Hey I've been experimenting with a ton of different builds for the deck. There are a whole bunch of different directions to go in, but none of them feel perfect and obviously this is not a deck that's going to dominate in the current meta/with the current support.
From there I think the strongest option might be mech-heavy. Obviously Ursatron is perfect for the deck. There are a few matchups like Mage, Priest, Druid, where they will go wide with big minions, and your only way out is often a timely Venomizer + Missile Launcher magnetize. Upgradeable Framebot and Bronze Gatekeeper are great versus the Rogue meta right now. And of course Zilliax is essentially an auto-include in every deck right now.
Then there's the secret package where you filter secrets out of your deck using Masked Contender and Subject 9. Note that Masked Contender has anti-synergy with Zul'jin since the Hero card doesn't re-cast secrets cast by them, only by you. I like using these packages as Snipe can be pretty powerful these days, with a lot of popular minions at 4 health. And Freezing Trap is obviously great at delaying.
Then there's spell cards like Marked Shot and Unleash the Beast. These are excellent, especially for the control playstyle that is basically necessary if you want to live long enough to pull off your combo. The probably with both of these is that if you play Zul'jin, he'll clog up your hand with a ton of cards and then you can't play Mecha'thun in time in some games.
One combo that worked really well to draw through my deck was pairing Bloodmage Thalnos with Nine Lives. Only problem is that's really slow in terms of board presence and the meta is very board-centric right now.
Finding the right mix of all these strategies has been a big challenge and I'm still experimenting with different builds but I'll post a couple versions in the next couple days.
Absolutely should not remove Tracking. It is one of the most important cards in the deck since it lets you defeat Bomb Warrior by filtering their bombs out of your deck in the mid- to late game. Just don't use it until you have 3/4 of your combo pieces in hand.
Playing my own brew - Secret/Deathrattle Mecha'thun Hunter. Having a blast. So far I enjoy this meta way more than the previous year, pretty much. I had essentially quit Hearthstone but I'm back for now.
Interesting post, thanks for sharing your story, although I'm pretty sure there are way better places for you to go if you are seeking serious advice.
Anyway, I have some of the same issues, except the only really negative experience I have is with a feeling of stress and anxiety. It basically makes playing ladder over rank 15 too stressful for me to enjoy. And I hate things like Brawliseum. So I usually just play around rank 20 to 15 and try to relax and just enjoy the game for what it is.
Added Houndmaster Shaw and it's already clear what a powerhouse this guy is. His statline alone goes along way.
Removed Deathstalker Rexxar. Sacrilege, I know, but he just doesn't fit the deck strategy. Games where you would want him, I'd rather just admit I've lost. Better to have an aggressive strategy that pushes for that final 10 damage to close out games, in my opinion.
8 cost bombs like The Lich King are just too slow for this deck. And I decided I don't want any reactive cards such as Spellbreaker or Mossy Horror. Giggling Inventor doesn't even cause very many problems since my minions on board are totally expendable and I'm happy to trade them into Annoy-o-Trons.
Yes the problem is this, the way I have it built now the deck doesn't contest board super strongly...a lot of the time is spent playing minions that you know will die the following turn. So it feels inconsistent having those turns where you can actually dictate multiple trades, and get good value from Cult Master. I'd probably only play one, but I definitely think it could be a good candidate for my flex spot(s).
The highest I've played since Doomsday release is Rank 15. Not for lack of winning, I just haven't been playing much.
This is my favorite deck to play when I do log in though, I haven't spent a lot of time with face decks in the past but I'm loving how this plays.
Matchups are getting more difficult as the meta is more tuned. I have had a lot of success against out-racing both Odd Rogues and Zoo Locks though, which was encouraging.
I really can't commit to the final 1-3 slots in the deck. Right now Houndmaster Shaw is my biggest flex spot.
Sometimes I want to put in a second Spellbreaker, but silence doesn't actually seem very crucial to tech in at the moment.
Professor Putricide also seems like nice value but it seems a little slow for the deck.
I almost want to just use The Lich King as a nice fat threat. I've tried out Sea Giants too.
The best idea I could come up with was running a mostly spell-based deck with two Deranged Doctor to potentially clear some big minions while providing a 16 hp heal at the same time.
The other thing I thought of was Bone Drake. I think you ideally want a high attack minion with an impactful deathrattle to be pulled from your bazooka.
But there are so many issues with trying to build this deck, some of the same that crop up in the old Kathrena Deathrattle builds: what do you do if you've already drawn your Doctors? So then you have to start filling up the deck with all sorts of weird choices just to make your one Legendary spell work. But since it's Legendary, you have about a 30% chance to draw (maybe lower?) in any given game.
