The Super Mario Brothers minus world warp glitch was the first game secret I was ever taught. I say taught because game secrets were passed down from person to person back then as the Internet and even Nintendo Power wasn't a thing. When I heard about it I was really impressed that such a thing was even possible in a video game and my young mind was completely blown when a friend showed it to me. Later on I learned another Mario glitch where you could shoot fireballs while small that I loved even more than the minus world glitch. The video linked above talks about the minus world glitch and gives an in depth explanation as to how it works.
If you want to know how to... Read All
The Super Mario Brothers minus world warp glitch was the first game secret I was ever taught. I say taught because game secrets were passed down from person to person back then as the Internet and even Nintendo Power wasn't a thing. When I heard about it I was really impressed that such a thing was even possible in a video game and my young mind was completely blown when a friend showed it to me. Later on I learned another Mario glitch where you could shoot fireballs while small that I loved even more than the minus world glitch. The video linked above talks about the minus world glitch and gives an in depth explanation as to how it works.
If you want to know how to shoot fire while you are small check out the YouTube video below.
Do you remember the chocolate factory rumor? People were convinced there was a secret chocolate factory you could find. Jeff Rovin wrote a book called How To Win At Nintendo Games that mentioned the rumor offhandedly and then it got passed around.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/27/2016 at 05:44pm
I'd never heard that one. Interesting how these things get started.
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Spore was one of 2008's most anticipated games and had a very rocky launch. Some people felt the game didn't quite live up to the hype and others chided it for it's, at the time, very draconian DRM. Recently it's had a sort of second-life on Steam, being one of the more popular games in various sales and today it finally comes to GOG entirely DRM free. Awesome to see EA finally open this game up to a DRM release and bundle it up at such a reduced price.
"From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in a universe of your own creations. Play through Spore's five evolutionary stages: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Each stage has its own unique... Read All
Spore was one of 2008's most anticipated games and had a very rocky launch. Some people felt the game didn't quite live up to the hype and others chided it for it's, at the time, very draconian DRM. Recently it's had a sort of second-life on Steam, being one of the more popular games in various sales and today it finally comes to GOG entirely DRM free. Awesome to see EA finally open this game up to a DRM release and bundle it up at such a reduced price.
"From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in a universe of your own creations. Play through Spore's five evolutionary stages: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Each stage has its own unique style, challenges, and goals. You can play how you choose start in Cell and nurture one species from humble tidepool organism to intergalactic traveler, or jump straight in and build tribes or civilizations on new planets. What you do with your universe is up to you."
You can pick up the entire Spore collection on GOG now %60 off for $12 that includes the base Spore game, Galactic Adventures and the Creepy and Cute Parts Pack.
Spore. It's a really, really great concept. And done mostly well. I definitely recommend picking up this game for this price.
I was one who bought into the hype for this. I bought the Creature Creator before the game came out (which was pretty fun in itself. Just building creatures that would then populate the game server), and then the game itself right when it came out. Initially, I had a BLAST playing Spore (looking back, I'm surprised I've never wrote about Spore before). The Cellular level is probably my favorite. If you've played Agar.io or Solar 2, it's very similar. You start out in a tidepool, eating either plants or other microscopic beings, guiding your evolution along the way. Sometimes I'll simply play that part of the game and then turn it off :)
Overall, the game got old quickly, but I never bought any of the expansions. I'd say this is almost a must buy for $12. It's a great game that can have a lot of replayability. I got tired of the game myself, but I still recommend playing it through at least once :)
I thought pre-ordering Borderlands 2 on the PS3 was a really good idea. Or... at least it seemed like a good idea at the time. See, back then I mostly played games on the PS3 but what I didn't realize at the time was that my tastes were quickly shifting back to the PC. When Borderlands 2 dropped, like many people I created a Gunzerker and had an absolute blast playing the game. Then the Mecromancer free DLC dropped and I created a new Mecromancer game. The Mecromancer was really fun and I swapped between both games playing a bit as the Mecromancer and as the Gunzerker. Then Travis got me Borderlands 2 on PC for Christmas and I started a new Gunzerker game on PC. I'd... Read All
I thought pre-ordering Borderlands 2 on the PS3 was a really good idea. Or... at least it seemed like a good idea at the time. See, back then I mostly played games on the PS3 but what I didn't realize at the time was that my tastes were quickly shifting back to the PC. When Borderlands 2 dropped, like many people I created a Gunzerker and had an absolute blast playing the game. Then the Mecromancer free DLC dropped and I created a new Mecromancer game. The Mecromancer was really fun and I swapped between both games playing a bit as the Mecromancer and as the Gunzerker. Then Travis got me Borderlands 2 on PC for Christmas and I started a new Gunzerker game on PC. I'd also created a couple other characters to try out but by the time the holiday season was over I was tired of playing the same missions over again and stopped playing the game.
