By ecoutepasca and WickedGood

The first week of Hearthstone Masters Seoul Qualifiers just finished, and we gathered all the stats about all the archetypes that saw play in these events to provide you with the best overview of the metagame in the Specialist format!

One in three participants play FaceTempo Rogue (the build with Myra’s Unstable Element and no Vendetta), and Nomi has become a very popular choice. Warrior, Hunter and Mage are a presence, but the numbers for each of these classes are smaller than the single FaceTempo Rogue archetype.

Classes that are not Rogue and Warrior are still generally unrefined, and we observe large shifts in card choices. Mage is building around Conjurer’s Calling, but the Dragons are being abandoned to make room for cheap sells and Mana Cyclone. Hunters are starting to use secrets in some versions. There is hope that the meta is not entirely solved.

Now that we have tools to get all the game data from Battlefy, we can provide this table with a precise win rate for each archetype (static image for now, but the whole interactive database will be available on WickedGood’s website very soon). As expected, the decks with the highest win rates are ones that don’t see a lot of play, and we don’t know what would happen with them if more people picked them up. Namely, Mech Paladin shows an impressive 59% match win rate. For comparison, FaceTempo Rogue is at 50% (as expected because it plays so many mirror matches).

The metric we chose to use for the Tier List is [the number of times the deck reached top 8] times [the match win rate inside top 8]. It places a potential meta breaker like Mech Paladin in tier 3, which we are happy with because if more players decide to try it, it could either sustain its win rate and end up in tier 1 or be hard countered by the field and die entirely (if all Rogues decide to play double Sap in their primary deck, for example).

Tier List:

Tier 1:

FaceTempo Rogue

Bomb Warrior

Tier 2:

Control Warrior

Conjurer Mage

Bomb Hunter

Miracle Mage

Tier 3:

Miracle Priest

Mech Paladin

Deathrattle Hunter

Token Druid

Holy Wrath Paladin

BurgleTempo Rogue

Mecha’Thun Warrior

Midrange Hunter

Control Shaman

Tier 4:

Zoo Warlock

Secret Hunter

Featured Decks:

Here are some of the best decks from this week! Click on the name of the archetype to get deck codes on YAYtears.

The players have been very generous again, providing unique insights into their strategy.

So when the tournament took place the most popular decks were lackey rogue, Bomb/Control Warrior, Mech Hunter and Giant Mage, so I tried to tech for them!

Primary is teched for the mirror , Wisps really help to combo your Miscreant early especially when not on Coin, Lifedrinkers are really good in general and Zilliax for the extra survivability. Chef Nomi is there to give you a chance with Warriors and the Myra’s Nomi highroll win.

Secondary is teched for the Warriors, I removed Wisps and Zilliax, Backstab, Bloodsail Corsair for value cards like Tog and Tog’s Scheme, Sprint is also there to find them quicker, ideally Warriors can’t deal with 3 Nomis and 3-4 Togwaggles.

Tertiary is teched for Mages and Hunters, Walk The Plank is amazing vs Mountain Giants and Thugs can’t get dealt that easy on 3.

PS: with all the weapon removals I really dislike Greenskin and Deadly Poisons. alucard

I netdecked it from Déjàvu I think, but the card changes are fairly simple.

First deck got rid of Elekk, cause it’s bad against everything except Warrior, and we are looking to beat Warrior with the second deck.

Hunter usually beats the first deck easily, so the third deck is made specifically to counter Hunter, Darius Crowley can farm stats while getting rid of Bombs, and other small threats, but you can also run a second Brawl. ZasZ

My strategy was, because I’m already good vs Rogue, I need to be OK vs Mage and strong in the mirror. It’s for the mirror that I use Banker instead of Brewmaster. The first list handles all aggro matchups like Rogue and Hunter, by just being able to survive, and if the Rogue runs Nomi you also need to claim the board and attack. The one with Big Game Hunter is only for Mage, if you get to turn 10 you can get swing turns with your Omega cards. The Tertiary was meant for mirror but it turned out very useful vs Nomi Priest and Holy Wrath Paladin because of Hecklebot. LooGiiQ

