Hearthstone

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:21 pm

I am and I have to regulate the amount of time I play because otherwise I'll just keep adding money to play more Arena. Game is awesome!

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:39 pm

I applied but haven't heard back yet.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:45 pm

Excitedly waiting for a beta invite, also.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:30 am

I would like to try, but Blizzard won't let me.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:15 pm

I think I got an invite a way back but never tried it. Through battle.net I think I get in all betas. I watched a video of it the other day and it looked interesting. Not sure if I should dig that email out or re apply because Im sure all that would happen is I would lose and lose and then lose again some more.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:23 pm

The invite codes (you don't have to log into your account for them) are going for about $200 on EBay. And just because you are on battle.net doesn't give you a code unfortunately.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:44 pm

Wow I'd sell mine ifI had it. I looked and dont see one anywhere so guess I didn't get in.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:38 pm

The financee is in the beta. Mostly she seems to be liking it.

She is not enjoying the matching algorithms. Apparently it's supposed to match you with someone of a roughly equivalent level. But she keeps getting matched to people with decks that far surpass what you can get from playing (and not spending money).

Or that's my take, at least.

I'm sure once she is able to post again, she'll chime in.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:17 am

I doubt there are enough people playing the beta at any given moment to do proper matching.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:25 pm

TheMix wrote: I'm sure once she is able to post again, she'll chime in.

I sure will

I think the game is fun for what it is, but the more theorycrafting goes on, the more it becomes...well, not fun. There will be people that are spending money to get a chance at that one special card, to build their one "proven" deck, until someone comes up with a counter to that special card...and so on. This is kinda what killed pet battles for me in WoW - I want to enjoy the game at an "average" level, without having to go through Excel spreadsheets to build the perfect counter to everything.

I'm staying away from Arena, without question. I spent $2.99 on card packs just to unlock the Gelbin Mekkatorque card (just because it's like a nice memento from the beta, not because it's particularly strong in the game). I still play against other people, but I try to stick to off-hours. I did have some really interesting matches (was down to 2hp on my shaman and came back from that to win the match). But that's more of an exception, I probably lose 4 out of 5 matches

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:42 pm

Lots of invites have gone out in the last two days. Be sure to check your email including the various folders Gmail wants to put stuff in. Also I have heard rumor that the invite may be in a promo for D3 on the console email.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:03 pm

I am anxiously awaiting my beta invite that a coworker is getting for me...I did get an email yesterday that said 'Welcome to the Hearthstone Beta', but it was a blank email...trolled so hard!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:12 pm

After watching more videos I think I'd try it instead of selling my beta key. Im BAD at these type mp games though. And since it's a pay to win thing I'd never win lol.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Sep 06, 2013 4:39 pm

I'm bad too, I'm just going to do Arena and limit myself to three Arena sets a week.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Sep 06, 2013 4:49 pm

Still haven't gotten anything. Been checking the spam filter and everything.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:37 pm

I finally got into the beta on Friday, then proceeded to run into installation issues all weekend

I got them figured out last night, and played for about half an hour. It's really fun. ska5fe#1181 if anyone wants to play.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:37 pm

OH CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got my beta key and was excited to play it I entered it into my account and linked it to me...THEN I remembered that Ebay sells them at a good price. I go to look and they are going for $100. I cant sell mine now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:40 pm

Fucking hell Im mad at myself. Now Im so mad I dont even want to play it. Fuck I could REALLY have used that $100+ cash...&(^$%^%&RT&*$R&*%

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 8:08 pm

And now I cant even connect to Battle.Net so cant try it...I hate myself.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:26 am

Since EBay routinely takes down offers of keys (at Blizzards request) it's unclear if you would have actually gotten it sold.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:20 am

Got my key and played some matches. Seems fun, but I'm new to this card game thing, never having played Magic or Pokeman, etc, so I get the basic concept, but need to learn about card synergies. I love the Warcraft lore, so that's enough of a hook to keep me playing. Mostly leveling against the PC since I will suck at the PVP part, which is probably most of the game. The Shaman seems a bit overpowered right now with his totems.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:20 pm

Hearthstone's a good starter if you're new to card games, since it's basically a dumbed-down Magic:TG.

You're right that PvP is most of the game, can't really see much long-term appeal just playing the AI. The AI may be decent practice as you learn the basics, though. I do highly recommend Arena, it's the most fun aspect of the game, in my opinion. You learn all of the cards since they're all open to you, and you will improve greatly since the best players play it.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:50 pm

Im a noob at cards too. This is my first one. Is there an opinion on a good class to play? I started with the mage deck. Not sure if everyone does. My favorite WoW class is hunter. im at the point where I can practice against other classes and unlock them. I've tried a few but I keep losing to them. Is there a class I should try to get? One I should just avoid?

