About James Law
James can usually be found wearing dungarees.
Our Hearthstone tier list contains a ranked review of the most competitive Hearthstone decks to play in the month of April 2021 (Season 85).
Hearthstone gives us the freedom to harness our creativity and put together ideas to outsmart our opponents and emerge victorious. Some of these ideas end with more success than others, though. With this in mind, it's super useful to have a handy tool which will help you work out which deck is most likely to shoot you up the ladder, or at least go toe to toe with strong players. This is where our Deck Tier List comes into play, as it breaks down the highest win rate decks in the metagame and guides you through how to play each of them.
For the Forged in the Barrens meta, we’ve already seen a lot of dynamic shifts in the early stages, so keep an eye out for the constant updates on how it's going and what the best decks are!.
It’s important to remember: the highest win-rate deck won’t always be the one you see the most success with. All in all, we recommend you use this Deck Tier List as a guide hub for the decks, but not as gospel on which deck you should always play. It’s about having fun at the end of the day, and when you’re enjoying yourself, you’ll win more. We’re also working on a page for the best Forged in the Barrens Budget Decks, so if you're unsure as to whether to go all in on an archetype, keep an eye out for that.
We’ll be keeping this Deck Tier List updated at all times too, so keep an eye over here when meta shifts and updates come about. Given the developers’ penchant for making sudden huge changes to the game at the drop of a hat, we’re likely in for a dynamic expansion season in Forged in the Barrens.
The top Hearthstone decks - April 2021
Here's our selection of the top Hearthstone decks you can climb the Season 85 ladder with.
Here’s our current Forged in the Barrens tier list. Of course, changes happen all the time, so keep an eye on this page!
Let us know how you're doing with your decks! Remember, Hearthstone is all about harnessing your own creativity when it comes to deck building, so take these as templates and make the changes you think will help.
Comment on this article
I've just put together an updated take on the tier list for the start of April. This will obviously be all up in the air once Rise of Shadows goes live but we'll follow our usual approach with the new expansion:
- Add a separate section above the tier list, with all the latest deck lists sorted by hero.
- Once the first week is behind us, start ranking those decks within individual hero categories.
- Towards the end of the month, we'll properly start folding everything in to an overall tier list.
We've been covering expansions this way now for a few years, but I would welcome any feedback on improving the process. It's going to be a bit crazy here for the next few weeks, so please bear with me as I get the new archetypes covered and the old ones updated. We'll get there!
John
I'm going to put together a quick list of the current top ten decks as per hsreplays and put it in the tier list as a temporary update.
It's only been a couple of days since the patch went live so this shouldn't be considered the final word. It'll give you some direction over the weekend though.
On Monday when a clearer picture of the new meta emerges I'll do a proper refresh of the whole list - again that'll keep changing over time.
I'll also be overhauling all of our deck guides starting from the 2nd as well.
I've just done a pass on the tier list that sorts the best decks by hero. Some of these need updated deck lists, but I hope to have all of these up to date within the next hour or two. Apologies if that's not the case when you read this update.
Once things have settled a little more we'll start properly folding all the new and old decks into the tier list, taking into account match-ups between individual decks across all heroes.
It feels far too early to comprehensively rank decks as part of an overall collection, but we'll have an update on that front for you as soon as we can.
Hope you're having fun in Boomsday :-)
Keep in mind that these deck lists are going to be tweaked right up until launch and then regularly after that.
At the end of launch week I will start ranking decks within each hero bracket to give some kind of steer on their relative power. Once the meta has settled down after that I will remove the per-hero list and properly fold everything into the tier list that you're used to.
This is the approach we've taken for a couple of years now and it seems to work well when things are so uncertain and hectic. If you've any feedback about how we might be able to do this better, reply with an @ Bedders (without the space) so I see your comment.
Please keep in mind that this is still subject to change but I'm reasonably confident this is a decent starting point for the beginning of Season 51. I'm off for a few days, but I wanted to get something together that you could all work with - there'll likely be another update when I'm back next week.
Thanks for a great website!
Just wanna say that I've been having a lot of fun with a spiteful even paladin deck. It's probably around tier 3 verging on 2... have you tried it?
