4 Nerubian
    Harvest Golem (common) (3) [2/3] Deathrattle, create a 2/1 golem
    Dark Iron Dwarf (common) (4) [4/4] Battlecry, gives a Minion +2 attack
                                       this turn
    Defender of Argus
    Sludge Belcher (Naxxramas) (5) [3/5] Taunt, Deathrattle, create a 1/2
                                         Sludge with Taunt
    Sea Giant (epic) (10) [8/8] Costs 1 less per each Minion in play
	
    As you can see, Shamans really need better cards to really be brutal. That
is not to say that Shaman F2P cannot work, it's just easier if you have, a
Lightning Storm, an Unbound Elemental, or a Weapon you know?

    Also, if you're curious about the Deathrattle theme, their Naxxramas card
is Reincarnate, a card with some interesting synergy with Deathrattle, and a
"Death" Shaman deck is fairly popular and effective.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Rogue
	
        2x Backstab
        2x Deadly Poison
        2x Sap
        2x Shiv
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Kobold Geomancer
        2x Fan of Knives
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Gnomish Inventor
        2x Das'Dingo
        1x Assassin's Blade
        2x Assassinate
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
        1x Sprint
		
    F2P Rogue is something Trumpsc just used recently to battle his way
through Ranked. This is not his exact deck-list, but it is similar and tries
to use the powers of what free cards we have.

    So let's start with the obvious, there's a Geomancer in there. His use is
not that of a 2 drop, rather, because he is so cheap (and Rogue spells are so
cheap) use him with the spells for extra benefit. Geomancer+Fan of Knives is
a 2 damage to all Minions instead of 1, Geomancer+Backstab is a "free" 3
damage nuke, Geomancer+Shiv makes it not just a cycle.

    The Rogue is all about annoying, and that's what we have here. Sap both
removes enchantments and completely delays turns by sapping large costly
creatures. Assassinate is a beastly removal spell that just makes things go
away forever. Sprint (fairly expensive) is our way to refill our hand.

    That leaves the Poison and our Weapons; you can definitely throw down a
Deadly Poison on your Hero Power, though you get much more use if you can wait
to drop it on an Assassin's Blade but don't let that stop you.

    As for upgrading, there's not much to do without completely changing and
going in different directions. The two constructed Rogue decks are fairly
intensive and require a ton of crafting, with one being the aggressive
"Backspace" Rogue, and the other being the laid-back Miracle. Without worrying
right now about what those are, here are some cheaper cards that can work
well with this F2P deck:

    Cold Blood (common)
    Blade Flurry (rare)
    Eviscerate (common)
    Defias Ringleader (common)
    SI:7 Agent (rare)
    Anub'ar Ambusher (Naxxramas) (4) [5/5] Deathrattle, return a friendly
                                           Minion to your hand at random
										   
    As for neutrals, the list is even shorter.
	
    Zombie Chow
    Earthen Ring Farseer (common) (3) [3/3] Battlecry, restore 3 health
    Dark Iron Dwarf
    Defender of Argus
    Violet Teacher (rare) (4) [3/5] Whenever you play a spell make a 1/1
    Gadgetzan Auctioneer (5) [4/4] Whenever you play a spell draw a card
	
    The lists, are short, because to keep it close to F2P is rather hard. Once
you gather some of the other cards, the deck changes dramatically into aggro
with Backspace, or control-ish in Miracle. But for those, see constructed.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Paladin
	
        2x Humility
        2x Holy Light
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Kobold Geomancer
        2x Dalaran Mage
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Truesliver Champion
        2x Blessing of Kings
        2x Consecration
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Das'Dingo
        2x Hammer of Wrath
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
        2x Stormwind Champion
		
    An updated F2P decklist: after having looked and tried it out a couple of
times I found Frostwolf Warlord to be a bit weak, so I mixed it up. By adding
Hammer of Wrath, it brings the spell damage up to 4 cards, meaning that you
could gain quite a bit of use out of adding some spell power Minions, hence
the addition of Kobold and Dalaran. Neither are impressive creatures on their
own, but they both can come out on turn 3 which sets up for an upgraded spell
on turn 4.

    Overall, it is still quite hard as many of their cards are just weak
unless you have the expert version, but I do think this will do much more for
you than the previously listed deck.

    Blessing of Wisdom (common)
    Equality (rare)
    Noble Sacrifice (common)
    Argent Protector (common)
    Sword of Justice (epic)
    Aldor Peacekeeper (rare)
    Avenging Wrath and Lay on hands (epic)
	
    Their better cards make a difference. But also do neutral cards. I won't
actually list any however as it is more of the same, as well as the deck goes
either aggressive or control Paladin.

    The general playstyle for this deck is controlish. You want to keep your
opponent down while building your board. Like Shaman, a turn 5 Frostwolf can
be huge.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Hunter
	
        2x Hunter's Mark
        2x Arcane Shot
        1x Tracking
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x River Crocolisk
        2x Animal Companion
        2x Kill Command
        2x Unleash the Hounds*
        2x Ironfur Grizzly
        1x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Multi-Shot
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Houndmaster
        2x Oasis Snapjaw
        2x Das'Dingo
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
		
*Unleash the Hounds is a common. I would STRONGLY suggest having it in your
deck if you plan on playing Hunter. Otherwise, you can use 2 Multi-Shots I
guess which are free
		
    Hunter is surprisingly strong for F2P, and this is due to most of their
good cards being available, Hunters Mark, Animal Companion, and Houndmaster.
Unleash isn't free but... for 80 crafting you can have two of them which is
really an essential part to playing Hunter. The idea here is to shoot them a
lot; like every turn. You have lots of beasts for Houndmaster and Multi-Shot
is 2-1 removal so that's good.
	
    As for improving the deck:
	
    Flare (rare) - Replace Tracking (seriously)
    Webspinner (Naxxramas) (1) [1/1] Deathrattle, put a random Beast into
                                     your hand
    Traps, Freezing, Explosive, and Misdirection
    Scavenging Hyena (common)
    Eaglehorn Bow (rare)
    Deadly Shot (common)
    Scar (rare)
	
    Some strong, definitive Hunter cards. As for neutrals, they can use many
of the same cards already listed. Hunter, due to the Starving Buzzard nerf,
has been searching for a new key constructed deck. There are several out there
but none are quite living up to its successor.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Druid
	
        2x Innervate
        2x Claw
        2x Mark of the Wild
        2x Wild Growth
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Kobold Geomancer
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Swipe
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Gnomish Inventor
        2x Das'Dingo
        2x Starfire
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
        2x Ironbark Protector
		
    Druid is easily my favorite class, but that is with the better cards. As
for F2P Druid, it's extremely strong and only gets better with better cards.
So let's talk a bit.

    Coin-->Wild Growth is an acceptable turn 1 play
    Coin+Innervate-->Chillwind Yeti wins games on turn 1
	
    Anyway, Claw is Minion removal, Mark of the Wild is terrifying, and
Ironbark Protector is simply HUGE. Now, one thing to understand, is dropping
Ironbark against a board of threats isn't so good. You want to play him when
you have other Minions out there, otherwise that 8/8 body doesn't seem so
strong and scary anymore.

    Alright, so you can Wild Growth at 10 mana to draw a card. You may ask
about the Kobold. Well, Kobold+Swipe is extremely gross, as the 2 damage to
all enemies hurts and feels much more painful than the 1. It makes Swipe
cost 6 but I tell you what, it's a game changer, especially against a class
like Shaman.

    Starfire is just a big ol nuke.
	
    F2P Druid is a blend of control and aggression. I say this, because if you
Coin+Innervate a threat out early, then you can be aggressive. Otherwise, you
are sitting back, controlling the board until you can drop Ironbark or the
Ogre.

    As for improving, I could list almost every Druid card as they are just
that good. Here's just some of them:

    Power of the Wild (common) - replace Raptor
    Wrath (common) - replace Starfire
    Keeper of the Grove (rare) - replace Claw
    Nourish (rare) - replace Gnomish Inventor
    Starfall (rare) - replace Kobold
    Druid of the Claw (common) - replace Shattered Sun
    Force of Nature (epic) - Pair it with Savage Roar
    As well both Ancients, War and Lore are fantastic.
	
    Druid is just a great class. The ability to have options (seen in many of
their "expert" cards) gives them great flexibility. Their constructed decks
have many options, from Token Druid, to "Token" Druid, to Ramp Druid, to
Force Roar. With so many options, it's unsurprising to see so many viable
constructed decks.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Warlock
	
        2x Soulfire
        2x Mortal Coil
        2x Voidwalker
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x Bloodfen Raptor
        2x Kobold Geomancer
        2x Murloc Tidehunter
        2x Shadow Bolt
        2x Raid Leader
        2x Razorfen Hunter
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        1x Gnomish Inventor
        2x Das'Dingo
        1x Frostwolf Warlord
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
		
    The easiest deck to play, is Zoo, and the Warlock excels at Zoo simply
because they get to draw cards! For free! Basically. This deck is fairly
aggressive though it can hold its own later in the game. You have tons of
cheap 2-3 drops so we want to get them out there. Raid Leader is our Dire
Wolf Alpha substitute and he can really get the damage rolling in. Shadow Bolt
is there for threats and Soulfire can finish or remove a troublesome Minion.
Because of 6 spells, the Geomancers make a nice addition especially for
buffing the 4 damage spells into 5 for Yeti and Das'Dingo.

    There is a long list below for cards that can go into Zoo, and for the
most part that is the decklist. Just remember, you do usually want to remove
their Minions before going face. It largely just depends on the hand you
currently have

    Flame Imp (common)
    Doomguard (rare)
    Abusive Sergeant (common) (1) [2/1] Battlecry, give a Minion +2 attack
                                        this turn
    Argent Squire (common)
    Leper Gnome (common) (1) [2/1] Deathrattle, deal 2 damage to your opponent
    Undertaker, Zombie Chow, Haunted Creeper
    Dire Wolf Alpha (common)
    Knife Juggler (rare) (2) [3/2] Whenever you summon a Minion, deal 1 damage
                                   randomly to an enemy character
    Ironbeak Owl (common) (2) [2/1] Battlecry, Silence a Minion
    Bloodknight (epic) (3) [3/3] Battlecry, All Minions lose Divine Shield.
                                 Gain +3/+3 for each shield lost this way
    Harvest Golem (common)
    Dark Iron Dwarf (common)
    Defender of Argus (rare)
    Leeroy Jenkins (legendary)
	
    Now keep in mind, this is all going towards Zoo. For the Hand-lock, they
use very different cards and I'll talk about that in constructed. But for this
deck we can see how many options we have to easily make this deck gross. Flame
Imp is one of the best 1 drops, it replaces Elven Archer. Doomguard is a nasty
finisher, it replaces the Ogre. Abusive Sergeant and Dark Iron Dwarf are very
strong, they can replace almost anything. Similarly, your deck ends up quite
similar but with almost completely different cards.

    Also listed is a "Control Warlock" F2P that features some extremely
different cards but when playtested they were so evenly matched... that's why
both are included.

    2x Soulfire
    2x Mortal Coil
    2x Voidwalker
    2x Kobold Geomancer
    2x Shadow Bolt
    2x Shattered Sun Cleric
    2x Hellfire
    2x Chillwind Yeti
    2x Gnomish Inventor
    2x Das'Dingo
    2x Darkscale Healer
    2x Boulderfist Ogre
    2x Dread Infernal
    2x Archmage
	
    The idea behind this is rather similar to "Handlock" except with all F2P
cards. We have 6 spells, as such running the Geomancers makes plenty of sense.
The Archmage is fairly expensive however compared to Ogre Magi and/or Dalaran
Mage he fits in here much more nicely, not to mention he survives a boosted
Hellfire while the others do not.

    Other than that, it's a rather simple control-style approach. Darkscale
Healer makes her first appearance as healing your Minions works quite well
in this deck as both Hellfire and Dread Infernal hurt your own Minions.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Mage
	
        2x Arcane Missiles
        2x Frostbolt
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x River Crocolisk
        2x Arcane Intellect
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Fireball
        2x Polymorph
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Das'Dingo
        2x Water Elemental
        2x Gurubashi Berserker
        2x Archmage
        2x Boulderfist Ogre
        2x Flamestrike
		
    This F2P Mage is all about control. Gurubashi is very abuseable here, as
we can ping it to give it +3 attack. River Crocolisk over Bloodfen simply due
to our Hero Power, and we want to try to keep our guys alive. We have tons of
removal, obviously, so keeping our Minions alive here is vitally important.
As always, the turn 7 Flamestrike is the bringer of doom.

    Arcane Missiles are interesting, but a nice cheap choice here. Their use,
is heavy on needing to deal 1 damage to something but you don't want to ping
it (for instance, you have 3 mana and would prefer to play a 2 drop, but he
has a 1 health Minion). Here's a quick percentage chart for you

    1 Minion (1 health), 12% chance to miss (all hero)
    1 Minion (2 health), 50% chance to succeed
    2 Minions (one has 1 health), 35% chance to succeed
    2 Minions (both 1 health), 8% chance to miss (all hero)
                               46% chance to only kill 1 Minion
    3 Minions (all 1 health), 3% chance to miss (all hero)
                              74% chance to only kill 1 Minion
                              18% chance to kill all 3 Minions
							  
    So hopefully that helps, when you can know when to cast it or not.
	
    Now, Mage has many interesting decks, one of my favorites that I used for
a long time which was again, mostly free, was called, "Fantastic Explosions"
and utilized Spellpower the best I could. It worked mildly well but was fun to
play. Here it is:

    2x Arcane Missiles
    2x Ice Lance (common)
    2x Mirror Image
    2x Mana Wyrm (common)
    2x Arcane Explosion
    2x Frostbolt
    2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
    2x Kobold Geomancer
    2x Arcane Intellect
    2x Dalaran Mage (3) [1/4] Spellpower +1
    2x Fireball
    2x Polymorph
    2x Water Elemental
    2x Archmage
    2x Flamestrike
	
    So it's mostly F2P, but can be really quite fun to play dropping Arcane
Missiles for 4 or 5 Missiles thanks to spellpower boosts. It plays quite
similarly to the other, the except being we have now Mana Wyrm and Mirror
Image, making one of the sickest turn 1 plays: Mana Wyrm-->Coin-->Mirror
Image, giving us a 3/3 creature with two 0/2 Taunts. Anyways...

    Most of the Mage cards, aren't good stand alone cards. They really
force you into playing a certain style of Mage deck, Freeze Spells or
Freeze Creatures. There is also Secret Mage but those are... mediocre.

    Sorcerer's Apprentice (common)
    Duplicate (Naxxramas)
    Mirror Entity (common)
    Blizzard (rare)
    Archmage Antonidas (legendary)
    Pyroblast (epic)
	
    As with Neutrals, same as most others. They can use the same kinds of
cards. For the constructed decks, see the next section.



-----------------------------


    Free-to-Play Priest
	
        2x Holy Smite
        2x Power Word Shield
        2x Northshire Cleric
        2x Shadow Word Pain
        2x Acidic Swamp Ooze
        2x River Crocolisk
        2x Shadow Word Death
        2x Shattered Sun Cleric
        2x Chillwind Yeti
        2x Gnomish Inventor
        2x Oasis Snapjaw
        2x Das'Dingo
        2x Holy Nova
        2x Gurubashi Berserker
        1x Boulderfist Ogre
        1x Mind Control
		
    Priest is a control players' dream. Almost everything they do is "in
response" to the opponent. So let's kind of talk general, and then specific.

    Generally, keep your Minions alive. We have chosen those with high health
so that we can do that. The turtle, is a 4 drop 2/7, he fits right in.

    Specifically...
	
    Northshire is typically a bad one drop, unless you can plop down Power
Word Shield on it. It will get terminated quickly. It's best to hand onto
until you can immediately reap rewards of healing.

    Shadow Word Pain is what I call the Das'Dingo counter. (Or Fen Creeper)
    Shadow Word Death is there for large early threats.
	
    Holy Nova is fairly expensive, but when combined with Northshire and
a few other creatures, you can quickly refill your hand.

    Mind Control is beastly, but due to it's extreme cost we only ever play
with 1 copy because drawing into 2 copies early is a definite loss.

    For improving the deck, the Priest has many good cards and tons of
options as to what direction to go:

    Circle of Healing (common) + Auchenai Soulpriest (rare)
    Mind Blast (free) + Prophet Velen (legendary)
    Thoughtsteal (common)
    Dark Cultist (Naxxramas)
    Shadow Madness (rare)
    Lightspawn (common)
    Holy Fire (rare)
    Cabal Shadow Priest (epic)
    Temple Enforcer (common)
	
    All strong, all game-changers on their own right. Like most classes, the
Priest is no different with Naxxramas. In fact, Auchenai+Circle+Zombie Chow is
a 5 damage nuke to the enemy instead of a heal. Really, the only downside of
Priest is that their games do take a longtime and Priest versus Priest tends
to come down to who has run out of cards first.


    Alright, enough of Free-to-Play? Gotten some cards? Let's talk about
what we can do with constructed decks!



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             08. Deck Basics (constructed)              [8000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Constructed is the format of choice for most players. It is a tough format
done in Ranked, as you have no control of who you are paired against. Certain
decks counter others quite easily and if that happens, tough, you gotta move
on. There will also come a time (until you have every card) when you lose to
someone because they simply had better cards. It's annoying, but unlike MTG,
rarity doesn't really mean how hard is a card to obtain, it's simply how
powerful is a card. Legendary cards aren't any harder to obtain over Rare,
they just cost more to craft which can be bought (through packs).

    In MTG, if you had a Black Lotus, or a Birds of Paradise, or a Win Sivvi,
those were good strong cards that were hard to get ahold of. But in
Hearthstone, you could have every Legendary simply because you bought them.
It makes the format tough for those like myself who don't want to spend money
on a free game. And regardless, after a while, you'll have most of the cards
anyway from just playing. It's what I've managed to do. Anyway, let's go:


    Decklists Order:
                    Warrior
                        -Control Warrior
                        -Tempo Warrior
                        -One turn combo?
                    Shaman
                        -Control Shaman
                        -Death Shaman
                        -Tempo Shaman
                        -Mur-Man
                    Rogue
                        -Backspace Rogue
                        -Miracle Rogue
                        -Tempo Rogue
                        -Mill Rogue
                    Paladin
                        -Control Pali
                        -Aggro Pali
                        -Midrange Pali
                    Hunter
                        -Death/Face Hunter
                        -Midrange Hunter
                        -Beast Hunter
                    Mage
                        -Frost Mage
                        -Freezing Creatures
                        -Aggro "Mech" Mage
                    Priest
                        -Tempo Priest
                        -Control Priest
                    Druid
                        -Ramp Druid
                        -Force Roar
                        -Watcher Druid
                        -Token Druid
                        -Kinda Token Druid
                        -Mill Druid
                    Warlock
                        -Zoolock
                        -Murlock
                        -Zoolock v2 (mechs)
                        -Handlock
                        -Demonlock
						
						
A quick note before we get into the decks. I want to discuss briefly HOW the
decks are named. What is tempo? What do you mean midrange? What exactly makes
a control deck?

    There are roughly 5 kinds of deck that you can come across in Hearthstone.
They are: Zoo, Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Gimmick

    Zoo
	
Zoo is nicknamed Zoo because of its aggressive nature and unleashing cheap
minions that can deal quite a bit of damage quickly. A Zoo deck typically runs
at least 20 minions and has a very skewed mana curve with 80% of their deck
costing less than 3 mana. It is important for Zoo to start the threats right
away. Because of this, you really want at least 6 one drops which gives a 50%
chance of having at least 1 in your opening draw. Ideally 8 one drops gives a
72% chance of having one which then gives you some flexibility in which to
keep. A breakdown looks like:   x...1
                                y...2
                                z...3
                                m...4+ where m = 30 - (x + y + z)
                                   and x > 6, y > 8, and z > 6
								   
    Tempo
	
Tempo is named because the deck is built around big turns. Tempo decks won't
always use their mana efficiently, but when they do it's a huge turn that puts
pressure on their opponent as they gain tempo and win as they run out of cards
just as they are winning. A Tempo deck has a full mana curve, with heavy
emphasis around the 3 to 5 drop range as that's when they pick up Tempo and
then win before the opponent can get a hold on things. How a Tempo deck wins
is typically unique to each version; but the essence is still true in that
it's about picking up steam and gaining Tempo. A Tempo deck is not a Zoo due
to the difference in curves. A Zoo wants many (about 80% cheaper than 3)
whereas Tempo has full range of mana curve.

    Midrange
	
Midrange is named so as it fits somewhere between Tempo and Control. A
Midrange deck could win by turn 8 but it could also win on turn 15. A
Midrange deck will probably not win on turn 20 to 25. Midrange is all about
having effective 3-6 drops, similar to Tempo, but it is different with how it
goes about it. Midrange is typically more "responsive" as opposed to Tempo
which is "proactive" meaning that Midrange responds to the threats. A Midrange
deck will too have full range of mana curve but nearly as many late drops as a
Control deck. Typically Midrange has their meat section between 3 and 6 drops;
with having 2-3 late game bombs and having some essential early 2 drops.

    Control
	
A Control deck is named so because it controls the board. It is unlikely for a
Control deck to win before turn 10 as the whole purpose is to completely empty
and opponents hand (by handling all their threats) while still holding onto
some theirselves. If the other decks find themselves topdecking against a
Control deck that still has a couple cards in hand: the game is likely over at
this point.

    Gimmick
	
Gimmick decks have their own category mostly because they are hard to fit into
any of the other categories. One example is Mill. It could be considered
Control, except that the gimmick is Mill and often-times it doesn't win using
that same approach of Control (ie keeping the board clear and having great
card advantage). Other gimmicks like Murloc or Pirates actually fit into the
above categories because they win based on one of those styles. Another
example would be Miracle; as it fits most similar with Tempo however it really
isn't a Tempo deck at all. On the other hand, there's the gimmicky decks that
use Alarm o Bot, or different ways to get huge creatures down for cheap. In
essence, these are Combo decks, but since they aren't always Combos, we can
blend them together into Gimmick.

					
					
-----------------------------


      Warrior
	
	
    The Warrior naturally lends himself to a more control oriented deck with
his ability being largely uninteresting and uninteractive with the board. As
such, we have Control Warrior, Tempo Warrior, and the gimmick OHKO Warrior.

        Control Warrior
    2x Execute
    2x Shield Slam
    2x Fiery War Axe
    2x Armorsmith
    2x Cruel Taskmaster
    2x Unstable Ghoul
    2x Shield Block
    2x Acolyte of Pain
    1x Big Game Hunter
    2x Mind Control Tech
    2x Death's Bite
    1x Blingtron 3000
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    1x Harrison Jones
    2x Sludge Belcher
    1x Sylvanas Windrunner
    1x Grommash Hellscream
    1x Ragnaros the Firelord
    1x Alexstrasa
	
    This is my version, although some other changes include:
  Dr. Boom instead of Blingtron
  Shieldmaiden instead of MCT
  Whirlwind instead of Unstable Ghoul
  Ysera and Cairne in there
  
    Here's why I use what I use. Blingtron is incredibly underrated. Besides
providing additional punch for yourself when you need a weapon; he can destroy
your opponents weapon and give them a new one! While this can hurt you
sometimes; often (especially with things like Death's Bite) you can mess up
their combo for them. Harrison Jones is a solid choice regardless, but using
Blingtron means he will always have a target! It's great news.
    Shieldmaiden is nice; however with no Brawl anymore, I have found that
this is a nice substitute: MCT. This deck desperately wants something to do
on turn 3 (if not facing Zoo then MCT is fine) but MCT provides some shelter
against Zoo by stealing something. Even take a 1/1 from an army of 1/1's is a
significant reduction in the board.
    Concerning Whirlwind and the Ghoul; I like the Ghoul as there's more
synergy with Armorsmith and he can be targeted by Cruel Taskmaster. He also
provides better protection in general against Zoo.
    This leaves some other legendary options, including Dr. Boom, but in
grinding out this deck I landed on the above list. Cairne is huge, but it's
hard to work him in. Ysera is so gross, but it takes too long for her to come
online. While there's nothing wrong with that in a Control deck; I have found
her to just be weak in general due to her "steamrolling" nature. Basically,
she wins games you already were winning but she won't catch you up very well.
Dr. Boom is big but he's too random with no immediate impact. We have Sylvanas
who requires immediate attention, Grommash who is extremely splashy, Ragnaros
who fires on turn 1, and Alex has a huge battlecry.
	
    Crafting required: A lot
    Skill level: High
    Power level: High
	

        Tempo Warrior
    2x Execute
    2x Shield Slam
    2x Whirlwind
    2x Fiery War Axe
    2x Armorsmith
    2x Cruel Taskmaster
    2x Shield Block
    2x Acolyte of Pain
    2x Frothing Berserker
    2x Death's Bite
    2x Siege Engine
    2x Sludge Belcher
    2x Shieldmaiden
    1x Sylvanas, Dr. Boom, Sneed's, Grommash
	
    While this deck has the same number of lategame legendaries, it's very
different from Control Warrior. Mostly look at the meat of the deck. This deck
epitomizes Tempo as it drops Frothing or Siege Engine, and begins "tempo-ing"
with Death's Bite, Whirlwind, Shield Block, or Shieldmaiden as it runs over
its opponent. It does have some lategame though which almost qualifies it as
Midrange but the Tempo is much more apparent here.

    Crafting required: A lot
    Skill level: High
    Power level: High
	
	
        OHKO Warrior
    2x Inner Rage
    2x Execute
    2x Shield Slam
    2x Fiery War Axe
    2x Rampage
    2x Armorsmith
    2x Cruel Taskmaster
    1x Charge
    2x Shield Block
    2x Acolyte of Pain
    1x Raging Worgen
    2x Death's Bite
    1x Brawl
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    1x Loatheb
    2x Sludge Belcher
    1x Grommash
    1x Alex
	
    Here's the combo:
	
Raging Worgen+InnerRage(x2)+Charge+Rampage(x2)

    It costs 10 mana, and you can deal 32 damage in a single turn with the
windfury. This is how you build a gimmick. Everything else is about surviving,
finding the cards, and maintaining a presence.

    Crafting required: Fairly high
    Skill level: Very high
    Power level: RAMPAGE
	
	
	
-----------------------------


      Shaman
	  
    There are a couple Shaman options. The first, is the most well-known and
easily the most hated, the Control Shaman

    2x Lightning Bolt
    2x Rockbiter Weapon
    2x Earthshock
    1x Bloodmage Thalnos
    2x Crackle
    1x Flametongue Totem
    1x Wild Pyromancer
    2x Hex
    2x Feral Spirit
    2x Unbound Elemental
    1x Mana Tide Totem
    2x Lightning Storm
    2x Yeti
    2x Azure Drake
    1x Doomhammer
    2x Fire Elemental
    1x Ragnaros the Firelord
    1x Al'Akir the Windlord
	
    The overall premise is to control the board, frustrate your opponent, and
win with your overly obnoxious lategame. Earth Shock is a key card, as it
silences first, and then deals 1 damage. This takes out Scarlet Crusader,
Loot Hoarder, and Twilight Drake, all common constructed cards, easily without
any aid (or benefit to the opponent). Rockbiter is good removal, but serves
mainly as huge damage when combined with Doomhammer or Al'Akir thanks to
windfury (Yes, you can attack for 10 damage if you rockbiter yourself).

    Wild Pyro, along Lightning Storm, exist to deal with early aggression.
Feral Spirit likewise, is a great defense early.

    Hex, ultimately is your best removal but you want to save it for the most
dangerous and strong enemy Minions (the Ragnaros, the Ysera, etc).

    Lastly, Unbound Elemental is great (and gets better with your overload),
and Mana Tide Totem gets better every turn it lives. The other cards, are all
about winning the game.

    The only real change here is the addition of Crackle, which is too strong
to not use.

    Crafting required: A lot
    Skill level: High
    Power level: High
	
	
        The Death Shaman
    2x Crackle
    2x Reincarnate
    2x Haunted Creeper
    2x Nerubian Egg
    2x Hex
    2x Lightning Storm
    2x Harvest Golem
    1x Baron Rivendare
    2x Defender of Argus
    2x Piloted Shredder
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    1x Feugen
    2x Sludge Belcher
    1x Stalagg
    1x Cairne
    2x Fire Elemental
    1x Sylvanas
    1x Sneed's Old Shredder
    1x KT
	
    With the nerf to Undertaker and the inclusion of GvG this deck received a
supreme makeover. Mostly, it's not longer Zoo; instead it is Tempo/Gimmick but
mostly Tempo. The way this works is basically you want to drop something from
turn 2 onward and gain Tempo until you unleash something huge like Rivendare
or KT upon your opponent and gain huge advantage. We have a number of removal
spells at our disposal including Crackle, Hex, and Lightning Storm. We also
have Argus and Fire Elemental due to their brutal efficiency. Reincarnate is
extremely potent here as you can abuse your higher level Deathrattles like
Sneed's, Sylvanas, or Cairne. Or imagine Feugen or Stalagg if the other has
died! There are a number of combos in this deck and it's surprisingly
resiliant to a number of decks.

    Crafting required: Very high
    Skill level: Medium
    Power level: High
	
	
        Tempo Shaman
    2x Earth Shock
    2x Lightning Bolt
    2x Rockbiter Weapon
    2x Crackle
    2x Flametongue Totem
    2x Whirling Zap-o-matic
    2x Feral Spirit
    2x Unbound Elemental
    2x Dunemaul Shaman
    1x Doomhammer
    2x Sludge Belcher
    2x Fire Elemental
    1x Al'Akir the Windlord
    2x Sea Giant
	
    This has existed but GVG tightened it up so let's take a look. First and
foremost, Crackle returns with it's glory. Second is the Whirling shitstorm of
effective 3/2 for 2ness. Observe that Whirling into Flametongue is 10 damage
on turn 3. How gross is that!? We round out with Dunemaul Shaman who is also
a 10 damage swinger potentially. Add in Sea Giants as we're focused on playing
creatures (compared to Control Shaman) and we have some sick plays. Again, we
may not always use all of our mana each turn but we have some sick plays. One
potential problem could be card draw however Mana Tide Totem is hard to work
into this deck and due to the nature of Tempo-style decks if we run out of
cards and haven't won then it probably won't matter much anyway.


