Warlock decks

Warlock decks tend to present a pretty unique proposition for players, in that they're often built around the class's rather risky hero power which sacrifices health in exchange for an extra card in their hand. As a result, it's relatively fast decks like Zoo, not to mention slower decks that depend on large hands and low health, that have historically dominated here.

The arrival of Reno Jackson shook things up considerably for this hero though. The ability to instantly rejuvenate the Warlock back up to full health after tapping into a fat hand seems on the surface like the best of both worlds, and it is - although you need to keep in mind that the Reno effect only actually triggers if you've no duplicate cards left in your deck pile.

What all of this means is that the Warlock hero is in pretty good shape on both the Standard and Wild Ladders right now, although we're hoping for a little more variety when the next expansion lands. It's also worth noting here that the Warlock is a great hero for the Hearthstone newcomer to focus on, as Zoo is a perennially popular and competitive deck archetype, and it won't take too long to amass all of the required cards either.

Here, then, are all of the Warlock decks we think you should be taking to the Standard and Wild ladders if you want to be truly competitive. If you're short on cards, make sure you have a look at our starter deck list which you'll find towards the bottom of the page.

Top Warlock decks (Standard)

Here's a quick look at all of the Warlock decks that are proving particularly powerful in the current Hearthstone metagame. Some are notably stronger than others, however, so do take some time to read through the descriptions before spending any of your hard-won Gold or crafting dust!

Renolock

The Renolock archetype exploits the extraordinary synergy between the Warlock's Life Tap hero power and the restorative powers of Reno Jackson. This one requires a pretty good knowledge of the current metagame in order to be effective, as you need to know when to both hold back on board-clear, and seize the initiative to close the match off.

Zoo Warlock

Zoo Warlock has been one of the most consistently competitive decks since the launch of Hearthstone, and it's an archetype that never seems to go out of fashion. Use your minions to control the early game, then snowball a threat that leaves your opponent helpless. This is a great deck for newcomers to work towards, as it'll get you on the road to competitive ladder-climbing in a pretty short amount of time. Note that it's very much the less competitive cousin to the other deck we've highlighted right now!

More popular Hearthstone guides:

• The best Standard Hearthstone decks - February 2017
• The best Wild Hearthstone decks
• Hearthstone: Deck Tier List - February 2017
• Hearthstone: Druid decks
• Hearthstone: Hunter decks
• Hearthstone: Mage decks
• Hearthstone: Paladin decks
• Hearthstone: Warlock decks

Top Warlock decks (Wild)

If you own a particularly beefy collection of cards from throughout Hearthstone's many Adventures and expansions, you might want to try the Wild ladder on for size. Here are the decks that we think are the strongest for this format right now.

Handlock

Wild Handlock requires a steady nerve as you whittle away at your health pool using Life Tap in order to fatten up your hand. This in turn empowers several of your most powerful cards, but it's very important that you understand when you're too close to death to handle a possible upcoming turn from your opponent. A very fun deck, but one that's not particularly competitive at the time of writing.

Renolock

See our description of the Standard version for an overview of how this deck archetype works.

Zoo Warlock

See our description of the Standard version for an overview of how this deck archetype works.

Budget and free Warlock decks

It can be quite tough starting out in Hearthstone at this stage of the game's life. Zoo Warlock is a pretty good deck to begin working towards from a cold start, and to get there you might like to give this free deck a go. We hope to expand on this section of our Warlock deck collection in the near future.