1st deck is good against almost everything, I have 2 Brewmasters for strong Battlecries such as Elysiana (good choice against Control matchups), Omega Devastator (against everything), Dyn-O-Matic (against aggro decks without Mechs) or Hecklebot/Unseen Saboteur against Combo/Control decks. My second deck is against Rogues, you simply need to find Dr Boom and Omega Assembly before you die or before Nomi with 2 Shadowsteps, I lost in final against Rogue because of Nomi with Shadowstep (8-9 turn) and in another round Dr Boom and Omega Assembly were in 7 last cards. It’s hard to kill you without Nomi or Togwaggle with Rogue scheme because of Doomsayer and a lot of ways to destroy Waggle Pick (Harrison, 2 Weapons Projects, 2 Oozes) and Execute against Edwin. Third deck is good against mirrors or Mecha’Thun versions because of Nomi and Hakkar (can destroy your opponents Mecha’Thun combo) also 2 copies of Unseen Saboteur and 1 more way to play any Battlecry secondly is Banker (against mirrors you can Nomi -> Shield Slam -> Banker/Panda). ipackman

I didn’t consider side for only vs Druid/Zoo which is still frequently used, because they were almost extinct long ago. Of the remaining options, I chose secondary deck as the flexible side for aggros, including Rogue and Hunter. I didn’t put Doomsayer, as Apxvoid said I thought it wasn’t such a good tech to Rogues, who have to face mainly. Since Rogues use many Saps & Planks for side now, I also considered Half Time Scavenger over Proud Defender, but it seemed hard to trigger Overkill against Rogue’s 3 health minions. Players are always conscious of Mind Control Tech, so 1 copy might be appropriate. Tertiary deck was for slow decks, including Warrior/Mage. Instead of using greedy Main deck and reinforce vs aggro by not wasting side, I tried to overwhelm them with more destructive cards. It seems to have worked well for me. shanghigh

First, this list is not my original. It’s a complete copy of what ‘SCACC’ won with in #9. Deck 1 is a list for the Rogue meta. Mech Hunters are strong against Warriors and Mage in the first place, so the composition that is conscious of Rogues is Deck 1. The score vs Rogue throughout the tournament was 5-0 (10-3). Deck 2 is against the Control (mainly Warrior). With Microtech Controller on deck, Cybertech Chip is very powerful. There are plans to include Mechanical Whelp and Nine Lives as other ideas, I think they are a bit slow and give them the opportunity to be controlled by Dr.Doom. The Bomb Warrior sometimes takes measures with a meta deck that contains E.M.P Operative and Spellbreaker. In such a case, expand board to wide without Magnetic. They often have only one Brawl. Deck 3 worked effectively with mirror matches. I used it for Dragon Hand Mage, but I do not know yet whether it is correct. I think that the problem is that can use only 3 slots that can be replaced. But all the cards on Deck 1 are great. As a candidate, turn 1 tracking into a 1 Bronze Gatekeeper. By doing this, you can create one more slot to replace while gaining more advantage to the Rogue. thx. gl hf 🙂 trahison

Hello, I’m Donggiring I’m a member of the Hearthstone Ez Team in Korea. This line-up has transformed the Miracle Mage into three types. The first deck is a configuration for dealing with Rogue, with a configuration that focuses on Weapons destruction cards and field fights. In the course of the competition, the first deck often appears to be disappointing, so I think it’d be better to show the change to the extent that you put one Vex Crow out for an Ooze. The second deck is a deck designed to fight the Warrior and other heavy deck efficiently. It’s a deck that hasn’t lost a single time during the competition. If you want to win against a Warrior, try this deck! The third deck is designed for someone who doesn’t need to destroy weapons. I took out the Ooze and Jones and put in some tempo-friendly cards. It’s a deck that’s mostly aimed at the Conjurer Mage, and it’s never really lost a competition. The decks that are popular in the Meta according to the current Specialist Rule, I think they are able to deal with some of these three decks. If you’re confused about Mulligan when you’re doing this deck, find Arcane Intellect! donggiring

At first, it is a deck that started from the idea of ​​using the concept that Blizzard pushed. First we started with Commander Rhyssa and several Secrets, and Vargoth. During this start-up process, the deck was given a big sense of aggro and I thought I would have to put the machine in order to catch the Warrior in the competition environment. At the end of the game, the decks have a significant synergy, Tirion, Da Undatakah, and Immortal Prelate.

Deck #2 is a deck that is configured to counter the Token Druid and the Rogue. Consecration and Truesilver Champion and removed too late-oriented plans like Da Undatakah, Immortal Prelate.

