Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes, we are here at the end of your weekend and while you may be excited that Fear the Walking Dead will finally be over it does mean that you wasted your weekend. It also does mean that I get to go through the questions sent to me throughout the week and answer some of them.

So Diablo questions. Is there big news coming at Blizzcon do you think?

I will say that over the last little bit. Diablo hasn't got much of the attention compared to the other Blizzard IPs out there. Now that could very well be because currently it is the oldest of the games they currently have out. People tend to forget that. Now this doesn't mean that Blizzard is "letting Diablo Die" as the forums would lead you to believe. I do though think we will get a major announcement regarding Diablo come Blizzcon. I have a feeling especially with the recent announcement of Eras it will be an expansion and not a completely new Diablo 4. No one knows for sure though until we are there.

Do you think Civilization VI will be good enough?

Enough for what? To sell? Yes, Civilization is one of the more popular IPs out there. The game could be the exact game with simple changes and will always sell. The games are always enjoyable to play through because they are different each and every game. I know it will never catch on with the more active gamer and one that doesn't enjoy the "thought" process, but it is will always be like that. It will never be the most popular game, but those who enjoy it will love it and that is really all the developers can ask for.

A Hearthstone Region locked hero is fair then?

It is cosmetic you will live.

There they are questions all answered for the week. Hopefully you got something out of them in some way or another. As always thank you to everyone who sent something in some way or another this would not be possible without you. Now you can enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Ask Gauss

Sunday! It is the end of the weekend and it is time for some questions to be answered. So without going on some crazy intro to how I will be answering some questions here we go.

Is Hearthstone too RNG?

I think people are thinking too much about the Yogg play which has been taking over as of late. Old Gods has added a lot of randomness to the game while making it more exciting to watch, but it is frustrating for players. I think Blizzard has realized this and we see with Karazhan the move away from the insanely random to more strategic and skillful random. So really I don't think it is too random. It would be if they continued in the same direction for card making.

Is Legion going to hold the player base?

That is something we will have to see. Warlords saw a big boom upon release. Not nearly as big as Legion, but still a significant boom. They lost it after the first major patch so I believe that is why Blizzard is going big with the Karazhan patch. They know how much the older players love Karazhan like they love Illidan lore. I think it will hold for that the question is about after it.

Grats on your 7 years of blogging.

Thanks couldn't be done without all of you.

There you have it this week's questions all answered. As always thank you to everyone who sent something in this wouldn't even be possible without all of you taking part. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Why A Spell?

As you all know I play a bunch of Hearthstone. Probably more than I should, but hey it is a great thing to do when you are just sitting around. For awhile now something has bugged me. When you go second in Hearthstone you get "The Coin" now". Now I am not arguing weather or not going second someone should get something. They obviously should and "The Coin" is great at trying to balance the case for going second. Why a spell though?

The reason for it being a spell really doesn't make sense. Why? Well it being a spell favours certain classes and cards more than others. It being a spell allows for in some cases an advantage when what it should only be is something to make you even. 

If it was not a spell it would still do everything it is needed to do without doing the the extra things it can be used for. Sure there is also the case that it cannot be discovered or casted by Yogg, but neither can toxin or spare part cards or other things like that. These types of "spells" cannot be put into a deck on their own so it makes sense,

Now I don't changing it to a non spell would make much of a difference in the long run in most cases because really there are only a handful of situations this effects, but it is something that has bothered me for awhile. Maybe when they chose to make it a spell it was for balance, but then with the types of cards they have added over the years things can change.

I just believe it is something to look at, don't you?

Hearthstone Raging

Friday! So time for a Reader Post and see what is going on with someone. This week's post comes to you from Vinne who is having some real issues with Hearthstone and the way it is currently played. It is weird I always seem to get this type of submissions from Hearthstone and I always end up using them. So have a read and let it be known what you think.

Hopefully you people can help me and provide me any advice on how to bring the fun back to Hearthstone, so I won’t stop playing it, cause it is definitely my favorite game. I don’t want quit playing, but I am feeling forced too.  I will try to explain my anger as good as I possibly can. Maybe you experienced it either and found a solution to keep the fun in the game.

I have been playing Hearthstone for like fourteen months, on average two to three hours daily, and I've gotten so much enjoyment out of the game. For me it is really the best game I ever played. I never became bored or tired playing, cause there are so many personal goals to achieve: collecting all cards, build your own unique and strong decks, collect all golden heroes, reach twelve wins in arena and finally, reach the Legendary Rank. My ultimate goal always has been reaching Legendary rank (or at least rank 5) with a control and funny deck. However, month after month I can't pass rank 6. 

