So today's post will be kind of like a continuation of what I was working on before. I'd like to share some of my experiences with Hearthstone Arena lately. Note that I've only played about 100~ games of Arena in total (ever), so take everything here with a grain of salt.

Arena

Ever since GvG came out, Arena has felt more and more like Constructed. The release of GvG, as whole, has tilted the game towards a more midrange direction. Cards like Shielded Minibot, Muster for Battle and the resurgence of Zombie Chow have all meant that early game board control has become increasingly important.

The same stands, I think, for Arena as well. Early game drops have become more and more valuable. Cards like Zombie Chow and Haunted Creeper have become extremely valuable picks, alongside old favourites like Chillwind Yeti, Boulderfist Ogre and Argent Commander. There are times when I regret picking 'value' big drops like Stormwind Champion, when a much less greedier pick would have done a lot more. In general, Arena post-GvG is a lot more about early-game board control.

In terms of power level, I would put Mage and Paladin as the strongest Arena classes, with Priest coming at third. The new cards Paladin got are obviously extremely strong. Mage received Flame cannon, a very powerful early game removal, as well as Unstable Portal and Snowchugger. Priest didn't really get any good early game cards, but it did get Velen's Chosen, which is extremely powerful if you can actually play it on turn 3.

To illustrate the power of Velen's Chosen, let's take a look at a Priest run I did a few days ago:

Missing: 2x Mind Control

Pretty decent draft, although for it to reach 12 wins, it needs a board clear (Holy Nova) and possibly a big Legendary. It was drafted with the help of HearthsArena, although quite a few of my picks were different from what was suggested. Lots of 2-3 drops, with decent late game as well. But really, it was the 4 Velen's Chosen that won most of my games (if I listened to HearthsArena entirely, there would've been 6!). 

Coining it out on a turn one Northshire Cleric, or even a Zombie Chow is extremely strong, because it allows you to dictate the trades, and force them to waste a bunch of removals on a 1 drop. The Priest heropower works well with this playstyle. Most of my opponents never managed to regain the board, because by the time they clear the buffed Zombie Chow, often wasting several removals in the process, I would've drawn into my big minions. My only losses with the deck were against 2 Paladins, who both drew into Shielded Minibots very early, and a Rogue who drew into all its board clears. 

Now let's talk a bit about Mage.

Missing: 1x War Golem, 1x Force-Tank MAX, 1x Ysera

This class has always been very strong in Arena. And this 12-2 run I did earlier today just goes to show that even with misplays, a strong deck can carry you through. My mulligans were similar to how any tempo deck would've been played: smooth curve, keep Frostbolt/Flamecannon, keep Water Elemental versus weapon-heavy classes. Besides doing a few cool plays like hero power + Explosive Sheep, this deck mostly plays itself.

Unstable Portal seems very strong right now. Maybe it's because I got really lucky with this run (I got Gazlowe, Iron Juggernaut, Vol'jin and Boulderfist Ogre in the 14 games I played). Maybe it's because it had always been in my opening hand. But at its worst, it replaces itself with a 2-3 drop. At its best, this card can single-handedly win you the early game with a turn-three Legendary drop. Pretty crazy.

If there's something I really learnt after 100 or so of Arena games, it's about learning how to deal with unfamiliar situations, situations that are otherwise unimaginable in Constructed. For example, in one game, I got Gazlowe from Unstable Portal. My opponent plays Mechanical Yeti, which gets destroyed and gives me a Spare Part. It took me a few seconds to realize that a Spare Part also counts as a one-mana Spell. While I would've instantly recognized this interaction if Gadgetzan Auctioneer was in play, Gazlowe's (a rare card to see in Constructed) was a lot more unfamiliar.

Here's another example. I had a Ysera on the board with one life left. My opponent had a full board, including a Harvest Golem and a Knife Juggler. I did the 'obvious' play and hits Harvest Golem before using Flamestrike. The Harvest Golem procs the Knife Juggler, which hits me in the face for one damage, ending the game. There had literally never been a scenario in Constructed, when killing a Harvest Golem is the same as doing 1 damage to the face. 

Here's a final example. In my last, I played against a Druid player. I play Iron Juggernaut. He already had an Amani Berserker on the board, along with a Wrath in hand. Instead of doing the 'obvious' play and Wrath'ing my 6/5, he Wrath'd his Amani Berserker for 1, draws a card, and trades evenly with my Iron Juggernaut. 

So that's the kind of things I've learned to appreciate in Arena. I'm a pretty late starter to Arena mode, but so far it's been a blast. Tomorrow, I'd like to talk a bit about Hearthstone's free-to-play status, as well as share a few decklists for the next season.