For a long time, it looked like we would not get the mid-expansion balance patch in The Boomsday Project. Blizzard was adamant that the meta is perfectly fine and no balance patch is needed this time. Suddenly, they had a change of heart and a balance patch was announced out of the blue on October 10th and launched on October 18th 2018.
Three cards were changed in the patch. Giggling Inventor had its mana cost increased from five to seven, Mana Wyrm had its mana cost increased from one to two, and for Wild, Aviana had its mana cost increased from nine to ten.
The previous balance changes have usually changed four or five top cards in Standard, so this was by far the most conservative change made in recent years. This, of course, is in line with Blizzard’s stance that the meta was already healthy.
However, sometimes even a single card can change things. In this article, we’re taking a look at the early post-nerfs meta and try to find out what decks are successful now and whether the meta has changed.
The Most Popular Decks Before and After the Balance Patch
It has been a bit less than two weeks since the balance patch, so obviously things will keep changing, but we can take a look at the early effects.
The current most popular decks on the ladder, in order of popularity, are as follows:
This group of seven decks stands clearly above all the rest, and Deathrattle Hunter is almost twice as popular as any of the others.
Before the balance patch, the top group consisted of six decks:
Deathrattle Hunter was already the most popular deck before the changes, but it held only a small lead over Zoolock. Now, the gap has grown a lot. Five of the six top decks from before the changes remain in the list after the changes too. Tempo Mage has fallen off, it is the only clear casualty of the changes as it looks very dead right now. Odd Paladin and Shudderwock Shaman have risen to become top contenders.
There have been some changes at the top, but nothing spectacular. What about the decks themselves? Has the balance patch changed the decks from within, even if the archetypes remain the same?
Let’s take a look at the current top decks and see what they look like.
Deathrattle Hunter
Multiple players expected Deathrattle Hunter to emerge as the big winner of the balance patch, and in the early days that is exactly what has happened. Deathrattle Hunter is the most popular deck on the ladder right now and the first question other decks need to ask is what is their strategy to defeat it.
That is not an easy question, because the deck has no great weaknesses. Sure, it has a number of unfavorable matchups, but the only decks that can be fully confident in their ability to take it on are Odd Paladin, Murloc Mage, and Face Hunter. Yes, this means that Odd Paladin is back in the meta at full force. The situation of Murloc Mage and Face Hunter is a bit more complicated, because they have significant weaknesses of their own, especially Face Hunter that has so many bad matchups that it seems unlikely to ever become a major influence.
Deathrattle Hunter can be defeated with a number of other aggressive decks as well, such as Odd Rogue, Even Paladin, Zoo Warlock, Even Shaman, Deathrattle Rogue, and Secret Hunter. However, Deathrattle Hunter is not exactly scared of any of these matchups. They all have a minor edge over Deathrattle Hunter, but it is not large enough to make them consistent counters. As for slower strategies, the only one that has any hope of gaining the upper hand against Deathrattle Hunter is Priest thanks to Psychic Scream, and Priest has its own weaknesses elsewhere.
Therefore, we are seeing minor evolution in Deathrattle Hunter in an attempt to maintain its strong control matchups and further narrow down the gap between it and aggressive decks. In particular, Defender of Argus has started to see play in Deathrattle Hunter in an attempt to strengthen its defensive capabilities. Other cards that show up in lists include Tar Creeper, Saronite Chain Gang, and Wing Blast. What is going to be the final form is still undetermined, but so far it looks like small tweaks to an archetype that was already near the top will keep it at the very top.
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Learn to play Deathrattle Hunter with our Deathrattle Hunter Deck List Guide!
Zoolock
Zoolock is the second-most popular deck on the ladder. It is slightly favored against Deathrattle Hunter, goes even against the best Deathrattle Hunter counter Odd Paladin, and can defeat all varieties of Druid. It is vulnerable to some aggressive strategies, such as Odd Rogue and Even Shaman, and it lacks the resistance to defeat decks with tons of removal, such as Even Warlock, Odd Warrior, and Big Spell Mage, but having strong matchups against many prominent meta decks makes it a strong option.
The balance patch did not have a major effect on Zoolock. The most notable change is the return of Despicable Dreadlord as a counter to Odd Paladin. Other than that, it’s the same land of Lightwardens and Happy Ghouls as it has been throughout Boomsday.
Even Warlock
Even Warlock comes in right after Zoolock in the third spot in popularity. While it is unfavored against Deathrattle Hunter, the matchup is not hopeless: sometimes Mountain Giants simply race the Hunter. It is favored against Zoolock and the resurgence of Odd Paladin has been great news for Even Warlock, as it is a highly favored matchup. The balance patch has caused no changes in Even Warlock lists.
