Beginner Warlock deck list guide - 2017
How to play a powerful Warlock deck without spending a cent.
Warlock is one of our favourite classes in Hearthstone, and we think you'll learn a lot about the game if you make this your starting point. Use of the Life Tap ability - which allows you to sacrifice two Health and two Mana each turn in exchange for an extra card - is a vital part of this hero's playstyle. As well as being a lot of fun, it'll also teach you to treat your health pool like it's just another resource to spend.
In our beginner's Warlock deck guide we've highlighted a pretty representative deck list for the new player to get started with, and you'll unlock all of the cards you need to play this just by hitting Level 10 with the hero. After that we've got some basic strategy advice, tips for keeping the best cards in your opening hand, and a look through all of the card combos and synergies that exist in this particular deck.
Got any questions about playing this deck or the Warlock in general? Sound off in the comments and we'll be happy to help you out with whatever you need. You'll also find loads more helpful articles in our massive Hearthstone Guide hub.
Beginner Warlock deck list and strategy
Try this completely free deck list on for size. It should teach you the ins and outs of playing the Warlock pretty effectively, leaving you confident to pilot other decks once you've expanded your starting card collection.
| Warlock | Neutral |
|---|---|
| 2 x Mortal Coil | 1 x Elven Archer |
| 2 x Soulfire | 2 x Acidic Swamp Ooze |
| 2 x Shadow Bolt | 2 x Bloodfen Raptor |
| 2 x Hellfire | 2 x Ironfur Grizzly |
| 2 x Dread Infernal | 2 x Shattered Sun Cleric |
| 2 x Chillwind Yeti | |
| 2 x Ogre Magi | |
| 2 x Sen'jin Shieldmasta | |
| 2 x Darkscale Healer | |
| 1 x Gurubashi Berserker | |
| 2 x Boulderfist Ogre |
Select and copy the long ID string below, then create a deck in Hearthstone to export this deck into your game.
Deck Import ID: AAECAf0GAoAGhQMO+weWDcYE+wTjB7YHWuAEkgeeCdgBigfOB8QIAA==
This beginner's Warlock deck is one that gets stronger and stronger the longer each match plays out. For that reason, you should focus on removal in the early game, using spells like Mortal Coil, Shadow Bolt, Soulfire and Hellfire to keep the opponent's board stalled.
By the time you reach the mid and late stages of the game, you have access to some very solid minions such as Gurubashi Bersker and Boulderfist Ogre. Don't forget that you can actually empower your Berserker using cards like Mortal Coil, Elven Archer, and even Hellfire. Just keep in mind that this latter board-clear spell affects your own minions and hero as well!
For a more detailed look at how to play this deck, check out the combos and synergies section towards the bottom of the page.
More great beginner guides:
- 1. Beginner Druid - Beginner Rogue deck list guide
- 2. Beginner Hunter - Beginner Hunter deck list guide
- 3. Beginner Mage - Beginner Mage deck list guide
- 4. Beginner Rogue - Beginner Rogue deck list guide
- 5. Beginner Shaman - Beginner Shaman deck list guide
- 6. Beginner Warlock - Beginner Warlock deck list guide
Beginner Warlock Mulligan guide
The Mulligan process for all starter decks is pretty simple and it's no different for the Warlock. For the most part you're simply looking to build a hand that will let you spend all of your Mana on the first three or four turns.
In this deck, your best early-game minions are Acidic Swamp Ooze, Bloodfen Raptor, Ironfur Grizzly and Shattered Sun Cleric. You might also want to hang onto Mortal Coil, as this can be great for “pinging” a low-Health enemy minion off the board, and getting a free card to boot.
If you have The Coin - which grants you one extra Mana for free on the turn of your choosing - you can consider keeping one of your 4-Mana minions as well. Just make sure you've got the earlier turns taken care of first, as you really can't wait until Turn 3 to drop a minion on the board!
Beginner Warlock tips, card combos and synergies
If you want to get ahead of the game then it's vital that you gain a firm understanding of how the cards in this deck interact with one another. Have a read through the following before hitting up the ladder this month:
- When you play Soulfire, a random card from your hand will be removed and evaporated! Try to minimise the risk here by spending or growing your hand before casting this card. Play it from an empty hand if it's at all possible, as this will negate Soulfire's drawback entirely.
- Keep in mind that the mass-damage effects of both Hellfire and Dread Infernal will affect all minions on the board and both heroes as well.
- You can actually ping your own Gurubashi Berserker with Elven Archer, Mortal Coil, or the damage-dealing effects of Hellfire and Dread Infernal. That'll give it more Attack power.
- If your opponent is holding a weapon, you can play Acidic Swamp Ooze to destroy that weapon completely. Don't be too greedy with this play though, as it'll often be more important to get some kind of minion presence on the board in the early game.
- Shattered Sun Cleric can be used to gift a friendly minion an extra +1 / +1 of stats. Plan your turn carefully, and think about how you can make preferential trades by using that extra Attack and Health.
- Ogre Mage will cause every damage-dealing spell in the deck to dish out an extra point of damage when played. That includes cards like Mortal Coil, Soulfire, Shadow Bolt and Hellfire.
- All friendly minions will have two points of Health restored when Darkscale Healer is put into play. Consider doing a little light trading on the board first before topping up your minions' Health values in this way.