Gag Gifts For The Really Naughty

GIFTS FOR GAMERS - A column at Cold's Gold Factory that focuses on bringing you some of the coolest gifts for gamers of all types. Remember to check back here for ideas for Gamer Birthday Gifts, Stocking Stuffers for Gamers, and Gamer Christmas Ideas.

50 Ways To Eat Cock!

Penis Themed Gag Gifts 

Maybe you are searching for the perfect gag gift for a friend or know someone who has been extra naughty this year.  Maybe you are shopping for the funniest white elephant gift exchange item you can find or you are looking for just the right Christmas gift for that person with the perverted sense of humor.  You could even be planning the perfect Bachelorette party, where cock shaped treats are definitely not a limp choice!  These penis themed gag gifts will make for some laughs and smiles when your victim finds out just what is in store for him or her.

Forget coal for that naughty guy you know.  Fill his stocking full of cock soup, spotted dick pudding, and rainbow cock pops and maybe he will take the hint to be a little nicer next year!  So here's a collection of some of the wittiest and funniest penis themed gag gifts that I could put together for your entertainment and to help you get ideas for your next victim.

Penis Themed Gag Gifts, Stocking Stuffers, & Novelty Items

• Spotted Dick Pudding - Heinz makes this sponge pudding.  Definitely caught my eye when I caught of glimpse of this at my local specialty grocer. 
• Cock Soup - Because what else warms you on a cold winter day, like cock does?
• 50 Ways To Eat Cock: Healthy Chicken Recipes With Balls! - Do you know all the ways to eat cock?
• Fighting Cock BBQ Sauce - A cock with a temper.
• Angry Cock Hot Sauce - Not all cocks are happy and friendly.
• Big Dick's Dry Rub - Just in case he likes to rub one out dry.
• Marshmallow Willies - Melt in your mouth and not in your hands.
• Jumbo Rainbow Cock Pops - Take yourself over the rainbow with these treats.
• Jumbo Cock Pops - Available in Watermelon, Strawberry, and Cherry flavors.  When a small cock just won't do, go jumbo.
• Holiday Cock Pops - Perfect for Christmas Stocking Stuffers!  Cram a few into a stocking or two.
• Penis Candies - A bag of hard penis candies!  Hard is better than soft!
• Weenie Chews - Another bag of penis shaped candies.
• Peter Pecker's Penis Gummies - These little guys are great for those that would rather gum than bite.
• Dick Charms Candy Necklace - These ain't the candy necklaces I remember!
• Candy Cock Ring - And here's one for downstairs.
• Milk Chocolate Penis - This one even works for Easter!
• Naughty Candy Assortment Gift Box - Here's a box crammed full of naughty candies, in case you are looking for other naughty candies to compliment your penis themed gag gifts.
• "You're Kind Of A Dick" Bubble Gum - Just in case he doesn't get all the other obvious hints, you can spell it out for him with this pack of chewing gum.  There are also all kinds of other vulgar gag gift flavors of these gum.
• Dick Tarts - Just like real willies, these dick tarts come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.
• Penis Pasta  & Weenie Linguini - Special pasta options for those Italian lovers.
• Weener Kleener Soap - A hole in the middle to clean it all at once.

I hope you've enjoyed this collection of penis themed gag gifts.  These penis gags are perfect for stocking stuffers, Bachelorette party favors, jokes, and gag gifts.  I bet you can't wait to get your hands on a few of these naughty gag gifts!



Hearthstone Beta Key Puzzle - First To Solve Wins

Hearthstone Beta Key Contest
First Person To Solve And Claim The Key Is The Winner!

Hey gang!  I've received yet another official Hearthstone Beta Key for Blizzard's closed beta.  Just like the first extra one I got, I'm giving this one away to the first person to solve my trivia contest.  The key is currently unclaimed and ready to be claimed by the first person to solve this puzzle.

All of the answer have been discussed within one of our episodes of The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast, while some of the answers can be found within the show notes for the individual episodes.  If you are regular listener of our podcast, then these questions will be much easier for you.  Good Luck!

Why have a puzzle instead of just giving the Hearthstone beta key away?

• I would prefer the HS beta key to go to a follower or fan of the site or podcast, as opposed to some random person who is only here for a free key.
• The puzzle puts the key code out in the open and removes the option of selling the key. First one to solve the puzzle and add the code to their Battlenet account gets the key. If you solve it, but don't add the code, the code will be added by someone else who solves the puzzle before you can sell it off.
• There is no way to create and spam fake emails or fake accounts just to get extra entries into a giveaway contest.
• A puzzle will be a lot more fun and feel more rewarding that a random drawing.  I got a ton of praise for my last contest puzzle giveaway, so I'm back with another.

Hearthstone Closed Beta Key Code:

The Hearthstone Beta Key Code is 25 digits long.  There are 25 multiple choice questions all pertaining to The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast.  Each question is multiple choice.  Just plug the number associated with the correct answer into that digit of the Hearthstone Beta Key code.

Example:

1.  Roses Are Red, Violets Are _____.
• 1 Green
• 2 Blue
• 5 Orange
• 8 Purple

The correct answer is Blue, so you would plug the number 2 as the first digit in the key code.  Then you would solve for the rest of the digits as you answer the other questions.

**********

Solve for each of the 25 digits using the following questions:

