Dream of Medivh [Even Druid]
- Last updated May 27, 2019 (RoS Rogue Nerfs)
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Wild
- 13 Minions
- 17 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Ramp Druid
- Crafting Cost: 9200
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 9/3/2016 (Karazhan)
- RavenSunHP
- Registered User
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- 11
- 36
- 204
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
302
"The sleeper has awakened"
Foreword
Versatility has always been the very core of the Druid class, and I think this deck is a great expression of that concept.
Indeed, I am particularly proud of this deck because it has an efficient mix of Ramp and Card Draw system, together with solid Choose One options.
IMPORTANT: This is an old homebrew Ramp deck, that i keep twisting in WILD. Updated now to an Even setup. This is NOT a meta-breaker deck and is not meant to be, but plenty viable for laddering, and can actually counter some of the top dogs in the meta.
This is basically a Midrange deck, now with a Tempo focus with the Even setup.
A secondary attribute of this deck is the surprise factor: nobody expects an Even Druid (so far), so they will hardly have any idea of your game plan.
Key Cards
Wild Growth: your basic ramp card. If you are already high on mana, keep it as a card draw after turn 10 (it gives you Excess Mana).RIP Wild Growth, you will be missed. The decks still holds 4 very efficient ramp cards, so ramping is still a solid option.- Darnassus Aspirant: great board presence, that can lead to a subtle but insane ramp advantage the more she stays alive.
- Mire Keeper: incredibly versatile card. It chains perfectly with the two previous cards. To be used mainly as ramp, unless threatened by a large board.
- Medivh, the Guardian is the final key card of this deck, since its inception. It synergises very well with a lot of spells in the deck, acting as lategame steam and Tempo swings. The ramp engine of the deck helps at getting him out early.
Cards Explanation and Synergies
- Genn Greymane: other than being a cool guy, the Even setup allows for continuous pinging, good for board dominance against Aggro.
- Savage Combatant: new MVP of the Even setup. Incredibly strong card in an Even deck. Insane Tempo.
- Fandral Staghelm: do I really need to say anything? Well, this is a ramp deck, so you have plenty of mana as to use Fandral greedily in a good combo. But you can dare to play him on curve against Aggro, or when you know that he's safe for the next turn.
- Shellshifter for versatility. It can basically turn either into an anti-Aggro or anti-Control card. Great at stabilising the board, especially after ramp.
- Branching Paths: this card has always been OP and there is no need to explain it. It offers emergency draw and armor, but it turns into a lethal if you use it as a buff. Either way, this card is a major wincondition.
- Spreading Plague: huge defensive tool, and insane Tempo swing. Synergy with Medivh and Branching Paths.
- Starfire: good removal with a built-in card draw. Its high cost is particularly affordable in a ramp deck. Synergy with Medivh. Notice that it can go to face, and nobody expects you to have such an apparently slow card in your deck.
- Ultimate Infestation your Starfire on steroids.
Mulligan
ALWAYS keep Darnassus Aspirant.
More in general, your priority is to curve out, so it is wise to keep at least one 2-drop. Definitely Replace anything that costs (6) or more. Additionally, you should consider:
- Mire Keeper if you already have a Darnassus Aspirant and/or if you are against Control.
- protect Darnassus Aspirant with a taunt, such as Druid of the Swarm.
- absolutely keep Acidic Swamp Ooze against any Weapon classes, including Warrior, Rogue, Paladin, Hunter, Shaman.
Strategy
- Ramp & Curve during the early game (notice that many cards are multipurpose, so you can choose for the best path every time).
- Don't worry if you can't ramp early. Play on Tempo, control the board with pings.
- Use Fandral Staghelm wisely. On curve only if safe enough, or to buy vital time against Aggro.
- Use Swipe carefully against aggro, don't rush. It is often worth to ping with hero power for a few turns and let your opponent to build some board that can be fully cleared with a swipe.
- Similarly for Spreading Plague: don't rush it, wait for your opponent to go wide, as much as possible while staying safe.
- Keep your health far from opponent's lethal burst with taunts and armor.
- At this point you should have either repelled a good amount of your opponent's efforts, and/or you have ramped up quite well. Or, your opponent has been more conservative than you. In any case, TIME TO PRESS ON.
- ALWAYS check for lethal: very often, while playing on Tempo, you are so busy to trade that sometimes you are in reach to finish off your opponent, but you don't realise it.
Remember that many of your defensive cards are also good as burst/finishers: Starfire, Swipe (these two together account for 18 damage total already), Ultimate Infestation, and Branching Paths.
