Hearthstone can get expensive if you’re not wise about where you spend. In this article we here at WildHS.com have analyzed all 4 Adventures and 10 expansions released by Blizzard so far, and found where you can get the best bang for your buck when looking getting into the Wild format. Let’s get started!

The Adventures

In general, Adventures have been getting worse overtime as more and more cards from the original sets are supplanted by new, more powerful versions. Adventures provide a specific, curated set of cards so that you know exactly what you are going to get when you purchase. Adventures can provide a higher value than simply buying and opening packs if you add all the extra dust you can get if you disenchant any cards that are not currently being played. This extra dust will add up on average to little more than a single Legendary. For our value calculations, we’ve automatically taken into account this extra dust, but it’ll be up to you to decide whether that dust value is worth paying real money for.

Curse of Naxxramas

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Loatheb, Kel'Thuzad

Rares: Deathlord, Sludge Belcher, Nerubian Egg

Commons: Haunted Creeper, Mad Scientist, Poison Seeds, Avenge, Duplicate, Voidcaller, Death's Bite

Notes: While Curse of Naxxramas may not have a large amount of fantastic Legendaries or Epics, the quality of Rares and Commons is very high. A large amount of Wild staples like Deathlord, Sludge Belcher, Mad Scientist, and Voidcaller provide a lot of value to players new to Wild. However, with most of these cards being Commons and Rares, we still recommend that you spend your dust rather than your cash to get the cards you need from this set.

Set Value: 260.50 Dust per Dollar

Blackrock Mountain

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Emperor Thaurissan

Rares: Flamewaker, Resurrect, Dark Iron Skulker, Demonwrath

Commons: Quick Shot, Twilight Whelp, Imp Gang Boss, Gang Up

Notes: The worst of the Adventures, but still more solid value than cracking open packs because of the dust value of the “bad” Legendaries in the set. This set suffers from its lack of Epic cards and very linear Dragon focused mechanics. If you need Emperor Thaurissan, you’re likely better off just straight up crafting him rather than spending cash on this set.

Set Value: 204.48 Dust per Dollar

League of Explorers

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Sir Finley Mrrgglton, Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard

Rares: Excavated Evil

Commons: Keeper of Uldaman, Tunnel Trogg, Forgotten Torch, Entomb, Tomb Pillager

Notes: League of Explorers is fantastic value. This adventure offers three extremely powerful neutral Legendaries in Sir Finley Mrrgglton, Reno Jackson, and Brann Bronzebeard that see play across multiple decks. Because of the density of high quality legendaries, League of Explorer‘s ranks at the top of the Adventures in terms of getting your money’s worth in the Wild format!

Set Value: 359.18 Dust per Dollar

One Night in Karazhan

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Barnes

Rares: Silverware Golem, Babbling Book, Cat Trick, Maelstrom Portal

Commons: Netherspite Historian, Cloaked Huntress, Medivh's Valet, Firelands Portal, Swashburglar, Malchezaar's Imp

Notes: Very few Legendary cards in this Adventure set have become deck-defining, with Barnes being a key piece in Big Priest. You also have cards like Medivh's Valet, Maelstrom Portal, and Cloaked Huntress which are extremely important to their respective archetypes. With so few cards needed out of the entire set, we recommend that you spend your dust rather than your cash here.

Set Value: 208.48 Dust per Dollar

Opening Packs

For the most part, purchasing the Adventures will give better bang for your buck than opening Expansion Packs. If you’ve already completed all the adventures, or just want to crack open some packs, we’ve made a list of the expansions that provide the most value. Before we get into that list, let’s look at the expected value of opening Packs.

Pack Opening Rates by Blizzard:

RARE – At least 1 rare or better in each pack.

EPIC – Average of 1 every 5 packs.

LEGENDARY – Average of 1 every 20 pack

When opening packs from a new set, at least one Legendary is now guaranteed within the first 10 packs. This means that if you haven’t opened any packs from a certain expansion yet, you can get some decent value by buying your first 10 packs!

If you are looking for a specific card from an expansion, it is ALWAYS better to craft the card then trying to open it in a pack. For example, if you were trying to open a Dr. Boom specifically, the chances of opening him in a single pack is 1 in 400!

