5 Decks to Try on Day One of Hearthstone's Scholomance Academy

Hearthstone's next expansion, Scholomance Academy, goes live on August 6 in NA (August 7 in ANZ), and the 135 new cards are shaping up to make a huge impact. The set’s new keyword is Spellburst, which is an effect that triggers the next time you play a spell, provided the minion or weapon with Spellburst is still around. We're also seeing the introduction of dual-class cards, which lean into areas of overlap between different classes in really fun ways. Warlock and Priest both have hero powers that can impact the hero’s health, for instance. You can see all the new Scholomance Academy cards here. We asked the Hearthstone team to give us some pointers for what we should try on day one, and one of the game designers, Keaton Gill, was kind enough to give us five decks, along with an overview of each. Simply copy the deck code below the description for each to import it into the game. His recommendations are below! [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/31roc4b]

Beast Druid

"This Druid deck focuses on ramping mana early and having massive swing turns later in the game. Kael'Thas in combination with cheap spells allows you to cast multiple high cost spells ahead of time. Casting Survival of the Fittest right before Guardian Animals in particular can create a massive board swing in your favor. "A bit of healing and some Taunt minions are included to help stabilize since you'll be behind most of the early game. Groundskeeper offers a solid Taunt minion in addition to some healing, and Anubisath Defender can be played for free after casting any of your high cost spells. "If you're struggling against aggressive decks, you could add a few copies of Wrath or Swipe to help in the early game. If you just want even more huge minions to finish the game with, Speaker Gidra and Ysera, Unleashed offer some extra punch." [caption id="attachment_2389236" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Kael'Thas can be devastating in this deck.[/caption] Deck code: AAECAZICAuQIrroDDv4B76ID26UD6LoD7LoD7roDks0Dm84DutADvNADk9EDodED3tED8NQDAA== (Copy this code to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone.)

Libram Paladin

"This is a Paladin archetype that features a lot of cards from Ashes of Outland, but some new Scholomance Academy additions really tie everything together. "First Day of School and Goody Two-Shields help fill out your early game mana curve in some spots that were lacking before, while Blessing of Authority and Devout Pupil give you solid plays in the mid game. One synergy to note is how well a cost-reduced Libram of Wisdom pairs with Spellburst effects, making them easy to activate the whole game. "Since many of the cards we want to include are Paladin class cards, we also opt to play the pair of Lightforged Zealot and [Lightforged] Crusader over any neutral minions." [caption id="attachment_2389246" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Hmm... pure-bloods, eh?[/caption] Deck code: AAECAZ8FBJuuA/y4A4TBA8PRAw3cA5yuA422A8q4A/24A+q5A+u5A+y5A8rBA57NA7/RA8DRA8rRAwA= (Copy this code to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone.)

Weapon Rogue

"This Rogue deck is about all out aggression with weapons. For the past few expansions, Rogue has focused a lot on their tricky side with Lackeys and Secrets. In Scholomance Academy, we went back to some of their roots with weapon-based cards and a more aggressive archetype in mind. "Self-Sharpening Sword is the real star of the deck, offering a cheap weapon to throw tons of buffs on and hit face every turn possible. Vulpera Toxinblade and Doctor Krastinov add to our ability to buff our weapon up and enable 0 mana Dread Corsairs and Cutting Class. Spymistress and Faerie Dragon both work as hard-to-remove minions in the early game to help us push some extra face damage. "Some potential other inclusions from Scholomance Academy are Secret Passage and Voracious Reader to supplement our card draw. With either or both of these, we can quickly draw through our deck and find key cards to end the game." [caption id="attachment_2389249" align="alignnone" width="2560"] It's no surprise that Keaton would include some aggro options.[/caption] Deck code: AAECAaIHBLICyAOq0gOr0gMNtAHLA80D4QTuBogH/6UD9acDubgDiNADi9AD1dQD99QDAA== (Copy this code to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone.)

Totem Shaman

"Totem Shaman is another archetype that saw some play throughout Ashes of Outland. Our main goal is still to make use of the totem-duplicating ability of Totemic Reflection and Splitting Axe, but Scholomance Academy offers quite a bit of help to do that. "The biggest new inclusion has to be Totem Goliath, a solid and hard-to-remove Totem for the mid game. If your opponent ignores Totem Goliath, you can copy it with Totemic Reflection or Splitting Axe. If they choose to deal with the Goliath, but can't remove the summoned Totems, you can capitalize with Totemic Surge or Bloodlust. While many decks felt comfortable if Totem Shaman didn't have any board presence by turn 5, Totem Goliath will surely make them reconsider. "Besides that, the deck also got some big early game boosts. Tour Guide lets you get a Totem onto the board as soon as turn 1, and Lightning Bloom lets you accelerate any combos of your choosing ahead of time. Diligent Notetaker lets you duplicate any of the deck’s key spells, such as either of the 0-cost Totem spells or Storm's Wrath to build a massive board early." [caption id="attachment_2389248" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Totes.[/caption] Deck code: AAECAaoIAA+BBL4GkwmdowPapQP5pQP9pwO1rQPbuAOWuQPevgPhzAObzQOm0QPw1AMA (Copy this code to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone.)

Soul Fragment Warlock

"This Warlock deck plays with the new Soul Fragment cards from Scholomance Academy, enabling some synergies from their other Dual Class pairing with Priest. "Through constant Life Taps and drawing Soul Fragments, our health constantly changes, enabling Brittlebone Destroyer and cheap Flesh Giants. Early game, we focus on getting Soul Fragments into our deck through Spirit Jailer, Soul Shear, and School Spirits. Then, we can swing the game with the powerful effects of Shadowlight Scholar, Void Drinker, and eventually Soulciologist Malicia. "We still run some staple Control Warlock tools from older sets, such as a Dragon package with Nether Breath and Mo'arg Artificer. Also making an appearance is Headmaster Kel'Thuzad, who you can combine with any cheap removal spell to activate his Spellburst and steal a key minion from your opponent's board." [caption id="attachment_2389247" align="alignnone" width="2560"] So perfect that this expansion has Horcruxes.[/caption] Deck code: AAECAf0GBMUEkbEDs8wDz9IDDcQI5awD66wD7KwD7qwD6b4DrMsDuM4D1s4D/84DwdEDzNIDzdIDAA== (Copy this code to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone.) Huge thanks to Keaton and the team, and for more, check out the official Scholomance Academy site. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Cam Shea is based in IGN's Sydney office... at least, he was until everything went pear shaped. Say hey on Twitter.