1. Where Does Nonmail Work?
• 0- USPS
• 1- UPS
• 2- Fed Ex
• 3- Western Union
2. What Car Dealership Does Cold Work For?
• 2- Dodge
• 3- Ford
• 4- Mitsubishi
• 5- Toyota
3. Rez's Company Deals With Keeping What Safe?
• 0- Boats
• 1- Cars
• 2- Trains
• 3- Planes
• 4- Helicopters
4. Order the Show Hosts From Oldest To Youngest:
• 1- Chuck, Scott, Richard
• 2- Scott, Richard, Chuck
• 3- Richard, Scott, Chuck
• 4- Chuck, Richard, Scott
• 5- Richard, Chuck, Scott
• 6- Scott, Chuck, Richard
5. Which WoW Community Member Has NOT Been A Guest on EGP?
• 1- Profitz
• 2- Zerohour
• 3- Stede
• 4- Nev
• 5- Shalthis
6. Name The 2 End Bosses In The Player Created Foundry Quest That Gave Us All A Laugh In Neverwinter.
• 1- Flush & Flaid
• 2- Pedros & Pasteur
• 3- Narkco & Nelvine
• 4- Bitter & Salty
• 5- Twixx & Twisted
7. Which Is One of Rez's Pet Names For Cold?
• 0- Mrs Buttersworth
• 1- Rosa Parks
• 2- John Holmes
• 3- Maple Crown
• 4- Hearthstoner
8. What Was the Original 3rd Show Host's Yard Infested With?
• 3- Mice
• 4- Moles
• 5- Ticks
• 6- Fleas
• 7- Scabies
9. Which Voice Has NOT Appeared On An Episode of EGP?
• 6- Steven Hawking
• 7- The Ungnome Comic
• 8- The Nut Ninja
• 9- Bart Simpson
10. What Is DJ Soulshaker's Favorite Music Genre?
• 0- Breaks
• 1- Trance
• 2- House
• 3- Drum & Bass
• 4- Dubstep
11. Which Producer Has NOT Been Fully Featured On An Episode Of Electronic Education On EGP?
• 0- Deadmau5
• 1- Kaskade
• 2- Pretty Lights
• 3- Kill Paris
• 4- Cazzette
12. Which Drow Elf Is Cold's Siamese Cat Named After?
• 5- Drizzt Do'Urden
• 6- Berg'inyon Baenre
• 7- Dantrag Baenre
• 8- Jarlaxle Baenre
• 9- Zaknafein Do'Urden
13. Who Won the First Game Show On EGP?
• 7- Cold
• 8- Nonmail
• 9- Nev
• 0- Rez
14. Which Item Has NOT Had a Prominent Mention & Effect On An Episode Of EGP?
• 1- Inhaler / Breathing Treatments
• 2- Fishing Lures / Tackle Box
• 3- Dentures / Tooth Extractions
• 4- Maple Crown Royal
15. Which Food Has NOT Been Mentioned In A Show Title For EGP?
• 1- Live Baby Mice
• 2- French Dip
• 3- Rice
• 4- Soup
• 5- Chicken
• 6- Bacon
• 7- Turkey
• 8- Chocolate Covered Ribs
16. Which Drug Has NOT Influenced a Show Title for EGP?
• 0- Cocaine
• 1- LSD
• 2- Heroin
• 3- Bath Salts
• 4- Crack
17. Which Popular Warcraft Website Cancelled an Entire Weekly Column Because Of EGP?
• 6- Wowhead
• 7- WoW Insider
• 8- The Undermine Journal
• 9- Power Word: Gold
18. What Has Rez Paid His Son To Do For Him In Warcraft?
• 0- Pet Battle
• 1- Level Fishing
• 2- Mill Herbs
• 3- Prospect Ore
• 4- All the Above
19. The Purr-fect Purple Men's Kitten Tee Has 4 Butterflies, But How Many Kittens?
• 1- Eight
• 2- Four
• 3- Seven
• 4- Ten
20. Which Host Has Trouble With The Difference Between Asian vs Oriental?
• 5- Cold
• 6- Nonmail
• 7- Nick
• 8- Rez
21. What In Game Item Has Caused Cold To Go Apeshit Crazy On At Least One Episode?
• 6- Battle Pets
• 7- Infernal Keys
• 8- Headless Horseman Mount
• 9- The Coin
22. Rez's Twitter Avatar Often Depicts What Character?
• 6- The Rock
• 7- The Riddler
• 8- The Penguin
• 9- The Joker
23. Who Is The New Host Of Cold's Gold Blogging Carnivals?
• 5- Xsinthis
• 6- Selltactular
• 7- Nev
• 8- Profitz
24. Which Show Host Would Earn The Perfect Attendance Award, Having Never Missed An Episode?
• 1- Rez
• 2- Cold
• 3- Nonmail
• 4- Nick
25. In One Of The Crazy News Stories, This Guy Was Watching Livestreams Of Young Girls Decorating The Christmas Tree In Their Underwear.  What Was His Alias?
• 6- Grandpa Joe
• 7- Jake the Snake
• 8- Sexual Chocolate
• 9- Uncle G
• 0- Nonmail

So there you have it!  Find the answers for each of the 25 questions and plug them into the Hearthstone Beta Key Code and claim your key before someone else does!  Each question corresponds to the equivalent digit within the code, so question 10's answer gives you the 10th digit.  Question 20 gives you the 20th digit, etc.

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY & THANKS FOR LISTENING TO THE EVISCERATED GAMING PODCAST!


Hints about the puzzle solutions may be released from any of these accounts:

• @SSmith0911 - My main twitter account
• Cold's Gold Factory Facebook Page
• Cold's Gold Factory Newsletter - I've given away Warcraft pets, Warcraft Mounts, TCG Pets & Mounts and more to newsletter readers previously.

Other Giveaways:

1. http://www.giftsforgamersandgeeks.com/2013/11/Hearthstone-Beta-Key-Giveaway.html
2. Episode #71 of Eviscerated Gaming Podcast announced a giveaway - Follow the show's twitter account @Eviscerated_GP - the drawing is this Sunday.

Recommended Guides: Secret Gold Guide | Journal of Marcus Ty | Neverwinter Secrets

Hearthstone Tips: Mistakes - Improper Weapon Use

Hearthstone Tips - Top Common Mistakes

Improper Use Of Weapons

This is another post in the Hearthstone Tips series on Common Mistakes I See From Hearthstone Players.  Be sure to check out the first article, where I cover Top 1st Turn Player Mistakes in Hearthstone.  

Improper Use Of Weapons

Weapons play an important role for some of the classes in Hearthstone.  Both the Rogue and Druid have weapon based hero powers and the Paladin, Warrior, Rogue, and Shaman all have weapon cards that can added to their Hearthstone Class Decks.

All too often I see a common mistake made with weapons as players waste them on attacks against the opponent instead of using the weapons properly.  I've even seen players use their coin on their first turn just so they could play a weapon a turn early, yet all they do is attack their opponent (or take it "to the face" as I call it) and waste their weapon.

In order to learn and understand how to properly use your weapon, you should remember these 3 key points:

1. Weapons are mainly for killing minions.
2. Don't waste your weapon on an opponent unless you are killing them soon.
3. Hold your weapon until the turn you will use it.

Weapons Are For Killing Minions

Sure, a weapon in Hearthstone can be used on either a minion or on a player, but they are far better used as minion killers, until you get the opponent close to death.  Weapons should mainly be used as another form of creature removal.  The downside when attacking a minion with a weapon is that you will take the minion's attack power as damage when you hit the minion.  Maybe this is why some newer players don't use the weapons properly on minions and just use them against the opponent.  Even though you take the minion's attack value as damage, taking that damage one time while killing the minion is much better than allowing the minion to survive, thus allowing it to continue to be a threat on the board turn after turn.  So kill the minion, take the damage once, and remove that threat from the game.  Don't ignore the minion, waste the weapon attack on an opponent, and then let that same minion attack you multiple times!  Kill the minions with your weapons.

When To Use A Weapon On An Opponent

Weapons in Hearthstone should primarily be used to remove threats from the game, but they also can be used to damage the opponent.  You shouldn't be attacking the opponent with your weapon unless you are going to be killing them on that turn or you have enough damage to kill them the following turn.  Wasting a weapon on an opponent early is a poor move because you are better off removing a threat and often times the early weapon damage you did will be healed up before the game ends anyways.  There are certain special circumstances that are also acceptable for attack an opponent earlier than the killing blow, like attacking with the Truesilver Champion to get the +2 Life gain, just to survive another turn, but you should aim to only hit opponents with weapons when they are within reach of you killing them soon.

