Hearthpwn

This deck is very heavily focused on protecting your Murlocs so you can put the large buffs that Murlocs provide to each other to use.

Before I get into deck strategy...

 

The Hungry Crab

I'd like to comment on my exclusion of Hungry Crab. Many players are including this in their Murloc decks; I feel it's an incredibly weak card. In fact, it's an anti-Murloc deck card, not something to be included *in* a Murloc deck. Every Murloc requires other Murlocs to be powerful, and by sacrificing one to a singular creature, you're weakening your minions as a whole *and* consolidating your power into a single creature (which does not receive future Murloc buffs), making it an easy target for removal.

 

Coldlight Oracle

Many players have been including this in their deck as a way to draw extra cards. I feel that he is a poor choice, and have left him out intentionally. By the time you can drop him (turn 3) and actually put the cards to use (turn 4), your opponent will be at the level of mana that he can potentially find an answer to your Murlocs. The two cards you draw are useful, yes, but your opponent will likely have more late-game cards in his deck than you. Giving him the opportunity to draw an answer to your Murloc swarm is more likely than drawing a Murloc that will singlehandedly win you the game. Spending turn 3 dropping the cards that you *already* have in your hand (letting you become heavily offensive on turn 4, rather than waiting until turn 5 for minions that don't have Charge) is a much better strategy. You need a strong early game with this deck, by the time Coldlight Oracle is playable, it's your opponent that will be gaining the majority of the benefit from him.

 

General Deck Strategy

Press for an advantage early, don't be afraid to pressure your opponent into reacting. Your deck is full of low-cost minions, and you can afford to sacrifice some of them. Force your opponent to board wipe.

Save your Murloc Warleaders and Grimscale Oracles for when you have a number of Murlocs ready to attack (to prevent them from being removed before you can use their benefits), after they board wipe, or when you have Redemptions active.

Use Blessing of Wisdom aggressively. If you draw even a single card off of it, you've made up for the card's cost. Interestingly enough, most people don't realize how effective this card can be. You can use this card on your opponent's minions. While it's not always the proper choice, it does put your opponent in an interesting situation. Doing so acts as a deterrent and forces your opponent to make a choice - Either attack and allow you to draw a card, or stop attacking with the minion altogether. This ensures the card will receive it's full value, since you won't be removing their minion yourself. It either allows you to draw cards (replacing the Blessing), or acts as a semi-"removal" spell on that particular minion, whereas using it on your own creature may just invite your opponent to use a removal spell of his own (which isn't a bad thing either - removal spells used on generic Murlocs mean less removal for your important "buffers").

Don't be afraid to use Divine Favor early. If you can draw 2 or more cards off of it, it's absolutely worth using. This deck relies on having a steady stream of Murlocs; having a turn of downtime because you ran out of cards can cause you to lose some pressure, allowing your opponent some breathing space. This deck is heavily focused around many low-cost cards, meaning you'll be able to dump your hand much faster than your opponent... Making Divine Favor an incredibly strong card in the majority of matches.

Use Faceless Manipulator to either copy any high-power minions your opponent plays, or duplicate your valuable Murloc-buffing minons. Copying an Old Murk-Eye or Murloc Warleader can end the game incredibly quickly.

Unlike other Murloc decks, which rely very heavily on specific win conditions (such as a large Old Murk-Eye swing, large Rogue combo turns, or singular late game cards [Sea Giant, King Krush, Gladiator's Longbow] that are easily removed/controlled), this deck has a strong core group of Murlocs that require very heavy removal to control. If you stay offensive and manage to keep a few Murlocs down, every card in the deck will push the game towards a win for you.

Don't be afraid to let your opponent hit you a little bit - having minions on the table is more valuable to you than sacrificing them to take out a few of your opponent's. Trading a few health points for a large swing on your next turn is always worth it.

 

Defensive Play

If you need to play defensively (you should be playing heavy offense most of the game), use Noble Sacrifice when you want to throw your opponent off guard and delay them a turn (sometimes even killing or putting minions in kill range unexpectedly), Hand of Protection or Redemption when you feel you *need* to remove a threat on the table, but can't afford to sacrifice a minion to do so, and Coldlight Seer to give your Murlocs enough HP to be able to swing against weaker minions without fear of dying.

Save your Shieldbearers for when you're ready to drop your valuable Murlocs (such as Murloc Warleader), as it will make them much harder for the opponent to simply pick off. Again, don't be afraid to take a couple of hits to your face, that's better than them targeting your minions. Shieldbearer should be used to protect your Murlocs, NOT you, unless you're in imminent danger of losing the game.

Be careful with having both a Noble Sacrifice and Redemption in play at the same time; this can result in the minion from Noble Sacrifice ending up as the target for Redemption, which will mean you have one less protective spell in place for your Murlocs.

Use your hero power liberally. Even if they don't receive the Murloc buffs, they do work wonders as fodder for taking out enemy minions at no card cost to you, and sometimes using your hero power is a better choice than dropping a Murloc. Use this to your advantage; if you feel a board wipe is coming, or need to kill an opponent's minion that has low health before dropping something in your hand, use your hero power to get a minion on the table, rather than sacrificing a Murloc. Your Murlocs are cheap enough that you can drop most of your hand on any turn later in the game, so your priority should be to make sure it's the *right* turn. As well, if you have a Knife Juggler out, it's a cheap way to do a bit of damage to the opponent's side of the board.

 

Mid/Late Game Play

If it looks like your early game is going to be heavily controlled by the opponent, don't be afraid to wait until mid/late game to make a hard push. Sacrifice some minions (and use your hero power) to keep the opponent under control, keep specific key cards in hand, and be ready to drop your hand incredibly quickly. You can surprise the opponent with a huge swing if you save and use the right Murlocs at the right time.

For instance, random example:

Turn 5: Murloc Tidecaller, Murloc Tidehunter, Divine Favor

Turn 6: Murloc Warleader, Grimscale Oracle, Bluegill Warrior

Swing for 23.

 

Keep the pressure on, force your opponent to react, and you'll have the game under your complete control.