After the Humble Borderlands Bundle dropped WhiteboySlim started a regular Borderlands 2 event and I started yet another character, this time as the Psycho Krieg and since so much time had passed I was having fun playing the main story again. We stopped the regular Borderlands 2 event having progressed a good ways through the game but I recently I got the itch to continue. So recently I started playing the game again continuing where I left off with Krieg and the main story.
Yo Call of Duty, i'm really happy for you, i'm going to let you finish but Boderlands is one of the best shooters of all time!
I'm really proud that we voted Borderlands 2 the Cheerful Ghost Game of the Year in 2012. Actually the top two winners that year were Borderlands 2 and FTL so yeah, double happy about that. Both FTL and Borderlands 2 are great games I keep coming back to playing every so often so they both make sense to get the top billing that year. Borderlands 2 is a great game to play with friends and contains just the right amount of difficulty, loot and progression to make it a continued friend multiplayer staple even now.
Sooner or later i'll complete Borderlands 2 and do a final write up of my thoughts on the whole game. But after four years what do you think of Borderlands 2? Still good or do you think something different after this much time has passed?
I think it's a game like Diablo and others that will be playable for years. Definitely one of my faves.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/17/2016 at 03:54am
Some sweet looking deals for the game on Steam (see link below) until the 19th. The game is $5, GotY Edition is $10. Then there's the $106 "Borderlands Take Over Your Life Bundle." There's also an $80 "Borderlands Triple Pack."
I played Borderlands 2 when it was free-to-play for a few days. Steam shows that I only spent 2 hours playing it. Honestly I'm not even sure if I really played it that long, I know I didn't get very far into it at all. There's not very much of it that I remember. The reviews for the game are great, but a demo would be greater.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/17/2016 at 05:43am
I recommend starting with the original Borderlands. It's a solid game and the campaign is more to my taste. That said the original + DLC is $30 on Steam right now so wait for a better deal
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Today Blizzard released a new Hearthstone game update featuring the Welcome Bundle. The Welcome Bundle is $5 and can only be purchased once per account and contains 10 classic packs and one random class Legendary. This is a really good way for new players to pay a bit and get some cards for cheap. Most free to play games have this sort of starter pack and it's nice to see Hearthstone finally get one.
I am a pretty happy doing the Hearthstone free to play thing but I really wanted those packs and a shot at a cool Legendary so I dropped some Google Play credit I had from taking free surveys through the Google Opinion Rewards app. Am I still free to play because I haven't... Read All
Today Blizzard released a new Hearthstone game update featuring the Welcome Bundle. The Welcome Bundle is $5 and can only be purchased once per account and contains 10 classic packs and one random class Legendary. This is a really good way for new players to pay a bit and get some cards for cheap. Most free to play games have this sort of starter pack and it's nice to see Hearthstone finally get one.
I am a pretty happy doing the Hearthstone free to play thing but I really wanted those packs and a shot at a cool Legendary so I dropped some Google Play credit I had from taking free surveys through the Google Opinion Rewards app. Am I still free to play because I haven't spent any of my actual money? I think so.
The class Legendary I got was the Hunter legendary King Krush. Krush doesn't see much play but it's a great card and I've wanted to build a Hunter face deck that uses him. Krush is a fun card but Call of Wild sees more play and since it's an epic you can include two. Looking forward to building a deck with Krush, Call of the Wild and as many charge cards as make sense to include. No idea if it will be good but it should be fun to play.
I figured since I have a ton of classic cards already opening 10 packs wouldn't contain much and I was happy to see that I was wrong. I opened two Legendaries from the 10 packs one being Deathwing and the other being a golden Lore Walker Cho. Deathwing is a very cool card but i'm not sure how I can use it right now. I decided to dust my Golden Lore Walker Cho and craft Tyrion Fordring instead. Tyrion is one of the best legendaries in the game and I've wanted him for quite some time and it was awesome to finally add him to my Paladin decks.