For those interested in the math: we calculated each set’s value by counting how many playable Legendaries, Epics, Rares, and Commons are in each set, multiplied them by their % chance to open, weighed them by their dust cost to craft, and finally divided by the cost per pack. This method doesn’t take into account extra dust you get from opening bad Legendaries and Epics, so the actual value will be slightly higher.

Classic

Solid Wild Cards:

Legendaries: Bloodmage Thalnos, Captain Greenskin,Leeroy Jenkins, Alexstrasza, Malygos, Archmage Antonidas, Edwin VanCleef

Epics: Doomsayer, Southsea Captain, Murloc Warleader, Big Game Hunter, Faceless Manipulator, Sea Giant, Mountain Giant,Preparation, Twisting Nether, Shield Slam, Brawl

Rares: Lightwarden, Secretkeeper, Knife Juggler, Sunfury Protector, Wild Pyromancer, Mind Control Tech, Twilight Drake, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Nourish, Starfall, Eaglehorn Bow, Savannah Highmane, Counterspell, Kirin Tor Mage, Blizzard, Equality, Aldor Peacekeeper, Divine Favor, Mass Dispel, SI:7 Agent, Blade Flurry, Lightning Storm, Mana Tide Totem, Shadowflame, Doomguard, Siphon Soul, Upgrade!, Frothing Berserker

Commons: Naturalize, Wrath, Explosive Trap, Freezing Trap, Unleash the Hounds, Mana Wyrm, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ice Barrier, Noble Sacrifice, Redemption, Circle of Healing, Silence, Inner Fire, Shadowstep, Cold Blood, Eviscerate, Earth Shock, Lightning Bolt, Flame Imp, Demonfire, Battle Rage, Slam, Argent Squire, Southsea Deckhand, Bloodsail Raider, Loot Hoarder, Acolyte of Pain, Ironbeak Owl, Ancient Brewmaster, Dread Corsair, Spellbreaker

Notes: The Classic Set has managed to stand the test of time as it offers plenty of competitive Wild cards for new players. The class Legendaries and Epics see plenty of play across the board from Doomsayer, to Malygos, to Leeroy Jenkins. There are an enormous amount of playable Rares and Commons as well. You can’t go wrong with the Classic Set, and I’d recommend starting here if you are a new player looking to open some packs!

Set Value: 72.22 Dust per Dollar

Goblin vs Gnomes

Solid Wild Cards:

Legendaries: Dr. Boom, Mal'Ganis

Epics: Quartermaster, Lightbomb

Rares: Jeeves, Metaltooth Leaper, Muster for Battle

Commons: Cogmaster, Annoy-o-Tron, Ship's Cannon, Piloted Shredder, Antique Healbot, Glaivezooka, Shielded Minibot, Velen's Chosen, Tinker's Sharpsword Oil, Crackle, Darkbomb

Notes: Overall, this is the one of the worst sets for getting your money’s worth. While there’s some fairly good Paladin staples with Shielded Minibot, Muster for Battle, and Quartermaster, this expansion featured a lot of Mech synergies, which see fringe amount of play in Wild even after the introduction of more Mechs with Boomsday. The set has a very low density of playable Wild Legendaries, with Mal'Ganis being one of the most sought after in this set. I’d recommend just crafting the individual cards you are looking for from this set.

Set Value: 26.64 Dust per Dollar

The Grand Tournament

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Aviana

Epics: Twilight Guardian

Rares: Draenei Totemcarver, Alexstrasza's Champion

Commons: Living Roots, Warhorse Trainer, Buccaneer, Ancestral Knowledge, Totem Golem, Argent Horserider

Notes: Hands down the worst set in terms of value. The Grand Tournament‘s mechanics Joust and Inspire are inconsistent and low in power level, meaning many of the cards in this set can’t be justified in your average Wild deck. While Aviana is a key piece in the best combo decks in the format, the majority of Legendaries from this set see little to no play in Wild. There are some great Common cards like Totem Golem and Living Roots in the set, but those should preferably be crafted. Spend your dust and not your cash when it comes to this set.