Hold Your Weapon Until You Are Going To Use It

There are two main reasons to not actually play your weapon until you are going to swing it.  Those two reasons are: Protection and Suprise.  Playing your weapon too early leaves you more open to having your weapon destroyed by an opponent's Acidic Swamp Ooze (Battlecry: destroy opponent's weapon) and you definitely want to get at least 1 attack out of a weapon you've played or it was a wasted play.

Don't underestimate the value of surprise either.  Playing your weapon too early gives the opponent a chance to hold in their hand the creatures that would die to the weapon.  Then as soon as your weapon is out of durability, those minions will be summoned.  Oh, you wasted the weapon attacks against the opponent and he played his threats after the weapon went poof?  He played it smart; you didn't.  No one is going to cast their 1/3 Northshire Cleric while you have that 3 attack weapon out.  Let them play it first, then cast your weapon and kill it before the opponent can protect it or buff it's health up.

In Closing

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of how to properly use your weapons.  Just remember that weapons in Hearthstone are mainly used for killing minions, since this removes threats that can hamper you over the course of multiple turns.  Don't attack the opponent's face with weapons until you are close to delivering the killing blow.  And make sure to hold the weapons until they will be used, so that you maintain the elements of surprise and protect your weapons from the Oozes.

Be sure to check back here at Cold's Gold Factory for more incoming Hearthstone decklists, Hearthstone play tips, and Hearthstone strategy posts.

**********

Check out the new post: How To Get More XP per Hearthstone game you play

Recommended Guides: 
Earn Hearthstone Packs For Free

Hearthstone Tips: Top Mistakes I See Made Way Too Often

Playing Hearthstone Tips Series:
Top Mistakes I See Made Way Too Often

Thanks John!

Preventing Mistakes Is Crucial To Winning In Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a very competitive online collectible card game.  How you understand and play the game will have a direct result on the outcomes of your matches with your Hearthstone opponents.  A simple mistake can be the difference between you earning a win or a loss, completing your daily, earning better awards in your Arena run, or being more efficient at grinding for gold in Hearthstone.  All too often I see a common set of mistakes being made way too often.  I'm not just talking about mistakes made by brand new players either.  I've been paired up against a lot of the same players over and over and I can attest that not everyone learns from experience either because I continue to see the same poor mistakes made by some of the more "experienced" players as well.

I've designed this post as the first in a series of Tips For Playing Hearthstone Properly!  These posts will be designed to Help You Learn & Think More Competitively.  Being a good Hearthstone player takes practice, as not everyone will be a 3-Star Master in Constructed or a Arena Grandmaster 9 wins player overnight.  The best way to improve your game play is to practice.  By playing more matches against real opponents, you will exposed to more play styles, strategies, and combos.  During your matches you should be focused on the match so that you can learn something, instead of being absent minded and semi-AFK multi-tasking while you play Hearthstone.  And remember what an old Magic the Gathering mentor told me, when I was constantly beating all of my hometown friends:

"You won't improve your own game, unless you are playing against players that are better than you."

So get into the Arena Mode and practice, get into Play Mode and practice, and go into Ranked Play Mode for even more practice.  If you are paying attention and focusing on the matches, you will learn. Just make sure you are present and focusing on every move in the match.  Sure, playing fun / themed decks against your friends may be a lot of fun, but you need to be playing competitive matches against competitive players in order to improve and learn more about the game and improve your Hearthstone playing skills.

Common Mistakes Made In Hearthstone:

I will go over some of the more common mistakes that I see made constantly in hopes of helping you to not only correct these mistakes, but also to help you start to think differently about how you are playing Hearthstone.  I understand that these mistakes may not be so obvious to brand new Hearthstone players, especially ones that have never previously played any other collectible card games.  Just remember that even the seasoned professionals, were all beginners at some point.  You can get there too with some of my help.  These tips for correcting your mistakes will be relevant for both Constructed Play Mode and Arena Mode Hearthstone decks.

So let's look at some of the the Top Mistakes I See Hearthstone Players Make:

• Poor 1st Turn Play Choices
• Not Knowing When To Coin
• Adding Poor Card Choices To Their Deck
• Casting Minions With Battlecry Effects & No Targets
• Improper Use Of Weapons
• Not Knowing When To Attack Minions Vs Opponent
• Buffing At the End of Your Turn
• Casting Direct Damage Spells Too Early

Let's debunk a few new player myths too, before we discuss the above mistakes:

• You Do Not Have To Play Something Every Turn
• You Do Not Have To Spend All Or Most Of Your Mana Crystals Every Turn

Both of these common misunderstandings lead to making poor choices or force new players to waste good cards early or play them sooner than is ideal.  If you continue to think and play as if you must spend as much mana possible every turn, you will find it hard to be a good competitive player and your win / loss ratio will reflect it.  Sometimes the best move in a turn is to simply do nothing at all or just use your Hero Power for the turn and pass.  You simply must stop thinking that you have to play a card every turn.  Right now.  STOP IT!

Ok.  Now you can progress onward to being a better Hearthstone player.

In this post, I will focus on Poor First Turn Hearthstone Play Choices and will continue covering the other common Hearthstone mistakes in later posts here at Cold's Gold Factory.  This will allow me to give more examples and better strategy discussion to help you understand how to play Hearthstone more competitvely.  So be sure to check back for more articles in this series.

Poor First Turn Choices

What you do on turn one will hardly ever win you the game, but it sure can play a strong role in you losing the game.  On turn one, I commonly see horrible card play choices that often tell me that I'm going to win this game because this player doesn't understand how to play Hearthstone.

Common Poor First Turn Plays:

