I don’t see it being “maybe” dead without something drastic getting released for Mage, or better yet something drastic happening to Shaman and Hunter
……any good control deck?
The best control decks could basically ignore the first five turns and then go on to reliably win. Sure, you had some extreme cases with nothing but 8+ drops and they’d get run over by aggro, but their win condition completely did not depend on an effective curve.
2 Likes
Naturally, the most “fair” decks to play as or against are ones that proactively spend the resources given to them, and play the best cards they draw. Advance the board when possible, react when necessary,
Aggro is beserk rage, Zulu / Viking style. Works against unprepared opponents, but is ultimately frowned upon as barbaric, uncouth. It’s purely proactive. Ignore opponent and go face. If that doesn’t work, concede and repeat. Dominates combo, weak to tempo.
“tempo” decks fall somewhere between aggro and mid range. Tempo is like boxing - it’s mostly aggression, but with some reactionary counter attacks that open up windows for more aggression. Like aggro decks, it’s looking to close out the game early, by the 7 mana mark maybe. Is favored against aggro, and weaker to midrange.
Midrange is is the best in this regard, I’ve always stood by this. The healthiest overall deck type for Hearthstone. Your deck is ~half proactive, ramping threats, and ~half reactionary, defensive tools. This style works with the inherent way the Hearthstone mana system works. It’s strong against tempo, but fails to control.
Midrange is a fencing match. Thrust, parry, riposte, etc. It’s more civilized.
Then Control is sniper camping turtle. Sure it’s fun for you, you are just poking from a safe distance. But it’s annoying to players who want to engage and actually have a fight. Feels like you’re just dancing around, dodging bullets, waiting for them to miss, then you get your ez win. If they happen to land a good shot / draw the right answers, then there’s simply nothing you can do. But still, control is middle ground, compared to the extremes: aggro and combo. Control toys with Midrange, but is defenseless to combo.
and “combo” are further right than control, and looping back towards aggro, if you imagine it as a spectrum. THey too are one track minded - just rather than “go face”, they
“assemble combo”. Combo is like… the race to create nuclear weapons. You are just running out the clock, trying to build a nuke before the enemy breaches your HQ. Yuo get it in time, you just auto-win. While there are some fun combos to try and assemble in HS, this style of play is unhealthy for the game and always has to be kept in check. Although, combo is necessary to keep control in check, and loses hard to aggro.
3 Likes
Two words: Big. Priest.