I’m all fine with Rank 6, but not as it goes on the current meta. I am really, really, really tired facing Aggro Shaman after Aggro Shaman after Aggro Hunter after Aggro Hunter (and with less irritation Zoolock and Warrior Pirate). They always using the exact same fucking 30 cards as everyone else does. They keep hitting your face without any interaction. Today I went from Rank 6 and 4 stars to Rank 11. In all these lost ranks, I only faced ONE SINGLE control deck (and some fucking OTK warriors). And this is not the first time, for like 2-3 months I am quitting the game every day out of anger, thinking myself never going to play HS again. With some good hope and spirit I start the game again, arriving in the same shit again and again. At this point, I am really considering to give up all the goals I have (reach Rank 5+) And when I don't have goals, I just will quit HS forever. I once went from rank 15 to rank 6 in one day using Zoolock, noticing I easily can reach Legend with it, but I hate playing it, and I know other control players don’t like it as well. So going with the flow is not an option for me. Conceding one disgusting game after another against Shaman isn't an option as well.

If nothing will changed very soon (after the following OniK slots), or some Shaman and OTK nerfs will be announced very soon, I’m totally done with HS. Maybe you guys have experienced the same feelings and I am wondering how you dealt with these issues? I still see the potential and having so much enjoyment out of the game but at this moment I am forced to quit. 

You might say, just quit and stop raging, but I am finding some ways to keep on having fun. Any advice?

My advice is simple. It is a game have fun. It is how I play. I know certain decks are better to go further and I have played months trying to rank up as fast as possible. I have found more enjoyment in making fun and gimmic decks and just plateauing. Just have to decide if ranking is that important to you.

Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

You Fail At Hearthstone Adventures If...

Fail Day! Yes it is that time of the week again where we make sure everyone else knows why they are awful. This week it is going to be all about Hearthstone adventures. Well let's just get to it.

You Fail At Hearthstone Adventures If...

• You didn't know Hearthstone's newest adventure One Night in Karazhan just launched
• You were not aware you play cards against the bosses
• You think 700g is too hard to get
• You think adventures are just cash grabs and offer nothing else
• You complain you need a deck full of legendaries to beat the bosses
• You don't enjoy the comic relief from emoting the bosses
• You believe you should just be able to use the deck you always do
• You hate making gimmic decks
• You always lose and then bitch and complain on the forums
• You think all wings should be able to be unlocked without gold or money
• You have never completed a heroic boss because there is no point

And Finally

• You have never completed one

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and even maybe learned something.

Hearthstone In WoW

Monday. Yes your weekend is over and now you are left to do things which may or may not be important. Or better yet left to contemplate how little sense Hearthstone makes sense in practice. So while you are doing that here is Slightly Impressive's take on the whole thing. So enjoy!



Exactly what you were thinking right?

One Night Of Raging

So if you haven't been living under a rock you know that the newest Hearthstone Adventure has been announced that being One Night In Karazhan. Now me like any normal person in the world would see something new that they could play as a good thing. New cards, new bosses, and much more. Right now I know you are nodding your head in agreement because you are, you know, normal.

So then what is on my mind? Well if you know Hearthstone then you know when something new is coming out they showcase the cards to get everyone excited to play and get their hands on the cards. Well in doing so it opens the door to anyone and everyone who rages and complains. It could be that why are they asking for more money, why do the new cards suck, why are the new cards so overpowered, or why do I have to wait so long to play each wing. So the normal entitled bullshit that people always say.

These people now are also going on how they are "ruining" Karazhan with this "party" gimmick. I don't know if you have noticed, but all the adventures have been very tongue and check because you know Hearthstone if you haven't noticed isn't a serious game at all. So why all of the sudden do you think it should be? So just sit back and wait to play and get your new cards because no matter how much you complain about it we all know you are still going to play one way or another so do everyone a favour and shut your mouth so the rest of us can enjoy what is coming.

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Here we are at the end of the weekend wondering how we you will get everything done in time. Before you get to all that fun stuff though it is time for me to get to some of the questions for the week. So let's get to it.

Why did they add a stupid murloc hero to Hearthstone instead of another better shaman candidate?

