Hearthpwn

Hey guys, I'm back again with another deck guide. Recently, after the nerfs went live, many people have been asking about what the best and fastest deck to climb with is. Here is what I think is the go to deck for ladder right now, the good old Murloc pally. Ender hit top 6 and 7 legends on Asia and NA right after the nerfs went live with his list, so I decided to share it with you guys. If you guys show any interest in the deck, I'll write a deck guide. Please leave an upvote if you liked the deck as it helps out a lot.

As usually, our buddy Kadakk has made a video showcasing the power of this deck against the current meta. The video features insane gameplay and can be a really good guide on how to pilot the deck, so make sure to check it out! If your looking for more awesome videos, make sure to subscribe to his channel.

Video: 

Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3e-X9yI7aLXwq1k_11_hA

 

Post-Patches nerf decks: 

Zetalot's Top 10 Legend Mind Blast Priest: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1058568-top-12-legend-zetalots-mind-blast-priest

Senfglas' Top 20 Freeze Mage: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1058467-top-20-legend-senfglas-freeze-mage

Muzzy's Top 150 Legend Zoolock: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1035199-top-150-legend-muzzys-zoolock

Ender's [Top 10 Murlocadin]: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1035183-top-6-7-legends-enders-murlocadin.

 Bullseye's Legend Spiteful Priest: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1036881-legend-bullseyes-spiteful-priest

Orange's Top 5 Legend Combo Priest: https://www.hearthpwn.com/decks/1040397-top-5-legend-oranges-combo-priest

 

+20= Mulligans and Card Replacements

Card Replacements: 

All the epics are too crucial to this deck's gameplan, so I don't recommend substituting them.

Sunkeeper Tarim: Spellbreaker, Spikeridged steed.

Vilefin Inquisitor: Spellbreaker, Spikeridged steed.

Mulligans:

VS FAST DECKS

Higher Priority (keep every time):

• Vilefin Inquisitor – Inquisitor might be the best 1-drop in Aggro matchups because of its statline. A 1/3 is great at killing 1 health minions and sets up for Rockpool Hunter.
• Righteous Protector – While Righteous Protector is not a Murloc, it does prevent opponents from clearing off any of your valuable tribal minions.
• Murloc Tidecaller – You really want to open with a 1-drop against Aggro, so Tidecaller is another strong keep. The earlier you can get this card down, the faster it can snowball out of control.
• Rockpool Hunter – Landing a buff with Rockpool Hunter on turn 2 can be game-winning.

Lower Priority (keep only if certain conditions are met):

• Grimscale Chum – While Chum costs 1 mana, he’s not a great turn 1 play against aggro because he dies immediately to Patches the Pirate
• Hydrologist – Alternative 2-drop. It’s weaker than Rockpool Hunter stat-wise, but you can pick some early Secret that can make a difference. Better than Hero Powering on
• Unidentified Maul – Weapons can help protect your minions in the early turns against board-centric decks, but you want to make sure you open with a 1-2 curve before keeping Maul. 
• Murloc Tidehunter - Synergises well with other 1 drops and Rockpool Hunter, and can help keep the opponent's board in check earlier on.

VS SLOW DECKS

Higher Priority (keep every time):

• Grimscale Chum – With no threat of Patches the Pirate killing him off, Grimscale Chum is a better keep against slower decks.
• Vilefin Inquisitor – Despite being less aggressive, Inquisitor can start the Murloc synergies rolling early and is always a good keep.
• Murloc Tidecaller – Tidecaller offers a high priority removal target on the first turn. If it isn’t cleared, it can punish opponents like few other 1-drops.
• Rockpool Hunter – Rockpool Hunter on turn 2 is a little less game defining in slower matchups, but is still a great keep.

Lower Priority (keep only if certain conditions are met):

• Hydrologist – Hydrologist is a much better card against slow decks, but is still less optimal than Rockpool Hunter.
• Murloc Warleader – With other early game Murlocs, Warleader can apply enough pressure to force a response from your opponent.
• Murloc Tidehunter - Synergises well with other 1 drops and Rockpool Hunter, and can help snowball your opponent if combined with Murloc Warleader and/or Gentle Megasaur.
• Gentle Megasaur - Only keep it if you have a really good curve of murlocs and are on the coin.

+40= Matchups and tech choices

Matchups (winrates):

According to Metastats, the winrates against other decks are as follows:

 

Aggro Druid: 53%

Jade Druid: 59%

Face Hunter: 47%

Spell Hunter: 51%

Exodia Mage: 60%

Secret Mage: 63%

Aggro Paladin: 46%

Murloc Paladin: 50%

Big Priest: 58%

Dragon Priest: 54%

Spiteful Priest: 63%

Miracle Rogue: 63%

Evolve Shaman: 60%

Control Warlock: 41%

Cube Warlock: 49%

Zoo Warlock: 48%

Tech Choices:

Spellbreaker: With the sudden rise of Cube and Control Warlocks, most aggro decks are struggling to get past the voidlords on turn 5 and 6. Spellbreaker can help get past the Voidlords before you get trumped out of the game.