1. Cast Elven Archer / Shoot Me For 1 Damage. - No, No, No!  Just because the Elven Archer only costs 1 mana, doesn't mean you should waste it by playing it on turn 1.  You should only ever use the Archer's battlecry effect on your opponent, if you have enough damage to kill them off within a turn or two.  The 1 damage is MUCH better used to kill off an opponent's minion.  You can kill a 1 health minion or use the 1 damage as an extra point of damage to kill a minion that already took damage.  The Elven Archer can be used in combination with another creature attacking or used in tandem with a spell that needs just 1 more extra point to kill a minion.  Never waste your Elven Archer on turn one on your opponent.  I see these wasted all too often on turn 1, as I drop a 2/1 or 3/1 creature on turn 1 or 2 and proceed to hit the opponent multiple times with a minion they could have easily killed had they played smarter.  So instead of wasting it on an opponent, use that 1 point of damage to remove a threat from the board.
2. Mage Cast Arcane Missiles (with no minions out).  I Take 3 Damage - Wasted!  Arcane Missiles is best used as a minion removal spell.  Again, removing threats from the board will save you taking damage over multiple turns and is much more beneficial than a few cheap potshots against the opponent.  Arcane Missiles can kill multiple creatures, especially if the opponent has a bunch of cheap 1 health minions out.  Too often I see Arcane Missiles wasted on turn 1, then next turn I drop a Murloc Tidehunter, which is a 2/1 Murloc that also summons a 1/1 Murloc along with it.  Shoulda saved that Arcane Missiles to kill off both Murlocs and do damage to me.  Another reason not to waste Arcane Missiles early on is because it can also be buffed by minions that add to your Spell Damage.  Each extra point of Spell Damage adds another 1 damage Arcane Missile.  Cast it too early and you get no bonus from Spell Damage.  I've even had a guy cast Arcane Missiles, then Coin, then a 2nd arcane Missiles all on Turn 1.  So you Coined to waste both Missiles on me for 6 damage and you only have 2 cards left?  Lol. Let me drop all these minions now.  This same issue can also be seen wasted with first turn cast Arcane Shot, Holy Smite, Rockbiter Weapon, Claw, and other damage spells that are better used to eliminate minions as threats instead of hitting the opponent too early in the match.
3. Mage Cast Mirror Image - This always brings a laugh out of me.  Mirror Image is a pretty crappy spell that shouldn't even be in your deck the majority of the time.  At worst it is a stall tactic and buys you a turn or two.  At best it is used later on to protect some key minions from attacks for a turn or two, but I never see it played as minion protection.  Instead of playing a card to stall your opponent, you are better off adding a removal spell to your deck to deal with what you are having to stall against in the first place.  Playing Mirror Image on turn 1 is a complete waste.  You don't have any creatures out to protect, the Mirror Images die easy to almost all AoE spells, and me ramming them with minions to kill them is only slowly your demise, while you hide behind your shoddy Mirror Images.  The Mirror Images also give a false sense of protection because you have 2 taunters out, but they die so easily, I often destroy them both with AoE along with whatever was cast later and they don't even stop a creature at all.
4. First Turn Coin / Use Hero Power - There is no Hero power worth wasting your Coin on.  Don't do it.  Save your coin for turns that you can get something out early that is worth getting out early.  Or save the Coin for pulling off a 2 drop combo that you were 1 Mana short of casting.  No Hero power is going to win you the game by wasting a coin just so you can Hero Power on turn 1.
5. Cast Minion With Battlecry Effect With No Valid Targets - You just wasted your minions Battlecry effect!  You want to get the best use of minions with battlecry effects.  If it has a helpful effect, don't cast it until you can positively effect another minion of yours.  If it has a negative effect, don't cast it until you can negatively effect an enemy minion.  The battlecry effects are built into the casting costs of the minions, so casting a minion and wasting it's battlecry effect is almost always a bad play choice.  Some examples of minions that you will see wasted on turn one include:
1. Abusive Sergeant - He's much better used giving a temporary buff to a weak minion that you can use to suicide-ram a much bigger minion.
2. Hungry Crab - Wait at least a few turns to see if some Murlocs get played by the opponent.
3. Bloodsail Corsair - It's ok to cast against weaponless decks, but hold it versus Class Decks that commonly use weapons.
4. Elven Archer - This is the most common 1st turn mistake.
5. Voodoo Doctor - This is the 2nd most common one I see cast and wasted on turn 1.

If you are making any of these mistakes, then focus on being patient and making smarter play choices so that you can improve your Hearthstone skills and your win percentage.  Make sure to check back to read more articles in this series for improving your Hearthstone play.

Happy Hearthstoning!

Great Article for New & Regular Players: How To Earn More XP Per Hearthstone Match

Recommended Guides: 
Hearthstone Secrets | Hearthstone Ownage | HS Arena Drafting

My Top Hearthstone Deck: Priest Card Draw

Priest Deck - Card Drawing Cleric Deck

My best performing deck so far in Hearthstone's Play Mode is the one I am currently playing.  The Priest Card Drawing Cleric Deck that I am playing is a modification of some of the basics only Priest decks that you can find online on various forums.  Of course, like any wise player, I've adapted my own deck to include cards that I deem as better choices and that fit better into my own personal play styles.  Let's take a look at the Hearthstone Priest Deck that I used to rather easily hit 3 star Master in hardly no time at all.

Priest Card Draw / Control

This Priest deck relies on efficient minions, card drawing potential, the Priest's Hero Power to heal, and trading minions wisely to achieve victory.  The Northshire Cleric is awesome for gaining a card advantage over your opponent, if they are unable to get rid of it quickly.  There are only 7 non-basic cards in this deck and the cheaper basics only version is almost just as good as this deck.  I will provide options for a similar deck list that uses only basic cards later in this post.

After the main wipe and patch in Hearthstone, Priest decks have risen to popularity because they now have on of the best sets of basic cards to choose from as a priest.  Many of the basic minion cards work well with this type of Priest deck, so it is a common class that a lot of players have been trying out.  The synergy and card drawing ability can be so good that even poor players can earn wins with this deck due to the sheer ability to gain such a great card advantage over your opponents.

There are many matches where my opponent will be down to 1 or no cards without any minions, while I have a hand of 5 control spells and an answer to anything they can lay on the board.

The weakness in a Priest deck is with creatures that are 4 attack power, since neither of the Shadow Word spells or the Shadow Madness can target them.  So those 4 attack creatures either have to be killed with smart minion trades (and healing) or smoked with a Shadow Word: Death, should the opponent foolishly buff one out of the 4 attack safety zone.  Then there is always the option of Mind Control if it is late enough in the game.

Another important aspect of this deck is it's lack of true fatties.  So any other Priest that you are playing that likes to hold their Mind Control for a big fatty to steal, will never see one and will often have to steal back the minion that you stole from them in the first place.  Then once they steal it back, you SW:D the thing and laugh.


Let's take a look at this Priest Deck:

Minions:

• 2x Northshire Cleric - Runs the main card drawing engine.  
• 2x Amani Berserker - Can hit for big while damaged, then be healed to protect.
• 2x Novice Engineer - Card drawing efficient low cost minion.
• 2x Ironfur Grizzly - Cheap taunter used to protect your cleric and other minions.
• 2x Shattered Sun Cleric - Great minion that gives a buff to another minion that can swing the tempo into your favor.
• 2x Lightspawn - Can get even bigger with a PW:Shield buff on them.  Often will soak nasty removal spells like Hex and Polymorph and often trade multiple cards to kill.
• 2x Sen'jin Shieldmasta - Top notch taunter for protection.
• 1x Darkscale Healer - Comes in and heals all your minions and you.  When cleric is out can really get you a lot of cards drawn.
• 2x Silver Hand Knight - One of the top cards in Hearthstone in my opinion.  Such efficient cost and summons a pair of minions, which will often swing the tempo back into your favor.

Control:

• 2x Holy Smite - Cheap, early removal is important to fend of the common 3/2 minions that hit turn 1.
• 2x Shadow Word: Pain - Kills anything with 3 or less attack.
• 2x Shadow Word: Death - Kills anything with 5 or more attack.
• 1x Shadow Madness - Used to kill 2 of their creatures by stealing one to suicide into the other.  Can really wreck someone's day.
• 2x Holy Nova - AoE spell that also heals.  Works great when a cleric is out.
• 2x Mind Control - The most cried about card on the forums right now.  The threat of even having one in your hand changes how your opponent plays against you.  Often used late to steal an important taunter or a big fatty and crush the opponents last minute win or turtle attempt.

