Hearthpwn

Hi there, I am casual player from France and I just got legend for the first time with this baby.

Wanna sail the sea and raid cities? Wanna ride dragons? Hell yeah, you can be the dragon queen with this deck! And if you're a bit behind, take off your clothes and your opponent will concede (or at least you can scratch you genitals comfortably).

Why Playing this deck ?

In my opinion, it's a really good deck to learn competitive play. Since it's not too sequencing heavy (like patron or oil) but has some important choices to make, you will be able to focus more easily on the long term strategy, what's in your opponent's hand and the outcome of important decisions. That's the essence of hearthstone.

Plus, really, winning with that Mortal Strike top deck is very satisfaying.

Legend Proof

 

Ideas behind the deck

 

Important Decisions you have to make

• Trade or face ? You really want to be force trading (forcing your opponent to suicide his minions in yours). There is no way you can be going face all game long.  Rule of thumb : trade only if it takes one move, if it spends less damage trading than the surviving minion would do by surviving one more turn. Don't trade if you have lethal in two turns, even if the plan includes topdecking a Mortal Strike.
• Upgrading weapon ? You want to develop minions more than weapon… but you want a weapon equiped as often as possible. You don't care too much about wasting one charge of weapon. Rule of thumb : If it makes it possible to kill a minion, upgrade. If you have a better weapon in hand and you can play a minion instead (dragon or berserk) keep it for later. Turn 5+, always upgrade. Don't feel bad about double upgrading a 1/3 weapon if you have to.
• Saving Faerie Dragon [/card] for [card]Alexstrasza's Champion ? You want to activate your champion but you want tempo too… Rule of thumb : vs mage, rogue, druid and priest play it ASAP. If it dies from the board, never play it.
• Saving Southsea Deckhand or Dread Corsair for Bloodsail Cultist [/card] ? You want tempo, but upgrading your weapon is priceless and the infamous 1000/1000 Arcanite reaper will get you legend. Rule of thumb : If you have [card]bloodsail cultist and a good weapon either in hand or equiped, save the pirates for the next turn. If you don't have Bloodsail Cultist in hand play them.

Mulligans

This where the deck is fun, there are many thing you will keep or throw away depending on the other cards. The important thing is to have a curve up to turn 3. Here we go, the order is from the least to the most important cards to have in hand :

• Heroic Strike, Mortal Strike, Arcanite Reaper: always throw away.
• Upgrade! : throw away 99% of the time. If you really have a curve, that counters a specific deck, why not (something like Fiery War Axe, Upgrade! and Dread Corsair)
• Acidic Swamp Ooze : Keep vs warrior only (and kill that axe !).
• Azure Drake : Keep you have Alextrazza champion's but no other activator.
• Kor'kron Elite : Keep on coin if you have a turn 1 and a turn 2. Especially vs Chamans, keep if you have Fiery War Axe to counter the wolves.
• Southsea Deckhand, Bloodsail Cultist, Dread Corsair : Depends on the curve but most likely throw away. You can keep them if you are sure you will use them in synergy and on curve. Don't plan on a pirate surviving 2 turns, don't plan on drawing a pirate you don't have yet.
• Sir Finley Mrrgglton : Keep if you have good turn 2/3 and thing you can potentially see Argent Squire (chaman, warlock especially
• Frothing Berserker : Keep it if on curve or it's your only minion good minion.
• Alexstrasza's Champion : thoughest choice. Keep if you have an activator, if it's your only turn 2 or if you have a good curve without it (on the coin most likely) and hope to draw an activator.
• Faerie Dragon, Fiery War Axe, N'Zoth's First Mate : always keep.

General Tips

• vs hunter : you want to trade a lot, because of Houndmaster. Especially clear that 2/5 before it becomes a 4/7 taunt, even if it feels like spending a lot of ressources.
• vs chaman : be superconservative with fiery war axe and kokron elite, you want to save them for the wolves.
• Finley hero power : Mage or druid are the best. Hunter or warlock come second. You want warlock early game, late game it depends if you're close to lethal or lacking cards . You can pick dagger if you really don't have weapons. Tokens are not that helpful.
• See if you can hurt yourself for activating Mortal Strike and have lethal.
• Always play a minion over heroic strick if it doesn't die from the board. Do play heroic strike on curve as early as possible, that's less chance of it being blocked by a taunt.
• Count your damage in hand and on board from turn 4 and onward.
• You can always Upgrade! and Dread Corsair ! (1 mana, gives -1 one mana to it…)
• Play Azure Drake only as a very last resort.
• A dread corsair for more than 1 mana is not good value, play somethin else if you can.

Card swap

You can swap Acidic Swamp Ooze for Bash, Bloodsail Raider or Arathi Weaponsmith.

Leeroy Jenkins definetely is a finisher of choice too.

Other decks I used on my way up

 

Play fun decks, create your own thing and stop grinding with that #1EU shaman deck until you burn yourself out hoping to get legend. Really, it's not worth it.