Hearthpwn

This list seems a blast to play but I question how this is even close to the meta quest decklists people are using.  I love quest rogue but your list seems to be too slow and unfocused to win the matchups quest rogue dominates.

Not knowing what "meta" decklists you are referring to makes it even harder to asses how to answer your question(?),  comment(?), criticism?

If your problem with quest rogue is that it is slow and unfocused, then don't play quest rogue.  Miracle is still good.  Smorc Rogue is fairly simplistic and easy to pick up, if that is what you are looking for.

But every Quest rogue list lost the same cards that were part of how the deck functions.  I can't imagine someone has a list that is any faster than this one at setting up the quest and winning.  Moreover, I doubt there is a list that is more consistent.  If you want to try and highroll the quest, maybe there's some weird-assed list out there I haven't seen yet.

But if you'd like to be specific about any of the vague "questions" you have about my list. I'd be happy to answer them.

The Echo method of Trying to use quest is ok.  But that's it.  Just ok.  It is quaint in theory, but in practice, you are going to be hard pressed well before turn 6 before you can BEGIN to put a full two turns (three if you count the quest itself) of work to get rolling.  If you are up against some slow control junk, maybe(?) thats ok ... but we should be winning versus control anyway so I don't see the appeal.

Meanwhile trying to hard mull into two cards with a deck that is required to keep one in hand is a recipe for disappointment. The math just isn't there.

It's not that the idea is infeasible.  More simply, in practice, you are going to be better off playing more mana efficient and using Shadowstep on something more valuable so that you aren't completely giving up the board to chase the quest.  You are almost always behind on board anyway until you get the quest active.  So even getting to turn 6 is questionable.  Even more rare is the turn 6 where I feel the best play is burn one of the most valuable spells in my deck (shadowstep) to pass turn turn leaving only a single 2/4 taunt in play.

It might be worth it if It finished the quest so that it could be ACTIVE the next turn.  but as a setup into a setup, you are asking to lose too much tempo.

Such a fun deck! Suprisingly good in the current meta, even though I made some changes to it.

+2 Tar Creeper 

-1Vilespine Slayer 

-1Zola the Gorgon

+1Mimic Pod

-1Cursed Castaway

helped me a lot against those pesky aggro decks.

so no need for zola ? 

I love mimic pod, but I hate the tempo it loses.  Any list that runs mimic is 2xPrep Mandatory, even if it hurts your consistency.

Zola is sort of a redundancy to  Sonya Shadowdancer.  It is another way to copy a needed effect back to your hand.  It is extremely valuable, but it might be the most expendable slot in the list.

Zola with dk Valeera is broken and wins games. Scalehide zola then echo Zola the Zola. Still have both minions in hand. 

You are making a big mistake in not including 2 x Vicious Scalehide. It has much more value than Cursed Castaway in both the early and late game. I have completed the quest against paladins bouncing Vicious Scalehide while killing their silver hand recruits and healing myself. in the late game, rushing 5/5 s with drain life turns the game in your favor. Cursed Castaway is just too expensive for this deck.

Also, not including 2 copies of Preparation is another mistake. You need 1 copy for each Vanish and ideally 1 more for Crystal Core. Cutting one is another big mistake.

The deck runs fine for me as is.  Scalehide is more useful as a 5/5 rather than burning bounce on something that may never finish your quest.

Preparation was a tougher choice. but it was a choice.  I had too many games where 2xPrep was dead in my hand and I needed something else.  As a singleton, it can sit in my hand and wait for setup with Vanish, Valeera, or Quest, without messing up another draw step. Truth be told, I rarely even need it for casting my quest.  I'd rather have a more proactive card.

I know that feeling when you lose  with 2 Preparation in your hand. It makes you hate the card. But if you think about it, it wasn't because of Preparation. it was because you didn't draw a Vanish. In my experience, the chances you have to win without playing at least one Vanish are very, very low. Drawing at least one Vanish is a win condition, because it resets the game in your favor. Under that point of view, you have 2 guaranteed uses for Preparation. One for Vanish, and the second one for Crystal Core or even the second Vanish. If you happen to get stuck with 2 Preparation is because you didn't draw one Vanish.

If you have a build that works for you, that's fine.  I don't feel a burning need to have preparation every game, and 2 of them in hand often costs me a win, since that one less cards to enable my quest, even before I can cast it.

I'm not saying it is without merit... but part of this list is about slowing down a little and feeling out the combo. not throwing cards left and right and hoping for the best.

What would you cut for a 2nd Preparation?

If I absolutely had to? Maybe a Glacial Shard.  They both serve the purpose of buying time, and don't necessarily impact other cards in the deck.

I find Rogue's Echo cards to be anti-synergistic with the Quest. Phantom Militia does have a little bit of wiggle room, but the end game takes too long, with about 9-12 mana in chunks of 3 over multiple turns to activate.  Other methods are more mana efficient and less tempo draining.

Well, That's another purpose for Vilespine you are talking about.  You brute force a lot of things with this deck.  But then, when all your stuff is cheap and 5/5 you can kinda get away with it.

Replacing Valera however is not so easy.  One of the best tricks you have at your disposal with this deck is to  sit and set up your quest while your opponent slowly out-builds you on board.  Drop Valeera and then Vanish when your stealth expires.  If your Quest hasn't finished yet for some reason, Valeera should help you top it off.  Also, she allows you a significant card advantage tool that allows you to keep throwing and reusing cheap stuff without running out of gas.  She's also one of your 2 recovery options, as her armor can prop you up a bit in a close game.

Back when we could just blitz the Quest and smash face by turn 4/5 you could do without Valeera.  Maybe you could still try that style.  But now that I have played her in the deck, I'm not sure I could ever want to take her out.

Vanish tends to be enough for Cubelock so I never worried much about sap.  The body is nice, and it plays well with some of the other synergies/copy effects, but you can replace it if you need to.  Fire Plume Phoenix would be my first thought, as it would serve a similar function.

Isn't sap a bit better than Vilespine in the current meta because of Cubelock? How can I replace 1 of them, since I only have 1?