Hearthstone‘s March of the Lich King expansion pays tribute to WoW‘s beloved Wrath of the Lich King expansion in its own ways. That means Death Knights, a ton of undead, and yes, a whole bunch of new cards that will soon find themselves starring in some very popular decks. The earliest days of any Hearthstone expansion are typically spent trying to figure out which decks will dominate the game. March of the Lich King is no different. As is usually the case, though, a series of pre-release events (and good old-fashioned theorycrafting) have left us with a lot of useful information regarding which decks will dominate March of the Lich King‘s earliest days. So while new decks and strategies will always emerge (and I’ll be updating this article as they do), here are a few decks to start your March of the Lich King adventure with. Basically, you’re able to choose between one of those three deck themes or you can mix and match between the three. The harder you lean into one type, the stronger the cards/strategies of that type you get to choose. It’s a fascinating deckbuilding concept that opens up countless new possibilities. To keep things somewhat simple, I’m recommending a deck that leans heavily into each of those types. For instance, this Blood deck emphasizes Lifesteal and AoE abilities. This Frost Deck, on the other hand, allows you to deal incredible amounts of direct damage via spells, while this Unholy build is all about resurrecting minions and flooding the board. Again, you can either go all-in on these types, or you can experiment with a bit of mixing and matching. Blood Death Knight Deck Code: AAECAYjaBQ6XoATp0ASW1ASY1AS42QSJ5gS05gSX7wSk7wSm7wSE9gT1nAXvogXipAUNlugDpY0E9OME/OME/eMEieQEh/YEsvcEs/cEvvcEtvoEq4AFqIEFAA== Frost Death Knight Deck Code: AAECAYjaBQjp0ASY1AS42QSJ5gSX7wTipAXLpQXMpQUQpY0ElrcE7eME9eMEguQEseYE0e0Eh/YEiPYEifYEsvcEs/cEvvcEtIAFtYAFopkFAA== Unholy Death Knight Deck Code: AAECAYjaBQaoigTp0AT47ASX7wTfogXNpQUR4aQE8OME/+MEkOQEkeQEkuQEqeYEvPAE0/EE1fEEgfYEhfYEh/YEsvcEmIEFkpMFopkFAA== Thanks to the powerful Souleater’s Scythe card, you’re actually able to run a few minions in this deck while taking advantage of the absurdly powerful no-minion abilities you get from some of the class’ best new cards. The result is one of the most powerful aggressive decks in the game at the moment. This thing is going to break a lot of hearts. No Minion Demon Hunter Deck Code: AAECAea5AwaN9wOHiwSDnwT7vwT+vwSVkgUMwvEDifcDivcDhI0Etp8EtKAEjrAEmLoEhpIFiZIFi5IFkJIFAA==
The Best Ramp Druid Deck Yet?
Ramp Druid has been powerful since Hearthstone‘s earliest days, so it shouldn’t surprise you that March of the Lich King‘s best Druid is a variation on that concept. Like every other Ramp Druid deck, this build looks to acquire as much mana as early as possible in order to play massive minions ahead of the curve. Unlike previous versions of this deck, the March of the Lich King Druid benefits from multiple win conditions. Massive Battlecry damage, hits from big minions, fatigue…you really just play the game and use what resources are available to you. It’s a lot of fun and doesn’t have many direct counters. Ramp Druid Deck Code: AAECAZICCsf5A4mLBKWtBOnQBJjUBJfvBKbvBL6YBdqhBeKkBQ/A7APJ9QOvgASwgASJnwSunwTanwTPrASNsgT/vQSuwATB3wTg7QS2mAW7mAUA This deck does have some card draw problems (welcome to playing Hunter), but you should be able to eventually find your win condition. Don’t be afraid to use direct damage spells on minions, complete your quest, and you’ll be able to win the game in a few turns through your hero power and massive, low-cost spells. Arcane Hunter Quest Deck Code: AAECAR8E5e8D/fgDl+8EsJIFEpXoA9zqA9vtA/f4A6mfBKqfBLugBL+sBJ2wBMHTBMzkBNDkBNTkBKeQBY2SBZqSBaqSBamTBQA=
A Casino Mage With A Lot of Ways to Win
