Hearthpwn

Introduction:

Hey, I am Dacr0n, an EU region player, who has hit legend before, but nowadays I mostly play for fun while still maintaining some challenge to come up with competitive decks and I am pretty positive on this one being able to be one that can get to high legend.

The creation of the deck:

So my favourite class has been Paladin since the Great Tournament Midrange Paladin times and I enjoy trying out different types of Midrange Paladins  and also Control Paladins almost every expansions, mostly created by myself, even if inspired by others. About half a week ago I was tired of playing the same decks, that everyone else plays, and so I thought to myself: "How can I build a fun Midrange Paladin, that incorporates some nice cards" and I hadn't played any Mech Paladin yet, so I crafted Kangor's Endless Army and imagined a way to build around that. I quickly discovered, that Crystology could be a very good fit for the deck, due to it playing a whole lot of 1-attack minions (I later found out, that this card is prevalent in many Mech Paladins, but hey :D). But I wanted to give the deck some twist, that I hadn't seen before and so I browsed my collection and stumbled upon Void Ripper and that when it hit me, that the high health mechs synergize super well with the card. With a Mech (for example a Mechano-Egg) already in play you can charge out 18 damage playing Bronze Gatekeeper, Bronze Gatekeeper, Glow-Tron and then Void Ripper for the stat swap. This burst damage quickly adds up, when you have a board that can't be dealt with easily, especially with the high-health minions that the deck has. I then built a Midrange shell around this combo, which feels super natural, because every combo piece can also be used as a Tempo tool, for example magnetizing for good trades or swapping Mechano-Egg just for the activation. Furthermore the Void Ripper really helps you trade beneficial, especially against decks like Wall Priest, which plague the ladder lately.
Playing this deck for a while has really helped me appreciate it more and more and once you get some practice with it and start to know you mulligans, the deck gets really consistent and basically can win against almost every deck in the Meta pretty consistently, because it is just so versatile. It is not for total beginners though as you really have to think ahead several turns for you to evaluate how to manage your potential combo pieces.
The deck got me from rank 10 to 5 in this half week of playing on-off and I am definitely trying to hit legend with it the last remaining few days of the month aswell as compete in some tournaments with it. I sadly have not tracked my results but I believe the winrate has to be around 70% for me.

Card choices:

Glow-Tron

This is just a good 1-drop. It can snowball out of control, if the opposing deck doesn't deal with it and is part of the maximum damage combo. Versus slow decks you might not want to keep this in your Mulligan. Also be careful how you play it, because if it dies without being magnetized, it adds to your pool for Kangor's Endless Army as a 1/3 and might cost you a Mechano-Egg you could have gotten from it, but also don't be too cautious with your mech pool, especially against more aggressive decks, where the first goal is to survive. Learning to play the deck properly really is also to learn the correct management of your Kangor's Endless Army pool

Righteous Protector

This is just a baseline good card and helps against aggro aswell as against those big hitters from Wall Priest, if it doesn't get silenced.

Crystology

This is your draw engine and also tutors your combo pieces!!

 

Bronze Gatekeeper

A good tempo card aswell as part of your combo. Be aware when to keep it for the combo and when to play it for tempo or to improve a mech you can get back through Kangor's Endless Army.

Stonehill Defender

This card has a place in my heart and also a place in every Paladin deck, be it Aggro, Midrange or Control. The possibility of getting a second Sunkeeper Tarim is just insane. Also it can get Zilliax and Bronze Gatekeeper for magnetizing and comboing.

Unidentified Maul

This weapon helps you trade up really well! it's versatility also adds to that!

Void Ripper

This is the card that enables your combo alongside two Bronze Gatekeeper and Glow-Tron when played on a mech, that you already have on the board. Noone expects this card and you regularily shut out even Odd Warriors, because they can not or will not trade away your high health minions because they seem to pose no threat. Void Ripper also helps activate your Mechano-Egg and helps you trade effectively and efficiently. This card is super versatile and managing the use of it (just like with the other potential combo pieces) is key to playing this deck correctly.

Annoy-o-Module

This is a card that is very good at giving you big taunts magnetizing to other mechs and also trading up with the Divine Shield. This card is also totally fine played by itself to hold back some aggression.

Consecration

With all the Odd Paladins and Midrange Hunters you will want to have a Boardclear. Void Ripper can also help, getting a nice value Consecration!

