Taunt Decks

[Sleete 18]

Hi,

A few times now I have found myself playing against what I would call, A Taunt Deck.

Whereas the opponent starts playing taunt cards (usually turn 2 or 3) and upgrading minions to taunt and so on, sometimes with extremely crazy health and attack figures.

At one time I had 6 taunts against me lowest was a 2 4, highest was a something like 12 15 (though I have seen them higher).   You get rid of one or two, and next round they are replaced

You can play your 'attack all enemy minions' with X damage only so many times and still have to face taunt cards.

You have to get through these to get to the hero facing 3 or 4 taunts at a time makes that nigh impossible, ... in the meantime for some heroes are getting their shield to silly numbers as well.

****just had exactly that type of game, playing a druid... 2x taunt played at turn 2, then seemed every-time I killed one, another 2 popped up!*** 

Any ideas ?

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Sleete

[Synesthesy 114]

First, you need to say more about your opponent. For example, his class, that is quite important ?

Second, if you use a deck tracker (thing that I highly suggest you to do if you play on a pc), you can record the replays of your match and share them with us. This is a good way to ask what you can improve.

Third, you need to say what YOU were playing.

 

There are lots of variables here: the match-up, the speed of the game, your role and your opponent's, tactics and strategies, ..... Every game, given 2 decks, is different from others. Maybe you need to use your resources in another way.

[Sleete 18]

Ok I'll make a not of the exact details next time, but to be honest I can't see as to how whatever resources I have however I use them, how I get through that sort of defense

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Sleete said:

Ok I'll make a not of the exact details next time, but to be honest I can't see as to how whatever resources I have however I use them, how I get through that sort of defense

There are some good decks which relay heavily on Taunts. And employ a lot of them. And have several different removals. They relay on getting to the end game and enabling the win condition of the deck.

Defeating them can be tough and with some decks close to impossible.

A good aggro-deck is often able to beat those decks (because you just get more damage on the board then the opponent taunt).

Or if you play a One-Turn-Kill deck, that deals unlimited damage in one turn. (Mecha'thun e.g.)

[Synesthesy 114]

10 hours ago, Sleete said:

Ok I'll make a not of the exact details next time, but to be honest I can't see as to how whatever resources I have however I use them, how I get through that sort of defense

What were you playing? What was your win condition?

In the Art of War they say: "if you know the enemy, and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles". You are asking about your enemy, that is good; but do you know yourself?

I'm not saying that because I think you aren't good, I'm saying that because this is the key to master this game. In this case, knowing about your deck is as important as knowing about your opponent's one. I can give the answer to your question (because there is one) if you give me more informations.

[Sleete 18]

well the deck I play the most at the moment (unless a daily quest needs me to play something else) is the midrange hunter deck we put together in this thread,,,,,, 

Now I have had some success with this if I can get the start right, (read up on this sort of deck, play dire mole early use springpaw etc.

but of course that is a little bit of a lottery I have had three 4 mana cards to start with once, I find with this deck (at least for me) if I don't get off to a good start, I'm in trouble.

That falls away though with this taunt - seems mostly against druid decks - maybe the midrange hunter isn't aggresive enough ?

[Synesthesy 114]

Playing a midrange deck means that you decide when you are aggro, and when you are control. You have more value then aggro decks so you can play defensevly against them, but you have more speed then control deck, so you can be aggressive against them.

If you play against a control deck, you must kill them before they stabilize and they are able to kill you. This means that you have to play the cards in your hand to get the most tempo possible, but remembering that your opponent will have some aoe and some healing to use.

You need to know what are the option of the class you are facing. For example, druids don't have good aoe, so you are free to drop the best minions you have on hand. Against warrior, you must know that after turn 5 your opponent may play a brawl, so you have to not use everything you have, unless you want to stay with no minion at all.
If they are slower then you, and a taunt-based deck should be, you don't need to kill every minion they have. You clear the taunt, then go face. They will trade their minion for you. Unless there is something obvious, of course (for example: if they have a 5/1, while you have a 1/1 and a 5/1, you should go face with the 5/1 and trade the 1/1. Instead, if they have a 5/5, you should go face with both, dealing 6 damage, being almost sure that in their turn they will trade their 5/5 on your 5/1).

[FanOfValeera 253]

2 hours ago, Sleete said:

That falls away though with this taunt - seems mostly against druid decks - maybe the midrange hunter isn't aggresive enough ?

I don't know if you have a hero card or not. If you do, thats a win condition against control by itself. Other than that, midrange hunter is quite aggressive. 

Taunt Druid, a deck I play often, is very strong against any kind of hunter deck. You have to know your matchups, sometimes, they are really hard, so you have to be quite lucky, or if you keep playing against them, make some changes. I don't know your collection of course.

Taunt Warrior is tricky. It heavily relies of your opponent having Brawl or Reckless Flurry on time or not. After Hero Power has changed, you need to have enough minion presence on board to try and dodge the rag shot, and not have too many minions to dodge any board clear. It is a hard matchup for sure.

Taunt Priest (this one is quite new) has taunts with a lot of health, and ways to bring them back. Its a bad matchup in theory. A good opening from your side can turn the tide around.

@Synesthesy I second everything you say, except; druid doesn't have a good board clear, but some druid decks still play Spreading Plague, and most hunter minions have less than 5 attack. Going all in isn't always the best idea. 

 

[Synesthesy 114]

4 hours ago, FanOfValeera said:

@Synesthesy I second everything you say, except; druid doesn't have a good board clear, but some druid decks still play Spreading Plague, and most hunter minions have less than 5 attack. Going all in isn't always the best idea.  

