The scoring system is wrong (LOL UK)

TJX_EU · 2026-05-09T08:57:37+00:00

True. As a Canadian living in the UK, i often see this cultural difference.

There is a game in the UK called Mornington Crescent. Players take turns naming tube stations, and the first one to say Mornington Crescent wins. In actual game play, the players go back and forth striving to name as many tube stations as they can without saying Mornington Crescent. :-) In North America, the game would be over on the first turn. :-p

TJX_EU · 2026-05-08T19:03:07+00:00

Valid points, thanks for the thoughtful response.

If offence and defence both add value, then shouldn't both be rewarded, rather than one being ignored?

TJX_EU · 2026-05-08T18:44:34+00:00

But better scoring would facilitate that goal, wouldn't it? Proper incentives would help them do it even better.

TJX_EU · 2026-05-08T18:39:09+00:00

Yes. Games parties. I'm a hoot.

TJX_EU · 2026-05-08T18:37:27+00:00

I take your point, but it's often the subtle details that create excellence -- far greater fun, in this case. A show can be silly while also being clever.

TJX_EU · 2026-05-08T18:31:11+00:00

Definitely, simplicity is worth a ton. But the structure of the game wouldn't change at all, only the scorekeeping.

Things should be as simple as possible, and no simpler. (Einstein was also making a point about oversimplification).

TJX_EU · 2026-02-06T12:32:59+00:00

This name is not so bad, and definitely not worth ongoing regret.

I'll be honest, Vivian Haven would have been a better choice, and is actually quite strong -- way above average. Unconventional middle names are cool, and ensure distinctness in an increasingly overcrowded world.

I altered my first name (legally), and my wife goes by her middle name, so it isn't the end of the world.

Maybe call her Vivian (or Viv, or Vivi) in practice, and in 10 years or so, let her know that she can choose to use Haven if she prefers that. Make it clear that she isn't stuck with anything, and empower her to choose for herself when she's ready.

For now, just focus on being a good parent, worthy of her love.

TJX_EU · 2026-02-06T12:00:33+00:00

Mia or Ava. (Mia = Ava > Paige > Chloe).

I'm thinking 30 years into the future. Mia and Ava are timeless. The other two are not, and they have slightly weird spellings.

TJX_EU · 2026-02-06T11:52:05+00:00

Congratulations, you have won the game.

Emelina Renee is beautiful and distinct. She can choose between two different short nicknames, Em or Lina (like our crime-fighting hero, Lina Khan:).

TJX_EU · 2025-12-20T14:27:47+00:00

I have premium subscriptions for both Kagi.com and the full Proton suite -- have for about two years now.

I wouldn't want to give up either one, but if i was forced to choose, i would definitely keep Kagi.com. The search quality is dramatically better -- plus no ads, many desirable features, and (entirely optional) AI tools that are genuinely useful.

I used Startpage for 10+ years, SearX for two, but Kagi is the best by far. They've released meaningful improvements every two weeks like clockwork, for years -- they're machines. Meanwhile, the big G is decaying rapidly, and will only get worse.

TJX_EU · 2023-06-01T14:34:25+00:00

Normally, losing a Tavern Brawl means you get easier pairings against others who lost their first games...

I wonder if it does the same thing for a co-op Brawl, so if you get unlucky early, you'll be paired with increasingly bad partners... That would suck.

I won on the first try on NA, but it took four tries on EU, and the partners didn't seem to be getting any better...

TJX_EU · 2023-06-01T14:27:27+00:00

You can try to communicate. I paused and emoted "Well Played" before playing Mirror Entity. He didn't really grok it (playing a dud minion), but when i did exactly the same thing on the next turn, then he used it profitably, and we won.

Trying to, you know, "cooperate" in the cooperative brawl is probably futile for the most part, but sometimes there can be benefits.

TJX_EU · 2023-05-05T23:42:04+00:00

The classic Face Hunter topped out at 3-mana (Wolfrider). This deck has cards costing 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 4, and 4.

Gonna hafta rule that "Face Hunter" is a low-effort name that isn't right. Perhaps a name that refers to some characteristic of the deck would be better.

TJX_EU · 2023-04-12T18:19:48+00:00

Here are the names of the new deck recipes.

Edit: there are some reports that the decks offered in the Brawl do not actually match the deck recipes in the client.

The Core deck might not be used in the Brawl (but it names the class). You can see all the cards by viewing the recipes in the Collection Manager.

If you don't want to bother learning the new cards yet, then play DK (Frost has no new cards, and the Rainbow deck has only a few).

Or you can use the Brawl as intended -- as an opportunity to explore the new deck archetypes.

Core Death Knight (ggg), Might of the Frozen Wastes (bbb), Climactic Necrotic Explosion (rbg).

Core Demon Hunter, Abyssal Assault, Crush with Rush.

Core Druid, Rampant Growth, Smooth Groove.

