The state of aggro in Hearthstone: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
Pirates. Pirates as far as the eye can see.
Well, one Pirate in particular: Patches. The little guy has been Charging around the world of Hearthstone, creating pressure early, blasting people in the face with his blunderbuss, and single-handedly bringing aggro back into the meta.
The early days of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan have been defined by aggression. Nearly every deck at the top of the meta has focused on gaining early advantages and going face enough times to finish off opponents.
But as the meta evolves, players are starting to figure out how to deal with Patches and his aggressive brethren.
This is the state of aggro in Gadgetzan.
The contenders
The era of Face Hunter being the only true aggro deck on the ladder is over. Now, a multitude of decks have taken up the torch of face-smashing goodness.
Most notoriously has been Pirate Warrior, a deck that stormed out of the gates in the initial hours of Gadgetzan’s release. Thanks to the strength of cards like Patches the Pirate, Small-Time Buccaneer, and Bloodsail Raider when combined with Warrior’s ability to get out cheap, efficient Weapons by way of Fiery War Axe or N’Zoth’s First Mate (and buff them with Upgrade! and its ilk), the archetype rushed its way to the top of the meta lists.
For a moment, it seemed that Pirate Warrior would be the new Face Hunter; cheap to build, simple to play, and relatively easy to climb through the early ranks with.
Its reign didn’t last long.
Soon, Aggro Shaman made itself known. Taking the lessons learned from what made Pirate Warrior strong and combining it with Jade Golems for extra strength, it uses early Weapon synergies with Spirit Claws and Jade Claws to gain board control and rush enemies down. But unlike Pirate Warrior, it has the likes of Flamewreathed Faceless and Aya Blackpaw as an insurance policy if games go late. So far, there are very few decks that beat it with any real regularity.
The S-tier aggro decks are joined by the likes of Pirate Rogue, Murloc Paladin, Hand Buff Paladin, and the ever-present Zoolock to make one of the most aggro-friendly metas in a long time.
The counters
Whenever a new expansion comes out for Hearthstone, aggro decks are all the rage. But soon, deck makers start aiming to bring down the top dogs.
So far, nothing outright beats on the aggro decks de jour. But there are a few decks that do pretty well against them.
Right now, both decks are struggling the most against many midrange decks, but specifically Midrange Shaman. Of course, this particular Shaman list was incredibly strong before the expansion dropped, but the current iteration’s ability to combine early game pressure with mid game AOE removal and Taunt minions is a potent combination to shut down aggression.
Interestingly, control decks – normally the natural enemy of aggro decks – have been struggling against the aggro overlords, with one notable exception.
Renolock has risen through the ranks to make its presence known. Thanks to the addition of powerful neutral control tools like Kazakus, Dirty Rat, and Mistress of Mixtures along with Warlock cards like Blastcrystal and Abyssal Enforcer, the Handlock variant has shown that it can survive the early game against aggro decks while pushing its way into a powerful spot in the late game. It’s not a guaranteed win against aggro, but it is one of the best options to survive.
The future
The thing about aggro decks is that they rarely evolve past their initial lists. Think about how similar Face Hunter looks at the beginning of any expansion versus how it looks towards the end. Same thing with Zoolock. Tools for aggressive decks are released, people find their best uses pretty quickly, and those decks are set.
It takes a bit longer for more complex decklists to get figured out. They get tighter, more synergistic, and better against simpler decks. And as they do, those simple decks begin to fall out of favor, simply because they struggle to find their place in higher levels of competitive play.
As it stands, expect a ton of aggro decks to be all over the ladder, but as counter decks continue to evolve, they’ll begin to fall off. Until then, enjoy your time in the sun, Patches. It won’t be yours for long.
Taylor Cocke is sick and tired of all these dang Pirates. Follow him on Twitter @taylorcocke.