Sweet pulls for you! I've used King Krush in a hunter deck and he's still powerful as a finisher. He's not Tier 1, but flavor wise he's awesome and he can pack the punch.
I also pulled two leggies in my 10 packs oddly (not a gold tho)
And classic are still the best packs to open. Since they don't rotate, it's the best place to get all the legendaries and if they nerf cards, it will likely be from classic (as the wilds rotate and are less impacting), so you can get bonus gold for dusting nerfed cards (you get the full craft value.
I had a golden epic that got nerfed... was nice collecting that 1600 dust, so you never know. Classic has best value and longest returns imo.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/16/2016 at 03:15pm
I agree with you about that classic value as most of my crafted legendaries st this point are classic. My last lengebdaru I crafted before The Welcome pack was Ragnaros.
Cool you got Jaraxxus, that's one on my list for sure but I think the NEXT legendary on my list to craft will be Ysera.
Ysera was my first crafted as I played control priest pretty exclusively the first year of the game.
I'm pretty addicted to gold cards lol. I justify spending the money I do by saying I'm not playing magic anymore and I was spending $120/ month on magic on average. Every 3 months a new set comes out, I'd spend $210 on boxes of packs, plus $50 for pretelease events, and then likely another $100 on singles or a new play mat, etc.
So, hearthstone can eat some of that and I'm ok. Having all the cool cards makes it harder for me to stick to a deck tho and not play all the fun ones.
Like you caught me yesterday grinding beast Hunter. I really want to try to get legendary. My best is rank 5 with 5 stars (they take away win streak bonus at rank 5 it seems, btw). My matches are 70% shaman, 20% hunter, 5% druid, 5% warlock, .01% mage. So I'm SICK of shamans right now.
I also find I get rematches more often now, so that's funny.
I'm about 20 wins from 500 on Hunter. Might switch decks after to focus another class.
Also, OH MY GAED, I want that new priest!!! It better not be another device specific one. I'll be making a trip to Sprint if it is lol
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/17/2016 at 08:48pm
The new Priest hero looks great. I wonder how we'll be able to get it?
Not too long ago I got the the point where I had enough commons, rares & epics so I could craft a Legendary. The first three I crafted were Sylvanis, N'Zoth and Twin Emperor Veklor. More recently Ragnaros and then these.
For my play style it makes sense to craft what I did but I REALLY want Ysera as it's such a cool card.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/18/2016 at 05:58am
Here is the Hunter deck I made that features King Krush called "Face is the Place." It should really have two Call of the Wild's but I only have one of those. Basically it's a face deck with some answers to help clear taunts and big minions that make it hard to go face. The answers being Hunter's Mark & On The Hunt to take down anything big or a taunt as well as 2 Deadly Shots.
It's not too bad but Krush doesn't come up as much as i'd like but when he does it's nearly always the finisher that is immensely satisfying.
So now I have Priest, Mage, Hunter at gold. Think I might try druid next, at around 400 and been playing against a portal/yogg/N'Zoth druid deck that looks fun, so trying that.
Face hunter can be a fun change of pace for a bit. It's funny to me that I got it to 500 actually (I did play Dragon Hunter for a long time too tho).
Your list looks solid. I'd consider swapping out the Argent Riders for Toads maybe. a 2 drop 3/2 beast with a deathrattle vs a 2/1 charge/shield for 3 mana. Kinda depends, but in my experience, getting a minion out on T1 or T2 is key. You currently run 12 3-mana cards and only 7 2-mana cards.
Plus, 2 more beasts give you synergy with Kill Command and Hound Master. And with coin, the Toad is a great T1 play against any deck.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/21/2016 at 12:05pm
That's a good idea. The horses have mattered some when they had charge but the deck does not suffer much from having minions that have to wait a turn.
Also, congrats on the 500 ranked wins. Golden heroes are a fun achievement.
