Quick Loot in HearthstoneTheres been a lot of discussion of late about the pricing in Hearthstone, and how difficult it can be to make enough gold to get packs and thus be competitive. There are options, however, in the form of quests within the game. Its worth nothing that most of these can only be completed once, so spend your loot carefully.Beyond those, there are daily quests with varying difficulty levels. Some are simply win a couple matches, while others will require you to inflict set amounts of damage on other heroes. These appear to award 40 gold, which will put you on your way to another booster pack (100 gold) or a jaunt through the arena (150 gold) and hopefully closer to the next big card you need for your deck.Today well look at the easiest loot generating options.Enter the ArenaWeve mentioned this quest before, but Enter the Arena becomes available after unlocking all of the class decks. This is the one situation where use of the Arena is free. Again, be sure you have a basic understanding of the game before squandering this gift.First BloodIf youre looking for a quick way to pick up a pack, hop into Play mode. Win or lose, after your first game, youll get a free booster pack.Level UpIt wouldnt be a Warcraft based game without some kind of focus on the almighty level up. Upon hitting level ten with any single class, expect another free booster, as well as access to all of the class specific basic cards. This is especially helpful in setting yourself up to be successful while in-game.Crafting TimeAfter receiving three copies of a card, Hearthstone will prompt you to figure out disenchanting cards in order to obtain Arcane Dust. Upon doing so, youll receive 95 Arcane Dust. Considering rares cost 100, this can be incredibly helpful in your quest towards a relevant deck that doesnt just get stomped all day forever.Ready To Go!This quest really goes hand in hand with the Enter the Arena quest, as youll need to complete it in order to actually get into the Arena. After unlocking all of the classes, youll be given 100 gold to do with as you please. Thats either one pack or 100 gold towards an Arena run and TREASURES UNTOLD.The RestThose are some of the most basic ways to get gold. There are of course other quests, given to those able to win 100 and even 1000 matches, as well as collect certain cards. Well save those for later though. The ones listed above are the easiest methods of obtaining loot without dropping a dime in the in-game store. Complete these and build yourself a better deck!The Successful Arena ShamanThere is no guaranteed road to success in the Hearthstone Arena. It might be that you construct the perfect deck, one with the noblest of intent, the most solid of foundations, and then ultimately somehow, some jerk will beat you because he or she has eight Sea Giants. Where those Sea Giants camefrom, we may never know.However, dont lose heart. The random number generator (RNG) wont always crush your dreams of a perfect treasure key. Quick wit and good fundamentals will often times win you the day. In my own experiences though, it doesnt hurt to grab whatever advantage is within your reach. For me, that advantage is the original Warchief himself, Thrall. The Shaman deck features a number of strong mechanics that translate well to the more erratic Arena setting, and I always grab him up where possible.Most of the decks in Hearthstone feature a unique win condition, or something theyre gearing up for. Yes, its possible to win in other fashions, but most decks have one or two distinct styles in their corner. For Thrall, its all about overwhelming the opponent with horrible hordes before activating the five mana spell, Bloodlust. Bloodlust ruins worlds. It gives all of your creatures +3 attack for the turn, turning totems and tokens into respectable weapons. Heartier minions morph into terrifying behemoths, often boasting incredible attack ratings for the turn. The goal will be to whittle down your opponent before dropping the final, awful blow.Whats special here is that, this strategy synergizes well with the average Arena experience. Most people wont have access to a perfectly constructed deck featuring the myriad of kill or crowd control spells. Its possible to run into a Mage without Blizzard, or perhaps a Hunter with only one Multi-Shot, as opposed to two. Crowding the board is always advantageous, the Shaman simply has an amazing ability to capitalize on it.Unfortunately, this win condition means little without the proper support spells and minions, and thats where the deck really shines in Arena. It doesnt need a lot of rare, epic or legendary cards. They will absolutely help (specifically Mana Tide Totem and Feral Spirit) you get ahead, but the strength of the deck is whats in its basic and expert packs. Hex, Frost Shock, Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt are all available on the cheap, and theyre excellent crowd control spells. Theyll ensure that, if you play your cards right, youll be in a position to take control of the board, setting you up to Bloodlust your opponent down with impunity.Of course, whats Bloodlust without minions? Its up to you to ensure that you draft a good number of appropriate minions (spellpower minions, buffing minions and minions that create multiple targets upon coming in are the ideal choices) but youll also have some leeway through your Hero Power, Totemic Call. Have some extra mana? Drop it into making a two mana creature on the board. Whats more, your opponent will likely waste cards removing these from the game, and thats great. These totems cost you two mana, and nothing else. Youll rob them of card advantage handily, further ensuring they have a difficult time keeping pace with you as you play minions and destroy their minions.Ease of kill condition, combined with a powerful mix of basic and expert cards alongside a savage hero power make Shaman an absolute powerhouse in Arena. If youre like me and in the Arena for the business of accruing more packs, gold and dust, I definitely recommend reading up on the Shaman, practicing and then aiming for it when its available. Its far from the only viable option, but its definitely one of the strongest.Five Arena Rules to Live ByIf youve been frequenting my stream of late, youve no doubt had the pleasure of witnessing my intense misfortune in the Hearthstone arena. Its fair to blame the RNG (and in moments of desperation, I totally do) but there are also some basic rules to observed. If you go in just looking to make a comical deck, or one that features your favorite cards, you assume a certain degree of risk, and, lets be honest, Hearthstones a game, so thats totally fine. If youre like me though, and cannot stand the crushing pain of defeat, here are some basic rules that will increase your chances of success.Respect the Kill CardsHearthstone matches are a dance. You play a minion, your opponent plays a minion. The match progresses, mana reserves increase, more creatures come down on the board. You can be the next Desert Fox, but if your opponent has the ability to wipe the board and you dont, youll be in a critically bad spot. Short of board wiping though, creature removal spells such as Cleave, Multi-Shot, Holy Nova, et cetera, are absolutely the most important cards to possess. If you disagree, try doing the arena run where you draft none and are stuck trying to use one lone Stormpike Command to control the board.Gotta Go FastIts generally accepted the arena decks are sort of a mess. Mana curves are all over the place, there are a bunch of minions youd never see in a respectable constructed deck and, unfortunately, most decks are a bit slow. You can capitalize on that by grabbing up early game pressure creatures such as Leper Gnome, Faerie Dragon and Amani Berserker. If those arent available, most of the two mana 3/2 archetype