Month: March 2020

The Hearthstone meta is always evolving, and compared to just a few weeks ago, there have been some major changes in what the best decks are.

Embiggen Druid fell off rapidly, and this has opened up space for Galakrond Rogue to make a powerful comeback and for Galakrond Warrior to emerge as the new challenger to Rogue. With such a large number of Rogues around, Priest cannot limit the power of Galakrond Warrior either.

There is always an element of rock-paper-scissors in the meta, so you can expect changes to continue, as when specific decks become popular, it opens up space to counter them with new decks.

As for right now, here are the top six decks to play to climb to Legend!

#6: Quest Druid

Strong against:

• Galakrond Rogue
• Galakrond Warrior

Weak against:

• Hunter
• Mech Paladin
• Highlander Mage

It would have been unimaginable for Quest Druid to thrive just a while ago, although it already found a foothold in high Legend ranks last month. It is weak against many of the more aggressive, and cheaper, decks, but as you get closer to Legend you start to face increasing numbers of Galakrond Rogues and Galakrond Warriors, and Quest Druid can defeat them at relative ease.

Deck code: AAECAZICBiSu0gL1/AL4oQP8owP2rQMMQFZf/gH3A8QGv/ICqaIDyKID76ID2akD+bUDAA==

#5: Dragon Hunter

Strong against:

• Embiggen Druid
• Quest Druid
• Highlander Hunter

Weak against:

• Mech Paladin
• Resurrect Priest
• Galakrond Warrior

Dragon Hunter has been fine-tuned over the past weeks and it remains a powerful deck. Unfortunately, it is weak against the new Galakrond Warrior lists, which gives it considerable trouble in the final stages of a Legend climb. Galakrond Rogue is a fairly even matchup, so that does not help a lot either.

As an upside, Dragon Hunter is good against other Hunters and against Druids, so if your opponents try to counter the meta with Druid, you can counter them with Dragon Hunter.

Deck code: AAECAR8ExwOHBK8Eh7ADDeEElwiKrQOLrQP5rgP7rwP8rwP+rwPnsAP/sAOHsQO6tgOvtwMA

#4: Quest Hunter

Strong against:

• Embiggen Druid
• Galakrond Rogue

Weak against:

• Resurrect Priest

Quest Hunter lost its biggest ticket to fame when Druid numbers started to go down, but it is the best Hunter deck against Galakrond Rogues, which gives it a good starting point to a Legend climb. Its rather mediocre matchup against Galakrond Warrior holds it back a little bit, but it is still a solid choice overall.

This month’s list features Boommaster Flark again, as it seems to somewhat outperform Shu’ma in the current meta.

Deck code: AAECAR8IrwTh9QKggAPjiwOkpQPYsgOftwPztwMLlwjbCaCFA8edA+SkA7ulA5ipA46tA/ivA4KxA7i2AwA=

#3: Highlander Hunter

Strong against:

• Galakrond Warrior
• Embiggen Druid

Weak against:

• Dragon Hunter

The best Highlander Hunter list has not changed by a single card since last month.

Highlander Hunter has climbed to be the best Hunter deck right now, because it is, ironically, the most consistent one despite running only single copies of cards. It has a steady matchup spread, which makes it a good choice for just about any meta, because nothing can hurt it too much.

In the current meta, its good matchup against Galakrond Warrior shines in particular, and its weakness against other, faster Hunter decks is not fatal.

Deck code: AAECAR8eqAK1A8cDhwSvBOEElwjbCaCAA6CFA7acA/yjA+SkA6alA4SnA4qtA4utA46tA/muA/uvA/yvA/6vA4ewA/+wA4KxA5GxA9iyA4S2A5+3A6+3AwAA

#2: Galakrond Rogue

Strong against:

• Resurrect Priest
• Galakrond Warlock

Weak against:

• Embiggen Druid
• Quest Druid

Galakrond Rogue is by far the most popular deck on high ranks just before Legend. It is a solid performer that always has a chance because it can generate opportunities out of nowhere at any time. Its main weakness is Druid, but Druid numbers are down and Galakrond Rogue can enjoy the meta. If you choose to play Galakrond Rogue, you can expect tons of mirrors, but the overall power level of the deck is just incredible.

Deck code: AAECAaIHCrICzQOvBKCAA5KXA8GuA+O0A8O2A5+3A8vAAwq0Ae0CiAePlwP1pwO5rgP+rgOqrwPOrwOCsQMA

#1: Galakrond Warrior

Strong against:

• Galakrond Rogue
• Dragon Hunter

Weak against:

• Druid
• Priest

While Galakrond Rogue is the most popular deck, it is not my #1 recommendation right now. When everyone is playing a specific deck, you can find opportunities to counter it, and the most balanced counter to Galakrond Rogue is Galakrond Warrior: it is not the strongest counter, but it is favored in that matchup while also being favored in the majority of other matchups you may encounter.