They will be adding a better shaman candidate in the future this is just what they are adding to promote the recruit a friend. Kind of the way that Khadgar was added when medivh was already in the game. Not that I agree with wasting Khadgar for that, but it is the same type of principle. They will be adding another hero for all the classes that you will pay for so don't worry yourself too much.

What are your thoughts on the Final Fantasy XV collectors?

Lately the collectors editions of Final Fantasy games have been lackluster. I believe they made up for it with XV. It has enough but not to the extreme that they have to charge an exorbitant amount. That really is the fine line. Gamers are willing to pay a little more for a collectors, but double or triple the price as we have seen for some in the past is a little pushing it. Also remember that collectors in the scope of the gaming world are a new thing so companies are just getting in the swing of it now.

Why no Zelda talk?

Well you just covered that didn't you?

There you have it this week's questions all answered. Thanks to everyone who sent one in if I got to it on here or not. As always this would not be possible without all of your support. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

Ask Gauss

Sunday! A crazy Sunday for sure since unless you live under a rock you will be watching the Game of Thrones season finale. While you are wishing the hours today though I see that you have arrived here to see what questions I will be answering for the week. So why not get right to it.

What are your thoughts on the SC2 Ladder changes coming?

Well first for those that don't know

As for what I think? Well this is something which I have wanted for awhile. I think having a ladder where you can actually see for progression will get people to play on it more because they will notice they are actually going somewhere. Also having a Grandmaster which is actually active in promotions and demotion makes for a much more interesting ladder from a fan perspective and for the aspiring player. So really I cannot complain about anything in this revamp at all.

Do you like Whispers of the Old Gods?

I think it adds fun to the game. Sure it can be a bit frustrating at times, but it never is a dull moment. Also tends to mean that a player isn't truly out of the game because a flip can happen at any moment. Not to mention I think it has made Tavern Brawls a whole lot of fun because of the unpredictability. I know at lower ranks people complain about C'Thun, but really it is phasing itself out every game at higher ranks and with players having a larger selection. So yes to answer the question. 

Who is going to die on Game of Thrones?

Someone's favourite character.

There they are this week's questions all answered. Hopefully you got something out of it in some way or another. Now back to your Game of Thrones countdown.

Call Of The Wild

Friday. Yes the weekend is just about here, and I assume you have lots of things going through your mind. I am here to make sure you have another with this week's Reader Post brought to you by Lilz. He has some thoughts on Hearthstone and the card "Call of the Wild". Enjoy!

It's been a while since I have thought about specific cards but I wanted to hear your thoughts. I actually searched the forums for Call of the Wild and the most recent posting was from May. And it was a post about how "OP" Call of the Wild is. This post is not focused around that.

Nearly every hunter I've played since Whispers of the Old Gods came out is playing this card. The only Hunters I haven't seen play this card are Hunters who I've beaten before turn 8. Is this card an auto include in every Hunter deck? 

Call of the Wild is not anything near the pre- "New Way To Play" Force of Nature+Savage Roar combo, but it's seemingly a no brainer auto-include in nearly every Hunter deck. So I ask the question, was a main point of changing Force of Nature + Savage Roar (besides it's almost OTK potential) not to make a Druid have to make decisions when building decks? So then why would they not follow suit for Hunter? I was under the impression that the only cards which should nearly always feel like auto-includes would be Classic cards since they will be staples of Standard for the foreseeable future.

If so, then doesn't Call of the Wild just seem counter-intuitive to what the Hearthstone team was trying to accomplish moving froward from Whmind.rs of the Old Gods? Don’t you think so?

Well what do you all think? Plenty of thoughts for the weekend?

Hearthstone Reader Rage

Well it is Friday and you may be wondering where the week has gone, but it doesn't mean that you aren't happy about it. Also the same can be said about the new Hearthstone expansion. You don't have any clue what the meta is yet, but you are having fun playing it. What is funny though is every time I consider a Hearthstone topic for a Reader Post it happens to be someone ranting about something. Today is no different from Eloar who sent me a direct response to my C'thun post. Have a read.

I don't think C'Thun is particularly OP -- it kind of means you have to win by turn 10-ish. Obviously if he comes out, it usually means you lose -- but that doesn't necessarily make him OP.

With that said, I do hate the card, and I do hate standard. I hate that blizzard created standard as a way to keep the meta "fresh", and WotOG is the least diverse expansion released yet. There are way too many cards that have overt synergy. Standard feels dumb and simplistic in a game that was already suffering from dumb and simplistic mechanics.

