The second Hearthstone expansion of 2022 is about to go live and Blizzard’s doing something a little bit different for this one. There’s a murder mystery afoot in Murder at Castle Nathria and the investigation has led to 135 new cards, which include new keywords, exciting new Legendary minions, and an intriguing new mechanic that could potentially change Hearthstone forever going forward.
Today, we’re taking a look at seven new decks from Hearthstone’s most recognizable pros and streamers. We recently played against some of these decks ourselves during the recent Hearthstone Theorycrafting Livestream and we can certainly vouch for their effectiveness. If nothing else, they’ll prove to be a lot of fun.
Keep in mind that this expansion’s deck, as well as decks for the next two Standard years, will likely be longer than usual thanks to the introduction of Prince Renathal, which allows players to build 40-card decks.
NoHandsGamer’s Miracle Rogue
2x (0) Backstab2x (0) Preparation2x (0) Shadowstep2x (1) Blackwater Cutlass2x (1) Door of Shadows2x (1) Gone Fishin’2x (1) Shattershambler2x (1) SI:7 Extortion2x (1) Yoink!2x (2) Double Cross2x (2) Serrated Bone Spike2x (2) Sinstone Graveyard2x (2) Wicked Stab (Rank 1)2x (3) Efficient Octo-bot2x (3) Loan Shark1x (3) Prince Renathal2x (3) Shroud of Concealment2x (3) Sketchy Information1x (4) Edwin, Defias Kingpin1x (4) Necrolord Draka2x (6) Gadgetzan Auctioneer1x (8) Shadowcrafter Scabbs
Deck ID: AAECAaIHBO2ABPuKBPbdBJfvBBKq6wOr6wOu6wP+7gPT8wOh9APr9gO9gASRnwT2nwT3nwSgoAS3swTj0wTc2gT03QT13QTBgwUA
If I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a million times in Hearthstone’s eight years of existence: Miracle Rogue will never die. It will always live on in some form. It may take on a slightly different shape, but the core concept, constructed around Gadgetzan Auctioneer, will live forever.
The latest Miracle Rogue, illustrated perfectly here by NoHandsGamer, uses Sinstone Graveyard (the Rogue’s first Location card) and a pocket full of Coins generated from cards like Loan Shark to build gigantic skeleton minions with Stealth. Unless the opponent has some Taunts or some removal cards that get around the Stealth effect, those Skeletons will strike hard and likely end the game in a few hits.
Be careful to play around new Mage Secret Vengeful Visage, though. Otherwise you’re going to have a bad time.
Dekkster’s Pure Paladin
2x (1) Holy Maki Roll2x (1) Knight of Anointment2x (1) Promotion2x (1) Sinful Sous Chef2x (2) Battle Vicar2x (2) Great Hall2x (3) Alliance Bannerman2x (3) Muckborn Servant2x (3) Service Bell1x (3) Stewart the Steward2x (4) Buffet Biggun2x (5) Elitist Snob1x (7) The Countess1x (7) The Leviathan1x (8) Lightforged Cariel2x (9) Lightray2x (10) The Garden’s Grace
Deck ID: AAECAZ8FBOCLBLCyBIbiBMLiBA3M6wPw9gPQrATQvQTavQTi0wSA4gSB4gS/4gTM4gS55AT97gSMgwUA
Pure Paladin was a popular archetype a few Standard years ago, but once the primary Paladin tools rotated out to Wild, it was assumed that players would never see a deck like it again. That has now obviously been proven false thanks to the introduction of several new Paladin toys.
The Countess is the fun piece of this deck, as she’ll grand players free Legendaries that they can Discover and play for nothing. Needless to say, this can swing the game in the later turns. Just don’t drag this out too long, because going full Paladin means leaving behind valuable late game card tools like Kazakusan.
LanguageHacker’s Skeleton Mage
2x (1) Wildfire2x (2) Amplified Snowflurry2x (2) Arcanologist2x (2) Frozen Touch2x (2) Volatile Skeleton1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard1x (3) Forensic Duster2x (3) Frostweave Dungeoneer2x (3) Ice Barrier2x (3) Nightcloak Sanctum2x (4) Cold Case2x (4) Reckless Apprentice1x (4) Varden Dawngrasp2x (5) Famished Fool1x (5) Spammy Arcanist2x (6) Deathborne1x (7) Magister Dawngrasp1x (8) Kel’Thuzad, the Inevitable1x (8) Mordresh Fire Eye
Deck ID: AAECAf0ECNjsA53uA6CKBKWNBMagBJjUBLrkBKjvBAvS7APT7APW7AOhkgTonwTb3gT67AS88ATJkQWCkwWEkwUA
We’re seeing a variety of Skeleton Mages (including our own) from various streamers, but it’s LanguageHacker’s version that has us intrigued. He mixes together the Hero Power win condition with the best of the Volatile Skeleton generators. Don’t forget that if you have Volatile Skeletons already on the board, you can use the new Deathborne spell to not only remove them and activate their Deathrattle, but also generate brand new ones.
Once the skeletons wear down the opposition, ride Magister Dawngrasp and Mordresh Fire Eye to victory.