Buffs:

• 2x Power Word: Shield - I normally don't run buff cards, because they tend to lose you card advantage, but this one draws you a card so it replaces itself.  When combined with your Priest hero ability to heal, it can really swing the tempo in your favor and allow for your minions to kill more than one enemy minion, while staying alive.  A buffed 1/5 Cleric is a lot harder to deal with and a Lightspawn turns into a 7/7 with this buff.  Got a 4/4 that needs to kill another 4/4?  Buff yours to 4/6, ram it, then heal away, and draw a card if your Cleric is out.  ;)

Cheaper Priest Deck With Basic Cards Only

If you don't have the expert cards required to complete this deck, then there are some very similar and efficient swaps that you can make for a Priest deck made with only the free to play basic cards.  Here is a list of what to replace in this deck to run with all basics.  This list also shows what to replace as you do start to get some of those other expert level cards. 

Example:  If you get an Amani Berserker, swap it in for a River Crocolisk.

• 2 Amani Berserkers -> 2 River Crocolisks
• 1 Shadow Madness -> Add a 2nd Darkscale Healer
• 2 Lightspawn -> 2 Chillwind Yeti
• 2 Silver Hand Knight -> 2 Gnomish Inventor

You can play around with the Priest deck build and see if you like the Chillwind Yeti or the Lightspawn better in your deck.  Both have their advantages and weaknesses.  The Yeti can't be nerfed by a Silence, but the Lightspawn can be buffed to get even bigger, while both often trade for more than 1 creature.

Have fun with this great Hearthstone Priest Deck!  I will see you at the top of the ranked ladder.


Recommended Guides: 
Using MyPoints To Get Free Hearthstone Cards

Hearthstone Beta Key Contest Solution

We've Had A Winner Claim The Code!

Well, it took 14 hours after the initial release of the puzzle, but we've had a winner solve the solution and claim the code for their very own access to the Hearthstone Beta!  Good Job on solving the puzzle.  There were clues and codes hidden in specific posts, on the Cold's Gold Factory Facebook Page, various Twitter accounts I'm associated with, as well as clues from the various gaming and music podcasts that I am a part of currently.

Stay Tuned for the next Hearthstone Beta Key giveaway, which you can hear about starting on Monday.  That contest will award a winner on Halloween, so you will have plenty of time to enter for your chance at another Beta Key.

Solution to Yesterdays Puzzle:

AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF-GG-HH-II-JJ-KK-LL-M

73-61-05-92-29-89-76-03-84-74-59-71-3

• AA  - If you were looking for a keyboard for a gamer, you might find a hint for this code.
• BB - On this episode of The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast, we first talked about the cancellation of the WoW Trading Card Game.
• CC - On this episode of my DJ podcast, I played my current favorite track, "Indie Anna Jones".
• DD - There is a hint in the post on this site that highlights the clothing of a popular TV nerd.
• EE - Nonmail joined us as a special guest for his first appearance on The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast on this episode.
• FF - If you like the Cold's Gold Factory Facebook Page, then you may already have seen this hint.
• GG - What year was R9sid9nt9vil born?
• HH - On this episode of The Electronic Education Podcast, one of my special guest DJs spins a Psy-Trance set.
• II - In the only guest post on this site about Hearthstone, you will find another hint.
• JJ - What year was I, Cold, born?
• KK - On this episode of The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast, we find out about an idiot high on LSD who thinks he is a necromancer!
• LL - Hint:  Braaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiins!
• M - The original mana cost of the Hearthstone Mage Spell Frostbolt prior to the patch changing it's casting cost.

Keep Yours Ears Open For The Next Contest & Good Luck!


Recommended Guides: Secret Gold Guide | Journal of Marcus Ty | Neverwinter Secrets

Play Hearthstone Overview & First Thoughts - A Guest Post

Today I present to you an excellent guest post submitted by TheRuling from rulsrants.blogspot.com.  He has been in the Hearthstone Beta now for about a month and he shares his first impressions on Blizzard's new Collectible Card Game.

Hearthstone Impressions & Thoughts

If I had one statement to describe Hearthstone I would say that it was made to be played on a tablet. Everything from the design choices with the size of elements on the screen to the cost structure is perfectly suited for a mobile game. If they don’t launch with an iPad version I think they are sorely mistaken in their strategy.

Now that is out of the way I will take the liberty of being long winded. Before I get into my various thoughts I’ll preface with some information. I have had Hearthstone beta for almost a month. I spent time in ‘Play’ mode without having bought packs; I have completed around 7 Arenas, and then did buy ~$16 in packs. I haven’t played enough to get a single character into level 30+ but do think I have a solid basis for opinion without having drained myself of the gameplay before it even comes out. I will try to limit comparisons with tabletop card games to the areas of game flow and design while areas relevant to the format will mostly be compared to MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 which I believe is the closest ‘competitive match’ to Hearthstone.

First Experience:

Immediately upon entering the game you are forced into the tutorial which uses the Mage class hero. I would have liked to be able to pick which class you start with as some people are very attached to their ‘favorite’ class. Tweaking the tutorial slightly to integrate different class cards would not have been difficult, but since the head start you get is small anyway this isn’t a big issue. The tutorial itself is adequate for teaching the basis of how the game progresses. After the initial matches further instruction takes the form of various voiced pop ups explaining game elements and directing you to what the game wants you to try next. Here I do wish that they did a better job at directing people through the ‘My Collection’ area where you build decks and create or disenchant cards (which is a system in which you destroy unwanted cards to get ‘dust’ used to create new ones).


Modes:

You get three modes of play; Play, Practice, Arena. I suggest anyone start by reading something like Cold’s Hearthstone Gold Grinding post or you are going to start at a major disadvantage in certain modes. Practice will unlock all your heroes while introducing you to their powers and basic cards. My one wish here is that there was a ‘Master’ difficulty where the AI had great decks and made better decisions so you could use Practice mode to actually practice new deck ideas. Currently even on ‘Expert’ the AI is some of the worst I’ve seen. MTG:2014 I think gets the right balance here where some of their AI scenarios really keep you on your toes so moving between the games I can see the difference.

Play is your basic player vs. player (PvP) mode where you take either the base decks or custom ones you’ve created from a selection of basic cards and ones you’ve unlocked and it randomly matches you against an opponent. You can play unranked or ranked but at the moment in beta there is really no reason at all to play ranked matches. All ‘rank’ does is count your wins (not losses) and give you a medal at a certain number of wins that doesn’t influence the game beyond matching. There are daily ‘quests’ which are little challenges to for example win 2 games as a certain class and these do not even require playing in ranked mode.

Arena is a ‘draft’ style mode where you are given specific heroes to choose from and must construct a deck only out of randomly generated card choices that it provides you. Your first Arena entry is free and
beyond that will cost you a little more than the price of a booster pack to join in either gold or cash. You play matches until you either win 9 times or lose 3 times and are given a reward based on how many wins you had including packs, gold, dust, and special ‘golden’ cards. This mode is a real treat as it best tests your ability to construct decks effectively and respond to uncommon card choices and combos. While not on par with real draft style formats in tabletop card games I will go out on a limb and say I enjoy it better than the sealed format of MTG:2014, mainly due to the range of available cards where you do not see the same things every match.