WotOG puts on display the overwhelming lack of creativity blizzard has with respect to this game. Hearthstone needs more variation, and more interesting card mechanics. For example, having neutral cards restricted to being minions only is so boring -- classes are stale; if I play against any class, I am never surprised by the deck they play -- Hearthstone is stale, and it has been for a while.

A big part of the problem is card pool -- which is why I won't play much of standard; but another issue is the lack of variability a class can have. Anyway, these issues are largely known and discussed so I won't reiterate them here -- but we all know the issues, and nerfing a handful of Druid cards (and Leper Gnome?!) won't fix any of it.

I do think Hearthstone will continue to do well, though; in large part due to its mass appeal and the fact that it competes in a vacuum. 

If Magic The Gathering would put out digital content that didn't have an idiotic user interface, and if it wasn't developed by some garbage 3rd party, then maybe Blizzard would have to actually innovate. But until someone comes out swinging... I know I'll still play -- and so will many others that are tremendously dissatisfied and hungry for something else, but just accept blizzard's mind numbing nonsense as a means to satisfy our gaming wants

Well? Wasn't I speaking the truth? Maybe I just appreciate a good Hearthstone rage and complaint session every now and then. Or is that people just have this passion for Hearthstone that just isn't comparable. Who knows, but at least it is entertaining.

Game of C'thun

So like most people who play Hearthstone I was all excited to get into the new expansion this week. There are new cards and of course there will be a new meta which will have to establish itself. Until then though it seems like every game is about who gets their C'thun buffed and out first.

Now I know what you are all thinking. It has been out for 2 days and you shouldn't think too much about it. People just want to see their new cards in action and everyone who logged in got themselves a new shiny C'Thun to play with. Just imagine if when Hearthstone came out everyone got the same legendary minion. It would have been the same thing. It just so happens C'Thun happens to be a game changing type card if played correctly within your deck. One thing also to remember you can have horrible luck and he may be stuck at the bottom of your deck and you don't get a chance to play.

People will adapt and get used to how these things play. Also people will get more cards and work themselves into new patterns and new strategies. Just as of now just know what the game is all about right now and don't take out your frustration on it as it is. 

Ask Gauss

Sunday, and the first Sunday in awhile without Walking Dead, but no worries Game of Thrones is on its way soon enough. There are other things to do on Sunday though, one of them being checking out what questions I am answering this week. So why don't we get right to that.

So what do you think of the Heroes Weekend?

I think it is a great opportunity to show off the game and to allow players to play some heroes in actual games they are thinking about. It is like a free week hero to the maximum. The XP bonus also allows players to get these heroes to level 5 as quickly as possible so players can hop right into Hero League. I really think Blizzard wants players to get into Hero League and shy away from quick match for the most part. This lets their Matchmaking system work to the best of it's ability.

So they have known the Final Fantasy XV release date of over 2 years, why just tell us now?

Well I think this is the way most games are. They have an objective and they work towards it. Things can change over time and instead of changing the date again and again they keep it to themselves till they know for sure. Just think of all the outcry that happens when companies change release dates. It is not like all of us gamers so "good for you, take your time we can wait". No it is more like "Do your job and release it when you said you will or I will never buy a game from you all again." So it the companies mind it is just a safer bet to wait.

Whispers of the Old Gods seems very RNG no?

That is the point, I believe.

There they are questions all answered. Thank you to everyone who has sent one in, this would not be possible without all of your contributions. Now you have my permission to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes it is that time of the week once again. Also if you were not aware it is the last weekend of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Had to point that out because if I don't all of you Southern Hemisphere love to point it out to me. Enough of the blabbing though let's get on with why all of you are here today for and that is the questions.

So with the new Heroes Announcement do you think that we will see another Starcraft Hero again?

I think so and I hope it is Fenix just like everyone else does. Also hope at some point we get Swann and Karax at some point as well. Really though with the other hero I kind of hope to see a Starcraft themed map as well. Think it would add something to the game that is missing.

Opinions on Whispers of the Old Gods?

I am liking the card abilities. I think it adds some more strategy to the game where I think the last 2 expansions seemed to add luck through things being random. This can be fun to watch, but then can be extremely frustrating to play. Also will be interesting to see the card art for N'zoth and Y'Shaarj since we have never seen what they look like in Warcraft to begin with.

