One day you’re casting Call to Arms, sending opponents into a blind rage in real life due to its insane impact it has on the game. The next, you’re taking it out of your Paladin decks, deciding whether to disenchant it for dust or not. The card has been nerfed, and no longer holds the value, or game play potential, it once did.
Such is life in Collectable Card Games. The meta fluctuates. Changing seemingly as often as the average gamer changes his bed sheets (not nearly often enough, but often enough to cause a stink). Add in the digital aspect and forget it. Card changes, balance tweaks, and out right game changes are easily implemented.
We experienced a drastic balance change on May 22nd. With balance changes, come meta shifts. It’s as natural as peanut butter and jelly. Milk and cookies. Taco Bell and heartburn. I think you get it. These balance changes were necessary to the game, but the meta shift can be hard to wrap your head around.
Here we’ll lay out the 12 best decks in the current meta, with a brief guide to optimize your game play with each.
12. Spell Hunter
Alleria Stalking the Deep Woods
A Hunter deck without minions. I’ll repeat myself: A Hunter deck without minions.
Kobolds and Catacombs rocked the meta for the Hunter class in many ways. Most significantly, it took away the ever-popular versions of the class, the Face Hunter variations. There is just too much agro stopping ability out there, it’s no longer viable to run the Face Hunter builds.
Enter the ring please, Spell Hunter.
This archetype of Hunter was developed shortly after Kobolds and Catacombs release, and has not only survived the May 22nd balance changes, but it grew in strength. Taking advantage of cards like Lesser Emerald Spellstone and Rhok’delar, this lethal combination has taken hunter in a completely different direction.
Standard gameplay strategy is to survive the early game. Candleshot and Wandering Monster help keep the board empty and in your favor throughout the early game. Your secrets will help power up Lesser Emerald Spellstone, which is one of your win conditions. Drop this on turn 5 (or 4 with a coin) while it’s fully charged, and your win rate is almost 100%.
Mid and late game are all yours if you’ve kept the board clear throughout the early game. Rhok’delar and To My Side provide significant end game threats and game finishers.
The run down? Keep the board clear early and build up Lesser Emerald Spellstone, unleash it’s power on turn 4 or 5, then use your end game threats combined with your hero ability to close the games out.
11. Big Warrior
You Couldn’t Pay Me to Fight Him
Garrosh needs some love from the Hearthstone community. In the glory days of the first standard set, Wallet Warrior was one of the top decks out there. Warrior has taken a nose dive in viability since then. However, if this Kobolds and Catacombs meta is showing us anything, it’s that the meta is well on it’s way to opening up and going wider.
Welcome back Garrosh, old friend.
Big warrior is going to play as a Midrange / Control deck for the most part. Just like a lot of the decks in this article (and in the entire meta for that matter), your goal here is to use your early game cards to survive and win board control. Whirlwind and Sleep with the Fishes will help control the litany of fast and aggressive decks out there. Use them freely, you’re going to need them.
Mid and late game are standard, but consistent with this Warrior variation. There are no specific cards that carry the keys to victory. Simply pay the big threats that make the most sense for the current board state and keep the pressure up on your opponent. They are going to be spending a lot of resources to eliminate your threats, so keep the pressure high in the mid and late game.
Easy mode? Seriously. Just stay alive and in relatively good shape for four to six turns. After that it’s big threat after big threat, and you’ll still have a lot of outs for their counter threats. Keep the board control, and you’ll be taking the victory.
10. Taunt Druid
You’re Going to Have to Get Through Malfurioun First
A druid archetype that finds itself regularly in and out of the meta is the Taunt Druid. It’s a hot and cold deck since single minion removal, and even taunt minion removal specifically, see a strong variance in how often they’re played. Right now, they’re not seen as much play with the prevalence of fast aggressive decks out there. Welcome back Taunt Druid.
The early game key is a simple one. Ramp up with Wild Growth. With the right ramping and card draw, you’ll get the lovely combo of Ironwood Golem and Oaken Summons off pretty regularly. If this is dropped in the early game, you can almost sit back and play the rest in cruise control.
Master Oakheart and Hadronox are your lynch pins to victory in the late game, when combined with everyone’s favorite dessert, the famous Carnivorous Cube. These combos are the kind that don’t simply kill your opponent when set up on the board; they make your opponent hit the ‘Concede Match’ button.
