Hearthpwn

 

1. Introduction

2. Proof

3. Card Descriptions, Synergies And Tricks You Might Not Know

4. Mulligans & Winrates

5. Substitutes

6. Feedback

1. Introduction

Hi, I'm Haramad, a player from Ukraine.

Let me introduce you the deck I hit #1 legend on EU this season (ended season #13 EU).

You can also follow me on twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/haramadhs

2. Proof

3. Card Descriptions, Synergies And Tricks You Might Not Know

Warlock Hero Power is, probably, the best one, as we have double the chance to top deck. This deck has all the tools to win, yet it is all about the decisions you make, as you will often find youself facing multiple choices. Making the right ones requires a lot of practice, knowing when to use Hero Power, predicting your opponent's plays - all of that is hard to teach in a guide, but let's give it a try :)

The general idea of this deck is to survive, until you have collected all the combo pieces to burst your opponent down in one turn. The variety of heals, taunts and removals I chose to include will help you achieve that goal. However, the combo isn't our only win condition, there are other high value minions to pressure your opponent as we cycle through our deck looking for combo pieces. Healing youself and stabilizing the board is often the key to winning the game.

So, one of the win conditions is the Leeroy Jenkins+Faceless Manipulator+Power Overwhelming combo.

Leeroy Jenkins+Faceless Manipulator=12 dmg

Leeroy Jenkins+Faceless Manipulator+Power Overwhelming=20dmg (keep in mind, you need to get the Emperor Thaurissan cost reduction on at least 1 of the combo pieces in order to do this).

You can get even more damage by discovering additional power-ups from the Dark Peddler (Power Overwhelming, Abusive Sergeant) going up to 36dmg, which is more than enough to kill most opponents in one turn.

Golden rule #1 ALWAYS keep Reno Jackson in the starting hand, anything can happen, it is our ultimate heal.

Golden rule #2 DO NOT stick to the combo pieces if you are in a desperate situation, use them in order to survive and get advantage (I had a situation, where I had to use Faceless Manipulator on a shaman taunt totem on turn 5, and it helped me survive until turn 6, where I played  Reno Jackson and won the game in the end, so be creative!

Golden rule #3 When facing options, wether to gain more profit in case of good luck or to play safe and gain less profit, choose the safe play! (though it might not always be obvious)

 1. Mortal Coil. I would keep this card in the opening hand if I feel like I'm facing aggro, and against Paladins, due to their Hero Power.

2. Power Overwhelming. Never keep this in the starting hand. Save it for the combo, unless you have to use it for trades.

3. Bane of Doom. Do not expect much of this card. It is a light removal, but it can save you the day occasionally. The "premium" demons we are always happy to see: Lord Jaraxxus, Illidan Stormrage, Fearsome Doomguard, Dread Infernal, Doomguard, Pit Lord. "Average" demons: Void Crusher, Dreadsteed,Felguard, Imp Gang Boss, Succubus. "Lesser" demons (clumsy and unworthy): Wrathguard, Tiny Knight of Evil, Voidwalker, Flame Imp and the forsaken champion - Blood Imp.

4. Dark Peddler. Good 2-drop, and a source of additional power-ups for the combo. Best used with Brann Bronzebeard.

5. Demonfire. Cheap AoE, has a good synergy with Imp Gang Boss.

6.  Imp Gang Boss. So great against aggro and in the early game. I would generally keep it in the starting hand.

7. Shadow Bolt. With the Darkbomb gone in Standard, this is our main single-target removal. Keep it to clear high-threat minions like Flamewaker, Frothing Berserker, Azure Drake, Tomb Pillager, Totem Golem etc. Combine with Mortal Coil to kill 5 health minions.

8. Hellfire. Great boardclear, keep it against aggro.

9. Shadowflame. A very diverse AoE, use it depending on the situation. Combine with Sylvanas Windrunner for board clearing+stealing big enemy minions.

