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Hearthstone‘s new Murder at Castle Nathria expansion is certainly thematically exciting (who doesn’t love a good murder mystery?), but there are serious questions about how the expansion will impact the game’s competitive meta. There are already some who fear that many of the expansion’s new cards will prove to be just a bit too gimmicky.
However, after spending a little time with the expansion’s new cards during a recent preview event, I feel confident suggesting that Castle Nathria is going to surprise a lot of Hearthstone fans. While some of the expansion’s new cards may not look that great on paper, they actually prove to be incredibly effective in practice. Of course, getting the most out of those cards means finding the decks designed to maximize their considerable potential.
With that in mind, here’s a better look at every Hearthstone class’ best (and most exciting) decks for the early days of the Castle Nathria expansion.
Hero Power “Skeleton” Mage
Mage’s various new Volatile Skeleton generating cards allow you to fill the board with explosive minions that can quickly deal a ton of damage to the enemy hero (or just help clear the board). In practice, I found that the skeletons can be a bit unreliable. The Deathrattle damage they deal is a little too random, and there are few truly great ways to generate them consistently.
That’s why I like this “Hero Power” version of the basic Skeleton build. This deck allows you to build towards two big possible finisher cards (Kel’Thuzad, the Inevitable and Mordresh Fire Eye) in two distinct ways. Against slower decks, you might even be able to play both finisher cards for maximum effectiveness. While this deck may struggle against more aggressive builds and certain combos, it seems to be reliable enough to climb the ladder with.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Hero Power “Skeleton” Mage Deck Code: AAECAf0ECNjsA53uA6CKBKiKBJegBJjUBLrkBL7wBAvQ7APT7APW7AOn9wOhkgTcuQSd1ATb3gT67ASCkwWEkwUA
Big Beast Wildseed Hunter
I’m fairly confident that some kind of Hunter deck will be very powerful in the new expansion meta. Hunter is about to have access to a ton of individually powerful cards, and some combination of those cards is destined to form a powerful new deck. At the moment, though, I’m honestly not entirely sure which Hunter deck will prove to be the very best. That said, this “Big Beast Wildseed” deck seems like a fantastic jumping-off point.
Like the Big Beast Hunter decks of the past, this build is ultimately trying to fill the board with as many big minions as quickly as possible. Unlike those decks, this build uses Hunter’s new “Wildseed” package to generate a fairly consistent stream of pressure while you’re waiting to play those larger minions. It just might be the best version of Big Beast Hunter yet.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Big Beast Wildseed Hunter Deck Code: AAECAR8O5e8DxfsD25EE4Z8E2qMEwKwEx7IEwLkE57kEm8kEuNkE0+QEl+8EvvAEDerpA6mfBNejBOWkBIiyBIe3BJa3BIPIBL/TBMzkBNDkBNLkBKjvBAA=
Magnifying Glaive Demon Hunter
To be honest with you, the entire Demon Hunter class is looking kind of rough at the moment. The class never quite recovered from some of the nerfs to its more aggressive cards, and it’s still looking for a new identity. As such, one of the best ways to build a Demon Hunter deck at the moment is to try to play with as many of its new cards as possible and try to find something that works.
For the moment, though, this seems to be the best new Demon Hunter deck option out there. This incredibly aggressive build utilizes the power of the new Magnifying Glaive weapon to refill your hand and help apply a steady stream of damage (two things that aggro Demon Hunters always want to do). This deck will almost certainly struggle against what figure to be the absolute best decks out there, but it should help win you a lot of quick games.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Magnifying Glaive Demon Hunter Deck Code: AAECAea5AwaHiwT7vwT+vwTp0ASq3QSS3wQM+JQEgJ8Etp8EyZ8E1p8EtKAEx6wE5bYEr94EsN4EquIEheUEAA==
Big Ramp Deathrattle Druid
I don’t think it’s possible to overhype how good Druid decks are going to be in the Castle Nathria expansion. While there are other classes that will give Druid a run for its money (more on those in a bit), it’s hard to go wrong with the many new options Druids now have access to.
However, I think that this Deathrattle Ramp Druid deck is one of the best examples of the class’ potential that I’ve seen so far. While I think that you might need to experiment with a couple of cards in this deck to really optimize its strategy, the basic concept is pretty much bulletproof. Just max out your mana pool as quickly as possible and watch as your opponent tries to figure out how to get around the many massive minions you’ll soon play.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Big Ramp Deathrattle Druid Deck Code: AAECAZICBomLBKWtBOnQBJjUBK/kBL7wBAzJ9QOvgASunwTanwTPrAT/vQSuwATV3QTB3wT64gSs7QTaoQUA
Big Control Warrior
If Demon Hunter isn’t the worst overall class in Hearthstone at the moment, that “honor” would certainly have to go to Warriors. The class went into this expansion in a weird spot, and Castle Nathria‘s new Warrior cards just aren’t enough to offer Warriors that new strategy they really need.
