Looking for the best deck in Hearthstone's Duels? Well, you're in luck
Even if it is still in its beta testing stage, the Duels game mode quickly proved to be a niche but loved game mode. With a dedicated community actively testing and encouraging the creation of new decks, many strange but powerful synergies are discovered every day.
Although there are only 15 cards for the initial decklist of Duels, an immense amount of skill is still needed when building your own deck. In particular, decks should be created while factoring in the succeeding card buckets that are most likely to come up for selection. Another restraint in deckbuilding is making sure that your deck does not focus too much on either the early game or the late game.
With these factors in mind, here are the Top 10 best duels decks for Hearthstone:
10. Rattlegore (Enrage Warrior)
Pain! For value!
Seeking to dominate the board through high-attack minions, this deck deals a scary amount of damage even with minimal setup. Take No Guts, No Glory as your hero power to strengthen your minions and trigger their Enrage effect. As for the first treasure, Spiked Arms is a consistent damage buff to your minions since there are almost no weapon-destruction cards used right now.
After every game, your priority should be getting the Enrage card bucket as the deck is built around bursting your enemy with both the enrage and charge effects. Another good card bucket would be the Rush bucket, as the rush effect will allow you to establish board control and add more draw mechanics to the deck.
What is great about this deck:
- Aggressive deck that can pick up wins early since the hero HP is low during the first few games
- Most of the cards are flexible enough that you can pivot to a midrange deck if the desired card buckets are not given
Cards:
- 1x Sinstone Totem (1)
- 1x Anima Extractor (2)
- 1x Crabrider (2)
- 1x Crazed Wretch (2)
- 1x Crooked Cook (2)
- 1x Acolyte of Pain (3)
- 1x Bloodsworn Mercenary (3)
- 1x Charge (3)
- 1x Gnomeregan Infantry (3)
- 1x Raging Worgen (3)
- 1x Blademaster Samuro (4)
- 1x Gruntled Patron (4)
- 1x Whirling Combatant (4)
- 1x Remornia, Living Blade (7)
- 1x Grommash Hellscream (8)
Hero Power: No Guts, No Glory
Starting Treasure: Spiked Arms
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAQcP2AKDCZIQ3KkDkeQD1egD++gDlu0Di6AEnNQEvNsEiN8EvuIExOUE3e0EAAA=
9. Sir Finley (Murloc Paladin/Shaman)
Sir Finley rides into battle, ready to dispense justice against his final foe.
He might look small and cute, but Sir Finley sure does pack a punch in this deck that maximizes the strength of the Murloc package. With the combination of the Paladin and Shaman classes, just pick all the cards with the Murloc tag in them and you are good to go. This is especially true when choosing your card buckets, as getting more murlocs early on is crucial to keep up against other minion-based decks.
With the divine shield and windfury given by your hero power Power Up!, your murlocs can survive more threats. The starting treasure Scales of Justice is also an irreplaceable component because it is one of the few ways to refill your hand and neutralize a wide board of enemy minions at the same time.
What is great about this deck:
- Firemancer Flurgl exerts more power than the average murloc deck since every minion in the deck is a murloc
- Everyfin is Awesome can almost directly end games early since it can be discounted a lot with a pure murloc deck
- Power Up! together with a buffed Crabrider is a solid combo that you can use to remove enemy minions effectively
Cards:
- 1x Murloc Tidecaller (1)
- 1x Murmy (1)
- 1x Spawnpool Forager (1)
- 1x Crabrider (2)
- 1x Firemancer Flurgl (2)
- 1x Lushwater Murcenary (2)
- 1x Lushwater Scout (2)
- 1x Rockpool Hunter (2)
- 1x South Coast Chieftain (2)
- 1x Clownfish (3)
- 1x Murloc Warleader (3)
- 1x Nofin Can Stop Us (3)
- 1x Murlocula (4)
- 1x Tidelost Burrower (4)
- 1x Everyfin is Awesome (7)
Hero Power: Power Up!
Starting Treasure: Scales of Justice
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAZ8FD78XncICyqsDkeQDk+gDlOgDs+gD3ewDqO4DlfADq6AEws4Exc4E7tMEy+IEAAA=
8. Mindrender Illucia (Spell Priest)
Share your thoughts with the class, NOW!
For this spell-based deck, control and disruption are your tickets to victory. Your first few games revolve around cycling through your cards to activate the hero power Mind Tether and slowly whittle the enemy’s HP. Holy Fire and Void Shard are your main burst damage spells to close out games since most spell cards in the deck are either to draw other spells or to disrupt and kill enemy minions.
After a few games when the total hero HP starts scaling up, you should look to get some taunt minions from the Taunt bucket to slow down the game. Another recommended card bucket is the Shadows bucket, which contains Mind Blast, another one of the few direct damage spells for Priest.
