We're checking out the best decks that you'll want to play for the end of this season after we saw those Twin Slice changes this past week.

With so many problematic issues with Demon Hunter since their release in April of this year, it's no surprise that they still remain a top contender on Hearthstone's ladder, but they've finally been dethroned by... Pirate Warrior. Our yarrr harrrr friends have returned to the top and whether you've loved them or hated them, Pirate Warrior appears to be here to stay so you should probably just join in on the weapon and buff fun.


Pirate Warrior - King Again

Galakrond's Awakening took Pirate Warrior up a notch to succeed with the addition of Sky Raider, the beautiful Ancharrr, Skybarge, and the acceptable version of Patches the Pirate, Parachute Brigand. Blizzard must have decided to rebrand the expansion right before release because it was clearly previously named "Ascent of Pirate Warrior: Setting Them Up For a Year of Awesome". It makes you wonder if the strategic launch of a mini-expansion through the Descent of Dragons adventure was just so that they could temporarily bring back some archetypes. Anyway...

You can either play Pirate Warrior or complain about its return, it's here to stay for at least the next couple of months. Corsair Cache is absolutely disgusting and I love every second of it because of that sweet, sweet buff on Ancharrr which means we're just going to be drawing our whole deck. Join us. We have cookies!


Tempo Demon Hunter - Dethroned

No one is surprised that Demon Hunter continues to receive class changes. You may agree with the vocal majority that Blizzard screwed up with the class and should have known better, but none of that matters since they are actively addressing the absurd win rates we've seen from the new class which isn't something we'd have seen from them just a couple of years ago. Demon Hunter reminds me of when Death Knights were added to World of Warcraft. They were called a Hero Class which was supposed to mean that they were simply unique, but their overpowered abilities that received nerfs and sweeping changes each patch said being a hero just meant you were better than all us peasants who didn't swap classes.

I really have nothing of value to say about Demon Hunter; You know how their decks are played at this point. Thanks to Blizzard for addressing the problem through the multiple patches we've seen so far. I do question how it made it out of the gate like this though. Buffing the class would have been so much better than the constant nerfs.


Galakrond Stealth Rogue

If HSReplay was to be used, Galakrond Stealth Rogue sits solidly in Tier 2 and has great win rates against Demon Hunter, Hunter, Priest, Paladin, and Shaman. The archetype as a whole is sitting at 31% of Rogue decks which has only increased over the past couple of weeks and the best part about it? Looking at what the community is playing, we're not limited to a single list.

We've seen in the wild (not the format) that some players aren't making use of Pharaoh Cat and instead opting for consistency. This could be more control though a card like Frozen Shadoweaver, Akama, or even Alexstrasza

A favourite substitution though is to bring in a couple of Questing Adventurers and Umbral Skulker. Ditch the cats and Faceless Corruptor (or Sap) to make room for this hilarity. You can make some really big Questing Adventurers with the coins and lackeys you'll be creating. Having a couple of mini Edwin VanCleef helps the consistency of building big dudes.


Highlander Mage

Highlander Mage isn't very common but it is very strong, achieving success against those pesky Tempo Demon Hunters we mentioned above. It does, unfortunately, require the sale of an arm and a kidney if you're newer or simply haven't had a chance to play Pokemon with all the Legendary cards you'll find in this deck.

If you want to start the game off right, look for your cheap, strong cards. Imprisoned Observer is an excellent early drop, clearing out anything aggressive and potentially forcing your opponent to play less than optimally by not putting minions on the board for a turn or two since why feed into the death? Zephrys the Great, a card we've had in the game for close to a year and with plenty of wonderful stories is another great tool in our chest for early-game success. If we're getting overwhelmed, receiving something to deal with that is incredibly valuable. It is pretty cool that a card like Zephrys can exist.

Other cards of note for the early mulligan are Ancient Mysteries which helps thin your deck out, Arcane Breath which can be used in a pinch, Astromancer Solarian which we would want to get shuffled into our deck as soon as possible, and to a lesser degree, Reno the Relicologist. I'm not saying you should hard mulligan for him, but if he happens to be sitting in your opening hand, be a nice Mage and let him stay.

An important note to make here is that of substitutions. If you're encountering a lot of weapon play, which is quite common these days, ditching your Blizzard for an Acidic Swamp Ooze can really help destroy momentum our weapon swinging friends bring to the inn and we have other ways of clearing boards so it isn't entirely necessary. 


Enrage "That's Not Even a Keyword Anymore" Warrior

Is anyone else still disappointed that Enrage can only live on in spirit since it was removed from the game? Regardless, Enrage Warrior is a slick deck right now and it is on the cheaper side of things when you consider that warrior decks are usually met with the wallet moniker and that like the Pirate Warrior deck above, we also make use of Ancharrr which makes it a very worthwhile investment.

If you're wondering what you should keep at the start of the game, you really can't go wrong with Warmaul Challenger which can easily take out minions early on and will serve as an excellent target that will be damaged. Considering buffing it up with Rampage and giving it a clone through Bloodsworn Mercenary.

Corsair Cache of course also makes an appearance and is very helpful early on since if played on 2, we will always be able to play one of our weapons (Ancharrr & Livewire Lance) on curve, plus, who doesn't love thinning out their deck. 


What are you playing as the June 2020 season enters its final week of play? Tell us about your favourite decks in Standard right now down below!