vS Data Reaper Report #16

A weekly Hearthstone Meta Report based on data from over 63,000 games.

Next is a graph displaying the popularity of classes during the last 16 weeks, since the Data Reaper Project launched.

Class Frequency by Week

DRR16 Class Freq. by Weeks SmallThe Meta continues to be in utter turmoil, and as players as well as nerdy statisticians, we find it fascinating (though we’re a bit worried about the direction the Meta is taking):

  1. Since Karazhan’s release, over the past 3 weeks, the number of Warriors on ladder has been halved. This is the biggest decline we’ve ever observed for a class. Astonishing!
  2. Shamans are on the rise. With not enough Warriors around to keep Aggro Shaman in check, players quickly realized that the archetype is completely bonkers. This is especially true at legend ranks, where it has become the most popular deck in the game by quite a margin.
  3. The rise of Shaman has halted the Hunter class. Thrall just hits face that much harder, and Mid-Range Hunter truly suffers in that matchup. At legend ranks, we can see the effect it has on Hunter, only being #4 in popularity, despite remaining the most popular class overall.
  4. As expected, Druid has launched itself to the top of the Metagame with the release of Menagerie Warden. Beast Druid has spiked in popularity and immediately eclipsed Yogg (Token) Druid (at legend ranks though, Yogg is still top dog). We will have to see whether Beast Druid can stand the test of time, or whether it is more hyped than it should be.
  5. Warlock continues to fall with other classes being more compelling to experiment with. Zoo maintains a relatively respectable presence. However, with no Warriors to punish, Reno is slowly becoming a very fringe deck on ladder.
  6. Some new (or old) faces are popping up. Dragon Paladin is growing in numbers, Reno Mage is back on the map, and some non-Miracle Rogue decks are appearing as well. Other archetypes are becoming extinct, and we’re lacking enough recent data to properly track their performance. Tempo Warrior is such an example, while other decks’ small sample sizes in this particular period prove more difficult to evaluate. We’re pressing the reset button on some archetypes as a result and we’re waiting for new ones to stabilize and gather enough data.
  7. While Priest maintains a decent presence overall, at legend ranks players are losing faith in the light. This is not a good sign for the class and aligns with our measure of the class’ power.
  8. Rogue drops to the very bottom. We do believe Miracle Rogue is not a bad deck whatsoever, but the rise of Aggro Shaman is not doing Valeera any favors. The matchup is not only lopsided, but feels horrible to play. We’re not surprised players are avoiding it.

Match Win Rates Header

DRR16 Winr ates Chart

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