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GosuCup #3 came shortly after the most recent patch which nerfed two of the most popular legendaries in the game: [card]Nat Pagle[/card] and [card]Tinkmaster Overspark[/card]. To accomodate the change, we took Nat Pagle out of the ban list and for the first time ever, the fisher could freely be played in a GosuCup tournament.
First in the tournament came Troeput from Russia, pulling out an impressive 16-3 run in what was his GosuCup debut. Not really a stranger to competitive Hearthstone, having participated and finished high in EU Topdeck tournaments, Troeput wrecked the competition running two curious Hunter builds, which included cards like [card]The Beast[/card] and [card]Emperor Cobra[/card]. Behind him finished Daxt who beat prominent players like Kaldi and Drako to reach the grand final.
GosuCup #2 standings
1. 
Troeput
2. 
Daxt
3. 
Semijew
4. 
Olinho
5-8. Drako
5-8. Sjow
5-8. 
Cindr
5-8. Virtue
Starting this week, we'll also be counting points for the nation standings. Points will be allocated in the following fashion: winner player will earn 5 points for his country, the runner-up will earn 4, third place finisher 3, fourth place finisher 2 and each 5-8th place finisher will yield 1 point.
Nation standings (Top 10)
1. Russia - 11 points
2. Germany - 8 points
2. 
Italy - 8 points
4. 
Portugal - 7 points
5. Denmark - 5 points
5. Sweden - 5 points
5. 
Czech Republic - 5 points
5. 
Netherlands - 5 points
9. 
Switzerland - 4 points
9. 
Lithuania - 4 points
The cookie-cutter Hunter builds are more or less known to everyone who plays Hearthstone: spawn chargers, go for face, put a deadly clock over your opponent. But there's another side to the class and GosuCup champion Troeput showed it: aside from running the standard face Hunter, the Russian pulled out a "heavy" beast deck, too.
| [deck linked]277[/deck] | [deck linked]278[/deck] |
Contrary to the weird builds of Troeput, Daxt went for the cookie-cutter stuff. Though [card]Nat Pagle[/card] was not banned, the nerfs to him prompted the Dane to exclude him from both his Watcher Druid and control Warrior. His third decks is a standard Zoo, more particularly Gnimsh's version with [card]Amani Berserker[/card]s and [card]Power Overwhelming[/card] from SeatStory Cup.
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[deck linked]281[/deck] | [deck linked]282[/deck] |
[deck linked]280[/deck] |
MORE DECKLISTS: Managrind #20
The GosuCup record have by now collected more than 1000 matches and we can see the overall shape of the meta more clearly.
For a second week in a row, Warlocks hold the first places in both popularity and win-rates. The nerf to [card]Tinkmaster Overspark[/card] really helped the Handlocks become even more powerful and with help from the Zoo - a cheap and powerful deck - Gul'Dan is naturally community's favorite.
Since GosuCup #1, Druids' popularity has been dropping and although they're still second, they're down to 32% compared to the monstrous 46% a couple of weeks ago. Although builds that differ from StrifeCro's cookie-cutter were invented - in particular the token Druid - it seems that players are more willing to try new stuff. As an example, the difference in popularity two weeks ago between Druids at first place and the runner-up class was 17%; now it's down to 8% and Druids are not even first.
Win-rate-wise, there are very few changes. Warlocks and Druids are still first and second with very similar percentages. Hunter and Rogue follow as third and fourth (they were fourth and third in GosuCup #2, respectively) and Warrior and Shaman come in as fifth and sixth (their places were also swapped in GosuCup #2). The bottom of the table remains unchanged: Paladin, Mage and Priest enjoy the least success, the latter two being on the bottom for fourth consecutive week.
MORE: GosuCup #2 stats
First things first: Gratz on your victory! This is the first time you earn money by winning at Hearthstone, right?
It’s my second time, actually, the first was when I finished second in Topdeck ?U Battlecry #1.
How did you get into competitive Hearthstone? Any previous card game experience?
I’ve been playing since the start of the beta, watched streams, and decided to participate because it’s easier to stand out from the rest when the game is young. Prior to this I didn’t play any card games.
What made the biggest impression is the class you used to win the $100: You went Hunter-only and with some unusual build at that. Let's talk about that "heavy" deck you played. How did you come up with it?
I should start with the fact that I play Hunter in World of WarCraft so that was a defining factor for picking in in Hearthstone as well.
If you remember, at the beginning of Hearthstone the game was centered around large creatures and the games were pretty long. Initially, my deck was made to counter that. But the situation changed after some patches and now we see standard Druids and Warriors mostly. Through a lot of trial and error the deck arrived at its final form.
As for the widespread hunting tactics "all in the face”, I think it is too limited and does not suit the hero.
So you chose to have more options through the class' synergies, like [card]Scavenging Hyena[/card], [card]Houndmaster[/card], [card]Tundra Rhino[/card], etc?
Exactly.
I've seen some heavy Hunter versions trying to utilize other synergies as well, for example Knife Juggler + Snake trap. You don't run them, though. Why?
They are too unreliable and can not provide full board control.
I think you're the first person I've seen to use [card]The Beast[/card]. Could you elaborate on this choice over other finishers (like [card]King Krush[/card], for example)?
King Krush? High cost, it is impossible to use other cards this turn. His stats are good, of course, but it’s pretty easy to “answer” him ([card]Mind Control[/card], [card]Faceless Manipulator[/card] or just kill him with damage).
Alright! Another thing: as you finished first in the tournament, your heavy Hunter is likely to be copied by other aspiring players who want to learn to win with the class. Can you give them a short walkthrough on how to play it and what's key for mastering it?
The basic rule - do not spend more cards than your opponent, force him to make unfavorable trades. For good starting hands, look for some 1 or 2 drops, [card]Unleash the Hounds[/card], a trap or [card]Eaglehorn Bow[/card]. Against Druids you might need [card]Freezing Trap[/card] or [card]Deadly Shot[/card]. In case of facing a rush deck, mulligan for [card]Explosive Trap[/card], [card]Unleash the Hounds[/card] and [card]Starving Buzzard[/card].
Why didn't you prepare a second class for the tournament? In each of the previous GosuCups, the high finishers brought at least three decks, sometimes four or five. I think you're one-of-a-kind in that regard, choosing to play Hunter and Hunter only.
I have a Paladin and a Shaman deck but they feel weaker than my Hunter decks. Furthermore, I have more than a thousand games with Hunter and only a few hundred with the other two.
There was a Hearthstone patch that came out some days before GosuCup #3 and it nerfed [card]Nat Pagle[/card] and [card]Tinkmaster Overspark[/card]. What do you think about the changes overall?
Playing against Druids and Warriors who used to have those on a regular basis is way easier now so I’m happy.
Some people seem to think the Tinkmaster nerf was unnecessary rough as now there are very few ways for some classes to deal with Giants or Cairne.
I think people need to rely less on legendary cards and pay more attention to class cards.
Nice message! Alright, I think we can wrap this up. Just a few quickfire questions before we go. Favorite Hunter card?
[card]Animal Companion[/card].
Most hated class to play against?
Rush Hunter.
Streamer you follow that more people should pay attention to?
No one in particular.
If you get to be a part of any professional Hearthstone team, which one would you choose?
That team that offers me the best, most profitable terms. Not surprising, I think. *smiles*
OK, I think we’re done! Thanks for your time, Sergey, and congratulations on your victory once again. We hope to see you next Sunday for the Limited edition too!
Thank you. I’ll certainly participate!
