Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Game: Hearthstone, Heroes of Warcraft

System: PC/Mac
FAQ: General Walkthrough
Written By: NoWorries
Allowed Website: www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.supercheats.com
www.cheatcc.com
*If you have a website you would like to post this at just shoot me an
email*
**As always, the most up-to-date guide will always be found at gamefaqs**
Version History: 1.0 Submitted 20 of October of 2014
-I've not proof-read this, so be warned of a few
updates
in the near future as I discover horrible grammar
mistakes or anything spelling related. I've reread
each
section, but not the whole thing over again. Thank you
2.0 Submitted 03 of November of 2014
-Spent on and worked a great deal on Arena.
Specifically,
added a new section, Advanced Arena Strategies
-Added www.cheatcc.com as an allowed website thanks to
David Allison for the outreach
-Added some more to the general Arena section,
including
two samples of some of my recent Arena's demonstrating
the algorithm and that it works quite accurately,
which
is cool
-General proof-reading and typo updates
3.0 Submitted 06 of December of 2014
-Added some new decks
-Miracle (Deckhand)
-F2P Warlock (control)
-Changed some decks
-F2P Paladin
-F2P Warlock
-F2P Rogue
-Added another Arena win. Talked about "combos"
-Added Goblins verse Gnomes cards
-Talked about possible changes. Expect another update
in the future to discuss deck changes
4.0 Submitted 4 of February of 2015
-Card updates (Undertaker)
-Added general discussion regarding updates in general
-Added to the decklist and changed up some decks
-Mild reformatting in a few spots

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Who should be reading this FAQ?- #The NoWorries Contract to Greatness

I put this in every faq I've ever written, and it goes something along
the
lines like this. By writing this, I commit to you the reader that I will
bring
to you not only my vastness of knowledge but do it with a sense of humour.
I
understand it's easy to get bogged down in detail as well as a mush of
opinion
but I strive to bring you something more than just a guide to greatness.
So who should be reading this? Well to be perfectly frank anyone
wanting
to play Hearthstone should. I was scouring the webs the other night waiting
to
publish my Naxxramas Heroic decklist when I noticed that of the two
Hearthstone pages, there was only one half-written guide out there. Now I
realize there are a plethora of Hearthstone guides out there elsewhere, but
none for gamefaqs and that's not really fair. So it strengthened my desire
to
go further and not just do a Naxxramas guide, but do a complete guide
regarding Hearthstone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So to begin. I'll elaborate first a little on why I am someone you can

afford
to listen to and read. First, I am a celebrated guide writer. I've
published
several guides available on gamefaqs as well as several more on specific
websites such as mtg.net or dota-allstars (extinct) or even playdota.com
which I don't really visit anymore due to time constraints.

I also enjoy these strategy games. I've been a long time Magic the
Gathering
player all the way back to Masques block which predates most of you even
being
alive who would be reading this. When Hearthstone came out, I was excited
to
try a new fresh take on MTG as honestly, every card game post MTG has
failed
for me.
....Pokemon, not a good card game
....Yugioh, not a good card game
....Harry Potter, wtf were they thinking
....ergh
Anyways, I've tried MANY of the thousands of games out there, and they've
all
been disappointing ripoffs that just suck and make me wish I was playing
good
ol MTG. Then you have MTG online which seemed like the new future except I
didn't feel like buying cards I couldn't have. I left MTG (sorta)

-------------------

Anyways, enter Hearthstone. It's a fresh take on an old concept. You draw
cards, play creatures, use spells, and eventually beat your opponent down
to
a pulp of 0 life. It would seem that it too is a horrible ripoff, but
there's
something unique about Hearthstone, it's animated. It's not just animated,
but
it has a very cool maker behind it, Blizzard.
What that means, is that anything Blizzard touches turns to gold!
(Sorry,
I'm not a Blizzard fanboy, but I do own and enjoy nearly everything they
have
ever made except Heroes of the Storm). No but seriously, Warcraft,
Starcraft,
Diablo... it means that all of that mythology is golden for Blizzard to
take
advantage of and put into this cardgame.
It's very exciting. We've already seen the first installment of an
expansion set that shows Hearthstone has a very promising future ahead of
it.
But I digress...
I'm here, because I want to give you the lowdown on exactly what this
game is, and more importantly, how do you play it. Let's move on

Table of Contents
00. Card Changes
[0000]
01. Introduction
[1000]
02. The Basics of Hearthstone
[2000]
03. Understanding the Heroes
[3000]
04. How to Level (and what you get)
[4000]
05. The Basics part 2
[5000]
06. Battle Basics (Playing the game)
[6000]
07. Deck Basics (free to play)
[7000]
08. Deck Basics (constructed)
[8000]
09. Ranked Play
[9000]
10. Tournaments
[AAAA]
11. How to Improve
[BBBB]
12. Arena
[CCCC]
13. Advanced Arena Strategies
[DDDD]
14. Expansion Sets
[EEEE]
-Goblins verse Gnomes
15. The End?
[FFFF]

You can hit [CTRL]+F and type out the brackets search more easily
--------------------------------------------------------------------------00. Card Changes
[0000]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------December 8, 2014
-Gadgetzan Auctioneer cost increased by 1 (from 5 to 6)
-Flare cost increased by 1 (from 1 to 2)
-Soulfire cost increased by 1 (from 0 to 1)
My thoughts
These changes definitely are going to have an impact, so let's start
with
the biggest one, Soulfire. Without a doubt, this is going to impact
Warlocks
in a huge way, both handlock and zoo. Is Soulfire not going to be used? No
way
it's still extremely strong. However, Zoo decks will need to consider their
play more carefully to leave that 1 mana available and Handlock will not be
able to splurge their mana so freely.
Gadgetzan is easily the second biggest, however, I don't think it will
be
as drastic as what people have claimed. Malygos Miracle is certainly going
to
be unplayable now, but the Deckhand Miracle is barely affected, simply
because
their goal is to get to 8 mana with their opponent at 20 life or less.
Regarding Flare, not much to be said. It's more expensive to cycle, but
that won't make the card unplayable.
Februrary 2015
-Undertaker now only gains attack instead of attack and health
My thoughts
The biggest consequence of this is that Naxxramas is a total joke now.
Half of the bosses relied heavily on Undertaker blowing up because of their
deathrattles but now he's always easy to get rid of. Not that is a huge
change
since most people are done with Naxxramas but anyway
Regarding constructed play: I think this is simply a shift in the meta
as
Deathrattle decks aren't going to be as strong anymore. That's not to say
that
Undertaker can't be used with Deathrattle; it's just that he's too easy to
get
rid of and most decks have access to 2 damage means now. In fact, it's
quite a
shift as pure aggro decks are becoming much more difficult to play in
general.
Murlocs and pure zoo are extremely vulnerable to any form of board clear
and
doing so really hurts them.
What I think we'll see in the future is more utility from decks; namely
the midrange style. Midrange covers early and transitions to late which
gives
a deck quite a bit of depth to work with.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------01. Introduction
[1000]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Hearthstone is a game that is completely free to play. You can download
it
any number of ways. It does require an internet connection and a decent
computer to run it. According to Blizzard's website:

Windows: XP, Intel Pentium D | AMD Athlon 64 X2, 256MB Video

Mac: Mac OS X 10.7, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT or ATI Radeon
That's concerning the OS, Processor, and Video. As for Memory, Storage,
Internet, Input, and Resolution they are the same. Their minimum reqs are:
2 GB RAM memory, 3 GB available storage, Broadband Internet, Keybord/Mouse
or
Touchscreen, and 1024x768 resolution.
So that all looks confusing, but basically, if you are reading this
online
then you are probably good to go with hearthstone. It doesn't use much of
your
computer =)

Anyways, let's talk briefly now about what is Hearthstone.

Hearthstone is a game in which you take control of one of nine Blizzard
heroes of legend, Malfurion Stormrage, the Druid, Rexxar, the Hunter, Jaina
Proudmoore, the Mage, Uther the Lightbringer, the Paladin, Anduin Wrynn,
the
Priest, Valeera Sanguinar, the Rogue, Thrall, the Shaman, Gul'dan, the
Warlock
or Garrosh Hellscream, the Warrior, and battle another opponent who also
takes
control of one of those nine heroes and you battle it out to the death.
To win, you must construct a deck of 30 cards (no more, no less) and
play
your cards smartly, attack wisely, defend when you need to, and eventually,
slay your opponent or force them to concede giving you the victory. So,
let's
talk a little bit about the basics.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------02. The Basics

[2000]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Hopefully you don't feel too overwhelmed. I always find the best place
to
start is the beginning so let's talk some very basic terminology that will
be
used, A LOT.

HEALTH
There is two kinds of health in this game, your hero, and your minions.
First,
let's talk about your hero. Your hero always starts with 30 health,
indicated
by the 30 with the heart in your hero's portrait. Unlike MTG, you can never
go
above 30 health. Also unlike MTG, you can in fact go below 30 health
assuming
some action would restore you back above 0 so that you don't lose. It's
quite
fancy.
There's also then, health for your minions, indicated as the second number
on
the card.

Fig. 1
------------------------------| Card Name
|
|
|
| The Card Picture
|
|
|
| Any Card Text
|
|
|
| Card Power
Card Health |
------------------------------*Card not exactly to scale
Unlike MTG, minions in Hearthstone do not regain all their health at the
end
of each turn (most notably, because MTG uses TOUGHNESS, whereas Hearthstone
uses actual HEALTH). There are ways to restore health, but we'll get more
into
that later. When a minions health has reached 0, just like your hero, it
dies
and leaves the battlefield. Unlike MTG, there is no GRAVEYARD. If a minion
is
killed in battle, it's gone forever and ever.

POWER
So using Fig. 1 as our reference, every minion has a POWER number as well.
It
could be 3, or 6, or 0! Power cannot be negative. POWER reflects how much

damage a minion will do when it attacks. It's just simple math. A minion
with
2 power will deal 2 damage, and the minion with 4 health will survive the
attack with 2 health leftover. Power can also be referred to as Attack.

BATTLING
Alright, so there's a lot to cover here in small sections so let's talk
about
battling. In MTG, there is a set rule about what you can or cannot do. For
example, you have the beginning of your turn, untap, upkeep, draw, main,
declare attackers, attack, declare blockers, block, declare damage,
combat...
it goes on and on, but the point is there's a system in place for how
things
go down.
In Hearthstone, there isn't any of that. You have the beginning of your
turn
where you auto draw a card, and then you have the end of your turn when you
click the little yellow END TURN button. Everything else that takes place
in
between there is up to you. You could play a minion, attack, play a minion,
attack, and then attack. You could just pass the turn. So, let's talk then
a bit about what encompasses your turn
(we'll come back to BATTLING)

YOUR TURN
Alright, so step 0, it's your turn. You draw a card. Now, what can we do?
STEP 1, MY MANA CRYSTALS
Whoa whoa, what are mana crystals?
It's alright, see those blue things next to your hero portrait?
No! There's only 1 there!
It's alright! More will come
OK, jokes aside, everything in Hearthstone uses Mana Crystals. Unlike MTG
which uses MANA produced by TAPPING LANDS, Hearthstone gives you a preset
MANA CRYSTALS. At the beginning of the game, everybody starts at 0. On your
turn, you gain 1 Mana Crystal, indicated by the blue crystals. If you use
them
then they go black until your next turn. At the beginning of your turn, you
get back whatever crystals you used, and 1 more. At 10, you no longer get
new
Mana Crystals.
QUESTION, CAN I SAVE MANA
ANSWER, No. If you choose not to spend mana on your turn, then it is
considered "wasted" as your next you will have the same mana plus 1 up to
10
Mana Crystals.
QUESTION, I WANT TO DO STUFF ON THEIR TURN, PLEASE

ANSWER, No. Unlike MTG, everything in Hearthstone is considered a "Sorcery"

which basically means you only act on your turn. When it is not your turn,
you
must sit there and wait. You cannot do "in response" or anything like that.
Because of how the game works, this is why it is.
QUESTION, THANK YOU
ANSWER, Alright let's move along

STEP 2, WHAT TO DO WITH THESE THINGS

First MANA, now BATTLING, I'm DONE
It's really not that bad
So I mentioned you win with playing minions and usings spells. That's what
your Mana Crystals are for. So let's talk briefly about what you can
splurge
your Mana Crystals on.
a. Minions
The most basic way to win is to play Minions. Using Fig. 1 again as a
reference, every Minion has some certain qualities about it. Every Minion
has
A
A
A
A

name
picture
power number
health number
A textbox
A cost
The textbox may be empty. Chillwind Yeti is an example of this.
The cost may be zero, or 5, or 20, but we'll get into those a bit later.
So there are some things that can go into that textbox, we'll come back in
a
second though.
b. Spells
The second most basic way to win is to use spells. Spells in Hearthstone
are
extremely versatile and can do nearly anything. What is unique about
Spells,
is that there are no neutral spells. Sigh, let's talk about this,
revisiting
Minions again real quick here.
c. Class versus Neutral
Every class (Paladin, Mage, etc) has their own Class-Specific-Cards.
Amongst
those, include what makes the class unique (Weapons, Secrets, Spells) as
well
as they have their own specific Minions. Then, there is the huge section,
of
Neutral Minions. When building a deck, you choose your class, and then
build
your deck from your Class cards, and the Neutral cards. You cannot put Mage

cards in a Priest deck for example. OK

b. Spells
Alright, so coming back to spells. They are roughly broken down into 4
categories as such
-Enchantment
-Removal
-Ramp
-Secrets
Let's explain what each of these are
ENCHANTMENT
Everyone should be familiar with "Auras" from MTG. Enchantments that you
can
play onto a creature to give an advantage. In Hearthstone, they are very
much
the same though they are called Spells. You can play MARK OF THE WILD, to
give
your Minion +2 power, +2 health, and Taunt (we'll get into that). You could
also play BLESSING OF KINGS, to give your Minion +4 power and +4 health. On
the flip side, you could play HUMILITY on your opponents dragon to set its
power to 1. These are all Enchantment-type spells. You can check to see
what
is enchanting your Minions by hovering over them with the mouse and the
game
will tell you what it has (or doesn't have).
REMOVAL
Everyone should know what Removal is. It's a spell that makes things go
away.
They can be cheap and small, or large grand amounts of damage. I could play
FIREBALL, to deal 6 damage to my opponents dragon killing it; but I could
play
FIREBALL to deal 6 to my opponent potentially killing them. Some cards
though
can only affect certain types, such as GRIMOIRE OF SACRIFICE which can only
target a DEMON, or FLAME STRIKE only targets enemy Minions, but HELLFIRE
hits
ALL Characters, which means Minions and Heroes. Removal doesn't have to be
damage. It could be Shadow Word Pain, which kills a creature with 3 or less
power.
RAMP
Ramp basically means card advantage. While Removal technically gives
advantage
what separates Ramp is how it accomplishes it. Ramp can be something as
simple
as WILD GROWTH, which gives you an empty Mana Crystal (increasing your
total
by 1 then, up to 10) or could be SENSE DEMONS, which puts 2 random DEMONS
from
your deck into your hand (which is card draw). It could also be as simple
as
ARCANE INTELLECT, Draw 2 cards, or SPRINT, Draw 4 cards.
What about something like, MIRROR IMAGE, which gives you two creatures?
That

technically would be RAMP as it gives card advantage (2 creatures for 1

card,
that's an advantage).
SECRETS
So if ain't Removal, Enchantments, or Ramp it must be a secret? Nah, some
cards don't really have a category, like "gain 6 health" doesn't really fit
into any category but regardless, Secrets are special.
There are only 3 classes that get Secrets, MAGE, HUNTER, and PALADIN. Every
Secret is unique but the rules are all the same. You cannot trigger Secrets
on your turn, you can only play them. That's about it.
You may ask, what's the point? Well, you have to look at what the secrets
can do to understand that. For instance,
MAGE, has COUNTERSPELL.
have
a Secret down, but they
thinking
what Secret it could be
via TESTING (testing to
so they try to FIREBALL
and
your opponent groans as

You play it as a Secret. Your opponent sees you

don't know what it is. They rack their brain
(as it is a set-list) but they can't figure it out
see what the Secret is by meeting "qualifications")
you. Badda bing badda boom, your Secret activates
their best spell got "countered" and fizzles out.

HUNTER has FREEZING TRAP. You drop it down, and eliminate all your
opponents
small cheap creatures. They have no way to break it (testing) so they
attack
with their large expensive creature. FREEZING TRAP activates and puts it
back
in their hand and now it costs 2 more.
So Secrets, they are not exactly Secrets as you can look up and know what
cards they could be; but they are Secrets in that you can Bluff, or put
your
opponent in a horrible situation if they cannot figure out what the Secret
is.
d. Weapons
Yeah yeah it could be under Spells but Weapons get their own category. Only
a
few classes get Weapons, Warrior, Rogue, Shaman, Hunter, and Paladin.
Weapons
are NOT Spells, so cards that are affected by Spells don't care about
Weapons.
The most basic Weapons, have 5 things, a Name, a Picture, a Cost, a Damage
Value, and a Durability. Some more fancy Weapons have a Textbox as well.
Damage Value
The first number of the weapon; it means how much damage you can do. Yeah
that
is right! Your hero actually attacks with the weapon. Pretty cool
Durability
The second number, means how many times you can attack. Once that number
reaches 0, then the weapon breaks and is gone forever. You can replace a

10

weapon with another which makes the first weapon also go away even if the
Durability isn't 0.
e. Hero Power
The last thing you can use your Mana on (jeeze, I guess that is what
started
this tanget isn't it?) Every hero has their own unique Hero power. Those
will
be talked about when we get into the Class specifics section.
STEP 2, NOW WHAT
Alright, to refresh, we have
Step 0, Draw a card (done automatically)
Step 1, Mana Crystals (also done automatically, though you choose
what to play with them)
Now we have, Step 2, Now what?
So, we know what Step 3 is right? Yes, Step 3 is End your Turn.
Whoa whoa, what about battling?
Yeah that happens here under Step 2, or Step 1
You lost me
Alright let me explain
QUESTION, WHAT CAN I DO ON MY TURN
ANSWER, We've been over that. Here is exactly what you can do though, which
brings us back to something we mentioned earlier, Battling.

Battling Specifics

So the game consists quite a bit of fighting. Minion on minion brutality.

It
works like this.

--->Every Minion has summoning sickness

*Except those with Charge
Alright, let's explain
Summoning Sickness
In MTG, when you played a Creature, it could not Tap, or Attack, when it
came
into play as it had Summoning Sickness. The exception was if you could give
it
Haste, or it had Haste as an ability. Haste overrules Summoning Sickness.
In
Hearthstone, all Minions have Summoning Sickness, meaning they cannot
battle
the turn they are played.
CHARGE

11

Charge is Haste, pure and simple. Charge means your Minions can attack as
soon
as they hit the battlefield. Alright? Simple enough

QUESTION, HOW DO I ATTACK

ANSWER, You have 3 targets. The first, is attacking the enemy Hero. The
second
is attacking an enemy Minion. The third, is being forced to attack a Taunt.
Whoa whoa, you lost me
Alright, so in MTG, you "Declared Attackers" and your opponent chose how to
block. When Planeswalkers were introduced, you could specify "attacking
you"
or "attacking Lilliana". In Hearthstone, there is no "Declare Attackers"
you
just choose who to attack. That means anything on the battlefield is
vulnerable to being attacked. That brings us to, Taunt
Taunt
You must attack a Minion with Taunt
Simple enough, no?
QUESTION, TAUNTS SOUND OVER-POWERED, MAKE ALL DECK OF TAUNTS
ANSWER, Not exactly. We'll get into that later
RESPONSE, FINE

--->More Battle Specifics

There are 4 kinds of battles that can happen:
Minion on Minion
Minion on Hero
Hero on Minion
Hero on Hero

Alright, they are quite similar but let's go into this

Minion on Minion
It's simple enough. Minion A has chosen to battle Minion B. Minion A runs
into
Minion B. Minion A deals its damage to B, and B deals its damage to A. If
either's health drops to 0, they die and go away. Otherwise they live with
a
new reflected Health total.
EXAMPLE
I control a 4/5 Chillwind Yeti and choose to attack your 1/7 Mogu'shan
Warden.
My Yeti deals 4 damage to the 7 health of the Warden, leaving it at 3
Your Warden deals 1 damage to my 5 health of the Yeti, leaving it at 4

12

Understand? My Yeti's power (4) goes against the 7 health (7 - 4 = 3) so

the
end result is 3 health on your Warden. Vice-versa, your Warden's power (1)
goes against my 5 health (5 - 1 = 4) so the end result is 4 health on my
Yeti.
Let's take another look at an example
EXAMPLE
I control 2/3 Flesheating Ghoul. Now this particular creature gains +1
attack
per each Minion that dies. So in addition to my Ghoul I also have two 1/1
Stonetusk Boars. You are sitting there, feeling confident, with a gigantic
3/6 Taunt Fen Creeper, thinking there's no way I can kill him. I attack
with
a Boar, dealing 1 damage (from 6 to 5) and my Boar dies, giving +1 attack
to
my Ghoul. I attack again, dealing another damage (from 5 to 4), giving
another
+1 attack to my Ghoul (from 2 to 3, and now 3 to 4 because the two deaths)
so
my Ghoul is now a 4/3. But I don't want to lose my Ghoul, so I play HAND OF
PROTECTION, giving my Ghoul Divine Shield. I attack your Fen Creeper. My
Ghoul
kills your Creeper (4 - 4 = 0, dead Creeper) but my Ghoul lives. My Ghoul
also
gains another attack, and is now a 5/3.
WHYYYYYY
Because Divine Shield
Divine Shield
The first time this Minion is dealt damage, ignore it
(See how I transition nicely there)
Alright, so Divine Shield is just another effect. Let's talk about some of
these effects that you may come across (all of which, are defined in
Hearthstone if you just hover over it).

Battlecry
Battlecry triggers when the Minion is played from your hand
Choose One
This is an effect exclusive to Druids. When you play the card (it's not a
Battlecry!) you choose one of the effects
Combo
Another exclusive, this time to Rogues. A card "Combos" if you played
another card this turn
Deathrattle
An effect that happens once the Minion dies
Enrage

13

An effect that only happens if the Minion is damaged (that means healing
will
remove the Enrage). Also, a 1 health Minion cannot be enraged
Freeze
Freeze can affect any character, and it means their following attack is
skipped. That means, if I freeze your Minion on my turn, on your next turn,
it will be able to attack. On the other hand, if your Minion becomes frozen
on your turn, it will feel much longer as you finish your turn, take a
turn,
and then it will finally be able to attack
Immune
Simply put, cannot be damaged
Overload
An ability exclusive to Shamans. Overload means you have {X} less Mana
Crystals to use next turn. For example, I have 3 Mana Crystals this turn
and
play Feral Spirit which overloads 2. Next turn, I still gain my Mana
Crystal
to bring me to 4, but I'm overloaded 2, so I only get to use 2 Mana
Crystals
this turn.
Silence
Silence wipes out all card texts and enchantments from a Minion.
NOTE! There are cases in which you should be aware of, allow me to explain.
EXAMPLE
My minion, is normally a 2/4. He was wounded, and brought down to 2/2. I
cast
a BLESSING OF KINGS, making him a 6/6, and attacked, bringing him down
again
to a 6/4. You Silence him on your turn. What should be his health?
A) 0

B) 1

C) 2

D) 4

Answer is D, 4. Why? Because you remove the card text, taking out the 4/4.
However, his health when enchanted is already at 4. Simply put, you cannot
"wound" a Minion via Silence. If my Minion were at 6/3, then Silence would
put him back to 2/3. But since my Minion was up to 6/4, Silence would put
him at 2/4 again
Stealth
Minions with Stealth cannot be targeted by enemy spells, abilities, or
attacks
until they deal damage. Once they deal damage, Stealth is removed.
Attacking
counts as well, but that's just a fancy dealing damage.
Targeted doesn't save them though from AoE or randomness though. Just
targeted
spells or abilities.
Spell Damage

14

Makes your spells deal X more damage. In cases of cards like PROPHET VELEN,
who "doubles" spell power, any additive property happens first, IE +1 to
spellpower happens first, and then it is doubled
Summon
Essentially, create whatever creature is supposed to be summoned. This
could
be via deathrattle, battlecry, or a spell effect
Transform
Transform changes the card completely into whatever it is supposed to be.
This means the previous card is GONE and cannot be "Silenced" to be saved.
If
your Minion gets hexed into a Frog, it is now, forever a Frog
Windfury
Can attack twice each turn. Simple enough

ALRIGHT. That's all the good old card text, I know it's a lot, but I think
we
are finally done with CARD BASICS. Hooray let's move along to something
else

15

--------------------------------------------------------------------------03. Understanding the Heroes

[3000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So now that we understand the basics of Hearthstone, let's talk about the
basics of Understand the Heroes. Recall that we have
Warlock
Hunter
Priest
Paladin
Shaman
Mage
Rogue
Druid
Warrior
Let's delve now into them and explore a bit more about who they are and
what
they do

----------------------------WARLOCK
-----------------------------

The Demonic Gul'dan makes an appearance here as the Warlock, a devilish

class with power effects and outrageous minions.
The Warlock class focuses on really strong spells and minions, with
some
pretty strong downsides. The Warlock also has arguably the most powerful
hero
ability in the game, the ability to draw an extra card each turn. As such,
there are 2 primary decks that revolve around Warlock, aggro and control.
But
first, let's talk a bit more about his cards.

Hero Power, Life Tap, (2) Pay 2 life, Draw a Card

Sure, losing 2 life seems like a big deal, but everyone knows how important
card advantage is. The ability to draw an extra card is extremely nice to
have.
Free-to-Play Warlock Cards
###########
FREE? AS OPPOSED TO NOT FREE????
###########
ANSWER, Right, so there are some important things to note real quick before
we go deeper into this. Every card has a crystal (or doesn't!) and this is
what they mean.
GREY = COMMON
BLUE = RARE
PURPLE = EPIC

16

GOLD = LEGENDARY
BLANK = FREE
What does this mean?
Every Class (including Neutral) has "free" cards, these are known as FreeToPlay cards. You get them, by simply playing the game. Some cards are
unlocked
by leveling your hero to level 10 (done by playing the game) and others are
completely free and there from the get-go. Post level 10, you unlock Golden
versions of the cards, which is simply a neat graphical enhancement, that's
all. All the other cards, Grey, Blue, Purple, and Gold, are cards you get
through Packs.
WHOA WHOA, PACKS SOUNDS LIKE MONEY
And sure, you can buy them if you want, at 2 for $2.99, 7 for $9.99, 15 for
$19.99, or 40 for $49.99, all USD. You also can get packs through ARENA (we
will talk about Arena later) or by buying them for 100 gold.
WHOA WHOA, GOLD?
Yes. You get Gold by playing the game (10 gold per every 3 wins when you
play against humans) or by doing Quests which appear daily (we'll talk
more about Quests later).
ALRIGHT I THINK I UNDERSTAND
Awesome, back to Warlock

Warlock Cards
Warlock cards are typically powerful cards with downsides. Here is a
complete
list of all the Warlock Cards
SPELLS
Free
Corruption (1) Choose an enemy minion. At the start of your turn, destroy
it
Drain Life (3) Deal 2 damage (to a character). Restore 2 health to your
hero
Hellfire (4) Deal 3 damage to all characters
Mortal Coil (1) Deal 1 damage to a minion. If that kills it, draw a card
Sacrificial Pact (0) Destroy a Demon. Restore 5 health to your hero
Shadow Bolt (3) Deal 4 damage to a Minion
Soulfire (0) Deal 4 damage (to a character) Discard a card at random*
Common
Demonfire (2) Deal 2 damage to a minion OR give a friendly Demon +2/+2
Power Overwhelming (1) Give a friendly minion +4/+4 until end of turn.

17

Sacrifice it at end of turn

Sense Demons (3) Put 2 random Demons from your deck into your hand**
Rare
Shadowflame (4) Destroy a friendly minion and deal its Attack(Power) damage
to all enemy minions
Siphon Soul (6) Destroy a minion. Restore 3 health to your hero
Epic
Bane of Doom (5) Deal 2 damage to a character. If that kills it, summon a
random Demon***
Twisting Nether (8) Destroy all minions
*If you have no cards to discard, then you *do* discard a card but
obviously
you have nothing to discard. As such, you can abuse certain card effects by
working around them
**If you have no more Demons in your deck, you get 1/1 Worthless Imps
instead
***The list of Demons are: Blood Imp (0/1 Stealth, gives +1 health
randomly)
Dread Infernal (6/6)
Felguard (3/5 Taunt)
Flame Imp (3/2)
Succubus (4/3)
Voidwalker (1/3 taunt)
These Minions are put into play, so no battlecry is triggered nor
does these affect the total in your deck

MINIONS (these are all Demons)

Free
Dread Infernal (6) [6/6] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage to all other characters
Succubus (2) [4/3] Battlecry, Discard a card at random*
Voidwalker (1) [1/3] Taunt
Common
Blood Imp (1) [0/1] Stealth. At the end of your turn, give another random
friendly minion +1 Health**
Flame Imp (1) [3/2] Battlecry, Deal 3 damage to your hero
Summoning Portal (4) [0/4] Your minions cost 2 less but not less than 1
Voidcaller (4) [3/4] Deathrattle, Put a random Demon from your hand onto
the battlefield***
Rare
Doomguard (5) [5/7] Charge. Battlecry, Discard 2 cards at random*

18

Felguard (3) [3/5] Taunt. Battlecry, Destroy one of your mana crystals****
Void Terror (3) [3/3] Battlecry, Destroy the minions on either side of this
one and gain their attack and health
Epic
Pit Lord (4) [5/6] Battlecry, Deal 5 damage to your hero
Legendary
Lord Jaraxxus (9) [3/15] Battlecry, Destroy your hero and replace him with
Lord Jaraxxus*****
*See same footnote for Soulfire
**Cannot target himself, but can target other Blood Imps
***Does not trigger battlecries
****You will replace the Mana Crystal (IE if you go from 10 to 9 you will
go
back up to 10 next turn)
*****Lord Jaraxxes replaces Gul'dan and the following happens:
-Life total is set to 15 (max health now 15)
-Hero power changes to (2) Summon a 6/6 Infernal
-Equip a 3/8 weapon called Blood Fury
-Emotes change

For "leveling" see the next section

----------------------------HUNTER
----------------------------Rexxar the Hunter is a devilish hunter who uses wild Beasts to dispose
of his enemies. Many of his spells involve different shots, shooting
explosive
arrows or deadly poison-laced shots that kill instantly. Hunters can use
deadly traps as they set Secrets, and also wield a number of different Bows
as their weapons.
Hero Power, Steady Shot, (2) Deal 2 damage to the enemy hero
Seeing his ability, it's pretty clear what Hunters are about; dealing
damage quickly and forcing his opponents into a tricky decision as their
life
ticks lower and lower.

SPELLS
Free
Animal Companion (3) Summon a random Beast Companion*
Arcane Shot (1) Deal 2 damage (to a character)

19

Hunter's Mark (0) Change a minion's Health to 1**

Kill Command (3) Deal 3 damage. If you control a Beast deal 5 instead
Multi-Shot (4) Deal 3 damage to 2 random enemy minions***
Tracking (1) Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Draw one and discard
the others
Common
Deadly Shot (3) Destroy a random enemy minion
Unleash the Hounds (3) For each enemy minion, summon a 1/1 Hound with
Charge
Rare
Explosive Shot (5) Deal 5 damage to a minion and 2 damage to adjacent ones
Flare (1) All minions lose stealh. Destroy all enemy Secrets. Draw a card
Epic
Bestial Wrath (1) Give a Beast +2 attack and Immune this turn
*You can summon one of three companions: Huffer (4/2 charge)
Misha (4/4 taunt)
Leokk (2/4, give other Minions +1
attack)
**This can be silenced off (hint it's an enchantment)
***Can only be played if they control at least 2 or more creatures
****Unleash the Hounds summons Hounds, that are Beasts
SECRETS
Common
Explosive Trap (2) When your hero is attacked, deal 2 damage to all enemies
Freezing Trap (2) When an enemy minion attacks, return it to its owner's
hand
and it costs 2 more
Snipe (2) When your opponent plays a minion, deal 4 damage to it
Rare
Misdirection (2) When a character attacks your hero, instead he attacks
another random character
Epic
Snake Trap (2) When one of your minions is attacked, summon three 1/1
snakes
-------| Note |
--------

20

Explosive Trap *only triggers* upon your hero being attacked

Freezing Trap triggers *upon a minion attacking*
Misdirection requires at least one minion in play to trigger
Those 1/1 Snakes are beasts as well
Spell power *does* affect the traps
---------| Advice |
---------Take heed of how the Traps work so that when facing them, you can know
and try to predict what they are.
Explosive Trap Clues
-Opponent plays Hunters Mark but doesn't kill your creature
-Opponent tries to get your Minions to 2 or less health
Ways around this
-Attack his minions
-Wait to play other minions until it triggers
Freezing Trap Clues
-Opponent leaves just 1 creature on your board (usually a fairly obvious
ploy
when this happens)
Ways around this
-Try to wait to attack until you can get a Battlecry minion bounced back to
your hand. You can then turn this into an advantage
Those 2 are the most common, and can be solved by attacking. Snipe is
less common, but if you have attacked him with a minion and it hasn't
triggered then it's like Snipe. Obviously, play something that can get hit
with 4 damage or play something you don't need

MINIONS (these are all beasts, except Houndmaster)

Free
Houndmaster (4) [4/3] Battlecry, Give a friendly beast +2/+2 and Taunt
Starving Buzzard (5) [3/2] Whenever you summon a Beast, draw a card
Timber Wolf (1) [1/1] Your other beasts have +1 attack
Tundra Rhino (5) [2/5] Your beasts have Charge
Common
Scavenging Hyena (2) [2/2] Whenever a friendly beast dies, gain +2/+1
Webspinner (1) [1/1] Deathrattle, Add a random Beast card to your hand*
Rare
Savannah Highmane (Scar) (6) [6/5] Deathrattle, Summon two 2/2 Hyenas
Legendary

21

King Krush (9) [8/8] Charge

*You can literally get *nearly* any Beast in the game. Here is a complete
list
Stonetusk Boar (1) (1/1 charge)
Timber Wolf (same)
Bloodfen raptor (2) (3/2)
River Crocolisk (2) (2/3)
Ironfur Grizzly (3) (3/3 taunt)
Silverback Patriarch (3) (1/4 taunt)
Oasis Snapjaw (4) (2/7)
Starving Buzzard (same)
Tundra Rhino (same)
Core Hound (7) (9/5)
Webspinner (same)
Young Dragonhawk (1) (1/1 windfury)
Dire Wolf Alpha (2) (2/2, Adjacent minions have +1 attack)
Haunted Creeper (2) (1/2, deathrattle, summon two 1/1 spiders)
Ironbeak Owl (2) (2/1, battlecry, Silence a minion)
Scavenging Hyena (same)
Jungle Panther (3) (4/2 Stealth)
Stranglethorn Tiger (5) (5/5 Stealth)
Angry Chicken (1) (1/1 Enrage, +5 attack)
Emperor Cobra (3) (2/3, Destroy any minion damaged by this one)
Stampeding Kodo (5) (3/5, Battlecry, Destroy a random enemy minion with
2 or less attack)
Scar (same)
Hungry Crab (1) (1/2, Battlecry, Destroy a Murloc and gain +2/+2)
Captain's Parrot (2) (1/1, Put a random Pirate from your deck into
your hand)
King Mukla (3) (5/5, Battlecry, Give your opponent 2 Bananas)*
Maexxna (6) (2/8, Destroy any minion damaged by this one)
The Beast (6) (9/7, Deathrattle, Summon a 3/3 Finkle Einhorn for your
opponent)
King Krush (same)
*Banana (1) Give a minion +1/+1

WEAPONS
Rare
Eaglehorn Bow (3) [3/2] Whenever a friendly secret is revealed, gain +1
Durability
Epic
Gladiator's Longbow (7) [5/2] Your hero is Immune while attacking

----------------------------PRIEST
-----------------------------

22

Anduin appears here to represent the Priest, a master of healing and of

the holy sacred powers. Unsurprisingly, the Priest typically is a slower
more control oriented deck and many of their cards represent that. Given
enough time, the Priest may just take control of your minions and
completely
dismantle his opponent
Hero Power, Lesser Heal, (2) Restore 2 health a a character

SPELLS
Free
Divine Spirit (2) Double a Minion's health
Holy Nova (5) Deal 2 damage to all enemies and restore 2 health to all
friendly characters
Holy Smite (1) Deal 2 damage
Mind Blast (2) Deal 5 damage to the enemy hero
Mind Control (10) Take control of an enemy minion*
Mind Vision (1) Put a copy of a random card from your opponents hand
into yours**
Power Word Shield (1) Give a minion +2 health and draw a card
Shadow word Death (3) Destroy a minion with attack 5 or more
Shadow word Pain (2) Destroy a minion with attack 3 or less
Common
Circle of Healing (0) Restore 4 health to all minions
Inner Fire (1) Change a minion's attack to be equal to its health
Silence (0) Silence a minion
Thoughtsteal (3) Copy 2 cards from your opponents deck and put them
into your hand**
Rare
Holy Fire (6) Deal 5 damage and restore 5 health to your hero
Mass Dispel (4) Silence all enemy minions. Draw a card
Shadow Madness (4) Gain control of an enemy minion with 3 or less
attack until end of turn***
Epic
Mindgames (4) Put a copy of a random minion from your opponent's deck
into the battlefield under your control****
Shadowform (3) Your hero power becomes "Deal 2 damage" If already in
Shadowform, instead "Deal 3 damage"

23

*You literally now own that creature

**You do not steal versions of the cards, you just get your own versions
added into the game (like Webspinner)
***If you return the creature to your hand and replay it, it becomes
yours. Any effect that happens while you own the creature also happens
for you (IE Deathrattle, draw a card) you would draw the card
****Just like the other Mind-stuff, this does not remove the enemy
creature from your opponents deck, you simply get one. Also does not
trigger battlecries. ERRATA, if you play this and they have no creatures
then you get a 0/1 Shadow of Nothing creature

MINIONS
Free
Northshire Cleric (1) [1/3] Whenever a minion is healed, draw a card*
Common
Lightspawn (4) [0/5] This minion's attack is always equal to its health**
Temple Enforcer (6) [6/6] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion +3 health
Rare
Auchenai Soulpriest (4) [3/5] Your cards and powers that restore health
now deal damage instead***
Lightwell (2) [0/5] At the start of your turn, restore 3 health to a
friendly
damaged character
Epic
Cabal Shadow Priest (6) [4/5] Battlecry, Take control of an enemy minion
that has 2 or less attack
Legendary
Prophet Velen (7) [7/7] Double the damage and healing of your spells
and hero power
*A minion is only healed if it is damaged
**This means that effects like Dire Wolf Alpha do not work with Lightspawn
***A strategy side-note, Auchenai+Circle of Healing deals 4 damage to all
minions. It's a fairly popular strategy and the cheapest board clear in the
game

----------------------------PALADIN
----------------------------Uther Lightbringer represents the Paladin, a class that's all about

24

minions. He likes large armies and his ability reflects that. However,
many of his cards are quite flexibile and as a result you do get aggro
and control Paladins, both with equal success.
Hero Power, Reinforce (2) Summon a 1/1 Silver Hand Recruit
Easily disregarded as a throw-away, the Paladin's hero power becomes
very
very strong approaching turns 7+ as he generates an extra 1/1 every turn
which
66% of the classes can't deal with for 2 mana for free. It easily turns the
tide to his victory (or helps to)

SPELLS
Free
Blessing of Kings (4) Give a minion +4/+4
Blessing of Might (1) Give a minion +3 attack
Consecration (4) Deal 2 damage to all enemies
Hand of Protection (1) Give a minion Divine Shield
Hammer of Wrath (4) Deal 3 damage and draw a card
Holy Light (2) Restore 6 Health*
Humility (1) Change a minion's attack to 1
Common
Blessing of Wisdom (1) Choose a minion. Whenever it attacks, draw a card**
Rare
Blessed Champion (5) Double a minion's attack
Divine Favor (3) Draw cards until you have as many in hand as your opponent
Equality (2) Change the health of all minions to 1
Holy Wrath (5) Draw a card and deal damage equal to its cost***
Epic
Avenging Wrath (6) Deal 8 damage split randomly among enemy characters
Lay on hands (8) Restore 8 health. Draw 3 cards*
*Can target any character
**Regardless of what minion you enchant (yours or an opponents) whenever it
attacks you still draw the card
***You must target first and then draw. Risky
SECRETS
There are 5 common Paladin Secrets

25

Avenge (1) When one of your minions die, give a random friendly minion
+3/+2
Eye for an Eye (1) When your hero takes damage, deal that much to
the enemy hero
Noble Sacrifice "Get Down" (1) When an enemy attacks, summon a 2/1 Defender
as
the new target
Redemption (1) When one of your minions die, return it to play with 1
health
Repentance (1) When your opponent plays a minion, reduce its health to 1
--------| Notes |
--------Avenge only works if you have at least 2 Minions in play
Get Down triggers upon attack, doesn't matter who is being attacked
Redemption does not trigger battlecries, which can be helpful for certain
cards. It does restore things like Divine Shield if that is a part of the
Minion (or Stealth)
Repentance sets it to 1, so you cannot heal it back to the original
amount
-------| Tips |
-------The most common Paladin secrets are Avenge and Get Down. Get Down is
fairly obvious as it triggers upon attack. Avenge is scary (+3/+2 is no
joke)
but it only triggers if his minions die on your turn. So you can either
never kill his minions OR only board wipe all them together OR kill a
minion
when you are prepared to answer Avenge (with Silence or something)
As for the others, there isn't much you can do nor should you run into
them all that much

MINIONS
Free
Guardian of Kings (7) [5/6] Battlecry, Restore 6 health to your hero
Common
Argent Protector (2) [2/2] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion Divine Shield
Rare
Aldor Peacekeeper (3) [3/3] Battlecry, Change an enemy minion's attack to 1
Legendary

26

Tirion Fordring (8) [6/6] Divine Shield. Taunt. Deathrattle, equip a 5/3
wpn

WEAPONS
Free
Light's Justice (1) [1/4]
Truesilver Champion (4) [4/2] Whenever your hero attacks, restore 2 health
to it*
Epic
Sword of Justice (3) [1/5] Whenever you summon a minion, give it +1/+1 and
this loses 1 Durability
Legendary
Ashbringer (5) [5/3] This is what you get from Tirion Fordring
*If you were to die (via Explosive Trap) Truesilver Champion will save you
assuming you don't take more damage as well

----------------------------SHAMAN
----------------------------Thrall picks up the role here as the noble Shaman, master of trickery
and
powerful turns. Most of the Shaman cards are defined by big turns that
shift
control of the game towards their favor. A control Shaman, is a dangerous
opponent.
Hero Power, Totemic Call, (2) Summons a random Totem
Healing Totem, 0/2, End of your turn, restore 1 health to all friends
Searing Totem, 1/1
Stoneclaw Totem, 0/2 Taunt
Wrath of Air Totem, 0/2, Spell Damage +1
While Shaman would seem to be cool like Paladin, his hero power is
largely
considered much weaker than others due to how uninteractive they can be.
Sure
getting the Taunt is nice, or the spell damage when you need it, but it can
also be a liability when you are relying on it.