10. Siphon Soul. Ultimate single-target removal. Keep it to get rid of big enemy minions. Great thing about this card is, that it does not inflict damage, therefore does not trigger the targets effect (Siphoning Acolyte of Pain will not give your opponent any cards), ignores divine shields, etc. The heal for 3 is also an important part of this card, you can use it on your own minions if you desperatly need the healing.

11. Twisting Nether. The ultimate AoE. Clears any board without dealing damage to the minions, leaving only the deathrattles behind. Use it wisely. Twisting Nether followed by a Doomsayer is a powerful combo, usually making your opponent skip a turn.

12. Doomsayer. The true MVP of this deck, value beyond comprehension! Stops aggro in the early game. Forces your opponent to make awkward decisions - waste lots of removal or lose the board. Even if it gets killed, it literally saves you 7 hp and buyes you the time. If it gets silenced - not a big deal! You can make a taunt out of it later on with the help of Defender of Argus or Sunfury Protector. All of that, and only for 2 mana! :) Sadly, it gets wrecked by Stampeding Codo and Crazed Alchemist.

13. Sunfury Protector. Makes taunts out of adjacent minions, while having decent stats for its cost.

14. Brann Bronzebeard. Interacts with nearly every battlecry card in this deck. Try to get as much value out of it, as you can. You can still drop it to contest the board and bait out enemy removals if you have no better plays.

15. Earthen Ring Farseer. A balanced 3-drop, good stats, nice heal. You can use it to heal your own minions to get advantage on the board.

16. Mind Control Tech. Crazy rng effect, but always in you favor! Use it with Brann Bronzebeard for huge tempo swings (keep in mind, the there must be 5+ minions on the enemy board for Brann to work). You can still put it on board as a 3-3 body. Another crazy combo is Leeroy Jenkins+Mind Control Tech, use it at your own risk :)

17. Defender of Argus. More taunts! Best value with Brann Bronzebeard.

18. Refreshment Vendor. I would generally keep this in the opening hand if i don't have a better 4-drop. We don't really care much about healing the opponent, it is our healing that matters. The stats are fine for the cost.

19. Lord Jaraxxus. 

20. Spellbreaker. We need a silence in our deck, and this is our choice after the nerf of Ironbeak Owl, due to improved stats.

21. Twilight Drake. One of the strongest cards in this deck, as long as it is more than 4-5, it gains value. This minion usually trades 2-for-1 if not better. The drawback is its vulnerability to silence. I generally keep it in the opening hand.

22. Cult Apothecary. I have doubts about this card, maybe I will change it for something else later on, as it rarely healed me for its full potential. I get 2-6 heals on average.

23. Faceless Manipulator. It is part of our combo, but still can be used for other purposes: copying another Ragnaros the Firelord, Mountain Giant, making additional taunts, copying enemy Tirion Fordring, etc.

24. Leeroy Jenkins. SMOrc!!!

25. Stampeding Kodo. Insane value against so many minions: Armorsmith, Acolyte of Pain, Doomsayer, Flamewaker, Imp Gang Boss, Bloodhoof Brave, etc. Does not trigger the card draw from Acolyte of Pain. Play with Brann Bronzebeard for the double profit!

26. Emperor Thaurissan. You would usually drop guy this on turn 6, as it makes life a lot easier. Ideally, you would want at least one of the combo pieces to be reduced too.

27. Reno Jackson. Ah, what else can I say here?

28. Ragnaros the Firelord. Yep, this guy is so random. But it applies a lot of pressure on your opponent, and can't be ignored forever.

29. Sylvanas Windrunner. Forces your opponent to make unfavourable trades. Use it with Shadowflame to clear the board and steal something big. Play Sylvanas Windrunner+Power Overwhelming+End the turn to steal big enemy minions undamaged.

30. Mountain Giant. With Molten Giant nerfed, Mountain Giant fits well in the deck, the cheapest you can play it is for 3 mana with 10 cards in your hand.

