The long awaited monthly ManaGrind Hearthstone archetype tier list is here! After a lot of work and the sudden patch, we are proud to announce the first one of many more to come. If you ask yourself what deck to level with, or what to run in your first tournament - this is your best resource. As this is a new format, be sure to supply us with new ideas to make this list even more awesome. From now on, we will publish these lists every month!
What is an "Archetype Tier List?"
Archetypes are board categories we place certain deck styles into. In Hearthstone, you generally differentiate between aggro, mid-range and control. Combo and ramp also make an appearance, but are far less to be found. While aggro tries to flood the board and finish your opponent as quickly as possible, it looks for trades if they are worth the lost damage. Some decks prefer to go for the face more often, like the prominent Hunter aggro, which mixes things up with a lot of burn. Mid-range on the other hand is slower. It revolves around a lot of valuable minions in the 4-6 mana slots. Its biggest star is usually Chillwind Yeti, which marks the beginning of its strong phase - the mid-game. Control decks go really late. They control the game until they have the freedom to cast their big minions to win them the game. Usually a lot of sustain is needed to go that far.
As there are a lot of different classes, it´s the common approach to apply the archetype of your choice and try to make it work. The best combinations end up placing high in the ladder and succeed in tournaments. This is where we come in.
ManaGrind´s competitive Hearthstone teams, North American and European, voted for the best decks out there. Every single player gave his opinion on what he thinks rocks the ladder and has the best overall matchups. Keep in mind that we didn´t ask for ranking speed, but for win percentage.
The "Warrior Tier," it exists. Warrior control is that strong of an archetype, because it doesn´t have a really bad matchup. Sure, some opponents you´re not happy to face, but overall there´s a fair chance to win every game. This is especially important in the ladder, as you don´t know what you´ll be facing next. Its very unique set of removals requires different answers and isn´t as easy to play around. In addition, the archetype is pretty adaptable. Darkwonyx proved how to transition from an Alexstrasza “OTK” deck into a solid control variant. It´s up to the player to decide which set of removal and mid-game minions he wants to run. In the end, Garrosh Hellscream takes the spot Uther the Lightbringer used to have: A lot of sustain plus countless endgame threats serving as a win condition. But in contrast to a Paladin, there´s quite some early game removal. So if you´re looking for a deck that can equally combat aggro, control and mid-range, Warrior might be the best call, if you have the dust to spare.
The votes for tier two and three are extremely close. A lot of different styles made it in there which is a good sign for hearthstone´s current balance. Let´s start with Druid: The mid-range archetype has got several sub-decks ranging from tokens to Ancient Watchers and endgame control. Watcher Druid being the most successful archetype is due to its high consistency and defense. In a way it has the same advantages as Warrior control by having a lot of even matchups. The other mid-range deck, Shaman, shines after the removal of Tinkmaster Overspark. Hex gained even more value. In general, Shaman uses a lot of class specific cards. Cheap removals to control the early game are followed up by mid-range minions in order to close out the game with Fire Elementals and Argent Commanders. Depending on the deck, it can develop some serious burst due to Windfury and Rockbiter Weapons. The undeniable weakness against Hunters holds it back, though. Handlock has a similar problem. But the pseudo-ramped giants deck help to dominate the mid-range. Like all Warlocks, the hero power is responsible for seeing large parts of the own deck in order to increase consistency. As a lot of people replaced Tinkmaster Overspark with Big Game Hunter, handlocks have a hard time. If this changes, they will be back in full force.
The aggro decks are a big reason why we see so many different archetypes. Both of them, Hunter and Warlock require a lot of attention. Once the ladder got flooded with Hunters and zoo Warlocks, different hard-counters started to shine. After the meta settled, solid decks with all-around answers are as strong as the very aggressive/control ones. The aggro decks itself are quite unique. Warlock floods the board while Life Tap keeps the hand filled. The Hunter follows a much more combo/burn oriented approach. There´s still some room for what the actual cookie cutter decks will look like, as some Hunters got rid of their charge minions and Warlocks started to use meatier minions.
