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Hearthstone: Whispers of the Old Gods deckbuilding guide

Surviving the end of the world as we know it

Hearthstone: Whispers of the Old Gods deckbuilding guide

Whispers of the Old Gods introduced a new standard play mode that totally upset the Hearthstone meta. For a little while, everyone was experimenting and no-one was sure what worked. Now things are beginning to settle down a little, and particular archetypes are emerging.

If you're still playing in wild mode, you're already gold. Many of the decks that worked well before still work now. Secrets Paladin is as murderously effective as ever, for example. If you want to push on into standard, though, it means you're going to need to revise all your decks.

You could just copy ones other people have made, of course. But where's the fun in that? For those of you who prefer the strategy and imagination of building your own card combos, here's a quick guide to what's hot in the current standard meta.

Cute C'Thun

Everyone wanted to try out the focus of the expansion in the amorphous and insane form of the ancient god C'Thun. The good news is that it looks like the design of C'Thun and its supporting cards was right on the money. It's not overpowered and dominating the game, but it's a valid and exciting way to build a deck.

Certain cards have emerged as staples in these decks. Beckoner of Evil is an obvious early game card, followed closely by Disciple of C'Thun, whose targeted two damage is a massive boon to clear cheap minions. Twilight Elder is the best mid-game choice, with the ongoing buff to C'Thun leaving opponents in a dilemma as to whether to kill the little cultist.

Perhaps more surprisingly, C'Thuns Chosen is commonly chosen too. With standard having removed most of the best "sticky" minions from the game, anything with divine shield is incredibly useful to keep board presence.

Similarly, particular classes work better with C'Thun than others. Obviously, those with defensive hero powers like Priest and Warrior are the favourites, bolstered by some excellent and powerful class-specific C'Thun cards. But Druid has even better class cards in the form of Dark Arakkoa and Klaxxi Amber-Weaver. With Innervate offering early C'Thun summons, it's perhaps the best choice of all for the archetype.

Other classes don't have to pass on old-gods related action though. If you've got a copy of N'Zoth, it can wreak havoc with a number of different deathrattle decks. Paladin, Priest, and Rogue can all do well with this ancient horror. And mages who've been driven insane by all these otherwordly abominations can try their hand at Yogg-Saron, frequently more lethal to its summoner than the opponent.

Zoo resurrection

With sticky minions on the way down, it looks like Blizzard's choice to replace them are mass cheap summons. Whether it's in the form of the Druid's Wisps of the Old Gods or the Warlock's Forbidden Ritual that summons a 1/1 Tentacle for each mana in your pool, it's never been easier to fill your side of the board.

There are lots of cards that fit into this archetype too. Warlock is the obvious choice here with the new sticky-replacement Posessed Villager and the potentially game-winning Darkshire Councilman. Classic card Knife Juggler might have been nerfed as part of the update but it's still a strong choice, especially with all these new instant summoning cards.

It's not all Gul'dan's game though. Paladins have some sweet new cards to build zoo decks with. Best by far is Steward of Darkshire which adds a free divine shield to every one health minion you summon. Opponents will want to be rid of it fast, but played alongside a 2/1 Bilefin Tidehunter and its free 1/1 taunting slime, that might be easier said than done.

Murloc Paladin is also now fun and effective when used in combination with the previously mentioned cards and Vilefin Inquisitor along with the usual fishy suspects. Or you can build a more classic divine shield deck by using them with the free shields from Selfless Hero and classics like Blood Knight and Argent Protector.

Helping hands

Some classes just needed a bit of a boost to get competitive, and Whispers of the Old Gods certainly gave that to the Shaman. With a massive 7/7 card you can summon as early as turn three and the horrible Eternal Sentinel which gives you back your overloaded crystals, aggro Shaman is back with a vengeance.

Mid-range and control Shaman players are well catered for too. The Totem Shaman archetype that was briefly popular after The Grand Tournament is now workable again, thanks to Thing From Below. It's a card that works well in any Shaman deck, but it's particularly powerful alongside minions such as Thunder Bluff Valiant.

They also got a whole new effect in the form of Evolution, which replaces an existing minion with one of the next-highest cost. It might be random, but if played on a creature with just one health it can give a whole new lease of life to your side of the board.

Druid was competitive before the patch, but it needed a shot in the arm due to the nerfing of its most popular card, Force of Nature. The changed focus toward playing with beasts is finally paying dividends, with cards like Mark of Y'Shaarj and Addled Grizzly working together to make a new kind of aggressive mid-range druid deck. And a first-turn Innervate and Coin into Mire Keeper is possibly the best opening play in the game.

Happy deck building!

Matt Thrower
Matt Thrower
Matt is a freelance arranger of words concerning boardgames and video games. He's appeared on IGN, PC Gamer, Gamezebo, and others.