Hearthstone arena what cards to take. The first steps in the arena - from noob to gladiator. How to Choose Hearthstone Arena Cards

Arena play is often frustrating unless you have some specialized knowledge and skills. This guide is the first in our series of articles about the Arena, and it is intended to give you a better understanding of what how to succeed in the Arena.

Luck is an integral part of the Arena, but the purpose of our guide is to show you what you can take the most correct decisions, and these decisions will favorably influence your results.

1. About the Author

This article was created Sottle’om, a professional player Hearthstone from UK, participant H2k. Sottle regularly plays Arena, streaming it on his Twitch channel and explaining all his actions. He has a record win rate of 72%, which makes him one of the best players in the Arena.

2. Introduction

2.1.Getting started

Arena provides you with the ability to build a deck from random cards. The arena is a place where you can test your luck and skills, knowledge of game mechanics, against other players.

The first Arena is free, however subsequent Arenas will cost you 150 in-game gold or $1.99(99r.). The Arena can offer any cards, regardless of whether you have them in your collection or not.

2.2.Choice of a hero

As soon as you enter the arena, you will have to choose 1 of 3 randomly presented heroes. What class cards you can use depends on your decision.

2.3.Deck construction

After choosing a hero, you begin build a deck. You will be offered 3 cards of the same rarity, this will continue until you select 30 cards.

1st;10th;20th;30th elections will always consist of at least rare cards, while the rest can only be rare, epic and legendary with a certain chance.

2.4.Playing in the Arena

Once you've built your deck, you'll be ready to fight against other players. By clicking the “Play” button, you will start the game against an equal opponent, which will be selected for you in accordance with your game rating and the number of victories in this Arena.

Arena ends immediately after 12 wins or 3 losses or after deciding to leave this arena ( by clicking the “Retreat” button).

2.5.Rewards for the Arena

Each victory improves your key, from which the cost of the reward depends. The number of packs (containing a reward) is veiled from 2 to 5. At least one of the packs will contain a booster with cards that almost covers the cost of entry to the Arena.

The remaining packs contain gold, dust, additional boosters, cards (sometimes gold). Now we will show you possible reward options(except for a guaranteed booster with cards). Please note that these details may vary slightly.

• Finishing the Arena without ever winning, you will receive from 20-25 gold or dust.
• Finishing the Arena with 1-3 wins, you will receive about 50 gold or dust, practically paying for the entrance to the arena (taking into account the booster with cards).
• Finishing the Arena with 4-6 wins, you will receive up to 100 gold or dust. You have already paid for the entrance to the arena.
• Finishing the Arena with 7-9 wins, you will receive enough gold to buy another entrance to the arena. In addition, quite often you can get an additional booster with cards, or a card (possibly gold).
• Finishing the Arena with 10-12 wins, you will receive a huge amount of gold (up to 500). And you will also quite often receive an additional booster with cards.

3. When should you start playing in the Arena?

Of course, luck is an important part of the Arena, but Your ability to build a deck, knowledge of game mechanics and experience play a key role. Since entering the Arena costs in-game gold or real money, you must clearly understand all the mechanics of the game (described here) before entering the Arena.

4. Choosing a Hero

Every heroic class has a chance of winning, as long as you understand basics of playing for this class and you have a good idea about all the cards in this class. You must always remember that no matter which class you choose, your the goal remains the same: find the best advantage from the situation, build up an advantage, and control the table.

5. Card selection

Basically, you should always try to choose cards that will bring you maximum benefit for its price. But don't forget about the mana curve. In short, you should try to build a deck with a balanced mana curve ( There should not be too many/too few cards for 1,2,3,4...6,7+ mana crystals).

There should be an order of magnitude more creatures and spells for 2-4 mana than others, since During this period of the game it is very important for you to establish control over the field. And there may be fewer creatures and spells with high mana costs (6 and above).

5.1. Creature Selection

When you choose a creature, you should think about what effect does it have on the table?. If you want to be sure of a creature's value, add up its attack and health stats and divide by 2. The resulting number should be equal to or greater than its mana cost.

For example, it costs 4 mana, and the sum of the attack and health indicators is 9, which makes it quite effective. But in addition to this rule, you must consider other factors.

Some creatures have pretty bad stats for their mana cost, but they're often compensated by various card effects, such as Defender of Argus. An example of a card with poor stats for its mana cost is Ironforge Gunsmith.

You will need a lot of experience to learn to give an accurate assessment of each card in terms of stats and mana costs. Because only by playing this or that card will you be able to recognize its strengths and weaknesses. Below we will show you some more examples.

In the Arena a creature's health is valued more than attack power, because high health makes it more difficult for the enemy to deal with your creature. Creatures with high attack may seem attractive because they can deal a lot of damage, but without enough health, they simply may not survive until the next turn to deal that much damage.

For example, he looks strong because he has 5 attack units for 3 mana, but he has too little health and he will die with any removal ( destruction spell), any 1-mana creature, and most hero abilities.

The exception to this rule is creatures with attack less than 3 units. It's very easy to explain: Even if the creature has a high health indicator, it will be easy for the enemy to deal with it with the help of several creatures, without losing them.

These creatures with high health will be able to survive the turn, but will not be able to make good trades or put significant pressure on the opponent.

That's why it's a great card. For 4 mana this creature has stats of 4/5, which allows him not only to survive the move and make an effective exchange with a creature for 3 mana, but it is also possible to survive the exchange. This will mean that the enemy will have to spend 2 cards (or more) on your 1 creature.

As for 1 mana drops – most often we don't need them, for example - Murloc Raider, a practically useless creature. But there are exceptions - cards that have a strong effect. These include the Abusive Sergeant, who, using his Battle Cry will help you make a profitable exchange.

Another example of a not bad card for 1 mana is Worgen Scout. This creature has the effect “ Disguise", What allows him to wait for a convenient moment for you and not die from the ability of the enemy hero.

So you can wait until the enemy puts up a creature for 2-3 mana with 2 units of health, and then it is profitable to exchange with this creature. An elven archer is also not a bad option: Early in the game, her warcry will allow you to finish off enemy minions.

5.2. Selecting Class Cards

Every deck in the Arena must have a good supply of spells, which will help you maintain or gain control of the field. In cases where you do not have the opportunity to choose a strong creature ( we talked about this earlier), you can take a spell that guarantees you an advantage and can significantly delay the enemy.

It doesn't matter what class you play as - you are the same should take several spells to control the board in the early stages of the game. They will be able to maintain pressure ( The situation is assumed when you have several creatures, but you do not want to exchange them and then use a spell for this).

Very strong class cards include some Paladin and War weapons, various spells with AoE (The property of a card or its ability to cause damage to a specific area rather than a single target) effect: Fire Wave, Swipe.

They will give you the opportunity to destroy 1-2 (or more) enemy cards for 1 of yours. You need these class cards to save/intercept control over the table in the middle or late stages of the game.

5.3. Card combinations

Building decks based on different combinations of cards is a good idea, as long as the cards in your deck don't lose their value in situations where you fail to make a combination. This means that in the Arena you should always try to avoid cards that are only good in combination with others, because you have no guarantee that you will be able to find the missing part of the combination.

Some cards like: Dark Iron Dwarf and Sin'dorei Priest, combine with many cards, and therefore they will always be a good choice for your deck.

There are a large number of cards that you need to try not to take it into the deck. For example, Murlocs. All Common rarity Murloc cards have bad stats and effects for their mana cost, and then you will have to rely on Rare Murlocs. When choosing between three Rare cards, one of which is Murloc, in our opinion, the best solution would be to choose another Rare card with greater value ( usefulness of the card in a certain situation).

Since in Hearthstone Several additions were released, combinations and interactions of cards with each other began to play an important role in the Arena. With every addition that brings us new special types of creatures (Mechanisms, Dragons, Creatures with Death Rattles), many different combinations also appeared. For example, the creatures from the Naxxramas expansion with death rattles still remain strong and relevant.

The same can be said about Mechanisms from the Goblins and Dwarves add-on. Gears usually have excellent stats and abilities that justify their mana cost. For example: or Spider Tank. This means that you can easily take several Mechanisms, and then put together any combination with them, as a nice bonus.

The Black Mountain update brought us cards that are based on combinations with dragons. For example, Blackwing Technician or Blackwing Destroyer. Unlike the previously mentioned creatures, Gears, in order for these cards to recoup their mana, you you need to have a sufficient number of dragons in your deck. Therefore, we do not recommend adding such cards to your deck if you have not previously managed to get the required number of dragons.

6. Conclusion

The arena can be a great place for a beginner to gaining gaming experience while he collects for playing Constructed. Once you decide to delve into the Arena and learn even more about it, we advise you to check out our more detailed Arena guides.

To achieve success in the Arena, As always, you will need gaming experience, knowledge of game mechanics, so don’t be upset if your first Arena was not the most successful.

If you like playing in the Arena and are striving for self-improvement - spending gold on the Arena is always more profitable than just buying booster packs with cards.

Translated TrickyCrab, edited Oleg Aleksashin, designed mus1q.

In this guide, we will take you step by step through the entire Arena experience. Given that you have already familiarized yourself with and gained some practical skills, this guide will give you everything you need to regularly achieve the coveted 12 victories.

1. Choosing a hero

In the Arena, each class has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Most often, the determining factor is the strength of the hero and unique class cards (mostly ordinary ones). However, the differences between classes are not as pronounced as in normal play, since with the right choice, most decks will contain neutral cards of approximately equal level.

Despite many similarities, some classes in the Arena are generally considered stronger than others, however, the differences between class groups are very minor, due to which even classes from the “lower” groups are capable of winning streaks of 12 victories, provided that they have the right set of cards and the proper level games. It may turn out that your personal victory rating will differ from the one we propose, because you have your own playing style, determined by your strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that this is just a guide, and opinions on proper Arena play and the relative strengths of the various classes vary widely, even among top Arena experts.

• Group 1 (magnificent): ,
• Group 2 (wonderful): ,
• Group 3 (good): ,
• Group 4 (medium):

Let's look at all the game classes separately.

1.1 Paladin

Since the release of the application, the paladin class has significantly increased its strength in the Arena, turning from one of the most powerful classes to perhaps the most powerful. Part of the Paladin's power comes from the wide range of class cards available to choose from, allowing you to build a very fast and aggressive deck using cards like and to keep minions on the board and constantly increase the pace of the game, staying ahead of your opponent. The mini-bot has significantly strengthened the paladin, and it can be very difficult for the enemy to deal with this creature, which comes into play on the second turn. At the same time, you can build a very effective late-game deck by using powerful control cards ( and ) to drag out the game. As a result, you will gain an advantage due to the ability to create a creature with 1/1 stats every turn. The key to success when playing as a paladin is to correctly determine which of the two types your deck began to form in order to properly complete it in the future.

Perhaps the only weakness of this class is that many of its strong cards ( , and ) are rare or epic, and, therefore, you will not have too many opportunities to get them, which overall reduces the stability of the class. Needless to say, you should choose the card at the first opportunity, since it is perhaps the most powerful card in the entire Arena.

1.2 Mage

The Mage has the most convenient hero power in the Arena among those dealing 1 point of damage, since his hero power can be ignored, and its use against creatures does not result in damage to the hero. The mage class can also be used in quite a variety of ways. Cards , and provoke the drafting of aggressive fast decks, and cards , and will allow you to win a slow victory, relying on board control.