        Mur-Man
    x2 Grimscale Oracle
    x2 Murloc Raider
    x2 Murloc Tidecaller
    x2 Young Priestess
    x2 Crackle
    x2 Flametongue Totem
    x2 Knife Juggler
    x2 Murloc Tidehunter
    x2 Puddlestomper
    x2 Whirling Zap-o-Matic
    x2 Hex
    x2 Coldlight Seer
    x2 Murloc Warleader
    x1 Old Murk-Eye
    x1 Bloodlust
    x1 Siltfin Spiritwalker
    x1 Neptulon
	
    The Mur-Shaman is real! They've always had some good options due to cards
like Flametongue Totem and Bloodlust, but with the addition of Neptulon and
Siltfin, it's a contender now. So, we have 8 cheap one drops. It's essential
to have one of these in our opening. From there, we have a stupid amount of
two drops and each is just as useful as the next. Our three drops are all
situational, with Hex serving as half of our removal, and the other Murlocs
only coming down when there are others out there. Old Murk-Eye is amazing,
Bloodlust is a game winner, and Siltfin is pretty weak but he like Neptulon
gives the deck some depth which it desperately needed. Unlike Warlock who can
tap to draw for help, other Murloc style decks stunk if their board was
cleared. Neptulon offers some defense against that and the Siltfin can be used
similar to Cultmaster except more specific not to mention his stats are more
favorable towards lasting. A fun deck to say the least
	
	
	
-----------------------------


      Rogue
	  
    Rogue's are defined by being obnoxious, and both their decks are simply,
annoying. The first, is an aggressive deck developed by Backspace, hence the
Backspace Rogue

    2x Shadowstep
    2x Cold Blood
    2x Argent Squire
    2x Deadly Poison
    2x Leper Gnome
    2x Southsea Deckhand
    1x Blade Flurry
    2x Eviscerate
    2x Sap
    2x Goblin Auto Barber
    2x Loot Hoarder
    2x Arcane Golem
    2x Coldlight Oracle
    1x King Mukla
    2x SI:7 Agent
    1x Leeroy Jenkins
    1x Assasssin's Blade
									 
    This deck is all about early board presence. Never mulligan the Oracle
unless you have both. Your primary focus is their lifetotal, and how much
damage you have in your hand. Shadowstep + Arcane Golem/Leeroy does absurd
damage, so always know how much damage you can do.

    With so many 1 drops as well, always keep in mind the best order to play
them. Argent Squire is the best, with Leper Gnome/Deckhand as close seconds.

    Regarding the Oracle, you typically play him when you have no cards left.
On the other hand, he can be played early if your opponent has 8, 9, or 10
cards in hand (typically control players) as it will burn cards then.

    Here's some deck match ups (all thanks to Backspace)
	
      versus Miracle
	
    An easy win, as both focus on explosive turns, but Backspace happens much
more quickly

      versus Aggro
	  
    These are tough but tend to your favor thanks to the amount of burst
(again, always thinking about how much damage can I do)

      versus Handlock
	  
    Normally a problem, the speed here blows through Handlock and a well
timed Sap can remove the gigantic taunting enemies. Even Shadowstep + Oracle
or Mukla can fill their hand and burn their cards

      versus Control
	  
    Depends heavily on your hand. An early Oracle is key here to burn 2+ cards
and set up advantage. If you fall behind though, you will lose

      versus Zoo and Midrange
	  
    You will likely lose these matchups. Zoo is just too strong/quick and
Midrange throws out too many strong midgame creatures to overcome. Sadly, due
to Zoo being so popular for Ladder climbing, this makes Backspace rather hard
to play depending on your rank.

    Crafting required: Medium
    Skill level: Fairly High
    Power level: Variable, Medium to Fairly High
	
	
	
    The other Rogue deck, is known as Miracle, simply due to "draw draw draw
draw" or as my brother likes to call it, "hee hee hee, draw cards". There are
surprisingly a few variations, using Questing Adventurer (gets bigger per
each card) or Mana Addict (gains attack per spell). The most popular and
infamous version used Leeroy+Shadowstep to attack for 18 points of damage and
only costing 8 mana. Because of Leeroy costing 5 now, it doesn't work so well
anymore. The new Miracle uses the legendary Dragon, Malygos, as the primary
win condition.

    2x Preparation
    2x Backstab
    1x Conceal
    2x Sinister Strike
    2x Deadly Poison
    2x Shiv
    2x Blade Flurry
    1x Sap
    1x Bloodmage Thalnos
    2x Eviscerate
    2x Loot Hoarder
    2x SI:7 Agent
    1x Fan of Knives
    1x Edwin Vancleef
    1x Earthen Ring Farseer
    1x Assassin's Blade
    2x Gadgetzan Auctioneer
    2x Azure Drake
    1x Malygos
	
    The basic premise, is play Gadgetzan Auctioneer, draw your entire deck,
drop Malygos, and do stupid amounts of damage thanks to his +5 spellpower.

    Obviously use spells to control the board, but that's where we rely on
Minions. Thalnos and Loot Hoarder replace themselves, SI is very good, Edwin
can be amazing or silenced. Azure Drake is a cantrip (replaces itself) and a
nice 4/4 body to boot. This deck runs just 1 Conceal, to either protect the
Auctioneer (if your draws go badly) or to protect Malygos.

    No more Cold Bloods and Shadowsteps, this deck is about winning with
spells. Is it as good as the old Miracle? Hard to say. As the change is still
only a month old, we need more time to evaluate how effective it is.

    Crafting required: High
    Skill level: High
    Power level: Unsure
	
	
    I want to add another version of Miracle. This is the one I actually use
and one that saw quite a bit of use at Blizzcon which used Southsea Deckhand
to attack for 20 damage. Intrigued?

    2x Backstab
    2x Preparation
    2x Cold Blood
    2x Conceal
    2x Deadly Poison
    1x Southsea Deckhand
    2x Blade Flurry
    2x Eviscerate
    2x Sap
    2x Shiv
    1x Bloodmage Thalnos
    2x Fan of Knives
    1x Earthen Ring Farseer
    2x SI 7 Agent
    1x Assassin's Blade
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    2x Gadgetzan Auctioneer
    1x Loatheb
	
    It's Miracle, and you're searching for 8 mana, the Deckhand, both Cold
Bloods, and the Faceless. That's 20 damage charging in if you have a weapon.
What I like about this deck is the freedom to use spells as removal (as
opposed to Malygos) because you only need to punch 10 damage across (for the
most part) since you know your combo deals 20 damage.

    I'm curious about squeezing in Sludge Belchers, but I'm not really sure
at what cost, so for the moment, the only change is -1 Flurry and -1 Loot
Hoarder for some legendaries I don't have.

    Your mulligans should pretty much be to get an Auctioneer. Your win combo
should always be tossed, as should Loatheb, Sap, Blade Flurry, and even Prep.
Backstab and Eviscerate can be kept if you suspect heavy aggression, and your
early Minions can be kept if you suspect control (to develop the board). Shiv
and Fan of Knives should almost always be tossed because you'd rather have
the Auctioneer. Deadly Poison can be kept, but toss Assassin's Blade. Toss
Conceal as well. It's a fairly simple deck to play, with fairly low crafting
especially in my version as the only legendary is Loatheb who is free. The
reward is extremely high, as it is still a new deck and can catch people off
guard easily. The downside is that it's Miracle and Miracle can sometimes
counter itself by just doing poorly.


        Tempo Rogue "Arrrrgh Pirates!"
    2x Backstab
    2x Deadly Poison
    2x Bloodsail Corsair
    2x Southsea Deckhand
    2x Bladeflurry
    2x Bloodsail Raider
    2x One-Eyed Cheat
    2x Ship's Cannon
    2x SI 7 Agent
    2x Southsea Captain
    2x Tinker's Sharpsword Oil
    2x Dread Corsair
    1x Assassin's Blade
    1x Captain Greenskin
    2x Salty Dog
	
    Alright. This isn't Zoo because so many cards rely on one another, which
makes it Tempo. We have many Pirates to toss down with Ship's Cannon. There's
also a number of Pirates that come down with weapons. As such there will be
boring turns where we don't do much and there will be explosive turns where
we play 3 or 4 things that are all huge. Strangely enough, the 1 drops will
NEVER be played on turn 1. Besides the Corsair being useful thanks to the
weapon meta, he like the Deckhand can Stealth the Cheato or give damage to
the Ship's Cannon. It's a fairly aggressive deck but it's Tempo oriented so
don't run out of cards and not be winning.


        Mill Rogue
    2x Backstab
    2x Preparation
    2x Shadowstep
    2x Deadly Poison
    2x Blade Flurry
    2x Sap
    1x Lorewalker Cho
    2x Youthful Brewmaster
    2x Coldlight Oracle
    2x Dancing Swords
    2x Deathlord
    1x Goblin Sapper
    2x Vanish
    1x Trade Prince Gallywix
    1x KT
    2x Clockwork Giant
	
    This deck is so annoying to play against. Let's go bit by bit. Backstab,
Deadly Poison, Eviscerate, and Blade Flurry are our removal spells. Shadowstep
Youthful Brewmaster, and Coldlight Oracle are our primary win condition.
Dancing Swords, Deathlord, Sapper, Clockwork Giant, and KT are the secondary
win condition. Gallywix and Cho serve to annoy the living daylights out of our
opponent. Understand?

    We use our removal to control the board. Cho gives our opponents lots of
cards that most classes cannot use, like Prep, Deadly Poison, Blade Flurry,
and Shadowstep. Gallywix gives us those spells back and still keeps their hand
full with coins. We burn their cards and we get to play huge things like
Clockwork Giant or Goblin Sapper. KT coming down behind Dancing Swords or
Deathlord is just gross especially when they are running out of cards. Vanish?
Yes, it's a huge reset button that again can kill things. Sap is tempo
obviously but when used against a full hand it kills the target instead.
It's a fun deck and super annoying to play against.
	
	
	
-----------------------------


      Paladin
	  
    The Paladin brings two decks, both of which are vastly different. The
Control Paladin, which we look at first, is the definition of control as we
set up for a simply lethal lategame

    1x Humility
    1x Loot Hoarder (run 2 if you don't have Thalnos)
    1x Bloodmage Thalnos
    2x Wild Pyromancer
    2x Sunfury Protector
    2x Equality
    2x Aldor Peacekeeper
    1x Antique Healbot
    2x Truesilver Champion
    2x Sludge Belcher
    1x Blessing of Kings
    2x Consecration
    2x Stampeding Kodo
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    1x Cairne Bloodhoof
    2x Sunwalker
    1x Avenging Wrath
    1x Bolvar Fordragon
    1x Tirion Fordring
    1x Lay on Hands
    1x Ragnaros the Firelord
	
    As you can see, it has a gross lategame. Let's talk about this in two
sections, the lategame, and the combos. First, the combos.

    Humility/Aldor Peacekeeper + Stampeding Kodo
	
      You can remove almost any Minion with these fools
	  
    Wild Pyromancer + Equality
	
      A literal board clear. The same can be used, Equality+Consecrate
	  
    Concerning the lategame, Tirion is really strong, but be careful with him,
as silence, polymorph, hex, or Mind Control will make you sad. Especially if
they Manipulate him first. Ragnaros, much the same. You can Faceless their
stuff, but Faceless-ing your own Rag or Tirion works well. You have 4 other
big Taunts (Sunwalker and Das'Dingo) leaving a fairly strong early game, with
cyclers (Thalnos/Loot Hoarder) and Earthen Ring with Truesilver to remove
threats. You will be spamming Hero Power A LOT as this deck is all about
responding to threats until you can win the game. Sunfury Protector can be
dropped as a 2/3, though you usually want to Taunt up Cairne, Kodos, or
Ragnaros. The last addition is Bolvar Fordragon, the new Paladin legendary.
He's curious for sure, but it doesn't seem unlikely to hold onto him and then
play him with 8 or 9 attack later on.

    Crafting required: Holy shitsauce
    Skill level: Pretty High
    Power level: High
	
	
	
    On the other hand, we have the Legendary Aggro Pali Rush, named so because
it does use 2 Legendaries. If you don't have Mukla or Leeroy, then Arcane
Golem makes a decent substitute

    x2 Avenge
    x2 Abusive Sergeant
    x2 Leper Gnome
    x2 Young Priestess
    x2 Equality
    x2 Argent Protector
    x2 Shielded Minibot
    x2 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x2 Knife Juggler
    x1 Coghammer
    x2 Sword of Justice
    x2 Divine Favor
    x2 Aldor Peacekeeper
    x2 Truesilver Champion
    x2 Consecration
    x2 Avenging Wrath
	
    The aggro Pali works for a couple reasons. Equality is the great equalizer
and Divine Favor is quite broken if timed well. That being said, GVG changed
very little about the deck with the exception of Coghammer making an
appearance. Many of the GVG cards would fit better into the Midrange Pali as
the goal here is to play many cheap cards, using SoJ to make them bigger and
you keep beating face. It works impressively well and Equality+Consecration
is just beyond words gross. One possible addition could be that of Scarlet
Purifier, as this deck runs very few deathrattles and even with GvG there are
still many decks that run quite a few deathrattles.


    Crafting required: Medium
    Skill level: Low
    Power level: Medium
	

        Midrange Pali
    x2 Avenge
    x2 Clockwork Gnome
    x2 Equality
    x2 Annoy-o-Tron
    x2 Argent Protector
    x2 Knife Juggler
    x2 Shielded Minibot
    x2 Sword of Justice
    x2 Muster for Battle
    x2 Aldor Peacekeeper
    x2 Truesilver Champion
    x2 Consecration
    x2 Arcane Nullifier X-21
    x2 Cobalt Guardian
    x2 Quartermaster
	
    You want a mech deck? Here's the closest thing to it. This midrange
Palidan deck revolves around several combos. Obviously Equality is the
great equalizer, but more specifically, we have Knife Juggler and Muster for
Battle which throws many knives. Besides also SoJ and any number of our cards,
this is a particularly nice one as Argent Protector saves many people but here
we want to keep Knife Juggler up. Quartermaster+Muster is an obvious bonus
here as well, but we also have Cobalt Guardian who is strangely priced but we
have 8 other Mechs to play besides even just using Argent Protector meaning
we can run that 6 power machine into many many baddies. It's different than
Tempo and Zoo as we aren't going to smash face quickly and we aren't going
to explode like Tempo. Instead, we are gearing for big series of turns as
opposed to a single one as we establish a threatening board and then run over
our opponent with card advantage/economy. We don't run anything super huge
and threatening in the lategame as the goal here is to establish such a
presence that by turns 8 to 10 we are wining the game.
	
	
	
-----------------------------


      Hunter
	  
    There are a number of Hunter decks right now and each is strong and each
uses a number of different ways to crush their opponent. The first is the
changed Face-Hunter, a Zoo deck

    2x Hunter's Mark
    2x Abusive Sergeant
    2x Leper Gnome
    2x Webspinner
    2x Glaivezooka
    2x Haunted Creeper
    1x Ironbeak Owl
    2x Knife Juggler
    2x Animal Companion
    1x Deadly Shot
    2x Kill Command
    2x Dark Iron Dwarf
    2x Houndmaster
    2x Piloted Shredder
    2x Bomb Lobber
    2x Scar
	
    It's Zoo and we want to throw damage across. We have 6 one drops although
Abusive needs a target. We have 7 two drops which 6 of them can be played
whenever. Our 3 drops are very clutch. Kill Command alongside Hunter's Mark
is to remove threats and a lone Deadly Shot removes Sludge Belcher among other
Taunts. Animal Companion is a staple, among other choices such as DID, Hound,
and the Shredder. The odd choice is likely Bomb Lobber, but I find him to be
quite effective here as we are generally controlling the board so his huge 4
damage follow up is actually exactly what we need from a 5 drop (which he is
our only one).

    Crafting required: Fairly low
    Skill level: Fairly low
    Power level: Mediumish
	
	
        Midrange Hunter
    2x Hunter's mark
    2x Webspinner
    2x Explosive Trap
    2x Freezing Trap
    1x Misdirection
    2x Mad Scientist
    2x Eaglehorn Bow
    2x Animal Companion
    1x Deadly Shot
    2x Kill Command
    1x Big Game Hunter
    2x Das'Dingo
    1x Blingtron 3000
    1x Harrison Jones
    2x Sludge Belcher
    2x Scar
    1x Sylvanas, KT, Ragnaros
	
    This is not a Control deck contrary to what it appears; we will lose when
in top-deck wars. That being said, this is a spin-off (my own creation) and
the way it works is quite clever. It appears to be aggressive (Webspinner,
Bow, Mad Scientist, and Animal Companion) but it's actually quite focused on
the 4-6 drops. The deck is actually quite skilled in that use of the Traps
will make or break this deck. Hunter's mark+Explosive is totally fine and
often that's the best way around it. Freezing Trap needs to land for Tempo
against 5+ drops. Misdirection is game-breaking and has single-handily won
games due to a large minion smashing their owner's face.

    Again this uses Blingtron and Harrison. As Harrison is in the meta, it
naturally makes a home for Blingtron as well for a number of reasons. The
first is to create a target for Harrison potentially. The second is to
provide additional burst for yourself. The average power of a weapon is 3.1.
Besides that being better than your Bow, it doesn't account for things like
Doomhammer (windfury), SoJ (pumping minions), or Death's Bite (additional
effects). I have used Blingtron to replace my bow and found a Death's Bite
which provided the extra 1 damage I needed to do lethal that turn. He's
extremely versatile and works quite well here in the Midrange Hunter

    Crafting required: Very High
    Skill level: High
    Power level: High
	
	
        Beast Hunter
    x2 Hunter's Mark
    x2 Webspinner
    x2 Call Pet
    x1 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x2 Haunted Creeper
    x1 Ironbeak Owl
    x2 Scavenging Hyena
    x2 Animal Companion
    x2 Kill Command
    x2 Unleash the Hounds
    x2 Defender of Argus
    x2 Houndmaster
    x2 Oasis Snapjaw
    x2 King of Beasts
    x2 Stampeding Kodo
    x2 Savannah Highmane
	
    What? No Godzilla or Krushers? Too expensive! This deck while themed and
certainly goofy is actually not that bad. There's lots of beasts you could
draw but the one we want is King of Beasts as that makes him cost 1 and then
he combos much more nicely with Hounds and Hyena. That being said, you can see
that many of our beasts have some nice effects, with the exception of the
turtle, but he becomes HUGE when targeted by Houndmaster or Argus. The Thalnos
is definitely questionable but as we don't have that many 2 drops we want to
actually play that's why he fits nicely as a cycle and potentially boosting
up Kill Command. Have fun
	
	
	
-----------------------------


        Mage
	
    As one would expect, there are a number of Mage decks although the
difference between them is rather small. This is due to Mage having a number
of playable minions to be quite small. Instead they are all about spells and
as such; their decks revolve around their spells. The first up is the
Control Player's dream.

        Frost Mage
    x2 Ice Lance
    x2 Mirror Image
    x2 Frostbolt
    x1 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x2 Doomsayer
    x1 Novice Engineer
    x2 Arcane Intellect
    x2 Frost Nova
    x2 Ice Barrier
    x2 Ice Block
    x2 Fireball
    x2 Azure Drake
    x2 Blizzard
    x1 Flamestrike
    x1 Archmage Antonidas
    x1 Alexstrasza
    x1 Pyroblast
    x2 Molten Giant
	
    One possible change that I'm working with is adding Harrison and Blingtron
at the cost of Pyroblast and an Ice barrier. This is due largely to the weapon
meta and how clunky Pyroblast is. That aside the deck has changed very little
and is still as strong as ever. Maybe stronger with Flare being nerfed and
Kezan Mystic being unplayable.


        Freezing Creatures
    x2 Flamecannon
    x2 Frostbolt
    x1 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x2 Doomsayer
    x2 Arcane Intellect
    x2 Frost Nova
    x2 Ice Block
    x2 Echos of Medivh
    x2 Fireball
    x2 Twilight Drake
    x2 Sludge Belcher
    x2 Blizzard
    x1 Flamestrike
    x1 Ragnaros
    x1 Alexstrasza
    x2 Mountain Giant
    x2 Molten Giant
	
    This deck changed and I'm sure there's about 10 versions of it but here's
what I scrapped together. Basically the obnoxious part is using Echos to get
many Molten Giants and whomp for a ton of damage. Early game 2 drops basically
get rid of threats while midgame Drakes, Belchers, and possibly Mountain
Giants can becoming threatening due to this deck having lots of cards in hand
usually. I don't like it as it seems too gimmicky, and there's usually
Duplicate in there but at what cost I'm not sure. I prefer standard Frost Mage
but I'm a control player at heart so go figure


        Aggro Mage
    x2 Ice Lance
    x2 Clockwork Gnome
    x2 Mana Wyrm
    x1 Flamecannon
    x2 Frostbolt
    x2 Annoy-o-Tron
    x2 Mechwarper
    x2 Micro Machine
    x2 Snowchugger
    x2 Sorcerer's Apprentice
    x2 Arcane Intellect
    x2 Fireball
    x2 Goblin Blastmage
    x2 Mechanical Yeti
    x2 Water Elemental
    x1 Mimiron's Head
	
    There are many other options, such as Tinkertown Technician or Spider
Tank, but we have to draw the line somewhere. Alright, so because I want to
use Water Elemental due to how strong it is, Ice Lance gets added as it's both
versatile and can deal some sick damage and we have 6 sources of freeze. Mana
Wyrm and Clockwork Gnome are both great one drops.

    We have too many two drops. It happens, but they are all helpful. Our main
Mech army is here, the Warper, the Micro Machine, Snowchugger, and lastly
Annoy-o-Tron are great annoying beasts to throw out there. Flamecannon and
Frostbolt are mostly for removal though the latter can be tossed at face. We
have one set of three drops from Arcane Intellect, play it when you have
nothing else to play. Fireball is Fireball; the Blastmage works with our Mechs
and Mech Yeti is nice. This leaves Mimiron's Head, something that could get
axed for another Flamecannon or simply something else (even Thalnos) although
we run SO MANY MECHS that Mimiron's Head has a very good chance to get
activated when we play it that it seems worth to take the chance.

    Are there other options? Sure. This is the version I'd likely use though
	
	
	
-----------------------------



        Priest
		
    There are only two real Priest decks although the variations among them
are endless. You have basically Control and Tempo and that's about it.
	
	
        Control Priest
    x2 Circle of Healing
    x2 Power Word Shield
    x2 Northshire Cleric
    x2 Shadow Word Pain
    x2 Wild Pyromancer
    x2 Shadow Word Death
    x2 Thoughtsteal
    x2 Injured Blademaster
    x1 Mass Dispel
    x2 Shadow Madness
    x2 Auchenai Soulpriest
    x2 Cabal Shadow Priest
    x1 Cairne Bloodhoof
    x1 Sylvanas Windrunner
    x1 Ragnaros the Firelord
    x1 Ysera
    x1 Mind Control
	
    Contenders: Lightbomb, Sneed's, Dr. Boom, Foe Reaper
	
    Control Priest is back and more disgusting than ever. While no GVG cards
are used, it's more brutal than ever as it can handle nearly anything that
comes across it's path. Wild Pyro has been brought back to deal with early
aggression as has Injured Blademaster. A single Mass Dispel is run (trust me)
and it has some nice late drops as well. Control Priest is all about reacting
to your opponent and that's why the deck is structured in this way. Lightbomb
could be used though frankly removal doesn't seem to be too much of an issue
(rather, drawing too many expensive cards is and that wouldn't help). Along
those same lines, the 3 legendaries listed could all be additions to consider.
Foe Reaper is a surprise I'm sure, but as Priest can keep him alive with
healing; Foe Reaper doubles as a board clearer as he strikes down your
opponent although you'd have to choose what to cut; maybe even swapping out
Ragnaros as Foe Reaper would be more defensive.


        Tempo Priest
    x2 Circle of Healing
    x2 Holy Smite
    x2 Light of the Naaru
    x2 Power Word Shield
    x2 Northshire Cleric
    x2 Shadow Word Pain
    x2 Shadowboxer
    x2 Shrinkmeister
    x2 Shadow Word Death
    x2 Dark Cultist
    x2 Earthen Ring Farseer
    x2 Injured Blademaster
    x2 Shadow Madness
    x2 Auchenai Soulpriest
    x2 Cabal Shadow Priest
	
    It's Tempo at its finest. Note that despite how early leaning the curve
is; many of those cards aren't actually that early. For instance, Circle can
be played for Injured Blademaster, though it's main goal is either Auchenai or
Northshire to draw many cards. Light of the Naaru may cost 1 but it's main use
is being a 3 damage nuke with Auchenai although you can adjust obviously.
Northshire besides costing 1 should almost never be played on turn 1. Instead,
we look to turn 2 with Shadowboxer mostly. Shrinkmeister obviously can come
out although we really want to use him to combo with Shadow Word Pain, Shadow
Madness, or the Cabal as we snag something that we really shouldn't have been
able (it's what gives this deck some lategame presence despite not having
much of a lategame). Our turn 3 is quite big, with 6 really valuable drops.
ERF typically we want to combo again with Auchenai though adjust accordingly.
From there, you overwhelm your opponent through card advantage and tempo.



-----------------------------


      Druid
	  
    I love Druid and really so does many other players, as evidence by the
sheer number of viable decks. Like I said earlier, I used a simple Druid
deck (a version of Ramp) to hit Rank 4 without even trying (or grinding) so
it shows just how strong Druid cards can be. We have here, 4 versions of
Druid, that will have some similarities, but mostly each wins due to different
and powerful cards.


        Ramp Druid (Control)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Wild Growth
    x2 Wrath
    x1 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x1 Big Game Hunter
    x2 Harvest Golem
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x1 Nourish
    x2 Druid of the Claw
    x1 Faceless Manipulator
    x2 Sludge Belcher
    x1 Cairne Bloodhoof
    x2 Sunwalker
    x1 Sylvanas Windrunner
    x2 Ancient of Lore
    x2 Ancient of War
    x1 Ragnaros the Firelord
    x1 Ysera
	
    Ramp Druid is all about playing a ton of really strong minions sooner
than your opponent can react. As a result, this deck is similar to Control
Warrior but goes about it in a different way. Certainly some GVG cards could
be added but let's look at them. Grove Tender could work frankly as a 3 drop
to replace Harvest Golem who is there to serve as an early minion. The issue
is that Harvest Golem sticks around for a bit and Grove Tender has "each" in
it's wording. Druid of the Fang doesn't have enough beasts, and Recycle while
useful gets shunned due to us just wanting to have the big creatures and
putting it in would be quite hard. Certainly the Druid Legendaries could
be incorporated but frankly Cenarius is a bit slow and underwhelming for 9
mana and Malorne likewise lacks impact. This deck is all about response until
you start playing huge Minions.


        Force Roar (Midrange)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Wild Growth
    x2 Wrath
    x1 Bloodmage Thalnos
    x2 Savage Roar
    x2 Earthen Ring Farseer
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Chillwind Yeti
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x1 Nourish
    x2 Druid of the Claw
    x1 Loatheb
    x2 Sludge Belcher
    x2 Force of Nature
    x2 Recycle
    x2 Ancient of Lore
    x1 Ragnaros
	
    So the deck doesn't change a whole lot. The biggest thing is Recycle gives
Force Roar what Control Druid didn't really need; an answer. The playstyle
remains largely the same: get your opponent to 14 and then Force Roar for 9
mana. ERF comes in instead of Harvest Golem mostly because the 3 health helps
significantly and Yeti is here mostly because Coin+Innervate+Yeti can stomp
games by himself. Loatheb is crucial to stopping combos and yeah that's about
it. Similar but small changes here and there.


        Watcher Druid (Midrange)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Mark of the Wild
    x2 Wild Growth
    x2 Wrath
    x2 Ancient Watcher
    x2 Nerubian Egg
    x2 Sunfury Protector
    x2 Swipe
    x1 Defender of Argus
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x2 Nourish
    x2 Druid of the Claw
    x2 Sludge Belcher
    x1 Hogger
    x2 Ancient of Lore
    x1 KT
    x1 Ragnaros
	
    As I set out to make this using GVG I found myself... not! I'm sure
there could be some mild changes like instead of Hogger and Rag using Foe
Reaper and maybe the Leper Gnome maker guy... but the point is Watcher Druid
only improved from Naxxramas and not much has changed since then. The idea
is simple: give Taunt to Ancient Watcher and Nerubian Egg and laugh at your
opponent. Later in the game, we play some truly terrifying legendaries that
only get more and more gross every turn, hence why Hogger and Ragnaros work
so well in the Watcher Druid. I'd be curious to hear though what other people
are trying and experimenting with


        Token Druid (Tempo)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Power of the Wild
    x2 Wild Growth
    x2 Wrath
    x2 Haunted Creeper
    x2 Savage Roar
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Defender of Argus
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x2 Violet Teacher
    x1 Nourish
    x2 Druid of the Claw
    x2 Druid of the Fang
    x2 Dark Wispers
    x2 Ancient of Lore
    x1 Cenarius
	
    So Token Druid got revamped! The addition of Druid of the Fang and Dark
Wispers makes this a very strong contender I feel. We have 6 other beasts to
turn our 5 drop into a beastly 7/7 which is quite scary. We also have yet
another way to generate a bunch of 1/1s for a Savage Roar. Alternatively it
makes a huge 5/5 Taunt; although Wispers into Cenarius makes a disgusting army
of 3/3s. There's many combos here which is what makes it so nasty.


        Kinda Token Druid (Tempo)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Power of the Wild
    x2 Wrath
    x2 Echoing Ooze
    x2 Haunted Creeper
    x2 Savage Roar
    x2 Shade of Naxxramas
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Defender of Argus
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x2 Druid of the Claw
    x1 Druid of the Fang
    x2 Spectral Knight
    x2 Dark Wispers
    x1 Force of Nature
    x2 Ancient of Lore
	
    It's an almost identical decklist but with two changes: Harvest Golems got
yanked for Dark Wispers and Loatheb for a Druid of the Fang. This is for a
couple reasons. First, Loatheb is nice to have; but as this deck is way less
concerned about when it combo's, it would rather have a 7/7 instead of a 5/5
and hence why the Fang. Regarding Harvest Golem and Wispers; the Golem is a
nice 3 drop but we have Shade already. The Wispers gives us again something
the deck didn't always have, an answer. Wispers turns into 15 damage the
next turn with Roar. Wispers on an Echoing Ooze generates TWO 6/7 Taunts!
There's a number of ways to use it and this deck simply showcases another
couple ways.