Gameplay:

So is the card game actually fun to play? Let me explain how it is different from other games in good and bad ways. Your resource for casting cards is fixed. You do not waste room in your deck on resource cards eliminating the struggle MTG has of getting potentially too many or too little resources. In probably the largest move it has eliminated interaction totally. What I mean is there are no responses or playing of cards during your opponent’s turn. You do have ‘Secrets’ which play like Trap cards in Yi-Gi-Oh but you don’t choose the trigger it just triggers off the next action described on the card (such as when the opponent attacks). You basically just set back and watch what they do and try to think of how you’ll respond on your turn. As a plus you do not have structured ‘phases’ to your turn so you can attack or play cards in any order you like which is nice. It does take a strategic layer out of the gameplay I think though.

All of the next paragraph is subject to change especially with the first balancing patch coming soon, but right now whichever player sets the tempo in I’d say the first 3 turns is usually going to win which has left a couple of classes that excel in board control, lead mainly by the Rogue, as the top dogs. Two drop minions define the game with powerhouses like Knife Juggler, Pint-Sized Summoner, and Defias Ringleader. There is also so much drawing power for some classes (example: Starving Buzzard) compared to other card games that classes that lack it like the Warrior are often left at a card disadvantage. There are many cards that are under cost for what they do as well. This isn’t simply due to rarity either as many of the legendary cards (the top rarity) are fairly useless flavor cards.

The elephant in the room is obviously whether the game is ‘play to win’ or not. They have given you a method of obtaining any card you want through the disenchant system but do not be fooled as it will take forever to assemble a range of fun decks to try like this. If you pour all of your resources into one class you can get a wide array to choose from fairly quickly but at the cost of gimping every other class for a very long time which not only isn’t very fun but will bite you with the hero class specific daily quests. I would not however call it completely pay to win as some classes perform nicely with few rare cards and there is Arena mode which if you are good enough can be completed on end with little to no cash investment. Paying the money out buys you mostly time and variety of play. This can be a problem itself though…


Final Thoughts:

The problem I am experiencing with Hearthstone and from listening many seem to be is that there isn’t enough to keep the average person signed into the game. Blizzard needs that casual person as they will be the ones periodically paying little micro transactions and if they aren’t logging in to the game they aren’t being tempted into paying. My first suggestion was achievements. I was very surprised that they did not have a loaded and fully functioning achievement system yet. They are easy to implement and they know
from WoW and other games that people go crazy for completing as many achievements as possible. This is a perfect way to tease someone into the transactions. Example, you need to play in say 5 Arenas and just need one more and have no gold you are very likely to just pay $2 to get in instant gratification style. As I mentioned at the top getting this game onto tablets ASAP must be a priority as the stop and go simplicity and shorter matches are perfectly niche for that market.

To keep someone that is into card games and to provide that extra something for others I hope that expansion sets bring varied gameplay mechanics and new modes would set it above the competition. People have mentioned easy tournament interfaces as a possibility for a new mode and I like this idea.
If you are interested in anything else I have to say about Hearthstone, MTG: 2014, or anything in general follow me on Twitter @Formerruling

**********

Recommended Guides: 
Free Hearthstone Card Packs

Gifts For Gamers - Warcraft Trivial Pursuit

GIFTS FOR GAMERS - A column at Cold's Gold Factory that focuses on bringing you some of the coolest gifts for gamers of all types. Remember to check back here for ideas for Gamer Birthday Gifts, Stocking Stuffers for Gamers, and Gamer Christmas Ideas.

World of Warcraft Trivial Pursuit

Gifts For Gamers - Warcraft Trivial Pursuit

WoW!  The demand for the newly released Official World of Warcraft Collector's Edition of Trivial Pursuit has been amazing!  Having only been available for a couple of days, the Warcraft Trivial Pursuit has already moved into the #1 selling board game slot on Amazon!  I've always been a fan of Trivial Pursuit games and the Warcraft release would make a great gift for any Warcraft fan, something both current and past players can enjoy.


Current and past World of Warcraft players can test their knowledge of the World of Warcraft universe with this Warcraft Collector's Edition of Trivial Pursuit.

Warcraft Trivial Pursuit Game Board

The game includes 600 Trivial Pursuit questions divided into the following categories:

1. Geography (Locations within the game)
2. Player Characters
3. Lore
4. Loot (Items within the Warcraft game)
5. Enemies
6. Encounters

The game even includes custom baby Murloc counters for moving around the board.  The Warcraft version of Trivial Pursuit will make a great gift for any Warcraft fans and will provide countless hours of replay value.

Order Your Copy Of Warcraft Trivial Pursuit Today!

**********

You may also be interested in:

• Monopoly: World of Warcraft Collector's Edition - World of Warcraft themed Monopoly board game!
• Risk: Starcraft Collector's Edition - Starcraft version of the popular strategic board game Risk!
• World of Warcraft - The Adventure Game - Complete with many expansion additions.
• Starcraft: The Board Game
• My Top 10 Favorite Board Games Ever
• My Top 5 Favorite Table Top Card Games (Non-TCG / CCGs)



Hearthstone Starter Mage Deck | Basic Cards Only Mage Deck

Hearthstone Basic Mage Aggro Deck -
Basic Cards Only Mage Deck

Since I've been playing in the Hearthstone Beta since the release, I've been trying to share some of the tips and tricks I've learned for Hearthstone.  I understand a lot of you do not have Hearthstone Beta keys yet and this information will be of good use to you once you get into the Hearthstone Beta or the game goes into Open-Beta (which may be sooner than we thought).

In the first article I've written about Grinding For Gold & Boosters In Hearthstone, I had mentioned:

If you want to Grind Gold in Play Mode: 

I recommend building a speed deck.  Pick one of the faster decks that can bring out a quick force of minions and then support those minions with your own creature control, direct damage, and removal spells to clear the way for your minions to attack quickly.  In my opinion the 3 fastest decks for this strategy are Mage, Rogue, & Hunter.  All 3 have direct damage dealing Class Abilities and Class Spells that include plenty of creature control options.  You should build a deck with small cheap creatures, lots of removal, and some direct damage spells.

In the comments of that post, I was asked "what would you include in a speed deck for Mage, Rogue, & Hunter?"  I promised a few sample deck builds for Hearthstone beginner decks as examples of what I was recommending be used for grinding matches quickly.  This post is the first of 3 example decks made completely from Basic Hearthstone Cards only.  The Basic Cards are unlocked by leveling the decks, which you advance in experience regardless of win or loss record, so everyone has easy access to unlock these cards.  The Mage deck is forced on you in the tutorial, so you will already have many of the Mage Basic Cards unlocked, which makes it the easiest transition from the tutorial to constructed play.

