Hearthpwn

Introduction

I have been playing this deck the last month and it's the first time I've reached legend. The deck mix secret, galakrond, stealth and highlander package, which are all good on his own. It's very funny to play and have a lot of solutions against the different meta decks. It works really well against DH, mage, hunter (except face hunter) and priest.

Stealth package:
It helps you a lot providing early game minions and good value trades with Ashtongue Slayer and draw with Greyheart Sage. Burrowing Scorpid is specially good against DH or other aggressive decks. Two stealth card that could be good as a replacement are Escaped Manasaber or Patient Assassin.

Secret package

After the nerfs it is slightly weaker, but it fulfills their task. Shadowjeweler Hanar could give you the game in mid-late game and Blackjack Stunner is a cheap sap with body. Count the secrets you have in the deck because you only have 3 in the deck and you need them to activate the before mentioned cards. However, if you don't have anything better to do in a turn and it could be beneficial to use the secret, don't hesitate and use it.

Galakrond package

The weakness comparing to non highlander ganakrond rogues is that you get your invoke cards less frecuently. So a totally upgraded galakrond it’s very unusual. But it still gives you lot of value with lackeys and Kronx Dragonhoof is really powerful.

Highlander package and other cards

Zephrys the Great is the star of the deck. It saves you with the perfect removal in the right moment (One of the main weakness of galakrond rogue is aoe or big minions removal) or it secures you game giving you lethal. Dragonqueen Alexstrasza gives you powerful turns in late game and can save you in desperate moments with a taunt/heal/rush dragon.

Completing the deck, we have cheap cards that enable combos, strong combo cards and some removals that fit perfectly in the deck.

Gameplan

VS agro/aggressive midrange: In the early game try to control the board (cards that do 2 damage or cheap minions + hero power). Be careful to not take too much damage, sometimes is better to use a suboptimal removal to avoid be in lethal range. In mid/late game, once you control the board you start to outvalue them, being careful of your remaining health. Zephrys the Great most of the time is used to find removal options.

Vs control: You need to generate the most value possible. Sometimes is good to use lvl 0 galakrond to start generating lackeys that can outvalue your opponent. If you expect the game goes to fatigue, try to find cards to avoid it. Heistbaron Togwaggle is not always used for draw 3 cost 0 option, sometimes is better to play another option. A greedy Shadowjeweler Hanar can give you the game. You also have a lot of cheap damage cards that could give you that bit of damage that you need for lethal

 

Mulligan:

It changes a lot depending on if you have the coin, if you play against an aggressive matchup or a slower one or if you have other combos in your hand.

Generally keep: Backstab, Zephrys the Great, Pharaoh Cat, Spymistress, Skyvateer and Seal Fate. Sometimes Akama is good too

If you have coin or cheap combo enablers: EVIL Miscreant, Edwin VanCleef or SI:7 Agent

If you have a stealth minion in hand: Ashtongue Slayer and Greyheart Sage

Against slow decks or if you have no coin and need a enabler: Dragon's Hoard. Also keep EVIL Miscreant even if you don't have a combo enabler.

Against DH (or agressive decks): SI:7 Agent and Eviscerate. If you have a cheap minion or removal, Burrowing Scorpid or Devoted Maniac are good too. Some of their key minions have 2 health. If i have Zephrys the Great i also keep Shadowstep

Against druid:  Shadowjeweler Hanar and if you have it, a secret too. They have problems to remove it

Against priest: Galakrond, the Nightmare

If you have cheap minions: Praise Galakrond!

Matchups

Demon hunter

It’s a favored matchup, specialy after the nerfs. You need to control him in the early game (We have many ways to do 2 damage to 2-health minions. Zephrys the Great is extraordinary to get a cheap aoe removal. Once you gain the control, you can easily outvalue him. When you gain the control, try to be out of lethal range counting that they can have in hand Kayn Sunfury or Metamorphosis. Aggressive DH usually don’t have tools to deal with a big Edwin VanCleef so that could be game winning

Hunter

It depends on what archtype of deck is using but I mulligan similar to when I play against DH. The worst variant for the deck is facehunter, because your heal options are limited and is hard to deal with too much face damage. You have to gain control quickly, be very agresive and have luck drawing some of the cards that can heal you. Dragon hunter is agresive too, but if you contain it at early game you are near to the victory. Zephrys the Great is good to get Acidic Swamp Ooze . Against highlander, you need to win the mid game. It’s hard for both to comeback if someone take a good advantage, unless Zephrys the Great enter in action. 

Priest

Try to put pressure on him but safe resources because they have a ton of board clears. You have more value and tempo than priest, so it’s a favored matchup. Try to play galakrond quickly in order to find cards from lackeys that save you in case the game goes to fatigue (Waxadred, Togwaggle's Scheme or Shadow of Death). Keep in mind that they can take advantage if you play a lot of cards in one turn with Murozond the Infinite . One trick that you can do to bait Murozond is to play Shadowjeweler Hanar + chain secrets while having Zephrys the Great in hand to remove the copied secrets with a discovered Flare

Druid

I have played few games versus druid (always spell druid) but I have the feeling that it is more decisive how druid draws. If they find some key cards in time is hard to win (you can clear a board 1/2 times, but you have limited answers  to their massive boards. Try to be aggressive and build quickly a wide board.  Shadowjeweler Hanar + chain secrets is very powerful in this matchup.

Rogue

Each game is completely different against other rogue decks but you have the advantage to comeback in bad situations using Zephrys the Great and Dragonqueen Alexstrasza is really powerful in this matchup (non highlander versions of rogue have problems dealing with big boards).

Mage

It is strongly favored. Against spell mage you have more than enough resources to counter his threats. Against highlander mage is also favored, but sometimes puzzle or archmage solarian could be dangerous. Don’t go very wide, because they have The Amazing Reno or some other aoes.

Warlock

Zoolock was the hardest matchup if they get an early imprisioned scrap imp but with the nerf I haven’t seen anyone.  Now warlocks usually run quest maly and this is a hard matchup too. Try to put pressure on him forcing them to spend some combo pieces and try to be out of combo range (asumming they don’t draw a 0 mana Malygos) at 20 health.    Shadowjeweler Hanar in the late game can screw his combo plan (Counterspell,  Pressure Plate, Repentance + Snipe)

 I haven't played enough games against warrior, paladin or shaman, but I will mulligan/play vs warrior expecting an agresive game and vs pala/shaman a control match.

Replacements:

If you miss Shadowjeweler Hanar, i'd probably remove the secret package. You can put cards like Siamat, Sap, Acidic Swamp Ooze, Questing Adventurer, Frozen Shadoweaver, Dragonmaw Poacher or Waxmancy. In fact maybe I will test Dragonmaw Poacher (priest, warlock, hunter, rogue - from lackeys/DQ - and pala use dragon in their decks).

Another option is to replace secret package by get a card from another class package.

If you miss Akama, Escaped Manasaber or Patient Assassin

Any suggestion is welcome here.

Stats

I have had 67% winrate this season in 87 games (58 w - 29 l)