What is great about this deck:
- A lot of minion disruption and lifesteal spells, great for slowing the game down and letting Mind Tether win the game
- Shadow Word: Void becomes better the more matches you play since decks tend to go more control-oriented and minion-focused
- Radiant Elemental remains relevant throughout the run
Cards:
- 1x Illuminate (0)
- 1x Holy Smite (1)
- 1x Power Word: Shield (1)
- 1x Shard of the Naaru (1)
- 1x The Light! It Burns! (1)
- 1x Penance (2)
- 1x Radiant Elemental (2)
- 1x Shadow Visions (2)
- 1x Thrive in the Shadows (2)
- 1x Devouring Plague (3)
- 1x Handmaiden (3)
- 1x Identity Theft (3)
- 1x Palm Reading (3)
- 1x Void Shard (4)
- 1x Holy Fire (6)
Hero Power: Mind Tether
Starting Treasure: Shadow Word: Void
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAa0GD+UE1QrRwQKZqQPi3gOb6wOH9wOI9wOtigSFnwSitgSktgT10wT52wS43AQAAA==
7. Vanndar Stormpike (Highlander Neutral/Demon Hunter)
His favorite modes of transportation? Van, car, board, bike.
The best metaphor to describe this Highlander deck is that it is a blank canvas. With a bunch of legendary minions led by Zephrys the Great, this deck has a solid chance against every opponent when played correctly. Promote! and Rending Ambush can also clutch out games with unexpected high rolls such as granting the poisonous effect to a minion and killing a big threat from the enemy.
This deck has the foundation to do pretty much everything, be it card draw, board control, or late-game big threats. Whether you want to lean towards the Demon Hunter’s Relic and Naga synergy, opt for a Highlander deck with Zephrys the Great, or even both, the choice is yours to craft this deck as you like.
What is great about this deck:
- Zephrys the Great can single-handedly turn a game around, providing a perfect card for your current situation
- Sire Denathrius is a solid card for long games and can also be summoned as-is for the huge stats
- Theotar, the Mad Duke has the potential to defeat the enemy in 1 turn by taking their crucial card if they are a combo deck
Cards:
- 1x Armor Vendor (1)
- 1x Glacial Shard (1)
- 1x Relic of Extinction (1)
- 1x Relic Vault (2)
- 1x Zephrys the Great (2)
- 1x Brann Bronzebeard (3)
- 1x Relic of Phantasms (3)
- 1x Smothering Starfish (3)
- 1x School Teacher (4)
- 1x Theotar, the Mad Duke (4)
- 1x Antique Healbot (5)
- 1x Relic of Dimensions (5)
- 1x Steamcleaner (5)
- 1x Kael’thas Sinstrider (6)
- 1x Sire Denathrius (10)
Hero Power: Promote!
Starting Treasure: Rending Ambush
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAea5Aw/1D5fBAvyjA5LkA421BJa3BOnQBJjUBLjZBK/eBLDeBP/hBKriBIXlBL7wBAAA
6. Elise Starseeker (Spell Priest/Druid)
Whether she needs magic or a trusty machete, Elise is ready to save Uldum.
A certain level of skill is needed to achieve 12 wins on this deck due to the difficulty in staying alive against tempo decks. The hero power Starseeker takes quite a long time to become effective and spell damage is required for the generated Moonfire to make an impact. Taking these points into account, drafting control-heavy card buckets is heavily recommended.
After surviving the first few games and increasing your hero’s HP, this deck begins baring its fangs. With Jungle Moonkin and Guild Trader providing spell damage and Princess Valishj allowing you to cycle through spells, the generated moonfires from your hero power will surely melt the enemy. So, make sure to grab the card buckets that have low-cost spells or spell damage minions.
What is great about this deck:
- A lot of discover cards can give you anti-aggro cards to slow the game down
- Almost guaranteed OTK if you manage to summon and defend your spell damage minions
- Starseeker’s Tools is a great all-purpose card, effectively drawing 2 cards for 0 mana
Cards:
- 1x Aquatic Form (0)
- 1x Illuminate (0)
- 1x Priestess Valishj (0)
- 1x Moonbeam (1)
- 1x Nature Studies (1)
- 1x Planted Evidence (1)
- 1x Insight (2)
- 1x Moonlit Guidance (2)
- 1x Shadow Visions (2)
- 1x Thrive in the Shadows (2)
- 1x Gift of Luminance (3)
- 1x Palm Reading (3)
- 1x Switcheroo (3)
- 1x Guild Trader (4)
- 1x Jungle Moonkin (4)
Hero Power: Starseeker
Starting Treasure: Starseeker’s Tools
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAa+aBQ/rFtHBAqfLA5vOA+LeA/vfA8X5A6+ABK2KBImyBKK2BK7ABNXSBNbeBPbxBAAA
5. Forest Warden Omu (Quest Druid)
In time, you, too, will bloom.