One of Mage's greatest strengths is that most of his strong cards are common or basic, making it very likely that you'll get them. In this regard, many players consider the mage to be the strongest and most stable arena class.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards for a given class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

1.3 Rogue

Most often, a rogue implies an aggressive play style instead of a control one. This is largely due to the large number of cards that allow you to quickly increase the pace, and the strength of the hero. In some fights, the hero’s strength comes to the fore (especially against a paladin, with whom you can, for 2 mana crystals, eliminate two recruits, on the creation of which the enemy spent 4 crystals). In the process of clearing enemy creatures with the help of blades, the rogue hero will often sacrifice his health indicator, and therefore it is strongly recommended to stock up on healing cards. Even if your deck doesn't have the tools to restore a hero's health, you should play aggressively, treating health as your additional offensive resource, since your hero power is one of the keys to success. Cards like will always give you some card advantage, while most ability cards and cards will allow you to put pressure on your opponent and build momentum.

The disadvantage of the rogue class is that most often in the late game it will be significantly inferior to the enemy, so the key to success is to be as aggressive as possible in the early game.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards for a given class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

1.4 Warlock

The Warlock Hero Power is perhaps the most useful of all the classes presented in the game. Having access to an additional set of cards gives him a significant advantage, since it is the cards that create the basis for victory. This ability allows you to create a very aggressive and cheap deck and overwhelm your opponent with its speed. It is this principle of building Warlock decks that has been and remains a key aspect when playing this class in the Arena.

However, since the card's introduction, Warlock has also been able to successfully build control decks that contain numerous expensive demons, such as and , allowing Summoner's Deathrattle to be used to great advantage. Even if you're unlucky enough to draw a Voidcaller card, you'll be able to stick to board control tactics thanks to the improved mid- and late-game control cards that have come with Hearthstone's new expansions.

Since the Warlock sacrifices his health to get new cards, cards like , are much more valuable to him than is usually the case. Healer can be seen as a way to get four extra cards with your Hero Power.

1.5 Druid

The druid's hero power allows you not only to carry out attacks, providing an advantage in cards due to smart exchanges, but also gradually increases your hero's armor indicator. Cards such as , and will always have a significant impact on the distribution of forces on the board in the middle and late stages of the game, and cards will help the druid at the start.

The Druid's weakness also lies in his predisposition to a certain type of play. Almost any Druid deck relies on dominating the opponent in the mid-to-late game, thanks to the presence of powerful cards and strong . It is extremely difficult to build an aggressive deck for a druid, since only a few cards of this class are suitable for this type of game.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards of this class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

1.6 Priest

Priest's Hero Power can be a great tool for gaining card advantage if you can destroy your opponent's minions while preserving and healing your own. However, this same Hero Power can become almost useless, as it doesn't actually affect the flow of the battle when you fail to effectively heal your creatures. The Priest class always means building a control deck, as you will gain a significant advantage in the late game by making smart trades with subsequent healing or thanks to the presence of cards or. At the same time, your game in the early and middle stages will be based on the use of cards, and.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards of this class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

1.8 Hunter

This class often performs well in the Arena, although it acts rather narrowly, relying on strong, fast and aggressive decks that put constant pressure on the enemy. The reason lies in the straightforward nature of the Hunter Hero Power, only capable of dealing damage to the enemy Hero. Although the hunter has at his disposal some strong control cards ( and ) and such strong late-game creatures as , at the end of the fight even those hunter decks that are maximally focused on control slide into a banal finishing rush with the goal of finishing off the enemy hero.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards of this class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

1.9 Warrior

Warrior Hero Power doesn't affect the board situation, so you have to rely on strong creatures and equipment cards to gain board control and card advantage. It is vital to get cards , and (or) , because it will be extremely difficult to gain the upper hand without them. You can easily win 12 victories in the Arena with a magician without cards or , but with a warrior without weapon cards you are unlikely to succeed in such a trick.

To get acquainted with the relative value of all cards of this class in Arena conditions, we offer you in the Arena.

2 Set of cards

By choosing the cards in your deck, you'll generally determine your playstyle based on the common cards available to your class and your hero power. The starting cards of your deck will usually determine the speed of your deck, as you will draw cards based on their value and potential impact on the board. In the later stages of the build, you should primarily focus on the smoothness of your mana distribution curve.

The choice of starting cards should always be determined by the value of the cards, regardless of their cost. Our card ranking charts will help you make the best choices early in your set. But you should remember that towards the end of the process of building your deck, the value of some cards may be significantly reduced due to the large number of copies of this card already in the deck, or due to the deck becoming overcrowded with a large number of cards of similar value.

For example, imagine that you are building a priest deck, and your first five cards are: , and . In fact, you've prepared for the late game, and now it's time to pay attention to the mana distribution curve. To survive to the ending you so desire, you need to fill the low-cost slots so that you can play cards every turn and successfully roll into the late stage of the game. There's nothing wrong with drawing a second Mind Control card or another Temple Fighter, but you'll have a very difficult time early on if you have more than ten late-game cards in your deck. As a result, your opponent may gain such an advantage in cards that you subsequently will not be able to cope with. You may also find yourself in a situation where you end the game with a couple of Mind Control cards in your hand without being able to play them.

2.1 Mana distribution curve

The mana distribution curve is determined by the number of cards in the deck relative to their cost. When it comes to the Arena, you must ensure that you have available options for your own play or ways to counter your opponent's play at any point in the match. There is no specific number that determines how many cards of a certain value you need to draw. However, you need to understand that regardless of the class you choose, the early stage of the game is of great importance. And skipping turns and simply using your hero power instead of putting cards into play that pose a threat to the enemy will always be far from the optimal option, unless your hero power allows you to gain a real advantage.

Below we will present to your attention the most common options for acceptable mana distribution curves.

2.1.1 Mana distribution curve for late game (control deck)

This deck should contain a significant number of creatures and spells for the early stage of the game, which will help you smoothly roll into the endgame. The goal of your deck is to gain board control and slowly build an advantage that will take you into the endgame.

This type of mana curve is great for Priest, Druid, Mage, and Warlock control decks.

2.1.2 Mana curve for early game (aggressive deck)

Now we have a completely different type of deck that focuses on putting constant pressure on the opponent, who should be in danger of dying by the mid-game. These types of decks usually need good cards for the ending, which doesn't necessarily have to come down to launching a Fireball at the enemy hero. You can simply stock up on strong destruction tools that will allow you to neutralize enemy creatures in the mid and late game, so that your creatures can finish the job.

This type of mana curve distribution is great for aggressive Mage, Hunter, Warlock, Warrior, and Rogue decks.

2.1.3 Mid-Range Mana Curve (Balanced)

The peak intensity of such decks usually occurs around a slot costing 4 mana crystals, since most classes have very strong cards for the mid-game that will allow you to control the board and create a card advantage.

A mana distribution curve like this can be great for any class.

3 Playing ahead

Knowing your opponent's class and strengths can greatly impact your playstyle and decision-making process. We'll walk you through step-by-step what to expect when facing each class.

3.1 Druid

The Druid's Hero Power is offensive in nature, which allows him to gain card advantage when you play creatures with 1 health. Although it may not seem entirely correct to play a creature with 1 health on the first turn, since it will simply be destroyed with the help of the opponent's Hero Power , this is usually what you should do if you have strong cards for the next moves. In the Arena, initiative matters a lot, and the presence of your creatures on the board always poses a threat to your opponent and forces him to retaliate (the so-called tempo game), which is one of the most important components of the game.

Let's refresh our memory about the secrets of the magician:

Since the paladin has a weapon, try to hold on to the card or its various equivalents.

Paladin secrets usually don't impact the game as dramatically as mage or hunter secrets, but they must be handled carefully to prevent your opponent from gaining an additional advantage.

Try to lure out copies of the card early in the game, especially if you plan to play cards or.

As soon as it appears on the board, you should immediately destroy it. Often, inexperienced players make the mistake of killing stronger creatures first and underestimating the importance of the cleric's ability to draw cards. It is possible to keep the cleric alive for a short time if the enemy does not have obvious opportunities to wound and then heal his own creature.

Creatures with health of 4 are especially effective against the priest, since they are not susceptible to spells, and. If you have upgrade tools like or , it would be wise to use them to buff creatures with a base attack of 3. But increasing the attack from 4 to 5 is a bad idea, because you will expose the creature to the Shadow Word: Death spell. An exception would be if you are planning to secure a stronger creature that you will bring into play later.

It is advisable to always put pressure on the priest, but do not forget that for five crystals he is able to clear the board of weak creatures using the card. Never play a lot of creatures with 2 health against the priest.

If the game drags on until the late stage, then be prepared for a spell. Try to lure him out with creatures you can handle. If you rush to play your strongest card, there is a high probability that on the very next turn you will actually lose the fight.

The Priest wins the game by slowly crushing you with his creatures. This usually happens in the mid-game, and your job is to punish your opponent for their lack of resources early on. At the same time, constant aggression will be the key to your success. The main source of card advantage for a Priest is his Hero Power, which you need to neutralize by destroying your opponent's minions and preventing him from healing them.

3.6 Rogue

In the early game, the rogue can be extremely aggressive, and he is excellent at filling the board with his own minions. If the opposing rogue has a card in his hand, expect him to use it to activate the ability of one of his cards.

If on turn two the rogue used his hero power to arm himself but didn't attack, it could mean he was saving a card or . Against a robber, you always need to hold the card for which the best target will be.

Often, a rogue will sacrifice a lot of his hero's health to gain card advantage. You can take advantage of this if you have strong finishing cards. Try to put as much pressure on the robber as possible.

In the late game, there's a good chance your opponent is holding the card, so try to draw it out to protect your strongest creatures. In this case, it is advisable to act aggressively, because the robber will think twice before sacrificing his hero’s health again.

3.7 Shaman

To win, the shaman must control the board, and your goal is to deny him this advantage and constantly destroy totems unless a more significant target comes along. It may seem like there's no point in killing such unimportant targets, but the shaman always draws a lot of buff cards that can turn even the weakest target on the board into a threat.

Always keep track of the number of mana crystals at the shaman's disposal. If he played cards with the ability, you can roughly estimate what measures your opponent will not be able to take during the next turn. It is very important to use the moments after playing cards with the Overload ability wisely, because this can give you a card advantage.

If you manage to gain an advantage on the board in a confrontation with a shaman, this will mean your victory. Under no circumstances allow him to increase the number of totems, because with their help the enemy can gain an advantage or even defeat you using the card.

3.8 Warlock

Fighting a warlock is quite difficult. Whether it's an aggressive deck or a control deck, your opponent will always be able to gain card advantage by using their hero's power and health.

If the warlock has 4 mana and his side of the board is empty, get ready to see . Don't put too many creatures on the board if you dominate it. Try to apply pressure using the resources already on the board.

The warrior is usually capable of a powerful burst attack, such as finishing off your hero using cards and , so try to constantly clear his side of the board once you gain control of it. Always destroy the warrior's creatures first instead of attacking his hero. An exception may be a situation when your potential is enough to finish off the enemy within one turn.

Always play aggressively against a warrior. Since his Hero Power doesn't have a significant impact on the board, you can make your late-game task much easier if you can ensure your minions are properly present on the battlefield in the early and mid-game.

4 Fighting techniques

When it comes to choosing tactics in the Arena, you often have to choose the best solution from several proposed options. We will now analyze each of the possible scenarios in more detail to help you develop the right approach to fighting the battle.

4.1 Trading creatures

Regardless of the degree of aggressiveness of your deck, you should always strive to make the most favorable trades possible, without leaving the decision to your opponent. If you constantly clear out enemy creatures, the likelihood of difficulties arising from the strengthening of one or another enemy creature is reduced. Otherwise, the enemy will be able to make trades on his own terms, or will benefit even more by playing cards that allow him to deal massive damage to your creatures.

