World of Warcraft Classic, the reintroduction of WoW’s most memorable and nostalgic timeline, will be released on Augusth 27th. From there on, players can relive the golden times of the most successful multiplayer online game and experience how WoW played out right after its original release.
As we all know, Hearthstone was built upon the Warcraft universe and the World of Warcraft itself. In this upcoming series, we want to honor the beginnings of both World of Warcraft and Hearthstone and thus feature a “vanilla” deck for each of the nine available Classic WoW classes. Want to know more about your favorite class? Not sure what you want to play on release? Check out our first three decks featuring Rogue, Shaman and Warrior!
Check out Druid, Hunter and Warlock decks here!
Check out Mage, Priest and Paladin decks here!
Rogue
3,760- 0Backstab2
- 0Preparation2
- 1Cold Blood2
- 1Deadly Poison2
- 1Sinister Strike1
- 2Blade Flurry2
- 2Eviscerate2
- 2Pick Pocket2
- 2Sap2
- 3SI:7 Agent2
- 4Assassin’s Blade2
- 4Lilian Voss1
- 5Sprint2
Rogue may be the class that identifies the most with the Classic “feeling” of World of Warcraft. Even players who didn’t play the original game back in the 2000s know how vanilla Rogues operated: Insane damage openers and finishers, all while being able to disrupt movement and actions of the enemy. And this focus on PvP viability is reflected in Hearthstone’s realization of Rogue as well!
In fact, the majority of basic Rogue gameplay conditions have not only been kept in mind but translated rather fitting.
Backstab, for example, serves as a cheap damage style that has to be used behind the target; this condition is translated into the “undamaged” part of Backstab’s card text.
Eviscerate on the other hand is used as a finishing style, dealing more damage the more combo points – which have been translated into Rogue’s exclusive Combo keyword – you have accumulated on your target.
Another great example for creative use of design is Sap, which in WoW decapacitates a target for a limited amount of time, making it one of the best crowd control options in the game for both Pve and PvP. And what card mechanic could be used better for translating a loss of action than to return a card to the hand of your opponent?
The same intuitive approach in terms of mechanics was used when designing Pick Pocket. An almost useless spell in retail World of Warcraft, Pick Pocket had its money-making uses in Classic WoW, and generating coin equaling card generation in Hearthstone makes more sense than anything.
This motto is perfected by one of the most important minions for any Rogue list: Gadgetzan Auctioneer. The city of Gadgetzan in the middle of Tanaris’ desert featured a neutral auction house run by goblins, in which both Horde and Alliance player were able to sell their goods. Again, money making Converts into card generation!
Additional minion power will be delivered through SI:7 Agent and SI:7 Infiltrator, two members of the SI:7, the secret service of the Alliance. Ravenholdt Assassin is another Rogue-flavored minion that belongs to the infamous Ravenholdt guild of thieves.
Last but not least there is Lilian Voss, one of the most flavorful Rogue characters in the Warcraft universe. Most players know her from the end-game dungeon Scholomance; however, she can be found as a disguised “hooded crusader” in Scarlet Monastery where she starts her own revenge on the Scarlet Crusade.
All in all, Rogue is one of the most versatile classes in both WoW and Hearthstone. In Classic, Rogues really can basically do it all while being stealthed. If you want to always have the initiative, don’t hesitate to roll Rogue!
Shaman
Shaman players in Classic WoW mostly have been known for one and one thing only: Totems. In PvE in particular, Shaman provides insane support to both melee and ranged damage dealers.
What most people forget is that Shaman can support itself as well as we can see through this Shaman list.
Let’s start with a heavy hitter: Mana Tide Totem is one of the most powerful healer cooldowns in the game. In this case – as it is with almost all classes – card draw translates into another stat buff, in this case a temporary but hefty Spirit increase which accelerates mana regeneration.
Other totems have been made into their “effects” in Hearthstone: Windfury, for example, is provided by Windfury Totem, giving the Shaman and its allies the chance to strike one additional melee hit. Flametongue Totem on the other hand was called Flametongue Weapon back in Classic WoW, providing additional fire damage to Shaman’s auto-attacks.
Sadly, Shaman’s general design philosophy in Hearthstone is also based on a later iteration of the Shaman class from World of Warcraft. For example, Hex has only been added with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
To compensate for this, we decided to put in a special card: Thrall, Deathseer. The lack of minions in this list simply hurts, and this Hero card could be able to turn some of these lackluster totems into something useful!
And if you can’t hit a good Thrall, Deathseer, you still have Thrallmar Farseer“] and Earthen Ring Farseer who will accompany you on your way to … victory, hopefully!
Shaman’s strengths in Classic WoW barely show through this Hearthstone deck, and that is a bummer, because Shaman enriches every group setup and can keep up on his own pretty damn well. Heck, you are even able to tank most of the leveling instances if you have a proper healer in your back! Earth Shock and Frost Shock were initially designed as tank and CC abilities, but are mostly used for efficient leveling.
Shaman is your WoW Classic choice if you want to be a double-hitting PvP video star, but in reality you will be able to support your group and even yourself like nobody else!
Warrior
- 0Inner Rage1
- 1Execute2
- 1Shield Slam2
- 1Slam2
- 2Cleave2
- 2Fiery War Axe2
- 2Heroic Strike2
- 2Shield Block2
- 3Charge1
- 3Warsong Commander2
- 4Arathi Weaponsmith2
- 4Kor’kron Elite1
- 4Mortal Strike2
Looking at several surveys, Warrior may very well become the most popular class choice in Classic WoW.
In Hearthstone, Warrior always leaned towards the control-heavy decks to perform well, whereas Warrior damage dealers are just as wanted as their tank spec in World of Warcraft.
The featured list translates into a more tempo-oriented approach, which showcases Warrior’s ability to take initiative in almost any way.
Cleave, Heroic Strike, Slam and Mortal Strike all are essential damage abilities for Fury and Arms warriors, the two damage specs. Shield Slam and Shield Block on the other hand complement Protection Warrior’s rotation, providing additional defense.
A true special in this list is Fiery War Axe. Similar to Eaglehorn Crossbow, it is one of the few “world drops”. In fact, it may be the best two-handed weapon for Warriors between level 40 and 50. Its damage proc deals insane amounts of damage while providing high DPS in general thanks to being an epic item.
On the minion side we can find tons of Warrior flavor and lore: Warsong Commander, Arathi Weaponsmith and Frostwolf Grunt are all Warrior minions that represent their respective battleground faction who mostly consist of famous warriors; however, remember that battlegrounds will not be available right after Classic’s launch!
But we all know who the one true Warrior minion should really be: Leeroy Jenkins.
Despite being a neutral legendary, Leeroy has been a Warrior player initially. The video behind his actions in Blackrock Spire surpassed over thirteen MILLION views and is used as one of the most iconic moments in Vanilla WoW history.
Again, Warrior’s playstyle in Classic WoW can be summarized into dealing damage or preventing damage and being exceptionally good at it. Warrior should be your choice if you like this kind of straightforward playstyle!