Mage is in a weird spot at the start of the March of the Lich King expansion. The power potential is there, but it’s tricky to put it all together. That being the case, I highly recommend going for this “Casino” build. As the name suggests, this deck relies on a series of randomly generated spells that often have their costs reduced by one effect or another. Yes, you are dependent on the spells that are generated, but the odds are good that you will get one of the cards you need to end the game. It’s also a ton of fun to play. Casino Mage Deck Code: AAECAf0EBqCKBKneBMreBJfvBKOQBdShBRHQ7APR7APU7AOu9wOy9wP8ngT9ngT+ngT7ogTcuQTa0ATb3gT67ATMkwWAlgWQlgWqmAUA Like previous versions of this deck, the build runs nothing but Paladin cards in order to take advantage of a couple of special effects. Unlike previous versions of this deck, Pure Paladins finally have the support they need to justify this unique concept. This deck is a bit slower, though it can win in the midgame against more aggressive opponents. Pure Paladin Deck Code: AAECAZ8FBpHsA+CLBLCyBIbiBKHiBISWBQzM6wPw9gPJoATi0wTa2QS/4gTA4gTM4gTy7QSrkwWBlgWDlgUA
An Undead Shadow Priest Deck That Is Designed to Annoy
It’s been too long since we’ve had a good Shadow Priest deck that we can really sink our teeth into. While this deck’s competitive viability remains to be seen, its certainly one of the most promising Shadow Priest builds we’ve seen so far. This build’s usual array of direct damage shadow spells is boosted by March of the Lich King‘s new Undead cards. Those cards finally give this deck strategy the sticky minions it desperately needed. This deck is incredibly frustrating to play against, and it will catch a lot of people off-guard in the early days of the expansion. Shadow Priest Deck Code: AAECAa0GArv3A/mWBQ6h6AP09gOt9wOtigThpATU8QSGgwWkkQXukQWGkwWJkwXqlAWTnQWUxAUA This entire concept is about as simple as it gets. You’re basically looking to add as many Concoctions (basically spells with special abilities) to your hand throughout the course of the game. From there, you’ll either win directly because of the effects of your Concoctions, or you’ll win via the massive minions/weapons you’ll summon as a result of all the cheap cards you’ve played. Either way, you’ll be laughing at the kinds of quick victories this deck is capable of. Concoction Rogue Deck Code: AAECAaIHBu2ABJafBPbdBMygBeegBeigBQz+7gO9gAT2nwT3nwS3swT13QT87QTBgwXdoAXfoAXgoAXBoQUA
A Shaman Deck That Is…The Best You’re Going to do With Shaman, Honestly
To be blunt, Shamans are not in a good place at the moment. While the class could just use a little more deckbuilding love, Shamans lack the obvious synergies and strategies other classes currently enjoy. That said, this aggressive Undead Murlock deck certainly has a lot of potential. This is a pure aggro deck that relies on flooding the board with sticky/growing minions and then resurrecting them via various means. If you’re facing a deck that happens to draw board clear cards at all the right times, you will lose. If that doesn’t happen, though, then you’ll easily be able to sneak in some quick wins against opponents that won’t know what hit them. Undead Murloc Shaman Deck Code: AAECAaoIBKjuA4b6A6SBBPSgBQ2V8APTgATVsgTgtQSywQTFzgTL4gTxkQX0kQWFkgWDoQWFqgXixQUA However, I tend to favor this Deathrattle Curse deck that feels especially problematic. Warlocks got some nice Deathrattle synergy cards in this new expansion, and this deck takes advantage of nearly all those synergies. While your opponent is dealing with those deathrattle cards, they’ll also have to contend with the curses you’ll be filling their hands with. It’s a lot for any opponent to deal with. Deathrattle Curse Warlock Deck Code: AAECAf0GBrCRBOa9BJjUBIfqBM6SBdSVBQzX7QOD+wPVoATnoAT+tASWtwTcvQTivQSOkgWlkgXAkgWFkwUA
A Literally Enraging Warrior Deck
Much like Shamans, Warriors have it kind of rough at the moment. While the class features some individually powerful cards, few of them gel in ways that create obviously powerful strategies. However, this Enrage Warrior is certainly worth a look. Like previous versions of that basic deck concept, this build is looking to damage its own minions in order to buff them. Actually, your minions tend to be buffed via all the damage you do across the board, though you really want to learn how to deal damage to them yourself in order to get the most out of this concept. With a little practice, you can pull off some devastating OTK damage combos (assuming you don’t die, of course). Enrage Warrior Deck Code: AAECAQcGle0DvIoEi6AEgdwEzJIFud0FDI3tA5btA+GkBLzbBP/bBL7iBJzvBImDBciSBc2SBY+VBZGjBQA=