RegisKillbin’s Topiary Druid
2x (1) Living Roots2x (1) Planted Evidence2x (2) Capture Coldtooth Mine2x (2) Composting2x (2) Moonlit Guidance2x (2) Natural Causes2x (2) Thorngrowth Sentries1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard2x (3) Herald of Nature2x (3) Plot of Sin2x (4) Widowbloom Seedsman2x (5) Flipper Friends2x (5) Nourish1x (5) Wildheart Guff2x (7) Scale of Onyxia1x (7) Topior the Shrubbagazzor1x (10) Sire Denathrius
Deck ID: AAECAZICBO/eBImLBOnQBJjUBA3PrATB3wTW3gSB1ASvgASt7AO14wTanwSwpQSB9wP2vQSozgSy3QQA
The key to victory with RegisKillbin’s Druid deck is all in drawing new Legendary minion Topior the Shrubbagazzor. Once this gets played early in the game, the rest of the Druid’s Nature spells will generate a 3/3 Rush minion. The best case scenario is that these new minions help maintain board control. However, they have a dual purpose.
With a lot of 3/3 Rush minions presumably dying, they’re going to keep feeding Sire Denathrius. In the late game, he can be combined with Brann Bronzebeard to wipe out the opponent in a single stroke.
(We tried our own Nature Druid deck, if you’d like to check that out below.)
Warshack’s Wildseed Hunter
2x (1) Batty Guest2x (1) Irondeep Trogg2x (1) Peasant2x (1) Vicious Slitherspear2x (2) K9-0tron2x (2) Quick Shot2x (2) Spirit Poacher2x (3) Aimed Shot2x (3) Ramming Mount2x (3) Stag Charge2x (3) Wild Spirits2x (4) Piercing Shot1x (4) Twinbow Terrorcoil1x (5) Ara’lon1x (5) Barak Kodobane1x (8) Collateral Damage
Deck ID: AAECAR8E5e8DgckE0+QE+ZIFDdzqA/T2A/f4A8X7A8OABLugBOGkBIiyBL/TBMHjBMzkBNDkBNTkBAA=
Compared to the other classes, the Hunter’s Wildsteeds don’t look particularly flashy. They do have one thing over that put them ahead of a lot of other decks, though. They strike fast. In fact, if you play Spirit Poacher, Wild Spirits, and Stag Charge early, you’re going to take an insurmountable control of the board before your opponent can know what hit them.
The fun in Warshack’s deck comes with the potential Collateral Damage finisher, which can put an exclamation point on a deck that hits fast and hits hard.
Dragonrider’s Relic Demon Hunter
2x (1) Battlefiend2x (1) Fury (Rank 1)2x (1) Peasant2x (1) Sigil of Alacrity2x (2) Battleworn Vanguard2x (2) Bibliomite2x (2) Chaos Strike2x (2) Relic of Extinction2x (2) Spectral Sight1x (3) Lady S’theno2x (3) Relic of Phantasms2x (3) Relic Vault2x (4) Dispossessed Soul2x (4) School Teacher2x (5) Relic of Dimensions1x (8) Artificer Xy’mox
Deck ID: AAECAea5AwKq3QT7vwQOxuIEquIEsN4Er94EheUE5NAEivcDyZ8Etp8EtKAElrcE9PYDwvED0p8EAA==
The Demon Hunter is a getting a new gimmick for this expansion in the form of Relics. On the surface, they don’t look especially remarkable. However, the Relic cards have an interesting trait that they’ll buff any future Relics played. Sure, Relic of Phantasms summoning 1/1 minions doesn’t sound scary, but by the late game, this thing can summon 8/8s and 9/9s.
Artificer Xy’mox should be the big win condition here. You’d better hope so, anyway, because the Demon Hunter’s game is all about speed. If it whiffs, it’ll fall into fatigue quickly.
Ozzie’s Thief Priest
2x (0) Illuminate2x (1) Call of the Grave2x (1) Psychic Conjurer2x (1) Suspicious Usher2x (1) The Light! It Burns!2x (2) Amalgam of the Deep2x (2) Mysterious Visitor2x (2) Sketchy Stranger1x (3) Cathedral of Atonement2x (3) Copycat2x (3) Identity Theft2x (3) Invitation Courier1x (3) Murloc Holmes1x (3) The Harvester of Envy1x (4) Theotar, the Mad Duke2x (5) Clean the Scene2x (5) Drakonid Operative
Deck ID: AAECAYCRBQS42QTF5AS/8ASGgwUNhvcDjoEEvp8EorYEssEEktEE8tsE+dsEuNwEutwEkt8Er+0Eh6QFAA==
We’re going to end on what’s become a tradition, where I reject the pros’ decks and substitute my own. I’m not going to pretend my deck is the best. Heck, I’m not even going to claim it’s particularly good. I will say, you’re going to have some fun with it.
That’s because it includes infuriating thievery tools like Copycat, Identity Theft, and Theotar, the Mad Duke, which are cards that specialize in taking cards from your opponent and putting copies of them in your own hand. Oh, and there’s my personal favorite, The Harvester of Envy. If you play a card that you copied from your opponent while this guy’s in play, you’ll also swipe their original card. That’s one roundabout way to steal a potential win condition.
What decks are you using for the first day of Hearthstone’s Murder at Castle Nathria expansion? Join the conversation and give us your best decks in the comments.