Crusher Shaman [Legendary]
- Last updated May 15, 2016 (Old Gods)
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Wild
- 16 Minions
- 14 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Control Shaman
- Crafting Cost: 7340
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 6/30/2014 (Live Patch 5506)
- HSCrusher
- Deck Architect
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- 12
- 23
- 46
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
US
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Total Deck Rating
1574
Peak Legend Rank (Season 3): 777
WotoG Update! I'll hopefully do a more complete write up later this season. In the meantime, enjoy an updated, if not finalized decklist. Also, here's a video of me piloting the deck on Twitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UssHC_rep98
Mission Statement: Rely on spells and taunts, including the Ancestral Healing + Injured Blademaster combo, to make it to the late game, then lock the board down with a nearly endless supply of Earth Elementals (using Ancestral Spirit and Faceless Manipulator). The deck can win other ways, but if the game goes long enough this usually works.
(Thank you FromDust for the pic; my record is 4 Earth Elementals at the same time.)
The Story: I was playing my Divine Control Paladin when I faced a player named Loboguerrero. I was surprised when he played Earth Elemental, a risky card in an environment rife with Big Game Hunters and The Black Knights, but with Ancestral Spirit and Faceless Manipulator, the Earth Elementals gained value and seemed nearly endless. I gritted my way through the first four Earth Elementals, but the fifth one did me in. I instantly fell in love with the concept and made my own Ancestral Shaman. I fine tuned it throughout the course of the season, taking it from Rank 13 to Legendary.
The Meta: I think this is a good meta call right now. The copious taunts hold up well against Aggro, Zoo, and give you a shot against Miracle Rogue, while the strong removal options and threatening minions let you outlast most control decks. Opponents will generally expect that you are playing the standard Shaman build. That build has few threats, so opponents will often waste removal on some of your only mildly threatening cards like Fire Elemental, Azure Drake, and even Mana Tide Totem. They will also become detrimentally defensive when they drop into the standard Shaman's burst range of about 18 health. This deck runs almost no burst favoring the Earth Elemental lockdown, but it still benefits from this expectation.
The Stars:
Earth Elemental: This card is usually risky because of its vulnerability to Big Game Hunter and The Black Knight. It costs you 8 mana total and can easily wreck two turns. You should only play this on turn 5 out of utter desperation. The objective is to combo it with Ancestral Spirit and/or Faceless Manipulator to cement its value, burn out the opponent's removal, and hopefully lock down the game.
Ancestral Spirit: Ideally comboed with Earth Elemental for an extremely resilient wall, but can be reasonably comboed with Kel'Thuzad, Fire Elemental, or Injured Blademaster (you get a 4/7 back). Sometimes you just need taunt, so playing it on Sen'jin Shieldmasta is even an option. Finally it can proc (and give future procs) to Wild Pyromancer.
Ancestral Healing: Ideally comboed with Injured Blademaster for an early sturdy taunt. Often draws some hard removal making your Earth Elementals stronger later. Ancestral Healing can also be comboed with The Black Knight for the equivalent of a Chillwind Yeti and an Assassinate at a 3 mana discount. Also useful for emergency taunts or healing up an Earth Elemental (especially just before it is copied with Faceless Manipulator).
Injured Blademaster: Besides the combo with Ancestral Healing, it works well with Ancestral Spirit and to some degree Healing Totem.
Some Other Cards:
Feral Spirit: I only run one of these because in my mind it is a situational card. In the early and mid game when the opponent has only 5 or less attack minions, it essentially functions as a 2/6 taunt that is vulnerable to AoE (and less vulnerable to single target removal). This is not worth 5 mana even if it is spread out over two turns and even against aggro. Later though it is very effective at slowing big threats and blocking finishing combos. You should almost always mulligan this card away and hope to find it later if and when you need it.
Unbound Elemental: A good turn 3 play if you haven't found your Injured Blademaster + Ancestral Healing combo yet. The 4 health helps it stick to the table and with 7 overload cards it can actually get somewhat threatening (maybe draws a silence). It may be worth replacing these with Earthen Ring Farseers to help against Miracle Rogue and Alexstrasza (especially in Freeze Mage).
Sen'jin Shieldmasta: Could have easily been Chillwind Yetis instead, but the extra taunt goes a long way against aggro toward surviving to play an Earth Elemental combo. The extra taunt also helps to block finishing combos.