creatures (Knife Juggler, Bloodfen Raptor, Acidic Swamp Ooze, Youthful Brewmaster, et cetera) will suffice and give you a nice Coin combo on turn two. You dont have to have the fastest deck, it just needs to be faster than your opponents.Pay the ManVenture Co. Mercenary is absolutely getting his own mention. This guy just wins games, whether on turn five, or turn four with the Coin. This rugged Goblin (is that a thing?) is a massive 7/6 and is capable of inflicting some serious harm on the opposing hero. Moreover, he can effectively brawl with almost any other minion on the board and come out alive, forcing a second card to finish the job. If your opponent has valuable kill cards, expect to see them cast on this soldier of fortune. Should you be fortunate enough to see Venture Co. Mercenary in your draft choices, pony up and pay the man. He could just win you the game.Avoid Risky DecksTurn one rolls around and you see a Molten Giant, a Big Game Hunter and a Murloc Warleader. How totally cool would it be to build a Murloc deck!? Its not cool. Its never, ever cool. I mean, it might be in constructed, but never in arena. If you want to win, do not try and build themed decks. Turn one might support the argument, but what about the other 29 picks? What happens when you have a Murloc Warleader and a deck with no other Murlocs? The same can be said of Hunter beast decks, although its a little bit easier to pull off since none of the essentials for an Unleash the Hounds combo deck are rares, epics or legendaries. It might not be as glamorous, but look for the safe picks, the Shattered Sun Clerics, the Dark Iron Dwarves, the Venture Co. Mercenaries. Theyll give you guaranteed performance without the gimmick.Dont Forget TauntsYou might think you have a plan for everything, but let me tell you what you dont have a plan for: Stranglethorn Tiger, Ravenholdt Assassin, Leeroy Jenkins, Arcane Golem, Wolf Rider, Argent Commander. Basically, large creatures with charge or stealth. There are just circumstances where its unavoidable to take damage, unless you have a crafty secret or a big wall to hold them back. Senjin Shieldmasta, much like Venture Co. Mercenary is an absolute must. If you dont find him along the way, even smaller creatures like Frostwolf Grunt and Goldshire Footman can sacrifice their lives to prevent you from getting mowed down. Moreover, if youre mana curve is not terribly friendly, they can give you some early game options for board control.All these rules considered, theres still the chance you run into the guy who drafted six swipes as a Druid. RNG is part of the arena and honestly what makes it hilarious at times, and a totally different experience from constructed. Yes, you want to win, but having fun should also be on your to do list. If you lose a game, but are able to chuckle about it, thats still some kind of win. Take these rules, keep them floating around in your head and do your best to conquer your foes!CCG 101: Arena and YouSo youve defeated Illidan, unlocked all of the classes by beating them in practice mode, and have a basic grasp of the mechanics. Now its time to jump into the game, but youll notice that there are two modes other than practice: Play and Arena. Today Im going to explain why Arena mode is the best place for new players to start despite its high entrance fee of 150 gold.Unlike Play mode where matches are fought between pre-built decks, Arena mode offers the player a choice between three randomly selected heroes. After the decision is made, the game then dispenses thirty rounds of three randomly selected cards for the player to choose from. Once thirty cards have been selected, you play matches against random opponents until you either lose three games or win nine. Once either of these conditions are met, you are given five random rewards, four of which have their contents improved based on the number of wins you achieved while the fifth is always a booster pack. The four random prizes can be additional boosters, dust, or gold of varying amounts.Polymorph is a must for many mage decks, but I could use those other cards too!A new player to Hearthstone may look at the options and think that Play mode is the better starting point. After all its free, thus leading to the illusion that the Arena is some kind of high-profile buy-in tournament that only the elite enter. In fact, the opposite is true. Play mode is where people go to test their theory-crafted min-maxed decks against opponents of similar skill, while Arena is more of an equalizer. Everyone has the same chance of getting the same cards in Arena regardless of how much money theyve dumped into boosters. No one can go into Arena with a pre-built strategy, because even if youre the best in the game at building turtle decks you might not get those necessary taunt minions and buff spells. You may be the newest player to Hearthstone in the entire world and be placed against someone whos won multiple tournaments with their control/burn deck that they spent days and days on, and you might win because you just happened to pick cards that go well against the random cards they picked.Arena is also a better training tool than Play mode. In Play mode, you have the cards that youve had the random luck to gain throughout your Hearthstone adventures or through your Swiss bank acocunt. While you can certainly destroy unwanted cards and craft the ones you need with dust, youll only know what cards would actually go into your deck by seeing them in action. Getting stomped by a pro is an option, but Arena gives you the chance to see a wide variety of cards in both your opponents decks and your own. This way youll have a better grasp of how certain cards work since youll be the one using them. After all, many of us learn better by doing things ourselves rather than watching someone else do it.Finally, Arena mode is a far better way to spend gold than simply buying boosters. When you drop the 100 gold for a booster, thats it. You get your five cards, put them in your library, and its right back to hoping for more quests the next day so you can get enough gold again. On the other hand, Arena gives you more bang for your buck despite being one and a half times more expensive. Think about it, for that extra bit of gold youre still getting that booster, but youre also getting the chance to win more boosters, extra dust, or even enough gold to afford yet another Arena run! Add in the fact that quests can still be completed in Arena, and many players will find themselves able to perpetually play nothing but Arena mode without ever dropping a dollar into the game.Buying the booster alone would have been cheaper, but you cant put a price on experience!Play mode is still an excellent way to spend your time. After all, theres not much in Hearthstone better than painstakingly building a deck from the ground up with your own unique library of cards and crushing everyone else in your league, but new players wont be able to do this right away. Everyone has to start somewhere, and Arena modes equalizing format and high reward potential make it the ideal starting point for us newbies.Spellbreaker vs Ironbeak OwlIts an age old question mulled over by the brightest minds of our generation, and generations prior. Do I pick the Blood Elf, or the Magic Owl? Both tell people to stop talking, but which is the right one for you? Today, well examine that question in hopes that you might be able to construct a deck worthy of tournament greatness, or if youre not into that sort of thing, a deck thats less bad.Ironbeak OwlIts turn one and your opponent plays The Coin. He follows it up with a Knife Juggler. Knife Juggler is a jerk. Not only is he probably going to punch you in the face for three damage, hell also throw knives at you. Seriously, what are manners? It might be that youve got some kind of early answer to this