Where has the All Ranks filter gone?

As of April 2nd, the "All Ranks" filter has been removed from HSReplay.net. Instead, every user can now access the following filters for free:

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Bronze
  • Bronze–Gold

This is the very first time we're making qualitative rank filters on HSReplay.net available for free users of the site. We believe this change will have a major impact in how players think about Hearthstone statistics overall and allows everybody to look at the data more like we do internally. Read on for more.

Why was the All Ranks filter removed?

Our goal with HSReplay.net has always been to help players find the right deck for their individual circumstance. Skill and personal preference play a large role, but the most impactful criteria are a player's usual rank and the region they play in.

From the very start, our stats pages have been showing data from all ranks by default. Since then, we've regularly come to feel that All Ranks is misleading. If you're a high rank player then the stats for deck performance with All Ranks are polluted by the large volume of low rank data (see below how we plan to fix the season reset). Likewise, if you're a beginner player the data is polluted by Legendary players.

For example this Face Hunter deck has the following win rates at the time of writing this:

  • At Diamond: 48.8%
  • At Bronze: 56.6%
  • At All Ranks: 54.4%

In the previous system, a Diamond player who only used the All Ranks filter might pick this deck believing it's viable in their local meta due to its 54.4% win rate at All Ranks. They would have no idea they are actually entering combat with a sub-optimal deck - only 48.8% win rate at Diamond. Likewise, Bronze players may skip this deck believing they can find a better alternative, when in reality this deck is quite powerful at their rank.

We've still included some league band options, "Diamond to Legend" and "Bronze to Gold" for circumstances, like at the start of a season, where data volumes are low and they might be needed, however we believe these tighter bands will still yield more accurate results than All Ranks ever did.

How useful are per league filters in the new rank system? Doesn't MMR-based match making mess up the data?

This isn't a new issue. Even in the old system, ranked players were reset down to a lower rank. At first all their games would be attributed to the lower ranks until they reached their previous rank again. We believe that players getting matched by their match making rating (MMR) at the start of the season is not materially different than the way it worked previously. The games they play while they have a star multiplier active will be attributed to the leagues they pass through during this period of the month.

However, the new rank system creates a new opportunity because we are able to look at the star multiplier to easily partition out the games that were matched by rank from the games that were matched by MMR. Once we get more data available we will make a decision as to whether we want to filter out MMR-based games below Legend so that we can offer players an even clearer picture of what the meta looks like at their usual league.

How do I use the new league-based filters?

While you have a star multiplier active, the league displayed in game is irrelevant to who you get matched against. Therefore, while you have a star multiplier active, pick the league that is closest to what you believe your MMR to be. Once you have no more star multiplier, pick the league that you are currently in.

How do I use the site if I'm above Gold?

Many of the sites features, like reviewing your replays, seeing the overall power of classes on the homepage, or discovering trending decks are unaffected by these changes. However, when it comes to climbing the ladder, if you're intent on reaching Legend, we recommend that players purchase a Premium subscription so that they can continue to find decks that will perform well in the Platinum and Diamond meta.

Where do I find the overall meta tier list now? Where do I find the best deck in the game?

We do not believe there is a single tier list for the game, or a single best deck. The way that Hearthstone segments groups of players into different pools by region, league, and MMR creates multiple local metas. In one league's local meta, the aggro decks may thrive, while in a different league's local meta the control decks might be king. To find the best tier list for you as a player you need to be using the filters on the site to examine the data that is specific to your rank and region.

If you have any more questions or feedback, please get in touch with us via email at contact@hsreplay.net, or through one of the other methods listed here.