Hearthpwn

~The real MVPs~

Hello Hearthpwn!

Ever since Justicar Trueheart got released back in TGT I have loved the upgraded Druid hero power, Dire Shapeshift. It just felt so good to basically combine the Warrior, Hunter, and Rogue hero powers together. So when Baku the Mooneater got released I got excited at the chance to try and use it again, but I wasn't sure what the shell of the deck could be. Enter Taunt Druid. Most of the critical cards in Taunt Druid (Hadronox, Master Oakheart, Naturalize, Carnivorous Cube, Witching Hour, Lesser Jasper Spellstone, etc.) are all odd costed, so it doesn't take too much of a sacrifice to make it work. This deck was significantly better before Rastakhan (especially before the nerf to Nourish), but I've made a list that's still fun if no longer competitive. Best of luck on ladder!

*Jan 18th Update: Further refinements. Cut the Wild Growth and Spirit of the Raptor for Biology Project and Acolyte of Pain. These changes help give the deck more consistent ramp and draw. This deck is actually doing better than I expected, since it's great vs. aggro and control.. Especially since Mage and Shaman are less common, and they are the worst matchups because of Polymorph and Hex.

Will continue to tinker, Please check out my other deck: Piperbuff Paladin (it survived the nerfs much better than this deck).

 

 

~ General Strategy ~ 

The deck's strategy is pretty straightforward and basically the same as a typical Taunt Druid:

1) Play out your taunts,
2) Play/Summon Hadronox (i.e. using Master Oakheart) and kill it off using Naturalize,
3) Summon back Hadronox with Witching Hour and kill it off with Naturalize or Carnivorous Cube to have an endless wall of taunts.

The main difference between this deck and a normal Taunt Druid is having Dire Shapeshift and not having Ultimate Infestation. The result is this deck plays much more into Fatigue than your typical Taunt Druid.

 

~ Deckbuilding Restrictions ~ 

I know this deck is fairly pricey, since it runs quite a few legendaries. However, it is important to note all of the deckbuilding restrictions this deck has if you're going to tinker it:

1) Hadronox MUST be your only Beast: If you run any other beasts you risk ruining your Witching Hour. This means otherwise good cards for this deck like Gloom Stag or Druid of the Claw have no place in this deck. The only exception is Baku the Mooneater, however YOU MUST NEVER PLAY HER UNTIL AFTER BOTH WITCHING HOURS HAVE BEEN PLAYED!
2) You need at least 6-8 taunt minions: This deck currently runs 8, but it's okay to have more. But if you run too few taunt minions you won't always have minions to resummon with Hadronox.
3) Your deck can only run odd-costed cards: Fairly obvious given that running even-costed cards will break Baku the Mooneater, but unfortunately that means you miss out on some nice cards like Nourish, The Lich King, Ultimate Infestation, and Primordial Drake.
4) Hadronox MUST be your only 3-attack minion: This is for the consistency of getting Hadronox out, and if you run another 3-attack minion Master Oakheart will not pull it consistently from the deck. The main sacrifices you get from this is no Mind Control Tech, Greedy Sprite, or Zilliax.

 

~ Mulligan Guide ~

Lesser Jasper Spellstone (always keep)	Naturalize (keep 1 vs. control)	Acolyte of Pain (always keep)
Ferocious Howl (always keep 1)	Biology Project (keep 1 if you have Master Oakheart)	Master Oakheart (keep if you have Biology Project)
	Starfall (keep 1 vs. aggro)

 

 

~ Card Choices ~

The Removal	Dire Shapeshift Lesser Jasper Spellstone Starfall Trogg Gloomeater Naturalize Claw	The purpose of these cards is to help you survive the early game to stall towards your powerful end game. Other cards to consider are Baron Geddon, Abomination, Fatespinner, and Savage Roar.
The Taunts	Rotten Applebaum Trogg Gloomeater Sleepy Dragon Furious Ettin	The core defense of the deck. This both help you survive till the late game, as well as form the basis of your late-game. There aren't a lot of other taunts to consider, but you can use Tar Creeper, Crypt Lord, Rabble Bouncer, or Abomination.
The Draw	Acolyte of Pain Ferocious Howl	Though you play semi-fatigue, the deck does need a bit of draw to help you get the tools you need. There really aren't other options, except Ysera or Harrison Jones.
The Ramp/Mana Cheat	Ixlid, Fungal Lord Master Oakheart Dreampetal Florist Carnivorous Cube Dragonhatcher Biology Project	The purpose of these cards is to help you execute your plan faster and give bursts of value. Greedy Sprite is technically an option, but I'd advise against it. You can also add more dragons and add a second Dragonhatcher if you want more recruiting.
The End Game	Hadronox Carnivorous Cube Witching Hour Naturalize	This is what you are building towards all game and it seals the deal in most matchups. If you want more finishers, you can use Fatespinner, Savage Roar, Cenarius, Ysera, or Elise the Trailblazer.

 

Let's play some Hearthstone together! JoeyJojo48#1451, Americas :)