Combo decks have usually had a hard time succeeding in Hearthstone: the game is designed for active, tempo-based play, and surviving while assembling combo pieces for a surprise lethal is not at the core of what Hearthstone is all about. Because your ability to interact with the opponent during their turn is extremely limited, combo decks can also feel overwhelming to play against when they work.
There has only been one meta where combo decks formed a noticeable portion of the field, during Rastakhan’s Rumble in December 2018, and that was quickly remedied with a balance patch even though combo decks never reached a majority.
Galakrond’s Awakening has been a particularly cruel environment for combo decks. Holy Wrath Paladin, Mecha’thun Warrior, Malygos Druid, and Malygos Rogue are the playable ones, and only the Rogue is really successful – even thriving now with Leeroy out of Standard, whereas before it was just the hipster version of Galakrond Rogue for meme-lovers and Priest-haters. (Malygos Rogue is the single best deck you can play against Resurrect Priest.)
With the Standard rotation, all of those decks except Rogue are also losing key pieces: Shirvallah, the Tiger (farewell Holy Wrath Paladin), Mecha'thun, Flobbidinous Floop, and Dreampetal Florist are all rotating out of Standard.
What will we have left? What new tools can we find from Ashes of Outland? In this article, I take a look at the combo options for each class and present theorycrafted combo decks that I believe are playable in Ashes of Outland.
Combo Druid
Despite losing Flobbidinous Floop and Dreampetal Florist, there is still hope for combo Druid, because Malygos is not going anywhere and Druid is getting new tools to replace the losses: Imprisoned Satyr is here to help discount Malygos and Germination can make copies of it. The dream of blowing people up with Moonfire and Swipe is still alive!
6,120- 0Innervate2
- 0Moonfire2
- 1Untapped Potential1
- 2Crystal Merchant2
- 2Rising Winds2
- 2Steel Beetle2
- 2Wrath2
- 3Imprisoned Satyr2
- 3Swipe2
- 4Germination2
- 5Anubisath Defender2
- 5Nourish2
- 5Oasis Surger2
- 5Starfall2
- 6Hidden Oasis2
- 9Malygos1
In this sample decklist, I have went for the good old Quest Druid shell with the addition of the pieces needed for a Malygos combo. You can discount Malygos down to zero mana with the Imprisoned Satyrs, make two copies of it with Germination, and blow up the opponent with two Moonfires to the face for 32 damage. Alternatively, you can make one copy of Malygos and shoot two Moonfires and a Swipe to the face for 36 damage.
This version goes for the most direct combo and does not worry about armor. The Galakrond’s Awakening version with Dreampetal Florist, Flobbidinous Floop, and Elise the Enlightened was able to go much higher if needed, and it was also more flexible in the ways it could execute the combo. Reach could be increased in this version too with Elise the Enlightened, but that would increase uncertainty and slow down the deck. I believe that keeping it simple is the most likely way for the deck to remain successful.
Malygos is the only viable way for Druid to combo that I can think of in Ashes of Outland. In Galakrond’s Awakening, there was also an APM OTK combo with Floop's Glorious Gloop providing infinite mana, but Gloop is rotating out of Standard.
Combo Hunter
Seriously? Hunter is not exactly known for its ability to play either control or combo decks, but as a matter of fact, Ashes of Outland is bringing a great new Hunter OTK combo to the game. With a perfect draw, you can OTK people as early as turn seven as Hunter!
The combo is based on the new Hunter Prime minion, Zixor, Apex Predator. In a dream game, you play Licensed Adventurer in the first four turns to get yourself a coin. You draw Zixor, Apex Predator, Tundra Rhino, , and Scavenger's Ingenuity by turn five. On turn five, you Rush Zixor, Apex Predator to its death and immediately tutor the Prime version of it with Scavenger's Ingenuity, making it a 7/7 instead of the usual 4/4. On turn six, you play Scarlet Webweaver to discount either the Prime or Tundra Rhino. On turn seven, you coin out Tundra Rhino and the Prime (four 7/7s with Rush, now also with Charge thanks to the Rhino) and you can deal 30 damage to the face.
