Hearthpwn

An Introduction to Bad Shaman

Shaman isn't doing too hot right now. This deck doesn't resolve that problem...

I've been working with variants of this deck since The Mistcaller came out, starting out as a more aggressive/tempo style of deck. It's evolved to be more midrange, which is bad, because midrange decks get killed in Wild. The fact that The Mistcaller is also the card most people will want to remove just adds to the badness of this deck.

Does (and how) this deck work?

Not really. I mean, it's the only deck I play and I can consistently get to rank 5 Diamond with it. I could probably push higher, but despite my personal patience with this deck, my time is not so abundant. I do not have stats as I am not so self-concerned as to track them. I have just played this (evolving) deck for a long time.

The whole philosophy is that every card should do something immediately, which is ironic given The Mistcaller is one of the slowest cards in the game.

A high value is placed on rush minions, because rush is a very powerful swing mechanic. As such, one might want to replace the Jade package with the Galakrond packagae (I've tried it, it was OK).

The deck also tries to generate a lot of value in places. The Curator is my favourite innovation even though - to be honest - I don't end up using it that often (also, there's no beast. I tried Lifedrinker, which I liked, but it just doesn't do enough). Corpsetaker too, being a battlecry minion, an offensive card sometimes with Windfury, and mostly a defensive card with Lifesteal and Taunt. The card that stitches all of this together in Evasive Wyrm, being a Dragon with Divine Shield and Rush.

In other words, even though the deck is bad, some thinking does connect various elements together.

The general win-condition is complete the quest, create consistent, moderately threatening boards, and eek out value when and if you need to. 

Bloodlust can be a win condition, but I recently took it out for Zilliax because it's less of a dead card and has some good Corpsetaker synergy.

Meta Match Ups

Furthermore, I suspect this deck doesn't have any good match ups in the meta right now.

If you don't draw Jade Claws and other removal such as Serpentshrine Portal or Jade Lightning you will probably be overwhelmed by Pirate Warrior.

If you don't draw healing cards like Corpsetaker or - later in the game - Walking Fountain, you will probably lose to Secret Mage.

If you don't draw cards to build a solid board such as the Jade package, or rush minions such as Faceless Corruptor or Ruststeed Raider, you will probably be overwhelmed by Demon Hunter.

Finally, if you don't draw Earth Shock, you will usually lose to Warlock or Mech Paladin.

Mulligan Guide

Basically, follow the indications laid out in the above section.

Always keep and play Corrupt the Waters, always keep Jade Claws and always keep Questing Explorer.

Don't keep cards that cost more than 5 mana, except perhaps Ruststeed Raider against Pirate Warrior. 

Sludge Slurper is also a good card you probably want to keep a hold of, but it's also a poor body, and can be better when generating value later.

Replacements

The main card people will want to replace is The Mistcaller. People may want to change other cards too. Here are some recommendations:

1. Dr. Boom
2. Hagatha the Witch
3. Swampqueen Hagatha
4. The Lurker Below
5. Fire Elemental
6. Bloodmage Thalnos
7. Mana Tide Totem
8. Youthful Brewmaster
9. Brann Bronzebeard
10. Sandstorm Elemental
11. Bloodlust

Also, if you don't have the quest you'll need to supplement for some early game. Cheap, well stated minions should do.

Conclusion

Anyway, most people will probably play this deck and decide it is bad. I will not disagree with their conclusions. This is simply a deck I enjoy playing, and one I have not seen anywhere else.