How to win the A Dark Recipe Hearthstone Tavern Brawl

We have another super old Tavern Brawl returning in Hearthstone this week: A Dark Recipe gives players pre-made decks that summon the power of the Old Gods — at least, the way they did about 10 years ago. None of our fancy new cards, and no preview of the new tricks those same Old Gods will have in the upcoming Reign of the Black Empire expansion.

Still, it can be fun to remember how C’Thun was all about getting bigger and bigger to pew pew his opposition, or how N’Zoth brought back all of those Deathrattles, or how Yogg has always been the mad one, casting lots of random spells. Let’s embark on this trip with the Old Gods as they used to be.

Tavern Brawl basics

Name: A Dark Recipe
Description: Care for a taste of the Old God’s power? Pick a class and we’ll give you a taste of the Old God’s Recipe for that class to do battle!
Fun level: 6/10
Difficulty: 7/10
Replayability: 6/10
Format: Wild
Type: PVP
Deck: Provided
Rewards: 1 Escape from Violet Hold card pack

Here is the basic in-game description of each deck available in this brawl:

• Druid – The Ancient Gods: “Use the Druid’s Mana-generating spells to summon the servants of the Old Gods way ahead of schedule.”
• Hunter – Whispers of Death: “Do not fear death, hero; your minions are useful to you both alive and dead. Keep trading your minions for theirs; you will eventually overwhelm them.”
• Mage – Madness and Magic: “Cast as many spells as possible. Each one will fuel the reawakening of Yogg-Saron!”
• Paladin – Shields Up!: “Protect your minions with Divine Shield and they’ll be able to take on two enemies at a time!”
• Priest – C’Thun’s Clutch: “Heal your minions to keep them alive long enough to see the rise of the horrific C’Thun!”
• Rogue – Echoes of Death: “Trade your minions aggressively! Most of them give you an advantage when they’re killed, so sacrifice away.”
• Shaman – Minion Evolution: “Summon as many minions as possible before evolving them! Evolve minions that have already done work for you to maximize their value!”
• Warlock – Ancient Hordes: “Bolster your armies with the innumerable minions of the Old Gods. Swarm the board with smaller minions to overwhelm your opponent.”
• Warrior – Serve the Old Gods: “Protect yourself as your devotion to C’Thun grows. Amass enough armor that your opponent’s effort become futile before the Old Gods!”

These are some old decks, from around the time of the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion. So don’t expect power levels to be as high as they are these days: you’ll probably see some slower decks that are lacking in card draw, leading to more deliberate games that have a lot of minion trading and grinding instead of fancy combos.

How to win the A Dark Recipe Tavern Brawl

You should pick the class and strategy you’re most familiar with, though some might be stronger than others.

• The Druid deck uses a lot minions that buff C’Thun, and aims to win the game by simply playing the Old God when its as big as possible, both for the damage it deals immediately and the presence on the board. Be careful not to rely on it before you can close the game, though.
• The Hunter deck uses a lot of Deathrattle minions that it can bring back with N’Zoth, as well as tools like Princess Huhuran to trigger some extra Deathrattles during the game.
• The Mage deck is a straightforward deck with a lot of spells, minions that get stronger from those spells, and the big payoff being Yogg-Saron, who turns those spells you cast during the game into even more (albeit random) spells when he drops. It is often a game-winning play, though, so you just have to endure until then.
• The Paladin deck is Divine Shield galore. Who needs Old Gods when you got so many sturdy minions, I guess? You will win the game by taking the board and keeping it, but don’t over-trade: you need to deal some damage to your opponent too.
• The Priest deck, much like the Druid one, is all about buffing and summoning C’Thun. The difference is the way you get there: here you have more healing and more ways to control the board, so this might be a more suited deck to a control-oriented player.
• The Rogue deck is another Deathrattle N’Zoth deck, though this one depends on minions like the powerful Unearthed Raptor, an old favorite, as well as the board control of Dark Iron Skulker and the powerful toxins from Xaril, Poisoned Mind. It’s a fun deck.
• The Shaman deck shuns Old Gods to focus on minion evolution instead. Your Tunnel Troggs and Totem Golems will dominate the early game, while your spells like Hex and Lightning Storm will let you keep the board. Then you use your Evolve effects, like Master of Evolution, to win.
• The Warlock deck works by flooding the board with small minions, paying it off with cards like Knife Juggler and Reliquary Seeker early on, and better threats like Gormok the Impaler and Sea Giant eventually. You have to start small to make it big in the end.
• Finally, the Warrior deck is our third C’Thun deck here, and again very control-oriented, with lots of ways to gain armor and draw cards. You basically want to outlast your opponent until you can drop a really big C’Thun to ruin their day.

Pick your favorite class (or Old God) and have fun on this Brawl!