        Mill Druid (Gimmick)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Naturalize
    x2 Wild Growth
    x2 Wrath
    x2 Youthful Brewmaster
    x2 Coldlight Oracle
    x2 Dancing Swords
    x2 Deathlord
    x1 Goblin Sapper
    x2 Grove Tender
    x2 Poison Seeds
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x2 Starfall
    x1 KT
    x2 Clockwork Giant
	
    Mill Rogue? Meet Mill Druid. Same idea though obviously some differences.
Innervate allows things to happen sooner, as does Wild Growth. Naturalize is
sick but works best when you can burn some cards. Grove Tender most of the
time we want to draw cards. Poison Seeds+Starfall is an emergency board clear
besides also triggering Swords and Deathlord if you need to. Again, it's
another annoying deck to face and strangely effective.


        Mill Druid (Gimmick v2)
    x2 Innervate
    x2 Naturalize
    x2 Wrath
    x2 Youthful Brewmaster
    x2 Healing Touch
    x2 Coldlight Oracle
    x2 Deathlord
    x2 Grove Tender
    x2 Poison Seeds
    x2 Swipe
    x2 Keeper of the Grove
    x2 Starfall
    x2 Antique Healbot
    x1 Druid of the Claw
    x2 Sludge Belcher
    x1 Tree of Life
	
    Unlike the other version that wins by taking advantage of the situation,
this one literally is all about stall. Poison Seeds + Starfall is still here,
but mostly it's about Tree of Life and gaining craploads of life and having
them run out of cards. It's quite good though I think the above version is
stronger as I've beaten this one a couple of times. That being said, it's not
bad. I should note that Mage has a similar deck as well that is more or less
the same idea.
	
	
	
-----------------------------


      Warlock
	  
    Honestly, there are about 50 Warlock decks but I've gone ahead and
narrowed them down to just 4 for you. Speaking of which, each VERSION of
these 4 has a million versions. Sigh. Anyway, let's go. First off, is my
Zoolock deck that is excellent for ladder climbing and just knocking out
wins when you need them.

    2x Soulfire
    2x Abusive Sergeant
    2x Flame Imp
    2x Leper Gnome
    2x Voidwalker
    2x Darkbomb
    2x Dire Wolf Alpha
    2x Haunted Creeper
    2x Ironbeak Owl
    2x Knife Juggler
    2x Harvest Golem
    2x Scarlet Crusader
    2x Defender of Argus
    2x Piloted Shredder
    2x Doomguard
	
    Here is my version updated for the changes. Undertaker is now too weak so
he gets dropped; and because of this Chow is unproductive due to the healing.
We now have 8 one drops, 6 of which we want to play on turn 1. As for 2 drops,
again we have 8 and 6 of them we want to play. This is kinda funny as 66% of
the deck is 2 or less mana. From there we have effective drops. Harvest Golem
and Scarlet Crusader trade effectively and are scary; Argus because Argus, and
Piloted Shredder is a great addition. That leaves Dommguard who's huge.

    Crafting required: Low
    Skill level: Low
    Power level: High
	
	
    Do you feel like killing your opponent with Murlocs? They are fun, and
outrageous if you get them down. However, Flamestrike hurts like hell as does
other removal. It's aggressive but way more vulnerable to removal as many of
the Murlocs suck without being paired up with a Warleader or Seer.

    2x Soulfire
    1x Mortal Coil
    2x Flame Imp
    2x Grimscale Oracle
    2x Murloc Raider
    2x Murloc Tidecaller
    2x Voidwalker
    2x Young Priestess
    2x Darkbomb
    1x Bloodmage Thalnos
    2x Knife Juggler
    2x Murloc Tidehunter
    2x Puddlestomper
    2x Coldlight Seer
    2x Murloc Warleader
    1x Old Murk-Eye
    2x Doomguard

    Only a few changes to reflect GvG. Darkbomb is a reason to use Thalnos now
as we have 5 spells. Puddlestomper is a great 3/2 for 2 that gets added. Other
than that not much has changed. Still Murlocs

    Crafting required: Low (Old Murk-Eye is free if you own all the Murlocs)
    Skill level: Low
    Power level: RGHGRHGRHGRRGRGR
	
	
        Zoolock v2 (mechs)
    x2 Soulfire
    x2 Clockwork Gnome
    x2 Flame Imp
    x2 Leper Gnome
    x2 Voidwalker
    x2 Darkbomb
    x2 Annoying Tron
    x2 Knife Juggler
    x2 Mechwarper
    x2 Micro Machine
    x2 Harvest Golem
    x2 Spider Tank
    x2 Tinkertown Technician
    x2 Defender of Argus
    x2 Doomguard
	
    Do you want to beat down with Mechs? I'd try out this version. I'm sure
someone wants to use the Fel Cannon and rankly it could work but that would
slow the deck down quite a bit. Same for Mimi's Head. It could work but we're
talking about slowing the deck down quite a bit. As it is; it's Zoo but with
trying to use a Mech theme to take advantage of things like Tinkertown. Shame
to say Tinkertown is the only card that is concerned with Mechs but frankly
if you want a solid deck this looks much better than something that works in
Fel Cannon, Mimi's Head, and even Mechanical Yeti because those are expensive
cards and what would you replace? Effective Flame Imps and Leper Gnomes?
Seems wasteful
	
	
    Do you feel like playing arguably the strongest deck out there right now?
Do you have 1241433242345234 crafting available? Alright let's talk Handlock

    2x Soulfire
    1x Mortal Coil
    2x Ancient Watcher
    2x Ironbeak Owl
    2x Sunfury Protector
    1x Big Game Hunter
    2x Earthen Ring Farseer
    1x Defender of Argus
    1x Hellfire
    2x Shadowflame
    2x Twilight Drake
    1x Faceless Manipulator
    1x Loatheb
    2x Sludge Belcher
    2x Siphon Soul
    1x Ragnaros the Firelord
    1x Lord Jaraxxus
    2x Mountain Giant
    2x Molten Giant
	
    Alright, so there's like 8 Warlock cards. This deck is all about abusing
certain aspects of other cards, made possible thanks to the Warlock being a
card draw engine. So let's look at some plays.

    Ancient Watcher
	
  This guy, can be silenced by the owl, or taunted up with Sunfury or Defender
giving you access to a huge 4/5 for 2 mana. Annoying. He can also be
shadowflamed, board wiping your opponent.

    Earthen Rings, not really a play, but can help heal some damage. A
possible substitute is Antique Healbot though for this deck I like ERF's
ability to target creatures as well.
	
    Big Game Hunter + Faceless
	
  Most often, you copy their huge Minion (Rag for example) and then BGH it
and make them sad.

    Mountain Giants and Twilight Drakes
	
  Mountain Giants get cheaper per each card in your hand (from 12, to
potentially 3) and Twilight Drakes gain health per each card in hand (up
to 10 max). As such, you generally see Handlock tapping for turns 2 and
3, before playing a huge beasty. Otherwise, it's Ancient Watcher --> Ironbeak
Owl and start swinging for 4 damage.

    Molten Giant + Jaraxxus
	
  You take a lot of damage doing this. Nothing shuts down your opponent like
Molten+Molten+Defender/Sunfury giving you two GIGANTIC taunts, for 4 mana.
Life sucks sometimes. Jaraxxus on the other hand can heal your hero back to
15 health, give you a 3/8 weapon, and lets you make 6/6 Infernals every turn
instead of drawing. WOW

    Handlock is crazy strong. It's also crazy hard to play, and even harder
to build as the crafting amount of the highest listed here I think, well over
6000 crafting. Even more if you want to slip in Sylvanas which is also common.

    If facing handlock, try to not to get them below 15 until you are ready
to win (and possible having direct damage to avoid Taunts) as a Warlock that
is below 10 health can play Moltens for free.

    All this being said, there are still a number of varieties that include
different legendaries as well as things like Annoy Bot. Try it out

    Crafting required: Whew
    Skill level: High
    Power level: Very High
	

        Demonlock
    x2 Soulfire
    x2 Voidwalker
    x2 Darkbomb
    x2 Demonfire
    x2 Mistress of Pain
    x2 Sense Demons
    x2 Void Terror
    x2 Hellfire
    x2 Voidcaller
    x2 Demonheart
    x2 Doomguard
    x2 Floating Watcher
    x2 Siphon Soul
    x2 Dread Infernal
    x1 Lord Jaraxxus
    x1 Mal'Ganis
	
    Demonlock got a nice upgrade. Darkbomb adds a nice nuke to control the
board and Demonheart is both stupid or a nuke at the same time. Mistress of
Pain adds an early drop which we desperately need (also makes running Demon
fire worth it now). We've got Void Terror who can be sexy and Voidcaller can
put out some huge Demons for cheap, especially Mal'Ganis who is lulzy when
done correctly. Note this card runs only Warlock cards but if we're going
with a Demon theme we want to take advantage all the way and frankly it works.
	
	

	
	
	
So that ends the Constructed decklist. I know I've left out some, but I
tried to include the "big" decks that are out there now. If I get pestered
enough about certain ones, I'll update and include them as well.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             09. Ranked Play                            [9000]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

    So I've talked about Ranked Play quite a bit, I'm sure you are curious
to understand a bit more about how it works.

    In Play mode, there are two options, Casual and Ranked. Let me tell you,
there is no difference. You have a hidden (not really) ranking based on the
number of wins you have that pairs you evenly (tries to) in this mode. The
only difference is that Casual has no ranking, no punishment for losing,
whereas Ranked goes from 25 to 1, and then Legend.

    Every time you win, you gain a star. After 3 wins (in a row) you gain
bonus stars so that you can advance more quickly. This is helpful, as each
Rank grows in the required number of stars to go to the next rank. For
instance, the highest, most beginning ranks (25-20) you need like 2-3 stars
to advance. By the medium ranks (7-12 or so) you need 5 stars to advance.
By rank 1, you need 7 stars or so. Once you hit Legend, you cannot lose it
for that season.

    Right, so each Ranked season is dictated by the month. On the first of
the month, everyone gets reset. If you reached Rank 20, you get that month's
cardback (usually a theme, like October is spoooky and this past September
was Arrrr Pirates). Now, based on how well you did that month, you get bonus
stars so you don't start from 25 every time.

    This is what we call Ladder Climbing.
	
    See, almost any deck, even F2P, can get comfortably to rank 10. It may
take some time, but to reach rank 10, you just have to be a good player; or
at least a moderate one. Once you've reached rank 5 or so, you are now in what
is known as "difficult grinding land" where you must push on and disregard
tough losses to advance each rank. From rank 1 to rank 5 I would argue that
there is no difference in skill, just people who are more devoted to the
ladder than others.

    As such, you typically will find, from rank 25 to rank 10 or so (even
lower really) lots and lots of Zoo. This is because Zoo wins quickly or
loses quickly. We've already established that Zoo is a fairly strong deck,
so it is a really popular choice to climb the ladder. Handlock may be the best
but each Handlock game takes twice that of a Zoo so why not just use Zoo?

    And by the time you've reached the grinding zone, this is where you are
not facing just Zoo anymore, but the Control Pali, the Control Warrior, the
Handlock, the shitstorm of tough decks that are perfectly (well, they run
legendaries) so it becomes much more difficult to advance further.

    If I was you, I would wait to climb the ladder until about a week into
the month, that way you don't have to face the top Legends players. After a
week, they'll be mostly up there so you can face relatively similar players.
Use Zoo till about 7 or 8, and then pick a deck you really like and have at it




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             10. Tournaments                            [AAAA]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    One thing I enjoy, is Tournaments. Tournaments in Hearthstone are
basically Ranked play except with some control over what happens. Usually, a
player brings along 3-5 decks (depends on the format and whatnot). You get to
ban a deck from your opponent and likewise they ban one of your decks.

    For example, in a best of 3, you'd bring 4 decks along. One gets banned,
and then you pick a deck to play. If you win, you play the same deck. If you
lose, that deck is eliminated (for now) and you choose a different deck.

    Why this is fun, is it brings an element to the game that it should have,
something that is missed when playing Ranked because in Ranked you have no
control over who you are facing. A card like Harrison Jones is a perfect
example of a card that is used in almost every deck in Tournaments, but hardly
ever in Ranked play, because you can't control facing someone who might use
weapons. In Tournaments though, it's worth slipping in Mr. Jones because the
chances of facing a Doomhammer, Assassin's Blade, or some other huge weapon
is very high and taking it out is essential.

    As for getting into Tournaments, it's quite simple really. Play this a
LOT, and hit Legendary status. You'll get your invite. You could also get
a sponsor like Team Liquid or Cloud 9, but then again those are all Legend
Ranked players too. They play Hearthstone, A LOT.

    Rest assured, you won't be seeing my ass in any tournament soon. I play
too many other games to get that level of devotion down to Hearthstone.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             11. How to Improve                         [BBBB]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I hope what you have read so far, and what we've gone over has helped.
But there's always things you can do extra to get that slight edge. So here
is my section of tips and hints, to help give you that edge over your opponent


    TIP #1
  WATCH PROFESIONALS PLAY
  
    It should come as no surprise, that just like any other game, it helps
to watch the best play. In this case, Blizzard does an outstanding job of
telling us when tournaments are coming. You can also youtube search for
Hearthstone tournaments and find billions of videos there.

    For youtube, you can check out:
                                    TrumpSC
                                    Amaz
                                    Hearthstone Vods
									
    Trump and Amaz are entertaining streamers from Twitch who upload to their
youtube frequently, and Hearthstone Vods uploads basically any Hearthstone
tournament for you to watch.

    For twitch, you can again, check out Trump or Amaz, but Reynad, Deernadia,
or Kolento are very good/popular as well. Hell, most Legendary Hearthstone
players stream, the difference is sorting the good ones, like Kolento, out
from some of the more "watched" streamers because they are very attractive
girls, like Morberplz. That's not to say she isn't good, but she has never
reached Legendary Status so far as I'm aware whereas Deernadia has (also a
hawty).

    TIP #2
  PLAY WHEN YOUR MIND IS RIGHT
  
    Like any other game that requires thinking, you want to play when you are
not tired, drunk, high, or emotional, otherwise you will make bad decisions.
An easy test of this is to try it out with Arena. Despite Arena being random,
you'll notice your performance get 3 or 4 more wins if you are focused and
determined versus playing at 3 AM when you are avoiding going to sleep.

    TIP #3
  ALWAYS THINK THROUGH YOUR TURN
  
    It's simple, but grossly not taken advantage of. You get time to do your
turn, so think about it. Think, is there anything better to do? Can I clear
his board? Can I risk playing this? Do I have lethal? Am I at risk of lethal?

    Oftentimes, and I'm not kidding, you'll find that you missed lethal only
to be killed by your opponent on their turn. It puts you in a bad bad mood
and you should resort to tip #2.

    TIP #4
  TALK TO OTHERS, PARTICIPATE IN FORUMS
  
    Is it in forums, or on forums... anyway, Hearthstone like MTG is a game
with a Metagame that is constantly changing. The best way to learn about the
game, and maybe pick up a hint or two, is to pay attention, and participate.
If you're watching a Streamer (or a youtube) think to yourself, would I have
done that? Do you agree with the announcers analysis? Did they miss lethal?
Did you see that play before they did it?

    Not to mention, getting active on the forums (there's a Liquid one, and
a Hearthstone one, both good) is a good way to get feedback specifically for
your constructed decks and your Arena runs. Feedback is an essential tool
for improving, and luckily, everyone always wants to give their advice, you
just have to ask for it.

    TIP #5
  AVOID GIMMICKY DECKS
  
    So basically, you want your deck to be versatile right? Alright let's talk
real quick about what I mean, using MTG as an example.

    Back in the late nineties, (and if you've never played MTG just work with
me here) one of the archetypes was a deck known as Red-Green beats. It was a
deck, playtested by alphabetaunlimited.com (a team of 3 of the greatest MTG
players of the time) and shown to be brutally effective in any format as it
disregarded card economy in favor of winning the game quickly. Basically, Zoo.

    Now, in MTG, there are 5 colors, Red, Blue, White, Green, and Black. To
get Mana, you have to tap lands, mountains, islands, plains, forests, or
swamps (or something "special". As expected, each color is also associated
with something, particular. Like don't expect a kill spell in Blue, that's
for Black.

    Anyways, Red-Green beats was strong, but you know what was stronger? A
variation on Red-Green beats that was 4 colors, Red-Green-Black-White. The
deck splashed Black, for removal, and White, for enchantment removal. By
doing so, their mana base became slightly uglier, but they now had access to
cards that Red-Green, didn't normally have.

    This brings us back to Hearthstone, as Red-Green beats could be countered
by certain decks as it simply didn't have an answer, whereas the Red-Green
splashed could compete against ANY deck, as it had answers there.

    Similarly, for Hearthstone, you don't want to play a deck that can be
hard countered simply by existing. How frustrating is it losing to a 8/8
Taunt every time? Then it may be worth putting in Big Game Hunter. Tired of
enchanted creatures? Might be worth putting in some extra Silences, an Owl
or maybe even Spellbreaker too. Weapons giving you a problem? Hello Ooze.
Need a better answer early or late? Consider using Deathrattles as opposed to
stronger creatures as Deathrattles tend to stick around longer. Always just
running out of life? There exists quite a few creatures that heal, the best
being Earthen Ring Farseer.

    On the other hand, you might have gimmicks that *could* work, but are
destroyed if something happens. A perfect example is the Druid deck, Alarm o
Bot. It's not listed here, but needless to say, if that Alarm o Bot gets taken
out; the deck sucks. So why bother using it? On that same coin, using cards
like Milhouse Manastorm, Pat Nagle, or Elite Tauren Chieftan are very risky,
as you never know what you are walking into. Sure, a 4/4 for 2 is strong, but
if you walk into a Druid deck that is 25 spells and they win the game next
turn you are going to feel real dumb. Pat Nagle could get you an extra card,
but he could also sit out there for 5 turns and not do a damn thing.

    So I guess, rather than use gimmick or chance, you're better off using
reliable answers. Save gimmicks or fun time with your buddies. It'll help
quite a bit, I promise.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             12. Arena                                  [CCCC]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    So Arena, we've finally reached it. It's been so long, let's review
what it is exactly.

    You pay 150 gold, or $1.99 USD to play in the Arena. You are offered 3
heroes to choose from, and then you are given 3 cards to pick from, 30 times,
to assemble your deck. Cards grabbed here are not added to your collection.
The cards are completely random, but the first and last pack will be at least
a rare. Once you've lost 3 times, or won 12 times, or chosen to retire your
deck if you hated it, you get your prize. You will always get a pack, and from
there rewards a completely random. At 7 wins, you are guaranteed winning at
least 150 gold. At 12 wins, you get 5 prize bundles, and typically win a
second pack.

    Is it worth it?
	
	
    Many people will say no, Arena is a scam. That the 150 gold, through two
runs, will have net you 2 packs whereas you could have bought 3 packs with
that 300 gold.

    Here's my take on it: Arena is a completely different beast. It requires
know-how, a little bit of luck, and very careful playing. Unlike constructed,
there is no second chances. After that third loss you are done.

    So if you are into that sort of stuff, and if you are into building your
collection slowly, it's perfect for you. If you are looking for a quick fix,
a huge collection boost, then you should consider getting packs, as it's much
faster, as Arena requires you play games to get packs.


    Now, that aside, let's talk a little bit about Arena. Trump, at Liquid's
website, liquidhearth, has posted an article about Arena that is FANTASTIC,
and a great read: http://www.liquidhearth.com/guides/arena-tier-list

    You should really read it before going into Arena, as he breaks down
not only all the cards, but even gives great explanations and talks about the
classes.


    He does not have the Naxxramas included however, so let's talk about what
updates haven't been included, and here is my overall take.


    First off, the classes. There are 9 of them, which should you choose?
I've been keeping track of my Arena runs for a while now, and I would tell you
that overwhelmingly, that Warrior is the best choice. From there, Paladin,
Prist, and Mage are all great. Druid and Shaman follow closely behind, leaving
Warlock, then Rogue, and lastly, Hunter.

    So how did I come to this conclusion?
	
	
    Warrior. Why is Warrior so good? The answer is quite simple, Naxxramas,
specifically, Death's Bite. Weapons, are already a good investment, but in
Arena, Weapons provide immeasurable card advantage. Alright, quick aside.

    Hearthstone is a game of board control and card advantage right? Take that
and pull it to the extremes, now we're in Arena. Arena, is an environment
ruled by cost effective Minions, and 3/2's.

    Alright, back to Warrior. So Warriors have 2 great weapons at their
disposal, Fiery Win Axe, and Death's Bite. They will almost always 2-1,
meaning you have gained a card advantage. Add in a second, or a third, and
now you have a 3 or 4 card advantage despite not having drawn any more cards.

    Now, the Warrior Minions are also great; and we're talking just commons
as the rare+ we cannot count on. We have, Arathi Weaponsmith (he, brings a
weapon along), Kor'Kron Elite, and Cruel Taskmaster. These guys hit hard and
can help single-handily change the game.


    Moving along, we have the Paladin. With seeing the Warrior's description,
you can probably guess as to what makes Paladin so good. He has Truesilver
Champion, and Consecrate which are great, but also Argent Protector provides
great 2-1 status and Blessing of Kings is just gross.

    Something that really helps the Paladin though, is his hero power. See,
even if the game goes long and your lategame isn't great, the Paladin hero
power can flood the board with 1/1 Minions that unless you are Druid or Mage,
you can't remove them forever. Many games have been won simply because the
Paladin hero power proves to be brutally effective.


    Between Priest and Mage, it's fairly close. A lot of people claim Mage is
easy mode, but that is not a certainty. Hell, if you could guarantee getting
at least 6 spells between Frostbolt, Fireball, and Flamestrike, then Mage
would likely be number 1. However, if you don't get the good removal, then the
Mage falls flat; pretty hard too. The Mage Minions, kinda suck. Water
Elemental is great, but Mage Wyrm and Sorcerers Apprentice are meh. They have
no oomph that other Minions bring.

    On the Priest side, you have some of the best Arena cards between Temple
Enforcer, Power Word Shield, and Lightspawn. Hell, in a match up of just
looking at class cards, I'd say Priest is the best stand alone with raw
power. Health is great, and the Priest can keep his guys alive and really
change the game. Add in a single Mind Control and you are almost always
protected from that Legendary you weren't offered.


    At this juncture, we enter the medium classes. Observe how Priest and Mage
can all affect the board, with their heal or damage; Paladin straight up makes
dudes. So in addition to their cards, their hero powers are great for this.
The others now, aren't so good. Shaman for example, makes Minions. However,
his Minions aren't 1/1's that flood the board and attack. His, well, most
can't even hurt anything.

    That's not to say they don't have good cards, Fire Elemental is an
absolute bomb and Hex makes things go away, but other than that their class
cards are considerably weaker in Arena. Add in their dependancy on getting
rares, specifically, one rare, specifically, Lightning Storm, and you can see
where Shaman falls down a bit in the rankings compared to the other classes
so far.

    Regarding Druid, they have some excellent cards, and his hero power can
affect the board! So why isn't he higher? Well, let's look for a moment. We
have Swipe, Wrath, Claw, and Starfire as great removal spells. However, they
are spells, not Minions which means they 1-1, and maybe 2-1 in cases of Swipe.
That means you have Druid of the Claw, Power of the Wild, and Ironbark
Protector, who are huge, but can they win the game? Well, you may not even
make it there, is the problem.

    And while his hero power can affect the board, it gets greatly neutered
by large taunts, and it becomes a weaker Armor Up. I mean, I love Druid, but
for Arena I have had some frustrating losses, and it's fairly easy to see why
there exists some frustrating losses.


    That brings us to the last 3, Warlock, Rogue, and then, Hunter.
	
    So regarding Warlock, given his versatility with constructed, and how
strong drawing cards is, wouldn't he be the best? Not exactly. Far from it,
actually, as his hero power can be completely negated by good cards from the
opponent, and you getting too low. If you're against a Mage or Hunter for
example, you have to be REALLY CAREFUL tapping below 10 health. And if you
aren't in great board control, tapping can add that 2 damage your opponent
needs to take you out.

    Now, Warlock does have some great cards. Flame Imp, Soul Fire, and
Voidcaller are very strong, not to mention Hellfire is a whooping. But, and
here is the big But (heh) he suffers from inconsistency. With only 3 losses
taking you down, if you have just a bad draw here or there, suddenly you are
out of the Arena, despite having a bomb deck, because you took too much damage
and couldn't recover! It's really frustrating to lose like that, and for
Warlock, his power in this case doesn't help at all.

    With Rogue, I think I speak for myself mostly, but for a lot of people,
that I just don't like Rogue. They are not among my favorite class to play,
and when it comes to Arena, I've played em 4 times. But, that shouldn't
come as a surprise, because look at their cards. Where's their creatures?
Well that's just it; their Minions, there aren't any! Spells are great, but
unless you are making 2, 3, or 4 for 1 exchanges, spells just aren't that
great. Minions stay there and when you don't have anything special to look
for, you end up relying on getting the Spells, and if you don't...

    Rogues do have weapons. However, the 1 damage hero power sucks hard and
often costs you more health than benefit. With Deadly Poison or Assassin's
Blade, that helps too, but those aren't as nice as say having Fiery Win Axe,
Death's Bite, Arcanite Reaper, and a handful of fantastic Minions to boot.

    Leaving us to Hunter. You should cheer whenever you face one, because
Hunter is the worst Arena class by far. Their hero power, SUCKS. It affects
the board 0. Their class cards, are meh, with most of them relying on pure
chance. Animal Companion? If you get 3 Huffers, that can lose you the game.
Webspinner? Good luck there. Now, Scar is a fantastic rare, and they do have
some good cards, but in all honesty you should never be picking Hunter unless
you really need to for some reason (say, a Dominance quest or something).



    So let's look at Minions then. I'm not going to copy his list, as I've
linked the webpage for you; just use that as a resource. Regarding Naxxramas
cards though, here is my personal take on where they fit into things.

==============================================================================

LEGENDARY
BEST         EXCELLENT       GOOD                AVERAGE         POOR/TERRIBLE
             Kel'Thuzad      Feugen              Stalagg         Maexxna
                             Loatheb             Baron Rivendare
							 
							 
Explanation:

    EXCELLENT
	
  Kel'Thuzad
His value is build quite a bit on how many Minions you have out there. He
has a huge body, his 6 power stinks a bit in terms of matching up against huge
fatties, but it does save him from Big Game Hunter. Eight health is nice
though. KT is a pretty solid choice though overall


    GOOD
	
  Feugen
While you will NEVER GET THADDIUS EVER in Arena, Feugen is still a 4/7 for 5
mana, which makes him 11 stats for 5, which is better than most other 5 drops,
meaning that Feugen in a pack with Manastorm and Nat Pagle, you'll be taking
Feugen.
  Loatheb
He's a 5/5 for 5. His battlecry is much weaker in Arena thanks to the number
of Minions, but he's still a large body to contend with


    AVERAGE
	
  Stalagg
A 7/4 is also 11 stats. However, that 4 Health is a glaring weakness and being
brought down by a boosted 2/1 doesn't scream dealbreaker to me.
  Baron Rivendare
He's like KT, except he has 1 power and an ability that may or may not matter.
His usefulness goes up per each Deathrattle in your deck, but then again only
for how many you see. It makes him a fairly average pick, mostly bad.


    POOR/TERRIBLE
	
  Maexxna
If she were a 4/8 with no ability she'd be great. As it is, her ability is
dumb, and she suffers from having 2 attack. She sucks.

==============================================================================

EPIC
BEST         EXCELLENT       GOOD                AVERAGE         POOR/TERRIBLE
                             Echoing Ooze        Shade of Naxxramas
							 
							 
Explanation:

    GOOD
	
  Echoing Ooze
He's a 2/4 of stats for 2 mana, which is good, despite it being spread out on
two Minions. The added benefit of attaching things like Argus, Blessing of
Kings, or Mark of the Wild makes his value go up.


    AVERAGE
	
  Shade of Naxxramas
He's a 2/2 for 3, that doesn't really begin to build value until he's been out
there for two or three turns. He's really just average

==============================================================================

RARE
BEST         EXCELLENT       GOOD                AVERAGE         POOR/TERRIBLE
Sludge Belcher               Deathlord           Nerubian Egg
                                                 Wailing Soul


Explanation:

    BEST
	
  Sludge Belcher
He's a 4/7 Taunt for 5, which is great. He comes in two pieces, which in most
cases is even better, as it better protects your guys. Sludge Belcher is a
fantastic choice.


    GOOD
	
  Deathlord
At 10 stats, he's the largest 3 mana Minion out there. However, his downside
is fairly huge. The advantage in Arena, is that you're likely to see a 3/2
come out, which seems fair, if your Deathlord is able to take down a couple
other creatures. Bonus points for getting out a battlecry. Negative points
for seeing an early Ragnaros (WTF!)


    AVERAGE
	
  Nerubian Egg
It's highly vulnerable to silence as well as getting it killed. It should
rank lower but getting a 4/4 for 2 mana keeps it as an average pick. If this
comes later in the draft and you have at least 3 ways to get it killed, then
it's value goes up much higher
  Wailing Soul
He's a 3/5 for 4, which fits right into most 4 drops. His battlecry, mostly
sucks, but can be helpful. Overall, that's why he's average.

==============================================================================

COMMON
BEST         EXCELLENT       GOOD                AVERAGE         POOR/TERRIBLE
Zombie Chow  Spectral Knight  Haunted Creeper   Mad Scientist   Dancing Swords
                            Undertaker*                       Nerub'ar Weblord
                            Unstable Ghoul*                 Stoneskin Gargoyle
CLASS COMMONS
Avenge      Anub'ar Ambusher                                  Poison Seeds
Dark Cultist                Duplicate          Reincarnate
Voidcaller                                     Webspinner
Death's Bite


Explanation:

    BEST

  Zombie Chow
This guy is a beast. He is an absolute monster in a field of 3/2's, as he
himself is a 2/3 for 1. In a format defined by card advantage, Zombie Chow
will almost always 2-1 for you and there just isn't much more you can ask
from a 1 drop like that.


    EXCELLENT
	
  Spectral Knight
This guy is strong, and even stronger if against certain classes like Mage.
For 5 mana, he comes as a 4/6, which is a bit less (we'd hope for 11 stats)
but in any event, his Faerie-Dragon like status proves to be really helpful
here as he can trade with most of them and live to tell the tale. The fact
Minions have to take him out, means you get to choose the condition in which
he lives or dies.


