What Are The Best Budget Decks in Hearthstone?
Oh dear, it appears that economic problems have made their way into Hearthstone, and card dust reserves are running dry.
Don’t worry; there are still plenty of decks out there that can get you up the ranks and are definitely Legend-competitive while only costing a fraction compared to those expensive decks packed with Legendary cards.
From Imp Warlock that uses a ton of cards from the free Core set to the surprisingly light-on-the-wallet Quest Warrior, there is no need to spend dozens of thousands in card dust to craft those expensive decks when you can achieve the same results by using cheaper decks and pure skill. The top 10 best budget decks for the current Hearthstone meta are shown below:
10. Miracle Rogue
A graveyard in the realm of the dead; a bit redundant, don't you think?
Who says that miracles can’t come for cheap? Miracle Rogue begs to differ as it brings you the miracle of reaching Legend with this deck.
Removing Edwin, Defias Kingpin from the card list might hurt the deck’s draw capabilities, but Sinstone Graveyard and Necrolord Draka continue to be major sources of threat for this deck. Another great thing about the modern Miracle Rogue is Tooth of Nefarian, providing you with even more fluff damage so you can burst your enemy easily on your combo turn.
What’s great about this deck:
- Value generation: The quick card draw of Miracle Rogue is its main selling point, and this version is no different, with Door of Shadows and Tooth of Nefarian adding even more value
- Mana discounts: Preparation gives you the ability to cast spells for cheap while minions such as Frostwolf Warmaster can effectively be played for free and provide additional threats
- Stealth effects: The added stealth on the ghosts from Sinstone Graveyard allows you to delay your kill turn in case they have taunt units in the way, giving you leeway to clear them first with spells or Rush minions
Cards:
- 2x (0) Shadowstep
- 2x (0) Preparation
- 2x (0) Backstab
- 1x (1) Sinister Strike
- 2x (1) Gone Fishin'
- 2x (1) Door of Shadows
- 2x (1) Blackwater Cutlass
- 2x (2) Tooth of Nefarian
- 2x (2) Sinstone Graveyard
- 2x (2) Serrated Bone Spike
- 2x (2) Mailbox Dancer
- 2x (3) Shroud of Concealment
- 1x (4) Necrolord Draka
- 2x (4) Frostwolf Warmaster
- 2x (5) Sprint
- 2x (6) Scribbling Stenographer
Here is the deck code:
AAECAaIHApSfBPbdBA7+7gPO+QO9gASRnwSWnwT2nwT3nwTepAT5rAS3swT03QT13QT87QTBgwUA
9. Silver Hand Paladin
He doesn't even get Sundays off. Every day he's hostling.
Many devoted supporters of the so-called "Dude" Paladin playstyle have given up because there isn't a competitive Silver Hand Paladin deck in the metagame. With the meta change favoring faster decks and Renathal decks declining in popularity, the Silver Hand recruits have gathered en masse to flex their might once again.
Right away, Sinful Sous Chef is an improvement over Drygulch Jailor, a mainstay of previous Silver Hand Paladin decks. The recently buffed Warhorse Trainer also provides a buff that protects itself, solo winning you the game if the enemy is unable to clear the threats.
If the midrange dominance proves insufficient, help from The Countess and her invited friends should seal the deal for you and your victory.
