The 5 best Hearthstone decks for Ranked Play

Being brilliant at uber addictive card battler Hearthstone is all about having a good deck.

Especially in ranked play, where having a dependable set of cards will spell the difference between claiming victory and getting wrecked. But with so many cardboard rectangles to choose from, where do you start?

That's what we're here for.

Whether you're just starting out in the game or are making that ambitious climb to Legend, you'll find five of the best decks in Hearthstone - and the all you need to know to find success with them.

Face Hunter - Easy Decklist:

• Abusive Sergeant (x2)
• Leper Gnome (x2)
• Glaivezooka (x2)
• Explosive Trap
• Freezing Trap (x2)
• Quick Shot
• Haunted Creeper (x2)
• Ironbeak Owl (x2)
• Knife Juggler (x2)
• Mad Scientist (x2)
• Eaglehorn Bow (x2)
• Animal Companion (x2)
• Kill Command (x2)
• Unleash the Hounds (x2)
• Arcane Golem (x2)
• Wolfrider (x2)

Currently the bane of many on the ranked ladder, the aim of the Face Hunter is to rush your opponent down with quick early game minions, high damage spells, and the Hunter's hero power. Charge minions are your friends here so you'll want the likes of Wolf Rider, Arcane Golem and a lucky Huffer or two from Animal Companion to go straight for your opponent's life total.

Don't be afraid to simply ignore their creatures and play super-aggressively too – you just want to be in a position where the damage output is too consistent for them to stabilise. Freezing Trap is good to delay your opponent and a cheeky Ironbeak Owl can silence any taunts so you can continue the barrage.

Be careful this deck doesn't instil some bad habits - knowing when to trade is an important skill for many other decks. However, the Face Hunter is a good deck for newcomers to the game in particular as not only is it one of the cheapest to put together it's also straightforward to play.

Combo Mage - Easy Decklist:

• Mana Wyrm (x2)
• Flamecannon (x2)
• Frostbolt (x2)
• Unstable Portal (x2)
• Mad Scientist (x2)
• Sorcerer's Apprentice (x2)
• Mirror Entity (x2)
• Flamewaker (x2)
• Fireball (x2)
• Kezan Mystic
• Piloted Shredder (x2)
• Azure Drake (x2)
• Loatheb
• Sludge Belcher (x2)
• Sylvanas Windrunner
• Flamestrike
• Dr. Boom
• Ragnaros the Firelord

The Combo Mage is an effective deck as it makes use of the Mage's strong roster of spells and minions working in unison with each other to extract as much value out of each card as possible.

The recently added Flamewaker is the MVP here as it throws out two points of random extra damage with each spell you cast. Combine this with cheap spells such as Flamecannon, Frostbolt and Unstable Portal to keep your opponent's board clear before neatly curving into powerful late game drops, including Loatheb, Dr. Boom and Ragnaros to finish off your opponent.

It's definitely not the cheapest deck in the game to build considering the high legendary count, but is loaded with very powerful and cost-effective cards.

Hand-lock - Intermediate Decklist:

• Mortal Coil
• Darkbomb (x2)
• Ancient Watcher (x2)
• Ironbeak Owl (x2)
• Sunfury Protector (x2)
• Hellfire
• Shadowflame (x2)
• Defender of Argus (x2)
• Twilight Drake (x2)
• Antique Healbot (x2)
• Loatheb
• Sludge Belcher (x2)
• Siphon Soul (x2)
• Emperor Thaurissan
• Sylvanas Windrunner
• Lord Jaraxxus
• Mountain Giant (x2)
• Molten Giant (x2)

Warlock is one of the most versatile classes in Hearthstone. Many popular decks can fulfil a range of roles from aggro to zoo to mid-range, but one of the most consistently played is Hand-lock. The Hand-lock is, fittingly, all about filling your hand with big creatures and setting up an impassable wall of minions.

The first few turns you'll spend drawing cards using the Warlock's Life Tap hero power, which should set you up for an impactful turn four Twilight Drake or Mountain Giant.

Your opponent will likely have ways to deal with the first couple of these but the sheer volume of huge cards in this deck means that once they run out of answers it'll be impossible for them to recover. Or, if your opponent is at a huge advantage, you can combine them with a Shadowflame to essentially reset the match.

