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Thrall Smash!

  • Last updated Jun 20, 2014 (Live Patch 5506)
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Wild

  • 13 Minions
  • 14 Spells
  • 3 Weapons
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Unknown
  • Crafting Cost: 2000
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 6/13/2014 (Live Patch 5506)
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  • C4lm
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I decided to try out weapon-focused Shaman and this is what I came up with. I'll admit, I haven't tested this deck extensively yet, so there might be downsides I'm not aware of. This decklist should, however, give you the rough idea behind this deck, feel free to tweak it according to your preference.
I made 2nd version of this deck for those who have more Dust, shown here:
http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/65150-thrall-smash-v-2

I took some inspiration from AjayxD's Powerhouse shaman v2 -deck (shown here: http://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/59948-powerhouse-shaman-v2-5x-legend-top-100) and used it as a base for my design.

This deck has few win conditions: Either you smash your opponent into oblivion with Doomhammer, or you'll just burst him/her down with Azure Drake -fueled spells (while cycling your hand with Auctioneer). Or just go with the old fashioned "control board and gang up on him/her with your minions", that works too.

Since Shaman token cards (Lightning Bolt, Hex, Feral Spirit etc.) are fairly self explanatory, I'll jump straight into unusual card picks:

Forked Lightning
Not commonly seen in Shaman decks, this one packs some punch under right circumstances. True, both Lightning Bolt & Lightning Storm are more reliable, but Forked Lightning is good early game board equalizer (should you ever fall behind) and shouldn't be underestimated. Also pretty good at clearing up whatever survives Lightning Storm.
Synergizes nicely Spell Damage -boosts and Wild Pyromancers.

Stormforged Axe
2x Axes might seem overkill, but in practice it's not bad as you'd think: Not only does it improve your chances to draw Axe early on, it grants you extra (minor) face damage option AND Ooze/Harrison bait (to clear path for Doomhammer). 2nd copy can be replaced with another card to suit your playstyle or current meta.

Wild Pyromancer
Oh man, I have nothing but utmost respect for these 3/2's. Not only do they double as Spell Damage -boosters, they'll do lots of other neat tricks:
- Your opponent just played Harvest Golem on empty board? Wild Pyro + Lightning Bolt -> no more Golems. This combo is practically homebrewed Swipe.
- your opponent floods the board with Divine Shield -minions? Wild Pyro + any spell -> no more Divine Shields!
- Annoyed for having to spend minion attack/weapon charge on Hex'ed enemy minion? Wild Pyro + Hex -> Assassinate
- Downsides can be negated with Healing Totems.

Furthermore, these guys offer synergy to both Acolyte of Pain & Spiteful Smith (more details on these later on).

Violet Teacher

Solid 3/5 that benefits from decks wide array of spells.
Compared to Gadgetzan Auctioneer, VT is 1 Mana cheaper, has -1/+1 making it slightly harder to kill (for example, doesn't get charged by Argent Commander) and generates 1/1 minions instead of card draw.
Debatable whether guaranteed 1/1 is better or worse than card draw (1/1's synergize nicely with Flametongue Totem), but VT seems to stick on board longer than Auctioneer while being equally good removal bait.

Spiteful Smith
Of all the cards mentioned above, this one is definitely the odd one that sticks out like a sore thumb.
This cards sole purpose is to boost your Doomhammer swings and it does good job at it: While 2*2 might not be bad, constant barrage of 4*2's is painful. And if you manage to get Rockbiter in... well, bursting your opponent down from 14 -> 0 with nothing but your weapon IN ONE TURN is immensely satisfying :)
Triggering Enrage can prove tricky, but that's what Wild Pyros are for: Let's say you readied Doomhammer on your previous Turn and took 2 swings with it. Now you'll play Spiteful Smith + Wild Pyro + Rockbiter for 8 Mana -> now you'll have 7*2 Doomhammer.

Even if you don't have (or if you used up) your Doomhammer readied, putting out 4/6 on field is bound to do something before it gets taken out. Most the time, that is.
Not quite as strong with Axes, but I wouldn't call 4/3 Axe weak.

 

Changes?

At the moment I can observe few downsides to this deck: No heals and very little Taunts. Both can be detrimental if you can't overwhelm your opponent quickly.
If you're having trouble with lack of Taunts, try replacing one Axe (or Mana Tide, see below) with Sunfury Protector.
Another thing I'd like to try is to add 2x Molten Giants to maximize the benefits from face-checking enemy minions, in theory it could work... sadly I don't have the cards to test this myself.

Acolyte of Pain can be replaced with Mana Tide, it just comes down to personal preference which one you like better (albeit they should be played under different circumstances). AoP can also be replaced with 2nd Unbound Elemental, Harvest Golem or Farseer if you'd rather trade card draw for stronger minion.
* I recently tried subbing Mana Tide with either Gnomish Inventor, Bloodmage Thalnos or Sunfury Protector/Defender of Argus. Compared to Mana Tide, GI seems to provide better early tempo (2/4 minion can knock down most 1-2 Mana drops) along one card draw. If you find your Mana Tide either constantly sitting in your hand too long, or if your MT keeps getting one-shotted right after played, try Gnomish Inventor.
Thalnos is also viable choice, it provides another Spell Damage -boost along with card draw. Maybe slightly redundant due to Wild Pyromancers, but still a good pick if you want more Spell Damage without sacrificing much card draw.
If you're facing a lot of aggro, Sunfury/Argus gives you Taunters in a pinch, this change seemed to work nicely.
Surprisingly I didn't notice much of a difference in draw speed without Mana Tide combo, nor did I get much use out of Auctioneer. Auctioneer's usefulness is partially resolved in updated deck "Thrall Smash! v.2".

Anyways, enough with the ramblings. Feel free to try this out, let me know what you think and how would you improve this deck!

EDIT 1 (14.6.2014): Swapped AoP for Mana Tide, will have to do some testing. I also removed Auctioneer as I felt it didn't do enough card drawing to justify his spot in deck, replaced with 2nd Unbound Elemental.

* EDIT 2 (18.6.2014): Made few minor deck changes for testing purposes. Added explanation why I picked Violet Teachers over Gadgetzan Auctioneer.