It’s that time again when a brand new expansion makes its way into Hearthstone. This is always exciting because it brings a bunch of fresh decks to the meta, which change up how everyone plays the game. While there’s a few people who will be playing old versions of decks still, you will find for the most part that people are trying a whole bunch of new stuff, this makes each game more exciting by not knowing what is going to come out of their list next!

Scholomance Academy is bringing 135 cards to the game. There’s the addition of dual-class cards, which gives certain classes access to mechanics and keywords they have never gotten a chance to play with before. There’s also the addition of the Spellburst keyword, which will give you a powerful effect the first time you play a spell with a Spellburst card on the board. You will also be encountering Soul Shards! These are cards that get added to a player’s deck when you play a Soul Shard card. Soul Shards are 0-mana cards that will restore 2-health to your hero when drawn. There’s a whole bunch of cards that synergize with these and get significant bonuses or effects when you have them in your deck!

Updates

  • 8/10/2020 (10am PT): All decks updated with the best lists from their archetypes. 8/8/2020 (11am PT): Refreshed and added some new lists! 8/7/2020 (8:45am PT): Went through the list and added some of the best performing decks so far! 8/6/2020 (3pm PT): Added a #1 Legend Aggro Demon Hunter to the list! 8/6/2020 (2pm PT): Added a #1 Legend Enrage Warrior to the list! 8/6/2020: Now adding streamer and pro player decks to the list! 8/5/2020: Added theorycraft decks in preparation for the launch of the expansion.

Decks will be filtering in and out of this list as we learn what is working and what isn’t. Early on in the expansion, these decks will be very raw and it will take at least a couple of weeks before things are refined and the meta settles in. Always craft cards with extreme caution in the beginning of an expansion.

Best Scholomance Decks

The current best decks in Hearthstone’s Scholomance Academy expansion are Pure Paladin, Spell Druid, and Big Warrior! This is very early on in the new meta, so things are likely going to change and fluctuate rapidly. However, these are the early standouts of the set, so keep an eye on them while you head to the ladder.

Demon Hunter

Demon Hunter as a hot topic throughout the meta for Ashes of Outland. It took many nerfs to bring them down in power, but it appears they finally got stabilized towards the end of it. The cards they’re receiving in Scholomance Academy could launch them again back into the fray, but that remains to be seen.

Check out our full post on the Best Demon Hunter Decks.

Aggro Demon Hunter Deck

Tempo Demon Hunter Deck

This is a pretty similar deck to the one previously used in the expansion but adds Demon Companion, Intrepid Initiate, Voracious Reader, and Ace Hunter Kreen to the mix!

XiaoT’s #1 Legend Aggro Glide Demon Hunter Deck

Glide might be one of the most interesting cards in the expansion. It’s so totally different from things we’ve seen in the past due to its ability to not only shuffle our own hand back into our deck but our opponents as well. This is a great aggressive card, because you will be dumping your hand throwing out minions and damage. Around turn four is about where you’ve likely used all your cards, so in the best case scenario this will be top decked and we will get four new cards to finish out the game. The one issue for this card is that it can be clunky if you get it in your opening hand.

Voracious Reader is another aggro deck’s dream because it will feed you additional cards early on. These cards encourage you to dump your hand, which is what an aggressive deck really wants to do.

Druid

Druid didn’t have a ton of luck throughout the Outland expansion, mainly only finding success with a spell variant. Druid will be seeking to get back to its roots with options to go down a path with beasts or continuing to utilize big dragons with accelerated mana.

Check out our full post on the Best Druid Decks.

Guardian Druid Deck

Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a version of Big Dragon Druid is going to be tinkered with and be infused with some Scholomance cards. Lightning Bloom is a standout among these, and is basically pre-nerfed Innervate again but with a downside. The deck is also running the new Forest Warden Omu , who can refresh your Mana Crystals if it’s on the board and you cast a spell. This is going to be extremely powerful, especially with stuff like Nature Studies which can reduce your 1-cost spells to 0.

Spell Druid Deck

Spell Druid and Big Dragon Druid are fairly similar. They run a lot of the same cards, but there is enough of a difference to call them different decks. The Dragon version is more minion based and obviously tilts their synergy towards Dragons. The Spell version relies more heavily on spells and summoning minions through things like Exotic Mountseller.

Hunter

Hunter was doing fairly well before all of the Demon Hunter nerfs, but after the last one they found their footing and have largely been dominating in the meta. The Highlander variant saw the most play, but a Dragon version was also usable. With Scholomance underway, Hunter might be looking back to the old days with a possible Deathrattle variant and even returning back to Face Hunter.

Check out our full post on the Best Hunter Decks.

