Hearthstone’s new Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion has been out long enough to feel the wrath of the nerf bat.
Blizzard recently targeted a number of cards that it felt were having a negative impact on the meta. If you’ve played Hearthstone since the launch of the new expansion, you won’t be surprised to learn the majority of the nerfed cards belong to Demon Hunter.
Since the class made its debut in Hearthstone with Ashes of Outland, Demon Hunter has been a problem child for the Standard meta. Soul Demon Hunter dominated the first month of Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, but it looks like Blizzard has shaken Illidan off our backs for now.
Here are some of the cards that should be safe to craft after the first wave of nerfs in this expansion. All of the cards mentioned here have a home in a deck that has meta potential. But nobody has any idea when Blizzard may come out swinging with another round of nerfs. For that reason, you should always craft with caution.
High Exarch Yrel
Pure Paladin has been a dominant force since it received oodles of support with the Scholomance Academy expansion. The deck is still going strong and High Exarch Yrel is a big reason why.
Rinling’s Rifle
Even though Highlander Hunter was on the receiving end of some balance changes last week, the class as a whole isn’t slowing down. It still has one of the highest win rates on HSReplay.net and a plethora of viable decks. Ringling’s Rifle has a home in both Highlander and Face Hunter, so don’t be afraid to craft it if you’re a fan of the class.
Grand Totem Eys’or
Shaman is the top dog in Hearthstone right now. The totem-wielding class is probably the most dominant force in the game at the moment when considering its effectiveness across all ranks. Both revolve and Totem Shaman are viable meta options. And no totem deck is complete without the Grand Totem Eys’or.
Sayge, Seer of Darkmoon
Even though Mage isn’t as dominant as some of the classes mentioned on this list, it’s becoming more refined each day. Since the Demon Hunter nerf, Secret and Highlander Mage both feel slightly more viable than they were before.
If you’re strictly looking for a deck that you can climb with, Mage may not be the class for you in this expansion. But if you’re a Mage player itching for something at least somewhat viable, Secret and Highlander both have plausible decks that make use of Sayge.
Y’Shaarj, the Defiler
If you’re itching to craft an Old God, Y’Shaarj isn’t a bad choice. He has a stable home in Guardian Druid, which is performing better each day since the Demon Hunter nerfs. If you enjoy theorycrafting around the new Corrupt mechanic, Y’Shaarj is a must.
Yogg-Saron, Master of Fate
Another Old God with a home in Guardian Druid, Yogg is a bit more versatile in the sense that you don’t need cards with Corrupt to make him relevant. In addition to Guardian Druid, Yogg provides big value to Highlander Mage. Something else to consider in relation to the Old Gods is the fact that they’re going to be playable in Standard for a long time. Even if you craft one now and it’s a bust, it may be a premium card in the future.
G’huun the Blood God
Big Priest is another deck seeing more play in the post Demon Hunter meta. Don’t approach Big Priest as a deck that will give you the ability to mindlessly face roll ladder, though. If you aren’t familiar with the Priest class, you’ll probably want to avoid G’huun and Big Priest because the deck can be difficult to pilot. If you love the class and need something viable, however, G’huun won’t let you down.