What’s great about this deck:
- On summon synergy: The 1/1 tokens in your hand from Sinful Sous Chef become significant threats right away thanks to Dun Baldar Bridge and Warhorse Trainer, creating unexpected value
- Pure Paladin advantage: Class Action Lawyer’s effect of soft removing a minion is impactful enough to warrant this deck only having Paladin class cards
- Divine Shield: Any unfavorable board can typically be turned around with just one infused Buffet Biggun since the Divine Shield allows you to trade very effectively
Cards:
- 2x (1) Sinful Sous Chef
- 2x (1) Righteous Protector
- 2x (2) Seafloor Savior
- 2x (2) Order in the Court
- 2x (2) Class Action Lawyer
- 1x (2) Battle Vicar
- 2x (3) Warhorse Trainer
- 2x (3) Stonehearth Vindicator
- 2x (3) Muckborn Servant
- 2x (3) Jury Duty
- 2x (3) Alliance Bannerman
- 2x (4) Stand Against Darkness
- 2x (4) Dun Baldar Bridge
- 2x (4) Buffet Biggun
- 1x (7) The Countess
- 2x (9) Lightray
Here is the deck code:
AAECAZ8FAtCsBIbiBA7w9gPHoATJoATKoAT5pATnuATi0wTa2QSA4gS/4gTA4gTB4gTM4gTy7QQA
8. Mech Mage
Always planning ahead, Ini knew she'd need this invention to protect all her other inventions.
Mech Mage’s bringing a robot uprising in the era of Death Knights and the Undead!
Previously an underwhelming tribe due to the lack of win conditions and cards that tie up the Mech synergies well, the introduction of Gaia and Mecha-Shark completely brought this Mage deck back to relevancy again.
As your value generator and arguably the most important card in the deck, use and abuse Mecha-Shark’s effect by pairing it with your Mothership turn for the late game value or early swing turns with Deeprun Engineer. Finally, summon Gaia, The Techtonic to sweep away the enemy with colorful explosions.
What’s great about this deck:
- Discover effects: Amalgam of the Deep, among many others, allows you to refill your hand with Mech minions to further fuel your Mecha-Shark and Gaia
- Mecha-Shark damage: As stated before, this card can destroy the enemy’s plans all on its own, especially when there are multiple copies of Mecha-Shark on your board
- Early-game board control: You can trade well in the early game thanks to the Divine Shield from Click-Clocker and Annoy-o-Tron, securing a safe turn to summon your Mecha-Shark or Security Automaton
Cards:
- 2x (1) Shivering Sorceress
- 2x (1) Click-Clocker
- 2x (2) Trench Surveyor
- 2x (2) Security Automaton
- 2x (2) Deeprun Engineer
- 2x (2) Annoy-o-Tron
- 2x (2) Amalgam of the Deep
- 2x (3) Seascout Operator
- 2x (3) Seafloor Gateway
- 2x (3) Mecha-Shark
- 2x (3) Gorillabot A-3
- 2x (3) Azsharan Sweeper
- 2x (4) Fireball
- 1x (5) Ini Stormcoil
- 2x (6) Mothership
- 1x (8) Gaia, the Techtonic
Here is the deck code:
AAECAf0EAqGxBOy6BA7D+QOfkgT9ngTWoASStQThtQTJtwTKtwTduQTjuQTkuQSywQTY2QSUpAUA
7. Pirate Quest Warrior
Winning the annual Ratchet Regatta really went to their heads.
Never thought I’d see the day wherein a Quest deck makes it into a list of budget competitive decks.
Owing to the overloaded rewards of your Quest card, Pirate Warrior employs a tempo-heavy playstyle since your aim is to finish your quest as quickly as possible. Upon quest completion, the unrelenting pressure from The Juggernaut and the sudden burst damage that Mr. Smite can bring will definitely be enough to bring victory.
What’s great about this deck:
- Pirate-focused deck: More than 90 percent of your deck is focused on Pirate minions, ensuring that you can complete your quest without any delay
- Weapon synergy: Defias Cannoneer and Pufferfist provide excellent effects when you have a weapon equipped, whether through Whetstone Hatchet or a randomly generated one from The Juggernaut
- Mr. Smite: Mr. Smite's Charge ability affects not just the minions on your board right now but also any additional minions you summon, giving you the option to use two boards of pirates to hit your opponent in the face
Cards:
- 1x (1) Whetstone Hatchet
- 2x (1) Shiver Their Timbers!
