Hearthpwn

Current Win Rate:

--Testing started: 5/14/2014

--Tested by: SashaHyena, AcusHS

--Wins: 24

--Loss: 9

Changes Made:

5/16/2014: +1 Unbound Elemental, -1 Mana Tide Totem, +1 Doom Hammer, -1 Bloodlust, -1 Gadgetzan Autioneer, +1 Argent Commender

Spells:

-- Earth Shock: While maybe earlier in the meta game people might have made this a tentative 1 of saying only 1 damage inst important and the silence is wont come up often enough, more often than that your going to be surprised when you say "Man I need an Earth Shock right now". Proving necessary silences and damage against cards like Thalnos, Twilight Drakes, Loot Hoarder, Argent Squire, and even Leper Gnome, Earth Shock can save you against damage and the opponents card advantage with this deadly silver bullet against very powerful cards. Paired with the rest of the spell damage in the deck via Thalnos, Totems, and Drakes taking down things like Harvest Golem, Argent Commander, and VanCleef.

-- Lightning Bolt: 3 Damage is a very key number, Being a 1 drop with a very reasonable overload if it weren't for frost bolts "freeze" ability I would say this is the best "damage" spell in the game. Although this card will most likely be used to get rid of pesky 2-3 drops in the early game with the extra spell damage from Thalnos and the Drakes this card can defiantly show some work for being just a 1 drop. Although there is only 1 unbound elemental in the deck its worth nothing how much damage chaining lightning bolts with him on the field can push through and set the opponent on extreme defensive mode which is exactly where you want him to be.

-- Rockbiter Weapon: You would be surprised to hear that having the ability to boost three damage on a character for 1 turn for just one mana is actually a very tentative pick for me. Even though we have  Al'Akir in the deck the chance of being able to lay down a 12 damage 9 drop over 2 cards is just a fantasy and if you find yourself holding on to cards to pull of this combo you will most likely find yourself in a bad situation where you would have wanted to use that card earlier. Shaman has no efficient  ways of healing itself and while Earthen Ring Farseer can provide some heals you will notice its not in the deck and ill explain why not later. That being said hitting the opponents minions with your face can prove deadly to yourself, your 30 life is all you have don't through it away lightly. If i had it my way i would have lightning bolt be a 4 of but sadly this inst the case.

-- Feral Spirit: Probably one of the strongest spells in shamans arsenal. My praise for this card and love it gives me in return is unmatched by any other. This is my go to card for pretty much any situation. Opponent has board advantage? Feral Spirit. You have board advantage? Feral Spirit. Looking for a spell to protect your Gadgetzan while also triggering his draw? Feral Spirit. Full hand and every possible card in your hand to play with? PROBABLY FERAL SPIRIT. The fact that this spells is sort of a creature spell hybrid, being a "creature" but being cast as a spell is both helpful and harmful, has this weird synergy against mirror entity and has lots of fun playing with Gadgetzan. The bad this is the fact that you cant say where it goes on the battlefield. With the same issues with the shaman totem ability you cant say where the feral spirits will be when they enter the battlefield, they will always go the right. This can pose issues when you want to surround a creature on your own creatures or you have a flame tongue totem to the left and you want to give it at least one thing to use its adjacent buff on, so make sure you plan accordingly and push as many REAL creatures to the left because your spells and totem always go right.

-- Hex: Another easy decision for me to make was to includes 2 hex into the deck. Debatable on if it's better than Polymorph, hex is the go to spell for the opponents BIG STUFF. Hex is one of those spells that doesn't really need an explanation of WHY it's in the deck more an in depth explanation of what to use it on, and that is for another day.

-- Lightning Storm: I'm actually sad that is a one of. In my mind I always theories this card being even better than flame strike and the best "oh crap" button for when the opponent plays too much strong minions. The issue happens in practice. More often than none the biggest threat that his can take care of is against Zoo. Lots of creatures being played around 2-3 toughness lining up perfectly with your theoretical board wipe and more often than none it will do exactly that. The issue happens the turn afterward where the warlock shrugs his shoulders and plays 3 more even deadlier threats that you wish you had something to get rid of them with and your stuck with even less many than you had last turn. The proof is in practice and in practice this card just isn't that impressive, but I would never remove it fro mthe deck completely.

-- Bloodlust: This card has gone off an on in favor for me. A month back you could see me running 2 of these in my decks loving that turn 10 DOUBLE BLOOD LUST after I spend many turns earlier setting up for this super combo. But in the current meta it just seems like a dud card in your hand where you would rather just have an extra creature to play. your either facing up against hyper control, hyper aggro, or hyper combo while shaman is one of the few remaining classes that stays true to its "hybrid" nature. Blood lust is one of those Combo cards that can just force out that winning move.

Creatures:

-- Argent Squire: One of the newest editions to my shaman build. Argent squire isn't in the deck because of it being such a strong card but more because of the cards in the deck it likes to play with. The fact that it has divine shield allows it to take down medium sized creatures 3-4 times the mana cost as their quires when you give it a rock biter weapon. being a 2/2 divine shield taunt with Defender of August is a very big tempo block. Lastly as a shaman player myself, I find myself unable to fully respond to the Squire turn one when someone plays it against me  to the point that no other 1 drop but itself can take care of it besides itself.