SPELLS
Free
Ancestral Healing (0) Restore a minion to full health and give it Taunt
Bloodlust (5) Give your minions +3 attack this turn
Frost Shock (1) Deal 1 damage to an enemy and Freeze it

27

Hex (3) Transform a minion into a 0/1 Frog with Taunt

Rockbiter Weapon (1) Give a friendly character +3 attack this turn
Totemic Might (0) Give your Totems +2 health
Windfury (2) Give a minion Windfury
Common
Earth Shock (1) Silence a minion, then deal 1 damage to it
Forked Lightning (1) Deal 2 damage to 2 random enemy minions; Overload 2
Lightning Bolt (1) Deal 3 damage; Overload 1
Reincarnate (2) Destroy a minion then return it to full life
Rare
Ancestral Spirit (2) Give a minion "Deathrattle, Resummon this minion"
Feral Spirit (3) Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt; Overload 2
Lava Burst (3) Deal 5 damage; Overload 2
Lightning Storm (3) Deal 2-3 damage to all enemy minions; Overload 2
Epic
Far Sight (3) Draw a card. That card cost 3 less

MINIONS
Free
Fire Elemental (6) [6/5] Battlecry, Deal 3 damage
Flametongue Totem (2) [0/3] Adjacent minions have +2 attack
Windspeaker (4) [3/3] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion Windfury
Common
Dust Devil (1) [3/1] Windfury; Overload 2
Unbound Elemental (3) [2/4] Whenever you play a card with Overload gain
+1/+1
Rare
Mana Tide Totem (3) [0/3] At the end of your turn draw a card
Epic
Earth Elemental (5) [7/8] Taunt, Overload 3
Legendary
Al'Akir the Windlord (8) [3/5] Windfury, Charge, Divine Shield, Taunt

28

WEAPONS
Common
Stormforged Axe (2) [2/3] Overload 1
Epic
Doomhammer (5) [2/8] Windfury, Overload 2

----------------------------MAGE
----------------------------The most anticipated class I'm sure, Magicians, Mages, and Wizards have
always been a favorite of most everyone due to raw spell power. They can
post
early game victories with aggressive magic, as well as secure victory in
the
late game with giant balls of fire to the face.
Hero Power, Fireblast, (2) Deal 1 damage

SPELLS
Free
Arcane Explosion (2) Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions
Arcane Intellect (3) Draw 2 cards
Arcane Missiles (1) Deal 3 damage randomly split among enemy characters
Fireball (4) Deal 6 damage
Flamestrike (7) Deal 4 damage to all enemy minions
Frost Nova (3) Freeze all enemy minions
Frostbolt (2) Deal 3 damage to a character and freeze it
Mirror Image (1) Summon two 0/2 minions with Taunt
Polymorph (4) Transform a minion into a 1/1 Sheep
Common
Cone of Cold (4) Freeze a minion and the minions next to it and deal
1 damage to them
Ice Lance (1) Freeze a character. If it is already frozen, deal 4 damage
Rare
Blizzard (6) Deal 2 damage to all enemy minions and freeze them
Epic

29

Pyroblast (10) Deal 10 damage

Secrets
Common
Duplicate (3) When a friendly minion dies, put 2 copies of it into your
hand
Ice Barrier (3) As soon as your hero is attacked gain 8 armor
Mirror Entity (3) When your opponent plays a minion summon a copy of it
Rare
Counterspell (3) When your opponent casts a spell, Counter it, it's fizzled
Vaporize (3) When a minion attacks your hero, destroy it
Epic
Ice Block (3) When your hero takes fatal damage, prevent it and become
Immune
this turn
Spellbender (3) When an enemy casts a spell on a minion, summon a 1/3 as
the
the new target
--------| Notes |
--------Mirror Entity only counts played Minions, not hero power summons, OR if
a minion is summoned as part of the battlecry you only get the initial
creature
Counterspell stops the enemy spell (no effect)
Spellbender only works if the target is a Minion, doesn't matter yours
or the opponents
-------| Tips |
-------Most often, you will see two Secrets, Mirror Entity, and Duplicate. In
cases of testing, an attack to the face tests for Ice Barrier and Vaporize
(And both trigger if they are both down). For Duplicate, you want to
trigger
it on a lesser minion; and similarly with Mirror Entity don't play a huge
Minion until you've ruled our Mirror Entity.
Other than that, there isn't much else to do. For dealing with Ice
Block
(if you've ruled that it is the only option) when triggering it try to do
as
much damage as possible first (getting them as low to 1) before triggering
it
that way they are easier to defeat next turn

MINIONS
Free

30

Water Elemental (4) [3/6] Freeze any character damaged by this minion
Common
Mana Wyrm (1) [1/3] Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 attack
Sorcerer's Apprentice (2) [3/2] Your spells cost 1 less
Rare
Ethereal Arcanist (4) [3/3] If you control a Secret at end of turn, gain
+2/+2
Kirin Tor Mage (3) [4/3] Battlecry, the next Secret you play this turn cost
0
Legendary
Archmage Antonidas (7) [5/7] Whenever you cast a spell, put a "Fireball"
spell
into your hand

----------------------------Rogue
----------------------------Valeera the hot sexy Cosplay of most Hearthstone female streamers
represents the Rogue, a crafy choice who specializes in annoying the
opponent
and whittling them down for a grand finish. The most popular Rogue deck is
that, called "Miracle" whereas another aggressive style known as
"Backspace"
is out there as well.
Hero Power, Dagger Mastery, (2) Equip a 1/2 Dagger

SPELLS
Free
Assassinate (5) Destroy an enemy minion
Backstab (0) Deal 2 damage to an undamaged minion
Deadly Poison (1) Give your weapon +2 attack
Fan of Knives (3) Deal 1 damage to all enemy minions, Draw a card
Sap (2) Return an enemy minion to your opponent's hand
Shiv (2) Deal 1 damage, Draw a card
Sinister Strike (1) Deal 3 damage to the enemy hero
Sprint (7) Draw 4 cards
Vanish (6) Return all minions to their owner's hand

31

Common
Betrayal (2) Force an enemy minion to deal its damage to the
minions next to it
Cold Blood (1) Give a minion +2 attack. Combo, 4 attack instead
Conceal (1) Give your minions stealth until your next turn
Eviscerate (2) Deal 2 damage. Combo, 4 intead
Shadowstep (0) Return a friendly minion to your hand. It costs 2 less
Rare
Blade Flurry (2) Destroy your weapon and deal its damage to all enemies
Headcrack (3) Deal 2 damage to the enemy hero. Combo, return it to
your hand next turn*
Epic
Preparation (0) The next spell you cast this turn costs 3 less
*Headcrack combo only requires a something else be played that turn. You
don't necessarily have to play something before Headcrack

MINIONS
Common
Anub'ar Ambusher (4) [5/5] Deathrattle, Return a random friendly minion
to your hand
Defias Ringleader (2) [2/2] Combo, Summon a 2/1 Defias Bandit
Rare
SI7 Agent (3) [3/3] Combo, Deal 2 damage
Master of Disguise (4) [4/4] Battlecry, Give a friendly minion stealth
Epic
Kidnapper (6) [5/3] Combo, Return a minion to its owners hand
Patient Assassin (2) [1/1] Stealth. Destroy any minion damaged
by this minion
Legendary
Edwin VanCleef (3) [2/2] Combo, Gain +2/+2 for each card played
earlier this turn

WEAPONS
Free
Assassin's Blade (5) [3/4]
Rare

32

Perdition's Blade (3) [2/2] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage. Combo, deal 2

----------------------------DRUID
----------------------------Malfurion is the Druid, the class that is the most versatile of any
class.
Many of the Druid cards literally give you a choice, deal 3 damage, or 1
and
draw a card. Do I want a 4/4 charger or a 4/6 taunt? Druid's are one of the
most intensive classes meaning you need the newer, stronger, better cards
to
play Druid as many of their better, many of their *best* cards that define
who they are rares and epics.
Hero Power, Shapeshift, (2) Gain +1 armor and +1 attack for this turn

SPELLS
Free
Claw (1) Give your hero +2 attack this turn and 2 armor*
Healing Touch (3) Restore 8 health
Innervate (0) Gain 2 mana crystals this turn only**
Mark of the Wild (2) Give a minion taunt and +2/+2
Moonfire (0) Deal 1 damage
Savage Roar (3) Give your characters +2 attack this turn
Starfire (6) Deal 5 damage, draw a card
Swipe (4) Deal 4 damage to an enemy and 1 to all other enemies
Wild Growth (2) Gain an empty Mana Crystal***
Common
Mark of Nature (3) Choose one, give a minion +4 attack OR +4 health and
taunt
Naturalize (1) Destroy a minion. Your opponent draws 2 cards
Poison Seeds (4) Destroy all minions and summon 2/2 treants to replace them
Power of the Wild (2) Choose one, Summon a 3/2 panther, OR give your
minions +1/+1
Soul of the Forest (4) Give your minions "Deathrattle, summon a 2/2 treant"
Wrath (2) Choose one, Deal 3 damage to a minion, or 1 damage and drawa
card
Rare

33

Bite (4) Give your hero +4 attack this turn and +4 armor
Nourish (5) Choose one, Gain 2 mana crystals OR draw 3 cards****
Savagery (1) Deal damage equal to your hero's attack to a minion
Starfall (5) Choose one, Deal 5 damage to a minion, OR 2 damage to all
enemy minions
Epic
Force of Nature (6) Summon three 2/2 treants with Charge that die
at the end of the turn
*Armor gained through Shapeshift, Claw, and Bite stays until removed by
damage
**You cannot Innervate past 10 mana crystals
***If you cast Wild Growth at 10 mana, you gain an Excess Mana card that
costs 0 to let you draw a card
****Nourish's mana crystals are not empty and can be used right away
^><^ Force of Nature + Savage Roar is 14 damage

MINIONS
Free
Ironbark Protector (8) [8/8] Taunt
Common
Druid of the Claw (5) [4/4] Choose one, Charge, OR +2 health and Taunt
Rare
Keeper of the Grove (4) [2/4] Choose one, Deal 2 damage, OR Silence a
minion
Epic
Ancient of Lore (7) [5/5] Choose one, Draw 2 cards, OR Restore 5 health
Ancient of War (7) [5/5] Choose one, +5 attack, or +5 health and Taunt
Legendary
Cenarius (9) [5/8] Choose one, Give your other minions +2/+2
OR Summon two 2/2 treants with taunt

----------------------------WARRIOR
----------------------------Mr. Hellscream comes in as our last hero, representing the bloodthirsty

34

Warrior of a brutal nature. He hits hard and fast, as well as puts up

extreme
duration for control matches with a very passive, defensive playstyle. When
Control Warrior shows up, you are in for a long match.
Hero Power, Armor Up! (2) Gain 2 armor

SPELLS
Free
Charge (3) Give a friendly minion +2 attack and Charge
Cleave (2) Deal 2 damage to two random enemy minions
Execute (1) Destroy a damaged enemy minion
Heroic Strike (2) Give your hero +4 attack this turn
Shield Block (3) Gain 5 armor, draw a card
Whirlwind (1) Deal 1 damage to all minions
Common
Battle Rage (2) Draw a card for each damaged friendly character
Inner Rage (0) Deal 1 damage to a minion and give it +2 attack
Rampage (2) Give a damaged minion +3/+3
Slam (2) Deal 2 damage to a minion. if it survives draw a card
Rare
Commanding Shout (2) Your minions can't go below 1 health this turn.
Draw a card
Mortal Strike (4) Deal 4 damage. If you have 12 or less health deal 6
instead
Upgrade (1) If you have a weapon, give it +1/+1. Otherwise, equip a 1/3
Epic
Brawl (5) Destroy all minions except one (chosen randomly)
Shield Slam (1) Deal 1 damage to a minion for each Armor you have

MINIONS
Free
Kor'kron Elite (4) [4/3] Charge
Warsong Commander (3) [2/3] Whenever you summon a minion with 3 or
less attack. Give it charge
Common
Arathi Weaponsmith (4) [3/3] Battlecry, Equip a 2/2 weapon

35

Cruel Taskmaster (2) [2/2] Battlecry, Deal 1 damage to a minion and give
it +2 attack
Rare
Armorsmith (2) [1/4] Whenever a friendly minion takes damage, gain +1 Armor
Frothing Berserker (3) [2/4] Whenever a minion takes damage, gain +1 attack
Legendary
Grommash Hellscream (8) [4/9] Charge. Enrage, +6 attack

WEAPONS
Free
Fiery "Win" War Axe (2) [3/2]
Arcanite Reaper (5) [5/2]
Common
Death's Bite (4) [4/2] Deathrattle, Deal 1 damage to all minions
Epic
Gorehowl (7) [7/1] Attacking a minion costs 1 attack instead of 1
durability

----------------------------That's the extent of a "brief" overview of the heroes. For more

extensive
discussion, we'll get into that later. But for now, let's look at the
leveling
that occurs and what cards you can get (to complete this list).

36

--------------------------------------------------------------------------04. Leveling
[4000]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------As explained, you level by playing. You gain more experience against
humans though it is suggested to play against the computer at least until
you
are level 10 that way you get all your free cards. Here is the lists of
what
you earn for each class.

Warlock
Hunter
Priest
Paladin
Shaman
Mage
Rogue
Druid
Warrior

Warlock
START
Drain Life
Hellfire
Shadow Bolt
Succubus
Voidwalker
New Cards
Corruption (at level 2)
Mortal Coil (at level 4)
Soulfire (at level 6)
Sacrificial Pact (at level 8)
Dread Infernal (at level 10)
Gold (Animated) Cards
Sacrificial Pact (15/20)
Dread Infernal (23/26)
Soulfire (28/30)
Corruption (32/34)
Voidwalker (36/38)
Succubus (40/42)
Mortal Coil (43/44)
Drain Life (45/46)
Shadow Bolt (47/48)
Hellfire (49/50)
After 50 (for all classes) you earn golds of the Neutral Basics
Boulderfist Ogre (51/52)
Grimscale Oracle (53/54)
Ogre Magi (55/56)
Gurubashi Berserker (57/58)
Kobold Geomancer (59/60)

Hunter

37

START
Arcane Shot
Houndmaster
Multi-Shot
Timber Wolf
Tracking
New Cards
Animal Companion (2)
Starving Buzzard (4)
Hunter's Mark (6)
Tundra Rhino (8)
Kill Command (10)
Gold Cards
Tracking (15/20)
Timber Wolf (23/26)
Houndmaster (28/30)
Arcane Shot (32/34)
Multi-Shot (36/38)
Hunter's Mark (40/42)
Tundra Rhino (43/44)
Animal Companion (45/46)
Starving Buzzard (47/48)
Kill Command (49/50)
After 50 Cards
Core Hound (51/52)
Stonetusk Boar (53/54)
Razorfen Hunter (55/56)
Bloodfen Raptor (57/58)
Ironfur Grizzly (59/60)

Priest
START
Holy Smite
Mind Blast
Northshire Cleric
Power Word Shield
Shadow Word Pain
New Cards
Divine Spirit (2)
Mind Vision (4)
Holy Nova (6)
Shadow Word Death (8)
Mind Control (10)
Gold Cards
Mind Blast (15/20)
Holy Smite (23/26)
Divine Spirit (28/30)
Mind Vision (32/34)
Shadow Word Pain (36/38)
Northshire Cleric (40/42)
Shadow Word Death (43/44)
Holy Nova (45/46)
Power Word Shield (47/48)
Mind Control (49/50)
After 50 Cards

38

Murloc Raider (51/52)

Shattered Sun Cleric (53/54)
Darkscale Healer (55/56)
Gnomish Inventor (57/58)
Lord of the Arena (59/60)

Paladin
STARTING
Blessing of Might
Hammer of Wrath
Hand of Protection
Holy Light
Light's Justice
New Cards
Truesilver Champion (2)
Consecration (4)
Humility (6)
Guardian of Kings (8)
Blessing of Kings (10)
Gold Cards
Holy Light (15/20)
Hand of Protection (23/26)
Humility (28/30)
Hammer of Wrath (32/34)
Light's Justice (36/38)
Truesilver Champion (40/42)
Consecration (43/44)
Blessing of Might (45/46)
Guardian of Kings (47/48)
Blessing of Kigns (49/50)
After 50 Cards
Stormpike Commando (51/52)
Bluegill Warrior (53/54)
Stormwind Knight (55/56)
Goldshire Footman (57/58)
Stormwind Champion (59/60)

Shaman
STARTING
Ancestral Healing
Frost Shock
Hex
Rockbiter Weapon
Windfury
New Cards
Bloodlust (2)
Flametongue Totem (4)
Totemic Might (6)
Windspeaker (8)
Fire Elemental (10)
Gold Cards
Ancestral Healing (15/20)
Windfury (23/26)
Totemic Might (28/30)

39

Frost Shock (32/34)

Rockbiter Weapon (36/38)
Bloodlust (40/42)
Flametongue Totem (43/44)
Windspeaker (45/46)
Hex (47/48)
Fire Elemental (49/50)
After 50 Cards
Magma Rager (51/52)
Frostwolf Warlord (53/54)
Booty Bay Bodyguard (55/56)
Frostwolf Grunt (57/58)
Reckless Rocketeer (59/60)

Mage
STARTING
Arcane Explosion
Arcane Intellect
Arcane Missiles
Fireball
Polymorph
New Cards
Frostbolt (2)
Mirror Image (4)
Frost Nova (6)
Water Elemental (8)
Flamestrike (10)
Gold Cards
Arcane Intellect (15/20)
Frost Nova (23/26)
Arcane Explosion (28/30)
Arcane Missiles (32/34)
Mirror Image (36/38)
Frostbolt (40/42)
Fireball (44/46)
Polymorph (47/48)
Water Elemental (49/50)
Flamestrike (51/52)
After 52 Cards
Dragonling Mechanic (53/54)
Ironforge Rifleman (55/56)
Archmage (57/58)
Dalaran Mage (59/60)

Rogue
STARTING
Assassinate
Backstab
Deadly Poison
Sap
Sinister Strike
New Cards
Assassin's Blade (2)
Fan of Knives (4)

40

Shiv (6)
Vanish (8)
Sprint (10)
Gold Cards
Sinister Strike (15/20)
Vanish (23/26)
Fan of Knives (28/30)
Assassin's Blade (32/34)
Backstab (36/38)
Sap (40/42)
Deadly Poison (43/44)
Shiv (45/46)
Assassinate (47/48)
Sprint (49/50)
After 50 Cards
War Golem (51/52)
Murloc Tidehunter (53/54)
Voodoo Doctor (55/56)
Acidic Swamp Ooze (57/58)
Sen'jin Shieldmasta (59/60)

Druid
STARTING
Claw
Healing Touch
Innervate
Mark of the Wild
Wild Growth
New Cards
Starfire (2)
Savage Roar (4)
Moonfire (6)
Swipe (8)
Ironbark Protector (10)
Gold Cards
Healing Touch (15/20)
Wild Growth (23/26)
Mark of the Wild (28/30)
Claw (32/34)
Innervate (36/38)
Moonfire (40/42)
Savage Roar (43/44)
Starfire (45/46)
Swipe (47/48)
Ironbark Protector (49/50)
After 50 Cards
Oasis Snapjaw (51/52)
Nightblade (53/54)
River Crocolisk (55/56)
Elven Archer (57/58)
Novice Engineer (59/60)

Warrior
STARTING

41

Charge
Execute
Fiery Win Axe
Heroic Strike
Warsong Commander
New Cards
Cleave (2)
Kor'kron Elite (4)
Whirlwin (6)
Shield Block (8)
Arcanite Reaper (10)
Gold Cards
Heroic Strike (15/20)
Charge (23/26)
Shield Block (28/30)
Whirlwind (32/34)
Warsong Commander (36/38)
Cleave (40/42)
Kor'kron Elite (44/46)
Execute (47/48)
Fiery Win Axe (49/50)
Arcanite Reaper (51/52)
After 52 Cards
Silverback Patriarch (53/54)
Chillwind Yeti (55/56)
Raid Leader (57/58)
Wolfrider (59/60)

42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------05. Basics Part 2

[5000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright. So we've talked about the heroes, we've talked about the
cards,
and we've talked about some of the basics. I'm sure you want to know some
other things, like Strategy, Deck Building, and how to be better, but
before
we can get into that, we have one more section to talk about concerning the
basics of understanding the game.

So when you first log in, your screen gives you a handful of options.
[Play]
[Solo Adventures]
[Arena]
[Shop] [!] [Open packs] [My Collection] [Gold] [*]
What do each of these mean?

-------| Play |
-------This is the main section to engage in playing Hearthstone. Inside, you
can select a deck and choose to play generally, or to play ranked. So
briefly,
Ranked play pairs you against similar opponents. You can go from rank 25
down
to rank 1, and then to Legend. Each win moves you forward, each loss sends
you back. Early on, each rank has several wins necessary before moving on.
Once you approach the end, you may have to win 5 or 6 times at that rank
before you can advanced to the next rank.
------------------| Solo Adventures |
------------------This is where you play against the Computer. You can play against
normal
basic AI with each of the nine classes, or expert versions. You can also
enter
Naxxramas, the expansion set, where you can play in three different
variations
including normal Naxxramas, heroic Naxxramas, and class challenges where
you
unlocked different cards.
In the beginning, this is a good place to start to level up your decks
to
at least level 10 so you can get all the basic cards.
--------| Arena |
--------This is an area where you assemble a deck from 30 random packs and then

43

compete against other people with similar decks. The Arena costs $1.99 USD,
or 150 gold to play in. You are then offered 3 classes to choose from. From
there, you are offered 3 cards at a time, thirty times, to choose your
deck.
The Arena, is completely random. The first and last "packs" will be at
least a Rare. Other than that, totally random. You may have a Mage with 6
Fireball cards. You may have a deck with 4 legendaries in it. You might
also
play a spell-less Mage with mostly basic cards.
Once you lose 3 times or win 12 times, your deck is retired and you get
prizes based on how well you do. You will always get a Pack. From there,
the rewards are completely random, from crafting material, to gold, to
individual cards. At 7 wins, you will get back at least 150 gold almost
every time. If you win 12 times, you will get 5 prizes and usually 2 packs.
There is a lot to Arena, but I'll get into that more later in a
different
section.
-------| Shop |
-------This lets you buy Packs. You can buy them for 100 gold, or in the
different amounts of money I listed earlier.
----| ! |
----This is your "conquest" page. It tracks your different quests (up to 3)
as well as keeps track of how many wins you have had (both Arena and normal
play) as well as the levels of all of your classes.
-------------| Open Packs |
-------------This is where you open packs. Each pack contains 5 cards and all cards
that are considered "expert" cards, which are anything common/gray or
better.
You will always get at least one Rare or better as well.
-------| Gold |
-------This tracks how much gold you have
----| * |
----This is the options menu. You can access the graphics and sound, as
well as miscellaneous things. You can also select your card back. You
start with the basic card back, and at the end of each month, if you got
to at least rank 20, you get that month's card back. You also get cardbacks
for all kinds of different things, like beating Heroic Naxxramas.
----------------| My Collection |

44

----------------This is your collection of cards. You can see how many and which cards
you have, as well as this is where you make decks (up to 9) of them. There
is also something called "Crafting Mode" which I'm sure you are curious.
Well,
one of the curious aspects of Hearthstone is that in addition to building
your
collection by playing and getting lots of packs; you can also create your
own
(well, I say that loosely) cards by crafting them. If you pick "Crafting
Mode"
then you can see every card available to put into a deck.
The costs are this:
Common, 40 to make, 5 to disenchant
Rare, 100 to make, 20 to disenchant
Epic, 400 to make, 100 to disenchant
Legendary, 1600 to make, 400 to disenchant
So, because you can only have 2 copies of a card in deck, if you have
more than 3 copies of a card you get to disenchant that card "for free" as
the same 2 copies of a card can go in 9 decks if you want. This is helpful
as you can build and craft the cards you need, or the card you are looking
for.
You can certainly disenchant cards that you don't need either. For
instance, I have gotten about 5 Spellbender cards. Only now do I finally
have
two copies of it. Because I think the card sucks, I've been disenchanting
it
A LOT for the 100 crafting so I can make better Rares. It's up to you
though,
and mostly I would deter disenchanting because you'd rather have a full
collection of cards.
You cannot disenchant "Soulbound Cards" which is any basic card. As
those
are given for free to you, you cannot disenchant them.
Now you may ask about gold versions of the other cards. Gold expert
cards
are considered "special" and are worth 4 times the craft material. Yes,
that
means a gold legendary could be disenchanted for 1600 crafting, which could
make you 16 rares. However, Golds are hard to come by and even more
expensive
to make and they do provide a cool animation so I'd think twice about
disenchanting those cards.

Alright, so let's talk about these Quests then, so you can understand
better how they work. There are a number of quests, and here they are.
---------------| Daily Quests |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

45

|
Name
| Requirements
| Reward
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------[Class 1] or [Class 2] Victory
| Win 2 games with either class | 40 gold
|
[Class 1] or [Class 2] Dominance | Win 5 games with either class | 60 gold
|
|
Destroy Them All
| Destroy 40 minions
| 40 gold
|
|
Only the Mighty
| Play 20 minions that cost 5>= | 40 gold
|
|
The Meek Shall Merit
| Play 30 minions that cost 2<= | 40 gold
|
|
Spell Master
| Play 40 spells
| 40 gold
|
|
Beat Down
| Deal 100 damage to the enemy | 40 gold
|
|
Total Dominance
| Win 7 games in any mode
|100 gold
|
|
3 Victories!
| Win 3 games with any class
| 40 gold
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------*5>= means 5 or more, 2<= means 2 or less
The Class combinations can come in these following pairs:
Druid or Hunter
Druid or Rogue
Hunter or Mage
Mage or Shaman
Paladin or Priest
Paladin or Warrior
Priest or Warlock
Rogue or Warrior
Shaman or Warlock
This means that having three good decks basically covers your ground on
what you might need. For instance, Druid (covers Druid, Hunter, Rogue),
Mage
(covers Mage, Hunter, Shaman) and Paladin (covers Paladin, Priest, Warrior)
which leaves the lone Warlock left out but frankly aggressive Warlock decks
are super cheap to make and quite effective so no worries. Also, this is
simply a helpful hint so you don't worry about trying to have 9 awesome
decks
right away. Focus on getting a couple really good ones before expanding.
For
instance, my Mage/Druid have been level 60 for some time now and my Hunter
and Rogue are still in the low 30s. I hate them so I don't play them =)
----------------| Unique Quests |
----------------These are special, hidden quests that you can complete but aren't
visible to you as Hearthstone tracks them discretely.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Name
| Requirements
| Reward
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------First Blood
| Complete a game in play mode
| 1 pack
The Duelist
| Play 3 games in play mode
| 100 gold

46

Level Up
Crafting Time
crafting
Enter the Arena
arena
Arrrrr!!!
Captains
Golden Arrrrr!!!
Mrglglgl!!
Eye
Golden Mrglglgl!!
Eye
Chicken Dinner
Big Winner
Ready to go!
Crushed them All!
Got the basics!
One of everything!
Golden Hero
Hero
Greater Reaper of Packs
Mount Up!
Hearthsteed
You are Legend
cardback
Fireside Friends
cardback

| Get any class to level 10

| Disenchant a card

| 1 pack
| 95

| Enter the Arena

| a free

| Acquire every Pirate

| 2

|
| Acquire every Golden Pirate
|
| Acquire every Murloc

|
|
|
|

| Acquire every Golden Murloc

| Old Murk-

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Win 100 games in any mode

Win 1000 games in any mode
Unlock every hero
Defeat every Expert AI Hero
Collect every card in the basic set
Collect every card in the Expert Set
Win 500 games in ranked with a class

Parrot
2 Gold
Parrots
Old Murk-

(Golden)
300 gold
300 gold
100 gold
100 gold
100 gold
100 gold
Golden

| Purchases Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls

| Win 3 games in Arena or Play mode

| 3 packs
|

| Reach Legend rank

| New

| Play 3 matches against other players | New

| on the same subnet

|
Reaper of Packs
| Purchase Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls
| 1 pack
--------------------------------------------------------------------------*With Diablo 3, you have to enter a code

47

--------------------------------------------------------------------------06. Battle Basics (Playing the game)

[6000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, the meat and potatos of what most of you have come here I'm
sure,
here let's talk about some battle/play basics and what generally
happens/goes
on during a game of Hearthstone. As always, the best way to learn is to
play
the game but I'll do my best to give as many constructive tips as possible.
So for starters, the battlefields are all the same. Yes, visually they
are
different, from the basic Azeroth, to the fancy Orc stage, to the most
things
ever Naxxramas stage, but those are just visuals; in no way does it affect
the game.
What I mean is, visually you can mess up the battlefield. For example,
in
Naxxramas (the dark, evil looking one) you can click the spider eggs to
watch
baby spiders come out. You can also *bop* the toadstools. I won't spoil it
for you, have some fun seeing what you can or can't destroy on the
different
maps.
Alright, so here is the battlefield.

-----------------------------Opponent---Opp Life-----Hero Power-------------D

E
C
K
-----------------------------Halfway Marker---------------------------------D
E
C
K
-----------------------------You-----Your Life-------Hero Power--------------

Despite what it would seem, your opponent sees it from your

perspective,
that is, you the player are always on the bottom and your opponent is
always

48

across from you.

Unlike MTG, the position of your Minions on the battlefield MATTER.
This
is because Hearthstone is similar to "battle tactics" or however you want
to
call it, and if you recall from reading some of the cards from above,
certain
cards affect "adjacent" minions. That's because once they are down, they
are
down and you can't move them.
*When playing something, if you right click before setting it down you can
redo your play. This works for things with battlecries
So before we can get into a bit, there is one thing to note. Whenever
you
summon something, it always comes in on the right. This works with Hero
Powers
and Spells. This is important so that we can know how we want to place our
minions.

Typically, you want to place your minions so that your strongest ones,
OR
the ones you'd be most likely to buff are together.
DEF, BUFF
To play a spell or minion that positively affects your other
minions
For instance, there are a number of minions that do this. Some of them
are
Defender of Argus (4) [2/3] Battlecry, Give adjacent minions +1/+1 and
Taunt
Flametongue Totem (2) [0/3] Adjacent minions get +2 attack
Ancient Mage (4) [2/5] Battlecry, Give adjacent minions +1 spellpower

So you can see, placement of your

of
Argus is the most noted because he is
and
the +1/+1 effectively makes him a 4/5
addition
of Taunt to both of the minions makes

minions is very important. Defender

a neutral that can go into any deck
for 4 (a good bargain) but the
him a highly sought after Neutral.

But we want to make sure that we get the most use out of any minion
that
is like Argus. For instance, in what order would we play these Minions?
Minion A
Minion B
Minion C
Minion D
Defender

(1) [1/2]
(2) [2/2]
(3) [1/4]
(3) [2/3]
of Argus

Taunt
Spellpower +1
Taunt
Windfury

Well obviously, we will play 1 drop, 2 drop, 3 drop, but assuming our

49

enemy doesn't remove any of them, how would we want Argus to be down?
Here's
a couple of options.
Minion A | Minion B | Minion C
Minion B | Minion A | Minion D

Minion B | Minion A | Minion C

Minion A | Minion B | Minion D

You might be inclined to say, "NoWorries! Two of those have taunt

already
so obviously we want Minion A | Minion B | Minion D, or least B and D to be
together to give them Taunt!"
And you may not be wrong. However, in the case of Minion B, Spellpower
is
something that we typically want to protect right? Any time we can get 1
more
damage out of our spell, means an advantage to us. So the correct answer
would
be any pairing, that includes Minion A next to Minion C or D. Despite
Minion
A already having Taunt, buffing it from a 1/2 to a 2/3 is a huge buff, and
that is OK despite it already having Taunt. As for having Minion C or D, at
that juncture we don't really know because we don't know what our opponent
is
playing. Making the 1/4 a 2/5 is fairly nice, as there does not exist a 2/5
for 3 mana; and at the same time Minion D has Windfury so that extra attack
can be looked at as +2 attack whenever it gets to attack.
Does that make sense?

Now let's look at another example.

You're facing a Hunter with no Minions and he has no cards in hand.

He's
at 12 life. He just pushed quite a bit of damage and you are now at 2 life,
which means you lose next turn if you cannot win.
Your battlefield looks something like this:

Healing Totem | Flametongue Totem | Stoneclaw Totem

And you are holding a Wolfrider (3) [3/1] Charge, and a Stonetusk Boar
(1)
[1/1] Charge. Can you win? Recall that all the totems have 0 attack, but
that
Flametongue Totem gives +2 attack to adjacent Minions.
Give up?

Here's what to do.

Attack with each of your totems for 4 damage. Then play between the
Healing Totem and the Flametongue Totem, one of your charge minions. On the
other side (between Flametongue and Stoneclaw) play your other minion. You
can then attack (they both have Charge) for 3 and 5, which is exactly 12
damage. You win the game.
So in that example, you can see how important it is to think through

50

every turn and be very aware of how you play your Minions. If you were
careless and played either of the Minions before attacking with the Totem
OR
you played them not next to the Flametongue Totem, you would lose.

Alright, so now that we have looked at placement of Minions, let's talk

briefly about your turn. As I've described before, you can do pretty much
anything on your turn. However, there is a very good "guideline" for the
order of how you should do things. Naturally things can always change, and
this is just a guideline, but here it is.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

THINK about your turn

Can you clear your opponents board?
Do anything that draws you a card
Attack with anything you have on the board
Play stuff from your hand
End your turn

The reason behind this, is two-fold.

#1, HEARTHSTONE IS A GAME OF BOARD CONTROL
9 times out of 10, you win the game by controlling the board. As such,
9
times out of 10 you are going to want to eliminate your opponents board
before
you worry about attacking your opponent. Unlike MTG, you have 30 health.
That
number is a huge resource to have (think of it, as a 30 health Taunt for
your
other Minions) and as long as it is above 10, you are really safe from
losing.
So don't be afraid to take some damage, because your Minions are how you
win
the game.
#2, HEARTHSTONE IS A GAME OF CARD ADVANTAGE
As with MTG, the player who draws the most will win the most (often).
At
the beginning of the game, you start with 4 or 5 cards depending if you go
first or second. From there, you draw just 1 card a turn. That means if you
empty your hand and are stuck to "top-decking" you have very little control
over your turns and are sometimes pitted into situations you don't want to
get into because you have no option.
Now, Card Advantage doesn't always mean just having cards in hand, it
can
also be having Minions on the battlefield. If I have 3 Minions in play and
2
cards in hand, and you have 4 cards in hand, who is better off? I am,
because
I have 5 cards and you have 4. Even though you might think you are because
you
have more options, I have 3 minions out there, that means I control the
board.

51

You always want to be in control of the board. So many times, you will
see
people lose the game because the board gets away from them and they cannot
recover. If you keep clearing your opponents Minions and playing new ones,
all
while attacking them, watch to see how long that 30 drops to 0, it only
takes
a few turns.
So something to think about then, is how to protect your Minions? How
many ways can your Minions be destroyed?
-Combat (they fight another Minion and die)
-Combat (your opponent attacks them and they die)
-Spell (your opponent casts something to kill them)
-Extermination (your opponent casts a big board clear)

So with the exception of 4, you have quite a few options at your

disposal
for working around this (and even, we can work around 4). So let's tackle
this
then one piece at a time.
COMBAT, MINIONS FIGHTING AND DYING
Simple enough, you can choose more favorable trades. Now, here is
something to ponder. Your opponent has a 3/5 Taunt, you have a 5/4 Taunt, a
3/2, and a 2/3. How should you clear it?
It's fairly easy, use your 5/4 to kill it. Have a 3/2, 2/3, and 5/1 is
much much better than having just one 5/4 Taunt. Because mass removal is
rare,
it is safer to play into that as opposed to killing your 3/2 and 2/3 to
save
just one Minion that can be disposed of by a Spell (much more frequent).
Now, it is worth noting a few cases:

Case 1, Mage
The Mage Hero Power does 1 damage to anything. As a result, trying to keep
Minions above 1 health is REALLY IMPORTANT less she removes it for 2 mana
next turn
Case 2, Druid and Rogue
Similar to the Mage, these fools can attack with their hero for 1 damage.
HOWEVER, because they attack, you can protect 1 health Minions behind
Taunts.
COMBAT, HEROES FIGHTING MINIONS
So you might be asking yourself, how to protect this? Well frankly you
can
not BUT the reason for this is to talk about YOU attacking to protect YOUR
minions. Here's a scenario (or two)

Enemy has a 2/3 Taunt

You have a 3/2, and you have a 3/2 Weapon, what do?

52

Obviously, you attack with your weapon, save your 3/2. Easy situation

Enemy has a 5/1

You have a 2/4 and a 4/2, you have a 3/2 Weapon, what do?

"But 5 damage hurts!"

Nonsense. Slay the Minion with your hero and keep your critters alive

Enemy has a 8/8 Taunt

You have a 4/4, a 4/5, a 3/2, a 2/1, and a 5/2 Weapon, what do?

"BUUUUUT NO WORRIES! 8 DAMAGE! OWWWWWW"

And enjoy every moment of it. Swing at that beast with your hero and
take
it out with your 3/2.

Are you noticing a trend here? If you can protect your Minions, DO SO.
It
is how you win games. Obviously if 8 damage would you then you can't do
that
but 9/10 times you want to do that as having as many minions alive is best.

