A Druid for all Seasons - Rank 3 to Legendary i...
- Last updated Oct 11, 2014 (Naxx Launch)
- Edit
- |
Wild
- 20 Minions
- 10 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 5420
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 9/30/2014 (Naxx Launch)
- bjorn_77
- Registered User
-
- 5
- 39
- 54
-
Battle Tag:
N/A
-
Region:
EU
-
Total Deck Rating
107
Hi! My first upload here, so please bear with me. (Updated for the October season.)
As a hearthstone player since beta, I have always enjoyed rush/aggro decks to climb the ladder: zoo, face hunter, shockadin, coldlight rogue. These decks are fun because you either win fast or lose fast and as a result you spend less time on your grind up. However I've found that (with the exception of pre-naxx coldlight rogue) these decks peter out at rank 3-4. Control decks take over, now strengthened by many post-naxx defensive cards.
The purpose of this deck is to provide you with a tool to make that final push to legendary. Depending on the meta (which at the time of writing is Undertaker Hunter) it may not be the best laddering tool, so use your regular deck until you're stuck. In the September season I was able to get legendary in one, short afternoon from rank 3 where I had been stuck for the better part of a week. Getting to rank 3 I used Icegirl's Copperfield deck, which I had great fun playing.
The deck fares well vs. most control set-ups such as Priest and Warrior and is not too shabby against Zoo either. It struggles versus Undertaker Hunter as without a good Undertaker and Swipe / taunts start it's just too hard to keep up. Handlock is hard to win against as the deck has little against two 8/8 taunted giants.
Update Oct 11: I've replaced Harvest Golem for Unstable Ghoul to counter the swarm of Undertaker Hunters. The downside is that control Warrior is now slightly harder. I'm also debating the wisdom of KT as often the card just sits in your hand. Lastly, with Sludge Belcher and Defender of Argus in many decks I'm thinking of including The Black Knight.
The deck incorporates four main areas:
Deathrattle: The deck runs 10 deathrattle cards and a lucky start with Undertaker and any combination of Haunted Creeper, Loot Hoarder, and Harvest Golem can quickly spin out of control (for your opponent).
Ramp: Though minor, the inclusion of Innervate can expedite the play of Sludge Belcher (more deathrattle!) or Druid of the Claw, defending against aggro and quite the threat themselves. It can also speed up the use of the Force of Nature / Savage Roar combo by a turn or two.
Card Draw: Six cards speed up the card drawing process, giving you faster answers to problems on the board and getting you the combo faster. I went with Azure Drake as I often ran into Priests and it couples well with Swipe and Wrath. Ancient of Lore, other than drawing you two cards, can be a life-saver in aggro Hunter or Warlock match-ups. I did not include Bloodmage Thalnos as I simply do not own that card, but I'm not sure if I would add it if I did. (Though it could be switched for a Loot Hoarder or Drake).
The Combo: This deck runs two copies of Force of Nature and Savage Roar each with the aim of increasing the chances of you having the combo by turn 9. Although this increases the chance of dead cards, I find the heavy card cycle gives me plenty of other options. At times, the extra copy of Force of Nature saves the day by killing off scary aggro or a nasty taunt.
And lastly, a force in itself is Kel'Thuzad, which pairs well with most of the elements above: extra card draw through Loot Hoarder, extra mind control through Sylvanas Windrunner and taunts that won't die.
The mulligan speaks for itself: Keep Undertaker and 2 and 3 mana deathrattle drops. Keep big taunts if you also have an Innervate.
As said, I'm not an experienced Druid player but this deck was a lot of fun. With the many avenues it can pursue I truly found it a deck for all seasons in the current meta.
It would need two in fact, and two keepers - but then it'd be a different deck. Try it if you like. I admit it does little vs. Handlock, although with a strong hand it is very possible.
I've been running many versions of druid decks and none of them seem to do well vs handlocks.
Thank you, very stong deck vs current meta.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm actually finding my climb to the top a little sluggish as I'm facing an odd mixture of Handlock, Shaman, and aggro Hunter. A poor opening hand (which is a distinct possibility due to the mana curve) is really punishing vs. these decks. However, it's only a few days into the new seasons and once everything has settled down the top brackets should be filled with control warriors, Zoo, and general midrange stuff this deck does well against.
i dont have sylvanas and replaced her with Mind control tech?
would you suggest an other replacement?
works well though - but i have to test it more :)
Try Thalnos if you have him, else a second Keeper
I have everything but Cairne or Sylvanas, are there any replacments I can use?
I've not tried this but you could see if Feugen and Stalagg work. Their deathrattles sync nicely with Undertaker, they're quite the threat on the board and there is the potential for KT antics.
Did you ever try Baron Rivendare in this deck? Seems like it could be good.
I did run it for a few games in the slot of Keeper of the Grove, however I found myself waiting for the 'perfect moment' to play it and it would just sit in my hand. Though it has potential, most games you'll just get one extra Damaged Golem out of it or a draw off Loot Hoarder, whereas the Keeper allows you to bypass taunts.
Do you have any replacement for Cairne? I don't own it yet and was thinking if I should use a Sun Walker instead.
I ended up using Loatheb but might trade it for a Ragnaros
The fun of Cairne is having a meaty, hard-to-remove deathrattle on the board that synergizes (is that a verb?) well with Undertaker and KT. Taunt-wise the deck should be ok with Druid o/t Claw and Sludge Belcher. Off the top of my head I would suggest adding a second Keeper of the Grove (or Thalnos if you have him) to speed the deck up / do some surprise damage.
Edit: only now saw the Loatheb/Rag thing. Out of those two I'd go with Loatheb. Although Rag is a game changer, your end hand can get a bit cluttered with KT, Sylvanas, and the combo. Perhaps try my suggestions above?
I'll craft Cairne i guess
I have play tested it - 5 games in low ranked (level 17-16, the season just started you know :) )
and i got 4-1 in a 5 games play:
win - warlock zoo x 2, hunter, secret mage
lost - to a pally deck with equality/consecration combo , yesera and trion frolding
this deck seems promising, ill run it and see where it takes me
Ysera is a horrible card to play against, especially combined with Priest or Paladin healing. It's less problematic in Warrior control as they have less minions on the board and by turn 9 or 10 they should be within range of the Savage Roar combo.
I was thinking this would be bad against Handlock, and sure enough my first 3 games have been against Handlock. Will keep trying to see how other matchups are
Thanks for trying it out! Indeed Handlock is close to unwinnable, but the inclusion of Big Game Hunters and another Keeper would slow it down in other areas. Luckily it has decent chances vs. many other decks so statistically you should come out on top.
The inclusion of only one Keeper concerned me, but this is actually quite an enjoyable deck to play and is quite strong. Spellpower swipes rock, and KT can be ridiculously OP at times.
Keep it up!
Thanks! The reason I run only one Keeper is because it does little for the 4 areas my deck focuses on. As a result the deck is poor vs Handlock and heal based control. I could add another one, but I'd hate to see one of the deathrattles or card draws go that speed it up so nicely
thanks!