Hearthpwn

HeyGuys, ROOFonFIRE here. I just started playing Hearthstone last month, and this is my first deck write-up. Yes, yes, dismiss me as new and don't read the deck.

Let me know what you guys like/don't like and drop by my stream at http://www.twitch.tv/roofonfire to say hi or critique my gameplay.

General Strategy

Let's keep this simple. The bones of this deck are many of the common tempo based deathrattle cards such as Mad Scientist, Haunted Creeper, Harvest Golem, and Piloted Shredder. These cards replace themselves upon dying, creating a lopsided board environment whilst trading.

The trick is to create a situation where you can Feign Death once early game utilizing 2 or more of your deathrattle cards. The more deathrattle creatures in play, the better, but don't get greedy. When I started tinkering with this deck, I always tried to build 3+ creatures with deathrattle before casting Feign Death, but many times it just wasn't feasible and I'd lose all of them at once without being able to Feign Death.

After utilizing an early game Feign Death to gain a board advantage, you can either continue laying more deathrattle creatures and pummel your opponent's face, or drop a Cult Master and trade up to card draw town. At this point you are overwhelming your opponent with creatures AND cards, and the rest should be pretty automatic. Note: After playing this deck more extensively, I have found that trading your minions utilizing Cult Master is USUALLY the best play. Use your judgment.

Late Game Combos

1. Feign Death + 2xBoom Bot + Baron Rivendare = 4-16 damage to your opponents board
2. Feign Death + Sylvanas Windrunner + Baron Rivendare = Take control of 2 random enemy creatures
3. Feign Death + Feugen or Stalagg = summon multiple Thaddius Removed Stalagg and Fuegen, too fragile of a combo.

Mulligans

Zombie Chow + Explorer's Hat = best starting hand ever.

Any combination of Haunted Creeper, Mad Scientist, and Harvest Golem is a pretty average hand, bonus points if you can include a Feign Death.

This deck isn't about having an explosive start, but a consistent one.

Card Explanations

I wanted to add this section to explain a few of the cards in here as far as the quantity of the cards, whether they are out of place, or are unpopular.

Zombie Chow : I only have 1, as having this guy in anything but your starting hand is usually bad. He is the only deathrattle in the deck that you actually DON'T want to go off. That being said, a turn one Zombie Chow followed up with a turn two Explorer's Hat is REALLY good. Your opponent will usually have to do a very unfavorable early trade or use some removal. The turn two 3/4 really paves the way for the rest of your minions to maximize their value.

Explorer's Hat : One of the least commonly used cards in my experience, this card really shines in this deck. It buffs your minions to allow them to trade up even better, and then you can cast the hat on the deathrattled minions to make them stronger as well. The mana cost can get cumbersome to keep bouncing it around, which can slow you down early/mid game if you have too many of them, which is why I only have 1.

Flare : Super strong against Hunter, Mage, Paladin for the secret removal. Mandatory vs Mysterious Challenger Paladin which is very mainstream right now. More niche usage as a stealth removal, but it is there. Any other usage is just card cycling.

Snipe : Most people don't like this card, but I couldn't imagine this deck without it. Your trades are almost always going to be in your favor due to the nature of deathrattle, but when Snipe starts getting pulled by Mad Scientist, especially off a Feign Death, the board condition starts to get very oppressive for your opponent.

Cult Master : I tried a lot of different ways to put card draw in the deck, and this guy has risen to the top in my opinion. The 4 cost is reasonable enough to put down at most times when you would need him. He puts the game in a state where you are trading creatures with your opponent, replacing the creature by itself through the various deathrattles, and drawing a card on top of that. When played properly, this guy is what really seals games away.

Gladiator's Longbow : I hated drawing a 2nd Eaglehorn Bow and the Longbow seemed infinitely better.

Tips/Tricks

Be careful with Baron Rivendare + Haunted Creeper or Explorer's Hat as these combos have a tendency to crowd your board and your hand, respectively.

Don't be stingy with the Feign Death. If you have to cast one on turn 6 or 7 just to copy a Piloted Shredder or Sludge Belcher + a minor deathrattle creature, just do it! Basically, don't hold on to your last Feign Death waiting to pull off an insane combo and lose while waiting for it.

Thanks for reading. Good luck!