The final Hearthstone expansion of 2022 is about to go live and it's one of the biggest to hit the game in years. An all-new class has stepped into the tavern and it's the mighty and versatile Death Knight. The game is changing in many ways, starting with the 145 cards that will be added with today's March of the Lich King set.
Today, we're taking a look at a whopping ten new decks from Hearthstone's most recognizable pros and streamers. Some will feature the new Death Knight class, but Hearthstone's previous classes are also getting some noteworthy additions with this expansion and some new ways to play. We recently played against some of these decks ourselves during the recent Hearthstone Theorycrafting Livestream and we were stomped by many of them, so we'll certainly vouch for their effectiveness. They're also just as fun as they are powerful.
Keep in mind that some decks will likely be longer than usual because of the use of Prince Renathal, which allows players to build 40-card decks. If you don't have Prince Renathal yet, make it a priority to craft him as soon as possible.
Brian Kibler's Blood Control Death Knight
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (1) Body Bagger
- 2x (1) Heart Strike
- 1x (2) Astalor Bloodsworn
- 2x (2) Hematurge
- 2x (2) Vampiric Blood
- 2x (3) Asphyxiate
- 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard
- 2x (3) Chillfallen Baron
- 2x (3) Nerubian Vizier
- 1x (3) Prince Renethal
- 2x (3) Soulbreaker
- 1x (3) Venomous Scorpid
- 2x (4) School Teacher
- 2x (5) Blood Boil
- 1x (5) Deathbringer Saurfang
- 1x (5) Taelan Fordring
- 2x (6) Corrupted Ashbringer
- 2x (6) Gnome Muncher
- 1x (6) Sylvanas, the Accursed
- 1x (6) Theotar, the Mad Duke
- 1x (7) Alexandros Mograine
- 1x (7) Mutanus the Devourer
- 1x (7) Patchwerk
- 1x (8) Invincible
- 2x (8) Soulstealer
- 1x (10) Raid Boss Onyxia
- 1x (10) Sire Denathrius
When I went to the Blizzard campus a few months ago to preview the Death Knight, one of the other invitees present was Brian Kibler. Kibler has had some time to think about a good Death Knight deck and his Blood variation does not disappoint. This utilizes some good Legendaries from previous expansions, like the new Sylvanas, Mutanus the Devourer, and Raid Boss Onyxia to maintain board control and wipe out win conditions and is mixed together with the Death Knight's various survival tools.
Death Knight's Blood variant is good at staying alive, thanks to spells like Vampiric Blood. Use that to keep the game going while the new Alexandros Mograine puts the opponent on the clock.
SuperiorDavid's Frost Death Knight
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (0) Horn of Winter
- 2x (1) Icy Touch
- 1x (2) Bloodmage Thalnos
- 2x (2) Deathchiller
- 2x (2) Defrost
- 2x (2) Frost Strike
- 2x (2) Harbinger of Winter
- 2x (3) Chillfallen Baron
- 2x (3) Glacial Advance
- 2x (3) Howling Blast
- 2x (3) Nerubian Vizier
- 2x (3) Rimefang Sword
- 1x (4) Lady Deathwhisper
- 2x (4) Remorseless Winter
- 1x (5) Queen Azshara
- 1x (6) Overseer Frigidara
- 2x (7) Frostwyrm's Fury
The Frost variation of Death Knight is great for control, as it can often freeze opponents in their tracks. However, Frost Strike can not only control the board, but continue replenishing resources. On top of that, you can use cards like Horn of Winter and Frost Strike to keep your mana count high.
All of this sets up for later turns when it's possible to go straight at an opponent's face and wipe them out before they even know what hit them.