 

Yeah, I was simplifying; however spreading plague in a non-token deck still isn't that dangerous. It is more like frozen nova then brawl, spreading plague means that you can't go face, but it doesn't do that damage to your minion. It isn't in the same league then brawl, psychic scream, mass hysteria, vanish, flamestrike, etc...

[Sleete 18]

 

21 hours ago, FanOfValeera said:

I don't know your collection of course.

Well I am on HSReplay, public so you can look thier I guess.

As I said *IF* I can get off to a good start I find I [usually] do well - I don't even mind losing if I feel I played as best I could - except for the taunt decks.

20 hours ago, FanOfValeera said:

I don't know if you have a hero card or not. If you do, thats a win condition against control by itself. Other than that, midrange hunter is quite aggressive.

I should have Deathstalker Rexxar which I don't have so using Halazzi, the Lynx  - if you scroll up this thread you'll see a link to the thread where my deck is,  - last post shows my deck.

I'm thinking of swapping in a Dire Frenzy., and I'm not sure about  Tracking seems to me you can lose 2 good cards rather than gain one, though I guess if it;s the right one, then  that's different.

I know a lot of what I do is lack of experience.. missing that moment to play the right card, or indeed not play it, hitting a minion when it should be face, or vice versa...the more I play better I get (I hope).  The difference here is that your opponents cards are a mystery until they start playing and - your experience - gives you an idea what your playing against.  unlike  say WoW when you know how powerful your opponent is and if your likely to win or not.

I do appreciate the help given here and will do my best to used it properly.

Going to persevere with the hunter deck - at least for a while as if I chop and change I'll lose focus,  currently running about 50/50 on wins, and I know I lost some games due to my poor play.

So we will see,

 

 

[Synesthesy 114]

6 hours ago, Sleete said:

, and I'm not sure about  Tracking seems to me you can lose 2 good cards rather than gain one, though I guess if it;s the right one, then  that's different. 

This may be because you didn't play that much trading/collective card game before.

Let's imagine tracking in a different way that he is: remembering that what you draw is always random (as if it was a real deck of cards), tracking let you take a card out of 3 that you won't draw at all this game. Because if you don't arrive to fatigue, you don't draw all your deck, do you?

[Sleete 18]

2 hours ago, Synesthesy said:

Let's imagine tracking in a different way that he is: remembering that what you draw is always random (as if it was a real deck of cards), tracking let you take a card out of 3 that you won't draw at all this game. Because if you don't arrive to fatigue, you don't draw all your deck, do you

So your saying that the purpose of tracking is to give you a chance of getting a card you probably wouldn't get, unless you draw all the deck.

[Synesthesy 114]

10 hours ago, Sleete said:

So your saying that the purpose of tracking is to give you a chance of getting a card you probably wouldn't get, unless you draw all the deck.

Exactly. And the card that you'll get is often the card you need in that moment. This is why playing tracking on turn 1 without knowing anything about your opponent isn't that good.

I can't count how many times my hunter opponents did kill me throwing out of nowere 10 damage from 2 kill commands. How did they draw both their kill commands so fast? It's tracking.

[Sleete 18]

ok I is convinced. keep tracking.

This deck does seem all about a good start - at least for me,

If I am stuck with 3/4 mana cards at the first 2 rounds then I struggle(and lose) - which is to be expected I guess.

 

[Synesthesy 114]

18 hours ago, Sleete said:

ok I is convinced. keep tracking.

This deck does seem all about a good start - at least for me,

If I am stuck with 3/4 mana cards at the first 2 rounds then I struggle(and lose) - which is to be expected I guess.

 

You can try 2 things:

1) mulligan harder for lower cost cards
2) add some lower cost cards, maybe with the beast tag, to fix the curve.

PS: you have a PM

[Gnasha 10]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 10:44 PM, Sleete said:

Hi,

A few times now I have found myself playing against what I would call, A Taunt Deck.

Whereas the opponent starts playing taunt cards (usually turn 2 or 3) and upgrading minions to taunt and so on, sometimes with extremely crazy health and attack figures.

At one time I had 6 taunts against me lowest was a 2 4, highest was a something like 12 15 (though I have seen them higher).   You get rid of one or two, and next round they are replaced

You can play your 'attack all enemy minions' with X damage only so many times and still have to face taunt cards.

You have to get through these to get to the hero facing 3 or 4 taunts at a time makes that nigh impossible, ... in the meantime for some heroes are getting their shield to silly numbers as well.

****just had exactly that type of game, playing a druid... 2x taunt played at turn 2, then seemed every-time I killed one, another 2 popped up!*** 

Any ideas ?

 

Taunt Druid runs this kind of deck, although significantly weakened by recent nerfs to Nourish and Wild Growth which are the two main tools needed to get to 9 mana before your opponent gets too much board control. Popping Hadronox provides a full refill of taunts killed, which is especially devastating when combined with Carnivorous Cube.  

[Sleete 18]

3 hours ago, Gnasha said:

Taunt Druid runs this kind of deck, although significantly weakened by recent nerfs to Nourish and Wild Growth which are the two main tools needed to get to 9 mana before your opponent gets too much board control. Popping Hadronox provides a full refill of taunts killed, which is especially devastating when combined with Carnivorous Cube.  

Ah, those two cards would explain why I have suddenly am facing  a whole lot of taunts in some games, on that basis then I have to cause damage quickly before the druid can get the 9 mana needed.  Tall order that,