“Paladin has also fallen in play, but there’s some disconnect going on with the class. Throughout ladder, it’s still very visible with two primary archetypes: Handbuff and Secret. At top legend, it’s almost non-existent. We know that high-level players are very quick to drop Paladin whenever they have a chance to, but are they right to ignore it? How hard did the nerfs hit this class? Do they know something the rest of ladder doesn’t?”
Look at all the green next to Quest Shaman.
Getting Dr Boom Control Warrior vibes about this if Warlock gets solo nerfed. Hope I’m wrong.
Meta will likely just be Rock (Shaman) Paper (Mage) and Scissors (Face Hunter/Shadow Priest)
It’s interesting that Quest Shaman has so much green but is only tier 2. The problem is its matchups. It loses to some of the more popular decks like quest mage and warlock.
Its only Tier 2 at top legend. Its oppressive everywhere else. Already. This will only get worse with the Warlock nerfs.
As much as control players were whining ‘waaahhhh I have to play aggro to beat Warlock and Mage’, they forgot A) Quest Shaman is a control deck and is doing just fine and B) Warlock is only a problem and top legend. Shaman is everywhere outside this bubble at high legend. Do you think a meta where you have to play random bs Mage to beat them sounds better?
Quest Mage predictably fell in play by a significant margin, but it’s somehow still the most popular deck on ladder
Players will play what they have cards for. I have been saying this for years.
And yet so many more people happen to have Mage cards than say…Hunter ones?
since the archetype is loved by many players, they’re willing to sacrifice their win rate to keep playing it. We don’t see that changing.
Exactly, which is why it keeps getting nerfed. Play rates are more relevant to player experience than winrates.
I wouldnt be surprised if it gets nerfed again because its gonna get hella popular when Shamanstone gets into full swing
Nerfs won’t change anything. You cannot force players to play what they don’t want to.
You cannot balance play rates through nerfs.
Players are not going to spend a dime to play anything in a different class, they will play what they like, know, and have cards for.
And Hunter players would be no different were Hunter treated to the same nerf
criteria that Team 5 applies to Mage and Priest.
I just looked up my Quest Shaman stats (been working towards my 500 this week) and indeed, my win-rate is extremely polarizing. I’m running the list copied at the bottom.
Overall WR this week: 61-36
DH: 1-3
Druid: 8-2 (the two loses were to Miracle Druid and it wasn’t close, celestial alignment is GG)
Hunter: 7-4 (all four losses were to Quest Hunter and they were not close matches)
Mage: 0-9
Pally: 10-0
Priest: 7-3
Rogue: 3-0
Shaman: 14-6
Warlock: 7-7 (I want to note that my wins were almost exclusively bad Warlock players getting too greedy or messing up their OTK to my amazement and I had no business winning; I will admit that one of the Handlock matches I did win due to RNG/luck as I was able to discover and then re-use 3 timely Hex which destroyed their rez pool)
Warrior: 4-2
Quest Shaman
Class: Shaman
Format: Standard
Year of the Gryphon
2x (0) Lightning Bloom
2x (1) Primordial Studies
2x (1) Perpetual Flame
2x (1) Novice Zapper
2x (1) Lightning Bolt
2x (1) Investment Opportunity
2x (1) Guidance
1x (1) Command the Elements
2x (2) Wandmaker
2x (2) Diligent Notetaker
2x (3) Serpentshrine Portal
1x (3) Instructor Fireheart
2x (3) Feral Spirit
2x (3) Entrapped Sorceress
2x (3) Charged Call
2x (4) Canal Slogger
AAECAaoIApzOA8L2Aw7buAPhzAPNzgP+0QPw1AOK5APq5wP67APN8gPB9gPk9gPwhQT5nwT6nwQA
Well that’s demonstrably false. Who was playing Shaman after they got nerfed during Darkmoon Faire? Look how many people are playing them now. Power level affects playrate. Its just some classes have a lower power threshold for when they’re popular. Mage only has to be marginally competitive to be popular. The likes and Shaman and Paladin have to be downright busted.
Not for mage and priest it isn’t.
Lol wow, that demonstrates exactly what I mean. Thanks for this
That Mage record. Lol
What exactly, does the mage record indicate?
The mage match is absolutely horrific. It’s odd that I spend a significant amount of time defending mage on this board even though you’d think I’d hate it with this record…
But without mage, this deck is ummm… well… god tier
That Mage absolutely smokes what is about to become the best deck in the game
I think that remains to be seen. And even so, Mage beats one class.
I guarantee that will be enough for you and others to cry for more nerfs to it.
They say in the report and said in the Podcast that if Warlock is nerfed and Quest Shaman is not, Quest Shaman could be the new tyrant. 2 Warlock changes coming Tuesday.
I’m a little worried, but also a little not worried because I don’t hate playing the deck.
If Quest Warlock really gets actually nerfed and drops in play, it’s going to take some incredibly masochistic people to play Quest Mage for only 1 good match-up… I hate myself, but even I think that’s a bit too far