Dragon Highlander Hunter Deck

Face Hunter Deck

Face Hunter was already a quality deck prior to Scholomance, but it looks like aggressive decks to some additional power cards in the expansion. Voracious Reader in particular stands out as a card that will give you some additional cards after you dump your hand, which is a common issue with fast decks. Tour Guide also pairs incredibly well with Hunter, getting a free hero power which equals easy damage is always nice to have.

Dragon Hunter Deck

Mage

Mage had an okay run during the Ashes of Outlands and is looking to jump back towards the top of the meta. Highlander is very much looking like it will remain its best deck, and we’ll see if the Scholomance cards can bump it up further. The Spell Damage archetype has gotten another jolt to it, but it remains to be seen whether or not it can hold up against other strong decks.

Check out our full post on the Best Mage Decks.

Highlander Mage Deck

You can very likely expect to see some kind of version of Highlander Mage floating around the meta. It’s already the strongest Mage deck prior to the release, and has now just stuck some of the stronger options from Scholomance into the list. You’ve got Devolving Missiles, Transfer Student, Combustion, and Jandice Barov making appearances in the new list.

No Minion Mage Deck

No Minion or Spell Mage is seeing success in the Scholomance meta. I always liked this archetype, because it felt the most Mage-like. Slinging spells is what the class is all about, and this is the distilled form of that. This deck did okay in Ashes of Outland, so we’re hoping it continues to remain strong in this meta.

Spell Damage Mage Deck

Spell Damage based decks are getting another shot in Scholomance! This has been toyed with in the past, but didn’t have quite enough cards to make it happen. Now we’ve got the low cost Lab Partner, and the intriguing potential draw engine of Cram Session. You can maybe get an extra card or two out of it in the early game, but in the late game you might get quite a hand refill if you play it right. The card Primordial Studies is a very nice way to support the deck, which will hopefully give you a card that fits the current board-state.

Mage got a couple of Legendaries for this archetype as well! Ras Frostwhisper , which can be used by Shaman as well, will dish out quite a bit of damage to your enemy’s board and their face if you’ve got some Spell Damage available.

Paladin

Paladin went back to the sea and aligned itself with their Murloc buddies again for another round of hounding players. While that deck will likely remain strong, there could be some more hope for the Pure Libram style of deck now that it has received some additional pieces to add to the puzzle.

Check out our full post on the Best Paladin Decks.

Pure Libram Paladin Deck

Paladin got some pretty interesting cards in the Scholomance Academy expansion. We start off with First Day of School which costs 0-mana, and gets you 2 random 1-cost minions. This is a pretty amazing card that will help us have something to play early, and will also fill out our curve later. It also gives us fodder for our future buff cards, which we have quite a few of in the deck. Argent Braggart is quite the card, and could be pretty insane going forward. If you go against any deck that cheats out a big minion early, this is a great response to it. This can be a solid top deck, and it can also be used in the early game to match your opponent’s board. Goody Two-Shields is another card that could just be crazy early on. It gets the Divine Shield right off the bat, and if your opponent can’t wipe it off the board, we can even get it back once it has popped!

Towards the mid-game, we’ve got High Abbess Alura who can get some pretty crazy pulls from our deck. A turn four Libram of Hope ? I’ll take one of those please. We also have Devout Pupil who could become very cheap very quickly. With things like Libram of Wisdom and Hand of A’dal , we’re looking to drop the cost of it quite easily. Overall, this is a pretty crazy looking deck, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it fares!

Priest

Priest saw success with Galakrond and Highlander versions. In Scholomance, they will be hopefully able to get into some different archetypes, such as the interesting looking Thief Priest. Galakrond and Highlander options will likely remain strong with additional cards from the new expansion.

Check out our full post on the Best Priest Decks.

BoarControl’s Tempo Buff Priest Deck

While the old Inner Fire Priest had some stronger buffing potential, this new version of the deck appears to be functioning rather well. Stick a bunch of minions in the deck with high health, drop in some buff spells, and then use Inner Fire to make a big minion!

Paperninja’s #3 Highlander Galakrond Priest Deck

Galakrond Priest is a pretty standard Galakrond built deck that uses a lot of the Invoke cards and puts them into one deck. It reminds me of Dragon Priest of old, where you’d just shove in all the dragons and dragon synergy cards and come out with a pretty good deck.

Resurrect Priest Deck

If you were playing Resurrect Priest prior to the new expansion then you can continue playing it and find some success with it on the ladder. There’s no real great new additions to the deck currently from Scholomance.

