hearthstone-decks
Latest
Hearthstone's Americas Championship deck builds
If you're a Hearthstone fan, you already know the game is partially strategy, and partially building the right deck of cards to play with. The top players at the recent Americas Championship certainly know all about deck building as well as strategic play, and the official Hearthstone site put together a comprehensive list of decks used in the Championship via Hearthhead. Every playable class has at least one entry, and all cards are laid out clearly so you can see what was used. Although constructing identical decks won't be an instant win in championship play, browsing through the various builds might help you identify which cards are particularly valuable when it comes to competitive play. Head over to Hearthstone's website for the full list -- even if you're an experienced Hearthstone player, it's worth checking out.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls offering Hearthstone expert card packs
Are you planning on picking up Diablo III: Reaper of Souls on March 25? While you're waiting, you may want to check out Hearthstone, Blizzard's latest game release. Players that have pre-ordered Reaper of Souls will find a treat waiting for them -- Expert Card Packs waiting to be opened and played. Both the Digital and Retail Standard editions will get you one free Expert Card Pack, while Digital Deluxe and Retail Collector's Editions offer three Expert Card Packs. If you have yet to pre-order Reaper of Souls, the offer will be available to those who purchase the game after its launch as well. The card packs require a Battle.net account to be redeemed, and there is a limit of five Expert Card Packs per Battle.net account. Players who have pre-ordered either the Digital or Digital Deluxe editions of the game should have their cards available immediately -- if you are waiting for the retail version, you'll find codes in the box to redeem in exchange for your cards. Check out the official post for more information about the offer, the rewards, and how to get started with Hearthstone, if you haven't already tried it out for yourself.
Requiem for the Defias Ringleader
If you've been playing a lot of competitive Hearthstone, you might have a few opinions about some of the decks. One of those decks might be the rogue deck, and you wouldn't be wrong for thinking it's at least a tad overpowered. The Hearthstone podcast Turn2 recently interviewed Hearthstone developer Eric Dodds, and he confirms that the team feels that the rogue deck is incredibly strong right now. In particular, the Defias Ringleader card is a noted culprit. If you play the Defias Ringleader in combination with another card in your deck, the Ringleader summons another minion: the Defias Bandit. Seeing as the Defias Ringleader costs only two mana to play, and playing it in conjunction with "The Coin" counts as a combo, it is possible to get both the Ringleader and its Bandit minion on your first turn of play, if you happen to be going second. This is a devastating opener and has been singled out as one of the reasons the rogue deck needs to be reined in. On the other end of the scale, Dodds also stated that the team recognizes that priests and warriors feel a little underpowered at the moment, and they are looking into ways to improve their performance in the game. Most of it seems to come down to finding the right balance in numbers, which will hopefully be a relatively easy fix. You can listen to the entire interview on Turn2, and save a moment of silence for the Defias Ringleader whenever the updated Hearthstone build is released.
Mage deck mayhem in Hearthstone
Fair warning to all: I am not an experienced card game player. I did pick up Magic: the Gathering from time to time in grade school and college, but the sheer amount of cards plus the expense of purchasing booster packs and such always put me off in the end. This is one of the things that's been a relief to me when it comes to Hearthstone -- I find deck sizes much more manageable and the game sorts my cards for me so I don't get overwhelmed with choice. Plus I have non-monetary options to more cards if I want. Total money I've spent on Hearthstone so far? $2.99, baby. Aw yeah. As a result I don't have any of the best cards for my deck. I'm okay with that! This article has been written in the spirit of the complete noob to mostly beginner player, because I get the impression that there are a good number of other folks like myself, who are interested in Hearthstone but don't have much of a background in card games. If you're an advanced card-game player you probably aren't going to find much in what's going on here, and that's okay! However, if you're a hesitant beginner, like myself, then please read on!
