The Vicious Syndicate Data Reaper Podcast

School is back in session as ZachO puts on his high skill cap and expands on the paradigm between resource and initiative with real-world examples to help illustrate opportunities to grow as a player. If you haven't listened to episode 45 , we strongly recommend doing so first! 

The meta has a few developments going on, so it's time for one more review of standard before the mini-set. The format is unusually balanced and diverse with a few surprises worth covering even three months in.

Is Garrote Contact Rogue really the most skill-testing deck of all time? Can a deck's skill ceiling really be measured in data? Yes and yes. Tune in to find out the details.

The first full report of 21.3 is out and we're here to break it down along with a lengthy discussion on the state of standard's balance and play patterns. This meta isn't for everyone, but does that mean there are fundamental flaws in the designs?

21.3 is live with some significant changes--we were curious about Team 5's perspective on the meta so we had Alec on again to tell us what they think! Join us for an interview and a very early look at the new meta.

The pace of Stormwind patches hasn't slowed down and we're due for 14 card changes next week. Alec himself challenged Zach to come up with a list of changes - and Hat has some (bad) guesses too.

The post-Stealer meta has continued to develop and the first official report has a lot for us to expand on. Does Rod make Handlock OP? Is Garrote Rogue the highest skill cap deck ever? Can Zach do an accurate Feno impression? Tune in to find out.

What would Stormwind look like without Stealer of Souls? Well, we finally get the chance to find out thanks to another couple of balance changes that went live earlier this week. And Flesh Giant moved one mana again... does it even matter? Yes. Yes it does.

The first report of patch 21.0.3 is here and it turns out it'll be the final report as well - some Warlock changes have been announced for next week! What does that mean for the rest of the classes?

8 nerfs! Team 5 went wide with changes as expected. We don't have a full report yet, but we have early insights into the new meta and it may not be what you're expecting. Don't worry, we talk about Stealer... but there's a lot more to discuss.

We didn't get nerfs yet though we know they're coming - but we do have the first report of Stormwind and it's a doozy! And of course, at the end we update our balance predictions to see if we can figure out what the team will do on Tuesday.

It's time for the first look at the United in Stormwind standard environment! There are more decks to cover than we've ever done before in a single episode. Join us for an early peek at what the numbers are saying. 

We have an early look at the 20.8.2 field as Barrens winds down. With the significant changes to Priest and the removal of Gibberling highrolls, the field looks rosy for Rush Warrior... but are there other developments to discover? Is Priest actually dead? 

We don't have new cards, but we do have new information from Alec via tweet - balance changes are coming next week! There are also some interesting developments to Watch out for in standard that deserve discussion.

United in Stormwind is our next expansion! We have a ton of new cards to talk about as well as the new mechanics introduced in the reveal stream on Thursday. 

There's a lull at the end of the third month of the Barrens meta, but there's been plenty of activity on social media around the class everyone loves to hate. The boys spend some time talking about the data and player sentiment around Priest with some interesting data points that might surprise you.

The second report of Wailing Caverns has given us some new developments. Can Hybrid Shaman work? Should Rush Warrior play N'Zoth? Are we going full yoink? Tune in and find out!

Thanks to the release of some powerful new Shaman cards, we finally have something to talk about with Thrall! The first full week of data from the Wailing Caverns meta has given us a lot of insights to go over for every class... well, almost every class.

With only hours to spare between the patch notes and the mini-set's release, Zach and Hat find time for an EMERGENCY EPISODE covering all the new cards and the surprise nerfs!

We're waiting for the Wailing Caverns to open - but for this episode, we're trying something a little different and exploring the general concept of meta dynamics.

Alec promised spice, but the initial impressions seemed to be that not much had changed. We don't think those initial impressions were accurate. Take a listen to get some context into the meta's developments after the first report of 20.2.2.

We have an early look at what's good after the sudden 20.2.2 changes, but the meta is barely formed at this point. We have some idea of what to play and a much better idea of what not to play. 

Two hours before the show recorded, Alec tweeted that 5 nerfs and 10 buffs are coming! Join us as we try to sleuth out what the possible changes could be.

We have confirmation that balance changes are coming but not what they are yet - and this meta isn't done developing. Zach has some spicy takes to share on where things are now and where they could go!

Not sure what 3 drops to play? Need some extra value in your standard deck? Sounds like a job for FLEX TAPE NEUTRALS! What would win in a fight - the lifebinder or one angry orc?