Takeaways? Like most Hearthstone decks, survive early. But also focus on your mana ramping. Mid game combos of Ironwood Golem and Oaken Summons will help you stabilize, and then kill their hero (and a little bit of their soul IRL) with the late game combo of Master Oakheart and/or Hadronox with Carnivorous Cube.
9. Odd Rogue
Who are You Calling Odd?
Thanks to the addition of Baku the Mooneater and Genn Graymane, we now have the pleasure of referring to many Hearthstone decks by ‘Odd’ or ‘Even’. It’s a unique and powerful game mechanic. And perhaps no deck takes advantage of it more than the backstabbing, poison tipped, pick pocketing Rogue.
Odd Rogue is fast, aggressive, and in your face. Early game board controllers like Dire Mole and Firefly are key. Board control is a fight you’re having from turn 1 on with this deck; and it is a fight easily won. These cards are so key to early board control, it’s ok to hard mulligan for them.
Mid game is going to be easy for you if you take advantage of Hench-Clan Thug. Your game winning combo a lot of games is going to be the famous Leeroy Jenkins with a Cold Blood (or two). Your opponent should be low from your board dominating minions by this point in the game, so a lot of times this combo is enough to win it outright.
The core of it? Dominate that board with your early game threats, remove their mid game threats with your high output Rogue removal, and combo out in the end for the victory.
8. Even Shaman
Grab Your Deck Fool! It’s On
Built around the lower cost hero power, and the strong combos available with tokens, this Shaman variation build towards an early board and looks to land several early game big hits. These turns aim to take your opponent away from their game, as they struggle to react to such strong early game threats.
You’re going to take advantage of the minion and board buffs Shaman has to offer with cards like Flametongue Totem and Dire Wolf Alpha. Al’Akir the Windlord when played next to these two is an almost automatic win. Specifically, if you can pull of one or two big turns buffing your tokens in the early to mid-game.
Shaman keys? Use the buffs and token package to burst out surprise pockets of damage. Your weakened opponent will be lacking resources as their trades are usually inferior to yours, and your end game threats will have the opportunity to charge through for victory.
7. Odd Paladin
Baku Has Taken a Stranglehold on the Paladin Class
The first deck to really take advantage of the Odd / Even mechanic in Kobolds and Catacombs was the Odd Paladin. Even came out of the gate strong but was quickly countered and proven to be a weaker deck. Odd Paladin held strong however and is still a top threat in the meta.
Using the upgraded hero power, this is the ultimate ‘flood the board’ deck. Your ability to throw out minions is outstanding, and decks that run full board clear usually don’t have enough to clear the board as often as they need to against you.
Your 1-drops keep the board in your favor while you build up early. Then an Unidentified Maul with at least three targets is usually enough to swing the mid game in your favor. Corridor Creeper is your main threat here as well, until you have a full enough board to drop a Raid Leader for the lethal punch.
Odd man out? Don’t worry, you won’t be. Keep your board full, and victory will be almost a guarantee. You will go from zero board to five plus minions several times a game with this deck, so never despair.
6. Big-Spell Mage
Big Spell is Jaina’s Middle Name – Not Many Know That
Mage is one class that is happy to have a deck in the top tiers of the meta. Bouncing in and out of the top meta seems to be a trend for Mage. Big-Spell is here to bring Mage back into the spotlight. And it’s doing so in a…big way. (sorry folks, I had to).
Frost Lich Jaina takes the spotlight in this control Mage variation. This deck is perhaps one of the most fun to play. It plays like a control deck, but has aggressive possibilities, as well as the capability to burn down opponents with classics such as Fireball and Alexstrasza Combo.
Using early game minions and Mage removal spells, you’ll control the board easily in the beginning of the game as you work towards the mid game control point. Make it until turn six or seven unscathed and the game is almost always yours.
Mage’s survival skills and card advantage will help you out here as you build up towards your upgraded hero. Once the Frost Lich hits, you have basically endless Life-steal capabilities and it’s going to be game over for your opponents.
The path to glory? Survive, just like most of the decks here. Survive until about turn seven, then keep their board in check as you work towards playing Frost Lich Jaina. Drop her, and your Life-steal ability will quickly turn any board position to your advantage, and the game is usually yours.
5. Kathrena Hunter
This Card Single Handedly Created a New Hunter Archetype
Just like it’s cousin, Spell Hunter, Kathrena Hunter is a new version of Hunter that owes its existence to the Kobolds and Catacombs expansion.
Explosive Trap and Wandering Monster make up your early game protection with Kathrena Hunter. And just like it’s cousin, you’re also aiming to power up the incredibly over powered Lesser Emerald Spellstone with your early game secrets. Keep your opponents board clear, and power up the spellstone. That’s the key in the early game.
