Best Classic Decks: A Hearthstone Tier List for Classic (2024)

• S Tier
  • Miracle Rogue
  • Combo Druid
• A Tier
  • Face Hunter
  • Zoo Warlock
  • Freeze Mage
  • Control Warrior
• B Tier
  • Aggro Paladin
  • Midrange Shaman
  • Aggro Shaman
  • Handlock
• C Tier
  • Control Priest
  • Control Paladin
  • Worgen OTK Warrior

Miracle Rogue has come out on top in the Classic game mode. Although the decksaw plenty of play in 2014, it was not until late into the year that playersbegun to truly understand the deck's power just weeks before it was hamstrungby nerf to the Mana Cost of Gadgetzan Auctioneer. Now, players have amuch greater overall understanding of the game, allowing Miracle Rogue toreach its full potential.

The deck revolves around the powerful combination ofGadgetzan Auctioneer and Conceal to set up turns where largenumber of cards can be drawn in a single turn, allowing for powerful combinationsof burst-damage cards like Eviscerate, Cold Blood, andLeeroy Jenkins to be easily assembled and used to swiftly defeatopponents.

Midrange Combo Druid was one of the best decks of 2014 and now withthe Classic Game mode, it is like the deck never left. Its heavy abuse ofMana acceleration tools like Innervate and Wild Growthcontinually steal wins from opponents, justifying the nerfs these cards facedin the past.

The deck uses its Mana acceleration mechanics to rush out mid-sized minionsonto the board throughout the game, to control the board and pressure opponents.Upon having access to 9 Mana, the deck aims to use the iconic combination ofForce of Nature and Savage Roar to burst down opponents to closeout games.

Face Hunter finds itself highly rated against the current S-tier decks. Its highdamage out put allows it to disrupt decks by putting them on the defensiveearly, finishing off opponents before their strategies can be fully executed.

The deck renowned Face Hunter decks aims to consistently deal damage toopponents every turn. Through the use of Charge minions, weapons, spells, andthe Steady Shot Hero Power, the damage of Face Hunter is almostunstoppable, resulting in fast-paced and explosive games.

Zoo Warlock, Hearthstone's original board-centric Aggro deck, find itselfwell situatated in the A tier. Its contant board pressure can greatlydisrupt opponent's strategies, preying on those that lack the ability to dealwith wide boards, making it a good choice against the current S-tier decks.

The deck focuses on playing cheap minions with good stats to popular boardand them, bolstering its position with buffs from other minions. TheLife Tap Hero Power allows the deck to maintain its aggression anddrawn into one of its many burst-damage cards like Soulfire andDoomguard to close out games.

Freeze Mage, known for its high skill cap, has greatly benefitted fromplayers having years of practice in playing the game. This greater understandingof the game makes the deck more accessible, and as strong as ever, solidifyingits position in the A tier.

The deck makes great use of Freeze mechanics and Secrets to grearlyslow down the game as it draws through its deck. Once it has drawn enoughburn-damage spells, it can quickly go on the offensive and burst opponentsdown through the use of cards like Frostbolt and Ice Lance,all while under the protection of Ice Block.

Control Warrior is the strongest Control deck available in the Classicgame mode. Its large amount of single-target removal allow it to stay in controlof the board, whilst also having access to Brawl if things get outof control. Its monopoly on the Armor mechanic through Armorsmith,Shield Block and Armor Up! also make it great at not dying,making it a great choice against Aggro decks and burn decks likeFreeze Mage alike.

The deck plays a very reactive playstyle, using cards likeFiery War Axe, Shield Slam, and Execute to deal withany threats that come its way, all whilst mitigating damage with Armor.Upon safely reaching the late game, the deck can begin to unleash powerfullate-game threats like Ragnaros the Firelord and Grommash Hellscream tofinish off opponents as they begin to run out of resources.

Aggro Paladin situates itself into the B tier as the strongest Paladinarchetype in classic. Its playstyle is a hybrid ofZoo Warlock andFace Hunter, making it aformiddable Aggro deck, but lacking the powerful Hero Power that the otherdecks use to support them.

