How to counter Quest Rogue
Our guide to stopping those pesky Quest Rogues dead in their tracks
Quest Rogue is showing no signs of losing its effectiveness in the Journey to Un'Goro metagame, and it seems as though this new archetype is here to stay in the most competitive corners of hearthstone - at least until the next expansion rolls around, that is.
It's a deck that's divided the community since the latest expansion arrived. On the one hand it's not nearly as easy to pilot consistently well as some would have you believe, and yet it's unquestionably frustrating to lost against.
On the other hand, while it's not much fun for the other player to endure, there are definitely counters for those willing to seize the initiative. For that reason, we thought we'd highlight a handful of decks that you might consider switching to if you've found yourselves swamped in Quest Rogue opponents.
Before we move on to those alternatives though, don't forget that one effective way of dealing with the threat is to simply play the deck yourself. If you're better at managing card bounce and forward planning, then you've a good chance of coming out on top.
Ultimately, the reason you're seeing so much Quest Rogue is because it's such an effective way to climb the ladder, so you can't really go wrong! Either you fight in mirror matches on an even playing field, or you wield a deck that's at least as powerful as the alternatives.
If you can't wrap your head around playing this deck to a high level though, either check out our Quest Rogue deck list guide, or take a look at some of these direct counters.
Check the links for the latest deck list in each case, along with a guide to playing each one.
1. Pirate Warrior
Although no-one's exactly thrilled that Pirate Warrior continues to dominate the upper tiers of the Hearthstone metagame, it is nevertheless effective at dealing with the equally annoying Quest Rogue.
Speed is your advantage here. Although it's possible for Quest Rogue to set up their quest very quickly regardless of your own pressure, you can still race them over the finishing line more often than not. Look for cards like Southsea Deckhand, N'Zoth's First Mate and Fiery War Axe to get the job done fast.
All in all this is an extremely agressive race against the opponent's health pool. The only time you might think about trading is when the opponent makes a mistake and leaves a target on the board that they should have bounced back into their hand.
Not only is this deck highly effective at dealing with the Quest Rogue menace, it won't cost you the earth to craft either. As a top-rated deck, it's hard to go wrong by having this one in your back pocket.
- 1. Pirate Warrior - Pirate Warrior deck list guide
2. Token Druid
Token Druid comes a close second when it comes to dealing with Quest Rogue. As with Pirate Warrior you've got plenty of options for growing your own blistering board, and potentially get ahead of your opponent before they can drop their bombshell
By the time the mid-game comes around, you should be more than capable of buffing up a wide board of minions that even the Quest Rogue will struggle to overcome. It's simply a question of beating them at their own game in terms of "unfair" gameplay.
- 2. Token Druid - Token Druid deck list guide
3. Control Paladin
If a race to the finishing line just doesn't suit your playstyle, you might want to try the Control Paladin on for size instead. With this approach, you've not just got plenty of early game to control the Quest Rogue with, you can also out-pace them around Turn 6.
The idea here is that you field a board that's wider than the Rogue can hope to establish by the time Crystal Core is played. When you drop Sunkeeper Tarim into play though, you'll effectively have a bigger board of 3/3s than your opponent has. Do a little trading if necessary, or simply slam the damage home and let the other player trade.
Game got away from you regardless? No problem, as your Equality / Consecration combo was practically designed to eliminate dominant decks like Quest Rogue. With a clear board on their side, your own minions should hopefully live long enough to finish the job off.
- 3. Control Paladin - Control Paladin deck list guide
More popular Hearthstone guides:
- 1. Best Standard decks - The best Standard Hearthstone decks
- 2. Best Wild decks - The best Wild Hearthstone decks
- 3. Tier List - Deck Tier List
We'll end with a final note that you might want to consider playing Taunt Warrior or Secret Mage if all else fails.
The reason we haven't dedicated an entire section to this latter deck in particular is that it doesn't play as well as the others do against non Quest Rogue decks. Still, you'll never forget the first time your opponent plays Crystal Core into Counterspell...
These are the best counters we've found to Quest Rogue in recent weeks, but we'd love to hear what's working for you. Share your tips in the comments below!