Hearthpwn

This deck has been a work in progress for me, but I am finally at a point where I am comfortable with how it has turned out after much tweaking. It has taken me from rank 3 to legend this season. I should also note that a large part of why I find success with this deck is because people always mulligan against Even Shaman if they see a Shaman on ladder. That is the opposite of how they should mulligan against this deck. Usually you will see early board clears/removal played from their hand due to this fact. Also, proof of legend with this deck: <link>

But without further ado, 

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wild Hearthstone Community (all 8 of you) please welcome a new legend-viable wild deck to the list of threats to watch out for. I give you...

SHUDDERENO CONTROL

This deck is an AntiAggro-Combokilling-Control-Dragon-Reno-Shudderwock-TechedForAllDecks-N'Zoth-Value deck (I know, what a mouthful). So that's why I have aptly renamed it to Shuddereno Control. 

It was originally just a Reno Shaman that was teched to handle all of the lame ass Pirate Warriors, Secret Mages, and Mech Paladins that are ever so prevalent in rank 5 and up. Since I saw success with it initially, I decided to mess around with the list a little bit and take out the Shudderwock Combo and instead just create a more value-centered Shudderwock deck (as Blizzard intended for it to be played). I made it highlander so that Shudderwock could do a lot of crazy things. I'll try and describe each individual package that this deck offers more in-depth.

Anti Aggro: This deck absolutely demolishes most aggro players (even in high legend occasionally). It works especially well around rank 5 where the mentality seems to be "Me go face" for every aggro game. Devolve is a great tool and might to be your best mulligan for these types of matchups. Mech Paladin is the best archetype for this card to shine. It runs Golakka Crawler for eating pirates and can also be used as a low-cost Hagatha value-generator in it's late game control mode or for an Explosive Runes secret-popper vs Secret Mage. It can also be used with Shudderwock's battlecry. This deck runs Eater of Secrets to deal with those Secret Mages as well as any other deck that runs secrets right now (Reno Mage and sometimes Odd Paladin). Also can be reactivated with Shudderwock. Deathlord is a useful tool for early aggro defense and early/late game combo-ruiners. Can also be brought back with N'Zoth, the Corruptor, and even again with Shudderwock activating N'Zoth's effect again. N'Zoth, the Corruptor can also be used to end rather longer aggro games if you get lucky and play most of your deathrattles early enough to bring them back with N'Zoth on turn 10 (never really seen an aggro game go this far though, because most games are over around turn 5 or 6 against aggro). Reno Jackson is a great card to keep against most aggro and can be reactivated with the Wock. Zola the Gorgon can generate even more value with Reno if you are smart with how you play it and could get you a random deathrattle card from your pool if you N'Zoth and Zola before playing Shudderwock. Zephrys the Great is a great card all around in this deck. If you study the way Zephrys offers you cards, it can really take your gameplay to the next level. Gluttonous Ooze for the occasional weapon or Pirate Warrior. Great tool for anti-aggro games. The transform effects (Devolve/Hex/Earth Shock/Plague of Murlocs) can work well against aggro if you play them properly. There is some healing too. Oh, and all of the board clears cards work against aggro. Those are the core of how the anti-aggro portion of this deck works. 

Combo Killer: This deck has a decent amount of success against combo decks. It can flop if you aren't able to find Dirty Rat in time, but now Witchwood Piper can offer you some assistance in drawing it (as well as Zephyrs) early. Dirty Rat can be combined with Brann Bronzebeard (which can be combined with Piper to ensure that you have all three of your 2-cost minions in your hand), Shudderwock if you want to try and get lucky with another Rat pull (you can even play Emperor Thaurissan into a hand that has Brann and the Wock to get a double-battlecry Wock that will Rat twice) ((I know, this deck is versatile, right?!)). Plague of Murlocs/Devolve can also do a lot of damage if it is preceded by a Rat. Hex is great for what Hex is known for being great for. Earth Shock has also proven to be a great tool against some combo decks if you only have one mana left to silence that last combo piece you pulled from their hand/deck. Deathlord is another great card for ruining combos. Pretty self-explanatory. Also can be used multiple times with Wock/N'Zoth. Eater of Secrets can actually ruin some combo decks. Specifically against the Quest OTK Giant Mage that is starting to gain popularity again. Take away their secrets and you can ruin their whole game plan ;)