With Druids and Priests forming but a small minority of the ladder, Galakrond Warrior stands favored against all the popular alternatives.

This list features Injured Tol’vir, which is a good card against Rogue in particular, and also helps to make Battle Rage a little better.

Deck code: AAECAQcErwTSpQPjtAPFwAMNFpAD1AT7DJ3wAtypA9itA9qtA/6uA6qvA9KvA6S2A6u2AwA=

Best decks on video

You can find more information about these decks, as well as tons of other Hearthstone material on my Youtube channel from analysis to gameplay and budget decks.

I initially thought that building a Dragon Hunter deck without using cards from the Galakrond’s Awakening adventure would be impossible. After all, the entire archetype was built on Rotnest Drake providing the Hunter with a critical mass of aggressive dragon minions to complement Stormhammer and Corrosive Breath.

However, I recently played a lot with the archetype, including trying to figure out card substitutions for the guide I wrote about it for Hearthstone Top Decks. Even when I originally finished the guide, I still thought that the best you can do is replace the Legendary cards and Snake Trap, but there would be no way to replace Stormhammer or the adventure cards Rotnest Drake and Frenzied Felwing.

I kept working on the budget list even after completing the guide because I really wanted to find out some way to make it work, and eventually, I did!

1400 dust Budget Dragon Hunter

Deck code: AAECAR8AD7UDhwThBJcI/gzv8QKKrQP5rgP7rwP8rwP+rwPnsAP/sAOFsQOHsQMA

So, here. This is it. This actually works and it only costs 1400 dust with no adventure cards.

The final three replacements were Eaglehorn Bow for Stormhammer, Animal Companion for Frenzied Felwing, and Evasive Wyrm for Rotnest Drake.

I have to admit that some of the performance has been lost. Eaglehorn Bow is nowhere near a Stormhammer, which you can just keep going with your dragons almost indefinitely, and that has forced me to change the mulligan a little: I do not keep the Bow, whereas I do keep the Stormhammer. By mulliganing more aggressively for Phase Stalker, you make the Bow a better topdeck even though you no longer keep it. You want a weapon in the deck for flexibility, and Bow is the second-best option.

Evasive Wyrm for Rotnest Drake was a fairly easy substitution in the end. It enables you to remove stuff much like Rotnest Drake, although it cannot answer really big individual minions. In some very specific scenarios, it is even better because you get to decide where it hits, and it cannot be targeted by spell and Hero Powers, which makes it annoying for Rogue and Priest to deal with. Still, it comes one turn later and has weaker stats, so it is obviously a downgrade.

There are just no other good dragon options: Crowd Roaster is even slower and Dragonmaw Scorcher’s area-of-effect damage often actively hurts you more than the opponent, while Cobalt Spellkin often gives you Beast-synergy cards and is not very much of a threat. You want that slot to be a dragon to have reliable synergy activation, so Evasive Wyrm is, in hindsight, the obvious choice.

Frenzied Felwing was interesting to replace. It is a great anti-control card for the archetype because it allows you to snowball quickly in the early game and simply overwhelm the control deck. Because Dragon Hunter is good at controlling the board early on, Felwing is a decent topdeck later in the game too, unlike with Face Hunter, where it shines early but drops off sharply after a few turns after the board is lost.

I ended up with Animal Companion to replace Frenzied Felwing. Animal Companion is just a strong card, and Dragon Hunter can situationally benefit from all possible companion rolls. It does introduce some randomness into the mix, but the overall power level and the way it fits the mana curve of the deck just make it worth it.

Semi-Budget Dragon Hunter

Deck code: AAECAR8AD4cE4QSXCO/xAoqtA4utA/muA/uvA/yvA/6vA+ewA/+wA4exA7q2A6+3AwA=

If you have a little more cards, a semi-budget version of the deck can achieve almost the same performance level as the full-cost version.

For this one, you need Stormhammer and the adventure for Rotnest Drake and Frenzied Felwing.

Compared to the full-cost version, you can easily cut Snake Trap – I actually sometimes prefer the double Freezing Trap anyway. Leeroy Jenkins and Dragonbane are also non-essential, and the semi-budget list has enough room to run both Big Ol’ Whelps and Lifedrinkers, a luxury the full version can ill afford.

