4/16/2020 EDIT:

Kiwii has come through with a video for your viewing pleasure!

 

4/13/2020 EDIT:

Darkseeker has made a video featuring this deck as well, embedded below.  Thanks, Darkseeker!

 

4/12/2020 EDIT 1:

Kadakk has made a video featuring this deck with a couple of his own tweaks, so I'd like to present it here.  Thanks for taking the time, Kadakk, and glad you've enjoyed the list!

4/12/2020 EDIT 2:

I've edited the title of this deck to clarify that my 80% winrate stat came from my Diamond 5 to Legend climb, and has not been representative of my experience in the 48 hours since I made this post.  I now sit at around 63% according to my deck tracker.  As many are aware, Galakrond Warlock is everywhere, and is extremely hostile to this deck, so I don't want to give the false impression that folks should expect an 80% winrate now just because I had that experience a couple of days ago under more agreeable conditions.

The meta is still extremely volatile, and anything can happen.  I anticipate that we will see further nerfs in the coming week which will once again disrupt the established order.  During that time, we may once again see a window within which this deck can achieve the ridiculously-high winrates I experienced.  :)

 

4/11/2020 EDIT:

This deck now has enough stats to show up on HSReplay!  Hooray!  Link for anyone interested:

https://hsreplay.net/decks/WkZBvNR6vSZY9FuFh1gUmb/#rankRange=DIAMOND_THROUGH_LEGEND

 

ORIGINAL POST (4/10/2020):

First-time poster here with a Murloc Paladin deck that I haven't seen anyone else playing and which has been doing WORK for me on the ladder.

After the Demon Hunter nerf, I played this deck to legend from Diamond 5 and continued with a roughly 80% winrate over the last 25 games.

I had been messing around with Murloc Paladin in the Descent of Dragons meta, but aside from the cheesy Prismatic Lens version, it just didn't have the tools to be competitive.

I believe that I've found a sweet spot with this list, and will update this post with more comprehensive details as I have time to do so.  In the mean time, hope you enjoy!

 

CARD CHOICES AND NOTES:

(2) Imprisoned Sungill:

I think people are sleeping on this card - big time.  Aggro decks' lifeblood is their ability to stick a board, and against opponents with strong board control options (Demon Hunter being a notable example), it can be pretty tough to have enough murlocs onboard to buff with a Coldlight Seer.  If you drop this on turn 1, he can't do anything at all to three bodies that you pay for in advance, all of which show up simultaneously at the start of your turn 3, ready to be buffed by Coldlight Seer and made into the sticky sticky boys we all know and love.  Played on turn 2, it curves right into Felfin Navigator.  Played on turn 3, it curves into Scalelord.  This card is an MVP of the deck in my opinion and is always the top priority 1-drop that I'm looking for in my mulligan.

(2) Murloc Tidecaller:

This one doesn't really need an explanation.  Great scaling one-drop.

(2) Murmy:

This guy sticks to the board, and we like that.

(2) Toxfin:

This guy's great for trading up and getting through taunts.  When you have the opportunity, you can give poisonous to Murgurgle or a minion that's been given divine shield by Scalelord for extra value.

(2) Fishflinger:

Nine times out of ten, this guy gives you something you'd like to be running in your deck anyway.  It also clogs up the opponent's hand with stuff they don't care about, and can even mess up Demon Hunters' outcast plays.

(2) Hand of A'dal:

This is an obvious inclusion and a fantastic card.  It's basically Earthen Might (which was an auto-include in Aggro Shaman) but WAY better.

(2) Hench-Clan Hogsteed:

This is a great way to keep opponents' boards in check while leaving behind a murloc body that you can buff afterwards.

(1) Murgur Murgurgle:

I unpacked this guy as a golden and was thrilled about it.  He's a fine body for his cost and usually trades up.  An interesting note is that I've rarely had a chance to play his prime version, since most of the time the games are over before I get to 8 mana/draw him.  Just knowing that this sort of insane late-game reload/swing turn is waiting in my deck does feel nice, though.  :)

(2) Murloc Tidehunter:

Standard murloc tokens.  Very buffable.  It doesn't always feel awful to play on turn 2, but I usually prefer to use this in the mid-game alongside a board buff to make sure that they stick.  There might be something better to run in this slot, but for now I'm not 100% sure what I'd put in its place.

