Hearthpwn

First, the thing you really want to know:

So far, this deck has a winrate for me of about 65%+ at rank 7-6. Check out the Trial video at the end of this post; not only is it proof of said winrate, but it's also a good example of how to play the deck! Also, it's a decent representation of its abilities against the Miracle Rogue, which is currently all over the ladder.

Premise:

This is a Midrange shaman which is heavily focused on tempo and board control. The goal is to put down your own creatures to chip away at the enemy's health while simultaneously keeping their board clean with the shaman's incredible removal spells. The finisher is Leeroy, the Argent Commander, or Fire elementals with windfury/rockbiter/flametongue or whatever combination of them you need to get the job done. My personal favorite is, with a fire elemental on the board already, flametongue Leeroy for 16 damage, or even better, flametongue/Leeroy/Windfury for 24! The more reliable combo, though, is turn seven Leeroy/Rockbiter/Windfury for 18. This deck can absolutely burst down its opponents without them suspecting a thing.

Playstyle:

This depends on the deck you're facing. Mostly, though, you'll want to mulligan for early minions like the squire, the ooze, or the feral spirits, and then you want to play these to help with early board pressure. Ideally, you'll respond to your enemy's board with spells (sorta like a tempo rogue) and keep your creatures alive. The Shaman has incredible removal, so use this to your advantage! Don't waste removal spells arbitrarily, especially early on.  Going into the midgame, you want to continue to snowball with creatures like the Azure Drake and the Argent Commander to get them into lethal range.

Win Conditions:

In the mid-late game, after you've established board control, one of your easiest win conditions is the Leeroy/Windfury combo, which can occur as early as turn 7 with rockbiter, turn 6 without. You can also do this with the Argent Commander for a little less effect (4 damage less). That said, you don't need these combos to win - You can also just naturally build up a board and crush them that way!

Mulligan Strategies:

It's impossible to account for all possible mulligan strategies here, But we can certainly talk about a few. Generally, if you have an argent squire, Acidic Swamp Ooze or Feral Spirit, you should keep them regardless of the matchup. Always mulligan anything over 3 mana, or cards like Thalnos and Flametongue totem that won't be really useful until later in the game. Cards like lightning storm can be kept in a match you know to be aggro, but don't overload on spells - The deck does the best with early minion presence.

 

Individual Card Guide:

Earth Shock: This is an amazing card - one of the best in the game, I would argue. It kills the Twilight Drake, Scarlet Crusader, and Argent Squire in one shot each, which is incredible, and it works as a regular old silence in other circumstances. Try not to waste this card on small things frivolously; I've lost games in the past where I've blown this too early on something I could have killed by another means - try to use other answers before this one!

Lightning Bolt: great, high-value removal spell. You will almost never use this for direct face damage - use it to kill creatures. Also, try to be efficient with it as much as you can - kill 3 health minions with it more often than 1 or 2 health. However, don't be afraid to use it on smaller things in a pinch, particularly against aggro.

Rockbiter Weapon: Another premium removal spell. Use this to kill all manner of early game creatures against rush, and then use the other one as a win condition alongside Leeroy later in the game. Once again - don't ever use for the enemy's face unless you're going to win with it!

Argent Squire: Very high value 1-drop minion. Great for tempo decks like this one. I only have 1, because I took one out to make room for oozes. If the meta shifts away from such heavy weapon decks, this will be the first card I put back in.

Acidic Swamp Ooze: In a meta filled with miracle rogues and control warriors (and frankly, probably shamans in the near future), it would be ridiculous to not run these. Two is the right number. Even against classes without weapons, it's a solid 2-drop in its own right that can and should be used to help your early-game tempo.

Bloodmage Thalnos: Amazing card for a shaman deck. the extra spellpower really helps against aggro decks when comboed with Lightning Storm, and in general, he's just nice to have for the card draw. Replacement for Thalnos: This deck really benefits from him. But if you can't do it, try a Kobold Geomancer instead. If you find card draw is starting to be a problem, think about a Loot Hoarder or a Mana Tide Totem.

Flametongue Totem: Great card for a tempo-focused deck. it activates totems, but it also helps to provide a win condition when paired with your big threats. Note: you only have 1 (because they do have a tendency for being dead cards in certain scenarios), so be sure not to waste it. Also: NEVER play this totem on an empty field, or on a field where you won't be able to use it for a turn. It WILL be controlled, and you WILL lose it for free. Play it when you can immediately use its benefits.

Stormforged Axe: Amazing early-game removal against aggro decks, and not a bad card against control decks as well. Against aggro, make sure you use it as soon as you need to; with control, it's okay to hang onto it so that you can combo it with the Unbound Elemental in most circumstances.

Windfury: This is a win condition. Don't use it frivolously; save it for Leeroy or the Commander, unless you can win with it some other way the same turn you play it. Only one, because it's a dead card until you have lethal.

Feral Spirit: Amazing card in all circumstances. Super strong turn 3 play, and not even a bad coin turn 2 play against someone like a miracle rogue in a lot of circumstances. Strong at any point in the game. Just take care with the overload when you play it, and remember to plan ahead!

Lightning Storm: Great removal, especially against decks like the zoo. Best when comboed with spell power!

Hex: One of the best hard removal spells in the game. DO NOT waste early unless you are very, very sure that your opponent doesn't have a bigger threat hiding somewhere. A good example is in my trial video when I hex the Azure drake of the aggro mage - I know they won't be running anything bigger than 5 mana. However, in most cases, you want to save this for late game and big legendaries.

Unbound Elemental: Great turn 3 play, and even better turn 2 with coin play. Be careful to not use overly-excessive overload to pump him up if you'll screw yourself the following turns; just play normally with him, and if you happen to be able to play correctly and also incorporate some overload, all the better. He has his value before you pump him up at all - if he just remains a 2/4, that's fine.

Defender of Argus: Excellent card in a deck like this for activating totems, amongst other things. Try to get full value out of him - the chances you'll be able to in a board control style tempo deck like this are very high.

Leeroy Jenkins: Your finisher. Basically all there is to it; no real explanation needed here. Replacements for Leeroy: There basically aren't any. You can give it a shot with things like the reckless rocketeer or an Arcane golem, but he really is unique in his damage efficiency. So, if you have to replace him, keep in mind that you'll need a new finisher, and replace him with that in mind.

Azure Drake: Amazing card in any shaman deck. The spellpower is great, and the card draw is excellent. Not much explanation needed on this guy.

Gadgetzan Auctioneer: This isn't a miracle deck; it's simply a deck with a lot of spells anyhow. You don't need 2 of this guy; just play him, and play normally. As long as you get a single card from him, he's achieved his value; that said, the likelihood that you can get more out of him is quite high.

Argent Commander: Another finisher, but also great for removal as well. Great for throwing down with a flametongue totem for a mock-Leeroy.

Fire Elemental: Probably the best card of its kind in the game. Obscene value out of the battlecry makes this guy stock in any shaman deck. With this deck, nothing is different - he can help to remove creatures, take large chunks out of your enemy, and generally be a pain. Take note: Particularly against control decks, don't ever put him beside a flametongue totem unless you're about to win, because it suddenly makes him vulnerable to the big game hunter, which nothing else in the deck is.

 

If you have any questions or comments about the deck, feel free to put them here and I'll respond as quickly as I can. This is very much a living deck that I play with regularly and make changes to; This page will be updated frequently as the deck develops!

Video Guides:

Deck Overview:

 

Deck Trials: