Month: May 2020

While having a large collection is useful in Hearthstone, it is by no means necessary to succeed in the game to a fairly high level.

Many streamers have completed free-to-play Legend climbs, where they start a new account and work towards a single top-tier deck and climb to Legend in a matter of days. The current favorite way to do so is to choose the free new player Rogue deck and build from there, and it is indeed the most effective way to reach Legend quickly.

However, my approach is a little different. I climb to Legend with cheap decks from a variety of classes, most of the time without a single Epic card, although some of the classes are only playable if you add a couple of Epic cards in the decks, and some classes cannot be played on a budget at all.

During Ashes of Outland, I have climbed to Legend with budget decks twice: after the first nerf patch and after the second nerf patch. I believe my approach is closer to a genuine free-to-play player experience: playing multiple classes but not having all the cards to build the meta decks for any of them. (I would expect long-term F2P players to be able to build a couple of full meta decks for every expansion, but they would probably still need to play budget decks for some of the classes.)

Ashes of Outland is actually a fairly nice place to be on budget decks. There is, of course, Demon Hunter, which is the strongest budget class ever thanks to a plethora of free cards, but success is not limited to one class. In fact, the majority of classes can reach Legend right now with budget or semi-budget decks.

In this post, I will take a look at a collection of Legend-capable budget decks for multiple classes.

Budget Tempo Demon Hunter (840 dust)

Deck code: AAECAea5AwT5rgPMugPWvgP5yAMNlwb9pwOLugO9uwPXuwPgvAO6xgPHxgPZxgPXyAP3yAP+yAPyyQMA

Tempo Demon Hunter is incredibly powerful and fairly easy to play. My budget version includes the Raging Felscreamer / Priestess of Fury package, but also some actual tempo plays with Questing Adventurer and Mana Burn.

Mana Burn at the right moment is back-breaking and the card is extremely good at protecting your Questing Adventurer. Without access to the expensive power cards – Warglaives of Azzinoth, Kayn Sunfury, and Metamorphosis – the Questing Adventurer package gives the deck the power it needs to succeed.

Gameplay video:

Budget Aggro Demon Hunter (720 dust)

Deck code: AAECAea5AwLMugPUyAMOlwb9pwP5rgOLugPXuwPgvAPWvgO6xgPHxgPZxgP3yAP5yAP+yAPyyQMA

The deck can also be built as a faster version without the Priestess of Fury package. In this variant, controlling the tempo of the game is even more important, and well-timed Mana Burns and Questing Adventurers are the keys to success.

Gameplay video:

Budget Face Hunter (1240 dust)

Deck code: AAECAR8AD6gCyQSIBZIF7QaXCNsJ/gzzpwP5rgP7rwP8rwOiuQP5ugP/ugMA

Face Hunter remains a powerful alternative for climbing the ladder. Thanks to Scavenger’s Ingenuity, the deck also works without Toxic Reinforcements, so it is one of the cheapest ways to climb to Legend with something else than Demon Hunter.

Gameplay video:

Budget Dragon Hunter (1280 dust)

Deck code: AAECAR8AD6gCyQThBJcI/gyKrQP5rgP7rwP8rwPnsAP/sAOFsQOHsQP/ugPZvgMA

Dragon Hunter struggles more on a budget than Face Hunter because giving up on Stormhammer and Rotnest Drake hurts. The upcoming nerf to Priestess of Fury may help the deck a little because then Evasive Wyrm can kill a Priestess.

Gameplay video:

Budget Midrange Hunter (1200 dust)

Deck code: AAECAR8AD6gCtQPJBJYGlwjFCP4M+a4D+68D/K8DorkD/7oD1r4D174D2b4DAA==

This is the deck that I completed my Legend climb in May. The deck targets Demon Hunter and Warrior by playing cards that make them as uncomfortable as possible, including early Enrage minions.

Unfortunately, it has an abysmal matchup against Priest, so increasing Priest numbers may make life difficult for it.