    GOOD
	
  Haunted Creeper
He's not the best choice, and I'd prefer a Harvest Golem over him, nonetheless
Haunted Creeper is a good 2 drop. If he had more power, he'd be a shoe-in,
it's just that more often than not, he himself will only 1-1 something, which
is what ultimately weakens his status to good.
  Undertaker
By himself, he's bad. A 1/2 for 1... you might as well have Goldshire Footman.
However, with every Deathrattle you take, his value goes up, and up, and up,
and well, now you have a 1 drop that suddenly can get quite a bit of value,
making him an excellent choice, which balances out to good.
  Unstable Ghoul
For Paladins, this guy isn't as good. In any other case, he's quite strong.
While he only has 1 power, his implosion allows him to deal with 3/2's just
like anybody else. And if you are able to build around him (with Acolyte of
Pain for example) you can actually 2 or 3 for 1 off this guy, taking out a
Minion and drawing extra cards. Pretty handy


    AVERAGE
	
  Mad Scientist
He's a 2/2 for 2, which is nothing special. Consider then his Deathrattle,
which only works with 3 of the classes, and the fact you have to have Secrets
for it to matter, makes him a very average, borderline poor choice.


    POOR/TERRIBLE
	
  Dancing Swords
In an environment of 3/2's, why wouldn't you want Dancing Swords? Pretty easy
really. Because even if he at bests, 2-1's for you, it's not really a 2-1
because they get to draw a card, meaning you HAVE to 2-1 with him just to
break even. Not worth it.
  Nerub'ar Weblord
A small 1 power Minion with an ability that may or may not affect him that
could also affect you, I'd pass.
  Stoneskin Gargoyle
For 3 mana, you could do better than this. It's garbage.

==============================================================================

EXPLANATION, CLASS COMMONS

    BEST
	
  Avenge
For 1 mana, you generate 3/2 of stats. That's freaking fantastic. Sure it can
get silenced, sure it's random, but the value there is just obnoxious. Bonus
points for "Get Down" being a stronger Arena choice meaning you can bluff your
opponents too.
  Dark Cultist
He's the games only 3/4 for 3 mana, that alone tells you of how good he is.
Combine that with his really strong Deathrattle, and Dark Cultist is a best,
if not one of the best choices you could take.
  Voidcaller
Similar to Dark Cultist, this guy is really good. His stats are a bit low for
a 4 cost Minion, however, getting a free Demon from your hand, is just REALLY
FREAKING NICE. My last Warlock Arena won several games, simply because they
killed my Voidcaller and saw a Doomguard show up; followed by an immediate
concede from them. Voidcaller makes Warlock viable, almost.
  Death's Bite
As described earlier, this weapon launched Warrior to #1 status in my book.
It's another common weapon (meaning Warrior has 3 to choose from), but it
also gives access (something I've yet talked about) to Warriors taking out
5 health minions (like Yeti or Das'Dingo) because of the explosion of the
Deathrattle. It's awesome.


    EXCELLENT
	
  Anub'ar Ambusher
He's fairly nice. He's a 10 stat, 5/5, for 4 mana, which is bigger than Yeti
or Das'Dingo. However, his deathrattle can be very detrimental. If you can
work around it, he is a very strong 4 drop though, I'd still prefer Yeti.


    GOOD
	
  Duplicate
For constructed, Duplicate is decent. For Arena, it's still just decent. The
problem being, that the game is ruled by 3/2's, meaning that Duplicate for 3
mana, will grant you back two 3/2's. It's good, but not great. If you can
combine it with something like Das'Dingo, or Yeti, it becomes great. On the
other hand, you could also Duplicate a Sheep. That's terrible.


    AVERAGE

  Webspinner
Half the time he'll bring you goodies, the other half the time you'd wish it
could be anything else. And then you'll get Captain's Parrot and be really
sad.
  Reincarnate
The only reason this isn't a terrible card is because it doubles as Silence.
You can potentially get aid out of your Deathrattle, you can also heal a
tankier Minion, and you can reset any enchantments on enemy creatures. All
those add up to an average card.


    POOR/TERRIBLE
	
  Poison Seeds
This thing is just horrible

==============================================================================


    Alright, so we're almost done here. Let's talk briefly about Mana Curve
for your Arena.

    Concerning Mana Curve, what is good? Where should it be? I was actually
thinking to myself the other day, about a way to numerically rate an Arena
run before you play it. Basically, you could look at the deck, and accurately
(+/- a win) predict how well you would do, assuming you play perfectly.
Strangely enough, I actually came up with something pretty cool that I want
to share now with you.


    Let's say, you can score up to 100 points. A score of 100, would be a 12-0
victory. The BEST, Arena deck. A score of 50 points, would be failing, and
means you might get 5 wins. A 75 is a solid and average score, meaning that
you'll get 7 wins. Following?

                            100.......12 wins
                             75........7 wins
                             50........5 wins
                             25........2 wins

    You can see, that it is not a linear scale as 100:12 would imply 75:9,
50:6, and 25:3, but it actually is quite close. Anyway, let's look at this.

MANA CURVE (xx/50)

    Regarding curves, we want a nice bell-curve, skewed right. It should look:
	
                          |   --
                          | --  ----
                          |         --
                          |           --
                          |             --
                          ______________________
						  
    We want the majority of our stuff, to be cheaper, with it tailing off
towards the more expensive end. An approximate 30 card breakdown should look
something like

                            1 or 0 | 10% | 3 cards
                              2    | 27% | 8 cards
                              3    | 20% | 6 cards
                              4    | 17% | 5 cards
                              5    | 13% | 4 cards
                              6+   | 13% | 4 cards
							  
    Thus, there are some key distinctions here. We want a minimum of 7 two
drops. This does not include spells. We want at least 7 Minions. This is
vitally important to starting to establish board control. Note that in the
case with several decks, they won't have anything less than 1, meaning the
curve gets slightly adjusted to reflect that. Anyways, look at this

                            2 cost Minions | 7 < x < 9
                            Midrange (3-4) | 4 < x < 6
                            Late game (5+) | 5 < x < 8
							
    These are just guidelines, but it helps. Also note that the 2 cost Minions
is different than the rest, in the important of Minions. We're talking 2 cost
Minions, but late game we are wanting strong late game plays. Mind Control for
example is not a Minion, but it counts towards a Late game.

    Anyway, Mana Curve is a huge part, and as such it's worth quite a few
points to try and nail for doing well. Even if your cards stink, just having
a good curve is nearly half the battle.

SPELLS (xx/15)

    Minions are good, spells are good, however, we want spells, but not all
spells. I'm sorry, that sentence sucks. Let's try again.

    You want at least 7 spells, but no more than 12. Even if you're a Mage,
if you start encroaching over that 12 barrier you run the risk of not having
anything to play and you don't really want to Fireball their face pointlessly.

MINIONS (xx/25)

    The essential factoid of an Arena run, let's talk about Minions. There is
no way to numerically rate any generic Arena deck based on its Minions. But
there is one way to look at it, using the Mana Curve breakdown there. Mana
Curve is looking at just Mana Curve, here we want just Minions.

                             Early Game (2>) | 7
                             Midrange (3-5)  | 7
                             Lategame (6+)   | 8
							 
    So you can see the importance of having those early plays. That means
sometimes taking a crappy 2/3 Pirate over the 5/4 Priestess because you would
rather get the body down early as opposed to simply passing the turn.

CLASS (xx/10)

    What do I mean by this? No not what class you picked, but rather, did you
get the defining class card? What does this mean? Let's take a look

                             Mage: Fireball, Frostbolt, Flamestrike
                             Priest: Shadow Word Death/Pain, Holy Nova
                             Warrior: Fiery Win Axe, Death's Bite
                             Druid: Swipe, Claw, Wrath
                             Paladin: Consecration, Truesilver Champion
                             Shaman: Hex, Fire Elemental
                             Warlock: Voidcaller, Hellfire, Soulfire
                             Rogue: Eviscerate, Assassinate, Backstab
                             Hunter: Unleash, Animal Companion, Hunter's mark
							 
    These aren't all the cards, but it's just to give you an idea.
Realistically, you could have a list of all class cards that are excellent or
better choices, and score a point for each one up to 7, then receive full
credit for the category. Observe as well how this protects from the other
categories, as having 10 flame strikes would give you 10 points here, but
would deter from both the other categories as having 10 flame strikes would
be a rather terrible deck. So now that we've talked about defining, let's
talk about actually scoring this thing.

                               Mana Curve (xx/50)
                               Spells     (xx/15)
                               Minions    (xx/25)
                               Class      (xx/10)
							   
    Regarding Mana Curve:

                             -------------------------
                             | Cost | Cards | Points |
                             | 2>   |  10   |  20    |
                             | 2>   |  7-9  |  17    |
                             | 2>   |  4-6  |  14    |
                             | 2>   |  3>   |  10    |
                             | 2>   |  11+  |  16    |
                             |=======================|
                             | 3-5  |  12   |  15    |
                             | 3-5  |  9-11 |  13    |
                             | 3-5  |  5-8  |  10    |
                             | 3-5  |  4>   |  7     |
                             | 3-5  |  13+  |  12    |
                             |=======================|
                             | 6+   |  8    |  15    |
                             | 6+   |  4-7  |  12    |
                             | 6+   |  3>   |  9     |
                             | 6+   |  9+   |  11    |
                             -------------------------
							 
*The points decrease if it's off, and if you're over that's what the last row
in each section signifies

    Regarding Spells:
	
                         ---------------------
                         |   8-9 spells | 15 |
                         |   5-7 spells | 10 |
                         | 10-12 spells | 10 |
                         |   4>  spells | 5  |
                         |   13+ spells | 5  |
                         ---------------------
*Spells are any Non-Minion
						 
    Regarding Minions:
	
                      --------------------
                      | 1 or 0 | 3>  | 5 |
                      | 1 or 0 | 4+  | 0 |
                      | =================|
                      |    2   | 7   | 5 |
                      |    2   | 5-6 | 4 |
                      |    2   | 8-9 | 4 |
                      |    2   | 4>  | 2 |
                      |    2   | 10+ | 2 |
                      |==================|
                      | 3 or 4 | 7-9 | 5 |
                      | 3 or 4 | 6|8 | 4 |
                      | 3 or 4 | 5|9 | 3 |
                      | 3 or 4 | 4>  | 0 |
                      | 3 or 4 | 10+ | 2 |
                      |==================|
                      | 5 or 6 | 4-8 | 5 |
                      |   7+   | 0-4 | 5 |
                      | 5 or 6 | 3>  | 2 |
                      | 5 or 6 | 7+  | 2 |
                      |   7+   | 5   | 3 |
                      |   7+   | 6+  | 0 |
                      |------------------|
*The reason 5+ is done the way it is; you are looking for eight 5+ Minions.
The exact breakdown has variable, but you really don't want more or less than

    Regarding Class:
	
  This is done separately, for each Class
  
        Warlock
            Flame Imp, Soulfire, Dread Infernal
            Mortal Coil, Hellfire, Voidcaller
        Warrior
            Fiery War Axe, Arathi Weaponsmith, Arcanite Reaper
            Cleave, Kor'Kron Elite, Slam, Death's Bite
        Paladin
            Truesilver Champion, Consecrate, Blessing of Kings
            Hammer of Wrath, Argent Protector
        Shaman
            Fire Elemental, Hex, Stormforged Axe
            Flametongue Totem, Unbound Elemental
        Priest
            Temple Enforcer, Power Word Shield, Lightspawn
            Holy Nova, Shadow Word Death/Pain, Northshire Cleric
            Dark Cultist
        Rogue
            Backstab, Deadly Poison, Evicerate
            Assassin's Blade, Assassinate, Anub'ar Ambusher
        Druid
            Swipe, Druid of the Claw, Power of the Wild, Wrath
            Ironbark Protector, Claw, Starfire
        Mage
            Flamestrike, Water Elemental, Fireball
            Frostbolt, Polymorph
        Hunter
            Hunter's Mark, Unleash, Animal Companion, Houndmaster
			
    Score 1 point for each of those cards up to 10 for the category

        Warlock
            Lord Jaraxxus, Pit Lord, Doomguard
        Warrior
            Grommash Hellscream, Gorehowl, Frothing Berserker
        Paladin
            Tirion Fordring, Sword of Justice, Avenging Wrath
            Lay on Hands, Aldor Peacekeeper, Equality
        Shaman
            Al'Akir the Windlord, Earth Elemental, Doomhammer
            Lightning Storm, Feral Spirit
        Priest
            Cabal Shadow Priest, Shadow Madness, Auchenai Soulpriest
        Rogue
            SI 7 Agent, Perdition's Blade
        Druid
            Cenarius, Ancient of War, Ancient of Lore, Force of Nature
            Keeper of the Grove, Starfall, Nourish
        Mage
            Archmage Antonidas (only if you meet maximal spell criteria)
        Hunter
            Explosive Shot, Savannah Highmane
			
    Score 2 points for each of these cards (no limit)
	
The reasoning here, is to see if you got a good number of cards that define
the class (hence why you picked it). That's not to say a Mage with none of
those above listed cards couldn't go 12 wins, it's just VERY UNLIKELY. Also,
if you haven't noticed, commons score 1 point (and stop at 10) whereas
anything rare or better (if it's on that list) scores 2 indefinitely. Now...
I realize a deck of 30 Jaraxxus would be TERRIBLE. However, that won't happen,
ever. That's not to say you should have 5 Explosive Shot, although it's a good
card. On the other hand, a deck of 30 SI 7 Agent, while redundant, would be
not bad. Except it would, as you would score 60 points here but then 0 almost
everywhere else, meaning you might get 5 wins. Haha see it kinda works out.


At the end of the day, what am I really talking about here? I'm talking about
having a deck that's roughly 20-22 Minions, and 8-10 non-Minions. I'm talking
about of those 30 cards, try to have at least 20% of them be Excellent Class
cards. I'm talking about having a Mana Curve that makes a nice skewed-right
bell shape. If you do those things, you should do just fine.



    My trials? Here, I'll load (I say that loosely) a couple of my Arena
decks and test them to my rubrick and then I'll say at the end how accurate I
was. This could be fun to see just how accurate my rubrick is. In the future,
I may even list my whole Arena draft a couple of times just to give you an
idea of what and why I decided to go with. Trump uploads tons of Arena runs,
as does many of the other streamers do Arena quite a bit. Here it is for you
in boring text; though much more detail =)

    Arena #1, Priest
	
    1x Mind Vision
    1x Power Word Shield
    1x Lightwarden
    2x Northshire Cleric
    1x Undertaker
    1x Acidic Swamp Ooze
    1x Bloodfen Raptor
    1x Ironbeak Owl
    2x Loot Hoarder
    1x Sunfury Protector
    1x Shadow Word Death
    1x Acolyte of Pain
    4x Dark Cultist
    1x Demolisher
    1x Wolfrider
    1x Auchenai Soulpriest
    1x Dark Iron Dwarf
    1x Lightspawn
    1x Azure Drake
    1x Silver Hand Knight
    1x Boulderfist Ogre
    1x Frost Elemental
    2x Temple Enforcer
    1x Stormwind Champion
	
  MANA CURVE
|
|    =
| ==  |
|     |
|     | |=
|     ==| |
|__________=_____

    That's what it looks like anyways. The exact breakdown is:

        1 | 6 | 20%
        2 | 6 | 20%
        3 | 8 | 27%
        4 | 3 | 10%
        5 | 2 | 07%
        6 | 4 | 13%
        7 | 1 | 03%
		
    Which gives a general bellshape. We're looking for about 50-60% of our
cards to be cheaper, and I'm a bit high here with 67% of my cards costing 3 or
less. As for lategame cards, my 5+ count is at 7, which is a bit low.

  SPELLS
  
    Whoops, only 3 spells
	
  MINIONS
  
    Well my Minion breakdown is fairly good. A bit strong leaning towards
early, but here is where Class comes into play, as we see that in that 3 cost
is FOUR Dark Cultist. Let me tell you what, ain't nothing wrong with that.
Them babies are strong and even drawing them late is just fine.

    So let's score this:
        2>, 16
       3-5, 12
        6+, 12
    Giving me 40 of 50 points for Mana Curve
        Spells, 3 ==> 5
       Minions, 1 or 0 ==> 0 (although, I'm inclined to give me some back for
                              having good quality 1 drops)
                2      ==> 4
                3 or 4 ==> 2 (again, the Dark Cultists...)
                5 or 6 ==> 5
                7+     ==> 5
				
    Which gives me a current total of 40+5+16 or 61 points thus far, maybe
an additional 8 up to 69 (heh)

    For Class cards, 10 points (lots of good class cards) plus an additional
2 points for the Auchenai giving me 12, or 73 to 81 points depending on how
strict you keep to it. Should get 7 wins right? Let's see how I do


    In case you were wondering, it went 6 wins. Fairly accurate prediction
though right? What were the weaknesses? I had no AoE, and I had very few
spells meaning that it can be hard to steam-roll by clearing and saving
Minions. Specifically, only 1 Shadow Word Death makes for a very tough time
dealing with end game monsters if I don't have mine out there yet.



    How do you deal with bad luck, the RNGesus? Frankly you can't. You can do
things to increase your odds, but what about when the game just gets a bit
unfair?

    I have some really sad examples for you to share (others do as well).
	
    In one of my more recent runs, I was playing Priest. My first loss came
from a Demolisher ruining my life. Normally, Demolisher only gains value for
as long as he lives; but specifically it comes down to how many Minions he
hits as that is where his value lies. Against this opponent (a Priest) he
landed for 6 turns, his 2 damage nuke on the most convenient Minion. Normally
this is a simple 50-50 chance as I'm not flooding the board, but by the end
of the game he was still doing it with 33-33-33 chances. All in all, the odds
were twisted in his favor, and to replicate those circumstances would be:

    (1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/3)(1/3) or 0.0344% chance
	
    Life isn't fair sometimes.
	
    Later in the run, my Deathlord died and gave my opponent Ragnaros.
Earlier in a different match he gave my opponent Fire Elemental. This is what
I mean when Deathlord can be really scary, as you assume he's giving a 3/2
Minion so when you face Ragnaros and Fire Elemental, you can make a sad face.

    I share this, to prompt my other submission for showing that my rubrick
does work quite well for predicting your deck's win total, as well as it
gives a good foundation for what you are looking for to build your Arena deck.

    1x Circle of Healing
    1x Leper Gnome
    1x Undertaker
    1x Shadow Word Pain
    1x Bloodsail Raider
    1x Kobold Geomancer
    1x Loot Hoarder
    1x Shadow Word Death
    1x Dark Cultist
    1x Deathlord
    1x Earthen Ring Farseer
    1x Emperor Cobra
    1x Harvest Golem
    1x Ancient Brewmaster
    1x Auchenai Soulpriest
    1x Gnomish Inventor
    2x Lightspawn
    1x Das'Dingo
    1x Spellbreaker
    1x Stormwind Knight
    1x Fen Creeper
    2x Venture Co Mercenary
    1x Holy Fire
    1x Cabal Shadow Priest
    1x Sunwalker
    1x Temple Enforcer
    1x Stormwind Champion
    1x Mind Control
	
	
    My mana curve is nearly a perfect bell, centering at 4, which is not so
desirable. Definitely some questionable picks, including the Leper Gnome,
which was taken because I have an Undertaker. The Circle I took because I had
Auchenai, and to be frank I enjoy having at least 1 Circle because my decks
tend to have more higher health Minions meaning I can get a fair amount of use
from having Circle.

    I have good early game though, assuming not too many 4 drops, but having
a fair amount of 2-3 drops gives good balance. Add in a sick lategame, with
some really really strong 5+ drops, and I initially predicted the 7 win
barrier. I'm missing key cards like Holy Nova, and most importantly Northshire
Cleric but when you don't get them then what do you do? Exactly. What happens
when you get RNGesus'd to death? Exactly.

    This is a perfect example of sucking it up and playing it out. Despite
having those 2 tough losses, I still made it to 7 wins.

    Play hard, and don't get discouraged.
	
    1x Avenge
    1x Humility
    2x Noble Sacrifice
    1x Redemption
    1x Zombie Chow
    1x Argent Protector
    1x Dire Wolf Alpha
    1x River Crocolisk
    1x Unstable Ghoul
    1x Wild Pyromancer
    1x Demolisher
    2x Truesilver Champion
    3x Blessing of Kings
    1x Consecration
    1x Hammer of Wrath
    1x Yeti
    1x Dark Iron Dwarf
    2x Dread Corsair
    1x Fen Creeper
    1x Gadgetzan Auctioneer
    3x Argent Commander
    1x Boulderfist Ogre
    1x War Golem
	
    If that is my list, what do you think the score is? How well should I have
done? Here is the approximate mana curve breakdown:
                    0 - 1 | 6  | 20%
                      2   | 5  | 16%
                      3   | 1  |  3%
                      4   | 11 | 37%
                      5   | 2  |  7%
                      6+  | 5  | 17%
					  
                    16 + 12 + 12 = 40
					
                    I have 12 spells = 10
					
    Minion breakdown = 5 + 4 + 3 + 5 + 5 = 22
	
    Class breakdown = 8
	
    So what, that's 80 points? Should do above average right? Would you
believe me if I told you that this deck went 11 wins? You might be surprised
(I was) but let's take a look here at something that is impossible to score
to any general rubrick, Combos.

    A combo (not to be confused with the Rogue ability) is any two cards that
have better synergy with one another than others. Basically, if two cards can
work together to accomplish more together than individually, there is a combo
there. The easiest example is Echoing Ooze + any buff, as your buff gets
"doubled" as the Ooze duplicates itself.

    So what about this deck? Here are some of them:
	
    Gadgetzan + Cheap spells
	
        I have 5 cheap spells. Normally that's bad; but when you have the
        Goblin then you can easily draw cards and dig deep. Normally you might
        think "why not just have better spells" but the beauty of these
        Paladin spells is that their effect gained is by timely usage. Makes
        the Gadgetzan very powerful here.
		
    Wild Pyromancer + Cheap spells
	
        See above
		
    Demolisher + Get Down
	
        Demolisher gains advantage and value by living longer each round.
        Thus, having Get Down is a natural fit as it makes it very hard to
        remove him without using removal. You can combine Demolisher with
        Taunts as well, but the beauty of Get Down is the 1 mana, 2 power
        protection he provides.
		
    Dread Corsair + Truesilver Champion
	
        A 3/3 taunt is unimpressive. But a turn 4, Truesilver + 3/3 taunt
        is a force to be reckoned with.
		
    3 Argent Commanders
	
        Because, having enough "REALLY GOOD CARDS" can win you games that
        you shouldn't. See "having 6+ fireballs"



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             13. Advanced Arena Strategies              [DDDD]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    So this section could easily be its own guide, though I really don't know
how long it will be. Not to mention, that this guide has already been
receiving massive hits since it was posted so I say screw it! Let's add more
to Arena.

    I've already linked Trumps guide at liquidhearth and it is fantastic. But
I have one issue: there's very little strategy detailed out in the guide. Well
frankly it's not a guide it's a list with explanations. There's some good that
I whole heartedly agree with but there's also some that I have issue with. As
such, the general scope of what I'm thinking is: neutral cards, class cards,
class specifics (like what to aim for), and then any final notes I feel like
adding in there.
	
    So here's the general idea. Trump uses six ratings, Best, Excellent, Good,
Average, Poor, and Terrible; and these are based on if these are the first
card you are taking. Frankly, that's dumb as your first pack will always be
at least a rare, so already your commons are swayed because of your pick.

    That's not to say that using that guideline isn't bad; but should you
always take Flame Imp because it's best? Probably not. Should you always take
the excellent Scarlet Crusader? Probably not. So the ranking gives a good
general baseline but after your first 10 picks, it's kinda worthless. After
20 it becomes even more worthless. Instead, you should approach cards with a
more analytical approach. Cards in Hearthstone can be broken down into
roughly five sections for Arena: Offensive, Defensive, Good, Situational, and
Avoid.

    Strangely enough, Offensive is typically a Defensive measure; but it is
how the card accomplishes that. For example, Dark Iron Dwarf is a perfect
Offensive Minion because he's a 4/4 body, but he has that battlecry for +2
attack. Now, unless you are winning the game because of that +2 attack, you
should always save it to trade a lesser Minion into a larger one. For instance
you can send your 3/2 into Das'Dingo with Dark Iron Dwarf trading successfully
which gives serious card advantage.

    On the other hand, a Defensive card is something that is more geared
towards building card advantage but slowly. For example, Cult Master is a
great Defensive Minion as you are expecting to trade at least 2 smaller
Minions the moment you play him to draw some cards. So you lose some board
position (replacing with a kinda ineffective 4/2) but you draw cards. On the
other hand, you could also play Cult Master who will promptly draw the aggro
and focus of your opponent immediately. You might say he's a false Taunt.

    There may also be a card like Das'Dingo. Now, he arguably is a Good card,
but unlike Yeti, he fits more into Defensive because when you drop Das'Dingo
he provides a good Defensive status for you on the board.

    Good cards, can be described as the Yeti section. If they are cost
effective Minions that fulfill the 3, 5, 6+, 9, 10+, and 12+ stat ratio, they
fit into "Good" cards because you can count on them to always be effective and
trade well for you. Considering the question posed earlier, you could always
take Chillwind Yeti, he's that brutal.

    Situational cards, are fairly simple. They are disguised as Good cards but
have a flaw, sometimes fairly obvious othertimes fairly hidden. For example,
Shattered Sun Cleric is fantastic, providing 7 stats for 3 mana. However, a
deck of all SSC would be pretty terrible. Not to mention, despite SSC being
a 3 mana Minion, he's not really something you play on turn 3 unless you have
in play a Minion already needing to trade. (Something similar to Dark Iron
Dwarf if you must).

    Now the difference between SSC and others, is because you can take SSC
multiple times, but you probably don't want more than 3. A card like Scarlet
Crusader on the other hand, is not nearly as good as it seems because if you
face Mage, Rogue, Druid, and to some extent, Paladin and Shaman, your 3/1
trades but a single time. True it may trade for a 3/2 and then another 2 mana
(from the Hero Power) but ultimately that's a 3 mana investment for a 4 mana
investment. Really not so hot anymore. In particular, Mages have a field day
shooting down the Crusader before it can even breathe.

    Another card-type is those vulnerable to something specific. One thing
that comes to mind is Silence, however, that really isn't the concern. What
comes to mind for me as a great example is Gurubashi Berserker. While Trump
ranks him overall a "Poor" Minion, if you look objectively at him he doesn't
seem that bad. He's a 9 stat Minion for 5 mana, which isn't that bad
considering we look for a 10+ stat barrier. Now, his weakness obviously is the
2 Power. He does grow though, meaning he should tend to trade 2-1 most often.
However, there's something to consider, Stampeding Kodo. This guy, kills a
random 2 or less Power enemy Minion. Essentially, he eats Gurubashi (among
others) for breakfast. Granted he is a rare, but when you are trying to make
the best deck, you have to be prepared.

    For example, another card is Mind Control Tech. This guy doesn't seem all
that powerful or dangerous, but stop and think of the utility provided by this
3 mana Minion. Even if you just have to cast him, he's 6 stats for 3 mana, not
the worst Minion. But, even in the event where you steal a 1/1, you still are
coming out ahead as you now have 8 stats for 3 mana (a bargain) but you've
also removed 1 of your opponents Minions. Really a 10 stat tradeoff. The
power only grows with the strength of the Minion stolen. If for example, your
opponent has a 1/1, a 1/1, a 3/2, and a 4/5 Yeti, how can you rank these
steals effectively? Is it a 50% chance to win? Depends on on what is winning.
If we are aiming to at least steal a 3/2 as winning, that's a good basis.
(Really though, anything stolen is a win). So, is it a 50% loss, 50% win?
Could be; though is stealing a 4/5 is definitely better than a 1/1, and the
3/2 is definitely better than a 1/1. What we haven't looked at is the value
of what goes missing on your opponents side.

    The best way to think about it is the EV, expected value. For those who
don't understand math, EV is just the average, the mean. For this case, with
4 Minions and a combined 18 stats out there, the EV becomes 18/4 or 4.5 stats.
Thus, that is how we come to skewed percentages. Even though it would appear
that you have 25% for 1/1, 25% for 1/1, 25% for 3/2, and 25% for 4/5, when
you factor in the EV and then the loss of his stats and your gain, that's
where those numbers come from. In other words, don't worry about it. MC is
a good card.

    The last section obviously is the avoiding cards. Try not to grab these.
Typically, you'll find cards like Goldshire Footman there, because he's a bad
1/2 Taunt that won't accomplish anything. Similarly Mogu'shan Warden is bad.
Sure he has a bunch of health, but that small 1 power is just... bad.


    Alright, so to quickly preface, one of the big things to note is where you
are at in the draft. As your Arena draft builds before your eyes, you can see
where you are lacking and where your strengths are. Generally, you want to
check this at two points: 10 cards, and 20 cards.

    This means your draft is done in 3 parts. The first part is the first 10
cards; you want to grab the best card everytime. This means Good cards are
your top priority. Also the top priority are top Offensive and Defensive
cards. Things like Dark Iron Dwarf, Yeti, Cairne, Azure Drake... these you
always take the first 10 cards.

    After 10 cards, we want to stop and look at what we have. This makes the
next 10 cards our directional draft. We've taken cards, now we have an idea
of what direction we are heading. Does our deck look more aggro or more
control? Do we have lots of spells or lots of cheap cards? This means our
next 10 cards we want to try and direct our cards to match similarly into
this direction. This might mean taking a lesser Abusive Sergeant over the
slower Oasis Snapjaw because we have a fairly aggressive deck and the turtle
doesn't compliment it at all.

    At 20 cards, we are in the final stage, the rounding draft. As we have
nearly 2/3 of our deck, we need to take cards to round our deck out. This is
when Mana Curve becomes vitally important. Do we have just a couple 5+ drops?
We might need an ineffective Core Hound simply because he's large; passing on
the much better Das'Dingo. Do we not have nearly enough cheap cards? Might
need that crappy River Crocolisk, or Silverback Patriarch over the better
Boulderfist Ogre because we need cheap Minions. With that in mind...


    Let's get into this.
	
