Hearthstone: Probable Meta Archetypes in Rastakhan’s Rumble

Now that all of the cards for the new expansion have been revealed, we can make predictions for the meta. Probable Meta Archetypes in Rastakhan’s Rumble include bolstering current decks, reviving old decks, plus new archetypes altogether. It’s very early in the expansion being only day one, but it’s exciting to see how things will pan out.

Midrange Hunter and Spell Hunter

In the last meta, both Midrange Hunter and Spell Hunter were kind of the secondary competitive decks to the strength of Deathrattle Hunter. Some of the new cards have bolstered the archetypes and may allow them to compete with Deathrattle Hunter for viability.

Spell Hunter’s early game hasn’t really changed at all. The idea is still to curve secrets into the Hunter Spellstone for early board control. The real power level increase is thanks to the new Hero card Zul’Jin. His effect is extremely strong for creating a game winning push with a huge board state. He can also provide a little defense with the recast secrets.

With the new Midrange Hunter variations, it’s much more about abusing the card text of the new cards. Some have opted for few new card inclusions, others have gone all in with a lot of the new cards. Springpaw gives you early Rush damage from hand, and Headhunter’s Hatchet gives early board control with the three swings you get off the weapon.

The deck primarily aims to use Untamed Beastmaster and Spirit of the Lynx to overwhelm the opponent. Beastmaster will give Beasts +2/+2 when drawn, and the Spirit gives them +1/+1 going on to the board to try to create the best trades possible. The Spirit also synergizes really well with Halazzi, the Lynx as you can give all the Rush Lynxes +1/+1.

Discard Warlock

The cards from Rastakhan’s Rumble have reinvigorated the life of the Warlock Quest, Lakkari Sacrifice. With so many cards that discard other cards that have decent value, the Quest can be completed in a quicker and more manageable fashion.

Clutchmother Zavas and High Priestess Jeklik are really good with the Discard effect. Clutchmother Zavas is a mediocre card on her own because a single large minion can be answered by a lot of decks. However, she is really good for the cards like Shriek where it discards the lowest cost in your hand, as Zavas only costs two mana. She continues to bounce back into the hand to be discarded as the potential lowest cost card.

Only discarding the lowest cost cards also allows Bloodreaver Gul’dan to be in a much safer position within the hand of a Discard Warlock. Once the Quest is online, infinite value is generated by having imps on the board, and Bloodreaver Gul’dan can provide the closing effort by re-summoning a full board of demons.

Pirate Rogue

Blizzard tried to get people excited for Pirate Rogue with the new Legendary Captain Hooktusk and the Ticket Scalper, but those cards are too slow for an optimized list so far. It turns out, utilizing Kingsbane with the new Pirate cards could be the way to go.

Raiding Party draws Pirates and a Weapon when Combo’d, which means the chance to draw Kingsbane. Cutthroat Buccaneer and Captain Greenskin are Pirates that buff the weapon, which make Raiding Party a really good card. Throw in Deadly Posion and Toxicologist, and you have a really aggressive Kingsbane and Pirate deck.

Dread Corsair will be zero mana cost with the buffed Kingsbane and will be able to be paired with Southsea Captain for cheap. Hench-Clan Thug is an auto-include in nearly every Rogue deck now, and Vilespine Slayer is used as a finishing tempo tool to clear off taunts and other minions that provide an obstacle to Rogue.

One thing’s for sure: old decks are still the best bet for the ladder right now. We will have to wait for things to settle down to see if Rastakhan’s Rumble brings any more powerful decks. The new set definitely has fun and exciting combos.

See all of the cards for Rastakhan’s Rumble here.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment via their official website.

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