Dear fellow HS players,
I’ve been playing HS since 2014… a long time. I have been through some bonkers metas in Standard in the past. Dr. Boom & Loatheb. Challenger Secret Paladin. Original Quest Rogue (had to be nerfed three times, I think). And many others.
I can confidently say that HS has, at this time, gone off the rails, and no longer represents the card game that it used to be. The ‘power creep’ now has reached a level that would have invalidated the game completely in 2017 or 2018. We’ve got aggro-curve decks that contain consistent mid and late-game win conditions. We’ve got OTK decks that can effectively mana-cheat their way to completely invalidating any form of control deck.
It’s a clown fiesta. It was always a debate in the past about whether skill or raw luck being the decisive factor in HS matches between similarly-skilled players. That debate is over, now; it’s almost completely RNG-based, and skill means next-to-nothing.
Maybe that’s what some HS fans have always wanted — massive variance and little control over the game’s outcome. I highly doubt that, but maybe. If not, then HS has reached a new low in early 2022. The card design and Standard meta has pushed an 8-year veteran of the game to finally post here and say, “this sucks”.
HS developers: you have effectively alienated a player that has been loyal to your product for eight years. That should give you pause and make you reconsider your recent design choices. If it doesn’t, well, best of luck to you surviving another eight years…. you will need it.
Its just gonna keep getting worse, stop complaining, realize it, enjoy it or leave. Or play other modes. I havent touched standard or wilder in years except for the occassional stint.
I’m not sure this is true.
If it was a clown fiesta RNG meta, we wouldn’t have seen so many consistent OTK decks and the best ones won’t have such a predictable development.
You know exactly what the opponent can do and you also know that they can do it quickly, but you can’t prevent it from happening and when it happens it’s game over.
When I lose against a quest warlock, I never think “oh he was lucky, if it wasn’t for the topdeck I would have won”; but I think “well, if I am not fast enough, I will die to tamsin herocard and fatigue damage. I have 8 turns, then if I am still far from winning I am probably already dead”.
When I lose against quest warrior I don’t think “he was lucky with the juggernaut”, but I think “if he plays rokara on turn 7, I lose. I have to prevent it from happening while not dying from the early swarm and keeping board pressure; I know my deck can’t heal, so I am probably screwed”