Set Value: 13.97 Dust per Dollar

Whispers of the Old Gods

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: N'Zoth, the Corruptor, Y'Shaarj, Rage Unbound, Fandral Staghelm

Epics: Faceless Shambler

Rares: Rallying Blade, Steward of Darkshire, Shadow Word: Horror, Thing from Below, Bloodsail Cultist, Eater of Secrets

Commons: Flamewreathed Faceless, N'Zoth's First Mate

Notes: Whispers of the Old Gods was once a proud set with a lot of playable Legendaries due to the Old Gods once being some of the best high cost minions in the game. However, it has slowly declined overtime as newer sets continue to outclass quite a few of the power cards in the set. The fall of C'Thun is particularly damning as almost 15% of the set (18 out of 134 cards) is comprised of his servants, who are solely dedicated to supporting him. The lack of powerful Epics also hurts this set’s value, with even the best ones having been outclassed by better options since then. I’d still recommend opening the first 10 packs for your free copy of C'Thun, two free copies of Beckoner of Evil, and your guaranteed Legendary. But anymore than that is not really worth it anymore.

Set Value: 26.64 Dust per Dollar

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Patches the Pirate, Kazakus, Aya Blackpaw, Kun the Forgotten King, Raza the Chained

Epics: Dirty Rat, Dragonfire Potion, Sleep with the Fishes

Rares: Jade Idol, Volcanic Potion, Potion of Polymorph, Kabal Crystal Runner, Greater Healing Potion, Drakonid Operative, Devolve, Jade Claws

Commons: Mistress of Mixtures, Jade Spirit, Jade Blossom, Jade Behemoth, Kabal Lackey, Potion of Madness, Jade Lightning

Notes: One of the better packs to open with plenty of Legendaries, Rares, and Commons to start your Wild collection. This set featured the powerful Jade mechanic, and so it contains many of the playable Jade cards like Aya Blackpaw, Jade Blossom, and Jade Claws. It also contains some of the most powerful highlander cards like Kazakus and Raza the Chained. Overall, the power level of this set is very high, thus making it a solid choice when buying packs.

Set Value: 45.51 Dust per Dollar

Journey To Un’Goro

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Spiritsinger Umbra, Sunkeeper Tarim, Awaken the Makers

Epics: Gluttonous Ooze, Primordial Drake, Primordial Glyph, Meteor, Shadow Visions, Vilespine Slayer

Rares: Devilsaur Egg, Stonehill Defender, Vicious Fledgling, Terrorscale Stalker, Molten Reflection, Vinecleaver, Primalfin Totem, Volcano, Corrupting Mist

Commons: Fire Fly, Tar Creeper, Arcanologist, Lost in the Jungle, Radiant Elemental

Notes: One of the better packs to open. Though most of the Quest cards are only fringe playable, they have plenty of room for growth as future expansions add more support. A large amount of playable Epics helps raise this set’s value to a surprisingly high standard. And with a good density of solid Rares and Commons to boot, this set is certainly one of the better options of packs to purchase.

Set Value: 47.14 Dust per Dollar

Knights of the Frozen Throne

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Prince Keleseth, The Lich King, Malfurion the Pestilent, Deathstalker Rexxar, Frost Lich Jaina, Shadowreaper Anduin, Bloodreaver Gul'dan, Valeera the Hollow

Epics: Skulking Geist, Ultimate Infestation, Simulacrum, Obsidian Statue, Doomerang, Gnomeferatu, Dead Man's Hand

Rares: Saronite Chain Gang, Spreading Plague, Eternal Servitude, Shadow Essence, Defile, Despicable Dreadlord

Commons: Cobalt Scalebane, Play Dead, Stitched Tracker, Righteous Protector, Spirit Lash, Leeching Poison, Blood Razor

Notes: Most of the power in this set is concentrated in the new Death Knight Hero cards as well as a few really powerful individual cards like Ultimate Infestation and Prince Keleseth. This set is a must-open for Druid and Priest players in particular, as a lot of powerful cards for some of the classes’ most powerful archetypes are found within this set. Overall, Knights of the Frozen Throne is a pretty solid choice as most of the Death Knights are playable and the overall power level of the set is pretty high.