It's too early to start doing a hard ranking of every deck seeing play right now, but there are some obvious stand-outs for each hero and this list is getting a bit bloated so I've split it down for each hero. In each case there's now a list of front-runner decks and a list of more experimental archetypes. Be particularly careful about crafting anything in the latter category.
Hopefully that should give you some rough guidance on what to play for your favourite classes at least. I'll get another update going this week.
As I've mentioned in the update notes we have a round of card nerfs coming (probably in the next week or so). I'll revisit the rankings again mid-month once the dust has settled on everything a bit. It'll take a bit of time for the meta to smooth itself out again.
I've just updated the tier list for the start of Season 46. I'm going to update the article again in a couple of weeks, but things seem reasonably settled at the moment.
(Apologies for the late reply btw, AGM and big, big Christmas party yesterday...)
On the other hand I have to juggle the fact that people do want guidance even at this stage (I've had contact mails to that effect). As a middle-ground I'm going to split the list down into individual heroes. That way people get a snapshot of what's working per class, without feeling that they should be crafting away from their natural inclination.
I have some ideas about how to better present the info from that point onwards, but that won't be until after the weekend, and for various reasons unrelated to the Hearthstone meta. I hope that's a middle-ground that works for everyone.
It's late in the UK now so I'll pick this up again in the morning.
I don't have any doubt that right now it's a Top 5 deck though, and the public data points that are out there back this up. A few days ago no-one was running Corridor Creeper. Who knows what changes will happen in the next 72 hours?
I've mentioned this in the update section of the article but things are once again going to be a bit weird at the start of the new meta. Here's how I'm going to handle it:
- The tier list itself remains unchanged for December as there's too much fluctuation and we'll also be off for at least part of Christmas.
- Every time a new deck guide is published, I'll add a link to it right above the tier list itself.
- In the January update we'll return to a proper hard ranking of decks, folding in all the new stuff with the old and seeing how things stack up.
Across all the expansion and adventure releases I've covered on Metabomb, I've yet to find a better way of handling things than that.
It's always going to wildly fluctuate in Month 1 and be experimental, but we can at least highlight cool new stuff for you to try as we move into the new meta (with the usual caveat that you should probably hold off on crafting stuff for the first few weeks!).
It's been moving down the tier list on sites like disguisedtoast.com, and I think that's accurate because as I'm playing it I'm pretty stuck and climbing very slowly very early. It seems just a little... weak. Maybe Face Hunter or "hybrid hunter" is better though, not sure.
I'm excited to see Zoo come back, the Prince is doing wonders for the meta. Tempo rogue is a really neat deck- I wonder how it would have done back before the nerfs? Also, surprised to see midrange hunter as tier 1- not surprised as in I disagree, but surprised as in it actually happened as people predicted. I'm also very sad to see Miracle Rogue is tier 4... hopefully next expansion brings it back. Tempo is the new aggro for now, I guess!
With Frozen Throne launching in the next couple of weeks though, it's unlikely this will be updated again now until September.
As always we will be rapidly producing guides to the latest expansion decks, so we'll pop them in this article in a separate section. Once the launch frenzy has settled down we'll work out where they belong in the overall roster of competitive decks.
Be interested to hear your predictions for what's looking strong based on the card reveals so far?
Apologies for the delay in replying here. I've been on paternity leave for a fortnight and so getting caught up on everything now. I hope to have this tier list refreshed in time for the weekend.
I wouldn't get too hung up on movement up or down a single rung outside of the very top tier. No one's saying they're dramatically inferior and I think the further you go down the list, the more that personal preference and aptitude for and with any single deck start muddying the waters.
Although, I'm not sure why Taunt Warrior and Miracle Rogue were moved down, they're still very powerful and reliable decks.
I have to fight my bias a little bit here, as I have always *loved* Dragon Priest. I still think it's probably the better bet for the long run.
Which one do you guys think is the best right now and in the near future?
@lucasgonçalvesdemelo It absolutely is but if you can't be bothered to provide constructive feedback, I don't feel obliged to extend the courtesy of explaining why.
@lucasgonçalvesdemelo It absolutely is but if you can't be bothered to provide constructive feedback, I don't feel obliged to extend the courtesy of explaining why.