Really Bottlecaps?

Yes really.

There they are the questions for the week. Hope you all got something out of it in one way or another. Enjoy your last weekend of Winter/Summer wherever you are.

It's A Bad Game Because I Don' Like It

So here we are on yet another Friday with yet another choice to make for this week's Reader Post. Now normally I like to pick posts which interest me or that I think would get interest from others. Sometimes though I get entries that just deserve to be read because they try to make arguments and points without actually stating what this exactly are. So that brings me to this week's post from Darkzone who thinks "Hearthstone is a Bad Game" why? well because he says so for reasons he doesn't want to fully explain. Enjoy!

I have many personal reasons why I don't like hearthstone, I don't believe significant amounts of RNG belong in a game, and I do think that that's one of the factors that makes it a bad game. Though I can understand the appeal to make it more casual/fun focused (why they embrace competitive play when they have cards purely relying on RNG is beyond me.)

The goal in MOST competitive card games is to make consistent decks that work no matter what you draw, as well as 'deck-fixing' by guaranteeing you get certain things. Cards like "Burnished Hart" from MTG being an example how how a game employs fixing.

You can also employ fixing in your own deck by putting more of a card, or specific type of card in your deck, and thereby reducing the extent to which RNG influences your games. So ultimately, card games are not about the RNG in the sense that we should embrace it, but in the sense that a good deck doesn't care about RNG. (Especially over a set of 3 games.)

My biggest gripe with hearthstone is the fact that the game just doesn't work. Card effects that seem like they should work together don't, and card effects that seem like they shouldn't work together do. The word "draw" means different things on different cards and the order selection of triggered effects may as well be random for how much control you have over it.

I don't really think you can call your game good when it doesn't even interact in ways that make sense based on card text or scenario, a lot of this comes down to thoughtless coding, no doubt, but it's a big deal and doesn't really make any sense to me.

So ya Hearthstone isn't MtG, and I like MtG so that makes Hearthstone a bad game because it isn't MtG. Makes sense eh? Have a good weekend!

A Format Rant

So it is Friday, and it is time for the Reader Post. This week I decided to go with someone who was a little upset. Final is really up in arms about the new mechanics Hearthstone is going for. Now I don't completely agree with everything he says, but does make a few good points. If you haven't heard about the new systems you can read about them here. After have a read about what he has to say.

New players are going to find it even more impossible to play when this new format system kicks in.

They won't be able to buy packs to get cards to play in the wild format. WHY Blizzard thought this was a good idea I'll never know. By itself this reason alone kills Hearthstone for new players. So unless they dump a bunch of cash into the allowed "Standard" packs they have no chance to play either format. It was bad enough new players had a huge paywall to get over just to have a chance of playing ladder but instead of a paywall it's now an impenetrable wall that says "You can't even buy packs, you just suffer". 

This game might as well have a disclosure to anyone that hasn't been playing since open beta that states "Either play arena or give us lots of money to play Standard. You're never going to stand a chance in Wild".

Since Blizzard is basically copying MTG in this lets go over the differences between MTG no longer producing cards for older sets and Blizzard not allowing anyone to buy packs from older sets.

Hearthstone is purely digital with no way to trade cards. With MTG players can buy cards from each other or trade them. Hearthstone has no such mechanic that allows players to do this. This was done to make it simpler for Blizzard not having to manage another auction house which is fine as long as they keep their cards available to earn/buy. Taking away the ability to earn/buy cards when there's no way to trade or buy from other players is mind blowing to me. Especially since these cards will still be used in one of the two main formats for the game. WHAT?!

"So what they do then? How can they do this in a better way?"

There's a number of solutions that are INFINITELY better than what Blizzard has currently announced. I'll name a few that I can think of on my own.

1. Discount older cards no longer purchasable (non-standard) so that they only cost their disenchant value for crafting. Either raise the disenchant value or lower the crafting cost of these cards to match each other. This alleviates SOME of the pressure to try and get the newer cards for standard. 

2. Have arena give older cards as rewards along with packs. Arena rewards are pathetic right now. NO ONE can keep up with any format just by playing arena. You might say "Well that's the way it's suppose to be, they have to make money!" Blizzard makes A TON of money off this game (more than it rightfully should), bridging the gap between the players that buy their packs versus those that earn them isn't going to change that. In fact it would probably INCREASE how much they make with this game because then new players would join in as they have a means to actually get cards. Arena needs to start giving out more than 1 packs (I suggest one of each current standard pack) in order for players to have a chance to keep up with formats.

