How to win the Timeways Recipe Hearthstone Tavern Brawl

A new Hearthstone expansion, Across the Timeways, has just been released, and with it comes a brand-new “recipe” Brawl: you pick a class and the game provides you with the latest deck recipe from that class, so you can immediately play against someone. It’s very straightforward and meant to give players a small taste of the new cards and mechanics.

So open your portal and get ready to time travel into this new Brawl!

Tavern Brawl basics

Name: Timeways Recipe Tavern Brawl
Description: Travel through the Timeways! Choose a class and enjoy the latest deck recipes!
Fun level: 6/10
Difficulty: 3/10 to 7/10 depending on your class, deck, and opponent
Replayability: 8/10
Format: Standard
Type: PVP
Deck: Provided (one for each class)
Rewards: 1 Across the Timeways card pack

Compared to last time, I ended up reducing the score for fun, difficulty, and replayability across the board, because the deck recipes simply aren’t as strong this time — which means you might struggle a little more to get your win, and there’s not as much incentive to repeat the experience.

It’s probably a good idea to pick a deck recipe for a class you already like and know how to play, and stick to it.

How to win Timeways Recipe Tavern Brawl

We have to be honest: most of these deck recipes are pretty weak. They’re decks that aren’t very optimized, and they tend to run out of steam without doing much each turn. Some of them use subpar cards that a good deckbuilder would surely replace with something better. So let’s divide them in relative tiers, since some of these fare better than others.

(Disclaimer: your experience may vary depending on your ability to play each of these classes and deck styles, of course. This is just what we gathered from our observations and trying out the recipes.)

Tier 1 — safest picks

• Mage, with its recipe that focuses on dragons and dealing damage with Arcane spells, seems a bit more consistent than the rest. You’ll be constantly filling up the board and dealing direct damage.
• Hunter has an extremely aggressive deck full of low-cost cards that aims to dump your hand and kill your opponent as fast as possible: could be another very solid pick.
• The Paladin deck is solid. Gone are the days of Murlocs: you’re playing with Auras (and dragons) now, and it’s a more mid-range style of deck that tries to control the board and close the game with strong, consistent attacks.

Tier 2 — solid enough, if a bit inconsistent

• Druid has some late-game power with cards like Fyrakk and Zilliax, and the ever-handy Sleep Under the Stars, so it can shine when games go long — if they get there.
• Death Knight, a Blood-Blood-Unholy deck that focuses on bringing back Bwonsamdi over and over can be good too, but it’s not very consistent, and can botch sometimes.
• Priest is similar in that it does have good tools, but results may hinge a lot on your luck to get the right cards at the right time.

Tier 3 — riskier picks that can work well if you can pilot them

• I was surprised with the Rafaam-focused Warlock deck. Although Rafaam seems almost like a meme card, all the different Rafaams can actually shine in a “lower power” environment like this Brawl, so it’s a valid pick. But you really need to be good at fetching your other Rafaams from your deck, prioritizing that over other actions.
• The Rogue deck is fun, playing a constant game of cat and mouse with your opponent’s hand, allowing you to try to bypass chance and RNG to some extent. A thinking person’s deck for sure.

Tier 4 — avoid these (for the most part)

• The Demon Hunter deck looks okay on paper, but includes some very subpar cards like the atrocious Aeon Rend and Lasting Legacy.
• Shaman was another disappointment for me: the new gimmick of damaging your minions with Nature spells can be okay, but the deck really lacks consistency and staying power to close a game.
• Finally, Warrior seems a bit subpar too, with very limited tools until you get to the late game, and a penchant for running out of steam and ways to control the board.

This Brawl is quick and simple, but the decks are a bit lacking

If you value the experience of just jumping into a Brawl and playing, without much fussing with decks and gimmicks, this one is pretty great. Sadly, the deck recipes aren’t super well-optimized this time, resulting in a lot of subpar decks.

Our recommendation is to pick Mage, Hunter, or Paladin if you want the most consistency and increased odds of winning. But remember that your mileage may vary — maybe you’re a more control-oriented player who can really pilot that Warrior deck that didn’t do much for me!

Whatever the case, jump in, pick a class, and good luck getting your pack!