Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
A new Standard year has begun in Hearthstone. Three sets have rotated into Wild and one new set has arrived today with the new Forged in the Barrens expansion. This opens up exciting new possibilities in the Hearthstone meta, but where does one even begin? Which new decks are worth trying out?
Hearthstone players, Shacknews is here to help! We're here with five decks from the game's most recognizable pros and streamers. We've played against some of these decks ourselves during last week's Hearthstone Theorycrafting Livestream and we can vouch for their effectiveness and/or fun factor. Get ready to step into the Hearthstone Tavern once more and consider using these decks.
Deck ID: AAECAea5AwaK0gPJ3QO/7QOoigSjoATSoAQM2cYDzNIDzdID9egDmOoDmeoDu+0DvO0Dvu0D/e0Dle8Dg58EAA==
On paper, Deathrattle Demon Hunter isn't something that should work. And, in fact, it's not something that I expect to stick around in the long run. However, it's far from ineffectual. In fact, Dekkster's build is pretty fun for what should be an interesting Demon Hunter archetype.
The available Deathrattle minions available for Demon Hunter aren't particularly great at the moment. That's why the key to victory for this deck is winning early. Razorboar and Razorfen Beastmaster help ensure there's constant board presence. Even if the opponent can wipe out the board in the early turns, something else will pop up to give them a hard time.
The other important thing to note, in case you aren't up to date on the new Core set, is that Baron Rivendare is back. His presence will be a big deal in this deck, because he can ensure that Deathrattles (including the one from the Vectus Whelps) go off twice.
Deck ID: AAECAZ8FAvzoA4DsAw6ezQPIoATj6wPczAPqnwSD3gPJoATKwQPQoATO6wOr7APK0QPP6wPG0
I tried out a version of Secret Paladin during the Theorycrafting session and the result was 30+ minute slog against Alliestrasza's Watch Post Priest. While Sword of the Fallen is a great weapon for running through the Secrets in your deck, I found the Secret Paladin's downfall was a lack of available card draw.
Trump has found a way around this. If your hand starts to run low, Voracious Reader will help you restock. That'll help you get to your heavy hitters, like Cannonmaster Smythe and Kazakus. This is another deck that's built for the early game, but the Paladin Secrets are so debilitating (Oh My Yogg! is particularly brutal) that they should be able to wreck unready opponents fairly quickly.
Deck ID: AAECAaIHBr/gA8PhA4TkA+DlA+fwA7SKBAyK0APl0QPl3QPn3QPx3QPz3QOS5APu6QOY6gOq6wOu6wP2nwQA
Nobody could have guessed that polygamy would be the answer to all of Mankrik's problems. Except it isn't, really, because Mankrik keeps losing all of his wives! This Rogue deck from RegisKillbin lets players get familiar with Mankrik's many, many wives. You get only one Mankrik, but Shadowstep, Tenwu of the Red Smoke, and Potion of Illusion can create many Mankriks. This means you'll get several 3/10s that all hit face upon being drawn.
If that's not enough to polish the game off, there's always C'Thun, the Shattered, which is always the difference maker for games that go to fatigue.
Deck ID: AAECAR8CouwDg7kDDtvqA6LOA9vtA7nSA+HOA5/sA9+fBOrpA5rsA72gBPDsA4biA7ugBPHpAwA=
Thijs Molendijk tried out a handful of decks during the Theorycrafting stream. (That includes a deck where he was burning a lot of his own cards, but I'll get to that in a moment.) One of the most interesting decks was his Midrange Hunter, which centers largely around a couple of major cogs. The Sunscale Raptor and Trampling Rhino are the keys to victory, especially as the former can be replicated, thanks to the new Frenzy keyword. Warsong Wrangler, Dire Frenzy, and Selective Breeder will help ensure that you have multiple copies of either of these Beasts.
If you're looking for a Raptor Hunter variant, consider finding a place for Pack Kodo, which can offer much-needed resources. There's also Prospector's Caravan, which can work as a helpful handbuff tool.
Deck ID: AAECAf0GBNDhA9a5A/PtA9S6Aw2EoATooATM0gPZ7QPLuQOW3gPv7QOT3gOX3gOBoATRoATK4wObzQMA
When you see a Legendary like Neeru Fireblade, you probably want to use some of the new Warlock burn tools, like Altar of Fire. Dog realizes that this isn't necessary at all. Neeru will fit right in with a standard zoo deck. But as I quickly learned when I took on Dog during the Theorycrafting session, the numbers game might win long before Neeru ever comes into play.
Apotecary's Caravan will help bring out your 1-Cost minions while Wriggling Horror and the new Kabal Outfitter will buff them up. And because the majority of this deck is so cheap, that means Revenant Rascal can run wild and ruin people's days by messing with their mana count.
Deck ID: AAECAZICBK6fBLnsA8LsA+fwAw3w1AOJnwTougPe0QO+7APtugO60APzuwOVzQO17APe7APA7AOT0QMA
The new Celestial Alignment spell is a big work in progress. There's potential for something very broken here, but as I noticed with the Theorycrafting livestream, it's very much a work in progress. Observe this game I had with Slysssa, for example. What she had in place was solid. However, like fellow streamer/pro RDU, she was also running Carnival Clown. If you play Celestial Alignment before your Carnival Clown, there's no way to Corrupt it, since everything costs (1). Therefore, it stays a vanilla card.
The biggest conundrum with Celestial Alignment is how to run it without wasting any cards. Lt. Eddy is attempting to crack the nut with Marsh Hydra. On paper, this works better than Carnival Clown, though only to an extent. If you've played Celestial Alignment, your Marsh Hydra costs (1), but the minion it puts in your hand costs (8). Since you are down to a single mana crystal, it's a long wait before you can play that 8-Cost minion.
This one's a fun Druid deck to play on the first day of the expansion, but don't expect this to be the end of the Celestial Alignment experimentation. Somebody is going to figure out an optimized version of this deck. When they do, watch out!
Deck ID: AAECAf0ECI27A4XkA53uA9jsA+XRA8W4A7WKBNnRAwvEoATU6gPW7APQ7AP4zAPT7AP+ngSk0QOW6APNzgPmnwQA
Let's wrap this up with a deck of my own making. I don't know how long Wildfire Mage will be viable, but it is a fun deck to play. The keys to victory involve upgrading the Mage Hero Power with Wildfire (two at the least, but ideally more from Wand Thief or Venomous Scorpid), using your Hero Power through Reckless Apprentice, and setting up Mordresh Fire Eye. As seen in the video above, Mordresh can either be used as a board clear in an absolute pinch or it can be used as a straight finisher.
The other key to this deck is control through freezing effects. Flurry, Cone of Cold, and Varden Dawngrasp can keep enemy minions immobile and set up for a potential board-clearing Flamestrike.
Make sure to keep your resources coming with Potion of Illusion and enjoy the ride to Wildfire victory.
What decks are you using for the first day of the Year of the Gryphon? Join the conversation and give us your best Hearthstone: Forged in the Barrens in the comments and enjoy the new Standard year.