However, sometimes it is more profitable to attack the enemy hero when all potential exchanges on the board are approximately equal. In this case, you will be able to put pressure on the enemy and act as the aggressor. Sometimes it is useful to calculate how much damage you can inflict on the enemy hero, and what punishment may follow. If, in your realistic scenario, ignoring your opponent's minions to attack his hero directly would result in severe punishment, then it makes sense to lean toward making trades. If such an option is not visible, then feel free to show aggression and build up pressure by attacking the enemy hero. Such a skill will only develop over time, and besides, it is impossible to consider all possible scenarios for the development of events, but below we will offer for your consideration several examples describing the possible consequences of such an attack.

4.2 Dealing lethal damage

In certain cases, you may look at the cards in your hand and decide that you have enough money to take the game to its logical conclusion. For example, if you have two copies of the card in your hand late in the game and your opponent's hero's health is below 20, you might decide it's time to attack the hero, ignoring the enemy minions involved in the battle. This strategy has the right to life and is even welcome, but it may entail certain risks, which we will now consider.

Any time you let your opponent dictate the minion trades, you run the risk of losing your hard-earned advantage on the board. A trade can go much worse than you expected and can even shift the balance of power on the board in your opponent's favor. Therefore, it is always worth thinking twice before taking such a risk.

There are several factors that you need to consider when choosing between making trades and attacking your opponent's hero in a massive way.

– the contents of your deck and the mana distribution curve in it. When you're playing a super aggressive deck, you often have a great plan for the early and mid game, but in the late game you'll struggle to play to your strengths. Once your opponent starts summoning powerful minions, you'll be forced to trade at a 2:1 ratio, so it's best to lean towards making attacks on your opponent's hero if you feel like you're in serious trouble in the late game.

– the class of your opponent and the mass damage spells of this class. When your opponent chooses a class that has a sufficient number of mass destruction spells at its disposal, you need to act based on observations of previous turns. If the enemy had the opportunity to make a trade at a ratio of 2 to 1 or better, and he, being under pressure, does not use his cards or other mass damage spells, there is a high probability that these cards are simply not in his arsenal. However, there is always a possibility (albeit insignificant) that the opponent will take one of these cards from the deck on the next turn.

- your hand. If you have cards that can neutralize most of your opponent's defenses, you should always attack the opponent's hero. , strong destruction spells, targeted damage spells, weapons and creatures with abilities should build your confidence in your own abilities, they will help you decide whether you should try to destroy the enemy hero immediately. Particular attention should be paid to the card, since with it in hand it makes sense to attack the enemy hero in order to reduce his health indicator below 15.

– your position in the game. When you are losing badly and are not sure that your deck will help you even out the course of the fight, you should consider the option of attacking the enemy hero, allowing him to decide the issue of exchanges on his own. With some luck, you can draw a good card for a finishing attack.

If you decide to put all your energy into damaging your opponent's hero, consider the contents of your hand, your board position, and your opponent's possible countermeasures. If you come to the conclusion that the risk is acceptable, feel free to go on the attack.

4.3 Race running

If you decide to attack exclusively the enemy hero, and he, in turn, responds in kind, then the following scenarios are likely (if you fail to destroy your opponent during the next turn):

– your opponent has a strong finishing card with which he will try to destroy your hero

– your opponent will be satisfied with a possible exchange in a ratio of 2 to 1 as a result of the effect of a mass damage spell.

– your opponent does not have the right cards to play effectively in the current situation, and he is hoping to draw something suitable from his deck.

In most cases, the correct approach is to play it safe and minimize risk by returning to efficient creature trades. However, if you are confident in your finishing cards that will allow you to deal the necessary damage during the next turn, you can attack the enemy hero (taking into account your health indicator, which should allow you to survive the enemy's attack on his next turn) .

4.4 Missing an attack

In certain situations, it may be more profitable to miss an attack, although most often such actions are very risky and should be resorted to only in cases of extreme necessity, with the obligatory advantage of an advantage and strong alternative play options.

Let's imagine that you have on the board, and your opponent plays a magician. First you make sure that it is not (by placing a weak creature on the board, for example, with stats of 3/2), then you miss your attack and on the next turn attack the enemy hero with this weak creature in case he activated the secret Turn to Steam (with this is where you are trying to protect your yeti).

Here's another example. Let's say you're playing against a paladin and use a coin to place a card on the board. Your opponent is playing a secret, and most likely it is . If you do not have the opportunity to activate this secret (using a druid or rogue hero power, a weapon attack, or a creature with the dash ability), then it is better to skip the juggler turn in the hope that on the next turn you will be able to activate your opponent’s secret with less losses.

Often the paladin will cast a spell on one of your creatures. As a result, he will receive a card every time this creature makes an attack. If you're close to finishing off your opponent, this move can be seen as a futile gesture of desperation (after all, you have to carry out your attacks anyway). However, in the early and mid game (when you are simply trying to establish board control), your opponent can get the cards they need to help them turn the board around. In this case, you should refrain from making attacks with this creature until an opportunity arises to make a profitable exchange, as a result of which it will be destroyed.

5 Conclusion

By gathering information and watching guides, you will become more confident in the Arena, but you need to develop the right mindset before you can become a true Arena expert. Only then will you learn to choose the best ways to develop a fight when there are several acceptable options.

It is very important to have a good knowledge of each class with all its strengths and weaknesses, this will help you build a reasonable deck for the Arena. Pay attention to your mana curve, understanding the importance of the early game regardless of your class, and this should reflect in the quality of your deck for any class. Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to score a few Legendary cards or even a stack of Epic cards, but often you'll be glad to get at least a couple of decent rare cards. Our tables will quickly help you improve your Arena deckbuilding skills, and you'll also develop your own deck strategies based on your subjective perception of the value of certain cards.

Experience and knowledge of each class will help you develop and improve the ability to react correctly and act proactively, these skills are very important in the Arena. Naturally, luck also plays a role, sometimes having a significant impact on the process of building a deck or the course of a fight, however, over the long term, it is your skills and abilities that play the main role.

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Greetings to the readers of the site. Here is a detailed guide to playing in the Arena. Arena is one of the Hearthstone game modes. This guide is suitable for both beginners and more advanced players.

1. For Arena newcomers

1.1. brief information

Without mastering advanced techniques that are different from the principles used in ranked battles, the arena experience can be very frustrating. In this section, we'll cover the basics of arena play that will help you understand the core principles you need to succeed.

Of course, there is a natural element of randomness when constructing and playing an Arena deck. With the help of this guide, you will be able to make informed decisions, consciously influencing the final result. We don't expect your gaming skills to improve overnight, but we hope our tips will help you find the right path.

1.1.1. Where to begin

When playing in the arena, you have the opportunity to build a deck of random cards and test your skills, luck and knowledge of game mechanics in battle with other players. The first entrance to the arena is free, each subsequent one will cost 150 gold or 66 rubles. The cards you play are not added to your collection, and the collection in turn does not affect your choices. This means that all participants are on equal terms.

1.1.2. Hero selection

Once in the arena, you can choose one of three offered classes. The hero's class determines the set of cards, including random neutral and class cards, offered to choose from when constructing the deck.

1.1.3. Choosing cards for the deck

By choosing a hero, you will have access to 30 sets of random cards, 3 cards in each set. The cards from each set are of the same quality. Once you choose one, you will add it to your deck. By repeating the procedure 30 times, you will have a deck ready to play. The first, tenth, twentieth and thirtieth sets always consist of cards of rare or higher quality, but such cards are sometimes found in other sets.

1.1.4. Arena game

Once you've built your deck, you can start a match with other players. After you press the Play button, you will be matched with an opponent of equal strength. Equality is determined by the current rating and the ratio of wins and losses. Arena fights end if you win 12 matches, lose 3 matches, or leave the arena.

1.1.5. Rewards for victories in the Hearthstone Arena

With each win you improve the key, which opens a chest with rewards after the end of the arena. For each arena played, you can receive 2-5 rewards. The first of these is always a set of cards that almost completely covers the cost of the pass, the others are determined at random and can be gold, arcane dust, an additional set of cards, or individual cards (often gold). The more matches you win, the better the reward will be. We bring to your attention an approximate calculation of rewards (in addition to the required set of cards), but you should remember that they may change slightly.

• For 0 wins you can get 20-25 gold and arcane dust.
• For 1-3 wins you will receive dust and gold, approximately compensating the difference between the cost of a set of cards and an arena pass.
• For 4-6 wins you will receive about 100 dust and gold and will remain a clear winner, having earned the amount spent on the pass.
• For 7-9 wins you'll be able to buy another pass, and you'll also likely get another set of cards and/or an additional card (possibly a gold one).
• For 10-12 wins You will get a lot of gold (up to 500) and additional card sets, but dust is rare at this level.

1.2. When should the battles start?

The results of the arena game, like many things in Hearthstone, largely depend on luck, the chosen tactics, knowledge of the game mechanics and the player’s experience. Since a pass to the arena costs in-game or real money, you need to prepare properly before playing - understand the key mechanics and study the features of the classes.

1.3. Hero selection

Each class has the potential to win if the player is familiar with its intricacies and knows how to use specific cards. It should be remembered that regardless of the choice, the goal remains the same. You need to make the most of the cards you're dealt, create an advantage, and gain or maintain control of the table. By choosing a hero, you also determine your deckbuilding strategy, which requires deep knowledge of the class.

1.4. Card selection

When choosing cards, you need to give preference to the one that provides the maximum value for its cost. However, you cannot look at each card individually. Take into account the mana curve of the entire deck. The curve should be balanced and smooth, i.e. there should be no “gaps” (lack of cards of a certain value).

It should be taken into account that there should be more creatures and spells costing 2-4 crystals, because In the first stage of the game, opponents fight for control and repel enemy attacks that influence the further course of the game. Cards costing 6 or more crystals may be slightly less.

1.4.1. Creature Selection

When choosing a creature, you need to correctly assess its impact on the game situation. In general, the cost of an effective creature should be less than or equal to the sum of its health and attack power. For example, it costs 4 crystals, and the sum of its characteristics is 9, which allows us to consider this creature effective. In addition, other factors need to be taken into account. Creatures with additional effects usually have lower stats or higher costs. Sometimes the effect compensates for this shortcoming (for example, ), sometimes not (for example, ).

To assess creatures as accurately as possible, you will need gaming experience, because... Only during the game can you understand their strengths and weaknesses. Below are examples that demonstrate some of the important features of the creatures.

In the arena, priority is given to creatures with a large supply of health and lower attack power, because... It will be more difficult for your opponent to remove them from the table. Creatures with high attack power deal a lot of damage, but their low health often does not allow them to survive the enemy's first attack, and therefore they have less impact on the game situation. For example, it looks extremely attractive, because... it has an attack power of 5 units. and costs only 3 crystals, but the health indicator of this creature tells us that it will die from any spell, hero power, or attack from another creature (including those that cost 1 crystal). Another example would be. His health reserve is 4 units, i.e. You can exchange most creatures costing 4 crystals for it, and even some cheaper spells ( , 3 crystals).

The exception is creatures with attack power of 3 or less. At a cost of 3 crystals or more, all creatures must have an attack power of 3 or more. The reason is simple: creatures with attack power of 2 or less cannot kill enemy creatures with retaliatory attacks or direct attacks, i.e. In any case, the exchange will not be in your favor.

The same rule applies to class cards. Some of them have outstanding effects (for example, ), while others cannot justify their cost.

1.4.2. Selecting Class Cards

Every arena deck, regardless of the class chosen, should contain several spells that allow you to gain or maintain control. If the remaining cards in the set do not allow you to take an unusually strong creature into the deck (see the previous section), it would be better to choose a spell that gives card advantage or allows you to slow down the enemy’s development.

In any case, you will need spells for the early stage of the game (ie those that cost 1-4 crystals). With their help, you can maintain pressure on the enemy (provided that there is a creature on your side of the field and you do not have to trade it) or seize control by eliminating the threat (even if the trade is equal).