Gameplay video:

Budget Spell Druid (2260 dust)

Deck code: AAECAZICBP0C05wDsawDrroDDf4B9wPmBcQGuZQD4p8D3KID26UD5boD6LoD7LoD7roD77oDAA==

I played the same Spell Druid list in April and in May and had excellent results both times.

Without access to Rising Winds, I have opted to ditch Moonfires (not enough reliable draw to use them) and went for Worthy Expeditions instead. This gives the deck access to surprising tools, or sometimes just Rising Winds.

Gameplay video:

Budget Galakrond Priest (2700 dust)

Deck code: AAECAa0GAvYHyMADDh7cAZcCyQbTCpmpA5+pA9qsA/KsA/6uA82vA5O6A5u6A6+6AwA=

Galakrond Priest is known for its plethora of Legendary cards, but it is actually possible to play the archetype without any, apart from the free Galakrond, of course.

The budget version is a bit more control than the full-cost version because it cannot steal the opponent’s win conditions as quickly.

Sethekk Veilweavers give the deck access to surprising resources and provide the needed power to push through when you don’t have your Galakrond.

Gameplay video:

Budget Galakrond Rogue (1440 dust)

Deck code: AAECAaIHAs0Dy8ADDrQBlwaIB90Ij5cD9acDua4D/q4Dqq8Dzq8DgrEDubgDu7gD1r4DAA==

I struggled with Budget Rogue a lot. The Secret package without Hanar just did not seem to be good enough and eventually I moved to a vanilla Galakrond Rogue with Questing Adventurers and Cursed Vagrants as win conditions. Cursed Vagrant has proved to be hilarious, because most decks have no good way to deal with it. Except Priest. Sadly, the budget version is far worse than the full-cost version against Priest.

Gameplay video:

Budget Spell Mage (2480 dust)

Deck code: AAECAf0EAk3CoQMOuwLJA6sE7QSWBZ+bA/+dA7+kA/SrA/GvA8G4A4y5A4G/A97EAwA=

Spell Mage has been surprisingly good on a budget. Lots of direct damage and stall give me some Freeze Mage vibes when playing the deck.

There are three Epic cards in the deck: two copies of Apexis Blast (the archetype payoff card) and one Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron. If you run out of options, Box can always bail you out.

Gameplay video:

Budget Warlock Zoo (1040 dust)

Deck code: AAECAf0GAA8woQKIBeMFzgfCCIidA/2kA/2nA/muA7W5A7a5A8e5A96+A9++AwA=

Zoo is already a cheap deck to build, you only need a couple of Magic Carpets. Nonetheless, I decided to experiment with Carpetless Zoo, and the charge variant turned out to be playable even without the Carpet. I went 10-6 with this deck, but I only won games where I had the Scrap Imp by turn six at the absolute latest, so I don’t know how I really feel about the deck. Nonetheless, it is another option for a budget player.

Gameplay video:

I have built several Budget Dragon Hunter lists after the release of Galakrond’s Awakening. Most of the time, a Dragon Hunter without Rotnest Drakes and Stormhammers has still been doing fine, but in the current meta – after the second balance patch of Ashes of Outland – I found myself struggling with the archetype.

Eventually, I was able to build a list that wins roughly half of the time, but it is still not a great deck for climbing. I figured I’d post about it anyway, because it is playable, and one key innovation in the list ended up working in another budget Hunter deck I built afterwards, which I will showcase in the coming days.

That key innovation is combining Scavenger’s Ingenuity not with Stonetusk Boar, but with Burrowing Scorpid. There are very few decks in the meta that can handle an 8/5 Stealth minion – ironically, the full-cost Dragon Hunter with Rotnest Drakes is one of those decks though.

What would be interesting, and yet untested, is whether Burrowing Scorpid could also improve the full-cost Dragon Hunter deck.

Budget Dragon Hunter decklist

Deck code: AAECAR8AD6gCyQThBJcI/gyKrQP5rgP7rwP8rwPnsAP/sAOFsQOHsQP/ugPZvgMA

This is where I ultimately ended up. Scaleriders are back to ping away early-game minions, and Scavenger’s Ingenuity now tutors for either Phase Stalker or Burrowing Scorpid.

