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)
- TheScot
- Registered User
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- 5
- 16
- 44
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
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Total Deck Rating
202
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.
I designed a Control Paladin and seriously doubt if it is indeed not tier 1. I am absolutely crushing ranks 7-4 with a winrate of 20-4!! No other deck would have done that I think. but the meta is shifiting everyday so we will see. I put t up on Hearthwpwn. http://imgur.com/a/JHrSL
I've been wondering if my experience with this deck might be pushing toward a control paladin, rather than a midrange handbuff.
I and others had some really great success with the handbuff concept, but it's working a lot less well now than it was a few days ago. I'm not 100% sure how viable this concept will remain going forward, though I don't want to abandon it just yet.
I totally agree with the consecs or PYro+Equality .
You are totally right that there is no tier 1 deck for Paladin right now. And I think pretty much no one is playing the quest, like at all. I wish I could figure out a better trick to making the handbuff elemental concept more reliable, but I'm a little stuck. I do tend to win slightly more than 50% in the rank 15 area of the meta, but it's definitely not in the 60%+ category, at least not for me.
Murloc Control Paladin is Tier 1
Spoke too soon homie.
You CAN but you often discover him with Servant of Kalimos. I'd probably pull a Loot Hoarder if it were me. This deck has so many discover mechanic cards that draw really isn't that big an issue.
I like the idea of +2 Grimestreet Informant / -2 Hydrologist as discover cards work really well in this deck.
Not 100% sold on losing my Champions as this deck doesn't feature a ton of removal.
I'm also still running Grimestreet Enforcers in my deck. They've won me too many games. Maybe it'll turn out that there's a more optimal version of the deck that doesn't have them but they've been working really well for me so far. And by adding Informants in place of Hydrologists, that's just more potential cards to be buffed, giving the Enforcers even more value.
I don't have Wickerflame Burnbristle so I decide to take Divine Favor. And I'm going pretty good. The only class that I'm struggling is Hunter. Too many creatures on the board on the first turns and you can't deal with them. Really, 5 hunters - 5 loses. But I don't have any problems with other classes: Rogue, Warrior, Shaman. Mages are a pain in the ass, but you can deal with them.
Cool deck, good job!
I don't have Ragnaros, and I usually discover him from the servant.
i play similiar one i saw from Savjz but i cant see any future for this. Without healing you gonna die before you can use your handbuffs properly. Use Rag or forbidden and ivory knight they work really good with handbuff
I usually get a Ragnaros from servant, so I can skip putting him in. Plus, I don't own him anyways.
http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/789290-kolento-77-wr-low-cost
Copying Kolentos deck? pathetic
As NOT everyone follows the so called genius of this game, no one deck can be called to any specific person.
Too many players play this game and more than 1 person can and do create the same deck, doenst take a genius to see the combos that work well.
Stop being a sycophant.
I'm only a rank 15 type scrub...but this deck is insanely fun where I play! Kudos.
I only end up having time for maybe 5-10 games in a day, so I'm right there with you.
no problem to rank with this deck
This video would have been more educational had you not played the worst quest rogue I've ever seen.
ugh yea thats totally my fault :/