Strong class cards include weapons of paladins and warriors, as well as AoE spells (for example, and ). In addition, class cards are valuable and can be used to obtain additional resources that are valuable mid-match.

1.4.3. Synergy

In general, the synergy of cards in the deck works to your advantage, because... it increases the value of each individual card and allows you to play great combinations. However, an Arena deck should not have cards that only play in a combo unless you already have the other parts of that combo. It is possible that you will never find the components you need, and if you do, competitive options may turn out to be even better. That is why we advise making a choice based on the individual value of the cards. If in subsequent sets you come across other cards for a combination, you can use them.

2.2. Mage

The main advantage of the mage is that the most powerful class cards are basic or of ordinary quality, which means they are most likely to come across when building your deck.

However, it should be noted that with the introduction of new cards, key spells (Fireball, Frostbolt and Fire Wave) are becoming less and less common. That is why, when selecting cards for a magician, we recommend taking any, even suboptimal, spells into the deck (for example,).

2.3. Robber

Thanks to their hero power and a large number of tempo cards that allow them to gain a tangible advantage, most rogues prefer outright aggression to control. Hero Power allows the Rogue to outright win some matches, especially with paladins, where it is possible to profitably trade a weapon that costs two crystals for two recruits that cost a total of four crystals. Rogues often sacrifice their own health to clear the board, so he needs cards to heal. Even if you don't have these cards, you should be aggressive, using your health as an additional resource. Card advantage is achieved through spells such as , and combo cards allow you to maintain a high pace of play and put strong pressure on the enemy.

The main drawback of the robber is its predictability. If you fail to defeat your opponent in the first few moves, you will most likely lose the match.

2.4. Druid

The Druid has a great Hero Power that can be used defensively, slowly accumulating armor, and offensively, effectively trading armor to enemy units. In addition, the druid has access to cards such as , and , which have a huge impact on the game situation at the beginning or middle of the battle.

With the release of the Great Tournament add-on, the Druids received a significant boost. serves the same role as , however, the Fighter does not slow down the rate of development, and you do not have to make up for lost moves, as is the case with Wild Growth. In addition, the Darnassus Fighter can be used for effective trading. Another new and extremely effective card that allows you to strengthen your position on the 4th or 6th turn or lure out an important spell from the enemy.

The main drawback of the Druid is its predictability. As a rule, all druids strive to drag out the match as much as possible by introducing expensive creatures and provocateurs. In rating battles, aggressive druids are very rarely encountered, because... There are virtually no cards that suit this style of play.

2.5. Shaman

Unfortunately, the Shaman's Hero Power triggers randomly, and the totems for the most part pose no threat to the enemy. To effectively use the hero power, you need to completely control the board, which is not always achievable. Shamans have several powerful spells that work in any situation (such as and ), while using other spells ( , and ) requires careful planning. The power of shamans lies mainly in rare cards (for example, and ), which cannot be relied on when building a deck for the arena.

With the release of the Great Tournament add-on, shamans received a number of new features - in particular, and. These creatures allow you to provide a presence on the board in the early stages of the game. - another valuable rare card that serves as a replacement for Bloodlust and, unlike this spell, rarely hangs like a dead weight in the hand.

When building a deck for a shaman, you need to give preference to a variety of buffs. This is how, for example, they can turn useless totems into a tool for effective exchange and create an advantage at any stage of the game. Creatures that strengthen the entire board (for example,) are especially powerful.

2.6. Warlock

It can be argued that the Warlock has the most powerful hero power in the game. He has the opportunity to pick up an extra card at any time, replenishing the supply of a valuable resource. Because of this feature, Warlock decks have a very low curve and are designed to gain a speed advantage. This tactic was developed quite a bit and remains successful to this day.

However, with the introduction of the game, Warlocks began to use control decks with a large number of expensive demons (for example, and ), relying on Summoner's Deathrattle. Even if you fail to get the Summoner, you can still use control tactics by relying on the mid- and high-cost cards introduced in recent expansions.

Since Warlocks often use Hero Power and deal damage to themselves, this is of great value to them. This creature restores as much as 8 units. health, which is equivalent to drawing 4 cards.

2.7. Hunter

Hunters usually perform well in the arena, but they are very predictable because... forced to use aggressive or tempo decks. The reason lies in the straightforward nature of the Hero Power, which only deals damage to the enemy Hero. Even though the hunter has access to crowd control ( , ) and high-cost creatures (), even the most patient hunters will eventually turn to aggression and hit their opponents in the face.

2.8. Priest

2.9. Warrior

The warrior's hero power does not affect the state of the board, so to gain an advantage he needs weapons and strong creatures - for example, and/or. Without them, you are unlikely to win. A mage without a Fireball or Waves of Fire may well win 12 matches, but a warrior without a weapon probably won't.

3. Card selection

In order to help you a little in choosing cards for the Arena, we have prepared for you tables with card ratings for each class:

How to use card rating tables

The links above provide ratings of cards for playing in the arena with all 9 Hearthstone classes. These ratings allow players to make better decisions when constructing decks from random cards. The cards are ordered by cost, which allows you to quickly check the list and make the right choice if necessary.

Selecting the right card

Since in the arena the player always has to choose one of three cards of the same quality, we divided all the cards into 6 different categories, depending on the value for a particular class. It should be noted that within the category, cards are presented in random order. The general rule is that if you have a choice between three cards belonging to different categories, you need to choose the one that is higher than the rest in the priority list. For example, if you are building a Druid deck and choosing between Druid of the Claw (1st category), Crimson Crusader (3rd category) and Goblin Bodyguard (6th category), you need to go with the first option, because without considering the other cards in the deck, Druid of the Claw is the most valuable to you.

When you have two or three cards that belong to the same category, you need to make a decision based on secondary factors (mana curve, deck type, personal preference, etc.) As will be seen below, secondary factors sometimes play a role when considering cards that belong to to different categories.

Exceptions

Since table writers can't know what cards are already in your deck, you shouldn't blindly follow their advice. In addition to the usual cost of cards, the choice is also influenced by:

• mana curve;
• deck type (aggro, control, combo);
• having multiple copies of the same card.

Mana curve

When constructing an arena deck, remember that it should have a smooth curve (that is, cards of different costs should be distributed evenly), with cheap cards taking precedence over expensive ones. Ideally, your deck should have strong creatures for every stage of the game (early, mid, and endgame). Choosing cards without considering the overall mana curve can lead to unpredictable results. For example, if you compile a deck strictly according to the tables, 3/4 of it will consist of cards costing 2 crystals. Individually, each of these cards will be extremely valuable, but you're unlikely to win with this deck.

Thus, when choosing cards, you need to consider their ability to fit the curve. The ideal curve depends on the type of deck. For example, an aggressive deck designed for quick matches should contain more cheap cards and fewer expensive ones, while a “heavy” control deck should contain the opposite. Consider the cards as a whole and maintain a reasonable balance.

Suppose that at the 25th selection step you are offered two cards costing 2 crystals belonging to category 1 and a card costing 4 crystals belonging to category 4, but currently in your deck there are 7 cards costing 2 crystals and not a single card costing 4 crystal. In this case, you should go with the last option, even if, according to the tables, this card is inferior to the other two.

Typically, you can select 15-20 cards without taking the curve into account, and use the remaining 10-15 cards for "smoothing". However, this rule is not strict, and "smoothing" can be started much earlier, especially if the first 10 cards have a very high value.

It is unlikely that anyone can describe all possible scenarios for the development of events, so we hope that we were able to convey the general idea to the reader.

Deck type

When "flattening" the curve, you need to take into account the type of deck you are trying to build. Let's say that in the first stage of deck building you managed to get some excellent aggressive cards, and you decided to stick to fast combat tactics. In this case, all other cards should be the same aggressive (have a low cost, deal a lot of damage or give buffs to existing creatures), and not defensive (taunts, creatures with a large supply of health and low attack power, healing spells), even if they are higher on the priority list.

Likewise, if you want to make certain combinations (such as beasts or murlocs), cards of the desired type will have higher priority than all others. However, it should be remembered that trying to build a combo deck for the arena is rarely successful.

Copies of cards

With each new copy, the value of a single card decreases. For some cards this rule only partially works, because... they are so good that their value is virtually unchanged. Let's say card A is Category 1, but you already have two copies of it in your deck, and the value of the third copy will be significantly lower. This is especially true for situational cards - for example, Experienced Hunter or Mental Technician. Despite the fact that these creatures have excellent characteristics for their cost, their battle cries do not always work. The same goes for some spells (for example, Cleave, which is only applicable if there are 2 or more targets on the enemy side of the board). In other words, the third or fourth spell will most likely be a dead weight in your hand, because... the game situation is unlikely to allow its use.

This is because arena games are usually played proactively, and every card in the deck must follow this tactic. While in some cases a deck with three or more Experienced Hunters can be incredibly powerful, with each new copy you limit your options, i.e. you get new options for roleplaying, not an active move. The same goes for spells. A spell deck can be very effective, but multiple copies of the same card force you to wait for your opponent to do certain things, limiting your decision-making freedom.

Another good example is weapons. As a rule, weapons allow you to kill several creatures at once, organizing a profitable exchange, which strengthens your presence on the board and gives you a card advantage. At the same time, when clearing the board with a weapon, you spend health units, so adding 4 or more copies of the Fire Ax to your deck is far from the best idea. In addition, it will take 2 or more turns to expend weapon charges, which means you will not be able to immediately use other similar cards.

As stated above, this rule does not apply to some cards. Examples include Frostbolt, Pet, and Eviscerate. These are very flexible spells that can be used in any situation. In fact, their value begins to drop after adding 6 or more copies to the deck.

The same goes for strong mid-cost creatures - such as Frosty Yeti, Piloted Shredder or Wraith Knight, because... they are quite strong and influence the game situation at any stage of the match.

Practical application and results

Once you understand the purpose and use of league tables and learn the exceptions to the rules, you will be able to put our tips into practice effectively.

If you've been playing in the arena for a long time, the tables are unlikely to reveal anything new to you, because... you probably have an idea of ​​the value of each card. However, with their help you will be able to make some difficult decisions.

For less experienced players, tables will help speed up the process of learning maps. As a result, you will be able to form your own opinions about them and make decisions based on your thoughts.

Will I be able to create the perfect deck if I strictly follow all the rules?

No! When assembling a deck for the arena, the factor of randomness plays a huge role, i.e. Even if you don't make a single mistake, winning every match is not guaranteed. Every player has losses, it is inevitable.

Can I win X number of times based solely on these lists?

No! Winning or losing in the arena depends not only on the deck, but also on the decisions the player makes on each turn (not to mention luck).

Please note that the distribution of cards by category is not the only correct one. The lists only reflect the opinion of the author, a professional player who was able to achieve an all-time high winning percentage in arena games. In addition, the maximum beneficial effect from each card is achieved only if it is used in the optimal way.

Choosing a class has a lot to do with your play style, which is based on regular class cards and hero power. The starting card selection usually determines the tempo of the deck, because... it is carried out based on their value and the degree of influence on the state of the board. Towards the end of the procedure, the choice depends more on the state of the mana curve.

The first cards must be chosen based on their value, regardless of cost. By using the arena card rankings, you can make decent choices early on, but towards the end, the value of copies of the same cards, as well as cards with the same cost, drops sharply.

For example, if you decide to play a priest and choose , and as the first five cards. You can assume that you have secured a successful game in the final stages of the match, so you need to pay attention to cheaper cards, regardless of their value, otherwise you simply will not get the opportunity to recoup the early turns. Of course, you would need a second Mind Control or Temple Fighter, but if you have 10 or more expensive cards in the deck, you will have to skip turns, and your opponent will have a huge advantage. Additionally, Mind Control may come into your starting hand and be useless for 10 turns.

