One of the grossest misconceptions in the Hearthstone community is the idea that only expensive decks can get to the top of the ladder. But the history of the game shows that that is not the case -- and decks like Face Hunter and Zoo Warlock had a consistent winrate and at the same time were some of the cheapest decks ever.
The latest expansion for Hearthstone -- Knights of the Frozen Throne -- makes these and many other decks even more powerful without the need to increase their costs. If you are a true F2P player who is looking for the types of decks that can be crafted on a low budget and sustain a high winrate, then look no further than the next 9 decks.
Aggro Taunt Druid
Knights of the Frozen Throne has suddenly made the Taunt Druid archetype viable on the ladder. This is the budget version of the deck that is still very potent, and includes the most key card -- Strongshell Scavenger that buffs all of your Taunt minions.
The rest consists of effective early threats and mid-game winners, such as Saronite Chain Gang and Spreading Plague that can fill up your entire board. If you manage to do so, then finish your opponents with the help of Savage Roar, or use it to remove their threats.
It’s a very flexible and easy-to-play deck that can be both offensive and defensive.
Face Hunter
The oldest archetype in Hearthstone will never die! Here it is again with a few new additions from KoFT, such as Acherus Veteran that buffs your creatures, and Bearshark that is immune to directed removal spells -- just what the Face Hunter is looking for.
Other cards consist of the usual suspects in Knife Juggler, Scavenging Hyena + Unleash the Hounds combo, and Wolf Rider. There are also enough beasts in the deck to help you deal 10 damage to your opponents with Kill Command spells.
The mana curve is tight and will either lead you to swift victory or inevitable loss, if you strut for too long -- but that is the nature of the Face Hunter decks.
Midrange Mage
This deck could easily be called an Elemental Mage due to its significant number of Elemental creatures. But actually, it has so many other things going on that it is not purely an Elemental archetype.
The current meta requires a bit more flexibility, especially when it comes to dealing with control decks that use many spells. That’s why Counterspell is essential to this deck, as well as the new Frozen Clone secret that adds two copies of the enemy minion to your deck.
Volcanic Potion and Polymorph are just as necessary for dealing with either a horde of small minions or removing one big threat from the board. And when the path is clear, you can start churning out your Elementals for eventual victory.
Elemental Paladin
Now here’s a real Elemental deck, one third of which consists of nothing but Elementals. The rest of the cards are there to help them out. This deck also combines the handbuff effects, such as Smuggler’s Run, Grimestreet Outfitter, and Grimestreet Enforcer.
On top of that, you can play the best one-drop in the entire KoFT expansion -- Righteous Protector. It’s a 1-mana 1/1 with Divine Shield and Taunt that can create way more trouble for your opponents than it would seem in the first place. Together, this many forces is almost unbeatable.
Dragon Priest
This is not your typical Dragon Priest deck, as it also includes the (in)famous Divine Spirit + Inner Fire combo. The new card -- Bonemare -- can help with making the combo even stronger by giving another friendly minion +4/+4.
So, in case your dragons can’t win you the game, you can use the combo to finish your opponents. However, this deck includes some of the strongest and most effective dragon creatures from the last few expansions, so you should have no trouble winning with it.
Also, consider that Bone Drake can give you a legendary dragon, which will increase your chances even more.
Pirate Rogue
Pirate Rogue is no Pirate Warrior, but if you can pilot this deck well, it may approach the same winrate as the Warrior deck itself. Everything here revolves around buffing your weapons and playing fast minions that will hit only one place -- the opponent’s face.
But if you do feel the need to remove an unwanted minion, you can use the first point of durability on the Shadow of Blade without taking any damage yourself, as this new weapon makes your hero immune for one turn.
The strategy is as simple as it can be, so prepare to dominate the ladder with pirates!
Evolve Shaman
Now, if you want to have some real fun, and you’re not scared of RNG, then craft this excellent Evolve/Devolve deck. It features Call in the Finishers, Saronite Chain Gang, Doppelgangster, and Thing From Below -- which are all great targets for your Evolve effects.
There is also a Wicked Witchdoctor that can produce many free totems for you to evolve into something better. And, when you need to remove annoying Taunt minions from your opponent’s side, then use the Devolve spell and go face. After all, this deck is supposed to give you fast wins.
Zoo Warlock
Just like Face Hunter, the Zoolock archetype has existed since the very inception of Hearthstone, and continues to thrive in each consecutive meta. This time is no exception, as there are tons of new minions that will fit the deck really well.
Acherus Veteran and Fallen Sun Cleric will make your minions bigger, while Sanguine Reveler makes itself bigger. Alongside the new additions you will see the “old dogs” of the archetype, such as Flame Imp, Dire Wolf Alfa and Doomguard.
If you’ve had any previous experience of playing Zoolock, then you will have no trouble adapting to this new deck.
Enrage Warrior
Warrior has got a new great weapon -- Blood Razor. It deals 1 point of damage to all minions as both its Battlecry and Deathrattle. Obviously, the old Patron Warrior deck would benefit immensely from such a weapon, but that archetype is long gone.
So what else can you do with it? There is one cool mechanic left -- the Enrage mechanic. The two main minions in this list are Raging Worgen and Bloodhoof Brave that both become super strong after being Enraged.
Together these tools make up an excellent budget deck for you to try out next.
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Which of these nine Knights of the Frozen Throne decks do you find to be the most effective? What other cards would you like to see included in them? Leave your suggestions in the comments section. And check out the rest of our Hearthstone guides to make sure you continue dominating the board.
Published: Aug 14, 2017 07:35 am