The deck focuses on using cheap Divine Shield minions, and Charge minionslater in the game, and combining them with cheap attack buffs likeAbusive Sergeant and Blessing of Might to rush down opponents.The reckless aggression is rewarded by the use of Divine Favor,providing fuel to continue the aggression for extended periods of time.

Midrange Shaman, Hearthstone's first token deck, can achieve victoriesin any matchup. Between the use of Bloodlust and the combination ofRockbiter Weapon and Doomhammer, are always ready to takewins from opponents at a moments notice. However, the reliance on specifc cardsfor most of its damage can result in the deck being much less consistentthan other burst-damage decks like those found in S tier.

The deck aim to constantly add minions to the board, aided by theTotemic Call Hero Power. With minions on board the deck can utilisecards like Flametongue Totem and Rockbiter Weapon to makeeven the weakest minions threatening, often making opponents waste resources tokeep the board clear. The consistent chip damage from small minions pairedwith multiple burst-damage make Midrange Shaman a well-rounded deck capableof winning in tight situations.

Aggro Shaman's ability to burn down opponents makes it a good fit for theClassic meta, where healing options are scarce. The deck's mix of board presenceand direct damage are both its strength and its weakness, allowing for almostunbeatable draws and ones that are very difficult to win. However, theinteraction between 1-Mana Rockbiter Weapons and the Windfurymechanic means that the deck always has the possibility of pulling out a win.

The deck focuses on developing a quick early-game board with minions likeLeper Gnome and Argent Squire, which can then bebuffed by Flametongue Totem to enact strong early-game damage.Should the deck lose control of the board it can transition into dealing theremaining damage entirely from hand through the use of cards likeLava Burst, Leeroy Jenkins, and Doomhammer.

Handlock, famous for its ability to play large numbers of big minions, hassuffered with its return in the Classic game mode. Greater overall understandingof the game means that most players are great at playing around Handlock'stricks, in particular its use of Molten Giants, leaving it a shell ofits former self.

The deck uses its Life Tap Hero Power to manipulate both its Healthand its Handsize, allowing for accelerated access for big minions likeMountain Giant and Molten Giant. These minions can then begiven Taunt via Sunfury Protector or Defender of Argus tocreate a strong defensive position that can then be turned into aggressionto deal huges amounts of damage to opponents.

Control Priest is a deck that makes the best of a bad situations, and isthe source of years of memes regarding the Priest class. While as a controldeck it is viable for shutting down Aggro decks, its lack of real win conditionor proactive tools make it a sitting duck for most Midrange and Combo decks,resulting in its rating in C tier.

The deck aims to reactively deal with anything opponents throw their waythrough the use of hard removal tools like Shadow Word: Death andAoE spells like Holy Nova. The deck closes out games through purevalue, using Mind Control to effectively steal any large threatsand use them against opponents, as well as using Thoughtsteal as away to gain additional cards while maintaining a Healthy amount of cards indeck.

Control Paladin, offers a more proactive gameplan than Priest and Warrior,providing itself with a soft win condition via minions. However, it ishindered by the fact it does not have good access to good single-targetremoval, leaving it reliant on cards like Aldor Peacekeeper andStampeding Kodo, this weakness is worsened by the fact that the deckhas finite healing, making it more vulnerable to consistent damage sourcescompared to Priests and Warriors.

Control Paladin aims to slow down opponents through the use of minions likeAldor Peacekeeper, which, paired with the Reinforce Hero Power,allows small amounts of pressure to be put back onto opponents as the boardis kept under control. Over time, the Health of opponents can be slowly chippedaway, allowing them to be eventually finished off by powerful cards likeTirion Fordring or Ragnaros the Firelord.

Worgen OTK Warrior is one of the true OTK decks in classic, being able toexceed deal 30 damage entirely from hand. This burst-damage means that the deckhas the potential to burst down any deck in the game. However, the deck has tocut removal tools in favour of card draw, and when combined with the deck'shigh skill cap, make it weaker than theControl Warrior alternative.

The deck focuses on the use of cards like Armorsmith,Acolyte of Pain, and Battle Rage, combined withself-damaging cards like Whirlwind to simultaneously draw cards,gain Armor, and keep the board clear. Once most cards have been drawn, the canuse the powerful combo of Raging Worgen,Charge, Inner Rage, andRampage, to deal up to 32 points of damage from hand.