4. Mulligans & Winrates

Hunter

Mulligan for: Mortal Coil, Dark Peddler, Doomsayer, Imp Gang Boss, Demonwrath, Shadow Bolt. Try to keep the board clear, kill the beasts, keep in mind, Houndmaster may pop out on turn 4. Be ready for turn 8 Call of the Wild and don't get yourself shot :)

Mage

Mulligan for: Dark Peddler, Doomsayer, Imp Gang Boss, Demonwrath, Shadow Bolt, Twilight Drake, Reno Jackson. Tempo Mages have lots of burst damage and cheap removal. Kill Sorcerer's Apprentice and Flamewaker at all costs. Put big threats on board to bait out their Fireballs and other removal. Beware of Flamestrike on turn 7. Trade, don't go for face unless the enemy board is empty. Freeze Mages are very rare in Standard and easy to win. Keep pressuring them, don't give them extra cards, don't make the game last too long, don't get yourself too low on hp. Remember, you can silence your own frozen minions for an unexpected blow.

Priest

Mulligan for: Shadow Bolt, Doomsayer, Twilight Drake, Mountain Giant, Refreshment Vendor. N'zoth Priests usually play slowly. Use your Hero Power as often, as you can, it is difficult for them to keep up with your card draw. Play on curve, clear the board, try to discover additional power-ups for the combo, pressure them. Keep Twisting Nether for their N'Zoth. When you have the full combo in hand, all what's left is to bring the priest down low enough for the OTK. Dragon Priests might be a bit more agressive, but not much trouble.

Paladin

Mulligan for: Mortal Coil, Dark Peddler, Doomsayer, Imp Gang Boss, Demonwrath, Stampeding Kodo, Twilight Drake, Refreshment Vendor. N'zoth Paladins don't pressure the board much, so use your Hero Power as often as you can. Any serious minion you play will most likely get its attack reduced to 1 or get wrecked by Equality etc. The key to win against them is to steal their Tirion Fordring. The easiest way to do it is to play Sylvanas Windrunner+Shadowflame, so fish for those cards. Finish them with the combo. Against Cancer Paladins, remove their minions with AoE, heal yourself and try to empty your hand to diminish the effect of Divine Favor.

Shaman

Mulligan for: Reno Jackson, Mortal Coil, Hellfire, Shadow Bolt, Doomsayer, Imp Gang Boss, Earthen Ring Farseer, Demonfire, Mind Control Tech. Shamans, both aggro and midrange, are not an easy matchup. You need a really good hand in order to deal with the early flood of enemy minions, so fish for AoE, taunts and cheap minions. Flamewreathed Faceless can cause a lot of trouble early on, so don't hesitate on spending Power Overwhelming in order to kill it. Reno Jackson usually seals the deal againt Shamans.

Rogue

Mulligan for: Shadow Bolt, Twilight Drake, Mountain Giant. You will have a hard time fighting Rogues. It's extremely difficult to keep in pace with the insane Gadgetzan Auctioneer card draw, not to mention Sap, which is almost a cheat :) Try to pressure them with minions like Twilight Drake and Mountain Giant early on, bait out their Saps and Evicerates. Shadow Bolt is fantastic for removing most of Rogues minions. Stealthed minions can be removed with Twisting Nether, Hellfire+Demonfire, Sylvanas Windrunner+Power Overwhelming, Shadowflame, Ragnaros the Firelord but you often don't have access to that in time. Save taunts for late game to block incoming burst.

Warlock

Warrior

Druid

to be edited soon...

5. Substitutes

The following cards might be replaced: Sunfury Protector, Cult Apothecary, Stampeding Kodo or anything else you might consider.

Replacements I can offer: Corruption, Abusive Sergeant, Faceless Shambler, Big Game Hunter.

Why no DOOM!!? Too slow and the card draw is not an issue for us.

6. Feedback

I'm open to any costructive feedback in the comments!

 

Special thanks to grimasnik for some inspiring suggestions!

Feel free to follow me on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/haramadhs