Hello everyone and welcome to another Touchstone Tavern, our roundup of the best Hearthstone (Free) stories and videos of the past week. The Hearthstone world has been on the quiet side given the holidays, but there are still interesting stories about the best and most interesting decks you could be playing right now. As you’ll see in the meta report below, the Kobolds meta is already settled, and that means there isn’t too much room for experimentation (although that might change if players figure out the potential of other Kobolds cards). Overall, though, it’s a quiet time, but that doesn’t mean playing the game isn’t still fun. Check out all the stories and the great decklists below.

Priest Deck Guide

As this writer points out, Priest is probably the strongest class in the game right now, so here’s a guide for the Big Priest archetype. Big Priest is all about huge minions with spells and Barnes to bring them on the deck early as well as removal spells to take the game into the later turns. The article offers a detailed decklist along with possible alterations and a detailed guide on how to play the deck. It then goes into how to handle the various Priest matchups. Overall, this is a good guide for a very strong deck, so check it out.

5 New and Underestimated Cards

Sometimes it’s hard to predict the power level of some new cards, and—as a result—some end up being underestimated. That is the case with the 5 cards in this article. The first is Corridor Creeper, which ends up being much cheaper to play in reality than theory. To My Side is a great card in Spell Hunter decks, Rin The First Disciple is very powerful in the current slow meta, Voidlord breaks the meta, and Possessed Lackey can define the metagame. Check out the list with more details here.

Updated Budget Decks

Budget Decklists are always a great tool for those with limited collections, so this HearthHead list is definitely welcome. The list includes budget decks for all classes, all of them updated with Kobolds & Catacombs cards. If you have a small collection or are a free-to-play player who won’t be buying a ton of Kobolds decks, this list is definitely for you.

Popular Wild and Standard Decks of the Week

HearthPwn put together its customary list of the most popular Wild and Standard decks of the week, and you should probably check it out since it’s another look at where the meta is heading. Standard Decks include Face Hunter, Evolve Shaman, Keleseth Rogue, Quest Mage, and Metabreaker (ranging from cheap to quite expensive), while the Wild Decks include Aggro Paladin, OTK 4 Horsemen, Rin Blood Summoner, and more. A very good list with a range of decks that should give you some good netdecking options.

Esports Superstars Full Decklists

This article breaks down the decklists used in the Esports Superstars tournament and offers an interesting look at what the pros are currently playing. Tempo Rogue was by far the most popular deck, followed by Highlander Priest, Control Warlock, and Aggro Paladin. Control Warrior, Malygos Druid, and TTK Mage were the least used. Patches the Pirate was the most popular Legendary followed by Prince Keleseth and Leeroy Jenkins. Bloodreaver Gul’dan was the most popular Death Knight. The article includes even more interesting information along with detailed decklists. Definitely a good article that points to where the pro scene is heading.

Meta Report

Tempo Storm put together a meta report for a month after Kobolds & Catacombs released, and—as they point out—the meta has already settled. We don’t usually get a settled meta so soon after the release of an expansion. Not many new decks have surfaced, and those that do get overshadowed by old decks that now have new tools. Tier 1 and 2 decks have remained the same, but they are increasingly more refined. The top deck is still Highlander Priest, which resulted in Cubelock seeing a bit of a decline. Combo Dragon Priest tops Tier 2 and has the potential to hit Tier 1. Patches the Pirate and Corridor Creeper Decks continue to mess the meta up since (being neutrals) can be played in all kinds of decks. Read the whole meta report here.

Best of Synergies

WTF Moments

Best of Recruit

Kobolds & Catacombs Crafting Guide

Kripp on How Kobolds & Catacombs Was Saved

New Evolve Shaman

Thijs Breaks the Meta

Gaara’s OP Tempo Rogue