Taking the mission of protecting the forests a little too seriously, Forest Warden Omu prefers a hands-on (or roots-on?) approach to her duty with this Quest Druid. Focused on dealing direct damage to the enemy’s face, this deck uses the hero power Nature’s Gifts to quickly finish the quest card Lost in the Park. If attacking the enemy’s face is not possible, there are also damage spells included in the deck.
When picking card buckets for this deck, it is recommended to include low-cost minions to drive up your tempo. The reason is that the cards in this deck do not have good ways to pressure the enemy, oftentimes needing the mana refresh from the starting treasure Warden’s Insight to begin the combo.
What is great about this deck:
- Nature’s Gifts is an excellent hero power that provides a way for you to deal with smaller minions
- Warden’s Insight has great flexibility, providing either a full board of 2/2 minions or refreshing your mana crystals
- Lost in the Park is a strong quest card that can turn the game around when completed
Cards:
- 1x Aquatic Form (0)
- 1x Pounce (0)
- 1x Claw (1)
- 1x Lost in the Park (1)
- 1x Moonbeam (1)
- 1x Guess the Weight (2)
- 1x Lunar Eclipse (2)
- 1x Moonlit Guidance (2)
- 1x Natural Causes (2)
- 1x Solar Eclipse (2)
- 1x Ferocious Howl (3)
- 1x Bite (4)
- 1x Swipe (4)
- 1x Theotar, the Mad Duke (4)
- 1x Starfire (6)
Hero Power: Nature’s Gifts
Starting Treasure: Warden’s Insight
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAZICD0DBBLcGmgi/8gKJ4AOK4APR4QOj9gOvgAS5oASuwATV0gS42QSy3QQAAA==
4. Star Student Stelina (Midrange Demon Hunter)
Hitting people's faces with your face.
On its own, this Midrange Demon Hunter deck already looks solid, relying on discover effects to find the needed cards for the current situation. The deck then jumps to another level of strength when the hero power Illidari Strike and the starting treasure Mo’arg Outcast are included. A massive late-game threat can also be created by using Illidari Strike to endlessly increase the Infuse count of Sire Denathrius and Artificer Xy’mox.
In terms of choosing card buckets, gathering more cards with the Infuse effect should be the priority. Existing synergies such as Relic and Naga should be considered and picked when needed. Overall the deck’s core is in surviving until Sire Denathrius contains enough Infuse stacks to instakill the enemy.
What is great about this deck:
- A lot of cards with the discover effect can help diversify your strategy instead of banking everything on a Sire Denathrius kill
- Relic of Dimensions is a great card that can fetch and discount high-cost cards, perfect if you want to pivot to a more control-type deck
Cards:
- 1x Armor Vendor (1)
- 1x Mistress of Mixtures (1)
- 1x Relic of Extinction (1)
- 1x Relic Vault (2)
- 1x Tuskarrr Trawler (2)
- 1x Wandmaker (2)
- 1x Relic of Phantasms (3)
- 1x Venomous Scorpid (3)
- 1x Vulpera Scoundrel (3)
- 1x Blademaster Okani (4)
- 1x Dispossessed Soul (4)
- 1x School Teacher (4)
- 1x Relic of Dimensions (5)
- 1x Artificer Xy’mox (8)
- 1x Sire Denathrius (10)
Hero Power: Illidari Strike
Starting Treasure: Mo’arg Outcast
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAea5Aw/+0QOS5AOW6APHsgSpswSWtwTk0ATp0ASb1ASq3QSv3gSw3gSq4gSF5QSXpAUAAA==
3. Reno Jackson (Spell Mage)
With a bag full of treasures and a well-styled mustache, Reno is ready to take Tekahn down!
Combining Mage spells and Rogue tricks is Reno Jackson’s specialty, and this deck is here to prove that. Unlike other spell decks in this list, this deck goes all in on spells, featuring zero minions for the initial deck list. By relying on the “Relicologist” hero power combined with the starting treasure Reno’s Magical Torch, this deck will never run out of spells to throw on the opponent’s face.
Cards such as Evasion and Solid Alibi mitigate the threats from the enemy, letting you draw and cast spells continuously. Eventually, Reno’s Magical Torch damage amplification will get too high to deal with, securing you the win. For future card buckets, make sure to get more damage spells such as Fireball and Frostbolt to add more threats alongside your starting treasure.