I'm not familiar with any of the Paper Mario games, but this starts out looking cute and adorable, and then transitions into crazy. I kinda love it. The gameplay seems odd, and I wonder if they've tried to make it too unique? I wish I could rent this game to try it out when it comes out :)
I'm not familiar with any of the Paper Mario games, but this starts out looking cute and adorable, and then transitions into crazy. I kinda love it. The gameplay seems odd, and I wonder if they've tried to make it too unique? I wish I could rent this game to try it out when it comes out :)
Apparently Terraria can't stop getting better and even though this new update is small it also brings some new items as well as a desert biome sandstorm. I like the new polish they are adding the game as it will make it a bit more fresh when players return to build up a new world.
Since version 1.3 the developers have considered Terraria finished due to the "endgame boss" the Moon Lord but they are still updating the base game with new items, biome weather effects and more but after this I wonder where they plan on taking the game? I'm also wondering what would you like to see added to Terraria? As a pretty big Terraria fan it the game seems already really good to me... Read All
Apparently Terraria can't stop getting better and even though this new update is small it also brings some new items as well as a desert biome sandstorm. I like the new polish they are adding the game as it will make it a bit more fresh when players return to build up a new world.
Since version 1.3 the developers have considered Terraria finished due to the "endgame boss" the Moon Lord but they are still updating the base game with new items, biome weather effects and more but after this I wonder where they plan on taking the game? I'm also wondering what would you like to see added to Terraria? As a pretty big Terraria fan it the game seems already really good to me and beyond more items things seem darn near perfect.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/13/2016 at 09:50am
I noticed the game got updated recently. I thought about posting about it here. When I saw that no one did, I thought, is no one here really going to mention it? As obsessed as we are with the game. LOL This is definitely one of my favorite games currently. I still want to play it, still love it, and can't wait to play with my fellow Cheerful Ghosts again. It is tempting to start up a new world to check out the new updates since I last played. However, there seems to be more in store! At the end of the post Safeman says, "we will now dive into our next update and get to work on some top secret cross-over action." So, what's coming to Terraria next? I have no idea. Does "secret cross-over action" mean Terraria: Otherworld? I certainly hope so!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/13/2016 at 04:08pm
Not sure what cross over stuff they have in store but I am looking forward to it!
Yep, holiday CG server is a must! I dig the incremental updates. This one doesn't even require a new world to see the changes. 1.3.2 worlds can get all the goodies.
Cross-over action could mean a lot. They have done that in the past with other games like Edge of Space getting a Terraria boss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5pS6zOG3kc
And things like real yo-yos being included. But Greg, an Otherworld item or two being thrown into Terraria would get the hype up for Otherworld so that definitely could be it.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/13/2016 at 08:52pm
> Yep, holiday CG server is a must!
Get hype kids.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/14/2016 at 01:42am
>> Yep, holiday CG server is a must! >Get hype kids.
Looking forward to another CG Terraria server! All aboard the hype train!! I think it should be an Expert Mode server. Pre-made structures would be good to include, too, so we don't have to build a lot. You could copy the arenas and places we had on the last one, that would be cool, IMHO.
> I dig the incremental updates. This one doesn't even require a new world to see the changes. 1.3.2 worlds can get all the goodies.
I didn't realize that, so thanks for sharing. I wonder when the next update will be, what's in it, and how many more updates the game will get, especially before T:O.
>Cross-over action could mean a lot. They have done that in the past with other games like Edge of Space getting a Terraria boss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5pS6zOG3kc
Yeah I got Edge of Space. Steam says I've played it for a whole whopping 25 hours! I may have to try it out again, I wasn't very impressed with it.
That was over three years ago, after the surprising announcement that 1.2 would be release, which itself was after a year or so after the player-base mourned the announcement that development had halted at 1.1 for good.
And look at how far we've come since then! I'm shocked, amazed, and grateful that we're still getting updates over five years after release.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/15/2016 at 10:45pm
LOL @Travis, you are the cross-posting-of-your-own-posts master! I'm not sure if I remember seeing that interview before, but I think it's amazing that you got to interview him. How'd you manage to get that interview? It is interesting to see it now knowing we're still getting updates.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/16/2016 at 01:59am
> I'm shocked, amazed, and grateful that we're still getting updates over five years after release.
They made a mint on Terraria. If they can keep making a mint and update the game, why not? Seems like a great model to me.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 04/22/2017 at 03:22am
1.3.5 update is live. Mostly fixes but some features too.
Some Obsidian devs have created Mos Eisley in Unreal Engine 4 just as a fun little project. This is not for any game. Don't want you to get your hopes up! :D
The download clocks in at 7.4 GB, just for one level, which tells you something about the assets. If you've ever wanted to walk around in the most realistic Mos Eisley imaginable, now's your chance!