3.1. Mana curve

The mana curve describes the distribution of cards by cost. When selecting cards for the arena, it is always necessary to think through the first moves and responses to possible enemy actions throughout the game. There are no specific recommendations for the number of cards of a given cost, but it must be remembered that the first moves are very important for any class. You shouldn't skip them, using only the hero's power, because... During this time, the enemy will have time to create a serious threat.

Below are the most viable arena deck curves.

3.1.1. Curve with emphasis on the final stage of the game (control)

This deck needs to have enough small creatures and cheap spells to survive until the required stage. The main goal is to seize control and slowly build up an advantage.

This curve is suitable for control decks of Priests, Druids, Mages and Warlocks.

3.1.2. Curve with emphasis on early game (aggro)

The alternate curve option focuses on early aggression and very short matches. These decks require a special condition for the finishing blow (for example, a Fireball "in the face" or the ability to break through a large enemy taunt).

This curve is suitable for mage, hunter, warlock, warrior, and rogue aggro decks.

3.1.3. Curve with emphasis on middle rounds (mid)

Such a deck contains a large number of cards costing 4 crystals, because... Most classes have powerful spells and creatures in this category, allowing you to seize the initiative and effectively control the board.

This curve can be used to build a deck for any class.

4. How to play against a particular class in the Arena

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses greatly influences your decision-making process. Success in arena combat largely depends on the ability to predict your opponent's actions before he takes them and minimize their impact. Next, we will talk about how to deal with opponents belonging to one class or another.

4.1. Druid

Druids have an aggressive hero power, which plays a special role if your deck contains creatures with 1 unit. health. While the decision to field your creature and see it die to a Hero Power seems like a bad decision, most of the time it's not. To succeed in the arena, you need to take the initiative, create a threat to your opponent and lure answers from him.

The most powerful card in the Druid arsenal is. Be sure that the druid will wipe your creatures off the table with it at the first convenient opportunity, so if the druid has 4 mana crystals, do not play 2 or more creatures. If you have a creature on the board with 1 unit. health, but the opponent ignores it - rest assured that the Swipe is already on its way. Trade this creature as quickly as possible so as not to waste it. The exception is situations in which Swipe will consume all of the druid's mana crystals, and he will not be able to seize the initiative by introducing a new threat.

In general, the Druid deck always contains powerful provocateurs and other expensive creatures, which allows you to effectively use silence and direct action spells. Silence is especially effective in the final stages of the game, when you are trying to punch your opponent in the face. Save Silence, or for when you have the opportunity to trade this card for two enemy cards and get an instant advantage at the current stage of the game.

4.2. Hunter

Hunters usually play very aggressively, and when planning moves, you must always take into account the effect of the hero power, which deals a lot of damage. When fighting a hunter, try to seize control as early as possible and show retaliatory aggression.

The hunter's secrets have a huge impact on the game situation. Secrets must be bypassed so that this impact is minimal. An attack with a creature triggers or , an attack from an enemy hero triggers or , and is activated when a creature is played. By analyzing your enemy's actions, you can predict the type of trap.

Let's say that the hunter plays a secret without having any creatures on the board, while you have or. You should attack him with a Novice Engineer. There are several options for the development of events.

If the secret is revealed and it turns out to be a Frost Trap, you will win. You will be able to replay the Engineer, receiving another card and maintaining presence on the table, and the enemy will lose the secret.

If the secret is revealed and it turns out to be Explosive Trap, both of your creatures will die, but since you didn't play an additional creature before attacking, the damage will be minimal. So, you lost the creatures, but since the Engineer gave you the card when you played it, Explosive Trap actually took only the Juggler, and the trade turned out to be even.

If the secret is revealed and it turns out to be , you can kill the bear with the Juggler or remove it from the board in another way.

If the secret is revealed and it turns out to be Redirection, the Novice Engineer will deal 1 damage. damage to your hero (for comparison, the Dagger Juggler would deal 3 damage to you) or the Dagger Juggler who survives. In any case, you will gain card advantage, and your hero will not receive unnecessary damage.

If the secret is not revealed, it means it is a Sniper Shot or a Snake Trap. At this point, you should play a cheap minion to make an equal trade with Snipe (if possible, it should be a Novice Engineer or ) and then use the remaining mana on the hero power. If you play a creature with 4 units. health, it will die and you will waste your turn.

If there is a secret on the field, try different methods of checking one by one so that your losses are minimal. Analyze the possible consequences before taking any action. If you think your opponent is using Explosive Trap, never play minions before attacking.

Currently there are the following mage secrets in the game:

• triggers when using spells.
• also triggers when killing a creature.
• triggers when casting spells on creatures.
• triggers when a creature is killed.
• and are triggered when attempting to attack an enemy hero.
• triggers when the enemy receives fatal damage.

So, in this case, the worst thing you can do is cast Elimination on the Sun Servant. You can stumble upon Anti-Magic or Spellweaver, create several copies of the Sun Servant with Split, or another powerful creature with Scarecrow. This is why it is necessary to check the secret before using spells. Cast Backstab on the Lizard. If the secret works, you will be able to eliminate the Servant and finish off the Lizard with the Bluegill Warrior. If the Spellbinder is revealed as a result, you will be able to kill the resulting creature with characteristics of 1/1 hero power.

If the secret does not work when using the spell, you should place a Bluegill Warrior. Once you receive a Reflected Essence, you can trade creatures or kill an enemy creature with Hero Power.

If the secret doesn't work again, attack the enemy with Bluegill Warrior and see if Turn to Steam appears, because... this is the last secret that can harm you on your turn. If the secret did not work (or the Ice Barrier worked, which does not pose much of a threat), then the magician used an Ice Block.

Spawning can be devastating early in the game, so you should always trade creatures on turn two, even if the trade is unfavorable.

Remember about strong class cards that cost 4 crystals ( , and ). If you manage to get an advantage on the board, you can assume that on turn 4 the paladin will cast Consecration. This means that on the third turn you should not place an additional creature with 2 units. health. Instead, you need to use a creature that can survive an attack from the Hammer of Wrath or the Silver Blade (or with 4 health).

Since paladins have weapons, they must be held in the starting hand (or its equivalent).

The secrets of a paladin usually have less impact on the game situation than the secrets of a mage or hunter, but they also need to be checked and try to turn the situation in your favor.

• - This is the most popular secret used in the arena. It is quite difficult to deal with, but in some cases Vengeance creates opportunities for effective trades.
• triggers from any damage, so if both sides' health is low, but you have an aggressive hero power, try to make sure that the first attack is not too strong.
• - The second most common secret of a paladin. If you have an aggressive hero power (such as a rogue or druid), first try to reveal the secret with it and gain card advantage.
• - a very powerful secret, but a self-respecting paladin would never play it in the presence of a recruit or other weak creatures. However, before the main exchange, you must try to reveal the secret with the weakest creature. Redemption is especially effective when combined with Deathrattles (such as Harvesting Golem) and Divine Shields, as the new creature gains all additional effects.
• - another good secret, the presence of which is checked last. If the enemy's secret doesn't work when attacking, simply play the minion with the lowest health.

At the early stage of the match, it is very important to control the table, because... The paladin is able to significantly enhance small creatures. Also, don't play too many minions that are vulnerable to Consecration.

4.5. Priest

A Priest's Hero Power doesn't do any good if there are no minions on his board. This is why in a match with a priest you need to constantly clean the board. With the release of the Goblins and Dwarves expansion, this rule acquired special significance, because... representatives of this class have access to powerful enhancements that help them preserve their creatures.

In most cases, when fighting a priest, the priority target is . Many players underestimate the importance of this creature, focusing on other, larger targets. If you have a creature on your board that the Priest can use to damage his Cleric and then heal him, kill the Cleric as quickly as possible.

In battle with the priest, creatures with attack power 4 are very effective, because... they are resistant to Shadow Word: Pain, and . When choosing a buff for creatures with 3 attack power, use or C to protect them. Remember that enhancing a creature with 4 attack power. makes him a suitable target for Shadow Word: Pain.

When playing with the priest, try to put maximum pressure on him, but remember that on the fifth move he can clear the board. You shouldn't put too many creatures with 2 units on the field. health.

If the fight drags on, your opponent is probably planning to use Mind Control. Try to bait this spell with creatures you can deal with, then play your most valuable card.

Priests usually achieve victory by killing the enemy with repeated blows from their creatures. This takes quite a bit of time, so your goal is to be as aggressive as possible early in the game. The main source of card advantage is hero power. Don't let the priest heal his creatures by constantly clearing the board.

5.6. Robber

At the first stage of the game, robbers can play extremely aggressively. In addition, they know how to quickly turn a situation in their favor. If a rogue has a Coin, he will definitely use it for a combo.

Rogues often sacrifice their health in an attempt to create card advantage at the expense of hero power. You can use this fact to your advantage by finishing off the enemy with creatures and spells.

Towards the end of the game, rogues often use , which must be lured out before playing a better card. Allow the rogue to eliminate a large but non-key target.

When playing against a Rogue, stick to aggressive tactics so that he uses his Hero Power with caution.

4.7. Shaman

The Shaman requires complete board control and card advantage to win, so you should eliminate his totems unless there are other, more dangerous targets on the board. At first glance, the monotonous destruction of totems may seem like a futile task, but shaman decks often contain strengthening spells that can create a powerful threat from even the smallest creature.

Towards the end of the game, shamans often use , which must be lured out before playing a better card. Allow the shaman to jinx a large but non-key target.

When playing with a shaman, you can expect the appearance of . Don't give your opponent the opportunity to finish off one of your creatures with an Elemental Warcry. Despite the fact that this creature has a huge impact on the game situation in any scenario, its effectiveness can be reduced by forcing the enemy to abandon the game on a curve.

Always pay attention to the total number of mana crystals your opponent has. If you have an overload effect, you can influence his next move. Taking advantage of this often brings tangible benefits.

The key to victory in a battle with a shaman is an advantage on the board. Do not allow the enemy to place several totems at once, because... there may be . in his deck.

4.8. Warlock

Warlocks are dangerous opponents. Regardless of the deck type, Hero Power helps them gain card advantage.

If a warlock has 4 mana and no minions on the board, he's probably going to use . Take this fact into account and don’t play too many creatures when you have an advantage on the board. Pressure on the enemy with what you have.

In a fight with a warlock, the main problem is . He must be killed on your turn, even if you don't have Silence. Otherwise, the warlock will be able to control the deathrattle of this creature, and the result will be unpredictable. In addition, there is a possibility that the opponent is simply bluffing and does not have any other demons in his hand.

Warlocks often finish off opponents using cards such as , and . If you don't have much health left, play carefully, fight for control and don't try to finish off your opponent as quickly as possible.

If your opponent can freely use a Hero Power, then you're not pushing them hard enough and they're taking advantage of the opportunity to gain card advantage. Expose your creatures, force the warlock to act out so that he does not have extra crystals and health units.

4.9. Warrior

As a rule, in the arena, warriors do not have a large number of cards that allow them to play the game at the final stage of the match, so they strive to end the battle as early as possible, actively using weapons and powerful class creatures. Weapons allow warriors to create card advantage and strengthen their position on the board.

When playing against aggressive opponents, you must be even more aggressive. Most likely, the warrior will try to field as many creatures as possible, effectively trading them and spending health to clear your board with weapons.

Don't forget that weapons can be destroyed.

Warriors have great potential for finishing off an opponent. Unexpected final combinations may include Arcanite Reaper, so try to hold your ground while eliminating all possible threats. Don't try to finish off your opponent as quickly as possible, because the warrior always wins such races.