knife juggling menace. However, if you dont, Ironbeak Owl will at least stop the deluge of silverware. Whats more, if youre not facing a Mage, Druid or .. No, youll probably never face a Rogue these days .. If someone doesnt have the ability to just do one damage, Ironbeak Owl might even be able to take out the Knife Juggler for good. Theres no guarantee, but it is helpful.Ironbeak Owl should be in your deck because you want the silence ability, not for its paltry 2/1 frame. Its a stiff breeze away from death. The tradeoff for having a weak frame however is that this owl is very much mana friendly. If you have Ironbeak Owl in the late game, using it will cost you all of two mana, leaving you more firepower to focus on your opponent. Its also worth noting this minion will be a positive factor when trying to improve your mana curve.SpellbreakerIts turn four for you. Your opponent just had his or her turn and dropped a Senjin Shieldmasta. That smug looking troll is all the stands between your horde of low mana aggro creatures and that squishy looking Warlock. Its certainly feasible to try and overrun him with your horrible hordes, but doing so could cost you two, or even three creatures, and thats not going to help you win. What will, however, is a carefully timed silence. It just so happens that you have in your hand a Blood Elf that can do the job for you. Hell tell Senjin Shieldmasta to cram it and let your Leper Gnome, Direwolf Alpha and Faerie Dragon traipse right by, totally unharmed. Silencing the troll wont remove him and, next turn, theres a good chance hell be butchering one of your minions as an act of vengeance, but that Warlock is one step closer to death.After silencing something, Spellbreakers a good brawler to have on the board in the early to midgame. He features a 4/3 for four mana statline and wont get murdered byeverything, just most things.Which is Better?The dilemma is decidedly similar to having two children ask you which one you love best. Its impossible to choose. That said, it is possible to choose which of these cards is best for your respective decks, and well dive into that.Playing the MetaPlay Mode is drowning in Mages and Priests. I dont have empirical data to support this claim, but if youve been in Masters Play Mode lately, youll probably agree with me.Mages have a hero power that forever and always lets them out and out murder an Ironbeak Owl, along with a slew of other utility creatures Id like to run. Spellbreaker at least requires a little bit of effort for Mages to murder, so, point to Spellbreaker.Priests have Shadow Word: Death and Shadow Word: Pain, and neither affect minions with four attack. Ironbeak Owl can be slain by Shadow Word: Pain, although, admittedly, itd be a wasted card. Spellbreaker also avoids taking lethal damage from Smite, something an Ironbeak Owl cannot boast.With regards to the meta, Spellbreaker is the clear pick.Mana CurveTheres a logjam of good four drops at present. Chillwind Yeti, Senjin Shieldmasta, Dark Iron Dwarf, the list goes on. Spellbreaker also sits at that four spot. Ironbeak Owl sits at a far less intimidating two mana and, because of this, is able to get out quicker to deal with early threats such as Faerie Dragon (Faerie Dragons spell immunity can be stripped via creature silencing abilities), Demolisher, Knife Juggler, Wild Pyromancer, totems, et cetera. Ironbeak Owl likely wont survive long, but itll be able to assist you in managing your board before the situation can get too out of control.Deck NeedsIt might be that youre running a spell heavy deck that doesnt feature a lot of actual punch when it comes to minions. If thats the case, Spellbreaker gives you more benefit. Control decks especially profit from his four attack and ability to survive most early game forms of board control. If youre running something faster, Ironbeak Owl can help because what youll probably need is way to sneak past Sunwalkers, Senjin Shieldmastas, et cetera. Consider what you actually need out of your silence minion.In closing, the short version of what could be a long tangent is, you need silences in your deck, generally speaking. These are both great cards for what they do. Its just a matter of picking out which one is correct for you, based on the criteria above. In arena, because nothings ever certain, it might just be smart to grab up whichever one you see, just to ensure you have silences. If all else fails, grab Spellbreaker. He looks cooler!Top Five Arena Picks: Warrior EditionThe Hearthstone arena is a complicated battleground, one often influenced by factors beyond your control. Its possible to sometimes draft an unreal deck that features a good early game presence, valuable midgame cards and a solid late game presence. However, its also entirely possible to get wrecked by poor options, made worse by facing a superior opponent. Therefore, its important to be able to spot your best options as theyre made available to you. Every Sunday, Ill talk about some of my favorite cards in the arena, and what I like about them. Hopefully, my picks will help you in your endeavors.Garrosh Hellscream mightve been defeated in World of Warcraft, but he also never read these guides. With this information, perhaps youll destroy your would be arena usurpers and go 9-0. This week, were talking Warriors!1. Fiery War AxeWhat costs two mana, destroys early game aggression and is still valuable at any point in a match? Fiery War Axe! This card is, in my opinion, the most valuable arena card for a Warrior. While Gorehowl and Grommash Hellscream might be more game breaking, youd never want to see them in your early hand, when your opponent is tossing down Faerie Dragons or Knife Jugglers. Fiery War Axe will handle those threats, however, and put you in decent control of the board while its around. Yes, it can be destroyed by a well-timed Acidic Swamp Ooze, but if you use the axe the turn you play it, most opponents will be hesitant to waste the valuable minion to destroy the second charge, when Gorehowl and Arcanite Reaper could be looming. Ive drafted up to four of these early game miracles before and have yet to be disappointed. If youre still not sold, consider this: Fiery War Axe is two mana for: two sets of three all purpose damage that can be used the second you spend the mana on it. Thats value!2. Korkron EliteIf the worth of a card can be measured in the value it brings, Korkron Elite stands tall when compared to other turn four alternatives. This charging Hellscream loyalist packs a sizable, instantaneous punch to either an opposing hero or minion and, with three health, theres a decent enough chance hell even survive the encounter, forcing your opponent to address him through the use of valuable cards. If he doesnt survive, no worries. You got instant value out of this Orc. Consider Korkron Elite your Argent Commander Lite option. 