- 1x (1) Raid the Docks
- 2x (1) Bloodsail Deckhand
- 2x (2) Tuskarrrr Trawler
- 2x (2) Obsidiansmith
- 2x (2) Harbor Scamp
- 2x (2) Fogsail Freebooter
- 2x (2) Bloodsail Raider
- 2x (2) Amalgam of the Deep
- 2x (3) Stormwind Freebooter
- 2x (3) Southsea Captain
- 2x (3) Pufferfist
- 2x (3) Defias Cannoneer
- 2x (3) Cargo Guard
- 1x (5) Stonemaul Anchorman
- 1x (7) Mr. Smite
Here is the deck code:
AAECAQcEju8D1fEDmPYDv4AEDf7nA5X2A5b2A5f2A8/7A5yBBKaKBK2gBK+gBIqwBKmzBJC3BLLBBAA=
6. Secret Mage
“What secrets does the cosmos hold?”
One of the more affordable decks on this list, Secret Mage makes use of the disruption caused by your Secret spells to out-tempo and out-value the opponent. Consisting mostly of Common and Rare cards, this card list exerts a lot of power every turn by denying your enemy the optimal play since they risk being countered.
Your first aim would be to maintain the pressure by making sure that Chatty Bartender's effect activates every round after cheating out your spells with cards like Anonymous Informant.
For your win condition, you should look to burn down your enemy with repeated casts of Frozen touch and Chatty Bartender’s AOE damage. If this is not feasible, you have the option of destroying your opponent with the value produced by Orion.
What’s great about this deck:
- Cheap to build: Some of the more expensive Secret cards can be replaced with ones from the Core set, bringing down this deck’s dust cost even further while still giving you Secret synergies
- Mana cheat: Secret Mage is unique in that it thrives in cheating out spells completely, instead of simply discounting spell costs
- Consistent damage: Explosive Runes and Fireball provides you with unavoidable face damage, useful for whittling down the enemy’s HP together with Chatty Bartender
Cards:
- 2x (1) Vicious Slitherspear
- 2x (1) Shivering Sorceress
- 2x (1) First Flame
- 2x (2) Sketchy Stranger
- 2x (2) Frozen Touch
- 2x (2) Arcanologist
- 2x (2) Anonymous Informant
- 2x (3) Objection!
- 2x (3) Oasis Ally
- 1x (3) Explosive Runes
- 2x (3) Counterspell
- 1x (4) Orion, Mansion Manager
- 2x (4) Multicaster
- 2x (4) Fireball
- 2x (4) Chatty Bartender
- 2x (6) Contract Conjurer
Here is the deck code:
AAECAf0EAr3kBNuhBQ7B8AOu9wOogQSfkgT9ngTnnwTGoASIsgSS3wSj5AT+7AS87QT/kgWCkwUA
5. Aggro Demon Hunter
He did NOT want to cast a spell.
You can never count out Demon Hunter decks when it comes to cheap meta decks. Utilize your hero power to rip through the enemy’s health with the added help from cards like Battleworn Vanguard and Battlefiend providing value with every attack.
There’s not much space to maneuver with this deck if you fall behind, but the combination of card draw effects and hero attack synergies ensures that you won’t need more than a few turns to bring your enemy down.
What’s great about this deck:
- Cheap ping: Demon Hunter’s hero power is unconditionally the best in Hearthstone right now, providing a way to use your mana efficiently by killing off low HP targets or pinging the enemy’s face for 1 damage
- Midgame burst: Kurtrus, Demon Render can be used to close out games that approach the late game by stacking the upgraded hero power using your tokens on the board
- Beneficial card draw: Aggro Demon Hunter burns a lot of cards faster than other decks, making Sightless Magistrate more beneficial for you instead of the original net neutral effect
Cards:
- 2x (0) Dispose of Evidence
- 2x (1) Metamorfin
- 2x (1) Irondeep Trogg
- 2x (1) Fury (Rank 1)
- 2x (1) Dreadprison Glaive
- 2x (1) Battlefiend
- 2x (2) Multi-Strike
- 2x (2) Fossil Fanatic
- 2x (2) Fel Barrage
- 2x (2) Chaos Strike
- 2x (2) Bibliomite
- 2x (2) Battleworn Vanguard
- 1x (3) Mankrik
- 2x (3) Magnifying Glaive
- 2x (4) Sightless Magistrate
- 1x (6) Kurtrus, Demon-Render
Here is the deck code:
AAECAea5AwLn8AOHiwQOwvEDifcD9fgDhI0Etp8EyZ8E0p8E4aQEjrAEwMoEpeIEq+IExuIEve0EAA==
4. Murloc Shaman
His jokes are hilarious if you know Nerglish.