The Black Knight: A good card in this meta all by itself, since everything but Aggro and Miracle Rogue are forced to play taunts to survive them. Also, the most popular aggro, Zoo, runs taunts of its own. The Ancestral Healing combo (cast Ancestral Healing on an enemy minion to give it taunt, then use The Black Knight's battlecry to destroy it) ensures its inclusion.
Ragnaros the Firelord (replaced): I felt that this deck needed one more big threat past the elementals. I experimented with Alexstrasza for the heal after stabilizing, but Ragnaros feels a bit more versatile. Often a good target for Ancestral Healing to make sure your opponent can't just ignore Ragnaros for the win. Its vulnerability to Big Game Hunter sometimes just ends up helping your Earth Elementals.
Matchups:
A list of the most common matchups I faced on my way to legend. Some mulligan information is included and I rate them according to how well this deck performs against them.
Handlock (Strong): You must be patient. Shamans usually hold Handlock healths hovering in the high teens range and then finish them with a windfury Rockbiter Weapon burst of some sort, but this deck does not have that ability. Instead you have to outlast the Handlock, which sometimes even means literally waiting for the opposing Handlock to run out of cards before making your move. The key is that Handlock actually has fewer threats than you might think: 2 Twilight Drakes, 2 Molten Giants, 2 Mountain Giants, and 1 or 2 Faceless Manipulators. They may also have Alexstrasza (this makes the matchup more difficult). Earth Shock can kill one Twilight Drake while The Black Knight and Hexes can kill three giants. The rest you can kill the hard way. I usually won't attack the opponent's hero until I can handle all of the remaining threats hitting the board on the same turn. This means trading on the board as much as possible and just not attacking a lot of the time. Beware of the Leeroy Jenkins + Power Overwhelming + Faceless Manipulator, 20 damage finisher. Avoid taking damage as much as possible, and have the appropriate number of taunts down to block it. The main danger is falling too far behind in card advantage, so don't overextend on the board for fear of Shadowflame or Hellfire. Finally, try to draw out his Faceless Manipulator(s) before dropping an Earth Elemental + Ancestral Spirit combo.
Zoo (Strong): Mulligan for early drops (4 or less mana), Lightning Bolt, Ancestral Healing, Wild Pyromancer (now removed), Lightning Storm. If you get a Wild Pyromancer or a Lightning Storm by turn 5 you're probably fine. Taunts help you stall until you get it together. Save Lightning Bolt for Knife Juggler or Dire Wolf Alpha if you can. Likewise, save Hex for Doomguard. No need to wait much on Earth Elementals in this matchup since there's no hard removal. If you get one down with Ancestral Spirit, that pretty much ends it.
Control Warrior (Strong): Another patient matchup. Try to save Hexes for truely scary minions, like Sylvanas Windrunner, Cairne Bloodhoof, or Alexstrasza. As a general rule, trade on the board rather than using removal if you can, since Warrior will probably be able to efficiently remove them next turn, and you're not going to rush him down.
Miracle Rogue (Fair): Mulligan for Lightning Storm, Bloodmage Thalnos, Wild Pyromancer, early drops, and Lightning Bolt when facing Rogue. You might even keep a Mana Tide Totem for a turn 3 play, since miracle rogue has to spend removal on it just the same (and you get a card back). Your first goal is to find Lightning Storm + spell power and/or Wild Pyromancer by turn 5 so that you have a chance at killing a Concealed Auctioneer. While you wait play your early drops, but favor playing non-taunts over taunts, so that you can save the taunts to block the Leeroy Jenkins combo. Make sure to keep the opponent's board clear, because it is very difficult to make your own minions stick. Do this with Lightning Bolts and trading. It is key to burn the opponent's Saps, so play your cheap taunts like Sen'jin Shieldmasta and Ancestral Healing before droping your Earth Elementals. Try not to play Feral Spirit until after your opponent plays Blade Flurry; it can really shine in this matchup. Ultimately the shear number of taunts can prevent the Leeroy Jenkins combo and let you coast to victory.
