Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
It's time, once again, for a new Standard year to begin in Hearthstone. The three 2020 expansions have rotated into Wild, a fresh Core set is up and running, and one new set has arrived today with the new Voyage to the Sunken City expansion. There's a lot to soak in here, whether it's the new Colossal minions, the Dredge keyword, or how all of it plays with the new Core set. It can be overwhelming, but worry not, because Shacknews is here to help.
We're here with seven exciting decks from Hearthstone'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. If nothing else, at least you'll have a good time trying them out.
Before going any further, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Voyage to the Sunken City card list and the 2022 Core set. With that out of the way, let's dive in.
Deck ID: AAECAZ8FBvD2A5HsA4+wBL+ABOCLBLCyBAzQvQTM6wPunwSS1ASLjQSh1ASc1AS3gATXvQT5pATw8QTavQQA
Shoutout to Hearthstone Grandmaster Languagehacker, who managed to come up with this intimidating Control Paladin build. This aims to maintain board control through the returning Wild Pyromancer/Equality combo, build a wall with new cards like Immortalized in Stone, and also keep health levels high through the new Holy Maki Roll spell.
The win condition comes mainly through a pair of pirates: Gangplank Diver and Mr. Smite. The idea is that they get buffed in-hand through the Lightforged Cariel effect to start. Gangplank Diver always starts Dormant for one turn, but as soon as it activates, it's time to drop Mr. Smite and club the worn-out opponent right in the face.
Deck ID: AAECAaoIBPrsA5zUBP+fBJvJBA3hpASt7gOk7wP09gPgtQSV8APh7AOywQT6tASG1ATitQTblATy3QQA
Uh-oh! Bloodlust is back! You know what that means? It means Aggro Shaman decks are back with a vengeance and Dragonrider has one of the better ones to start out.
The name of the game is tokens. You'll have an ample amount of tokens through cards like Schooling, Piranha Poacher, and Meeting Stone. Keep the board full, so that you can wrap things up with Bloodlust, ideally in five turns.
Deck ID: AAECAa0GBImyBIe3BNu5BPPTBA2H9wOtigSEowSJowSKowTgpASitgSktgSltgSntgT00wT10wSh1AQA
Look at what the returns of Lyra the Sunshard, Radiant Elemental, Northshire Cleric, and Wild Pyromancer have wrought. Miracle Priest is back in a big way, creating a nearly endless spell generator with Lyra. If you run out of mana, Priestess Valishj can refresh your crystals and keep the perpetual motion machine going. With Northshire Cleric and a slew of healing spells, this deck can rummage through cards quickly.
The downside to this one is that you'll run out of cards much faster than you think. Consider dumping one of these cards in favor of Kazakusan, just in case things go to fatigue.
Deck ID: AAECAf0GCPLtA7CRBJegBNu5BOa9BPXHBJbUBJjUBAu98QPA+QOD+wOxnwTnoATbowT+tASWtwTcvQTivQSb1AQA
CURSE!
That's right, the new hotness in Warlock is curses! Abyssal Curses work differently than the Curse of Agony that's been floating around since the Onyxia's Lair mini-set. Abyssal Curses immediately go into the opponent's hand and begin doing damage on their next turn. After taking that initial damage, the opponent can either spend mana to discard the curse immediately or eat it for one more turn. What's particularly insidious about the Abyssal Curses is that they gradually do more and more damage.
It might sound like you can withstand a barrage of Abyssal Curses, but when you stare down the returning Brann Bronzebeard, you realize that these curses are going to become a big problem. That will especially be the case if Runed Mythril Rod begins discounting the Warlock player's hand.
Deck ID: AAECAYbcBAb86APZ+QOoigShsQTsugSY1AQMw/kD1qAEkrUE4bUEybcEyrcE3bkE47kE5LkE6rkEssEE2NkEAA==
Mecha-Shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mecha-Shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mecha-Shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mecha-Shark!
Prepare to annoy your opponents with that earworm every time you play Mecha-Shark, which is a disgustingly strong minion that fires out three missiles every time you play a Mech. It might not sound like that's a viable strategy, but Seafloor Gateway will prove to be your most valuable tool. Discounting cheap Mechs to either 1 or 0 mana mean multiple opportunities to set off the Mecha-Shark. That adds up heavily in the late game.
Don't sleep on Security Automaton, either, because a deck full of Mechs means that can get out of control really fast.
Deck ID: AAECAaIHBPuKBKOgBNi2BOO5BA316APT8wOh9APr9gO9gAT2nwT3nwT9rASEsgS3swSZtgTVtgSJ0gQA
That new Swiftscale Trickster minion is a cheat code unto himself. It allows Rogue players to play their next spell for free, regardless of how expensive it is. What's the Rogue's most useful spell that also costs a whole lot? Well, it's Smokescreen, which draws five cards and triggers any Deathrattles that are drawn. That can be disgustingly troublesome.
What's scary about the Deathrattle Rogue is that by NoHandsGamer's own admission, this is just its first form. Imagine adding something like Korrak the Bloodrager or Humongous Owl. This is a deck that can get a lot more frightening as the meta sorts itself out.
Deck ID: AAECAcKPBATQ+QOvtgTbuQSY1AQNqusDvYAEpooE9p8E7qAEqbMEt7MEoLYEssEEiskEmNsEmtsEjKQFAA==
If you prefer playing with pirates, then check out this deck that I played with during Thursday's Theorycrafting session. The goal here is racking up your pirate count high enough to activate the new and vastly improved Hooktusk. Reaching the required pirate count shouldn't be any problem, especially as you add more pirates to your hand with Amalgam of the Deep. It's totally worth it, too. Hooktusk can swing the game in big ways, whether using it as an 8-mana Mind Control or outright stealing someone's win condition, as Lt Eddy does to poor Trump here.
If you keep the game going to the late turns, you should have enough of a board presence for a double Wicked Stab to finish things off.
What decks are you using for the first day of the Year of the Hydra? Join the conversation and give us your best Hearthstone: Voyage to the Sunken City decks in the comments and enjoy the new Standard year.