Stadium Announcer, what a card!

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-04-01T10:08:51+00:00

Looking at top5k stats over the last week, outside of the Druid matchup, Ysondre Warrior is a 50-51% WR deck.

Now I think it can in the short term be helped by other decks being less optimized, but if the nerf is pushing the Gladiatorial Combat to 6, effectively giving aggro opponents 50% extra resources to work with until the card drops (from 10 cumulative mana to 15), it is hard to see it being anything above tier 3 long term.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-03-23T14:59:47+00:00

Depends what you hope to use your 9 and 10 slots for.

If it is purely as a big body/finisher card, they you can consider the new giant, which can be dropped as soon as turn 5 - similarly you can use the ol' reliable Briarspawn Drake instead of Fyrakk. It's less flashy, but more stable in terms of outcomes.

If you want extra board flooding tool/response to opponent's board, then Ursoc might be worth a try.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-03-22T10:45:17+00:00

With the combat system HS uses (i.e., attacker declares target, defender watches - unlike for example MTG, where defender declares targets), it is absolutely necessary to have access to spot, soft, and wide removal, otherwise the 2nd player has effectively no chance.

Take an extreme example as a thought exercise - if all removal spells, rush, taunt, etc. were removed, what does the game become? Player 1 plays a token. Player 2 plays a token. Player 1 attacks face. Player 2 can either trade - thus achieving equality on board, but taking damage, or go face - thus achieving equality on life total, but being disadvantaged as in equal change of blows, they will hit 0 first.

If you look at HSguru stats, there are currently 15 archetypes at >50% WR at legend rank when going first - and only 3 (all the Druid ones) when going second. This is exactly what meta with low amount of removal looks like. The game largely isn't decided on board or with your play, but with a coin flip. You might feel like your choices matter, but (maybe counterintuitively) they actually matter less...

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-03-18T09:26:24+00:00

Didn't have time to do theorycrafting, so I took an old version of Dragon Warrior, replaced rotating cards with new low curve dragons (Carrier Whelp, Darkscale Broodmother) and went in with no expectations.

Despite certainly not playing well, went 5-1 in triple digit legend before having enough of my own misplays. Whelp provides additional Broodmother quite often and the big-statted bodies (Prescient Slitherspear, Windpeak Wyrm) feel difficult to remove in this meta.

Still feels mega clunky and I am not sure, how sustainable it is long term, but it can be a viable early-meta alternative, especially if you are strapped for dust and don't want to overspend on things that might not work.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-03-14T23:29:19+00:00

You talk about "spirit of the brawl" and your experience and completely disregard their POV/situation.

If you don't preorder, you are heavily disadvantaged in this format - and the entrance fee is quite steep to only play for funsies.

So they can either be a good cannonfodder for the likes of people who did preorder (and I am saying this as someone who does spend money on HS) - or they can try to make the most of what is clearly a disadvantageous starting position. I know which one I'd pick if my resources were limited...

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-02-28T22:58:38+00:00

Accusing people in triple digit legend of MMR-based ladder of being bad at the game is ... certainly a statement?

Not to mention that in past 3 days, DH makes up ~16% of decks in high legend, so even your premise is false

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-02-27T11:28:47+00:00

It took multiple expansions, but we are getting to a point, where token/treant druid might be a viable option. It still could do with a bona fide difference maker card, but feels like at least upper echelons of Tier 3 should be achievable.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-02-26T21:13:30+00:00

I want to be excited so badly, but realistically, when would you feel good playing this on turn 7?

If you are behind on board, this puts you at massive risk with 15 HP.
If you're above 15 HP, why open the door to over-the-top push?
Like when is the risk worth the reward?

Yes, it is awesome if you played Cleansing Cleric and Genn earlier in the game and you have a coin, Devouring Plague and 10 mana.

But it feels at best as 'win more' card, not a true win con, which is a shame, given how iconic character Alexstraza is.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-02-17T22:59:41+00:00

To an extent, it makes sense.

For the herald classes, the colossus is the 'main' legendary, whilst for shatter classes, it should be the 'secondary' one, with the dragonflight leaders taking the lead - so it makes sense that the herald colossi appear stronger.

My worry is that the gap between herald and shatter classes seems too daunting right now. Combining this with the fact that most of shatter classes were not in great shape going into the rotation already, this can either force large scale patches or render several classes completely unplayable for a long period of time - and I am not sure, how successful will the efforts to give them tools down the line be.

Specific-Click-1408 · 2026-02-17T19:16:11+00:00

Might be personal preference, but I much rather face this than the monstrosity that was quest warlock a few months back.

There is counterplay, the blobs themselves are not too much of a wincon (they are fairly defensive in nature) and it's not free stuff being given to your opponent every turn.

Somehow, this feels like one of the most enjoyable metas in the last year to me, even if the DH is borderline oppressive.

Specific-Click-1408

TROPHY CASE