Ramp Druid (Fair): Keep a Hex when mulliganing against Druid just in case they Innervate out a Chillwind Yeti. Druid has limited removal options, which should work to your advantage, but does almost guarantee they run The Black Knight and Big Game Hunter. Beware the Savage Roar + Force of Nature combo (minimum 14 damage). Make sure you have enough taunt if your health gets low.
Freeze Mage (Poor): Go, Go, Go! Kill them as fast as possible...but it probably won't work. Mulligan for anything that will do damage fast; forget cards that help with board control. Earth Shock is really helpful for unfreezing your minion or neutralizing a Doomsayer. If you really want to increase your odds in this matchup, try adding Earthen Ring Farseers in place of Unbound Elementals. Save them for after the opponent plays Alexstrasza. They're helpful in some other matchups too, especially Miracle Rogue.
If you have any more questions about matchups, card choices, etc. or suggestions, let me know in the comments!
Season 4 Update: I have replaced one Unbound Elemental with an extra Earth Shock to help combat the influx of Zoo and the prominence of some new cards, especially Nerubian Egg.
Naxx Update: I have replaced Ragnaros the Firelord with Kel'Thuzad. Kel is great behind the many taunts in this deck or with Ancestral Spirit. He's almost like another win condition for the deck. Also Wild Pyromancer has been replaced with Loatheb. Loatheb belongs in almost every deck.
Deck in Action:
Zilea - Control Warrior (caution: language, 5 Fire Elementals)
Faction - Midrange Shaman
News: It sounds like on Wednesday, July 2nd, Day9 will be playing this deck on his daily: http://day9.tv/d/Day9/day9-hearthstone-decktacular-23-crusher-shaman/ . Tune in; it should be fun!
The Hearthstone streamer, Realz, has been playing this deck on ladder with great success. He explains his reasoning very well, and it would be a great way to learn about the deck.
http://www.twitch.tv/realz_/b/543631041 (Starts playing the deck at 6 hour mark)
http://www.twitch.tv/realz_/b/543924429 (Continues playing and later modifies deck at starting at 1:05)
http://www.twitch.tv/realz_/ (His stream)
Some fans of the deck have provided video spotlights that explain card choices, matchups, and/or give example gameplay. Check them out for advice on how to play the deck. Enjoy!
TheChiv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2vekv7C3Xg&feature=youtu.be
Matt Sparks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Xf2dkLxUM
Tim Clark features Crusher Shaman in an article from PC Gamer's Hearthstone Help series called "Three Fun Decks to Try": http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/07/09/hearthstone-help-three-fun-decks-to-test/
I don't run Rockbiters in this deck. I'd say its not realistic to hold onto direct damage just for that, but if you can, do so. I just try to make sure to have a couple of minions down at all times, and that's often enough to push through and kill Jaraxxas. He can be tough, and just his inclusion moves Handlock from a great matchup to only a good matchup.
Having alot of fun with this deck. I feel it needs a little something more earlier to deal with the fast mech decks. Powermace/Annoyatron? If we include powermace the arcane nullifier could be a nice inclusion. Never needed much late, once you get the earth elemental engine going it's hard to get by.
I have been running a powermace and two arcane nullifiers lately. It's been working very well. Haven't used Annoy-o-tron.
Thanks for the deck idea! This got me out of my Shaman losing streaks that caused me to desert poor Thrall for a while. It's also really interesting what other people have done to this deck to tweak it to their style/available cards. These are some of the changes I made:
I don't have the The Black Knight so I use Loatheb. Doesn't really serve the same purpose but Loatheb pretty much fits in almost any deck, plus he's a decent combo on turn 10 to force expensive removal for your Earth Elemental.
Not really into the Ancestral Healing and Injured Blademaster combo, I only have one Injured Blademaster and I don't feel like crafting another.
With the GvG update, control seems to be more common now (especially priest) so I'm using a Spellbreaker and Big Game Hunter and only one Injured Blademaster to help in more late game scenarios. Not sure if that is an excessive amount of silence/removal but so far it seems to work.
I use one Feral Spirit in place of that last Ancestral Healing slot. Even though it is somewhat situational I rank it higher than Ancestral Healing. Also golden Feral Spirit looks really cool.
Not sure if running Injured Blademaster is still worth it without Ancestral Healing. He synergises with healing totems but that might not be enough to justify having just one.
Here's the full deck:
I was testing it out in another deck and found it to be too slow.
Is Powermace that useful? Guess it work really well with Nullifiers... I was going to leave Earthen Ring Farseer in. I just got Troggzor, so I'll have to see how that goes. I'm going to run Vitality Totem first. I think this deck could actually get some long term gain from it.
I'm already taking one pyro out for vitality token so I'm comparing earthring and powermace. I'll give it a shot because the upside is there, but I do worry about just running out of health to spend.
Just tried two games with Powermace and in both I got a 4/7 Nullifier without going out of my way and Vitality Totem helped deal with any damage I took. I doubt that continues, but if I can keep this up with some regularity it will be good.
Interesting. the 4/7 Nullifier with taunt has the exact same stats of a Blademaster with ancestral healing.
So even if it isn't constantly dependable to use Nullifier with Powermace, having the combo available gives you another way to get that early game 4/7 with taunt that is valuable in early-ish game. The added weapon is also valuable on top of that, especially against agro. In that way, it is much better valuae than Blademaster/healing combo for the same number of cards, but is harder to pull off. The vitality totem will help heal the damage from using the weapon. I do wonder about future exploration of this synergy though, and if it can be expanded.
Edit: Oh, and I will get into this testing soon. My only Legendary from 15 packs was Dr Boom, so I can play with him. I do have one Vitality Totem that I will put in instead of Earthen Ring Farseer (I also have two Antique Healbots if I wish to play with them).
What I will contribute to this testing is the Dunemaul experiment. So far I simply removed the Earthen Ring Farseer from the deck and replaced it with Dunemaul Shaman (I couldn't buy packs first day of release) and it was alarming how much that guy contributed.
This deck protects him, and can clean the board to allow him to his face, his favorite activity. Sure, you have to think about when to use him properly, but he can be amazing. Once he misfired and hit a stelathed Auctioneer, but that was only a bonus. He's a powerful face masher. Period. However, that raised the curve and reduced my healing, so I am not sure what to remove to put him in. Perhaps the Black Knight? It would sure change the complexion of the deck, adding more agro component, but I sure would miss that remove-Sludge Belcher component. Maybe remove Faceless Manipulator? but that is a powerful door slammer if you can faceless an ancestral spirited E.E. Kind of a core of the deck. Anyway, I will play around.
Powermace might require more mechs in the deck to make it optimal though. Maybe there should be a mech version of this deck as well.
I assume you will be playing the new shaman legend, since you were saying this deck needed a good 7 drop?
I was thinking Troggzor the Earthinator instead since his ability plays better with resummoning, and he's good behind taunts. Honestly I think I might like Dr. Boom over Neptulon, but any of these that you pull would be good to add to the deck. I think I might replace Rag with whichever I find first.
I should probably mention i got neptulon from unstable portal. he wins games, no joke.
I do agree he's a bit underrated and I also think Troggzor is a bit overrated. I think you should try him if you like him.
Between Neptulon and Dr. Boom, any idea which might be stronger?
I would lean Dr. Boom, but I don't own either.
Love your deck man, maybe not the best to reach Legend but who cares, it's super fun. The most efficient decks are usually the most boring to play with.
Lightning Bolts are pretty key for fighting the "cancer", so I wouldn't take that out. The deck is already fairly teched against aggro at the moment (with the two Wild Pyromancers). In my experience, the deck does very well against hunter and is about 50/50 against Zoo.
As for theory crafting,
Antique Healbot (for Wild Pyromancer): This deck has always needed heal. It has the ability to stabilize with a taunt wall but can still lose to burn. Second Wild Pyromancer has been the current solution against Hunter, but the Healbot could be more versatile.
Dr. Boom (for Ragnaros the Firelord): It's always been frustrating that Ragnaros can't be played the turn after an Earth Elemental, but there's never been an aggressive 7-drop before. Dr. Boom doesn't look great to me, but he at least fits that description. His Boom Bots can be triggered by Wild Pyro in a pinch too.
Now leaning Trogdor, mostly because his ability plays better with resummoning, and as you say, he works well behind taunts. Vitality Totem replaces Antique Healbot as well. I'm also considering Arcane Nullifier X-21 over Sen'jin Shieldmasta.
Interesting, but not viable even if you give your big guys ancestral and etc. Far too much removal and silences in the game.
One owl does you in