TGT: A First Impression by Kevin Kookies
Hi guys! Kevin Kookies here with a TGT first impression for you. While it remains pretty early in the TGT release, and we don’t quite know what meta Hearthstone will settle into, there are a few decks that apparently had a running start. There is no stable meta-game yet, but these decks will certainly help you up your game in the coming weeks.
Dragon Priest
I’ll start with one of the decks that have surprised people so far. I’ve been an avid supporter of Dragon Priest, ever since the release Blackrock Mountain. Most people did not see a priest deck, especially a dragon oriented one, as being able to be a competitive deck. I honestly thought it was a decent deck prior to TGT, and the new cards have elevated it to top tier status. 
While this could change as the meta develops, dragon priest has the tools to make it in the long run. Wyrmrest Agent has already proved to be very strong and effective early game minion, and the new Twilight Guardian is a monster. With 3-6 stats, paired with the ability to more consistently give Twilight Whelp its +2 defense, Twilight Guardian really ties the deck together. As far as Chillmaw, I was not convinced of the card’s strength in my playtesting and I think that it will take more time to see how Chillmaw fares.
Grinder/Dragon Warrior
As expected, control style warriors have taken the spotlight of the Day 1 TGT Meta. Important to not that this is possible due to multiple factors. For example, while Control Warrior may have been over-hyped and many players have been flocking to it, the Control Warrior shell, which most decks are not deviating much from, is a consistent and tried and true deck. I must say that Varian Wrynn looks like the real deal, however. Turns out that despite the 10 mana cost Varian is still an amazing card. 
So much so that some people are deviating towards Dragon Warrior, while others are going for a heavy Taunt Warrior. Bolster seems to be a better card than it was given credit for, and Alexstrasza’s Champion has performed exceptionally as well. Only time will tell which one of these turns out to be the better deck, but what I can say is that Control Warriors will most likely be a big part of competitive play for a long time.
Midrange/Totem Shaman
As expected, many hyped up decks have seen a lot of play on day 1 of TGT. Since Blizzard decided to give Shaman effective new cards, many people on Day 1 have been spamming the new totem variants of Shaman that have been made possible by the TGT expansion. Cards like Tuskar Totemic, 
Thunder Bluff Valiant, and Totem Golem have proven to be terrific cards that really tie the deck together. While I have seen this deck a little less than the control warriors, it is important to note that Midrange Shaman, which Totem Shaman is considered an archetype, is one of the classic counters to Control Warrior. In a meta where these two decks may end up being the best decks in the game, totem shaman has the scary potential of rising above all other decks in Hearthstone.
The Black Knight
My real MVP on day 1 of TGT has been The Black Knight. It seems that so far everyone is running taunts of some sort. I’ve seen a lot of huge taunts being played by every single deck. Dragon Priests, Control Warriors, and Shamans alike have all been feeding The Black Knight insane value. There’s no better feeling than using The Black Knight on the
opponent’s Death Lord, or even Chillmaw! Until the Meta changes, I highly recommend people to tech The Black Knight into all of their decks!
While it’s still too early to tell what the new Meta will transform into, we have already seen some proof that Shaman and Warrior may end up controlling Hearthstone. In my opinion, I think it is too early to judge things already. There will be cool decks that emerge that may wipe the floor with these Day 1 decks. However, if you’re looking for a solid deck to try after you burst those packs open, the decks above are certainly great choices. My advice would be to keep trying to bring and innovate new ideas to the game of Hearthstone. Who knows? Maybe you will create the next OP deck!
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