2/3rds the mana cost, half the calories!3. Arathi WeaponsmithOh, whats that? You wanted a 3/3 minion and a 2/2 weapon? Thats a tall order, but luckily, Arathi Weaponsmiths got you, and for all of four mana. This card is perfect for managing early game enemy aggression, in that it puts a reasonably buff minion on the board and gives you a mediocre removal tool. This card has fallen a bit out of favor in constructed with the rise of Shattered Sun Cleric, but in arena, its still a top tier card. Id definitely recommend taking up to two of these if theyre available. The only real drawback is that, if you have a better weapon out, playing Arathi Weaponsmith is a, to quote Jaraxxus, Eredar Lord of the Burning Legion, MISTAKE.4. CleaveYou can build the greatest, most magnificent deck in the world, and it wont be worth a damn if you get run over by a weenie rush deck sporting a bunch of small, agitating creatures. Cleaves low mana cost and fantastic turn two damage make it a great aggression stopper and, as the game progresses, cleave will still have value. If Cleaves not out and out slaughtering minions, its still a fantastic setup tool for Execute in the later portions of the match. That said, Id take two of this card tops as it does have some very obvious limitations, the most noticeable being its requirement of having two opposing creatures on the board.5. GorehowlYes, Gorehowl is amazing. It is in fact potentially seven axe swings for seven mana, and, yes, most of those will hit reasonably to very hard. That said, while the card is great, Id rather address its shortcomings here. Gorehowl costs seven mana. If your board is being overrun, Gorehowl will likely not save you. It simply comes into the game too late. Also, swinging against minions will generally injure you. Yes, Gorehowlcankill a Stranglethorn Tiger. You still take five damage for it, though. Gorehowl, more so than other Warrior cards, requires a degree of finesse to get the most value out of. Its an incredibly powerful late game tool, but it can also march you right into a loss, if youre not careful. Id never recommend drafting more than one of this epic axe.Top Five Arena Picks: Paladin EditionThe Hearthstone arena is a complicated battleground, one often influenced by factors beyond your control. Its possible to sometimes draft an unreal deck that features a good early game presence, valuable midgame cards and a solid late game presence. However, its also entirely possible to get wrecked by poor options, made worse by facing a superior opponent. Therefore, its important to be able to spot your best options as theyre made available to you. Every Sunday, Ill talk about some of my favorite cards in the arena, and what I like about them. Hopefully, my picks will help you in your endeavors.Uther the Lightbringer isnt a mean guy, but if you push him, he will whip out about seven different swords and kick the crap out of you. After all, justicedemandsretribution. The Paladin set in Hearthstone is like a Swiss army knife of utility options. In the arena, its just a matter of knowing which of these are the safest and most useful picks. Unsurprisingly, some of them are weapons.1. Truesilver ChampionI would hazard that, even outside of arena, Truesilver Champion is the best card available in the Paladin toolkit. Four mana grants Uther two four damage swings (assuming it doesnt get destroyed) that heal him for two health. Thats incredibly economical even before considering some of the more popular cards in the metagame. Truesilver Champion makes short work of Dark Iron Dwarf, Shattered Sun Cleric, most early minions buffed by Shattered Sun Cleric, a shieldless Argent Commander, Azure Drake, and others. If the opposing board is not a sea of 2/1 and 1/1 minions, Truesilver Champion will give you a valuable opportunity to take board control. I would frankly take as many of these as are offered. The two health regeneration per swing acts as a damage buffer when taking out larger creatures or, in a pinch, a two health heal when swinging directly into your opponent. Again, amazing card.2. Sword of JusticeThere are going to be times in arena where you or your opponent have a bunch of removal, but honestly, those situations are few and far between. Its far more common to see a clogged up battlefield, where your best option is trying to make advantageous trades that give you both board control and the larger hand. Sword of Justice puts you in the drivers seat at this would be trade expo and allows you to create a small army of super soldiers that can give your opponent fits, especially in the early game when your hand is more flexible. The other feather in Sword of Justices hat is that, even if you top deck the blade, its amazing because of Reinforce, the Paladin hero power.The only real drawback to Sword of Justice is that it can slow down your tempo. Playing it on turn three means thats all youre doing, and, if the opponent has an Acidic Swamp Ooze, youll find yourself behind. Consider your situation before playing it.3. ConsecrationConsecration isnt the sexiest pick, but its a vital one. Having this spell means that a swarm tactic wont be back breaking, as youll be able to spend four mana to do two damage to all opposing enemies, including the offending hero. Thats an important thing to note. Its not uncommon to see Paladins get an opponent low and top deck a Consecration for the win. Again, a very core card, although I wouldnt draft more than two, personally.4. Tirion FordringWhat? A legendary as a top pick? Crazy! Seriously though, Tirion Fordring has, for eight mana, a 6/6 frame, taunt, divine shield and he bestows upon you a 5/3 Ashbringer weapon upon passing. That is an unreal amount of value, even for a legendary. Yes, a silence will severely diminish his worth, and a Hex or a Polymorph will straight up making him worthless, but you never, ever want to not pick this legendary Paladin if hes available. The reason hes not higher is because, well, you have to make it to turn eight to play him, and if you dont have at least a reasonable handle on the match, Tirion Fordring probably wont entirely pull you out of the flames.5. Aldor PeacekeeperYou shouldve been following the rules all along, but if you werent, Aldor Peacekeeper is here to make sure you do. Its no secret that Paladins lack hard removal. In lieu of hard removal options though, Uther can make use of the Aldor Peacekeeper to at least diminish potential heavy hitters later on in the match, or even set up favorable trades earlier on. On top of the Humility effect, the minion features a 3/3 body that, at three mana, will allow him to easily brawl with other early game regulars. Aldor Peacekeepers a rare, so you probably wont see him much, if at all, when building your deck. Id recommend grabbing him up immediately if hes available.Top Five Arena Picks: Hunter EditionThe Hearthstone arena is a complicated battleground, one often influenced by factors beyond your control. Its possible to sometimes draft an unreal deck that features a good early game presence, valuable midgame cards and a solid late game presence. However, its also entirely possible to get wrecked by poor options, made worse by facing a superior opponent. Therefore, its important to be able to spot your best options as theyre made available to you. Every Sunday, Ill talk about some of my favorite cards in the arena, and what I like about them. Hopefully, my picks will help you in your endeavors.Theres been a severe lack of Rexxar in World of Warcraft since Burning Crusade, but fortunately for us, hes on the hunt again in Hearthstone and hes got a number of tricks up his sleeve. In the arena, Hunter can be kind of a gamble. Theres a lot of synergistic cards in the set that involve having beasts on the board, and if youre unable to draft beasts, going with traditionally strong cards such as Unleash the Hounds or Houndmaster can potentially put you in a bad spot.1. Animal CompanionAs mentioned earlier, theres an inherent gamble to going beasts or beast buff cards in arena because theres a chance you might be missing a key component from your deck. Animal Companion is a safe bet though, because two of the three options are very strong (Misha, Huffer) and the third (Leokk) is tolerable, and thats without other cards. The three mana cost also boosts the worth of this particular spell. You wont have to wait long before getting one of Rexxars powerful familiars on the board.2. Eaglehorn BowIf youve read the prior two columns, youre likely aware of my affinity for weapons in the arena. They can feature a great deal of value and, fortunately for Hunters, the value of Eaglehorn Bow can be increased through traps. Eaglehorn Bow gains a durability per activated trap, yours or your opponents. If you pick this bow up early (and you should) be sure to grab a healthy amount