Hot off the trails of its new expansion Rastakhan’s Rumble, Hearthstone has unveiled the first tavern brawl of the expansion, Standard Brawliseum.
A familiar setup for longtime Hearthstone fans, the new brawl follows a reward format that players of any skill level will find worth their time. If you win the maximum amount of games (12), you’ll be rewarded with what the game refers to as maximum glory. This means you’ll receive a big fat chest containing a variety of items which can include a card pack, 200 to 225 gold, and two random rewards. The random rewards you can potentially gain range from golden cards to more gold, or even extra card packs.
You’ll strike out if you receive three losses. The more games you win, the better the reward. If you aren’t fortunate enough to win a single game, however, you still get a free pack. While Brawliseum usually requires an entrance fee in the form of gold, your first try is on the house. So why not step into the rumble and give it a go to get your free rewards?
This brawl allows you to build your own standard deck from cards in your collection. Here’s a brief look at some of the top decks doing work on ladder during the first two days of the expansion.
It should come as no surprise that one of the decks seeing lots of play is the brainchild of Hearthstone overlord Kripparrian.
Kripp’s Zul’Jin Spellhunter
This deck centers around the new playable hero hunter card Zul’Jin. The card has a cost of 10 and awards five armor on the turn he’s played. Why that hefty mana cost? Zul’Jin’s battlecry causes you to recast every spell you’ve cast in the game, with targets chosen randomly. Pair that battlecry with the fact that nearly every card in this deck is a spell and well, you get the idea. If you can use your spells to hold off your opponent until you drop Zul’Jin, they’re going to have a very difficult time dealing with nearly every card you’ve played in the game for a second time around.
Odd Mage
Is beast mastery not your thing? Do you prefer to blast your opponent with arcane magics? No worries, Hearthstone Legend Disguised Toast has been experimenting with an Odd Mage deck that’s been popping up on ladder constantly since the expansion dropped.
Toast’s version of Odd Mage centers around Baku the Mooneater and its synergy with the brand-new mage Legendary Jan’alai, the Dragonhawk. If your deck only contains odd cost cards, Baku buffs your hero power at the start of the game, allowing it to do two damage instead of one.
Jan’alai is a seven-cost 4/4 with a battlecry that will surely be a blast from the past for Hearthstone Veterans. It allows you to summon Ragnaros the Firelord providing your hero power has dealt eight damage so far in the match. Ragnaros can’t attack, but at the end of your turn he deals eight damage to a random enemy. Here’s a video of Toast playing his list, exploring the different synergies within the deck:
If Mage and Hunter decks aren’t your thing, fret not. Deck building websites like Hearthpwn are being flooded with successful day one and two decks for every class. Some other decks that are dominating early on include Piratebane Rogue, Aggro Priest, and Exodia Shaman.
For more info about what’s topping standard, check back here for our Hearthstone early meta coverage.