SPELL, OPPONENT FIREBALLS YOUR GUY

Well that's annoying. But here are some things to think about.
1. Your opponent has limited spells. Unless it's Arena, they cannot
have
5 fireballs and 3 frostbolts. No, they can have 2 fireballs, 2 frost
bolts, and 2 polymorphs. They can have 2 Hex and 2 Lightning bolts.
Their spells are limited, keep track of that! Also, if they cast a
spell guess what? A spell is a 1 for 1 trade, meaning there isn't a
creature. Play another!
2. Getting the most out of your creatures. So I said before, most new
players think Taunt is king. Well, to be frank, most Taunts suffer
a penalty to have that Taunt. You may ask, what do you mean? Allow
me:

A "Vanilla" card is something blank that we compare others to so that

we
can see just how good the card is. The Vanilla test for Minions goes as
follow
1
2
3
4

Mana,
Mana,
Mana,
Mana,

2/1 (3 stats)
3/2 (5 stats)
3/3+ (6+ stats)
4/5, 5/4 (9 stats)

53

5 Mana, 5/5 +/- (10+ stats)

6 Mana, 6/6 +/- (12+ stats)
That means, that a 3/2 blank text box is a good bargain. It has 5
stats,
it has at least 2 health (as to avoid pesky Mages) and can trade up thanks
to
the 3 attack. One may think of Chillwind Yeti, the 4/5 for 4, as the
standard
of effective creatures. Well, let's look at some common taunts real quick.
Goldshire Footman (1) 1/2 Taunt
Frostwolf Grunt (2) 2/2 Taunt
Silverback Patriarch (3) 1/4 Taunt
Ironfur Grizzly (3) 3/3 Taunt
Mogu'shan Warden (4) 1/7 Taunt
Sen'jin Shieldmasta (4) 3/5 Taunt
Booty Bay Bodyguard (5) 5/4 Taunt
Lord of the Arena (6) 6/5 Taunt

Alright, there is one up there that is worth playing. Care to guess?

Here
he is: Shieldmasta. Why? Let's go through the others (which, all of these
except Mogu'shan are free cards by the way) and see why are they terrible.
Goldshire. He's a 3 stat for 1! Except he has 1 attack, he won't ever
kill anything except maybe a 2/1 for 1, meaning at best he is a 1 for 1
trade.
This dude is no bueno
Frostwolf Grunt. He's only 4 stats for 2. Already a bad a deal, but
maybe
Taunt is good? Not really. Except for trading with 3/2 for 2 mana, he sucks
pretty hard. Add in a 2/3 taking him out and not successfully trading, (2/3
for 2 is also not bad) and you can see why he ain't so hot.
Silverback Patriarch. Well, he only has 5 stats. But like Mogu'shan,
and
like Goldshire, they have 1 attack. It's pointless. They will never kill
anything or be useful except maybe buying you 4 health. Bad cards.
Ironfur Grizzly. With the much better Shieldmasta right behind him, and
that a 3/2 for 2 can trade out this guy who costs 3, he actually costs you
card advantage.
Booty Bay and LotA. Unlike the supreme Das'Dingo, their power/health
are
in the wrong order! If they were 4/5 and 5/6, they could be quite useful.
But the weaker health makes them far less helpful you would hope. To
compare,
Boulderfist Ogre costs 6 and is a 6/7. He slays the 6 cost counterpoint and
lives to tell the tale. In terms of the Booty Bay, if we JUST look at other
free 5 cost Minions, we see one thing in common. Nightblade, Stormpike
Commando, and Darkscale Healer, they all have... 4 attack. So he just isn't
so good.
Well why is Shieldmasta so good? He's a 3/5! That is HUGE having that 5
health. The 3 attack means he kills most things, but the 5 health means at
4
mana, he will trade positively (2 for 1) more often than not. Don't believe
me
then look at this, comparing the other 4 cost, Free neutrals. Yeti, 4/5,

54

Dragonling Mechanic (2/4 and 2/1), Gnomish Inventor 2/4, Ogre Magi 4/4,
Oasis
Snapjaw 2/7, Stormwind Knight 2/5.
Sure, many of them have other abilities, but the point is look how he
positively trades! That's the point, positive trading. This brings us back
to
my original point that we play effecient creatures, so that a spell removal
doesn't hurt us as bad! We throw trash cards aside, and play manly value
cards.
Alright, moving on.

MASS EXTERMINATION
It happens. Here's a list of what may come your way.
Mage
Blizzard (6) 2 damage to all
Flamestrike (7) 4 damage to all
Paladin
Concencrate (4) 2 damage to all
Druid
Swipe (4) 4 to 1, 1 to others
Starfall (5) 2 to all
Priest
Holy Nova (5) 2 to all
Rogue
Poison+Blade Flurry (3) 3 to all
Warlock
Hellfire (4) 3 to all
Shaman
Lightning Storm (3) 2-3 to all
It's a general list, and I know I left others out, but these are the
"big"
things to worry about. What does this mean? Well it's fairly simple.
You're against a Mage and you are garnering board control and
approaching
turn 7. Do you play you 4 health minion? Not until you've seen a
Flamestrike.
This may mean playing less cards and hanging onto them, but that's because
there is little point playing something when you know that next turn
Flamestrike is coming (and it will likely happen).
You're against a Paladin. Similarly, turns 3, 4, and 5 you should try
to
play 3 or more health Minions to avoid dying to Concencrate. Once you've
seen
one you are safe as they can only have 2 copies in their deck. Same with
Priest and Holy Nova.
The strategy stays much the same. There is one, and that is Priest,
using
Auchenai+Circle of Healing. That is a turn 4, 4 damage to all Minions. In
this
case there is literally almost nothing you can do to prepare, other than
not
emptying your hand by turn 4. That's about it.

55

Alright, so now that we have a better understanding of the actual

basics
to the game, let's get into something a bit more specific: deck building.

56

--------------------------------------------------------------------------07. Deck Basics (free to play)

[7000]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Alright, so at the beginning of this I mentioned "free to play" cards.
You
may ask, "what's the point to "free to play decks". There's a number of
reasons, the first being that not everyone has every card from the get-go,
as
well as new players are joining daily and need something basic to start off
with.
If you watch some of the better/popular streamers, you can even see
them
go to legend with mostly free-to-play to get an idea that it is both
possible,
but more importantly that you don't always need the best cards to win with.
My first time playing through ranked I was playing a simple Druid deck that
lacked many of the defining Druid cards, like Ancient of War and Lore, or
even
the game ending Force of Nature + Savage Roar combo.
I used, what many people today use, just lots and lots of efficient
creatures; and I reached rank 4 without even breaking a sweat. I am most
definitely an Arena player at heart, but that's not to say I don't
understand
the constructed format; I just prefer the "limited" style format of Arena
compared to the grinding-ness of Ranked, that's all.
So, right into it, free-to-play. What follows in this section are decks
for every single class that features only free cards that you can play
with.
As much as I want to include Naxxramas (which is "free" if you just play
through Naxxramas) I won't simply because you have to pay for Naxxramas.
Ready? Alright let's explore.

Decklist Order:
Warrior
Shaman
Rogue
Paladin
Hunter
Druid
Warlock
Mage
Priest
*You'll see many of the same cards in each deck, for instance, Yeti and
Senjin
are fantastic free-to-play cards
**I'll list cheap-to-easy substitutes and play strategies for each as well

As I haven't listed what all the other cards are, here is a list of the
F2P Neutrals we will be using (mostly)
Acidic Swamp Ooze (2) [3/2] Battlecry, Destroy your opponents weapon
Bloodfen Raptor (2) [3/2]
Kobold Geomancer (2) [2/2] Spellpower +1
Novice Engineer (2) [1/1] Battlecry, Draw a card
River Crocolisk (2) [2/3]

57

Raid Leader (3) [2/2] Your other Minions have +1 attack

Shattered Sun Cleric (3) [3/2] Battlecry, give a friendly Minion +1/+1
Chillwind Yeti (4) [4/5]
Sen'jin Shieldmasta (4) [3/5] Taunt
Frostwolf Warlord (5) [4/4] Battlecry, gain +1/+1 for each other Minion
you control
Gurubashi Berserker (5) [2/7] Whenever this Minion takes damage, gain
+3
attack
Archmage (6) [4/7] Spellpower +1
Boulderfist Ogre (6) [6/7]
Stormwind Champion (7) [6/6] Your other Minions have +1/+1

Free-to-Play Warrior
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Execute
Whirlwind
Fiery Win Axe
Cleave
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Shield Block
Shattered Sun Cleric
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish inventor
Kor'kron Elite
Sen'jin "Das'Dingo" Shieldmasta
Arcanite Reaper
Gurubashi Berserker
Boulderfist Ogre

The Warrior free-to-play prefers a much more control oriented style,

winning in the lategame with its key monsters, Boulderfist, and Gurubashi.
You
have Fiery Win Axe to start early game tempo by removing key creatures from
your opponent (try not to attack face), as well as Bloodfen and Ooze are
great
early game creatures (the Ooze of course can counter other Weapon users).
Turn 4 is great, as you have many choices to choose from. Yeti and
Das'dingo are solid board creatures, while Kor'kron can eliminate most
anything from your opponent and the Gnomish is just an efficient creature.
Arcanite Reaper serves as your big end-game clearing device as the 5 power
till cleave itself through many threats.
Your spells are few but efficient. Shield Block is a nice filter, and
since you can have more armor and only 30 life, always attack first, and
then
armor up. Cleave is good 2-1 removal, and Whirlwind serves two purposes,
first
obviously being a board clear, but more importantly setting up for your
two
biggest threats: Executing a dangerous foe, or giving your Gurubashi +3
attack
Many of the Warrior cards are great and can easily fit themselves in to
almost any deck. Some of the cheaper-more-available ones are:
Shield Slam (epic) - replace Cleave
Cruel Taskmaster (common) - replace Whirlwind
Death's Bite (Naxxramas) - replace Arcanite Reaper

58

Frothing Berserker (rare) - replace Gnomish Inventor

Slam (common) - replace Cleave
Arathi Weaponsmith (common) replace Gnomish Inventor
The general play-style is always consider armoring up. You can stack
armor
so it's almost better than gaining life. As the Warrior hero power doesn't
affect the board though, it's really important to stay on top of things and
try not to let the board get away from you. The Warrior does have a huge
board clear (Brawl) which is a 5 cost Epic, but that fits into the specific
Control Warrior deck.
As for cheaper Neutral cards, here is a brief list of cards that work
well with Warrior:
Argent Squire (common) (1) [1/1] Divine Shield
Zombie Chow (Naxxramas) (1) [2/3] Deathrattle, restore 5 health to
enemy
Unstable Ghoul (Naxxramas) (Pairs well with the Warrior card, Armor
Smith)
Acolyte of Pain (common) (3) [1/3] Whenever this minion takes damage,
draw
a card
And that's the Warrior. Until you have an Acolyte of Pain, free-to-play
Warrior can be more difficult simply because of their complete lack of card
draw (having Slam helps). They are more vulnerable to removal simply
because
they can run out of cards too quickly and let the game get away from them.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Shaman
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
1x
2x
2x
2x

Rockbiter Weapon
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Flametongue Totem
River Crocolisk
Hex
Raid Leader
Shattered Sun Cleric
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Invetor
Das'Dingo
Windspeaker
Bloodlust
Frostwolf Warlord
Fire Elemental
Stormwind Champion

F2P Shaman is one of the hardest out there in my opinion, simply

because
they lack in their free cards any of their defining, annoying, and
ultimately
game changing cards. They do have blow-outs like Bloodlust, Hex, and of
course the dangerous Fire Elemental who is one of the most efficient
creatures
in the game, but they lack the almighty Lightning Storm, the brutal
Lightning

59

Bolt, as well as Mana Tide Totem, or Doomhammer.

That aside, because their Hero Power creates a Minion, we want to take
advantage of that. The early game here is all about control and trying to
get
many Minions out there. Making lots of Totems is really helpful here. The
goal being a turn 5 Frostwolf Warlord that is at least a 6/6; that can turn
the tide.
Other creatures, like Raid Leader, can turn your Totems into attacking
creatures (like Shattered Sun) as well as Flametongue Totem will be the
most
focused Minion by your opponent due to its +4 attack to your allies.
Rockbiter Weapon and Hex are your only sources of removal outside of
Fire Elemental's Battlecry. Generally speaking, use Rockbiter on yourself
to
attack (saving a Minion) and save Hex for dangerous threats.
IMPORTANT. Hex gives them a taunt so be prepared to have to work around
that sometimes.
The F2P Shaman has a fairly strong late-game, with 6 strong creatures
and the game-ending Bloodlust. It's a bit too expensive and clunky for
multiple copies, but each for each creature added Bloodlust can eliminate a
near full-health opponent quickly. If you know you multiplication tables...
1....3
2....6
3....9
4....12
So just 4 Minions, is 12 damage, plus whatever attack they have. It
gets
fairly gross, so keep that in mind.
As for cheap Shaman substitutes, there are many, but here are some:
Earth Shock (common)
Lightning Bolt (common)
Stormforged Axe (common)
Feral Spirit (rare)
Lightning Storm (rare)
Mana Tide Totem (rare)
Unbound Elemental (common)
Doomhammer (epic)
It's impossible to say what cards to replace, as each serves a
different
purpose and each changes the deck completely. As for neutral cheap cards:
Undertaker (Naxxramas) (1) [1/2] Gain +1/+1 whenever you play a
Minion with Deathrattle
Zombie Chow
Dire Wolf Alpha (common) (2) [2/2] Adjacent Minions have +1 attack
Haunted Creeper (Naxxramas) (2) [1/2] Deathrattle, create two 1/1
Spiders
Nerubian Egg (Naxxramas) (2) [0/2] Deathrattle, create a 4/4 Nerubian
Harvest Golem (common) (3) [2/3] Deathrattle, create a 2/1 golem
Dark Iron Dwarf (common) (4) [4/4] Battlecry, gives a Minion +2 attack
this turn
Defender of Argus
Sludge Belcher (Naxxramas) (5) [3/5] Taunt, Deathrattle, create a 1/2

60

Sludge with Taunt

Sea Giant (epic) (10) [8/8] Costs 1 less per each Minion in play
As you can see, Shamans really need better cards to really be brutal.
That
is not to say that Shaman F2P cannot work, it's just easier if you have, a
Lightning Storm, an Unbound Elemental, or a Weapon you know?
Also, if you're curious about the Deathrattle theme, their Naxxramas
card
is Reincarnate, a card with some interesting synergy with Deathrattle, and
a
"Death" Shaman deck is fairly popular and effective.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Rogue
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
1x

Backstab
Deadly Poison
Sap
Shiv
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Kobold Geomancer
Fan of Knives
Shattered Sun Cleric
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Inventor
Das'Dingo
Assassin's Blade
Assassinate
Boulderfist Ogre
Sprint

F2P Rogue is something Trumpsc just used recently to battle his way
through Ranked. This is not his exact deck-list, but it is similar and
tries
to use the powers of what free cards we have.
So let's start with the obvious, there's a Geomancer in there. His use
is
not that of a 2 drop, rather, because he is so cheap (and Rogue spells are
so
cheap) use him with the spells for extra benefit. Geomancer+Fan of Knives
is
a 2 damage to all Minions instead of 1, Geomancer+Backstab is a "free" 3
damage nuke, Geomancer+Shiv makes it not just a cycle.
The Rogue is all about annoying, and that's what we have here. Sap both
removes enchantments and completely delays turns by sapping large costly
creatures. Assassinate is a beastly removal spell that just makes things go
away forever. Sprint (fairly expensive) is our way to refill our hand.
That leaves the Poison and our Weapons; you can definitely throw down a
Deadly Poison on your Hero Power, though you get much more use if you can
wait
to drop it on an Assassin's Blade but don't let that stop you.

61

As for upgrading, there's not much to do without completely changing

and
going in different directions. The two constructed Rogue decks are fairly
intensive and require a ton of crafting, with one being the aggressive
"Backspace" Rogue, and the other being the laid-back Miracle. Without
worrying
right now about what those are, here are some cheaper cards that can work
well with this F2P deck:
Cold Blood (common)
Blade Flurry (rare)
Eviscerate (common)
Defias Ringleader (common)
SI:7 Agent (rare)
Anub'ar Ambusher (Naxxramas) (4) [5/5] Deathrattle, return a friendly
Minion to your hand at random
As for neutrals, the list is even shorter.
Zombie Chow
Earthen Ring Farseer (common) (3) [3/3] Battlecry, restore 3 health
Dark Iron Dwarf
Defender of Argus
Violet Teacher (rare) (4) [3/5] Whenever you play a spell make a 1/1
Gadgetzan Auctioneer (5) [4/4] Whenever you play a spell draw a card
The lists, are short, because to keep it close to F2P is rather hard.
Once
you gather some of the other cards, the deck changes dramatically into
aggro
with Backspace, or control-ish in Miracle. But for those, see constructed.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Paladin
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Humility
Holy Light
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Kobold Geomancer
Dalaran Mage
Shattered Sun Cleric
Truesliver Champion
Blessing of Kings
Consecration
Chillwind Yeti
Das'Dingo
Hammer of Wrath
Boulderfist Ogre
Stormwind Champion

An updated F2P decklist: after having looked and tried it out a couple
of
times I found Frostwolf Warlord to be a bit weak, so I mixed it up. By
adding
Hammer of Wrath, it brings the spell damage up to 4 cards, meaning that you
could gain quite a bit of use out of adding some spell power Minions, hence
the addition of Kobold and Dalaran. Neither are impressive creatures on
their

62

own, but they both can come out on turn 3 which sets up for an upgraded
spell
on turn 4.
Overall, it is still quite hard as many of their cards are just weak
unless you have the expert version, but I do think this will do much more
for
you than the previously listed deck.
Blessing of Wisdom (common)
Equality (rare)
Noble Sacrifice (common)
Argent Protector (common)
Sword of Justice (epic)
Aldor Peacekeeper (rare)
Avenging Wrath and Lay on hands (epic)
Their better cards make a difference. But also do neutral cards. I
won't
actually list any however as it is more of the same, as well as the deck
goes
either aggressive or control Paladin.
The general playstyle for this deck is controlish. You want to keep
your
opponent down while building your board. Like Shaman, a turn 5 Frostwolf
can
be huge.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Hunter
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Hunter's Mark
Arcane Shot
Tracking
Acidic Swamp Ooze
River Crocolisk
Animal Companion
Kill Command
Unleash the Hounds*
Ironfur Grizzly
Shattered Sun Cleric
Multi-Shot
Chillwind Yeti
Houndmaster
Oasis Snapjaw
Das'Dingo
Boulderfist Ogre

*Unleash the Hounds is a common. I would STRONGLY suggest having it in your

deck if you plan on playing Hunter. Otherwise, you can use 2 Multi-Shots I
guess which are free
Hunter is surprisingly strong for F2P, and this is due to most of their
good cards being available, Hunters Mark, Animal Companion, and
Houndmaster.
Unleash isn't free but... for 80 crafting you can have two of them which is
really an essential part to playing Hunter. The idea here is to shoot them
a

63

lot; like every turn. You have lots of beasts for Houndmaster and MultiShot
is 2-1 removal so that's good.
As for improving the deck:
Flare (rare) - Replace Tracking (seriously)
Webspinner (Naxxramas) (1) [1/1] Deathrattle, put a random Beast into
your hand
Traps, Freezing, Explosive, and Misdirection
Scavenging Hyena (common)
Eaglehorn Bow (rare)
Deadly Shot (common)
Scar (rare)
Some strong, definitive Hunter cards. As for neutrals, they can use
many
of the same cards already listed. Hunter, due to the Starving Buzzard nerf,
has been searching for a new key constructed deck. There are several out
there
but none are quite living up to its successor.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Druid
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Innervate
Claw
Mark of the Wild
Wild Growth
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Kobold Geomancer
Shattered Sun Cleric
Swipe
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Inventor
Das'Dingo
Starfire
Boulderfist Ogre
Ironbark Protector

Druid is easily my favorite class, but that is with the better cards.
As
for F2P Druid, it's extremely strong and only gets better with better
cards.
So let's talk a bit.
Coin-->Wild Growth is an acceptable turn 1 play
Coin+Innervate-->Chillwind Yeti wins games on turn 1
Anyway, Claw is Minion removal, Mark of the Wild is terrifying, and
Ironbark Protector is simply HUGE. Now, one thing to understand, is
dropping
Ironbark against a board of threats isn't so good. You want to play him
when
you have other Minions out there, otherwise that 8/8 body doesn't seem so
strong and scary anymore.
Alright, so you can Wild Growth at 10 mana to draw a card. You may ask

64

about the Kobold. Well, Kobold+Swipe is extremely gross, as the 2 damage to

all enemies hurts and feels much more painful than the 1. It makes Swipe
cost 6 but I tell you what, it's a game changer, especially against a class
like Shaman.
Starfire is just a big ol nuke.
F2P Druid is a blend of control and aggression. I say this, because if
you
Coin+Innervate a threat out early, then you can be aggressive. Otherwise,
you
are sitting back, controlling the board until you can drop Ironbark or the
Ogre.
As for improving, I could list almost every Druid card as they are just
that good. Here's just some of them:
Power of the Wild (common) - replace Raptor
Wrath (common) - replace Starfire
Keeper of the Grove (rare) - replace Claw
Nourish (rare) - replace Gnomish Inventor
Starfall (rare) - replace Kobold
Druid of the Claw (common) - replace Shattered Sun
Force of Nature (epic) - Pair it with Savage Roar
As well both Ancients, War and Lore are fantastic.
Druid is just a great class. The ability to have options (seen in many
of
their "expert" cards) gives them great flexibility. Their constructed decks
have many options, from Token Druid, to "Token" Druid, to Ramp Druid, to
Force Roar. With so many options, it's unsurprising to see so many viable
constructed decks.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Warlock
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
1x
2x

Soulfire
Mortal Coil
Voidwalker
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Bloodfen Raptor
Kobold Geomancer
Murloc Tidehunter
Shadow Bolt
Raid Leader
Razorfen Hunter
Shattered Sun Cleric
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Inventor
Das'Dingo
Frostwolf Warlord
Boulderfist Ogre

The easiest deck to play, is Zoo, and the Warlock excels at Zoo simply
because they get to draw cards! For free! Basically. This deck is fairly
aggressive though it can hold its own later in the game. You have tons of
cheap 2-3 drops so we want to get them out there. Raid Leader is our Dire
Wolf Alpha substitute and he can really get the damage rolling in. Shadow
Bolt

65

is there for threats and Soulfire can finish or remove a troublesome

Minion.
Because of 6 spells, the Geomancers make a nice addition especially for
buffing the 4 damage spells into 5 for Yeti and Das'Dingo.
There is a long list below for cards that can go into Zoo, and for the
most part that is the decklist. Just remember, you do usually want to
remove
their Minions before going face. It largely just depends on the hand you
currently have
Flame Imp (common)
Doomguard (rare)
Abusive Sergeant (common) (1) [2/1] Battlecry, give a Minion +2 attack
this turn
Argent Squire (common)
Leper Gnome (common) (1) [2/1] Deathrattle, deal 2 damage to your
opponent
Undertaker, Zombie Chow, Haunted Creeper
Dire Wolf Alpha (common)
Knife Juggler (rare) (2) [3/2] Whenever you summon a Minion, deal 1
damage
randomly to an enemy character
Ironbeak Owl (common) (2) [2/1] Battlecry, Silence a Minion
Bloodknight (epic) (3) [3/3] Battlecry, All Minions lose Divine Shield.
Gain +3/+3 for each shield lost this way
Harvest Golem (common)
Dark Iron Dwarf (common)
Defender of Argus (rare)
Leeroy Jenkins (legendary)
Now keep in mind, this is all going towards Zoo. For the Hand-lock,
they
use very different cards and I'll talk about that in constructed. But for
this
deck we can see how many options we have to easily make this deck gross.
Flame
Imp is one of the best 1 drops, it replaces Elven Archer. Doomguard is a
nasty
finisher, it replaces the Ogre. Abusive Sergeant and Dark Iron Dwarf are
very
strong, they can replace almost anything. Similarly, your deck ends up
quite
similar but with almost completely different cards.
Also listed is a "Control Warlock" F2P that features some extremely
different cards but when playtested they were so evenly matched... that's
why
both are included.
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Soulfire
Mortal Coil
Voidwalker
Kobold Geomancer
Shadow Bolt
Shattered Sun Cleric
Hellfire
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Inventor
Das'Dingo
Darkscale Healer
Boulderfist Ogre
Dread Infernal

66

2x Archmage
The idea behind this is rather similar to "Handlock" except with all
F2P
cards. We have 6 spells, as such running the Geomancers makes plenty of
sense.
The Archmage is fairly expensive however compared to Ogre Magi and/or
Dalaran
Mage he fits in here much more nicely, not to mention he survives a boosted
Hellfire while the others do not.
Other than that, it's a rather simple control-style approach. Darkscale
Healer makes her first appearance as healing your Minions works quite well
in this deck as both Hellfire and Dread Infernal hurt your own Minions.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Mage
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Arcane Missiles
Frostbolt
Acidic Swamp Ooze
River Crocolisk
Arcane Intellect
Shattered Sun Cleric
Fireball
Polymorph
Chillwind Yeti
Das'Dingo
Water Elemental
Gurubashi Berserker
Archmage
Boulderfist Ogre
Flamestrike

This F2P Mage is all about control. Gurubashi is very abuseable here,
as
we can ping it to give it +3 attack. River Crocolisk over Bloodfen simply
due
to our Hero Power, and we want to try to keep our guys alive. We have tons
of
removal, obviously, so keeping our Minions alive here is vitally important.
As always, the turn 7 Flamestrike is the bringer of doom.
Arcane Missiles are interesting, but a nice cheap choice here. Their
use,
is heavy on needing to deal 1 damage to something but you don't want to
ping
it (for instance, you have 3 mana and would prefer to play a 2 drop, but he
has a 1 health Minion). Here's a quick percentage chart for you
1
1
2
2

Minion (1 health), 12% chance to miss (all hero)

Minion (2 health), 50% chance to succeed
Minions (one has 1 health), 35% chance to succeed
Minions (both 1 health), 8% chance to miss (all hero)
46% chance to only kill 1 Minion
3 Minions (all 1 health), 3% chance to miss (all hero)
74% chance to only kill 1 Minion
18% chance to kill all 3 Minions

67

So hopefully that helps, when you can know when to cast it or not.
Now, Mage has many interesting decks, one of my favorites that I used
for
a long time which was again, mostly free, was called, "Fantastic
Explosions"
and utilized Spellpower the best I could. It worked mildly well but was fun
to
play. Here it is:
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Arcane Missiles
Ice Lance (common)
Mirror Image
Mana Wyrm (common)
Arcane Explosion
Frostbolt
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Kobold Geomancer
Arcane Intellect
Dalaran Mage (3) [1/4] Spellpower +1
Fireball
Polymorph
Water Elemental
Archmage
Flamestrike

So it's mostly F2P, but can be really quite fun to play dropping Arcane
Missiles for 4 or 5 Missiles thanks to spellpower boosts. It plays quite
similarly to the other, the except being we have now Mana Wyrm and Mirror
Image, making one of the sickest turn 1 plays: Mana Wyrm-->Coin-->Mirror
Image, giving us a 3/3 creature with two 0/2 Taunts. Anyways...
Most of the Mage cards, aren't good stand alone cards. They really
force you into playing a certain style of Mage deck, Freeze Spells or
Freeze Creatures. There is also Secret Mage but those are... mediocre.
Sorcerer's Apprentice (common)
Duplicate (Naxxramas)
Mirror Entity (common)
Blizzard (rare)
Archmage Antonidas (legendary)
Pyroblast (epic)
As with Neutrals, same as most others. They can use the same kinds of
cards. For the constructed decks, see the next section.

-----------------------------

Free-to-Play Priest
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Holy Smite
Power Word Shield
Northshire Cleric
Shadow Word Pain
Acidic Swamp Ooze
River Crocolisk
Shadow Word Death
Shattered Sun Cleric
Chillwind Yeti
Gnomish Inventor

68

2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
1x

Oasis Snapjaw
Das'Dingo
Holy Nova
Gurubashi Berserker
Boulderfist Ogre
Mind Control

Priest is a control players' dream. Almost everything they do is "in

response" to the opponent. So let's kind of talk general, and then
specific.
Generally, keep your Minions alive. We have chosen those with high
health
so that we can do that. The turtle, is a 4 drop 2/7, he fits right in.
Specifically...
Northshire is typically a bad one drop, unless you can plop down Power
Word Shield on it. It will get terminated quickly. It's best to hand onto
until you can immediately reap rewards of healing.
Shadow Word Pain is what I call the Das'Dingo counter. (Or Fen Creeper)
Shadow Word Death is there for large early threats.
Holy Nova is fairly expensive, but when combined with Northshire and
a few other creatures, you can quickly refill your hand.
Mind Control is beastly, but due to it's extreme cost we only ever play
with 1 copy because drawing into 2 copies early is a definite loss.
For improving the deck, the Priest has many good cards and tons of
options as to what direction to go:
Circle of Healing (common) + Auchenai Soulpriest (rare)
Mind Blast (free) + Prophet Velen (legendary)
Thoughtsteal (common)
Dark Cultist (Naxxramas)
Shadow Madness (rare)
Lightspawn (common)
Holy Fire (rare)
Cabal Shadow Priest (epic)
Temple Enforcer (common)
All strong, all game-changers on their own right. Like most classes,
the
Priest is no different with Naxxramas. In fact, Auchenai+Circle+Zombie Chow
is
a 5 damage nuke to the enemy instead of a heal. Really, the only downside
of
Priest is that their games do take a longtime and Priest versus Priest
tends
to come down to who has run out of cards first.

Alright, enough of Free-to-Play? Gotten some cards? Let's talk about

what we can do with constructed decks!

69

--------------------------------------------------------------------------08. Deck Basics (constructed)

[8000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Constructed is the format of choice for most players. It is a tough

format
done in Ranked, as you have no control of who you are paired against.
Certain
decks counter others quite easily and if that happens, tough, you gotta
move
on. There will also come a time (until you have every card) when you lose
to
someone because they simply had better cards. It's annoying, but unlike
MTG,
rarity doesn't really mean how hard is a card to obtain, it's simply how
powerful is a card. Legendary cards aren't any harder to obtain over Rare,
they just cost more to craft which can be bought (through packs).
In MTG, if you had a Black Lotus, or a Birds of Paradise, or a Win
Sivvi,
those were good strong cards that were hard to get ahold of. But in
Hearthstone, you could have every Legendary simply because you bought them.
It makes the format tough for those like myself who don't want to spend
money
on a free game. And regardless, after a while, you'll have most of the
cards
anyway from just playing. It's what I've managed to do. Anyway, let's go:

Decklists Order:
Warrior
-Control Warrior
-Tempo Warrior
-One turn combo?
Shaman
-Control Shaman
-Death Shaman
-Tempo Shaman
-Mur-Man
Rogue
-Backspace Rogue
-Miracle Rogue
-Tempo Rogue
-Mill Rogue
Paladin
-Control Pali
-Aggro Pali
-Midrange Pali
Hunter
-Death/Face Hunter
-Midrange Hunter
-Beast Hunter
Mage
-Frost Mage
-Freezing Creatures
-Aggro "Mech" Mage
Priest
-Tempo Priest
-Control Priest
Druid
-Ramp Druid

70

-Force Roar
-Watcher Druid
-Token Druid
-Kinda Token Druid
-Mill Druid
Warlock
-Zoolock
-Murlock
-Zoolock v2 (mechs)
-Handlock
-Demonlock

A quick note before we get into the decks. I want to discuss briefly HOW
the
decks are named. What is tempo? What do you mean midrange? What exactly
makes
a control deck?
There are roughly 5 kinds of deck that you can come across in
Hearthstone.
They are: Zoo, Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Gimmick
Zoo
Zoo is nicknamed Zoo because of its aggressive nature and unleashing cheap
minions that can deal quite a bit of damage quickly. A Zoo deck typically
runs
at least 20 minions and has a very skewed mana curve with 80% of their deck
costing less than 3 mana. It is important for Zoo to start the threats
right
away. Because of this, you really want at least 6 one drops which gives a
50%
chance of having at least 1 in your opening draw. Ideally 8 one drops gives
a
72% chance of having one which then gives you some flexibility in which to
keep. A breakdown looks like:
x...1
y...2
z...3
m...4+ where m = 30 - (x + y + z)
and x > 6, y > 8, and z > 6
Tempo
Tempo is named because the deck is built around big turns. Tempo decks
won't
always use their mana efficiently, but when they do it's a huge turn that
puts
pressure on their opponent as they gain tempo and win as they run out of
cards
just as they are winning. A Tempo deck has a full mana curve, with heavy
emphasis around the 3 to 5 drop range as that's when they pick up Tempo and
then win before the opponent can get a hold on things. How a Tempo deck
wins
is typically unique to each version; but the essence is still true in that
it's about picking up steam and gaining Tempo. A Tempo deck is not a Zoo
due
to the difference in curves. A Zoo wants many (about 80% cheaper than 3)
whereas Tempo has full range of mana curve.
Midrange
Midrange is named so as it fits somewhere between Tempo and Control. A

71

Midrange deck could win by turn 8 but it could also win on turn 15. A
Midrange deck will probably not win on turn 20 to 25. Midrange is all about
having effective 3-6 drops, similar to Tempo, but it is different with how
it
goes about it. Midrange is typically more "responsive" as opposed to Tempo
which is "proactive" meaning that Midrange responds to the threats. A
Midrange
deck will too have full range of mana curve but nearly as many late drops
as a
Control deck. Typically Midrange has their meat section between 3 and 6
drops;
with having 2-3 late game bombs and having some essential early 2 drops.
Control
A Control deck is named so because it controls the board. It is unlikely
for a
Control deck to win before turn 10 as the whole purpose is to completely
empty
and opponents hand (by handling all their threats) while still holding onto
some theirselves. If the other decks find themselves topdecking against a
Control deck that still has a couple cards in hand: the game is likely over
at
this point.
Gimmick
Gimmick decks have their own category mostly because they are hard to fit
into
any of the other categories. One example is Mill. It could be considered
Control, except that the gimmick is Mill and often-times it doesn't win
using
that same approach of Control (ie keeping the board clear and having great
card advantage). Other gimmicks like Murloc or Pirates actually fit into
the
above categories because they win based on one of those styles. Another
example would be Miracle; as it fits most similar with Tempo however it
really
isn't a Tempo deck at all. On the other hand, there's the gimmicky decks
that
use Alarm o Bot, or different ways to get huge creatures down for cheap. In
essence, these are Combo decks, but since they aren't always Combos, we can
blend them together into Gimmick.

-----------------------------

Warrior

The Warrior naturally lends himself to a more control oriented deck

with
his ability being largely uninteresting and uninteractive with the board.
As
such, we have Control Warrior, Tempo Warrior, and the gimmick OHKO Warrior.

2x
2x
2x
2x

Control Warrior
Execute
Shield Slam
Fiery War Axe
Armorsmith

72

2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
1x

Cruel Taskmaster
Unstable Ghoul
Shield Block
Acolyte of Pain
Big Game Hunter
Mind Control Tech
Death's Bite
Blingtron 3000
Faceless Manipulator
Harrison Jones
Sludge Belcher
Sylvanas Windrunner
Grommash Hellscream
Ragnaros the Firelord
Alexstrasa

This is my version, although some other changes include:

Dr. Boom instead of Blingtron
Shieldmaiden instead of MCT
Whirlwind instead of Unstable Ghoul
Ysera and Cairne in there
Here's why I use what I use. Blingtron is incredibly underrated.
Besides
providing additional punch for yourself when you need a weapon; he can
destroy
your opponents weapon and give them a new one! While this can hurt you
sometimes; often (especially with things like Death's Bite) you can mess up
their combo for them. Harrison Jones is a solid choice regardless, but
using
Blingtron means he will always have a target! It's great news.
Shieldmaiden is nice; however with no Brawl anymore, I have found that
this is a nice substitute: MCT. This deck desperately wants something to do
on turn 3 (if not facing Zoo then MCT is fine) but MCT provides some
shelter
against Zoo by stealing something. Even take a 1/1 from an army of 1/1's is
a
significant reduction in the board.
Concerning Whirlwind and the Ghoul; I like the Ghoul as there's more
synergy with Armorsmith and he can be targeted by Cruel Taskmaster. He also
provides better protection in general against Zoo.
This leaves some other legendary options, including Dr. Boom, but in
grinding out this deck I landed on the above list. Cairne is huge, but it's
hard to work him in. Ysera is so gross, but it takes too long for her to
come
online. While there's nothing wrong with that in a Control deck; I have
found
her to just be weak in general due to her "steamrolling" nature. Basically,
she wins games you already were winning but she won't catch you up very
well.
Dr. Boom is big but he's too random with no immediate impact. We have
Sylvanas
who requires immediate attention, Grommash who is extremely splashy,
Ragnaros
who fires on turn 1, and Alex has a huge battlecry.
Crafting required: A lot
Skill level: High
Power level: High

Tempo Warrior
2x Execute

73

2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x

Shield Slam
Whirlwind
Fiery War Axe
Armorsmith
Cruel Taskmaster
Shield Block
Acolyte of Pain
Frothing Berserker
Death's Bite
Siege Engine
Sludge Belcher
Shieldmaiden
Sylvanas, Dr. Boom, Sneed's, Grommash

While this deck has the same number of lategame legendaries, it's very
different from Control Warrior. Mostly look at the meat of the deck. This
deck
epitomizes Tempo as it drops Frothing or Siege Engine, and begins "tempoing"
with Death's Bite, Whirlwind, Shield Block, or Shieldmaiden as it runs over
its opponent. It does have some lategame though which almost qualifies it
as
Midrange but the Tempo is much more apparent here.
Crafting required: A lot
Skill level: High
Power level: High

2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x

OHKO Warrior
Inner Rage
Execute
Shield Slam
Fiery War Axe
Rampage
Armorsmith
Cruel Taskmaster
Charge
Shield Block
Acolyte of Pain
Raging Worgen
Death's Bite
Brawl
Faceless Manipulator
Loatheb
Sludge Belcher
Grommash
Alex

Here's the combo:

Raging Worgen+InnerRage(x2)+Charge+Rampage(x2)
It costs 10 mana, and you can deal 32 damage in a single turn with the
windfury. This is how you build a gimmick. Everything else is about
surviving,
finding the cards, and maintaining a presence.
Crafting required: Fairly high
Skill level: Very high
Power level: RAMPAGE

74

-----------------------------

Shaman
There are a couple Shaman options. The first, is the most well-known
and
easily the most hated, the Control Shaman
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
1x
1x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
1x
1x

Lightning Bolt
Rockbiter Weapon
Earthshock
Bloodmage Thalnos
Crackle
Flametongue Totem
Wild Pyromancer
Hex
Feral Spirit
Unbound Elemental
Mana Tide Totem
Lightning Storm
Yeti
Azure Drake
Doomhammer
Fire Elemental
Ragnaros the Firelord
Al'Akir the Windlord

The overall premise is to control the board, frustrate your opponent,

and
win with your overly obnoxious lategame. Earth Shock is a key card, as it
silences first, and then deals 1 damage. This takes out Scarlet Crusader,
Loot Hoarder, and Twilight Drake, all common constructed cards, easily
without
any aid (or benefit to the opponent). Rockbiter is good removal, but serves
mainly as huge damage when combined with Doomhammer or Al'Akir thanks to
windfury (Yes, you can attack for 10 damage if you rockbiter yourself).
Wild Pyro, along Lightning Storm, exist to deal with early aggression.
Feral Spirit likewise, is a great defense early.
Hex, ultimately is your best removal but you want to save it for the
most
dangerous and strong enemy Minions (the Ragnaros, the Ysera, etc).
Lastly, Unbound Elemental is great (and gets better with your
overload),
and Mana Tide Totem gets better every turn it lives. The other cards, are
all
about winning the game.
The only real change here is the addition of Crackle, which is too
strong
to not use.
Crafting required: A lot
Skill level: High
Power level: High

The Death Shaman

2x Crackle

75

2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x

Reincarnate
Haunted Creeper
Nerubian Egg
Hex
Lightning Storm
Harvest Golem
Baron Rivendare
Defender of Argus
Piloted Shredder
Faceless Manipulator
Feugen
Sludge Belcher
Stalagg
Cairne
Fire Elemental
Sylvanas
Sneed's Old Shredder
KT

With the nerf to Undertaker and the inclusion of GvG this deck received
a
supreme makeover. Mostly, it's not longer Zoo; instead it is Tempo/Gimmick
but
mostly Tempo. The way this works is basically you want to drop something
from
turn 2 onward and gain Tempo until you unleash something huge like
Rivendare
or KT upon your opponent and gain huge advantage. We have a number of
removal
spells at our disposal including Crackle, Hex, and Lightning Storm. We also
have Argus and Fire Elemental due to their brutal efficiency. Reincarnate
is
extremely potent here as you can abuse your higher level Deathrattles like
Sneed's, Sylvanas, or Cairne. Or imagine Feugen or Stalagg if the other has
died! There are a number of combos in this deck and it's surprisingly
resiliant to a number of decks.
Crafting required: Very high
Skill level: Medium
Power level: High

2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
1x
2x

Tempo Shaman
Earth Shock
Lightning Bolt
Rockbiter Weapon
Crackle
Flametongue Totem
Whirling Zap-o-matic
Feral Spirit
Unbound Elemental
Dunemaul Shaman
Doomhammer
Sludge Belcher
Fire Elemental
Al'Akir the Windlord
Sea Giant

This has existed but GVG tightened it up so let's take a look. First
and
foremost, Crackle returns with it's glory. Second is the Whirling shitstorm
of

76

effective 3/2 for 2ness. Observe that Whirling into Flametongue is 10

damage
on turn 3. How gross is that!? We round out with Dunemaul Shaman who is
also
a 10 damage swinger potentially. Add in Sea Giants as we're focused on
playing
creatures (compared to Control Shaman) and we have some sick plays. Again,
we
may not always use all of our mana each turn but we have some sick plays.
One
potential problem could be card draw however Mana Tide Totem is hard to
work
into this deck and due to the nature of Tempo-style decks if we run out of
cards and haven't won then it probably won't matter much anyway.

