In Hearthstone, the traditional card game deck archetypes are still present. Since there are little to no player interactions on enemy turns, players need to make the most out of their own turn and game plan. Aggro, Midrange, and Control have a rock-paper-scissors dynamic that can make climbing the ladder very frustrating for new players. Generally, Aggro beats Midrange, Midrange beats Control, and Control beats Aggro. However, understanding how each archetype matchup works can be difficult for newer players to grasp. At this point, the card selection of Hearthstone has grown so large, and knowing which cards to look for in certain matchups, can be nearly impossible without guidance.
Throughout the history of Hearthstone, each archetype has at one point or another been the strongest deck in the meta. The variance in choices is good for new players because it means they can choose any style and have success with it, but on the other hand, all of the choices can be pretty overwhelming when they first start. With this guide, players will learn everything they will need to know about deck archetypes in Hearthstone in order to get started climbing the ladder.
Aggro Deck Archetype in Hearthstone
Aggro in Hearthstone is one of the best archetypes for new players to start out with because it has a straight forward game plan and the cost of the decks are relatively cheap. The archetype involves attacking the hero directly and defeating them as fast as possible. This strategy isn't usually concerned with what the opponent has on board or their game plan. The plan is to beat them down as soon as they can before they can get anything started.
This deck is weak to Control decks with a lot of board clears because Aggro decks usually don't have a backup plan when things go awry. Also, as the game goes on, the threat of their minions gets smaller and smaller as Control players gain the mana to play more and more powerful cards.
Strongest Aggro Deck in Hearthstone
Midrange Deck Archetype in Hearthstone
Midrange decks contain cards that are highly efficient on their own. The theory behind this archetype is that if both players are topdecking (drawing for the turn with an empty hand) then the Midrange player will be drawing the strongest or highest value cards that either player can play. Their mana curve is very balanced with an emphasis on the middle mana costs. The stats on their cards are usually valued very highly for their mana cost. This deck is good for beginners to help them understand how to be efficient with their mana.
This deck is usually weak to Aggro because Midrange doesn't run very many board-clears or spells. If the deck loses board control early, it has trouble getting it back. It does much better against Control decks because it can provide consistent pressure while giving Control decks low value from their board clears.
Strongest Midrange Deck in Hearthstone
Control Deck Archetype in Hearthstone
Control decks try to draw out games until they can bring out their biggest minions. They usually run quite a few board-clears and healing to deal with Aggro and cards that draw other cards in order to cycle through their deck to find their win conditions. The Control versus Control matchup becomes a war of attrition and can last quite a long time. This archetype can be the most challenging for new players to learn because the game plan changes a lot from matchup-to-matchup and understanding how to squeeze out the most value from their strongest cards can be difficult.
This deck is generally good against Aggro because of the healing and board wipes they run, but sometimes if they don't draw those cards fast enough, Aggro can win before players even reach ten mana. Also, a lot of the strongest, high-end cards in Control decks are of the Legendary rarity which can be hard to get a hold of for new players without spending money.
Strongest Control Deck in Hearthstone
Combo Deck Archetype in Hearthstone
The Combo deck archetype is a variation of Control deck that depends on a certain combination of cards that can instantly win the game. Also known as One Turn Kill (OTK) decks, Combo decks are only concerned with surviving until they draw their combo pieces, so most Combo decks will run a lot of draws, healing, and area-of-effect cards.
Combo decks tend to do well against other non-Combo Control decks since games go for a long time, and they can draw their combo pieces.
Strongest Combo Deck in Hearthstone
Tempo Deck Archetype in Hearthstone
Tempo refers to the momentum of the game and the jostling for control of the board. Tempo decks are a kind of Midrange deck that wants to maintain control of the board through minion removal. These decks tend to favor cards that destroy the enemy card and try to end their turn while being ahead on board.
Tempo decks are great for beginners to use because of their strength in the current metagame and it helps teach players about board control. It chips away at the opponent's resources and health over the course of the game, and the best deck in the game is actually a Tempo deck.
Strongest Tempo Deck in Hearthstone
Hearthstone is available now on PC, Android, and iOS.