The project started as a 3DSMax model of the Falcon, and then grew from there. 17 people at Obsidian joined in to provide artwork and other help.
This really pushes graphics hardware, getting about 45fps on a GTX 970/980, so if you have aging hardware you might just get a slideshow.
They are about 90% done with it and... Read All
Some Obsidian devs have created Mos Eisley in Unreal Engine 4 just as a fun little project. This is not for any game. Don't want you to get your hopes up! :D
The download clocks in at 7.4 GB, just for one level, which tells you something about the assets. If you've ever wanted to walk around in the most realistic Mos Eisley imaginable, now's your chance!
The project started as a 3DSMax model of the Falcon, and then grew from there. 17 people at Obsidian joined in to provide artwork and other help.
This really pushes graphics hardware, getting about 45fps on a GTX 970/980, so if you have aging hardware you might just get a slideshow.
They are about 90% done with it and plan to add VR support in the future.
UPDATE: A review! Can tech demos have reviews? Is this allowed? What's next? Human Sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!
There are options you can set to tune this to your hardware, so don't be discouraged by the specs I mentioned above. That was probably with everything on ultra. I got a ton of texture pop-in but otherwise this is gorgeous. The texture pop-in can be minimized by setting the Unreal Engine process to high priority in task manager. Don't do real-time unless you want your system to crash.
Also there's a "hidden weapon" that you can find, but I haven't yet. It's gotta be a lightsaber though right?
This feels like the closest interactive media has ever gotten to real Star Wars. I feel slightly embarrassed to admit that a tech demo made me feel emotions, but this did.
Time for a whole-series rewatch. :D
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 04:35pm
Updated with a "review"
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 06:40pm
You should try the Star Wars VR experience. :) I have had the Falcon fly over me, and I have worked on the falcon. I am pretty much an expert in Millennium Falcon repair. :)
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 08:38pm
I would love to, but I don't have any VR gear.
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 09:31pm
I found the secret weapon. It's not a lightsaber. It's pretty amazing though.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 01:12am
Is it a laser cat?
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 02:18am
Nice. I think I found the secret weapon, or at least another one, but I wasn't sure how to pick it up. I cranked the options and it said my FPS was 62.
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 04:32am
Greg, if you found it you just walk over it to pick it up (or near it) and you select it with H. Was it in a room with other secret-looking stuff, including pictures from other movies?
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 04:38am
Was it orange?
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 02:53pm
If you ever wanted to try your had at making games the Humble GameMaker Bundle might be the thing you are looking for. Many awesome games have been made in GameMaker such as Hotline Miami, Risk of Rain and Home. The Humble GameMaker Bundle includes GameMaker and a ton of games made in GameMaker but if you hit the right tiers also includes the source code for certain games included in the bundle. So not only do you get GameMaker but also the code from a bunch of games making your process of learning that much easier. $15 is the top tier that unlocks everything and for what you get, it's an incredible value.
If you're not interested in making games you can simply enter... Read All
If you ever wanted to try your had at making games the Humble GameMaker Bundle might be the thing you are looking for. Many awesome games have been made in GameMaker such as Hotline Miami, Risk of Rain and Home. The Humble GameMaker Bundle includes GameMaker and a ton of games made in GameMaker but if you hit the right tiers also includes the source code for certain games included in the bundle. So not only do you get GameMaker but also the code from a bunch of games making your process of learning that much easier. $15 is the top tier that unlocks everything and for what you get, it's an incredible value.
If you're not interested in making games you can simply enter your email address and get 2 free games and a demo.
This bundle has been crazy popular and as such is already well over a million dollars raised for charity. This particular bundle supports Doctors without Borders so not only do you get some awesome stuff but it goes to a great cause.
You'd think GameMaker would just make little simplistic games, but it's amazing what you can do with it. Getting started in it is simple, I've made a few not-really-games just playing around with it, and it's very easy to get into but has enough depth to make some impressive stuff. It's not going to be as complex or push the graphical boundaries as what you could do in Unreal Engine or something, but there have been some indie darlings that have used GameMaker.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 02:46pm
I picked this up! I even spent a little more than the max needed to unlock everything since it is such a great value.