The keys to the combo are your ability to tutor for Beasts with Scavenger's Ingenuity and discount Beasts with Scarlet Webweaver. The rest depends on how you can survive in the meta to pull off your combo. I have chosen to go for a Quest core, because it gives more card draw, coins, and the excellent Sky Gen'ral Kragg, but you could also build the deck with Hunter spells and mostly non-Beast minions.
This is the most exciting new combo coming in the expansion, and I really look forward to using it in the game!
Combo Mage
Kael'thas Sunstrider is just begging to be used in a combo Mage deck with Pyroblast, but a full one-turn-kill may prove to be elusive because of the sheer number of cards you need to go through in order to have enough damage. But how about a Freeze Mage?
- 1Arcane Breath2
- 1Evocation1
- 1Ray of Frost2
- 2Frostbolt2
- 3Arcane Intellect2
- 3Frost Nova2
- 4Azure Explorer2
- 4Fireball2
- 5Malygos, Aspect of Magic1
- 6Blizzard2
- 6Dragoncaster2
- 8Kalecgos1
- 10Pyroblast2
- 10The Amazing Reno1
Freeze Mage was never really a one-turn-kill deck. In its most traditional form, it often used Alexstrasza first and then proceeded to burn through the rest of the opponent’s health on the following turn. In the current meta, I am doubtful whether there is enough time to use Alexstrasza and live, so I’ve just gone for direct burn instead.
The deck has several ways to get Pyroblast out early with Dragoncasters and Kael'thas Sunstrider and it can also discover several spells with Arcane Breath, Malygos, Aspect of Magic, and Kalecgos. Bonus points for playing Evocation with Kael'thas Sunstrider for some random spells all over the place.
Evocation is the only new card in the deck, so I actually took the deck out for a spin after I built the list, and it seemed playable. Not exactly great, because I noticed that I often needed to discover one additional freeze spell to win games, but just throwing burn spells to the face for free seems like a perfectly valid concept. Probably not as strong as incorporating some of them into a Highlander Mage, but potentially more fun.
Combo Paladin
Paladin still has Holy Wrath, but it is losing Baleful Banker and Shirvallah, the Tiger, so Holy Wrath Paladin as a combo deck has reached its end in Standard. There is no Uther of the Ebon Blade or Mecha'thun left either, so combo Paladin does not have a win condition. For now.
Combo Priest
Well, all of the Priest rework was focused on a single goal: never let Priest combo people down in Standard again. No Divine Spirit. No Prophet Velen. Not even a tiny Auchenai Soulpriest.
Priest still has Inner Fire, but try as I might, I cannot figure out any way to instantly buff up a minion to be big enough for a one-turn-kill. You can still hit for big numbers, but only if you build up a minion over multiple turns. I guess most opponents would do something about it while you’re busy adding health buff after health buff.
Nomi Priest is also out with Seance rotating out of Standard. Your card draw is also taking a big hit without Northshire Cleric and Acolyte of Pain, and Grave Horror is out too. You can still use cheap spells and Gadgetzan Auctioneer to cycle through your deck in the mid-game, but that is not really viable, and going through all that trouble for a single Chef Nomi board is not going to work anyway.
Technically, Priest has access to multiple combos, but it is impossible to build a deck to actually use them right now. For example, you could go for Mogu Cultists. Mogu Cultist + Embalming Ritual + Grave Rune + Shadowy Figure + Breath of the Infinite + Mogu Cultist + Faceless Manipulator results in two copies of Highkeeper Ra that then deal 40 damage to the opponent. All it takes is seven cards and 17 mana, so a single Fate Weaver tick on all the pieces makes it possible. Or you can split it into two turns by suspending your original Mogu Cultist with Maiev Shadowsong. In practice, this will not work, because you will be dead.
Ashes of Outland will be the first time when Priest will not combo anyone. Design goal achieved!
Combo Rogue
Rogue is one of the best classes for anything other than control, and it is also one of the best classes to combo with in Ashes of Outland.
Malygos Rogue does not lose any key pieces in the rotation. Malygos + Preparation + Eviscerate + three Coins from Umbral Skulker + Eviscerate + two copies of Sinister Strike = 34 damage to the face. That is the full guaranteed combo, and the deck is insanely flexible.
