It’s getting a little crazy out there now that Blizzard reverted the nerfs to 36 cards, many of them still part of the Standard format until Forged in the Barrens launch on March 30th. Right now, Standard is wild!
This brief meta that only lasts for five days overall will, of course, not be fully explored and there are openings you can use and new ideas you can find until the very last second of it, but we already know a lot about it, so if you’re looking to take some of the newly refreshed cards out for a spin, here are the ones that are performing the best so far!
#1: Enrage Warrior with Charge OTK
6,160
This deck is the current meta tyrant and it shows no signs of slowing down.
With the news of unnerfing of Charge, people immediately started to speculate on the return of Raging Worgen OTK Warrior. Sure, there are some people out there who play with Raging Worgen, and that deck is capable of winning slightly more than half of its games, but the beast looks old and tired compared to the true ruler of Hearthstone, Crabrider.
Why wait until the late-game to set up an OTK when you can just Crabrider early in the game to gain board control and then buff up and copy your Murloc to kill people early? Should that fail, you can always hold back one Crabrider for the late-game and go for the kill then. With Crabrider instead of Raging Worgen, you gain the flexibility to end the game at any time, and it is usually better to win early than to win late.
On the other hand, if you want to counter the meta tyrant, your best option is to use some old cards and play Broom Paladin (if you want to win other matchups too) or Guardian Druid (if you just really hate Enrage Warrior).
#2: Whirlkick Rogue with Edwin VanCleef
- 0Backstab2
- 0Preparation2
- 0Shadowstep2
- 1Pharaoh Cat2
- 1Prize Plunderer2
- 1Secret Passage2
- 2Eviscerate2
- 2Foxy Fraud2
- 2Swindle2
- 2Whirlkick Master2
- 3EVIL Miscreant2
- 3Edwin VanCleef1
Is it really a new deck if it was built months ago?
Be that as it may, Edwin VanCleef is back in all his glory, once again ruling as the undisputed best card in Rogue and killing people before the game even begins. It is said that even Chuck Norris is scared of the pre-nerf Edwin VanCleef, and Chuck keeps a kraken for a pet! At least that’s what I have learned from meme videos.
Aggro Rogue has been making the headlines in Darkmoon Faire, but Whirlkick Rogue with the real Edwin VanCleef is currently outperforming its Aggro siblings and it is one of the best decks you can play.
#3: Galakrond Shaman
When every synergy card in the deck has been nerfed, the original had to be pretty good. Galakrond Shaman is back with the original versions of Invocation of Frost, Corrupt Elementalist, and Dragon's Pack!
There are multiple variants of the archetype around, it was gone for such a long time after all that there are multiple expansions worth of cards to add to the deck. Dreivo’s version has been the best-performing one so far: it takes the Galakrond package and adds in newcomers such as Cagematch Custodian and Whack-A-Gnoll Hammer, and mixes in a bit of area-of-effect damage and burn in the form of Dunk Tank. A refreshing take on the old classic that shows just how well the Galakrond core can support the latest Standard cards.
#4: Face Hunter with Arcane Golems
Face Hunter is back with a vengeance! The archetype has been viable throughout Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, but it has always been one step behind Highlander Hunter. Now, Face Hunter is challenging its big brother and even threatening to overtake it.
WuLing’s version of Face Hunter brings back Arcane Golem and Knife Juggler, as well as keeps the improved Leper Gnome and Toxic Reinforcements. The deck is even more explosive than before, and fits well in the kill-or-be-killed meta.
There are also some versions of the deck that try to make use of the improved Starving Buzzard, but the card does not look like a good fit to Face Hunter. Some people are experimenting with more Beast-based Midrange Hunter decks where Starving Buzzard can shine, but comprehensive statistics of such attempts are not yet available.
With Dinotamer Brann back to seven mana, I suppose you could argue that Highlander Hunter is also back now. However, Highlander Hunter was never gone, and the decks have not changed by one card. Yes, Highlander Hunter is still good, and Brann is now better at seven mana. You can proceed to play the exact same list you used before if that’s the Hunter archetype you’d rather play.
What about Lord Jaraxxus?
One of the most expected buffs was turning Lord Jaraxxus into a real Hero card. No more health reduction! Armor gain! Weapon and Hero Power untouched! Lord Jaraxxus is great. In fact, Lord Jaraxxus is currently the best-performing card in the Control Warlock decks that include it, and for a nine-mana card, that is unbelievable: the most expensive cards are rarely the best-performing ones because you lose a lot of games on turns when you can’t even play them yet, which naturally lowers their drawn winrate.
Alas, while Lord Jaraxxus is great, Control Warlock is not. With all the added explosiveness in the meta, Control Warlock is struggling to survive long enough to reap the benefits of turning into a demon. But if you were playing Control Warlock already, then the addition of buffed Jaraxus is a big upside.
What about all the old top-tier decks?
There are still strong decks around that do not use any of the buffed cards. Broom Paladin, in particular, is going as strong as ever with its exquisite suite of tools to answer aggression and big minions alike. It is right up there with Enrage Warrior at the top of the meta.
Token Druid and Zoo Warlock are also still capable decks. They are a step behind the top four returning decks, but can still take games from them and are generally capable of climbing the ladder.
There is a lot of Hearthstone to be played in this brief meta, and I hope these decks help you to enjoy it to the fullest!
Old Guardian
Ville "Old Guardian" Kilkku is a writer and video creator focused on analytic, educational Hearthstone, and building innovative Standard format decks. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OldGuardian Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/old_guardian
Got legend with dragon control warlock, but the real fun is this one (in portuguese):
### Quest Control
# Classe: Bruxo
# Formato: Padrão
# Ano do Dragão
#
# 1x (1) Carcereiro Espiritual
# 2x (1) Comerciante de Armadura
# 1x (2) Conhecimento Pervertido
# 1x (2) Gosma Ácida do Pântano
# 1x (2) Reviravolta
# 2x (3) Céus Escuros
# 1x (3) Detectar Demônios
# 2x (3) Espíritos da Escola
# 2x (3) Histeria
# 2x (4) Desastre em Cascata
# 1x (5) Caçador Sombrio Vol’jin
# 1x (5) Enviado Ferrugésio
# 1x (5) Ogromante
# 2x (6) Defensor de Khartut
# 1x (6) Ingressius
# 1x (6) Keli’dan, o Quebrador
# 2x (6) Prolemadre Aranasi
# 1x (7) Animóloga Malícia
# 1x (7) Fortão
# 1x (8) Espiral Etérea
# 1x (8) Senhora do Medo Aprimorada
# 1x (9) Lorde Jaraxxus
# 1x (10) Y’Shaarj, o Profanador
#
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#
Currently the worst card is Rustwix, a second Spirit Jailer it’s probably a better choice. It’s great swapping these 1-cost minions into khartut or dreadlords.
Guess I took the opportunity and reached my first Legend rank! Face Hunter and OTK Warrior did a very good job in the higher ranked levels. Thx for sharing these decks!
Good Job! 😀