Welcome to our (slightly delayed) Touchstone Tavern, where we talk about everything that happened last week in the world of Hearthstone [] . Last week we got Wing 3 of One Night in Karazhan, and it was quite a fun one with plenty of beasts and other promising cards. Other than that, though, there wasn't that much going on in the world of Hearthstone. What I have noticed is that the voices claiming we have too much RNG in the game right now are getting increasingly louder. Whether that's a bad thing or a good thing remains to be seen. Other than that, we got some fun Wild decks if you want to jump over to that side of Hearthstone, a fun cartoon, questions about Yogg-Saron's role in tournament play, and more. So, let's jump in .
If you haven't yet beat the third wing of One Night in Karazhan, you can check out our guide on how to beat both Normal and Heroic. I enjoyed The Menagerie, although it didn't really blow my mind. Fun encounters overall and some good cards to collect. So, if you haven't entered The Menagerie yet, use to quickly get in and out with a handful of loot.
If you want to see Anduin take on Garrosh in an entertaining Hearthstone duel, check out the video below. I like the way it turns the usual opening rounds into a cartoon duel, quite well made. Check it out below and make sure you watch it all the way to the end.
Debates about RNG in Hearthstone have always ebbed and flowed. Before League of Explorers came out, most players worried that the game was becoming too luck-based to be competitive. Once LoE hit and brought the Discover mechanic to the game, many felt that the game was finally doing RNG right. However, Karazhan seems to have reignited the RNG conversation. According to this interview with Dean Ayala, the developers aren't really worried that RNG is ruining the game. They don't want the game to feel like a coin-flip every time, and they think that at the moment random cards are largely not game-determining and are actually adding to the game's strategy. He gives the examples of Mad Bomber, which might have a random effect, but when the player sets up a board that benefits him or her, then Mad Bomber's RNG isn't that random.
Another example was Prince Malchezaar, the card that has many worried since it adds five random legendaries to a deck. Ayala said that Malchezaar also needs the right deck to work - a deck that goes for late game for instance - so even though it has a random effect, it still requires plenty of thinking. The interview contains some other interesting points about RNG, and you can check it out .
This story uses a recent Yogg-Saron win from the HTC Summer Preliminaries - where Yogg-Saron completely turned a losing situation into a win - to ask whether that card shouldn't be in the competitive scene. Yes, the developers do want RNG in the game, but perhaps this is too much RNG for tournaments? The story goes on to interview the guy who lost to Yogg-Saron in the tournament, and he talks about how he felt helpless when his opponent played Yogg, which was frustrating because he felt he had played great up to that point in the game. He feels the card is broken and while it's entertaining for the audience, it's not good for competitive players. Check out the whole story .
According to this story, Karazhan has added some interesting weapons to Tempo Mage, so now is a good time to play the deck. The story explains why the deck is good - partly because of how customizable it is - how you can build a strong version of it, tips on playing it, and ways you can counter the deck if you find it on ladder. A good guide that helps you go the Tempo Mage way. Check it out .
After talking about what he thinks are serious flaws in the game at the moment, the writer of this story talks about the importance of not just netdecking efficient, but maybe difficult to play, decks in order to just win but also making new, fun decks. It's important to remember that this is a game and should also be played for fun, not just winning. It talks about how to build fun decks and how playing fun decks could even help you improve on ladder. A good reminder that Hearthstone should be played not just for winning and getting more coins but also for fun. Read the story .
If you want to take a ride on the Wild side, check out these fun decks that include Curator Malygos Spell Druid, Deathrattle Priest, Legend Midrange Hunter, and more. I sometimes forget how much fun Wild can be, and I should start visiting it more often. Check out the decks .
In this video, Disguised Toast talks about the need for better patch notes because when card interactions change without any warning, players are left wondering. Keeping in mind that Blizzard always talks about how it wants the game to be predictable, you can see how unclear patch notes can be an issue.
So, what's going on in the meta after the release of Wing 3, The Menagerie? According to , Beast Druid and Tempo Mage got a very nice boost both because of new cards and because Mage does well against Druid. Tier 1 still consists of Aggro Shaman, Dragon Warrior, Yogg-Saron Token Druid, and Tempo Mage. Hunter is getting stronger because it's getting possibly the best cards in Karazhan, and Beast Druid got great help from The Curator among other cards. What are you playing at the moment?
As always, we have some good resources on the site for you in case you are new to the game or simply want to sharpen up your game. There's never such a thing as too much help in Hearthstone, so check out our guides.
