Hearthstone budget decks for March of the Lich King. Save dust!

Whether “pragmatic” is your middle name or you’ve just returned to the game, we understand the need to conserve your resources. Neither gold, nor dust were harmed in the making of these budget Hearthstone Lich King decks. The codes will also feature a brief explanation of the game plan and mulligan choices. Furthermore, we will highlight some cards that may upgrade these decks once the meta settles.

Hearthstone deck builders have been hard at work for the Lich King. Saronite Chain Gang style! While some have theorycrafted their own lists, others have been perfecting Blizzard’s recipes. Luckily, some budget decks have emerged, making use of almost no Legendaries outside of the Core Set. Moreover, the craftable Leggos they contain are powerful build-around cards that you likely own in your collection.

We will be crediting the authors of these cheap versions, therefore names might differ from the original archetype brewers. Budget constraints mean that not all classes are featured, but alas! Maybe the expected nerfs before the World Championship will fix that. Meanwhile, let us see what these deck builders have concocted!

We shall predictably start with one of the previous meta tyrants, in both Standard and Wild: Miracle Rogue. Its cheap spell shell enables trademark miracle turns, as Draka and the locations spawn a massive weapon and bodies. Concoctions and the new Legendary spell augment this game plan further. Only the most staple expensive cards have been kept.

A recurring archetype in the ‘cheap lists for cheap thrills’ category. Aggro druid wins the fastest craft olympics due to only using Common and Rare cards. Go wide quickly, then go tall using buffs. Reached Rank 1 Legend due to countering the Hunter budget deck that follows this one.

Aggro hunter, the deck that usually ruins everyone’s day one experience, this time with a cheap OTK combo. All Legendaries are from the Core Set. Game plan: hit with weapons every turn and get additional Shockspitter copies with Selective Breeder and eventually Wrangler and Brewmaster. Brann + 2 x Shockspitter can reliably deal 28ish damage for 7 mana. Moreover, in their absence, Urchin Spines + Ricochet Shot can clear big boards from Miracle Rogue, Ramp Druids or Boon Priest. Might get countered due to being in the spotlight after reaching Rank 1 Legend.
Update: Blizzard nerfed Shockspitter to 3 mana, slowing down the combo.

Aggro Hunter managed to sneak around due to Blood Death Knight’s day one ubiquity. Yet we are featuring a fast, budget, triple Unholy DK. This build strikes the perfect balance between new class curiosity and spending reluctance. It only features two commons from the Path of Arthas, sparing 2000g for those unsure. The decks’ only other dust expense are the two Hawkstrider Ranchers, a hefty future staple in aggro decks. It even contains Rewards Track commons. So forget Value Town, this is Budget Central!

This is a more expensive list that qualifies as a Hearthstone budget deck due to relying on previous meta staples. Another Rank 1 Legend achiever, Boon Priest only adds two new Rares to its established shell. Free Legendary The Sunwell rounds out the staple Naga / Boon package of epics and Priestess Valishj. This is a proven list that helped Norwis hold #1 Legend on all three servers, before and after March of the Lich King. Overall game plan tips below, from the man himself.

"Dude, where’s my dust?" The reliable Paladin hero power and Silver Hand Recruit cards can go tall and wide thanks to Dun Baldar Bridge and other buff cards. Add staple epic Stonehearth Vindicator to draw Order in the Court then cheat out Lightrays. The Pure shell, meaning no Neutrals, ensures Class Action Lawyers can nullify large threats. Finally, late game value bomb The Countess is optional. However, 2 mana to discover and play a Legendary is nothing to scoff at. The based version has gone as far as Rank 7 Legend but we're highlighting the base version.

Shaman certainly hasn’t evolved past staples Bru’kan of the Elements and Glugg. If you own these, here is your go-to Hearthstone budget deck. Gnoll + Coin + Muck Pools on 3 mana is the dream. Schooling and later Prescience make the Gnoll + evolve combo more early and consistent.

Last but not least, Elwynn Boar Druid qualifies as a Hearthstone budget deck due to being a mishmash of past staples. For example: Boar, Oracle of Elune, Guff and Spammy Arcanist. If you’re building towards the popular Druid lists but not there yet, this is the deck for you. Ramping mana allows you to summon early additional Boars with Oracle of Elune and Unending Swarm. You then trigger their deathrattle with Wild Pyro and Spammy to likely end the game. The new armor package will protect you in the meantime.

“Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Teach a player to manage their collection so they won't waste dust in the Frozen Wastes of Northrend. Even if you somehow end up back to square one next expansion, stay tuned to Esports.gg. We’ll be covering Hearthstone news and updates even past March (of the Lich King).