The holidays are upon us and with them comes a new expansion. Hearthstone’s Fractured in Alterac Valley is live and already shaking up the meta.
The Standard ladder is in a state of wonderful chaos at the moment, but it does seem like a few decks are starting to pull ahead and show promise. The expansion has still been out less than a week, though. Do not, under any circumstances, craft any of these decks with the expectation that they’ll be viable throughout the expansion.
Though these decks do show promise, any of their final lists are likely yet to be discovered. For now, just try to match the list as best you can by using what you’ve gained from the packs you’ve busted open.
Here are three decks from the first week of Hearthstone’s Fractured in Alterac Valley that you should try out.
Big Priest
If you’ve been clamoring for a nice Control deck, look no further than Big Priest. Though this deck can win earlier than expected by smashing your opponent with big Deathrattle minions, the most fun way to play this deck is by draining them into the end game.
Cards like Lightshower Elemental and Mo’arg Forgefiend combined with Xyrella’s effect will have you protected by large amounts of health and armor. You can even increase this amount of health and armor by producing more copies of those minions before dropping Xyrella by using Amulet of Undying. If you want some big minion Control action, this deck is for you.
Copy this code to use this deck in Hearthstone: AAECAa0GBsi+A5vYA+rhA6mBBOiLBKeNBAyTugPi3gP73wP44wOa6wOe6wPM+QOMgQSFnwSFowSIowSKowQA
OwlTK Warlock
A play on the one-turn kill archetype, Owl Turn Kill Warlock relies on a specific combo to work. The majority of your gameplay will be built around surviving long enough to build the combo and set the board for it. The general guideline and combo for using the deck is as follows:
Trade Wicked Shipment at least twice. Use Runed Mithril Rod to decrease the mana cost of cards like Tamsin Roame and Tamsin’s Phylactery. Kill Humongous Owl with Grimoire of Sacrifice to ensure it doesn’t get transformed. On a clear board, drop Tamsin Roame, drop two-times upgraded Wicked Shipment, and drop double Tamsin’s Phylactery. Select Humongous Owl, kill the imps with School of Spirits, and do ungodly amounts of damage to your opponent.
Copy this code to use this deck in Hearthstone: AAECAf0GBvLtA8WABLCRBPGRBLGfBJegBAzpvgOsywObzQOS5AOT5APX7QO98QPQ+QOD+wPXkgTnoATbowQA
Freeze Shaman
One thing that was obvious as the reveals for Fractured in Alterac Valley were taking place was the notion that Freeze Shaman would be possible. The class has received a variety of Freeze-oriented cards, meaning the archetype will likely gain viability in some form. Though there’s no way of knowing for certain, the above list has promising statistics on HSReplay.net.
You’ll be using your Freeze-oriented cards to make life miserable for your opponent until finally dropping a powerful Bearon Gla’shear in the late game. Bearon’s Battlecry summons a 3/4 Elemental that Freezes for each Frost spell you’ve cast prior in the game. This deck has a ton of potential but likely isn’t anywhere near its refined state.
Copy this code to use this deck in Hearthstone: AAECAaoIBpzOA8f5A4b6A6SBBMKRBMORBAzbuAPgzAOq3gPW9QPTgASogQSxkQS5kQT5kQSVkgTckgTblAQA
