Hearthpwn

Hello Everyone!

Modded here again, this time with a Aggro Warlock deck for y'all to enjoy! Here are the advantages of playing this deck:

• There are many Warlock decks currently in the Meta, (ZooLock, HandLock, DragonLock and DemonLock). This makes it very hard to mulligan properly.
• This deck contains many of the cards ZooLock has, meaning one can fool an opponent into playing as if you were running ZooLock. Since trading is not the main goal of the deck, this wastes your opponent's resources.
• As an Aggro deck, games are very quick (wins and losses), which is ideal for laddering.
• This deck is very consistent, running as few one-ofs as possible (and the few that are there are to act as a pseudo-second copy of the legendaries).
• This deck is inexpensive to craft, only requiring 3380 dust which can be reduced to 1880 dust by substituting a second Arcane Golem for Leeroy Jenkins.
• This deck contains under-used cards like Pint-Sized Summoner and Fel Reaver so rejoice in your uniqueness!

The Cards:

Power Overwhelming: One mana for four damage, this card is phenomenal for dealing burst damage. It also is useful for a few trick plays, such as letting a minion survive Explosive Trap to deal lethal damage or squeezing an extra two damage out of Leper Gnome by forcing its Deathrattle.

Soulfire: This card is more like a third Power Overwhelming, since no card mimics Loatheb. This card in a pinch can be used to dispose of troublesome minions like Flamewaker at the cost of your hand instead of your board. Once in a while it will be used for clutch lethal as it bypasses Taunt minions.

Flame Imp: Cheating out a 3/2 for one mana is well worth the three life. It's a great way to bait removal from your other two-drops, and if it sticks it punches hard. Plus it doesn't die to hero power pings, which is amazing for a one-drop.

Voidwalker: Aside from having great stats for just one mana, this little taunter can protect your more valuable minons from other minions and weapons, or protect your face against Hunters.

Imp Gang Boss: One of the best three-drops in the game, this little bugger is sticky, making for a decent insurance policy against AoE, and a great trader that adds more damage to the board when removing your opponent's stuff. At four health, it also dodges a lot of single target removal.

Abusive Sergeant: This guy is quite versatile, acting often times as an Arcane Shot with a 2/1 body for one mana (also comparable to a one mana Bluegill Warrior). This can let you more easily deal with taunts or just rush down your opponent faster.

Leper Gnome: Remember how I said that I liked four damage for one mana? This little gnome almost always gets that much damage in, and sometimes more! This card is already a staple in all Aggro decks, so there isn't much more that needs to be said.

Acidic Swamp Ooze: This card at the worst is a 3/2 for two mana, which is acceptable. At best, this card closes out this decks best matchups (Warrior) and aids the worse ones (Paladin and Hunter). This card is just devilishly fun to drop after an opponent plays something like Truesilver Champion or Eaglehorn Bow (maybe it's just me but I think three mana is a bit much to pay for a Rockbiter Weapon).

Dire Wolf Alpha: This (literal) beast at max potential is effectively a two mana 2/2 with Charge that becomes a 4/2 every turn that it sticks (and sometimes a 5/2 thanks to Charge minions). This guy is great for both dealing face damage and for trading (when necessary), and its raw damage makes up for its situational nature.

Ironbeak Owl: Warlock doesn't have access to super cheap removal like Sap or Hunter's Mark, so we have to make do with cheap silences. The 2/1 isn't much, but it can trade with the Mad Scientist it neuters. Usually saved for taunts like Sludge Belcher, the ever popular five-drop of choice for Control and Midrange decks.

Knife Juggler: This card has been praised to death, so for the sake of brevity I'll just say this: A two mana 3/2 that can kill enemy minions and deal free damage to your opponent is REALLY awesome!

Pint-Sized Summoner: Whilst usually written off as a mediocre card at best, this card shines in a deck that tries to squeeze as much out of itself as fast as possible. Ever turn this lass is alive it is equivalent to a Wild Growth with a 2/2 body. If coined out on turn one without being removed, this gal can win you the game on the spot.

Arcane Golem: This mana-efficient minion is to almost always be saved for the late game, the drawback will break your back if you play it on turn three. Otherwise, this guy is a great charger, acting as a pseudo-second Leeroy Jenkins. If you make it to the late game, this guy has no drawback so drop him at will if you have another Charge minion in hand.

Wolfrider: A cheap charger that helps fill up the three mana slot, keep your Power Overwhelmings relevant, and keep the pressure on your opponent's life total. Unlike its beefier counterpart, this guy is a great play on turn three.

Fel Reaver One of the most underrated cards in the game, this Mech finds a cozy home in this deck. This card is consistently powerful as it's a non-situational 8/8 for five mana and a drawback that in many games will not bite you, and even when it does it's often not enough to lose you the game. Even if your opponent manages to remove it in a turn or two, it's a soft-taunt that protects the rest of your board that can bust taunts and deal massive damage to your opponent.

Leeroy Jenkins: Akin to a five mana Fireball, this card synergizes with buffs like Abusive Sergeant, Dire Wolf Alpha and Power Overwhelming to deal massive damage to your opponent from your hand. This guy is the single largest source of damage for one card that this deck has (Fel Reaver doesn't count as it doesn't have Charge).

Loatheb: This simply is in the deck as an anti-AoE card, to keep you from being wiped out by an early Hellfire or Consecration. We can't afford to run many sticky minions, so Loatheb is in here as a sort of band-aid patch to try and make up for that.

How to play this deck:

1. Build up your side of the board as fast as possible. Most of the time that means coining out Pint-Sized Summoner over any other two drop due to the tempo gain it provides. Hold chargers till the late game and prioritize normal minons over them (e.g. on turn three play Imp Gang Boss over Wolfrider).

2. Focus on killing your opponent, quickly. However, make trades if it helps you keep damage on the board. If you have a 3/1 and 2/2, go ahead and kill an opponent's 1/1 so that you keep five damage on the board instead of your opponent removing three damage on their next turn.

3. Maximize your mana usage if possible, for example drop two two-drops on turn four as opposed to a single three-drop unless there are special circumstances. This deck wins by being the fastest deck in the matchup, every bit of efficiency matters.

FAQ:

Q: Do I drop Abusive Sergeant by itself on turn one if it's my only one-drop?

A: If you are facing a deck that is slow (like Priest) or that can easily remove it (like Mage), no. If facing a deck like Hunter or Warlock, then yes as early board presence is crucial to your success.

Q: Aside from taunts, what are minions that should be silenced?

A: Mad Scientist, Minions that Summon other minions (Piloted Shredder, Haunted Creeper, Voidcaller, etc.), Armorsmith and sometimes stuff like a coined out Knife Juggler or Shielded Minibot. Silencing your own Fel Reaver is usually not ideal unless it's Frozen or been humbled by Aldor Peacekeeper.

Q: What should one mulligan for?

A: Minions that cost one or two mana, with the exception of Abusive Sergeant and Ironbeak Owl.

Q: Is it okay to hold Acidic Swamp Ooze in hand against a weapon class if they haven't played a weapon yet?

A. Only if you have a good curve otherwise. We don't know when they'll draw into a weapon so the tempo loss on your end isn't worth it if they don't equip a weapon. Besides, there are two in the deck so you might draw the other one when they equip a weapon.

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