All images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
So, all of a sudden, we woke up in the Hearthstone metagame where Starship cards are actually playable. Blizzard never ceases to surprise us, huh?
Anyway, the mini-set has been out for a week, so let’s take a look at the best Heroes of Starcraft decks from the first week, along with their different variations!
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Terran Shaman
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Terran Paladin (~70%) | Dungar Druid (~40%) |
| Weapon Rogue (~60%) | Terran Warrior (~45%) |
| Zerg Death Knight (~55%) | Location Warlock (~45%) |
Okay, I clearly wasn’t expecting that in my Heroes of Starcraft mini-set card review. Despite it only being Week 1 of the new meta, Terran Shaman clearly has the potential to stick around for a while. It’s essentially a midrange-meets-control style deck — think of the old-school Galakrond Shaman, but on steroids. Very strong steroids.
Current stats from HSreplay suggest it might even be the best “climb” deck right now, boasting tons of favorable matchups. It’s not the quickest way to climb the ladder, that’s for sure, but it consistently dominates aggressive lists like Weapon Rogue and Zerg Death Knight.
You might struggle a bit versus Dungar Druid or Terran Warrior, but not to the point of auto-losing. In fact, some tech choices (like The Ceaseless Expanse) can flip those matchups around.
By the way, another huge plus is just how flexible the archetype is; you can tweak the deck list to counter whatever you’re facing on the ladder.
Is Terran Shaman a safe craft? Well, I can’t promise it won’t be nerfed very soon, so yeah… Right now, though? This is as close to a “safe bet” as you’ll find, especially if you want consistent wins in the current meta.
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Zerg Death Knight
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Terran Warrior (~65%) | Weapon Rogue (~30%) |
| Protoss Mage (~60%) | Dungar Druid (~40%) |
| Terran Paladin (~60%) | Terran Shaman (~45%) |
You know what, it might sound stupid, but Zerg Death Knight feels a bit like modern Quest Rogue. Once you start chaining those combos, it’s nearly impossible to stop the “Zerg engine,” and well, if you draw your cards right, your 1-health Zergs are 7/7s with Reborn on Turn 5-6. Crazy stuff.
In its first few days, Zerg Death Knight practically took over ladder, peaking at around 80% of some brackets. The only thing that’s slowed its hype is the unfavorable matchup into Terran Shaman, which pushed a lot of players toward that archetype. Still, this deck remains the bane of any greedy strategies and will likely keep them in check for the foreseeable future.
Oh, and another big plus is just how customizable this archetype is. Zerg cards have no Rune requirements, so you can tech yourself against literally any metagame with cards like:
- Quartize Crusher (1x Frost, 1x Blood)
- Reska, The Pit Boss (1x Frost, 1x Undead)
- Fistful of Corpses (1x Blood, 1x Undead)
- Runes of Darkness (1x Blood)
- Orbital Moon (2x Blood)
- Airock Breach (1x Blood, 1x Undead)
- Assimilating Blight (1x Blood, 2x Undead)
Options are endless! By the way, I’m not a huge fan of playing two copies of Nydus Worm; if you end up drawing them back-to-back, it can feel clunky, especially if you’re desperate for a quick tempo swing or a potential game saver.
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Weapon Rogue
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Zerg Death Knight (~70%) | Dungar Druid (~35%) |
| Protoss Mage (~70%) | Terran Paladin (~40%) |
| Protoss Mage (~70%) | Terran Shaman (~40%) |
Weapon Rogue is unquestionably the fastest deck around, boasting a dominating matchup into Zerg Death Knight and most other aggro lists.
Ironically, it hasn’t received any fresh cards from the new mini-set, but the meta has shifted in such a way that Weapon Rogue suddenly feels fresh again. There’s really no complexity behind it:
- You equip a weapon,
- Buff it over and over,
- And smash your opponent’s face.
Yeah, those are the guidelines.
Of course, this deck is painfully polarized, so you’ll run into unwinnable scenarios against something like Terran Shaman or Dungar Druid.
Still, it’s one of the cheapest options for climbing right now, which is why I’ve been testing it out on a separate server in case I decide to push Legend after the next esports announcement. And by the way, if you’re looking to farm quick ladder wins at low ranks, where Zerg Death Knights are everywhere, I’d say go for it with Weapon Rogue. That’s your best bet.