Elemental Shaman should be moved down to Tier 3. It's just not that prevalent in this meta, and there are many stronger options.
Control Mage, Miracle Rogue, Freeze Mage, and Dragon Priest should all be moved to Tier 2. They're all very strong and widely used decks that have consistently high win rates. Especially Control Mage, it's the strongest deck Mage has, and Mage is currently one of the strongest classes.
And then Aggro Burn Mage should be removed altogether, because it's the same deck as Control Mage.
Other possible (but not quite necessary) changes: Control Mage could even be moved to Tier 1, it's that strong. Control Priest could be moved to Tier 3 (I feel like it's Tier 2.5). Aggro Druid could be moved to Tier 1. Silence Priest could be moved to Tier 2.
Please keep in mind that any comments above this one refer to an older version of the list!
I've explained this in the intro but just to be absolutely clear, I'm not suggesting that Midrange Hunter is ranked five spots higher than Taunt Warrior.
Taunt Warrior, while a very strong deck that deserves Tier 1, isn't quite as strong as you say it is. I beat it many times (probably more than I lose to it), and I struggle far more against other decks. Heck, yesterday I beat one with ease using a really crummy deck I made for my "Play 50 Paladin Cards" quest.
I've never battled a Midrange Paladin so I can't say I much about it. Murloc Paladin is a very strong deck, but not unbeatable; I've defeated it on quite a few occasions. Whether it's better than the best is debatable, but it's certainly one of the strongest decks in the game.
I agree about Midrange Hunter, though. However, I think it's still strong past Rank 10 and even to Legend, and not completely shut down by Paladin.
Taunt Warrior, while a very strong deck that deserves Tier 1, isn't quite as strong as you say it is. I beat it many times (probably more than I lose to it), and I struggle far more against other decks. Heck, yesterday I beat one with ease using a really crummy deck I made for my "Play 50 Paladin Cards" quest.
I've never battled a Midrange Paladin so I can't say I much about it. Murloc Paladin is a very strong deck, but not unbeatable; I've defeated it on quite a few occasions. Whether it's better than the best is debatable, but it's certainly one of the strongest decks in the game.
I agree about Midrange Hunter, though. However, I think it's still strong past Rank 10 and even to Legend, and not completely shut down by Paladin.
Playing about 5 hours per day all days of April I saw Taunt Warrior is truly better than Quest Rogue, I think it's one of the bests decks these days. I saw a lot of Quest Rogue Users in April but in the last week I saw just me playing that shit. I used this to climb some (rank 9 to 7).
Paladin seems to be the best class, really the BEST CLASS. Murloc is too much powerful and Middle is another "Oh my..." deck.
I think Middle Hunter is very good but kills itself fast. Just win in turn 6-7 ou lose in turn 8-10. I've climbed the ladder of April with it (rank 20 to 9), sometimes it seems be the BEST and the user can think "Nothing can stop me!!", then you get a Paladin.
Conclusions... To !-M-E-!, Murloc and Midrange Paladins are just better than the bests. Quest Rogue is truly tier 2 (much luck requested). Taunt Warrior is overpower even just really starting to play in turn 4-5. Midrange Hunter is TRULY the easiest way to climb to rank 10, climb more with it depends of your luck.
I don't want to make snap decisions about anything else this late (UK time) on a Friday though. I'll bring the planned mid-month update forward and reappraise things on Monday.
Things are moving pretty quickly in the metagame right now - especially across different sections of the ladder - and this is going to take a few passes to get just right. Thanks for your patience and your feedback to of course!
Generally speaking I think you can shuffle any deck up or down a rung based on things like general aptitude and personal preferences - also your position on the ladder. Things can be very different in different sections of the metagame, and it's hard to reflect that in a one-size-fits-all tier list!
I'll be revisiting this again in a couple of week and will take your input on board.
First of all, Taunt Warrior and Quest Rogue should definitely be moved up to Tier 1, especially Quest Rogue. They're two of the most powerful decks in this meta. Maybe move Miracle Rogue up as well, not sure. I feel like it's between Tier 1 and Tier 2, but if I had to pick one, I'd say Tier 1.