Like somebody said, it's inconsistent, but I really like the card too and I applaud your efforts for trying.
I was a believer in the Chip at first since it's one of our only options for hand-refill, but after running it for awhile I've given up on it. The results are just too random and in many cases it sits in your hand as a dead card as you struggle to build a board big enough to make it worthwhile. Or in some cases I couldn't empty my hand fast enough to prevent overdrawing. There are some great mechs you can pull but there are more mediocre/bad ones.
I'd play Mecharoo over Goblin Bomb. The latter just doesn't give enough value to warrant a deckslot.
I'm not sold on Bronze Gatekeeper or Kaboom Bot. I'd rather play Explodinator and you definitely want Missile Launcher. Missile Launcher is actually insane. It's one of the best cards for this archetype IMO. Can be combo'ed with Venomizer for the full board clear, but also can Magnetize for surprise damage, it's just a flat-out great card.
So this deck is super fun to play and I think it actually has potential to be pretty good. The main thing holding it back is lack of card draw which is a problem that may have no real solution at this point.
It can outpace Zoo and Odd Rogue, and overwhelm a lot of slower decks as well.
Questionable inclusions:
Loot Hoarder - the deck sorely needs the draw this guy provides but his 1 health means in many cases he's just a cantrip
Fireworks Tech - doesn't actually have a lot of high-impact targets in the deck, although triggering Goblin Bombs has been good enough so far
Cards I've considered but can't fit or decide on include:
Professor Putricide - probably not running enough secrets (4 atm) to justify him and he doesn't contest board well on his own.
Upgradeable Framebot - would contest board really well and provide a body for Magnetism
Mossy Horror - I was running 1 of but found it was a dead card in a lot of games so I took it out
Mechanical Whelp - too slow for this deck I think and would require a more deathrattle-focused build which is not the identity of this deck
0
Hey, love the idea to use the Spark generators.
I'd recommend Elven Archer for this deck, such great synergy with Toxmonger.
0
Hey I've been experimenting with a ton of different builds for the deck. There are a whole bunch of different directions to go in, but none of them feel perfect and obviously this is not a deck that's going to dominate in the current meta/with the current support.
The only constant for me has been the combo: 2x Galvanizer, 1x Goblin Prank, and Mecha'thun.
From there I think the strongest option might be mech-heavy. Obviously Ursatron is perfect for the deck. There are a few matchups like Mage, Priest, Druid, where they will go wide with big minions, and your only way out is often a timely Venomizer + Missile Launcher magnetize. Upgradeable Framebot and Bronze Gatekeeper are great versus the Rogue meta right now. And of course Zilliax is essentially an auto-include in every deck right now.
Then there's the secret package where you filter secrets out of your deck using Masked Contender and Subject 9. Note that Masked Contender has anti-synergy with Zul'jin since the Hero card doesn't re-cast secrets cast by them, only by you. I like using these packages as Snipe can be pretty powerful these days, with a lot of popular minions at 4 health. And Freezing Trap is obviously great at delaying.
Then there's spell cards like Marked Shot and Unleash the Beast. These are excellent, especially for the control playstyle that is basically necessary if you want to live long enough to pull off your combo. The probably with both of these is that if you play Zul'jin, he'll clog up your hand with a ton of cards and then you can't play Mecha'thun in time in some games.
One combo that worked really well to draw through my deck was pairing Bloodmage Thalnos with Nine Lives. Only problem is that's really slow in terms of board presence and the meta is very board-centric right now.
Finding the right mix of all these strategies has been a big challenge and I'm still experimenting with different builds but I'll post a couple versions in the next couple days.
0
Absolutely should not remove Tracking. It is one of the most important cards in the deck since it lets you defeat Bomb Warrior by filtering their bombs out of your deck in the mid- to late game. Just don't use it until you have 3/4 of your combo pieces in hand.
0
Playing my own brew - Secret/Deathrattle Mecha'thun Hunter. Having a blast. So far I enjoy this meta way more than the previous year, pretty much. I had essentially quit Hearthstone but I'm back for now.
0
Wish there were more Lackey cards. Seems like there are barely any.
2
Read the forums for the last 4 years, we've been telling you.
0
Interesting post, thanks for sharing your story, although I'm pretty sure there are way better places for you to go if you are seeking serious advice.