I picked this up, too. Just the base package without any modules, though I'm tempted to go in for the HTML module. I'm assuming they are about to release a new version of GameMaker, but this is an amazing deal regardless. One of my favorite games in recent history (Risk of Rain) was made on GameMaker!
For the next 24 hours the folks over at the Humble Store are giving away Tropico 4 on Steam for free.
"The world is changing and Tropico is moving with the times - geographical powers rise and fall and the world market is dominated by new players with new demands and offers - and you, as El Presidente, face a whole new set of challenges. If you are to triumph over your naysayers you will need to gain as much support from your people as possible. Your decisions will shape the future of your nation, and more importantly, the size of your off-shore bank account."
Tropico 4 is available for PC and Mac and is rated very well on Steam and Metacritic so if you wanted to try... Read All
For the next 24 hours the folks over at the Humble Store are giving away Tropico 4 on Steam for free.
"The world is changing and Tropico is moving with the times - geographical powers rise and fall and the world market is dominated by new players with new demands and offers - and you, as El Presidente, face a whole new set of challenges. If you are to triumph over your naysayers you will need to gain as much support from your people as possible. Your decisions will shape the future of your nation, and more importantly, the size of your off-shore bank account."
Tropico 4 is available for PC and Mac and is rated very well on Steam and Metacritic so if you wanted to try this one out, head over to the Humble Store and pick it up for free now!
jdodson gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
jdodson gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Last week the final wing of the new Hearthstone Adventure One Night in Karazhan was released wrapping up a full month of new cards. I like the way Blizzard launches Adventures in that they release one new wing of cards per week giving us a full month of new content. There have been a few complaints about the new adventure, the main one being that the campaign is way too easy. This is entirely accurate as I completed nearly each fight the first time. Even though the wings were easy I did enjoy the Adventure and have replayed quite a bit of it.
Each Hearthstone adventure is a bit of story mixed with with unique boss battles and new cards but for me the Adventures hang on... Read All
Last week the final wing of the new Hearthstone Adventure One Night in Karazhan was released wrapping up a full month of new cards. I like the way Blizzard launches Adventures in that they release one new wing of cards per week giving us a full month of new content. There have been a few complaints about the new adventure, the main one being that the campaign is way too easy. This is entirely accurate as I completed nearly each fight the first time. Even though the wings were easy I did enjoy the Adventure and have replayed quite a bit of it.
Each Hearthstone adventure is a bit of story mixed with with unique boss battles and new cards but for me the Adventures hang on the new cards.
My Favorite Karazhan Cards
In the last year I've really enjoyed playing Hunter decks and Karazhan added some new cards that will be a new staple of Hunter decks. Kindly Grandmother is a 1/1 beast card for 2 that's deathrattle summons a 3/2 beast. At first I wasn't sure this card would make it into my Hunter decks but at this point i'm not sure i'd ever make a Hunter deck without including it. Cloaked Huntress is another interesting card that lets you summon secrets for free while in play making it fun to play while not be overpowered. Cat Trick is a nice new Hunter secret that is a great counter against spell decks and board clears.
Paladin got a few cards that have really been fun to play one being Ivory Knight. Ivory Knight is a 4/4 for 6 that allows you do discover a spell and heals you for the spell cost. More healing for Paladin is incredible for control decks and this card found it's way into one of the most fun control decks I've played.
Karazhan added some new neutral cards that have either improved a few of my decks or created new types entirely and one card that I add it to most of my Deathrattle decks is Barnes. Barnes is a 3/4 for 4 that randomly summons a 1/1 copy from a minion in your deck. So at it's worst it get Yeti stats and it it's best you can get out a 1/1 Deathrattle card like Sylvanis, Highmane or Ragnaros. Barnes is an interesting card and I haven't found it to be incredibly overpowered but does, at times, have a really fun effect on the board.
One new epic card from Karazhan I have had a blast playing with is Arcane Giant. Adding Arcane Giant to a spell heavy deck can give you a huge tempo swing when you drop the Giants for nearly no mana. Giants in Hearthstone can be summoned if you lose enough life, there are enough minons on the board or now based on the amount of spells you cast.