Remember that the warrior's hero power has no effect on the state of the board, so at the initial and intermediate stages of the game, the presence of creatures on the board will make the battle much easier.

5. Techniques and techniques for fighting in the Arena

When making decisions in arena combat, you need to consider various options and choose the best one. Below we will analyze hypothetical game situations and give advice on how to handle them.

5.1. Trading creatures

Regardless of the degree of aggressiveness of the deck, you should make the most profitable exchange, and not hit your opponent “in the face”, giving him the opportunity to make decisions about the exchange. Constantly clearing the board will help you avoid some of the traps that your opponent is counting on. For example, he can strengthen his creature (then the exchange will be even less profitable) or use an AoE spell.

However, if there are no opportunities for a profitable trade, you can hit the enemy hero directly, forcing him to win back. To make sure this decision is correct, imagine that you have already hit your opponent, and then think about what punishment might follow. If the prospect doesn't seem very attractive, make a trade, and if you can't come up with a viable scheme, attack the enemy hero. The ability to predict possible developments comes with experience. In addition, even the most experienced players often cannot appreciate all the consequences. As examples, let's look at some cards and their impact on the game situation.

• increases the characteristics of an enemy creature from 2/3 to 3/4, it kills your creature, the enemy gains card advantage and on the board.
• Vanguard Defender always gives your opponent card and board advantage if they have a minion that can gain Divine Shield. Don't leave any suitable targets on the board.
• can turn a 2-crystal creature into an effective trading tool, especially if the priest gets the opportunity to use the hero power.
• Weapons (such as ) eliminate your creatures. If you ignored an enemy creature on the board before the weapon appeared, your opponent gained an advantage.
• destroys several creatures at once, and the opponent gains an advantage on the board. If you think he can use Consecration, try to shorten his board as much as possible. The same goes for other AoE spells (Ring of Light, Blizzard, Wave of Fire).

5.2. Finishing strategy

If you have assessed your hand and determined that you have what it takes to finish the match, take your time. For example, if you are playing a mage, you hold two in your hands and see that the enemy has less than 20 units left. health, you can throw both balls “in the face”, ignoring the creatures present on the table. In some cases, this tactic is considered rational and bears fruit, but before rushing into battle, it is necessary to assess the possible risks.

By giving your opponent the initiative when exchanging, you risk losing the advantage that was earned at the previous stage of the game. The results of the exchange may be unpredictable, the enemy will turn the situation in his favor, and you will find yourself in the fool.

When deciding whether to finish off an opponent, several factors must be taken into account.

The composition and curve of your deck. Very aggressive decks are designed for quick matches, i.e. in fact, they do not contain expensive cards. As a result, every major creature your opponent plays will only make things worse. If you think that your opponent has more expensive cards than you, try to finish him off as quickly as possible.

Enemy class and AoE spells available to him. If the enemy may have decent AoE spells, it is necessary to remember the decisions he made before. If he has not used it before, or in situations suitable for this, most likely he simply does not have these cards. Of course, there is a possibility that he just drew the right card, but it is quite small.

Your hand. If you have cards in your hand for a worthy response to a possible threat, hit your opponent in the face. Confidence is added by cards such as silence, strong spells for dealing direct damage, weapons and creatures with dashes. It deserves special mention because... To trigger the effect of this card, you must lower your opponent’s health below 15 units as quickly as possible.

State of the board. If you're way behind your opponent and you know your deck doesn't have any decent tools to correct the situation, hit it in the face, giving your opponent the opportunity to deal with your creatures, and hope to get the necessary spell or creature to finish off.

5.3. Fight ahead

If you fail to finish off your enemy, and he chooses aggressive tactics and attacks your hero without trying to exchange creatures, there are several possible reasons:

• The opponent has a powerful finishing spell or creature and is trying to create a situation in which to use it.
• The enemy does not consider it necessary to spend an AoE spell, because... it provides an unfavorable exchange.
• The opponent doesn't have any good options, and he hopes that the right card will come into his hand at the beginning of the next turn.

In most cases, it will be wise to minimize the risks and trade, but if you think that your next move will be fatal for the enemy, and nothing threatens your life, feel free to attack the enemy hero.

5.4. Refusal to attack

In rare cases, it can be advantageous to give up an attack, but this is a fairly risky move that assumes you have an advantage or reliable means of defense.

Let's assume that you put , and your opponent (the magician) played a secret. Once you're sure it's not a secret (i.e., by putting a weak creature on the field), you can abandon the attack so that on your next turn you can test for Turn to Vapor by attacking your opponent with a weak creature rather than a yeti.

Another example: Let's say you're playing against a Paladin with a Dagger Juggler with a Coin, and your opponent plays a Secret. Most likely, this secret is , and if you don’t have a way to check it (with hero power, a weapon, a creature with a charge), you need to skip the turn and make a more effective check on the next turn.

Some paladins use it on enemy creatures to try to get extra cards. As a rule, such a move indicates the desperate situation of your opponent. If his health is close to critical, there is no point in giving up attacks. If you simply have an early or mid-game advantage on the board, your opponent is likely trying to cheat you out of important spells, so you may want to hold off on attacking until you have an opportunity to make a profitable trade and get rid of the minion with the Seal.

6. Conclusion

Guides and recordings of matches involving other players will undoubtedly teach you to play better, but real success in the arena is unthinkable without the right mindset, which allows you to choose the only correct move from all possible options.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each class is key when building an arena deck. Pay attention to the mana curve and plan your first moves in advance. This will have a positive effect on the quality of the deck. Remember that a decent deck can be made even from random cards. Sometimes the game will offer you cards of excellent and even legendary quality, sometimes you will have to be content with only rare and common cards. Don't blame fate. Study Arena card ratings to develop your own strategy for determining their value and building your deck.

With every match you play, you will acquire new knowledge and sooner or later you will learn to predict the actions of your opponent, paving the way to new heights. Don't believe those who say that luck is everything in Hearthstone. Experience shows that in the end it all comes down to the skill of the player.

P.S. Don't take this guide too harshly. The purpose of the guide is not to give you any clear recommendations, but to give some useful tips and direct your thoughts in the right direction. I will try to supplement and update the information in this article. If you notice any inaccuracies, you can write about it in the comments. Also, you can offer any other information regarding the Arena in Hearthstone that is not in this guide. Good luck!

Jun 28, 2019 Game guides

Locations in AFK Arena are divided into several types: some are designed for leveling up and strengthening characters, others- to purchase valuable loot and resources. The main role in the game is given to battles in PvE mode: the main story campaign is built on the mechanics of confronting mobs. However, the project is a casual card game with an online component, which is why it contains social interaction components.

What is Hero Arena?

Arena of Heroes - a place where real players fight for resources.

It opens at stage 3 and offers 3 free battles every day. After 3 free attempts, to start a battle you need to purchase a special ticket, the cost of which is 100 diamonds.

After pressing the “Challenge” button, a menu opens with a random selection of 5 players: two- rank lower, three- higher rank. The choice of player level affects the number of points you will receive for winning or lose for losing. After each victory, the player receives a random bonus in the form of gold (90 thousand coins) or the Hero’s Essence.

Every day during the two-week battle season, the player receives a payment in the form of a fixed amount of diamonds. Their number directly depends on their place in the general table of ranks. At the end of the season, each participant in battles in the Arena receives a final reward in the form of valuable resources. Particularly generous gifts are presented to those who take prizes.

Duel of Legends

Duel of legends - This is a competition in which users who have completed stage “9-20” of the main story campaign can take part. Such strict conditions make it possible to weed out inexperienced players, leaving only the most seasoned and brave heroes in the Arena. The tournament is held within one server, and on its basis it is determined who will represent this server at the Grand Championship of Legends.

Legends Championship

Participants of the interserver Championship are divided into 8 groups of 8 people each. The selection follows the rules of the knockout tournament, and each player who makes it here receives a temporary buff for all hero cards up to level 240 and mythical clothing sets. At the same time, all effects from the relics are canceled to provide participants and their characters with equal fighting conditions.

The duration of the Legends Championship is one week. After the winner is identified, a week-long break is announced, after which the Championship grid is formed anew and the tournament is held again. It is also worth noting that quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists of the drawing, in addition to resources, are awarded a special profile frame.

Conclusion

In that in the guide we looked at all the possibilities of the Arena of Heroes- from participation in weekly events to the Duel and Championship for the title of the most powerful AFK Arena user. All these activities in one way or another help level up the characters, reaching new gaming heights. Go for it!

hearthstonetopdecks has created a stunningly detailed guide to playing the Arena for beginners. I just couldn't help but translate it. Be careful, 14 pages A4 :)

This guide is designed to help beginners understand how the Arena works in Hearthstone. The main goal of the guide is to teach how to play endless arenas. This way you can get a source of endless gold in Hearthstone and combine it with very interesting gameplay. The guide is divided into several parts and will take you from a basic understanding of the arena to various intricacies of the game that only professional players understand. By studying the information in this article, you can become an Arena legend.

Introductory part
While playing in the arena, I see that many newcomers simply enter this mode without any idea of ​​what they actually need to do here, they are defeated without a chance by players with experience, as a result of which newcomers feel disappointed and get a very unpleasant experience of playing in the mode. they have no motivation left to appear here anymore.
Hearthstone is only considered beginner friendly. Of course, there were some changes to improve the situation, but with each new addition the game becomes more and more complex and incomprehensible for those who start playing it.
Hearthstone has a reputation for being a "pay-to-win" game, and to some extent this is true. This seems to be true if you want to build a large collection of cards for competitive play. It is extremely difficult to do this as a beginner. I myself have been in the shoes of a “free” player and am familiar with this problem firsthand. Everything changed when I discovered the magic of the Arena.

The importance of the arena for beginners
With the release of each new addition, the importance of the arena is growing more and more, since at the moment it is the main way to earn a lot of gold in the shortest possible time. Instead of spending gold on boosters (you should almost never do this, the only exception being if you only want cards from a specific expansion and have little Arena experience), you should invest your gold in Arena and make a profit from it. Even if you play terribly and only achieve 3 wins on average, 150 gold is still worth it. You get a set of cards (100 gold), 20-25 gold, and you also get either an additional card or an additional 20-25 gold or dust. By the way, as a rule, the value of dust exceeds the value of gold. Well, of course, our goal is to make sure that we don’t stop at 3 wins. We need profit, a lot of profit!

The amount of gold received depending on the number of victories

Source: ArenaMastery

How can you start making a stable profit from the arena? You need to reach the average mark of 7. It is from this moment that the pure gold received for the Arena will allow you to start the next one. If you play better than 7 wins, this will be your net, very high profit.

Average amount of gold depending on the number of victories.

Source: ArenaMastery

I'll be honest with you, achieving a consistent seven wins every time you enter the arena is not that easy. According to a reddit post, only 9% of players can reach this mark. I think this can be somewhat demotivating. The average player in the arena reaches 3 victories. However, there is no need to despair. When you don't achieve the results you want, you just need to focus on improving your own skills as a player. It will be useful. If you are able to identify your own mistakes, you will improve from trip to trip.
Also, everything you learn in the arena will definitely help you in ranked play. Your skill in making correct exchanges especially grows.

Part 1: Arena Classes

As you know, there are 9 different classes in Hearthstone, each of them has unique abilities and characteristics, it is very important to understand all the strengths and weaknesses of your class. This will help you choose the right cards in the arena to maximize your potential and minimize your weaknesses. So that you understand which class is better to choose, just below you can find a list for all classes.
To maximize our chance of winning, we need to try to pick a Tier 1 class whenever possible. The point is that these classes have the strongest tool sets for the arena. I'm not saying that it's completely impossible to get 12 wins as a Warrior, however, it will be much more difficult, since the nature of this class, at the moment, is practically not designed for this mode.

