Hey everyone, Michael “Strelzik” Sterling back again with the fourth edition of The meta Analyst! This time around we are going to discuss the top five decks and what strategies you should employ to be victorious! Much of last edition was based on pure data and statistics: this time pro opinions will be the focus. With tons of different pro Hearthstone players giving input with me, we came down to the top five decks right now.

We will also be introducing a section which looks to the future of the meta. What do the pros think the meta will look like in the future and what kind of new decks do we think will rise up in the ranks.

Here are what we consider to be the top classes right now (in no particular order):

• Warlock: Zoolock, Handlock
  
• Mage: Mech
  
• Druid: Ramp
  
• Paladin: Midrange
  
• Hunter: Midrange

Normally I would limit a class to specifically one deck. That said, Warlock has always been the exception as both Zoo and Handlock are legitimate choices.

Counter Deck Options -- Zoo

The key to beating Zoo is to know when you need to trade and when you need to let them trade into you. The beginning of the game will likely give you all the information on this that you will need. If you can push for board early and take control of the game then at you can keep the Zoolock in check and adjust to pushing for lethal when you know you can do it in the next two turns. The key to beating Zoo really lies in how you mulligan and what removal you use. Most decks can reliably beat Zoo, but if Zoo is all you face, then Priest or Freeze Mage tend to do well against them. Both of them can stall until the later portions of the game and stabilize with Flamestrike, Blizzard, Frost Nova, or Auchenai-Circle of Healing.

Mage is all about controlling the board which is simple enough, you can clear the board multiple times and then use your nukes later. For Priest, towards the end of the game, you generally get massive tempo swings with spells and Cabal Shadow Priests. Pyromancers should be saved for clears as well as dealing with Imp-losions. If Imp-losion gets out of control in this matchup, and they start to get Dire Wolf Alpha value from it, you can start to lose really fast. Hard mulligan for board clears and Zoo won’t run your over.

In either case, don’t use your hard removal unless you can do something with it afterwards or you absolutely need to. Many people make the mistake of using removal too early when it could be better a turn later. Plan out your turns against Zoo and it will help you immensely

Counter Deck Options -- Handlock

Handlock gets stronger and stronger as more sets are released. Cards like Dark Bomb, Dr. Boom and Mal’Ganis have seen a ton of play in Handlock: although Mal’Ganis a bit less than the others. This deck has more options in the midgame and it's difficult to break through some of the walls that Handlock can build. The weakness of this deck is of course, Big Game Hunter, a card in which absolutely counters the deck. For a while many players were running two Big Game Hunter’s in order to deal with the abundance of Handlocks on the ladder.

If Big Game Hunter isn't enough though -- and many times it is not -- classes like Mage and Hunter have decks with lots of reach that a Handlock cannot handle. Mech Mages have almost 20 points of pure burn and more if they decide to tech in Archmage Antonidas. With the insane amount of pressure -- and minions that dodge Hellfire -- Handlock likely will fall quickly. Hunter can do much of the same, with a Hero Power that ignores Taunt, you can easily go straight to their face and ignore the giants. In my experience, ignoring Molten Giants has been the way to go. If they happen to have a heal, a Taunt, and a board clear it isn't likely you were going to win anyway.

The key is to plan out what they can do with the mana available. If you know they won't be able to heal and play a Molten and Taunt them up I would hold back. It’s all about predicting their options and taking advantage it.




Mage consists of a few different types of decks but the most popular on the ladder is Mech Mage. Decks like Fatigue Mage or Freeze Mage have not been made a huge mark as they are difficult to pilot correctly.

Counter Deck Options

Mech Mage is a new creation brought upon by GvG that caught on quickly with many different variations. Its strength lies in its ability to bring out a lot of minions that can trade very efficiently and put pressure on their opponent. The issue with beating Mech Mage is you never really know when to expect the burn that will finish you off.

