The two latest Hearthstone expansions have both been built around powerful Legendary themes. United in Stormwind has Questlines, and Fractured in Alterac Valley has Hero cards. Questlines have the inherent advantage in that they are present in every game you play with a Questline deck. You are literally guaranteed to draw your Questline at the start of the game. Hero cards can be more difficult to find from your deck, and you cannot tutor for them in any way. They often come into play later as well, as they cost between five (Wildheart Guff) and eight (Bru'kan of the Elements and two others) mana.
One of the main concerns coming into Fractured in Alterac Valley has been whether the new Hero cards are strong enough to compete against the Questlines from United in Stormwind. Now that we have some statistics of the early meta, it is possible to come to a verdict on whether the Questlines are a problem or not.
In this article, I will examine the power of Questlines, how it has changed since the new expansion was released, and whether anything about them needs to change.
The Power of Questlines Over Time
The late United in Stormwind meta was dominated by Quest decks. Quest Warrior was the undisputed king of the meta, followed by Quest Hand Warlock and Quest Rogue. Quest OTK Warlock was not far behind, as only Aggro Druid was able to drive a wedge between the Questline domination.
Behind these three dominant Questlines (Warrior, Warlock, and Rogue), there was a whole bunch of non-Quest decks. Face Hunter, Libram Paladin, Secret Paladin, Elemental Shaman, and Aggro Shaman completed the top 10 best decks in the last days of United in Stormwind.
That still leaves seven Questlines that were not in the spotlight. It is not like Command the Elements or Defend the Dwarven District were ever oppressive. The Shaman and Hunter Questlines were both viable throughout United in Stormwind, but neither was even the best archetype within their class.
In the late United in Stormwind meta, most Questlines were mediocre. Lost in the Park and Rise to the Occasion were struggling, and Sorcerer's Gambit never recovered from multiple Questline Mage nerfs. The Mage Questline ended up as the third-weakest Questline of them all in the end.
After all the balance changes in United in Stormwind, it was really only three Questlines that stood out. Warrior and Rogue rose to prominence after the Deadmines mini-set and Warlock… Well, Warlock just remained good even though it was nerfed a few times.
What about the early days of Fractured in Alterac Valley? Not much has changed when it comes to Questlines. Druid and Paladin continue to be miserable. People still try to play Questline Mage, but it has not been good after the nerfs. Final Showdown continues to be a threat when it finds the right meta pocket, but overall it is nothing special. Shaman, Hunter, and Priest Questlines remain mediocre: still able to strike just above that crucial 50% win rate, but not threatening to become top tier.
But when we talk about oppressive Questlines, it is Warrior, Warlock, and Rogue that we are talking about. How are they doing in Alterac Valley? Are they still the three best decks?
Looking at statistics, the current meta tyrant is not a Questline. It is not even OwlTK Warlock that has replaced OTK Quest Warlock in the meta. It is Libram Paladin! Libram Paladin was a steady performer already in United in Stormwind, and with the addition of Irondeep Trogg, Stonehearth Vindicator, and Lightforged Cariel, it is stronger than ever. In fact, the current Libram Paladin is one of the strongest decks we have ever seen in Hearthstone. Victory for the Hero cards?
Freeze Shaman and OwlTK Warlock are also looking very strong in the current meta, and neither of them uses the Questlines.
Yet, the Questline decks are not gone. Quest Warrior is the third-best deck in the meta behind Libram Paladin and Buff Paladin. Quest Hand Warlock comes in at #5 right behind Freeze Shaman. Quest Rogue still fits into the top 10, even though Deathrattle Demon Hunter and Face Hunter look to be stronger than it right now.
In the last days of United in Stormwind, we had four Questline decks in the top 10: Quest Warrior (#1), Quest Hand Warlock (#2), Quest Rogue (#3), and OTK Quest Warlock (#5).
In the early days of Fractured in Alterac Valley, we have three Questline decks in the top 10: Quest Warrior (#3), Quest Hand Warlock (#5), and Quest Rogue (#9).
While Questlines remain powerful, clearly the new expansion has given us cards that can contest and even outperform them.
The Best Current Questline Decks
Our focus has mostly been on all the new and exciting decks from Fractured in Alterac Valley, so it is appropriate to take a look at the latest developments of the strongest Questline decks here.
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Questline Warrior is your deck of choice if you do not want to have anything to do with new cards: the strongest version of the archetype is still exactly the same it was during United in Stormwind!
Questline Hand Warlock players are divided into two camps: You can continue your old ways and not change a card, and you will still be fine. However, you can do even better by adopting Full-Blown Evil and Dreadlich Tamsin into the deck.
Questline Rogue players only want one new card, and it’s disgusting. Shadowcrafter Scabbs is just so insanely strong that any Rogue deck will be better by including it.
In terms of development, the top Questline decks have not really changed in Fractured in Alterac Valley. They use some new cards – especially some of the powerful new Hero cards – but can also be played in their United in Stormwind form.
Are Questlines Problematic?
It is true that the best Questline decks have hardly changed and are still performing at a high level. At the same time, they are no longer the very best decks in the game, so their power level can be surpassed and it has been surpassed in the Fractured in Alterac Valley Standard meta.
For the current Standard meta, Questlines are not a problem.
That does not mean that they cannot become a problem.
When the first balance patch comes, weakening non-Questline strategies could result in Questlines taking over again. Therefore, nerfs to the Questline decks could be warranted together with other nerfs to create an overall balanced meta.
Questlines can also be problematic in Wild, where the Warrior Questline sees a ton of play right now. This could also be a consideration for nerfing cards in a way that affects Standard as well as Wild.
Finally, Questlines can become a problem in Standard with the next Standard rotation. Removing three expansions worth of power and bringing one new expansion to the mix means fewer opportunities for deck-building, and Questlines can provide attractive templates to build upon in the post-rotation meta. I consider this to be the biggest risk: starting a fresh new year with fresh new ideas, except that they get torn apart by Questlines.
The Standard meta survived the new expansion surprisingly well, and Questlines are a balanced part of the Standard meta right now. When new cards or balance changes arrive, they may need to be adjusted to keep it that way.
Old Guardian
Ville "Old Guardian" Kilkku is a writer and video creator focused on analytic, educational Hearthstone, and building innovative Standard format decks. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OldGuardian Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/old_guardian
How long will lord Barov be available in standard for ?
Is it still worth it to craft it ?
till next rotation somewhere end of March so probably not worth the craft.
Thx for the reply mate.
“Are the Stormwind Questlines problematic in Fractured in Alterac Valley?”
yes now that you mentionned it yes maybe they are a bit problematic
What do you mean, “Questlines can be a problem” when it’s already a problem.
People has finished the testing week and already going back to the same questline solitaire meta. (minus ignite mage, I haven’t face that deck in a while now).
And when you said QL can be a problem in next rotation? I can already predict they will raise the power level to another step beyond this year. A 1 mana 2/3 minion with bonus effect should be happening soon.
Why is Garrote Rogue not mentioned here? The nerf at the end of UiS didn’t kill the deck. And it’s even better now because of Scabbs.
In other words, better than average card balance and meta shift this time around.