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Deck Archetypes Explained

Aggro, midrange, control and combo: what each one is trying to do and how to play against it.

Aggro

Aggro decks flood the board with cheap minions and use direct damage to finish. They win by forcing you to answer threats before you can set up your own plan. Against aggro, trading minions and healing are worth more than card advantage in the first few turns.

Midrange

Midrange decks fight for the board with efficient minions in the middle of the curve. They're slower than aggro but hit harder than control in the early turns. The matchup usually goes to whoever is better at holding the board around turns four to six.

Control

Control decks answer everything, then win late with a few powerful cards or by simply having more resources left. Against control, avoid overcommitting into board clears: put out just enough pressure to make them spend their removal.

Combo

Combo decks assemble specific cards to win in one or two big turns. Their weak point is the setup: pressure them early and make them use combo pieces on defense.

Most real decks blend two archetypes. The mana curve in our viewer is a quick hint at which side a deck leans toward.