by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

This is the conclusion of a multi-part series. You can read part 1, part 2 and part 3, along with the summary page before finding out how my Arena run turned out.

As I am tentatively stepping into the Arena, I wanted to chronicle and share with you my process of selecting cards for my deck. While I found the process of picking and choosing a total blast (and even more so because of your feedback throughout the week), I knew that actually playing in Arena mode would likely be where it all falls apart.

Here are the results of my matches, and some observations.

Match 1 vs. Shaman

Shaman gets the coin, my first hand is Argent Commander, Multi-Shot and Scavenging Hyena. I drop Argent Commander and Multi-Shot, and draw Argent Commander and Flare. Oops. Shaman drops the coin to play a totem in round 1. Neither one of us ends up playing or getting any legendaries, but the Reckless Rocketeer  and Argent Commander (pulled twice) come up huge for me. Biggest surprise: Flare is actually useful. Angry Chicken watch: none. I win this one. If I retire right now, I could claim that I am undefeated in Arena. Score 1:0

Match 2 vs. Mage

I get the coin and my first hand is Argent Commander, Dark Iron Dwarf, Silver Hand Knight, and Angry Chicken. I drop the Argent Commander and the Silver Hand Knight, and draw Multi-Shot and Houndmaster. The Houndmaster winds up helping me buff the Angry Chicken all the way to +11 Attack (which was absurd and fun), but a multitude of 4 and 5 mana minion draws prevent me from keeping up with a fast playing mage. Angry Chicken watch: one very angry chicken. I lose this round rather quickly. Score 1:1

Match 3 vs. Mage

I draw Argent Commander, Silver Hand Knight, and Spellbreaker. I keep the Spellbreaker, and draw Harvest Golem and Reckless Rocketeer. The match is a close one. My opponent plays a very balanced control deck, with plenty of taunt minions. A few boneheaded plays on my part open the door for the mage to come away with a win. Angry Chicken watch: an overly enraged chicken with +12 attack forces my opponent to burn a Polymorph. I lose this round after having gotten my opponent down to 4 points. At this point, I’m worried. I’d like to get at least 3 wins to come out of this without a losing record. So far, things are looking grim. Score 1:2

Match 4 vs. Paladin

Uh oh, a paladin… In my mind, I already count this one as a loss. I draw Cult Master, Explosive Shot, Scavenging Hyena and Shattered Sun Cleric. I trade Explosive Shot for Deadly Shot. I really love the hunter hero power, and it turns out that’s what wins the game for me. Early board presence sets the tone, and I force my opponent to burn a number of healing cards. When he finally turns the table and gains the upper hand, his health points are already too far down, and no amount of taunt minions can stop my arrows. Angry Chicken watch: lots of ruffled feathers, but no chicken. I finally come out ahead again. Score 2:2

Match 5 vs. Priest

I won’t lie, I want to win this one very badly. At worst, my record would then be 3:3, not a winning record, but also not a losing one either. The priest however might be trouble. I get an Animal Companion, Cult Master, and Ragnaros, which gets traded for Scavenging Hyena. In this match, card draw finally becomes a serious issue for me. A Holy Nova spell leaves me empty handed and card starved. I am top decking by round 9, and there are no top deck miracles for me. My run ends in bitterness and tears (not really). Angry Chicken watch: one chicken to peck out a divine shield, which ends up buffing two Scavenging Hyenas I have in play. It’s a great feeling for a round or two, then things go south. Final score 2:3

Final thoughts: There is no such thing as “too many Shattered Sun Clerics” or “too many Argent Commanders” in Arena. Those two cards are just incredible. Taunt cards are helpful, but perhaps not quite as essential as I initially thought.

Lastly, the Angry Chicken should not be underestimated when played with the right combination of minions and support spells. Only Grommash Hellscream (limited to Warrior decks) has a greater Enrage ability at +6 than the Angry Chicken, and that’s saying something!

Arena was also far more entertaining (aside from the quick exit) than I imagined. It’s a great way to discover cards that aren’t in your collection yet, and play with unexpected combinations. It is possibly a better way to learn the game than constructed play, and the rewards are nice too: the extra gold earned (combined with what I had) is enough to grant me another Arena run, and the card pack nets a Sorcerer’s Apprentice, an Argent Protector, SI:7 Agent, Battle Rage and an Alarm-o-Bot.

Quite a few friends on Twitter agree that it’s a better way to spend gold than purchasing decks outright. It certainly is more fun.