DISCLAIMER: The following topic was created several days ago, but was removed by staff, so I have adjusted my post to adhere to community guidelines.
About a week ago, I posted on the forums about so-called “random” Hearthstone matchmaking (Matchmaking does NOT seem Random to me (with explanation)).
Besides the matchmaking issue, there is an obvious meta issue. I am far from the only person complaining about this on the forums (many posts covering all kinds of issues have emerged), but I feel like a comprehensive overview of the problem would be helpful to collect our thoughts and offer suggestions and personal experiences.
SECOND DISCLAIMER: Last time I posted this, several frequent posters with huge egos did not read what I had to say and responded with insulting, shallow and counterproductive replies, and I hope that this time we can have a more productive conversation and discussion.
THIRD DISCLAIMER I am currently Legend, so I will be speaking for the Meta at High-Diamond/Legend level.
There’s a big difference in the game being bad due to balance issues and the game being bad due to uninteractive/draining gameplay. It’s arguably worse to have an unfun and uninteractive game than a poorly balanced game, and it’s even worse if both are happening at the same time. Poor balance can be fixed quickly, with nerfs and buffs. However, somehow Blizzard fails to do that as well, completely nuking Paladin while somehow nerfing Demon Hunter by 1 mana when the deck has been dominating for weeks now. Balance can be fixed. Interactiveness is a different issue.
Another issue is RNG; Blizzard has introduced several cards that involve literally 0 skill and rely 100% on RNG and they have dominated the Meta for a while now facilitating boring and bland gameplay. RNG can be a lot of fun but when games are solely based around who draws a card first or how many plagues you will draw, RNG quickly becomes very painful, and the game quickly becomes unfun. If everything relies on RNG, there is no point in ranks at all. Below I will go over several examples of uninteractive gameplay, poor balance and poor card design (relying on RNG) summarizing the current meta:
- The Plague Problem
Death Knight has been a strong contender in the meta for a while now. Helya is a problematic card, and now more than ever. With Steampunker there used to be opportunities to counter Helya, but now, there’s practically nothing you can do. If you want to play Highlander, you have to pray your opponent DK does not draw Helya or that you draw and play your important cards first. This is not fun, nor skill-based, not interactive. The plagues will sit in your deck and there’s nothing you can do about it, making a longer game next to impossible. Then, you have to hope you won’t draw too many plagues or frost plagues, totally determined by RNG. Highlander decks can basically just concede when Helya is played, or choose to play 20+ minutes, fighting to survive and deal damage at the same time, just so you can desperately get that star for winning. This is not good game design, in particular when counters do not exist.
- Warrior RNG (Brann, Boomboss & Tendrils)
Brann is terrible for the game. Any Highlander Warrior mirror turns into who can draw Brann first (again, RNG only). Brann is incredibly toxic and whenever Brann is played, your opponent is pretty much screwed (in non-aggro games). Your excavate Ox can summon 4 huge minions, again decided solely by RNG (Ragnaros & Gromm). Zilliax and Inventor Boom is an insane combo allowing the Warrior to infinitely heal and pump out tons of damage. And don’t get me started on Boomboss. This card is simply put, terrible for Hearthstone. Straight up DELETING cards from your opponent’s BOARD, HAND and DECK (9 cards, and 18 with Brann) is ridiculous. This turns the game into a total RNG-fest again, as your opponent hopes to draw his TNT and destroy your most precious cards while there is nothing you can do about it, because again, Steampunker has disappeared into the abyss. I am not sure how this could considered fun or interactive or skillful gameplay, and tendrils are another problem; spamming tendrils, which again… are all RNG, is ridiculous, and I don’t know who thought this would be a good idea considering there are only two 10 mana spells in the game right now.
- Reno: Broken Card Design
Largely in the same vain as Brann & Boomboss, Reno is incredibly toxic and laughs in the face of skill and building your board. Some games just turn into waiting for your opponent to play as much as possible and just simply making it all go away. Destroying everything would be one thing, but Reno also eliminates Deathrattles, Dormant and Locations like it’s nothing, and ADDITIONALLY, Reno messes up your opponent next turn, after he has ALREADY lost EVERYTHING the previous turn, as he can’t play more than one minion. This is a lesser issue than Plagues or Boomboss, as Reno is slightly more interactive, but it just adds on to this toxic pile of dumbed-down, toxic game mechanics. An 8-mana card should not be able to board clear enemy minions AND locations while simultaneously ignoring any death effects, give you 5 armor and prevent you opponent from playing more than 1 minion next turn.
- Demon Hunter Domination
Demon Hunter has been dominating the meta for a while now. Any Demon Hunter game plays out almost exactly the same (similar to quests):
- Turn 2: Instrument Tech.
