Standout Witchwood Meta Decks After 12 Days
By Stonekeep -
The Witchwood is out for nearly two weeks already. We can already see the meta stabilizing, but it's still far from being "stale". If you compare this list to my previous ones, you will see some significant changes. This is also my biggest list so far, with TWENTY FOUR different decks - 12 "top" decks and 12 "interesting" decks.
This time I'm also dividing the decks into two categories - "Top Decks" and "Interesting/Off-Meta Decks". I had some really hard choices, and some of the "Best" decks could as well land in the second category and vice versa. Each category will be explained below.
Keep in mind that that, just like in every other expansion, early meta is very chaotic and can change very often. While the meta changes slow down as the time goes by, I can still see some daily shifts, so I wouldn't go on a crafting spree just yet. Decks are chosen based on my ladder experience (playtesting stuff in Legend), watching the steamers & pros, talking with other high ranked players and early statistics from sites like HSReplay.net or Vicious Syndicate. When making a list like that, I look at the more competitive ranks (R10-Legend or R5-Legend), which means that the power level of those decks might be slightly different let's say around Rank 20.
These decks are only example lists - I tend to show the more popular builds, because they have a bigger sample size. Some of those decks might have a slightly better version already.
Top Witchwood Decks
Top decks are the strongest decks in the current meta. In terms of their place on the Tier List, those would be Tier 1 and Tier 2 decks. Right now, they should all be viable choices to ladder with. I have playtested each one of them, as well as faced them multiple times on the ladder. Majority of those decks should stay in the meta in one form or the other.
Even Paladin Deck Guide
Format: standard
7,920
Cards (30)
Extra: Spiteful Even Paladin
Format: standardSeason: Season 498,880
Murloc Paladin Deck Guide
Format: standard5,100
Odd Paladin Deck Guide
Format: standard4,320
Paladin Cards (14)
Cube Warlock (With Guide)
Format: standard10,160
Warlock Cards (20)
Spiteful Druid Deck Guide
Format: standard7,840
Cards (30)
- 1Dire Mole2
- 1Fire Fly2
- 1Glacial Shard2
- 2Prince Keleseth★
- 3Crypt Lord2
- 3Druid of the Scythe2
- 3Greedy Sprite2
- 4Fire Plume Phoenix1
- 4Saronite Chain Gang2
- 4Spellbreaker2
- 5Cobalt Scalebane1
- 5Fungalmancer2
- 5Leeroy Jenkins★
- 5Mind Control Tech2
- 6Spiteful Summoner2
- 7Malfurion the Pestilent★
- 8Grand Archivist1
- 10Ultimate Infestation2
Quest Rogue Deck Guide
Format: standard7,400
Odd Rogue
Format: standardSeason: Season 49Player: Xixo7,800
Mind Blast Control Priest Deck Guide
Format: standard7,040
Tempo Mage Deck Guide
Format: standard4,900
Big Spell Mage Deck Guide
Format: standard13,160
Cards (30)
Zoo Warlock Deck Guide
Format: standard4,200
Off-Meta + Interesting Decks
Off-meta decks are more fringe and generally less powerful than those listed above. In terms of their place on the Tier List, they would be Tier 3 and Tier 4 decks. It doesn't mean that they're all bad - they might be difficult to play and thus having a lower win rate (common Miracle Rogue's problem), or they might be used as the counter-picks in the right meta.
Interesting decks are slightly different than off-meta ones. Those are mostly experimental decks or decks that aren't very popular yet - it's hard to reliably place them at the tier list since they have low sample size and they aren't wide-spread on the ladder yet. After more playtesting, optimizing etc. they might turn out to be one of the "top" or "off-meta" decks.
Secret Paladin
Format: standardSeason: Season 495,400
Even Shaman
Format: standardSeason: Season 49Player: cocosasa9,440
Control Warlock
Format: standardSeason: Season 497,060
Miracle Rogue Deck Guide
Format: standard8,080
Quest (Taunt) Warrior Deck Guide
Format: standard7,160
Odd Control Warrior
Format: standardSeason: Season 4914,640
Cards (30)
- 1Shield Slam2
- 1Town Crier2
- 1Whirlwind2
- 2Shield Block2
- 3Gluttonous Ooze1
- 3Ironbeak Owl2
- 3Rabid Worgen2
- 3Reckless Flurry2
- 3Stonehill Defender2
- 4Big Game Hunter1
- 5Brawl2
- 5Darius Crowley★
- 5Direhorn Hatchling1
- 5Elise the Trailblazer★
- 5Faceless Manipulator1
- 5Harrison Jones★
- 5Mind Control Tech1
- 7Baron Geddon★
- 7Gorehowl1
- 7King Mosh★
- 9Baku the Mooneater★
Spiteful Priest Deck Guide
Format: standard4,400
Odd Face Hunter (With Guide)
Format: standard4,080
Spell Hunter Deck Guide
Format: standard5,120
Token Druid
Format: standardSeason: Season 496,680
Taunt Druid Deck Guide
Format: standard7,800
Elemental Shudderwock Shaman
Format: standardSeason: Season 49Player: J4CKIECHAN12,520
26 Comments
Neil
Very excellent work on this. While there are a lot of sites to go to for HS information, nobody else is doing the level of well written evaluation that is seen here. This is a lot of work, but is a lot of value add for reader, who is likely also pouring over HSReplay stats.