Control: This deck is obviously a control deck at its core. With all of its removal tools (Earth Shock, Zephrys the Great, Lightning Breath, Lightning Storm, Hagatha's Scheme, Volcano, Earthquake, Hagatha the Witch, and even Shudderwock) there are endless ways to make it to late game and turn on the Hagatha value-machine. Hagatha makes a lot of games that weren't likely winnable from the start more winnable over time. With various minions to replace with spells for added value with Hagatha, I would consider it a very useful card in this deck. It's usually best to try and keep your hand size small (if you are Hagatha) and your deck size large in any control battle with this deck. You can outlast all Reno decks (Reno Mage being the hardest, but it IS possible) and a lot of control decks. N'Zoth can also just flat out win some control games from the sheer board presence swing that it can offer. Additionally, two N'Zoth battlecries could bolster your strategy in most control vs control matches. Reno is also an important card in these types of matches. Overall, lots of control elements are present in this deck, but these are just the most important one in my opinion. 

Dragon: Yes, I realize that dragons are not a prominent aspect of what this deck has to offer, but with Dragonqueen Alexstrasza and Lightning Breath you can make a lot happen. Only two cards are plenty for the dragon synergy to exist in this deck. And I have played some crazy games with Alex and the Wock, so take my word for it. Lightning Breath is just a good card. 3-mana 4-damage removal card that works 3x better if you have Alex or any other dragon in hand seems pretty good to me. I usually keep this card against rogue. 

Reno: Reno Jackson has and will be my favorite card in Hearthstone since its release. It is just such a good card, that it has made Highlander my favorite deck-building challenge and it continues to do so. Other than my lust for the man with the mustache, depending on exactly when you play him, you can truly impact every game accordingly. This is the hardest part of this deck in my opinion. If he is in your hand during mulligan phase, think long and hard about what your plan would be with him that game. And even harder when the game really gets going during mid/late game. Keep in mind that your post-Reno Shudderwock play is almost as important as your initial Reno play. This is a huge part of how your games will end. Also, you must always consider the appropriate time to use Zola the Gorgon with Reno (and with all other battlecries really, because if you Zola a card and play it again for its battlecry, Shudderwock will perform the Zola-d cards battlecry twice). Playing Reno for hand space alone is also something that can be considered with this deck (albeit sparsely). That, and it can be used with Hagatha to give you a random shaman spell if you need to dig for answers. 

Shudderwock: Shudderwock is such a wonderful card. Thanks for this card Blizz, truly. Let me just give you this to look at in terms of Shudderwock's unique versatility in this deck (you can use you imagination here, the possibilities are endless).

List of battlecry cards:

• Dirty Rat
• Golakka Crawler
• Zephrys the Great
• Gluttonous Ooze
• Zola the Gorgon
• Eater of Secrets
• Witchwood Piper
• Antique Healbot
• Reno Jackson
• Hagatha the Witch
• Dragonqueen Alexstrasza (and sometimes the dragons she gives you)
• N'Zoth, the Corruptor

So yeah, always consider how Shudderwock can save your game. It happens often. People usually know this deck is a Wock deck after the first few cards you play, but they usually never expect the time you decide to play it. 

Teched For All Decks: Unless you are completely in the dark about what your opponent might be playing, there are appropriate keeps for just about every deck you will encounter. Techs included for the prevalent ones. These techs are:

• Golakka Crawler
• Eater of Secrets
• Gluttonous Ooze
• Dirty Rat

Each of the above cards can win games being the only card played. That seems pretty good in my honest humble opinion. 

N'Zoth: N'Zoth, the Corruptor is a great tool for ending a lot of games. Obviously I have talked a lot about N'Zoth already in this guide, but also consider his interaction with Khartut Defender. If one dies and the reborn copy dies, that means N'Zoth will bring back 2 copies of Defender. Rotten Applebaum and Sludge Belcher are just good cards in general. They work so well with N'Zoth though. You can also remember the general rule of thumb that you shouldn't play N'Zoth unless either (1) of your Khartut Defenders (reborn included) or (2) of your other taunt minions have died. That way once you  Shudderwock, you get at least 2 taunt minions with deathrattles from N'Zoth's repeated battlecry. Another card that you don't have to be afraid of playing early if you need to, but its still a good idea to follow the aforementioned rule of thumb. 

Value: V A L U E. What can I say, this whole deck is value. Emperor Thaurissan, Hagatha the Witch, Shudderwock, N'Zoth, the Corruptor, Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, Zephrys the Great, Brann Bronzebeard are the core of the value that this deck has to offer. 

 

Let's face it. Everyone hates meta decks. This deck is the best answer that I have found to that problem in a long time. I even went as far as crafting this whole deck in gold. Trust me, not only does it work, it's also a ton of fun to play. Give it a shot if you don't believe me ;)