Blizzard’s quite frankly addictive collectable card game is
now in Open Beta! There’s plenty of well written guides that have been released
to show you the basics of the game and the tutorial is well made. So instead of
going over this I thought I’d pass on some wisdom that I’ve picked up after
being slaughtered on numerous occasions in ranked and arena play.
1) If you can play a minion, play a minion
Do not make this mistake, having something on the board is
better than having nothing on the board. Battlecry is an awesome mechanic but
if you can’t make it work then don’t hold back. For example, Shattered Sun Cleric is an awesome card to play if you have another minion on the board
to buff, but if you don’t and you need a threat to play then it’s still a 3/2
for 3 mana, not optimal but not bad and will at least give you a bit of time to
try get something heavier out on the field.
2) Don’t let minions snowball
I can’t stress this one enough. Minions that have an ability
that add attack or health are a problem, especially in early game. Leaving a Frothing
Berserker to have its way in the early game is a bit of a problem.
Remember, that’s ANY minion and means that if you’re opponent trades minions
you could be quickly looking at a 6/4 very early on, and if you’ve got no
removal…that stings.
3) Play the Advantages
Try and keep a board, hand and health advantage. Basically,
try to have a better looking board than your opponent. More, bigger and
threatening positions are obviously, much better. Try have more cards in your
hand. More cards means more options and finally, have a health advantage. Not
exactly majorly important but less health means less options!
It’s a simple mantra but it will help you out.
What you’ll also want to do is “Trade” minions effectively.
Get the most value out of your mana. If you’re 2 cost creature has managed to
kill 2 other 2 cost creatures then it has been valuable. If your minion dies to
a mana cost totalling less than what you paid to cast it, that’s a bad play.
4) Be careful when using buffs and removal
Buffs and removal are AWESOME. There’s nothing better than
having a Windfury
Harpy and throwing on a Charge for 9
mana you’ve got a 6/5 that can attack twice straight out the blocks. A Buffed
minion can really throw your opponent off his game. Lightspawn +
Divine Spirit
is also an awesome combo, that’s a 10/10 for 6 mana. Just be careful though as
both of these combinations will leave you sad when someone plays an Assassinate or
worse still a Mind
Control. Make sure you have a Plan B when buffing minions, try to leave it
for late game or when you know you’re going to have some board control for a
while. Buff behind taunts if you can, it will help you protect those minions.
Same thing goes with removal. Spells such as Fireball are
great, they give you some pretty big options. Make sure you use it wise though
and if you’re in a good position board wise, keep it for something scary. Do
not take out any smaller minions with this unless absolutely necessary and only
target your opponent’s character if you can kill them on this turn or get them
extremely low. Don’t remove weak creatures or you’ll end up sitting wishing you
could Polymorph
Deathwing
5) Hero powers are there to be used
Use most hero powers liberally and learn their usefulness.
A) Warriors are great at keeping their armour up, pretty much a
health buff, and warriors can use this armour to great effect with spells such
as Shield Slam
B) Druids are similar with giving one attack and one armour,
nice for some quick and easy removal.
C) Mages fireblast is awesome for removing early game and for
finishing off minions. Use it often and use it well.
D) Paladin’s summon a 1/1 minion which doesn’t seem like much
but will allow you to treat it like a minion, throw down a Stormwind
Champion and a 2/2 is not bad for finishing off a tough minion. Remember,
lose a 1/1 summoned minion, you’ve not lost a card.
E) Priests can heal minions or themselves for 2 health. Great
for keeping your health up when you have no other options and pretty good for
cards like Northshire
Cleric and the previously mentioned Lightspawn
F) Hunters can attack your main character for 2 damage. This is
a pretty strong option and can be used to finish off your opponent in the end
game. Going toe to toe with a hunter on turn 15-16 is going to start to hurt a
bit.
G) Shamans have a pretty random ability to summon a totem, this
can be either a healing, taunting, + spell power or 1/1 card. It’s a bit random
at times but can sometimes really help out. Having a 0/2 taunt out for 2 mana
can stall and give you a benefit on the next turn.
H) The Rogue’s ability is to equip a 1/2 knife. This is great
for rogues as they can grab cards such as Deadly Poison
for some pretty good early game removal. Just remember that if you attack a
minion with a weapon, you’re going to take their attack power to the face. Do
not attack Magma
Rager you’ll feel it.
I) Warlocks let you take a hit of 2 health to draw a card. It’s
great to rush ahead to an early board and card advantage, but use it too
liberally and you’re going to have a tough time staying alive. 2 health can definitely
be the difference between winning and losing and you may not have even used the
card you drew for losing that health.
6) Cards with no text aren’t bad
They don’t need to be buffed and they aren’t susceptible to
silence. All of their mana cost goes straight to the stats. Cards like Chillwind Yeti
and Boulderfist
Ogre are solid choices. 5 health and 7 health tend to be pretty tough cards
to get rid of. Use these cards, they’re big, mean and meaty and can be buffed!
7) Learn all the flavour meanings
You need to know these, some of these will destroy you if
you don’t know what they are.
Battlecry: This is one of the main abilities in Hearthstone,
minions with Battlecry do something specific when they come onto the field.
Many of the most fun and effective combinations will be down to those cards
battlecrys.
