Looking for help and advice

[FeelinFine 0]

Is anyone willing to look at some replays of my recent losses and give me some tips?  I feel stuck at the moment and am not sure if it is just my luck of the draw or if I am making serious errors, preventing me from climbing the ladder.  I am not new, just thinking there might be some intricacies that I am unaware of which are holding me back.  Any advice and help would be great :)

[Guest]

Just link a replay (e.g. provided by Hearthston Deck Tracker) and you probably will get some help :)

[Valks 2,375]

Yeah, as Wedge says, we can't really do much without seeing you play. Post a replay, one of the mods or users can take a look at let you know when you misplayed and what you should have done.

[positiv2 953]

I already checked your mage replay, but more would be definitely better. It would also be fitting to post the link to the deck, or the decklist itself that you were using (if it was not from our site).

[FeelinFine 0]

Thanks for the replies.  The decks I use are from this site (great site btw!), although I might sub some legendries or epics that I don't possess.

Freeze Mage- https://hsreplay.net/replay/55Yo2XEdyDHpnCtXosmr4J https://hsreplay.net/replay/C9MRxV5fAnhxAEPyHUALe4

Tempo Mage- https://hsreplay.net/replay/6kpvjW9VPnyRbDrqoQLo7U https://hsreplay.net/replay/zCHayevgXNVxERAuCAvSAe https://hsreplay.net/replay/ZAjvzyftKeiJJmeHDqNBy8 https://hsreplay.net/replay/q7NjD9hNWCzhXDQqhh2uYk

Miracle Rogue- https://hsreplay.net/replay/G36BL3xEnz5hDMoTRNcW2T https://hsreplay.net/replay/2ZXAwfiV4wyX52wV8G5qs2 https://hsreplay.net/replay/jR9naaAqiNkAfJ3gig7kFj https://hsreplay.net/replay/8QDNHuU7Pu4QTZSk384dJC

Aggro Hunter- https://hsreplay.net/replay/m35iCcGD2DQosd36pyPyE7 https://hsreplay.net/replay/rcTCjkzBMiHfbvForyPQjM

Again, I understand the basics of the game, like board control, hand advantage, etc., but I think I am not creating these advantages and am relying on drawing the right card for the situation.  I am not claiming I am better than I am ranked, rather I'm trying to get better at the game so I can break out of Rank 20 and move up again, and any help from you veterans is greatly appreciated!

 

[Guest]

First: I am way from being an expert player.
I copy decks and manage to get to rank 5+, but I don't claim to be a fantastic player.

Your Aggro-Hunter: You kept all of your cards, yet you had zero to create board pressure.
You kept kill-command, but you had 0 animals to trigger it.
You kept Trogg Beastrager, but to be strong he needs an animal on your hand - you dont have one.
On turn one you couldn't play a card. I won't say that is already a secured loss for an aggrodeck, but it isn't that far from it.
You should look that you have a strong opening hand - Fiery Bat, ARgent Squire, Secret Keeper (if it is a secret deck). The opening hand you should look for is desribed in the guides. IMO every single card in your opening hand should have been replaced.

If "powershot" is even a good card for an aggro deck I don't know. Like I said, I am no expert, but since it doesn't add any damage vs face I sincerly doubt it. IMO there are better 3-mana-cards for aggro: Argent Horserider, Wolfrider, something like that.

You played your first minion on Round 3, a 2 mana minion, the third crystal has gone to waste.
At round 5 you had the enemy hero at 24, the game has already been lost then.

Second Replay: Again you dont have a strong opening. You have not a single 1 mana card to create pressure.
Knife Juggler and Unleash the Hounds can be a strong combo - on Turn 5. You play an aggro deck, your aim has to be to put pressure on the board right from the start. Animal companion seems like a good keep, but the other cards should all have been replaced.

Freezemage: I never played him, but is keeping Frost Nova + Icelance + arcane intellect great? Shouldn't you look for a mad scientiest?
But like I said, I never played him.

TempoMage: Never played him.

MiracleRogue: Again a deck I only played a few times, I dont feel confident enough to say much about it. If u have Questioning Adventurer in your deck, shouldnt you try to buff him right from the start on turn 3? Wouldnt preparation + vanish not be a good option -> he would be invisible and already be 4/4. But again, I just played him maybe 3 or 4 times.
(And I think he is quite difficult to play, far from perfect for less experienced players)

If you don't mind me saying, but imo you lack the knowledge how to choose your starting hand. This way you are behind right from the start and if you dont get lucky with your first and second card draw the game is already mostly over.
Read the guides carefully, and look for the opening cards they suggest.
And I think it would be helpful for you to watch some replays.
If you wan't to do some work: Dont just watch them. Stop them all the time and think what you would do.
Start a replay, look at the opening hand. Immediatly pause the video. Ask yourself: Which cards would I keep? Then look what he does. Sometimes they even comment why they keep / don't keep a card.
And at the beginning of each new turn stop the vid again and think about the next move. Then compare what he does. And consider why he does the move he does.
This takes some time, but imo you will see quite a profit because you'll learn the mechanics way better this way.

[FanOfValeera 253]

I will only talk about miracle rogue games, as it is a deck I have some kind of experience with, I think I can give some advices

First, turn 3 Questing Adventurer is definitely not a great idea, unless you can back it up with The Coin/Counterfeit Coin and Conceal. Still, this is the last play, it is like a trump card. Right play was playing SI:7 Agent, with The Coin if you want to clear Voidwalker, or alone, to save The Coin for later.

Game number two; keeping Gadgetzan Auctioneer is not a good idea. 

Btw, if you're having problems with mulligan, there are some general rules;

Keep Backstab, SI:7 Agent (especially if you have Backstab or The Coin), Small-Time Buccaneer (assume you're playing the new list), Swashburglar and Tomb Pillager. If you're sure you're going against a slower deck, any kind of control warrior for example, you can also keep Azure Drake. If you're going up against a shaman deck, it is probably a aggro shaman, and they will likely to have Flamewreathed Faceless early in the game, you may wanna keep Sap and maybe even Eviscerate for Totem Golem. 

That about covers it for mulligan.

Game three, Preparation  + Counterfeit Coin was not correct, I assume you also realized that, just in case you did not, correct play was Preparation, Fan of Knives, Eviscerate the 5/4 (I know it was not in your hand at then beginning of the turn, but you would get it by then), and then conceal your Gadgetzan Auctioneer.

Other than that, jade shaman is not a good matchup for miracle rogue anyways. So don't worry about that loss.

Last game; I'm pretty sure, you were quite unlucky as you had no minions throughout the game. You could've killed Kirin Tor Mage, with Backstab and dagger. 

[FeelinFine 0]

Thank you both for the help :D  I never really played much Rogue before, but now that I have the cards for the Budget Miracle deck I found it really fun.  I knew there were some key decisions that I was not making well (since I rarely play the class) and your advice is great! I'll give it another go.

I agree looking back on those games my mulligan choices are detrimental, and lately I've been watching videos and streams and picking up things here and there to help make my starts stronger.  One example is the freeze agro mage deck.  Trump showcased the deck in three videos and watching them and learning from his play has instantly increased my success with that deck.