Is Arena still the best option to spend gold?

[Kobal 13]

As the thread title indicates...

 

Assuming you are a relatively new player to the game that prefers constructed play  and your primary goal is to build a nice collection that allows you to build one or more competitive decks.

 

Any guide you find online recommends to use the gold you earn on arena runs. And the math does support is. You don't even have to average 7 wins, at which point arena is a no brainer. As long as you average more than 50 gold in winnings heading into the arena is superior to flat out buying packs for 100 gold apiece.

 

However, the one big problem I see with this is ... that for a good constructed collection classic packs seems vastly superior to GvG and TGT packs, and as a arena reward you rarely do get classic packs. 

 

So is arena still the better option for a newer player averaging around 4.5 wins?

[Sottle 221]

Arena, Naxx expansion and the first wing of BRM are the best uses of gold imo, outright buying packs for gold is almost never right if you care about efficiency and least enjoy playing arena. Like you said, the point where you get packs for cheaper than the purchase price is a fairly low barrier of entry.

 

The classic packs things is a good point, but for the most part, dust is dust is dust, you're unlikely to open exact cards that you need regardless of which packs you open, meaning the dust value of the pack you open is the main priority most of the time, and that remains the same regardless of which expansion's pack you get awarded.

[Kobal 13]

What is your recommended strategy for disnchanting, then? Only disenchant strict surplus cards (third copy, or second copy of a legendary) in case the card might be useful some day, or go about it more aggressively - like if the card is in none of the decks listed on this site, just dust it.

[positiv2 950]

What is your recommended strategy for disnchanting, then? Only disenchant strict surplus cards (third copy, or second copy of a legendary) in case the card might be useful some day, or go about it more aggressively - like if the card is in none of the decks listed on this site, just dust it.

 

It depends on your current collection. If you have most (or all) of the needed commons and rares, disenchanting useless commons has little to no impact (but still disenchant extra commons). If you have the epics you need, stop disenchanting useless rares. Of course, if you have too much time on your hands, you can put your time into disenchanting them. 

[Sottle 221]

like if the card is in none of the decks listed on this site, just dust it.

 

Yeah this is probably a safe bet.

[Darb 40]

I'm a big fan of Arena and still agree that it's the most efficient use of your gold, but I feel you should also consider the use of your time. For example, the time I have available to play Hearthstone has recently dropped considerably. As a result I haven't played Arena in quite a while, instead using the few hours I have each week to play Tavern Brawl (enough to get my free pack) and Ranked mode, as well as playing with friends. If I had more time I would undoubtedly play Arena at least once each week, but my time is so limited this would mean rarely if ever playing the other modes. I guess it's a matter of priorities, and my priorities are currently elsewhere.

 

As a result I have been buying packs with my gold. While I recognize this isn't the most efficient use of my gold, I do feel that it's the best use of my time. 

Edited September 11, 2015 by Darb

[Darb 40]

I just thought of another point to consider. Since the posed question is specifically considering new players looking to grow their collection - yes, I think Arena is the best way to go. When I was playing Arena all the time I was able to get great returns. In addition to earning the Arena rewards, I was able to do a do a good number of my quests simultaneously (although I did have to venture into Ranked mode to finish some). Between the gold earned from both Arena and daily quests, I was able to build up a gold surplus. I actually didn't have time to spend all my gold in Arena alone. I was thus able to purchase classic packs with my excess gold without inhibiting my ability to play Arena as much as I had time for. So if you're like me you'll be able play Arena and still buy the classic packs you want.

 

Plus Arena can be really fun. Again, I would still be playing it often if I felt I had time for it.

Edited September 11, 2015 by Darb