Building decks for use in Play mode can be a very satisfying process. From coming up with your unique deck concept to playtesting it and tweaking it to perfection, constructed play is a great way to test your overall skill and knowledge of the game. Many of our Hearthstone fansites have contributed their insights on deckbuilding to this blog, to help you along the way to building a deck of your own that’s fun to play for the class of your choice. The links and summaries below are all to be taken as helpful guides, not the end-all be-all of Hearthstone deck creation. So take some time to read the guides, pick out a few new ideas that appeal to you, and then dive in to building a deck of your very own!
Hearthstone Power’s Basic Deck Building Tips Video
Hearthstone Power says, "This is a quick video tutorial on how to build a simple deck in Hearthstone. I use the Hunter as an example, but the advice given here can be applied to any hero. It covers things like mana curve, what card types are important to include in your deck, etc. I do my best to explain the proper mindset as you build your deck, specifically staying focused on your deck's overall strategy. The most important part of deck building is not covered in this video: play-testing! Make sure you get out there and practice with your deck. Tweak as necessary. And lastly, have fun!"
2P’s Deck Building Recommendations
These helpful tips from 2P go over each class in depth with some helpful deck suggestions, balance guides, and introductions to class-specific themes for each. They have decks for people who are just starting out with Hearthstone, and for those of you who have earned enough gold to buy card packs to flesh out your collections!
Hearthstone Players’ Guides
http://hearthstoneplayers.com/core-deck-types-in-hearthstone/
This pre-beta article talks about the core deck archetypes within Hearthstone. The article gives a basic overview of the concept of Burn, Aggro, and Control decks, what they are, and how to create decks with cards that complement these archetypes.
http://hearthstoneplayers.com/hearthstone-paladin-101/
This article is much like the Priest guide, but the focus is on the Paladin class.
Blizzpro
http://hearthstone.blizzpro.com/tag/ccg-101/This CCG 101 column is updated every Sunday, aimed at beginners and casual players. It's an evolving series, discussing just what a CCG is defined as, basic pointers on deck design, types of decks, and most recently the benefit of card draw and card cycling. It's clear, concise, and should get the cogs turning when it comes to approaching Hearthstone for the first time.
http://hearthstone.blizzpro.com/2013/09/16/basic-tips-for-playing-control-decks/
This article discusses the transition from playing an aggressive deck to something more control oriented. It talks about the differences in win condition, including hand management, board control, and an understanding of the turn clock. This guide is geared more towards players with a good grasp on the basics of Hearthstone deck building.
http://hearthstone.blizzpro.com/2013/09/10/finding-the-balance-with-spell-power-minions/
Enjoy the finer points of spell flinging? This article talks about making proper use of Spell Power in a constructed deck. It discusses the benefit of playing spell power minions on the same turn as relevant spells, so as to avoid a situation where the minion perishes and there's no return on the initial investment. When it comes to spell power minions, less can be more!
Hearthpwn’s Deck Builder
http://www.hearthpwn.com/deckbuilder
Looking for a deck builder that allows you to save your decks to share with your friends? Hearthpwn has a fantastic deck builder on their site that allows you to build any deck of your choosing. The builder tracks your spell costs and provides detailed stats so you can reference your perfect build any time you like.
Hearthhead’s Deck Builder and Player Created Guides
http://www.hearthhead.com/decks and http://www.hearthhead.com/deckbuilder
Newly launched Hearthhead has an amazing deck builder and a deck guides section that allows you to sort by quality, set, card types, mechanics, attack and health values, and pretty much any factor you can think of when it comes to Hearthstone cards! Their robust deck builder can also be used to save your decks directly into Hearthhead as a guide, so you can quickly become a contributor to their popular community-driven deck guides section.
We hope you enjoyed these deck building tips from some of our amazing fansites. If you have a deck of your own to share from any class, our Class Forums are just the place for you. We love to see the creative card combinations the Hearthstone community comes up with!
Don’t forget to opt-in to the Hearthstone closed beta here.