The thing about Mech Mage is that it plays a lot like Zoo. They get early board presence against you and follow it up with some burn towards the end. Any deck can do well against Mech Mage if they can get the board early, but that isn't always so easy. A quicker Druid can do well, but the best is something that can deal with an entire board early. Paladin is a really strong choice as they have great board removal that can be used rather early. Consecrates are available on turn four and can be played with Equality on turn six. That combined with Muster For Battle can really give early pressure to the board.

The biggest issue for the Paladin is avoiding an early Blastmage. If you can do that it will start to get easier over time. Heals can help the Paladin get out of range and Consecrate will allow to bring it all back into control. Midrange builds of Paladin are the best as they have cards like Zombie Chow and Shielded Minibot to contest the board early. Killing Mechwarpers immediately -- if possible -- must be a priority to deny early mechs. Mage will run out of steam quickly and that will be your main advantage.

A new deck that came out recently with incredible success is Justsaiyan’s anti-mech Demonlock. It is plentiful in mass board removal with double Hellfire and also puts out pressure while dealing with minions via Imp-losion. Shadowflame and Power Overwhelming can be a clutch board clears as well and the multiple heals and cards like Mal’Ganis can just straight up end the game for the Mage. There are just so many things that combat the Mech Mage in this deck that you should be able to boast a close record to Justsaiyan, who managed an astounding 29-3 record on his climb to legend this week. I can't say that I am well versed with the deck as I have only played it a small amount so I will link his stream here: Justsaiyan Twitch.




Nowadays many Druids have ramp elements and most of them can play huge Taunts which are great against the fast decks like Hunter. I grouped all Druids into one and called them all Ramp Druid as they can all have many similar elements. They key is knowing whether or not they play the combo or have special tech cards. Ancient of War is usually the big tell for no combo.

Counter Deck Options

A lot of Ramp Druids have some room for a few tech cards that can help them in different matchups. Big Game Hunter is great against Handlock or Warrior, and Mind Control Tech is great against quicker aggro decks. Sometimes Druids forgo both of those and put the Force of Nature and Savage Roar combo. In even rarer cases, they somehow manage to fit all of those in, while dropping other cards that they could commonly use. The question is, what are you playing and what should you be playing around. With Ramp Druid it's so difficult now because you don’t know what is the common tech anymore. Ideally play around Mind Control Tech at all times and watch for Kel’Thuzad as he has become increasingly popular. If you are running Big Game Hunter, most the time you won't get any value from it because they don't run 7+ attack minions except for Dr. Boom.

The best decks are probably a strong Midrange Hunter or Paladin against this type of deck. Hunter usually gets a lot of early pressure and can follow it up with sticky minions that are extremely difficult to remove and can deal significant damage. Savannah Highmane and Piloted Shredder serve as incredible minions that can get through huge Taunts as well as do a ton of damage. Many versions also run Dr. Boom as it used to buff Undertaker and is just a strong minion regardless. Midrange Hunter is probably the best answer to Druid, although Paladin can be extremely tough for the Druid as well.

Paladin can build a strong board and cards like Muster For Battle become massive tempo swings if not dealt with immediately. Try to play around Swipe in this matchup as it can swing the matchup considerably. If you can get his Swipe wasted and get decent Muster value -- or value out of your other tech cards -- you will easily be able to beat the Druid. Equality is a key card here as it effectively neuters any threat a Druid possesses and deals effectively with Kel’Thuzad if you have Consecration. Both of these choices are great and should help immensely if Ramp is heavily played on the ladder.

Zoo also tends to build an early board against Ramp Druid that they almost always cannot deal with. Innervate is necessary to catch up in the board war and most of the time to won't be enough. Cards like Imp-losion tend to give loads of value: especially with Dire Wolf Alpha or Knife Juggler. You often have to play around many different cards -- Swipe, Wrath, and Keeper of the Grove being the main ones -- but in doing so, you should be able to deal with this matchup very effectively. If a lot of Ramp Druid is being played, teching in a card like The Black Knight is also very beneficial. The biggest issue you will find is the steady flow of Taunts that you might have to ineffectively trade with. Ancient of War is the biggest problem and you need to be able to deal with it later.




