Hearthstone’s Best Decks From Lost City of Un’Goro Reveal a Troubling Meta Shift

Hearthstone’s The Lost City of Un’Goro’s expansion has quickly proven to be every bit the “sequel” to 2017’s Journey to Un’Goro it was billed as. Those expansions share numerous thematic elements, gameplay mechanics, and, somewhat surprisingly, many of the same problems. 

While Journey to Un’Goro is generally considered one of the best Hearthstone expansions ever, it wasn’t always an era of wine and roses. Most notably, the expansion’s marquee mechanic (class-specific quests that are activated at the start of the game and are completed by meeting various requirements) was absurdly unbalanced at launch.

In theory, those quests were supposed to yield powerful rewards that justified the effort that went into completing them. In practice, some quests yielded game-breaking tools while others offered largely useless dinosaurs that announced their presence with all the authority of a wet handshake. 

At the moment, The Lost City of Un’Goro’s meta is being dominated by the Paladin quest, Dive the Golakka Depths. Whereas many other quests require you to make complex deckbuilding decisions, Golakka Depths only asks that you fill your deck with as many Murlocs as possible and keep playing them until they become too powerful for many opponents to deal with. Hearthstone fans really have two options at the moment: play this deck or do everything you can to counter it. Neither approach is especially enjoyable. 

Golakka Depths simply should not exist in its current form. Fans identified it as a problem card the moment it was revealed (it’s a more powerful version of an already powerful strategy), and it’s surpassed the hype so far. Worst of all, the nature of the card has made it extremely difficult for players to enjoy or even test the expansion’s other quest cards. Games simply end before you can complete those quests, much less utilize their rewards. 

Again though, Journey to Un’Goro had a similar problem at launch. Once that expansion’s biggest problems were fixed, fans were able to more easily enjoy what turned out to be a robust set of compelling cards. Thus something theoretically similar could happen in the coming weeks with Lost City of Un’Goro as the Hearthstone team gathers data and makes the necessary balance adjustments. 

However, this may prove to be one area where the sibling expansions greatly differ. Assuming that the Paladin quest is eventually altered, you still have the new Druid Legendary (Loh, the Living Legend) waiting in the wings, ready to end games before they really get started. It’s incredibly difficult to play against these decks, and it’s nearly impossible to find a deck that can effectively challenge both. You may have gone into the new expansion hoping to play with the new cards but you’re often just picking your poison. 

Even if you were to remove those two cards from the game, many of the most competitive Hearthstone decks at the moment are simply variations of previous archetypes. It’s not uncommon for existing cards to remain powerful at the release of a new expansion, but I struggle to recall the last time so many new cards have felt so… irrelevant this early on. 

As someone who enjoys the “embrace the chaos” aspect of Hearthstone, I applaud the team for never being afraid to produce potentially game-breaking cards. However, those cards should be designed to push the game in interesting and fun new directions. Lost City of Un’Goro’s most powerful new cards are obviously far too good and not particularly exciting to play or play against. Meanwhile, its most creative cards are so far below the power level of previous releases that you’re left to wonder how many balance changes it would take to make them truly viable. 

The previous Hearthstone meta wasn’t perfect but at least you could pick your favorite class and enjoy a somewhat competitive deck. That has changed quite a bit, quite quickly. Yes, these problems will be fixed. They always are. As we wait for them to be fixed though, fans are deprived of the best part of any new expansion: experimenting with new cards to see what is fun and what works. 

It’s a shame that an expansion modeled after the theme of exploration gives players so few viable new paths to explore. Surviving The Lost City of Un’Goro means relying on a couple of classes and a handful of cards. Enjoying the expansion at this point is another matter entirely. 

Hearthstone: Best Lost City of Un’Goro Decks

As mentioned above, there are relatively few decks in The Lost City of Un’Goro that feel truly viable at the moment. Rather than try to offer the best deck from each class, here are five of the best The Lost City of Un’Goro decks that will help you climb the ranked ladder. 

Dive the Golakka Depths Paladin

The dominant option at the moment, this variation of Murloc Paladin is as simple as meta-defining decks come. Just keep playing Murlocs, watch them grow bigger, and use them to hit the opponent in the face as often as you can. You’ll likely win the majority of games with few deviations required.

Dive the Golakka Depths Paladin Deck Code: AAECAZ8FBN2UB/SqB+ysB6+wBw21nwSroATu0wS1ngbUngaW0wa35gagjAeGlQe6lgehlwftrAeIrQcAAA==

Loh Big Druid

The other defining deck of the moment, Loh Big Druid is one of the most powerful versions of the “Ramp Druid” archetype we’ve ever seen. Do everything you can to play Loh, the Living Legend, as quickly as possible and enjoy playing the biggest minions in the game for five mana (or less). It’s great as long as you’re not on the receiving end of things. 

Loh Big Druid Deck Code: AAECAZICCMekBqviBqrqBrT3BsODB6+HB6yIB6+eBwuunwTZsQaQtAbDugbzygai4gat4gb35QaW9AaggQeQlwcAAQPo3gbHpAb1swbHpAb3swbHpAYAAA==

Quest Control Warrior

Though not as powerful as the above decks, Quest Control Warrior has quickly emerged as a viable alternative. Warriors are one of the only classes with the board clears required to deal with Paladin, and they can theoretically interrupt Druid’s core strategies if a few things go their way. Survive long enough to complete the quest, and you might just be laughing. 

Quest Control Warrior Deck Code: AAECAQcKx6QGkagG1boGjr8GusEG+skGsf0G1JcH25cHgpgHCoigBImgBI7UBNGeBoegBo+oBtDKBvPKBrDiBtOXBwABA+jeBsekBvSzBsekBvezBsekBgAA

Menagerie Death Knight

Variations of the “Menagerie” concept quickly rose in power before the release of Hearthstone’s latest expansion, and they’re even stronger than ever thanks to a couple of new cards. While there are quite a few Menagerie options out there, this Death Knight package is one of the few ways to keep up with what Druids and Paladins are doing at the moment. It’s an aggressive build that can still deal with Murlocs while aiming to finish the opponent as quickly as possible. 

Menagerie Death Knight Deck Code: AAECAYjaBQAPh/YEtIAF1J4Gm7QG/7oGx8kG/8kGkMsG3eUGyIwHr5UHupUH9pYHh5wHoqwHAAA=

Location Giant Warlock

This one is a bit of a stretch, but finding anything that can consistently compete with Druid and Paladin at the moment requires you to consider inconsistent alternatives. 

The basic idea here is to play Warlock’s various locations until you’re able to reduce the cost of your Seaside Giants. When it works, though, this Warlock deck allows you to consistently clear boards while gradually working your way towards playing massive minions early in the game. It can struggle against Warriors, and there is a “luck of the draw” element, but it’s a pretty clever use of several powerful mechanics and cards. 

Location Giant Warlock Deck Code: AAECAa35AwTHuAaq6gbO8QaCmAcNibUG/7oGkb8Gx8kG/8kGlMoGmcsGqPcGgPgGg/gG34IHzZgHhJkHAAA=