Everything you need to know about this week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl, Top 3

If you logged in to Hearthstone anytime yesterday and saw the Tavern Brawl section missing, don’t worry—your client is fine.

It turns out this week’s original Tavern Brawl was so buggy that Blizzard decided to disable it and introduce a different one. That means for the next five days, you’ll be able to check out Top 3 in the Tavern

After some matches in the original Brawl, players were experiencing undetailed game-breaking bugs, according to Blizzard. These bugs were significant enough that Blizzard felt it was best to swap game modes for this week’s Brawl entirely.

The new Brawl is definitely worth the wait, particularly if you’re a Mage fan. For the Top 3 Brawl, you’ll be crafting a deck out of three cards. After picking three cards, your deck will then be filled with 10 copies of each. For these kinds of Brawls, Mage has some of the cheesiest combos in the game. We recommend heading into this Brawl with Forgotten Torch, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Arcane Intellect.

Forgotten Torch is a three-mana spell that deals three damage and then shuffles a Roaring Torch that deals six damage into your deck. This gives you an infinite loop of direct damage spells. Arcane Intellect costs three-mana and allows you to draw two cards. Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a two-cost 3/2 minion that causes your spells to cost one less. A deck full of these cards will provide you with a fast-acting damage arsenal that can be cycled through for new ammunition at will.

Although you may have to occasionally use a Torch to toast an opponent’s minion, your best option is to go face as often and fast as possible. Right around the time you’ve played enough Forgotten Torches to start drawing Roaring Torches, your opponent’s life total should be nearing the bottom half of 30.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice will keep your spell costs low, which allows you to abuse Arcane Intellect to grab Torches. By your fourth or fifth turn, it’s possible that you’ll have enough Apprentices out to play your Arcane Intellect and Torches for free. When this happens, the game is won. All you need to do is go through the motions then enjoy busting open your free pack.