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Mur-Man
Grimscale Oracle
Murloc Raider
Murloc Tidecaller
Young Priestess
Crackle
Flametongue Totem
Knife Juggler
Murloc Tidehunter
Puddlestomper
Whirling Zap-o-Matic
Hex
Coldlight Seer
Murloc Warleader
Old Murk-Eye
Bloodlust
Siltfin Spiritwalker
Neptulon

The Mur-Shaman is real! They've always had some good options due to
cards
like Flametongue Totem and Bloodlust, but with the addition of Neptulon and
Siltfin, it's a contender now. So, we have 8 cheap one drops. It's
essential
to have one of these in our opening. From there, we have a stupid amount of
two drops and each is just as useful as the next. Our three drops are all
situational, with Hex serving as half of our removal, and the other Murlocs
only coming down when there are others out there. Old Murk-Eye is amazing,
Bloodlust is a game winner, and Siltfin is pretty weak but he like Neptulon
gives the deck some depth which it desperately needed. Unlike Warlock who
can
tap to draw for help, other Murloc style decks stunk if their board was
cleared. Neptulon offers some defense against that and the Siltfin can be
used
similar to Cultmaster except more specific not to mention his stats are
more
favorable towards lasting. A fun deck to say the least

-----------------------------

Rogue
Rogue's are defined by being obnoxious, and both their decks are
simply,

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annoying. The first, is an aggressive deck developed by Backspace, hence

the
Backspace Rogue
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Shadowstep
Cold Blood
Argent Squire
Deadly Poison
Leper Gnome
Southsea Deckhand
Blade Flurry
Eviscerate
Sap
Goblin Auto Barber
Loot Hoarder
Arcane Golem
Coldlight Oracle
King Mukla
SI:7 Agent
Leeroy Jenkins
Assasssin's Blade

This deck is all about early board presence. Never mulligan the Oracle
unless you have both. Your primary focus is their lifetotal, and how much
damage you have in your hand. Shadowstep + Arcane Golem/Leeroy does absurd
damage, so always know how much damage you can do.
With so many 1 drops as well, always keep in mind the best order to
play
them. Argent Squire is the best, with Leper Gnome/Deckhand as close
seconds.
Regarding the Oracle, you typically play him when you have no cards
left.
On the other hand, he can be played early if your opponent has 8, 9, or 10
cards in hand (typically control players) as it will burn cards then.
Here's some deck match ups (all thanks to Backspace)
versus Miracle
An easy win, as both focus on explosive turns, but Backspace happens
much
more quickly
versus Aggro
These are tough but tend to your favor thanks to the amount of burst
(again, always thinking about how much damage can I do)
versus Handlock
Normally a problem, the speed here blows through Handlock and a well
timed Sap can remove the gigantic taunting enemies. Even Shadowstep +
Oracle
or Mukla can fill their hand and burn their cards
versus Control
Depends heavily on your hand. An early Oracle is key here to burn 2+
cards
and set up advantage. If you fall behind though, you will lose

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versus Zoo and Midrange

You will likely lose these matchups. Zoo is just too strong/quick and
Midrange throws out too many strong midgame creatures to overcome. Sadly,
due
to Zoo being so popular for Ladder climbing, this makes Backspace rather
hard
to play depending on your rank.
Crafting required: Medium
Skill level: Fairly High
Power level: Variable, Medium to Fairly High

The other Rogue deck, is known as Miracle, simply due to "draw draw
draw
draw" or as my brother likes to call it, "hee hee hee, draw cards". There
are
surprisingly a few variations, using Questing Adventurer (gets bigger per
each card) or Mana Addict (gains attack per spell). The most popular and
infamous version used Leeroy+Shadowstep to attack for 18 points of damage
and
only costing 8 mana. Because of Leeroy costing 5 now, it doesn't work so
well
anymore. The new Miracle uses the legendary Dragon, Malygos, as the primary
win condition.
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Preparation
Backstab
Conceal
Sinister Strike
Deadly Poison
Shiv
Blade Flurry
Sap
Bloodmage Thalnos
Eviscerate
Loot Hoarder
SI:7 Agent
Fan of Knives
Edwin Vancleef
Earthen Ring Farseer
Assassin's Blade
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
Azure Drake
Malygos

The basic premise, is play Gadgetzan Auctioneer, draw your entire deck,
drop Malygos, and do stupid amounts of damage thanks to his +5 spellpower.
Obviously use spells to control the board, but that's where we rely on
Minions. Thalnos and Loot Hoarder replace themselves, SI is very good,
Edwin
can be amazing or silenced. Azure Drake is a cantrip (replaces itself) and
a
nice 4/4 body to boot. This deck runs just 1 Conceal, to either protect the
Auctioneer (if your draws go badly) or to protect Malygos.
No more Cold Bloods and Shadowsteps, this deck is about winning with
spells. Is it as good as the old Miracle? Hard to say. As the change is
still
only a month old, we need more time to evaluate how effective it is.

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Crafting required: High

Skill level: High
Power level: Unsure

I want to add another version of Miracle. This is the one I actually

use
and one that saw quite a bit of use at Blizzcon which used Southsea
Deckhand
to attack for 20 damage. Intrigued?
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Backstab
Preparation
Cold Blood
Conceal
Deadly Poison
Southsea Deckhand
Blade Flurry
Eviscerate
Sap
Shiv
Bloodmage Thalnos
Fan of Knives
Earthen Ring Farseer
SI 7 Agent
Assassin's Blade
Faceless Manipulator
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
Loatheb

It's Miracle, and you're searching for 8 mana, the Deckhand, both Cold
Bloods, and the Faceless. That's 20 damage charging in if you have a
weapon.
What I like about this deck is the freedom to use spells as removal (as
opposed to Malygos) because you only need to punch 10 damage across (for
the
most part) since you know your combo deals 20 damage.
I'm curious about squeezing in Sludge Belchers, but I'm not really sure
at what cost, so for the moment, the only change is -1 Flurry and -1 Loot
Hoarder for some legendaries I don't have.
Your mulligans should pretty much be to get an Auctioneer. Your win
combo
should always be tossed, as should Loatheb, Sap, Blade Flurry, and even
Prep.
Backstab and Eviscerate can be kept if you suspect heavy aggression, and
your
early Minions can be kept if you suspect control (to develop the board).
Shiv
and Fan of Knives should almost always be tossed because you'd rather have
the Auctioneer. Deadly Poison can be kept, but toss Assassin's Blade. Toss
Conceal as well. It's a fairly simple deck to play, with fairly low
crafting
especially in my version as the only legendary is Loatheb who is free. The
reward is extremely high, as it is still a new deck and can catch people
off
guard easily. The downside is that it's Miracle and Miracle can sometimes
counter itself by just doing poorly.

Tempo Rogue "Arrrrgh Pirates!"

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2x
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Backstab
Deadly Poison
Bloodsail Corsair
Southsea Deckhand
Bladeflurry
Bloodsail Raider
One-Eyed Cheat
Ship's Cannon
SI 7 Agent
Southsea Captain
Tinker's Sharpsword Oil
Dread Corsair
Assassin's Blade
Captain Greenskin
Salty Dog

Alright. This isn't Zoo because so many cards rely on one another,
which
makes it Tempo. We have many Pirates to toss down with Ship's Cannon.
There's
also a number of Pirates that come down with weapons. As such there will be
boring turns where we don't do much and there will be explosive turns where
we play 3 or 4 things that are all huge. Strangely enough, the 1 drops will
NEVER be played on turn 1. Besides the Corsair being useful thanks to the
weapon meta, he like the Deckhand can Stealth the Cheato or give damage to
the Ship's Cannon. It's a fairly aggressive deck but it's Tempo oriented so
don't run out of cards and not be winning.

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Mill Rogue
Backstab
Preparation
Shadowstep
Deadly Poison
Blade Flurry
Sap
Lorewalker Cho
Youthful Brewmaster
Coldlight Oracle
Dancing Swords
Deathlord
Goblin Sapper
Vanish
Trade Prince Gallywix
KT
Clockwork Giant

This deck is so annoying to play against. Let's go bit by bit.

Backstab,
Deadly Poison, Eviscerate, and Blade Flurry are our removal spells.
Shadowstep
Youthful Brewmaster, and Coldlight Oracle are our primary win condition.
Dancing Swords, Deathlord, Sapper, Clockwork Giant, and KT are the
secondary
win condition. Gallywix and Cho serve to annoy the living daylights out of
our
opponent. Understand?
We use our removal to control the board. Cho gives our opponents lots
of
cards that most classes cannot use, like Prep, Deadly Poison, Blade Flurry,
and Shadowstep. Gallywix gives us those spells back and still keeps their
hand

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full with coins. We burn their cards and we get to play huge things like
Clockwork Giant or Goblin Sapper. KT coming down behind Dancing Swords or
Deathlord is just gross especially when they are running out of cards.
Vanish?
Yes, it's a huge reset button that again can kill things. Sap is tempo
obviously but when used against a full hand it kills the target instead.
It's a fun deck and super annoying to play against.

-----------------------------

Paladin
The Paladin brings two decks, both of which are vastly different. The
Control Paladin, which we look at first, is the definition of control as we
set up for a simply lethal lategame
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Humility
Loot Hoarder (run 2 if you don't have Thalnos)
Bloodmage Thalnos
Wild Pyromancer
Sunfury Protector
Equality
Aldor Peacekeeper
Antique Healbot
Truesilver Champion
Sludge Belcher
Blessing of Kings
Consecration
Stampeding Kodo
Faceless Manipulator
Cairne Bloodhoof
Sunwalker
Avenging Wrath
Bolvar Fordragon
Tirion Fordring
Lay on Hands
Ragnaros the Firelord

As you can see, it has a gross lategame. Let's talk about this in two
sections, the lategame, and the combos. First, the combos.
Humility/Aldor Peacekeeper + Stampeding Kodo
You can remove almost any Minion with these fools
Wild Pyromancer + Equality
A literal board clear. The same can be used, Equality+Consecrate
Concerning the lategame, Tirion is really strong, but be careful with
him,
as silence, polymorph, hex, or Mind Control will make you sad. Especially
if
they Manipulate him first. Ragnaros, much the same. You can Faceless their
stuff, but Faceless-ing your own Rag or Tirion works well. You have 4 other
big Taunts (Sunwalker and Das'Dingo) leaving a fairly strong early game,
with
cyclers (Thalnos/Loot Hoarder) and Earthen Ring with Truesilver to remove
threats. You will be spamming Hero Power A LOT as this deck is all about
responding to threats until you can win the game. Sunfury Protector can be

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dropped as a 2/3, though you usually want to Taunt up Cairne, Kodos, or

Ragnaros. The last addition is Bolvar Fordragon, the new Paladin legendary.
He's curious for sure, but it doesn't seem unlikely to hold onto him and
then
play him with 8 or 9 attack later on.
Crafting required: Holy shitsauce
Skill level: Pretty High
Power level: High

On the other hand, we have the Legendary Aggro Pali Rush, named so
because
it does use 2 Legendaries. If you don't have Mukla or Leeroy, then Arcane
Golem makes a decent substitute
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Avenge
Abusive Sergeant
Leper Gnome
Young Priestess
Equality
Argent Protector
Shielded Minibot
Bloodmage Thalnos
Knife Juggler
Coghammer
Sword of Justice
Divine Favor
Aldor Peacekeeper
Truesilver Champion
Consecration
Avenging Wrath

The aggro Pali works for a couple reasons. Equality is the great
equalizer
and Divine Favor is quite broken if timed well. That being said, GVG
changed
very little about the deck with the exception of Coghammer making an
appearance. Many of the GVG cards would fit better into the Midrange Pali
as
the goal here is to play many cheap cards, using SoJ to make them bigger
and
you keep beating face. It works impressively well and Equality+Consecration
is just beyond words gross. One possible addition could be that of Scarlet
Purifier, as this deck runs very few deathrattles and even with GvG there
are
still many decks that run quite a few deathrattles.

Crafting required: Medium

Skill level: Low
Power level: Medium

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Midrange Pali
Avenge
Clockwork Gnome
Equality
Annoy-o-Tron
Argent Protector
Knife Juggler
Shielded Minibot

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Sword of Justice
Muster for Battle
Aldor Peacekeeper
Truesilver Champion
Consecration
Arcane Nullifier X-21
Cobalt Guardian
Quartermaster

You want a mech deck? Here's the closest thing to it. This midrange
Palidan deck revolves around several combos. Obviously Equality is the
great equalizer, but more specifically, we have Knife Juggler and Muster
for
Battle which throws many knives. Besides also SoJ and any number of our
cards,
this is a particularly nice one as Argent Protector saves many people but
here
we want to keep Knife Juggler up. Quartermaster+Muster is an obvious bonus
here as well, but we also have Cobalt Guardian who is strangely priced but
we
have 8 other Mechs to play besides even just using Argent Protector meaning
we can run that 6 power machine into many many baddies. It's different than
Tempo and Zoo as we aren't going to smash face quickly and we aren't going
to explode like Tempo. Instead, we are gearing for big series of turns as
opposed to a single one as we establish a threatening board and then run
over
our opponent with card advantage/economy. We don't run anything super huge
and threatening in the lategame as the goal here is to establish such a
presence that by turns 8 to 10 we are wining the game.

-----------------------------

Hunter
There are a number of Hunter decks right now and each is strong and
each
uses a number of different ways to crush their opponent. The first is the
changed Face-Hunter, a Zoo deck
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Hunter's Mark
Abusive Sergeant
Leper Gnome
Webspinner
Glaivezooka
Haunted Creeper
Ironbeak Owl
Knife Juggler
Animal Companion
Deadly Shot
Kill Command
Dark Iron Dwarf
Houndmaster
Piloted Shredder
Bomb Lobber
Scar

It's Zoo and we want to throw damage across. We have 6 one drops
although
Abusive needs a target. We have 7 two drops which 6 of them can be played
whenever. Our 3 drops are very clutch. Kill Command alongside Hunter's Mark

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is to remove threats and a lone Deadly Shot removes Sludge Belcher among
other
Taunts. Animal Companion is a staple, among other choices such as DID,
Hound,
and the Shredder. The odd choice is likely Bomb Lobber, but I find him to
be
quite effective here as we are generally controlling the board so his huge
4
damage follow up is actually exactly what we need from a 5 drop (which he
is
our only one).
Crafting required: Fairly low
Skill level: Fairly low
Power level: Mediumish

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Midrange Hunter
Hunter's mark
Webspinner
Explosive Trap
Freezing Trap
Misdirection
Mad Scientist
Eaglehorn Bow
Animal Companion
Deadly Shot
Kill Command
Big Game Hunter
Das'Dingo
Blingtron 3000
Harrison Jones
Sludge Belcher
Scar
Sylvanas, KT, Ragnaros

This is not a Control deck contrary to what it appears; we will lose

when
in top-deck wars. That being said, this is a spin-off (my own creation) and
the way it works is quite clever. It appears to be aggressive (Webspinner,
Bow, Mad Scientist, and Animal Companion) but it's actually quite focused
on
the 4-6 drops. The deck is actually quite skilled in that use of the Traps
will make or break this deck. Hunter's mark+Explosive is totally fine and
often that's the best way around it. Freezing Trap needs to land for Tempo
against 5+ drops. Misdirection is game-breaking and has single-handily won
games due to a large minion smashing their owner's face.
Again this uses Blingtron and Harrison. As Harrison is in the meta, it
naturally makes a home for Blingtron as well for a number of reasons. The
first is to create a target for Harrison potentially. The second is to
provide additional burst for yourself. The average power of a weapon is
3.1.
Besides that being better than your Bow, it doesn't account for things like
Doomhammer (windfury), SoJ (pumping minions), or Death's Bite (additional
effects). I have used Blingtron to replace my bow and found a Death's Bite
which provided the extra 1 damage I needed to do lethal that turn. He's
extremely versatile and works quite well here in the Midrange Hunter
Crafting required: Very High
Skill level: High
Power level: High

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Beast Hunter
Hunter's Mark
Webspinner
Call Pet
Bloodmage Thalnos
Haunted Creeper
Ironbeak Owl
Scavenging Hyena
Animal Companion
Kill Command
Unleash the Hounds
Defender of Argus
Houndmaster
Oasis Snapjaw
King of Beasts
Stampeding Kodo
Savannah Highmane

What? No Godzilla or Krushers? Too expensive! This deck while themed

and
certainly goofy is actually not that bad. There's lots of beasts you could
draw but the one we want is King of Beasts as that makes him cost 1 and
then
he combos much more nicely with Hounds and Hyena. That being said, you can
see
that many of our beasts have some nice effects, with the exception of the
turtle, but he becomes HUGE when targeted by Houndmaster or Argus. The
Thalnos
is definitely questionable but as we don't have that many 2 drops we want
to
actually play that's why he fits nicely as a cycle and potentially boosting
up Kill Command. Have fun

-----------------------------

Mage
As one would expect, there are a number of Mage decks although the
difference between them is rather small. This is due to Mage having a
number
of playable minions to be quite small. Instead they are all about spells
and
as such; their decks revolve around their spells. The first up is the
Control Player's dream.

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Frost Mage
Ice Lance
Mirror Image
Frostbolt
Bloodmage Thalnos
Doomsayer
Novice Engineer
Arcane Intellect
Frost Nova
Ice Barrier
Ice Block
Fireball
Azure Drake
Blizzard

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Flamestrike
Archmage Antonidas
Alexstrasza
Pyroblast
Molten Giant

One possible change that I'm working with is adding Harrison and
Blingtron
at the cost of Pyroblast and an Ice barrier. This is due largely to the
weapon
meta and how clunky Pyroblast is. That aside the deck has changed very
little
and is still as strong as ever. Maybe stronger with Flare being nerfed and
Kezan Mystic being unplayable.

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Freezing Creatures
Flamecannon
Frostbolt
Bloodmage Thalnos
Doomsayer
Arcane Intellect
Frost Nova
Ice Block
Echos of Medivh
Fireball
Twilight Drake
Sludge Belcher
Blizzard
Flamestrike
Ragnaros
Alexstrasza
Mountain Giant
Molten Giant

This deck changed and I'm sure there's about 10 versions of it but
here's
what I scrapped together. Basically the obnoxious part is using Echos to
get
many Molten Giants and whomp for a ton of damage. Early game 2 drops
basically
get rid of threats while midgame Drakes, Belchers, and possibly Mountain
Giants can becoming threatening due to this deck having lots of cards in
hand
usually. I don't like it as it seems too gimmicky, and there's usually
Duplicate in there but at what cost I'm not sure. I prefer standard Frost
Mage
but I'm a control player at heart so go figure

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Aggro Mage
Ice Lance
Clockwork Gnome
Mana Wyrm
Flamecannon
Frostbolt
Annoy-o-Tron
Mechwarper
Micro Machine
Snowchugger
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Arcane Intellect
Fireball

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Goblin Blastmage
Mechanical Yeti
Water Elemental
Mimiron's Head

There are many other options, such as Tinkertown Technician or Spider

Tank, but we have to draw the line somewhere. Alright, so because I want to
use Water Elemental due to how strong it is, Ice Lance gets added as it's
both
versatile and can deal some sick damage and we have 6 sources of freeze.
Mana
Wyrm and Clockwork Gnome are both great one drops.
We have too many two drops. It happens, but they are all helpful. Our
main
Mech army is here, the Warper, the Micro Machine, Snowchugger, and lastly
Annoy-o-Tron are great annoying beasts to throw out there. Flamecannon and
Frostbolt are mostly for removal though the latter can be tossed at face.
We
have one set of three drops from Arcane Intellect, play it when you have
nothing else to play. Fireball is Fireball; the Blastmage works with our
Mechs
and Mech Yeti is nice. This leaves Mimiron's Head, something that could get
axed for another Flamecannon or simply something else (even Thalnos)
although
we run SO MANY MECHS that Mimiron's Head has a very good chance to get
activated when we play it that it seems worth to take the chance.
Are there other options? Sure. This is the version I'd likely use
though

-----------------------------

Priest
There are only two real Priest decks although the variations among them
are endless. You have basically Control and Tempo and that's about it.

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Control Priest
Circle of Healing
Power Word Shield
Northshire Cleric
Shadow Word Pain
Wild Pyromancer
Shadow Word Death
Thoughtsteal
Injured Blademaster
Mass Dispel
Shadow Madness
Auchenai Soulpriest
Cabal Shadow Priest
Cairne Bloodhoof
Sylvanas Windrunner
Ragnaros the Firelord
Ysera
Mind Control

Contenders: Lightbomb, Sneed's, Dr. Boom, Foe Reaper

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Control Priest is back and more disgusting than ever. While no GVG
cards
are used, it's more brutal than ever as it can handle nearly anything that
comes across it's path. Wild Pyro has been brought back to deal with early
aggression as has Injured Blademaster. A single Mass Dispel is run (trust
me)
and it has some nice late drops as well. Control Priest is all about
reacting
to your opponent and that's why the deck is structured in this way.
Lightbomb
could be used though frankly removal doesn't seem to be too much of an
issue
(rather, drawing too many expensive cards is and that wouldn't help). Along
those same lines, the 3 legendaries listed could all be additions to
consider.
Foe Reaper is a surprise I'm sure, but as Priest can keep him alive with
healing; Foe Reaper doubles as a board clearer as he strikes down your
opponent although you'd have to choose what to cut; maybe even swapping out
Ragnaros as Foe Reaper would be more defensive.

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Tempo Priest
Circle of Healing
Holy Smite
Light of the Naaru
Power Word Shield
Northshire Cleric
Shadow Word Pain
Shadowboxer
Shrinkmeister
Shadow Word Death
Dark Cultist
Earthen Ring Farseer
Injured Blademaster
Shadow Madness
Auchenai Soulpriest
Cabal Shadow Priest

It's Tempo at its finest. Note that despite how early leaning the curve
is; many of those cards aren't actually that early. For instance, Circle
can
be played for Injured Blademaster, though it's main goal is either Auchenai
or
Northshire to draw many cards. Light of the Naaru may cost 1 but it's main
use
is being a 3 damage nuke with Auchenai although you can adjust obviously.
Northshire besides costing 1 should almost never be played on turn 1.
Instead,
we look to turn 2 with Shadowboxer mostly. Shrinkmeister obviously can come
out although we really want to use him to combo with Shadow Word Pain,
Shadow
Madness, or the Cabal as we snag something that we really shouldn't have
been
able (it's what gives this deck some lategame presence despite not having
much of a lategame). Our turn 3 is quite big, with 6 really valuable drops.
ERF typically we want to combo again with Auchenai though adjust
accordingly.
From there, you overwhelm your opponent through card advantage and tempo.

-----------------------------

89

Druid
I love Druid and really so does many other players, as evidence by the
sheer number of viable decks. Like I said earlier, I used a simple Druid
deck (a version of Ramp) to hit Rank 4 without even trying (or grinding) so
it shows just how strong Druid cards can be. We have here, 4 versions of
Druid, that will have some similarities, but mostly each wins due to
different
and powerful cards.

x2
x2
x2
x1
x1
x2
x2
x2
x1
x2
x1
x2
x1
x2
x1
x2
x2
x1
x1

Ramp Druid (Control)

Innervate
Wild Growth
Wrath
Bloodmage Thalnos
Big Game Hunter
Harvest Golem
Swipe
Keeper of the Grove
Nourish
Druid of the Claw
Faceless Manipulator
Sludge Belcher
Cairne Bloodhoof
Sunwalker
Sylvanas Windrunner
Ancient of Lore
Ancient of War
Ragnaros the Firelord
Ysera

Ramp Druid is all about playing a ton of really strong minions sooner
than your opponent can react. As a result, this deck is similar to Control
Warrior but goes about it in a different way. Certainly some GVG cards
could
be added but let's look at them. Grove Tender could work frankly as a 3
drop
to replace Harvest Golem who is there to serve as an early minion. The
issue
is that Harvest Golem sticks around for a bit and Grove Tender has "each"
in
it's wording. Druid of the Fang doesn't have enough beasts, and Recycle
while
useful gets shunned due to us just wanting to have the big creatures and
putting it in would be quite hard. Certainly the Druid Legendaries could
be incorporated but frankly Cenarius is a bit slow and underwhelming for 9
mana and Malorne likewise lacks impact. This deck is all about response
until
you start playing huge Minions.

x2
x2
x2
x1
x2
x2
x2
x2

Force Roar (Midrange)

Innervate
Wild Growth
Wrath
Bloodmage Thalnos
Savage Roar
Earthen Ring Farseer
Swipe
Chillwind Yeti

90

x2
x1
x2
x1
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1

Keeper of the Grove

Nourish
Druid of the Claw
Loatheb
Sludge Belcher
Force of Nature
Recycle
Ancient of Lore
Ragnaros

So the deck doesn't change a whole lot. The biggest thing is Recycle
gives
Force Roar what Control Druid didn't really need; an answer. The playstyle
remains largely the same: get your opponent to 14 and then Force Roar for 9
mana. ERF comes in instead of Harvest Golem mostly because the 3 health
helps
significantly and Yeti is here mostly because Coin+Innervate+Yeti can stomp
games by himself. Loatheb is crucial to stopping combos and yeah that's
about
it. Similar but small changes here and there.

x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1
x2
x1
x1

Watcher Druid (Midrange)

Innervate
Mark of the Wild
Wild Growth
Wrath
Ancient Watcher
Nerubian Egg
Sunfury Protector
Swipe
Defender of Argus
Keeper of the Grove
Nourish
Druid of the Claw
Sludge Belcher
Hogger
Ancient of Lore
KT
Ragnaros

As I set out to make this using GVG I found myself... not! I'm sure
there could be some mild changes like instead of Hogger and Rag using Foe
Reaper and maybe the Leper Gnome maker guy... but the point is Watcher
Druid
only improved from Naxxramas and not much has changed since then. The idea
is simple: give Taunt to Ancient Watcher and Nerubian Egg and laugh at your
opponent. Later in the game, we play some truly terrifying legendaries that
only get more and more gross every turn, hence why Hogger and Ragnaros work
so well in the Watcher Druid. I'd be curious to hear though what other
people
are trying and experimenting with

x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2

Token Druid (Tempo)

Innervate
Power of the Wild
Wild Growth
Wrath
Haunted Creeper
Savage Roar
Swipe
Defender of Argus

91

x2
x2
x1
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1

Keeper of the Grove

Violet Teacher
Nourish
Druid of the Claw
Druid of the Fang
Dark Wispers
Ancient of Lore
Cenarius

So Token Druid got revamped! The addition of Druid of the Fang and Dark
Wispers makes this a very strong contender I feel. We have 6 other beasts
to
turn our 5 drop into a beastly 7/7 which is quite scary. We also have yet
another way to generate a bunch of 1/1s for a Savage Roar. Alternatively it
makes a huge 5/5 Taunt; although Wispers into Cenarius makes a disgusting
army
of 3/3s. There's many combos here which is what makes it so nasty.

x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1
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x2
x1
x2

Kinda Token Druid (Tempo)

Innervate
Power of the Wild
Wrath
Echoing Ooze
Haunted Creeper
Savage Roar
Shade of Naxxramas
Swipe
Defender of Argus
Keeper of the Grove
Druid of the Claw
Druid of the Fang
Spectral Knight
Dark Wispers
Force of Nature
Ancient of Lore

It's an almost identical decklist but with two changes: Harvest Golems
got
yanked for Dark Wispers and Loatheb for a Druid of the Fang. This is for a
couple reasons. First, Loatheb is nice to have; but as this deck is way
less
concerned about when it combo's, it would rather have a 7/7 instead of a
5/5
and hence why the Fang. Regarding Harvest Golem and Wispers; the Golem is a
nice 3 drop but we have Shade already. The Wispers gives us again something
the deck didn't always have, an answer. Wispers turns into 15 damage the
next turn with Roar. Wispers on an Echoing Ooze generates TWO 6/7 Taunts!
There's a number of ways to use it and this deck simply showcases another
couple ways.

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x2
x2
x2
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x1
x2

Mill Druid (Gimmick)

Innervate
Naturalize
Wild Growth
Wrath
Youthful Brewmaster
Coldlight Oracle
Dancing Swords
Deathlord
Goblin Sapper
Grove Tender

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x2
x2
x2
x2
x1
x2

Poison Seeds
Swipe
Keeper of the Grove
Starfall
KT
Clockwork Giant

Mill Rogue? Meet Mill Druid. Same idea though obviously some
differences.
Innervate allows things to happen sooner, as does Wild Growth. Naturalize
is
sick but works best when you can burn some cards. Grove Tender most of the
time we want to draw cards. Poison Seeds+Starfall is an emergency board
clear
besides also triggering Swords and Deathlord if you need to. Again, it's
another annoying deck to face and strangely effective.

x2
x2
x2
x2
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x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
x2
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Mill Druid (Gimmick v2)

Innervate
Naturalize
Wrath
Youthful Brewmaster
Healing Touch
Coldlight Oracle
Deathlord
Grove Tender
Poison Seeds
Swipe
Keeper of the Grove
Starfall
Antique Healbot
Druid of the Claw
Sludge Belcher
Tree of Life

Unlike the other version that wins by taking advantage of the

situation,
this one literally is all about stall. Poison Seeds + Starfall is still
here,
but mostly it's about Tree of Life and gaining craploads of life and having
them run out of cards. It's quite good though I think the above version is
stronger as I've beaten this one a couple of times. That being said, it's
not
bad. I should note that Mage has a similar deck as well that is more or
less
the same idea.

-----------------------------

Warlock
Honestly, there are about 50 Warlock decks but I've gone ahead and
narrowed them down to just 4 for you. Speaking of which, each VERSION of
these 4 has a million versions. Sigh. Anyway, let's go. First off, is my
Zoolock deck that is excellent for ladder climbing and just knocking out
wins when you need them.
2x Soulfire
2x Abusive Sergeant

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2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x

Flame Imp
Leper Gnome
Voidwalker
Darkbomb
Dire Wolf Alpha
Haunted Creeper
Ironbeak Owl
Knife Juggler
Harvest Golem
Scarlet Crusader
Defender of Argus
Piloted Shredder
Doomguard

Here is my version updated for the changes. Undertaker is now too weak
so
he gets dropped; and because of this Chow is unproductive due to the
healing.
We now have 8 one drops, 6 of which we want to play on turn 1. As for 2
drops,
again we have 8 and 6 of them we want to play. This is kinda funny as 66%
of
the deck is 2 or less mana. From there we have effective drops. Harvest
Golem
and Scarlet Crusader trade effectively and are scary; Argus because Argus,
and
Piloted Shredder is a great addition. That leaves Dommguard who's huge.
Crafting required: Low
Skill level: Low
Power level: High

Do you feel like killing your opponent with Murlocs? They are fun, and
outrageous if you get them down. However, Flamestrike hurts like hell as
does
other removal. It's aggressive but way more vulnerable to removal as many
of
the Murlocs suck without being paired up with a Warleader or Seer.
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x

Soulfire
Mortal Coil
Flame Imp
Grimscale Oracle
Murloc Raider
Murloc Tidecaller
Voidwalker
Young Priestess
Darkbomb
Bloodmage Thalnos
Knife Juggler
Murloc Tidehunter
Puddlestomper
Coldlight Seer
Murloc Warleader
Old Murk-Eye
Doomguard

Only a few changes to reflect GvG. Darkbomb is a reason to use Thalnos

now
as we have 5 spells. Puddlestomper is a great 3/2 for 2 that gets added.
Other
than that not much has changed. Still Murlocs

94

Crafting required: Low (Old Murk-Eye is free if you own all the
Murlocs)
Skill level: Low
Power level: RGHGRHGRHGRRGRGR

x2
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x2
x2
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Zoolock v2 (mechs)
Soulfire
Clockwork Gnome
Flame Imp
Leper Gnome
Voidwalker
Darkbomb
Annoying Tron
Knife Juggler
Mechwarper
Micro Machine
Harvest Golem
Spider Tank
Tinkertown Technician
Defender of Argus
Doomguard

Do you want to beat down with Mechs? I'd try out this version. I'm sure
someone wants to use the Fel Cannon and rankly it could work but that would
slow the deck down quite a bit. Same for Mimi's Head. It could work but
we're
talking about slowing the deck down quite a bit. As it is; it's Zoo but
with
trying to use a Mech theme to take advantage of things like Tinkertown.
Shame
to say Tinkertown is the only card that is concerned with Mechs but frankly
if you want a solid deck this looks much better than something that works
in
Fel Cannon, Mimi's Head, and even Mechanical Yeti because those are
expensive
cards and what would you replace? Effective Flame Imps and Leper Gnomes?
Seems wasteful

Do you feel like playing arguably the strongest deck out there right
now?
Do you have 1241433242345234 crafting available? Alright let's talk
Handlock
2x
1x
2x
2x
2x
1x
2x
1x
1x
2x
2x
1x
1x
2x
2x
1x
1x

Soulfire
Mortal Coil
Ancient Watcher
Ironbeak Owl
Sunfury Protector
Big Game Hunter
Earthen Ring Farseer
Defender of Argus
Hellfire
Shadowflame
Twilight Drake
Faceless Manipulator
Loatheb
Sludge Belcher
Siphon Soul
Ragnaros the Firelord
Lord Jaraxxus

95

2x Mountain Giant
2x Molten Giant
Alright, so there's like 8 Warlock cards. This deck is all about
abusing
certain aspects of other cards, made possible thanks to the Warlock being a
card draw engine. So let's look at some plays.
Ancient Watcher
This guy, can be silenced by the owl, or taunted up with Sunfury or
Defender
giving you access to a huge 4/5 for 2 mana. Annoying. He can also be
shadowflamed, board wiping your opponent.
Earthen Rings, not really a play, but can help heal some damage. A
possible substitute is Antique Healbot though for this deck I like ERF's
ability to target creatures as well.
Big Game Hunter + Faceless
Most often, you copy their huge Minion (Rag for example) and then BGH it
and make them sad.
Mountain Giants and Twilight Drakes
Mountain Giants get cheaper per each card in your hand (from 12, to
potentially 3) and Twilight Drakes gain health per each card in hand (up
to 10 max). As such, you generally see Handlock tapping for turns 2 and
3, before playing a huge beasty. Otherwise, it's Ancient Watcher -->
Ironbeak
Owl and start swinging for 4 damage.
Molten Giant + Jaraxxus
You take a lot of damage doing this. Nothing shuts down your opponent
like
Molten+Molten+Defender/Sunfury giving you two GIGANTIC taunts, for 4 mana.
Life sucks sometimes. Jaraxxus on the other hand can heal your hero back to
15 health, give you a 3/8 weapon, and lets you make 6/6 Infernals every
turn
instead of drawing. WOW
Handlock is crazy strong. It's also crazy hard to play, and even harder
to build as the crafting amount of the highest listed here I think, well
over
6000 crafting. Even more if you want to slip in Sylvanas which is also
common.
If facing handlock, try to not to get them below 15 until you are ready
to win (and possible having direct damage to avoid Taunts) as a Warlock
that
is below 10 health can play Moltens for free.
All this being said, there are still a number of varieties that include
different legendaries as well as things like Annoy Bot. Try it out
Crafting required: Whew
Skill level: High
Power level: Very High

Demonlock

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x2
x2
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x2
x2
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x1
x1

Soulfire
Voidwalker
Darkbomb
Demonfire
Mistress of Pain
Sense Demons
Void Terror
Hellfire
Voidcaller
Demonheart
Doomguard
Floating Watcher
Siphon Soul
Dread Infernal
Lord Jaraxxus
Mal'Ganis

Demonlock got a nice upgrade. Darkbomb adds a nice nuke to control the
board and Demonheart is both stupid or a nuke at the same time. Mistress of
Pain adds an early drop which we desperately need (also makes running Demon
fire worth it now). We've got Void Terror who can be sexy and Voidcaller
can
put out some huge Demons for cheap, especially Mal'Ganis who is lulzy when
done correctly. Note this card runs only Warlock cards but if we're going
with a Demon theme we want to take advantage all the way and frankly it
works.

So that ends the Constructed decklist. I know I've left out some, but I
tried to include the "big" decks that are out there now. If I get pestered
enough about certain ones, I'll update and include them as well.

97

--------------------------------------------------------------------------09. Ranked Play

[9000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I've talked about Ranked Play quite a bit, I'm sure you are curious
to understand a bit more about how it works.
In Play mode, there are two options, Casual and Ranked. Let me tell
you,
there is no difference. You have a hidden (not really) ranking based on the
number of wins you have that pairs you evenly (tries to) in this mode. The
only difference is that Casual has no ranking, no punishment for losing,
whereas Ranked goes from 25 to 1, and then Legend.
Every time you win, you gain a star. After 3 wins (in a row) you gain
bonus stars so that you can advance more quickly. This is helpful, as each
Rank grows in the required number of stars to go to the next rank. For
instance, the highest, most beginning ranks (25-20) you need like 2-3 stars
to advance. By the medium ranks (7-12 or so) you need 5 stars to advance.
By rank 1, you need 7 stars or so. Once you hit Legend, you cannot lose it
for that season.
Right, so each Ranked season is dictated by the month. On the first of
the month, everyone gets reset. If you reached Rank 20, you get that
month's
cardback (usually a theme, like October is spoooky and this past September
was Arrrr Pirates). Now, based on how well you did that month, you get
bonus
stars so you don't start from 25 every time.
This is what we call Ladder Climbing.
See, almost any deck, even F2P, can get comfortably to rank 10. It may
take some time, but to reach rank 10, you just have to be a good player; or
at least a moderate one. Once you've reached rank 5 or so, you are now in
what
is known as "difficult grinding land" where you must push on and disregard
tough losses to advance each rank. From rank 1 to rank 5 I would argue that
there is no difference in skill, just people who are more devoted to the
ladder than others.
As such, you typically will find, from rank 25 to rank 10 or so (even
lower really) lots and lots of Zoo. This is because Zoo wins quickly or
loses quickly. We've already established that Zoo is a fairly strong deck,
so it is a really popular choice to climb the ladder. Handlock may be the
best
but each Handlock game takes twice that of a Zoo so why not just use Zoo?
And by the time you've reached the grinding zone, this is where you are
not facing just Zoo anymore, but the Control Pali, the Control Warrior, the
Handlock, the shitstorm of tough decks that are perfectly (well, they run
legendaries) so it becomes much more difficult to advance further.
If I was you, I would wait to climb the ladder until about a week into
the month, that way you don't have to face the top Legends players. After a
week, they'll be mostly up there so you can face relatively similar
players.
Use Zoo till about 7 or 8, and then pick a deck you really like and have at
it

98

--------------------------------------------------------------------------10. Tournaments
[AAAA]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

One thing I enjoy, is Tournaments. Tournaments in Hearthstone are

basically Ranked play except with some control over what happens. Usually,
a
player brings along 3-5 decks (depends on the format and whatnot). You get
to
ban a deck from your opponent and likewise they ban one of your decks.
For example, in a best of 3, you'd bring 4 decks along. One gets
banned,
and then you pick a deck to play. If you win, you play the same deck. If
you
lose, that deck is eliminated (for now) and you choose a different deck.
Why this is fun, is it brings an element to the game that it should
have,
something that is missed when playing Ranked because in Ranked you have no
control over who you are facing. A card like Harrison Jones is a perfect
example of a card that is used in almost every deck in Tournaments, but
hardly
ever in Ranked play, because you can't control facing someone who might use
weapons. In Tournaments though, it's worth slipping in Mr. Jones because
the
chances of facing a Doomhammer, Assassin's Blade, or some other huge weapon
is very high and taking it out is essential.
As for getting into Tournaments, it's quite simple really. Play this a
LOT, and hit Legendary status. You'll get your invite. You could also get
a sponsor like Team Liquid or Cloud 9, but then again those are all Legend
Ranked players too. They play Hearthstone, A LOT.
Rest assured, you won't be seeing my ass in any tournament soon. I play
too many other games to get that level of devotion down to Hearthstone.