of traps and try and ride this weapon to victory. While other players are growing wise to the effectiveness of Acidic Swamp Ooze, sometimes its just not offered, and Eaglehorn bow, along with a healthy assortment of traps can become a nightmare.3. Savannah HighmaneIts important to have bomb cards in your arena deck, and Savannah Highmane is a great option. He features the same statline as Lord of the Arena, but instead of a taunt, this King of the jungle will create two 2/2 minions upon expiring. Assuming Savannah Highmane isnt silenced, polymorphed or any of that, for six mana, youll be able to get a 6/5 and two 2/2 beasts. Thats an incredible amount of value and again, thats before any sort of beast buff cards. The only real drawback is that, at six mana, you might well be overrun by the time you get this on the board.4. Starving BuzzardWhile the first three picks are fairly safe, Starving Buzzard is absolutely a gamble. Assuming youre fortunate enough to get this as one of your earlier picks, that still means that youll be faced with the dilemma of do I choose beasts over obviously better cards?. It will happen. Youll come into a situation where your choices include Shattered Sun Cleric, River Crocolisk and Dark Iron Dwarf. River Crocolisk is clearly the worst option there, but it is a beast, and thus synergizes with Starving Buzzard. My personal advice is to always take the better card, and hope that you end up with enough beasts in the end to justify the Starving Buzzard pick. In arena, its unlikely that this bird will be the harbinger of your opponents doom. Itll probably just be a potential card draw source, which is fine. Card draw isveryimportant.5. Explosive ShotIf you dont say boom, here comes the boom! when you play this spell, youre doing it wrong. Jokes aside, Explosive Shot is a powerful board clear mechanism for five mana. It wont freeze your foes, and it wont hit everyone, but it will tear one minion to shreds and potentially knock out two smaller adjacent enemies. It, like the first three cards listed, is not dependent on having beasts cards in your deck. Its just an incredibly solid kill spell. I dont recommend taking more than two though, due to its decidedly prohibitive mana costArena Picks With Rongar - Part 1One aspect of Hearthstone I havent spent much time with is Arena mode. There are three good reasons for that: at first, I wanted to spend all available gold on card packs. Second, I wanted to get more comfortable with the game and deck building in general before jumping into Arena madness. Third, when I wasnt paying attention, other family members would swoop in and go Arena wild with any gold I had stockpiled up to that point.This week, I finally made the decision to play Arena on my own, and with my own deck. I decided to share my pick three adventures with you, along with the exciting conclusion at the end of this run. Then we can sit back andanalyzedisectmake fun of me together.For today, Im picking the hero, and the first ten cards. For my choice of hero, I could choose between rogue, warlock and hunter. I went with thehunter,mainly because Im terrible with warlocks, and not the biggest fan of the rogues play style. We also know that hunter are underrepresented in competitive play at the moment, and I was curious if they could do alright in Arena mode.Here are the results of my first ten picks.Round 1:Nat Pagle,Bloodmage Thalnos,Ragnaros the FirelordThis being a hunter deck, I wasnt too keen on the spell damage bonus provided by Thalnos. Nat Pagle has a nice ability for card draws, but I thought I could get better value elsewhere.Ragnarosisawesome, so I went with him.Round 2:Flare,Arcane Golem,Questing AdventurerThe battlecry of Arcane Golem seemed iffy.The Questing Adventurer was incredibly tempting, but I had gotten victimized one too many times by stealthed minions. Had to beFlare.Round 3:Savannah Highmane,Explosive Shot,Wild PyromancerHonestly, there was something nice about all of these cards. I opted forExplosive Shotfor its board-clearning ability. Admittedly, if I had either the Savannah Highmane or the Pyromancer in my collection with some prior deck experience, I might have chosen either one of those. The deathrattle for the Highmane is fantastic, and Wild Pyromancer might be helpful with some board clearing of lower cost or damaged minions.Round 4:Wolfrider,Venture Co. Mercenary,Freezing TrapI truly dislike the gimmicky hunter spells like Freezing Trap, plus I was already two spells deep into my deck after three turns. Wolfrider is alright for an early pressure card, but theVenture Co. Mercenary despite his obvious drawback is a beast at turn five.Round 5:Silvermoon Guardian,Raid Leader,SnipeEasy pick,Silvermoon Guardianfor me. A 3A/3H cardfor turn 4 with Divine Shield is nice. And no gimmicky spells!Round 6:Bloodsail Raider,Goldshire Footman,Dark Iron DwarfAnother easy pick. The Goldshire Footman is terrible, the Bloodsail Raider is dependent on whatever weapon I may have equipped. TheDark Iron Dwarfis beefy and buffs another minion.Round 7:Core Hound,Animal Companion,Tundra RhinoCore Hound isnt particularly strong as a big minion. It does have some nice synergies in a hunter beast deck, but so far I havent picked any. Animal Companion is a low mana cost card that will help me get a minion on the board early (so far, most minions I have are 5 mana or more). Tundra Rhino is a card I normally like in constructed decks, but I dont have the luxury to predict how many beasts will fall in my lap later.Animal Companionis my choice this round.Round 8:Frostwolf Grunt,Silver Hand Knight,Bloodfen RaptorI do have a bunch of 5 Mana minions already, but the Silver Hand Knight seems too good to pass up. Frostwolf Grunt I am not too excited about, at 2/2 hes a pushover. The Bloodfen Raptor is a great low cost minion and a beast class, but I dont want to pass on theSilver Hand Knight. This may come back to haunt me, but Im going with it.Round 9:Spellbreaker,Arcane Shot,Earthen Ring FarseerThe Arcane Shot is a nice spell card for hunters, but I am runningbehind on defensive, and especially silencing spells.Spellbreakeris my choice this round.Round 10:Sunwalker,Imp Master,Wild PyromancerI needed a turn 3 card, and I have faced theImp Mastermany times. This minion is no picnic, and my choice for round 10.Recap:So far, I am pretty pleased with Ragnaros as my end game minion. I also feel theres a solid selection of cards for the mid-game. Going forward, Imay need to shore up my low-cost minions, and potentially more defensive minions. Card draw ability may also become an issue. The beauty is, that no one needs to rush their Arena selection. You can make a few selections, and let it simmer. I have some time to think about my next moves, and what to focus on. Later this week, I will share my next set of cards.Arena Picks with Rongar - Part 2As I am tentatively stepping into the Arena, I wanted to chronicle and share with you my process of selecting cards for my deck. Yesterday, I chose the hunter as my Arena hero along with the first set of cards. Today, Ill be picking cards 11-20. I am hoping that sharing this process of going through Arena drafting will be of value to fans of Hearthstone who are not yet playing the closed beta, and also give others to opportunity to discuss and debate the right- or wrongness of my choices. At the end of this week, well give this deck a test-drive.Here are the results of my next ten picks.Round 11:Deadly Shot,Dalaran Mage,Youthful BrewmasterMy goal for today is some low mana cost minions. Only the Youthful Brewmaster fits that bill, but I am not crazy about its battlecry, and the Dalaran Mage is not as useful for a hunter deck. I will settle forDeadly Shot, hoping that the RNG will be kind when I really, really need it.Round 12:Magma Rager,War Golem,Faerie DragonI needed more low cost minions, and I