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My obsession with Hearthstone continues. I’ve decided to try and attain the rank of Legendary. When you start playing ranked games you begin at level 25 and as you win games you work your way up to level 1. Beyond that there is the legendary rank and that’s my goal. I had a very hard time cracking 20 for a while and then got stuck again at 15. Each time I reworked my deck, sometimes taking out just one or two cards. Last night I finally hit rank 12 which I consider half way and a milestone I’m proud of.

My deck is feeling pretty good right now. It’s a variation on the popular Druid “Watcher” deck. Here’s my current list for those that are interested:

I never do this sort of thing in games. I am not someone who plays for score or rank. This is honestly the first time I’ve really focused on a goal like this and I’m not sure what it is about Hearthstone that’s making me try it. I think it’s very easy to play Hearthstone and say it’s a game based on luck or having the right net deck. I know I originally had that thought. But the more I played and the more I watched high level play, the more I realized that there is a lot more to it than that. It’s a card game and so luck certainly plays a role. That might be more obvious in Hearthstone because the decks are just 30 cards and you’re limited to only one or two copies of a given card. The real skill I see comes in watching players make the best decision they can with the limited resources they have. There are games where my deck works like a dream. Where I get the exact cards I need at the exact moment I need them. I tend to win those games and they are fun but it’s the games where things go wrong and I still manage a win that are the best. In Golf you might hit a beautiful drive, knock your second shot onto the green and then take a simple two putt for an easy par. Or you might also drive your ball into a sand trap, Hit your second shot off a tree into the weeds, make a lucky chip that puts you on the green and then drop a 30 footer for the same par. In Golf we say you had to “scramble” for the second par. Essentially you had to work your ass off for the same victory. Hearthstone is about scrambling.

It’s the games I’m about to lose but then I see some ridiculous play involving the Faceless Manipulator that lets me copy their Archmage Antonidas, then drop an Innervate and use the free Fireball card my class isn’t even supposed to have in order to deal the killing blow. Other card games are about minimizing the potential for of crisis by building a robust deck full of tools and tricks. A game of Hearthstone is already a crisis and your deck is there to help you manage it. Maybe that distinction only makes sense in my head.

-Gabe out