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(RANK 5) Hand Druid Does Have Legs!

  • Last updated Apr 18, 2018 (Witchwood)
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Wild

  • 12 Minions
  • 17 Spells
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Plague Druid
  • Crafting Cost: 5500
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 4/13/2018 (Witchwood)
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  • Battle Tag:

    MattSeal#1944

  • Region:

    US

  • Total Deck Rating

    405

View 2 other Decks by MattSeal
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Lots of people were worrying about he viability of hand Druid but I think it has potential in this evolving meta. 

Right now, at rank 5 I’m mostly seeing tempo rogue, a couple aggro pally’s, buttloads of elemental mage (thanks Dog), and MY JAWS THAT BITE MY CLAWS THAT CATCH shaman  

We've seen a major shift in the meta since the beginning of this expansion, mostly seeing aggro paladins, cube locks, and taunt-druids

Game plan:

Play hand- refilling cards early game to bring out big minions like Mountain Giant , Twilight Drake , and the new Bewitched Guardian . Witchwood Apple is your friend!

Use standard control-Druid cards to stay alive against aggro and even out board control while buffing numerous tokens and taunts from Witchwood Apple , Wispering Woods , and Spreading Plague .

Modifications

10 upvotes

Wow, thanks for all the support on this deck! I apologize for not getting some guide/card choice information, its been a busy week!

Some of the main problems I've been seeing with this deck is its either too slow to compete with crazy aggro decks like Baku the Mooneater Paladin and Hunter, but not control-y enough to deal with Cubelock and some Baku Warriors. 

One of the main things that leads to success especially higher up in the ladder is deck adjustment for sort of "mini-metas" that can vary from day to day or between rank ranges, for example on Monday I can play only odd paladins at rank 5-4, but then on Tuesday from ranks 4-3 it can be all priests. This requires adjustments to your deck that really can separate good players from bad.

One thing I've opted to do for this list is to not modify the base list at all, since this is what has brought me some success and what I'm basing the following card replacements on. Feel free to tinker with this deck.

Cards to be Replaced:

Fire Fly : If you are playing lots of control, this small 1 drop will probably not do much for you. It will get cleared easily and might be better replaced by another burst-potential card

Tortollan Forager : This card is included because it allows for a nice 2 drop that keeps your hand at the same size and can generate some value. But, if you are not finding success, it can also be replaced

Ultimate Infestation and Nourish: Sometimes, if playing more aggressively, I found that one copy of UI or a Nourish can refill my hand and give a boost to my Twilight Drake s and Bewitched Guardian s. However if you feel that this is not needed, and you are playing this deck more slowly, especially without the two cards mentioned above, these cards can be omitted.

Power of the Wild : This card is often not included in many decks, but I find it extremely useful for buffing up your wisps against an easy Defile clear. Once again, if playing a slower version, this card may not be as great.

Lesser Jasper Spellstone : This card is undoubtably strong, but it could be replaced as well if you want more punch. Most likely with Naturalize

 

Card Replacements:

These are cards that can replace the cards mentioned above, or holes in your deck if you are missing cards/dust.

The Lich King : No surprise here, this is just a generally great card. Amazing 8 drop, taunt, large body, value generation, and Ironbark Protector power creep.

Splintergraft : Some players have been reporting success with this card. Generating a 10 mana Bewitched Guardian , The Lich King or others can be great lategame for a slower version of this deck. I haven't tested it with Mountain Giant , so I'm not sure if this gets the mana reduction as normal. If it does, this could be an amazing play as well.

Savage Roar : In a faster version of this deck, this card can be a great finisher. Many are reporting success with this card as well.

Void Ripper : In a similar vein to Savage Roar . If you want a finisher, you can bait out a Spreading Plague and use this card to get up to 30 burst damage. 

Wispering Woods : A second of this card could be quite good, in a more aggressive version or even in the slow version. Easy pick for a replacement.

Naturalize : A very strong pick, most likely a replacement in a more control version of this deck. Often with this deck I found myself having a hard time dealing with large minions, and without Silence , which also might be worth running, this can help deal with that. Against aggro it is obviously not great, since you are giving them more cards, but in control it is amazing, with mill and fatigue potential.

 Be sure to check out the comments on this page, several talented players have posted their own versions of this deck they are having success with.

Showcases:

Kiwiinbacon created a couple showcases for this deck, which I very much appreciate. Here is the first of the two.

KiwiiNBacon's Deck Showcase

User Whitebeard1 also created a showcase, worth checking out as well!

AllArounder (Whitebeard1)'s Deck Showcase

 

Thanks for your patience with this guide/deck and thanks again for all the support. Enjoy!