am getting one of the best:Faerie Dragonit is. War Golem could be helpful if I was desperate for a high cost big guy, but Ragnaros fills that hole nicely already.Round 13:Timber Wolf,River Crocolisk,Ogre MagiTimber Wolf is a must-have for any hunter deck, but so far my beast cards havent been coming in large numbers and I dont know what future picks will hold. By itself, the Timber Wolf is just too weak, and the Ogre Magi with the spellpower bonus isnt ideal.River Crocoliskisnt terribly exciting, but I could do worse with 2 Mana.Round 14:Elven Archer,Nightblade,Unleash the HoundsOh boy. At this point, Ive chosen all of 2 beast cards for my hunter deck. That may not have been the best of strategies, but I like the idea of picking the best available card, and beast type minions werent always best. I like Nightblade, but I am fairly well stocked with 5 Mana cards. It may be time to roll the dice onUnleash the Houndsand hope for more beast minions to come.Round 15:Alarm-o-Bot,Pint-Sized Summoner,Angry ChickenWell, here is my first beast choice right off the bat one round later. While the Angry Chicken just makes me laugh, I cannot justify the pick. ThePint-Sized Summoneris nice for 2 Mana, and the chance of getting some bigger minions on the board one turn sooner is too tempting.Round 16:Ogre Magi,Arcane Shot,Stormpike CommandoTough choice here. I do really like the Stormpike Commando, and its battlecry of +2 damage is essentially equal to Arcane Shot. The difference is having to wait four more rounds, and I may need the +2 damage for early board control. Somewhat reluctantly, I pickArcane Shot.Round 17:Tracking,Arcane Shot,Multi-ShotWell, if I had knowthat, I might have gone with the Stormpike Commando in turn 16. Id like to have a minion draw, but lets go withMulti-Shot, and hope that the RNG treats us kindly.Round 18:Deadly Shot,Animal Companion,Hunter's MarkHunters Markis essentially the hunters equivalent of Polymorph or Hex, and a must-have to take out a super bad minion.Round 19:Shattered Sun Cleric,Deadly Shot,Explosive TrapWe already have a Deadly Shot in our arsenal. Explosive Trap is fun, and I am very tempted to take it. At the end of the day though, I believe very strongly that minions win the game, and theShattered Sun Clericis a fantastic minion.Round 20:Lightwarden,Arcane Golem,Argent CommanderI dont have healing abilities, so the Lightwarden has considerably less value for my hero. I personally just dislike the Arcane Golem and its weird battlecry. TheArgent Commanderis too great to pass up, and considering that he isnt competing with any beast picks this round, a very easy choice.Recap:The Argent Commander is a great addition to Ragnaros for late game cards. I am also pleased that we were able to balance out the mana curve a bit, bringing more low-cost cards and spells into the deck. The lack of beast cards is somewhat of a concern, as I am not yet getting much of that synergy that hunter decks usually provide. For the next 10 card picks, beast cards and cards leading to additional card draws are an absolute priority. Later this week, I will share my next set of cards.Arena Picks with Rongar - Part 3As I am tentatively stepping into the Arena, I wanted to chronicle and share with you my process of selecting cards for my deck. On the first day, I chose the hunter as my Arena hero along with the first set of cards. Yesterday, I picked cards 11-20, and today, we will finish out our deck. I am hoping that sharing this process of going through Arena drafting will be of value to fans of Hearthstone who are not yet playing the closed beta, and also give others to opportunity to discuss and debate the right- or wrongness of my choices. At the end of this week, well give this deck a test-drive.Here are the results of my final ten picks.Round 21:Kobold Geomancer,Houndmaster,War GolemI made the decision yesterday to focus more on picking beast minions. Neither one of these satisfies that need, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that theHoundmasterwont be a wasted pick.Round 22:Amani Berserker,Harvest Golem,Mogu'shan WardenI didnt make my previous picks around an aggressive deck building philosophy, so the Amani Berserker likely wont do me any good. I have no taunt cards yet, but I think I will roll the dice onHarvest Golemwith the minion spawning deathrattle.Round 23:Angry Chicken,Injured Blademaster,Murloc TidecallerWith no Murlocs in my deck, the Tidecrawler is rather worthless. The Angry Chicken is a beast heck, these picks today are going so hilariously off the rails, I might as well count on anAngry Chickenwith a Houndmaster buff. Why the heck not?Round 24:Acolyte of Pain,Scavenging Hyena,Tundra RhinoWell then. The Acolyte of Pain would offer a much needed card pick, but combined with the Angry Chicken, theScavenging Hyenasuddenly doesnt look half bad. Tundra Rhino is a must-have for me in constructed hunter decks, but in this case I will bank on Unleash the Hounds to do the trick for me.Round 25:Grimscale Oracle,Scavenging Hyena,NightbladeWell, well, well! HelloScavenging Hyena, we meet again. I didnt pick Murlocs earlier, and I am not about to start. I normally like Nightblade, but at this point, I am very curious how two Scavenging Hyenas will play out.Round 26:Shattered Sun Cleric,Dragonling Mechanic,Arcane ShotI am a huge believer in minions over spells. The Dragonling Mechanic is great with its two-for-one ability, but I have a real soft spot for theShattered Sun Cleric. This wasnt an easy pick, though.Round 27:Magma Rager,Timber Wolf,Reckless RocketeerI had every intention of going beast heavy, but the Timber Wolf by itself isnt particularly strong, and played early it simply has a huge target on its back. It might be less of an issue if I had more card picking abilities (now Nat Pagle is surely laughing at me for skipping him over in Round 1). I like theReckless Rocketeera lot, shes saved my hide quite often when I had to deal with a bigger minion later in the game.Round 28:Tracking,Stormwind Knight,Dire Wolf AlphaIf I wasnt playing a hunter deck, the Stormwind Knight would have been my pick, however I still feel low on beast minions overall. I do like theDire Wolf Alpha, because he buff other minions, not just beast minions.Round 29:Ancient Brewmaster,Cult Master,Boulderfist OgreI have been desperately needing card pick options, and theCult Masterfits that bill.Round 30:Pint-Sized Summoner,Argent Commander,Angry ChickenOne Angry Chicken per deck is funny. Two Angry Chickens is just plain mental. TwoArgent Commandershowever is a nice way to hedge your bets for later rounds.Recap:I went into the final round hoping for more beast cards, and for some cards that would offer some card draw abilities. Overall, we did better getting some beasts in, and I am happy with two Argent Commanders and at least the minion that lets me draw more cards (fingers crossed). We also have a silky-smooth Mana curve.I may be wrong, but I think I had more opportunities to pick an Angry Chicken than I had cards with Taunt ability.Arena Picks with Rongar - Part 4As I am tentatively stepping into the Arena, I wanted to chronicle and share with you my process of selecting cards for my deck. It started out picking the hunter over a rogue or warlock hero, and the first three days were spent selecting cards. This is now thefinal deck listfor my Arena run.ArenaHunter,(cards sorted by low cost)Neutral(18) Angry Chicken Dire Wolf Alpha Faerie Dragon Pint-Sized Summoner River Crocolisk Harvest Golem Imp Master Shattered Sun Clericx2 Cult Master Dark Iron Dwarf Silvermoon Guardian Spellbreaker Silver Hand Knight Venture Co. Mercenary Argent Commander Reckless Rocketeer Ragnaros the FirelordHunter(11) Hunter's Mark Arcane Shot Flare Unleash the Hounds Scavenging Hyenax2 Animal Companion Deadly Shot Houndmaster Multi-Shot Explosive ShotArena Picks with Rongar - Part 5As I am tentatively stepping into the Arena, I wanted to chronicle and share with you my process of selecting cards for my deck. While I found the process of picking and choosing a total blast (and even more so because of your feedback throughout the week), I knew that actually playing in Arena mode would likely be where it all falls apart.Here are the results of my matches, and some observations.Match 1 vs. ShamanShaman gets the coin, my first hand isArgent Commander,Multi-ShotandScavenging Hyena. I drop Argent Commander and Multi-Shot, and draw Argent Commander andFlare. Oops. Shaman drops the coin to play a totem in round 1. Neither one of us ends up playing or getting any legendaries, but theReckless Rocketeer and Argent Commander (pulled twice) come up huge for me. Biggest surprise: Flare is actually useful. Angry Chicken watch: none. I win this one. If I retire right now, I could claim that I am undefeated in Arena.Score 1:0Match 2 vs. MageI get the coin and my first hand isArgent Commander,Dark Iron Dwarf,Silver Hand Knight, andAngry Chicken. I drop the Argent Commander and the Silver Hand Knight, and drawMulti-ShotandHoundmaster. The Houndmaster winds up helping me buff the Angry Chicken all the way to +11 Attack (which was absurd and fun), but a multitude of 4 and 5 mana minion draws prevent me from keeping up with a fast playing mage. Angry Chicken watch: one very angry chicken. I lose this round rather quickly.Score 1:1Match 3 vs. MageI drawArgent Commander,Silver Hand Knight, andSpellbreaker. I keep the Spellbreaker, and drawHarvest GolemandReckless Rocketeer. The match is a close one. My opponent plays a very balanced control deck, with plenty of taunt minions. A few boneheaded plays on my part open the door for the mage to come away with a win. Angry Chicken watch: an overly enraged chicken with +12 attack forces my opponent to burn aPolymorph. I lose this round after having gotten my opponent down to 4 points. At this point, Im worried. Id like to get at least 3 wins to come out of this without a losing record. So far, things are looking grim.Score 1:2Match 4 vs. PaladinUh oh, a paladin In my mind, I already count this one as a loss. I drawCult Master,Explosive Shot,Scavenging HyenaandShattered Sun Cleric. I trade Explosive Shot forDeadly Shot. I really love the hunter hero power, and it turns out thats what wins the game for me. Early board presence sets the tone, and I force my opponent to burn a number of healing cards. When he finally turns the table and gains the upper hand, his health points are already too far down, and no amount of taunt minions can stop my arrows. Angry Chicken watch: lots of ruffled feathers, but no chicken. I finally come out ahead again.Score 2:2Match 5 vs. PriestI wont lie, I want to win this one very badly. At worst, my record would then be 3:3, not a winning record, but also not a losing one either. The priest however might be trouble. I get anAnimal Companion,Cult Master, andRagnaros the Firelord, which gets traded forScavenging Hyena. In this match, card draw finally becomes a serious issue for me. AHoly Novaspell leaves me empty handed and card starved. I am top decking by round 9, and there are notop deck miraclesfor me. My run ends in bitterness and tears (not really). Angry Chicken watch: one chicken to peck out a divine shield, which ends up buffing two Scavenging Hyenas I have in play. Its a great feeling for a round or two, then things go south.Final score 2:3Final thoughts:There is no such thing as too many Shattered Sun Clerics or too many Argent Commanders in Arena. Those two cards are just incredible. Taunt cards are helpful, but perhaps not quite as essential as I initially thought.Lastly, the Angry Chicken should not be underestimated when played with the right combination of minions and support spells. OnlyGrommash Hellscream(limited to Warrior decks) has a greater Enrage ability at +6 than the Angry Chicken, and thats saying something!Arena was also far more entertaining (aside from the quick exit) than I imagined. Its a great way to discover cards that arent in your collection yet, and play with unexpected combinations. It is possibly a better way to learn the game than constructed play, and the rewards are nice too: the extra gold earned (combined with what I had) is enough to grant me another Arena run, and the card pack nets aSorcerer's Apprentice, anArgent Protector,SI:7 Agent,Battle Rageand anAlarm-o-Bot.Top Five Arena Picks: Mage EditionThe Hearthstone arena is a complicated battleground, one often influenced by factors beyond your control. Its possible to sometimes draft an unreal deck that features a good early game presence, valuable midgame cards and a solid late game presence. However, its also entirely possible to get wrecked by poor options, made worse by facing a superior opponent. Therefore, its important to be able to spot your best options as theyre made available to you. Every Sunday, Ill talk about some of my favorite cards in the arena, and what I like about them. Hopefully, my picks will help you in your endeavors.Mage. To some, the most overpowered class in the game because OMG LASERS! To others, a delightful class that offers the potential for high burst damage if you can keep yourself alive long enough. Unlike the first three classes weve discussed, youll find no weapons here, meaning youll have to be a little bit smarter when it comes to card selection. When drafting, should you focus on high damage spells, or lower damage control options? Well try and solve those mysteries today.1. FlamestrikeThe Hearthstone arena is a battle of imperfect decks. We try and put enough card draw and kill spells in them, but were ultimately at the mercy of the CCG Gods. Flamestrike is an incredible card because of its ability to clear an entire enemy board, with few questions asked. There will at times be outlying minions that survive, but this spell will certainly separate the chaff from the wheat. Try and hold this, if its possible, until the opponent has at least three creatures on the board. Id also recommend taking two of this card, if a second shows up just because of its raw power. Even if your opponent manages to restock his or her board, youve still probably forced them to be down a fair few cards in doing so.2. FireballThis and Polymorph can probably be switched, but I wanted to explain why I prefer Fireball over Polymorph. Fireball is six damage for four mana. That is enough to get rid about 85% of minions in the game. Its also six points of direct damage to the opposing hero. Polymorph cant harm Guldan, but Fireball can. Moreover, a Polymorph/Fireblast combo costs six mana. Its often feasible to cook something alive with Fireball, and save the other two mana for something else. You might say, the sheeps just a 1/1, why be concerned about it? Its still one damage that can be put towards taking out one of your minions, or even you. It can also be buffed by neutral cards or class specific buffs.3. PolymorphThe random nature of arena can often lead to some unpredictable cards being tossed into the mix. There is not a single high tier competitive deck right now that includes Gruul. Hes slow, and while powerful, one Polymorph, Hex or Assassinate can do him in, and thats why Polymorph is so valuable. Its a great solution for strong, or even irritating minions. A word of caution, though. Make sure what youre using it on cant be handled in any other fashion. You never want to end up in a situation where you Polymorph a Senjin and dont have it for a Tirion later.4. FrostboltFrostbolt functions like Fireball, but with half the calories. While Fireball should generally be saved to use on an opposing hero where possible, Frostbolt is a spell you can feel good about using to remove opposing minions. It also features the freeze functionality, making it great against weapon classes. In an absolute emergency, it can even be tossed at a large creature, maybe a Boulderfist Ogre, just to slow it down for a turn while you desperately hunt for a better solution. This spell has a low mana cost, versatility and is made of real ice, great pick!5. PyroblastPyroblast is an interesting case, as my picks tend to go. Essentially, it offers you no board control because its an eight mana finishing move once your opponent is at ten health. It can be cast on a minion, buts a huge waste of this cards potential. If you do get your hands on a Pyroblast early on in the draft, youll want to make sure you set yourself up to last until that final card is drawn. This card comes late, so the rest of what you choose needs to be a bit more flexible to accommodate it. This Mage specific spell is very powerful, but youll have to play around it a bit with your picks. Still, totally worth grabbing.Top Five Arena Picks: Shaman EditionThe Hearthstone arena is a complicated battleground, one often influenced by factors beyond your control. Its possible to sometimes draft an unreal deck that features a good early game presence, valuable midgame cards and a solid late game presence. However, its also entirely possible to get wrecked by poor options, made worse by facing a superior opponent. Therefore, its important to be able to spot your best options as theyre made available to you. Every Sunday, Ill talk about some of my favorite cards in the arena, and what I like about them. Hopefully, my picks will help you in your endeavors.Thralls been a fairly classy dude in the most recent World of Warcraft expansions. Thats great, but in the Hearthstone arena youll probably want to see some old-timey, Blood of Mannoroth style Orc rage from the former Warchief. Diplomacy wont help you, but blood, thunder and shouting might. All jokes aside, Shamans a fantastic arena class. Thralls primary win condition, Bloodlust, is a common, meaning theres a reasonable shot youll see one or two of them. The only real drawback is that Lighting Storm, the class specific area of effect spell is a rare, meaning your odds of obtaining one are far less favorable. Speaking of Lightning Storm..1. Lightning StormWeve talked about the importance of board clearing in articles prior, so I wont harp on it. Needless to say, the ability to reset the board in your favor is huge. Again, this cards a rare, so if you see it, you should probably grab it up, regardless of other options.2. Earth ElementalIm not huge on Earth Elemental in constructed, largely because of the unreal overload cost it features. Its a back breaking minion if it sticks, but if it doesnt, youre down a bunch of mana on the next turn and totally lose tempo. Those complaints voiced, this card is fantastic in arena, where your investment stands far better odds of surviving a turn or two. While it is brutal in the early game, it really shines later on when both you and your opponent are inevitably top decking. Your opponent plays Harvest Golem! You play a giant rock monster! You probably win in that scenario.3. HexHex is not a sexy pick, but like Polymorph, it has a place in arena decks. Its a great cure for large, beefy minions like Boulderfist Ogre and Venture Co. Mercenary. Id take up to three.4. Fire ElementalI love Fire Elemental. This behemoth is large, deals three damage upon taking to the field and, best of all, features no overload cost whatsoever. I ranked Hex above it, but depending on how your deck is looking, it might be worth prioritizing this card. It hits hard, features built in removal and wont slow you down, in terms of tempo. Ive taken as many as four and have never been disappointed.5. Flametongue TotemThrall is very good at cluttering up the board with totems. Flametongue Totem turns those other, toothless totems into threats, and can be done so on the fly, ensuring that the surprise factor is very real. Given how rare removal can be at times, Flametongue Totem is a sort of soft removal, and I highly recommend taking two where possible.Five Tips For Arena ZenThe Hearthstone arena can be exciting, and also incredibly frustrating. For those of us who either cant or wont drop a bunch of money on the game, its the primary method of obtaining cards, making each run super important to our personal economy. Each arena run puts us closer to that fabled legendary we need to complete our Play Mode weapon of choice, so when it does come time to draft our decks and hop into the fray, its a decidedly serious affair.Thats where things take a turn for the stressful, in a game that should be about having a good time. This article isnt about rankings, or which cards to pick. Its more about how to approach the arena from a philosophical standpoint, in order to ensure that while being productive, youre also having a good time.5. Respect the RNGWere taught as gamers to always be moving forward. We level up, we rank up, we increase our stats. In Play Mode, we start at 25 and move up the ladder. Arena is a different animal. Its possible to go 10 3 in one run, and then 2 3 in the next, simply because our masterpiece is less masterful than that of our opponents. We might construct something passable and then run into the guy or gal with four Truesilver Champions, Tirion Fordring and two Consecrations. RNG is a real thing in the arena, and while we never, ever want to blame it for our shortcomings, its always a good idea to keep in mind. Sometimes, well just have to live with Goldshire Footman, Wisp and Southsea Deckhand as our options. Try, where possible, to find the comedy in such things, as opposed to turning to anger.4. Respect the mana curveFire Elemental is an outrageously good card, perhaps moreso in the arena where its possible to have more than two. That said, just because youre offered it five times doesnt mean you should take it five times. Five Fire Elementals mean nothing if you dont survive long enough to get them out. If you see good, high mana cards and passable low mana cards, and you have more six drops than two drops, you should take the two drop. In the arena, its important to have a productive mana curve.3. Respect your opponentThis really applies to Play Mode too, but its an essential rule in arena. When card packs are on the line, nerves get frayed and tempers get tested. Dropping a well-timed Flamestrike can essentially obliterate someones chances of victory. Be gracious about it. Theres no need to spam the Thank You emote when winning. Its in poor taste and degrades the community as a whole. Be humble. Greet your opponent, offer them a well-played at the end of a match, regardless of whether or not they actually played well. This sort of decent behavior will breed more of the same in others, resulting in a more enjoyable player base.2. Respect the turn lengthTake the extra two seconds to double check your moves before you do them. You have 90 seconds per turn. You dont need to use all of those seconds, but its wise to spend a couple of extra proofreading. It might be that you come across a better, more productive option. Tunnel vision can at times prevent us from seeing a better play, so try and consider your strategy from multiple angles. I promise itll make your arena runs more productive and, as an added bonus, youll be less irritated with yourself over foolish mistakes.1. Set realistic goalsWe all want to live the 12 0 dream. Realistically though, seven wins gets us a pack and enough gold to hop into the arena again. A perfect score can be a daunting goal, but 7 3 is doable with card knowledge and some luck. Aim for a goal thats realistic for you. Try and push yourself to do better with time, but realize that its all about getting better over time. Even the best players started somewhere!Hopefully these tips can help you not only do better in the arena, but come to enjoy the experience more, regardless of outcome.