(2) Coldlight Seer:

Drop it on turn 3 after a turn-1 Imprisoned Sungill and you have an insta-board that cannot be answered by even a full-hand Dark Skies.  Given the choice, I usually prioritize this over Felfin Navigator even when I have the mana for it just to maximize the likelihood of my other murlocs surviving the following turn.  Once that's done, the other buffs can follow (and will).

(2) Murloc Warleader:

This one definitely requires no explanation.  Make the board sticky and then use these as your finishers.

(2) Underlight Angling Rod:

This card was a major missing piece Murloc Paladin needed to become relevant again.  It's such a great way to keep or even regain board control while also keeping gas in the tank.  Similar to Fishflinger, it basically just gives you free resources (many of which you're already running in your deck) with massive potential for high-rolls (Underbelly Anglers... Coldlight Seers... even additional Magurgles!).  In a deck like this, the card text may as well read "after your hero attacks, draw a card" (a.k.a. VERY good).

(2) Felfin Navigator:

If you follow up a turn-3 Coldlight Seer with a turn-4 Felfin Navigator, It's basically GG.

(1) Hoard Pillager:

This is an awesome way to get yourself another Underlight Angling Rod or Truesilver Champion to keep the pressure up while developing a 4/2 body.  It's basically the same upside as Lightforged Zealot without the deckbuilding restriction.  I tried running 2 in the list at one point, but I felt that 1 got me to the sweet spot where it's always useful when I have it.  Your mileage may vary.

(2) Truesilver Champion:

It's a pretty standard midrange/aggro deck inclusion for Paladin, so I don't think this requires much explaining.  It's good for board control, reach, and also gives you just a bit of healing, which I've found relevant.

(2) Scalelord:

Dropping a turn-5 Scalelord on an already-buffed board has resulted in more insta-concedes than I've seen in a long time.  People don't really expect to see this guy, but boy oh boy does he do work!  This can be good for destroying an opponent's competing board, or you can just go face and force them to perform the laborious task of removing the bois.

 

MULLIGANS:

ALWAYS KEEP:

Imprisoned Sungill

Murgur Murgurgle

 

CONDITIONAL KEEPS:

Murloc Tidecaller + Murmy:  I usually only keep either of these if I don't already have Imprisoned Sungill, but one or both can also be kept alongside Imprisoned Sungill if you also have Coldlight Seer in hand and want to play two 1-drops instead of a 2-drop on turn 2.

Hench-Clan Hogsteed:  I like to keep this against aggro when you're likely to want some early removal.

Coldlight Seer:  Keep this when you've already got Imprisoned Sungill or have your curve set up and are very secure in having bodies to buff on turn 3.  I also sometimes keep this when on the coin, as the extra card and the coin itself provide an increased chance at mulling into the 1 or 2-drops you need to set up for the Seer.

Underlight Angling Rod:  I originally had this as an "always keep," and 90-ish % of the time it is, but I do throw Angling Rod back if I don't get any 1 or 2-drops in the rest of my hand.  Getting a good curve on turns one, two and three is absolutely crucial to this deck's success, so that needs to take priority.

 

GENERAL ADVICE / TIPS:

Your dream is to curve out, so do everything it takes to make sure that happens.  Your best-case scenario is to drop Imprisoned Sungill on turn 1, a 2-drop or pair of 1-drops on turn 2, and a Coldlight Seer on turn 3 to buff the boys.  Once that's happened, you can just keep buffing with Felfin Navigator and Scalelord, and it can get ridiculous.

It's a much tougher game if you fail to curve out or rather just lose the board, though the situation can be retrievable; you just need to swing hard to get enough murlocs onboard simultaneously that they can't all be dealt with.  It feels very similar to the Token Druid gameplan, whereby your opponent feels compelled to deal with your board while it's small, lest they allow you an additional turn to buff your dudes and kill them.

Will continue updating as necessary, and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!