Update: The decks are once again being changed with Patch 31.4 (Heroes of Starcraft mini-set patch) on January 21, 2025. I assume that they will get another update after the next expansion launches around mid-March 2025 (since many of the cards included in those decks are rotating out of Standard format). Still, if you’re starting your adventure or coming back to the game right now, check out our latest recommendations below.
Back in 2020, Blizzard started giving away free decks for new and returning players as an extra incentive. More recently, they changed it from picking one deck right away to “loaning” 6 decks for a week. This way players have access to all 6 options for 7 days and can playtest them during that time. After the week ends, they will have to select one of the 6 to get for free, the other 5 will no longer be playable.
Loaner decks aren’t always top-tier meta options, but they are often good enough to play at lower ranks, and after a few adjustments they can even be taken all the way to Legend. However, usually, their quality varies quite a lot – sometimes we get hidden gems (like a full-fledged, expensive Tier 1 meta build) and sometimes real stinkers (like very cheap builds or weak decks that no one plays). And it might not always be clear which is which if you aren’t familiar with the current meta (and you probably aren’t if you’re reading this).
So, if you just started playing Hearthstone or haven’t been playing in a while and you’re wondering what those decks are and which one you should pick, this article is for you!
How to Get Them
There are two kinds of players who are eligible for free decks – new and returning players.
New players get to pick the deck when they reach Bronze 10 rank for the first time (which is the rank every regular player is reset to at the start of the season). To get there, they can either play through the apprentice ranks (special ranks reserved for new players) or straight-up skip them. We don’t recommend the latter option, because if you’re a truly new player, playing on those separate ranks will make you understand the game better and also offer a bunch of extra rewards.
Returning players are those who were inactive for at least 90 days, which is roughly 3/4 of the expansion. In the past, you had to complete a so-called “returning players experience”, but now just logging in is enough to get your shiny, new deck.
After one of those two conditions is met, players get 6 temporary decks for free on log-in. Then exactly 7 days later they will have to choose one out of 6 to keep permanently.
It’s also important to note that this is not a one-time offer. If you have already received a free deck in the past, then you stay inactive for over 90 days again, you will be eligible for another free deck. So if you only play at the start of each expansion, you can technically get a new free deck every set.
Full List of Loaner Decks
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Zilliax Deluxe 3000: Pylon Module + Ticking Module
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Zilliax Deluxe 3000: Twin Module + Perfect Module
Which Deck To Pick
As always, that’s the most important question. What I usually like to do is to look at it from two angles – deck power level and deck cost. Deck power level means the deck that is the strongest right now (or closest to the meta version), while deck cost is, well, how much Arcane Dust it would cost to craft it (so the “value” you’re getting by picking it).
First, if we look at the terms purely in terms of their Arcane Dust value, there are two builds that stand out – Odyn Warrior and Discover Hunter. They are the most expensive – they both have multiple Legendary cards and some Epics. And most importantly, they are the only decks using Zilliax Deluxe 3000, the most popular Legendary card in the game for the third expansion in a row (it fits into many decks so it’s a great pick-up). Each of them also gives you another strong Neutral Legendary (which means that you can use it in multiple classes). Warrior has The Ceaseless Expanse, a very powerful card from the latest expansion. And Hunter has Griftah, Trusted Vendor – not as strong as Expanse, but still a solid card used in a bunch of decks. In terms of PURE value, Warrior would be the better pick, but it’s also not the strongest deck right now. Discover Hunter might not be top tier, but it’s still quite good. Hunter also has better longevity – its most important cards are here to stay, while Odyn, Prime Designate (main win condition of the Warrior deck) will rotate out with the first expansion of 2025 (probably around mid-March).
When it comes to power level, the strongest deck of the bunch (especially at lower ranks) is Elemental Mage. It’s also very easy to pilot, so it might be tempting to pick it. However, I would advise against it, mostly because of how cheap it is. The deck uses a single Legendary card and no Epics, which means that even as a new or returning player you should be able to afford it very easily. Even if you like it, it’s still better to just pick a different deck for free and use your own resources to craft this Mage build.
Asteroid Shaman and Libram Paladin are probably the second and third strongest decks on the list. They both lean into combo playstyle, which might be a bit harder to play, but ultimately they aren’t the most difficult games in the game. Out of those two, Asteroid Shaman gives you a bit more value (3 non-Core Legendaries vs 2 in Paladin) and it’s also by far the more popular deck (as of the time I’m writing this, Asteroid Shaman has about 6% play rate and Libram Paladin about 1.5% play rate). Popularity of course should not be the deciding factor, but it means that many players are enjoying the deck, so you might too if you try it out.
Then we’re left with Death Knight, which neither provides a lot of value, nor is a strong meta deck. If you really liked it during your playtesting phase, feel free to still pick it, but it’s the one I would recommend the least because it doesn’t fit into either category.
All in all, my two biggest recommendations would be Discover Hunter and Asteroid Shaman. They are both a nice mix of value and power level – with Discover Hunter leaning towards “value” side, while Asteroid Shaman leaning towards “power level” side. Odyn Warrior and Libram Paladin are also solid picks. Elemental Mage would be a great pick in terms of power level and playability, but as I’ve already said, it’s so cheap that you shouldn’t waste your free deck pick on it – it’s better to just craft it yourself. And Starship Death Knight is just not a great deck (even though it might be pretty fun to play).
However, ultimately the choice is up to you. The most important thing is for you to have fun. If you like any of those classes or playstyles in particular, pick that deck. Since you can play all 6 decks for a week, you have enough time to test all of them before committing.
Hey! What happens if I do have some legendary cards from the free deck I choose? They will give me a second copy or I would lose it? If this last one is the case, I would have to disenchant the cards before picking the deck to get all of them. How does it work? Thanks!
Sorry about a late reply. You will just get extra copies of the cards you already own. You don’t have to disenchant anything in advance. You can do it afterwards if you so wish.
But if we’re talking about a powerful and popular Legendary, it might be worth it to not disenchant it right away. When a card gets nerfed in a patch, players can disenchant it for its full crafting cost for a period of time. A good example is Zilliax Deluxe 3000, which has been nerfed multiple times already, and after each nerf you could get 1600 Dust from it instead of the regular 400. If you just disenchanted it right away you would get 400 Dust, but if you waited you might have gotten 1200 extra.