Quote:
Originally Posted by wil318466
Anyone have any general guidelines on when to go for a board trade, and when to go for direct damage to the other player?
It seems I always pick wrong.
It depends what class/deck you going against and how much mana they have left.
For instance, leaving anything on the board after turn 7-8 against druid is dangerous due to FON/SR combo. But against mid range paladin it's typically safer to leave guys on board e/c the tokens.
If they can easily buff their guys or they run spells/minions that punish you for not trading, then it's normally best to trade.
Additionally there are certain threats that always have to be removed regardless of class such as patrons, frothing, jugglers, shades etc that get too strong quickly.
Another example is against mech mages, don't leave mechs early on or they will tinker/blast mage you.
So basically you need to know your opponents deck and how much mana/how many cards they have. You also have to know your win conditions. Face hunter can't really afford to trade, while control warrior can and has time to trade.
Classes that need board control: Shaman, druid and paladin--so if you can reduce there board footprint it's normally better. Also you need to consider your own comeback mechanisms. If you can't comeback easily after a clear, you should consider your options. Druid has real trouble trying to come back from clears without using there combo to clear but it ruins your win condition. Conversely, control warrior/paladin have ways to clear the board easily, same with priest and in many cases mage.