99

--------------------------------------------------------------------------11. How to Improve

[BBBB]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope what you have read so far, and what we've gone over has helped.
But there's always things you can do extra to get that slight edge. So here
is my section of tips and hints, to help give you that edge over your
opponent

TIP #1
WATCH PROFESIONALS PLAY
It should come as no surprise, that just like any other game, it helps
to watch the best play. In this case, Blizzard does an outstanding job of
telling us when tournaments are coming. You can also youtube search for
Hearthstone tournaments and find billions of videos there.
For youtube, you can check out:
TrumpSC
Amaz
Hearthstone Vods
Trump and Amaz are entertaining streamers from Twitch who upload to
their
youtube frequently, and Hearthstone Vods uploads basically any Hearthstone
tournament for you to watch.
For twitch, you can again, check out Trump or Amaz, but Reynad,
Deernadia,
or Kolento are very good/popular as well. Hell, most Legendary Hearthstone
players stream, the difference is sorting the good ones, like Kolento, out
from some of the more "watched" streamers because they are very attractive
girls, like Morberplz. That's not to say she isn't good, but she has never
reached Legendary Status so far as I'm aware whereas Deernadia has (also a
hawty).
TIP #2
PLAY WHEN YOUR MIND IS RIGHT
Like any other game that requires thinking, you want to play when you
are
not tired, drunk, high, or emotional, otherwise you will make bad
decisions.
An easy test of this is to try it out with Arena. Despite Arena being
random,
you'll notice your performance get 3 or 4 more wins if you are focused and
determined versus playing at 3 AM when you are avoiding going to sleep.
TIP #3
ALWAYS THINK THROUGH YOUR TURN
It's simple, but grossly not taken advantage of. You get time to do
your
turn, so think about it. Think, is there anything better to do? Can I clear
his board? Can I risk playing this? Do I have lethal? Am I at risk of
lethal?
Oftentimes, and I'm not kidding, you'll find that you missed lethal
only
to be killed by your opponent on their turn. It puts you in a bad bad mood

100

and you should resort to tip #2.

TIP #4
TALK TO OTHERS, PARTICIPATE IN FORUMS
Is it in forums, or on forums... anyway, Hearthstone like MTG is a game
with a Metagame that is constantly changing. The best way to learn about
the
game, and maybe pick up a hint or two, is to pay attention, and
participate.
If you're watching a Streamer (or a youtube) think to yourself, would I
have
done that? Do you agree with the announcers analysis? Did they miss lethal?
Did you see that play before they did it?
Not to mention, getting active on the forums (there's a Liquid one, and
a Hearthstone one, both good) is a good way to get feedback specifically
for
your constructed decks and your Arena runs. Feedback is an essential tool
for improving, and luckily, everyone always wants to give their advice, you
just have to ask for it.
TIP #5
AVOID GIMMICKY DECKS
So basically, you want your deck to be versatile right? Alright let's
talk
real quick about what I mean, using MTG as an example.
Back in the late nineties, (and if you've never played MTG just work
with
me here) one of the archetypes was a deck known as Red-Green beats. It was
a
deck, playtested by alphabetaunlimited.com (a team of 3 of the greatest MTG
players of the time) and shown to be brutally effective in any format as it
disregarded card economy in favor of winning the game quickly. Basically,
Zoo.
Now, in MTG, there are 5 colors, Red, Blue, White, Green, and Black. To
get Mana, you have to tap lands, mountains, islands, plains, forests, or
swamps (or something "special". As expected, each color is also associated
with something, particular. Like don't expect a kill spell in Blue, that's
for Black.
Anyways, Red-Green beats was strong, but you know what was stronger? A
variation on Red-Green beats that was 4 colors, Red-Green-Black-White. The
deck splashed Black, for removal, and White, for enchantment removal. By
doing so, their mana base became slightly uglier, but they now had access
to
cards that Red-Green, didn't normally have.
This brings us back to Hearthstone, as Red-Green beats could be
countered
by certain decks as it simply didn't have an answer, whereas the Red-Green
splashed could compete against ANY deck, as it had answers there.
Similarly, for Hearthstone, you don't want to play a deck that can be
hard countered simply by existing. How frustrating is it losing to a 8/8
Taunt every time? Then it may be worth putting in Big Game Hunter. Tired of
enchanted creatures? Might be worth putting in some extra Silences, an Owl
or maybe even Spellbreaker too. Weapons giving you a problem? Hello Ooze.
Need a better answer early or late? Consider using Deathrattles as opposed
to

101

stronger creatures as Deathrattles tend to stick around longer. Always just

running out of life? There exists quite a few creatures that heal, the best
being Earthen Ring Farseer.
On the other hand, you might have gimmicks that *could* work, but are
destroyed if something happens. A perfect example is the Druid deck, Alarm
o
Bot. It's not listed here, but needless to say, if that Alarm o Bot gets
taken
out; the deck sucks. So why bother using it? On that same coin, using cards
like Milhouse Manastorm, Pat Nagle, or Elite Tauren Chieftan are very
risky,
as you never know what you are walking into. Sure, a 4/4 for 2 is strong,
but
if you walk into a Druid deck that is 25 spells and they win the game next
turn you are going to feel real dumb. Pat Nagle could get you an extra
card,
but he could also sit out there for 5 turns and not do a damn thing.
So I guess, rather than use gimmick or chance, you're better off using
reliable answers. Save gimmicks or fun time with your buddies. It'll help
quite a bit, I promise.

102

--------------------------------------------------------------------------12. Arena
[CCCC]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So Arena, we've finally reached it. It's been so long, let's review
what it is exactly.
You pay 150 gold, or $1.99 USD to play in the Arena. You are offered 3
heroes to choose from, and then you are given 3 cards to pick from, 30
times,
to assemble your deck. Cards grabbed here are not added to your collection.
The cards are completely random, but the first and last pack will be at
least
a rare. Once you've lost 3 times, or won 12 times, or chosen to retire your
deck if you hated it, you get your prize. You will always get a pack, and
from
there rewards a completely random. At 7 wins, you are guaranteed winning at
least 150 gold. At 12 wins, you get 5 prize bundles, and typically win a
second pack.
Is it worth it?

Many people will say no, Arena is a scam. That the 150 gold, through
two
runs, will have net you 2 packs whereas you could have bought 3 packs with
that 300 gold.
Here's my take on it: Arena is a completely different beast. It
requires
know-how, a little bit of luck, and very careful playing. Unlike
constructed,
there is no second chances. After that third loss you are done.
So if you are into that sort of stuff, and if you are into building
your
collection slowly, it's perfect for you. If you are looking for a quick
fix,
a huge collection boost, then you should consider getting packs, as it's
much
faster, as Arena requires you play games to get packs.

Now, that aside, let's talk a little bit about Arena. Trump, at
Liquid's
website, liquidhearth, has posted an article about Arena that is FANTASTIC,
and a great read: http://www.liquidhearth.com/guides/arena-tier-list
You should really read it before going into Arena, as he breaks down
not only all the cards, but even gives great explanations and talks about
the
classes.

He does not have the Naxxramas included however, so let's talk about
what
updates haven't been included, and here is my overall take.

First off, the classes. There are 9 of them, which should you choose?

103

I've been keeping track of my Arena runs for a while now, and I would tell
you
that overwhelmingly, that Warrior is the best choice. From there, Paladin,
Prist, and Mage are all great. Druid and Shaman follow closely behind,
leaving
Warlock, then Rogue, and lastly, Hunter.
So how did I come to this conclusion?

Warrior. Why is Warrior so good? The answer is quite simple, Naxxramas,

specifically, Death's Bite. Weapons, are already a good investment, but in
Arena, Weapons provide immeasurable card advantage. Alright, quick aside.
Hearthstone is a game of board control and card advantage right? Take
that
and pull it to the extremes, now we're in Arena. Arena, is an environment
ruled by cost effective Minions, and 3/2's.
Alright, back to Warrior. So Warriors have 2 great weapons at their
disposal, Fiery Win Axe, and Death's Bite. They will almost always 2-1,
meaning you have gained a card advantage. Add in a second, or a third, and
now you have a 3 or 4 card advantage despite not having drawn any more
cards.
Now, the Warrior Minions are also great; and we're talking just commons
as the rare+ we cannot count on. We have, Arathi Weaponsmith (he, brings a
weapon along), Kor'Kron Elite, and Cruel Taskmaster. These guys hit hard
and
can help single-handily change the game.

Moving along, we have the Paladin. With seeing the Warrior's

description,
you can probably guess as to what makes Paladin so good. He has Truesilver
Champion, and Consecrate which are great, but also Argent Protector
provides
great 2-1 status and Blessing of Kings is just gross.
Something that really helps the Paladin though, is his hero power. See,
even if the game goes long and your lategame isn't great, the Paladin hero
power can flood the board with 1/1 Minions that unless you are Druid or
Mage,
you can't remove them forever. Many games have been won simply because the
Paladin hero power proves to be brutally effective.

Between Priest and Mage, it's fairly close. A lot of people claim Mage
is
easy mode, but that is not a certainty. Hell, if you could guarantee
getting
at least 6 spells between Frostbolt, Fireball, and Flamestrike, then Mage
would likely be number 1. However, if you don't get the good removal, then
the
Mage falls flat; pretty hard too. The Mage Minions, kinda suck. Water
Elemental is great, but Mage Wyrm and Sorcerers Apprentice are meh. They
have
no oomph that other Minions bring.
On the Priest side, you have some of the best Arena cards between
Temple
Enforcer, Power Word Shield, and Lightspawn. Hell, in a match up of just
looking at class cards, I'd say Priest is the best stand alone with raw

104

power. Health is great, and the Priest can keep his guys alive and really
change the game. Add in a single Mind Control and you are almost always
protected from that Legendary you weren't offered.

At this juncture, we enter the medium classes. Observe how Priest and
Mage
can all affect the board, with their heal or damage; Paladin straight up
makes
dudes. So in addition to their cards, their hero powers are great for this.
The others now, aren't so good. Shaman for example, makes Minions. However,
his Minions aren't 1/1's that flood the board and attack. His, well, most
can't even hurt anything.
That's not to say they don't have good cards, Fire Elemental is an
absolute bomb and Hex makes things go away, but other than that their class
cards are considerably weaker in Arena. Add in their dependancy on getting
rares, specifically, one rare, specifically, Lightning Storm, and you can
see
where Shaman falls down a bit in the rankings compared to the other classes
so far.
Regarding Druid, they have some excellent cards, and his hero power can
affect the board! So why isn't he higher? Well, let's look for a moment. We
have Swipe, Wrath, Claw, and Starfire as great removal spells. However,
they
are spells, not Minions which means they 1-1, and maybe 2-1 in cases of
Swipe.
That means you have Druid of the Claw, Power of the Wild, and Ironbark
Protector, who are huge, but can they win the game? Well, you may not even
make it there, is the problem.
And while his hero power can affect the board, it gets greatly neutered
by large taunts, and it becomes a weaker Armor Up. I mean, I love Druid,
but
for Arena I have had some frustrating losses, and it's fairly easy to see
why
there exists some frustrating losses.

That brings us to the last 3, Warlock, Rogue, and then, Hunter.

So regarding Warlock, given his versatility with constructed, and how
strong drawing cards is, wouldn't he be the best? Not exactly. Far from it,
actually, as his hero power can be completely negated by good cards from
the
opponent, and you getting too low. If you're against a Mage or Hunter for
example, you have to be REALLY CAREFUL tapping below 10 health. And if you
aren't in great board control, tapping can add that 2 damage your opponent
needs to take you out.
Now, Warlock does have some great cards. Flame Imp, Soul Fire, and
Voidcaller are very strong, not to mention Hellfire is a whooping. But, and
here is the big But (heh) he suffers from inconsistency. With only 3 losses
taking you down, if you have just a bad draw here or there, suddenly you
are
out of the Arena, despite having a bomb deck, because you took too much
damage
and couldn't recover! It's really frustrating to lose like that, and for
Warlock, his power in this case doesn't help at all.
With Rogue, I think I speak for myself mostly, but for a lot of people,
that I just don't like Rogue. They are not among my favorite class to play,

105

and when it comes to Arena, I've played em 4 times. But, that shouldn't
come as a surprise, because look at their cards. Where's their creatures?
Well that's just it; their Minions, there aren't any! Spells are great, but
unless you are making 2, 3, or 4 for 1 exchanges, spells just aren't that
great. Minions stay there and when you don't have anything special to look
for, you end up relying on getting the Spells, and if you don't...
Rogues do have weapons. However, the 1 damage hero power sucks hard and
often costs you more health than benefit. With Deadly Poison or Assassin's
Blade, that helps too, but those aren't as nice as say having Fiery Win
Axe,
Death's Bite, Arcanite Reaper, and a handful of fantastic Minions to boot.
Leaving us to Hunter. You should cheer whenever you face one, because
Hunter is the worst Arena class by far. Their hero power, SUCKS. It affects
the board 0. Their class cards, are meh, with most of them relying on pure
chance. Animal Companion? If you get 3 Huffers, that can lose you the game.
Webspinner? Good luck there. Now, Scar is a fantastic rare, and they do
have
some good cards, but in all honesty you should never be picking Hunter
unless
you really need to for some reason (say, a Dominance quest or something).

So let's look at Minions then. I'm not going to copy his list, as I've
linked the webpage for you; just use that as a resource. Regarding
Naxxramas
cards though, here is my personal take on where they fit into things.
===========================================================================
LEGENDARY
BEST
EXCELLENT
POOR/TERRIBLE
Kel'Thuzad

GOOD

AVERAGE

Feugen
Loatheb

Stalagg
Maexxna
Baron Rivendare

Explanation:
EXCELLENT
Kel'Thuzad
His value is build quite a bit on how many Minions you have out there. He
has a huge body, his 6 power stinks a bit in terms of matching up against
huge
fatties, but it does save him from Big Game Hunter. Eight health is nice
though. KT is a pretty solid choice though overall

GOOD
Feugen
While you will NEVER GET THADDIUS EVER in Arena, Feugen is still a 4/7 for
5
mana, which makes him 11 stats for 5, which is better than most other 5
drops,
meaning that Feugen in a pack with Manastorm and Nat Pagle, you'll be
taking
Feugen.
Loatheb

106

He's a 5/5 for 5. His battlecry is much weaker in Arena thanks to the
number
of Minions, but he's still a large body to contend with

AVERAGE
Stalagg
A 7/4 is also 11 stats. However, that 4 Health is a glaring weakness and
being
brought down by a boosted 2/1 doesn't scream dealbreaker to me.
Baron Rivendare
He's like KT, except he has 1 power and an ability that may or may not
matter.
His usefulness goes up per each Deathrattle in your deck, but then again
only
for how many you see. It makes him a fairly average pick, mostly bad.

POOR/TERRIBLE
Maexxna
If she were a 4/8 with no ability she'd be great. As it is, her ability is
dumb, and she suffers from having 2 attack. She sucks.
===========================================================================
EPIC
BEST
EXCELLENT
POOR/TERRIBLE

GOOD

AVERAGE

Echoing Ooze

Shade of Naxxramas

Explanation:
GOOD
Echoing Ooze
He's a 2/4 of stats for 2 mana, which is good, despite it being spread out
on
two Minions. The added benefit of attaching things like Argus, Blessing of
Kings, or Mark of the Wild makes his value go up.

AVERAGE
Shade of Naxxramas
He's a 2/2 for 3, that doesn't really begin to build value until he's been
out
there for two or three turns. He's really just average
===========================================================================
RARE
BEST
EXCELLENT
POOR/TERRIBLE
Sludge Belcher

GOOD

AVERAGE

Deathlord

Nerubian Egg
Wailing Soul

Explanation:
BEST

107

Sludge Belcher
He's a 4/7 Taunt for 5, which is great. He comes in two pieces, which in
most
cases is even better, as it better protects your guys. Sludge Belcher is a
fantastic choice.

GOOD
Deathlord
At 10 stats, he's the largest 3 mana Minion out there. However, his
downside
is fairly huge. The advantage in Arena, is that you're likely to see a 3/2
come out, which seems fair, if your Deathlord is able to take down a couple
other creatures. Bonus points for getting out a battlecry. Negative points
for seeing an early Ragnaros (WTF!)

AVERAGE
Nerubian Egg
It's highly vulnerable to silence as well as getting it killed. It should
rank lower but getting a 4/4 for 2 mana keeps it as an average pick. If
this
comes later in the draft and you have at least 3 ways to get it killed,
then
it's value goes up much higher
Wailing Soul
He's a 3/5 for 4, which fits right into most 4 drops. His battlecry, mostly
sucks, but can be helpful. Overall, that's why he's average.
===========================================================================
COMMON
BEST
EXCELLENT
GOOD
POOR/TERRIBLE
Zombie Chow Spectral Knight Haunted Creeper
Swords
Undertaker*
Weblord
Unstable Ghoul*
Gargoyle
CLASS COMMONS
Avenge
Anub'ar Ambusher
Dark Cultist
Duplicate
Voidcaller
Death's Bite

AVERAGE
Mad Scientist

Dancing
Nerub'ar

Stoneskin

Poison Seeds
Reincarnate
Webspinner

Explanation:
BEST
Zombie Chow
This guy is a beast. He is an absolute monster in a field of 3/2's, as he
himself is a 2/3 for 1. In a format defined by card advantage, Zombie Chow
will almost always 2-1 for you and there just isn't much more you can ask
from a 1 drop like that.

EXCELLENT

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Spectral Knight
This guy is strong, and even stronger if against certain classes like Mage.
For 5 mana, he comes as a 4/6, which is a bit less (we'd hope for 11 stats)
but in any event, his Faerie-Dragon like status proves to be really helpful
here as he can trade with most of them and live to tell the tale. The fact
Minions have to take him out, means you get to choose the condition in
which
he lives or dies.

GOOD
Haunted Creeper
He's not the best choice, and I'd prefer a Harvest Golem over him,
nonetheless
Haunted Creeper is a good 2 drop. If he had more power, he'd be a shoe-in,
it's just that more often than not, he himself will only 1-1 something,
which
is what ultimately weakens his status to good.
Undertaker
By himself, he's bad. A 1/2 for 1... you might as well have Goldshire
Footman.
However, with every Deathrattle you take, his value goes up, and up, and
up,
and well, now you have a 1 drop that suddenly can get quite a bit of value,
making him an excellent choice, which balances out to good.
Unstable Ghoul
For Paladins, this guy isn't as good. In any other case, he's quite strong.
While he only has 1 power, his implosion allows him to deal with 3/2's just
like anybody else. And if you are able to build around him (with Acolyte of
Pain for example) you can actually 2 or 3 for 1 off this guy, taking out a
Minion and drawing extra cards. Pretty handy

AVERAGE
Mad Scientist
He's a 2/2 for 2, which is nothing special. Consider then his Deathrattle,
which only works with 3 of the classes, and the fact you have to have
Secrets
for it to matter, makes him a very average, borderline poor choice.

POOR/TERRIBLE
Dancing Swords
In an environment of 3/2's, why wouldn't you want Dancing Swords? Pretty
easy
really. Because even if he at bests, 2-1's for you, it's not really a 2-1
because they get to draw a card, meaning you HAVE to 2-1 with him just to
break even. Not worth it.
Nerub'ar Weblord
A small 1 power Minion with an ability that may or may not affect him that
could also affect you, I'd pass.
Stoneskin Gargoyle
For 3 mana, you could do better than this. It's garbage.
===========================================================================
EXPLANATION, CLASS COMMONS
BEST

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Avenge
For 1 mana, you generate 3/2 of stats. That's freaking fantastic. Sure it
can
get silenced, sure it's random, but the value there is just obnoxious.
Bonus
points for "Get Down" being a stronger Arena choice meaning you can bluff
your
opponents too.
Dark Cultist
He's the games only 3/4 for 3 mana, that alone tells you of how good he is.
Combine that with his really strong Deathrattle, and Dark Cultist is a
best,
if not one of the best choices you could take.
Voidcaller
Similar to Dark Cultist, this guy is really good. His stats are a bit low
for
a 4 cost Minion, however, getting a free Demon from your hand, is just
REALLY
FREAKING NICE. My last Warlock Arena won several games, simply because they
killed my Voidcaller and saw a Doomguard show up; followed by an immediate
concede from them. Voidcaller makes Warlock viable, almost.
Death's Bite
As described earlier, this weapon launched Warrior to #1 status in my book.
It's another common weapon (meaning Warrior has 3 to choose from), but it
also gives access (something I've yet talked about) to Warriors taking out
5 health minions (like Yeti or Das'Dingo) because of the explosion of the
Deathrattle. It's awesome.

EXCELLENT
Anub'ar Ambusher
He's fairly nice. He's a 10 stat, 5/5, for 4 mana, which is bigger than
Yeti
or Das'Dingo. However, his deathrattle can be very detrimental. If you can
work around it, he is a very strong 4 drop though, I'd still prefer Yeti.

GOOD
Duplicate
For constructed, Duplicate is decent. For Arena, it's still just decent.
The
problem being, that the game is ruled by 3/2's, meaning that Duplicate for
3
mana, will grant you back two 3/2's. It's good, but not great. If you can
combine it with something like Das'Dingo, or Yeti, it becomes great. On the
other hand, you could also Duplicate a Sheep. That's terrible.

AVERAGE
Webspinner
Half the time he'll bring you goodies, the other half the time you'd wish
it
could be anything else. And then you'll get Captain's Parrot and be really
sad.
Reincarnate
The only reason this isn't a terrible card is because it doubles as
Silence.
You can potentially get aid out of your Deathrattle, you can also heal a
tankier Minion, and you can reset any enchantments on enemy creatures. All
those add up to an average card.

110

POOR/TERRIBLE
Poison Seeds
This thing is just horrible
===========================================================================

Alright, so we're almost done here. Let's talk briefly about Mana Curve
for your Arena.
Concerning Mana Curve, what is good? Where should it be? I was actually
thinking to myself the other day, about a way to numerically rate an Arena
run before you play it. Basically, you could look at the deck, and
accurately
(+/- a win) predict how well you would do, assuming you play perfectly.
Strangely enough, I actually came up with something pretty cool that I want
to share now with you.

Let's say, you can score up to 100 points. A score of 100, would be a
12-0
victory. The BEST, Arena deck. A score of 50 points, would be failing, and
means you might get 5 wins. A 75 is a solid and average score, meaning that
you'll get 7 wins. Following?
100.......12
75........7
50........5
25........2

wins
wins
wins
wins

You can see, that it is not a linear scale as 100:12 would imply 75:9,
50:6, and 25:3, but it actually is quite close. Anyway, let's look at this.
MANA CURVE (xx/50)
Regarding curves, we want a nice bell-curve, skewed right. It should
look:
|
-| -- ---|
-|
-|
-______________________
We want the majority of our stuff, to be cheaper, with it tailing off
towards the more expensive end. An approximate 30 card breakdown should
look
something like
1 or 0 | 10% | 3 cards
2
| 27% | 8 cards
3
| 20% | 6 cards
4
| 17% | 5 cards
5
| 13% | 4 cards
6+
| 13% | 4 cards
Thus, there are some key distinctions here. We want a minimum of 7 two
drops. This does not include spells. We want at least 7 Minions. This is
vitally important to starting to establish board control. Note that in the

111

case with several decks, they won't have anything less than 1, meaning the
curve gets slightly adjusted to reflect that. Anyways, look at this
2 cost Minions | 7 < x < 9
Midrange (3-4) | 4 < x < 6
Late game (5+) | 5 < x < 8
These are just guidelines, but it helps. Also note that the 2 cost
Minions
is different than the rest, in the important of Minions. We're talking 2
cost
Minions, but late game we are wanting strong late game plays. Mind Control
for
example is not a Minion, but it counts towards a Late game.
Anyway, Mana Curve is a huge part, and as such it's worth quite a few
points to try and nail for doing well. Even if your cards stink, just
having
a good curve is nearly half the battle.
SPELLS (xx/15)
Minions are good, spells are good, however, we want spells, but not all
spells. I'm sorry, that sentence sucks. Let's try again.
You want at least 7 spells, but no more than 12. Even if you're a Mage,
if you start encroaching over that 12 barrier you run the risk of not
having
anything to play and you don't really want to Fireball their face
pointlessly.
MINIONS (xx/25)
The essential factoid of an Arena run, let's talk about Minions. There
is
no way to numerically rate any generic Arena deck based on its Minions. But
there is one way to look at it, using the Mana Curve breakdown there. Mana
Curve is looking at just Mana Curve, here we want just Minions.
Early Game (2>) | 7
Midrange (3-5) | 7
Lategame (6+)
| 8
So you can see the importance of having those early plays. That means
sometimes taking a crappy 2/3 Pirate over the 5/4 Priestess because you
would
rather get the body down early as opposed to simply passing the turn.
CLASS (xx/10)
What do I mean by this? No not what class you picked, but rather, did
you
get the defining class card? What does this mean? Let's take a look
Mage: Fireball, Frostbolt, Flamestrike
Priest: Shadow Word Death/Pain, Holy Nova
Warrior: Fiery Win Axe, Death's Bite
Druid: Swipe, Claw, Wrath
Paladin: Consecration, Truesilver Champion
Shaman: Hex, Fire Elemental
Warlock: Voidcaller, Hellfire, Soulfire
Rogue: Eviscerate, Assassinate, Backstab

112

Hunter: Unleash, Animal Companion, Hunter's

mark
These aren't all the cards, but it's just to give you an idea.
Realistically, you could have a list of all class cards that are excellent
or
better choices, and score a point for each one up to 7, then receive full
credit for the category. Observe as well how this protects from the other
categories, as having 10 flame strikes would give you 10 points here, but
would deter from both the other categories as having 10 flame strikes would
be a rather terrible deck. So now that we've talked about defining, let's
talk about actually scoring this thing.
Mana Curve
Spells
Minions
Class

(xx/50)
(xx/15)
(xx/25)
(xx/10)

Regarding Mana Curve:

------------------------| Cost | Cards | Points |
| 2>
| 10
| 20
|
| 2>
| 7-9 | 17
|
| 2>
| 4-6 | 14
|
| 2>
| 3>
| 10
|
| 2>
| 11+ | 16
|
|=======================|
| 3-5 | 12
| 15
|
| 3-5 | 9-11 | 13
|
| 3-5 | 5-8 | 10
|
| 3-5 | 4>
| 7
|
| 3-5 | 13+ | 12
|
|=======================|
| 6+
| 8
| 15
|
| 6+
| 4-7 | 12
|
| 6+
| 3>
| 9
|
| 6+
| 9+
| 11
|
------------------------*The points decrease if it's off, and if you're over that's what the last
row
in each section signifies
Regarding Spells:
--------------------|
8-9 spells | 15 |
|
5-7 spells | 10 |
| 10-12 spells | 10 |
|
4> spells | 5 |
|
13+ spells | 5 |
--------------------*Spells are any Non-Minion
Regarding Minions:
-------------------| 1 or 0 | 3> | 5 |
| 1 or 0 | 4+ | 0 |
| =================|
|
2
| 7
| 5 |
|
2
| 5-6 | 4 |

113

|
2
| 8-9 | 4 |
|
2
| 4> | 2 |
|
2
| 10+ | 2 |
|==================|
| 3 or 4 | 7-9 | 5 |
| 3 or 4 | 6|8 | 4 |
| 3 or 4 | 5|9 | 3 |
| 3 or 4 | 4> | 0 |
| 3 or 4 | 10+ | 2 |
|==================|
| 5 or 6 | 4-8 | 5 |
|
7+
| 0-4 | 5 |
| 5 or 6 | 3> | 2 |
| 5 or 6 | 7+ | 2 |
|
7+
| 5
| 3 |
|
7+
| 6+ | 0 |
|------------------|
*The reason 5+ is done the way it is; you are looking for eight 5+ Minions.
The exact breakdown has variable, but you really don't want more or less
than
Regarding Class:
This is done separately, for each Class
Warlock
Flame Imp, Soulfire, Dread Infernal
Mortal Coil, Hellfire, Voidcaller
Warrior
Fiery War Axe, Arathi Weaponsmith, Arcanite Reaper
Cleave, Kor'Kron Elite, Slam, Death's Bite
Paladin
Truesilver Champion, Consecrate, Blessing of Kings
Hammer of Wrath, Argent Protector
Shaman
Fire Elemental, Hex, Stormforged Axe
Flametongue Totem, Unbound Elemental
Priest
Temple Enforcer, Power Word Shield, Lightspawn
Holy Nova, Shadow Word Death/Pain, Northshire Cleric
Dark Cultist
Rogue
Backstab, Deadly Poison, Evicerate
Assassin's Blade, Assassinate, Anub'ar Ambusher
Druid
Swipe, Druid of the Claw, Power of the Wild, Wrath
Ironbark Protector, Claw, Starfire
Mage
Flamestrike, Water Elemental, Fireball
Frostbolt, Polymorph
Hunter
Hunter's Mark, Unleash, Animal Companion, Houndmaster
Score 1 point for each of those cards up to 10 for the category
Warlock
Lord Jaraxxus, Pit Lord, Doomguard
Warrior
Grommash Hellscream, Gorehowl, Frothing Berserker
Paladin
Tirion Fordring, Sword of Justice, Avenging Wrath
Lay on Hands, Aldor Peacekeeper, Equality
Shaman

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Al'Akir the Windlord, Earth Elemental, Doomhammer

Lightning Storm, Feral Spirit
Priest
Cabal Shadow Priest, Shadow Madness, Auchenai Soulpriest
Rogue
SI 7 Agent, Perdition's Blade
Druid
Cenarius, Ancient of War, Ancient of Lore, Force of Nature
Keeper of the Grove, Starfall, Nourish
Mage
Archmage Antonidas (only if you meet maximal spell criteria)
Hunter
Explosive Shot, Savannah Highmane
Score 2 points for each of these cards (no limit)
The reasoning here, is to see if you got a good number of cards that define
the class (hence why you picked it). That's not to say a Mage with none of
those above listed cards couldn't go 12 wins, it's just VERY UNLIKELY.
Also,
if you haven't noticed, commons score 1 point (and stop at 10) whereas
anything rare or better (if it's on that list) scores 2 indefinitely.
Now...
I realize a deck of 30 Jaraxxus would be TERRIBLE. However, that won't
happen,
ever. That's not to say you should have 5 Explosive Shot, although it's a
good
card. On the other hand, a deck of 30 SI 7 Agent, while redundant, would be
not bad. Except it would, as you would score 60 points here but then 0
almost
everywhere else, meaning you might get 5 wins. Haha see it kinda works out.

At the end of the day, what am I really talking about here? I'm talking
about
having a deck that's roughly 20-22 Minions, and 8-10 non-Minions. I'm
talking
about of those 30 cards, try to have at least 20% of them be Excellent
Class
cards. I'm talking about having a Mana Curve that makes a nice skewed-right
bell shape. If you do those things, you should do just fine.

My trials? Here, I'll load (I say that loosely) a couple of my Arena

decks and test them to my rubrick and then I'll say at the end how accurate
I
was. This could be fun to see just how accurate my rubrick is. In the
future,
I may even list my whole Arena draft a couple of times just to give you an
idea of what and why I decided to go with. Trump uploads tons of Arena
runs,
as does many of the other streamers do Arena quite a bit. Here it is for
you
in boring text; though much more detail =)
Arena #1, Priest
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x

Mind Vision
Power Word Shield
Lightwarden
Northshire Cleric
Undertaker

115

1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
4x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x

Acidic Swamp Ooze

Bloodfen Raptor
Ironbeak Owl
Loot Hoarder
Sunfury Protector
Shadow Word Death
Acolyte of Pain
Dark Cultist
Demolisher
Wolfrider
Auchenai Soulpriest
Dark Iron Dwarf
Lightspawn
Azure Drake
Silver Hand Knight
Boulderfist Ogre
Frost Elemental
Temple Enforcer
Stormwind Champion

MANA CURVE
|
|
=
| == |
|
|
|
| |=
|
==| |
|__________=_____
That's what it looks like anyways. The exact breakdown is:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

6
6
8
3
2
4
1

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

20%
20%
27%
10%
07%
13%
03%

Which gives a general bellshape. We're looking for about 50-60% of our
cards to be cheaper, and I'm a bit high here with 67% of my cards costing 3
or
less. As for lategame cards, my 5+ count is at 7, which is a bit low.
SPELLS
Whoops, only 3 spells
MINIONS
Well my Minion breakdown is fairly good. A bit strong
early, but here is where Class comes into play, as we see
cost
is FOUR Dark Cultist. Let me tell you what, ain't nothing
Them babies are strong and even drawing them late is just

leaning towards
that in that 3
wrong with that.
fine.

So let's score this:

2>, 16
3-5, 12
6+, 12
Giving me 40 of 50 points for Mana Curve
Spells, 3 ==> 5

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Minions, 1 or 0 ==> 0 (although, I'm inclined to give me some back

for
having good quality 1 drops)
2
==> 4
3 or 4 ==> 2 (again, the Dark Cultists...)
5 or 6 ==> 5
7+
==> 5
Which gives me a current total of 40+5+16 or 61 points thus far, maybe
an additional 8 up to 69 (heh)
For Class cards, 10 points (lots of good class cards) plus an
additional
2 points for the Auchenai giving me 12, or 73 to 81 points depending on how
strict you keep to it. Should get 7 wins right? Let's see how I do

In case you were wondering, it went 6 wins. Fairly accurate prediction

though right? What were the weaknesses? I had no AoE, and I had very few
spells meaning that it can be hard to steam-roll by clearing and saving
Minions. Specifically, only 1 Shadow Word Death makes for a very tough time
dealing with end game monsters if I don't have mine out there yet.

How do you deal with bad luck, the RNGesus? Frankly you can't. You can
do
things to increase your odds, but what about when the game just gets a bit
unfair?
I have some really sad examples for you to share (others do as well).
In one of my more recent runs, I was playing Priest. My first loss came
from a Demolisher ruining my life. Normally, Demolisher only gains value
for
as long as he lives; but specifically it comes down to how many Minions he
hits as that is where his value lies. Against this opponent (a Priest) he
landed for 6 turns, his 2 damage nuke on the most convenient Minion.
Normally
this is a simple 50-50 chance as I'm not flooding the board, but by the end
of the game he was still doing it with 33-33-33 chances. All in all, the
odds
were twisted in his favor, and to replicate those circumstances would be:
(1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/2)(1/3)(1/3) or 0.0344% chance
Life isn't fair sometimes.
Later in the run, my Deathlord died and gave my opponent Ragnaros.
Earlier in a different match he gave my opponent Fire Elemental. This is
what
I mean when Deathlord can be really scary, as you assume he's giving a 3/2
Minion so when you face Ragnaros and Fire Elemental, you can make a sad
face.
I share this, to prompt my other submission for showing that my rubrick
does work quite well for predicting your deck's win total, as well as it
gives a good foundation for what you are looking for to build your Arena
deck.
1x Circle of Healing
1x Leper Gnome
1x Undertaker

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1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x

Shadow Word Pain

Bloodsail Raider
Kobold Geomancer
Loot Hoarder
Shadow Word Death
Dark Cultist
Deathlord
Earthen Ring Farseer
Emperor Cobra
Harvest Golem
Ancient Brewmaster
Auchenai Soulpriest
Gnomish Inventor
Lightspawn
Das'Dingo
Spellbreaker
Stormwind Knight
Fen Creeper
Venture Co Mercenary
Holy Fire
Cabal Shadow Priest
Sunwalker
Temple Enforcer
Stormwind Champion
Mind Control

My mana curve is nearly a perfect bell, centering at 4, which is not so

desirable. Definitely some questionable picks, including the Leper Gnome,
which was taken because I have an Undertaker. The Circle I took because I
had
Auchenai, and to be frank I enjoy having at least 1 Circle because my decks
tend to have more higher health Minions meaning I can get a fair amount of
use
from having Circle.
I have good early game though, assuming not too many 4 drops, but
having
a fair amount of 2-3 drops gives good balance. Add in a sick lategame, with
some really really strong 5+ drops, and I initially predicted the 7 win
barrier. I'm missing key cards like Holy Nova, and most importantly
Northshire
Cleric but when you don't get them then what do you do? Exactly. What
happens
when you get RNGesus'd to death? Exactly.
This is a perfect example of sucking it up and playing it out. Despite
having those 2 tough losses, I still made it to 7 wins.
Play hard, and don't get discouraged.
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
2x

Avenge
Humility
Noble Sacrifice
Redemption
Zombie Chow
Argent Protector
Dire Wolf Alpha
River Crocolisk
Unstable Ghoul
Wild Pyromancer
Demolisher
Truesilver Champion

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3x
1x
1x
1x
1x
2x
1x
1x
3x
1x
1x

Blessing of Kings
Consecration
Hammer of Wrath
Yeti
Dark Iron Dwarf
Dread Corsair
Fen Creeper
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
Argent Commander
Boulderfist Ogre
War Golem

If that is my list, what do you think the score is? How well should I
have
done? Here is the approximate mana curve breakdown:
0 - 1 | 6 | 20%
2
| 5 | 16%
3
| 1 | 3%
4
| 11 | 37%
5
| 2 | 7%
6+ | 5 | 17%
16 + 12 + 12 = 40
I have 12 spells = 10
Minion breakdown = 5 + 4 + 3 + 5 + 5 = 22
Class breakdown = 8
So what, that's 80 points? Should do above average right? Would you
believe me if I told you that this deck went 11 wins? You might be
surprised
(I was) but let's take a look here at something that is impossible to score
to any general rubrick, Combos.
A combo (not to be confused with the Rogue ability) is any two cards
that
have better synergy with one another than others. Basically, if two cards
can
work together to accomplish more together than individually, there is a
combo
there. The easiest example is Echoing Ooze + any buff, as your buff gets
"doubled" as the Ooze duplicates itself.
So what about this deck? Here are some of them:
Gadgetzan + Cheap spells
I have 5 cheap spells. Normally that's bad; but when you have the
Goblin then you can easily draw cards and dig deep. Normally you
might
think "why not just have better spells" but the beauty of these
Paladin spells is that their effect gained is by timely usage.
Makes
the Gadgetzan very powerful here.
Wild Pyromancer + Cheap spells
See above
Demolisher + Get Down

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Demolisher gains advantage and value by living longer each round.

Thus, having Get Down is a natural fit as it makes it very hard to
remove him without using removal. You can combine Demolisher with
Taunts as well, but the beauty of Get Down is the 1 mana, 2 power
protection he provides.
Dread Corsair + Truesilver Champion
A 3/3 taunt is unimpressive. But a turn 4, Truesilver + 3/3 taunt
is a force to be reckoned with.
3 Argent Commanders
Because, having enough "REALLY GOOD CARDS" can win you games that
you shouldn't. See "having 6+ fireballs"

120

--------------------------------------------------------------------------13. Advanced Arena Strategies

[DDDD]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------So this section could easily be its own guide, though I really don't
know
how long it will be. Not to mention, that this guide has already been
receiving massive hits since it was posted so I say screw it! Let's add
more
to Arena.
I've already linked Trumps guide at liquidhearth and it is fantastic.
But
I have one issue: there's very little strategy detailed out in the guide.
Well
frankly it's not a guide it's a list with explanations. There's some good
that
I whole heartedly agree with but there's also some that I have issue with.
As
such, the general scope of what I'm thinking is: neutral cards, class
cards,
class specifics (like what to aim for), and then any final notes I feel
like
adding in there.
So here's the general idea. Trump uses six ratings, Best, Excellent,
Good,
Average, Poor, and Terrible; and these are based on if these are the first
card you are taking. Frankly, that's dumb as your first pack will always be
at least a rare, so already your commons are swayed because of your pick.
That's not to say that using that guideline isn't bad; but should you
always take Flame Imp because it's best? Probably not. Should you always
take
the excellent Scarlet Crusader? Probably not. So the ranking gives a good
general baseline but after your first 10 picks, it's kinda worthless. After
20 it becomes even more worthless. Instead, you should approach cards with
a
more analytical approach. Cards in Hearthstone can be broken down into
roughly five sections for Arena: Offensive, Defensive, Good, Situational,
and
Avoid.
Strangely enough, Offensive is typically a Defensive measure; but it is
how the card accomplishes that. For example, Dark Iron Dwarf is a perfect
Offensive Minion because he's a 4/4 body, but he has that battlecry for +2
attack. Now, unless you are winning the game because of that +2 attack, you
should always save it to trade a lesser Minion into a larger one. For
instance
you can send your 3/2 into Das'Dingo with Dark Iron Dwarf trading
successfully
which gives serious card advantage.
On the other hand, a Defensive card is something that is more geared
towards building card advantage but slowly. For example, Cult Master is a
great Defensive Minion as you are expecting to trade at least 2 smaller
Minions the moment you play him to draw some cards. So you lose some board
position (replacing with a kinda ineffective 4/2) but you draw cards. On
the
other hand, you could also play Cult Master who will promptly draw the
aggro
and focus of your opponent immediately. You might say he's a false Taunt.