To be honest, I kind of liked playing this list the most, even over the full-cost version, but it depends on the meta: Lifedrinkers can be life-savers, but if you need reach, the full-cost version has more of it.

Full-cost Dragon Hunter

Deck code: AAECAR8ExwOHBK8Eh7ADDeEElwiKrQOLrQP5rgP7rwP8rwP+rwPnsAP/sAOHsQO6tgOvtwMA

This is what I’d consider the typical meta version of Dragon Hunter. If you have all the cards, something like this is what you’re going for.

The deck used to run Lifedrinkers instead of Big Ol’ Whelps, but the increased dragon synergy consistency has been proven important, so you do not want to cut down on the dragon count.

What I find interesting about this archetype is how well it functions without the Legendary cards, and how it is actually playable without the adventure cards, too. Just like Embiggen Druid, this archetype could, in theory, have been found before Galakrond’s Awakening. There is a lot to discover in Hearthstone, and there are always potential decks that have not been discovered yet.

Dragon Hunter gameplay videos

Finally, here are some gameplay samples of the budget and semi-budget lists. I hope they showcase the variants well!

The cheapest way to play Hunter has not changed much over the years: the face is the place when it comes to playing on a budget. Face Hunter has been a top tier deck occasionally, but often the deck has also been too weak to even reach Legend. At the moment, Face Hunter is a Legend-capable deck, especially if you include a pair of Epic cards in it, as Toxic Reinforcements is such a central piece of the puzzle right now.

Face Hunter may seem simple, but there are several decisions involved. Aggro decks often win the game with just a one-turn margin, so you need to carefully consider how you maximize the damage you can deal and how you avoid giving the opponent ways to kill you before you kill them. Any trades you make should be justified by either allowing your current board to deal more damage thanks to the trade or by giving you an additional turn to Hero Power or topdeck your way to the win.

Semi-Budget Face Hunter decklist

Deck code: AAECAR8CogLeBA6oArUDyQSSBe0GsQjbCf4M7/EC86cD+a4D+68D/K8DhbADAA==

I consider Toxic Reinforcements an essential part of a Legend-capable Face Hunter deck. It might be possible to grind all the way without it, but it is simply phenomenal in the archetype.

Other than that, it is face-hunting business as usual with almost every card ready to deal some immediate damage.

Semi-Budget Face Hunter mulligan

Mulligan with Face Hunter is easy. You want four cards: Toxic Reinforcements, Phase Stalker, Dwarven Sharpshooter, and Blazing Battlemage. Getting some of those sets you up for a good game.

I would not keep a Leper Gnome in the mulligan, even though it costs only one mana: aim high, don’t be happy with a mediocre one-drop when you can have it all.

Semi-Budget Face Hunter tips and tricks

Unleash the Hounds is one of the best cards in the deck when board battles are involved. Together with Knife Juggler or Timber Wolf, the Hounds can dish out impressive amounts of damage. Look for opportunities to bait your opponent into building a wide board that you can punish with the Hounds, as long as you keep track of their reach and know how many turns they need to win the game.

If the game goes long, you need to be ready for the opponent’s healing and board clears. In particular, watch out for Alexstrasza against slow decks: it can either help them find a surprise lethal or to stabilize. Always consider the chance that your opponent can heal up to 15 before committing your burst power in the late-game. Other cards to keep in mind are The Amazing Reno when facing a Mage and Plague of Death when facing a Priest: they can silence all of your Deathrattles and prevent Leper Gnomes from dealing damage.

If you have a Kill Command, think ahead on how to use it. There are not that many Beasts in the deck, so you may run out of them and not gain the additional damage bonus. Plan accordingly to get the most damage output.

Arcane Shot to the face is two damage. Arcane Shot that kills a Zilliax prevents three healing. As long as you are not using all of your mana, it can be worthwhile to hold onto Arcane Shot for potential use against minions.

Semi-Budget Face Hunter upgrade path

There is not that much to upgrade with Face Hunter. Leeroy Jenkins is a Classic Legendary minion that always improves the archetype and can replace a Knife Juggler.

Other than that, I want to highlight an opportunity to sidegrade the deck to make it cheaper without losing too much power: Wolfrider can replace some of the rare cards, mostly Knife Juggler and also possibly Lifedrinker, with only a minor performance loss. You can also consider Tracking as a replacement for them.

You will need Toxic Reinforcements, Phase Stalker, and Eaglehorn Bow for good performance.

Semi-Budget Face Hunter gameplay video

Finally, here’s a video showcasing the deck in Legend. I hope it helps you make the most of it.