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Tempo burn shaman (72% climb to legend)

  • Last updated Aug 23, 2020 (Scholomance Academy)
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Wild

  • 17 Minions
  • 12 Spells
  • 1 Weapon
  • Deck Type: Ranked Deck
  • Deck Archetype: Midrange Shaman
  • Crafting Cost: 7680
  • Dust Needed: Loading Collection
  • Created: 8/17/2020 (Scholomance Academy)
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  • Total Deck Rating

    7

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Warning

This post is almost week old at this point, and as meta changes quickly at the start the expansion, there is the possibility that deck now works worse than before against more refined decks. I'm still sure core of this deck is competitive enough for ladder and legend, but I can't recommend going all-in on dust just try it out now.

If I have more time in the next 2-3 days, I will try to play more matches and adapt deck for the new meta, and will post an update. Until then please be careful with this deck as it seems like either it have become too unrefined for current meta and/or I didn't make a good enough job with explaining playstyle in the guide.



Deck was used to climb to legend all the way from bronze, with light tweaks along the way. Final version went 11-1 from diamond 4 to legend, Currently at 71% winrate with 21-8 games.

https://imgur.com/a/5wmW3C7


Gameplan
Gameplan is to get good tempo at the start of the game, go to the face while maintaining board control at the midgame, and finish it off with spell damage and burn package.

Burn package

Lava Burst
Main card of the deck, in my opinion, and the source of so many wins . Yes, overload 2 is awful, but it's not meant as midgame option. Low cost and spell damage boosts allow for huge damage output in one turn. Many players simply don't expect this from shaman nowadays, so it's easy to catch them off guard. 
Can be used as removal, but only in critical situations. 

Lightning Bolt
Early removal vs dangerous minions, but optimally burn for face. 

Serpentshrine Portal
Burn AND great tempo. Best to use early while clearing the board, or even thrown to face at turn 3. Otherwise yet another burn.

Cumulo-Maximus
Mainly finisher or taunt-removal, or if you get lucky with Bloom at 2-3 turn - gamewinning setup.


Spell support package

At first that package was the core of the deck, but at the end It wasn't good enough to carry other weak cards. Because of that, kinda limited final form:

Diligent Notetaker
One of the best cards in the deck. Best used to copy Lava burst against slow decks, and to copy Portal against fast decks. Can be used as simple 2/3 in case of bad draw.

Lady Vashj
Average tempo, spell damage and potential win condition. Obvious choice.

Rune Dagger
Great in theory, but not as effective as I hoped it to be: having two of these at hand fell awful. Still, good early against aggro, and at the lategame to get just enough damage to face.

Squallhunter
One of my favorite cards: huge tempo if cheated early, and, of course, huge spell damage bust. However overload 2 is too much in many cases, especially if its gets easily removed by some priest or warlock, or copied by paladin. I even considered to cut that card to one at some point. Overall useful card, but important understand the risks.



Board control package

Ras Frostwhisper
Obviously amazing card, especially with spell damage package. No need to tell anything more, I guest.

Devolving Missiles
I hate this card. If there more than 1 minion on the board, it almost always goes three time to the wrong minion for me! Argh. But can't deny how good it overall: amazing against single target, helps with stealth, and sometime just reduces stats of enemy minions. 


Tempo package
Lightning Bloom
Great way to cheat Squalhunter or Unbound elemental on the first or second turn. Also great to use on 3 mana to get Cumulo-Maximus with full potential. Otherwise just good situational card.

Primordial Studies
Even though it's spell damage card, I've put it as tempo because this card gives great options for early tempo: second turn Lady Vashj, 2-3 turn Squalhunter (with coin or bloom). Good for mid game too because of some big spell damage cards.  Spell damage is just a bonus.

Sludge Slurper
Good first drop that can be useful even at the late game. Though not always best first turn: overload should make consider other tempo options if you have bloom, second drop or studies (you can get Vashj not so rarely).

Unbound Elemental
Surprisingly good tempo card because we have quite a few overload stuff. Often good at first turns, and grows to impressive stats if not removed fast enough.

Marshpawn
Good body with discover. Not the best, but without draw anything that generates card are important.

Value

Instructor Fireheart
Card generation in deck without draw. Helps clear the board or get last burn piece. Must have. 

Wandmaker
Final change to the deck, really helps against paladins. Ok card for early game, and source of many great card: luckily, shaman has probably best 1-cost cards. Additional Devolving missiles or earth shock helps to get over taunts or remove buffed minions, lightning - additional burn, and other cards not so bad either. 

Matchups

Druid: favorable. Unless they have the best draw with Kael and stuff, we are fast enough to deal enough damage with minions and finish it off with burn.

Rogue/hunter/demon hunter: slightly favorable. We have just enough board control and are just fast enough to kill them faster. With bad luck we can be destroyed because of lack of heal and taunts, but mostly we can control the board up to the midgame until they run out of steam, and then kill them in 2-3 turns with big minions and burn.

Mage: favorable. They can't deal with so much tempo early and midgame and don't have any heal. 

Warlock: slightly favorable, in my experience, though theoretically they have enough card draw and removals. I guest all that warlocks' selfdamage theme helps us a lot.

Warrior: even/unfavorable. Not many chances against pure control because of armor and removals. But not so bad matchup in case of bomb warrior if they get greedy with weapons.

Priest: slightly unfavorable. Too much removals and heal, but with good draw it's possible kill them fast enough

Paladins: unfavorable. Main enemy of the deck, in my opinion. Even though we have missiles, so much taunts, shields and tempo are really hard to overrun midgame. And healing libram with 8/8 body signifies loss for us in most cases. I found it better to just go face when possible: if we get lucky and they don't, it's possible to burn them down.

Mulligan
 Counterintuitively, because of overload our only first drop is not the best option to use in the first turn. Bloom+Squallhunter, wandmaker on turn two or even studies to Vashj is arguably better. So, you have to decide on what to aim for depending on what you have. Even 5 mana cards can be kept if you have two blooms in hand.

For any matchup: Studies or Slurper are good enough, but best option depends on matchup. Keep wandmaker too.

If enemy doesn't have cheap removal: Bloom+Squallhunter is amazing. But only keep hunter if you have bloom or you already have another option for early game.

In other cases:Bloom+elementals or studies+Vashj to control the board early, or Slurper if you don't have first options. Lightning bolt is an option too. Don't keep dagger: even though it is helpful in removing 1 health minions, it is worse than having big minion on the board. In worst case any 3 drop is not so bad, especially portal

Additional cards against paladins and druids: missiles and wandmaker are important to get rid of bubbles and stealth minions