Galakrond Priest Deck

Galakrond Priest is a pretty standard Galakrond built deck that uses a lot of the Invoke cards and puts them into one deck. It reminds me of Dragon Priest of old, where you’d just shove in all the dragons and dragon synergy cards and come out with a pretty good deck. Scholomance has brought it a few new cards, but they don’t drastically change the way the deck is played.

Rogue

Galakrond carried Rogue throughout the Ashes of Outland expansion, and the weapon wielding class is looking for something different. It has found that in the card Secret Passage which seems quite crazy just based on an early glance. We will see if it turns out to be strong as predicted, because if so, don’t be surprised to see Aggro Rogue running rampant across the meta.

Check out our full post on the Best Rogue Decks.

Aggro Stealth Rogue Deck

One of the most controversial cards that will be releasing in Scholomance Academy is Secret Passage . It’s pretty insane, because for just 1-mana you will get five cards to play with on your current turn. This fits incredibly well in a deck that runs a lot of low drops. Naturally, that means an aggressive deck. So, you would dump your hand essentially, and on turn four or five you could play Secret Passage. That gives you five new cards to possibly play, most of which you should be able to take advantage of in that turn.

Galakrond Secret Rogue Deck

Galakrond Rogue was already strong, so don’t be surprised to see it continue on in the meta. Jandice Barov is a pretty interesting card. I’m not sure how strong it will be, but it could be something that finds a spot in decks. The fact that a lot of damage comes from AOE is a bit scary for it, but at least you get to pick which minion dies to damage.

Shaman

Totem and Galakron Shaman so quite a bit of play over the extent of the recent meta. The Totem option has gotten some additional cards from Scholomance that should make it even stronger. There’s also some flirtation with the idea of a Spell Damage Shaman, but we’re really going to have to wait and see how it performs.

Check out our full post on the Best Shaman Decks.

Crane333’s Totem Shaman Deck

Totem Shaman is already a solid deck, so adding additional cards to it should make it even better. Tour Guide is a standout for it, and will be a card that likely will set the tone for matches if you have it in your opening hand. Trick Totem is an interesting addition, it’s going to be very hit or miss, but could be very beneficial to you. Finally, there’s Totem Goliath who will provide a mid-game opportunity to load up the board with totems which you can hopefully use to overrun your opponent!

Spell Damage Shaman Deck

Spellburst is one of the new mechanics from Scholomance Academy. If the card is on the board, it will trigger its description when you cast a spell. It is only triggered after the first spell you cast with it on the board, so make sure to take advantage of it when it will be most beneficial for you. This deck utilizes some of the cards from that new keyword, but focuses mainly on Spell Damage. This is a style of deck that has been flirted with before, but never panned out in the past.

Scholomance is now here and bringing some additional cards to the archetype. Primordial Studies gives you a way to find a Spell Damage card where you might be lacking. Rune Dagger is a pretty solid way to give yourself Spell Damage when you need it, and Squallhunter is a high stat card that will be a solid 4-drop for the deck!

Warlock

Warlock was in pretty hard times prior to the balance changes, but found its footing towards the end of the Ashes of Outland meta. It is the beneficiary of the Soul Fragment mechanic, and that could possibly carry it throughout Scholomance. Zoo also got some nice tools! The deck always feels a card or two away from jumping back to the top of the meta.

Check out our full post on the Best Warlock Decks.

Soul Fragment Warlock (Handlock)

While some people are calling this a Handlock, I don’t really think it is one. You aren’t really looking to increase your hand size for any particular reason. This was the whole point of the original deck, and would allow for you to play cheap Mountain Giants or high health Twilight Drakes. This deck is more of a pain deck, where you use your hero power to reduce the cost of Flesh Giant. The Soul Fragments are helpful to gain health back, and will also decrease the cost of the giant as well!

Galakrond Warlock

The new Galakrond Warlock mixes in Soul Fragments with Galakrond synergies.

Warrior

Warrior was having quite a good run against all the Demon Hunter in the meta during the early and mid-stages of the Outland meta. It took a hit when one of its important cards got nerfed, and when the meta shifted away from Demon Hunter. Scholomance brought some potential new stuff to the Big Warrior archetype, and the deck looks like it could be something worth pursuing.

Check out our full post on the Best Warrior Decks.

Big Warrior Deck

If you’re a fan of Control Warrior then this is about as close to it as you’re going to get right now. It follows a similar gameplan, where you are looking to stall your opponent in the early game. Where it differs is that we’re seeking to get big threats onto the board and beat our opponent down with them. Typical Control Warriors would just try to outlast the opponents with tons of armor and fatigue. The key to the deck is in Commencement and Dimensional Ripper. These will pull or copy big minions from your remaining cards and throw them on the board. If you can last long enough, you should give your opponent quite a bit of trouble with big powerful minions they have to deal with.