Rest assured that there’s no slimy or fishy business happening in this budget Murloc deck. Rather, the deck’s power comes from the many compounding effects of your minions, complementing each other as a unified tribe of aquatic dwellers.
When against similar aggro decks, suppress your enemy with South Coast Chieftain and Firemancer Flurgl to win the tempo war. In the case of control decks, play along your mana curve and aim to get the Demon Hunter or Paladin hero power from Sir Finley to complement your aggressive playstyle and overwhelm the enemy with direct face damage.
What’s great about this deck:
- Murloc synergy: This deck not only revolves around the Murloc tribe but also has a lot of Battlecry effects to ensure that your minions have an immediate impact when they are played
- Hero Power change: Sir Finley lets you swap your otherwise dead hero power for a potentially better one such as the Rogue or Demon Hunter hero power
- Spell-like direct damage: South Coast Chieftain and Firemancer Flurgl brings alternate sources of damage aside from minion attacks, allowing you to avoid disadvantageous trades
Cards:
- 2x (1) Spawnpool Forager
- 1x (1) Sir Finley Mrrgglton
- 2x (1) Murloc Tidecaller
- 2x (2) South Coast Chieftain
- 1x (2) Murloc Tidehunter
- 2x (2) Lushwater Scout
- 2x (2) Lushwater Murcenary
- 1x (2) Firemancer Flurgl
- 2x (2) Amalgam of the Deep
- 2x (3) Nofin Can Stop Us
- 2x (3) Murloc Warleader
- 2x (3) Coldlight Seer
- 2x (3) Clownfish
- 2x (4) Wildpaw Cavern
- 2x (4) Tidelost Burrower
- 2x (5) Gorloc Ravager
- 1x (5) Bloodlust
Here is the deck code:
AAECAaoIBKjuA7WfBJfUBPLdBA2T6AOU6AOz6APd7AOV8APblASioASroATVsgSywQTCzgTFzgTu0wQA
3. Enrage Warrior
Mortals, so full of sin.
The Warrior class is once again breaking off from the mold of “Only aggro decks can be budget decks” with the Enrage package. Existing more as a combo deck, play around maximizing the damage of your Decimator Olgra turn by manipulating the board state using Enrage-enablers like Whirling Combatant.
Having said that, this deck can easily compete for tempo with any fast decks in the meta right now. Rokara and Anima Extractor serve as your lynchpins in making your buffed-up minions that much harder to remove. You won’t even need to play Olgra as double Crazed Wretch with all the Enrage buffs will finish the enemy off for you.
What’s great about this deck:
- Fast card draw: This deck has an unexpected amount of card draw tools, spanning from damaging your own Acolyte of Pain to using Crazed Wretch and activating Crooked Cook’s effect
- Consistent minion buffs: Rokara and Anima Extractor provide easy ways to buff minions on the board and in your hand, respectively
- Ping damage: Surprisingly, Enrage Warrior also has tools to clear out token minions, with Whirling Combatant being the primary AOE damage source
Cards:
- 2x (1) Warsong Envoy
- 2x (1) Sanguine Depths
- 2x (1) Irondeep Trogg
- 2x (1) Dredger Staff
- 2x (1) Beaming Sidekick
- 2x (2) Injured Tol'vir
- 2x (2) Cruel Taskmaster
- 2x (2) Crooked Cook
- 2x (2) Crazed Wretch
- 2x (2) Anima Extractor
- 2x (3) Weapons Expert
- 1x (3) Rokara
- 2x (3) Imbued Axe
- 2x (3) Acolyte of Pain
- 2x (4) Whirling Combatant
- 1x (6) Decimator Olgra
Here is the deck code:
AAECAQcCle0DgdwEDo3tA5btA4ygBOGkBJzUBJ7UBLzbBP/bBL7iBKXkBN3tBJzvBImDBZikBQA=
2. Aggro Druid
How long can YOU hold your breath underwater?