Basic Mage Deck Strategy

The goal with this Basic Cards Only Constructed Mage Deck is pure aggression.  In the earlier article I recommended a quick deck that would turn over matches quickly, a deck that would either win or lose quickly.  If you are grinding for gold, then you want quick matches to increase your games played per hour.  Long lasting games that you lose are crippling to your gold per hour grinding earning potential, and long lasting games that you do win aren't worth the time required.  You are better off getting more matches in.  More matches means more chances to win.

Mana Curve of This Basic Mage Deck

This deck thrives on efficient minions, direct damage, and removal spells.  You goal is to kill the opponent as quickly as possible, mainly with your minions.  You use the direct damage and removal spells to clear the way for your minions to keep attacking.  Creatures with taunt should be your prime targets for removal spells.  This deck is purely offensive, with removal to keep the offense pushing forward.  Direct damage can be used to clear threats and taunters or be turned directly against the opponent to finish them off.  The Mage's ability to shoot anything for 1 point of damage is very helpful in clearing threats, since the 1 point can be coupled with another spell that deals damage.  The constant ability to do an additional point of damage per turn late game can also be all you need to finish off an opponent that barely survives your swarm.

Basic Cards Only Hearthstone Mage Deck List:

Basic Only Mage Aggro Deck

Make sure to use your Elven Archers intelligently.  I've seen way too many players cast a first turn Elven Archer and shoot me for 1 damage.  That's just horrible play.  Hold onto your Elven Archer and cast him when you can use the 1 point of damage to kill another minion.  That way you've not only added a threat onto the battlefield, but you've also removed one of your opponent's threats.

Reckless Rocketeer is a great mid to late game finisher.  The Reckless Rocketeer is also what I call a "tank buster".  The Rocketeer can be summoned and then it's Charge ability allows you to ram a minion with taunt to clear the way for your other minions to continue with the beatdown.  I love blasting Lord of the Arena and other big taunters with a Reckless Rocketeer to clear the way for my minions to keep up the full press.

There is only a single Flamestrike in this Mage Deck because you will usually have the match close to over by the time you could play it and you definately don't want to get stuck with two in your hand.  I did include 1 because it can be such a game changer in the later-mid game and it will grant you victories.  The primary goal is to never make it that late into the game, thus only 1 is needed.

Getting down a few early creatures (Murloc Tidehunter & Razorfen Hunter are great for this) and then buffing them up with a Raid Leader can be overwhelming for an opponent lacking speed or early creature removal.

Remember, when you only have access to the Basic Cards, you aren't going to be as competitive until you can unlock some of the booster packs and get better cards.  So get your grind on and get to earning gold and unlocking those Hearthstone booster packs.

Happy Hearthstone Grinding!


You are welcome to share this post, but please link back to the original article here at Cold's Gold Factory.


Once you unlock some more Expert level cards, you should try out my Priest Card Draw Deck.

Hearthstone- Guide To Earning More XP per Game

**********

Recommended Guides: 
Get Free Hearthstone Boosters With MyPoints Rewards

Hearthstone Beta Tips For Efficient Gold Grinding

Hearthstone

Grinding For Gold In Hearthstone

Having been given one of the first rounds of Hearthstone Beta Keys because of my Warcraft community influence as a WoW podcast host on The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast, I've had a lot of time to dig into Blizzards upcoming CCG, Hearthstone.  In this post on Grinding Gold In Hearthstone, I will share some of the tips and tricks I have discovered while being a Hearthstone Beta Tester.

Getting Gold In Hearthstone

Gold is the currency that can be earned in game from completing daily quests, completing achievements, and winning matches against random opponents.  You can then spend the gold you've earned on either booster packs (for 100 gold each) or on Arena Entries (150 gold each).  I understand that the goal for many new players will be to grind as much gold as possible in Hearthstone to unlock booster packs without having to spend money on the game.  That's why I am writing this guide on earning gold in Hearthstone.

Sources of Gold in Hearthstone:

1. Daily Quests - Mosts award 40-60 gold, but 1 awards 100 gold.
2. Completion Rewards - Completing certain objectives and achievements can award gold.
3. Winning Matches - Beating other players in Play mode or Arena matches awards 5 gold per 5 wins 10 gold for every 3 wins.

Earn Hearthstone Gold From Daily Quests

You can have up to a total of 3 active daily quests in your quest log.  You must complete one to make room for a new quest as 3 is the maximum number of quests you can have active at one time.  Here is a table with each quest and their respective gold rewards:

Druid Victory	Win 2 Games with a Druid	40 Gold
Hunter Victory	Win 2 Games with a Hunter	40 Gold
Mage Victory	Win 2 Games with a Mage	40 Gold
Paladin Victory	Win 2 Games with a Paladin	40 Gold
Priest Victory	Win 2 Games with a Priest	40 Gold
Rogue Victory	Win 2 Games with a Rogue	40 Gold
Shaman Victory	Win 2 Games with a Shaman	40 Gold
Warlock Victory	Win 2 Games with a Warlock	40 Gold
Warrior Victory	Win 2 Games with a Warrior	40 Gold
Druid Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Druid	60 Gold
Hunter Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Hunter	60 Gold
Mage Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Mage	60 Gold
Paladin Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Paladin	60 Gold
Priest Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Priest	60 Gold
Rogue Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Rogue	60 Gold
Shaman Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Shaman	60 Gold
Warlock Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Warlock	60 Gold
Warrior Dominance	Win 5 Games with a Warrior	60 Gold
Destroy Them All!	Destroy 40 Minions	40 Gold
Only the Mighty	Play 20 Minions that cost 5 or more	40 Gold
The Meek shall Inherit	Play 40 Minions that cost 2 or less	40 Gold
Spell Master	Play 40 Spells	40 Gold
Beat Down	Deal 100 damage to enemy heroes	40 Gold
Total Dominance	Win 7 games in any mode	100 Gold
3 Victories!	Win 3 Games with any Class	40 Gold

Earning Hearthstone Gold & Packs From Completion Awards

Collect All Basic Cards	Get Every Hero to Level 10	100 Gold
Crushed Them All	Beat Every AI Hero At Expert Level	100 Gold
Chicken Dinner	100 Wins In Any Mode	300 Gold
Big Winner	1000 Wins In Any Mode	300 Gold
***	***	***
First Blood	Play Once in Play Mode	1 Pack
Enter The Arena	First Arena Entry Is Free	1 Pack+
Level Up	Get a Class to Level 10	1 Pack

Winning Matches For Gold In Hearthstone

In the Hearthstone Closed Beta you earn 5 gold for every 5 10 gold for every 3 matches you win against randomly paired opponents.  These awards are cumulative along with the daily quests so, let's say your Daily Quest is to win two games as the druid, those 2 wins will also count towards your next 5 win 5 gold 10 gold for 3 wins payout.

One thing to be aware of is that the 5 gold for 5 wins  - 10 gold for 3 wins -only counts if you are playing random opponents.  

NOTE:  Since the major Hearthstone Patch & Wipe, the gold earned from Play Mode wins has thankfully been increased to 10 gold per 3 wins.  This makes grinding for gold in Hearthstone much easier and greatly speeds up the rate at which you can earn gold as a F2P player.