Learn how to play Even Warlock with our Even Warlock Deck List Guide!
Odd Rogue
Odd Rogue remains the premium aggro deck in the meta. It is favored against each of Deathrattle Hunter, Zoolock, and Even Warlock, which puts it in a nice position in the meta. However, it is not without weaknesses, as Odd Paladin is very effective against it and it also struggles against most Druid lists.
Odd Rogue lists were affected by the balance patch, because they used to run Giggling Inventor and Blood Knight. The common replacements are Cobalt Scalebane, Void Ripper, and occasionally a copy of Ironbeak Owl for the return of silence effects to the archetype.
Learn to play Odd Rogue with our Odd Rogue Deck List Guide!
Odd Paladin
Paladin has increased its presence the most as a result of the balance patch. The initial surge has been mostly about Odd Paladin, which is no longer blocked by Giggling Inventor. While it remains weak against all varieties of Druid, it is the best counter to the best deck in the game, Deathrattle Hunter, and that alone warrants a place in the meta. It is also hugely favored against Odd Rogue, which counters the top three decks in the meta, so the rock-paper-scissors nature of the game continues here.
Learn to play Odd Paladin with out Odd Paladin Deck List Guide!
Shudderwock Shaman
Shudderwock Shaman has been extremely pleased to see Tempo Mage go away. While the deck has weaknesses against aggressive decks, it is much more comfortable taking on fully board-based aggressive strategies than taking on direct burn. In overall win rate, Shudderwock Shaman seems to be the weakest of the top decks, and whether its new-found popularity is warranted remains to be seen. The list itself has not changed from what it was before the balance patch.
Learn how to play Shudderwock Shaman with our Shudderwock Shaman Deck List Guide!
Malygos Druid
All varieties of Druid remain viable, and all of them hover at around 50% win rate overall. The current front-runner is Malygos Druid, which was not affected by the balance patch. It is a solid all-around deck, but Deathrattle Hunter and Zoolock happen to be its weakest matchups, and that lines up poorly with the post-nerfs meta. However, it is also the Druid deck that loses to other Druid decks, so it benefits from fewer mirrors and from the waning numbers of Odd Warriors.
Learn how to play Malygos Druid with our Malygos Druid Deck List Guide!
The Challengers
While the top decks remain largely the same, there are some interesting decks that are looking to take a place in the spotlight. Here are the main challengers that seek to become top decks in the near future.
Even Paladin
While Odd Paladin has surged because of its ability to counter Deathrattle Hunter, Even Paladin has taken a more balanced approach. It is definitely back in the meta, but it is more because of its good matchup spread throughout the current meta. It’s even against Deathrattle Hunter, even against Odd Paladin, and favored against Druids, Warlocks, and Odd Rogue. It is weak against Odd Warrior and Even Shaman, but those are not that big of a threat right now.
The rise of Even Paladin began already slightly before the balance patch and the lists are still being tweaked. There is intense debate on which path to take with Even Paladin. Does Crystalsmith Kangor belong in the list? What about The Glass Knight? Dinosize? Even Paladin is under constant experimentation and the final form is yet to be determined. However, this experimentation is not really the result of the balance changes, but rather renewed interest in the archetype that started already before the patch. It was underdeveloped in Boomsday and is now catching up to fully tuned lists.
Even Shaman
Even Shaman has a very good matchup spread against the current meta, countering both Deathrattle Hunter and Zoolock, but losing to Even Warlock and Odd Rogue. It goes toe to toe against Odd Paladin and is favored against Even Paladin, so it looks to have a bright future ahead of it.
The archetype has not seen a lot of innovation recently, as all the current top builds saw play already way before the balance patch. That said, it remains a steady and solid performer.
Learn to play Even Shaman with our Even Shaman Deck List Guide!
Secret Hunter
The classic rule of Hunter matchups has been that the faster Hunter wins. The rule still stands, although only barely. Secret Hunter is slightly favored against Deathrattle Hunter, but its advantage is not huge and Deathrattle Hunter can definitely fight back. Secret Hunter also beats Zoolock and Odd Rogue and goes even against Even Warlock. Its weaknesses are Odd Paladin, Even Paladin, and Odd Warrior.
Perhaps it will find a way, like Deathrattle Hunter turned out to be faster and better than Recruit Hunter, but currently it does not seem to have enough of an advantage to become the top Hunter deck.
Murloc Mage
The Mana Wyrm nerf killed Tempo Mage, but Mage had another archetype in waiting, ready to take its place. That archetype is Murloc Mage. Unfortunately, Murloc Mage does not pack quite the same amount of punch as Tempo Mage – it can be even more explosive, but once its board is shut down, it has only limited burn available from hand and it is therefore much easier to keep down.