        LEGENDARY CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Cairne Bloodhoof
  Deathwing
  Feugen
  Millhouse Manastorm
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Ragnaros the Firelord
  Onyxia
  Kel'Thuzad
  The Black Knight
  Baron Geddon
  Loatheb
  Gruul
  The Beast
  Leeroy Jenkins
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Ysera
  Sylvanas Windrunner
  Illidan Stormrage
  Hogger
  Maexxna
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Baron Rivendare
  Harrison Jones
  Alexstrasza
  Captain Greenskin
  Malygos
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Stalagg
  Tinkmaster Overspark
  Bloodmage Thalnos
  King Mukla
  Nozdormu
  Nat Pagle
  Lorewalker Cho
  
		
        EPIC CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Sea Giant
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Faceless Manipulator
  Doomsayer
  Echoing Ooze
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Molten Giant
  Mountain Giant
  Shade of Naxxramas
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Blood Knight
  Big Game Hunter
  Southsea Captain
  Murloc Warleader
  Hungry Crab
	
		
        RARE CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Azure Drake
  Knife Juggler
  Wild Pyromancer
  Injured Blademaster
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Argent Commander
  Stampeding Kodo
  Mind Control Tech
  Defender of Argus
  Ravenholdt Assassin
  Arcane Golem
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Twilight Drake
  Sludge Belcher
  Sunwalker
  Imp Master
  Emperor Cobra
  Deathlord
  Sunfury Protector
  Demolisher
  Pint-Sized Summoner
  Master Swordsmith
  Young Priestess
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Nerubian Egg
  Violet Teacher
  Abomination
  Gadgetzan Auctioneer
  Questing Adventurer
  Crazed Alchemist
  Bloodsail Corsair
  Ancient Mage
  Secretkeeper
  Lightwarden
  Ancient Watcher
  Angry Chicken
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Wailing Soul
  Mana Wraith
  Mana Addict
  Coldlight Oracle
  Coldlight Seer
  Alarm-o-Bot
  Murloc Tidecaller
  
		
        NEUTRAL CARDS

    GOOD CARDS
  Chillwind Yeti
  Zombie Chow
  Harvest Golem
  Shattered Sun Cleric
  Acidic Swamp Ooze
  Venture Co. Mercenary
  Faerie Dragon
  Youthful Brewmaster
  Bloodfen Raptor
  Ancient Brewmaster
  Spectral Knight
  Spiteful Smith
  Bloodsail Raider (if weapon user class)
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Dark Iron Dwarf
  Boulderfist Ogre
  Earthen Ring Farseer
  Stormwind Champion
  Stormwind Knight
  Dire Wolf Alpha
  Stormpike Commando
  Darkscale Healer
  Bluegill Warrior
  Wolfrider
  Elven Archer
  Abusive Sergeant
  Ironforge Rifleman
  Reckless Rocketeer
  Southsea Deckhand (if weapon user class)
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Silver Hand Knight
  Gnomish Inventor
  Sen'jin Shieldmasta
  Cult Master
  Worgen Infiltrator
  Loot Hoarder
  Spellbreaker
  Frostwolf Warlord
  Stranglethorn Tiger
  Fen Creeper
  Frost Elemental
  Haunted Creeper
  Unstable Ghoul
  Oasis Snapjaw
  War Golem
  Amani Berserker
  Acolyte of Pain
  River Crocolisk
  Priestess of Elune
  Ironbeak Owl
  Leper Gnome
  Windfury Harpy
  Voodoo Doctor
  Murloc Raider
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Scarlet Crusader
  Mad Bomber
  Raging Worgen
  Flesheating Ghoul
  Razorfen Hunter
  Gurubashi Berserker
  Archmage
  Undertaker
  Mad Scientist
  Dragonling Mechanic
  Ogre Magi
  Kobold Geomancer
  Murloc Tidehunter
  Raid Leader
  Dread Corsair (if weapon user class)
  Dalaran Mage
  Shieldbearer
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Dancing Swords
  Jungle Panther
  Silvermoon Guardian
  Ironfur Grizzly
  Lord of the Arena
  Novice Engineer
  Booty Bay Bodyguard
  Argent Squire
  Core Hound
  Thrallmar Farseer
  Nightblade
  Frostwolf Grunt
  Mogu'shan Warden
  Tauren Warrior
  Magma Rager
  Silverback Patriarch
  Nerub'ar Weblord
  Stoneskin Gargoyle
  Goldshire Footman
  Stonetusk Boar
  Young Dragonhawk
  Wisp
  Grimscale Oracle
  
  
  
  
        Analysis and Explanations
		
		
        LEGENDARY CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Cairne Bloodhoof
    Topping the Good cards list overall is Mr. Bloodhoof who is an
    outstanding 18 stat Minion for 6 mana. There just isn't anything more you
    want from a Minion. He may not be flashy like Ragnaros, or shut down your
    opponent like Sylvanas, but he is brutal all the same
	
  Deathwing
    Trump isn't a fan of Deathwing and I'll admit he's tricky but when you are
    looking for a catch-all solution you won't find a better Minion than
    Deathwing. He's big; actually he's the biggest and largest out there. Oh
    you discard your hand; fine you might lose 1 or 2 cards. But you clear
    your opponents board and you get a large 12/12 that will win the game in
    1, maybe 2 attacks. If playing against Mage, Shaman, or Priest, you do
    need to exercise caution with Hex, Polymorph, and Mind Control, but in
    the end when you need to exercise your right to make a statement Deathwing
    will do that for you
	
  Feugen
    His deathrattle is sad as you will never seen Thaddius, ever, but that
    aside, Feugen is this large 4/7 for 5 mana which is disgustingly efficient
    making him a very nice Minion to have on your side of the board
	
  Millhouse Manastorm
    Having a 4/4 is nice. Having it on turn 2 is even nicer. That being said,
    Millhouse does have a downside; free spells are never a good thing. Now,
    that being said, we're talking about Arena, an environment that is well
    over 70% Minions, meaning that when you drop him on turn 2 your opponent
    may have 1 spell in their hand. And I'd guarantee you, that often it's a
    spell they may not want to waste on Millhouse. Flamestrike? Alright...
    Fireball? Well we would like Millhouse to stick around but Yeti is better
    to keep around longer. Now this does mean that if you don't get Millhouse
    to drop turns 1-3, he becomes much weaker. So much, that you probably want
    to hang onto him until your opponent is down to 2 cards in hand. So he's
    high risk, but high reward, as a 4/4 that early can do some serious
    damage to your opponent
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Ragnaros the Firelord
    When you are looking for immediate impact, Ragnaros can't do much more
    for you. He's fantastically huge, and does it all without taking damage.
    The trick with Ragnaros is then focusing on clearing your opponents board
    so that Ragnaros doesn't waste his huge 8 damage wallops
	
  Onyxia
    What's better than an 8/8? One that comes with an army of 1/1s! Onyxia is
    fairly expensive but the moment she hits the board she turns a grim
    situation into a 14 point swing next turn less any whelps that get struck
    down. She's extremely strong and a very good pick
	
  Kel'Thuzad
    KT is like the Cult Master of dreams. What's better than drawing cards?
    Just getting new Minions! Yes the power of KT is largely determined by
    your board status when you play him but KT will easily give huge and
    winning card advantage if he's not dealt with by your opponent next turn
	
  The Black Knight
    Normally he'd be a situational card, but with so many taunts in the game
    of Hearthstone, the Black Knight is a much better pick than that as he
    almost always has a target to hit. And even if you don't, he's still a
    nice large body so it's not a total loss
	
  Baron Geddon
    In terms of turning the game around, Baron Geddon does that in a huge
    fashion. Now, he's quite a bit weaker in Shaman and Paladin decks, but
    really not THAT much weaker because having a 7/5 that explodes the board
    every turn is fairly nice to have, especially for giving card advantage
	
  Loatheb
    A seemingly defensive card, Loatheb is actually very offensive as he gives
    you the control over your opponents turn. When you play Loatheb he's
    likely to be the largest Minion out there; and when you combine that with
    with the spell-immunity next turn you get a nice advantage
	
	
  Gruul
    These last 3 aren't nearly as flashy, but that's because of a downside
    you must consider. While Gruul is huge, and he gets bigger, there's
    something he lacks. Immediate impact. No deathrattle, no charge, and no
    huge implosion makes him something like War Golem. Your opponent must
    deal with him, but unlike other Legendaries he might not do anything for
    you besides eat a Polymorph
	
  The Beast
    Unlike Millhouse, the Beast suffers from oh crap I gave my opponent a 3/3.
    He's big, yes. However, unlike Millhouse, the Beast is a constant threat
    to give your opponent a 3/3 making him big but a weaker big
	
  Leeroy Jenkins
    With the nerf, he's an almost weaker version of Reckless Rocketeer. That
    being said, he's still not useless, he's just not the greatest
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Ysera
    Ysera may not splash like Ragnaros, but Ysera will win you the game if
    your opponent cannot deal with her quickly. At 12 health, she's tough to
    bring down. Her low power of 4 is annoying, but actually makes her
    Priest-proof (well, everything-proof). You cannot go wrong with Ysera
	
  Sylvanas Windrunner
    The beauty of Sylvanas is you force your opponent to play very carefully.
    You get a 5/5 for 6, a fine deal, but the fact you get your opponent to
    trade everything away to negate her deathrattle means you get significant
    card advantage. In the event you steal something that just makes it that
    nice
	
  Illidan Stormrage
    Illidan is an interesting card. Unlike other offensive legendaries, he
    needs you to play other cards to maximize his effect. Thus, you might lose
    card advantage to gain it later so that you get use out of him
	
  Hogger
    Hogger is great. A nice large body that generates 2/2s is great. However,
    his use is largely Defensive in that you need to play him when you have
    board advantage, less he gets eliminated immediately
	
  Maexxna
    Maexxna is not great. That being said, she's preferred to some legendaries
    simply because her death ability forces your opponent to be worried and
    deal with her less Maexxna trades with an Ogre. So it's not really a huge
    victory, but I guess a victory nonetheless
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Baron Rivendare
    If you have 5+ deathrattles, then take him. Otherwise I'd pass
	
  Harrison Jones
    If you get Harrison with any avoid cards, you can take him. Otherwise
    I'd probably pass, especially as you might only get to draw a single
    card maybe a few times. That being said a 5/4 for 5 is not so exciting
	
  Alexstrasza
    With Alex being such a bomb so often, she's surprisingly shitty in Arena.
    Often, playing Alex to heal yourself to 15 doesn't help as you probably
    have no board presence and your opponent probably can deal 10 damage
    anyway so whoop-de-doo. If the event of dealing the damage to your
    opponent, it probably won't be much besides giving you a 8/8. So where
    does Alex fit? Situationally in a few decks: Warrior, Mage, Priest, and
    to some extent Druid. The reason being that Warrior can Armor himself,
    with the heal complimenting it. Mage can easily clear the board the turn
    before setting up for Alex. Priest quite similar, leaving Druid who can
    use Innervate and to some extent, the armor as well. The other classes
    really don't get much use from Alex in Arena
	
  Captain Greenskin
    If playing a weapon class that has weapons, he's not bad. Otherwise he's
    quite meaningless. And even so, his active only really works out if you
    hit something like Arcanite Reaper, Doomhammer, Assassin's Blade, or
    Gorehowl, because buffing a 1/2 into a 2/3 is mediocre
	
  Malygos
    The ultimate situaional spellpower beast, Malygos at least gets the
    advantage of being a gigantic Dragon
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Stalagg
    If you have to take one of these, Stalagg is the best. He too is a huge
    11 stat Minion for 5. However, unlike Feugen, his 4 health makes him
    beyond vulnerable to die to silly cheap Minions making you sad
	
  Bloodmage Thalnos
    In constructed Thalnos is awesome. In Arena he's a weaker Loot Hoarder.
    I'd probably pass
	
  King Mukla
    Mukla is the weaker Millhouse. He cost more, only for 2 more stats, but
    let's compare downsides. Bananas are never going away, meaning your
    opponent always gets to use them whenever. Millhouse has a one turn
    downside that may not even matter. As such, Mukla is pretty bad here and
    despite his threatening size, he can easily give the game away
	
  Nozdormu
    We simply need more out of our expensive Dragons
	
  Tinkmaster Overspark
    I'd only take TinkASSter if your other choices were Nat or Cho
	
  Nat Pagle
    Dude sucks in Arena
	
  Lorewalker Cho
    Dude sucks. I guess arguably he could be Defensive as you force your
    opponent to play around him. The problem is he doesn't do anything besides
    that; including kill the Minions who are trying to kill you
  
		
        EPIC CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Sea Giant
    This guy is the epitome of brutal effectiveness. Rarely will he cost more
    than 6 mana, thus giving you a huge 8/8 body for cheap. Sea Giant is
    fantastic, there isn't much else to say
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Faceless Manipulator
    He's always the best Minion out there; or at least tied with the best. The
    Great thing about Faceless though, is copying the best creature, and then
    eliminating it from your opponent. For example, Faceless+Polymorph. Take
    that Tirion! On the other hand, you can also Faceless things like Charging
    Minions to deal lethal, as well as duplicating Taunts for extra protection
	
  Doomsayer
    Doomsayer isn't great, but he can be. Why's that? Because when you drop
    him you control what goes down on the board next turn. Now he might get
    silenced or killed or whatevered, but in that case; your 2 mana Doomsayer
    ate a Polymorph for your Ogre. He's tricky to use but he can be nice to
    have
	
  Echoing Ooze
    At worst he's a 6 stat for 2 mana Minion. Granted, that's two 1/2s which
    kinda sucks. But any kind of bonus makes him extremely nice to have,
    granting a nice turnaround
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Molten Giant
    None of the Epic Defensive cards are great, but they all do have some
    purpose. The easiest to use, is Molten Giant, as getting an 8/8 for 5
    mana (ideal) is nice and in safe-zone for not dying. Dropping a Molten
    for free is key for Handlock, but we have no guarantee to Taunt him.
    Note that Molten into Alex could be the dumbest and most obnoxious
    combo ever if you get it
	
  Mountain Giant
    Unlike Twilight Drake who isn't a complete waste lategame, Mountain
    Giant is only good to have early as drawing it late makes it a complete
    bust. If you play Mountain Giant for 4, 5, or 6 mana he's strong.
    Otherwise he's losing out to other Minions.
	
  Shade of Naxxramas
    You've already read my description of Shade; here he fits into Defensive
    as that's all he gets. You might trade him as a 3/3 into a 3/2 right
    away, or let him sit around forever. Point being, he's less effective
    than other Stealth Minions as he takes too long to become effective
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Blood Knight
    Three drops are fairly tricky. With the few exceptions of Minions like
    Injured Blademaster, you expect a nice battlecry out of your 3 drops.
    In cases like Blood Knight, he's not a bad pick persay, but if you have
    something to guarantee landing a 6/6 for 3 mana (maybe an Argent Squire
    or something else if you are Paladin) then he becomes gold
	
  Big Game Hunter
    He's situational, so how do you pick him? Basically if he's your choice
    among these last 3 Epics. Just kidding. While that part is true, a reason
    to take BGH is if you are in the last 20 cards and don't have any solid
    removal yet
	
  Southsea Captain
    He's like Blood Knight but not as cool. If you have some Pirates he
    becomes a fairly viable pick, but even so you are going to end up with
    a 3/3 for 3 which is fine, but not great
	
  Murloc Warleader
    This guy is fairly bad, especially as ALL Murlocs get boosted meaning
    you can help out your opponents
	
  Hungry Crab
    It probably won't work
	
		
        RARE CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Azure Drake
    Draw a card is always nice. A 4/4 is always nice. Combine those two
    together for 5 mana and we have a great choice you can almost always take.
    He may not be Yeti, but digging into more cards with a large body to boot
    is pretty nice
	
  Knife Juggler
    Easily the best 2 mana Minion out there, Knife Juggler commands respect
    and can easily draw laughable results from your opponent as they try to
    take him out quickly. The beauty is that you have to do nothing special
    except play Minions. Every Minion that played is just that much use out
    of Knife Juggler
	
  Wild Pyromancer
    He's a 3/2 for 2, so that's good. His ability is likewise fantastic as
    you control when you want it. Need a 5 damage Flamestrike? Need a 3
    damage Consecrate? Need 4 damage out of that Lightning Bolt? Wild Pyro
    is spellpower but with the nice ability of being a 3/2 body but also
    enraging your Minions and drawing cards off of Acolyte of Pain
	
  Injured Blademaster
    He's 11 stats for 3 mana, incredible! Well if he gets thrown out there
    from Deathlord that is. Even as a 4/3, he's still awesome. Combined with
    a Priest he becomes an essential pick
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Argent Commander
    Looking for splash? Argent Commander has immediate splash and always
    lives to tell the tale making him a great choice always
	
  Stampeding Kodo
    While his ability might not always go off; the plethora of Minions that
    will die is very high and thusly Stampeding Kodo is a high priority pick
	
  Mind Control Tech
    We've talked about him already. Of the 3/3 for 3, he's easily the best
	
  Defender of Argus
    You might ask if I have a thing for Defender of Argus. You would not be
    wrong. The only downside is it can be hard sometimes to get full use of
    his battlecry
	
  Ravenholdt Assassin
    These last two are less than great, but nonetheless, unlike other Stealth
    Minions, Ravenholdt is not meant so much for trading but for winning. He
    can trade, but when you have a 7/5 ideally you can whack and win
	
  Arcane Golem
    You'd almost always prefer 3/1 Wolfrider. Really Arcane Golem is quite
    weak giving up that mana crystal
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Twilight Drake
    Twilight Drake tops the defensive status as you want to hang onto cards
    to get full use out of him. This means that you might lose some advantage
    early, but that is compensated by getting a 4/7+ on turn 4 which is simply
    awesome
	
  Sludge Belcher
    Is he better than Sunwalker? It's close. He's cheaper, and 1/1 less as
    such. And both have two lives. The reason Sludge gets the nod is because
    how easily Sunwalker can lose Divine Shield for any number of reasons,
    whereas Sludge Belcher has to be silenced less he shuts down your opponent
    over two turns
	
  Sunwalker
    That doesn't make Sunwalker weak; because he's not. It's just Sludge
    Belcher is better
	
  Imp Master
    Imp Master is interesting, because a 1/4 and a 1/1 on turn 3 isn't going
    to win any battles. But Imp Master can pretty quickly get fairly gross as
    she pumps out 1/1 Imps turn after turn giving you a scary board
	
  Emperor Cobra
    When you think of annoying, that is where the Cobra fits. While he may
    not 2-1, his ability to dictate how your opponent plays makes him a very
    strong and fairly high pick
	
  Deathlord
    I've mentioned him already, and there isn't much to add. At early levels
    he simply is a threatening foe to deal with. He's a rather high pick
	
  Sunfury Protector
    Sunfury is interesting as getting use of Taunt is not nearly as neat as
    it would seem. It's hard to guarantee taunting anything because it's
    Arena, and unlike Defender the lack of 1/1 stats makes it less impactful.
    That being said, Sunfury mostly becomes a 2/3 for 2 which is less
    exciting
	
  Demolisher
    The Demolisher is like the Cobra just not as flashy or exciting. That
    being said, every turn he lives you get more use out of him
	
  Pint-Sized Summoner
    These last 3 choices are all fairly weak, for many reasons. Starting with
    the little Summoner who tried, her impact is only at the beginning of your
    next turn which is a lot to ask for out of a 2/2
	
  Master Swordsmith
    He's a lot better than the Young Priestess, but that being said, he
    himself isn't that exciting as a 1/3. Giving attack is cool as well but
    it's hard to get him out early with another Minion as well
	
  Young Priestess
    If she were a 1/2 she'd be better. That being said she dies 33% of the
    time immediately and the other times her impact is too low to accomplish
    much of anything
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Nerubian Egg
    Getting a 4/4 for 2 is great. But you have to be able to kill it off, or
    boost it somehow to get use. Making it extremely situational
	
  Violet Teacher
    Having a 3/5 for 4 is mediocre. If you have spells to use then Violet
    Teacher becomes a nice pick
	
  Abomination
    Abomination is situational because he want to take him if you haven't
    many Taunts. If not he can be a bit of a grenade
	
  Gadgetzan Auctioneer
    He's similar to Violet Teacher, better in fact, it's just he's a bit
    harder to take advantage of with his higher cost and lower health making
    him easier to get rid of
	
  Questing Adventurer
    Take Questing Adventurer if you can pair him with an Enchantment or are
    playing a control deck. Otherwise pass
	
  Crazed Alchemist
    Crazed Alchemist is good if you have a couple skewed Minions, meaning
    high/low or low/high. He can provide utility
	
  Bloodsail Corsair
    Take him if you don't have an Acidic Swamp Ooze by 20 cards
	
  Ancient Mage
    Take him if you have at least 5 spells requiring spell power
	
  Secretkeeper
    Take her if you have at least 4 secrets. Even so not the greatest
	
  Lightwarden
    Take her if you are Priest or Shaman. Pass otherwise
	
  Ancient Watcher
    Take him if you have at least 4 ways to Silence and/or Taunt
	
  Angry Chicken
    Not a bad choice if you have at least 5 ways to boost health
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Wailing Soul
    If you have to take one of these, having a 3/5 for 4 is the best bet
	
  Mana Wraith
    Besides being a crappy 2/2 for 2, his ability doesn't help unless you
    coin him out on turn 1
	
  Mana Addict
    Sucks. End of story
	
  Coldlight Oracle
    If you have no means to draw cards... still not a good choice
	
  Coldlight Seer
    Only take him if your other choices are the last two
	
  Alarm-o-Bot
    Nope
	
  Murloc Tidecaller
    It's not going to work
  
  
        NEUTRAL CARDS
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Chillwind Yeti
    As we continually compare and reference to Yeti, there's a reason he is
    where he is. He's a 4/5 for 4, a perfect vanilla hero, and with his health
    skewed favorably (something that is different when we talk about 2 drops)
    Chillwind Yeti is fantastic and if you could draft 10 of them you should
	
  Zombie Chow
    Just missing the top pick, Zombie Chow is a fantastic card. I've already
    given his praise earlier, but concerning where he fits with the other
    cards, he's just that good. He's a 2/3 for 1 mana that simply commands the
    board the moment he hits the board. There just isn't anything else you
    want to play on turn 1 than Zombie Chow
	
  Harvest Golem
    Harvest Golem is an example of a Minion that if he gets silenced you
    become quite sad, but as it is, he's a good 2/3 the first time around,
    followed up with the 2/1 the second time around. Even if his second body
    gets killed for 2 mana, he will still almost always 2-1 and if not, he at
    least builds mana advantage
	
  Shattered Sun Cleric
    I knocked this Cleric earlier, but all that being said, the only knocking
    really comes when you have too many of them. An effective 7 stat Minion,
    the real strength is raising your Minion to that necessary kill amount,
    while surviving the exchange
	
  Acidic Swamp Ooze
    All of the 3/2 Minions are Good cards. The Ooze is the best of the bunch
    due to its ability being the best of all of them. Dropping Ooze as a 3/2
    on turn 2 is a fine play. Dropping it to destroy ANY weapon of your
    opponents if a GREAT play
	
  Venture Co. Mercenary
    Venture Co. is an interesting card because the downside is rather huge.
    That being said, a gigantic 7/6 for just 5 mana is simply too strong and
    if your opponent can't deal with it right away you will win the game
    pretty quickly
	
  Faerie Dragon
    It's debateable if Faerie Dragon is better than Brewmaster, but regardless
    they are both great Minions. I think the Dragon gets the slight edge
    simply because it almost has to be traded off by a Minion because of its
    spell-ability-evasion. True it can't be healed or anything like that but
    that's not a huge loss as it also cannot be Shadow Worded, Frostbolted,
    or any 2 damage nuke from the classes
	
  Youthful Brewmaster
    Moving along, often the Brewmaster will be a 3/2 for 2 which is fine. But
    when you can get use of him by bouncing any huge battlecry, Defender of
    Argus, Temple Enforcer, or even Silver Hand Knight, he goes way up. He's
    also great for dealing with negative enchantments like Silence or Humility
    not to mention healing your Minions by allowing you to replay them
	
  Bloodfen Raptor
    Thus, we end the 3/2 list with the most basic of them, the Raptor. There
    isn't much to be said, dropping a 3/2 on turn 2 is one of the most
    important plays you can manage
	
	
  Ancient Brewmaster
    These are still good cards (these last 3) but they aren't nearly as strong
    as the previous bunch. Regarding the bigger panda, his stats are skewed
    the wrong way. See, with a 3/2, they can effectively threaten the board
    not to mention, threaten 3 drops of your opponent. Once you get into the
    4+ range, you'd prefer have more health. As this guy can trade with Yeti
    and Das'Dingo, that's really good. His battlecry too can be quite good as
    well
	
  Spectral Knight
    This guy is quite similar to Spiteful Smith, but who is better? The Smith
    might get the nod if you have weapons, but even so, having a huge 4/6 body
    that cannot be hex'd, polymorph'd, fireball'd, or anything, is a very good
    thing to have. Toss down Defender of Argus next to him and be excited
	
  Spiteful Smith
    This guy is a great neutral, 10 stats for 5 mana. While we may want
    something more exciting out of him, it's alright. If we look at most 5
    drops, they tend to have 4 health. For instance, Abomination, Azure Drake,
    Captain Greenskin, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Silver Hand Knight, and Harrison
    Jones, all have 4 health (and not 6 power) meaning that he trades out 5
    drops quite well. All in all, he's good and he gets better if you have a
    weapon
	
  Bloodsail Raider (if weapon user class)
    If you don't have a weapon, he goes to Defensive Cards. As most classes
    get weapons, he tends to be a better card then. Even simple Rogue daggers
    turn him into a 3/3 for 2 mana, so keep that in mind
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Dark Iron Dwarf
    This guy is fantastic. As noted, the reason he is so good is that he makes
    your 2 drop trade into a 4 drop, while giving a 4/4 body. There isn't much
    else to be said about Dark Iron Dwarf
	
  Boulderfist Ogre
    This guy isn't quite a Good card, due to his higher cost, but unlike his
    other expensive counterparts, he fits into the Offensive category as he
    will win the game for you. At almost any time, when you play Ogre he will
    be the largest Minion out there and he commands respect. Unlike War Golem,
    his 6 cost means that late game he can be combo'd with other power 4 drops
    to give you an explosive 10 mana turn
	
  Earthen Ring Farseer
    You would think that health would be defensive, but it's actually quite
    offensive in that you give yourself immediate card advantage. Even if you
    don't immediately trade a Minion out and then heal; just getting the free
    damage across builds immediate advantage. You can always heal yourself as
    well but that loses some of the offensive capabilities
	
  Stormwind Champion
    Having a SSC for your entire team is fantastic. However, his expensive 7
    cost prohibits him from being a Good card. His impact is immediate and
    like other large Minions, if he isn't dealt with the game gets away
    rather quickly
	
	
  Stormwind Knight
    So we're into the lower half of offensive cards. While all of these cards
    do fit the Offensive molds, they are weaker picks. Anyway, regarding
    Stormwind Knight, he sacrifices 2 stats for Charge. However, unlike his
    other Charge buddies, he ranks much higher as he can effectively trade
    with 2 Minions because of his 5 health. While 2 power may not take down
    the most threatening Minions, he can build you card advantage quickly
    
  Dire Wolf Alpha
    This is the watered down Stormwind Champion. His small 2/2 body is weak
    but the ability to raise your Minions attack up can be huge and game
    changing, thus being a good offensive fit
	
  Stormpike Commando
    This guy is only as high as he is because of his 4 power. The 2 health is
    frightening, and the 2 damage battlecry isn't the best, but it does find
    it's uses
	
  Darkscale Healer
    Similar to Earthen Ring Farseer, this guy (er Naga) can restore your
    Minions up giving card advantage. The downside is that 2 Health isn't
    nearly as good as 3 Health, not to mention a 4/5 for 5 is less exciting
	
  Bluegill Warrior
    Both Bluegill and Wolfrider serve similar purposes. The difference is
    that Bluegill is the perfect counter to 3/2s. The weakness comes in that
    Bluegill Warrior will only 1-1, so it's not the best card
	
  Wolfrider
    Wolfrider is quite weak. Frankly the rest of these cards are quite weak
    but regardless, Wolfrider is a 3 mana lightning bolt that can deal with
    anything smaller than 3 drops for the most part
	
  Elven Archer
    This awkward 1 drop isn't a 1 drop, because we aren't playing it on turn
    1. That being said, it is better than Ironforge Rifleman because the 1
    mana 1 extra damage is much more flexible to work with. That being said,
    it will likely die to ambient breathing and will only really serve to
    assist in a 1-2 trade on your losing end
	
  Abusive Sergeant
    While +2 attack earned Dark Iron Dwarf the top spot for Offensive cards,
    the small 2/1 body of the Abusive Sergeant is not nearly as exciting as
    it will just not be effective at any stage in the game
	
  Ironforge Rifleman
    The 2/2 for 3 mana isn't great. The 1 damage battlecry is less exciting.
    All in all, this guy isn't great
	
  Reckless Rocketeer
    A 6 mana not even Fireball's worth of damage makes this one of the
    crappier Minions in the game. That being said, you can pick this up if
    are looking for something offensive
	
  Southsea Deckhand (if weapon user class)
    Normally, 2/1's are defensive in that playing a 2/1 on turn 1 against
    any non 1 damage dealing Class (so 66% of the time it works) means you
    can threaten your opponent to be weary of their 3/2's losing out. The
    reason this guy gets a boost is that many classes have weapons, and as
    such you can tack on the 2 damage for just a single mana which offers
    flexibility
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Silver Hand Knight
    Silver Hand Knight is a fantastic Defensive card. You may ask why not a
    good card or offensive; here's why. You get 2 Minions, a 4/4 and 2/2 that
    your opponent now must address. He won't overwhelm like a Boulderfist Ogre
    nor smash like a Venture Co, but he does force a decision as your 5 drop
    can easily now trade out 2 Minions
	
  Gnomish Inventor
    His card advantage is immediate, drawing a card. The question is does the
    2/4 body make up for it? Most of the time it will, as it can tend to trade
    favorably with 3/2s. He's a fantastic card and is a great way to secure
    card advantage in the long run
	
  Sen'jin Shieldmasta
    We've already talked about Das'Dingo so there isn't much else to add. I
    guess I'll explain why he's third and not first is because he only has 3
    attack instead of 4. That's about it
	
  Cult Master
    As explained, Cult Master is the epitome of Defensive. You can trade
    smaller Minions in for cards; but you can also play Cult Master as a
    false Taunt meaning that your opponent will attack and deal with it first
    before dealing with your other Minions as they don't want to give you
    more cards
	
  Worgen Infiltrator
    So we have quite a few 2/1s, but this guy is a beast. Because he cannot
    be dealt with short of AoE. Dropping a Worgen on turn 1 is the strongest
    turn 1 play except for Zombie Chow
	
  Loot Hoarder
    Normally a Good card, Loot Hoarder gets knocked down as 33% of the time
    it dies for 2 mana, meaning the turns were a "skip-go" as your opponent
    neither lost a card and you traded a 2/1 in for something else. In the
    event you aren't dealing with the 33%, you can trade your 2/1 into a 3/2
    and giving yourself a card, nice!
	
