I am playing this game for 2 years (started in closed beta phase but left for years, so had not much of experience before. Didn’t even know there were meta deck since I left, lol) and always using self made decks (Didn’t spend money on it, only in closed Beta and only once)… Diamond 1 was my best rank so far with 2 stars… specialised for only one class… not playing meta decks… never did… Learn to beat the meta, only then you will improve… thats the best advice I can give… play, learn from your mistakes and build a better deck, tactic than the meta… nothing more to say I think… It was a real fun to climb the ladder from Bronze to Diamond with my own decks. 
Kept all of them until could to remind me, how I managed to reach higher and higher ranks. THAT was the real fun for me! 
(Unfortunately I lost the controll and 2 bonus stars with it when Astalor and Death Knight released… but already working on it the get them back.)
^^^^Obvious troll is obvious.
Moving on to other thoughts tho, lol.
I dont know what a Tier S means, unfamiliar with that terminology. But I dont think you are even addressing what I was saying in the least. I said :
Meaning that anyone that can climb to Bronze 9 can be considered a good player. (They dont lose 100% of their matches, they can win enough to get out of the starting position.) That, by itself, would be how I was defining a good player.
I wasnt comparing against the very best players to determine where the line in the sand would be to label them as good or not good. I was comparing against the very worst players. You could give a very top tier netdeck to a player that loses 100% of their matches every month and stays at bronze 10, and they arent guaranteed to win against say, a homebrew deck player that is currently Bronze 9. Pitting these two against each other would be a good gauge on both skill and netdeck/homebrew. I believe it would show that the more skilled player, even against a top netdeck, can be the one called a good player. Even if their deck isnt.
These are the kind of weebs who make the other side right…
Not a fan of 3rd party programs that I don’t authorize stealing MY data because an opponent uses a program. Technically these companies should be legally forced to request and be approved for all data collection from all parties in a match. So “netdecking” or rather the parties running said sites should be sued for privacy violations. I have considered it.
All decks have counters, meta or otherwise, and gold 9 vs bots at the end of a month isn’t good, its average at best. I’ve never went legend but easily hit plat or diamond with homebrews that counter meta decks. My only problem is the time sink to play out games to legend with mid 50% decks I craft. Sure I have enough resources to buy or even selectively craft whatever without cash but again the time lost… I have better stuff to do than that, like make more money or spend time with family.
Long rant winding down. Not a fan of “net decking” or rather privacy violation. Want my data, then pay me. They don’t and it isn’t right and is at best on shaky legal ground. I’ve ignored his development arguments the same as Blizzard does mine, his, and everyone elses because I don’t care about those who come off as pricks. Especially when they’re just attention seeking to whine and not fix problems.
When you queue into a game, you grant your opponent permission to see the cards you play and do with that information whatever they want. The “whatever they want” can include recording that information and sending it to others. Your rights aren’t being violated.
Interesting take but I don’t agree at all. When did I sign an agreement with you?
You sign one with Blizz, you opt out of 3rd party data collection, so where is the opponent in all that? It specifies against 3rd party collection, which would INCLUDE the opponent as a third party.
I could see if Blizz was affiliated or had an agreement, but that isn’t the case to my knowledge.
Edit: I am no law jockey which the reason I’ve considered hiring one, law is entangled with language in a way only some lawyers understand.
If they tracked what you’re doing in the deckbuilder, sure there’d probably be some violation there. But you voluntarily queue into a game against another person knowing they’ll see the cards you play. They haven’t signed some NDA to acknowledge your deck contents as a protected secret of any sort.
Devil in the details thing. I have next to no problem with those volunteering their info. Do what you want. But I feel this is akin to violation of a right, which is upheld by courts in similar situations vs Meta and other much bigger entities.
Also…if they aren’t getting your whole decklist then why do the stats show vs a whole deck, even if you win in 6 turns. How could you know about unplayed cards?
Like I said, devils in the details.
