With Kobolds and Catacombs now playable for five days, players are beginning to get a grip on the meta.
Over the weekend we saw pro players’ first real attempts to build decks in the ESL Trinity Series. Teams of three had qualified for the offline finals pre-expansion, but were allowed to add any new cards to their lineups for the finale.
Team LUL, an unsigned group of former Luminosity Gaming players Keaton “Chakki” Gill, Paul “Zalae” Nemeth, and Muzahidul “Muzzy” Islam, dominated the competition with their lineup and took home the title. They did so with one secret weapon: Corridor Creeper.
In the run-up to the event as the cards were revealed, the trio had identified Corridor Creeper as a potential meta breaker. The seven man 5/5 reduces in cost whenever a minion dies—and that includes enemy minions, which was perhaps glossed over in the frenzy of card reveal season.
The players were keen to conceal their views, even referring to the card in only vague terms when discussing cards on stream. With the finals upon them, Team LUL unleashed the Creeper—in every deck.
That’s right. In a lineup where they had to bring all nine classes, Corridor Creeper featured in every single one.
With Chakki in the lineup, one of the most prolific aggro players in the history of the game, it’s not a surprise that Team LUL went with an aggro lineup. Face Hunter, Murloc Paladin, Tempo Rogue, Aggro Druid, Zoo Warlock, and Pirate Warrior were in all their lineup. With lots of cheap minions in those decks, it’s easy to get a big discount on Corridor Creeper.
But even in unorthodox decks Team LUL found a place for it. The card was in their Burn Mage deck, with just four one drops and four two drops. The only deck they didn’t jam two copies into was their Highlander Priest—but they still went with one.
It’s still very difficult to get a handle on a meta this soon. But certainly in this early period Corridor Creeper looks like a card that is here to stay, and will have a big impact going forward.
