So here’s the dilemma: I enjoy playing slower, control-style decks. You know—the ones that try to stabilize the board, manage threats, and eventually grind out a win through value and decisions. Cute, right?
The issue is… I can’t. Not really. Because if I queue into the current OTK flavor-of-the-month, I lose by turn 6 or 7 no matter how well I play. There’s no time to build a win condition when your opponent has 40 damage in hand and a stopwatch.
It’s not even about win rates at this point—it’s about variety. I wouldn’t mind losing if I were playing against different decks. But facing the same class 6 games in a row? It gets old.
So here’s a question:
What if there were an option to opt out of queuing into a specific class?
Nothing extreme—just like a “please not Priest right now” toggle or something. You might wait a bit longer for a match, but maybe that’s the tradeoff.
Would this completely break matchmaking? Or would it maybe even incentivize players to switch off the dominant meta deck if they realize everyone’s dodging them?
I know this idea probably sounds insane to some of you (and I’m fully bracing for the incoming flames), but I’m genuinely curious—would something like this be totally unrealistic, or could it actually improve the experience for people who just want to play something else without being punished for it?
The idea itself isn’t bad, but due to how the community gravitates towards whichever deck is FotM and/or don’t want to go up against said FotM, queue times would be a lot longer
Fair point—queue times would definitely be longer. But honestly, maybe that’s kind of the point?
If everyone’s either playing or avoiding one class, that says a lot about the meta. And players wouldn’t be able to opt out of the class they’re playing, so if you’re part of the problem, you’re in the same pool.
It’s not about dodging hard matchups—it’s about variety. Facing the same deck 6 times in a row just burns people out.
So go play magic the gathering. Problem solved.
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Thanks for the thoughtful input. Always nice when someone takes time out of their day to elevate the conversation.
But hey, if the best defense of the current state of the game is “go play something else,” maybe that says more than you think.
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While the reply may seem offensive, it is practical at the moment.
Class ban may not work well as some class can have aggressive decks as well as slower decks.
Even when class ban is implemented, another class will take the place of the banned class.
One of my idea is that class matchup should switch in the subsequent game so as to break the monotony of facing class X for Y games straight in a roll.
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I think they should improve the obnoxious matchmaking system. Making it a real random match rather than lots of counter and highroller matches. It is really disgusting. I come to enjoy the game, not torturing myself. Adding some challenges is good of course, but don’t you think it too early to build the heavy wall before legend? I have to struggle, doubting myself every season and find I’m still at 3K position when I reach legend. What’s the meaning? if it is what you wish players get, why not set a base game amount, say win 60 or 70 games and you’ll get back to the original place. We always compete within the group, isn’t it?
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I like paper can we make it so we completly delete scissors form matchmaking?
Do you see the problem here? I play scissors specifically to target paper. You just ruined my day because your suggestion deleted my matchups that I specially chose to run my deck for.
I get what you’re saying, but the analogy actually works against your point. Rock-paper-scissors works because all three options are viable and cyclical. The issue is when everyone is playing “paper,” and the only way to have fun is to force yourself to play “scissors” every game—or lose instantly.
What I’m suggesting isn’t about deleting matchups—it’s about loosening the chokehold of a dominant class when variety disappears. If the meta were truly balanced, opting out of one class wouldn’t be a big deal.
But if dodging one class breaks matchmaking… that’s kind of the issue.
is a terrible idea
unless is casual mode only
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That’s what competitive play is like. You can’t always play what you want. You play what you need if your goal is toping the leaderboard.
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Totally fair—if you’re grinding top 100, you play what’s necessary. No argument there.
But not everyone’s trying to top leaderboards. Some of us just want to play decks we enjoy without getting steamrolled by the same hyper-optimized list every game. Competitive players will always optimize—that’s expected. But when even casual or mid-ladder feels like tournament mode, that’s when things start to feel stale.
It’s not about dodging difficulty—it’s about dodging repetition. Big difference.
Are you complaining that people net decking while you aren’t net decking? Um, okay. Again, go play a paper card game and make some rule 0s. Establish a maximum power level in your pod. Enjoy your fun deck without power crept decks.
Why are you walking over to a CEDH table with your homebrew low power level meme deck expecting to not get curb stomped?
Why are you queueing competitive RANKED expecting as you go up the ladder for the power of your opponents decks to be REDUCED?
Your expectations are the issue here. I will again recommend you to take such expectations to the correct place; if not, change them to be correct for your actual environment.
Or I guess you could make a new thread every time you lose a game. Your call.
Just to clear things up—I think you missed what I was actually saying.
I’m not upset about strong decks or people playing to win. I get it—it’s ranked. Meta decks are part of the game. I’ve played them too.
What I am pointing out is how stale it gets when you’re facing the same deck or class over and over. It’s not about power level, it’s about variety. The opt-out idea isn’t about dodging difficulty—it’s about avoiding the same exact matchups 8 times in a row. That’s just boring.
Your response kind of makes it sound like you’re not defending balance—you’re defending your deck’s dominance. And hey, I get it. If the current system benefits you, why change it?
But if a small, optional feature that gives people more agency over their matchups bothers you that much… maybe the deck you’re running is the problem, not the suggestion.
Class ban does nothing and is a terrible idea.
The issue is you do not like the meta. That is about your personal preferences, not the game.
Stop playing. Find something you enjoy more and do that.
As many combo decks are in this game right now, I do not see a way to unwind what they have done. This seems like the end of the game as you knew it.
I have been spending most of my time playing TFT. The last battleground meta was not for me and it pushed me to branch out. I am actually having way more fun playing a different game.
It is okay to change.
What deck? I don’t play ladder anymore lmao. I just mess around with battlegrounds these days.
You’re playing a card game. You’re gonna see the same cards over and over. That’s just a given.
Oh, you want to extend that all the way to entire classes? Lmao, silly.
Might as well go to a smash ultimate tournament and ask your opponents not to pick steve. Like, no. If your opponent wants to pick steve, he will. Then he’s gonna laugh when you get all upset cause the entire tournament is nothing but steves.
Sorry, you sat down to play hearthstone. You get what you get.