[Top 5 NA Legend] LOKShadow Reno Warrior
- Last updated Apr 18, 2016 (Explorers)
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Wild
- 19 Minions
- 8 Spells
- 3 Weapons
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 15920
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 11/15/2015 (Explorers)
- LOKShadow
- Registered User
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- 10
- 31
- 53
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
US
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Total Deck Rating
3552
Hi all!
I'm back with my second ever deck submission to Hearthpwn. I'm probably best known for my Dragon Warrior post, but with the first expansion wing out and many different Reno Jackson decks, I wanted to contribute my spin on it in warrior. I just hit rank 4 NA legend with it in the mid-season (11/15/15).
Proof:
My initial thoughts on Reno Jackson is that it's a really well designed card that promotes deck builders to include underutilized cards and diversifies the card pool. It's a fun answer to many of the aggro decks to be able to drop on turn 6 and fully heal (especially useful vs face hunters and aggro druids). To make it consistent vs aggro to enable a full heal, I've gone the route of making the deck entirely 1 copy of each card. I know there are those that will disagree and argue that Deathsbite is too good to cut or the shield slam/execute, but I've tried to equalize the number of removal options with Bouncing Blades and Crush against the control matchups and Gorehowl to make up for the reduced weapons. I can work on developing another guide if there is demand for that, but I encourage people to check out my stream/youtube for instructional gameplay. Enjoy! =)
twitch.tv/lokshadow
youtube.com/lokshadow
twitter.com/lokshadowhs
Update: This deck just got featured on Trolden!! (starting around 2:40)
Strategy/Mulligan Guide
A lot of strategy is standard to CW and also discussed in depth in my Dragon Warrior guide, but I will try to go over some of the new meta match-ups here.
Warlock
Mostly 2 variants at the moment with Peddler Zoo and Reno Handlock. Against Zoo, you will want to mulligan for those early removal like slam, war axe, bash, deathsbite, etc. If you already have prior knowledge that it is Zoo then I don't mind keeping Reno because that heal and 4/6 body will definitely do some work. Use the weapons efficiently and try to save removal for doomguards, Dr. Boom, Malganis and bait into a good value brawl or revenge (sometimes you will rather save armor gain cards until after you've reached <12 health). Deathwing can be dropped generally if they have almost an empty hand or have used up their taunts (2 voidwalkers and 2 argus). Against Handlock, I still prefer the never hit face strategy to not allow moltens and just focus on board control. Mulligan for BGH and exec for those early giants and as usual keep weapons. The focus will be maintaining board control and playing out the late game. Getting Justicar down really helps make warrior beefy and tough to kill. Cycle cards and Ysera are important to keep from getting out-cycled and Harrison is ideally saved for Jaraxxus to help you find that finishing burst. Deathwing is a hard reset to the board but always bait out the BGH first with Dr. Boom, Baron Geddon, or Grom.
Warrior
The first thing to figure out in a warrior match is if they are Patron or Control. Generally if you see early armorsmith plays, weapon equips, reluctance to armor up, shredder, etc. then they are more likely to be Patron. In my mulligan, I will generally keep brawl as a back up in case it is Patron, weapons, Harrison, and Justicar (for the control matchup). If it is Patron, feel free to use your card cycle liberally, save AoE in mind for patrons, and Harrison that deathsbite. Save removal in mind that most Patron lists run bigger threats now like Dr. Boom, Grom, and possibly Rag. Against Control, hold as much of the card cycle as possible unless you absolutely need to search for an answer (this means using slam to kill 2 health minion, not dropping acolyte, not using shield block, and potentially holding back Harrison). Acolyte is not necessarily a dead card because you can always try to feed it to their Sylvanas. The mirror is really about getting Justicar early and using removal efficiently. You have the same number of removals despite not having 2x shield slam and 2x execute, so you just have to be smart about optimizing the usage of bouncing blades and crush. The matchup is won in fatigue since it is hard to pressure without Alex but their Alex value is negated by your Reno.
Mage
Freeze mage is even more easily won now with both Justicar and Reno negating even the effect of their Alex. Just keep removal in mind such that there isn't an unanswered Emperor or Antonidas. Tempo mage is won when they run out of gas. They can have some pretty explosive starts that are tough to deal with though. I mulligan for early removal like weapons, slam, bash and depending on the strength of my starting hand may want to keep the brawl/revenge as a back-up. Save armorsmith/task for the mirror entities and Reno for full healing value. Be mindful of the mana curve of when they will drop Dr. Boom or Antonidas so you are prepared to answer that (this could potentially mean saving brawl for one more turn for example if you can afford to). Eventually they will just run out of steam and succumb to that tank up value from Justicar.
Hunter
Reno is so good for this matchup, especially if it is Face, that I keep it in my opening hand. Against Face you will want to mulligan for early removal weapons, task, armorsmith, slam (for juggler), bash, revenge, etc. Against Midrange you can afford to mulligan for slower cards like Emperor. Baron is MVP against Midrange since the effect can clear hyenas from highmane and most of their minions. Be smart about when to trigger traps, especially if they are sitting on a bow charge. If there is no reason for you to attack, sometimes it's just about preserving your own health and building it up with Justicar/Reno rather than setting up lethal yourself.