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:16 pm

Tried warrior and it's ok. Shaman was kicking my ass with those totems which are basically free minions. At the higher levels I read that Priests can be OP.

RLMullen · Post by **RLMullen** » Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:44 am

Jag wrote:Tried warrior and it's ok. Shaman was kicking my ass with those totems which are basically free minions. At the higher levels I read that Priests can be OP.

Those totems aren't free. They cost two mana just like every other class ability.

My suggestion for beginning players is to build your deck with a good mix of minions then fill in with class abilities. Those cool class ability cards are incredibly enticing but filling your deck with them can leave you with too few minions to play.* Learn to play the "minion game" first before concentrating on the specific class abilities.

Also, go into PvP play now!! You'll get your ass kicked repeatedly, and it will be demoralizing, BUT that is where you will really learn the game. You will learn tactics and synergies by having them played against you. Early on, expect to learn three to four tactics every game. By comparison you can play multiple games in practice mode just to figure out one tactic.

Minions with the 'taunt' ability are your best friends in early decks.
The 'silence' ability removes "taunt' as well as other special abilities.
If your opponent ever gets three minions on the board, do whatever you can to destroy them immediately. Three or four weak minions can be quickly buffed into a "knockout" army in one turn!

* I continue to make this mistake when learning a new class. I just built a priest deck, and I loaded it with all of the nifty spells that I've had played against me... I left myself with too few minions and got pwned on my first play.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Sat Oct 12, 2013 4:01 pm

I gotta stop trying to do Arena, it's a massive waste of gold considering the only way I can ever win a match is if my opponent goes AFK.

It just doesn't add up - for playing Arena, I pay 150g and I get 1 pack of cards, 5-10 dust and 5-10 gold back. Or, for 100g, I can save half an hour of frustration and just get a pack of cards.

Tao · Post by **Tao** » Sat Oct 12, 2013 6:50 pm

I only just got into the beta a day or two ago so "grain of salt.." yada yada.

Personally I think Arena is the best deal going and here is why; first off its fair, you are basically playing a Draft game as both opponents have access to the very same selection of cards. You cannot pay to win in an Arena match (unless I am seriously misunderstanding the mechanics). Yes you need to take the time to learn the spells for your favorite Arena class and know what is optimal to pick but that just takes time and not so much money.

I'm not a big fan of the real money cost to play but I accept it as an option for those who want it as folks can still use in game gold to enter. As to the 150g cost, even if you lose all 3 matches you have a very good chance of getting a booster pack worth 100g, add in a few gold coins and a couple of dust and your basically getting 130 or so worth of stuff for 150g. So what your paying the extra 20g for is the off chance you can win a few matches in which case the value of your investment increases significantly. Basically your betting 20g on your ability to play the game.

That being said, oddly enough the game just isn't resonating with me for some reason. I'm just really not having much fun when I play. Mostly because at this point I am losing the vast majority of my matches and I cannot fathom why. I've been playing CCG for a really long time and I am basically pretty good at it. I have played matches where my opponent has literally spent 10 to 15 seconds trying to attack my character even tho I have taunters on the board. I've played opponents that will play there cards and repeatedly end there turn with 2 or 3 mama in there mana pool rather than use their class ability. I am not a perfect player but I've honed my ability where I don't commonly make tactical mistakes and I understand synergies and ability combos fairly well. Yet I keep continuously losing???

But it's free and now I have someone on my friends list I can bug for matches/tips so I will continue to plug away.

RLMullen · Post by **RLMullen** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:10 am

I've been playing for two weeks, and I really like the game. I've been playing ranked play mostly, but I do play the arena on occasion. Full disclosure -- I've bought booster packs, so I'm not playing the game on a "shoestring" budget i.e. free. My opinions are based on having access to a reasonable collection of 'expert' cards. That said, having legendary and epic cards in your deck doesn't guarantee a win, but you will want to have a decent selection of commons and rares.

The matchmaking system seems about right, and I imagine it will be better with a larger pool of players. I tend to win about half of my games in ranked play.

In my opinion normal play is a better experience than arena play. In normal play, you build your deck from your collection. You get to include cards that have synergies and cards that enhance and are enhanced by your class abilities. Once you get comfortable with a deck the games can be quite competitive. I've played many games where the winner was one or two turns from being the loser.

In arena play you build your deck by making a series of choices where you are given three cards and you must choose one. Your class is also chosen in this manner; you get a choice from a randomly selected set of three. You are only guaranteed to get a choice of class cards during the deck building phase. Because the cards randomize, you don't really have a chance to build synergies into an arena deck. Because of this area decks tend to be a bit simplistic and they don't give you a chance to make complex plays. What I've noticed in arena play is that winning decks heavily favor the "taunt" ability. The games tend to be wars of attrition.