The only runner up worth mentioning is miracle Rogue. This very skill-intense deck can shine in the ladder. But often it falls due to its gimmicky nature. Bad draws, late Gadgetzan Auctioneers, or the famous "Card thirty Leeroy Jenkins" come on top of it having no sustain. But thanks to miracle decks, Rogue makes at least an appearance; Paladin, Priest, and Mage aren´t that lucky. This being said, every single one of those classes can reach legendary status. But it will be harder compared to the top dogs.
With miracle Rogue joining the party, six different classes and a lot of archetypes (control, mid-range, aggro, combo, and ramp) are present in this meta. That´s a very good sign and shows a rather healthy balance. But as bigger changes didn´t appear for quite a while, new archetypes are unlikely to enter the scene. Sure, there´s always room for creativity, so somebody maybe comes up with a new working deck. But as most of our top seven dominated the scene for quite a while, it´s unlikely to see more diversity in the future.
Fanboy much…
Our Very Own Votes
As you can see, the competitive players are kind of all over the place. While Kolento favors Shaman Mid-range; LuigEzz puts his trust into Hunter aggro. Despite a lot of different votes, only seven Archetypes really made a bigger appearance. This basically comes down to two factors: the North American & European tournaments have a little bit of different metas and the patch still settling. To sum it up, there is still room for change, but more so in between those seven archetypes than new ones making a splash.
Control warrior my ass, im yet to lose to a control warrior as a shaman. I make the maximum value of spells and use hexes last, nothing they can do. I was legend last season and im climbing there again. The only problem with that freewin class is 15-20 minute games. Sometimes almost half an hour, im not (edit) u, windows timer doesnt lie.
Control warrior my ass, im yet to lose to a control warrior as a shaman. I make the maximum value of spells and use hexes last, nothing they can do. I was legend last season and im climbing there again. The only problem with that freewin class is 15-20 minute games. Sometimes almost half an hour, im not shitting u, windows timer doesnt lie.
Shaman = auto concede vs hunters, so not good to climb ladder from 20-5.
Also, noone plays druid like that. People use mark of the wild, ancients of war, tbk, wild growth and harrison jones. Thats the most common deck around. Your list is at best outdated by month, at worst deceptional garbage.
As a reminder, please do your best to be respectful of others on the forums.
Some comments -
1. Different servers have different meta. The Druid deck listed in the OP was a pretty standard druid build. The Mark/AoW/TBK/Wild Growth/Harrison build is also pretty standard. (Note: I consider Pyromancer to be "standard" in that build too.) The Imp Master / Violet Teacher build is another standard druid build. However, the OP purports to identify "the best overall matchups", not to fully analyze each and every class.
2. Re: Control Warrior vs Shaman, Shaman vs Hunter. Both those matches are tough. I don't think anyone denies that. But they can be won with some luck and accurate play. Maybe a lot of luck, actually. But the topic is not whether or not a deck has a counter, but whether a deck generally does well in the meta. A hard counter deck might beat the top deck with 80% win rate, but if the top deck is used 20% of the time, and the hard counter deck dies 80% of the time to the other 80% of the meta, you're still losing 68% (winning 32%) overall, which means overall your deck consistently loses and isn't considered viable. (Note: I might have botched the calculation, as I'm sick, but you get the idea).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you see a post that you find objectionable, report it, it helps keep the forum clean. But be aware people are allowed a lot of latitude.
If you find my posts to be rude, objectionable, or whatever, well, I got tired of writing polite TL; DR (Too Long, Didn't Read) posts at crybaby whiners. So now I just make it short and nasty.
If you find that funny, well and good. If you find that sad, that's even better.
yay my deck is not there and i am carrying myself forward in the ranking super easy :D
se you guys in legendary when you realise that the meta already changed!
