The best theorycrafted decks for the Hearthstone’s Ashes of Outland expansion

The Ashes of Outland expansion for Hearthstone is out later today, and we all want to open packs and play with a bunch of shiny, brand new cards, don’t we?

But you might be thinking to yourself: what do I craft? There are so many new cards, new Keywords, even a new class! How do I spend my dust wisely? What will work? What won’t work?

Well, no one knows for sure yet, but that doesn’t stop people — “theorycrafters,” they call themselves — from trying to figure it all out.

Here are the best theorycrafted decks for you to try on day one of Ashes of Outland.

Control / Combo decks

Galakrond Taunt Warrior

• Deck code: AAECAQcIkAOcpAOopAPcqQPjtAO+uQPAuQPFwAML1ASfpAOkpAOCqAPYrQParQP+rgPSrwOktgOrtgPNvgMA
• As Taunt Warriors are wont to do, you hope to build a wall of strong minions to prevent your opponent from touching you. In this particular case, you do that while building up your Galakrond in the meantime. Your strong minions should earn you your victory.
• Crafting cost: 9,480 dust

Demon Handlock

• Deck code: AAECAf0GCMUEkgeJnQPwrAPxrAPWuQPtvgPuvwMLowGNCMQI2pYD2psD5awD66wD7KwD7qwDv7kDxLkDAA==
• Handlocks like to draw many cards and fill their hands with them, taking advantage of the Warlock hero power. A new card this expansion, Kanrethad Ebonlocke, reduces the cost of your demons at first, then resurrects some of them in his Prime form. So, you want to play those big demons.
• Crafting cost: 13,360 dust

Reliquary of Souls Shaman

• Deck code: AAECAaoIBvUE7QWQB+iwA+a3A+2+AwycApQD+QOBBP8FsgatkQOKlAOQpwOBsQPbuAOTuQMA
• This may seem absurd, but this Shaman deck seeks to win by creating multiple copies of the new Priest legendary card, Reliquary of Souls! Whenever you cast a spell, The Fist of Ra’den summons a Legendary of the same cost — but Reliquary is the only one-cost Legendary in the game, and this deck has one-cost spells aplenty. The rest of the deck is aimed at controlling the board until you can begin drawing your Reliquary Primes, over and over, to overwhelm your opponent.
• Crafting cost: 8,920 dust

Malygos Druid

• Deck code: AAECAZICArQD+KEDDkBWX/4B0wPEBqmiA8iiA++iA9mpA/m1A8a3A+S6A+a6AwA=
• The star of the show is Imprisoned Satyr. You should use it to reduce the cost of your Malygos, which you then duplicate with Germination. Once you do all of that, you’ll find yourself with all that sweet extra Spell Power to cast damage spells, like Moonfire and Swipe. Preferably, at your opponent’s face. It’s a combo, so you try to do it all in a single turn — just make sure to survive until then!
• Crafting cost: 12,120 dust

Midrange / Tempo decks

Spell Mage

• Deck code: AAECAf0EBO0EuaUDwrgDxbgDDU27AskDqwSWBewHv6QD9KsD8a8DwbgDjLkDgb8D3sQDAA==
• If you’ve been following Ashes of Outland news and watching streams and videos, you might be aware that famous Hearthstone pro Brian Kibler is excited about Spell Mage — and with good reason. Casting lots and lots and lots of spells is fun. This deck generates a ton of them, which you use to out-value your opponent, by drawing cards, conjuring minions out of thin air, and making your opponent’s minions, to quote the Amazing Reno Jackson, go *poof*.
• Crafting cost: 5,000 dust

Token Demon Hunter

• Deck code: AAECAea5Awb4uwPDvAO8xgPZxgPaxgPUyAMM0wGxCIKxA4u6A9i7A+a7A/e7A429A9XIA/fIA/nIA77SAwA=
• What do token decks want? To generate many small, low-cost, weak minions, also known as “tokens,” that they use to overwhelm their opponents! When do they want it? All the time! Can Demon Hunters do that? Well, if you’ve tried beating Cenarius in the Ashes of Outland prologue, to unlock the class, you know that they can! Besides your old demonic friends like Satyr Overseer, you’re also looking at calling in the Illidari with cards like Coordinated Strike. And if you can make them ignore Taunt, even better.
• Crafting cost: 6,880 dust

Libram Paladin

• Deck code: AAECAZ8FBPoGjwn8uAOEwQMN3AOvB8OkA4iuA5CuA5uuA5yuA8q4A/24A+q5A+u5A+y5A8rBAwA=
• This deck relies on the power of the new type of Paladin card coming this expansion: Librams, powerful spells that grow cheaper by the intervention of synergetic cards like Aldor Truthseeker. These Librams allow you to control the battlefield by buffing your minions, reducing the health of opposing minions, or summoning powerful Taunts. You combine that with the well-known buffing prowess of the Paladin class in order to win.
• Crafting cost: 7,700 dust

Aggro decks

Secret Aggro Rogue

• Deck code: AAECAaIHBMGuA9K5A+2+A/vEAw2eAbQBiAfiB4+XA5u2A7m4A7q4A8y5A865A8+5A9C5A7m+AwA=
• In general, Rogue attempts to win games through tempo — that is, doing more to control the board than your opponent can on each turn. That means making liberal use of tricks like minions that have positive side-effects, or returning minions to your opponent’s hand with cards like Blackjack Stunner. In addition to that, new Secrets added to the Rogue class in Ashes of Outland have potential to truly Bamboozle your opponent’s strategy.
• Crafting cost: 9,280 dust

Heal Aggro Priest

• Deck code: AAECAa0GAA+XAvgC1AqvpQPSpQOEqAOatgOTugObugOvugOwugPpugPXvgPmvgOj1QMA
• I was tempted to showcase a more “classic” type of Priest deck, but since the class just got revamped, there’s a lot of potential for new strategies to emerge. The method through which this deck tries to win may not seem so new — placing down minions that have high health, like Overconfident Orc, and using Inner Fire to turn their health into attack and hit your opponent for a lot of damage. But the new Priest package makes that easier than ever, with their Classic Set clearly pointing in that direction with new cards like Kul Tiran Chaplain or the new Legendary Natalie Seline. I say: anything to make Priest a more proactive class is worth a try!
• Crafting cost: 2,760 dust

Face Hunter

• Deck code: AAECAR8C2wnUugMOqAK1A8kEkgXtBv4M7JYD86cD+68D/K8DhbADpLkD9roD/7oDAA==
• I apologize in advance for suggesting that more people play Face Hunter. I truly do. But we need to have some real aggro options in the game as well, lest control decks dominate the meta completely, and each match of Hearthstone takes thirty to forty minutes. In addition to that, the idea of using Teron Gorefiend to trigger the Deathrattle on your Leper Gnomes and then bring them back, buffed, is so evil that it fully deserves a mention.
• Crafting cost: 3,720 dust

So, which deck is your favorite? Personally, I’m eager to try the Demon Handlock and the Heal Aggro Priest. But the wisest thing to do is to craft what you can with whichever good cards the forces of RNG decide to bless upon you!

Piece of advice: don’t craft anything yet; wait at least a couple of weeks for the meta to begin to settle into something tangible before you spend your hard-earned dust.