Looking Forward To The New Meta And Next Expansion
People are still playing with the new cards and experimenting with decks and so far the meta is still working itself out. I've had lots of great games playing with the new cards and haven't personally seen a lot of the new cards show up yet. After the meta shakes out in a month we will start the wait for the next Hearthstone expansion that should drop sometime around the years end. Blizzard has a planned Standard mode cadence of 2 expansions and 1 adventure per year so 2016 should be getting one final expansion to seal up the year. And if it's anything like Whispers of the Old Gods it should be pretty awesome and like most things Hearthstone, i'll be talking about it a lot.
**note** I really enjoyed Travis's recent article title "We Really Need To Talk About Early Access DLC." It was a great article that prompted lots of interesting discussion and I wanted to sort of borrow that for this post. You know. Because titles are hard and it seemed like the right thing to do.
Priest of the Feast, Onyx Bishop, and Barnes have made a huge new priest resurrect deck. It can be a pain to play around. T2 coin-injured blademaster. Then either Circle of Healing it or they typically just want it to die. Then resurrect a 4/7 next turn. Or, I've seen T3 coin out Barnes, get Ysera or Sylvannas. You kill the 1/1 then T4 they double resurrect.
Best thing to do against this deck is polymorph something and kill a sheep on their side (or hex). Kill as many as the weak enemies as possible. The Loot Hoarders they sometimes run or Barnes himself.
The new warlock discard deck looks fun, excited to try that one at some point. It's really inconsistent though. I played it before the Imp was released and I had 4 cards in hand, 2 were free spells if discarded, 2 were discard when play. I played one (Soulfire) and discarded the other discard enabler, making me then lose a card plus have to pay mana for the other 2. Where as I could have basically got 4 cards played for only paying for 2 (plus getting +1/+1 on the one guy and drawing cards if Imp is out). So, it relies on praying to RNGesus.
Firelands Portal and Babbling Book are both great for Mage. I crafted golds of each (I love cards that produce other cards, so I tend to try to get gold versions because it then generates gold rando cards for you). Both were ok in Tempo Mage, the Babbling Book with Brann is great, and Brann isn't bad in Tempo Mage anyways.
Medivh is one I'm testing in reno-pally. It's pretty solid. 8 mana for a 7/7 is only 1 more than a war golem, plus you get that awesome weapon.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 04:22am
Medivh is a great card if you can get him out. During the Adventure and the first week after I had a blast playing new decks and did quite a bit of winning. That said, now that meta is solidifying people are going back to really fast aggro decks and I haven't done as well. I really was enjoying not having to netdeck as much for wins but I haven't won a single match today.
I find that really fun decks are not as well optimized as the netdeck aggro decks therefore you lose in a longer match because you can't out value your opponent. Hopefully quests can turn less into win based and more into playing based so people are less incentivized to simply play the most winningest decks and maybe try something a bit more fun. Because whereas I get how to play aggro Shaman or Aggro Pally, I really like other builds of that class more.
Yup, I'm fully with you there. I hate the aggro decks. Magic and Hearthstone both suffer from this problem. I tend to aim for the fun decks while trying to still be competitive, but it's a hard line to walk.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/09/2016 at 05:49am
It is. I keep pace with the meta to have at least a couple decks then experiment outside that.
Hopefully the next expansion slows things down but that was what the thought was for WoToG and it didn't really.
Yeah, I always dreamt that magic would slow down. Every time the format changed it was only a matter of time until someone found a combo that could be a T3 win. I like winning, but I like interacting with the board and player more than just stomping damage in for the fastest win.
I am playing the discolock deck right now, tho. It's fun!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/10/2016 at 04:24am
Share your deck! I'd love to see it.
Personally I like matches that go to fatigue and the. You have to manage when to play and when to hold.
See if that links properly. I net decked it. I used to be completely against netdecking as I love designing my own decks. My tempo mage for instance is my own design and it's 60-70% win rate.
2 Malchezaar Imps in play. Hand is Doomguard and 2 Silverware Golems. The dream, right? 5 mana to get a 5/7 charge, 2 3/3s and draw 4 cards? So good haha
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 09/13/2016 at 03:52am
Yeah, that is the discard dream. That and 4 opponent health and then discard cost of jaraxxus.
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Do you remember the chocolate factory rumor? People were convinced there was a secret chocolate factory you could find. Jeff Rovin wrote a book called How To Win At Nintendo Games that mentioned the rumor offhandedly and then it got passed around.
I'd never heard that one. Interesting how these things get started.