You'll notice that this is a monthly report. They can hardly be expected to provide empirical evidence for a month that hasn't happened yet, so it's rather clear that they're talking about last month.
Of course, the meta has changed since then, but not so drastically as to make this article useless to someone who lacks the time or resources to do a survey of their own.
So the million coin question is: "Is the Control Warrior a pretty good (or best) class to take from rank 25 to Legend if the player is skilled and has no objection to playing that specific deck (or a similar variant)?"
"I am Richard, Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead, and The Mayor of a little village up the coast."
So the million coin question is: "Is the Control Warrior a pretty good (or best) class to take from rank 25 to Legend if the player is skilled and has no objection to playing that specific deck (or a similar variant)?"
No it is not! Please transfer the million coins today, as I want to buy some stuff!
Control Warrior is the strongest atm, but should only be used in higher ranks/legendary, because it takes too long to win.
Thats why you see so many rush decks. They are fast and it doesnt matter much if you lose some games, because your still faster in climbing ranks than control players.
@article: It is very informative and well written, but a monthly report is always behind and outdated. The ihearthu reports for example come weekly and are more accurate because of that. They are shorter, but reflect the current meta more
Also, noone plays druid like that. People use mark of the wild, ancients of war, tbk, wild growth and harrison jones. Thats the most common deck around. Your list is at best outdated by month, at worst deceptional garbage.
You must realize that it is a monthly report of what happened last month and not what is currently happening in the meta though most of it is still very accurate. Hopefully you also understand that the current meta changes might be here to last for a while or dissapear tomorrow .
@article: It is very informative and well written, but a monthly report is always behind and outdated. The ihearthu reports for example come weekly and are more accurate because of that. They are shorter, but reflect the current meta more
Hey man! thank you for the feedback we will definitely take it in consideration!
Article by Wuaschtsemme
The long awaited monthly ManaGrind Hearthstone archetype tier list is here! After a lot of work and the sudden patch, we are proud to announce the first one of many more to come. If you ask yourself what deck to level with, or what to run in your first tournament - this is your best resource. As this is a new format, be sure to supply us with new ideas to make this list even more awesome. From now on, we will publish these lists every month!
What is an "Archetype Tier List?"
Archetypes are board categories we place certain deck styles into. In Hearthstone, you generally differentiate between aggro, mid-range and control. Combo and ramp also make an appearance, but are far less to be found. While aggro tries to flood the board and finish your opponent as quickly as possible, it looks for trades if they are worth the lost damage. Some decks prefer to go for the face more often, like the prominent Hunter aggro, which mixes things up with a lot of burn. Mid-range on the other hand is slower. It revolves around a lot of valuable minions in the 4-6 mana slots. Its biggest star is usually Chillwind Yeti, which marks the beginning of its strong phase - the mid-game. Control decks go really late. They control the game until they have the freedom to cast their big minions to win them the game. Usually a lot of sustain is needed to go that far.
As there are a lot of different classes, it´s the common approach to apply the archetype of your choice and try to make it work. The best combinations end up placing high in the ladder and succeed in tournaments. This is where we come in.
ManaGrind´s competitive Hearthstone teams, North American and European, voted for the best decks out there. Every single player gave his opinion on what he thinks rocks the ladder and has the best overall matchups. Keep in mind that we didn´t ask for ranking speed, but for win percentage.
The List
So, here you go with the list:
Tier 1
Warrior, Control
Tier 2
Druid, Mid-range
Shaman, Mid-range
Warlock, Aggro
Tier 3
Hunter, Aggro
Warlock, Handlock
Maybe next time
Rogue, Miracle
The "Warrior Tier," it exists. Warrior control is that strong of an archetype, because it doesn´t have a really bad matchup. Sure, some opponents you´re not happy to face, but overall there´s a fair chance to win every game. This is especially important in the ladder, as you don´t know what you´ll be facing next. Its very unique set of removals requires different answers and isn´t as easy to play around. In addition, the archetype is pretty adaptable. Darkwonyx proved how to transition from an Alexstrasza “OTK” deck into a solid control variant. It´s up to the player to decide which set of removal and mid-game minions he wants to run. In the end, Garrosh Hellscream takes the spot Uther the Lightbringer used to have: A lot of sustain plus countless endgame threats serving as a win condition. But in contrast to a Paladin, there´s quite some early game removal. So if you´re looking for a deck that can equally combat aggro, control and mid-range, Warrior might be the best call, if you have the dust to spare.