Options
- - Druid of the Saber => Golakka Crawler. This option is necessary in case Pirates become popular (mainly Pirate Warrior, Odd Rogue, Kingsbane Rogue). Otherwise, the Druid is just more versatile, so it's better in general. Plated Beetle could be a fine compromise.
- - Medivh, the Guardian => + The Lich King. Better against Aggro/Midrange, worse against Control/Combo.
- - Shellshifter => + Saronite Chain Gang.
This helps with board buff, and sometimes with defense too, but in my experience the turtle's flexibility is just great. - Moonglade Portal used to be a key card as well, but in time, it grew obsolete, now even more, with the demise of Wild Growth. You can still try it as a one-of.
Replacements
- Medivh, the Guardian > Tending Tauren. Doing so makes you slightly more aggressive, but it gives you much less lategame value. Also, you carve out half of the soul of the deck...
- Fandral Staghelm > Tending Tauren. This one is a solid replacement, just worse for early game purposes against Aggro.
Too many 1-ofs, this deck needs some refinement imo...
It surely does. :)
I didn't have enough time to extensively test yet, but some of the 1-ofs are calculated choices (which might be wrong ofc, but I need more feedback for that).
Consider also that the first version was (and a suggested replacement version still is) based on The Curator, so card draw was even stronger and 1-ofs actually make for the best choices if you have many cards in hand.
EDIT: i just realised that in my last update i somehow removed 1 portal and kept 1 keeper (which was supposed to be replaced by mulch).
Fixed now, so some 1-ofs correctly disappeared. ;)
I like your latest updates! I'm going to give the updated deck a try, and see how it goes soon!
Just played my first game. Starting hand was all spells and Medivh was my second last card and he had Harrison Jones.
Well, that's the plan of the deck to run many spells, especially during first turns. You can't expect to play it like a zoo deck. This is control.
As for the ant-weapon tech, i expect it to be much less of a threat as soon as Medivh will be played only in spell decks and not all of them, instead of pretty much everywhere just to try it out.
Why is there 2 starfires? Just cause it's an expensive spell for Medivh?
Also for that
But mainly because it is a decent removal that can be easily accessed to with ramping.
It also draws another card, which is always very important.
And last but not least, it can hit face.
Why don't you include Fandral Staghelm standard in the deck?
As you have already so many choose cards in the deck.
Just to keep the deck more affordable, since it's good even without fandral.
But indeed i am playing the fandral version myself. The yogg-saron version, actually. I will update as soon as i have enough testing with fandral.
I played the deck tonight for 3 games in casual (tomorrow the real ladder), and I was 1-2 but Zoo was the first lose....he got a board and I fell behind. Zoo just owns the Druid in almost any deck haha.
The second lose was against an Evolve Shaman, and his Bloodlust got me (I was at 21 HP), that and the large minions he got from Evolve haha.
My third game was against Anyfin Paladin, and I won the game! I was keeping the board in check, and after a while I was on the offense taking charge. I like this deck a lot, and I hope it performs well on the ladder. At least the casual matches were against real decks you will see on Ranked Games.
I'm looking forward to more matches, and your future updates for the deck :)
Thank you for your feedback.
On one hand, i think you've been a bit unlucky with card draw, on the other hand the deck might need more reliable taunts to be played on curve. More aoe would be pointless.
Interesting deck list for the Druid! I'll give it a try tonight, and see how it goes on the ladder :)
Like the deck, fun and it is actually good, just replaced Ysera for Ragnaros the Firelord
Great! Glad you are enjoying it. :)
it seems to work so far, stays consistent both against aggro and control, but i was thinking about switching The Curator for 1x Arcane Giant as it doesn't necessarily need the taunt + you have enough draw in it and there is big possibility to get really cheap Golem with 17 spells in this deck.
I've been thinking about this for a while. Indeed if you remove curator you can go even further and replace beasts with druids which are more versatile. I'll try asap.
Thank you for your feedback
So why is there a Mounted Raptor in a ramp deck? isn't it better to run some big beasts in ramp like Stranglethorn Tiger or Stampeding Kodo?
Because ramping is not always available. Raptor is good for consistency, because it gives you another token if it dies, so it's decent even lategame and very good in early game.
Surely tiger is a valid alternative and indeed i will try it out. I guess it will turn out to be good at least as a one of.
Not sure about kodo. Its impact in druid is inconsistent for its cost and this is not a beast deck. Beasts are there only if they are effectively good, because of Curator drawing them.
Nice fun deck. Going to give it a try. ^^