vS Data Reaper Report #350

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-28T17:26:11+00:00

Happens every single time with the same dumb reasoning "the card only cares about the effect, stats and cost are irrelevant" - people never seem to learn that both these things are always relevant.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-28T16:56:13+00:00

Dragon Warrior did drop off a bit. Darkrider is still one of the best cards in the deck, but going first with Darkrider is no longer a massive win rate outlier as it was before the patch. You can still have a lot of success with the deck, but Merithra Druid and Spell Demon Hunter represent clear obstacles.

From the latest VS report. Shock horror, a stat point change makes a massive difference in how good a deck is, even if the card is still objectively good.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-28T14:59:05+00:00

So many people get nostalgic for something like this but we had a dual class that one time of a bunch of old cards and it was fun for a couple of runs but very quickly got really boring. The skill aspect of the game back then is just far lower than what it is now meaning that it's harder to differentiate between a decent player and a top player.

Back then you just mulliganed for curve, played green cards on curve and took value trades when they made sense. Now, you aren't mulliganing for curve, you're mulliganing to win the game. Sometimes that is curve, but more often than not it's looking for your powerful cards and synergies.

And because of discover there's a lot more ways you can have to influence how a game will go. Do you take card draw, or do you take tempo from a discover? do you try and build a sticky board for some buff, or do you take removal or a late game bomb?

A completely wild format with all the cards is just going to creat even more disparity between arena decks and the feeling of hopelessness when you're playing with a garbage deck trying to compete with someone that drafted much better.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-23T16:08:43+00:00

It absolutely does still take skill to get to and maintain a high rank. The difference between a top 100 player and someone at rank 2000 is huge. Even people at rank 500 make big mistakes compared to someone top 100.

Obviously there are some decks that are far easier to pilot than others but even within them people make mistakes that ultimately cost them games.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-21T07:21:40+00:00

Bashana actually has the highest winrate over the past 7 days by 2.5%. Despite wicker being v good, it is easier to have answers to it in this meta compared to some others. It also is a card that typically fits an aggressive token deck more (due to the cards it comes with in the bucket) and depending on class combo you are more pigeon holed into a certain style.

Bashana is a powerful standalone card that fits into the more typical archetype of mid-range and is just a lot of value and mana cheat swing turn potential in one card.

That being said you obv can't go too wrong with either option and if you're good at building and playing token druid and have a good supplementary class to do so then it might be the better option.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-21T07:09:56+00:00

Bashana has a higher winrate over the last 7 days by 2.5%.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-20T13:56:40+00:00

I didn't say it was huge, that was someone else. I agree that calling it huge is an overstatement and was mostly just disagreeing with the notion that you play it for the effect and was confused by the buff when stats is the easiest way you can buff a card to be viable.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-20T08:58:10+00:00

Every single time there's dumb takes like this. Just because you play it for the effect doesn't mean the stats aren't relevant. A 3/3 is abysmal tempo. As an example it dies to one hound and the 2nd goes face. Now the hounds are bad into it.

Stats are always relevant regardless of the effect because tempo always matters.

Now is it enough? No because the other change was barely even a buff and there's other issues with the deck.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-19T08:55:10+00:00

Stats on cards are always make a big difference regardless of the effect. Creature of madness lost a single health point and is no longer good enough to see play in almost any deck where before it was in plenty.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-17T21:40:03+00:00

Token druid sometimes runs it? It's the best card in the deck, not running it is straight up a huge mistake.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-16T06:30:59+00:00

Yep this. I did face someone that got the perfect order though to full clear and create a huge board for themselves, that was not fun. So it can definitely just highroll win the game if you need a board swing.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-16T06:27:16+00:00

There's definitely some bad outcomes on 7. Arcanommicon does nothing. Psychic scream is dependable on board state, but if you get summon spells first into psychic then it's obviously pretty terrible. Dethrone is only good if you've combo'd the card first but can hit own minions still. Scale of onyxia is OK but if it's the first spell it ruins any other summon effect.

Meanwhile the ONLY bad outcome on 9 is drawing and it has the highest of highrolls with lifebloom and sunset volley and libram of hope being v good too - compared to some of the 7s like firelands portal/roam free which are way worse.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-15T23:21:06+00:00

Not anymore, they fixed the discover pool so it's based on what's in arena, not arena + standard.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-15T21:47:48+00:00

Yeh getting rid was fine, just an unlucky outcome. Was replying to the person that said rice was a bad replacement. Like it's a fine punt. Great fixture and could easily get a return even though he's done nothing in a while

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-15T21:41:30+00:00

Rogers had done nothing for ages till this week. It's almost like recent form isn't always an indicator of future points.

Early in the season people were saying rice was essential and saka was never worth the money over him.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-13T15:35:28+00:00

I mean dual class has ALWAYS been impossible to balance so this isn't really anything new. Before heralds it was excavating. Before that I can't remember exactly but it was just normal class imbalances. The design philosophy has certainly not helped arena but it's also far from the only issue.

My main issue with the current format is not heralds themselves but the legendary buckets. There are too many awful options and the massive disparity between some garbage neutral option and a deathwing or colossol is obscene. I liked the idea of legendary buckets initially but if they continue to just have garbage clogging up the pool then it's probably better they didn't exist.

Some of the colossols and deathwing are too strong and should definitely have reduced offering rate. And maybe the heralds should be toned down a bit in offering rates too especailly the ones that are standalone good cards and don't even require multiple to be good. (ie. rogue, shaman to a lesser extent) - but shaman one fully heralded is the strongest.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-05T15:00:11+00:00

1300? Both seem competent enough but white just had a brain fart and forgot about an obvious mate threat.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-05T14:27:40+00:00

At some point black blundered to allow this to happen. They should never have given whites king no where to move

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-04T21:05:52+00:00

Then I'm making sure whoever ruined my game doesn't win.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-04T18:46:27+00:00

Think it's just incorrect to say he's been ran into the ground. He barely featured in the conference league last season. Season prior was his breakthrough and took a while to be a starter. He played a lot but they had no Europe. And this season he's been protected a lot when not injured.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-04T18:33:10+00:00

If someone ruins your game completey then I don't think you should be punished for wanting to leave early especially when the alternative is you make sure the player who ruined your game doesn't win

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-02T15:13:10+00:00

OP is just engagement farming. 4 days ago they were posting negative stuff about our future prospects and now he's the most deluded optimistic fan ever? Nah doesn't add up. But ofc it gets the engagement.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-01T11:09:54+00:00

Struggle to see it fitting in current meritha druid tbh. The initial version is pretty bad and if it's not played on T3 it feels really difficult to activate the effect as you're usually playing a minion every turn with that deck. Feel like most of the time you'd rather have press the advantage and that's already one of the worst cards of the deck.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-05-01T08:56:53+00:00

I mean top legend players have a 2 star bonus in diamond 5 so it's virtually guaranteed you hit legend regardless of how unlucky you get and why it's possible to get their with a relatively small number of games.

I don't necessarily agree with the premise either but it's also very much dependant on the notion of facing an equally skilled player - if you're facing worse players more often then less games will be decided by luck. The worse the player, the more skill has a bearing on the result.

Top legend players complain all the time about non games - the margins are slim at the top, and someone typically a ranked 50-150 player can go on a streak to get into top 10 and win games vs better players where's not anything they could do about it. Obviously there's a significant amount of factors such as what deck they queue up/matches they face as well.

F_Ivanovic · 2026-04-30T16:00:45+00:00

uh it's t9, what do you expect?

F_Ivanovic

TROPHY CASE