by OtakuMZ - 6 years ago     show comments

We have been working for the past few weeks to put together something new for you: the BlizzPro Ladder Optimizer, our twist on a Hearthstone meta report.

Update Oct. 30th: Decklists and thoughts about the state of the meta were amended. Thank you all for the feedback!

The Idea

There are quite a few meta reports out there that provide in-depth information on what is played on the ladder. Those reports are usually based on around 100,000 games (+/- 30,000) per report and are more or less consistent. However, from time to time they can show significant differences. So, what would be even better? A Meta-Meta Report that combines all of the data into an even more accurate data slice! All of that data could be really daunting, especially for beginners, so our aim is to:

• combine data of existing meta reports;
• compile it into a simple infographic, the Ladder Optimizer; and
• provide information on the best decks based on winrate and time-efficient climbing*.

(*The efficiency of climbing is measured in net gain per hour, the formula is as follows: net gain per hour = net wins per hour – net losses per hour)

It is not aimed at the hardcore base that want to have every intricate detail on every matchup and represent the state of the meta at the time you are playing. The existing reports already do that very well. It is rather a convenience tool that provides a bigger picture that is easy to grasp, even for beginners.

The Guys

First and foremost, this project would not have been possible without the work of Michael “Mac Daddy Gonz” McGonigle. He is the one that collects and compiles the data for analysis, so huge shout outs to him. If you like, you can follow his twitter @MacDaddyGonz. My part was to put the infographic together so that you can access all the numbers at a glance.

The Data

The whole thing would not be possible without the organizations that collect the data via various tracking apps (e.g. Track-o-Bot or Hearthstone Deck Tracker). Huge shout outs to them and make sure you start sharing your games with them too. Our report is based on data from Vicious Syndicate Data Reaper LIVE, HS Replay Meta Report, Meta Stats Archetype Matchup and Tempo Storm Meta Snapshot. Usually, our data slice is compiled from the last two weeks of win-rates so it is based on more than half a million games. Our analysis is then performed against the latest state of the ladder.

The Infographic

Today you will see the first iteration the BlizzPro Ladder Optimizer Meta Report. It is meant for Standard play mode. If you have any questions of how this was done or any suggestions for how we can improve this project, we would really appreciate your comments below or a tweet @BlizzPro, @OtakuMZ1978, and @MadDaddyGonz with the hashtag #BPLadderOptimizer .

Analysis and interpretation

Tempo Rogue and Aggro Druid: Valeera is Queen of the meta right now. Alongside her Prince, her deck is not only able to have the highest winrate overall, but fast games help the archetype to climb as quickly as no other. People finally have embraced that playstyle resulting in the deck being the most played of all. Only Aggro Druids are able to gain a positive winrate against Prince Rogue which therefore has risen in popularity. Aggro Token Druid itself is susceptible to Highlander Priest and Control Warlock.

Highlander Priest: Although still very popular with over 11% of ladder representation, Highlander Priest has fallen below 50% winrate (49.36%). In last week’s data, the archetype was still sitting comfortably above 52% winrate. What happened? There are two reasons. First, other decks continue to tech against this archetype as it has been a dominant force since last patch. Second, more and more people a picking it up that are less experienced with it. This results in an artificial drop of winrate. Bottom line: if you are proficient in piloting the deck, it is still one of the best decks to gain your last ranks towards Legend. It is slow though with one of the lowest games per hour due to long matches.

Jade Druid: The second big deck that has lost a lot of ground as of lately. The prime reason might be that it falls prey to the rising number of aggressive Rogue lists which can overwhelm Druid early on to the point where they are not able to recover. The rising number of Zoolock can do the same, but not as consistent. 

Zoolock and Murloc Paladin: Both decks do very well at the moment. The nerf to Mulroc Warleader did harm both Aggro and Midrange Paladins, but both are still very much viable. The midrange version is a little superior right now, although it has a (non-meta corrected) 1% lower winrate. Zoolock is back and its representation is steadily rising being the #4 most played deck. If it weren’t so susceptible to Tempo Rogue, it would almost be an unstoppable force as the deck has positive or 50:50 winrates against all other meta decks except Big Priest.

Decklists

To build all other decks is still a time consuming process. So far, the deck hashcodes are provided below. In the report moving forward, more and more decks will be displayed graphically. For every archetype, a representative deck was chosen. The decks reflect one list, but there is always a multitude of iterations out. If you encounter a vastly superior, we are glad if you share 

Queen of Calendar Week 23: Tempo Rogue –  Best of All Three Categories

[wcp_deck id=”22779″]

There are a lot of variations of Tempo Rogue with different ups and downs. The list above is a Scalebane version. Other lists include Bittertide Hydra and the 4-drop is the real flex slot with the option to include Prince Valanar, Xaril Poisened Mind and Barnes. The two Cold Bloods are also interchangeable.

Zoolock: AAECAf0GBpG8AvauAvcEnOICl9MC+wUM980CyssCtKwCMJ/CAsIIps4Clc4C68IC9QWbywLlBwA=

Highlander Priest: AAECAa0GHtIK2LsC6r8C1wrwzwLYwQLkwgLSwQLZwQLlBLW7Au0FpQmXAvIMoawCpAeDuwL7AQnovwKcAvYHkNMCoQTRwQL7DO0B0wqStAIAAA==

Jade Druid: AAECAZICBvcDlL0CmdMCobcCrqsC4LsCDMu8Ar6uAs27At2+As+8Al9Ah84C5AjEBqDNArS7AgA=

Midrange Paladin: AAECAZ8FBLnBAvoG474CubICDYjHAqcI2wOxwgLTvALjywLZrgKmzgKbwgKdwgLTqgKvB7PBAgA= 

Aggro Token Druid: AAECAZICApG8AqgFDq/CAuTCAobBAuYFzbsCm80C9wOR0ALBqwK2swLrwgLKwwLlB9kHAA==

Secret Mage: AAECAf0EAsMB7gIOo7YCr8IC7AWYxALBwQKHvQK7AuYElgWVA6bOAnGrBNe2AgA=

Aggro Murloc Paladin: AAECAZ8FBojHArnBAvIF+gbjvgK5sgIMyssCpwjbA7HCAsUD07wC2a4Cps4CncIC06oCrwezwQIA

Evolve Shaman: AAECAaoICJMJkbwClL0C9r0C+b8Cm8ICtssC688CC4EE5QfwB/qqAvuqAqC2Aoe8AtG8ApHBAuvCApvLAgA=

Big Druid: 
AAECAZICCMUEmdMCws4CwgahtwKfsAKoqwLguwILy7wCvq4C+cACyccCX0CHzgLkCP4BxAagzQIA

Big Priest: AAECAa0GCtYKt7sCogmZyALCzgKlCZcCkNMCqKsChbgCCubMAuq/AtcKtbsCtM4CoawC5cwC6L8C0cEC0woA

Pirate Warrior: AAECAQcGkbwCyssCrwSkBvIFnOICDLAC7gaRA6/CAoKwAv8DqAUc1AWIsAKOBeUHAA==

Midrange Hunter: AAECAR8C5MICuK0CDuq7Au0JubQC2wnrB47DAv4MuwW1A6bOAtPNAonDAoEKqAIA