Impressive work. Keep it up.
Stonekeep
Thank you a lot! I really like doing those compilations - not only I can share what I already know with all of you, but I also can learn a lot about the meta myself.
You should expect to see this kind of posts after every expansion or a major balance patch!
Thrall1994
i'd really recommend to add the EvenLock, at least in the off-meta+interesting decks. it's performing rly well for me at rank 10-5 (i got a 9 wins streak too) and managed to bring me easily up there (was a lot i didn't reach 5+ ranks cause i'm not playing much lately and with this was a blast to get there).
Immolate
Interesting! Any chance I could see a decklist for this? Sounds like an interesting concept!
Elgryn
It's in this site's tier list, as Handlock. http://www.hearthstonetopdecks.com/decks/even-warlock-handlock-deck-guide-witchwood/
Immolate
Thank you! =)
Evident
We have a guide for it right here: http://www.hearthstonetopdecks.com/decks/even-warlock-handlock-deck-guide-witchwood/
Immolate
Oh awesome, thanks Evident! =)
Sharkmg7
Nicely Done Stonekeep! A really so good work...Congrats and thanks a lot for it!
Stonekeep
Thank you!
Immolate
Hey Stonekeep, thanks so much for this article! It's crazy to see so many viable decks in the meta. It's been a blast trying out these decks and other, wackier decks on the ladder. Thanks for taking the time to break each one down for us!
Stonekeep
No problem, I'm really glad that you've enjoyed it! Yeah, this meta looks really diverse right now. While there are clearly a few decks dominating (power level of Paladin worries me a bit), it's cool that no matter what kind of decks you like to play, you should find something for yourself.
Raemahn
OTK Shudderwock isn't even on the list. Has it fallen out of favor? (Would explain why I haven't run into it for a while.)
raven76
Is not good, other Shudderwock deck is better. Grumble helps too
Stonekeep
OTK Shudderwock Shaman was a classic Day 1 experiment. When no one really knows what to play, and runs a bunch of unoptimized decks, every deck feels stronger than it really is. If you add the fact that Disguised Toast (undoubtedly one of the bigger HS streamers & personalities) has played it on Day 1 and the deck got memed because of the length of animations, it all added up.
Best players knew after just a few days that the deck is not going to work. On my Day 1 compilation, written less than 24h after the expansion, I was already saying that the deck is not good. It's like a worse version of the Exodia Mage, which was never dominating the meta. It might stay as some sort of an off-meta counter to certain builds, but at least right now isn't going to be popular.
The deck isn't completely pointless - it still has a positive matchups against some decks, but those decks are so few and far between that it doesn't make much sense (competitively speaking) to play it over any other meta deck.
Plus, we've got some news about the Shudderwock - it's been capped to 20 Battlecries + the animation times got shorter.
CounterTrap
Beautiful column. I had no intention of stopping my day to read a full column during lunch, but each deck just led me to the next. I've played against most of them, but not all, and just seeing what constitutes them here is brilliant. Great compilation.
Stonekeep
Thank you, that's one of the best compliments a writer can get :)
KillerBee
Superb work! Discovered this site just after WW launched and your frequent articles have really helped guide me through the unfamiliar meta. Hit rank 5 earlier after crafting Even Paladin and have really enjoyed goofing around with Even Shaman in Wild. Thanks :)
Stonekeep
That's cool, congratulations on Rank 5! :)
I'm really glad that you enjoy my content and I hope that you will stay with us!
Judain
Just great compilation!
Im gonna try some decks! keep the excellent work.
Stonekeep
Thank you, and I hope you will enjoy the decks you try out!
HiroBR
What do you think of a spiteful elemental mage? since had a spiteful druid, why not a mage?
Stonekeep
Would you mind posting a deck list? I haven't see that yet.
It makes some sense, although the Druid minion seems like a better fit into such a deck than Mage minions. Most of the Mage minions require some sort of Spell synergy to really work well, which isn't the case for Druid.
I think that the deck might be viable, but it would just be a worse version of Spiteful Druid.
Catosar
I think there would be a way to balance quest rogue but not with sonya shadowdancer being only 3 mana.
Brb
Why? Quest is balance, is the meta that let quest be a t1 deck
Vincent
I used control warlock to climb from rank 5 to legend on EU. Now I’m climbing the legend ranks 14.000 to 7000 now.
You state that control is an off-meta build like 5-6 times less populair as the cube version. In my experience it’s the opposite... in the lower non-legend ranks I met Paladins mainly and more control then cube locks. In legend ranks I meet mainly control locks and mages. At least 10 control and not a single cube so far.
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