You may also notice that I have cut Primordial Explorer. After reviewing my games and stats, I noticed that Primordial Explorer was underperforming without Stormhammer: with the hammer, it provides you with a sweet stream of Dragons to keep hitting, but without the hammer, it is such a low tempo play that it hinders the deck more than it helps it.

Budget Dragon Hunter mulligan

Mulligan is the same as before: Dwarven Sharpshooter, Blazing Battlemage, Scavenger’s Ingenuity, and Phase Stalker.

Faerie Dragon can work against Rogue or slow decks.

Budget Dragon Hunter upgrade path

The deck is now somewhat different from the main meta version.

The straightforward upgrades are still there: Stormhammer to replace Eaglehorn Bow and Rotnest Drake to replace Evasive Wyrm. Now you’d probably also want to reintroduce Primordial Explorer to the deck instead of Big Ol’ Whelp, when you add the Stormhammer.

Scaleriders are typically replaced with Imprisoned Felmaws (or one Felmaw and a Dragonbane) and Burrowing Scorpids with Stonetusk Boars, although I’m not sure whether the latter is an improvement.

Budget Dragon Hunter gameplay

Finally, here is a gameplay video of the deck that showcases how to draw and play some 8/5 Stealth minions for four mana.

Zoo Warlock is almost a budget deck right out of the box: Magic Carpet is the only Epic card that is strictly mandatory for the standard builds, and then you can tune it up with the Legendary cards Zephrys the Great or Kanrethad Ebonlocke if you like, but they are not mandatory.

However, I have wanted to find out just how mandatory the Magic Carpet is, and while it does indeed seem mandatory for the most common version of Zoo, the Charge variant seems promising even without it: if your minions can do things immediately even without the Carpet, the Carpet might not be as necessary for success.

Therefore, I built this Carpetless variant of Charge Discard Zoo, and was actually able to climb with it with a 10-6 record from Diamond 4 to Diamond 3.

Carpetless Budget Zoo decklist

Deck code: AAECAf0GAA8woQKIBeMFzgfCCIidA/2kA/2nA/muA7W5A7a5A8e5A96+A9++AwA=

The dust cost of this deck is just 1040! Now, that’s one cheap deck.

You really want your Imprisoned Scrap Imp and Hand of Gul’dan to buff up your minions and draw lots of cards by discarding Hand of Gul’dan with Expired Merchant or Nightshade Matron.

The deck comes with the full suite of Charge minions: Stonetusk Boar, Bluegill Warrior, and Wolfrider. Sometimes you may have to use them for removal, but their main function is to get buffed up and go face.

With no Magic Carpet in the deck, Rocket Augmerchants can give your other minions Rush to enable trading, and EVIL Genius can provide you with Lackeys that can also be proactive by giving other minions Rush or by dealing direct damage.

The deck is extremely dependent on Imprisoned Scrap Imp: I did not win a single game where I did not find it. The more aggressive the matchup, the earlier you need it, but it is not absolutely mandatory to have it on turn two. Scrap Imp on three or four can still win games against many opponents, and sometimes it can be even later because you have so much potential charge damage from hand.

I am still evaluating the performance of multiple cards in the deck. Flame Imp, EVIL Genius, and the full package of four Augmerchants are all choices that I am not yet fully confident about. What I am confident about is that a Discard Zoo without Magic Carpet has to be built around the full Charge package: Carpet builds often run only Stonetusk Boar as a Charge minion.

I will post about the deck again if I find a better list, but I wanted to share this version already because it has felt playable and gives budget players some more alternatives.

Carpetless Budget Zoolock mulligan

You mulligan hard for Imprisoned Scrap Imp and Hand of Gul’dan in every matchup. If you have Hand of Gul’dan, you can keep Expired Merchant. That’s it.

Carpetless Budget Zoolock gameplay

Finally, here is a gameplay video of the deck in action. I hope it showcases how to pilot the list.