121

There may also be a card like Das'Dingo. Now, he arguably is a Good

card,
but unlike Yeti, he fits more into Defensive because when you drop
Das'Dingo
he provides a good Defensive status for you on the board.
Good cards, can be described as the Yeti section. If they are cost
effective Minions that fulfill the 3, 5, 6+, 9, 10+, and 12+ stat ratio,
they
fit into "Good" cards because you can count on them to always be effective
and
trade well for you. Considering the question posed earlier, you could
always
take Chillwind Yeti, he's that brutal.
Situational cards, are fairly simple. They are disguised as Good cards
but
have a flaw, sometimes fairly obvious othertimes fairly hidden. For
example,
Shattered Sun Cleric is fantastic, providing 7 stats for 3 mana. However, a
deck of all SSC would be pretty terrible. Not to mention, despite SSC being
a 3 mana Minion, he's not really something you play on turn 3 unless you
have
in play a Minion already needing to trade. (Something similar to Dark Iron
Dwarf if you must).
Now the difference between SSC and others, is because you can take SSC
multiple times, but you probably don't want more than 3. A card like
Scarlet
Crusader on the other hand, is not nearly as good as it seems because if
you
face Mage, Rogue, Druid, and to some extent, Paladin and Shaman, your 3/1
trades but a single time. True it may trade for a 3/2 and then another 2
mana
(from the Hero Power) but ultimately that's a 3 mana investment for a 4
mana
investment. Really not so hot anymore. In particular, Mages have a field
day
shooting down the Crusader before it can even breathe.
Another card-type is those vulnerable to something specific. One thing
that comes to mind is Silence, however, that really isn't the concern. What
comes to mind for me as a great example is Gurubashi Berserker. While Trump
ranks him overall a "Poor" Minion, if you look objectively at him he
doesn't
seem that bad. He's a 9 stat Minion for 5 mana, which isn't that bad
considering we look for a 10+ stat barrier. Now, his weakness obviously is
the
2 Power. He does grow though, meaning he should tend to trade 2-1 most
often.
However, there's something to consider, Stampeding Kodo. This guy, kills a
random 2 or less Power enemy Minion. Essentially, he eats Gurubashi (among
others) for breakfast. Granted he is a rare, but when you are trying to
make
the best deck, you have to be prepared.
For example, another card is Mind Control Tech. This guy doesn't seem
all
that powerful or dangerous, but stop and think of the utility provided by
this
3 mana Minion. Even if you just have to cast him, he's 6 stats for 3 mana,
not

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the worst Minion. But, even in the event where you steal a 1/1, you still
are
coming out ahead as you now have 8 stats for 3 mana (a bargain) but you've
also removed 1 of your opponents Minions. Really a 10 stat tradeoff. The
power only grows with the strength of the Minion stolen. If for example,
your
opponent has a 1/1, a 1/1, a 3/2, and a 4/5 Yeti, how can you rank these
steals effectively? Is it a 50% chance to win? Depends on on what is
winning.
If we are aiming to at least steal a 3/2 as winning, that's a good basis.
(Really though, anything stolen is a win). So, is it a 50% loss, 50% win?
Could be; though is stealing a 4/5 is definitely better than a 1/1, and the
3/2 is definitely better than a 1/1. What we haven't looked at is the value
of what goes missing on your opponents side.
The best way to think about it is the EV, expected value. For those who
don't understand math, EV is just the average, the mean. For this case,
with
4 Minions and a combined 18 stats out there, the EV becomes 18/4 or 4.5
stats.
Thus, that is how we come to skewed percentages. Even though it would
appear
that you have 25% for 1/1, 25% for 1/1, 25% for 3/2, and 25% for 4/5, when
you factor in the EV and then the loss of his stats and your gain, that's
where those numbers come from. In other words, don't worry about it. MC is
a good card.
The last section obviously is the avoiding cards. Try not to grab
these.
Typically, you'll find cards like Goldshire Footman there, because he's a
bad
1/2 Taunt that won't accomplish anything. Similarly Mogu'shan Warden is
bad.
Sure he has a bunch of health, but that small 1 power is just... bad.

Alright, so to quickly preface, one of the big things to note is where

you
are at in the draft. As your Arena draft builds before your eyes, you can
see
where you are lacking and where your strengths are. Generally, you want to
check this at two points: 10 cards, and 20 cards.
This means your draft is done in 3 parts. The first part is the first
10
cards; you want to grab the best card everytime. This means Good cards are
your top priority. Also the top priority are top Offensive and Defensive
cards. Things like Dark Iron Dwarf, Yeti, Cairne, Azure Drake... these you
always take the first 10 cards.
After 10 cards, we want to stop and look at what we have. This makes
the
next 10 cards our directional draft. We've taken cards, now we have an idea
of what direction we are heading. Does our deck look more aggro or more
control? Do we have lots of spells or lots of cheap cards? This means our
next 10 cards we want to try and direct our cards to match similarly into
this direction. This might mean taking a lesser Abusive Sergeant over the
slower Oasis Snapjaw because we have a fairly aggressive deck and the
turtle
doesn't compliment it at all.
At 20 cards, we are in the final stage, the rounding draft. As we have

123

nearly 2/3 of our deck, we need to take cards to round our deck out. This
is
when Mana Curve becomes vitally important. Do we have just a couple 5+
drops?
We might need an ineffective Core Hound simply because he's large; passing
on
the much better Das'Dingo. Do we not have nearly enough cheap cards? Might
need that crappy River Crocolisk, or Silverback Patriarch over the better
Boulderfist Ogre because we need cheap Minions. With that in mind...

Let's get into this.

LEGENDARY CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Cairne Bloodhoof
Deathwing
Feugen
Millhouse Manastorm
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Ragnaros the Firelord
Onyxia
Kel'Thuzad
The Black Knight
Baron Geddon
Loatheb
Gruul
The Beast
Leeroy Jenkins
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Ysera
Sylvanas Windrunner
Illidan Stormrage
Hogger
Maexxna
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Baron Rivendare
Harrison Jones
Alexstrasza
Captain Greenskin
Malygos
AVOID CARDS
Stalagg
Tinkmaster Overspark
Bloodmage Thalnos
King Mukla
Nozdormu
Nat Pagle
Lorewalker Cho

EPIC CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Sea Giant
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Faceless Manipulator

124

Doomsayer
Echoing Ooze
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Molten Giant
Mountain Giant
Shade of Naxxramas
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Blood Knight
Big Game Hunter
Southsea Captain
Murloc Warleader
Hungry Crab

RARE CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Azure Drake
Knife Juggler
Wild Pyromancer
Injured Blademaster
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Argent Commander
Stampeding Kodo
Mind Control Tech
Defender of Argus
Ravenholdt Assassin
Arcane Golem
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Twilight Drake
Sludge Belcher
Sunwalker
Imp Master
Emperor Cobra
Deathlord
Sunfury Protector
Demolisher
Pint-Sized Summoner
Master Swordsmith
Young Priestess
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Nerubian Egg
Violet Teacher
Abomination
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
Questing Adventurer
Crazed Alchemist
Bloodsail Corsair
Ancient Mage
Secretkeeper
Lightwarden
Ancient Watcher
Angry Chicken
AVOID CARDS
Wailing Soul
Mana Wraith
Mana Addict

125

Coldlight Oracle
Coldlight Seer
Alarm-o-Bot
Murloc Tidecaller

NEUTRAL CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Chillwind Yeti
Zombie Chow
Harvest Golem
Shattered Sun Cleric
Acidic Swamp Ooze
Venture Co. Mercenary
Faerie Dragon
Youthful Brewmaster
Bloodfen Raptor
Ancient Brewmaster
Spectral Knight
Spiteful Smith
Bloodsail Raider (if weapon user class)
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Dark Iron Dwarf
Boulderfist Ogre
Earthen Ring Farseer
Stormwind Champion
Stormwind Knight
Dire Wolf Alpha
Stormpike Commando
Darkscale Healer
Bluegill Warrior
Wolfrider
Elven Archer
Abusive Sergeant
Ironforge Rifleman
Reckless Rocketeer
Southsea Deckhand (if weapon user class)
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Silver Hand Knight
Gnomish Inventor
Sen'jin Shieldmasta
Cult Master
Worgen Infiltrator
Loot Hoarder
Spellbreaker
Frostwolf Warlord
Stranglethorn Tiger
Fen Creeper
Frost Elemental
Haunted Creeper
Unstable Ghoul
Oasis Snapjaw
War Golem
Amani Berserker
Acolyte of Pain
River Crocolisk
Priestess of Elune
Ironbeak Owl
Leper Gnome
Windfury Harpy

126

Voodoo Doctor
Murloc Raider
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Scarlet Crusader
Mad Bomber
Raging Worgen
Flesheating Ghoul
Razorfen Hunter
Gurubashi Berserker
Archmage
Undertaker
Mad Scientist
Dragonling Mechanic
Ogre Magi
Kobold Geomancer
Murloc Tidehunter
Raid Leader
Dread Corsair (if weapon user class)
Dalaran Mage
Shieldbearer
AVOID CARDS
Dancing Swords
Jungle Panther
Silvermoon Guardian
Ironfur Grizzly
Lord of the Arena
Novice Engineer
Booty Bay Bodyguard
Argent Squire
Core Hound
Thrallmar Farseer
Nightblade
Frostwolf Grunt
Mogu'shan Warden
Tauren Warrior
Magma Rager
Silverback Patriarch
Nerub'ar Weblord
Stoneskin Gargoyle
Goldshire Footman
Stonetusk Boar
Young Dragonhawk
Wisp
Grimscale Oracle

Analysis and Explanations

LEGENDARY CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Cairne Bloodhoof
Topping the Good cards list overall is Mr. Bloodhoof who is an
outstanding 18 stat Minion for 6 mana. There just isn't anything more
you
want from a Minion. He may not be flashy like Ragnaros, or shut down
your

127

opponent like Sylvanas, but he is brutal all the same

Deathwing
Trump isn't a fan of Deathwing and I'll admit he's tricky but when you
are
looking for a catch-all solution you won't find a better Minion than
Deathwing. He's big; actually he's the biggest and largest out there.
Oh
you discard your hand; fine you might lose 1 or 2 cards. But you clear
your opponents board and you get a large 12/12 that will win the game
in
1, maybe 2 attacks. If playing against Mage, Shaman, or Priest, you do
need to exercise caution with Hex, Polymorph, and Mind Control, but in
the end when you need to exercise your right to make a statement
Deathwing
will do that for you
Feugen
His deathrattle is sad as you will never seen Thaddius, ever, but that
aside, Feugen is this large 4/7 for 5 mana which is disgustingly
efficient
making him a very nice Minion to have on your side of the board
Millhouse Manastorm
Having a 4/4 is nice. Having it on turn 2 is even nicer. That being
said,
Millhouse does have a downside; free spells are never a good thing.
Now,
that being said, we're talking about Arena, an environment that is well
over 70% Minions, meaning that when you drop him on turn 2 your
opponent
may have 1 spell in their hand. And I'd guarantee you, that often it's
a
spell they may not want to waste on Millhouse. Flamestrike? Alright...
Fireball? Well we would like Millhouse to stick around but Yeti is
better
to keep around longer. Now this does mean that if you don't get
Millhouse
to drop turns 1-3, he becomes much weaker. So much, that you probably
want
to hang onto him until your opponent is down to 2 cards in hand. So
he's
high risk, but high reward, as a 4/4 that early can do some serious
damage to your opponent
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Ragnaros the Firelord
When you are looking for immediate impact, Ragnaros can't do much more
for you. He's fantastically huge, and does it all without taking
damage.
The trick with Ragnaros is then focusing on clearing your opponents
board
so that Ragnaros doesn't waste his huge 8 damage wallops
Onyxia
What's better than an 8/8? One that comes with an army of 1/1s! Onyxia
is
fairly expensive but the moment she hits the board she turns a grim
situation into a 14 point swing next turn less any whelps that get
struck

128

down. She's extremely strong and a very good pick

Kel'Thuzad
KT is like the Cult Master of dreams. What's better than drawing cards?
Just getting new Minions! Yes the power of KT is largely determined by
your board status when you play him but KT will easily give huge and
winning card advantage if he's not dealt with by your opponent next
turn
The Black Knight
Normally he'd be a situational card, but with so many taunts in the
game
of Hearthstone, the Black Knight is a much better pick than that as he
almost always has a target to hit. And even if you don't, he's still a
nice large body so it's not a total loss
Baron Geddon
In terms of turning the game around, Baron Geddon does that in a huge
fashion. Now, he's quite a bit weaker in Shaman and Paladin decks, but
really not THAT much weaker because having a 7/5 that explodes the
board
every turn is fairly nice to have, especially for giving card advantage
Loatheb
A seemingly defensive card, Loatheb is actually very offensive as he
gives
you the control over your opponents turn. When you play Loatheb he's
likely to be the largest Minion out there; and when you combine that
with
with the spell-immunity next turn you get a nice advantage

Gruul
These last 3 aren't nearly as flashy, but that's because of a downside
you must consider. While Gruul is huge, and he gets bigger, there's
something he lacks. Immediate impact. No deathrattle, no charge, and no
huge implosion makes him something like War Golem. Your opponent must
deal with him, but unlike other Legendaries he might not do anything
for
you besides eat a Polymorph
The Beast
Unlike Millhouse, the Beast suffers from oh crap I gave my opponent a
3/3.
He's big, yes. However, unlike Millhouse, the Beast is a constant
threat
to give your opponent a 3/3 making him big but a weaker big
Leeroy Jenkins
With the nerf, he's an almost weaker version of Reckless Rocketeer.
That
being said, he's still not useless, he's just not the greatest
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Ysera
Ysera may not splash like Ragnaros, but Ysera will win you the game if
your opponent cannot deal with her quickly. At 12 health, she's tough
to
bring down. Her low power of 4 is annoying, but actually makes her
Priest-proof (well, everything-proof). You cannot go wrong with Ysera

129

Sylvanas Windrunner
The beauty of Sylvanas is you force your opponent to play very
carefully.
You get a 5/5 for 6, a fine deal, but the fact you get your opponent to
trade everything away to negate her deathrattle means you get
significant
card advantage. In the event you steal something that just makes it
that
nice
Illidan Stormrage
Illidan is an interesting card. Unlike other offensive legendaries, he
needs you to play other cards to maximize his effect. Thus, you might
lose
card advantage to gain it later so that you get use out of him
Hogger
Hogger is great. A nice large body that generates 2/2s is great.
However,
his use is largely Defensive in that you need to play him when you have
board advantage, less he gets eliminated immediately
Maexxna
Maexxna is not great. That being said, she's preferred to some
legendaries
simply because her death ability forces your opponent to be worried and
deal with her less Maexxna trades with an Ogre. So it's not really a
huge
victory, but I guess a victory nonetheless
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Baron Rivendare
If you have 5+ deathrattles, then take him. Otherwise I'd pass
Harrison Jones
If you get Harrison with any avoid cards, you can take him. Otherwise
I'd probably pass, especially as you might only get to draw a single
card maybe a few times. That being said a 5/4 for 5 is not so exciting
Alexstrasza
With Alex being such a bomb so often, she's surprisingly shitty in
Arena.
Often, playing Alex to heal yourself to 15 doesn't help as you probably
have no board presence and your opponent probably can deal 10 damage
anyway so whoop-de-doo. If the event of dealing the damage to your
opponent, it probably won't be much besides giving you a 8/8. So where
does Alex fit? Situationally in a few decks: Warrior, Mage, Priest, and
to some extent Druid. The reason being that Warrior can Armor himself,
with the heal complimenting it. Mage can easily clear the board the
turn
before setting up for Alex. Priest quite similar, leaving Druid who can
use Innervate and to some extent, the armor as well. The other classes
really don't get much use from Alex in Arena
Captain Greenskin
If playing a weapon class that has weapons, he's not bad. Otherwise
he's
quite meaningless. And even so, his active only really works out if you
hit something like Arcanite Reaper, Doomhammer, Assassin's Blade, or

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Gorehowl, because buffing a 1/2 into a 2/3 is mediocre

Malygos
The ultimate situaional spellpower beast, Malygos at least gets the
advantage of being a gigantic Dragon
------------------AVOID CARDS
Stalagg
If you have to take one of these, Stalagg is the best. He too is a huge
11 stat Minion for 5. However, unlike Feugen, his 4 health makes him
beyond vulnerable to die to silly cheap Minions making you sad
Bloodmage Thalnos
In constructed Thalnos is awesome. In Arena he's a weaker Loot Hoarder.
I'd probably pass
King Mukla
Mukla is the weaker Millhouse. He cost more, only for 2 more stats, but
let's compare downsides. Bananas are never going away, meaning your
opponent always gets to use them whenever. Millhouse has a one turn
downside that may not even matter. As such, Mukla is pretty bad here
and
despite his threatening size, he can easily give the game away
Nozdormu
We simply need more out of our expensive Dragons
Tinkmaster Overspark
I'd only take TinkASSter if your other choices were Nat or Cho
Nat Pagle
Dude sucks in Arena
Lorewalker Cho
Dude sucks. I guess arguably he could be Defensive as you force your
opponent to play around him. The problem is he doesn't do anything
besides
that; including kill the Minions who are trying to kill you

EPIC CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Sea Giant
This guy is the epitome of brutal effectiveness. Rarely will he cost
more
than 6 mana, thus giving you a huge 8/8 body for cheap. Sea Giant is
fantastic, there isn't much else to say
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Faceless Manipulator
He's always the best Minion out there; or at least tied with the best.
The
Great thing about Faceless though, is copying the best creature, and
then

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eliminating it from your opponent. For example, Faceless+Polymorph.

Take
that Tirion! On the other hand, you can also Faceless things like
Charging
Minions to deal lethal, as well as duplicating Taunts for extra
protection
Doomsayer
Doomsayer isn't great, but he can be. Why's that? Because when you drop
him you control what goes down on the board next turn. Now he might get
silenced or killed or whatevered, but in that case; your 2 mana
Doomsayer
ate a Polymorph for your Ogre. He's tricky to use but he can be nice to
have
Echoing Ooze
At worst he's a 6 stat for 2 mana Minion. Granted, that's two 1/2s
which
kinda sucks. But any kind of bonus makes him extremely nice to have,
granting a nice turnaround
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Molten Giant
None of the Epic Defensive cards are great, but they all do have some
purpose. The easiest to use, is Molten Giant, as getting an 8/8 for 5
mana (ideal) is nice and in safe-zone for not dying. Dropping a Molten
for free is key for Handlock, but we have no guarantee to Taunt him.
Note that Molten into Alex could be the dumbest and most obnoxious
combo ever if you get it
Mountain Giant
Unlike Twilight Drake who isn't a complete waste lategame, Mountain
Giant is only good to have early as drawing it late makes it a complete
bust. If you play Mountain Giant for 4, 5, or 6 mana he's strong.
Otherwise he's losing out to other Minions.
Shade of Naxxramas
You've already read my description of Shade; here he fits into
Defensive
as that's all he gets. You might trade him as a 3/3 into a 3/2 right
away, or let him sit around forever. Point being, he's less effective
than other Stealth Minions as he takes too long to become effective
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Blood Knight
Three drops are fairly tricky. With the few exceptions of Minions like
Injured Blademaster, you expect a nice battlecry out of your 3 drops.
In cases like Blood Knight, he's not a bad pick persay, but if you have
something to guarantee landing a 6/6 for 3 mana (maybe an Argent Squire
or something else if you are Paladin) then he becomes gold
Big Game Hunter
He's situational, so how do you pick him? Basically if he's your choice
among these last 3 Epics. Just kidding. While that part is true, a
reason
to take BGH is if you are in the last 20 cards and don't have any solid
removal yet

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Southsea Captain
He's like Blood Knight but not as cool. If you have some Pirates he
becomes a fairly viable pick, but even so you are going to end up with
a 3/3 for 3 which is fine, but not great
Murloc Warleader
This guy is fairly bad, especially as ALL Murlocs get boosted meaning
you can help out your opponents
Hungry Crab
It probably won't work

RARE CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Azure Drake
Draw a card is always nice. A 4/4 is always nice. Combine those two
together for 5 mana and we have a great choice you can almost always
take.
He may not be Yeti, but digging into more cards with a large body to
boot
is pretty nice
Knife Juggler
Easily the best 2 mana Minion out there, Knife Juggler commands respect
and can easily draw laughable results from your opponent as they try to
take him out quickly. The beauty is that you have to do nothing special
except play Minions. Every Minion that played is just that much use out
of Knife Juggler
Wild Pyromancer
He's a 3/2 for 2, so that's good. His ability is likewise fantastic as
you control when you want it. Need a 5 damage Flamestrike? Need a 3
damage Consecrate? Need 4 damage out of that Lightning Bolt? Wild Pyro
is spellpower but with the nice ability of being a 3/2 body but also
enraging your Minions and drawing cards off of Acolyte of Pain
Injured Blademaster
He's 11 stats for 3 mana, incredible! Well if he gets thrown out there
from Deathlord that is. Even as a 4/3, he's still awesome. Combined
with
a Priest he becomes an essential pick
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Argent Commander
Looking for splash? Argent Commander has immediate splash and always
lives to tell the tale making him a great choice always
Stampeding Kodo
While his ability might not always go off; the plethora of Minions that
will die is very high and thusly Stampeding Kodo is a high priority
pick
Mind Control Tech
We've talked about him already. Of the 3/3 for 3, he's easily the best
Defender of Argus

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You might ask if I have a thing for Defender of Argus. You would not be
wrong. The only downside is it can be hard sometimes to get full use of
his battlecry
Ravenholdt Assassin
These last two are less than great, but nonetheless, unlike other
Stealth
Minions, Ravenholdt is not meant so much for trading but for winning.
He
can trade, but when you have a 7/5 ideally you can whack and win
Arcane Golem
You'd almost always prefer 3/1 Wolfrider. Really Arcane Golem is quite
weak giving up that mana crystal
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Twilight Drake
Twilight Drake tops the defensive status as you want to hang onto cards
to get full use out of him. This means that you might lose some
advantage
early, but that is compensated by getting a 4/7+ on turn 4 which is
simply
awesome
Sludge Belcher
Is he better than Sunwalker? It's close. He's cheaper, and 1/1 less as
such. And both have two lives. The reason Sludge gets the nod is
because
how easily Sunwalker can lose Divine Shield for any number of reasons,
whereas Sludge Belcher has to be silenced less he shuts down your
opponent
over two turns
Sunwalker
That doesn't make Sunwalker weak; because he's not. It's just Sludge
Belcher is better
Imp Master
Imp Master is interesting, because a 1/4 and a 1/1 on turn 3 isn't
going
to win any battles. But Imp Master can pretty quickly get fairly gross
as
she pumps out 1/1 Imps turn after turn giving you a scary board
Emperor Cobra
When you think of annoying, that is where the Cobra fits. While he may
not 2-1, his ability to dictate how your opponent plays makes him a
very
strong and fairly high pick
Deathlord
I've mentioned him already, and there isn't much to add. At early
levels
he simply is a threatening foe to deal with. He's a rather high pick
Sunfury Protector
Sunfury is interesting as getting use of Taunt is not nearly as neat as
it would seem. It's hard to guarantee taunting anything because it's
Arena, and unlike Defender the lack of 1/1 stats makes it less
impactful.

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That being said, Sunfury mostly becomes a 2/3 for 2 which is less
exciting
Demolisher
The Demolisher is like the Cobra just not as flashy or exciting. That
being said, every turn he lives you get more use out of him
Pint-Sized Summoner
These last 3 choices are all fairly weak, for many reasons. Starting
with
the little Summoner who tried, her impact is only at the beginning of
your
next turn which is a lot to ask for out of a 2/2
Master Swordsmith
He's a lot better than the Young Priestess, but that being said, he
himself isn't that exciting as a 1/3. Giving attack is cool as well but
it's hard to get him out early with another Minion as well
Young Priestess
If she were a 1/2 she'd be better. That being said she dies 33% of the
time immediately and the other times her impact is too low to
accomplish
much of anything
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Nerubian Egg
Getting a 4/4 for 2 is great. But you have to be able to kill it off,
or
boost it somehow to get use. Making it extremely situational
Violet Teacher
Having a 3/5 for 4 is mediocre. If you have spells to use then Violet
Teacher becomes a nice pick
Abomination
Abomination is situational because he want to take him if you haven't
many Taunts. If not he can be a bit of a grenade
Gadgetzan Auctioneer
He's similar to Violet Teacher, better in fact, it's just he's a bit
harder to take advantage of with his higher cost and lower health
making
him easier to get rid of
Questing Adventurer
Take Questing Adventurer if you can pair him with an Enchantment or are
playing a control deck. Otherwise pass
Crazed Alchemist
Crazed Alchemist is good if you have a couple skewed Minions, meaning
high/low or low/high. He can provide utility
Bloodsail Corsair
Take him if you don't have an Acidic Swamp Ooze by 20 cards
Ancient Mage
Take him if you have at least 5 spells requiring spell power
Secretkeeper

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Take her if you have at least 4 secrets. Even so not the greatest
Lightwarden
Take her if you are Priest or Shaman. Pass otherwise
Ancient Watcher
Take him if you have at least 4 ways to Silence and/or Taunt
Angry Chicken
Not a bad choice if you have at least 5 ways to boost health
------------------AVOID CARDS
Wailing Soul
If you have to take one of these, having a 3/5 for 4 is the best bet
Mana Wraith
Besides being a crappy 2/2 for 2, his ability doesn't help unless you
coin him out on turn 1
Mana Addict
Sucks. End of story
Coldlight Oracle
If you have no means to draw cards... still not a good choice
Coldlight Seer
Only take him if your other choices are the last two
Alarm-o-Bot
Nope
Murloc Tidecaller
It's not going to work

NEUTRAL CARDS
GOOD CARDS
Chillwind Yeti
As we continually compare and reference to Yeti, there's a reason he is
where he is. He's a 4/5 for 4, a perfect vanilla hero, and with his
health
skewed favorably (something that is different when we talk about 2
drops)
Chillwind Yeti is fantastic and if you could draft 10 of them you
should
Zombie Chow
Just missing the top pick, Zombie Chow is a fantastic card. I've
already
given his praise earlier, but concerning where he fits with the other
cards, he's just that good. He's a 2/3 for 1 mana that simply commands
the
board the moment he hits the board. There just isn't anything else you
want to play on turn 1 than Zombie Chow
Harvest Golem
Harvest Golem is an example of a Minion that if he gets silenced you
become quite sad, but as it is, he's a good 2/3 the first time around,

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followed up with the 2/1 the second time around. Even if his second
body
gets killed for 2 mana, he will still almost always 2-1 and if not, he
at
least builds mana advantage
Shattered Sun Cleric
I knocked this Cleric earlier, but all that being said, the only
knocking
really comes when you have too many of them. An effective 7 stat
Minion,
the real strength is raising your Minion to that necessary kill amount,
while surviving the exchange
Acidic Swamp Ooze
All of the 3/2 Minions are Good cards. The Ooze is the best of the
bunch
due to its ability being the best of all of them. Dropping Ooze as a
3/2
on turn 2 is a fine play. Dropping it to destroy ANY weapon of your
opponents if a GREAT play
Venture Co. Mercenary
Venture Co. is an interesting card because the downside is rather huge.
That being said, a gigantic 7/6 for just 5 mana is simply too strong
and
if your opponent can't deal with it right away you will win the game
pretty quickly
Faerie Dragon
It's debateable if Faerie Dragon is better than Brewmaster, but
regardless
they are both great Minions. I think the Dragon gets the slight edge
simply because it almost has to be traded off by a Minion because of
its
spell-ability-evasion. True it can't be healed or anything like that
but
that's not a huge loss as it also cannot be Shadow Worded, Frostbolted,
or any 2 damage nuke from the classes
Youthful Brewmaster
Moving along, often the Brewmaster will be a 3/2 for 2 which is fine.
But
when you can get use of him by bouncing any huge battlecry, Defender of
Argus, Temple Enforcer, or even Silver Hand Knight, he goes way up.
He's
also great for dealing with negative enchantments like Silence or
Humility
not to mention healing your Minions by allowing you to replay them
Bloodfen Raptor
Thus, we end the 3/2 list with the most basic of them, the Raptor.
There
isn't much to be said, dropping a 3/2 on turn 2 is one of the most
important plays you can manage

Ancient Brewmaster
These are still good cards (these last 3) but they aren't nearly as
strong
as the previous bunch. Regarding the bigger panda, his stats are skewed
the wrong way. See, with a 3/2, they can effectively threaten the board

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not to mention, threaten 3 drops of your opponent. Once you get into
the
4+ range, you'd prefer have more health. As this guy can trade with
Yeti
and Das'Dingo, that's really good. His battlecry too can be quite good
as
well
Spectral Knight
This guy is quite similar to Spiteful Smith, but who is better? The
Smith
might get the nod if you have weapons, but even so, having a huge 4/6
body
that cannot be hex'd, polymorph'd, fireball'd, or anything, is a very
good
thing to have. Toss down Defender of Argus next to him and be excited
Spiteful Smith
This guy is a great neutral, 10 stats for 5 mana. While we may want
something more exciting out of him, it's alright. If we look at most 5
drops, they tend to have 4 health. For instance, Abomination, Azure
Drake,
Captain Greenskin, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Silver Hand Knight, and
Harrison
Jones, all have 4 health (and not 6 power) meaning that he trades out 5
drops quite well. All in all, he's good and he gets better if you have
a
weapon
Bloodsail Raider (if weapon user class)
If you don't have a weapon, he goes to Defensive Cards. As most classes
get weapons, he tends to be a better card then. Even simple Rogue
daggers
turn him into a 3/3 for 2 mana, so keep that in mind
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Dark Iron Dwarf
This guy is fantastic. As noted, the reason he is so good is that he
makes
your 2 drop trade into a 4 drop, while giving a 4/4 body. There isn't
much
else to be said about Dark Iron Dwarf
Boulderfist Ogre
This guy isn't quite a Good card, due to his higher cost, but unlike
his
other expensive counterparts, he fits into the Offensive category as he
will win the game for you. At almost any time, when you play Ogre he
will
be the largest Minion out there and he commands respect. Unlike War
Golem,
his 6 cost means that late game he can be combo'd with other power 4
drops
to give you an explosive 10 mana turn
Earthen Ring Farseer
You would think that health would be defensive, but it's actually quite
offensive in that you give yourself immediate card advantage. Even if
you

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don't immediately trade a Minion out and then heal; just getting the
free
damage across builds immediate advantage. You can always heal yourself
as
well but that loses some of the offensive capabilities
Stormwind Champion
Having a SSC for your entire team is fantastic. However, his expensive
7
cost prohibits him from being a Good card. His impact is immediate and
like other large Minions, if he isn't dealt with the game gets away
rather quickly

Stormwind Knight
So we're into the lower half of offensive cards. While all of these
cards
do fit the Offensive molds, they are weaker picks. Anyway, regarding
Stormwind Knight, he sacrifices 2 stats for Charge. However, unlike his
other Charge buddies, he ranks much higher as he can effectively trade
with 2 Minions because of his 5 health. While 2 power may not take down
the most threatening Minions, he can build you card advantage quickly
Dire Wolf Alpha
This is the watered down Stormwind Champion. His small 2/2 body is weak
but the ability to raise your Minions attack up can be huge and game
changing, thus being a good offensive fit
Stormpike Commando
This guy is only as high as he is because of his 4 power. The 2 health
is
frightening, and the 2 damage battlecry isn't the best, but it does
find
it's uses
Darkscale Healer
Similar to Earthen Ring Farseer, this guy (er Naga) can restore your
Minions up giving card advantage. The downside is that 2 Health isn't
nearly as good as 3 Health, not to mention a 4/5 for 5 is less exciting
Bluegill Warrior
Both Bluegill and Wolfrider serve similar purposes. The difference is
that Bluegill is the perfect counter to 3/2s. The weakness comes in
that
Bluegill Warrior will only 1-1, so it's not the best card
Wolfrider
Wolfrider is quite weak. Frankly the rest of these cards are quite weak
but regardless, Wolfrider is a 3 mana lightning bolt that can deal with
anything smaller than 3 drops for the most part
Elven Archer
This awkward 1 drop isn't a 1 drop, because we aren't playing it on
turn
1. That being said, it is better than Ironforge Rifleman because the 1
mana 1 extra damage is much more flexible to work with. That being
said,
it will likely die to ambient breathing and will only really serve to
assist in a 1-2 trade on your losing end
Abusive Sergeant
While +2 attack earned Dark Iron Dwarf the top spot for Offensive
cards,

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the small 2/1 body of the Abusive Sergeant is not nearly as exciting as
it will just not be effective at any stage in the game
Ironforge Rifleman
The 2/2 for 3 mana isn't great. The 1 damage battlecry is less
exciting.
All in all, this guy isn't great
Reckless Rocketeer
A 6 mana not even Fireball's worth of damage makes this one of the
crappier Minions in the game. That being said, you can pick this up if
are looking for something offensive
Southsea Deckhand (if weapon user class)
Normally, 2/1's are defensive in that playing a 2/1 on turn 1 against
any non 1 damage dealing Class (so 66% of the time it works) means you
can threaten your opponent to be weary of their 3/2's losing out. The
reason this guy gets a boost is that many classes have weapons, and as
such you can tack on the 2 damage for just a single mana which offers
flexibility
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Silver Hand Knight
Silver Hand Knight is a fantastic Defensive card. You may ask why not a
good card or offensive; here's why. You get 2 Minions, a 4/4 and 2/2
that
your opponent now must address. He won't overwhelm like a Boulderfist
Ogre
nor smash like a Venture Co, but he does force a decision as your 5
drop
can easily now trade out 2 Minions
Gnomish Inventor
His card advantage is immediate, drawing a card. The question is does
the
2/4 body make up for it? Most of the time it will, as it can tend to
trade
favorably with 3/2s. He's a fantastic card and is a great way to secure
card advantage in the long run
Sen'jin Shieldmasta
We've already talked about Das'Dingo so there isn't much else to add. I
guess I'll explain why he's third and not first is because he only has
3
attack instead of 4. That's about it
Cult Master
As explained, Cult Master is the epitome of Defensive. You can trade
smaller Minions in for cards; but you can also play Cult Master as a
false Taunt meaning that your opponent will attack and deal with it
first
before dealing with your other Minions as they don't want to give you
more cards
Worgen Infiltrator
So we have quite a few 2/1s, but this guy is a beast. Because he cannot
be dealt with short of AoE. Dropping a Worgen on turn 1 is the
strongest
turn 1 play except for Zombie Chow

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Loot Hoarder
Normally a Good card, Loot Hoarder gets knocked down as 33% of the time
it dies for 2 mana, meaning the turns were a "skip-go" as your opponent
neither lost a card and you traded a 2/1 in for something else. In the
event you aren't dealing with the 33%, you can trade your 2/1 into a
3/2
and giving yourself a card, nice!
Spellbreaker
Silence is kinda crappy, but nonetheless it's defensive, be it
unfreezing
your own Minion or dealing with an enemy enchantment (but not removing
the creature). Spellbreaker is nice thanks to the larger body attached
to
the ability. While the 4/3 can lose to a 3/2, it calls on you to play
it
wisely unless you desperately need the Silence
Frostwolf Warlord
This guy is another huge Minion; but fits Defensively due to the nature
of how he gets big. You need at least 2 Minions out there, which means
playing defensively. The biggest he can become is 10/10 and it won't
happen often, but if you can get him over to 7/7+, the game changes
Stranglethorn Tiger
Another stealthy Minion, he's fairly expensive though which makes him
less appealing. He does chow on Yetis and Das'Dingos which is what he
serves to do
Fen Creeper
A more expensive Das'Dingo that isn't more great; he provides a nice
Taunt to hide behind but the 3 power can cause some problems
Frost Elemental
Freezing is very underrated. That being said, the 5/5 for 6 is a bit
sad when you see Boulderfist Ogre against you. On the other hand,
freezing
a Minion that you can't deal with yet is a defensive measure to buy
yourself a turn to find an answer
Haunted Creeper
He's a fairly good pick, it's just that he doesn't quite do as much as
you
want out of a 2 drop. However, he does dictate your opponent play
carefully as killing the Haunted Creeper when they aren't able to deal
with the 1/1s right away gives you a stronger offense on your next turn
Unstable Ghoul
Similar to Haunted Creeper, he forces your opponents into an awkward
spot
as the 1/3 can take out a 3/2, but he also can protect your 3/2s for
you.
Combined with Gurubashi, Acolyte, or even Frothing Berserker you get a
nasty drop

Oasis Snapjaw
We're into the weaker section now. Starting things off is the turtle.
He eats 3/2 Minions all day but we don't really need to eat THAT many
3/2s
especially when we look to a 4 drop Minion. Then we look Stampeding
Kodo
and feel even more frightened

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War Golem
Unlike Boulderfist Ogre, the 7 cost is prohibitive. He is big and he
can
win, but typically you'll see War Golem drop down to draw some
attention
to himself, making him a more defensive rather than offensive card
Amani Berserker
Like other 2/3's, Amani Berserker is no exception. We prefer 3/2s as
they
threaten more quickly and can threaten 3 drops. The exception is that
Amani can at least be used threateningly if you can enrage him; the
downside then being he will 1-1 for you
Acolyte of Pain
There's not much to say about Acolyte of Pain. His sole purpose is to
draw cards. Unlike constructed though, he will tend to give you just 1
card making him a weaker Loot Hoarder
River Crocolisk
Just like Amani, except even more boring
Priestess of Elune
A 5/4 body attached to a 6 drop we would expect something great.
Healing
4 health to your Hero and nothing else really isn't that great
Ironbeak Owl
Similar to Abusive Sergeant, the Owl just isn't as great as
Spellbreaker
because of its small body
Leper Gnome
Three of these last 4 are all 2/1 for 1. Sometimes, 33% of the time,
they
will be eliminated for 2 mana making them not a good investment. But
66%
of the time you can threaten the board. They don't have Stealth though
like the Worgen making them weaker and rather undesirable picks
Windfury Harpy
The Harpy is similar to War Golem, just not as exciting as it's easier
to deal with
Voodoo Doctor
Murloc Raider
-----------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Scarlet Crusader
As stated, this chick 66% of the time is brutal. It's just that the 33%
of the time makes her a situational card that is good, but not that
good
Mad Bomber
I have mixed feelings about Mad Bomber. He's a 3/2 for 2, but his
battle
cry for me pisses me off more than not. So for me he's situational in
that
if you can pick him alongside cards that want damage (enrage, Acolyte)

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then he becomes good. Otherwise I'd pass most of the time

Raging Worgen
A 3/3 for 3 seems fine. In fact, it also seems defensive. The problem
is
that enraging this guy is quite hard as you almost need a 1 power
Minion
to attack (unless you are a Mage) otherwise your Worgen dies before you
can take advantage of it
Flesheating Ghoul
Unlike Cult Master, +1 attack isn't as exciting as drawing a card thus
securing the Ghoul into the Situational section, making him better when
paired with Paladin or Shaman
Razorfen Hunter
All of these summoners, except Silver Hand Knight, are situaional as
their summon is eliminated 33% of the time right away turning them into
subpar Minions. Typically I'd tend to avoid them, but if you happen to
have Minions like Raid Leader, Stormwind Champion, or Frostwolf
Warlord,
(hell even Sea Giant) they become situationally better
Gurubashi Berserker
He cost 1 more than the turtle but with an ability. He's a mixed bag.
Most of the time he's not worth it. If you are Mage or Priest he's
better
Archmage
Spellpower is a somewhat meaningless ability in Arena. As you have more
spells that enjoy it; these Minions value goes up. With Archmage, he is
a *larger* Minion for 6 which is more appealing than others, but still
not the best
Undertaker
He's situational as a 1/2 for 1 is unexciting. But if you have 3 or
more
deathrattles then he becomes much more exciting and a better pick
Mad Scientist
He's meaningless in most decks, and even in the classes that have
Secrets
there's no guarantee that he'll do anything for you making him a
situational to bad pick
Dragonling Mechanic
Weaker than Razorfen Hunter but better than Murloc Tidehunter
Ogre Magi
See Archmage. A 4/4 for 4 is not so great
Kobold Geomancer
Even weaker, is a 2/2 for 2
Murloc Tidehunter
The weakest of the summoners, still useable if the situation permits
Raid Leader
This guy is situational with Shaman and Paladin. Otherwise he is clunky
and not so hot
Dread Corsair (if weapon user class)
If you have weapons, this guy is not bad as he can be effectively a 3/3