The Housewife's Unholy Death Knight
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (1) Body Bagger
- 2x (1) Plagued Grain
- 2x (2) Battlefield Necromancer
- 2x (2) Bonedigger Geist
- 2x (2) Necrotic Mortician
- 2x (2) Plague Strike
- 1x (3) Blightfang
- 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard
- 2x (3) Chillfallen Baron
- 1x (3) Prince Renathal
- 2x (3) Unholy Frenzy
- 2x (3) Ymirjar Deathbringer
- 2x (4) Grave Strength
- 2x (4) Malignant Horror
- 2x (4) School Teacher
- 2x (4) Tomb Guardians
- 2x (5) Army of the Dead
- 2x (5) Corpse Bride
- 2x (5) Possessifier
- 1x (8) Lord Marrowgar
- 1x (9) The Scourge
- 1x (10) Sire Denathrius
- 2x (10) Stitched Giant
Unholy Death Knights work slightly differently from the other two variations. These decks depend on numbers and are at their best when they strike quickly. They'll ideally fill the board, as cards like Blightfang and Unholy Frenzy both control the board and keep your side filled with minions. The big finisher is Grave Strength, which is a 4-Cost spell that uses corpses to buff every friendly minion with +3 Attack. Use this on unsuspecting opponents and hit them fast.
Games that do drag out to the later turns are far from lost. Throw down Stitched Giant and deploy The Scourge to reinvigorate your side of the board. When all else fails, Sire Denathrius should be a fine win condition.
Languagehacker's Arcane Quest Mage
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (0) Flurry (Rank 1)
- 2x (0) Hot Streak
- 2x (1) Arcane Bolt
- 2x (1) Arcane Wyrm
- 2x (1) First Flame
- 1x (1) Sorcerer's Gambit
- 2x (2) Frozen Touch
- 2x (2) Ignite
- 2x (2) Magister's Apprentice
- 2x (2) Runed Orb
- 2x (2) Solid Alibi
- 2x (3) Arcane Intellect
- 2x (3) Arcsplitter
- 1x (3) Shattering Blast
- 2x (4) Fire Sale
- 2x (4) Multicaster
- 1x (5) Vexallus
There were more than a few players who brought a variation of the new Arcane Mage, which utilizes the new Arcane Bolt spell for sudden one-turk kills. However, if there's anything I learned about esports pro Languagehacker over the years, it's that he loves to find different variations of the current hotness. That's why he's taken the Arcane Mage and added in the Sorcerer's Gambit quest.
Once the quest is complete and players have that extra Spell Damage, it's time to use a combination of Vexallus, Magister's Apprentice, and Arcane Bolt to wreck the opponent. These don't seem like much on paper, but they add up in practice and can devastate any opponent that takes this deck lightly.
MarkMcKz's Armor Quest Druid
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (0) Aquatic Form
- 2x (0) Innervate
- 2x (0) Pounce
- 1x (1) Lost in the Park
- 2x (1) Planted Evidence
- 2x (2) Capture Coldtooth Mine
- 2x (2) Chitinous Plating
- 2x (2) Jerry Rig Carpenter
- 1x (2) Living Seed (Rank 1)
- 2x (2) Mark of the Spikeshell
- 2x (2) Moonlit Guidance
- 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard
- 2x (3) Feral Rage
- 1x (3) Prince Renathal
- 1x (3) Zola the Gorgon
- 2x (4) Park Panther
- 2x (4) Widowbloom Seedsman
- 2x (5) Nourish
- 1x (5) Wildheart Guff
- 2x (7) Scale of Onyxia
- 1x (7) Topior the Shrubbagazzor
- 1x (8) Anub'Rekhan
- 2x (8) Crypt Keeper
- 2x (8) Miracle Growth
Anub'Rekhan is threatening to break the game in favor of the Druid, as it basically takes decks that specialize in obscene amounts of armor and allow players to use that armor as mana to put together OTK combos. Like Languagehacker, MarkMcKz is taking the Anub'Rekhan deck and instead going in a different direction. Rather than rely on new legendary Astalor Bloodsworn, this deck utilizes the Druid quest to build up both armor and individual attack power.