Remember your life total is a resource to be tapped when needed and any damage sent your way brings you closer to a devastating Molten Giant play.

If your opponent is careless you could set up a turn where you play both and taunt them up with Defender of Argus or Sunfury Protector. Those plays will usually close out the game, but in case you ever need that one final nail in the coffin, Lord Jaraxxus is the perfect late game drop to seal the win.

A powerful and interesting deck as it requires you to play a little unorthodox and be brave enough to take damage so you can set up huge swing turns.

Ramp Druid - Intermediate Decklist:

• Innervate (x2)
• Zombie Chow
• Wild Growth (x2)
• Wrath (x2)
• Savage Roar (x2)
• Big Game Hunter
• Shade of Naxxramas (x2)
• Swipe (x2)
• Keeper of the Grove (x2)
• Piloted Shredder (x2)
• Druid of the Claw (x2)
• Loatheb
• Sludge Belcher (x2)
• Force of Nature (x2)
• Emperor Thaurissan
• Ancient of Lore (x2)
• Dr. Boom
• Ragnaros the Firelord

Druids in Hearthstone are best known for their gigantic late game creatures, so the aim of this deck is to "ramp" up to those minions as early as possible while your opponent is unable to deal with them efficiently.

Wild Growth and Innervate are the cards you're going to want to mulligan for so you can race ahead in mana crystals and plonk down a Piloted Shredder, Druid of the Claw or Emperor Thaurissan nice and early.

Take advantageous trades with these minions against your opponent's cheaper cards and you'll storm into an insurmountable early lead before closing out the win with the Force of Nature/Savage Roar combo for some insane burst damage.

Some poor draws can really punish this deck, so you can expect some games where your hand will be unplayable for the first three or four turns. Some players like to run a Zombie Chow as an extra early game drop to counteract this problem, especially with all the aggressive decks that dominate ladder.

However, thanks to its tough creatures, powerful board clears with Swipe and surprise damage potential, its performance is decent against a wide range of decks making the Ramp Druid a solid pick for laddering.

Patron Warrior - Expert Decklist:

• Inner Rage (x2)
• Execute (x2)
• Whirlwind (x2)
• Fiery War Axe (x2)
• Battle Rage (x2)
• Slam (x2)
• Armorsmith (x2)
• Cruel Taskmaster
• Unstable Ghoul
• Acolyte of Pain (x2)
• Frothing Berserker (x2)
• Warsong Commander (x2)
• Death's Bite (x2)
• Dread Corsair
• Gnomish Inventor
• Grim Patron (x2)
• Emperor Thaurissan
• Grommash Hellscream

Patron Warrior is probably the strongest deck in the game right now, but it's also one of the hardest to play well. Most decks require some forward-thinking, but Patron Warrior needs to be played like a game of chess - thinking at least three or four turns ahead.

The goal is simple enough: set up a devastating Warsong Commander and Grim Patron/Frothing Berserker combo that will either kill your opponent in one turn or establish a board which they can't recover from. The trick is reaching this point.

You'll want to play to control the board as much as you can in the early game by clearing your opponent's minions with Fiery War Axe and Death's Bite. Also, start drawing cards with Acolyte of Pain and a good value Battle Rage (you'll want to draw at least two cards with this, but three or more is the best result).

Don't be afraid to play the Acolyte and an Inner Rage immediately for the extra card too. It's more of a threat as a 3/2 anyway.

Once you head in the late game that's when things get serious. If turn six rolls around and you have Emperor Thaurissan in your hand you generally want to play it every time in order to make your combo cheaper. Then, be patient, and pick your moment to strike.

Once you start the Warsong and Patron/Berserker train there are so many variables to consider before the rope burn times you out that you'll need speedy maths skills and an awareness of your creature limit to set up the perfect turn. Look to trigger the combo with your opponent's creatures or your own spells depending on the board state.

With (a lot of) practise you'll see the plays more easily, but the time spent learning is worth it when you swing for thirty plus damage or hear a glorious chorus of "Get in here!" as you fill your side of the board with drunken dwarves.