Constructed is among one of the more popular formats in all card games, Hearthstone is no exception.

What is Constructed?

Constructed is a format where players build their own decks with their own collection of cards and uses that deck to play against other players which have done the same. This is different from other draft/sealed formats because in draft/sealed formats players are given a set amount of cards to choose from however in constructed there is no restrictions on what cards you can use. When getting into constructed, building your first deck can be difficult, especially with a low collection of cards.

Deck Strategies

There are four major archetypes of decks in hearthstone: aggro (aggressive), midrange, control and combo decks.

Aggressive decks try to win the game as fast as possible, it does this by gaining early board control while swarming the board with lots of cheap minions. Aggressive decks tend to a very low mana curve. Popular aggro decks in the current meta game include Zoolock and Face Hunter.

Midrange decks aim to control the board with removal spells, trading efficiently with minions and closing out the game with strong mid-game minions. Midrange styled decks tend to have an evenly spread mana curve. Popular midrange decks in the current meta game include Deathrattle Hunter and Ramp Druid.

Control Decks aim to gain board control and card advantage, control decks aim to maximise a card's effectiveness. It does this by gaining favourable minion trades. Strong removal spells, ''2 for 1's'' allow control decks to be ahead in cards while keeping the board clear. Control decks look to win in the very late game, it does this by running multiple late game finishers and huge minions in the late game after establishing board control. Control decks tend to have a very high mana curve. Popular control decks in the current meta game include: Control Warrior and Handlock.

Combo Decks aim to use specific interactions between certain cards to gain card advantage, board control or even to straight out win the game. Combo decks tend to win in the late game when they can set up their combo/combos and close out the game. Combo decks also tend to run cards which provide huge tempo swings such as Sap and Frost Nova. The mana curve of a combo deck varies on which deck you may be playing for example Miracle Rogue tends to keep a lower mana curve focusing on using Gadgetzan Auctioneer's card draw to gain card advantage where as Freeze mage runs Alexstrasza to prepare for a burn combo.

Building A Collection

At first Hearthstone might seem a bit overwhelming and even a bit frustating with only the default soulbound cards. The most efficient way of starting off and building a collection from scratch is the arena, by learning arena you will almost always make a profit out of the 150 gold that you spend on a ticket each time. In other words there is no real method of getting a massive collection overnight without spending real cash on the game. Opening packs is all chance and is no guarantee you will get epics and legendaries in each pack.

If you wish to gain gold for packs from playing constructed with limited cards, look to build a cheap deck that can win often. Cheap decks include Deathrattle Hunter and Zoolock, both these decks can be made under 3000-5000 dust and often have good success in constructed. You can often build these decks extremely quickly and gain a lot of gold quicker through wins in ''play'' mode.

-Entrinity