Big Changes are coming to Arena Mode!

For those of you who play a lot of Arena, this update was well warranted. Before the changes, classes like Mage and Rogue were autopicks – they were simply, literally and statistically, better than any other class you could be choosing instead. Now, however, with these updates, the Arena Meta has shifted quite a bit. Here are the removed cards list:

Mage

• Forgotten Torch
• Snowchugger
• Faceless Summoner

Rogue

• Goblin Auto Barber
• Undercity Valiant

Paladin

• No changes

Shaman

• Vitality Totem
• Dust Devil
• Totemic Might
• Ancestral Healing
• Dunemaul Shaman
• Windspeaker

Warlock

• Anima Golem
• Sacrificial Pact
• Curse of Rafaam
• Sense Demons
• Void Crusher
• Reliquary Seeker
• Succubus

Druid

• Savagery
• Poison Seeds
• Soul of the Forest
• Mark of Nature
• Tree of Life
• Astral Communion

Warrior

• Warsong Commander
• Bolster
• Charge
• Bouncing Blade
• Axe Flinger
• Rampage
• Ogre Warmaul

Hunter

• Starving Buzzard
• Call Pet
• Timber Wolf
• Cobra Shot
• Lock and Load
• Dart Trap
• Snipe

Priest

• Mind Blast
• Shadowbomber
• Lightwell
• Power Word: Glory
• Confuse
• Convert
• Inner Fire

I know these are a lot of changes, but let’s look over them slowly.

Overall, Mage and Rogue got the sharp end of the stick. Forgotten Torch, Snowchugger and Faceless Summoner were all basically auto picks at the end of the day, and in Arena at least, were very, very strong. For Rogue as well, Goblin Auto Barber and Undercity Valiant were both incredible due to the fact that they provided above average Tempo value and even a bonus effect that often times gave one player an advantage over the other.

On the other hand, the removal of cards for the other classes is more of a buff than anything else. I mean, really – cards like Power Word: Glory, Starving Buzzard, Totemic Might and Anima Golem were simply never used due to the fact that, bluntly, they are terrible in Arena. For a gamemode as consistent as Arena, these cards are all far too situational to see any play whatsoever.

In the end, Warrior got the best side of this deal – the removal of these cards simply means that you have higher chances of drafting cards that are, in every way, better than these. We’ll see what this does to the Meta soon, but in the meantime, go try it out! I can promise an, at least slightly more consistent drafting process.