It's obvious why Blizzard doesn't do these things. They're greedy and people keep giving them money despite the BS they pull. You think they didn't think of these things along with countless other ways to solve these problems? Of course they did! They just didn't result in as much immediate revenue for them. 

O well someday it'll happen. People will start waking up and realize they don't need to put up with this crap that Blizzard pulls. They can decide NOT to give Blizzard money and just do something else. Not like there isn't plenty of other games that we can play.

So I can see he was upset. What do you guys think of the new Hearthstone system? Or want the weekend to think about it?

You Fail At Being Ready For Blizzcon If...

Fail Day! Not just any fail day though it is the Fail Day of Blizzcon Week. What does that mean? Well it means I will be doing a Fail Day in the spirit of Blizzcon obviously. So why don't we get right to it.

You Fail At Being Ready For Blizzcon If...

• You have no idea what Blizzcon is
• You plan on working the Friday and Saturday
• You are not looking forward to the Warcraft Movie trailer
• You are not interested in any of the Esports finals
• You are not wondering if Red Shirt Guy will show up
• You don't care about what is up for any of their games
• You could careless about Overwatch news
• You are not wondering who is going to injured themselves during the dance contest
• You are not in the least bit interested about expansions being announced
• You are not curious about the Legacy of the Void show matches
• Wil Wheaton?

And Finally

• You don't plan on watching it one way or another

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and are ready for Blizzcon.

Hearthstone Rage Break

Here we are on yet another Friday and I am going through posts of what I think should be this week's Reader Post. Now I am often accused of picking posts that go in line with my thinking or never go against some of my favourite games or companies for "reasons". With that in mind while I don't take the extreme approach to the subject that Rehtael does in this week's post. I do agree with his thoughts on nerfs and bug fixes. So as this post is a bit of a rage rant it is well thought out and a good read.

I needed to express something, and that the Hearthstone dev team finds new ways to disappoint me every time an update comes out.

I've been playing since closed beta and have been an active member of the bug report forums.  I'm just tired of it. I'm tired of developers that don't seem to listen to the community, that spend ages working on patches that break more things than they fix, not addressing the quality of life issues that have been brought up thousands of times, (seriously, more than 9 deck slots will NOT confuse anyone who isn't already very easily confused) and overall, it feels like they're just out of touch with the community.

And no, this isn't about card balance, at least, not primarily. This is about every time an update or a patch comes out, in adds another game-breaking feature, such as charge not working, Nozdormu burning into opponents' turns, tracking not causing the timer to go off, and that's just naming a few. Knowing that they're pushing tournaments without first addressing bugs like these is a huge problem. The lack of a better reconnection feature, the lack of a better collection sorting system, the little things that players have been asking for, for years are just adding up and what was a few minor complaints have grown substantially over time, and seem to be ignored. 

It's not that I think that Team 5 is lazy, or doesn't care, or is just stupid, I just don't know what the case is that causes patches to be so slow in the presence of some really bad issues. And I respect the team for all they do, I know that they have a VERY difficult job, I myself am a game developer for a small indie company, but I just can't play this game anymore.

Something simple like letting people chose their card pack from the arena might pull me back in, but for someone who took a hiatus and fell behind, they've made it horrifically difficult to gain new cards. (I've been free to play since CLOSED beta. Refused a Golden Gelbin just on principle.)

And the "tactical nuke" approach to nerfing cards has killed some of my favorite decks. For example, Starving Buzzard. I was one of the pioneers of the Buzzard Hound deck, and the solution to fixing that deck was so VERY simple. All they had to do was change Buzzard's text to read: Whenever you play a beast, draw a card. But no. We get a useless 5-cost 3-2. Meanwhile, Warrior is in a place now where it's possible to deal 36 damage in one turn from hand with an empty board. (That's happened to me, I'm sure it's happened to others.)

The solution to bringing the weak cards in line would be taking advantage of the unique online platform that Hearthstone has. You could have buffed Booty Bay Bodyguard and Magma Rager. Why would this be better? Because arena exists. There are enough garbage arena cards without some being objectively awful, and instead of making two new cards which still aren't going to see any play, you could have included other minions which would have had a more meaningful impact on the game.