Druid
I always keep Reno against druid since the aggro version can often put you down to <10 health by turn 6. This is one of the reasons to only run 1 copy of all cards such that Reno can always be played on turn 6. Against midrange combo, Reno is really great for putting you out of range while not blocking out all of your mana for that turn either! I mulligan for weapons and execute for those early innervate plays and keep revenge in case of aggro since many of their minions are 1 health. The usual suspects such as slam and bash are good keeps too. Getting that Emperor drop on turn 6 is one of the key ways for warrior to catch back up on mana after wild growth starts. Always be mindful of their combo reach! Gorehowl + Reno combo is insane for the mid- to late-game!
Paladin
Secret paladin is still a tough matchup depending how they curve out. Mulligan for weapons, armorsmith, acolyte, and early removal and try best to save AoE like brawl/revenge for full value (brawling after triggering all secrets or saving revenge for full 3 damage effect). Reno can have a big impact on this matchup as well. You have some more interesting removal options such as having a 3 mana crush when you have a damaged minion for hard removal of Tirion for example. Try to save Harrison for the assbringer if possible but don't be afraid to take the 2-3 card draw from muster if your hand absolutely has no answers! Deathwing can also be a big savior when they go all-in. Midrange/Reno Control has been becoming more popular too, which if you have prior knowledge that it is not secret paladin, you can be greedier with mulligan keeps such as hanging on to Harrison/Emperor. The fatigue game can be won if you can grind out their removal (usually 1x equality, 1x BGH, 2x aldor) before dropping the Deathwing clear. The Justicar hero power can make warrior so durable that paladin doesn't have enough time to finish off before fatiguing out.
Rogue
Reno has also helped this matchup since it just puts warrior even more out of range of the rogue burst. Mulligan for weapons and bash early on to deal with 3 health minions and key cards like Emperor, Reno, and Justicar. Always play to minimize the effect of sap (Emperor, Dr. Boom, shield maiden, etc. are examples of "unsappable" targets). Many rogues have been playing with assassin's blade so keep that in mind if you have better plays other than Harrison (saving it for that greedy blade is a good idea). Try to keep the board clear at all times to prevent tinker oil value. Loatheb can be used to stall a turn when you don't have a direct answer to their board, and Deathwing can be used as a last resort board clear when they push all-in.
Priest
Warrior is favored against both Control Priest and Dragon Priest since it just runs more threats than they can answer. Mulligan for weapons, exec, and brawl and be wise about when to use that removal (keep in mind that Ysera will always be something to answer). Play out the armorsmith and acolyte early to get value before turn 6 cabals. Bait out the mid-game brawl (which will happen since priest really doesn't have burst so they need to build up a sizeable board to pressure the warrior). Justicar just wins the fatigue game and makes warrior impossible to kill for the priest. Always keep the shrinkmeister/cabal combo in mind if you are planning to drop belcher or Ysera and have a back-up removal in case that happens (otherwise don't play it and just tank up pass). Gorehowl also gets a lot of value and helps deal with those 5+ health minions.
Shaman
Shaman has not been a very strong class lately, but the two main types are mech aggro and midrange. Against aggro you want to mulligan for weapons, armorsmith, slam, bash, etc. to deal with early board and whirling zappos. Hang on to Harrison for the doomhammer if you can afford to since it will be coming. Know that they often will play fel reavers, Dr. Boom, and Ragnaros so be prepared to answer those (for example save hard removal and bait out for a value brawl or revenge such that you have removal for big threats). The mulligan is similar against midrange but you can afford to play greedier such as Emperor on curve rather than shield maiden since they have less burst. Try to use weapons to remove smaller threats and save the removal for fire elementals, Dr. Boom, etc. Using brawl and Baron Geddon can also save some of that valuable hard removal for more efficient targets.
Replacements
The most commonly asked question is what Deathwing can be replaced with. While the effect is quite unique, you can consider another big threat such as Nefarian, Alex, Rag, etc.
For those of you who have doubts on Deathwing's uses, please check out my DEATHWING Youtube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAnBSJNmgfIeAatpymYOqRvXvcgmEg1TM
Concluding Remarks
The brief guide is by no means comprehensive, and I think the best way to learn the deck is to learn by experience and from watching the stream/past broadcasts. I post highlights to my youtube channel as well! Enjoy and may the ladder be ever in your favor! =)
Updates
I just updated the list as follows:
-1 Acolyte
-1 Shield Block
-1 Sylvanas
+1 Deathlord
+1 Brann Bronzebeard
+1 Iron Juggernaut
The reasoning behind these changes are to improve some early game presence vs aggro with Deathlord and Brann while also improving the fatigue game vs midrange/control decks with less card cycle/dead cards and the Brann/Iron Juggernaut combo wombo. Sylvanas is slow vs aggro and often a liability in the mirror match where it can steal an acolyte.
Thoughts on maybe adding The Skeleton Knight? Possible synergies with Deathwing and Brawl.
