The difference between 250 and 300

Hey folks, new player to SE!

I've been tuning my own Eladwen deck recently (built from scratch, no guides!) and getting pretty good results so far (23-7-3 last 33 games). However, I've definitely noticed that there is a significant difference in the skill levels at 250 vs 300. Stuff like opponents expecting my T5/6 supernovas, taking into account my hero's energy level, and recognizing when I'm trying to establish board control vs when I'm trying to deathrace. Additionally, I can tell that my opponents' decks are much more cohesive at 300 than at 250.

It's been quite entertaining and much more of a challenge since I have to weigh in decisions that are automatic at lower levels. For example, I used auto-sac duplicates of Research but now, my decision to sac it depends on how many Shrieks/SB/Prayers they've used versus how far into the match I am and how many copies of Research I have left.

Or now a lot of games, I find myself in a situation where I would win if I got to play 1 more turn, but since the opponent would win if he/she got to play 1 more turn, I have to play for the draw. Those games I find particularly interesting because oftentimes, neither my opponent nor I have played incorrectly, and the relative strengths of our deck are so balanced that it comes down to just 1 turn.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my experiences so far, about a week into this game. Proof (to me at least) that the rating and QM system work, also proof of the surprising depth of this game given that there's really quite a limited card pool compared to other games. Good job Wulven :).

well done on getting up there on your own kong, as you say things get tougher (and more consistent) the higher you get

tbh I would say that -because of the limited card pool- the ideal plays per hero don't vary too much and in the end there are only a few ideal moves per turn (which, after playing some hundreds of games you end up learning by heart)

Once that's covered, the next level of 'mastery' for me is all about mind games..for example, take a portal Majiya..chances are that a mage deck will probably have a nova so you might not commit too many allies against it..but in the end that might be exactly what your opp wants you to think, slowly building up his resources for some crazy portal / SK combos

another good example are priests and their tidal waves..you would definitely think twice before committing a lot of allies on the board, on the other hand priests get really hard to beat mid-late game so how do you play it?

etc etc :)

Great insights. If you've got that win record as a newbie and can tell the sublties in playstyle already, you'll turn out to be one of the greats.

Welcome to the game and I look forward to following your success.

That is really sweet! You have a great record for a newbie :D

Like KillTrend said, you will clearly become one of the great players.

/agreed

the games north of 300 are a lot more challenging and exciting, albeit incredibly frustrating at times. Don't get me wrong I love an easy win matching up against someone with a 60 card deck but in the end I want to be challenged.

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Originally Posted by Devery03

/agreed

the games north of 300 are a lot more challenging and exciting, albeit incredibly frustrating at times. Don't get me wrong I love an easy win matching up against someone with a 60 card deck but in the end I want to be challenged.

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I've played guys with 90 card decks that just drop these god combos and I'm like... Wtf this was supposed to be easy.

But then the game winds down and luck only takes you so far. Can't top deck answers forever.

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Originally Posted by Killtrend

I've played guys with 90 card decks that just drop these god combos and I'm like... Wtf this was supposed to be easy.

But then the game winds down and luck only takes you so far. Can't top deck answers forever.

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so + freaking 1 to that! 80+ semi-solo something Logan almost got me, felt like eating my shoes

Thanks for the encouragement guys!! Yeah, I've definitely seen a couple of WTF decks that are completely unexpected but then completely blow me away since I don't know how to handle them. Good example was last night versus an elementalis deck that pumped and protected gargoyles. Everytime I'd freeze one or get it close to death, he'd sacrificial lamb it. :( but lots of fun playing against it, really makes me reconsider elementalis.

Ayaribas, I totally agree about getting to the mindgames level. Haha, I also have to avoid the "I like my rating so much that I'm afraid to tinker with other heroes" bug!

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Originally Posted by ayaribas

so + freaking 1 to that! 80+ semi-solo something Logan almost got me, felt like eating my shoes

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+1 as well, I ran into and lost to a 80 card boris deck this morning. In fact, a large deck using boris, amber, or even Nishaven can be tough slog. Mage and Warrior have so many useful cards, seems like a never ending river of threats.

I've discovered that my odds against a large deck strongly depend on whether or not they get their draw engine. If they get it out early, then you have to play it like a regular deck.