Also, I'd swap Aggro Mage and Freeze Mage. Freeze Mage is a very prominent and frequently used deck in this meta, but Aggro Mage? Eh, not so much. Not that it's a weak deck, but I just don't see it being Tier 2 with the likes of Midrange Hunter and Dragon Priest.
Other than those minor changes, I agree with the list.
Been using it really fun and great if you are seeing lots of quest mage.
We are going to be updating this article on a weekly basis for the month of March, given the state of flux that the metagame currently finds itself in.
As we learn more about the impact of the latest card nerfs, we'll be shuffling decks around accordingly. You should consider to be very much a work in progress, and a list that's not dissimilar to the one we featured at the end of last season.
Spell Druid:
Innervate
Jade Idol x2
Living Roots x2
Raven Idol x2
Power of the Wild
Wild Growth x2
Wrath
Feral Rage x2
Jade Blossom x2
Swipe x2
Azure Drake x2
Nourish
Red Mana Wyrm x2
Starfall x2
Summoning Stone x2
Gadgetezan Auctioneer x2
Starfire x2
(Tier III perhaps?).
I'll be putting alternative deck lists in there - including budget options - but I won't be able to do big guides for them all. Just not enough time in the day I'm afraid.
(1) Argent Squire (C) x2
(1) Goldshire Footman (B) x2
(2) Faerie Dragon (C) x2
(2) Netherspite Historian (C) x2
(3) Blackwing Technician (C) x1
(3) Branz Bronzebeard (L) x1
(3) Ironbeak Owl (C) x2
(3) Nightbane Templar (C) x2
(4) Consecration (B) x2
(4) Truesilver Champion (B) x2
(4) Twilight Drake (R) x1
(4) Twilight Guardian (E) x1
(5) Azure Drake (R) x2
(5) Dragon Consort (R) x2
(6) Book Wyrm (R) x2
(6) Drakonid Crusher (C) x1
(6) Emperor Thaurissan (L) x1
(9) Alexstrasza (L) x1
(9) Ysera (L) x1
Certainly not nearly as important as Dragon Consort, Alexstraza, or Ysera, nor as important as Netherspite Historian or Nightbane Templar.
It could be arguably as integral as, say Twilight Drake, or Azure Drake (the latter of which is far less integral to this deck than it is to many other decks since the only card that benefits from its Spell Damage buff is Consecration).
For the deck, I even prefer Nightbane Templar over Blackwing Technician because of the Minion advantage that Templar gives, as opposed to the self-buff that Technician gives.
I've found Netherspite Historian helps you make sure you have Dragons in your hand, and gives you the potential to get a second Alexstraza/Ysera or a third Dragon Consort which can be especially helpful if you haven't managed to draw any of them/the one that is best for your matchup.
I'm still unsure where I stand on Deathwing Dragonlord, as I am currently not using him in my version of the deck, because his Deathrattle, while potentially game-winning, doesn't trigger the Battlecries of the Dragons it puts in play.
Next, the tier list. Like most people I reference a few of these that are out there - some are very good, some are so-so. They're all broadly much of a muchness though, except I think some decks are somewhat overvalued and some undervalued relatively speaking. Rankings also depend largely on where you sit on the ladder at any given time, of course, not to mention your personal playstyle preferences (Legendary being a different beast to 20-15, or 10-5 or whatever).
Regardless, I don't think many of our decks featured in this tier list differ more than, say, one tier up or down from anyone else's. To get worked up enough about that kind of difference - taking into consideration personal preferences, position on the ladder - seems a bit daft to me.
Tier list's often bring out the borderline ridiculous in people though, and historically it's been the scourge of our Overwatch channel. You can be sure that one person will come along to scream that black is white one minute, before someone comes along the next day to cry the opposite. Such is the nature of these things.
Having said that, I'm always interested in constructive feedback so I can improve any of our content, and maybe change how I go about evaluating things. It does need to be actual constructive feedback though, which is not really the case here.
I can't say I've seen too much Priest out there to be honest, and I'm not having too much trouble dealing with those I do come across. There's variance both ways for everyone, of course.
There are two decks I desperately need to add to the site: OTK Warrior and Yogg Hunter. I'm going to try and get them both done early this week and then they'll be slotted into this list.
Surprised priest decks aren't higher, they always do me in. I've been playing a bit of OTK warrior recently too. Very good deck