• Tier 1: Mage, Rogue, Paladin
• Tier 2: Hunter, Warlock, Priest
• Tier 3: Shaman, Druid, Warrior

To help you get to know these classes better, I will talk below about the strengths and weaknesses of each. This will help you understand what to expect when choosing or playing against all Tier 1 and Tier 2 classes.

Mage

Strengths

• Universal Hero Power
• Can adapt to any situation
• Great class cards
• Massive removal can win the match on its own

Weak sides

• Small number of class creatures
• May end up in a situation where the hand consists of defensive and situational cards

Key cards
[Wave of Fire], [Volcanic Potion], [Portal: Firelands], [Petroglyph], [Meteor], [Polymorph], [Arcanologist], [Water Elemental]
Mage has always been a strong choice for the arena and continues to be the most picked class. According to Arena mastery, 23% of players try to choose it. The main reason is that the hero power of this class is amazingly strong, and also the Mage class cards are very unbalanced in places. A recent expansion brought cards like [Meteor] and [Petroglyph] to the class, taking its already powerful arsenal to a whole new level. The mage has a huge amount of mass and targeted removal, which makes it easy to return to a seemingly completely disastrous match.

Robber

Strengths

• Great Hero Power for Arena
• Strong targeted removal
• Can use own health as a resource in order to gain predominantly early table
• Generates a lot of tempo thanks to the “chain of moves” mechanic

Weak sides

• Very picky about cards with low mana costs to activate “trick combo”.
• Has virtually no chance of winning if there are a lot of expensive creatures in your hand
• Virtually no healing
• Easily destroyed by aggressive decks

Key cards
[Backstab], [Poisoned Weapon], [SI:7 Agent], [Daze], [Evisceration], [Assassination], [Bloodthirsty Spiteful].
With the release of Journey to Un'Goro, Rogue has proven to be one of the best classes in the arena, as it has gained powerful cards like [Poisoned Weapon] and [Bloodthirsty Maleficent] that allow it to make incredible moves at incredible speed. When playing this class, you definitely need to be prepared for the fact that your opponent can destroy you in a few moves. This is especially true in matches against Mages and Hunters; sometimes they can completely ignore table control.

Paladin

Strengths

• Powerful buff spells
• Excellent arsenal of weapons
• High-quality class creatures allow you to reliably control the board
• Has a lot of healing

Weak sides

• There are no powerful targeted removal spells
• Limited Mass Removal
• It's extremely difficult to recoup

Key cards
[Silver Blade], [Seal of Kings], [Consecration], [Crested Steed], [Aldor Peacemaker], [Hawcutter], [Hydrologist], [Defender of the Hills], [Dinosaur].
Once upon a time, paladins were the absolute best class for the arena, but quite a lot of time has passed since then. After the card rotation at the beginning of the year, the class lost [Murloc Knight], [Guardian of Uldaman], and [Seal of Champions]. Playing as a Paladin is a constant concern for board control, as well as a constant regret that the removal of this class is limited, and those that are available are absolutely straightforward and obvious. Once the Paladin loses control of the board, it becomes almost impossible to regain it, since the range of any removal spells is extremely limited. However, the class still has a large number of special cards that allow the Paladin not to slide into Tier 2.

Hunter

Strengths

• Aggressive play style
• Can create a lot of tempo with [Deadly Shot] and [Frost Trap]
• Can easily take control of the table in the early game

Weak sides

• Small amount of mass removal
• The deck is quite weak to taunts and healing
• It's very difficult to get back into the game

Key cards
[Gem Macaw], [Sparkling Sharptooth], [Painful Bite], [Pet], [Houndmaster], [Unleash the Dogs], [Eagle Horn Bow] and [Savanna Highmane].
The Hunter is in the middle of the list of the best classes. His Hero Power supports aggressive or tempo-oriented playstyles, so you shouldn't choose slow archetypes for this class. The current arena meta is hardly a good fit for the hunter. Yes, there are a lot of Rogues here, however, at the same time there are also a lot of healing and taunts.

Warlock

Strengths

• Uses own health as a resource to gain an advantage in the number of cards
• Good mass and targeted removal
• Decent class creatures

Weak sides

• Can be easily destroyed by aggressive decks
• Almost all massive removal spells also damage the Warlock himself.

Key cards
[Mighty Abyssal], [Dread Infernal], [Blast-Crystal Potion], [Darkshire Council Member], [Costic Face], [Doomguard], [Soul Siphon].
Warlock was once the best Arena class. He uses his Hero Power to put himself in a better situation due to his card advantage. However, the recent card rotation has reduced the power of this class, depriving it of such powerful cards as [Black Archaeologist] and [Imp Gang Leader]. In return, the Warlock did not receive any particularly useful class cards. Also, in the latest update, the developers reduced the chance of the appearance of [Mighty Abyssal], which sharply increases the class’s win rate. Since the Warlock's Hero Power does not directly affect the board, it is extremely easy for other classes to capture him at the very beginning of the game and calmly bring the match to Victory

Priest

Strengths

• Can use his hero power to trade creatures more effectively
• Powerful targeted removal
• Can gain card advantage

Weak sides

• Very vulnerable to creatures with 4 attack units
• A huge number of useless and situational spells that are very weak in the Arena

Key cards
[Talon Priest from Cabal], [Power Word: Shield], [Shadow Word: Death], [Shadow Word: Pain] [Northshire Cleric], [Potion of Madness], [Potion of Dragonfire].
Priest is one of the few classes that didn't lose a lot of key cards in the past annual rotation. Moreover, he also received a lot of good quality cards, like [Thing of Amber], [Shining Elemental] or [Crystal Oracle]. However, this class is very sensitive to how you run your Arena card draw, which will determine how effective your Hero Power is. Especially your success will depend on whether you can find a sufficient number of cards that will increase the health of your creatures. These include [Talon Priest from Cabal] and [Power Word: Shield]. The strength of the Priest is that he can use his hero power for one of the most important elements of the Arena - for exchanges. At the same time, unlike, for example, a Paladin, who creates tokens with his hero power, he must constantly have creatures on the board in order to cast his spells. Otherwise, the Priest will simply skip moves and do nothing.

Part 2. Selecting cards

Now that you've learned about choosing the right class, it's time to learn how to build your own deck. It is the process of collecting a deck that is perhaps the most important thing that will happen to you in the near future, since it determines your playing style, your victory conditions. It's important to match your choices to your chosen class to make the most of the synergy between the two.
Your deck will consist of class and neutral creatures, as well as a number of spells. I will explain how to choose the proportion between these components of the clade. This will help you understand the different aspects and characteristics of Hearthstone creatures.
In general, I classify creatures into three groups:

• Value
• Effect
• Situational

Value reflects the number of characteristics a creature has. The more stats it has compared to other creatures for the same mana cost, the more valuable the creature is. There is such a thing as Vanilla Test, Vanilla cards may not have any additional special attributes or effects, however, due to their excellent characteristics, they are superior to many other creatures.
The simplest examples are [Resin Guardian], which is always better than [Am'gham's Fury], and [Ice Fury] is always better than [Magma Fury]. Below is an example of one such Vanilla test.

You can see that all these creatures successfully pass the Vanilla Test, since even the first creature has 5 units of characteristics for two units of Mana, and each subsequent creature has +1\+1 for 1 unit. mana.
However, this is a very straightforward example. Let's think about what to choose if in front of you is [Skilled Gangster] and [Priestess of Elune]. Both cards cost 6 mana, however, their effects are completely different. [Skilled Gangster] has 14 stat points, which is superior to [Bigfist Ogre] 6/7, which has 13 stat points. [Priestess of Elune] has 9 stat points, which is a far cry from the standard 13 points, so essentially you're paying 4 stat points for an effect that restores 4 health points to your hero. Who should I choose?
Of these two options, you need to choose [Skilled Gangster], since it has significantly better characteristics, and most importantly, the amount of health, because [Priestess of Elune] can be killed by [Illusionist], which costs only 3 units of mana. So if this happens, you will quickly find yourself lagging behind and these 4 units. your hero's health will not help you in any way.
What are “effect cards”? The name says it all, these are those cards that have a special attribute that does something important. You will rarely come across a choice of several cards with a good effect, so as a rule, the questions “which card with an effect should I choose?” will not arise. By good effect I mean that this card will be useful in almost any situation. These are, for example, [Treasure Collector], [Slum Trader], [Prehistoric Dragon].
But situational cards belong to the third type. To activate them, some important conditions must be met. Without them, the card will not bring maximum benefit. Such cards include, for example, elementals and cards that require playing an elemental during the previous turn. Situational maps also include technical maps. One of the most notable examples is [Hungry Crab], which requires a Murloc on the board in order to get the most out of it. You will lose tempo if you play this card without an activator and gain tempo if you play it with an additional condition. Other popular options for situational cards in the arena are [Voracious Slime] and [Mental Technician]. Remember that you don't always have to try to play these cards to their maximum advantage, sometimes it is better to play [Voracious Slime] on turn 3 without its Battlecry instead of skipping that turn.

Every time you draft a card, your goal is to create a combination of these three creature types, but in certain proportions. There should be no more situational cards than valuable cards or cards with effects. When you choose a situational or effect card, you should ask yourself how the card fits into your class, as well as pay attention to the stats. If you're playing a control class like Mage or Priest, health is more important than attack. So you should choose a 4/5 creature instead of a 5/4. By analogy, when playing an aggressive class like Hunter, you should choose a creature with a high attack rating.
Another very important aspect during drafting is the mana curve, which depends on the class you choose. You shouldn’t bother with this from the first moves, but by map 20-25, pay attention to this if you already have a lot of heavy creatures for 6 or 7 units. mana, you must definitely dilute them with small creatures for 2 units. mana, because if you skip your turns and don’t summon small creatures, you simply won’t have time to play later creatures, and your opponent will kill you faster.
At the end of your draft, your mana curve should look something like the one below. They roughly demonstrate mana curves for different playstyles. Keep in mind that these are only 3 of many ways to play this mode. You could very well build a Hunter deck with a lot of heavy minions and use a more controlling playstyle. However, these three options are the most common archetypes in the arena.

Control. This is an example of a deck with a strong late game. You may be surprised by the number of cards for two mana, but you will need them in order to take the game to a later stage where you will max out your deck. The goal is to take control of the early table and maintain it until the late game, where your cards will be more valuable than your opponent's. As a rule, Priests, Warlocks, and Mages use exactly this mana curve.

Aggressive. The absolute opposite of the previous style. Built on a huge number of creatures for a low amount of Mana. You won't have any tools to win the late game, but you don't really need to. Your task is to destroy your opponent as early as possible, until he can stabilize the situation. Great for classes like Hunter, Rogue, and even Mage if you can build the right deck for it.

Midrange. This archetype fills the zone that lies between the aggressive and control archetypes. As a rule, he goes for 4-mana creatures and this option often turns out to be very versatile. He has quite a few creatures to take control from the first turns, but the deck also has every chance of winning in a prolonged match. This tactic is best suited for the Paladin, since this class has a very large number of powerful cards for 4 mana, but, however, any class can build a similar deck.
For beginners, the drafting process can be very difficult because they are simply not familiar with most of these cards. So it often makes sense to use external services to evaluate cards. For example, Heartharena. This is a great additional feature that will tell you the rating of each card you are offered during the draft. Additionally, this app also tracks your mana curve and increases or decreases your card rating based on it so that you don't end up with bad decks. This is a great starting point. Keep in mind that these estimates are not the ultimate truth; sometimes you should trust your own feelings. The application is available only to PC users, but the site is accessible from any platform.

Part 3. How to play in the Arena?

