I’m but a lowly gold player at the moment (just about plat; I mess about a lot), and I am running into plenty of bots. Their decks are strange (includes low-cost murlocs as a BKD, for example), their play patterns are the same (and extremely slow), and their names are seemingly random letters (like cnxcn or something).
I realize that climbing in rank may result in seeing less bots. This shouldn’t be the solution. Blizzard needs to implement better tools to detect these bots. Low ranked players should not have to suffer because of their lack of skill and/or cards. Many of them (like me) have spent a lot of money on this game.
Just wanted to let it be known that this bot problem is most definitely affecting standard, and from what I read, they’re everywhere on ladder.
Edit: I should say, as below, that this problem is very real and is negatively affecting all ranks on ladder. To demonstrate the level of this problem, below is a Reddit thread showing that a bot program had made it to rank 8 in wild.
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I also notice especially this month when climbing ladder in standard that very many bots are on the road. I therefore support this post.
I should add, as I suggest in the OP, that bots are found at all ranks. Not long ago, a player using a bot program literally made it to rank 8 in wild (link below). To allow bots to exist is to strip Hearthstone of the little integrity it has left. It may also be wise to stop releasing cookie cutter decks that can reach the heights of the ladder when those decks only need to play whatever cards are highlighted in-hand to win. Basically, we need more thought provoking decks so that a simple program can’t effectively play said, thoughtless decks.
Blizzard seems to have put some sort of floor mechanic that doesn’t let you de-match-making-rank (at least during the early star bonus period).
When I first saw a (blizzard) bot this month, instead of just taking the free win I conceded.
I conceded the next 9 games to the rank floor, and they were all blizzard bots. It seems to not let you escape the bot trap unless you take at least one win from a bot. I am going to go offline for some hours or tomorrow, and see if it starts giving me human opponents again or if the bot block stays.
After 7 hours the first game was still a blizzard bot.
I gave up and killed it. Next 5 games have been real people.
I would guess that there is some sort of determined MMR floor being applied to players, and if you drop games below it just gives you bots forever until you pull above that floor.