Hunter comes in a few forms, but Midrange Hunter is currently the most prevalent form of it. That said, Aggro Hunter is a possible deck despite being fairly easily countered by Taunts and heals; therefore, I won’t really discuss it.

Counter Deck Options

Midrange Hunter has become popular because of players like Broodstar who has easily gotten Rank 1 Legend and Tarei who also piloted the deck multiple times to Rank 1 Legend. Before, Undertaker alone would put insane pressure on your opponent and it would be very difficult to come back from. Undertaker is now barely in the playable category. The same cannot be said for Hunter though. With cards like Hunter’s Mark and Kill Command it can cheaply remove bigger minions and continue to put pressure on its opponent. Highmane, Dr. Boom, and Piloted Shredder are all midrange minions that are extremely difficult to handle. Midrange Hunter is a rough matchup for most, but some decks can do well. The version with Highmanes struggles a lot to with the aggro version of Hunter as well as Zoo.

Aggro Hunter is way too fast for a Midrange Hunter to deal with and generally has a favorable matchup against midrange Hunter. Explosive Trap and other chargers get value immediately and usually result in a kill by turn six or seven at the latest. Unleash the Hounds and Explosive punish Midrange's weaker early minions and most Hunters are only running one Freezing Trap right now which is extremely easy to play around. The abundance of early minions that Aggro Hunter has will generally give the quicker start which is the key.

Paladin on the other hand is strong against Hunter in a bunch of different ways. They have the most efficient way of dealing with a Highmane and can contest board early with strong minions like Knife Juggler and Shielded Minibot as well as Zombie Chow. Without Undertaker, Midrange Hunter falls behind extremely fast and absolutely needs an Unleash the Hounds in order to fight off a Muster for Battle. After a Quartermaster play, it is unlikely for the Hunter to be able to deal with any minions with three Health. It is key that Aldor Peacekeeper be saved for Highmane because it is the easiest and most efficient way of handling it. Try not to play into Unleash the Hounds and save Muster for Battle for after you have gone through the game for a bit. Heals are important here and shouldn't be used lightly. It is crucial that they are not wasted.




Paladin is the one class that has risen the most since GvG. It is an incredible class and many would put at the top tier.

Counter Deck Options

Paladin is incredibly strong right now because it has amazing minions in the early turns of the game that allow it to consistently control the game from beginning to end. It’s hard to say what actually does the best against Paladin, but it certainly is not unbeatable. Multiple Whirlwind abilities give Warrior the most equity against a Paladin. Death’s Bite and Muster for Battle a lot of the time coincide with each other which makes Muster for Battle much less effective. With plenty of removal for the bigger threats of Paladin -- as well as the ever present threat of Brawl -- Warrior can generally pull wins out against a Paladin. The biggest issue is dealing with the healing that a Paladin has access to. Cards like Alexstraza need to be played strategically in order to avoid wasted damage. Most times, however, Warrior will push out too many threats for a Paladin to deal with efficiently. Since they Warrior's threats are single minions, Equality is not nearly as effective and many Paladins are not running more than one Equality.




It’s hard to say what really will be more popular over the next few weeks. One thing that looks promising is Rogue. Many Rogue builds have been surfacing and it is only a matter of time before the ideal build is created and Rogue becomes popular once again. Purpledrank has recently popularized a Rogue build that Dog used on stream. This deck is very effective against Druids as well as Midrange Hunter but is hard countered by cards like Harrison Jones. It will be interesting to see where this deck goes in the future.

As Hunter’s become popular, Warrior should become popular once again. With the lack of Handlock in the meta, Warrior is in a position to rise once again like it was around a month ago. It has a lot of options to deal with Hunter’s early game and just needs tech to effectively deal with the later Deathrattle minions like Highmane or Piloted Shredder. Two Brawls might be the tech that gives the Warrior the edge it needs.

In Conclusion

Of course there are plenty of other decks that you might see in the Hearthstone metagame, but I didn't want to make this too long. This set of classes are what we determined composed a significant portion of the meta. Keep in mind that the meta is constantly shifting and when one person makes something popular you will probably see plenty of it on ladder

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