Deck #3 is an intensive configuration for the Immortal Prelate for the tremendous number of Warriors in the rest of the meta. Deathrattle because there are more than 3 cards, it is better not to hand out some cards, but I think it is very easy for the Warriors.

As a result, I lost to Rogue in the semi-finals, so I am thinking of transforming it into a more easy-to-compete configuration. Normally, looking back on the Rogue scenario, EVIL Miscreant comes out quickly to take control of the field, and I do provocations on Mechano-Egg. If Sap does not come out while praying that Sap does not come out, put Lightforged Blessing on dinosaurs and recover greatly and win. I think the beginning of this scenario is in EVIL Miscreant’s field capture and I’m paying attention to the Paragon of Light card. Maybe in the next version I will use it to counter the Rogue and I want to win with this deck. calisolo

The main plan of the deck is to use Call To Adventure to tutor out your Pyromancers. The Pyromancers will be 5/4 and on turn 4 you can Pyro, Secret, Secret to clear a Druid’s board but even better wait a turn and on turn 5 you can Pyro+Lightforged Blessing+Secret and deal 2 to all minions and heal for the same amount. IF you are on Coin IT IS VALUABLE! turn 3 Call into turn 4 Pyro Lightforged Blessing Coin Secret will clean a double Dread Corsair if a Rogue draws the nuts and does weapon double 3/3 on turn 4. Rogue and Warrior are both favored matchups with the sideboards in my opnion and the worst matchup is Mage especially if they are on Coin. Vs Mages you need to get your Pyro Equality and if you can stall with an Annoyo turn 4 into Egg on 5 into Pyro Equality on 6 that is the main goal vs Mage because it not only clears but creates a swing turn and they have to usually Voodoo Doll. Faceless can be very good vs Mage as well to just contest a Giant with a Giant.

Mulligans: vs Rogue Call To Adventure/ Pyro/ Lense/ Harrison

vs Warrior: Kangor’s Army / Faceless / Call To Adventure / Lense / Harrison

vs Mage: Pyro / Equality / Shirnk Ray / Faceless / Call To Adventure / Lense.

vs Hunter: Pyro / Lightforged Blessing is a winning combo with all the Bombs.

Possible tech ideas: Aldor Peacekeeper or Humility will probably be added to the deck because they both are very good vs turn 3 Giants and big Edwinds! which are both ways to normally beat this deck and sometimes Shirnk Ray is too slow. thelastchamp

The Paladin is a deck LastChamp and I have been working on for a couple weeks now. The lists still need a lot of refinement, but the deck feels very powerful. The meta in these tournaments is pretty much all Mage, Rogue and Warrior at the moment. The main deck is for Mage, the deck with Oozes is for Rogue and the deck with Undatakah is for slow Warriors. The main strength of the deck, in my opinion, is the ability to cheat out huge threats with Prismatic Lens and Jepetto, and the board clear potential of 5/4 Wild Pyromancers off of Call to Adventure. aviously

2nd deck is for Warrior, 3rd is for Rogue.

First was mostly made to be fine overall and made in such a way that I could have my anti Warrior and anti Rogue decks as I wanted them.

Undatakah was a mistake in the anti Warrior deck since they all have 2 owls or 2 Spellbreakers in their 2nd deck and if it gets silenced it’s way too slow.

Wing Blast is insane vs Rogue. furyhunter

The main deck is already favored against Rogue. I added double Ooze and Harrison to make sure I don’t fall behind. Knife Juggler, Unleash The Hounds and Mind Control Tech punish Mech Hunters and other aggressive decks. The secondary targets Warrior! Elysiana is there to compensate for the draws from Tracking and Harrison and to eventually remove Bombs. The tertiary counters Nomi Priest and Mages with Deadly Shot and Hunter’s Mark. Faerie Dragon is surprising, but it’s great to pressure because it can’t be pinged. Priests have a hard time with it. ponroo