One you’re entering those mid game turns, your aggressiveness kicks into full gear here. Survive the opening 4 to 6 turns in good shape with a clear enemy board, and the game is almost guaranteed to go your way.
Using the incredibly strong beast and minion recruiting abilities of this deck, your goal is to simply swarm your opponents with not just many mediocre minions, but with swaths of vicious minions and beasts, all of whom have synergies that play off one another.
Your goal here? Keep the board clear early and build up Lesser Emerald Spellstone, unleash it’s power on turn 4 or 5, then use your recruiting threats combined with your hero ability to close the games out.
4. Token Druid
Who are you Calling a Token...?
No class has benefited in the most recent handful of expansions as druid has. There is always at least two to three druid builds in the top tier of decks in the meta, and this current meta is no different. One of the major archetypes for Druid right now is the Token Druid.
Your game plan won’t be different than if you were playing any other Midrange / Control deck. Focus on your need to survive and either stabilize board with Taunts, ramp up your mana and flood the board with tokens, or stay survivable with the decks ability to gain armor. Spreading Plague is a life saver against any fast deck, and even with it’s higher mana cost should be kept against any fast decks you match up against.
If you’re out of the early game with card and board advantage, then you’re in good shape. Focus on combos like Whispering Woods plus Savage Roar once you’ve stabilized to land surprise lethal situations on your opponent.
When in doubt, the completely insane Ultimate Infestation will help you to regain advantage if you’ve lost the edge during the mid to late game. It’s a threat removal, card advantage, board advantage, and survivability giant all wrapped up into one beautiful little package.
Keys to victory? Like most Midrange / Control decks, survive the beginning. Don’t hold back on the defensive resources. Load up the board mid game when you have card advantage, and combo out in the end to show those nature hating fools who’s the real boss of the woods around here.
3. Cube Warlock
This Sticky Cube Right Here, Has Created an Archetype Himself
This deck is designed to take ridiculous advantage of Carnivorous Cube. You’re either going to build a wall of minions that has zero shot of being breached, or a one turn kill combo that no defense is going to stop.
This is the most played deck on the ladder, and for good reason. You’re going to be playing all the standard Warlock board control and removal staples, and work towards a broken combination involving Carnivorous Cube. Voidlord works particularly well for this, creating essentially an unbreakable wall of taunt minions.
Bloodreaver Gul’dan is the turn ten target here. If he does come out on turn ten, it’s almost always going to mean game over.
How to win? Survive. Just survive and keep the board somewhat clean. Use the cube to your advantage to build out insane combos and loops and dig with your hero power to get to that turn 10 hero switch.
2. Taunt Warrior
Everyone’s Favorite New(ish) Taunt Minion
Taunt Warrior is perhaps the one deck on the list with the easiest playstyle. In short: play the taunt minion or armor gaining card that makes the most sense. Complete your quest. Play the big dudes. Get your Sulfuras, and destroy their face.
Early game you’ll want to play Stonehill Defender early, and aim to either choose another copy of him to help with the Fire Plume’s Heart , or focus on additional copies of your two major end game threats, The Lich King and Primordial Drake.
Fire Plume’s Heart will not always be your win condition. Against the faster decks, the taunt minions you drop mid game, and your timing of the two bombs listed above will be your key to victory. Against the slower decks, aim to complete your quest and get the Sulfuras on the board.
The short of it? Survive. Survive, and work towards quest completion. Clear their board with your seeming endless supply of board clear and apply pressure mid to late game when their board is under control.
1. Even Warlock
This Dude Has a Weird Demon Fetish…
This throwback to the old Handlock is the ultimate control deck the meta has to offer right now. Getting your hero ability for 1 mana as a Warlock is completely bonkers, and this deck takes full advantage of it.
Mountain Giant can come out as early as turn three with this Warlock variation. Often, that is the game winner right there. An 8/8 on turn three is hard to deal with. Weird, huh? There is plenty of removal in the deck to allow you to keep your Giant alive while you build up for your mid and late game threats.
Once you have your turn three giant, a steady stream of threats follows. In no particular order, you can dominate the board with Twilight Drake and Hooked Reaver, and keep those Sunfury Protector’s for the Giants and Drakes.
Warlock Victory? Play your Giants, Life Tap as much as you can, clear their board with your efficient Warlock removal, and build up your board with your high value threats.
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