Um... no... =(
Not doing so hot with this deck. looks good looking it up and down but after a dozen games going half a dozen turns only able to play a few playable minions a game, never enough clears to answer their plays, and never drawing reno I have to give it a thumbs down. Glad it's working for someone but I just had a train run on my by a bunch of warlocks and shaman. just feels like super inconsistent gimped control warrior.
Sorry to hear it's not going well. It's definitely not the most warrior friendly meta sometimes. If you're looking for an alternative deck to climb with, another deck that I really enjoy which punishes brainless aggro decks is echo molten mage:
The list I use: http://i.imgur.com/5cNuaU5.png
It requires skill from both sides to make a good game, but more often than not the opponent is just a mindless aggro player trying to do the start of season grind with a cheesy aggro deck and misplays because they are on autopilot mode (which says something about the skill level required to play those decks).
agreed, thanks for polite constructive response to what could have been read from your side as a negative remark from my side.
Hi Lokshadow, first of all congrats for building this deck and for reaching such a high legendary rank. I was intrigued by your list and I decided to give a shot last days of november season (EU). I started rank 3 and I hit legend yesterday in a total of about 40 games, with a 65% win rate. I found some of the mechanics of this deck really insane, such as Brann Bronzebeard Iron Juggernaut combo, Crush on Tirion Fordring followed by Harrison Jones or the insane value of Emperor Thaurissan in such a heavy deck. However, I'd like to talk about value of Deathwing- She won so many games to me, especially vs midrange Paladins, that I started to believe she's one of key cards in deck.
Thank you for sharing this great deck, see you in ladder!
Congrats on legend and thank you for sharing your success story! That is really great to hear and glad you are a believer of Deathwing now too! =) Indeed, midrange paly is one of those match-ups that benefits most from Deathwing as a fatigue finisher. Also 65% win rate is my average as well at legend rank (70% on a good day and 60% on a bad day), so it sounds like you are playing everything optimally! Congrats again and best of luck on the new season climb! =)
Thank you mate! I'm quite an experienced Warrior player as I reached legend with Patron Warrior and Rank 1 three stars with a customized Control Warrior that played Faceless Manipulator, Ysera and Nefarian. I have to say that this deck is extremely well-tuned and I did not feel the need to change one single card (a thing I usually don't do... I don't consider myself a netdecker), however I must also say that it is not easy to menage. You really have to think twice when to brawl and what to crush... decide when to use your single execute and your shield slam can be a pain! Many games are won at fatigue, a play style that doesn't fit everyone, but a hell of a fun for a control freak! Other decks I play are combo like 2xcombo druid and 2xoil rogue, even if I never stopped missing the good ol' days of Miracle Rogue.
Deathwing was the first card I found in a pack but I never understand the real value, now I'm for sure a believer :)
So keep up the good work, will surely follow your stream for other sources of inspiration :)
I hope your experience will inspire others to spend more time to practice warrior because it's definitely a class that requires quite a bit of attention but is very rewarding to play! Also, thanks for the follow! I appreciate the support! =)
Fun deck and of course there is room for customization, silly goofs asking if they HAVE to play the juggernaut... think for yourself, I personally prefer Sylvanas anyway so I used her, also dont have Harrison so I replaced him with Alex which is risky, so I try to make up for it by replacing Bran with one of the new monkeys for a solid taunt at lvl 3, since Bran has so little synergy here.
Essentially this deck is similar to my Greedy Dragon warrior, sure you will lose 50% or more of games against all the aggro hunter cancer and friends, however you simply cannot lose a slow game, unless your draw luck is atrocious.
Exactly! Glad you understand that there is plenty of room for customization to fit each individual's play-style and that it is so dominating in control match-ups. =)
Problem with Sylvanas Windrunner is how many times she get to steal one of the 1/1 that flood the board these times... Used to love that card, now hardly get value from her
I still like Whirlwind for those moments - especially with secret paladin & avenge
Played this deck for some time, liked it pretty much. My only question: is Deathwing really viable? It's not hard to remove him in majority of time and it's bad against Sylvanas Windrunner. I assume it is there for long fatigue fights, but if it nessesary even then?
Deathwing can be substituted if you don't find him useful, but he has won me enough games to gain my respect and a spot in my deck. =)
how about play a different deck or make a cheap deck yourself based on your own collection (wow!!)
I have really been enjoying your deck. Requires thinking a bit more when you know this is the only copy of each card. The only trouble I've really been having is Deathlord doing awful things, like pulling out archmage and malygos. RNG tends to not be my friend with him..... What would you suggest as a viable replacement, monkey?
Deathlord is a good card for this deck, I recommend keeping it. Everyone has bad rng everyone once in a while, you just gotta tough through it. I've seen Deathlord single-handedly destroy aggro decks.
Deathlord is very good against aggro since it often pulls out small minions. Against control you should learn when you would want to play deathlord (usually when you have a brawl or other removal in hand). It should either be to bait out into a value brawl or to advance fatigue (such as in warrior mirror match).
Can i play this deck without Iron Juggernaut? I really dont wanna craft him.