Brann and Zola are the keys to this deck, so once you have them and Anub'Rekhan, get ready to take your opponent for a ride.
Dekkster's Spell Demon Hunter
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (1) Fury (Rank 1)
- 2x (1) Relic of Extinction
- 2x (1) Sigil of Alacrity
- 2x (1) Unleash Fel
- 2x (2) Chaos Strike
- 2x (2) Fel Barrage
- 2x (2) Mark of Scorn
- 2x (2) Relic Vault
- 2x (3) Relic of Phantasms
- 1x (3) Rustrot Viper
- 1x (3) Silvermoon Arcanist
- 2x (4) Fel'dorei Warband
- 1x (4) Souleater's Scythe
- 2x (5) Deal with a Devil
- 1x (5) Need for Greed
- 2x (5) Relic of Dimensions
- 1x (6) Kurtrus, Demon-Render
- 1x (8) Jace Darkweaver
This is an "Oops! No minions!" deck, which is a new look for Demon Hunter. The main gimmick is that new legendary weapon Souleater's Scythe will gobble three minions and allow players to discover them as 1-Cost spells.
It's a deck that wins through the use of Demon Hunter's array of debilitating spells, as well as some of the Relics from the last Hearthstone expansion. Ultimately, you'll come across Jace Darkweaver, at which point it'll probably be time to finish the opponent off.
Trump's Concoction Rogue
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 1x (0) Shadow of Demise
- 2x (1) Blackwater Cutlass
- 2x (1) Concoctor
- 2x (2) Double Cross
- 2x (2) Forsaken Lieutenant
- 2x (2) Ghoulish Alchemist
- 2x (2) Perjury
- 2x (2) Potion Belt
- 1x (2) Potionmaster Putricide
- 2x (2) Sticky Situation
- 2x (3) Ghastly Gravedigger
- 2x (3) Nerubian Vizier
- 1x (3) Prince Renathal
- 2x (3) Sketchy Information
- 2x (3) Vile Apothecary
- 1x (4) Halkias
- 1x (4) Korrak the Bloodrager
- 2x (4) Noxious Infiltrator
- 2x (4) Private Eye
- 2x (4) Scourge Illusionist
- 2x (5) Burning Blade Acolyte
- 1x (5) Queen Azshara
- 1x (8) Invincible
- 1x (8) Shadowcrafter Scabbs
Rogue players have a new toy with this expansion. They now have access to Concoctions, which are potions with various effects that can be mixed together to create even more powerful combinations.
Cards like Potion Belt and Potionmaster Putricide will help get your Concoction train going. As for the later game, new card Scourge Illusionist will help add some strong Deathrattle minions to your board, providing copies of cards like Burning Blade Acolyte and Korrak the Bloodrager. Queen Azshara should have more than enough spells to activate her effect.
RegisKillbin's Big Shaman
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (1) Schooling
- 1x (2) Bolner Hammerbeak
- 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard
- 2x (3) Brilliant Macaw
- 2x (3) Far Sight
- 2x (3) Silvermoon Sentinel
- 2x (3) Treasure Guard
- 2x (4) Canal Slogger
- 2x (4) Prescience
- 2x (4) Wildpaw Cavern
- 2x (5) Spammy Arcanist
- 2x (6) Snowfall Guardian
- 1x (7) Lor'themar Theron
- 1x (7) Mr. Smite
- 1x (8) Al'Akir the Windlord
- 2x (8) Blightblood Berserker
- 1x (9) Overlord Drakuru
- 2x (10) From De Other Side
These minions certainly don't look intimidating by themselves. Lor'themar Theron is here to make them frightening by doubling their stats. Is that still not enough? Fortunately, Brann Bronzebeard, Bolner Hammerbeak, and Brilliant Macaw are there to stack the Lor'themar effect multiple times.
Keep the board under control with cards like Schooling, Spammy Arcanist, and Snowfall Guardian. When it comes time to drop Lor'themar, the end of the game should be at hand. If you're lucky, you'll still have Mr. Smite and Al'Akir in your deck for a one turn victory.