Honestly, this deck’s natural style tends to punish slow starts and can swing into a win against pretty much anything that doesn’t keep pace with your pressure. Sure, a hardcore Shaman meta will be though one to beat, but hey, with a bit of luck, you can absolutely steal games “just like that.”
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Dungar Druid
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Protoss Mage (~75%) | Terran Paladin (~40%) |
| Weapon Rogue (~65%) | Zerg Hunter (~45%) |
| Terran Shaman (~60%) | Terran Warrior (~45%) |
Dungar Druid is basically the 2025 twist on the old “Big Druid” strategy. You know, ramp up fast, drop a board full of big minions, then top it off with some armor gain.
Even though some players experiment with Protoss cards, I honestly think it’s not needed at all; a list from December will do just fine.
The main reason this deck is back on the radar is that it can consistently keep Terran Shaman in check. Plus, it performs fairly well into Zerg Death Knight (a near 50/50 matchup), and if you consider how popular those two archetypes are right now… Makes sense why LQYDOG took it to Top 1 Legend just a few days ago.
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Terran Warrior
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Protoss Mage (~65%) | Zerg Death Knight (~35%) |
| Terran Paladin (~55%) | Protoss Priest (~40%) |
| Terran Shaman (~55%) | N/A |
Terran Warrior has brought back the same Hydration Station shell we’ve seen in previous metagames. Only now, it hits harder and scales faster.
This one doesn’t really have any archetypes that feel outright unwinnable. Even its so-called worst matchup, Zerg Death Knight, can be overcome if you navigate carefully and avoid letting them swarm the board unchecked. You’re also favored against Terran Shaman, which is just fantastic.
However, I found out that it’s basically mandatory to run cards like Boomboss Tho’grun and The Ceaseless Expanse to keep pace with all the mid-to-late threats. Some players also recommend considering a copy of Mind Control Tech — or at least weaving it into ETC. Anyway, once you’ve got the right tech choices for your “local meta,” Terran Warrior is actually a great pick to climb ranks with.
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Protoss Mage
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Protoss Priest (~60%) | Dungar Druid (~25%) |
| Location Warlock (~60%) | Terran Warrior (~35%) |
| Zerg Demon Hunter (~55%) | Weapon Rogue (~35%) |
Mage has always been home to fun, borderline-ridiculous combos, and Protoss Mage continues that tradition. In a nutshell, you generate a ton of Protoss spells, stall for a few turns, and eventually close the game with a massive Colossus.
Unfortunately, the current meta is fast and unforgiving, so your big “colossal” finisher doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves. But honestly, the deck is still a blast to play if you enjoy wacky Mage combos. It reminds me of the old Quest Mage — super reliant on hitting a certain puzzle piece, and absolutely bonkers when it all lines up.
Someday, if we get more reliable survival tools for Mage, I could see Protoss Mage popping off in a future meta. For now, though, it’s more of a meme archetype rather than a tried-and-true ladder climber.
Heroes of Starcraft Best Decks: Location Warlock
| Best Matchups | Worst Matchups |
| Terran Paladin (~65%) | Weapon Rogue (~30%) |
| Protoss Priest (~65%) | Dungar Druid (~35%) |
| Terran Shaman (~55%) | Protoss Mage (~40%) |
Location Warlock is arguably the strongest form of Control Warlock right now. It’s got Lifesteal, it’s got mana cheating, and with Forge of Wills plus Ultralisk Cavern in the same list, you can pull off some truly absurd plays. It’s also surprisingly solid into Terran Shaman; even though stats say it’s a 55-45 matchup, it feels more “polarizing,” at least for me.
The most difficult challenge here is making sure you don’t over-tech your list. Tossing in too many situational answers can lead to clunky draws. For example, I don’t buy this whole Wheel of Death thing.
Seriously, the power level is there, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this deck emerges as the real “sleeper” of the Heroes of Starcraft mini-set once the meta settles down. Definitely worth trying out if you have the cards and resources.
But well, if you don’t, take a look at our tips on how to farm gold in Hearthstone. Moreover, in case this Heroes of Starcraft metagame doesn’t sound like your thing, maybe it’s a good time to check out the Pokémon TCG! In that case, check out Jason’s article about McDonald’s Dragon Discovery Card List — you can literally get card boosters in Happy Meals these days!