143

Taunt for free. The downside is a 3/3 Taunt kinda sucks. If you don't
have weapons he becomes nearly unplayable. Actually he does
Dalaran Mage
A 1/4 for 3 sucks
Shieldbearer
This guy buys you a turn or two maybe. He's better than Avoid cards,
but
pretty bad all in all
------------------AVOID CARDS
Dancing Swords
At the top of the Avoid list is Dancing Swords. If forced to take one,
he
is arguably the best as the early 4/4 can buy you some time, it's just
that he must 2-1 for you less you completely lose the game and give
your
opponent card advantage
Jungle Panther
Here's the problem. He's not a 1 drop that threatens the turn 2 plays.
He's not a 5/5 that is scary. At best he is a 3 mana 1-1 trade. It's
really a situation you don't want. Add in that his 2 health can be
eliminated via any number of AoE spells makes this guy unappealing
Silvermoon Guardian
While gaining 3 health for 1 mana over the Scarlet Crusader would
appear
to be a good thing; the problem is that he's a 3/3 for 4 mana. Compared
to other 3/3 Minions for 4 mana, and we see they aren't very good.
Divine
Shield can be nice, but only if it's on something that is worth having
in the first place as this isn't it
Ironfur Grizzly
A 3/3 Taunt that costs 3 that loses to 3/2s for 2 sucks hard
Lord of the Arena
If he were a 5/6, he'd be a bad Defensive pick. If he were a 4/7 Taunt
then he would be fairly good Defensively. As it is, the 6/5 sucks
Novice Engineer
Loot Hoarder can threaten, Acolyte has a chance to draw multiple cards,
and Gnomish Inventor is a solid Minion. Novice Engineer serves
absolutely
no purpose other than to draw a card so why not just have something
different to begin with so you don't have to waste 2 mana to get there
Booty Bay Bodyguard
We've already explained why this guy sucks. Nothing to add
Argent Squire
Unlike 2/1s, Argent Squire at best can 1-1 into a 3/2. Argent Squire is
a beast in constructed but in Arena not so much
Core Hound
Normally the large body seems good. Core Hound suffers from a bit too
low of Health, making him an Avoid card

144

Thrallmar Farseer
Unlike the Harpy, Thrallmar Farseer serves no purpose and should be
avoided
Nightblade
A 4/4 for 5 that deals 3 damage to the enemy hero? Yeah avoid this
Frostwolf Grunt
Whew avoid this
Mogu'shan Warden
Nothing has changed from earlier
Tauren Warrior
He's like the Ironfur Grizzly, but worse! How is that possible
Magma Rager
A 5/1 charge would be playable, a 4/2 for 3 would be playable, no not
really. There's a reason we use the expression "don't let Magma Ragers
live" referencing any high damage low health Minion. Don't draft this
thing
Silverback Patriarch
Yawn
Nerub'ar Weblord
At least other 1 power Minions have Taunt. This guy is really quite
useless and he can hurt your own plays
Stoneskin Gargoyle
If you Taunt him up, or drop Defender next to him, or give him a nice
enchantment then he could become useful, but then again all of those
things go well with other Mininos as well and those Minions aren't
terrible when by themselves
Goldshire Footman
Snore
Stonetusk Boar
Even worse than others, this guy serves literally no purpose except
maybe
in Hunter Arena but why are you playing Hunter? It's a horrible Arena
class
Young Dragonhawk
There are better things to take than this
Wisp
There is no reason to ever have Wisp
Grimscale Oracle
There is no reason to even have Grimscale Oracle. You'd rather have
Young
Dragonhawk over Wisp and Grimscale if that pack came to you

So we get into class cards. I'm going to do each Class separately and
all
the cards will be broken down as one, with no separation between rarity.
Generally class cards are good and almost always should be taken, but that
being said, sometimes class cards are a fit for constructed and should be
avoided here because of that

145

Warrior-Paladin-Mage-Priest-Shaman-Druid-Warlock-Rogue-Hunter

WARRIOR
GOOD CARDS
Grommash Hellscream
Gorehowl
Frothing Berserker
Fiery Win Axe
Arathi Weaponsmith
Death's Bite
Arcanite Reaper
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Commanding Shout
Cleave
Kor'Kron Elite
Cruel Taskmaster
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Brawl
Shield Slam
Mortal Strike
Slam
Heroic Strike
Execute
Shield Block
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Upgrade!
Armorsmith
Warsong Commander
Battle Rage
Whirlwind
AVOID CARDS
Inner Rage
Rampage
Charge

PALADIN
GOOD CARDS
Tirion Fordring
Sword of Justice
Truesilver Champion
Consecration
Blessing of Kings
Avenge
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Avenging Wrath
Argent Protector
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Lay on Hands
Aldor Peacekeeper
Equality
Hammer of Wrath
Blessing of Wisdom

146

SITUATIONAL CARDS
Guardian of Kings
Humility
Noble Sacrifice
Redemption
AVOID CARDS
Holy Wrath
Divine Favor
Blessed Champion
Blessing of Might
Hand of Protection
Light's Justice
Holy Light
Repentance
Eye for an Eye

MAGE
GOOD CARDS
Fireball
Flamestrike
Water Elemental
Blizzard
Polymorph
Mana Wyrm
Sorcerer's Apprentice
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Kirin Tor Mage
Duplicate
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Frostbolt
Pyroblast
Vaporize
Arcane Intellect
Mirror Entity
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Archmage Antonidas
Counterspell
Ethereal Arcanist
Arcane Missiles
Cone of Cold
Arcane Explosion
Mirror Image
AVOID CARDS
Spellbender
Ice Block
Frost Nova
Ice Barrier
Ice Lance

PRIEST
GOOD CARDS
Auchenai Soulpriest
Temple Enforcer

147

Power Word Shield

Holy Nova
Northshire Cleric
Dark Cultist
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Cabal Shadow Priest
Shadowform
Shadow Madness
Lightspawn
Mind Control
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Prophet Velen
Holy Fire
Shadow Word Death/Pain
Holy Smite
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Mass Dispel
Mind Vision
Thoughtsteal
Divine Spirit
Circle of Healing
AVOID CARDS
Mindgames
Lightwell
Silence
Mind Blast
Inner Fire

SHAMAN
GOOD CARDS
Al'Akir the Windlord
Earth Elemental
Doomhammer
Lightning Storm
Feral Spirit
Fire Elemental
Hex
Stormforged Axe
Unbound Elemental
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Ancestral Spirit
Flametongue Totem
Forked Lightning
Bloodlust
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Lava Burst
Mana Tide Totem
Rockbiter Weapon
Lightning Bolt
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Reincarnate
Windspeaker
Windfury
Earth Shock

148

AVOID CARDS
Far Sight
Ancestral Healing
Frost Shock
Dust Devil
Totemic Might

DRUID
GOOD CARDS
Cenarius
Ancient of Lore/War
Keeper of the Grove
Starfall
Swipe
Druid of the Claw
Power of the Wild
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Force of Nature
Wrath
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Nourish
Bite
Ironbark Protector
Claw
Mark of the Wild
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Innervate
Mark of Nature
Wild Growth
Poison Seeds
Naturalize
AVOID CARDS
Savagery
Savage Roar
Soul of the Forest
Healing Touch
Moonfire

WARLOCK
GOOD CARDS
Lord Jaraxxus
Doomguard
Flame Imp
Voidcaller
Dread Infernal
Hellfire
Voidwalker
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Pit Lord
Shadowflame
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Siphon Soul

149

Felguard
Soulfire
Shadow Bolt
Mortal Coil
Blood Imp
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Twisting Nether
Void Terror
Demonfire
Drain Life
Sense Demons
Corruption
AVOID CARDS
Bane of Doom
Power Overwhelming
Succubus
Summoning Portal

ROGUE
GOOD CARDS
SI:7 Agent
Perdition's Blade
Deadly Poison
Assassinate
Assassin's Blade
Anub'ar Ambusher
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Cold Blood
Defias Ringleader
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Edwin VanCleef
Patient Assassin
Master of Disguise
Backstab
Eviscerate
Sprint
Fan of Knives
Shiv
Conceal
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Blade Flurry
Headcrack
Betrayal
Shadowstep
Sap
AVOID CARDS
Kidnapper
Preparation
Vanish
Sinister Strike

HUNTER
GOOD CARDS

150

Gladiators Longbow
Eaglehorn Bow
Savannah Highmane
Explosive Shot
Animal Companion
Tracking
Unleash the Hounds
Houndmaster
OFFENSIVE CARDS
Bestial Wrath
Snake Trap
Multi-Shot
DEFENSIVE CARDS
Misdirection
Explosive Trap
Freezing Trap
Snipe
Arcane Shot
Hunter's mark
Kill Command
Deadly Shot
SITUATIONAL CARDS
Webspinner
Starving Buzzard
Timber Wolf
Tundra Rhino
Scavenging Hyena
AVOID CARDS
King Krush
Flare

=======================================
Explanation

WARRIOR
GOOD CARDS
Grommash Hellscream
Most legendary class Minions are good. Grommash is no exception. He has
immediate impact and becomes very scary fairly quickly
Gorehowl
In terms of building card advantage, this thing can trade 3 or 4
Minions
out for it. Gorehowl is amazing and a must Epic pick if it comes around
Frothing Berserker
One of the best 3 drops, Frothing Berserker gets out of hand in a hurry
and can win the game by himself if your opponent cannot deal with him
Fiery Win Axe
Having this in your hand is a warm fuzzing feeling
Arathi Weaponsmith
A 3/3 ain't so exciting, but the weapon he brings is! God, so many

151

weapons, so little time

Death's Bite
This addition from Naxxramas is much appreciated. It just increases the
Warrior's ability to build advantage without drawing tons of cards
Arcanite Reaper
A solid and effective weapon
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Commanding Shout
Commanding Shout draws a card. That's great. Clearing your opponents
board
and not losing any creatures is even better
Cleave
Unlike other removal spells, Cleave 2-1 building an offensive advantage
Kor'Kron Elite
The chargemaster on steroids, Kor'Kron Elite hits hard and fast, and
often
lives to tell the tale
Cruel Taskmaster
Not nearly as awesome, but the utility between removal and giving +2
attack makes him a rather fancy Offensive pick
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Brawl
Using Brawl is all about timing. Obviously clearing 3 Minions when your
opponent has 4 is good, but generally whoever has the most Minions will
keep one meaning that Brawling to get rid of a huge threat when there
are
several Minions out there is very doable. Learning your 1/x values is
helpful for probability of success, basically, 50, 33, 25, 20, 16, 14,
12,
11, and 10 percent are all you'll ever need for 2 down to 10 Minions
out
there for what chance any 1 Minion has to survive
Shield Slam
A great 1-1 spell that can remove most anything given enough Armor
Mortal Strike
A weaker fireball, it will ever only be 1-1 status
Slam
If you kill a 3/2, that's fine. If you remove Divine Shield with it,
then you win. That's it you win
Heroic Strike
Removal, 1-1
Execute
Removal, weaker as it requires something else to have happened, but it
can get rid of anything hurt so that's good

152

Shield Block
+5 armor and draw a card, not bad, not great
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Upgrade!
Upgrade is decent if you have Arcanite Reaper or Gorehowl
Armorsmith
If you have several taunts, Unstable Ghoul, Whirlwind, or Death's Bite
Armorsmith becomes an OK pick. Shield Slam helps too
Warsong Commander
Only take at 20+ cards and only if you have a fairly aggressive deck
Battle Rage
If you have no means to draw cards at 20, take one or two
Whirlwind
If you have no Death's Bite and/or Armorsmith/Acolyte of
Pain/Gurubashi/
Frothing Berserker this is much better
------------------AVOID CARDS
Inner Rage
This is fairly useless without the 2/2 body attached
Rampage
Better than some Neutral avoids, Rampage really doesn't work
Charge
Don't try it

--------------------------------------

PALADIN
GOOD CARDS
Tirion Fordring
The best Minion in the game, Tirion has to be silenced less he win the
game for you
Sword of Justice
Giving +5/+5 out to your Minions is awesome
Truesilver Champion
The bread n butter, a Paladin without Truesilver Champion is probably
a Paladin going 2-3 in Arena
Consecration
The essential removal spell
Blessing of Kings
Easily the strongest enchantment around, even turning a 1/1 into a 5/5
means you invested 6 mana for a 5/5, not a bad deal

153

Avenge
For 1 mana and 5 stats, Avenge is extremely sexy
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Avenging Wrath
Tricky to use, but it can give very nice card advantage if timed well
Argent Protector
Divine Shield is tricky to use; so what's better than Divine Shield is
controlling when we use it. He's not really a 2 drop but regardless he
makes trades far easier to swallow when you end up not trading at all
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Lay on Hands
Sure you lose a turn but you draw 3 cards and gain a ton of health. Lay
on Hands wins games
Aldor Peacekeeper
Again, not really a 3 drop, but having a 3/3 body come into play while
neutering their best Minion is nice. Especially nice if you target
Venture Co. Mercenary
Equality
Sure it affects all Minions but it's the great equalizer and an
essential
one at that
Hammer of Wrath
If it costed less it would be outstanding but either way it's a good
card
Blessing of Wisdom
The beauty here is flexibility. Drawing cards on your attack is nice,
but
dropping this on a threatening Minion can make it not attack all the
same
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Guardian of Kings
A decent pick up if you are lacking 5+ drops
Humility
If you have no Equality or Aldor, I'd take a Humility after 20 cards
Noble Sacrifice
Noble Sacrifice becomes much stronger if you have Avenge, and/or cheap
Minions like Knife Juggler you want to protect. He also works well with
Cult Master and the Ghoul
Redemption
It's situational as you only want this to go off when you have a Divine
Shield die, or something with a nice deathrattle; so that's when
drafting

154

it comes into play

------------------AVOID CARDS
Holy Wrath
As our mana curve typically is about 3, it's a fairly expensive waste
of
space
Divine Favor
Aggro decks are fairly hard to build and this probably won't get much
use
Blessed Champion
For 5 mana the result isn't that good
Blessing of Might
+3 attack to a Minion sucks. Compare to Rockbiter Weapon, you can
control
when you want it to go down
Hand of Protection
Just getting Divine Shield isn't all that great
Light's Justice
Like Minions, dealing 1 damage isn't great
Holy Light
Like other cards, just getting the heal isn't so great
Repentance
If it hits something awesome, great! Most of the time though you can do
better than this
Eye for an Eye
I'd take any Minion over this

--------------------------------------

MAGE
GOOD CARDS
Fireball
The beauty of Fireball is its effectiveness. Driving it from Defensive
to Good
Flamestrike
It's like Flamestrike but...
Water Elemental
Easily one of the best 4 mana creatures around. It's just brutal
Blizzard
It's like Flamestrike but weaker
Polymorph
It makes scary cards go away. It does take a 6 mana investment to make
it go away completely but all the same

155

Mana Wyrm
A 1/3 is generally very good. Mana Wyrm is a good choice even when you
don't have that many spells as half the time you'll have Coin and the
others you just have a cost efficient creature
Sorcerer's Apprentice
What's that? A 3/2 for 2? Sounds good
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Kirin Tor Mage
A 4/3 for 3 is similar to Injured Blademaster. The difference is
Secrets
generally aren't good in Arena and the Blademaster can be healed
Duplicate
If you can control what you duplicate, then yes getting 2 more
Sunwalkers
is amazing
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Frostbolt
Awesome 1-1 removal
Pyroblast
Too expensive for more than 1 copy, but it can be very game-ending
Vaporize
You have to play around your opponent, but Vaporize can screw them over
entirely if they can't attack but with their huge Minion
Arcane Intellect
Drawing 2 cards for 1 is fine, it just doesn't do anything putting you
behind initially
Mirror Entity
The timing of this spell is essential less you get something crappy
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Archmage Antonidas
Antonidas situational? Yes. You need at least 8 spells and half of them
costing less than 4 mana otherwise he is a 5/7 that will die on the
opponents turn
Counterspell
If you are at 20 cards and don't have good spells yet, Counterspell can
help fill a gap
Ethereal Arcanist
If you have several secrets he becomes a better pick though still weak
Arcane Missiles
Much better if you have spellpower guys, and or Mana Wyrm, Antonidas,
or Sorcerers Apprentice

156

Cone of Cold
Something to take at 20 if you don't have good AoE removal
Arcane Explosion
Same as CoC
Mirror Image
If you have 2 Mana Wyrms this goes way up as Wyrm+Coin+Mirror Image
is easily the strongest potential turn 1 play
------------------AVOID CARDS
Spellbender
It's a weaker Counterspell that often never gets triggered
Ice Block
Essential to Frost Mage, here it's not very good
Frost Nova
It buys you a turn, but not really
Ice Barrier
Pass
Ice Lance
Pass

--------------------------------------

PRIEST
GOOD CARDS
Auchenai Soulpriest
A fantastic Minion to have. Auchenai without Circle is still amazing
Temple Enforcer
One of the best battlecries in the game. And a 6/6 to boot!
Power Word Shield
+2 health and draw a card, doesn't get much better than this
Holy Nova
It's like Flamestrike but crappier. Still good though
Northshire Cleric
A great 1 drop that can create all kinds of problems
Dark Cultist
The best 3 mana drop in the game. Nuff said
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Cabal Shadow Priest
What's better than munching a 2 power creature? Why stealing it of
course

157

Shadowform
Turning 2 health heal into a 2 damage fireblast is rather nice
Shadow Madness
In terms of card advantage Shadow Madness is just brutal. Clearing 2
Minions is awesome; it gets better if you get Deathrattle use as well
Lightspawn
Super vulnerable to silence, Lightspawn pounds and ends the game
quickly
if left unattended
Mind Control
For the rich mans Mind Control Tech, sitting on a Mind Control is a
warm
feeling as you always feel protected
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Prophet Velen
He doesn't do much to win the game, but he brings it back fairly
quickly
Holy Fire
A great 1-1 +5 health heal
Shadow Word Death/Pain
Bread n butter removal
Holy Smite
Go away 3/2 Minions!
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Mass Dispel
A potential pick up if you are lacking Holy Nova
Mind Vision
Better than most Avoid cards, using Mind Vision can be good or shit
Thoughtsteal
We have to assume we get two 3/2 Minions. It's not bad but generally
speaking we can do better
Divine Spirit
If you have 3 or more Lightspawns this is a plausible card
Circle of Healing
I like having 1 if I have an Auchenai or 2+ Northshires
------------------AVOID CARDS
Mindgames
What's worse than a 3/2 for any other price than 2 mana? Oh right, 4!
Lightwell

158

Well it can't attack. Darn

Silence
Not worth it without the Minion attached
Mind Blast
We'd literally prefer anything else
Inner Fire
It's best use is weakening Magma Ragers. Or just not have it
-------------------

SHAMAN
GOOD CARDS
Al'Akir the Windlord
Immediate effect, charge, divine shield... Yes Al'Akir is great
Earth Elemental
Whoa mama, this thing is huge and getting it on turn 5 is just wow
Doomhammer
The only thing better than removing 8 Minions is doing so in 4 turns
instead of 8
Lightning Storm
One of the best AoE removal spells out there
Feral Spirit
Generally 2/3s aren't exciting. Generally a 2/3 Taunt isn't good. But
getting TWO 2/3 Taunts for 3 mana is well, awesome!
Fire Elemental
One of the most brutal Minions to date, a deck with 6 Fire Elementals
is
a deck that probably will win 12 times
Hex
The only downside is Taunt. Oh well, makes things go away
Stormforged Axe
Trading 3-1 is a good thing don't you agree?
Unbound Elemental
He's a 2/4 for 3, a fair deal. But given how good overload cards are
there isn't any reason to think that this guy can grow very quickly
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Ancestral Spirit
Divine Shield, meet your maker. This works best on Deathrattles
obviously
Flametongue Totem
An 0/3 that generates 4 attack screams for pick me please
Forked Lightning
The overload hurts, but 2-1 is always nice

159

Bloodlust
Probably only need 1, but Bloodlust is the ultimate game ending card
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Lava Burst
A 1-1 removal spell
Mana Tide Totem
It guarantees drawing a card. After it's second turn out there you now
have gained card advantage
Rockbiter Weapon
Ultimate flexibility removal is great
Lightning Bolt
It's like Rockbiter but different
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Reincarnate
If you have many deathrattles and no Hex, this is possible
Windspeaker
A 3/3 isn't great, and Windfury is mediocre. He works well if you
have several Rockbiters
Windfury
Earth Shock
If you have no Hex this is a fairly good pick up
------------------AVOID CARDS
Far Sight
Just have a different card
Ancestral Healing
Rarely will this do anything besides give Taunt to something. Not so
good
Frost Shock
Freeze is less impressive without the 5/5 body attached
Dust Devil
Crazy potential. The downside is your turn is hampered next turn and it
dies rather quickly
Totemic Might
HAHAHAHAHAHA no

--------------------------------------

DRUID

160

GOOD CARDS
Cenarius
Cenarius is an excellent legendary and always a consideration to be
nabbed
Ancient of Lore/War
Both the Ancients are fantastic. If offered both then which to choose?
I generally favor Lore as the flexibility of 2 cards verse 5 life is
more
favorable to having a big dumb Minion like War. Now, if you are in your
20 cards and are lacking late game, War becomes much better as his
impact
is independent of your deck, whereas the cards you draw from Lore can
only
be as good as you have cards in your deck
Keeper of the Grove
The ultimate 4 drop in terms of flexibility, you could realistically
have
10 Keepers and be happy
Starfall
The essential Druid removal, Starfall offers large and mass removal for
an efficient price that you want
Swipe
Swipe is strong, but it is much stronger when combined with even just a
single spell power as 2 damage is twice as strong as 1. Obvious jokes
aside, the 2 damage kills many more Minions than the 1 so consider that
Druid of the Claw
A deck with 10 Druids of the Claw would be a pretty good deck
Power of the Wild
The only thing better than a 3/2 for 2, is turning him into a Stormwind
Champion effect later in the game when you don't need a 3/2. Power of
the
Wild is great
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Force of Nature
In terms of big offense, splash, and winning the game, Force of Nature
delivers on all fronts. It's a great Offensive card
Wrath
Wrath isn't a Good card, but it's better than Defensive in terms of the
utility it provides. It's just a spell, meaning 1-1 trading which puts
it
from the Good category into somewhere else, but a 1-1 trade, or a
potential 1-1 trade and drawing a card is a good deal. Note that you
typically do not want to trade a Minion just to get the 1 damage draw a
card effect as you lose card advantage on that
Mark of the Wild
For 2 mana, this is the preferred enchantment as it gives steady stats
and
Taunt, letting you immediately take out something, and then later be
traded. It's the stronger enchantment for sure

161

------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Nourish
Nourish doesn't do much on its own, but it builds huge card advantage
be
it with the 3 cards or the 2 crystals to get to 7/8 sooner
Bite
A solid 1-1 trading spell, it's strong but runs the risk of having to
attack with your hero which can be problematic
Ironbark Protector
Sometimes you need a big dumb huge Taunt. Ironbark answers. You
probably
don't want more than 2, and you generally don't want to play him when
your
board is empty as the 8/8 goes down surprisingly quickly
Claw
One of the best 1 mana removal spells around, Claw is very nice
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Innervate
Innervate can be good, but drawing them late in Arena can be a huge
dead
card. If you have 10+ 5 drops, Innervate becomes a better choice
Mark of Nature
If you lack Mark of the Wild and general offensive cards, Mark of
Nature
becomes better
Wild Growth
If your mana curve is 4+ instead of the 3 we want, Wild Growth becomes
a better choice. If you have 7+ 4 drops then Wild Growth also looks
better
as a turn 2 Wild Growth allows for a 4 drop
Poison Seeds
Sometimes you find your lategame lacking and/or you fear running into
large enemy Minions you can't deal with because you don't have good
cards.
Then Poison Seeds becomes an OK pick
Naturalize
Naturalize is much of the same. If you are at 20 cards and you notice a
dropoff in good cards and lategame, then Naturalize could save your
life
------------------AVOID CARDS
Savagery
Generally it will be a 1 damage nuke. Not so good
Savage Roar

162

It's fairly expensive and we cannot be geared towards Force-Roar so

it's better to have something more reliable
Soul of the Forest
Not really any reason why we would want this card
Healing Touch
Healing spells without a Minion attached generally suck
Moonfire
It's better than Stonetusk Boar but that isn't say much

--------------------------------------

WARLOCK
GOOD CARDS
Lord Jaraxxus
In terms of changing the game, the Warlock Legend will do that for you
Doomguard
His downside is fairly large but c'mon, a 5/7 Charge is just really
good
Flame Imp
Weaker thanks to Zombie how but still one of the best 1 mana Minions
around
Voidcaller
A fantastic 4 drop that is good even without Demons; but now you can
draft Demons more reasonably thanks to Voidcaller
Dread Infernal
A large 6/6 body attached to whirlwind is fairly nice lategame drop
Hellfire
It's an essential Warlock card to have if you want to win
Voidwalker
Having 1/3 Minions is generally a good, thing, Voidwalker is no
exception especially when paired with Flame Imp or other cheap Minions
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Pit Lord
Taking 5 damage is rough but a 5/6 for 4 mana demands respect. When
paired
with Voidcaller he is just that much better
Shadowflame
True you lose a Minion but Shadowflame is a good way to build card
advantage still by blowing apart your opponents defenses
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Siphon Soul

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Just a 1-1 trade, expensive, but in many ways is better than Polymorph
as you gain 3 life for the same mana cost
Felguard
Not the best Demon card around, but Felguard is still a fairly
defensive
Minion that is better than many other rares
Soulfire
It's a great removal spell but as you tend to lose a card you have to
be careful with playing it
Shadow Bolt
Which leaves Shadow Bolt as the ultimate in terms of Minion removal as
it's a fairly strong nuke
Mortal Coil
Not the best card out there due to not many Minions having 1 health,
but
it is better than cards like Elven Archer
Blood Imp
It serves to slowly boost your army. So it doesn't do much but it can
build card advantage if given time
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Twisting Nether
It's an extremely expensive card so you really only want it if you are
finding your deck more geared towards the late game
Void Terror
A fine pick for constructed, but Void Terror in Arena often loses you
your
card advantage as he gets silenced and you've now lost Minions. He
works
well if you have a number of Deathrattle
Demonfire
It's pretty crappy but if you have a large number of Demons,
particularly
cheap ones it can work out
Drain Life
It's just a bit expensive for what it does
Sense Demons
It's a "draw 2 cards" spell with a string of getting Demons. Normally
not
something we need thanks to our hero power but it can work out if you
have
a large number of Demons, particularly Voidwalkers
Corruption
A fine card if by 20 you noticed your deck is lacking removal
------------------AVOID CARDS
Bane of Doom

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Speaking of expensive cards that aren't worth it, Bane of Doom is one
Power Overwhelming
Can't tell you how often you are holding these with nothing to target
Succubus
Losing cards for a 4/3 ain't worth it. And if you do wait until your
hand
is empty a 4/3 is far less impressive than a 5/7 Charge
Summoning Portal
Like most 0 power Minions, this thing kinda sucks

--------------------------------------

ROGUE
GOOD CARDS
SI:7 Agent
The Rogue card, a Rogue without at least 1 of these is a Rogue that
might win 3 matches
Perdition's Blade
A solid weapon attached with a nice battlecry, Perdition's Blade can
easily build a 3-1 card advantage
Deadly Poison
The Rogue hero power is largely crappy, as 1 damage attacking doesn't
offer much utility to you. That's why Deadly Poison exists. It gives a
Fiery Win Axe and we know how good that is
Assassinate
The Rogues answer card for large scary Minions, you will want 2 of
these
Assassin's Blade
This weapon is the essential midgame Rogue card for keeping and
building
huge card advantage for you
Anub'ar Ambusher
Having a 5/5 for 4 mana is a solid Minion to own and the best part is
that
his effect can be used to your advantage
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Cold Blood
Cold Blood can give you the win, but it can also allow you for just 1
mana
trade upwards saving a larger Minion. Thus, it can really give you a
fairly nice advantage if you pull it off well
Defias Ringleader
Normally summoning Minions aren't that good, and Defias is no
exception.
The difference is that he is 4/3, or 7 stats for 2 mana when combo'd

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which isn't all bad. Add in the potential Coin-Defias and having a few
of
these is a good option
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Edwin VanCleef
Edwin is one of the weaker Legends in Arena, but if you do get him, he
is
one of those that requires you lose card advantage to have a larger
Minion
later. Though, he really isn't worth it to be honest
Patient Assassin
The ultimate Stealth Minion, he sits and waits to 1-1 for you
Master of Disguise
A kind of crappy Minion to be honest, the realy strength is that his
Stealth is permanent meaning you can throw it on Minions like Cult
Master
or Gadgetzan Auctioneer and you never have to fear their death if you
don't attack; unless AoE comes their way
Backstab
A great removal spell for 1-1
Eviscerate
Having 3 or 4 Eviscerates in a deck is a nice group of spells to own
Sprint
It's expensive but it gives you 4 cards so it can build card advantage
for you
Fan of Knives
It's rather crappy but as it draws a card then you can't rule it out
completely
Shiv
Shiv is one of those that is essential to constructed but you probably
want to pass in Arena
Conceal
This card doesn't much for you except maybe set you up for a win next
turn. Generally speaking you would rather have any other card
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Blade Flurry
It has a nice clearing effect though you will need at least 3 ways to
get weapon damage over 1; such as Deadly Poison or Assassin's Blade
Headcrack
Normally things that just deal damage to face aren't very good; the
exception with Headcrack is that it can work well if your deck is
particularly slow or if you have spell power and/or Gadgetzan
Auctioneer
Betrayal
It can provide great 2-1 though Betrayal can also be rather useless if

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your opponents play smart. If you lack any AoE removal though the
grabbing
some can help
Shadowstep
Only worth grabbing if you have at least 5 good battlecry effects
Sap
The ultimate tempo card, it's just not as strong in Arena as they can
just
recast it
------------------AVOID CARDS
Kidnapper
Whoof this dude is freaking bad
Preparation
Like many Rogue cards; great in constructed useless here
Vanish
Nope don't try it
Sinister Strike
Yeah 3 damage to face isn't going to do anything

--------------------------------------

HUNTER
GOOD CARDS
Gladiators Longbow
If there's any reason to play Hunter, it's because these top 4 Good
cards
are extremely good and can change the game. The downside is that 3 of
these are rares and this one is an epic. That being said, Gladiators
Longbow is one of the best weapons in the game as it allows for removal
but it saves your hero from harm
Eaglehorn Bow
A fairly expensive Fiery Win Axe, but it can be combo'd with Secrets
(most
of which are decent for Arena) for added bonus
Savannah Highmane
Arguably one of the best 6 drops in the game, Scar demands respect and
an
answer less he eat your opponent in two bites
Explosive Shot
Another card that suffers from smart placement, but even so Explosive
Shot
will almost always 2-1, and generally 3-1. It's like a boosted Swipe
that
doesn't need the spell power
Animal Companion

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The random factor stinks, but 33% of the time you get Misha which is
what
you almost always want. Leokk isn't half bad and Huffer can be nice
when
needed
Tracking
Even in Arena, Tracking is strong as you can search for what you need
Unleash the Hounds
Yes the Buzzard nerf sucks but Hounds is still one of the best removal
spells around for 3 mana. Combined with Knife Juggler, Scavenging
Hyena,
or Cult Master you can get good results still
Houndmaster
Useless on his own, but when paired onto a beast he comes in with a ton
of
stats making him a fairly strong choice
------------------OFFENSIVE CARDS
Bestial Wrath
An underrated Epic for sure, Bestial Wrath for 1 mana gives great
flexibility in terms of building your advantage
Snake Trap
It's a rather weak trap, though if paired with effects such as Knife
Juggler, Buzzard, or Scavenging Hyena then it can be really powerful
Multi-Shot
It's simple 2-1 removal at its finest
------------------DEFENSIVE CARDS
Misdirection
As with the other traps, they tend to focus on your board position
quite
a bit more as your opponent tries to figure out what they are.
Regarding
Misdirection, it is best when you have nothing on the board and they
have
two Minions that can eliminate one another giving you 2-1 advantage
Explosive Trap
You tend to lose cards, but if you can get their Minions to 2 health
you
can wipe em out fairly easily
Freezing Trap
A much better tempo card, the riskiness being that you need them to not
trigger a battlecry with this trap or you lose out then
Snipe
For 2 mana, 4 damage is a fairly good deal. The lack of control stinks,
but dropping it early means you can 1-1 their stuff out of your way
Arcane Shot
It's simple 1-1 removal

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Hunter's mark
It technically doesn't kill anything so it tends to cost you card
advantage but when combined with effects like Explosive Trap or Hounds
then you really don't lose anything
Kill Command
A strong removal spell, stuck to having to have a Beast
Deadly Shot
Removing a Ragnaros for 3 mana makes you smile. Removing a 1/1 for 3
mana makes you frown. It's still strong removal if it works
------------------SITUATIONAL CARDS
Webspinner
A fairly weak 1 drop, the randomness tends to make this something you
don't want. If you have a deathrattle theme going though then grabbing
Webspinner is alright
Starving Buzzard
It's situational as in don't ever situationally grab this unless you
have
no other means to draw cards
Timber Wolf
An unimpressive 1/1, if you have 3 Unleash then grabbing a Timber Wolf
can be nice as it allows for more effective board clearing
Tundra Rhino
A fairly expensive useless Minion, Tundra Rhino can be grabbed if you
have 8 or more Beasts
Scavenging Hyena
If you have 3 or more Unleash then this works well
------------------AVOID CARDS
King Krush
What's that? Avoid the legend? Yes, I would. King Krush costs too much
and does too little. I'd take him over other Avoid Legends like Pat
Nagle, Lorewalker Cho, or Mukkla, but you generally want to have
legends
that you can play right away or play them and have a splashy effect.
King
Krush is just a big dumb large charging Minion that deals less damage
than
Steady Shot+Kill Command
Flare
An essential constructed card, Flare is near use-less in Arena

-------------------------------------So now that we have gotten through the Minion lists, let's talk a bit
about the classes and what you are really looking for. As usual, the order
will go something like Warrior, Paladin, Mage, Priest, Druid, Shaman,
Warlock,

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Rogue, and Hunter.

So Warrior. He's a fairly simple class that is largely dependent on

those
weapons. You may be curious as to what's the deal with weapons, and here's
why. Weapons innately give 2-1 advantage as your hero takes upwards of 6 or
more damage in exchange for protecting your board and clearing your
opponents.
As the Warrior gets several, and in several powers, what he loses in Hero
Power he makes up for with easy card advantage. His Hero Power doesn't
effect
the board but you can stack armor forever so even when you have nothing to
do
he still can armor up whereas the Priest can sit there and do nothing.
Many of the Warriors cards are fairly responsive, Kor'kron is a large
charging Minion you tend to not want to play unless you have a target, and
Cruel Taskmaster is a 2 drop that needs a target in play. As such,
something
that is vitally important to Warrior in addition to weapons is having a
good
number of early drops. Things like Chow and Bloodfen Raptor, good 1 and 2
drops, are essential to getting something down. Your weapons build
advantage
but if you don't do anything with that advantage you could easily lose.
One weakness of Warriors is that despite the advantage, they can run
out
of cards quickly. This is due largely to how cards like Slam and Execute
work.
As such, you want to have at least 3 ways to draw cards in a Warrior deck,
be
it Acolyte, Loot Hoarder, or the preferred Cult Master, to ensure cards
stay
in your hand.
Something else to keep in mind is that Warriors with their weapons can
be
fairly aggressive, meaning they'll fall off later. As such, it is important
to
have some significant Minions that can stand alone in the late game. Large
Stealth Minions come to mind as those that don't deliver, whereas having
Boulderfist Ogre, or even larger more rare Minions can make that
difference.
Warriors can lose board control fairly quickly, and this is largely due
to their poor AoE removal. As such, it is really important to focus on the
board and not let it get away from you less you get overrun.
When playing against Warriors, there are a few things to watch out for,
-Try to avoid getting damage on valuable targets. This is obviously
because of Execute
-If they play a weapon and you can't destroy it with Ooze, you can't just
not play something so you might have to swallow the loss and play
something
without getting attached
-Warriors can do lots of damage fairly quickly between weapons and
charges,
so keep an eye on your life total
-While Warriors lack board clear, they do have an Epic Brawl, which
destroys

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all but 1 random Minion, so keep that in mind. It shows up more often
than
you might think

So Paladin. The big thing about Paladin is lasting. Lasting to let that
Hero Power begin to overturn and change the game. Adding a 1/1 to the
battle
field each turn when both decks are getting towards top-deck, this is when
Paladin shines.
As such, their deck needs to be geared towards lasting. You need good
early 2 and 3 drops, to establish the board because at that stage making
your
1/1 is kinda sad. Later on, you are looking for those midgame beasts to
keep
you in and through to the end. In particular, they get to have some fun
with
cards like Stormwind Champion, Raid Leader, and Cult Master thanks to all
of
their free Minions. One thing particularly important is having some Taunts
to
protect those 1/1 Minions; protect them so you can unleash them to protect
your other Minions that aren't so weak.
Their cards have some potent plays as well. Consecrate is an absolute
necessary victory card, and True Silver makes a big deal as well. One thing
unique about Paladins is their ability to adapt and deal, and that uses
cards
like Argent Protector, Humility, Equality, and Aldor Peacekeeper, only the
latter two which is a rare. Those are essential cards to building up card
advantage and then taking control.
One weakness is running out of cards before you are ready to go. As
such,
on those turns 5-8, you often want to make a 1/1 and play a Minion as
opposed
to play a Minion and a Minion so that in the event of board clears,
something
very dangerous to Paladins, you are better protected from failure.
When playing against Paladin, here are some hints
-Paladins have secrets, which are rather exploitable. The easiest of
which,
is to attack the hero to test for Get Down. If that doesn't trigger,
then
Avenge is your next bet. If that doesn't trigger, then it could be any,
but
most of which aren't very good. To deal with Avenge, just be ready to
clear
or silence the target the moment it happens. On the other hand, you
could
just ignore his Minions though that is risky
-Equality and Consecrate hurt, play cautiously with flooding the board of
of too many Minions
-In regards to point 1, Paladins are the most notorious class for pumping
their Minions so you almost always want to clear their board every turn
if able, not to mention those 1/1s can overrun you very quickly
-If there's a card in their hand that has sat there a long time, it might
be Tirion. He tends to win games if you can't silence him so keep that
in

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mind

So Mage. The easy mode class. Actually, Mage is one of the most
frustrating classes in Arena, especially to play against as you just never
know what you are up against. We all know how dangerous the Mage spells
are,
but how many do they have? Do they have multiple fireballs? Multiple
flamestrikes? Multipled Polymorphs? What's that secret? Easily, Mage is the
most frustrating class to face.
It's also frustrating to build. Why? Because look at that list. Mage
has
no Minions, well they have some, but largely the Minions are not so good.
Yes
Sorcerers Apprentice is a 3/2, but there are like 6 of those Minions. Yes
Mana
Wyrm is a 1/3 that can get large, but it also needs spells. And yes, Water
Elemental is strong, but it's only a 4 drop meaning it gets outclassed by
stronger later Minions. It means that the Mage is very reliant on their
spells
to carry them to victory. You can also value-draft with good Minions but
that
will only get you so far if you don't have the key cards to carry you
onward.
For a Mage, the first 10-15 cards are the most important for the Mage,
as
you have to establish what your deck is going to be/do and quickly, as you
assess what cards you need to round out your deck. Obviously, things like
Fireball and Flamestrike can almost always be taken, but this is very
important regarding Minions. Defense or Offense? Do I have the key removal?
These are important questions to always keep in mind, for any class, but
even
so for Mage as the Mage, as I've reiterated a couple times, is so dependent
on
their spells. Like Priest and Warlock can take bad decks far, Paladin can
run
over with bad decks if he can cheese to victory. Mage decks are hard to
cheese
unless you cheese your way with 5+ Fireballs, which incidentally if you
have
5 Fireballs you should win 12 times.
Mage hints and tips
-Generally, assume a turn 7 Flamestrike, as well as 2 Fireballs and 2
Polys
Playing around it when they don't have it will help when they actually
do
play it and you're not caught with your pants down
-Don't be afraid to play 1 health Minions like Loot Hoarder knowing it
will
die because if they spend their early game just pinging things away,
especially 3/2 Minions, then that means they aren't playing anything and
are investing a lot of time not doing much
-Mages cannot play from behind well, so dealing lots of damage early is a
great way to force bad Fireballs and desperate plays. Additionally, if
you
can prevent them from having Minions on the board when they Flamestrike
you
can regroup much more easily. One of the most devastating Mage plays is

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turn 6 Tiger, turn 7 Flamestrike. It hurts a bit