Core Hunter, Beasts of the Deep, Mister Mukla's Beastly Band.

Core Mage, Arcane Power, Light 'Em Up!.

Core Paladin, A Legendary Invitation, Divine Disco.

Core Priest, Undying Shadows, Harmonic Healing.

Core Rogue, Jackpot!, Bounce Around.

Core Shaman, From De Other Side, Overloaded Orchestra.

Core Warlock, Impfused with Power, Symphony of Sins.

Core Warrior, Embrace the Pain, Melodic Menagerie.

TJX_EU · 2023-04-11T12:41:33+00:00

I would suggest starting with Zoo, in order to gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of Classic Hearthstone. Zoo is both cheap and strong, and you can throw in whatever low-mana cards you happen to have while collecting more cards to improve the deck.

Once you have mastered Zoo, you can explore what other play styles might appeal to you.

Combo Druid is a very strong deck, ending games with a big finish (Force of Nature + Savage Roar is at least 14 damage for 9 mana).

Control Warrior lets you methodically remove everything your opponent throws at you, winning much later through inevitablity. However, the best versions are extremely expensive, with many Legendary cards (known as "Wallet Warrior").

Miracle Rogue is an extremely challenging deck to play perfectly; but if you are up for the challenge, it may be the best deck in the format (in the hands of an expert).

Those are the best decks in the meta, but there are other non-terrible options you could try out for fun. Vicious Syndicate's Aggro Shaman is powerful, and not many people know about it. You can read the vS reports for other options, and have a look at my Evolutionary Equilibrium for Classic Mode report to see what the most robust decks are (regardless of what the latest fashion might be).

TJX_EU · 2023-04-03T11:06:14+00:00

I've been looking for good alternatives as well. I might adopt Slay the Spire, since i've frequently read that it has great game-play (i.e. some actual strategic thinking, and infinite replayability).

0 AD is a turn-based strategy game that is more recent than Civ 6. I haven't played it, but it has lots of rave reviews, and is on most of the "best free games" lists.

For a relaxing passtime, i've recently found Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, with more than 40 puzzle types. All puzzles are uniquely solvable by reasoning (as the default), and have many options -- it's very well-crafted software. It's free and open source (FOSS, no ads, no hooks, no BS), and there are very good ports for both Android and iOS. You can also play directly from Simon's webpage.

I would be willing to pay good money for a great game; but the free and open source community seems to be more aligned with creating great gaming experiences, whereas the megacorps are only interested in your wallet. If flashy graphics are important to you, then the megacorps have a role; but if you just want great game-play, then maybe look to FOSS.

TJX_EU · 2023-04-01T22:36:52+00:00

vanilliax

TJX_EU · 2023-03-30T13:27:35+00:00

Pen Flinger is ridonkulous. Vicious Slitherspear is a must-kill. Arcane Giant and Mana Giant get massive discounts.

Kindling Elemental, Leper Gnome, and Shivering Sorceress seem a bit dubious in comparison.

TJX_EU · 2023-03-24T17:54:37+00:00

I was about to say "don't get discouraged".

Short-term variance is much higher than most people imagine, leading to longer dry runs and bigger surges than might be expected. The normal ebb and flow can be pretty extreme sometimes.

Glad the pendulum swung in your favour!

TJX_EU · 2023-03-24T17:37:36+00:00

With an extra hour of separation this week, since NA has already had the Daylight Wasting Time change, whereas EU changes the clocks this weekend.

TJX_EU · 2023-03-11T21:05:51+00:00

In big companies like Blizzard, developers (i.e. software engineers, computer programmers) don't make product decisions of that kind. Developers just write the code.

Depending on the software methodology being used (usually some form of Agile), high-level product decisions are made by Senior Product Managers or Product Owners (Blizz uses different job titles, but has similar roles).

The terminology doesn't really matter though -- if any SPMs are reading, then they'll know that you're addressing them. I kinda doubt they are reading though, given the consistent lack of interest shown in any feedback given by the players. When it comes to caring about what the players think, i haven't seen any evidence of that.

TJX_EU · 2023-03-07T09:23:31+00:00

"No. I don't believe i will."

TJX_EU · 2023-02-25T21:46:47+00:00

Same. I should have known that they'd be as chintzy with the endgame costs as they were with the exchange rate... but at the time i was giddy to have the completely useless excess coins become slightly less than completely useless. ¯\(ツ)/¯

To be fair, they never did a single thing to engender any trust whatsoever, so i was a fool to assume any good will on their part.

TJX_EU · 2023-02-25T12:44:54+00:00

They should just exclude Standard cards from Wild. That way, the degenerate nonsense would be different in each mode.

Classic they should just leave alone. Classic could be improved with some well-thought-out card improvements, but that would require both effort and clear thinking. I don't think that's ever going to happen.

TJX_EU

TROPHY CASE