It’s been a while, but I’ve been waiting for the meta to settle down a bit after all of the cards have released. We’re closing in on the final date, but with the season coming to a close it doesn’t look like the final release will make much difference for Season 13.
Early on it seems like Emperor Thaurissan, Grim Patron, and Imp Gang Boss have made the biggest impact on the meta. Fireguard Destroyer has entered Shaman decks, but it hasn’t done a lot for the class yet. Dragon Paladin has not found its footing, and is desperate for the final week of Blackrock Mountain to be released. The last week has some potentially big cards, Volcanic Drake could become a staple in many decks, and Blackwing Corruptor is being looked at like Fire Elemental’s baby brother.
Druid
Not a lot of change for Druid which seems pretty standard for the class. Druid of the Flame viability is still sketchy, but it has been in some Combo/Hybrid decks. Ramp Druid could be on the verge of a comeback based on Kabi’s recent ESL Legendary Series Week 3 win.
Hunter
You may not like it, but Face Hunter is still a popular deck. There could be a turn in favor of Midrange, however, because ErA recently took down the #1 NA Legend spot with Midrange and a couple of Quick Shots.
Mage
Freeze is hanging around, but a meta that favors Control Warrior may be upon us, and that leaves Freeze Mage out in the cold… Ahem. Tempo Mage is strong and might find a way to benefit from the newly released Flamewaker. Talks of Flamewaker popping up in a Flood Mage deck have been swirling, but I have yet to see a viable version.
Paladin
Standard Paladin is still a quality deck, but initial experimentation with Dragon Paladin has been disappointing. Keep your fingers crossed that BRM’s last week will unleash the power of Dragons on the meta!
Priest
Zetalot was trying to make Dragon Priest work, but it looks like he was unable to find the right combination of cards to put it together. Resurrect seemed like a decent card, but it hasn’t seen much play and Priest continues to be relegated to being a Thief.
Rogue
Gang Up is a fun addition to the class, and there are some Fatigue decks floating around, but not much has changed with the class. Oil Rogue remains the strongest version of the deck until someone innovates something better.
Shaman
Fireguard Destroyer is a fine addition to Shaman, unfortunately it might not be enough to bring the class back from the bottom of the barrel. SilentStorm said he had success with his version of the deck, but we’ll see how it does in the future.
Warlock
It was beginning to look a bit grim for Warlock as both Handlock and Zoo were struggling against the meta, but bring in Imp Gang Boss and all of a sudden the class has risen to the top tier again. There’s two strong versions being played, one is a more straightforward Zoo, and one is the Kolento Midrange Demon version that includes Voidcaller and Mal’ganis.
Warrior
A fix to Warsong Commander and a Grim Patron release has spawned a new combo deck that’s quite viable at even high legend! You of course still have Control Warrior that might be a good choice in this meta as witnessed by Ostkaka’s recent stretch with the deck. This leaves Warrior in a pretty strong spot.
Feel free to let me know if I missed any decks in the comments below!