As THE premier budget deck, Aggro Druid boasts having the lowest dust requirement in this list of already budget decks.
Take advantage of your minions with great stats such as Irondeep Trogg to establish an early board presence. Afterward, utilize Herald of Nature or Pride’s Fury to overwhelm your opponent with the wide board buffs that these cards bring.
In case your card dust reserves are still lacking to craft this deck, replacing Composting with Crooked Cook should still provide you with enough card draw to fuel your aggressive attacks.
What’s great about this deck:
- Card cycling: Aquatic Form and Jerry Rig Carpenter allow for very efficient ways to cycle through your deck
- Spell deterrence: Irondeep Trogg single-handedly shuts down any early spells from the enemy by overwhelming the board with tokens if left unchecked
- Health buffs: The big board buffs in this deck increase a minion’s health more than its attack, making your minions harder to remove
Cards:
- 2x (0) Aquatic Form
- 2x (1) Vicious Slitherspear
- 2x (1) Sow the Soil
- 2x (1) Planted Evidence
- 2x (1) Living Roots
- 2x (1) Irondeep Trogg
- 2x (1) Druid of the Reef
- 2x (2) Thorngrowth Sentries
- 2x (2) Power of the Wild
- 2x (2) Maze Guide
- 2x (2) Jerry Rig Carpenter
- 2x (2) Composting
- 2x (2) Clawfury Adept
- 2x (3) Herald of Nature
- 2x (4) Pride's Fury
Here is the deck code:
AAECAZICAA+t7AOz7APs9QOB9wOsgASwgATZnwThpASXpQSIsgSuwASozgSB1ASz3QTW3gQA
1. Imp Warlock
One sin and tonic, coming right up.
Imp Warlock trades its curses and voodoos in order to summon even more demonic entities. With the current Standard meta favoring a high-tempo playstyle, Imp Warlock maintains its hegemony as the best and most dominant deck right now.
Featuring a lot of cards from the core set such as Flame Imp and Voidwalker, this budget deck makes heavy use of the Demon and Imp synergy cards to press on and maintain board control.
In particular, sacrificing your health to play high-statted minions like Bloodbound Imp and resummoning them all with Imp King Rafaam is this deck’s one-two punch to bring any unsuspecting enemy down.
What’s great about this deck:
- Low mana curve: Most cards in your deck are concentrated in the 2 to 3 mana range, giving you consistent early turns and allowing you to out-tempo slower decks
- Token generation: Fiendish Circle and Imp Gang Boss generate more tokens to buff in place of the Curse package
- Core set usage: The deck uses a lot of cards from the Warlock core set, meaning that a part of your deck is completed early on and requires no further dust investment
Cards:
- 2x (1) Wicked Shipment
- 2x (1) Voidwalker
- 2x (1) Grimoire of Sacrifice
- 2x (1) Flustered Librarian
- 2x (1) Flame Imp
- 2x (2) Vile Library
- 2x (2) Impending Catastrophe
- 1x (2) Imp Swarm (Rank 1)
- 2x (2) Bloodbound Imp
- 2x (3) Imp Gang Boss
- 2x (3) Fiendish Circle
- 2x (4) Murlocula
- 2x (4) Mischievous Imp
- 2x (4) Demonic Assault
- 2x (5) Shady Bartender
- 1x (6) Imp King Rafaam
Here is the deck code:
AAECAf0GAvTtA5vkBA7X7QP9+gP/+gOB+wPFgASEoATmoAT50wT60wT/2QSA2gSB2gTL4gSr6gQA
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