Corpsetaker

This card is basically a Divine Shield and Taunt minion almost 100% of the time, due to the deck playing so many of those minions. With Zilliax it can also get Lifesteal, which is where is gets unfair, especially against Hunters and other aggressive decks. The consistent Divine Shield makes for good trades and many decks struggle to deal with this card efficiently.

Meat Wagon

This card isn't just here for the memes. The one copy, that the deck runs, can for one be drawn by Crystology and is mainly used to grad you some nice Mechano-Egg. I personally almost never magnetize anything onto this bad boi so I get the Egg, which is insane.

The Glass Knight

The Glass Knight is a minion that can trade up very well and also has the potential to do so multiple times when you use a Truesilver Champion, Corpsetaker with Divine Shield or good old Zilliax with it. In my experience especially priests greatly struggle with this card, so you would want to keep it in your hand against them!

Truesilver Champion

Just a standard good weapon for some nice Tempo and some good trades.

Mechano-Egg

This is the card which makes this deck work in my opinion, because magnetizing an Egg is just so good, especially when you give it Taunt! You make the Egg itself a threat, so the Opponent has to kill it, but when they kill it, they face an 8/8! And adding to that, you can get both the magnetized Eggs and the Robosaur  back from Kangor's Endless Army. Incredible, as Valeera would say.

Wargear

A 5 Mana 5/5 Blessing of Kings which can be played as a minion aswell. Do I have to say anything else? Great if you put it on Mechano-Egg or trade up with it.

Zilliax

Zilliax is one of the most played legendary card right now, even in decks, which dont have any Mechs. So of course we play him in a Mech deck! He enables outlandish trades, is superb anti Aggro because he allows us to heal for insane amounts and he enables the Corpsetaker Lifesteal. If you can, try to get him, or a minion he is magnetized to from Kangor's Endless Army by managing your pool correctly.

Sunkeeper Tarim

A Paladin deck without this card is unimaginable nowadays, because this card is so damn versatile. In this deck, one additional thing he can do, is activatel your Mechano-Egg

Kangor's Endless Army

The backbone of the deck! If you don't have this card, don't bother playing this deck to be honest. This card is instant refill, insane Tempo, combo preparation, etc. 

Tirion Fordring

This is the card I am most uncertain about in this deck. I just really like him and think he poses a threat that might be silenced or baits a Psychic Scream or other removal Spell by itself. The Lich King might be a better choice, I am not certain yet.

Playstyle:

I think I don't have to say very much more about the playstyle of this deck anymore, because I covered most of it in the introduction and card choice segment. What I will say again though is, that thinking ahead, adapting your mulligan to your opponent and managing your combo pieces as well as your mechs-that-died pool for Kangor's Endless Army are essential factors for sucessfully piloting the deck. To be honest I struggle a bit to put my thought process behind my gameplay in words correctly but I am confident that you will get a feel for it once you played some matchups yourself. Just really think about what every card in your deck does and how this can get you an edge against what you opponent tries to accomplish. Know your opponent and adapt to him. Manage your ressources and combo pieces and look for sneaky ways to set up lethal in the next turn with your opponent not expecting it.

Replacements:

There are some core cards in this deck, which are basically all the Mechs, the Void Rippers and cards like Sunkeeper Tarim/card], [card]Ziilliax or Kangor's Endless Army, but there are definitely ways to try and have to joy of playing this deck, without having all the cards.
The Glass Knight and Tirion Fordring I feel are not essential to the deck and you could replace them by adding cards, that are so far only represented as a one-of like Truesilver Champion. When it comes to Corpsetaker I am not too certain, if you could replace her. You could certainly try to build another shell into the deck and adding other ways to combat aggro, but I find her to be the most effective way.

Cards I could see in the deck (aside from doubling down on one-of cards already in the deck) and tech cards I could see the deck include in the new eSports Specialist format are:

Shrinking Ray

The Lich King

Crystalsmith Kangor

Skulking Geist

Tar Creeper

Gluttonous Ooze or Acidic Swamp Ooze

 

I hope you liked my guide and I hope you like the deck and have fun with it on the ladder! If you have specific questions, ask them in the comments or add me on Battle.net and ask me there! I am eager to read your feedback and questions!

Thanks for reading!

Dacr0n