Explosive is good enough to challenge Deathrattle Hunter, and that matchup is Murloc Mage’s main ticket to fame. It can also take down Even Warlock and all varieties of Druid, but it struggles against other aggro decks. Murloc Mage’s matchups against Odd Rogue and Odd Paladin are some of the worst in the entire meta. Therefore, while Murloc Mage is played a lot more now than it was before the balance patch – when the superior Tempo Mage option was available – it looks unlikely to make it. It is heavily polarized and beats down some decks while losing horribly to others.
Deathrattle Rogue
Deathrattle Rogue was already experimented with before the balance changes, and interest in it has increased since. It is a player’s deck with a fairly good matchup spread: not hugely favored, but not hugely unfavored either. It is slightly favored against Deathrattle Hunter, Even Warlock, Even Shaman, and Druid, but can struggle against Zoolock and Odd Rogue. Its worst matchup is Odd Paladin, and that is the main problem for the deck right now as Odd Paladin has become more and more popular again.
Nonetheless, having a deck with a mostly even matchup spread means that it remains an interesting option for players who look for a deck where they can affect the game as much as possible in each match.
Token Druid
The number two Druid at the moment is Token Druid. It is the only Druid archetype that has been forced to reinvent itself after the balance changes, because the loss of Giggling Inventor made the prevalent Strongshell Scavenger builds much weaker. So far, the response has been to go back to Violet Teacher, which is still great against slower decks, but can be too slow in an aggressive meta and exposes some additional weaknesses to Defile. With Deathrattle Hunter, Zoolock, and Even Warlock as poor matchups, Token Druid needs some more innovation to rise to the top, but it is already in a reasonable position and may find the final touches it needs in the near future.
Learn how to play Token Druid with our Token Druid Deck List Guide!
Quest Rogue
Quest Rogue took a hit with the nerf to Giggling Inventor and its numbers on the ladder have dropped significantly. Its win rates are also down, so it is done, then? Wrong. It might not be as much of a powerhouse as it was before the nerfs, but a new post-nerfs build was brewed by Uberer immediately after the nerfs and it has been going strong with Uberer taking it to #11 Legend then and Sooni reaching #1 Legend with the same list a week later.
With Tempo Mage gone, Quest Rogue can afford to be a bit weaker and may well rise again.
Learn how to play Quest Rogue with our Quest Rogue Deck List Guide!
Odd Warrior
Most of the decks mentioned above are fairly aggressive. If aggressive strategies increase in popularity, there is an early loser in the balance patch that is waiting for its moment. That deck is Odd Warrior. Odd Warrior is rather miserable against Deathrattle Hunter, and it has been driven away for the time being, but it is good against many of the counters to Deathrattle Hunter. Therefore, should those counters become more common, Odd Warrior becomes more playable again.
Then, should Odd Warrior become more popular again, that opens up more space for combo decks, especially Shudderwock Shaman and Togwaggle Druid, to succeed. The meta will always keep adapting, whether in large movements or in small adjustments.
Learn how to play Odd Warrior with our Odd Warrior Deck List Guide!
Meta has Changed, the Decks Have Not
The balance patch was a small one: in Standard format, only two cards were changed. The main effect has been that decks that heavily relied on those cards have gone missing: Tempo Mage and Quest Rogue have all but vanished from the meta (although there are scary whispers that Quest Rogue cannot be killed this easily). This, in turn, has caused a meta shift that is still taking place.
However, it has not yet caused a lot of innovation when it comes to deck lists. A couple of cards are changed here and there, Blood Knight techs turn into Mind Control Techs or Spellbreakers maybe to fight against Deathrattle minions instead of Divine Shields, but that’s about it.
This game of musical chairs will go on for another week or two even without any major innovations. As some decks rise, others will fall, which in turn will open up room for yet others to rise again. Deathrattle Hunter prompts the rise of aggressive decks, which can prompt the rise of control, which in turn will make combo more attractive again. While this type of shift will continue for some time, the waves become smaller as decks are fine-tuned, unless something new will come up. It is possible, but with such a small balance patch, decks may end up not changing too much even in the end.
Therefore, yes, the meta has changed as a direct result of the balance patch. It just has not changed a whole lot.
Old Guardian
Ville "Old Guardian" Kilkku is a writer and video creator focused on analytic, educational Hearthstone, and building innovative Standard format decks. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OldGuardian Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/old_guardian
All decks still Odd, Even, Keleseth or Druid…
Lol you have the grammar of a 12 year old.
Despite that, for the most part his statement is true.
Many of the top decks are still here, so I can understand the sentiment that nothing changed. Some things did change though, such as Tempo Mage falling off completely.
The full details, of course, are in the article.
I agree. The game is designed to be casual, and will be play on curve and don’t think forever, unfortunately
No one cares whale.