I feel a credible lawsuit, even if it didn’t win, would change this practice. Its totally conceivable when the tracking sites have a financial incentive. They have premium service with even more stats on your opponents.
Tier S simply refers to the best of the best
What I guess I MEANT was you’re correct. Someone who can gain a rank is doing well.
My argument against OP is it takes more than copy/pasting a deck, something they mention themselves by their argument of “Intelligence”. I’m merely pointing out, as you say, if someone wins, it was more than the deck no matter the rank.
You clicked “Play”
Have you ever watched any streamers? Especially those at high legend? These people know what they like to play from playing them. More than once have I heard a streamer I’m watching saying “Hey, it’s X and I know they love Aggro/Control.” Or they just played them a couple games ago and they’re still playing the same class.
Once you enter a game, you are showing what you can do, what you want to do and how good you are at the game. Social media took this a step further jumping closer to your argument, but Hearthstone and the third party apps aren’t violating what you’re saying.
Bro, it is clear you arent a legal jockey as you put it, you are making up rights and imaginary transgressions of imaginary laws. You are conflating what you disagree with and wish wasnt allowed with what is illegal or at least makes someone liable in a civil suit. Im reminded of legendary interview on the BBC with lil Ben Shapiro getting put in his uninformed place. I am heavily paraphrasing but it went a little like this:
Interviewer: You said this policy was communist. What exactly in this policy makes it communist?
Shapiro: Well, its bad policy and its wrong.
Interviewer: There are plenty of things in this world that are bad and wrong, but it doesnt make them communist.
Shapiro exits the interview after only a single followup question is attempted.
There are plenty of things that happen in the game and with 3rd party softwares I dont agree with and think shouldnt be allowed. But disagreeable and unallowable does not make it illegal or civilly liable.
Party 1: Me
Party 2: Blizz
Party 3: Everyone else in existence.
I sign no contract with you, pressing play isnt a contract sorry, nor can it be construed as one.
Again hard disagree, who cares what you can guess when a system knows exactly what you have. When those stats are TAKEN, not guessed or given willingly, and the person taking it has a financial reason to do so that is data theft. It is actionable in court from what I do understand. UNLESS, there is an agreement between them and blizz that gives the data. I know of no such agreement.
I’m not conservative, nor have I picked up my toys and stomped off.
Patiently making my point so no idea why you’d say that. Seems judgy and insulting but do you.
I don’t think you understand what you’re saying. At least within the context you gave. There isn’t anything illegal happening. If I consistently come up against you in matches. You play the same deck, I’m going to A) learn your strategy and B) exploit it. You can’t sue me for knowing what you did and applying the knowledge.
And until deck trackers do things such as show you exactly where every card is in your deck before you do anything (Not like Dredge), it’s a good tool. I’m not a pro player, I’m not writing down every move of my opponents, and I’m not always going to remember every single card/copy of the cards I’ve played/burned/discarded etc.
I would investigate further the extent of hs’s affiliation to blizz, and new developments. Im guessing there is some extent of sharing data… but if you want funky… thats where to find some fish. But pretty sure theyve covered most of their asses that could be potentially lawsuit friendly.
It is fun to create your own decks. At the start of each new release I create unique decks for all classes in an attempt to complete all achievements. Some of the decks are terrible, but some end up being fairly competitive.
Errrm I didnt read all of that stuff but it is more like this:
Party 1 - you
Party 2 - hearthstone
And that includes everything and everyone you encounter in the game.
Party 3 would be something that isnt part of the game.
For a matter of fact, in a game, every player is party 2.
I hate to break this to you, but your rank suggests your decks don’t work.
Oh, snap… you owned yourself.
Ha, that’s right, you keeping convincing yourself that this game requires intelligence. 
It’s a game of mostly luck, quite a lot of grinding and fair bit of cash.
I’ve always brew my own decks. Deck building is my most enjoyable part of the game.
and I end this month as Diamond8.
You can do it too, pal. 