Preparing for Standard: A pre-expansion checklist

With the new Standard format looming on the horizon alot of Hearthstone players (myself included) are finding themselves in somewhat of a Hearthstone limbo, a place between the birth and death of a new meta.  Playing the current decklists and cards seem somewhat unappealing as we know that in a short time alot of them will be gone and relegated to the Wild format or turned to dust.  I think most of us are really eager to jump into this fresh new Standard meta, but what do we do in the meantime?

1.) First of all decide which format appeals to you.

Are you bored of all the same old cards being in every deck?  Are you sick of Piloted Shredders and Dr. Booms?  Hate playing against Secret Paladins and Combo Druids?  Then Standard might be the breath of fresh air you need.  Or are you someone who likes the old familiar staples, someone who loves collecting every card and finds comfort in the reliability of what you already know works?  Then perhaps Wild is the format you should stick with.  Remember also that it is possible to do both, albeit drastically more expensive.  The one thing I will say is that if you are undecided it would be better to err on the side of Wild Format and not dust a single card until your totally sure you are ready to fully commit to playing Standard only.

2.) Save all your classic set duplicates.

Did you just pull your 3rd Knife Juggler or your 2nd Alexstrazsa out of that last pack you got last night?  STOP!! Do NOT dust them just yet!!  Remember that Blizzard is changing anywhere from 2-20 cards from the Basic and Classic set so if you hold onto them a little longer it could mean the difference between 400 dust or 1600 dust.  This is something that will apply to both Wild and Standard players, so whatever format you are thinking about make sure to hold onto all and any Classic cards you get.

3.) Complete all adventures on heroic now.

If you’re decided for sure that Standard is the way to go then I strongly urge you to complete all the Adventures on heroic now if you care at all about getting those exclusive card backs or are worried about possible future Achievement Points.  The reason is very simple ~ having access to the stronger cards from Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes will make completing these adventures soo much easier, so your going to want to do these before you dust your cards.  While I’m sure they will be doable with Standard decklists I can promise you will have an easier time with the whole Hearthstone library at your disposal.

4.) Purchase what you can WHILE you can.

Future Wild players without Naxx or GvG are going to be really hurting.  After the new expansion launches these 2 sets will no longer be for sale and anything you want from either set will have to be crafted.  Also if you have not purchased Naxx before it rotates out you will NOT be able to play through the adventure after the new expansion releases.

5.) Fill the holes in your Classic and TGT collections.

This is something I would recommend to all future Standard players – remember that you will want to be saving all your dust to probably get Legendaries from the new expansion, so fill those classic and TGT gaps now.  It’s hard to say which TGT cards will become viable before the expansion launches, but you can bet some money that with Naxx and GvG rotating out, cards which seemed weaker in the current meta might find homes in newer decklists.

That’s all I got for you now creeps.  Let me know what you guys are doing in the interim to fend off boredom and anticipation, also let me know if there is anything else you would add to the checklist.

~16bitSocrates