Deathrattle: This is the same as a Battlecry but only comes
in to effect when that creature dies. Deathrattles can be silenced but cards
like Cairne
Bloodhoof can be tough to deal with.
Silence: means that your card will no longer be able to use
its flavour text. Silence can be devastating when used on cards such as Sunwalker 6
mana for a 4/5 is horrible.
Taunt: The vast majority of your opponent’s abilities and
minions will need to come through this minion before it reaches you. Can be
used as a delay tactic or to keep a valuable minion behind this ready to
attack.
Stealth: Minions with Stealth can hide away and are unable
to be attacked until you decide to attack with this minion. They cannot be hit
with targeted spells or attacks from minions or weapons. They can be hit with
spells that state “all” minions. This can make Patient Assassin
both awesome, and easily removed at the same time.
Spell Power: This will add a specific number to the power of
your spells. If you have a Kobold Geomancer
on the field your Fireball will
cause 7 damage.
Divine Shield: This allows your minion to be hit with one
attack or spell and not die. Be careful that no matter how big your minion is,
1 damage to this creature will remove the shield. A buffed Scarlet Crusader
can be pretty tough to remove.
Windfury: This allows any minion with Windfury to attack
twice in one turn, you will lose health when attacking other creatures in the
way that you usually would.
Freeze: Frozen minions can’t attack and technically miss a
turn, you can’t unfreeze a frozen minion and they can be attacked for some
pretty lethal damage, mainly from Mages’ Ice Lance
Combo: This is currently a rogue only mechanic, but will
allow a card to come in to play with a more powerful effect. It’s best to think
as combo as being an empowered Battlecry. You trigger the combo by playing any
card and then the card of the combo you want to use. Combo does not trigger off
the rogue’s main ability.
Overload: Shaman Only ability. A card with overload means
that the Shaman forfeits the amount of mana that the Overloaded card shows on
the next turn. For example, Earth Elemental
will mean that Shaman has 3 less mana next turn but gains this back for the
turn after.
Charge: Charge allows that minion to attack on the turn that
it is played. Good for removal and battering your opponent down with a clear
board.
Secret: Secret cards are played face down and will trigger
an ability when its conditions are met. Secrets cannot be removed by the
opposing player but are unpredictable for both players. Experienced players
will know what to watch out for though. If you only have a Vaporize on
the board and your opponent has 2 minions on the board. You can be damn sure
he’ll attack with the smaller minion first out of fear of what the secret is.
Learn all secrets, this will help you make better, judged, decisions on your
game when they are in play. Only Paladins, Hunters and Mages have secrets.
Constants: Finally, some cards have constant effects, these will not
trigger and are there for as long as the card is in play. Stormwind
Champion and Sorcerer’s
Apprentice are examples of these.
8) Make sure you’re covered for all 3 parts of the game
It’s hard to resist but make sure you don’t overload your
deck with heavy cost creatures. You’ll be toast before you can even play them.
In my opinion there’s no sure cost way of splitting a deck, play to your
strengths and your playstyle and chose cards accordingly. Too many low cost
creatures will also hurt. It’s fine controlling the game early doors but if it
gets to turn 4 and your opponent plays Consecration
and you lose 3 creatures you’ll be instantly on the back foot.
9) Spend your gold in the arena
This might seem pretty harsh for new players but it will
help! Trust me! It cost 150 gold to enter but even if you lose 3 games and get
kicked out then you’ll still come away with at least 1 pack of cards. Seeing as
1 pack cost you 100 as standard, your best bet is the arena. Win 3 or 4 games
and you’ll make your money back in gold and a card pack. 12 wins (which is the
most you can gain) will give you 2 packs and an insane amount of gold, pays for
itself.
If you pick a decent deck in arena that works well for you,
write it down or take some screenshots, construct it in your deck builder and
change it until it works for you. One of my decks is about 95% arena, plus a
card or two. It’s also insanely fun and you’ll be making plays that you
wouldn’t have thought about in your wildest dreams! Just remember, your
opponent can have more than 2 of any card in his deck. Sometimes even 3 or 4.
10) Second guess your opponents cards
This is pretty tough for new players to do. Keep in mind
when you’re playing constructed “Play mode” that your opponent cannot have more
than 2 copies of any one standard card and one copy of any legendaries. Best
way to do this is to think about what removal that player might have. If you go
up against a Mage who has used his two Fireballs you
can be safe in the knowledge that he’ll struggle to remove that big Mountain Giant
you just played. Just remember to watch out for Polymorph or
a desperation Pyroblast
on the topic of this card. Keep your health above 10 when playing mages!
Best thing to do is just to keep playing. The more you play
the more you’ll understand playstyles of the heroes. Warlocks may try to rush
you down fast, paladins buff a lot. Priests will use frustrating healing
mechanics and Mages have masses of removal. Pick a class that works for you, if
you’re not sure at first, play them all!
Lastly, I would avoid finding flavour of the month decks.
You’ll not learn anything, some of the cards will be nerfed and you’ll be left
all sad and alone. Just ask Unleash the
Hounds which used to be “Give your Beasts +1 Attack and Charge". This nerf
ruined a lot of hunter decks!
If you want to add me on Battle.net and discuss anything
here my ID is Sylokir #1199