Anyway, I have some of the same issues, except the only really negative experience I have is with a feeling of stress and anxiety. It basically makes playing ladder over rank 15 too stressful for me to enjoy. And I hate things like Brawliseum. So I usually just play around rank 20 to 15 and try to relax and just enjoy the game for what it is.
0
I've tweaked it a bit and so far working great.
Added Houndmaster Shaw and it's already clear what a powerhouse this guy is. His statline alone goes along way.
Removed Deathstalker Rexxar. Sacrilege, I know, but he just doesn't fit the deck strategy. Games where you would want him, I'd rather just admit I've lost. Better to have an aggressive strategy that pushes for that final 10 damage to close out games, in my opinion.
8 cost bombs like The Lich King are just too slow for this deck. And I decided I don't want any reactive cards such as Spellbreaker or Mossy Horror. Giggling Inventor doesn't even cause very many problems since my minions on board are totally expendable and I'm happy to trade them into Annoy-o-Trons.
0
Going to try out Bloodmage Thalnos for a few games. Really nice for Flanking Strike, Bomb Toss, and Explosive Trap plus I'm dying for draw.
0
Yes the problem is this, the way I have it built now the deck doesn't contest board super strongly...a lot of the time is spent playing minions that you know will die the following turn. So it feels inconsistent having those turns where you can actually dictate multiple trades, and get good value from Cult Master. I'd probably only play one, but I definitely think it could be a good candidate for my flex spot(s).
0
The highest I've played since Doomsday release is Rank 15. Not for lack of winning, I just haven't been playing much.
This is my favorite deck to play when I do log in though, I haven't spent a lot of time with face decks in the past but I'm loving how this plays.
Matchups are getting more difficult as the meta is more tuned. I have had a lot of success against out-racing both Odd Rogues and Zoo Locks though, which was encouraging.
I really can't commit to the final 1-3 slots in the deck. Right now Houndmaster Shaw is my biggest flex spot.
Sometimes I want to put in a second Spellbreaker, but silence doesn't actually seem very crucial to tech in at the moment.
Professor Putricide also seems like nice value but it seems a little slow for the deck.
I almost want to just use The Lich King as a nice fat threat. I've tried out Sea Giants too.
1
The best idea I could come up with was running a mostly spell-based deck with two Deranged Doctor to potentially clear some big minions while providing a 16 hp heal at the same time.
The other thing I thought of was Bone Drake. I think you ideally want a high attack minion with an impactful deathrattle to be pulled from your bazooka.
But there are so many issues with trying to build this deck, some of the same that crop up in the old Kathrena Deathrattle builds: what do you do if you've already drawn your Doctors? So then you have to start filling up the deck with all sorts of weird choices just to make your one Legendary spell work. But since it's Legendary, you have about a 30% chance to draw (maybe lower?) in any given game.
Like somebody said, it's inconsistent, but I really like the card too and I applaud your efforts for trying.
1
I was a believer in the Chip at first since it's one of our only options for hand-refill, but after running it for awhile I've given up on it. The results are just too random and in many cases it sits in your hand as a dead card as you struggle to build a board big enough to make it worthwhile. Or in some cases I couldn't empty my hand fast enough to prevent overdrawing. There are some great mechs you can pull but there are more mediocre/bad ones.
1
I'd play Mecharoo over Goblin Bomb. The latter just doesn't give enough value to warrant a deckslot.
I'm not sold on Bronze Gatekeeper or Kaboom Bot. I'd rather play Explodinator and you definitely want Missile Launcher. Missile Launcher is actually insane. It's one of the best cards for this archetype IMO. Can be combo'ed with Venomizer for the full board clear, but also can Magnetize for surprise damage, it's just a flat-out great card.
1
So this deck is super fun to play and I think it actually has potential to be pretty good. The main thing holding it back is lack of card draw which is a problem that may have no real solution at this point.
It can outpace Zoo and Odd Rogue, and overwhelm a lot of slower decks as well.
Questionable inclusions:
Loot Hoarder - the deck sorely needs the draw this guy provides but his 1 health means in many cases he's just a cantrip
Fireworks Tech - doesn't actually have a lot of high-impact targets in the deck, although triggering Goblin Bombs has been good enough so far
Cards I've considered but can't fit or decide on include:
Professor Putricide - probably not running enough secrets (4 atm) to justify him and he doesn't contest board well on his own.
Upgradeable Framebot - would contest board really well and provide a body for Magnetism
Mossy Horror - I was running 1 of but found it was a dead card in a lot of games so I took it out
Mechanical Whelp - too slow for this deck I think and would require a more deathrattle-focused build which is not the identity of this deck