Noob Evolution
How to "Git Good"
The best way to learn anything is to learn from the best. Amnesiac is one of the best players in Hearthstone. He absolutely dominated last season. What Amnesiac constantly talks about in his twitch.tv stream is how even he is learning from other professionals. In order to evolve from a noob you have to learn from the best.
The Noob Evolution doesn't just apply to Hearthstone, hell it doesn't even apply to just video games. It applies to everything. When you are looking for a little help on how to fix your phone what is the very first thing you do? You google it. The best way to "get good" is to look for someone who is. If not then you spend two and a half hours jerking and twisting (are we still doing phrasing) and nothing has been accomplished.
I lived in Los Angeles for a year to pursue my career as a comedic actor and writer. While there I continually took classes from individuals who were far superior at my craft than I was. I couldn't ever imagine being as funny and quick witted as these people, but I learned a lot. When I moved back I was determined to keep up the progress that I had made, but without a teacher I found myself stalling. I wasn't doing poorly I just wasn't getting any better. I needed someone to help me with my Noob Evolution.
I used to constantly fight the idea that I had to learn from someone else about a video game. I used to complain that people who did were "try-hards." Then everything changed when I followed pro-players. I went from rank 15 (top 25% of Hearthstone players) into rank 5 (top 2%) in a single month. I quickly became the envy of all of my friends and my girlfriend for achieving something most average players thought impossible.
Lessons I learned from the Noob Evolution
Value Trades- Most players know to kill your opponents 5/1 with your 1/1 it's pretty basic math. The Noob Evolution comes in when you really put all the math in front of you. It allows you to out calculate your opponent. I see new players just getting rid of taunt minions and then hitting face all the time. Hearthstone is not just about hitting face. It's about keeping the board in your favor just enough to finish them off. Pro players know this better than anyone.
Deck Construction- Anyone can look at a deck list and see a few cards to make a deck. The magic comes from watching a professional play that deck. Amnesiac pulls off synergies that I didn't even know were possible. Most professionals will also talk about WHY their decks are constructed not just HOW they're constructed. Take the ideas you like and leave the ones you don't.
It's not as lucky as it seems- It really isn't. A lot of people complain about the random number generators that often times leave them without a shot. It's true that some games you just lose and that's the end of the story, but more often than not it's about playing around your luck. If you're a pirate warrior and didn't draw any early aggro try to fake a control warrior for a round or two. If you're a Renolock and haven't gotten Reno yet be more conservative with your hero power. If you're a shaman START with your totem to see if you have spell power or taunt.
Sometimes it really is just luck- WHAT?? "But you just told me it's not about luck!" Calm down avid reader... I said it's not as focused on luck as it seems. If you want to see how unlucky the game can be just check out this match of Amnesiac while he's climbing the ladder. As a warning afterwards he swears up quite the storm. The game starts at 6:14:14.
So why am I telling you this? When climbing the ladder you have to realize that not all games will go your way. They just won't. That's totally fine. Even the best decks don't have a win rate above 55% because every game is so different. Just keep playing.
Join the Noob Evolution now or you'll be left behind. The greatest thing about the Noob Evolution in video games and hearthstone is our access to professionals. All of these pros stream constantly and are very interactive with their audience and many times will talk through their decisions to help you understand.
Top Streamers To Follow in order to join the Noob Evolution
1. Amnesiac- A NA favorite. He may be young but he is talented and analytical beyond measure. He certainly won't hold back and I would not suggest listening to him with kids in the room but he can be hilarious when he gets salty.
2. "Hafu"- Hafu is the best known Arena streamer and she is both educational and entertaining. She breaks down every card as she's drafting and helps explain the different strategies used in arena. She doesn't play standard but if arena is something you're interested in there's no one better.
3. Trump- No not the president (although I'm sure he has "the best" cards). Trump finished second in one of the first tournaments of the year in NA. He's been on the Hearthstone scene for a while and he's not going anywhere soon.
4. Lifecoach- Just as his name says he is intent on coaching and creating a better environment. He may not be one of the top 10 players but you can still learn plenty from him.
5. Bmkibler- He is a rising star in the hearthstone world and there is a reason for that. He is super talented and brings a new spin to the meta.
Tempostorm recently did a top five hearthstone mentors and I highly suggest you read it as they were able to go into much greater detail than I can afford here.
A little scared to join the Noob Evolution? Does it all seem a bit overwhelming or intense? Don't worry. The community is surprisingly kind and almost everyone is willing to help a new player out. Don't have the time to watch hours and hours of live streaming? I'll do it for you. Come back next week when I break down top ten tips to learn from Amnesiac.