So Priest. The Priest is quite powerful but frankly it is one of the

harder Arena classes to work with as every turn is a choice to heal a
Minion
or play a new one. Your draft is important as many of the Priest cards are
very good, and you don't know what you're going to get down the road. You
may
pass on a Mind Control thinking you'll get one later, but it may not come
back
around ever. You might end up with 4 Dark Cultist which is great.
Typically, the Priest is looking for a tankier approach. Minions with
higher health become much stronger here as the Priest is all about
outlasting
by keeping his Minions around forever. Regarding some specifics, Minions
like
Oasis Snapjaw or Stormwind Knight work much better in Priest decks thanks
to
their high health.
Regarding some Priest cards, like I said before many of them are great
and
build tons of card advantage. Mind Vision is a tricky card, one I don't
care
for, but if you have it try to play it on turn 5 or later as you have a
better
chance to get something good. With Northshire Cleric, you may not want to
play
him on turn 1 simply because you'd rather be able to guarantee getting card
draw, but it depends. Against Warrior don't, but against Paladin feel free.
Something unique about Priests is their ability to deal with enraged
Minions, just heal them! Solves problems usually. Lightspawn is fine, great
actually, and with that Divine Spirit becomes an OK card if you have at
least
3 Lightspawns otherwise it's rather pointless. One rare that is asked about
a lot is Holy Fire. I really don't like it; it's better than some rares,
but
for instance Argent Commander is better than Holy Fire every time. Also
only
1 Mind Control please, it's too expensive and can lose you the game if you
get stuck with 2 copies too early.
Regarding some tips and hints for playing against them,
-Holy Nova is their board clear and frankly it's rather weak so keep that
in
in mind
-If they ever go full Northshire, abuse the hell out of that and deck
them
quickly (more than 1 out there)
-Four power Minions rule, so playing carefully about bumping 4s into the
5
range and vice versa trying to get 3s to the 4 is really key in terms of
avoiding Shadow Word
-Adding on, getting out of the 2 range stops Cabal Shadow Priest from
yanking your Minions
-Mind Control on turn 10, don't play anything you can't deal with being
stolen and/or can't answer to
-Generally, Priests win with your cards, meaning you can outplay them (or

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have to outplay them) to beat them

So Druids. As I've said before, Druids are all about flexibility and
choice. Many of the Druid cards are great which makes them all around,
solid
choices to play with in Arena. Thus, an obvious weakness of Druids becomes
missing some key cards. Their Minions while strong are reactive meaning
that
if you miss out on your key removal, Swipe or Starfall, you can get behind
as
Keeper and Druid of the Claw aren't going to bring you back from a huge
deficit of Minions on the board.
Even though Druids can have explosive turns, they definitely have a
much
stronger late-game. As such getting that Ironbark, that Starfire, and those
other big Minions is how a Druid secures victory. Regarding Ironbark,
playing
him on a naked board facing several Minions is fine, but generally you will
still come out behind. You want to play Ironbark when you are in control,
trust me it's just one of those things.
One easy way for things to get out of hand is too many Minions. Despite
having Swipe, Druids struggle to deal with fast rushes so it's really
important to have that early game presence with those early drops. His hero
power can clear small Minions sure, but generally it is not sufficient.
Innervate and Wild Growth are fine cards, but you gotta be careful.
Innervate in particular is a dangerous card as post turn 6 it becomes a
dead
card in your hand. As such, don't take them before 15 cards, and only if
you
are noticing an abundance of late game, 10+ later drops.
Strangely enough, while Druids are associated with big, they struggle
with big. This is because they lack any form of "go away" short of nuking
it
down. So dealing with an enemy Ironbark, or Earth Elemental, or Druid of
the
Claw, can be hard to deal with if you aren't in a good position as there is
no Hex, Polymorph, or Assassinate. Thus, at cards 20 it becomes important
to
check how your deck is coming along. If you have some good Offensive cards,
like Force of Naure or Dark Iron Dwarf, then you are probably fine,
otherwise
grabbing a Naturalize or Poison Seeds can save your life from an opposing
Ironbark Protector.
How to beat Druid
-Druids are all about choice, so restricting their choice can help.
Simply
put, forcing Druid of the Claw into a 4/4 haste to take down something,
or
forcing Ancient of Lore to heal himself is a good way to reduce their
advantage
-Druids don't have many early game Minions, rather their Minions are
mostly
late game focused. So pay attention to what you see early as you can
usually predict how good the player is as well as what their deck may
end

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up as depending on those first cards you see. Coining Wild Growth for
example can be a scare factor, but coin into a 2/3 and then on their
next
turn they just hero power indicates a lack of understanding
-Druids are weak to silence on many fronts. Ancient of War gets silenced
to
a 5/5, Ironbark loses Taunt, and many of their pump cards can go away so
if you have Silence try to save it for meaningful targets
-And as stated, getting a good board presence and avoiding have many 1
health Minions is a good way to rush down a Druid

So Shaman. The class that despite making Minions isn't as good as just
making a bunch of 1/1s. This is fairly obvious, but due to how
uninteractive
the Totems can be. Healing Totem for example is useless against 55% of the
classes for the most part. Regardless.
Shamans got some great cards, among them, Hex and Fire Elemental are
key
cards to slam dunk your opponent. Bloodlust is a great game-ender, and as
always some key removal like Lightning Storm goes a long way.
Regarding overload, try to think about it before you play it. Before
dropping a 2+ overload card, think about what do I want to do next turn?
Can
I do that? Overloading yourself into a position of just toteming is
generally
unfavorable and you want to avoid it.
Some tricky and not so good cards, Earth Shock is great in constructed
but
in Arena it's just not as good though you can pick it up if you are lacking
removal. Lava Burst is a card that looks good but I tend to find myself
passing on it for others because it's expensive and just not all that good
frankly. I mean Fireball is 4 mana for 6 damage, and Lava Burst is 3 now, 2
later, for only 5 damage.
As Shaman, your biggest fear is Hunter. Yes they tend to not show up
often but Unleash will eat you alive and sadly there just isn't much you
can
do to stop it because you kinda need those Totems out there. Just play
smart
and try to pull out a victory.
Facing Shamans,
-Like Paladin, you generally want to clear their board. This is because
Rockbiter and Flametongue are huge pump up cards you want to avoid
losing
to. Additionally, Bloodlust deals 3/6/9/12/15 + base damage depending on
their Minion count so you can lose in a hurry
-Stoneclaw Totem is annoying. Get over it. Try to not get in a position
to
where you have just one Minion out there to be stumped by Stoneclaw
-Doomhammer is awesome. If you run into it you really have to try and
play
Minions with at least 3 health, no way around it
-Don't let Mana Tide Totem survive but one turn. It's usually their only
way to draw cards
-Shamans thrive on building advantage through huge clears, so try to play
around that and don't leave yourself open to huge Lightning Storms

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So Warlock. Generally your Warlock deck is going to be more aggressive

and
that's fine, it suits his hero power. As such, having a larger emphasis on
the
2-3 drops is more important than having so many late game beasts, as
Warlocks
outside of Handlock, struggle in the lategame as their hero power can
become
muted due to low life and the dangers of tapping.
Many Warlock cards have downsides, so it's important to understand how
to
play around them. Flame Imp for instance shouldn't get cast when you are
below
10 health, and Doomguard typically you want an empty hand otherwise you
come
out very far behind.
Warlocks have some situational cards that is important to know when to
grab them. Corruption is an example of a card that can save your life from
threatening beasts, but it's slow so only take it at 20 cards if you find
yourself lacking removal. Power Overwhelming seems awesome but in Arena it
often sits in your hand doing nothing. Blood Imp seems amazing, but really
the 1 health doesn't make that big of a difference and there's so many ways
for him to die that he's often not worth it.
Voidcaller is amazing, take many of them and don't fear taking other
Demons then alongside him (not Succubus).
Beating Warlocks
-Obviously, once they dip below 10 health their hero power becomes
frightening to use so rushing them down really helps. Saving direct
damage
to end them is a good answer as well
-Hellfire is a big nuke early, be mindful of it
-Typically, your match up against Warlocks depends on how quickly they
come
online. If you find them not swarming the board in the first 5 turns,
then
you should be fine. Your match up is also largely dictated by what cards
they drafted. For example Voidcaller is great but if nothing comes out
then their 4 drop was not the most efficient. Regarding Voidcallers, try
to
kill them on your terms so that you can

So Rogues. True to their nature, Rogues are crafty and have to win
using
methods that don't necessarily aline with brute force or raw spell power.
The
Arena Rogue relies on big turns and eliminating key threats with their
spells
making way for their Minions.
As such, their spells very important and with Rogues it is not uncommon
to have 10 spells at a minimum to give energy to their deck. Cards like
Backstab, Eviscerate, and Assassin's Blade are very powerful and are what
define the Rogue. Other cards like Deadly Poison, Cold Blood, and Anub'ar

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Ambusher are the nice strong filler cards to round out their base.
One issue with Rogues, is that many of their cards suck in Arena.
Conceal,
Preparation, and Shadowstep are a few that come to mind, though Shiv and
Fan
of Knives are not much better. The generally ineffecient constructed cards
like Assassinate and Sprint fit here due to their raw power.
As stated, SI7 Agent is an essential part to the Rogue. Other strong
cards
like Blade Flurry, and Patient Assassin are a bit harder to use but can
also
build strong card advantage for you.
Stomping Rogues
-Rogues rely on their spells. So your match up is 90% decided on what you
have to run into. A Rogue with 4 Eviscerate is going to be much harder.
A
Rogue that Backstabs your 3/2s all day and drops Deadly Poison on their
Assassin's Blade can ruin your game
-Like Warlock and to some extent Druid, their Hero Power becomes neutered
by huge Taunts and low life. Getting a strong front is important with
Rogues.
-Because of their explosive nature through cards like Defias Ringleader
and
Cold Blood, Rogues can deal quite a bit of damage so you really want to
clear their board less something gets sapped and now you get attacked
for
10+ damage. Also, Eviscerate and Assassinate hurt like hell and there's
not
much you can do against them
-A Rogue with 0 cards in hand isn't very threatening. Surviving can be a
great strategy to employ against a Rogue as well if you are having
trouble
getting a threshold

Lastly, Hunter. There isn't much to say. It's the weakest Arena class
and
for good reason, their cards aren't the best and their Hero Power is so
uninteractive. Many Hunter cards are valued solely on how much they
exterminate, so if you're playing a Hunter keep that in mind.
Typically, you are looking to rush down your opponent. As you can do 2
damage every turn, if you run out of damage you can still scrape a win if
you
can avoid losing. As such, getting the most out of your cards is important.
Turn 1 Timber Wolf is really crappy. Hunter's Mark is best when
combined
with Unleash the Hounds. Deadly Shot is random, so try to reduce the random
factor so it pisses off your opponents.
Ever since the Buzzard nerf, it sucks hard. As such, Unleash is still
really good but you want to try and pair it with something for splash, some
options include Scavenging Hyena, Knife Juggler, or Cult Master. Because
you
have Unleash, it's not always a need to eliminate your opponents creatures
as
you want a bigger scarier Unleash. Not keep in mind that your opponent will

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suspect Unleash so they probably will hang onto Minions. As such Mind
Cotnrol
Tech is a bit weaker in Hunter than others.
Surviving Hunter
-Hunter is weak, but that doesn't mean you won't run into it and be posed
with problem. Their cards are reactive, so let's briefly run over what
we
can do to help:
Deadly Shot - Try to not play huge Minions by themselves
Multi-Shot - Try to not have just two 3 health minions out there
Explosive Shot - It deals 2 5 2, so pay attention to how you place your
Minions. Placing 2-2-5 is better than 2-5-2 for instance, as he
cannot 3-1 your Minions. Also separating important Minions can
help, such as going 4-3-4 if those were your options
Houndmaster - Only works with Beasts, so killing his Beasts can slow
this
guy down quite a bit
Traps - The most common are Explosive and Freezing. We've been over
testing for those; so just keep in mind what you might see
based
on what they do. Bluffing is key here to a Hunter so don't be
afraid to take risk. If you suspect it is Explosive and you
have
lots to lose, don't be afraid to just focus on clearing his
Minions first before triggering it

So final notes regarding Arena. At the end of the day, you just have to
play it frequently to get a feel for it. I could give hints all day long
but
as with many games, you have to develop a feel and just start to know.
Start
to expect. Just because you faced Mind Control Tech last game doesn't mean
your opponent isn't sitting on one. It's turn 5, be careful of Stampeding
Kodo and maybe not play your 2/7 right now.
Often times, it does depend on the cards you get. Sadly, that's just
how
randomness works. However, with strategies that are tested, and using all
of
the knowledge we can possess to try and turn the tide, then hopefully, we
can
craft some new Arena players out there.
I also realize that this might make it harder for me but whatever. It's
like a couple of times now I've played against some Zoo-Lock and seen Owls
dropped and though, to myself, dammit Owl isn't a standard Zoo card are
they
reading my guide? Oh well. I enjoy a better challenge instead of stomps.
Happy Hearthstoning

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------14. Expansion Sets

[EEEE]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------As I certainly hope to see many new sets in the future of Hearthstone,
this section will be where they will be included. I may separate them with
their respected gamefaqs sections; but for now I will include Goblins verse
Gnomes here and keep Naxxramas where it is.
Regardless, December 8, 2014 marks the date a new 136 card set will be
added to Hearthstone, 13 of which are uncollectable and 123 being
collectable.
Each class gains 8 new cards and there will be 51 new neutral cards.
The theme for Goblins verse Gnomes is absolutely randomness. Without a
doubt, the cards are going to shake up Hearthstone to a whole new level.
With
this set, there is are two new races being introduced, Mechs and Ogres.
Mechs,
are without a doubt, going to be very interesting and add an interesting
aspect to the game. Ogres on the other hand, are going to be prime for
adding
Wailing Soul to certain decks as these Ogres are underpriced for their size
due to their ability being 50% chance to attack the wrong enemy.
For the full cardlist and details, please check
hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Goblins_vs_Gnomes
MECHS
To understand Mechs, there is something we have to look at, Spare
Parts.
These are 7 cards, all costing 1 mana, that all have simple effects. Here
they
are:
Armor Plating: Give a minion +1 Health
Emergency Coolant: Freeze a minion
Finicky Cloakfield: Give a friendly minion Stealth until your next turn
Reversing Switch: Swap a minion's Attack and Health
Rusty Horn: Give a minion Taunt
Time Rewinder: Return a friendly minion to your hand
Whirling Blades: Give a minion +1 Attack
These are the various cards that can be collected from the Spare Part
cards. Are they worth it? Some of them are quite good and others are quite
situational. So let's review the cards now:
Clockwork Gnome: He's a 2/1 for 1 which fits perfectly for aggression.
Unlike Leper Gnome who deals 2 damage, this guy gives a Spare Part upon
death.
I think he'll be a wonderful fit for aggressive decks going with a Mech
theme.
As for Arena, he is quite a bit more underwhelming. The Spare Parts are
cool
for sure, but being a 2/1 makes the whole process quite a bit weaker
Cogmaster: He's conditionally a 3/2 for 1 which makes him again a great
fit for aggressive Mech decks. Arena-wise, if you have at least 5 Mechs he
could be useful
Annoy-o-Tron: He's annoying that's for sure but how much he actually

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accomplishes is rather weak. In Arena, he's a fantastic little 2 drop that

can really create problems for your opponent. Even when dealing with hero
powers that deal 1 damage it takes 2 mana to just remove the deathrattle
which begins to make it cost efficient. Now that being said, don't go hog
crazy with these things
Explosive Sheep: He's a Mech however he's actually much better off to
counter aggression because of his deathrattle, deal 2 damage to all
Minions.
What deck to go in? I'm not entirely sure, but control decks if any. In
Arena
he could absolutely be a great pick up
Gilblin Stalker: For costing 2, we would prefer a 3/2 instead of a 2/3.
Stealth is a useful ability, however when they can use Stealth to trade up
giving card advantage. As such, he's really not all that strong. In Arena
is
where he would shine as he can guarantee your trade without you worrying
about
some spell blowing him out of the way. Still not brilliant though
Mechwarper: A staple to Mech decks for sure, his use in Arena will most
likely be extremely limited
Micro Machine: This guy is a fantastic 2 drop. Immediately, he's a 2/2
for
your opponent to deal with. Your first attack with him is a 3/2. From
there,
he only gets stronger and more troublesome to deal with
Puddlestomper: A fantastic addition to Murloc decks and being a 3/2
body
for Arena is always great. Might make picking up Hungry Crab more viable
now
to counter the Puddlestomper
Ship's Cannon: They are pushing for a Pirate deck and Ship's Cannon
will
definitely help that out. He's like Knife Juggler on steroids and actually
for
his use, has great stats as he's harder to kill. In Arena, his use will be
strictly never unless you need more 2 drops
Stonesplinter Trogg: I think this guy will be a great addition to Zoo
aggression as he's not that scary, but if not dealt with, will become
scary.
He can easily protect your other Minions less your opponent makes him
scary.
In Arena, he won't be that strong simply because spells are much more
limited
there though he's still a better pick than most
Flying Machine: Like most 1/4 minions, he sucks. The addition to
windfury
makes him more cool though he desperately needs allies to compliment his
glaring weakness of 1 attack. Being a Mech, there could be a spot for him
though I doubt it. In Arena, you can probably do better
Gnomeregan Infantry: Silverback Patriarch is now strictly useless save
for
being a beast, but that doesn't make this thing any better. A 1/4 taunt is
near useless, and giving it Charge won't help much of anything

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Ogre Brute: Our first Ogre, he's a 4/4 for 3 which is huge. The ability
to
attack the wrong enemy is actually quite cool, as you can attack past
Taunts
as well as attack Stealth'd enemies. If it proves frustrating, then simply
silence him. In Arena, I think this guy will be a very high pick due to his
huge size and not that bad of a downside
Spider Tank: Dark Cultist was the first and now we have our second 3/4
minion for 3. As such, Spider Tank is very strong and being a Mech gives
him
that niche for Mech cards. I expect to see him all over the place
Tinkertown Technician: Conditionally he's a 4/4 for 3 and you gain a
Spare
Part. That's awesome! For Mech decks he's a shoo-in and in Arena he's not
that
bad to begin with but having additional Mechs will make him that much more
strong
Burly Rockjaw Trogg: Similar to his cousin, this guy is very anticontrol
with his spell-like absorption. At 3/5, he's appropriately costed to begin
with but combined with gaining +2 attack I expect he will be a staple in
certain decks as a counter measure
Lost Tallstrider: Hunter has gotten some fairly strong cards and this
is
no exception, as it's a 5/4 beast for 4 mana. Rather useless in most other
decks, I expect this "chocobo" will be in nearly all Hunter decks
Mechanical Yeti: RIP Chillwind Yeti. Just kidding, but he is that good.
Giving each player a Spare Part seems like a downside; however this is
something you can exploit due to the theme of certain cards gaining bonuses
from your opponents hand
Piloted Shredder: A 4/3 for 4 we would expect a good ability as a 4/3
goes
down to a 2 drop 3/2; this one does. When he dies he gives you a random 2
cost
minion. That's amazing! With the exception of Captain's Parrot, you cannot
lose out on value when this thing goes down. In Arena, I expect this will
be
fairly strong pick
Antique Healbot: Hard to say with this. According to Blizzard, 3 mana
and
8 health is considered balanced. This guy then results with a 3/3 for 2
mana
in addition to gaining 8 life. Seems strong; but if we step back we see
it's
5 mana for a 3/3 so I'd say ehhhhhhhhhh probably not that good
Salty Dog: He's a pirate, and he's a 7/4 for 5 which is good enough for
Legendary standards. Now, he doesn't have Deathrattle, but he is a pirate
and
he is fairly huge for the cost. Not so good outside of Pirate decks, but in
Arena I expect him to be fairly strong as he is simply powerful
Force-Tank MAX: This guy is certainly huge however when compared to
other
huge neutral minions he is questionable. A 7/7 Divine Shield is great, but
he

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costs 8 mana which is cumbersome. Ogre is a 6/7 for only 6 mana, and
Venture
Co is a 7/6 for only 5 mana. If you need a fatty he definitely fits the
role
though I would take Ogre over him any day

Rares
Our first rare is Target Dummy. Suffice to say this guy to me seems
useless. Sure he's free, but he's an 0/2. If anything, Shieldbearer at
least
will absorb two attacks. In other words, free 20 crafting I assume
Gnomish Experimenter: This guy is useless in Arena. As the majority of
your cards are minions, that means you get a 1/1 chicken instead. Outside
of
Arena, he may have some use in constructed in very spell oriented decks as
he is a 3/2 body attached to drawing a card opposed to the 1/1 or 2/4
Goblin Sapper: One theme we will see is powers based on your opponents
hand. Instinctively, I think these cards are going to be quite weak as you
cannot control your opponents hand save for mill decks. Regarding Goblin
Sapper, having a 6/4 for 3 would be incredible, but on the other hand a 2/4
for 3 is not nearly as strong. He could have use in a mill deck but
otherwise
I think he is quite weak
Illuminator: So this chick works in only 3 classes (4 if you count
Priest stealing something) but otherwise this thing is quite weak. And
having the ability trigger only results in 4 health. Quite weak though
paired with "hard to trigger" secrets you can gain significant amounts
life if she's well hidden AKA Ice Block, Avenge/Redemption, or any
conditional
Hunter secret

a
even
if
of

Lil' Exorcist: I expect this card will see quite the play. A 2/3 taunt
is nothing brilliant, but a 3/4, or a 4/5 taunt for 3 mana becomes simply
obnoxious and that's only facing 2 deathrattles. Hopefully you will coin
this
out on turn 2 and the 4 power beatdown will begin
Arcane Nullifier X-21: Yes it's a mech. It's also a 2/5 taunt that
cannot
be hit with spells or Hero Powers. I think this guy is quite strong and
will
be in control decks, as his 5 health keeps him alive against most 4 or less
costing creatures, and his 2 power takes down many cheaper minions. I
expect
him to splash with quite the explosion
Jeeves: This little Mech is going to be in every Zoo deck from here to
Timbucktwo. Dropping him as your last card and drawing 3 cards simply
provides
so much card advantage that he will be around a lot. In Arena he's not
brilliant as the quality of cards drawn aren't always going to be that
great.
However if you have no means to draw cards he can certainly fit into your
20-30 picks
Kezan Mystic: This chick definitely would hope that a Sideboard
mechanic

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was ever to be introduced. Without it, it's hard to say how to use her
effectively as secrets aren't brilliant and without them she's quite weak.
In
Arena, I expect her to be considerably better due to secrets being more
popular but otherwise I'd pass. Having played with her once I literally
never had the opportunity to steal a secret and even once LOST a secret to
her but it just didn't make a difference
Bomb Lobber: For 2 mana, frostbolt does 3 damage and freezes. For 1
mana
and overload lightning bolt deals 1 damage. Bomb Lobber is a 3/3 attached
to
a 4 damage nuke. Thus, you can either look at a 3/3 for 3 with a 2 cost
nuke,
or a 3/3 for 2 attached to a 3 cost nuke. Either way, he's extremely
potent.
The downside is that it is random; however since it only targets enemy
Minions
you can easily control which minion you want to be annihilated
Madder Bomber: Frankly after playing with him I think this guy is just
a
waste. Mad Bomber has randomness attached however the 3 damage is actually
more beneficial. Madder Bombers 6 damage is overkill and in 3 uses half the
damage just hit me in the face. Now that's bad RNG, but think about it.
When
do you play Mad Bomber? To enrage your minion, to hit Acolyte, or when your
opponent has at least one minion at 1 health? So when would you play Madder
Bomber? Probably in a similar situation but the 6 damage is just overkill
in
all senses. Probably better off skipping this guy
Epics
Recombobulator: He has an effective cost and a neat battlecry. The only
real downside is getting an Ancient Watcher or Doomsayer, but even those
you
can work around. Otherwise, you get "healing" as your minion is transformed
and you can work out negative effects
Hobgoblin: Already tried this guy out in Arena and frankly he's just
not
worth it. He himself is not cost effective and his ability seems cool but
really what that means is your deck must contain 1 attack minions which we
already know are BAD. They aren't good minions unless you have Hobgoblin so
really he seems cool but he's simply not worth it
Enhance-o Mechano: He like many other minions only benefits as much
from
how many minions you have in play. I expect Paladin and Shaman will see
some
use from him, as well as Murloc decks. For Arena, he's not nearly as strong
due to his effect being "snowball" as opposed to "catch up" meaning that if
you are winning he secures it but if you need something specific he won't
answer that for you
Mini-Mage: Ideally a 1/4 stealth'd spell power minion would be much
better
if you actually want spell power... as it is, you'd almost rather have
Jungle
Panther no joke. Kobold Geomancer is cheaper to add to spell power, and
Arch
Mage is a large body to contend with. Azure Drake is one of the most cost

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efficient minions in the game. Mini Mage is awkwardly costed with weird
stats
Fel Reaver: This guy redefines huge. His downsize is admittedly a huge
one
but only if the game goes long (which hopefully having an 8/8 won't let the
game go long). This is because each random card discarded is just that,
random. Sure you don't want to lose cards, but because each card is just as
likely to get discarded there is no negative to you. Ironically, if there
is
a specific card you don't want to lose, then you have a fairly good
possibility of not discarding it as you'd have a 1/x chance to discard it.
Then there's always silencing this huge minion; which I think will put Fel
Reaver into many categories of decks
Junkbot: Unlike Hunter who can create a horde of beasts to die
cause, this Junkbot lacks any guaranteed way to increase his size.
you're looking at needing at least 2 Mech deaths just to make this
5/6
for 5. He may have some use in Mech decks but he seems to gimmicky
conditional

for his
As such,
guy a
and

Piloted Sky Golem: All these deathrattle minions are awesome and he's
no
exception. This guy is essentially a Cairne Bloodhoof
Clockwork Giant: He could have some use in constructed but his downside
is simply conditional and can be an absolute dead-draw late in the game.
I'd
pass

Legendary
Blingtron 3000: This guy is amazing. Besides giving weapons to any
class
now; he can be used to destroy and replace your opponents current weapon.
He's
also a Mech! I imagine he will be a shoe-in to nearly every constructed
deck
except for aggro. In Arena he is good but not that good
Hemet Hesingwary: He has horrible stats but an awesome battlecry. He's
an
excellent counter to Hunter but the question is how many beasts might you
say
outside of Hunter? Druid has several new beasts, but other than that beasts
aren't that present. Hard to gauge his usefulness right now
Mimiron's Head: Is V-07-TR-ON worth it? I'd say yes. I expect this will
be the "winner" in Mech decks as you turn them into MEGA-fury and win the
game. In Arena I expect this guy to be an overpriced Yeti, which is still
better than other legendaries
Gazlowe: Like Mimiron, quite useless in Arena besides being an
ineffective
3/6 for 6 however in Mech decks I expect this guy will be a staple
Mogor the Ogre: Hard to say. He himself is less effective than
Boulderfist
Ogre. However the ability is a bit insane as it can really cripple your
opponent. Hard to say what deck he'll fit into though

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Toshley: He's similar to other legendaries in stats, but is his ability

good enough? Well, look at those Spare Part cards. Are those worth
attaching
to this guy? Maybe if combined with Gazlowe otherwise not so strong
Dr. Boom: He's big and he gives fantastic board presence. Dr. Boom will
be helpful in control decks and a shoe-in for Arena
Toggzor the Earthinator: Wow, this guy could single-handily shift the
game of Hearthstone. How do you deal with a 6/6 without casting a spell?
Well
you don't if you're behind. Troggzor is a very high Arena pick and for
constructed we have to see how he fits in
Foe Reaper 4000: If you're looking for an expensive game changer, the
Foe Reaper will do that. His weakness is no immediate effect. His strength
is an absolute game changer with just a single attack. Very strong
Sneed's Old Shredder: He completes the trio of summoning and he gives
a legendary one. His only weakness is that in Arena many legendaries are
"conditional" meaning they go into specific constructed decks as well as
many legendaries have battlecries that would not get triggered. You can
also
get Cairne, Sylvannas, KT or Ragnaros, so Sneed's seems like an excellent
choice
Mekgineer Thermaplugg: Whoof. He's gigantic. His ability is hilarious
but pointless as having a 9/7 will win the game in 1-2 attacks regardless
of
how many Leper Gnomes are created. Because of this I expect him to not be
as
strong or popular as other Legendaries

Druid
Anodized Robo Cub: This guy redefines what you expect out of a 2 drop.
The Taunt is stuck, but you can choose 2/3 or 3/2, that's awesome!
Druid of the Fang: With Druid of the Claw becoming a Beast, I expect
the Druid of the Fang will become a new terrifying beast in every Druid
deck
Grove Tender: A shoe-in for Ramp Druid, but otherwise the "each player"
component makes Grove Tender quite weak
Mech-Bear-Cat: This card has quite the potential. He's large, but if it
takes even 2 instances of damage to kill him you get 2 free cards. A large
Mech for sure
Recycle: FINALLY Druid has a way to deal with large creatures besides
using creatures. Control Druid will use this card liberally
Dark Wispers: 5/5 and Taunt is nothing to sneeze at; and 5 wisps seems
useless unless you consider Dark Wispers+Power of the Wild or Dark Wispers+
Knife Juggler or... you can see the potential
Tree of Life: Near useless I expect
Malorne: An ever-lasting 9/7 unless silenced? Sounds very cool!

Hunter

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Glaivezooka: Adding a cheap weapon to Hunter is just unfair and this

is very strong and useful
Cobra Shot: Hard to say as it's very expensive and doesn't deal that
much damage
Call Pet: In constructed, very strong. In Arena, near useless
Metaltooth Leaper: The Hunter Mech dream is real
King of Beasts: The Hunter Beast deck is even more obnoxious
Feign Death: Sigh, Hunter is really getting some options here that are
going to make them the class to beat
Steamwheedle Sniper: At 2/3 he's effective, but wow that hero power. He
basically will cost "4" so you can get the effect right away but this guy
is a game changer
Gahz'rilla: Blizzard has a habit of overkill and this thing is no
exception. Holy crap

Mage
Flamecannon: Mage has gotten some awesome cards and Flamecannon is just
the first one. The random component is easily dealt with and now you can
easily roast 5 health minions for 4 mana but without using Fireball
Snowchugger: Normally 2/3's aren't exciting but Snowchugger gives them
new meaning. This is but another card that makes Mages stronger as he is
an excellent 2 drop
Goblin Blastmage: At 5/4, he's cost effective. If you get his battlecry
bonus he turns amazing
Soot Spewer: He's effective but not exciting. Hard to say. His best use
is that of being a Mech
Unstable Portal: Yes! This card has so much potential. Sure drawing Pit
Lord sucks if you are low, but drawing Windfury Harpy and playing her on
turn
3 really makes a problem for your opponent
Echo of Medivh: The aggro Mage deck could be making a HUGE comeback
with
Echo of Medivh
Wee Spellstopper: Her small power is mediocre to say the least so the
question becomes how to abuse this? Pair her with any of those Trogg
Minions
as she basically has "flagbearer". Knife Juggler is nice too
Flame Leviathan: Faced this in Arena; it beat me. For Arena, It's not
bad.
For constructed, it's hard to say. Probably works in control but you have
literally no way to control when you draw it so that is very risky

Paladin
Seal of Light: Cheap removal for Paladin? Sigh so obnoxious

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Shielded Minibot: Great for Mech decks, not so fantastic elsewhere

Cobalt Guardian: The Paladin Mech deck is real!
Muster for Battle: This creates 6 stats for 3 mana, so that's
effective.
I imagine you'll need to combo this with extra stat inducing cards, but
definitely will be strong
Scarlet Purifier: With the popularity of Naxxramas not showing any
signs
of waning, I expect Scarlet Purifier can go to any deck and be brutal
Coghammer: Adding another weapon to Paladins is something they really
needed. And you look at the battlecry and whoof that's nice; especially
since
you can control what minion you have in play
Quartermaster: Combine with Muster for Battle? Conditional that's for
sure
but turning 1/1 into 3/3 even just twice is, well that's huge!
Bolvar Fordragon: This guy has so much potential but it's so much
conditional potential. I imagine control Paladin will enjoy him quite a bit

Priest
Shrinkmeister: The first battlecry of its kind, this guy is a shoo-in
for
Arena and for constructed really thanks to making Shadow Word Pain and
Shadow
Madness and Cabal Shadow Priest all THAT MUCH BETTER
Velen's Chosen: Insane. Enough said
Light of the Naaru: If Lightwarden didn't suck then this would be cool.
But as Lightwarden sucks, this card kinda sucks
Shadowboxer: He's like the Knife Juggler you wished for. Circle of
Healing
may become better in more than just Auchenai
Upgraded Repair Bot: At 5/5 for 5, that's good. Giving 4 health to a
Mech
is wowzers. Very powerful
Shadowbomber: Many people are questioning this use and frankly I am at
a
loss. Obviously the goal is that Priest can heal himself; however since
Priest
has to cut such corners to hit 30 cards anyway I can't see when you'd want
this wee little 2/1
Lightbomb: Control Priest is crapping on you and you LIKE it
Vol'jin: This troll is simply insane. Expect to see him all over unlike
Master Velen the crappy prophet

Rogue

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Goblin Auto-Barber: Backspace Rogue is loving this card as is Arena

Tinker's Sharpsword Oil: It's expensive and a bit clunky but the
effects
are definitely all worth it
Iron Sensei: This is what end-of-turn effects like Priestess should do.
The Mech Rogue deck is real!
Ogre Ninja: Wow. This guy is just unfair
One-eyed Cheat: This guy looks strong but thanks to all the ways to
deal
one damage randomly I expect he will be forced into decks and not do well
Cogmaster's Wrench: Sigh. Like other weapons I sigh at this. It's good
Sabotage: So Rogues now have 2 ways to destroy creatures. Control Rogue
could still be around despite the Miracle nerf
Trade Prince Gallywix: This guy... looks insane. Gaining a spell in
exchange for a coin? That's incredible value. He's a 5/8 for 6 which means
he won't die all that easily and if they do use a spell... then you have it
to use again. He will be everywhere

Shaman
Whirling Zap-Matic: Many Shaman cards are just insane and we start with
a
doozy here in the Zap-o-matic. 3/2's are always great... this one has
WINDFURY
which well, if you coin it out there or simply play it on turn 2 and they
do
not immediately deal with it you can deal 6, or even 10 damage if you play
a certain totem next turn. Holy crap!
Crackle: WoW! This is amazing!
Dunemaul Shaman: WOW! This thing is INSANE
Powermace: What a fantastic weapon addition to Shamans
Vitality Totem: As Shamans have little to no way to gain life this
could
be used in Control Shaman. Could being the operative word as he doesn't do
anything else
Ancestor's Call: Could the Alarm-o-Bot Shaman be coming back? Maybe. By
coming back I mean just starting. Alarm-o-Bot, Ancestor's Call, and
Foresight
could make it a thing
Siltfin Spiritwalker: Whoa! Murloc Shaman is really coming to a
reality!
Neptulon: AHHHH Murloc Shaman verified!
So yeah... Shaman has gotten some insane cards

Warlock

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Darkbomb: It's cheap, it's simple, it's also cheap removal that Warlock
really could use
Floating Watcher: He's a large demon with potential but he seems too
slow
to really have any use
Fel Cannon: Mech Warlock confirmed?
Imp-losion: Looks like Zoo-lock just got a fantastic addition to their
arsenal
Mistress of Pain: She's interesting but 1 power just sucks
Anima Golem: He's the largest cheapest minion. But that condition is
extremely scary and not that hard to trigger
Demonheart: They're pushing for a Demon deck and Demonheart is a huge
step into that direction
Mal'Ganis: And this guy confirms it. He doesn't have to go into a Demon
deck thanks to his "your hero is immune" thing; but he can definitely
launch
a Demon deck into crazyness

Warrior
Ogre Warmaul: This weapon is horrible. It seems like it would be good,
however unlike a minion that is a 4/4; there's no threat. The minion might
still be targeted by your opponent whereas the weapon if it misses does
nothing. It's bad.
Warbot: Warriors have a 1/3 for 1 now. He becomes a 2/2 though. That's
not great, but a 2/2 for 1 is respectable so not bad
Screwjank Clunker: Warriors can definitely assemble a nice Mech Deck
Shieldmaiden: I expect to see Shieldmaiden a lot. Considering Shield
Block costs 3 for 5 armor plus a card, this basically means you get a 5/5
for 3 mana. Unlike gaining life, Warriors have a practical use for armor
Siege Engine: See Shieldmaiden for explanation
Bouncing Blade: This card has some insane potential. Strangely enough,
it's use won't be "bouncing between minions" rather, using it on just a
single minion and taking it out for 3 mana. Maybe your opponents Ragnaros
after your board was cleared?
Crush: I think Control Warrior can fine a use for this
Iron Juggernaut: Holy wow. This guy will go into Control Warrior. As
those games tend to go long, you force your opponent into an awful spot of
needing cards to win, but sooner or later they will take 10 damage

What does this all mean?

As with any new set, changes will happen. While it is impossible to say
right now what will happen, here are a few things that you can expect to
see
will change.

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1. Big Game Hunter

This guy was a staple more often than not, but with the growing number
of
7 power minions, running 2 BGH will almost be required if to compete
2. Ne'rub Weblord
This guy was laughed at so Blizzard tried to make him viable. There's
one
trend that connects all these great cards: Battlecries. Having a
Weblord
out there can slow your opponent down drastically so expect to see him
worked into decks
3. Silence
Ironbeak Owl and Spellbreaker could be seeing quite a bit more play to
deal with the growing number of deathrattle and obnoxious abilities in
the game
3a. Along with that, Wailing Soul could be dusted off and worked into a
deck now along the lines of using stuff like Ancient Watcher, Venture
Co, Dancing Swords, Ogres, and Fel Reaver. Expect these to work better
in Druid or Priest due to their additional silence mechanics
4. Mind Control Tech
A fantastic Arena card, with the growing odds of Mech decks and thus
facing larger and larger enemy pools, MCT can be a game changer.
Additionally Sea Giant could compliment Mech decks well as an 8/8 for
3 or 4 mana ain't bad
5. Pirates
We've talked and oozed about Mechs, so what about Pirates? They
received
several new cards, namely Ship's Cannon, which give them so real
validity.
Most Pirates are weapon associated so I expect Warrior and Rogue to get
use out of them. Specifically Rogue as Shadowstepping with Ship's
Cannon
can really deal some damage. Ship's Cannon is Knife Juggler on steroids
6. Beasts?
Black Knight was always a potential threat, however he was a dead card
if
there was no target and typically the target was not "that" dangerous.
The threat of Hemet Nesingwary though could really make most beasts not
want to be played due to the free death. What beasts are affected?
Druid
has the Claw and the Fang which are staples... Lost Tallstrider is a
new
addition, and Stampeding Kodo shows his face all over. Then there's
also
Hunter cards. Certainly the threat of Nesingwary could have people pass
on
certain cards
7. Weapon Destruction

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The Ooze is going to be better than ever, but Harrison Jones and
possibly
even Bloodsail Corsair could become better than ever with the new wave
of
even more weapons coming out. Consider that every class now has access
to
weapons if they choose to means that your Harrison could potentially
never
be useless
8. Zoo
Zoo is always so strong. But now every class has access to Explosive
Sheep
which makes a "boom" in slowing down aggression. Will it be enough?
Maybe,
but certainly Silence will become key now to Zoo
9. Spells?
Gadgetzan, Violet Teacher, and Mana Addict all enjoy spells. GVG adds
Spare Parts cards which are all cheap 1 mana spells. Will these new
cards
re-vitalize old ones? Only time will tell.
10. Deck potential?
I expect everything will change. But for now, I'm going to give it at
least a few weeks before I even think about trying to list the current
strong/popular decks

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------15. The End?

[FFFF]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So here we are, the end. But we're never really done. This guide will
continue to update as things change, and I'm certainly open to putting in a
FAQS section if people would like that (and shoot me questions).
This guide is copyright, Me, Todd Lesinski, NoWorries, tskisoccer,
halla
I'm the glorious writer who has done this. It's my property and you may use
it; but in no way publish it under any other name besides my own. Blizzard
owns Hearthstone, but I own my ideas =)
If you feel the need to ask me anything regarding Hearthstone,
including
this guide, you may do so at:
tskisoccer@yahoo.com
Please make your subject line clear for what you want (like
Hearthstone,
or Hearthstone deck idea, or Your hearthstone guide) something that tells
me
you want my attention regarding Hearthstone. Otherwise, it might get
deleted
as I get quite a bit of spam and delete about 50 emails a day of spam so
yup,
make a clear subject line and I'll get to you as others will know from some
of my other guides.

Credits?
At this point, I've done this so many times, it's the same! ERGH
I'd like to
I'd like to
I'd like to
everywhere
I'd like to
and you

thank Gamefaqs, for being awesome

thank Blizzard, for being awesome
thank MTG, for being an awesome inspiration for games
thank you, the reader. Congratulations, this is a long guide
made it through. Good job. Oh and good luck with Hearthstone!

Guide length: 382246 characters

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