The votes for tier two and three are extremely close. A lot of different styles made it in there which is a good sign for hearthstone´s current balance. Let´s start with Druid: The mid-range archetype has got several sub-decks ranging from tokens to Ancient Watchers and endgame control. Watcher Druid being the most successful archetype is due to its high consistency and defense. In a way it has the same advantages as Warrior control by having a lot of even matchups. The other mid-range deck, Shaman, shines after the removal of Tinkmaster Overspark. Hex gained even more value. In general, Shaman uses a lot of class specific cards. Cheap removals to control the early game are followed up by mid-range minions in order to close out the game with Fire Elementals and Argent Commanders. Depending on the deck, it can develop some serious burst due to Windfury and Rockbiter Weapons. The undeniable weakness against Hunters holds it back, though. Handlock has a similar problem. But the pseudo-ramped giants deck help to dominate the mid-range. Like all Warlocks, the hero power is responsible for seeing large parts of the own deck in order to increase consistency. As a lot of people replaced Tinkmaster Overspark with Big Game Hunter, handlocks have a hard time. If this changes, they will be back in full force.
The aggro decks are a big reason why we see so many different archetypes. Both of them, Hunter and Warlock require a lot of attention. Once the ladder got flooded with Hunters and zoo Warlocks, different hard-counters started to shine. After the meta settled, solid decks with all-around answers are as strong as the very aggressive/control ones. The aggro decks itself are quite unique. Warlock floods the board while Life Tap keeps the hand filled. The Hunter follows a much more combo/burn oriented approach. There´s still some room for what the actual cookie cutter decks will look like, as some Hunters got rid of their charge minions and Warlocks started to use meatier minions.
The only runner up worth mentioning is miracle Rogue. This very skill-intense deck can shine in the ladder. But often it falls due to its gimmicky nature. Bad draws, late Gadgetzan Auctioneers, or the famous "Card thirty Leeroy Jenkins" come on top of it having no sustain. But thanks to miracle decks, Rogue makes at least an appearance; Paladin, Priest, and Mage aren´t that lucky. This being said, every single one of those classes can reach legendary status. But it will be harder compared to the top dogs.
With miracle Rogue joining the party, six different classes and a lot of archetypes (control, mid-range, aggro, combo, and ramp) are present in this meta. That´s a very good sign and shows a rather healthy balance. But as bigger changes didn´t appear for quite a while, new archetypes are unlikely to enter the scene. Sure, there´s always room for creativity, so somebody maybe comes up with a new working deck. But as most of our top seven dominated the scene for quite a while, it´s unlikely to see more diversity in the future.
Fanboy much…
Our Very Own Votes
As you can see, the competitive players are kind of all over the place. While Kolento favors Shaman Mid-range; LuigEzz puts his trust into Hunter aggro. Despite a lot of different votes, only seven Archetypes really made a bigger appearance. This basically comes down to two factors: the North American & European tournaments have a little bit of different metas and the patch still settling. To sum it up, there is still room for change, but more so in between those seven archetypes than new ones making a splash.
Kolento (EU)
Timbolt (EU)
Forsen (EU)
DuckWingFACE (EU)
Darkwonyx (EU)
Wuaschtsemme (EU)
SpOh (NA)
Realz (NA)
LuigEzz (NA)
zRusheR (NA)
Article by Wuaschtsemme, Edited by Homebrewed, Formatting by Whale_Cancer
http://www.hearthpwn.com/managrind
No priest? :(
Ask me about my coaching services!
