Currently paladin is the weakest class in hearthstone. That’s due to some outdated cards created and balanced for Vanilla state of the game. Hearthstone evolved over the years, many classes changes their identity and play styles.
Paladin made first appearance to the top tier scene when mysterious challenger was in.
It’s the first time people took paladin secrets seriously. The secrets themselves weren’t the reason that deck was viable. It’s the amount of value the mysterious challenger put on the board.
After the challenger paladin secrets were hardly ever saw any play even now while they are trying hard to push secrets archetype it’s hardly even worth it.
Why?
Because paladin secrets are too weak here’s a list :
1- they are situational. (Redemption - Auto defense matrix- eye to an eye - vault …etc) they are all work on specific cases.
2- Their effects are not impactful.
3- they are easily countered with very little effort.
4- paladin lacks card advantage draws.
5- they cost too much. 1 mana cost might seem pretty cheap but it also costs a card. As I just mentioned paladin lacks card advantage draw. So each card must have value.
6- anti synergy with hero power. This is the most frustrating thing about paladin secrets. They are minion based and they proc on silver hand recruits.
No other secret classes suffer this much from playing secrets like paladin do.
Hunter secrets are more impactful and powerful.
Mages secrets are more defensive tools and yet synergies with many basic/classic cards. While also mages can get card advantage draws.
Rogues secrets were short lived but they didnt share paladin weakness.
To be honest I was expecting blizzard to release a new paladin minion that changes the way secrets work. But was disappointed with the legendary minion we got.
I do have few suggestions that might fix the current state of the secrets.
A- Make secrets don’t proc on Silver hand recruits at all.
This way you don’t need to telegraph or fake afk on redemption play. And makes your secrets work on your other minions instead.
B- change some secrets to proc at the end of opponents turn.
-Redemption: at the end of your opponent turn return one minion that died this turn.
-Eye to an Eye : at the end of opponents turn deal damage equals to the damage you took this turn.
(Might sounds over powered . It would change the way opponents play against paladins. Perhaps it procs on first damage taken but the effect remains till end turn. So it wouldn’t be like surprise you are dead type of play)
Newsflash: They cost 1 mana.
Also newsflash: You’re seriously telling me that “Never surrender” is a bad card? O_o If paladin plays aggro again (or wild right now), this card is THE BOMBS.
5 Likes
Paladin secrets divert enemy action and waste enemy resources, but protect the same for the paladin. It is true that maximizing secrets value requires careful card selection for the deck build and during play, but this is called strategy in a card game. In objection to your claims:
- Paladin secrets are not dismissible by the opponent. They do deter actions.
- Plenty of high value cards do synergize with paladin secrets. Some explicitly.
- Overreliance on secrets is a risk that is accepted during deck creation.
- Find the strength that comes from delay, delay, delay. It was made to be found.
The last thing that I will state is: play more.
1 Like
The problem isn’t the secret. It’s the draw. Without divine favour, by turn 4 your hand is empty and you top deck a 1 cost card. That’s the problem. Secret paly was the top meta deck in late RR, so no the secret is never the issue, losing divine favour is. I expected card draw for paly but receive none which is the disappointing part.
8 Likes
All your points are Valid.
- Paladin secrets are not dismissible by the opponent. They do deter actions. <
That’s true but they can be easily countered with little to no resources.
Druid’s hero power for example can trigger 3 if not more secrets. With one attack.
- Find the strength that comes from delay, delay, delay. It was made to be found.
It’s true that you are delaying but most of the situations especially after spending much resources on secrets. The time is not on your side.
- Plenty of high value cards do synergize with paladin secrets. Some explicitly.
Only examples I can think of are Redemption + zilliax or tirion.
Rest are questionable choices.
The new weapon is good much needed early game 3damage tool. But that costs 2 Cards to pull of in mulligan.
Most of the best usage right now . Is when they are used as deck thinners.
1 Like
Bring back Avenge
Fear of palladin secrets is back
5 Likes
I blame Baku and Genn.
Rastakhan was balanced around them, ROS designed and balanced around them, and the upcoming expansion designed around them but balanced without them.
I would bet we will get better tools for a control type of Paladin next set, and good tempo/aggro on the one that follows.
My hunch on the control tools is that after the Mana Wyrm nerf it took 2 expansions to see Cyclone/Magic Trick; my bet is the same sort of thing for Paladin based on the timing of the Equality nerf.
pally secrets are friggin annoying…
1 Like
Pally is friggin dead in Standard, meta-wise…
1 Like
Im played the dreadful deck. It got me to legend,
…and again, MC isnt the one carrying the whole deck. Its the deck carrying MC.
If the MC were changed to another good 6 drop, the deck still gonna ruled the meta.
About the paladin secret power level. Actually ALL secret are bad. The ones made them playable are the support. Secret decks, either paladin, hunter, or mage, exist because the secret support. Erase those support, and none of the decks would have existed.
IMO, paladin secret is the most powerful from other class. The cheapest compared to its value and most consistent.
But in the early game, 2 mana is substantial, plus they protect big value cards like secret-keeper. If paladin gets card draw, some form of paladin will be played
Hunter’s secrets are far more aggressive than the paladin’s. The paladin secrets are supposed to be defensive.
Imagine if paladin got secrets like
*When one of your minions is attacked summon 3 silver hands recruits.
*Or when your hero is attacked cast consecration.
*When your minion is attacked summon an exact copy of it.
They can’t add those effects to paladin kit cause of how powerful those effect synergies with paladin class.
Instead paladin secrets anti synergies with paladin class. That’s the whole point of this rant. Paladin secrets needs to be reworked.
Anti synergies as they proc on hero power. Which diminished their purpose.
Paladin class as a whole wins when they win on the board. The secrets doesn’t really do the trick anymore. It used to but not anymore.
They are now don’t even provide the card cost. Even if they were zero mana . They still cost 1 card.
Currently only 1 deck uses secrets which is the mech secrets deck. And it’s a high roll deck. And secrets are used as a deck thinner tool. That deck can perform better with fully pledged mech deck.