You cannot earn gold or complete quests when playing against your friends; the matches must be against random opponents.

Glow in the Dark Hearthstone Bracelets / Keychains

Gold Farming Strategy & Tips for Beginners

The first things you should focus on as a new Hearthstone player are:

1. Get your Mage Deck to Level 10 - Earn 1 Booster Pack
2. Unlock all other Class Decks (By beating each of them in Practice Mode) - Earn 100 gold
3. Get all Class Decks to Level 10 - Earn 100 gold
4. Defeat each Deck once in Expert AI Mode - Earn 100 gold
5. Grind your daily quests - Earn 40 gold per day
6. Use MyPoints Rewards For Free Card Packs

I would strongly advise that you do not play ranked matches until you have unlocked all decks, have all of those decks' basic cards unlocked, and have beaten every AI class on Expert Mode.  The way the ranking system works, you will rank up as you win matches, so unlocking all of the cards first against either the AI or in unranked PvP matches will be the best option.  This way you have all of your basic cards unlocked and can build better custom decks before starting to earn wins and rank up, which will lead you to face tougher opponents.  This will also help you each day on your daily quests because you will be playing with every class deck.  You don't want to pick your favorite deck, get a bunch of ranked wins, and then get stuck playing against high ranked opponents with your weak alternate class decks that don't have cards unlocked on the days those daily quests come up.  Trust me!  Unlock all decks and those decks' cards before playing ranked matches and advancing in rank.

Then once you have the above objectives completed:

1. Play 1 ranked match - Earn 1 Booster Pack
2. Play 1 Arena Match - Earn 1 Booster Pack plus extra Gold, Dust, and possible Golden Cards depending on how well you do.  The first Arena Entry is free, so that is why you get at least 1 free booster from trying out the Arena Mode.

Those are the easy ways to earn gold and free Hearthstone booster packs.  From there on you will be working towards your 100 Wins to get 300 gold and then 1000 total Wins to earn another 300 gold.  To get those wins you have 2 choices:  Play Arena, or Grind Gold against random PvP opponents.  The good thing is that the wins in Arena also count towards your Daily Quests, 5 gold for 5 Wins, and Achievements.

If you want to Grind Gold in Play Mode

I recommend building a speed deck.  Pick one of the faster decks that can bring out a quick force of minions and then support those minions with your own creature control, direct damage, and removal spells to clear the way for your minions to attack quickly.  In my opinion the 3 fastest decks for this strategy are Mage, Rogue, & Hunter.  All 3 have direct damage dealing Class Abilities and Class Spells that include plenty of creature control options.  You should build a deck with small cheap creatures, lots of removal, and some direct damage spells.

Here as an example: Hearthstone Mage Deck w Basic Cards Only.

The goal is to either win or lose quickly, since the more matches you play the more chances you have of increasing your potential gold per hour.  Win fast or lose fast.  If you win, then great.  If not, move on to the next match as quickly as possible.  If your goal is to grind gold for free booster packs, then you want speed wins and quick losses.  You do not want to be playing a deck that thrives in the mid to late game and takes a long time to determine the match's outcome.  If you are grinding for gold, you are much better off playing a speed deck and turning over opponents quickly.

You can play in Ranked or Unranked matches, so Unranked is the better choice because you when you rank up you cannot descend in rank.  As you get higher in rank, you will face tougher opponents.


If you want to Play Arena Mode For Gold & Packs:

I really enjoy Arena Mode.  Arena Mode costs 150 gold (or $1.99) to enter, but what you can win is determined by how well you perform with your deck.

When you play Arena Mode you build your deck from randomly selected cards.  You are given 3 card options and get to pick 1 that will go directly into your deck.  You repeat this selection process 30 times to build your 30 card deck.  You then duel random opponents until you get to 3 losses.

Every Arena Entry will award you with 1 Booster Pack and then dust, gold, and golden cards based on your final record.  Your break even is around 5 wins (I've hit in 4 wins as well) per Arena Entry if you are using the 150 gold entry fee.  Since you get a Booster Pack which costs 100 gold, you only need to make up 50 gold in your bonus prizes in order to break even.  If you can win over 5 matches you will earn slightly more gold and dust, but the real goal should be to hit 7 or more wins each time you play Arena Mode.  At 7 wins the awards get much better and you can start to earn back your entire 150 gold entry fee in addition to the booster pack, dust, and golden cards.  For example, I had an 8-3 record and was awarded: a Booster Pack, 55 Dust, a Golden "Flare" Hunter card, and 170 gold!  So I made a profit on that round of the Arena.

Unlocking all of the other decks and playing them to unlock all of the decks' cards is great training for learning the other classes and their decks, because you will be using various classes on the arena because you have to choose from a random set of 3 classes each time you play in Arena Mode.

Arena mode is a bit of a gamble with its extra 50 gold entry fee, but once you get the hang of the game it can be very rewarding.  Arena Mode requires a different set of skills, since you are building your decks from random cards, but it is also a lot of fun too.  And once you get good at Arena, you have the chance to keep playing for free if you can get to 7 or 8 wins each time and recoup your entry fee as well as your booster pack and other rewards.  Good luck in there!

Other Tips For Playing Hearthstone Efficiently

1. Don't Play Ranked Matches Early On - Unlock all basic cards first.
2. Daily Quests - Always complete them each day.
3. When Gold Grinding For Wins - Always use a speed deck.  Fast wins & losses are better than drawn out wins or losses.
4. Conceding Is Good - If you've lost, Concede.  Conceding moves you to a new opponenets faster and increases your potential gold per hour earnings.
5. Do Not Disenchant & Craft Cards If You Plan To Buy Packs - Wait until you have bought your packs before doing any crafting.  The worst thing you can do is waste a bunch of dust to craft a card and then find it in a booster pack you open.
6. Playing Ranked Matches Is Optional - You can still earn gold for wins and complete daily quests for gold while playing in Unranked Mode.

NOTE:  Crushed Them All quest is currently bugged and will sometimes not be awarded once you beat all of the AI decks on expert mode.  This happened to me post-wipe, but all you need to do is go back through and beat them all over again until you get credit for the quest (and the wins that didn't get counted the first time).  Annoying, but it's worth doubling back through the game just to get the pack and you can use a second deck and unlock extra basic cards while you complete the Crushed Them All Achievement.

I hope this Starter's Guide For Grinding Gold In Hearthstone is a big help to you.  Enjoy your time in Hearthstone and look out.  I'll be coming for you!

Be sure to also read: Hearthstone: How To Earn More Experience Per Match

**********

Update:  Post-Patch & Wipe, I've been having a rather easy time farming gold and winning ranked matches using my current Top Hearthstone Deck: Priest Card Draw Control.

I've also started a series on Common Mistakes Hearthstone Players Make.

Looking For Heroes of the Storm Gold Making Tips?


Recommended Guides: 
Hearthstone Secrets | Hearthstone Ownage | HS Arena Drafting