Hearthstone is undoubtedly one of the greatest collectible digital card games for Windows and other platforms. Ever since 2014, it has had an ever-expanding card library that refreshes the Standard game. Hearthstone includes more than 2,000 playable cards for players to collect. Many of those cards are forgettable ones that few players will ever remember playing. However, the best cards in Hearthstone’s history have won (or had a big impact on) countless games. These are nine of the best ever Hearthstone cards that players will always cherish.
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1. Zephyrs the Great
Zephrys the Great is a two-mana legendary minion with 3/2 attack and health stats that took the Standard game by storm in 2019 and 2020. That’s because Zephrys has quite possibly the best Battlecry effect in the history of Hearthstone. Its Battlecry analyzes the board and enables players to wish for an ideal card out of a choice of three. Whether you need a finisher, board clearance, hard removal, health generation, or Taunt card, Zephrys will give you whatever you need when you need it so long as your deck includes no duplicates! For that reason, this card has won the hearts of Hearthstone Highlander deck players the world over.
Zephrys the Great
2. Baku the Mooneater
Baku the Mooneater was one of two cards that ushered in a Hearthstone revolution by introducing odd/even card decks. This nine-mana minion card upgrades your Hero Power so long as your deck only has odd cards in it. For example, the Priest-class Heal Hero Power restores four health instead of two when upgraded with Baku’s start game effect. In most cases, Baku makes the Hero Powers twice as good; and you don’t even have to play this card for any mana to upgrade them. For that reason, Baku earned its place in Hearthstone’s Hall of Fame. Although not available in Standard, this card can still give you a notable advantage in Wild format games.
Baku the Mooneater
3. Ultimate Infestation
This Druid-class card shocked the Hearthstone gaming community when Blizzard first revealed it. Many players could not believe that one card, albeit a 10-mana one, could do so many things. Ultimate Infestation draws five cards, deals five damage to a target, provides five armor, and summons a 5/5 minion. A 5/5 minion and 5-card draw alone would be well worth playing for 10 mana. With those extra bits on top, Ultimate Infestation is quite simply one of the best value cards in Hearthstone’s history. Furthermore, it’s also an epic card when it should really be a legendary one, which makes it somewhat cheaper to craft!
Ultimate Infestation
4. Leeroy Jenkins
Mr. Jenkins is the best ever finishing card in Hearthstone’s history. It’s exactly because Leeroy was finishing too many games in Standard format that Blizzard shifted it into the Hall of Fame (and then Legacy set). Countless players were finishing off their opponents in Standard format with this legendary 5-mana Charge card thanks to its 6/2 attack/health stats. As a five-mana card, players can combine Jenkins with numerous cards to inflict even more damage on the turn they play it. Thus, Leeroy’s six damage and considerable combo potential have made this card one of the most prolific match winners Hearthstone’s history.
Leeroy Jenkins
5. Tirion Fordring
Exactly why Blizzard has never nerfed the Paladin-class Tirion Fordring minion is something of a mystery. Mr. Fordring is an eight-mana legendary minion with 6/6 attack and health stats, Divine Shield, Taunt, and a Deathrattle effect that gives you a 5/3 weapon. Something is clearly not right there as a 6/6 minion with Divine Shield and Taunt alone has got to be worth at least six mana. There’s no way a 5/3 Ashbringer weapon, with which you can inflict 15 damage across three turns, can be worth just two mana! Fordring should really be at least a nine-mana drop, but as it is this card is one of the best minions in Hearthstone.
Tirion Fordring
Ok, some players might say Fordring is vulnerable to Silence cards. That might be true, but there aren’t that many Silence cards in Hearthstone (so they don’t get played much). Furthermore, it can also be said that ALL minions with Deathrattle, Taunt, Divine Shield, and ongoing turn-based effects are vulnerable to Silence cards. The Lich King, Zilliax, Thaurissan, and other top minions can be nullified much the same.
