In this article, I will share some of my experiences when I finished at Rank 1 Legend in October 2019. This was the first time after a while where Legend rank really mattered a lot, since it was the first time where the top 16 Legend finishers would get you an invitation to the Hearthstone Masters Tour.
My experience in Hearthstone is not very long; I started playing this game around 2017. In 3 years of my Hearthstone career, I managed to reach some milestones, one of which is to be the first Southeast Asia player who successfully finished in the 1st place Legend rank for US server. Besides that, I am also known as the silver medalist for Asian Games 2018 (and more).
I play for Team NXL Esports as a professional player for Hearthstone’s division with SteelSeries sponsorship.
Finishing in top 1 is not easy, even for pro players. Besides winning a lot, you need to have much more knowledge than the other top-ranked players. Grinding your way there will never ever work, trust me on this. Thinking smartly while working hard is the key, so here are some general tips that may become helpful if you want to finish at high legend every season:
Know the meta
The meta of Hearthstone ranked play will always change very often, sometimes even within one day. Know the meta well, know what deck is good right now, what’s the counter, and what will counter the counter.
Most of the time there will be only one or two decks that 90% of the top 100 players use, and it was like that for a reason, so most likely by the time you reach top 100 legends, you’ll go into mirror matches every game. Knowing what the counters or how to play against that particular deck will help a lot.
Every game matters
Try to play your best in every game possible. Think about every possible play you can make and how your opponents will react on the next 2 or 3 turns. Even the slightest mistake can cost you a game. (at high legend it can cost you like 30 ranks per loss, while a win will only give you like 1 or 2 ranks, doh...)
Manage your emotion, don't tilt!
Losing like 40 or 50 ranks in only two games will really hit your nerves. So unless you're the calmest person on earth, take a break when you feel tilted. Don't force it. Go exercise, walk your dogs, eat some instant noodles, anything that can help you relax, leave the game for a while. You can’t think well when you’re tilted, which means you are not playing at your 100%.
Know when to play, and when you need to stop
I mean like literally know at what time all the top legends are playing. Check the ladder rank often, if you are familiar enough with the Hearthstone pro scene. You’ll know the timezone where most of the top legend players and will likely be queueing some games. You won't want to just queue a game and meet someone hundreds of ranks lower than yours.
The last day of the special seasons (when finishing top legend will give you something) will be very very very stressful, because everyone will be on their top gear to get into that finish, so you can lose like 5 - 10 ranks in only like 2 hours without even playing. The decay is real, so keep up with them and don’t let them race you. Don’t be in a rush, sometimes ensuring a slow win is better than taking a risk for the fast wins.
And that is how you get top 1 Legend for the end season. Well, not exactly…these are just some tips and advice I can give you based on my experience. The most important thing is to love and enjoy every game you have played or you will be playing, now go and get em! <3 -@Joth703
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