Set Value: 60.17 Dust per Dollar

Kobolds & Catacombs

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Zola the Gorgon, King Togwaggle, Aluneth, Kingsbane, Skull of the Man'ari

Epics: Void Ripper, Carnivorous Cube, Branching Paths, Level Up!, Psychic Scream, Voidlord

Rares: Lesser Jasper Spellstone, Wandering Monster, Lesser Emerald Spellstone, Explosive Runes, Unidentified Maul, Twilight's Call, Duskbreaker, Lesser Diamond Spellstone, Elven Minstrel, Hooked Reaver, Lesser Amethyst Spellstone

Commons: Ironwood Golem, Oaken Summons, Candleshot, Flanking Strike, Arcane Artificer, Cavern Shinyfinder, Healing Rain, Kobold Librarian, Vulgar Homunculus, Dire Mole, Plated Beetle, Fungalmancer

Notes: This set has been one of the most powerful in a while, singlehandedly revitalizing old archetypes and creating completely new ones. While it has quite a share of great Commons and Rares, most of its power is derived from its Epics; from Carnivorous Cube all the way down to Voidlord and just about anything in between. Despite initial expectations, the Legendary Weapons have mostly flopped in terms of competitive play, making the overall value of a Legendary in this set quite low. Regardless, this is still a great set for your value!

Set Value: 60.49 Dust per Dollar

Witchwood

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Genn Greymane, Azalina Soulthief, Baku the Mooneater, Lord Godfrey

Epics: Baleful Banker, Voodoo Doll, Mossy Horror

Rares: Witchwood Piper, Witchwood Grizzly, Earthen Might, Murkspark Eel

Commons: Hench-Clan Thug, Rotten Applebaum, Ferocious Howl, Divine Hymn, Warpath

Notes: Witchwood has proven to be an extremely underwhelming expansion in terms of Wild value. The cards from the set that are seeing play are so few and far between compared to the overall size of the set that you’re better off just crafting whatever you need from Witchwood over wasting your gold buying packs. That said, the few cards that had an impact in the format had a very big impact, with Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater both becoming the crutch upon which the most powerful aggressive strategies in the format rely on to stay competitive. So we recommend that you spend your dust rather than your gold or your hard-earned cash on this expansion.

Set Value: 30.43 Dust per Dollar

The Boomsday Project

Solid Wild Cards

Legendaries: Zilliax, Flobbidinous Floop, Stargazer Luna, The Soularium, Dr. Boom, Mad Genius

Epics: Juicy Psychmelon

Rares: Galvanizer, Replicating Menace, Spider Bomb, Soul Infusion, Omega Assembly

Commons: Faithful Lumi, Mecharoo, Upgradeable Framebot, Bronze Gatekeeper, Explodinator, Wargear, Biology Project, Venomizer, Research Project, Demonic Project, Doubling Imp

Notes: There was a lot of hype going into this set, with hope that it would encourage players to explore the Wild format and its vastly superior breadth of Mechs to play with and Magnetize stuff onto. The new Magnetic Mechs did have a non-zero amount of impact on the format, encouraging new archetypes like Mech Druid, Mech Hunter, and Mech Combo Priest. Decks like Zoolock and Control Warrior also got some nice toys to play with this expansion. Sadly, all of this was overshadowed by the oppressive power of a Sagan wannabe and his giant melon. Still, the set has a decent amount of value spread out fairly evenly across all the rarities. And with a good amount of chase Legendaries available in the set, it puts this set right in the middle of the pack in terms of value.

Set Value: 34.62 Dust per Dollar

Conclusion

In terms of getting the best value for your buck, the Adventures are the way to go. For Wild, the best Adventures ranks as follows:

League of Explorers Curse of Naxxramas One Night In Karazhan Blackrock Mountain

If you are looking to open packs, I’ve listed a lot of the best cards you can find in each set. Overall, the best expansion packs to open are:

Classic Set Kobolds & Catacombs Knights of the Frozen Throne Journey to Un’goro Mean Streets of Gadgetzan The Boomsday Project Witchwood Whispers of the Old Gods Goblins VS Gnomes The Grand Tournament

In this article we only calculated the value of Wild playable cards. You’ll end up with a lot of dust from the random other cards you’ll gather from these Adventures and Card Packs that you can use as you please!

If you’re feeling like the cost of Hearthstone is getting too high, there’s plenty of budget deck options available. Also remember, while Wild may have a high cost initially, keeping up with the set rotations of Standard is ultimately more pricey than sticking around while your Wild collection continues to build up. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more Wild Hearthstone!