The most important matchup is vs Rogue, since they fill most qualifiers. I like to rely on Whispering Woods a lot in that matchup, since Rogue without Fan has no good way to deal with a full board on turn 4. In general vs Warrior, you just try to bait out the Warpath and Brawl, although it can be quite tricky. Primary deck is overall strong vs most stuff, Secondary is vs Rogue, I really like the 4-2 rush vs stuff like Greenskin and even Miscreant. And of course I included Oozes, they are not super good for token, but it feels stupid not to run them. Tertiary is teched for Warrior. The Scribe is just insane. Tauren seems good, but I’m looking for alternatives. I don’t have a 5th card in that list, but I would definitely include Cairne. I think Token is underrated for now, but as soon as people start teching for it, it’s gonna lose its “surprise element” and strength. impyyyyy

I think Control Warrior was better before because the 4 armor hero power. The ability of Mecha’Thun Warrior to fight against aggro is not worse than Control now, or even better! You can use “The Boomship” to summon Mecha’Thun and Malygos, aggro decks will suffer enormous pressure, and combo of Malygos and Whirlwind works against the popular card “Nomi”. The most difficult is attacking Bomb Warrior, because you should take all of the Bombs to finish your combo, but still have 45% win rate. Mecha’Thun Warrior is the best deck now! 樂天盜賊

Main deck is for Rogue/Warrior, you have very few beast so you should be able to consistently draw Vicious Scalehide + Frenzy which is key to win most of the games. 2nd deck is to help vs Mage, you use 9 Lives on Bombs and sometimes on Shimmerfly. Vargoth might be hard to kill for a mage and is powerful with Deadly Shot and many other spells. 3rd deck has Hyena to highroll vs decks like Druid and Zoo. It can sometimes be used vs Mech Hunter. To be honest I’m trying this Hunter because I have almost no cards on NA and playing the best decks is boring. tars

Common to all decks: 1 Spirit of the Frog: I will draw the spell I want. I kept it in all matchups. I would like to pull the Earth Shock from the Coin if I’m going to attack. 2 Coppertail: Because there is Stealth for one turn, you can almost certainly live next turn. It is strong if it can magnetize Zilliax. There is a benefit, especially on the tertiary deck, by stealthing Shudderwock. 3 Chef Nomi: I put it as a finisher to increase the chance of winning any matchup. We think that time will be saved than Elysiana. 4 Lifedrinker: Any match up is useful and is used to increase the value of Shudder. In the end, we are focusing on the effects over the minion’s stats, as we will eliminate them entirely. I wanted to think of a deck that would win many games vs Warriors, Rogues, Mages and Hunters in the tournament, so it became such a deck. About primary decks. Mainly meta-Rogue. 1 Omega Mind: Adopting two cards increases the opportunity for simultaneous removal and recovery. About the secondary deck. Meta-mage and Mech Hunters. 1 Big Game Hunter: Use it to eliminate Giants and large magnetized minions. 2 Zentimo: Combined with the Hex and Earth Shock, you can remove magnetized minions and Giants at once. 3 Kragwa The Frog: In Mage, we have adopted in consideration of the need for multiple removal spells. About Tertiary Deck. Meta warrior. This deck may not be very strong as it has never been tried. 1 Banker and Elekk: Combine these two cards and you can play an endless deck. You can return the Lifedrinker, hopefully the stealthed Shudder, and in some circumstances you can return the chef Nomi. 2 Youthful Brewmaster: I thought it would be useful. 3 Zihi: I entered it to win the Mecha’Thun matchup. It may be useful if this is dominant elsewhere. マイマイ

I think the fall of Token Druid created an opening for Zoolock. Over half the deck costs 1 mana, making it very consistent, and with Magic Carpet, Scarab Egg, Grim Rally & Sea Giant it has the potential for massive tempo-swings that most decks can’t deal with. My favourite combo is playing Sea Giant with Carpet when you have a full board and your opponent has 3 minions as this gives you a 1 mana 9/8 rush minion. 3 health minions are strong against Rogue (Backstab/SI:7 Agent), and the secondary deck was further teched against Rogue by adding Bloodsail Corsair (Ooze doesn’t work with Magic Carpet) and Soulfire for extra burst/removal. I tried to tech against Warrior in the tertiary deck by adding a Witch’s Cauldron for extra value, but it still feels like an unwinnable matchup. Be sure to study your opponent’s decklist: e.g. if they don’t have FoK/Unleash in their primary deck, you can safely go wide (unlike on ladder), if they have Scaleworm & Scorcher, build a board full of 1/1s on turn 4 and buff them to 2/2 with grim rally on turn 5 to leave them with no out. quorkz