Now that you've fully built your own deck, it's time to start the match. However, before you click the “Search Opponent” button, take a look at your deck and ask yourself questions

• “What kind of deck do I have?
• “Is it about getting the most value out of the cards, or is it a tempo deck?”
• “How can I win?”

This will mentally prepare you to create a game plan against your future opponents.

Mulligan
The first action you take during a match in Hearthstone is you look at your hand and discard the cards you don't need. You only want cards that you can use in the early game to compete for board control, so as a general rule, you should discard all cards that cost 3 mana or more. However, there are situations where you might want to keep something heavy if you already have a few early game cards. For example, you have [Fireman], [Amanian Berserker], [Voracious Slime], and also [Frosty Yeti]. In this case, it's wise to keep your entire hand to effectively play minions on the mana curve.

Exchanges
In the arena it is almost never possible to simply attack the opponent's face; even the most aggressive decks try to make trades that are profitable for themselves. If you keep your opponent's board empty, you reduce the risk that he can strengthen his creature and make a trade that is favorable to him. Your task is to try with all your might to prevent him from gaining control of the table.
At the same time, if all possible exchanges on the table are not favorable to you, you can try to become an aggressor and try to destroy your opponent’s hero. If you're not sure whether to trade, ask yourself these questions:

• “How important is possible damage to the face?”
• “What can my opponent do to punish me if I don’t trade?”
• “How will this punishment affect my situation?”

If after these questions you feel that face damage is more valuable or punishing your opponent will not have much impact on your situation, go all-in and attack your opponent’s hero.
For example, in the late game you have [Bittertide Hydra] on the board while your opponent has [Young Brewmaster] on the board. In such a situation, of course, you need to attack the opponent's face to deal 8 damage. Why? First of all, because the opponent will not put up with your creature with eight attack units on the table in any case, and if he has some kind of removal, he will definitely use it. If you attack with [Hydra of Bittertides] an enemy [Young Brewmaster], then you will, of course, kill this 3/2 creature, however, the opponent can simply use [Portal: Firelands] or [Fireball] to finish off your [ Hydra of Bitter Waves] and then the opponent will not receive 8 points of damage. If you attack an opposing hero, he will also kill your [Bitter Waves Hydra] with a spell + his own creature, but at the same time he will have 8 less health.
But there is also a situation where your opponent can severely punish you for refusing to exchange. For example, you have [Talon Priest from Cabal] on the board, while the Paladin has [Warden of Mirkwood]. You decide to attack the face instead of trading with the creature. What can happen in this case:

1. The paladin will cast a creature for 4 units. mana, so you'll do it right by hitting three to the face.
2. The paladin will pick up [Silver Blade] and kill your 3/4 creature, and his 3/3 will remain on the table.
3. The paladin will cast [Seal of Kings] on his 3\3 minion, turning it into a 7\7, then trade with your minion and have a 7\4 minion on the board.
4. The paladin uses [Portal: Silvermoon] on a 3\3 creature, boosts it to 5\5, then trades with yours, as a result he will have two creatures on the table: 5\2 and a random one for 2 units. mana.

As I said earlier, the Paladin's strength lies in strong buff cards, which often cost 4. mana. So, almost always the best solution is to trade with creatures in order to prevent the opponent’s class from realizing the full potential.

Game Around Secrets
Paladins, Mages, Hunters are the classes that have access to secrets. This type of card is very powerful, so you have to predict which secret your opponent might have. If you are careful, you can minimize the negative effects.

Against Mage:

• [Reflected Essence] and [Potion of Transmutation] are activated when you play a minion. First, for testing, you should summon some of your weak creatures.
• [Anti-Magic] and [Mana Bond] are activated when you cast a spell. Try to play something less important first. For example, [Coin].
• [Steam Turn] or [Ice Barrier] activates when a creature attacks an opponent's face. Always attack with the weaker creature first.
• [Spellbinder] activates when your spell targets a creature. Play less valuable spells first.
• [Ice Block] activates when lethal damage is dealt to an opponent. Try to ensure that your opponent has 1 unit before activating the ice block. health. This will help you finish him off the next turn.

Against the Hunter:

• [Frost Trap] activates when you attack with a creature. Attack with either a low-cost creature or a creature with a useful warcry.
• [Focus Cotus] activates when you cast a spell. Try to cast cheap spells first and then kill the cat with your massive removal.
• [Explosive Trap] or [Redirection] activates when your creature attacks an opponent's face. Try to trade your 2 units first. health and then attack the face. [Redirection] is better to lure out with a creature with a small amount of attack.
• [Snake Trap] activates when you attack an opponent's minion. Try not to attack his creatures until you can respond to the snakes.

Against Paladin:

• [Tit for Tat] activates when your opponent takes damage from any source. Try to use your hero power or the creature with the lowest attack first.
• [Self Sacrifice] activates when you attack with a creature or weapon. Choose the right tactics. Attack first with a creature you don't want to trade, or conversely, activate the secret first with something less valuable, and then attack a creature with more attack.
• [Repentance] activates when you play a minion. Play a minion with less health first, ideally one.
• [Retribution] or [Kodo Escape] activates when you kill an opponent's minion. First, kill some weak enemy creature with a harmless battle cry, the ideal option is a creature that the paladin creates with his hero power.

Don't be afraid of secrets. By keeping them in mind, you can choose when to activate them. For example, let's imagine that you are playing a Mage against another Mage, and the opponent played a secret. You attacked your opponent's hero, so you know the secret doesn't interact with your creatures, and when you cast a spell, you know it doesn't react to the spell. Your hands are free. However, if you are not sure that the opponent does not have [Anti-Magic], the best supplies, for example, are your [Portal: Firelands], even if some of the opponent’s creatures have such an attractive 5 units of health. If you spend mana on a spell and nothing comes out, there's a high chance you'll lose. So, it’s better to wait for some cheaper and useless spell to check what secret your opponent has.
The game is around the opponent's removal.
You should always keep in mind that your opponent can play massive removal at any time and clear your table. So, do not oversaturate the battlefield, this is one of the main conditions in the correct game. This means that it is better to keep some cards in your hand so as not to give them to your opponent just like that. For example, you are playing against a Mage, your opponent's next turn will be the seventh, and you have [Ancient Brewmaster], [Dark Iron Dwarf] and [Frosty Yeti] on the board. And the opponent has no creatures. In this case, you have two choices - you can play some creature from your hand and with some chance it will also be destroyed by a wave of fire, or you can not play it. If your opponent decides to use [Fire Wave] in this situation, you will still have a 4\1 creature on the board, and your opponent will have an empty board. So, in this particular situation, it is much better not to play anything. However, if your opponent's [Fire Wave] was destroying all of your minions, it would make sense to play some minion with 5+ health. health. Although it would be severely injured, you would still retain control of the table.
You must always remember all the massive removal of your opponent. You can even write them down for yourself and hang them in front of your eyes.

• Mage: [Arcane Blast], [Cone of Cold], [Blizzard], [Wave of Fire], [Volcanic Potion]
• Rogue: [Betrayal], [Fan of Blades], [Vanish]
• Paladin: [Equality], [Consecration], [Avenging Wrath]
• Priest: [Ring of Light], [Potion of Dragonfire]
• Druid: [Swipe], [Starfall]
• Shaman: [Forked Lightning], [Portal: Maelstrom], [Thunderstorm], [Volcano]
• Hunter: [Explosive Trap], [Painful Bite], [Volley], [Explosive Shot]
• Warlock: [Hellfire], [Twisting Nether], [Doom!]
• Warrior: [Whirlwind], [Cleave], [Brawl]

Remember that proper positioning of minions on the board is very important against some types of massive removal. And the effectiveness of [Meteor], [Painful Bite] and [Explosive Shot] will depend on how you place your creatures. Place the most valuable creatures on the far left and on the far right sides.
If you have two removal spells in mind, play against the one that will hurt your board situation the most. I remember a situation when I was playing against a Warlock, on my board there was [Insidious Hatchling] and a pack of other creatures for 1-2 mana. When I attacked the opponent's hero with a chick, I decided to choose me with +3 health units or disguise. I decided that the opponent could easily deal with [Cunning Hatchling] with the help of his targeted spells and chose disguise. However, I was wrong, my opponent had [Hellfire] and he cleared my entire table. If my [Cunning Hatchling] was killed by a targeted removal like [Blast Crystal Potion], there would still be enough minions left on the board to win this matchup. So, of course, I would need to choose +3 health, then my [Cunning Hatchling] would survive [Hellfire].

Adaptation to the situation
Games don't always go according to your plan; the main goal of the match is victory, not survival. So, to win, sometimes you need to make risky decisions, especially if the game is not going in your favor. Ask yourself this question often:

• “What's the worst thing my opponent can do to get me back in the game?”

Even if you think such situations are unlikely, it is very important to prepare for them. For example, you're in a mirror match with another Paladin and you have [Tirion Fordring] and two other mid-range minions on the board. You are in the lead position in this match and are ignoring the possibility that your opponent has [Mental Technician]. You summon a fourth minion, your opponent casts [Mental Technician] and takes your [Tirion Fordring]. This is just one example.
However, if you see that your opponent's creatures are generally more valuable than yours, and you are losing turn after turn, it probably makes sense to change your game plans and go for an aggressive match. You can start attacking your opponent's face much more often and try to only play cards that have the most tempo. In this case, ask yourself a different question. For example:

• “What risks can I take to get back into the game?”
  Sometimes you need to stop playing around your opponent's removal and play all the cards you have. Of course, if your opponent has suitable removal, you will lose, however, this is an arena mode, not a ranked mode. So, the opponent may not have removal spells at all. In some situations you will have absolutely nothing to lose. You would still lose even if you didn't commit aggression.

Part 4. Lessons from defeats

Everything comes to an end sooner or later, including the trip to the Arena. Few of us have ever achieved 12 wins. If you've ever done this, congratulations. If you have never succeeded in this, then nothing terrible has happened. The most important part is the experience you have. The first thing you should do is evaluate your picks during the draft. Have there been cards in your deck that you thought would be useful, but never came into use? Maybe you packed too many early creatures into your deck and completely forgot about the late game? What would happen if you chose other cards? What difference would it make in your situation?
Then you need to evaluate your performance. There are two types of errors:

• Technical
• Errors in decision making.

Technical errors in Hearthstone have virtually no impact on the game; this applies more to games of a different genre, like Dota or League of Legends, where correct clicks, APM and other such things are important. However, they also exist in Hearthstone. For example, if you have not composed the sequence of actions correctly. Let's say you have 2 paladin recruits, with [Dire Wolf Leader] standing between them, and your opponent has a creature with 6 units. health. You can make a mistake and start attacking from left to right, causing the first paladin recruit to deal 2 damage. damage, then 2 units. damage with [Dire Wolf Leader] and, after his death, the buff of the right Paladin Recruit will disappear and he will only deal 1 damage. damage Or, for example, you are playing against a Shaman and you have two creatures, one of them is wounded. You decide to attack with a wounded creature, it survives, your healing totem restores 1 unit to it. health. However, if you attacked an opponent's creature with your creature at full health, the totem would restore 1 unit. health to both creatures.
Errors in decision making are something that are very difficult to notice during the game, but very often understanding them helps you improve your level of play greatly. If you are analyzing past matches, you should ask questions:

• Did I play as optimally as possible?
• Did I have a chance of winning?
• Were there any risks I took that I shouldn't have taken?
• Have I made any mistakes?
• Should I be more patient with massive removal?
• Should I have played more aggressively?

Also, when you watch streams of other players in the arena, read guides or study card ratings, keep in mind that there may be conflicts of opinion on any issue. The only opinion you should take into account is your own opinion, which is based on your personal experience.