Draw a free Malygos with your Heistbaron Togwaggle wand or Galakrond, the Nightmare? Cool, now you can kill people right away without any coins or Preparation! With Leeroy Jenkins in the Hall of Fame, Malygos Rogue is the most explosive Galakrond Rogue deck. It might not be the best one, because it sacrifices defensive abilities to include combo pieces, but it can blow stuff up out of nowhere.
Furthermore, Rogue is the only class that can currently use Chef Nomi because Shadowstep is the only good tool to return Nomi to hand for another board. Rogue just does not want to do that, because it has half a dozen better ways to obliterate people.
Rogue is also uniquely equipped to use Deathrattle synergies with Anka, the Buried, Teron Gorefiend, and Backstab. I don’t see full combo potential there right now, but if you enjoy tricks, there might be some fun decks to be built around such a concept.
Rogue is just good.
Combo Shaman
Shaman is getting a new spell that can go face! In what must be an oversight, Serpentshrine Portal does not include the dreaded phrase “to a minion.” Sadly, Eureka! is out, so unless you really, really believe in Muckmorpher, this means that Malygos Shaman cannot be built. Bummer.
Combo Warlock
With Glinda Crowskin and Baleful Banker departing the Standard format, the Mogu Cultist dream is dead.
It would take a lot of faith in The Dark Portal and Plot Twist to go for Malygos, Faceless Manipulator, Nether Breath (x2), and Soulfire. Technically, that’s 38 damage right there without more Dragons, but that is not going to happen in an actual game.
Combo Warrior
Mecha'thun Warrior has been fun, and it got a breath of new life into it from Kael'thas Sunstrider, but Mecha'thun is leaving the Standard format, so it cannot be used anymore.
Warrior has the survivability, the control tools, and some decent card draw, but there are no combo finishers available to the class right now. The closest one is to draw Kor'kron Elite with Galakrond to give it +4/+4, Inner Rage it, and copy it with Bloodsworn Mercenary twice for 30 damage. Galakrond Warrior is a combo deck?
Combo Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter can do some quite insane burst turns with Kael'thas Sunstrider. How about some Twin Slices followed up with a pair of Inner Demons? It just does not look like Demon Hunter has any reason to hold on for a burst finisher, because the class can attack so much already early on.
Conclusions
There are fewer viable combos in Ashes of Outland than for quite some time. With Priest combo pieces gone, Mecha'thun rotating out, Glinda Crowskin going away, and Shirvallah, the Tiger leaving Standard, many of the current combos are no longer available.
Malygos is the main combo tool left in the format, and Kael'thas Sunstrider provides many future options, but very few that can be used right now. The new Hunter OTK with Zixor, Apex Predator is the most exciting thing for combo decks in the new expansion.
Combo decks have always been a niche phenomenon in Hearthstone, and they are going through some of the most difficult times in the game’s history right now, but you can still blow people up with a couple of decks even in Ashes of Outland.
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
Have great success with malygos Druid deck, switch just one card, change one crystal merchant for archspore Msshi’fn. 100% at the moment. Thanks Old Guardian
I’m very hyped to try Combo Hunter, but the lack of large removals worries me, mostly because of Magtheridon, if it becomes an usual play.
Just 6 words: Young Dragonhawk, Scavenger’s Ingenuity, Hunting Party.
You can use the Mana tiger to get, garrosh hellscream + 2 inner rage coppied with a Bloodsworn Mercenary.
And the tiger also lets you throw an Kor Kron Elite the same turn you turn into Galakrond for a grand total of: 25.
So yeah, Galakrond Warrior, also a combo deck.
i’m pretty sure there is some sleeper combo with teron and other.
and maybe with some new DH discover with zephrys like inner demon+doomhammer
Question on imprisoned satyr:
Does he awaken after you draw a card at the start of your turn or before you draw a card?
before
The druid one will get a lot of experimentation for sure. My only concern in that list is having too many creatures for satyr to hit effectively, and not ading Faceless Manipulator for consistency, but for sure there is a lot of room to experiment.
All the minions in the list are easy to play before Satyr. Faceless does not add consistency, it removes flexibility by reducing the probability to be able to use Swipe in the combo and well as removing 100% guaranteed combo if you hit the same Faceless with both discounts.