I have dozens of hours of coaching under my belt as experience and I understand the game at a fundamental level.
A true masterpiece!
http://www.hearthpwn.com/managrind
One day when the pig men roam free, Priest will be top-tier.
Control warrior my ass, im yet to lose to a control warrior as a shaman. I make the maximum value of spells and use hexes last, nothing they can do. I was legend last season and im climbing there again. The only problem with that freewin class is 15-20 minute games. Sometimes almost half an hour, im not (edit) u, windows timer doesnt lie.
Shaman = auto concede vs hunters, so not good to climb ladder from 20-5.
Also, noone plays druid like that. People use mark of the wild, ancients of war, tbk, wild growth and harrison jones. Thats the most common deck around. Your list is at best outdated by month, at worst deceptional garbage.
As a reminder, please do your best to be respectful of others on the forums.
Some comments -
1. Different servers have different meta. The Druid deck listed in the OP was a pretty standard druid build. The Mark/AoW/TBK/Wild Growth/Harrison build is also pretty standard. (Note: I consider Pyromancer to be "standard" in that build too.) The Imp Master / Violet Teacher build is another standard druid build. However, the OP purports to identify "the best overall matchups", not to fully analyze each and every class.
2. Re: Control Warrior vs Shaman, Shaman vs Hunter. Both those matches are tough. I don't think anyone denies that. But they can be won with some luck and accurate play. Maybe a lot of luck, actually. But the topic is not whether or not a deck has a counter, but whether a deck generally does well in the meta. A hard counter deck might beat the top deck with 80% win rate, but if the top deck is used 20% of the time, and the hard counter deck dies 80% of the time to the other 80% of the meta, you're still losing 68% (winning 32%) overall, which means overall your deck consistently loses and isn't considered viable. (Note: I might have botched the calculation, as I'm sick, but you get the idea).
If you see a post that you find objectionable, report it, it helps keep the forum clean. But be aware people are allowed a lot of latitude.
If you find my posts to be rude, objectionable, or whatever, well, I got tired of writing polite TL; DR (Too Long, Didn't Read) posts at crybaby whiners. So now I just make it short and nasty.
If you find that funny, well and good. If you find that sad, that's even better.
Ok, sorry for my salty comments.
yay my deck is not there and i am carrying myself forward in the ranking super easy :D
se you guys in legendary when you realise that the meta already changed!
Warlocks and druids everywhere.
You'll notice that this is a monthly report. They can hardly be expected to provide empirical evidence for a month that hasn't happened yet, so it's rather clear that they're talking about last month.
Of course, the meta has changed since then, but not so drastically as to make this article useless to someone who lacks the time or resources to do a survey of their own.
So the million coin question is: "Is the Control Warrior a pretty good (or best) class to take from rank 25 to Legend if the player is skilled and has no objection to playing that specific deck (or a similar variant)?"
"I am Richard, Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead, and The Mayor of a little village up the coast."
No it is not! Please transfer the million coins today, as I want to buy some stuff!
Control Warrior is the strongest atm, but should only be used in higher ranks/legendary, because it takes too long to win.
Thats why you see so many rush decks. They are fast and it doesnt matter much if you lose some games, because your still faster in climbing ranks than control players.
@article: It is very informative and well written, but a monthly report is always behind and outdated. The ihearthu reports for example come weekly and are more accurate because of that. They are shorter, but reflect the current meta more
You must realize that it is a monthly report of what happened last month and not what is currently happening in the meta though most of it is still very accurate. Hopefully you also understand that the current meta changes might be here to last for a while or dissapear tomorrow .
http://www.hearthpwn.com/managrind
Hey man! thank you for the feedback we will definitely take it in consideration!
http://www.hearthpwn.com/managrind
Out of all the meta articles I've read, this is my favorite. Thanks for sharing; looking forward to more.