  Spellbreaker
    Silence is kinda crappy, but nonetheless it's defensive, be it unfreezing
    your own Minion or dealing with an enemy enchantment (but not removing
    the creature). Spellbreaker is nice thanks to the larger body attached to
    the ability. While the 4/3 can lose to a 3/2, it calls on you to play it
    wisely unless you desperately need the Silence
	
  Frostwolf Warlord
    This guy is another huge Minion; but fits Defensively due to the nature
    of how he gets big. You need at least 2 Minions out there, which means
    playing defensively. The biggest he can become is 10/10 and it won't
    happen often, but if you can get him over to 7/7+, the game changes
	
  Stranglethorn Tiger
    Another stealthy Minion, he's fairly expensive though which makes him
    less appealing. He does chow on Yetis and Das'Dingos which is what he
    serves to do
	
  Fen Creeper
    A more expensive Das'Dingo that isn't more great; he provides a nice
    Taunt to hide behind but the 3 power can cause some problems
	
  Frost Elemental
    Freezing is very underrated. That being said, the 5/5 for 6 is a bit
    sad when you see Boulderfist Ogre against you. On the other hand, freezing
    a Minion that you can't deal with yet is a defensive measure to buy
    yourself a turn to find an answer
	
  Haunted Creeper
    He's a fairly good pick, it's just that he doesn't quite do as much as you
    want out of a 2 drop. However, he does dictate your opponent play
    carefully as killing the Haunted Creeper when they aren't able to deal
    with the 1/1s right away gives you a stronger offense on your next turn
	
  Unstable Ghoul
    Similar to Haunted Creeper, he forces your opponents into an awkward spot
    as the 1/3 can take out a 3/2, but he also can protect your 3/2s for you.
    Combined with Gurubashi, Acolyte, or even Frothing Berserker you get a
    nasty drop
	
	
  Oasis Snapjaw
    We're into the weaker section now. Starting things off is the turtle.
    He eats 3/2 Minions all day but we don't really need to eat THAT many 3/2s
    especially when we look to a 4 drop Minion. Then we look Stampeding Kodo
    and feel even more frightened
	
  War Golem
    Unlike Boulderfist Ogre, the 7 cost is prohibitive. He is big and he can
    win, but typically you'll see War Golem drop down to draw some attention
    to himself, making him a more defensive rather than offensive card
	
  Amani Berserker
    Like other 2/3's, Amani Berserker is no exception. We prefer 3/2s as they
    threaten more quickly and can threaten 3 drops. The exception is that
    Amani can at least be used threateningly if you can enrage him; the
    downside then being he will 1-1 for you
	
  Acolyte of Pain
    There's not much to say about Acolyte of Pain. His sole purpose is to
    draw cards. Unlike constructed though, he will tend to give you just 1
    card making him a weaker Loot Hoarder
	
  River Crocolisk
    Just like Amani, except even more boring
	
  Priestess of Elune
    A 5/4 body attached to a 6 drop we would expect something great. Healing
    4 health to your Hero and nothing else really isn't that great
	
  Ironbeak Owl
    Similar to Abusive Sergeant, the Owl just isn't as great as Spellbreaker
    because of its small body
	
  Leper Gnome
    Three of these last 4 are all 2/1 for 1. Sometimes, 33% of the time, they
    will be eliminated for 2 mana making them not a good investment. But 66%
    of the time you can threaten the board. They don't have Stealth though
    like the Worgen making them weaker and rather undesirable picks
	
  Windfury Harpy
    The Harpy is similar to War Golem, just not as exciting as it's easier
    to deal with
	
  Voodoo Doctor
  Murloc Raider
  
 ------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Scarlet Crusader
    As stated, this chick 66% of the time is brutal. It's just that the 33%
    of the time makes her a situational card that is good, but not that good
	
  Mad Bomber
    I have mixed feelings about Mad Bomber. He's a 3/2 for 2, but his battle
    cry for me pisses me off more than not. So for me he's situational in that
    if you can pick him alongside cards that want damage (enrage, Acolyte)
    then he becomes good. Otherwise I'd pass most of the time
	
  Raging Worgen
    A 3/3 for 3 seems fine. In fact, it also seems defensive. The problem is
    that enraging this guy is quite hard as you almost need a 1 power Minion
    to attack (unless you are a Mage) otherwise your Worgen dies before you
    can take advantage of it
	
  Flesheating Ghoul
    Unlike Cult Master, +1 attack isn't as exciting as drawing a card thus
    securing the Ghoul into the Situational section, making him better when
    paired with Paladin or Shaman
	
  Razorfen Hunter
    All of these summoners, except Silver Hand Knight, are situaional as
    their summon is eliminated 33% of the time right away turning them into
    subpar Minions. Typically I'd tend to avoid them, but if you happen to
    have Minions like Raid Leader, Stormwind Champion, or Frostwolf Warlord,
    (hell even Sea Giant) they become situationally better
	
  Gurubashi Berserker
    He cost 1 more than the turtle but with an ability. He's a mixed bag.
    Most of the time he's not worth it. If you are Mage or Priest he's better
	
  Archmage
    Spellpower is a somewhat meaningless ability in Arena. As you have more
    spells that enjoy it; these Minions value goes up. With Archmage, he is
    a *larger* Minion for 6 which is more appealing than others, but still
    not the best
	
  Undertaker
    He's situational as a 1/2 for 1 is unexciting. But if you have 3 or more
    deathrattles then he becomes much more exciting and a better pick
	
  Mad Scientist
    He's meaningless in most decks, and even in the classes that have Secrets
    there's no guarantee that he'll do anything for you making him a
    situational to bad pick
	
  Dragonling Mechanic
    Weaker than Razorfen Hunter but better than Murloc Tidehunter
  
  Ogre Magi
    See Archmage. A 4/4 for 4 is not so great
    
  Kobold Geomancer
    Even weaker, is a 2/2 for 2
	
  Murloc Tidehunter
    The weakest of the summoners, still useable if the situation permits
	
  Raid Leader
    This guy is situational with Shaman and Paladin. Otherwise he is clunky
    and not so hot
	
  Dread Corsair (if weapon user class)
    If you have weapons, this guy is not bad as he can be effectively a 3/3
    Taunt for free. The downside is a 3/3 Taunt kinda sucks. If you don't
    have weapons he becomes nearly unplayable. Actually he does
	
  Dalaran Mage
    A 1/4 for 3 sucks
	
  Shieldbearer
    This guy buys you a turn or two maybe. He's better than Avoid cards, but
    pretty bad all in all
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Dancing Swords
    At the top of the Avoid list is Dancing Swords. If forced to take one, he
    is arguably the best as the early 4/4 can buy you some time, it's just
    that he must 2-1 for you less you completely lose the game and give your
    opponent card advantage
	
  Jungle Panther
    Here's the problem. He's not a 1 drop that threatens the turn 2 plays.
    He's not a 5/5 that is scary. At best he is a 3 mana 1-1 trade. It's
    really a situation you don't want. Add in that his 2 health can be
    eliminated via any number of AoE spells makes this guy unappealing
	
  Silvermoon Guardian
    While gaining 3 health for 1 mana over the Scarlet Crusader would appear
    to be a good thing; the problem is that he's a 3/3 for 4 mana. Compared
    to other 3/3 Minions for 4 mana, and we see they aren't very good. Divine
    Shield can be nice, but only if it's on something that is worth having
    in the first place as this isn't it
	
  Ironfur Grizzly
    A 3/3 Taunt that costs 3 that loses to 3/2s for 2 sucks hard
	
  Lord of the Arena
    If he were a 5/6, he'd be a bad Defensive pick. If he were a 4/7 Taunt
    then he would be fairly good Defensively. As it is, the 6/5 sucks
	
  Novice Engineer
    Loot Hoarder can threaten, Acolyte has a chance to draw multiple cards,
    and Gnomish Inventor is a solid Minion. Novice Engineer serves absolutely
    no purpose other than to draw a card so why not just have something
    different to begin with so you don't have to waste 2 mana to get there
	
  Booty Bay Bodyguard
    We've already explained why this guy sucks. Nothing to add
	
  Argent Squire
    Unlike 2/1s, Argent Squire at best can 1-1 into a 3/2. Argent Squire is
    a beast in constructed but in Arena not so much
	
  Core Hound
    Normally the large body seems good. Core Hound suffers from a bit too
    low of Health, making him an Avoid card
	
  Thrallmar Farseer
    Unlike the Harpy, Thrallmar Farseer serves no purpose and should be
    avoided
	
  Nightblade
    A 4/4 for 5 that deals 3 damage to the enemy hero? Yeah avoid this
	
  Frostwolf Grunt
    Whew avoid this
	
  Mogu'shan Warden
    Nothing has changed from earlier
	
  Tauren Warrior
    He's like the Ironfur Grizzly, but worse! How is that possible
	
  Magma Rager
    A 5/1 charge would be playable, a 4/2 for 3 would be playable, no not
    really. There's a reason we use the expression "don't let Magma Ragers
    live" referencing any high damage low health Minion. Don't draft this
    thing
	
  Silverback Patriarch
    Yawn
	
  Nerub'ar Weblord
    At least other 1 power Minions have Taunt. This guy is really quite
    useless and he can hurt your own plays
	
  Stoneskin Gargoyle
    If you Taunt him up, or drop Defender next to him, or give him a nice
    enchantment then he could become useful, but then again all of those
    things go well with other Mininos as well and those Minions aren't
    terrible when by themselves
	
  Goldshire Footman
    Snore
	
  Stonetusk Boar
    Even worse than others, this guy serves literally no purpose except maybe
    in Hunter Arena but why are you playing Hunter? It's a horrible Arena
    class
	
  Young Dragonhawk
    There are better things to take than this
	
  Wisp
    There is no reason to ever have Wisp
	
  Grimscale Oracle
    There is no reason to even have Grimscale Oracle. You'd rather have Young
    Dragonhawk over Wisp and Grimscale if that pack came to you
	
	
	
    So we get into class cards. I'm going to do each Class separately and all
the cards will be broken down as one, with no separation between rarity.
Generally class cards are good and almost always should be taken, but that
being said, sometimes class cards are a fit for constructed and should be
avoided here because of that

    Warrior-Paladin-Mage-Priest-Shaman-Druid-Warlock-Rogue-Hunter
	
	
        WARRIOR
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Grommash Hellscream
  Gorehowl
  Frothing Berserker
  Fiery Win Axe
  Arathi Weaponsmith
  Death's Bite
  Arcanite Reaper
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Commanding Shout
  Cleave
  Kor'Kron Elite
  Cruel Taskmaster
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Brawl
  Shield Slam
  Mortal Strike
  Slam
  Heroic Strike
  Execute
  Shield Block
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Upgrade!
  Armorsmith
  Warsong Commander
  Battle Rage
  Whirlwind
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Inner Rage
  Rampage
  Charge
  
  
        PALADIN
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Tirion Fordring
  Sword of Justice
  Truesilver Champion
  Consecration
  Blessing of Kings
  Avenge
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Avenging Wrath
  Argent Protector
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Lay on Hands
  Aldor Peacekeeper
  Equality
  Hammer of Wrath
  Blessing of Wisdom
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Guardian of Kings
  Humility
  Noble Sacrifice
  Redemption
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Holy Wrath
  Divine Favor
  Blessed Champion
  Blessing of Might
  Hand of Protection
  Light's Justice
  Holy Light
  Repentance
  Eye for an Eye
  
  
        MAGE
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Fireball
  Flamestrike
  Water Elemental
  Blizzard
  Polymorph
  Mana Wyrm
  Sorcerer's Apprentice
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Kirin Tor Mage
  Duplicate
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Frostbolt
  Pyroblast
  Vaporize
  Arcane Intellect
  Mirror Entity
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Archmage Antonidas
  Counterspell
  Ethereal Arcanist
  Arcane Missiles
  Cone of Cold
  Arcane Explosion
  Mirror Image
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Spellbender
  Ice Block
  Frost Nova
  Ice Barrier
  Ice Lance
  
  
        PRIEST
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Auchenai Soulpriest
  Temple Enforcer
  Power Word Shield
  Holy Nova
  Northshire Cleric
  Dark Cultist
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Cabal Shadow Priest
  Shadowform
  Shadow Madness
  Lightspawn
  Mind Control
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Prophet Velen
  Holy Fire
  Shadow Word Death/Pain
  Holy Smite
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Mass Dispel
  Mind Vision
  Thoughtsteal
  Divine Spirit
  Circle of Healing
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Mindgames
  Lightwell
  Silence
  Mind Blast
  Inner Fire
  
  
        SHAMAN
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Al'Akir the Windlord
  Earth Elemental
  Doomhammer
  Lightning Storm
  Feral Spirit
  Fire Elemental
  Hex
  Stormforged Axe
  Unbound Elemental
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Ancestral Spirit
  Flametongue Totem
  Forked Lightning
  Bloodlust
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Lava Burst
  Mana Tide Totem
  Rockbiter Weapon
  Lightning Bolt
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Reincarnate
  Windspeaker
  Windfury
  Earth Shock
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Far Sight
  Ancestral Healing
  Frost Shock
  Dust Devil
  Totemic Might
  
  
        DRUID
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Cenarius
  Ancient of Lore/War
  Keeper of the Grove
  Starfall
  Swipe
  Druid of the Claw
  Power of the Wild
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Force of Nature
  Wrath
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Nourish
  Bite
  Ironbark Protector
  Claw
  Mark of the Wild
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Innervate
  Mark of Nature
  Wild Growth
  Poison Seeds
  Naturalize
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Savagery
  Savage Roar
  Soul of the Forest
  Healing Touch
  Moonfire
  
  
        WARLOCK
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Lord Jaraxxus
  Doomguard
  Flame Imp
  Voidcaller
  Dread Infernal
  Hellfire
  Voidwalker
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Pit Lord
  Shadowflame
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Siphon Soul
  Felguard
  Soulfire
  Shadow Bolt
  Mortal Coil
  Blood Imp
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Twisting Nether
  Void Terror
  Demonfire
  Drain Life
  Sense Demons
  Corruption
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Bane of Doom
  Power Overwhelming
  Succubus
  Summoning Portal
  
  
        ROGUE
		
    GOOD CARDS
  SI:7 Agent
  Perdition's Blade
  Deadly Poison
  Assassinate
  Assassin's Blade
  Anub'ar Ambusher
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Cold Blood
  Defias Ringleader
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Edwin VanCleef
  Patient Assassin
  Master of Disguise
  Backstab
  Eviscerate
  Sprint
  Fan of Knives
  Shiv
  Conceal
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Blade Flurry
  Headcrack
  Betrayal
  Shadowstep
  Sap
	
    AVOID CARDS
  Kidnapper
  Preparation
  Vanish
  Sinister Strike
  
  
        HUNTER
		
    GOOD CARDS
  Gladiators Longbow
  Eaglehorn Bow
  Savannah Highmane
  Explosive Shot
  Animal Companion
  Tracking
  Unleash the Hounds
  Houndmaster
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
  Bestial Wrath
  Snake Trap
  Multi-Shot
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
  Misdirection
  Explosive Trap
  Freezing Trap
  Snipe
  Arcane Shot
  Hunter's mark
  Kill Command
  Deadly Shot
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
  Webspinner
  Starving Buzzard
  Timber Wolf
  Tundra Rhino
  Scavenging Hyena
	
    AVOID CARDS
  King Krush
  Flare
  
  
=======================================
  
    Explanation
	
	
        WARRIOR
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Grommash Hellscream
    Most legendary class Minions are good. Grommash is no exception. He has
    immediate impact and becomes very scary fairly quickly
	
  Gorehowl
    In terms of building card advantage, this thing can trade 3 or 4 Minions
    out for it. Gorehowl is amazing and a must Epic pick if it comes around
	
  Frothing Berserker
    One of the best 3 drops, Frothing Berserker gets out of hand in a hurry
    and can win the game by himself if your opponent cannot deal with him
	
  Fiery Win Axe
    Having this in your hand is a warm fuzzing feeling
	
  Arathi Weaponsmith
    A 3/3 ain't so exciting, but the weapon he brings is! God, so many
    weapons, so little time
	
  Death's Bite
    This addition from Naxxramas is much appreciated. It just increases the
    Warrior's ability to build advantage without drawing tons of cards
	
  Arcanite Reaper
    A solid and effective weapon
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Commanding Shout
    Commanding Shout draws a card. That's great. Clearing your opponents board
    and not losing any creatures is even better
	
  Cleave
    Unlike other removal spells, Cleave 2-1 building an offensive advantage
	
  Kor'Kron Elite
    The chargemaster on steroids, Kor'Kron Elite hits hard and fast, and often
    lives to tell the tale
	
  Cruel Taskmaster
    Not nearly as awesome, but the utility between removal and giving +2
    attack makes him a rather fancy Offensive pick
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Brawl
    Using Brawl is all about timing. Obviously clearing 3 Minions when your
    opponent has 4 is good, but generally whoever has the most Minions will
    keep one meaning that Brawling to get rid of a huge threat when there are
    several Minions out there is very doable. Learning your 1/x values is
    helpful for probability of success, basically, 50, 33, 25, 20, 16, 14, 12,
    11, and 10 percent are all you'll ever need for 2 down to 10 Minions out
    there for what chance any 1 Minion has to survive
	
  Shield Slam
    A great 1-1 spell that can remove most anything given enough Armor
	
  Mortal Strike
    A weaker fireball, it will ever only be 1-1 status
	
  Slam
    If you kill a 3/2, that's fine. If you remove Divine Shield with it,
    then you win. That's it you win
	
  Heroic Strike
    Removal, 1-1
	
  Execute
    Removal, weaker as it requires something else to have happened, but it
    can get rid of anything hurt so that's good
	
  Shield Block
    +5 armor and draw a card, not bad, not great
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Upgrade!
    Upgrade is decent if you have Arcanite Reaper or Gorehowl
	
  Armorsmith
    If you have several taunts, Unstable Ghoul, Whirlwind, or Death's Bite
    Armorsmith becomes an OK pick. Shield Slam helps too
	
  Warsong Commander
    Only take at 20+ cards and only if you have a fairly aggressive deck
	
  Battle Rage
    If you have no means to draw cards at 20, take one or two
	
  Whirlwind
    If you have no Death's Bite and/or Armorsmith/Acolyte of Pain/Gurubashi/
    Frothing Berserker this is much better
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Inner Rage
    This is fairly useless without the 2/2 body attached
	
  Rampage
    Better than some Neutral avoids, Rampage really doesn't work
	
  Charge
    Don't try it
	

--------------------------------------
  
  
        PALADIN
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Tirion Fordring
    The best Minion in the game, Tirion has to be silenced less he win the
    game for you
	
  Sword of Justice
    Giving +5/+5 out to your Minions is awesome
	
  Truesilver Champion
    The bread n butter, a Paladin without Truesilver Champion is probably
    a Paladin going 2-3 in Arena
	
  Consecration
    The essential removal spell
	
  Blessing of Kings
    Easily the strongest enchantment around, even turning a 1/1 into a 5/5
    means you invested 6 mana for a 5/5, not a bad deal
	
  Avenge
    For 1 mana and 5 stats, Avenge is extremely sexy
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Avenging Wrath
    Tricky to use, but it can give very nice card advantage if timed well
	
  Argent Protector
    Divine Shield is tricky to use; so what's better than Divine Shield is
    controlling when we use it. He's not really a 2 drop but regardless he
    makes trades far easier to swallow when you end up not trading at all
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Lay on Hands
    Sure you lose a turn but you draw 3 cards and gain a ton of health. Lay
    on Hands wins games
	
  Aldor Peacekeeper
    Again, not really a 3 drop, but having a 3/3 body come into play while
    neutering their best Minion is nice. Especially nice if you target
    Venture Co. Mercenary
	
  Equality
    Sure it affects all Minions but it's the great equalizer and an essential
    one at that
	
  Hammer of Wrath
    If it costed less it would be outstanding but either way it's a good card
	
  Blessing of Wisdom
    The beauty here is flexibility. Drawing cards on your attack is nice, but
    dropping this on a threatening Minion can make it not attack all the same
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Guardian of Kings
    A decent pick up if you are lacking 5+ drops
	
  Humility
    If you have no Equality or Aldor, I'd take a Humility after 20 cards
	
  Noble Sacrifice
    Noble Sacrifice becomes much stronger if you have Avenge, and/or cheap
    Minions like Knife Juggler you want to protect. He also works well with
    Cult Master and the Ghoul
	
  Redemption
    It's situational as you only want this to go off when you have a Divine
    Shield die, or something with a nice deathrattle; so that's when drafting
    it comes into play
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Holy Wrath
    As our mana curve typically is about 3, it's a fairly expensive waste of
    space
	
  Divine Favor
    Aggro decks are fairly hard to build and this probably won't get much use
	
  Blessed Champion
    For 5 mana the result isn't that good
	
  Blessing of Might
    +3 attack to a Minion sucks. Compare to Rockbiter Weapon, you can control
    when you want it to go down
	
  Hand of Protection
    Just getting Divine Shield isn't all that great
	
  Light's Justice
    Like Minions, dealing 1 damage isn't great
	
  Holy Light
    Like other cards, just getting the heal isn't so great
	
  Repentance
    If it hits something awesome, great! Most of the time though you can do
    better than this
	
  Eye for an Eye
    I'd take any Minion over this
	
	
--------------------------------------
  
  
        MAGE
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Fireball
    The beauty of Fireball is its effectiveness. Driving it from Defensive
    to Good
	
  Flamestrike
   It's like Flamestrike but...
   
  Water Elemental
    Easily one of the best 4 mana creatures around. It's just brutal
	
  Blizzard
    It's like Flamestrike but weaker
	
  Polymorph
    It makes scary cards go away. It does take a 6 mana investment to make
    it go away completely but all the same
	
  Mana Wyrm
    A 1/3 is generally very good. Mana Wyrm is a good choice even when you
    don't have that many spells as half the time you'll have Coin and the
    others you just have a cost efficient creature
	
  Sorcerer's Apprentice
    What's that? A 3/2 for 2? Sounds good
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Kirin Tor Mage
    A 4/3 for 3 is similar to Injured Blademaster. The difference is Secrets
    generally aren't good in Arena and the Blademaster can be healed
	
  Duplicate
    If you can control what you duplicate, then yes getting 2 more Sunwalkers
    is amazing
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Frostbolt
    Awesome 1-1 removal
	
  Pyroblast
    Too expensive for more than 1 copy, but it can be very game-ending
	
  Vaporize
    You have to play around your opponent, but Vaporize can screw them over
    entirely if they can't attack but with their huge Minion
	
  Arcane Intellect
    Drawing 2 cards for 1 is fine, it just doesn't do anything putting you
    behind initially
	
  Mirror Entity
    The timing of this spell is essential less you get something crappy
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Archmage Antonidas
    Antonidas situational? Yes. You need at least 8 spells and half of them
    costing less than 4 mana otherwise he is a 5/7 that will die on the
    opponents turn
	
  Counterspell
    If you are at 20 cards and don't have good spells yet, Counterspell can
    help fill a gap
	
  Ethereal Arcanist
    If you have several secrets he becomes a better pick though still weak
	
  Arcane Missiles
    Much better if you have spellpower guys, and or Mana Wyrm, Antonidas,
    or Sorcerers Apprentice
	
  Cone of Cold
    Something to take at 20 if you don't have good AoE removal
	
  Arcane Explosion
    Same as CoC
	
  Mirror Image
    If you have 2 Mana Wyrms this goes way up as Wyrm+Coin+Mirror Image
    is easily the strongest potential turn 1 play
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Spellbender
    It's a weaker Counterspell that often never gets triggered
	
  Ice Block
    Essential to Frost Mage, here it's not very good
	
  Frost Nova
    It buys you a turn, but not really
	
  Ice Barrier
    Pass
	
  Ice Lance
    Pass
	
	
--------------------------------------
  
  
        PRIEST
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Auchenai Soulpriest
    A fantastic Minion to have. Auchenai without Circle is still amazing
	
  Temple Enforcer
    One of the best battlecries in the game. And a 6/6 to boot!
	
  Power Word Shield
    +2 health and draw a card, doesn't get much better than this
	
  Holy Nova
    It's like Flamestrike but crappier. Still good though
	
  Northshire Cleric
    A great 1 drop that can create all kinds of problems
	
  Dark Cultist
    The best 3 mana drop in the game. Nuff said
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Cabal Shadow Priest
    What's better than munching a 2 power creature? Why stealing it of course
	
  Shadowform
    Turning 2 health heal into a 2 damage fireblast is rather nice
	
  Shadow Madness
    In terms of card advantage Shadow Madness is just brutal. Clearing 2
    Minions is awesome; it gets better if you get Deathrattle use as well
	
  Lightspawn
    Super vulnerable to silence, Lightspawn pounds and ends the game quickly
    if left unattended
	
  Mind Control
    For the rich mans Mind Control Tech, sitting on a Mind Control is a warm
    feeling as you always feel protected
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Prophet Velen
    He doesn't do much to win the game, but he brings it back fairly quickly
	
  Holy Fire
    A great 1-1 +5 health heal
	
  Shadow Word Death/Pain
    Bread n butter removal
	
  Holy Smite
    Go away 3/2 Minions!
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Mass Dispel
    A potential pick up if you are lacking Holy Nova
	
  Mind Vision
    Better than most Avoid cards, using Mind Vision can be good or shit
	
  Thoughtsteal
    We have to assume we get two 3/2 Minions. It's not bad but generally
    speaking we can do better
	
  Divine Spirit
    If you have 3 or more Lightspawns this is a plausible card
	
  Circle of Healing
    I like having 1 if I have an Auchenai or 2+ Northshires
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Mindgames
    What's worse than a 3/2 for any other price than 2 mana? Oh right, 4!
	
  Lightwell
    Well it can't attack. Darn
	
  Silence
    Not worth it without the Minion attached
	
  Mind Blast
    We'd literally prefer anything else
	
  Inner Fire
    It's best use is weakening Magma Ragers. Or just not have it
	
-------------------
  
  
        SHAMAN
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Al'Akir the Windlord
    Immediate effect, charge, divine shield... Yes Al'Akir is great
	
  Earth Elemental
    Whoa mama, this thing is huge and getting it on turn 5 is just wow
	
  Doomhammer
    The only thing better than removing 8 Minions is doing so in 4 turns
    instead of 8
	
  Lightning Storm
    One of the best AoE removal spells out there
	
  Feral Spirit
    Generally 2/3s aren't exciting. Generally a 2/3 Taunt isn't good. But
    getting TWO 2/3 Taunts for 3 mana is well, awesome!
	
  Fire Elemental
    One of the most brutal Minions to date, a deck with 6 Fire Elementals is
    a deck that probably will win 12 times
	
  Hex
    The only downside is Taunt. Oh well, makes things go away
	
  Stormforged Axe
    Trading 3-1 is a good thing don't you agree?
	
