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Hand Buff Elemental Paladin

  • Last updated May 24, 2017 (Un'Goro Launch)
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Wild

  • 27 Minions
  • 3 Spells
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Handbuff Paladin
  • Crafting Cost: 7680
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 4/4/2017 (Un'Goro Prepatch)
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  • Total Deck Rating

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Giving this deck (which I originally posted before Un'Goro Launch) another chance this season. Made a few substitutions. I'll keep it updated if I find something else needs to change.

Core cards of this deck type: Smuggler's Run, Grimestreet Outfitter, Fire Fly, Tol'vir Stoneshaper, Servant of Kalimos, Blazecaller, Fire Plume Phoenix, Tar Creeper, Aldor Peacekeeper. These cards are mostly necessary if you are running this type of deck.

Very strong cards: Tirion Fordring, Wickerflame Burnbristle, Stonehill Defender.

Beyond the cards listed above, there is room to experiment, and you can even try switching out the cards listed above for others, if you really want to.

Cautionary note: The handbuff playstyle takes practice. If you have not tried a handbuff deck before, I'd suggest either not trying this variation, or else having patience with the necessary learning curve to discover how to play it well. This is NOT intended to be an easy win deck. You will have to make some pretty hard calls at times.

Mulligan Advice: ALWAYS keep Fire Fly and Grimestreet Outfitter. Always play Fire Fly turn 1 if you have it. Smuggler's Run is usually good to keep, but don't necessarily play it turn 1, and don't necessarily play Grimestreet Outfitter on turn 2. Sometimes it's better to save the hand buffs so they buff more cards. If you are running Loot Hoarder it's a good early card. If you run Hydrologists, they are also good early on. It's really important to have at least one elemental that costs 3 or less very early in the game, because they are needed on the prior turn to activate the Tol'vir Stoneshaper and the Servant of Kalimos.

Tar Creeper is also great to have in your opening hand, if you have some smaller stuff also. If you have the coin, and if you have the curve to activate it on turn 4, then keep a Tol'vir Stoneshaper as it is one of the strongest cards in the deck, especially if it gets a handbuff or 2. If you get Wickerflame Burnbristle on your opening hand and you think you are facing an aggro deck (or if you have a handbuff card also) you could keep it.

Do not keep Aldor Peacekeeper as it will almost never be used on curve. Obviously, don't keep big minions in your mulligan.

Specific pointers: Only use your Grimestreet Outfitter and Smuggler's Run if you can buff at least 3 minions with them. Plan ahead and make sure you play an elemental on the turn prior to wanting to play a card that requires being activated by an elemental on the previous turn. Loot Hoarder and Fire Fly can easily be played unbuffed for early board presence and "card draw." Igneous Elemental is also fine to play unbuffed. Make sure to only play the Servant of Kalimos and the Tol'vir Stoneshaper if they are activated by an elemental on the previous turn.

Use Fire Plume Phoenix for reach, to help remove minions that need removal, or to help finish off the enemy hero if s/he is low health. Same for Blazecaller. It should be obvious, but save Aldor Peacekeeper for any big, menacing minions, especially quest rewards (I'm looking at you: Megafin, Amara, Queen Carnassa).

Substitution Notes: If you do not have Tirion Fordring, you could maybe do Primordial Drake or possibly Baron Geddon, or something else that creates strong pressure for late game. If you lack Wickerflame Burnbristle, nothing else at low cost has as much value as it, so I'm not sure I have any solid advice on replacing that one.

See the comments below for variations that others are finding successful.

Editing Notes: If you want to see the many different cards I've included in the deck throughout it's history, feel free to look through the revision notes tab.

Gameplay videos: These are two videos, one submitted by a player named Kadakk using this deck. Kadakk Elemental Paladin, and the other submitted by TheSynch Versus Murloc Shaman. These matches are fairly representative of the sorts of decisions that you have to make when you play this kind of deck. They are both, admittedly, rather one-sided matches, but they do show some basic aspects of the gameplay for this deck.

Ownership note: I posted this deck before the launch of Un'goro and before any pro player tried using Paladin Elemental Handbuff on their streams. This was my own idea, based on some success I had with Handbuff Paladin in MSoG expac. Here is the original discussion thread that I created on April 4 to hash out the idea with other users, whose pointers were really important to building a successful deck: Elemental Handbuff Discussion Thread.