That’s why I’m recommending this new twist on the classic “Big Warrior” concept. This deck isn’t particularly clever or subtle but it does what Warriors almost always do best: stay alive while finding a way to play as many big minions as possible. Actually, I think the new Party Crasher card may end up being the key to finding a Warrior deck that really works.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Big Control Warrior Deck Code: AAECAQcKj+0DuIoEvIoEiKAE76QEpa0E5bAEv84E8NsEiN8ECo7tA8T1A/iABPmMBPqMBImgBIy3BI7UBNPlBKztBAA=
Impending Catastrophe Warlock
Every now and then, a Hearthstone expansion comes along that features an unusual number of simply broken Warlock cards. Castle Nathria happens to be one of those expansions. Actually, Warlock’s new “Imp” deck might just be the best aggressive deck the class has had access to since the earliest days of the game.
Meet the deck that’s going to haunt your dream until it is inevitably nerfed. Thanks to the drawing power of the new Impending Catastrophe card, this deck is capable of consistently filling the board with annoying minions without ever really having to worry about running out of gas. There are answers to this deck, but whether or not you’ll be able to find them in time is another matter entirely.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Impending Catastrophe Warlock Deck Code: AAECAf0GBsf5A4f7A7CRBPXHBJvkBIfqBAz07QPG+QP++gOB+wPFgASEoATmoAT50wT/2QSA2gSB2gSr6gQA
Pure Control Paladin
Truth be told, anyone looking for a more consistent Paladin deck is probably better off going for a version of the “Dude” Paladin deck that looks to feed as many minions as possible to Sire Denathrius. Here’s a great example of that archetype. However, I personally had a lot of success with this version of the new “Pure Paladin” deck.
As suggested by the name, this deck consists entirely of Paladin cards. It may sound gimmicky, but that gimmick allows you to easily access the full (and considerable) power of two new Paladin cards: Elitist Snob and The Countess. You’ll be surprised by how versatile Paladin’s lineup of exclusive cards really is at the moment, and you’ll certainly be surprised by how often this deck’s new cards allow you to finish most opponents with relative ease.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Pure Control Paladin Deck Code: AAECAZ8FBOCLBLCyBIbiBMLiBA3M6wPw9gPQrATQvQTavQTi0wSA4gSB4gS/4gTM4gS55AT97gSMgwUA
The New Miracle Rogue
Prior to the release of the Castle Natrhria expansion, there was a popular theory that Rogues could soon become the most broken class in Hearthstone. Well, after spending a little time with that expansion during a recent preview event, I can certainly tell you that Rogues have the potential to break the game with this new “Miracle” deck.
This deck looks weird on paper, but the concept is really rather simple. You’re basically trying to play as many cards as you possibly can while Sinstone Graveyard is active and/or Necrolord Draka is in your hand. If everything goes according to plan, you’ll be able to set up some potentially game-ending plays that involve either massive minions or summoning a large weapon. Have fun playing with (or against) this deck.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – The New Miracle Rogue Deck Code: AAECAaIHBJ3wA9/aBPbdBJfvBBL+7gPT8wOh9APr9gO9gASRnwT3nwSgoAT8pQS3swTj0wTc2gTd2gTe2gT03QT13QT+7ATBgwUA
Evolve Shaman
Shaman is another weird class at the moment. It’s clear that their new “Evolve” cards have a lot of potential, but I’ve yet to play or watch any version of that deck that feels anywhere close to refined. I think that it’s going to take a little while for players to find that perfect combination of cards that really puts that archetype over the top. As such, you might be better off trying to climb the ladder with a Totem-based Shaman deck (like this one) during the early days of the new expansion meta.
If you just can’t wait to dive into those evolutions, though, then I recommend giving this early version of that concept a shot. When it works, you’ll feel like you’re unbeatable. When it doesn’t, you’ll be staring at a handful of evolution cards and no minions to use them on. Finding the balance between those two times will be the key to making this deck work in the long run.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – Evolve Shaman Deck Code: AAECAaoIBqjuA4b6A6SBBMORBJWSBLnZBAzj9gPG+QPTgAS5kQTblATVsgTgtQSywQTFzgSv2QS12QT03AQA
The New Quest Priest
The majority of Priest cards in the Castle Nathria expansion focus on stealing cards from your opponent and slowly eliminating their various win conditions. To be honest, I think that whole idea is a bit gimmicky at the moment. It will work, but it may not work often enough to justify the investment in that strategy. If you’re interested in experimenting with that archetype, though, then this is the build for you.
Otherwise, definitely give this new version of the “Quest Priest” concept a shot. Quest Priest has been performing very well over the last few months, and this new version of the archetype is simply strong than ever. While a few bad draws can ruin this build, Quest Priest is honestly viable against every other deck based on what we know about the metagame at the moment.
Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria – The New Quest Priest Deck Code: AAECAa0GDvvoA5/rA9TtA6bvA932A4f3A4yBBOiLBIWjBIujBMeyBKi2BLjZBJfvBA2Z6wOa6wOb6wOe6wOtigSIowTUrAShtgTz2wS63ASS3wSo7wSGgwUA