What is great about this deck:
- Lack of board clear is compensated by a lot of spell discounts, card draw, and damage mitigation cards
- “Relicologist” along with Reno’s Magical Torch only needs 3 mana to cast, allowing your treasure to scale in damage early
- Theoretically infinite damage, meaning that this deck will have no issues dealing with decks later in the run even with the enemy hero having a larger HP
Cards:
- 1x Preparation (0)
- 1x Blackwater Cutlass (1)
- 1x Door of Shadows (1)
- 1x Gone Fishin’ (1)
- 1x Secret Passage (1)
- 1x Ancient Mysteries (2)
- 1x Double Cross (2)
- 1x Evasion (2)
- 1x Serrated Bone Spike (2)
- 1x Siphon Mana (2)
- 1x Solid Alibi (2)
- 1x Arcane Intellect (3)
- 1x Cloak of Shadows (4)
- 1x Refreshing Spring Water (5)
- 1x Sprint (5)
Hero Power: “Relicologist”
Starting Treasure: “Reno’s Magical Torch
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAf0ED9/jAvSrA6rLA+LdA9HsA72ABIqNBPyeBJafBPefBLezBNzaBPTdBPXdBMreBAAA
2. Professor Slate (Secret Hunter)
The last theme is a secret.
Secret Hunter proves there is no need to reinvent the wheel and change what already works. The deck’s strength and fame lie in wasting the enemy’s resources. Due to the many secrets available, the enemy has no choice but to test and trigger the secrets, or else they risk getting countered with cards such as Ice Trap.
Alongside the hero power Savage Secrets and the starting treasure Stalking Pride, you are incentivized to pick more secrets and beast synergy cards after every game. That’s not even including Cloaked Huntress, which makes your secrets cost 0 mana and allows you to play all your secrets in a single turn.
What is great about this deck:
- Stalking Pride is a great finisher, potentially summoning big beasts like King Krush or Tyrantus
- Savage Secrets allows you to contend against minion-based decks since a lot of the 2-cost beasts have great stats and effects
- The secret card bucket is fairly common to get after every game, allowing you to improve your deck consistently
Cards:
- 1x Mystery Winner (1)
- 1x Cat Trick (2)
- 1x Dun Baldar Bunker (2)
- 1x Emergency Maneuvers (2)
- 1x Explosive Trap (2)
- 1x Ice Trap (2)
- 1x Pressure Plate (2)
- 1x Wandering Monster (2)
- 1x Cloaked Huntress (3)
- 1x Petting Zoo (3)
- 1x Stag Charge (3)
- 1x Wild Spirits (3)
- 1x Lesser Emerald Spellstone (5)
- 1x Tundra Rhino (5)
- 1x Beaststalker Tavish (6)
Hero Power: Savage Secrets
Starting Treasure: Stalking Pride
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAR8PuwX4sQLf0gLj0gKfpQPy4QOE4gOrjQTbkQTjnwSZrQSUtQSL1ATQ5ATU5AQAAA==
1. Instructor Fireheart (Overload Shaman)
When you have fire in your heart, even death can't stop you.
Taking the passive hero power Stormcatcher to prevent being overloaded, this Overload Shaman deck is truly overpowered. By design, cards with overload are purposely strong in stats or spell effects to compensate for locking your mana crystals next turn. This weakness is offset with the deck’s hero power, and Tempest’s Fury further takes advantage of overload being nullified by casting Lightning Bolt upon each attack.
While the initial decklist does not seem impressive, acquiring the Overloaded! card bucket can give you minions such as Earth Elemental. Using such powerful spells and controlling huge minions, this deck will surely propel you towards achieving 12 wins.
What is great about this deck:
- Stormcatcher nullifies the effect of overload cards, allowing you to use overload cards more frequently and activate the cards with overload synergy
- Has two of the most efficient AOE minion clear spell in Volcano and Don’t Stand in the Fire!
- Getting Eye of the Storm along with Command of Neptulon can easily overwhelm your enemy since board clear spells are often not included in most decks
Cards:
- 1x Azsharan Scroll (1)
- 1x Guidance (1)
- 1x Scalding Geyser (1)
- 1x Crackle (2)
- 1x Crushing Hand (2)
- 1x Perpetual Flame (2)
- 1x Far Sight (3)
- 1x Feral Spirit (3)
- 1x Instructor Fireheart (3)
- 1x Lava Burst (3)
- 1x Molten Blast (3)
- 1x Wildpaw Cavern (4)
- 1x Command of Neptulon (5)
- 1x Don’t Stand in the Fire! (5)
- 1x Volcano (5)
Hero Power: Stormcatcher
Starting Treasure: Tempest’s Fury
Here is the deck code:
AAEBAaoID+AG1g/HwQK60gKczgPOzgOK5AP67APblAT6nwTCrAS8tgTGzgSF1ASZ2wQAAA==
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