FWIW, I get my ass kicked in arena play because I try to build complex decks and what I end up with is a mess of cards with wasted abilities.

buckeyeshane · Post by **buckeyeshane** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:33 am

If anyone has a spare key for this I would greatly appreciate it

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:48 am

The other thing to realize in Arena is that there are no limits to the number of the same card. So you can have or be facing a deck with 4 Pyroblasts.

The thing I worry about in Constructed is net decking.

RLMullen · Post by **RLMullen** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 10:54 am

Lorini wrote:The other thing to realize in Arena is that there are no limits to the number of the same card.

I did not know that!!

Damnit!

Qantaga · Post by **Qantaga** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:00 pm

I'm in the beta, too.

I'm having a great time with it, so far. I'm also new to CCG games, but I'm enjoying the Warcraft setting.

What I like best is being able to jump in for a game or two and jump back out. I don't have a lot of free time at the moment, so it's nice to be able to get a quick play session every now and then.

I played a game last night that was fairly exciting. I got a quest to get two Shaman or Warlock wins. I hadn't played either one yet, so I flipped a coin and took Shaman. I lost my first game, but on the second one, my opponent was also a Shaman. He jumped all over me and pretty soon, he had me down to my last health point while he was at full health. So, I'm looking at a 30-1 deficit. Somehow, I was able to come all the way back and pull out the win.

I haven't been able to play much. I think I have a level 15 Mage, while every other character is level 1-3, but I'm looking forward to playing a lot more when the holidays roll around.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 10:41 pm

Still anxiously waiting for my key.

I've taken up Might & Magic: Duel of Champions in the meantime.

I thought I heard TotalBiscuit say there will be no further wipes, is that correct? Or did I mishear, and is one expected for launch? Any clues as to when launch will be, yet?

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 9:00 am

Not sure when launch is, but I heard there are no more wipes and that beta decks will go live.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 9:50 am

In that case, I see no reason for them to delay giving me my beta key any longer.

I'm waiting....

Still nothing.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:26 pm

Part of my problem is my chosen playstyle (and the fact that I refuse to spend money to buy more cards).

Many people choose one main deck that they want to play - maybe two, tops. Then they DE any extra cards from other classes' decks to accumulate enough dust to craft more epic and legendary cards for their chosen class.

I like playing all classes - some more, some less, but I play them all (I get bored easily...

) Which means I rely on RNG to give me good cards. I've been able to craft a handful of good cards so far (nothing epic or legendary...just useful stuff, like Headcrack for rogue or Redemption for pally), but that's it.

I've started entertaining myself by putting together some very gimmicky decks for different classes to see if I hit an accidental jackpot. Having a lot of fun today playing a paladin deck that has almost all class spells and very few minions. Although it's definitely not for the faint of heart - I win most my games but usually I'm down to <10 hp before I have enough momentum to turn things around

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:29 pm

RLMullen wrote:In arena play you build your deck by making a series of choices where you are given three cards and you must choose one. Your class is also chosen in this manner; you get a choice from a randomly selected set of three. You are only guaranteed to get a choice of class cards during the deck building phase. Because the cards randomize, you don't really have a chance to build synergies into an arena deck. Because of this area decks tend to be a bit simplistic and they don't give you a chance to make complex plays. What I've noticed in arena play is that winning decks heavily favor the "taunt" ability. The games tend to be wars of attrition.

FWIW, I get my ass kicked in arena play because I try to build complex decks and what I end up with is a mess of cards with wasted abilities.

This is a great tip for playing Arena - don't try to build a 'gimmicky' deck, just pick the best available card to you from the choice of 3, and you'll do much better. Once I learned this I started getting much better in arena (best record so far is still only 7-3, though).

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 8:54 am

Holy crap! I'm in!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:34 am

Got my beta key a couple of days ago. The game is definitely a blizzard product as it has the same addictive quality as most of their games. I love the crafting aspect especially. I'm not sure how long it will hold my attention, but so far it has that "it's so quick, why not one more game?" thing going for it.

ska5fe · Post by **ska5fe** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:57 pm

Yes, I do love the pace of the game; with 2 kids my video game playtime kind of comes in short bursts, so I like being able to just get a quick Hearthstone hand in when I get the chance. Can't wait for it to eventually land on Android. Hearthstone while I crap!

If anyone new to the game wants some practice against someone who has pretty bad constructed decks (since I mainly play Arena), feel free to add me: ska5fe#1181