  Unbound Elemental
    He's a 2/4 for 3, a fair deal. But given how good overload cards are
    there isn't any reason to think that this guy can grow very quickly
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Ancestral Spirit
    Divine Shield, meet your maker. This works best on Deathrattles obviously
	
  Flametongue Totem
    An 0/3 that generates 4 attack screams for pick me please
	
  Forked Lightning
    The overload hurts, but 2-1 is always nice
	
  Bloodlust
    Probably only need 1, but Bloodlust is the ultimate game ending card
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Lava Burst
    A 1-1 removal spell
	
  Mana Tide Totem
    It guarantees drawing a card. After it's second turn out there you now
    have gained card advantage
	
  Rockbiter Weapon
    Ultimate flexibility removal is great
	
  Lightning Bolt
    It's like Rockbiter but different
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Reincarnate
    If you have many deathrattles and no Hex, this is possible
	
  Windspeaker
    A 3/3 isn't great, and Windfury is mediocre. He works well if you
    have several Rockbiters
	
  Windfury
  
  Earth Shock
    If you have no Hex this is a fairly good pick up
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Far Sight
    Just have a different card
	
  Ancestral Healing
    Rarely will this do anything besides give Taunt to something. Not so good
	
  Frost Shock
    Freeze is less impressive without the 5/5 body attached
	
  Dust Devil
    Crazy potential. The downside is your turn is hampered next turn and it
    dies rather quickly
	
  Totemic Might
    HAHAHAHAHAHA no
	

--------------------------------------
  
  
        DRUID
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Cenarius
    Cenarius is an excellent legendary and always a consideration to be nabbed
	
  Ancient of Lore/War
    Both the Ancients are fantastic. If offered both then which to choose?
    I generally favor Lore as the flexibility of 2 cards verse 5 life is more
    favorable to having a big dumb Minion like War. Now, if you are in your
    20 cards and are lacking late game, War becomes much better as his impact
    is independent of your deck, whereas the cards you draw from Lore can only
    be as good as you have cards in your deck
	
  Keeper of the Grove
    The ultimate 4 drop in terms of flexibility, you could realistically have
    10 Keepers and be happy
	
  Starfall
    The essential Druid removal, Starfall offers large and mass removal for
    an efficient price that you want
	
  Swipe
    Swipe is strong, but it is much stronger when combined with even just a
    single spell power as 2 damage is twice as strong as 1. Obvious jokes
    aside, the 2 damage kills many more Minions than the 1 so consider that
	
  Druid of the Claw
    A deck with 10 Druids of the Claw would be a pretty good deck
	
  Power of the Wild
    The only thing better than a 3/2 for 2, is turning him into a Stormwind
    Champion effect later in the game when you don't need a 3/2. Power of the
    Wild is great
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Force of Nature
    In terms of big offense, splash, and winning the game, Force of Nature
    delivers on all fronts. It's a great Offensive card
	
  Wrath
    Wrath isn't a Good card, but it's better than Defensive in terms of the
    utility it provides. It's just a spell, meaning 1-1 trading which puts it
    from the Good category into somewhere else, but a 1-1 trade, or a
    potential 1-1 trade and drawing a card is a good deal. Note that you
    typically do not want to trade a Minion just to get the 1 damage draw a
    card effect as you lose card advantage on that
	
  Mark of the Wild
    For 2 mana, this is the preferred enchantment as it gives steady stats and
    Taunt, letting you immediately take out something, and then later be
    traded. It's the stronger enchantment for sure
  
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Nourish
    Nourish doesn't do much on its own, but it builds huge card advantage be
    it with the 3 cards or the 2 crystals to get to 7/8 sooner
	
  Bite
    A solid 1-1 trading spell, it's strong but runs the risk of having to
    attack with your hero which can be problematic
	
  Ironbark Protector
    Sometimes you need a big dumb huge Taunt. Ironbark answers. You probably
    don't want more than 2, and you generally don't want to play him when your
    board is empty as the 8/8 goes down surprisingly quickly
	
  Claw
    One of the best 1 mana removal spells around, Claw is very nice
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Innervate
    Innervate can be good, but drawing them late in Arena can be a huge dead
    card. If you have 10+ 5 drops, Innervate becomes a better choice
	
  Mark of Nature
    If you lack Mark of the Wild and general offensive cards, Mark of Nature
    becomes better
	
  Wild Growth
    If your mana curve is 4+ instead of the 3 we want, Wild Growth becomes
    a better choice. If you have 7+ 4 drops then Wild Growth also looks better
    as a turn 2 Wild Growth allows for a 4 drop
	
  Poison Seeds
    Sometimes you find your lategame lacking and/or you fear running into
    large enemy Minions you can't deal with because you don't have good cards.
    Then Poison Seeds becomes an OK pick
	
  Naturalize
    Naturalize is much of the same. If you are at 20 cards and you notice a
    dropoff in good cards and lategame, then Naturalize could save your life
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Savagery
    Generally it will be a 1 damage nuke. Not so good
	
  Savage Roar
    It's fairly expensive and we cannot be geared towards Force-Roar so
    it's better to have something more reliable
	
  Soul of the Forest
    Not really any reason why we would want this card
	
  Healing Touch
    Healing spells without a Minion attached generally suck
	
  Moonfire
    It's better than Stonetusk Boar but that isn't say much
	
	
--------------------------------------
  
  
        WARLOCK
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Lord Jaraxxus
    In terms of changing the game, the Warlock Legend will do that for you
	
  Doomguard
    His downside is fairly large but c'mon, a 5/7 Charge is just really good
	
  Flame Imp
    Weaker thanks to Zombie how but still one of the best 1 mana Minions
    around
	
  Voidcaller
    A fantastic 4 drop that is good even without Demons; but now you can
    draft Demons more reasonably thanks to Voidcaller
	
  Dread Infernal
    A large 6/6 body attached to whirlwind is fairly nice lategame drop
	
  Hellfire
    It's an essential Warlock card to have if you want to win
	
  Voidwalker
    Having 1/3 Minions is generally a good, thing, Voidwalker is no
    exception especially when paired with Flame Imp or other cheap Minions
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Pit Lord
    Taking 5 damage is rough but a 5/6 for 4 mana demands respect. When paired
    with Voidcaller he is just that much better
	
  Shadowflame
    True you lose a Minion but Shadowflame is a good way to build card
    advantage still by blowing apart your opponents defenses
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Siphon Soul
    Just a 1-1 trade, expensive, but in many ways is better than Polymorph
    as you gain 3 life for the same mana cost
	
  Felguard
    Not the best Demon card around, but Felguard is still a fairly defensive
    Minion that is better than many other rares
	
  Soulfire
    It's a great removal spell but as you tend to lose a card you have to
    be careful with playing it
	
  Shadow Bolt
    Which leaves Shadow Bolt as the ultimate in terms of Minion removal as
    it's a fairly strong nuke
	
  Mortal Coil
    Not the best card out there due to not many Minions having 1 health, but
    it is better than cards like Elven Archer
	
  Blood Imp
    It serves to slowly boost your army. So it doesn't do much but it can
    build card advantage if given time
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Twisting Nether
    It's an extremely expensive card so you really only want it if you are
    finding your deck more geared towards the late game
	
  Void Terror
    A fine pick for constructed, but Void Terror in Arena often loses you your
    card advantage as he gets silenced and you've now lost Minions. He works
    well if you have a number of Deathrattle
	
  Demonfire
    It's pretty crappy but if you have a large number of Demons, particularly
    cheap ones it can work out
	
  Drain Life
    It's just a bit expensive for what it does
	
  Sense Demons
    It's a "draw 2 cards" spell with a string of getting Demons. Normally not
    something we need thanks to our hero power but it can work out if you have
    a large number of Demons, particularly Voidwalkers
	
  Corruption
    A fine card if by 20 you noticed your deck is lacking removal
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Bane of Doom
    Speaking of expensive cards that aren't worth it, Bane of Doom is one
	
  Power Overwhelming
    Can't tell you how often you are holding these with nothing to target
	
  Succubus
    Losing cards for a 4/3 ain't worth it. And if you do wait until your hand
    is empty a 4/3 is far less impressive than a 5/7 Charge
	
  Summoning Portal
    Like most 0 power Minions, this thing kinda sucks
	
	
--------------------------------------
  
  
        ROGUE
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  SI:7 Agent
    The Rogue card, a Rogue without at least 1 of these is a Rogue that
    might win 3 matches
	
  Perdition's Blade
    A solid weapon attached with a nice battlecry, Perdition's Blade can
    easily build a 3-1 card advantage
	
  Deadly Poison
    The Rogue hero power is largely crappy, as 1 damage attacking doesn't
    offer much utility to you. That's why Deadly Poison exists. It gives a
    Fiery Win Axe and we know how good that is
	
  Assassinate
    The Rogues answer card for large scary Minions, you will want 2 of these
	
  Assassin's Blade
    This weapon is the essential midgame Rogue card for keeping and building
    huge card advantage for you
	
  Anub'ar Ambusher
    Having a 5/5 for 4 mana is a solid Minion to own and the best part is that
    his effect can be used to your advantage
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Cold Blood
    Cold Blood can give you the win, but it can also allow you for just 1 mana
    trade upwards saving a larger Minion. Thus, it can really give you a
    fairly nice advantage if you pull it off well
	
  Defias Ringleader
    Normally summoning Minions aren't that good, and Defias is no exception.
    The difference is that he is 4/3, or 7 stats for 2 mana when combo'd
    which isn't all bad. Add in the potential Coin-Defias and having a few of
    these is a good option
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Edwin VanCleef
    Edwin is one of the weaker Legends in Arena, but if you do get him, he is
    one of those that requires you lose card advantage to have a larger Minion
    later. Though, he really isn't worth it to be honest
	
  Patient Assassin
    The ultimate Stealth Minion, he sits and waits to 1-1 for you
	
  Master of Disguise
    A kind of crappy Minion to be honest, the realy strength is that his
    Stealth is permanent meaning you can throw it on Minions like Cult Master
    or Gadgetzan Auctioneer and you never have to fear their death if you
    don't attack; unless AoE comes their way
	
  Backstab
    A great removal spell for 1-1
	
  Eviscerate
    Having 3 or 4 Eviscerates in a deck is a nice group of spells to own
	
  Sprint
    It's expensive but it gives you 4 cards so it can build card advantage
    for you
	
  Fan of Knives
    It's rather crappy but as it draws a card then you can't rule it out
    completely
	
  Shiv
    Shiv is one of those that is essential to constructed but you probably
    want to pass in Arena
	
  Conceal
    This card doesn't much for you except maybe set you up for a win next
    turn. Generally speaking you would rather have any other card
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Blade Flurry
    It has a nice clearing effect though you will need at least 3 ways to
    get weapon damage over 1; such as Deadly Poison or Assassin's Blade
	
  Headcrack
    Normally things that just deal damage to face aren't very good; the
    exception with Headcrack is that it can work well if your deck is
    particularly slow or if you have spell power and/or Gadgetzan Auctioneer
	
  Betrayal
    It can provide great 2-1 though Betrayal can also be rather useless if
    your opponents play smart. If you lack any AoE removal though the grabbing
    some can help
	
  Shadowstep
    Only worth grabbing if you have at least 5 good battlecry effects
	
  Sap
    The ultimate tempo card, it's just not as strong in Arena as they can just
    recast it
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  Kidnapper
    Whoof this dude is freaking bad
	
  Preparation
    Like many Rogue cards; great in constructed useless here
	
  Vanish
    Nope don't try it
	
  Sinister Strike
    Yeah 3 damage to face isn't going to do anything
	
	
--------------------------------------
  
  
        HUNTER
		
    GOOD CARDS
	
  Gladiators Longbow
    If there's any reason to play Hunter, it's because these top 4 Good cards
    are extremely good and can change the game. The downside is that 3 of
    these are rares and this one is an epic. That being said, Gladiators
    Longbow is one of the best weapons in the game as it allows for removal
    but it saves your hero from harm
	
  Eaglehorn Bow
    A fairly expensive Fiery Win Axe, but it can be combo'd with Secrets (most
    of which are decent for Arena) for added bonus
	
  Savannah Highmane
    Arguably one of the best 6 drops in the game, Scar demands respect and an
    answer less he eat your opponent in two bites
	
  Explosive Shot
    Another card that suffers from smart placement, but even so Explosive Shot
    will almost always 2-1, and generally 3-1. It's like a boosted Swipe that
    doesn't need the spell power
	
  Animal Companion
    The random factor stinks, but 33% of the time you get Misha which is what
    you almost always want. Leokk isn't half bad and Huffer can be nice when
    needed
	
  Tracking
    Even in Arena, Tracking is strong as you can search for what you need
	
  Unleash the Hounds
    Yes the Buzzard nerf sucks but Hounds is still one of the best removal
    spells around for 3 mana. Combined with Knife Juggler, Scavenging Hyena,
    or Cult Master you can get good results still
	
  Houndmaster
    Useless on his own, but when paired onto a beast he comes in with a ton of
    stats making him a fairly strong choice
	
-------------------
	
    OFFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Bestial Wrath
    An underrated Epic for sure, Bestial Wrath for 1 mana gives great
    flexibility in terms of building your advantage
	
  Snake Trap
    It's a rather weak trap, though if paired with effects such as Knife
    Juggler, Buzzard, or Scavenging Hyena then it can be really powerful
	
  Multi-Shot
    It's simple 2-1 removal at its finest
	
-------------------
	
    DEFENSIVE CARDS
	
  Misdirection
    As with the other traps, they tend to focus on your board position quite
    a bit more as your opponent tries to figure out what they are. Regarding
    Misdirection, it is best when you have nothing on the board and they have
    two Minions that can eliminate one another giving you 2-1 advantage
	
  Explosive Trap
    You tend to lose cards, but if you can get their Minions to 2 health you
    can wipe em out fairly easily
	
  Freezing Trap
    A much better tempo card, the riskiness being that you need them to not
    trigger a battlecry with this trap or you lose out then
	
  Snipe
    For 2 mana, 4 damage is a fairly good deal. The lack of control stinks,
    but dropping it early means you can 1-1 their stuff out of your way
	
  Arcane Shot
    It's simple 1-1 removal
	
  Hunter's mark
    It technically doesn't kill anything so it tends to cost you card
    advantage but when combined with effects like Explosive Trap or Hounds
    then you really don't lose anything
	
  Kill Command
    A strong removal spell, stuck to having to have a Beast
	
  Deadly Shot
    Removing a Ragnaros for 3 mana makes you smile. Removing a 1/1 for 3
    mana makes you frown. It's still strong removal if it works
	
-------------------
	
    SITUATIONAL CARDS
	
  Webspinner
    A fairly weak 1 drop, the randomness tends to make this something you
    don't want. If you have a deathrattle theme going though then grabbing
    Webspinner is alright
	
  Starving Buzzard
    It's situational as in don't ever situationally grab this unless you have
    no other means to draw cards
	
  Timber Wolf
    An unimpressive 1/1, if you have 3 Unleash then grabbing a Timber Wolf
    can be nice as it allows for more effective board clearing
	
  Tundra Rhino
    A fairly expensive useless Minion, Tundra Rhino can be grabbed if you
    have 8 or more Beasts
	
  Scavenging Hyena
    If you have 3 or more Unleash then this works well
	
-------------------
	
    AVOID CARDS
	
  King Krush
    What's that? Avoid the legend? Yes, I would. King Krush costs too much
    and does too little. I'd take him over other Avoid Legends like Pat
    Nagle, Lorewalker Cho, or Mukkla, but you generally want to have legends
    that you can play right away or play them and have a splashy effect. King
    Krush is just a big dumb large charging Minion that deals less damage than
    Steady Shot+Kill Command
	
  Flare
    An essential constructed card, Flare is near use-less in Arena
	
	
--------------------------------------

    So now that we have gotten through the Minion lists, let's talk a bit
about the classes and what you are really looking for. As usual, the order
will go something like Warrior, Paladin, Mage, Priest, Druid, Shaman, Warlock,
Rogue, and Hunter.


    So Warrior. He's a fairly simple class that is largely dependent on those
weapons. You may be curious as to what's the deal with weapons, and here's
why. Weapons innately give 2-1 advantage as your hero takes upwards of 6 or
more damage in exchange for protecting your board and clearing your opponents.
As the Warrior gets several, and in several powers, what he loses in Hero
Power he makes up for with easy card advantage. His Hero Power doesn't effect
the board but you can stack armor forever so even when you have nothing to do
he still can armor up whereas the Priest can sit there and do nothing.

    Many of the Warriors cards are fairly responsive, Kor'kron is a large
charging Minion you tend to not want to play unless you have a target, and
Cruel Taskmaster is a 2 drop that needs a target in play. As such, something
that is vitally important to Warrior in addition to weapons is having a good
number of early drops. Things like Chow and Bloodfen Raptor, good 1 and 2
drops, are essential to getting something down. Your weapons build advantage
but if you don't do anything with that advantage you could easily lose.

    One weakness of Warriors is that despite the advantage, they can run out
of cards quickly. This is due largely to how cards like Slam and Execute work.
As such, you want to have at least 3 ways to draw cards in a Warrior deck, be
it Acolyte, Loot Hoarder, or the preferred Cult Master, to ensure cards stay
in your hand.

    Something else to keep in mind is that Warriors with their weapons can be
fairly aggressive, meaning they'll fall off later. As such, it is important to
have some significant Minions that can stand alone in the late game. Large
Stealth Minions come to mind as those that don't deliver, whereas having
Boulderfist Ogre, or even larger more rare Minions can make that difference.

    Warriors can lose board control fairly quickly, and this is largely due
to their poor AoE removal. As such, it is really important to focus on the
board and not let it get away from you less you get overrun.

    When playing against Warriors, there are a few things to watch out for,
	
  -Try to avoid getting damage on valuable targets. This is obviously
   because of Execute
  -If they play a weapon and you can't destroy it with Ooze, you can't just
   not play something so you might have to swallow the loss and play something
   without getting attached
  -Warriors can do lots of damage fairly quickly between weapons and charges,
   so keep an eye on your life total
  -While Warriors lack board clear, they do have an Epic Brawl, which destroys
   all but 1 random Minion, so keep that in mind. It shows up more often than
   you might think



    So Paladin. The big thing about Paladin is lasting. Lasting to let that
Hero Power begin to overturn and change the game. Adding a 1/1 to the battle
field each turn when both decks are getting towards top-deck, this is when
Paladin shines.

    As such, their deck needs to be geared towards lasting. You need good
early 2 and 3 drops, to establish the board because at that stage making your
1/1 is kinda sad. Later on, you are looking for those midgame beasts to keep
you in and through to the end. In particular, they get to have some fun with
cards like Stormwind Champion, Raid Leader, and Cult Master thanks to all of
their free Minions. One thing particularly important is having some Taunts to
protect those 1/1 Minions; protect them so you can unleash them to protect
your other Minions that aren't so weak.

    Their cards have some potent plays as well. Consecrate is an absolute
necessary victory card, and True Silver makes a big deal as well. One thing
unique about Paladins is their ability to adapt and deal, and that uses cards
like Argent Protector, Humility, Equality, and Aldor Peacekeeper, only the
latter two which is a rare. Those are essential cards to building up card
advantage and then taking control.

    One weakness is running out of cards before you are ready to go. As such,
on those turns 5-8, you often want to make a 1/1 and play a Minion as opposed
to play a Minion and a Minion so that in the event of board clears, something
very dangerous to Paladins, you are better protected from failure.

    When playing against Paladin, here are some hints
	
  -Paladins have secrets, which are rather exploitable. The easiest of which,
   is to attack the hero to test for Get Down. If that doesn't trigger, then
   Avenge is your next bet. If that doesn't trigger, then it could be any, but
   most of which aren't very good. To deal with Avenge, just be ready to clear
   or silence the target the moment it happens. On the other hand, you could
   just ignore his Minions though that is risky
  -Equality and Consecrate hurt, play cautiously with flooding the board of
   of too many Minions
  -In regards to point 1, Paladins are the most notorious class for pumping
   their Minions so you almost always want to clear their board every turn
   if able, not to mention those 1/1s can overrun you very quickly
  -If there's a card in their hand that has sat there a long time, it might
   be Tirion. He tends to win games if you can't silence him so keep that in
   mind



    So Mage. The easy mode class. Actually, Mage is one of the most
frustrating classes in Arena, especially to play against as you just never
know what you are up against. We all know how dangerous the Mage spells are,
but how many do they have? Do they have multiple fireballs? Multiple
flamestrikes? Multipled Polymorphs? What's that secret? Easily, Mage is the
most frustrating class to face.

    It's also frustrating to build. Why? Because look at that list. Mage has
no Minions, well they have some, but largely the Minions are not so good. Yes
Sorcerers Apprentice is a 3/2, but there are like 6 of those Minions. Yes Mana
Wyrm is a 1/3 that can get large, but it also needs spells. And yes, Water
Elemental is strong, but it's only a 4 drop meaning it gets outclassed by
stronger later Minions. It means that the Mage is very reliant on their spells
to carry them to victory. You can also value-draft with good Minions but that
will only get you so far if you don't have the key cards to carry you onward.

    For a Mage, the first 10-15 cards are the most important for the Mage, as
you have to establish what your deck is going to be/do and quickly, as you
assess what cards you need to round out your deck. Obviously, things like
Fireball and Flamestrike can almost always be taken, but this is very
important regarding Minions. Defense or Offense? Do I have the key removal?
These are important questions to always keep in mind, for any class, but even
so for Mage as the Mage, as I've reiterated a couple times, is so dependent on
their spells. Like Priest and Warlock can take bad decks far, Paladin can run
over with bad decks if he can cheese to victory. Mage decks are hard to cheese
unless you cheese your way with 5+ Fireballs, which incidentally if you have
5 Fireballs you should win 12 times.

    Mage hints and tips
	
  -Generally, assume a turn 7 Flamestrike, as well as 2 Fireballs and 2 Polys
   Playing around it when they don't have it will help when they actually do
   play it and you're not caught with your pants down
  -Don't be afraid to play 1 health Minions like Loot Hoarder knowing it will
   die because if they spend their early game just pinging things away,
   especially 3/2 Minions, then that means they aren't playing anything and
   are investing a lot of time not doing much
  -Mages cannot play from behind well, so dealing lots of damage early is a
   great way to force bad Fireballs and desperate plays. Additionally, if you
   can prevent them from having Minions on the board when they Flamestrike you
   can regroup much more easily. One of the most devastating Mage plays is
   turn 6 Tiger, turn 7 Flamestrike. It hurts a bit



    So Priest. The Priest is quite powerful but frankly it is one of the
harder Arena classes to work with as every turn is a choice to heal a Minion
or play a new one. Your draft is important as many of the Priest cards are
very good, and you don't know what you're going to get down the road. You may
pass on a Mind Control thinking you'll get one later, but it may not come back
around ever. You might end up with 4 Dark Cultist which is great.

    Typically, the Priest is looking for a tankier approach. Minions with
higher health become much stronger here as the Priest is all about outlasting
by keeping his Minions around forever. Regarding some specifics, Minions like
Oasis Snapjaw or Stormwind Knight work much better in Priest decks thanks to
their high health.

    Regarding some Priest cards, like I said before many of them are great and
build tons of card advantage. Mind Vision is a tricky card, one I don't care
for, but if you have it try to play it on turn 5 or later as you have a better
chance to get something good. With Northshire Cleric, you may not want to play
him on turn 1 simply because you'd rather be able to guarantee getting card
draw, but it depends. Against Warrior don't, but against Paladin feel free.

    Something unique about Priests is their ability to deal with enraged
Minions, just heal them! Solves problems usually. Lightspawn is fine, great
actually, and with that Divine Spirit becomes an OK card if you have at least
3 Lightspawns otherwise it's rather pointless. One rare that is asked about
a lot is Holy Fire. I really don't like it; it's better than some rares, but
for instance Argent Commander is better than Holy Fire every time. Also only
1 Mind Control please, it's too expensive and can lose you the game if you
get stuck with 2 copies too early.

    Regarding some tips and hints for playing against them,
	
  -Holy Nova is their board clear and frankly it's rather weak so keep that in
   in mind
  -If they ever go full Northshire, abuse the hell out of that and deck them
   quickly (more than 1 out there)
  -Four power Minions rule, so playing carefully about bumping 4s into the 5
   range and vice versa trying to get 3s to the 4 is really key in terms of
   avoiding Shadow Word
  -Adding on, getting out of the 2 range stops Cabal Shadow Priest from
   yanking your Minions
  -Mind Control on turn 10, don't play anything you can't deal with being
   stolen and/or can't answer to
  -Generally, Priests win with your cards, meaning you can outplay them (or
   have to outplay them) to beat them
   
   
   
    So Druids. As I've said before, Druids are all about flexibility and
choice. Many of the Druid cards are great which makes them all around, solid
choices to play with in Arena. Thus, an obvious weakness of Druids becomes
missing some key cards. Their Minions while strong are reactive meaning that
if you miss out on your key removal, Swipe or Starfall, you can get behind as
Keeper and Druid of the Claw aren't going to bring you back from a huge
deficit of Minions on the board.

    Even though Druids can have explosive turns, they definitely have a much
stronger late-game. As such getting that Ironbark, that Starfire, and those
other big Minions is how a Druid secures victory. Regarding Ironbark, playing
him on a naked board facing several Minions is fine, but generally you will
still come out behind. You want to play Ironbark when you are in control,
trust me it's just one of those things.

    One easy way for things to get out of hand is too many Minions. Despite
having Swipe, Druids struggle to deal with fast rushes so it's really
important to have that early game presence with those early drops. His hero
power can clear small Minions sure, but generally it is not sufficient.

    Innervate and Wild Growth are fine cards, but you gotta be careful.
Innervate in particular is a dangerous card as post turn 6 it becomes a dead
card in your hand. As such, don't take them before 15 cards, and only if you
are noticing an abundance of late game, 10+ later drops.

    Strangely enough, while Druids are associated with big, they struggle
with big. This is because they lack any form of "go away" short of nuking it
down. So dealing with an enemy Ironbark, or Earth Elemental, or Druid of the
Claw, can be hard to deal with if you aren't in a good position as there is
no Hex, Polymorph, or Assassinate. Thus, at cards 20 it becomes important to
check how your deck is coming along. If you have some good Offensive cards,
like Force of Naure or Dark Iron Dwarf, then you are probably fine, otherwise
grabbing a Naturalize or Poison Seeds can save your life from an opposing
Ironbark Protector.

    How to beat Druid
	
  -Druids are all about choice, so restricting their choice can help. Simply
   put, forcing Druid of the Claw into a 4/4 haste to take down something, or
   forcing Ancient of Lore to heal himself is a good way to reduce their
   advantage
  -Druids don't have many early game Minions, rather their Minions are mostly
   late game focused. So pay attention to what you see early as you can
   usually predict how good the player is as well as what their deck may end
   up as depending on those first cards you see. Coining Wild Growth for
   example can be a scare factor, but coin into a 2/3 and then on their next
   turn they just hero power indicates a lack of understanding
  -Druids are weak to silence on many fronts. Ancient of War gets silenced to
   a 5/5, Ironbark loses Taunt, and many of their pump cards can go away so
   if you have Silence try to save it for meaningful targets
  -And as stated, getting a good board presence and avoiding have many 1
   health Minions is a good way to rush down a Druid
   
   
   
    So Shaman. The class that despite making Minions isn't as good as just
making a bunch of 1/1s. This is fairly obvious, but due to how uninteractive
the Totems can be. Healing Totem for example is useless against 55% of the
classes for the most part. Regardless.

    Shamans got some great cards, among them, Hex and Fire Elemental are key
cards to slam dunk your opponent. Bloodlust is a great game-ender, and as
always some key removal like Lightning Storm goes a long way.

    Regarding overload, try to think about it before you play it. Before
dropping a 2+ overload card, think about what do I want to do next turn? Can
I do that? Overloading yourself into a position of just toteming is generally
unfavorable and you want to avoid it.

    Some tricky and not so good cards, Earth Shock is great in constructed but
in Arena it's just not as good though you can pick it up if you are lacking
removal. Lava Burst is a card that looks good but I tend to find myself
passing on it for others because it's expensive and just not all that good
frankly. I mean Fireball is 4 mana for 6 damage, and Lava Burst is 3 now, 2
later, for only 5 damage.

    As Shaman, your biggest fear is Hunter. Yes they tend to not show up
often but Unleash will eat you alive and sadly there just isn't much you can
do to stop it because you kinda need those Totems out there. Just play smart
and try to pull out a victory.

    Facing Shamans,
	
  -Like Paladin, you generally want to clear their board. This is because
   Rockbiter and Flametongue are huge pump up cards you want to avoid losing
   to. Additionally, Bloodlust deals 3/6/9/12/15 + base damage depending on
   their Minion count so you can lose in a hurry
  -Stoneclaw Totem is annoying. Get over it. Try to not get in a position to
   where you have just one Minion out there to be stumped by Stoneclaw
  -Doomhammer is awesome. If you run into it you really have to try and play
   Minions with at least 3 health, no way around it
  -Don't let Mana Tide Totem survive but one turn. It's usually their only
   way to draw cards
  -Shamans thrive on building advantage through huge clears, so try to play
   around that and don't leave yourself open to huge Lightning Storms
   
   
   
    So Warlock. Generally your Warlock deck is going to be more aggressive and
that's fine, it suits his hero power. As such, having a larger emphasis on the
2-3 drops is more important than having so many late game beasts, as Warlocks
outside of Handlock, struggle in the lategame as their hero power can become
muted due to low life and the dangers of tapping.

    Many Warlock cards have downsides, so it's important to understand how to
play around them. Flame Imp for instance shouldn't get cast when you are below
10 health, and Doomguard typically you want an empty hand otherwise you come
out very far behind.

    Warlocks have some situational cards that is important to know when to
grab them. Corruption is an example of a card that can save your life from
threatening beasts, but it's slow so only take it at 20 cards if you find
yourself lacking removal. Power Overwhelming seems awesome but in Arena it
often sits in your hand doing nothing. Blood Imp seems amazing, but really
the 1 health doesn't make that big of a difference and there's so many ways
for him to die that he's often not worth it.

    Voidcaller is amazing, take many of them and don't fear taking other
Demons then alongside him (not Succubus).

    Beating Warlocks
	
  -Obviously, once they dip below 10 health their hero power becomes
   frightening to use so rushing them down really helps. Saving direct damage
   to end them is a good answer as well
  -Hellfire is a big nuke early, be mindful of it
  -Typically, your match up against Warlocks depends on how quickly they come
   online. If you find them not swarming the board in the first 5 turns, then
   you should be fine. Your match up is also largely dictated by what cards
   they drafted. For example Voidcaller is great but if nothing comes out
   then their 4 drop was not the most efficient. Regarding Voidcallers, try to
   kill them on your terms so that you can
   
   
  
    So Rogues. True to their nature, Rogues are crafty and have to win using
methods that don't necessarily aline with brute force or raw spell power. The
Arena Rogue relies on big turns and eliminating key threats with their spells
making way for their Minions.

    As such, their spells very important and with Rogues it is not uncommon
to have 10 spells at a minimum to give energy to their deck. Cards like
Backstab, Eviscerate, and Assassin's Blade are very powerful and are what
define the Rogue. Other cards like Deadly Poison, Cold Blood, and Anub'ar
Ambusher are the nice strong filler cards to round out their base.

    One issue with Rogues, is that many of their cards suck in Arena. Conceal,
Preparation, and Shadowstep are a few that come to mind, though Shiv and Fan
of Knives are not much better. The generally ineffecient constructed cards
like Assassinate and Sprint fit here due to their raw power.

    As stated, SI7 Agent is an essential part to the Rogue. Other strong cards
like Blade Flurry, and Patient Assassin are a bit harder to use but can also
build strong card advantage for you.

    Stomping Rogues
	
  -Rogues rely on their spells. So your match up is 90% decided on what you
   have to run into. A Rogue with 4 Eviscerate is going to be much harder. A
   Rogue that Backstabs your 3/2s all day and drops Deadly Poison on their
   Assassin's Blade can ruin your game
  -Like Warlock and to some extent Druid, their Hero Power becomes neutered
   by huge Taunts and low life. Getting a strong front is important with
   Rogues.
  -Because of their explosive nature through cards like Defias Ringleader and
   Cold Blood, Rogues can deal quite a bit of damage so you really want to
   clear their board less something gets sapped and now you get attacked for
   10+ damage. Also, Eviscerate and Assassinate hurt like hell and there's not
   much you can do against them
  -A Rogue with 0 cards in hand isn't very threatening. Surviving can be a
   great strategy to employ against a Rogue as well if you are having trouble
   getting a threshold
   
   
   
    Lastly, Hunter. There isn't much to say. It's the weakest Arena class and
for good reason, their cards aren't the best and their Hero Power is so
uninteractive. Many Hunter cards are valued solely on how much they
exterminate, so if you're playing a Hunter keep that in mind.

    Typically, you are looking to rush down your opponent. As you can do 2
damage every turn, if you run out of damage you can still scrape a win if you
can avoid losing. As such, getting the most out of your cards is important.

    Turn 1 Timber Wolf is really crappy. Hunter's Mark is best when combined
with Unleash the Hounds. Deadly Shot is random, so try to reduce the random
factor so it pisses off your opponents.

    Ever since the Buzzard nerf, it sucks hard. As such, Unleash is still
really good but you want to try and pair it with something for splash, some
options include Scavenging Hyena, Knife Juggler, or Cult Master. Because you
have Unleash, it's not always a need to eliminate your opponents creatures as
you want a bigger scarier Unleash. Not keep in mind that your opponent will
suspect Unleash so they probably will hang onto Minions. As such Mind Cotnrol
Tech is a bit weaker in Hunter than others.

