Hearthpwn

Tired of Handlocks? Want to go toe-to-toe with them, have the same kind of awesome late-game combos, but ACTUALLY do something between turn 1-4? Want to actually have FUN while playing hearthstone? Just get a Lord Jaraxxus from a pack? Congratulations, you've come to the right place, because...

YOU FACE JARAXXUS, EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION!

For the longest time, I hated Handlock. And I still hate it, at least the standard version. You just sit there, let the enemy do whatever they want for a few turns, draw a BUNCH of cards that you can't play, then play a bunch of epic and legendary cards and win the game. That's not fun for anybody. For the loser, it feels like there's nothing you can do, and for the player, it feels like you bought your victory with expensive cards.

This is a version of Handlock that throws in fun early-game combos and demon combos in addition to the standard 'handlock' combos. The nice thing is, all three types of combos work together, instead of separately, which is what makes this deck so fun. I hover between a 60-80% winrate in ranked. Even when you lose, it's usually very suddenly, so it's not nearly as depressing as slowly getting your face grated off, like with other decks.

Not enough legendaries? Card Alternatives

No Lord Jaraxxus? JARAXXUS IS... sorry. The entire point of this deck is Jaraxxus. You can try replacing him with Alexstrasza to either heal you or take down an enemy late game, but it won't be nearly as fun. Luckily, he's the ONLY legendary necessary for this deck, so if you have him, you can make this deck work with some substitutes.

Sylvanas Windrunner - Honestly can be replaced by any good 5-6 drop with a decent attack for the all-important Shadowflame combo, such as Dread Infernal, Loatheb, Cairne Bloodhoof, or another Faceless Manipulator.

 General Strategy

1) Survive Early (Sunfury Protector, Ancient Watcher, Nerubian Egg, Void Terror).

2) Slowly build large board control (Molten Giant, Infernals). Keep in mind the earliest you can get an Infernal would be turn 9 (if you coined into Jaraxxus turn 8) and you wouldn't be able to attack with it until turn 10, so making sure you survive until turn 10 is a must.

3) Survive late burst through healing, removal, and taunts (Lord Jarraxus, earthenring farseer, Siphon Soul).

Win Conditions

1) Jaraxxus - Taunted Infernals continuously bashing into the enemy (and yelling OBLIVION at every opportunity).

2) Taunted giants, same as above (standard Handlock).

3) Early aggression with Nerubian Egg/Void Terror.

 Mulligan

You have two viable mulligan paths early game, depending on what you originally draw.

1. Early board power with Nerubian Egg (with Void Terror, Sunfury Protector, Power Overwhelming, Ancient Watcher)
2. Early card draw/midgame bodies with Mountain Giant, Twilight Drake, Sense Demons.

Combos

Nerubian Egg + Power Overwhelming + Shadowflame - a flamestrike and 4/4 for only 6 mana

Ancient Watcher/Nerubian Egg + Sunfury Protector/Void Terror

Void Terror + Power Overwhelming + Nerubian Egg/Ancient Watcher

Power Overwhelming + Sylvanas - play sylvanas on one turn, then get rid of their weak minion so you can steal their powerful one, or play both on the same turn if they have one big minion, it's mind control for 7 mana.

Lord Jaraxxus + coin + hero power - Jaraxxus and 6/6 Infernal in one turn.

Molten Giant + Jaraxxus -  8/8 minion and healed up to 14 HP for 9-10 mana.

ULTIMATE COMBO OF DOOM:Lord Jaraxxus + The Coin + Molten Giant + Molten Giant + Infernal - You can potentially go from 1 health, no board to two 8/8s, a 6/6, 15 health, and a 3/8 weapon, which you can use immediately for 3 damage. Be sure to play both Molten Giants before you play Jaraxxus, or you'll never be able to play them.

Matchups/Counters

Hard Counters:

• Freeze/Burst Mage (Easily does 16+ damage in two turns).
• Paladin: Equality + Avenging Wrath/Wildfire Pyromancer/Consecration decimates your board and health.
• Hunter: Double Kill Command + Hero Power does 12 damage in one turn :(
• Late-game Priests - Tons of Silence, Mind Control, Faceless Manipulator, etc can screw you over. Without taunts, you're extremely vulnerable.

Luck Matchups

• Zoo (any form) - can you get taunts out in time?
• Rogue - High burst with spells, but usually depends on charge minions for finishing combo.

Good Matchups

• Shaman (your lategame is better, your minions have too much HP to be cleared, and are too numerous to be hexed). Earth Shock is why I only run one Drake. Beware of silence>Windfury combo finisher. Avoid Jaraxxus unless you need the heal. Try to bait out hexes early and don't taunt up sylvanas unless he's used both already.
• Priest - You have too many powerful minions to remove, and easily survive his early game (unless he plays an early Inner Fire combo).
• Warrior - big attack taunt minions > weapons, and has too few removals. Try to get him to waste his Executes on ancient watchers and early Void Terrors. Just getting through your minions should put him around the same HP as you late game.

 Card Explanations

Sense Demons: Why run two with only three demons?

Illidan Stormrage - As mentioned above, I would probably replace Dread Infernal with this if I had it.

Cairne Bloodhoof - combined with flamestrike gives almost guaranteed board control on turn 9+, synergizes well with taunt and Void Terror. I don't really like him because he's not strong enough to deal with Sludge Belcher.

Loatheb - stalling the game for one turn is always good for this deck.

Second Hellfire - depending on the meta, an early waveclear can be much more valuable than an early taunted ancient watcher.

Spetcral Knight - Because screw Hex, and his power only locks you out of using shadowflame and power overwhelming yourself. Unfortunately, most silences come from minions these days, so taunting a knight isn't as good as it seems.

Taunters - Abomination, Sludge Beltcher, etc. These allow you to save your sunfire protectors for late game, when you are most vulnerable.

 Spectral Knight - if shamans are getting you down

WARNING: These cards will suck you down to hell.

Repentance 

This WILL make you a 1 HP Jaraxxus

Sacrificial Pact

This can be used on Jaraxxus to immediately win the game. For zero mana. Thankfully, nobody runs this card. Yet.

Update: Switched Sylvanas for Ragnaros. Ragnaros always gets off 8 damage, and often functions as an 8/8 taunt because your opponent will try to get rid of him. Even if silenced he's very good, unlike Sylvanas, who is really terrible against zoo and hunter.

Swapped out the twilight drake and mountain giant for two sludge belchers, sticky taunts are invaluable in the zoo meta.