- Turn 3: Umpire’s Grasp.
- Turn 4: Window Shopper (+1).
- Turn 5: Magtheridon.
Unless you’re Warrior or possibly Mage, and you draw a bunch of board-clear and armor, you’re powerless as you watch the opponent kill you within 5 to 7 turns, and if you’re somehow not finished off yet, Metamorphosis, Kayn Sunfury, Red Card or any number of “give your hero +2, or +3 attack” cards will do the job. This is not interactive. This is boring. This is tasteless. This is poor game design. This would not be a problem if Blizzard simply nerfed DH like they did with Paladin, but they are inconsistent with balance changes, continuing the boggle the minds of their players.
- Wheel Warlock Shenanigans
Wheel Warlock has quickly become one of the best decks in the game. Besides the fact that the wheel basically lasts 4 turns, and not 5, Wheel Warlock completely ruins any control deck. Most times you’re better off conceding than wasting your time, as Warlocks have more than enough card draw, board-clear and distractions to keep you busy. Killing them is a chore because you’ll have to get through 14/14’s by turn 4, or 30/30s by turn 6. This is not fun. This eliminates decks, and the wheel cannot be countered, stopped or paused. This is the opposite of interactive.
- Nature Shaman Madness
Nature Shaman has terrorized the previous meta and has not disappeared yet. Shaman has infinite draw and doesn’t care about the board because he kills you by turn 5 or 6 anyway. It’s as uninteractive as it comes. You can rarely kill the Shaman before he pulls off the OTK. You literally cannot do anything, unless you want to run a Cult Neophyte in your decks. Again, slower decks are completely useless and now more than ever, you’re better off conceding against particular decks which is only bad for the game.
- Sif Mage
I actually like Sif’s card design a lot more than other cards I have mentioned, but the problem, again, is a total lack of interactivity. It’s like Wheel Warlock and Nature Shaman combined. You will inevitably die to Sif, as cards keep getting played, and unlike Shaman, Mage has infinite ways to clear and compete for the board, as well as gaining a surprising amount of armor.
- Hunter: The Aggro Meta Problem
This meta is currently dominated by aggro-decks, primarily DH, Hunter or even Pain Warlock. Games rarely go the distance nowadays. With Hunter you never get time to delay until you can buildup some momentum and you basically have to hope you have the right answers to a board full of beasts that summon more beasts by turn 5. Cards like Zilliax, Jungle Gym, Observer of Myths and Patchwork Pals are incredibly toxic and bad for the meta as there is simply not a lot you can do unless you build your deck specifically around countering aggro. The devs nuked Paladin, but mostly glanced over Hunter. Their inconsistency raises a lot of questions.
- Virus Rogue
There’s little I have to say about Zilliax Rogue besides the obvious. This might actually be less interactive than Nature Shaman. You need to have specific answers (Bladestorm) to counter this deck, and if you don’t you will die. This deck shouldn’t be getting as much play as it is, but unfortunately, it’s being played, even at High Legend because it’s broken and it wins games. Zilliax can often be played at turn 4 (or even 3 sometimes) and he can kill you 2 turns later. This deck is pretty much the perfect example of what I’ve been talking about this whole time: boring, bland, uninteractive, toxic and no skill required.
- Extra Turns: Never Been a Problem, Right?
Finally… Zarimi Priest… For some reason Blizzard has not learned from the past and introduced a card that skip your opponent’s turn. The requirement is extremely easy, as there are enough cards that make playing 5 dragons quick and cheap. This is not a good idea for your card game, Blizzard. The deck has quickly become one of the most powerful decks this meta and an extra turn is about as uninteractive as it comes.
Conclusion
I’ve just described almost every meta deck to you and they all have something in common. Boring… Bland… Lifeless… Little brain-power required… Repetitive… Lack of interactivity. I know this post will be replied to with shallow insults and “why don’t you just leave?” but they are completely missing the point and don’t engage in a dialogue. We have played Hearthstone for many years and we want to enjoy the game and when we see poor choices are being made, we would like to voice those opinions here. The game has become an unbalanced mess, and I have reduced the amount I play dramatically, because I can only take so much. Losing to a better opponent is fine, but facing 4 Demon Hunters in a row who play exactly the same and kill you by turn 6 or 7 is not fine. The meta needs to change. New players will not be attracted to this and leave quickly. We have the power to change but we don’t do anything. This game will die quick if this trajectory continues.
Your feedback/experiences would be appreciated as my experience doesn’t necessarily correlate to your experience. Please try to be respectful (to each other). Thank you.
