Hearthstone is fairly unique as far as CCGs in that it is possible to be successful and even competitive while remaining free-to-play, or mostly free-to-play. While spending a little money on the adventures is recommended, even that is not required – people have reached legend without spending a dime on the game.
For players who are trying to get the most out of their Hearthstone experience without throwing down large sums of money, making good decisions with their dust is important, and deciding on which Legendaries to craft can be quite the quandary, but there are definitely some high-value cards that are higher priority than others. For players trying to get the most bang for their buck, check out our rundown of the most valuable legendaries with the highest number of applications.
Neutral Legendaries
Dr. Boom
There’s no way around it – in terms of raw value, Dr. Boom is the best legendary out there, and is an automatic include in almost every non-aggro deck. Providing 9/9 worth of stats and a pretty powerful secondary effect with his bombs, Dr. Boom gives board control, a tempo swing, and just generally improves your position in the game, regardless of whether you’re ahead or behind. Dr. Boom is so powerful that Hearthstone communities have taken to calling him “Dr. Balanced”. In fact, aside from vulnerability to Big Game Hunter, the only downside to Dr. Boom is that he might get nerfed in the future (though if that happens you’ll get a full dust refund, so there’s no reason not to use him for now).
Ragnaros the Firelord
Consistently one of the strongest legendaries in the game, Ragnaros the Firelord is still close to the top even after all of the power creep from GvG and Hearthstone’s adventures. The best thing about Ragnaros is that he has an immediate effect on the board, and the longer he stays alive the more powerful his impact is. Because of his cost, he fits best in tempo and control decks, but pretty much any deck that’s not high-intensity aggro can probably make room for Ragnaros. The randomness can be both a blessing and curse – sometimes you really need Ragnaros to blast a certain creature and he misses, and other times he pulls off a crazy snipe that wins you the game.
Sylvanas Windrunner
A card so strong that it remains a very good choice even after the nerf, Sylvanas Windrunner has a powerful effect on the board if she is not removed, and can create a huge board control or tempo advantage in the right situation. Sylvanas is more vulnerable to silence and removal than some of the other high-value legendaries, so you need to be more careful when playing her, but if she remains on the board she functions as a powerful tool and deterrent. At a relatively low cost compared to some legendaries, she can work well in most decks, and really shines in tempo and control.
Ysera
Unlike the legendaries listed above, Ysera doesn’t fit well in quite as many decks, but she still deserves a mention because of how powerful the card is. Ysera has substantial stats, is hard to remove, has an immediate effect, and provides card advantage. A clear choice for control decks, Ysera can close out a game, turn a losing one around, or set a deck up for inevitable victory. The ability to reduce Ysera’s cost through cards like Emperor Thaurissan and Dragon Consort only increases the value of this card and the number of decks that can realistically play it.
Class Legendaries
Not every class has a legendary worth mentioning, but there are some that really shine. Here are few of the best class legendaries that are worth crafting if you have the dust:
Tirion Fordring
This paladin legendary provides incredible value for his cost (and has one of the most epic introductions of any card in the game). With divine shield, taunt, an incredible deathrattle, and great stats that stop just short of being a target for Big Game Hunter, Tirion Fordring is a great card to include in just about any Paladin deck. He is unfortunately vulnerable to removal and silence, but if your opponent doesn’t have anything prepared for Tirion, then it takes a ton of resources to remove him.
Lord Jaraxxus
A high-risk, high-reward legendary, Lord Jaraxxus can turn a game around for a warlock if played at the right time, and if their opponent doesn’t already have the tools in place to finish the game, Jaraxxus will almost certainly ensure victory for the warlock with his incredible hero power and his high-value weapon. The only downside of this card is the relatively low health he has, but that’s only a downside if you play Jaraxxus too early – used correctly, this card is almost always a power spike and a tempo swing.
Grommash Hellscream
This card is a little bit inhibited by the fact that you need a second card to activate the enrage, but as long as you have the proper card draw this is rarely an issue – combined with a Whirlwind, a Cruel Taskmaster, an Inner Rage, or the second strike of a Death’s Bite, Grommash Hellscream can deal a tremendous amount of damage in a single turn, and remains one of the strongest two-card combos out there. Even though Grom is not as universal as some legendaries, the sheer value of this card makes it worth mentioning.
Adventure Legendaries
If you’re looking to shell out just a little cash on Hearthstone, putting those funds toward one or both of the adventures is a good bet, because of the legendaries you can acquire there. Here are two of the best.
Emperor Thaurissan
A reward from the Blackwing Depths wing of Blackwing Lair, Emperor Thaurissan is an incredibly valuable card that has found a place in a lot of varied decks. In addition to decent stats, Thaurissan provides an awesome effect – he reduces the cost of the cards in your hand. Even if he only survives a single turn, it’s still a massive tempo swing, and this cost reduction can make some combos available that are otherwise impossible. An almost essential card for tempo and mid-range decks of all sorts, Emperor Thaurissan is a legendary you should definitely prioritize.
Loatheb
A reward from the Plague Quarter wing of Narraxxamas, Loatheb isn’t quite as powerful as it used to be because decks like miracle rogue aren’t as prevalent, but Loatheb remains an incredibly strong turn 5 play, maintaining your tempo and board control and putting a serious block on your opponent’s ability to respond to it. At 5 mana, it’s a card that can be included in a lot of deck types and is especially powerful in tempo, control, and mid-range decks.