-- Mana Tide Totem: While this card can easily be a 1 of in the deck to make room for more powerful cards like unbound elemental, I have a sort of love for that cute little 0/3 totem that people will literally THROUGH EVERY SPELL THEY OWN JUST TO GET RID OF IT. Hearthstone has a lot of back and forth even trading, and when you draw more cards than your opponent your going to win just by card advantage alone. When you play this card its going to draw you a card at the end of your turn guaranteed making it at its very worst a 3 drop "draw a card, opponent uses one card to get rid of it" making it a net 1 card card advantage for you. But at its very best it can be a near permanent source of extra cards proving self fueled protection that inevitably wins you the game. In the end its up to preference, if you feel like being more aggressive, make this card a 1x and add in an Unbound Elemental making that a 2x.

-- Unbound Elemental: This card works in the same way Mana Tide Totem works, you play it, and the opponents presses every button he can to get rid of it. In the same way that mana tide totem can get way to much advantage if you cant take care of it, an Unbound Elemental rampaging with overload triggers everywhere smacking at peoples faces over and over again can provide ultimate devastation. While I have this card as a 1x in the deck that is because I would rather see my opponents focus my mana tide totem, meanwhile drawing cards, than a card that can chain into a nasty finisher like this one.

-- Defender of Argus: While the original versions of the deck included Shattered Sun Cleric in order to make very important +1/+1 plays, I found the effect of giving my totems taunt at the same time was a necessity. With the amount of board flood that shaman can provide you will most always want this card in your hand most always see its value. Laying down taunts to protect very important cards like your Gadgetzan or providing that extra damage buff to push that value to its limits for min/maxing. This card is unmatched. 

-- Azure Drake: There are three things that shaman need in order to be successful. One, have hefty sized creatures that can take care of themselves in a fight. Two, have that extra pocket spell damage to push your smaller damaging spells to their limits. And lastly, Drawing cards. Azure Drake does it all much better than its other neutral draw card creature brothers. This card fits into the shaman class so well I sometimes forget that other classes can use him.

-- Chillwind Yeti: Nothing says value than a 4/5 mana cost 4 bomb that takes care of... everything. Admittedly one of the blandest cards to play and as much as you want to make that Unbound Elemental huge, sometimes a Chillwind Yeti is just that sort of bland value you were looking for in your life.

-- Gadgetzan Auctioneer: Having over 10 spells in your deck and most of them being 1 drops, being able to have them also draw you a cards, Gadgetzan just seems like a perfect edition. Though he may be hard to protect and you may loose without getting too much value off of him, I think he is a worthwhile addition to the shaman team easily being able to pull clutch games and lay down some aggressive damage. I suggest not making him a 2x in the deck, the combo isn't strong enough to rely on but is strong enough to include.

-- Argent Commander:  This card becomes necessary to do efficient one ups on creature trades. This card is not the easiest thing to get rid of and the effect it wants to do is an immediate one. Combined with the inclusion of your fire elemental you have a nice group of 6 mana cost damage dealers.

-- Fire Elemental: Certainly one of the strongest cards for a shaman this card can EASILY be your finisher. Both a source of removal and damage being a hefty creature with no mercy. Fire elemental is your muscle, your beef, your bronze. Very few cards can effectively trade with this card and it its most often a 2 for 1 card trading up on the mana curve. By the time you play this your opponent is our of removal and is on their last legs, punish them, and play with fire.

Weapons:

-- Stormforged Axe: In the same warning as Rockbiter Weapon, you only have so much life, don't attack things with your face unless you absolutely have to, and sometimes, your going to have to. Being able to trade down with the things this weapon does get its value but its overload can also make you in a terrible position by turn 3. Use this lightly, it can be used to do great things but can also cause way too much damage to your own face.

-- Doom Hammer: Nececary for most match ups in the current meta against either Zoo Warlock or Yolo Hunter. Doom Hammer provided an extra chance for 10 damage Windfury combo and also provides a long lasting way to deal with creatures and deal direct damage over many turns. Using this over Bloodlust is a preference and I would consider Doom Hammer to be the stronger card.

Legendary:

-- Bloodmage Thalnos: This legendary is very important to a shamans play style and is probably one of the most important legendary you can play. Being a pocket spell damage as well as card draw this simple yet effective small push can win you games. Being the lovechild of a Loot Hoarder and a Kobold Geomancer, this card would easily be my most requested card to be in my opening hand or at any other point in the game. Replacements for this card would probably be a Kobold Geomancer over a Loot Hoarder, the spell damage is just too important.

-- Al'Akir the Windlord: He is big, he is bad, and winds obey his command, he is our very own (WIN)Lord Al'Akir. maybe not the best class legendary in the game, he certainly can lay some smack down even still. Admittedly he can pretty much be replaced with any end game power legenday the real preference I have to using him is his charge, while other chargers in the game can deal around 6 damage or 8 damage, he, alongside 2x Rockbiter Weapons, can deal 18. a very risky gambit but just think of it like how rogues use Shadowstep with Lerroy. This is very pricey at 8 mana but he is still a power house legendary which easily can be the right card for the right job. Replacements can be pretty much any Legendary you think you can finish the game with, something that when you play it the opponent might as well give up their. the benefits to this are that unlike the other powerhouse legendaries out there he isn't the easier way to remove, besides direct kills spells and polymorphs he has to be taken care of with two instances of damage. One of my personal favorite reasons I choose Al'Akir is that he is 3 power, by the time you play him priests have used up their pain spells and are waiting for you to play Ragnaros.