Hearthpwn

Hey Stoners,

This is a deck I have been enjoying playing on my F2P euro account.

I opened Prince Valanar and challenged myself to use it with cards I had. Now there are a lot of good 4 drops for each class, but rogue seemed to be the popular choice for this card. The attributes of the card fit the Paladin style better. But what about Consecration or Truesilver Champion? These are staples for every Paladin deck, or are they? In a control style deck, yes. I don't have the cards for control, but I do have a lot of good tempo cards.

Consecration can't really be run without equality. There are just too many minions above two health being played. And everyone figures you have it, so they play around it. Same goes for Truesilver Champion. Now this is a great weapon, arguably the best in the game. So I swapped it with the next best, Rallying Blade. Now this weapon does work and the stats are perfect on curve. The battlecry works great because you have at least 5 targets in your deck, but honestly, that is just bonus. This weapon needs to be played regardless of the battlecry to control the board.

So this is somewhat of a budget deck, with the emphasis on value and tempo. Let's talk about some of the cards and why and how...

Righteous Protector - Every pro talked about this card and how it might be meta defining before the expansion dropped. Well that hasn't really been the case. I think that is a combination of too much hype, but mostly people not using it correctly. This is not an ideal turn 1 play unless you are on the coin and you opponent plays his own 1 drop minion. Your best play is Fire Fly or Argent Squire. This card is best used forcing your opponent into awkward trades or inefficient mana use or just protection of something better.

Smuggler's Run - try to play this with at least three targets to get the most value, but honestly, this card is here to fill out the curve. Value is the name of the game and we want to get it out of every mana. So this is a great way to use up your whole turn. Not a must include, but I don't remember a situation where I regretted playing this. If this hits targets like Stonehill Defender or Tar Creeper those cards just became nightmares for your opponent to handle.

Hydrologist - what do we want? Value. And this card is it. This card is always great on curve, but the secret (pun intended) is to pick the right secret. The most common choices are Noble Sacrifice or Getaway Kodo. And that is what you opponent expects, so they will be the first ones he plays around. Against a more aggressive deck, Noble Sacrifice is a good choice, but Redemption might actually be better, You need to step up your game and play smart. Know the order you cards were played in or play your cards so the trigger after AOE is intentional. Repentance is a great choice against big minion control decks like Priest and Warlock. You should have minions on the board and hopefully more than you opponent, so chucking a dude in that 6 drop that now has 1 health, well, that's value.

Stubborn Gastropod - great arena card, but doesn't see play in constructed. Why? Well that is because arena play style is different than a constructed play style. I play a lot of arena. I have over 6000 wins and I know why this card is good. You need to look at this card being a Doomsayer rather than an Emperor Cobra. This card is its best played on turn 2, but always great when your opponent has an empty board. There are not a whole lot of cards that deal with this efficiently. If your opponent just pings it for two turn, well they are not establishing their gameplan and you continue to ride the value train to victory.

Prince Valanar - this card is just good. Not broken, but good. Great against aggressive decks. This card is not critical to the deck, but it did lead me to building the rest of the deck. Lots of other cards can be put here instead if you like... Spellbreaker, Truesilver Champion, Consecration, etc, But if you are replacing this card, why are you here?

Cobalt Scalebane - this is a kind of a "win-more" card, but I like to win. This card does what i like and that is provide value. Stats are good and you should have minions on the board all the time and more of them than your opponent and if you don't, this is not the right card for you. Again this is why Redemption is good. It is the better tempo play and it is really hard for most classes to do 1 damage for 1 mana. So why is Cobalt Scalebane good? It is a lot like the the dirty snail listed above, your opponent has tough decisions. Kill this or the taunt that just got buffed? Leave it up and well your opponent is covered in value bukkake.

Dire Wolf Alpha - this helps make some really good trades when needed. Not seen in a lot of Paladin decks, but it should be.

Loot Hoarder - I like having options. I hate Curvestone. What i like about this deck is what I like about arena. You have to know your opponent and what cards to expect the next turn. You have to out play your opponent, not just click the screen better. This deck plays to the core of what Hearthstone should be, which is interacting with your opponent's board and making intelligent trades and predictive plays. This card is not critical to the deck by any means, but it works within the mana curve I was trying to achieve, 20/30 cards below 4 mana. This ratio means you should always have plays in those critical first 3 turns. These turns (mostly) determine the out come of the game. Must be the arena in me. Swap it for anything you like if you want, but keep the curve. you do not want to hero power on turn 2.

Skelemancer - the mind fuck that this card creates is fantastic. Protects you from AOE. So if this is on the board, flood away. Your opponents best option is to ignore it. Fine by me. I will enjoy me constant 2 damage to your face every turn. If you can drop a Spikeridged Steed on this and your opponent doesn't have transform effects well then you just won the game. That being said... some Priests run silences, very few Mages run Polymorph, Druid might run a Spellbreaker, Warrior.... nothing, Rogue might run Sap, Thrall had Hex nerfed so don't see them running that much anymore, just devolve for now, hunter...nope, warlock...nada. So know your opponent and whether it makes sense to invest the Spikeridged Steed on the Skelemancer or if it makes sense to spread the buffs.

Bonemare - VALUE! In arena, every one of these cards you draft, equals 3 wins on its own. This card is appearing in decks I never would have expected to see it. I have seen Jade Druids, Mages, and Priests with this card. But nobody does it as well as Paladin. Play smart. If you know your opponent runs silences or transforms, bait them out with this and then drop the Spikeridged Steed.

Vinecleaver - 18/6 in stats for 7 mana. That's nuts! Why is this card not played more? The cost is high and weapon removal hurts, but no decks outside of Highlander decks is doing that right now and they probable ate 1 charge off your Rallying Blade earlier. Now this is the point in the game that 4 damage is good. This can finish the game for you or just keep flooding the board. There is only so much AOE a deck can effectively run and it isn't enough to deal with this deck. Plus the 2 dudes with each swing play really nicely into the next card.

Sunkeeper Tarim - this is the best legendary in the game! I was lucky enough to get this out of a pack, but there is no better way to spend 1600 dust. This card does everything. It is removal and burst in the same card. So versatile. This card will turn games around or put them out of reach. I could go on for days about how great this card is. This is a staple in every Paladin deck, if you like to play Paladin and do not have this card. Craft it and you will love Paladin even more. Just do it!

So no Tirion Fordring in the deck? Isn't that regarded as the best value card in the game? Nope don't have it and don't need it. I have a 3 mana 1/4 card - "Discover Tirion Fordring, ignore the other two choices and put it in you hand". Make sure before you select the wielder of Ashbringer you hover over the other two cards for a bit so it looks like you had a tough choice, because he wasn't an option.

 

Mulligans...

Curve. Get 1 drops. Get rid of expensive shit. 

Don't keep the doggy or Argent Protector, keep a Rallying Blade if you already have a 1 and 2. 

If you are playing against Warrior, assume it is pirate and keep taunts. This deck doesn't lose to pirate warrior.

Gameplan...

Generally you are making value trades keeping, your minion count higher than his, and pecking at you opponents face until you can burst or he just runs out of answers. Against Jade druid, play very aggressively, you win. Priest, pretty much the same, play aggressive.

Warlock might be the toughest match. Don' play into a big Twisting Nether without being able to re-flood the board. And play around Defile and Despicable Dreadlord as best you can.

Shaman - kill everything, even totems

You should beat everyone else.

 

Enjoy