    Surviving Hunter
	
  -Hunter is weak, but that doesn't mean you won't run into it and be posed
   with problem. Their cards are reactive, so let's briefly run over what we
   can do to help:
    Deadly Shot - Try to not play huge Minions by themselves
    Multi-Shot - Try to not have just two 3 health minions out there
    Explosive Shot - It deals 2 5 2, so pay attention to how you place your
            Minions. Placing 2-2-5 is better than 2-5-2 for instance, as he
            cannot 3-1 your Minions. Also separating important Minions can
            help, such as going 4-3-4 if those were your options
    Houndmaster - Only works with Beasts, so killing his Beasts can slow this
            guy down quite a bit
    Traps - The most common are Explosive and Freezing. We've been over
            testing for those; so just keep in mind what you might see based
            on what they do. Bluffing is key here to a Hunter so don't be
            afraid to take risk. If you suspect it is Explosive and you have
            lots to lose, don't be afraid to just focus on clearing his
            Minions first before triggering it
			
			
			
    So final notes regarding Arena. At the end of the day, you just have to
play it frequently to get a feel for it. I could give hints all day long but
as with many games, you have to develop a feel and just start to know. Start
to expect. Just because you faced Mind Control Tech last game doesn't mean
your opponent isn't sitting on one. It's turn 5, be careful of Stampeding
Kodo and maybe not play your 2/7 right now.

    Often times, it does depend on the cards you get. Sadly, that's just how
randomness works. However, with strategies that are tested, and using all of
the knowledge we can possess to try and turn the tide, then hopefully, we can
craft some new Arena players out there.

    I also realize that this might make it harder for me but whatever. It's
like a couple of times now I've played against some Zoo-Lock and seen Owls
dropped and though, to myself, dammit Owl isn't a standard Zoo card are they
reading my guide? Oh well. I enjoy a better challenge instead of stomps.

    Happy Hearthstoning


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             14. Expansion Sets                         [EEEE]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As I certainly hope to see many new sets in the future of Hearthstone,
this section will be where they will be included. I may separate them with
their respected gamefaqs sections; but for now I will include Goblins verse
Gnomes here and keep Naxxramas where it is.

    Regardless, December 8, 2014 marks the date a new 136 card set will be
added to Hearthstone, 13 of which are uncollectable and 123 being collectable.
Each class gains 8 new cards and there will be 51 new neutral cards.

    The theme for Goblins verse Gnomes is absolutely randomness. Without a
doubt, the cards are going to shake up Hearthstone to a whole new level. With
this set, there is are two new races being introduced, Mechs and Ogres. Mechs,
are without a doubt, going to be very interesting and add an interesting
aspect to the game. Ogres on the other hand, are going to be prime for adding
Wailing Soul to certain decks as these Ogres are underpriced for their size
due to their ability being 50% chance to attack the wrong enemy.

    For the full cardlist and details, please check
        hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Goblins_vs_Gnomes
		
    MECHS
	
    To understand Mechs, there is something we have to look at, Spare Parts.
These are 7 cards, all costing 1 mana, that all have simple effects. Here they
are:

Armor Plating: Give a minion +1 Health
Emergency Coolant: Freeze a minion
Finicky Cloakfield: Give a friendly minion Stealth until your next turn
Reversing Switch: Swap a minion's Attack and Health
Rusty Horn: Give a minion Taunt
Time Rewinder: Return a friendly minion to your hand
Whirling Blades: Give a minion +1 Attack

    These are the various cards that can be collected from the Spare Part
cards. Are they worth it? Some of them are quite good and others are quite
situational. So let's review the cards now:

    Clockwork Gnome: He's a 2/1 for 1 which fits perfectly for aggression.
Unlike Leper Gnome who deals 2 damage, this guy gives a Spare Part upon death.
I think he'll be a wonderful fit for aggressive decks going with a Mech theme.
As for Arena, he is quite a bit more underwhelming. The Spare Parts are cool
for sure, but being a 2/1 makes the whole process quite a bit weaker

    Cogmaster: He's conditionally a 3/2 for 1 which makes him again a great
fit for aggressive Mech decks. Arena-wise, if you have at least 5 Mechs he
could be useful

    Annoy-o-Tron: He's annoying that's for sure but how much he actually
accomplishes is rather weak. In Arena, he's a fantastic little 2 drop that
can really create problems for your opponent. Even when dealing with hero
powers that deal 1 damage it takes 2 mana to just remove the deathrattle
which begins to make it cost efficient. Now that being said, don't go hog
crazy with these things

    Explosive Sheep: He's a Mech however he's actually much better off to
counter aggression because of his deathrattle, deal 2 damage to all Minions.
What deck to go in? I'm not entirely sure, but control decks if any. In Arena
he could absolutely be a great pick up

    Gilblin Stalker: For costing 2, we would prefer a 3/2 instead of a 2/3.
Stealth is a useful ability, however when they can use Stealth to trade up
giving card advantage. As such, he's really not all that strong. In Arena is
where he would shine as he can guarantee your trade without you worrying about
some spell blowing him out of the way. Still not brilliant though

    Mechwarper: A staple to Mech decks for sure, his use in Arena will most
likely be extremely limited

    Micro Machine: This guy is a fantastic 2 drop. Immediately, he's a 2/2 for
your opponent to deal with. Your first attack with him is a 3/2. From there,
he only gets stronger and more troublesome to deal with

    Puddlestomper: A fantastic addition to Murloc decks and being a 3/2 body
for Arena is always great. Might make picking up Hungry Crab more viable now
to counter the Puddlestomper

    Ship's Cannon: They are pushing for a Pirate deck and Ship's Cannon will
definitely help that out. He's like Knife Juggler on steroids and actually for
his use, has great stats as he's harder to kill. In Arena, his use will be
strictly never unless you need more 2 drops

    Stonesplinter Trogg: I think this guy will be a great addition to Zoo
aggression as he's not that scary, but if not dealt with, will become scary.
He can easily protect your other Minions less your opponent makes him scary.
In Arena, he won't be that strong simply because spells are much more limited
there though he's still a better pick than most

    Flying Machine: Like most 1/4 minions, he sucks. The addition to windfury
makes him more cool though he desperately needs allies to compliment his
glaring weakness of 1 attack. Being a Mech, there could be a spot for him
though I doubt it. In Arena, you can probably do better

    Gnomeregan Infantry: Silverback Patriarch is now strictly useless save for
being a beast, but that doesn't make this thing any better. A 1/4 taunt is
near useless, and giving it Charge won't help much of anything

    Ogre Brute: Our first Ogre, he's a 4/4 for 3 which is huge. The ability to
attack the wrong enemy is actually quite cool, as you can attack past Taunts
as well as attack Stealth'd enemies. If it proves frustrating, then simply
silence him. In Arena, I think this guy will be a very high pick due to his
huge size and not that bad of a downside

    Spider Tank: Dark Cultist was the first and now we have our second 3/4
minion for 3. As such, Spider Tank is very strong and being a Mech gives him
that niche for Mech cards. I expect to see him all over the place

    Tinkertown Technician: Conditionally he's a 4/4 for 3 and you gain a Spare
Part. That's awesome! For Mech decks he's a shoo-in and in Arena he's not that
bad to begin with but having additional Mechs will make him that much more
strong

    Burly Rockjaw Trogg: Similar to his cousin, this guy is very anti-control
with his spell-like absorption. At 3/5, he's appropriately costed to begin
with but combined with gaining +2 attack I expect he will be a staple in
certain decks as a counter measure

    Lost Tallstrider: Hunter has gotten some fairly strong cards and this is
no exception, as it's a 5/4 beast for 4 mana. Rather useless in most other
decks, I expect this "chocobo" will be in nearly all Hunter decks

    Mechanical Yeti: RIP Chillwind Yeti. Just kidding, but he is that good.
Giving each player a Spare Part seems like a downside; however this is
something you can exploit due to the theme of certain cards gaining bonuses
from your opponents hand
	
    Piloted Shredder: A 4/3 for 4 we would expect a good ability as a 4/3 goes
down to a 2 drop 3/2; this one does. When he dies he gives you a random 2 cost
minion. That's amazing! With the exception of Captain's Parrot, you cannot
lose out on value when this thing goes down. In Arena, I expect this will be
fairly strong pick

    Antique Healbot: Hard to say with this. According to Blizzard, 3 mana and
8 health is considered balanced. This guy then results with a 3/3 for 2 mana
in addition to gaining 8 life. Seems strong; but if we step back we see it's
5 mana for a 3/3 so I'd say ehhhhhhhhhh probably not that good

    Salty Dog: He's a pirate, and he's a 7/4 for 5 which is good enough for
Legendary standards. Now, he doesn't have Deathrattle, but he is a pirate and
he is fairly huge for the cost. Not so good outside of Pirate decks, but in
Arena I expect him to be fairly strong as he is simply powerful

    Force-Tank MAX: This guy is certainly huge however when compared to other
huge neutral minions he is questionable. A 7/7 Divine Shield is great, but he
costs 8 mana which is cumbersome. Ogre is a 6/7 for only 6 mana, and Venture
Co is a 7/6 for only 5 mana. If you need a fatty he definitely fits the role
though I would take Ogre over him any day



    Rares
	
    Our first rare is Target Dummy. Suffice to say this guy to me seems
useless. Sure he's free, but he's an 0/2. If anything, Shieldbearer at least
will absorb two attacks. In other words, free 20 crafting I assume

    Gnomish Experimenter: This guy is useless in Arena. As the majority of
your cards are minions, that means you get a 1/1 chicken instead. Outside of
Arena, he may have some use in constructed in very spell oriented decks as
he is a 3/2 body attached to drawing a card opposed to the 1/1 or 2/4

    Goblin Sapper: One theme we will see is powers based on your opponents
hand. Instinctively, I think these cards are going to be quite weak as you
cannot control your opponents hand save for mill decks. Regarding Goblin
Sapper, having a 6/4 for 3 would be incredible, but on the other hand a 2/4
for 3 is not nearly as strong. He could have use in a mill deck but otherwise
I think he is quite weak

    Illuminator: So this chick works in only 3 classes (4 if you count a
Priest stealing something) but otherwise this thing is quite weak. And even
having the ability trigger only results in 4 health. Quite weak though if
paired with "hard to trigger" secrets you can gain significant amounts of
life if she's well hidden AKA Ice Block, Avenge/Redemption, or any conditional
Hunter secret

    Lil' Exorcist: I expect this card will see quite the play. A 2/3 taunt
is nothing brilliant, but a 3/4, or a 4/5 taunt for 3 mana becomes simply
obnoxious and that's only facing 2 deathrattles. Hopefully you will coin this
out on turn 2 and the 4 power beatdown will begin

    Arcane Nullifier X-21: Yes it's a mech. It's also a 2/5 taunt that cannot
be hit with spells or Hero Powers. I think this guy is quite strong and will
be in control decks, as his 5 health keeps him alive against most 4 or less
costing creatures, and his 2 power takes down many cheaper minions. I expect
him to splash with quite the explosion

    Jeeves: This little Mech is going to be in every Zoo deck from here to
Timbucktwo. Dropping him as your last card and drawing 3 cards simply provides
so much card advantage that he will be around a lot. In Arena he's not
brilliant as the quality of cards drawn aren't always going to be that great.
However if you have no means to draw cards he can certainly fit into your
20-30 picks

    Kezan Mystic: This chick definitely would hope that a Sideboard mechanic
was ever to be introduced. Without it, it's hard to say how to use her
effectively as secrets aren't brilliant and without them she's quite weak. In
Arena, I expect her to be considerably better due to secrets being more
popular but otherwise I'd pass. Having played with her once I literally
never had the opportunity to steal a secret and even once LOST a secret to
her but it just didn't make a difference

    Bomb Lobber: For 2 mana, frostbolt does 3 damage and freezes. For 1 mana
and overload lightning bolt deals 1 damage. Bomb Lobber is a 3/3 attached to
a 4 damage nuke. Thus, you can either look at a 3/3 for 3 with a 2 cost nuke,
or a 3/3 for 2 attached to a 3 cost nuke. Either way, he's extremely potent.
The downside is that it is random; however since it only targets enemy Minions
you can easily control which minion you want to be annihilated

    Madder Bomber: Frankly after playing with him I think this guy is just a
waste. Mad Bomber has randomness attached however the 3 damage is actually
more beneficial. Madder Bombers 6 damage is overkill and in 3 uses half the
damage just hit me in the face. Now that's bad RNG, but think about it. When
do you play Mad Bomber? To enrage your minion, to hit Acolyte, or when your
opponent has at least one minion at 1 health? So when would you play Madder
Bomber? Probably in a similar situation but the 6 damage is just overkill in
all senses. Probably better off skipping this guy

    Epics
	
    Recombobulator: He has an effective cost and a neat battlecry. The only
real downside is getting an Ancient Watcher or Doomsayer, but even those you
can work around. Otherwise, you get "healing" as your minion is transformed
and you can work out negative effects

    Hobgoblin: Already tried this guy out in Arena and frankly he's just not
worth it. He himself is not cost effective and his ability seems cool but
really what that means is your deck must contain 1 attack minions which we
already know are BAD. They aren't good minions unless you have Hobgoblin so
really he seems cool but he's simply not worth it

    Enhance-o Mechano: He like many other minions only benefits as much from
how many minions you have in play. I expect Paladin and Shaman will see some
use from him, as well as Murloc decks. For Arena, he's not nearly as strong
due to his effect being "snowball" as opposed to "catch up" meaning that if
you are winning he secures it but if you need something specific he won't
answer that for you

    Mini-Mage: Ideally a 1/4 stealth'd spell power minion would be much better
if you actually want spell power... as it is, you'd almost rather have Jungle
Panther no joke. Kobold Geomancer is cheaper to add to spell power, and Arch
Mage is a large body to contend with. Azure Drake is one of the most cost
efficient minions in the game. Mini Mage is awkwardly costed with weird stats

    Fel Reaver: This guy redefines huge. His downsize is admittedly a huge one
but only if the game goes long (which hopefully having an 8/8 won't let the
game go long). This is because each random card discarded is just that,
random. Sure you don't want to lose cards, but because each card is just as
likely to get discarded there is no negative to you. Ironically, if there is
a specific card you don't want to lose, then you have a fairly good
possibility of not discarding it as you'd have a 1/x chance to discard it.
Then there's always silencing this huge minion; which I think will put Fel
Reaver into many categories of decks

    Junkbot: Unlike Hunter who can create a horde of beasts to die for his
cause, this Junkbot lacks any guaranteed way to increase his size. As such,
you're looking at needing at least 2 Mech deaths just to make this guy a 5/6
for 5. He may have some use in Mech decks but he seems to gimmicky and
conditional

    Piloted Sky Golem: All these deathrattle minions are awesome and he's no
exception. This guy is essentially a Cairne Bloodhoof

    Clockwork Giant: He could have some use in constructed but his downside
is simply conditional and can be an absolute dead-draw late in the game. I'd
pass


    Legendary
	
    Blingtron 3000: This guy is amazing. Besides giving weapons to any class
now; he can be used to destroy and replace your opponents current weapon. He's
also a Mech! I imagine he will be a shoe-in to nearly every constructed deck
except for aggro. In Arena he is good but not that good

    Hemet Hesingwary: He has horrible stats but an awesome battlecry. He's an
excellent counter to Hunter but the question is how many beasts might you say
outside of Hunter? Druid has several new beasts, but other than that beasts
aren't that present. Hard to gauge his usefulness right now

    Mimiron's Head: Is V-07-TR-ON worth it? I'd say yes. I expect this will
be the "winner" in Mech decks as you turn them into MEGA-fury and win the
game. In Arena I expect this guy to be an overpriced Yeti, which is still
better than other legendaries

    Gazlowe: Like Mimiron, quite useless in Arena besides being an ineffective
3/6 for 6 however in Mech decks I expect this guy will be a staple

    Mogor the Ogre: Hard to say. He himself is less effective than Boulderfist
Ogre. However the ability is a bit insane as it can really cripple your
opponent. Hard to say what deck he'll fit into though

    Toshley: He's similar to other legendaries in stats, but is his ability
good enough? Well, look at those Spare Part cards. Are those worth attaching
to this guy? Maybe if combined with Gazlowe otherwise not so strong

    Dr. Boom: He's big and he gives fantastic board presence. Dr. Boom will
be helpful in control decks and a shoe-in for Arena

    Toggzor the Earthinator: Wow, this guy could single-handily shift the
game of Hearthstone. How do you deal with a 6/6 without casting a spell? Well
you don't if you're behind. Troggzor is a very high Arena pick and for
constructed we have to see how he fits in

    Foe Reaper 4000: If you're looking for an expensive game changer, the
Foe Reaper will do that. His weakness is no immediate effect. His strength
is an absolute game changer with just a single attack. Very strong

    Sneed's Old Shredder: He completes the trio of summoning and he gives
a legendary one. His only weakness is that in Arena many legendaries are
"conditional" meaning they go into specific constructed decks as well as
many legendaries have battlecries that would not get triggered. You can also
get Cairne, Sylvannas, KT or Ragnaros, so Sneed's seems like an excellent
choice

    Mekgineer Thermaplugg: Whoof. He's gigantic. His ability is hilarious
but pointless as having a 9/7 will win the game in 1-2 attacks regardless of
how many Leper Gnomes are created. Because of this I expect him to not be as
strong or popular as other Legendaries


    Druid
	
    Anodized Robo Cub: This guy redefines what you expect out of a 2 drop.
The Taunt is stuck, but you can choose 2/3 or 3/2, that's awesome!

    Druid of the Fang: With Druid of the Claw becoming a Beast, I expect
the Druid of the Fang will become a new terrifying beast in every Druid deck

    Grove Tender: A shoe-in for Ramp Druid, but otherwise the "each player"
component makes Grove Tender quite weak

    Mech-Bear-Cat: This card has quite the potential. He's large, but if it
takes even 2 instances of damage to kill him you get 2 free cards. A large
Mech for sure

    Recycle: FINALLY Druid has a way to deal with large creatures besides
using creatures. Control Druid will use this card liberally

    Dark Wispers: 5/5 and Taunt is nothing to sneeze at; and 5 wisps seems
useless unless you consider Dark Wispers+Power of the Wild or Dark Wispers+
Knife Juggler or... you can see the potential

    Tree of Life: Near useless I expect
	
    Malorne: An ever-lasting 9/7 unless silenced? Sounds very cool!
	
	
    Hunter
	
    Glaivezooka: Adding a cheap weapon to Hunter is just unfair and this
is very strong and useful

    Cobra Shot: Hard to say as it's very expensive and doesn't deal that
much damage

    Call Pet: In constructed, very strong. In Arena, near useless
	
    Metaltooth Leaper: The Hunter Mech dream is real
	
    King of Beasts: The Hunter Beast deck is even more obnoxious
	
    Feign Death: Sigh, Hunter is really getting some options here that are
going to make them the class to beat

    Steamwheedle Sniper: At 2/3 he's effective, but wow that hero power. He
basically will cost "4" so you can get the effect right away but this guy
is a game changer

    Gahz'rilla: Blizzard has a habit of overkill and this thing is no
exception. Holy crap


    Mage
	
    Flamecannon: Mage has gotten some awesome cards and Flamecannon is just
the first one. The random component is easily dealt with and now you can
easily roast 5 health minions for 4 mana but without using Fireball

    Snowchugger: Normally 2/3's aren't exciting but Snowchugger gives them
new meaning. This is but another card that makes Mages stronger as he is
an excellent 2 drop

    Goblin Blastmage: At 5/4, he's cost effective. If you get his battlecry
bonus he turns amazing

    Soot Spewer: He's effective but not exciting. Hard to say. His best use
is that of being a Mech

    Unstable Portal: Yes! This card has so much potential. Sure drawing Pit
Lord sucks if you are low, but drawing Windfury Harpy and playing her on turn
3 really makes a problem for your opponent

    Echo of Medivh: The aggro Mage deck could be making a HUGE comeback with
Echo of Medivh

    Wee Spellstopper: Her small power is mediocre to say the least so the
question becomes how to abuse this? Pair her with any of those Trogg Minions
as she basically has "flagbearer". Knife Juggler is nice too

    Flame Leviathan: Faced this in Arena; it beat me. For Arena, It's not bad.
For constructed, it's hard to say. Probably works in control but you have
literally no way to control when you draw it so that is very risky


    Paladin
	
    Seal of Light: Cheap removal for Paladin? Sigh so obnoxious
	
    Shielded Minibot: Great for Mech decks, not so fantastic elsewhere
	
    Cobalt Guardian: The Paladin Mech deck is real!
	
    Muster for Battle: This creates 6 stats for 3 mana, so that's effective.
I imagine you'll need to combo this with extra stat inducing cards, but
definitely will be strong

    Scarlet Purifier: With the popularity of Naxxramas not showing any signs
of waning, I expect Scarlet Purifier can go to any deck and be brutal

    Coghammer: Adding another weapon to Paladins is something they really
needed. And you look at the battlecry and whoof that's nice; especially since
you can control what minion you have in play

    Quartermaster: Combine with Muster for Battle? Conditional that's for sure
but turning 1/1 into 3/3 even just twice is, well that's huge!

    Bolvar Fordragon: This guy has so much potential but it's so much
conditional potential. I imagine control Paladin will enjoy him quite a bit


    Priest
	
    Shrinkmeister: The first battlecry of its kind, this guy is a shoo-in for
Arena and for constructed really thanks to making Shadow Word Pain and Shadow
Madness and Cabal Shadow Priest all THAT MUCH BETTER

    Velen's Chosen: Insane. Enough said
	
    Light of the Naaru: If Lightwarden didn't suck then this would be cool.
But as Lightwarden sucks, this card kinda sucks

    Shadowboxer: He's like the Knife Juggler you wished for. Circle of Healing
may become better in more than just Auchenai

    Upgraded Repair Bot: At 5/5 for 5, that's good. Giving 4 health to a Mech
is wowzers. Very powerful

    Shadowbomber: Many people are questioning this use and frankly I am at a
loss. Obviously the goal is that Priest can heal himself; however since Priest
has to cut such corners to hit 30 cards anyway I can't see when you'd want
this wee little 2/1

    Lightbomb: Control Priest is crapping on you and you LIKE it
	
    Vol'jin: This troll is simply insane. Expect to see him all over unlike
Master Velen the crappy prophet


    Rogue
	
    Goblin Auto-Barber: Backspace Rogue is loving this card as is Arena
	
    Tinker's Sharpsword Oil: It's expensive and a bit clunky but the effects
are definitely all worth it

    Iron Sensei: This is what end-of-turn effects like Priestess should do.
The Mech Rogue deck is real!

    Ogre Ninja: Wow. This guy is just unfair
	
    One-eyed Cheat: This guy looks strong but thanks to all the ways to deal
one damage randomly I expect he will be forced into decks and not do well

    Cogmaster's Wrench: Sigh. Like other weapons I sigh at this. It's good
	
    Sabotage: So Rogues now have 2 ways to destroy creatures. Control Rogue
could still be around despite the Miracle nerf

    Trade Prince Gallywix: This guy... looks insane. Gaining a spell in
exchange for a coin? That's incredible value. He's a 5/8 for 6 which means
he won't die all that easily and if they do use a spell... then you have it
to use again. He will be everywhere
    

    Shaman
	
    Whirling Zap-Matic: Many Shaman cards are just insane and we start with a
doozy here in the Zap-o-matic. 3/2's are always great... this one has WINDFURY
which well, if you coin it out there or simply play it on turn 2 and they do
not immediately deal with it you can deal 6, or even 10 damage if you play
a certain totem next turn. Holy crap!

    Crackle: WoW! This is amazing!
	
    Dunemaul Shaman: WOW! This thing is INSANE
	
    Powermace: What a fantastic weapon addition to Shamans
	
    Vitality Totem: As Shamans have little to no way to gain life this could
be used in Control Shaman. Could being the operative word as he doesn't do
anything else

    Ancestor's Call: Could the Alarm-o-Bot Shaman be coming back? Maybe. By
coming back I mean just starting. Alarm-o-Bot, Ancestor's Call, and Foresight
could make it a thing

    Siltfin Spiritwalker: Whoa! Murloc Shaman is really coming to a reality!
	
    Neptulon: AHHHH Murloc Shaman verified!
	
So yeah... Shaman has gotten some insane cards


    Warlock
	
    Darkbomb: It's cheap, it's simple, it's also cheap removal that Warlock
really could use

    Floating Watcher: He's a large demon with potential but he seems too slow
to really have any use

    Fel Cannon: Mech Warlock confirmed?
	
    Imp-losion: Looks like Zoo-lock just got a fantastic addition to their
arsenal

    Mistress of Pain: She's interesting but 1 power just sucks
	
    Anima Golem: He's the largest cheapest minion. But that condition is
extremely scary and not that hard to trigger

    Demonheart: They're pushing for a Demon deck and Demonheart is a huge
step into that direction

    Mal'Ganis: And this guy confirms it. He doesn't have to go into a Demon
deck thanks to his "your hero is immune" thing; but he can definitely launch
a Demon deck into crazyness


    Warrior
	
    Ogre Warmaul: This weapon is horrible. It seems like it would be good,
however unlike a minion that is a 4/4; there's no threat. The minion might
still be targeted by your opponent whereas the weapon if it misses does
nothing. It's bad.
	
    Warbot: Warriors have a 1/3 for 1 now. He becomes a 2/2 though. That's
not great, but a 2/2 for 1 is respectable so not bad

    Screwjank Clunker: Warriors can definitely assemble a nice Mech Deck
	
    Shieldmaiden: I expect to see Shieldmaiden a lot. Considering Shield
Block costs 3 for 5 armor plus a card, this basically means you get a 5/5
for 3 mana. Unlike gaining life, Warriors have a practical use for armor

    Siege Engine: See Shieldmaiden for explanation
	
    Bouncing Blade: This card has some insane potential. Strangely enough,
it's use won't be "bouncing between minions" rather, using it on just a
single minion and taking it out for 3 mana. Maybe your opponents Ragnaros
after your board was cleared?

    Crush: I think Control Warrior can fine a use for this
	
    Iron Juggernaut: Holy wow. This guy will go into Control Warrior. As
those games tend to go long, you force your opponent into an awful spot of
needing cards to win, but sooner or later they will take 10 damage



    What does this all mean?
	
    As with any new set, changes will happen. While it is impossible to say
right now what will happen, here are a few things that you can expect to see
will change.

  1. Big Game Hunter
  
    This guy was a staple more often than not, but with the growing number of
    7 power minions, running 2 BGH will almost be required if to compete
	
  2. Ne'rub Weblord
  
    This guy was laughed at so Blizzard tried to make him viable. There's one
    trend that connects all these great cards: Battlecries. Having a Weblord
    out there can slow your opponent down drastically so expect to see him
    worked into decks
	
  3. Silence
  
    Ironbeak Owl and Spellbreaker could be seeing quite a bit more play to
    deal with the growing number of deathrattle and obnoxious abilities in
    the game
	
  3a. Along with that, Wailing Soul could be dusted off and worked into a
    deck now along the lines of using stuff like Ancient Watcher, Venture
    Co, Dancing Swords, Ogres, and Fel Reaver. Expect these to work better
    in Druid or Priest due to their additional silence mechanics
	
  4. Mind Control Tech
  
    A fantastic Arena card, with the growing odds of Mech decks and thus
    facing larger and larger enemy pools, MCT can be a game changer.
    Additionally Sea Giant could compliment Mech decks well as an 8/8 for
    3 or 4 mana ain't bad
	
  5. Pirates
  
    We've talked and oozed about Mechs, so what about Pirates? They received
    several new cards, namely Ship's Cannon, which give them so real validity.
    Most Pirates are weapon associated so I expect Warrior and Rogue to get
    use out of them. Specifically Rogue as Shadowstepping with Ship's Cannon
    can really deal some damage. Ship's Cannon is Knife Juggler on steroids
	
  6. Beasts?
  
    Black Knight was always a potential threat, however he was a dead card if
    there was no target and typically the target was not "that" dangerous.
    The threat of Hemet Nesingwary though could really make most beasts not
    want to be played due to the free death. What beasts are affected? Druid
    has the Claw and the Fang which are staples... Lost Tallstrider is a new
    addition, and Stampeding Kodo shows his face all over. Then there's also
    Hunter cards. Certainly the threat of Nesingwary could have people pass on
    certain cards
	
  7. Weapon Destruction
  
    The Ooze is going to be better than ever, but Harrison Jones and possibly
    even Bloodsail Corsair could become better than ever with the new wave of
    even more weapons coming out. Consider that every class now has access to
    weapons if they choose to means that your Harrison could potentially never
    be useless
	
  8. Zoo
  
    Zoo is always so strong. But now every class has access to Explosive Sheep
    which makes a "boom" in slowing down aggression. Will it be enough? Maybe,
    but certainly Silence will become key now to Zoo
	
  9. Spells?
  
    Gadgetzan, Violet Teacher, and Mana Addict all enjoy spells. GVG adds
    Spare Parts cards which are all cheap 1 mana spells. Will these new cards
    re-vitalize old ones? Only time will tell.
	
  10. Deck potential?
  
    I expect everything will change. But for now, I'm going to give it at
    least a few weeks before I even think about trying to list the current
    strong/popular decks
    


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             15. The End?                               [FFFF]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    So here we are, the end. But we're never really done. This guide will
continue to update as things change, and I'm certainly open to putting in a
FAQS section if people would like that (and shoot me questions).

    This guide is copyright, Me, Todd Lesinski, NoWorries, tskisoccer, halla
I'm the glorious writer who has done this. It's my property and you may use
it; but in no way publish it under any other name besides my own. Blizzard
owns Hearthstone, but I own my ideas =)

    If you feel the need to ask me anything regarding Hearthstone, including
this guide, you may do so at:

                [email protected]
			
    Please make your subject line clear for what you want (like Hearthstone,
or Hearthstone deck idea, or Your hearthstone guide) something that tells me
you want my attention regarding Hearthstone. Otherwise, it might get deleted
as I get quite a bit of spam and delete about 50 emails a day of spam so yup,
make a clear subject line and I'll get to you as others will know from some
of my other guides.


    Credits?
	
At this point, I've done this so many times, it's the same! ERGH

I'd like to thank Gamefaqs, for being awesome
I'd like to thank Blizzard, for being awesome
I'd like to thank MTG, for being an awesome inspiration for games everywhere
I'd like to thank you, the reader. Congratulations, this is a long guide
    and you made it through. Good job. Oh and good luck with Hearthstone!
	

Guide length: 382246 characters
	


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