All in all, I love Hearthstone. It's just too painful to experience these days. The questing system at the moment punishes players for not playing multiple classes, which really doesn't need to be the case.

At any rate, that's enough from me.

Was I not right?

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

The Hearthstone Gods

Friday. Yes it is here and it is time to pick a Reader Post for the week. Now I know like anyone else that the RNG gods can be very cruel. Many times I get submissions that complain that the world is against them and that such and such is just unfair. That was when I cam across Shivan's Post for the week which made me sit back smile and feel the pain. So what better reason then to share it with you.

This is not a whine session, but more of an observation.

First off, I have no illusions of making it to the world championships. I also, for the most part, enjoy playing weenie decks, with a catch, and accept that doing so requires early board dominance. However...

After about a five game win streak , you ever have where you just start getting your butt handed to you, ridiculously hard?

It's not because you moved up a rank or two...You're still facing the same one, or two successful decks each class has. Patron Warriors, Secret Paladins, Mech Mages, Totem Shamans etc...and you know what you need to counter the deck. It's because out of the blue, you just start getting the most God awful draws that could be created out of your decks. Even mulligans are a complete disaster. "Oh jeez, I just drew three out of the four end-game cards I have. Better put Dr. Boom back in and redraw...wtf...Dr. Boom, again???"

That, or your opponent gets a draw so specifically designed to destroy you, and keeps pulling just the right card to stop any kind of recovery.
"Meh heh heh heh, I'm a Warlock, and I'm going to whip out my fourth turn 8/8 giant...Shadow Word:Death...Ok, well here's another....SW:D...Um, ok, well here's two more 8/8s...and a Light Bomb. And I've lost to a 1/3 cleric..."
Or, the Piloted Shredder that just so happens to poop out a Steamwheedle Sniper...for a hunter.

And I've had this happen to me on the flip side, where I have just dominated decks that I know aren't working no where near the way they should. Where I'm winning by fifth turn with 26-30 life left. While it does make me feel confident in my deck, the reality is that I received the perfect starting hand to counter my opponent, and the luck just kept pulling with each draw. Where my opponent started off with expensive cards, and broken combos.

As mentioned, this observation isn't meant to complain, and ask why my decks are losing. I'm happy with them. They're fun and have a decent success rate, and I know where the gamble is in playing with them.

I'm wandering if anyone else has noticed that on some days, the Hearthstone gods have just deemed you unworthy?

There you have it? What do you think?

Have a great weekend!

Rath's Wrath

So I will admit I play a lot of games of Hearthstone. I have made sure I get every card back each month and follow the meta and like it or not I understand where it goes. I know how ranking up works and what works best at each point during the process. With that all being said there is always people who complain about things being unfair because they don't have cards or that they cannot play the types of decks they want because they always lose. Before complaining about such things you really should think about why your deck is losing, most likely because it isn't very good. With all that being said when I was picking a post for the Reader Post this week I came across this rage filled rant from Rath, and you know me I cannot help but share people going off the deep end.

This is something that has become clear to me over time, but it finally just crystallized in my mind - why "rush" decks like Face Hunter, Mech Mage and so forth, decks that spam low cost minions, are so bad for this game. 

It goes hand in hand with the other top complaint, too much RNG.

Simply put, unless you are playing one of those decks also, whether or not you win is entirely up to RNG. There is nothing you can do from a skill standpoint to improve your chances. You either draw the cards you need to draw, or you lose. 

Other common decks, even ones that people complain about like Patron Warrior, at least give you a chance to make decisions that can win or lose the game. The rush decks do not. 

That is the central, and worst reason. But there are others: 

-1)Because you can't beat those decks with skill, they are the thing that the entire rest of the "meta" revolves around. They are the reason why a massive number of decks, and cards, are not viable. If your deck can't beat rush decks, you can't use it, even if it can beat every other kind of deck when you play it well.

2)The fact that rush decks require almost no skill or decision making by those who play them. 

So the end result is that those decks turn the game into a pure coin flip, remove strategy, and make a huge number of other cards, decks and playstyles unplayable.

For those reasons, Blizzard should do something seriously to counter those decks, or remove them. Of course they probably won't, which will probably be one of the main reasons I end up quitting this game just like I quit WoW, for the same reasons. Quality of gameplay is one of Blizzard's lowest priorities as a company.

So yes while I agree rush decks are not fun to play against they have counters and you should know them before you call for them to be removed from the game all together.