Regis here notes that this deck won't win you many games, especially since everything with Lor'themar has to go right. But for maximum fun, this is the way to go with Shaman for now.
McBanterFace's Arcane Hunter
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (0) Devouring Swarm
- 2x (1) Candleshot
- 2x (1) Ricochet Shot
- 2x (1) Tracking
- 2x (2) Arcane Quiver
- 1x (2) Bloodmage Thalnos
- 1x (2) Bloodseeker
- 2x (2) Conjured Arrow
- 2x (2) Selective Breeder
- 2x (2) Shockspitter
- 2x (2) Silvermoon Farstrider
- 2x (2) Talented Arcanist
- 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard
- 1x (3) Halduron Brightwing
- 2x (3) Harpoon Gun
- 2x (3) Keeneye Spotter
- 2x (4) Eversong Portal
Massive thank you to @PlayHearthstone and everyone who came by to my Theorycrafting stream today! Had an absolute blast with March of the Lich King and I can't wait to play more. Here are my picks for some of the most fun and strongest decks I made today. pic.twitter.com/nrfc5gpoFc
— Kyle (@McBanterFace) December 2, 2022
Hunter has a dangerous new minion in the form of Shockspitter. The idea is that the more times the Hunter hero attacks, the more damage that Shockspitter can unleash as a Battlecry. With double Candleshots, Harpoon Guns, and a single Bloodseeker at the ready, the Hunter can attack multiple times while Selective Breeder gets the Shockspitters ready to roll out.
This Hunter deck also takes advantage of a new Hunter mechanic, in which Arcane spells can be powered up. This not only buffs up the power of Eversong Portal, but it also boosts Conjured Arrow, which can draw more cards in the late game. No matter what, though, Shockspitter is the main win condition, so focus on getting those powered up as much as possible.
Ozzie's Undead Shadow Priest
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
- 2x (0) Undying Allies
- 2x (1) Animate Dead
- 2x (1) Crystalsmith Cultist
- 2x (1) Shadowcloth Needle
- 2x (1) Voidtouched Attendant
- 2x (2) Astalor Bloodsworn
- 2x (2) Defias Leper
- 2x (2) Mind Eater
- 2x (2) Thrive in the Shadows
- 2x (2) Twilight Deceptor
- 2x (2) Umbral Geist
- 2x (3) Amulet of Undying
- 1x (3) Prince Renethal
- 2x (3) Scourge Rager
- 2x (3) Shadowed Spirit
- 2x (4) Bonewalker
- 2x (4) Grave Digging
- 1x (5) Darkbishop Benedictus
- 1x (5) High Cultist Basaleph
- 2x (5) Shadow Word: Undeath
- 1x (6) Sister Svalna
- 1x (7) Blackwater Behemoth
- 1x (8) Invincible
- 1x (8) Xyrella, the Devout
It's almost fitting that just as the Shadow Priest is about to end its time in Standard that I find a deck that looks like a blast to play. With the introduction of Undead minions and new Shadow spells that take advantage of them, I put together this fun variation of the aggro Shadow Priest.
What makes Shadow Priest especially viable this time around are the new cheap spells Undying Allies and Animate Dead. The former will allow you to summon Undead minions and give them Reborn while the latter resurrects low-cost minions. The wild card here is the addition of Astalor Bloodsworn. On the surface, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but if you manage to clear the board near the end of the game, trying playing the maxed-out Astalor, the Flamebringer with a couple of Voidtouched Attendants. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Those are just some of the decks that you can use for day one of Hearthstone: March of the Lich King. What decks are you using for this new expansion? Join the conversation and give us your best decks in the comments. If you want to learn more about what's coming to Hearthstone and what the future holds for the Death Knight, in particular, be sure to check out our recent interview with the dev team.
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replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, Hearthstone: March of the Lich King - 10 decks to use on Day 1
