Hearthstone: Probable Deck Lineups for HCT Philadelphia

The first Tour Stop of the expansion is coming up this weekend. Players have just a couple of days to prepare decklists in a still very unstable meta. Here are some of the probable deck lineups for HCT Philadelphia.

Druid

The new set definitely has not impacted the strength of the Druid core package. The most represented class during the last set is more than likely to still be the most represented class again. One of the leading archetype contenders will be Taunt Druid.

A potentially meta-defining card.

Taunt Druid is mostly the same, but has a couple new card inclusions. Rabble Bouncer is a large taunt that can be summoned by Master Oakheart, and also a decent minion from hand to stop some aggressive decks.

Taunt Druid really gets its new power from Da Undatakah. Combined with the Deathrattle effect of Astral Tiger, this allows Da Undatakah to be shuffled back into the deck. He also picks up the Deathrattle of Hadronox, allowing for infinite Hadronoxes.

Of course there is always Malygos Druid. Nothing has changed about this deck for a long while, but it remains insanely strong. The many ways to win the game with the deck outside of the simple Malygos Combo makes it an easy include in most lineups.

Hunter

Deathrattle Hunter has been an unstoppable force in the competitive meta for quite some time. However, thanks to Zul’Jin it might finally have some competition in the form of Spell Hunter.

Whether it be straight up Spell Hunter, or Secret Hunter, the sheer power of playing Zul’Jin gives the deck one of the best opportunities to win. However, Deathrattle Hunter has gotten a couple new cards of its own.

Deathrattle Hunter is one of the only archetypes that’s able to utilize Oondasta well. Oondasta Summoning a card like King Krush can create a huge push in the late game for Deathrattle Hunter, allowing to get through taunts. They can also utilize Da Undatakah for additional Kathrena effects, Spider Bomb, and Devilsaur Egg effects.

Rogue

Kingsbane Rogue has risen to the top early in the Rastakhan meta. It could beat out Odd Rogue as a tournament deck because of how good it holds up against the Druids and Deathrattle Hunters.

There isn’t anything new to Kingsbane Rogue outside of the more consistent Kingsbane Draws with Raiding Party. It means a lot for the Rogue though as most of the time the deck lost is because there are only two Cavern Shinyfinders in the deck, and not having the weapon ready at any time could be its downfall.

Another deck that might see play at HCT Philadelphia is Tempo Pirate Rogue. Captain Hooktusk is a card that doesn’t come down until the late game, but when she comes down she creates a huge board state that can clean up a lot of opposing boards.

Fourth Slot

The fourth deck slot in a tournament lineup could be any class. Some may opt to roll with Shudderwock Shaman because that’s still a great competitive deck. Some might opt for the Odd Paladin because its still one of the best aggro decks. Others might go with the new Control Paladin lists, but they aren’t yet proven to be competitively viable.

Most players aren’t even likely to bring a Rogue deck, but you can count on a lot of lineups with Druid and Hunter. Above all, we are really excited to see what the players do decide to bring or experiment with as they get to shape the early meta.

Of course, many decks may fail, and that means back to the drawing board and more new decks introduced into the meta. Here’s to hoping that some off-meta decks are successful and we see more variety of decks and tech inclusions on the ladder.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment via their official website.

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