Karazhan Wing 3, The Menagerie, Normal and Heroic Guide
If you haven't yet beat the third wing of One Night in Karazhan, you can check out our guide on how to beat both Normal and Heroic. I enjoyed The Menagerie, although it didn't really blow my mind. Fun encounters overall and some good cards to collect. So, if you haven't entered The Menagerie yet, use to quickly get in and out with a handful of loot.
Anduin Vs Garrosh Cartoon
If you want to see Anduin take on Garrosh in an entertaining Hearthstone duel, check out the video below. I like the way it turns the usual opening rounds into a cartoon duel, quite well made. Check it out below and make sure you watch it all the way to the end.
Developers Not Worrying About RNG Ruining the Game
Debates about RNG in Hearthstone have always ebbed and flowed. Before League of Explorers came out, most players worried that the game was becoming too luck-based to be competitive. Once LoE hit and brought the Discover mechanic to the game, many felt that the game was finally doing RNG right. However, Karazhan seems to have reignited the RNG conversation. According to this interview with Dean Ayala, the developers aren't really worried that RNG is ruining the game. They don't want the game to feel like a coin-flip every time, and they think that at the moment random cards are largely not game-determining and are actually adding to the game's strategy. He gives the examples of Mad Bomber, which might have a random effect, but when the player sets up a board that benefits him or her, then Mad Bomber's RNG isn't that random.
Another example was Prince Malchezaar, the card that has many worried since it adds five random legendaries to a deck. Ayala said that Malchezaar also needs the right deck to work - a deck that goes for late game for instance - so even though it has a random effect, it still requires plenty of thinking. The interview contains some other interesting points about RNG, and you can check it out .
Should Yogg-Saron be Banned From Competitive Hearthstone?
This story uses a recent Yogg-Saron win from the HTC Summer Preliminaries - where Yogg-Saron completely turned a losing situation into a win - to ask whether that card shouldn't be in the competitive scene. Yes, the developers do want RNG in the game, but perhaps this is too much RNG for tournaments? The story goes on to interview the guy who lost to Yogg-Saron in the tournament, and he talks about how he felt helpless when his opponent played Yogg, which was frustrating because he felt he had played great up to that point in the game. He feels the card is broken and while it's entertaining for the audience, it's not good for competitive players. Check out the whole story .
Tempo Mage Guide
According to this story, Karazhan has added some interesting weapons to Tempo Mage, so now is a good time to play the deck. The story explains why the deck is good - partly because of how customizable it is - how you can build a strong version of it, tips on playing it, and ways you can counter the deck if you find it on ladder. A good guide that helps you go the Tempo Mage way. Check it out .
The Importance of Fun Decks
After talking about what he thinks are serious flaws in the game at the moment, the writer of this story talks about the importance of not just netdecking efficient, but maybe difficult to play, decks in order to just win but also making new, fun decks. It's important to remember that this is a game and should also be played for fun, not just winning. It talks about how to build fun decks and how playing fun decks could even help you improve on ladder. A good reminder that Hearthstone should be played not just for winning and getting more coins but also for fun. Read the story .
Wacky Wild Decks
If you want to take a ride on the Wild side, check out these fun decks that include Curator Malygos Spell Druid, Deathrattle Priest, Legend Midrange Hunter, and more. I sometimes forget how much fun Wild can be, and I should start visiting it more often. Check out the decks .
Hearthstone and Patch Notes
In this video, Disguised Toast talks about the need for better patch notes because when card interactions change without any warning, players are left wondering. Keeping in mind that Blizzard always talks about how it wants the game to be predictable, you can see how unclear patch notes can be an issue.
Meta Report
So, what's going on in the meta after the release of Wing 3, The Menagerie? According to , Beast Druid and Tempo Mage got a very nice boost both because of new cards and because Mage does well against Druid. Tier 1 still consists of Aggro Shaman, Dragon Warrior, Yogg-Saron Token Druid, and Tempo Mage. Hunter is getting stronger because it's getting possibly the best cards in Karazhan, and Beast Druid got great help from The Curator among other cards. What are you playing at the moment?
Trump's Curator Reno Science
Kripp's The Purifier
Purify Funny and Lucky Moments
Kolento's Beast Druid
Best of Thistle Tea
Best of Onyx Bishop
What the Coin Could Have Been
How Good is Ivory Knight
Reasons to Play Barnes
Topdecking All Day
As always, we have some good resources on the site for you in case you are new to the game or simply want to sharpen up your game. There's never such a thing as too much help in Hearthstone, so check out our guides.