6. Bloodreaver Gul’dan
The Bloodreaver Gul’dan is a legendary 10-mana Hero Power card for Warlock-class decks that can almost win games all on its own. Its Battlecry that summons all friendly Demon minions lost during a match can have a considerable impact on the battlefield. Added to that, Bloodreaver Gul’dan gives you a Siphon Life Hero Power with Lifesteal that inflicts three damage on selected targets and regenerates health for you every time you utilize it. An immediate five armor boost from Gul’dan is a good additional bonus.
Bloodreaver Gul’dan
Therefore, Bloodreaver Gul’dan ticks all the boxes for a Hero Power card. It can have a decisive impact on the battlefield, regenerate your hero’s health to keep you in a match, and inflict lots of damage, which can’t be blocked, on an opponent across turns. What more could you possibly want from a Hero Power card? Ok, it’s not cheap, but Gul’dan more than justifies its high mana cost.
7. Zilliax
Zilliax was one of the most widely played minions in Hearthstone before it rotated out of Standard format. This is an ideal all-purpose legendary card you can play for five mana that incorporates Magnetic, Divine Shield, Taunt, Lifesteal, and Rush keyword effects. Although its 3/2 attack and health states are rather poor for a five-mana drop, Zilliax’s five keyword effects make it one of the most flexible minions in Hearthstone’s history. You can utilize this card to regain at least six health, knock a cheap minion off the board, and give your hero a bit of protection to boot. It’s a decent card even in decks that don’t include lots of Mechs.
Zilliax
However, the Mech factor makes Zilliax one of the best ever Hearthstone cards. Zilliax is a powerhouse in Mech decks that include lots of Magnetic minions you can combine it with to boost its stats. For example, combining this minion with one 4/5 Mech on the battlefield would give you a terrific 7/7 Zilliax that will regenerate seven health per attack and can knock a bigger minion off the board with its Rush effect. Combining multiple Mechs with Zilliax can give you a pretty awesome minion that can have a decisive impact on matches. Therefore, this is the best Mech card in Hearthstone’s history.
8. Sea Giant
Sea Giant is one of the best neutral cards in Hearthstone’s history for zoo and aggro decks at least. This is a 10-mana minion with 8/8 attack and health values that costs one less for each minion (on both sides of the board) that’s in play. For example, a total of eight minions on the battlefield will reduce Sea Giant’s cost to two mana.
Sea Giant
The fact that Sea Giant can feasibly be played for zero mana, with some regularity, in zoo and aggro decks makes it one of the best ever Hearthstone cards. An 8/8 minion for three mana or less is amazing value. It’s pretty easy to play Sea Giant for five mana, which is still great value for a big-hitting minion. Thus, this card is invaluable for all zoo decks with wide-board strategies. Even if you’re not playing a zoo deck, Sea Giant can still be good for other decks types because your opponents’ minions will also always reduce its mana cost. This card’s value is also boosted by its epic status, which makes it much cheaper to craft than a legendary one.
9. Emperor Thaurissan
At the time of writing, 627 players rate Emperor Thaurissan 4.8/5 on the Hearthstone Top Decks card database website. This legendary six-mana minion is among the most highly-rated cards in Hearthstone because of its ongoing effect that reduces the mana cost of all cards in your hand by one at the end of each of your turns. Having the cost of your hands’ cards reduced by just one mana is good, but a potential two, three, or even four mana reduction for all cards in your hand is something truly special. With 5/5 attack and health values, Thaurissan’s stat value might be a little poor for a six-mana minion; but that matters little when it offers one of the best ongoing effects in Hearthstone.
Emperor Thaurissan
The above cards have been magical ones for many Hearthstone players ever since Blizzard released their decks. Those are nine of the best ever Hearthstone cards, but not necessarily THE top nine best cards in the game’s history. There are quite a few others not mentioned there that are also among the best cards in the game’s history. Alas, none of the above cards are available for Standard format anymore; but you can still add them to your Wild decks.
