Hearthstone - best free Warrior deck, basic deck, Warrior cards

Hearthstone's Warrior is a great choice for those who want to control the flow of a match. As the most prolific weapon user in the game, this class has a sharpened solution for pretty much every problem, not to mention a fine roster of cards that are capable of charging straight into a bothersome minion without having to wait a turn before they come into play.

Not only does the Warrior have plenty of offensive tricks in its arsenal, it also possesses an armour-adding Hero Power which effectively extends the Hero's health pool each time it's used. The patient player will find themselves able to weather even the toughest of storms with this Hero, while preparing their own formidable forces at the same time.

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Popular Warrior cards

Fiery War Axe - Equip a 3/2 weapon

Arcanite Reaper - Equip a 5/2 weapon

Gorehowl - Equip a 7/1 weapon. Attacking a minion costs 1 Attack instead of 1 Durability.

Few classes are as dependant on their weapons as the Warrior, and there are three different types they can take advantage of. As always, weapons are most effective when used to eliminate enemy minions from the board, but there's no reason you can't make use of them to go directly for your opponent's face - particularly if Gorehowl can push you cleanly over the finishing line.

If you're fighting a Warrior, remember to hold onto any Acidic Swamp Oozes you have in your hand until your opponent has armed themselves. You should also avoid playing any very weak minions early on - Warriors love to upset your early plans by making efficient use of the Fiery War Axe, for example.

Heroic Strike - Give your hero +4 Attack this turn

Mortal Strike - Deal 4 damage. If you have 12 or less Health, deal 6 instead.

These two cards give the Warrior a great burst of damage when it's needed, but note that Mortal Strike deals its damage directly as a spell, while you'll have to get up close and personal with your Hero to make use of Heroic Strike - and that might mean taking some damage. If you're confident your opponent can't kill you on your next turn, it's worth waiting until you're below 12 health before making use of Mortal Strike - just be very, very sure you'll get the chance to use it...

If you see a Warrior dithering over a card when you've got minions out on the board - and they're low but above 12 health - you can bet your bottom dollar they're weighing up the pros and cons of playing Mortal Strike. Factor this into your decision making when it comes to playing your minions, or you're thinking about taking any more of the Warrior's health away from him.

Frothing Berserker

The Frothing Berserker catches a lot of new players out, as its damage boost occurs whenever any and every minion on the board takes damage. Run the Frothing Berserker into a very low-value enemy minion, and you'll get boosts for hurting that minion, and another boost for hurting the Frothing Berserker itself. The damage can add up extremely quickly, giving you an enormous early-game advantage while putting huge pressure on your opponent.

If you find yourself on the wrong side of the Berserker, it's an excellent time to make use of any hard removal or damage spells you have in your hand. As a regular card it's not all that intimidating, but the potential for its threat to escalate rapidly is clear for all to see. Just ry to get the best value you can from any minions you have to sacrifice in order to destroy it.

Arathi Weaponsmith

The Arathi Weaponsmith is a very popular Warrior card, as it doesn't just lay a fairly decent minion on the board, it also equips you with a weapon that might just clear out your opponent's last played minion, leaving you with the attacking advantage. Try not to play this card while you already have a weapon equipped, though. If you've only got one durability left on your current weapon, consider spending it before laying this card down.

If you're playing against the Warrior and you see this card come into play, the best thing you can do is simply treat it as you would any other minion, while being aware that the Warrior has the upper-hand, and can effectively trade up the damage capability of this card thanks to the "free" weapon that came with it.

Kor'kron Elite

If you've found yourself falling behind the tempo of a game, pulling out the Kor'kron Elite can really help you even out the playing field. The Charge ability gives you an immediate answer to an early play your opponent might have made, but don't throw it away needlessly early on. It may do a much better job of saving your bacon later on in the match, where the card's Charge ability can have an even bigger impact.

When playing against the Warrior, try and use a high health minion if you're the one to head into turn four first. Your opponent may not be packing this card, but it's so popular that there's an excellent chance he's holding onto one.

The best basic Warrior deck

This deck from the Hearthpwn database provides you with many of the tools you need to deal with your opponent's opening threat, while slowly but surely working to establish your own. Your Whirlwind is particularly useful against opponents who rush a flood of low-value minions onto the board, while Fiery War Axe is great for eliminating chunkier threats from slower players.

If it's at all possible, try to keep your minions with Charge back for a threat they can eliminate from nowhere, rather than playing them out as a straightforward minion. This will hopefully lead to your opponent making some poor trades, which will gradually nudge the balance of play in your favour. As well as keeping your card-draw flowing, Shield Block's effectively good for gifting you an extra five health, giving you even more time to draw options from your deck.

If you can use your Gurubashi Berserker to take out a very weak minion, and trigger its very useful enraged damaged boost, you're in a great position to dominate the board, then continue do so as minions like Boulderfist Ogre and Stormwind Champion come into play.

Looking for more of the best free Hearthstone decks? Head back to the first page of this article.