The first Hearthstone Championship Tour Stop of the new meta is in the books—and one deck enjoyed near-universal popularity.
With five French competitors in the sixteen-player field, it was Trec of GamersOrigin who defeated Maxime “Kalà xz” Thierry of Team Vitality in the final 3-1. Trec took home $5,000 and 15 HC points for the victory, a decent haul right at the start of season three.
The tournament was important for the competitive season, but it was also very useful for the watching players. It was the first real look at what top pros think of the new meta after the release of The Boomsday Project.
The numbers speak for themselves—almost all of the players brought Malygos Druid. It was already one of the most popular decks in the format, and the addition of cards like Flobiddinous Floop and Biology Project have only helped to make it stronger. Of thr 16 players, 12 agreed. The other four players all brought a different Druid deck—Trec brought Token Druid, while others played Big Druid, Togwaggle Druid, and even Spiteful Druid.
Druid was the only universal class. Warlock was brought by 13 players, who brought mostly Even Warlock and Zoo Warlock. For Rogue, it was a combination of Miracle and Odd, while Shaman players all brought Shudderwock.
All these choices are in the same vein—none of them are new decks. Togwaggle Druid has been pushed into relevance to an extent, but it was already a fringe deck. The only real new decks were the Priest choices. Eugene “Neirea” Shumilin brought the new reaction time tester Topsy Turvy Priest, while Dizdemon brought a Mecha’thun Priest. There was also the Secret Hunter of Peter “Deathboose” Laihinen powered by Subject 9, a card most players wrote off before the release.
This isn’t entirely surprising. The mid-rotation expansions are inherently less impactful that those that happen at the same time as the Standard rotation. The decks that are strong are still strong, unless nerfs happen at the same time. That doesn’t mean the meta is entirely solved, far from it—but these decks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