Spikeridged Steed: Really powerful against aggro, as it zones them out of the game. However, with the sudden increase of silence effects, spikeridged steed is considered as a sketchy addition to the deck.

+60= Plays and card choices

Play Strategy:

Murloc Paladin is a deck with a lot of explosive power, but several tools to sustain pressure throughout the game. The flexibility of the archetype lends itself to varying builds. In the past, the deck included high-cost threats in Bonemare and Tirion Fordring to maintain threats into the late game. But with the recent nerf hammer, the deck has shifted towards aggressive builds that look overwhelm opponents within the first few turns.

Beyond the specifics of the cards in the deck, Discover and Adapt mechanics allow Murloc Paladins to adjust their gameplans on the fly. Identify the opponent’s archetype as quickly as possible and tailor your decisions to it.

All-in-all, Murloc Paladin’s adaptability provides players with a lot of options going into different matchups.

VS AGGRO

Against aggro, the early game tempo is key. Prioritize control of the board state in all of your decisions and fight hard to establish a stable footing. Trade efficiently, but be aware of your life total at all times. Even at 1 mana, Righteous Protector can put up an irritating roadblock for aggressive decks. Once you’ve stuck some Murlocs in play, your synergistic mechanics should be enough to carry you over the finish line. Coldlight Seer and Gentle Megasaur, especially, can help keep your minions on the table.

Timing of Sunkeeper Tarim is critical. Though you run the risk of buffing opposing minions, it can often take three 3/3’s to take out the Tol’vir. Look for opportunities to make value trades and then rebuff your minions with the 6-mana Legendary.

Discover Choices

When it comes to the Discover picks, prioritize options that lock down the board.

• Hydrologist – Noble Sacrifice is usually a high priority pick, but especially so when facing 2-health minions. With Righteous Protector in play Redemption and Getaway Kodo can be good choices to keep your defenses up. In rare situations, Repentance can punish an opponent trying to sneak a big minion into play.
• Gentle Megasaur – Against aggression, you want to look for tools that keep you on the board. Divine Shield, Deathrattle, and +1/+1 are all obvious choices here, but +3 Health can be effective at maintaining your position as well.

VS CONTROL

Against Control matchups, you are the beatdown. As such, you need to emphasize applying pressure, especially in the first few turns. Landing a Murloc Tidecaller into Rockpool Hunter and Murloc Warleader can be devastating.

That said, you always need to be aware of potential removal from your opponent. Find a good balance between applying pressure and overextending. After a Vilefin Inquisitor comes down, Hero Power regularly to develop more Murlocs in play. With enough Murlocs in play, Gentle Megasaur can provide either burst or stability for your board state.

If you have reload in the form of Divine Favor, you can extend a little further than normal. Just be sure you always have a contingency plan before going all in.

Sunkeeper Tarim is an amazingly flexible tool in this matchup. Often, he can provide a little bit of extra, unexpected burst to close out games. Remember that Murloc Warleader attack buffs stack on top of the stat change from Tarim. Other times, Sunkeeper can neutralize massive threats on the other side of the board. Use this card wisely for whatever the situation dictates.

Discover Choices

In Control matchups, you want to find either value generators or aggressions with your Discover cards.

• Hydrologist – Getaway Kodo is the best pick in most of the slow matchups, because you might be able to bounce some high-value cards and replay them. Beyond that, Repentance is good in the late game when your opponent is dropping large minions. Redemption, Noble Sacrifice and even Eye for an Eye have their place in some matchups, but are usually very situational.
• Gentle Megasaur – In slower matchups, defensives tools such as Divine Shield, Deathrattle, Can’t be targeted, and +3 Health are all helpful in protecting against AoE. When you need to turn up the heat, however, +3 Attack and Windfury can apply a lot of pressure.

Murloc Paladin General Tips

Sunkeeper Tarim can be tricky to use from time to time. Make sure to look for any available value trades before playing this card. For example, if you have a 1/3 and your opponent has a 2/1, there is no point in playing Tarim first – you can trade those minions, still have a 1/1 and then turn it into a 3/3. After trades, you want to play any small minions you can, including Hero Power, before Sunkeeper comes down. Incorrectly sequencing Sunkeeper turns can be punishing.

A handful of Murloc tokens can turn into a deadly weapon in the right scenarios. Sunkeeper Tarim, Murloc Warleader, and Gentle Megasaur all convert adorable Silver Tide Recruits into legitimate threats. Sure, they may start as 1/1s, but they can get out of hand very quickly.

+80= Video