Hearthpwn

Demonlock is more than just a deck that contains a bunch of demons. Demonlock, like most decks, attempts to place down more threats than the opponent can deal with.

It achieves this by quickly gaining board presence through “cheating” minions onto the board with cards such as Molten Giant and Voidcaller. This allows for playing minions many turns earlier than their intended cost and therefore many turns before the opponent can answer them.

There are plenty of aggressive warlock decks that contain demons but I would not classify them as demonlock because they do not utilise cheating minions into play.

The game changer. This card is the epitome of cheating in a minion. Aggressive and controlling decks alike will struggle to get rid of these lumbering giants. This card synergises incredibly well with the Warlock hero power, life tap, which guarantees that the Molten Giants will be playable in any match.

2x Sunfury Protector and/or 2x Defender of Argus – When creating a competitive demonlock it is required to include a minimum of 3 copies of Sunfury Protector and Defender of Argus combined in order to consistently draw into possible taunt instigators as in both aggressive and control match-ups every last taunt counts when it comes to low health. By including at least 3 taunt instigators out of necessity it makes sense for other minion choices to be worthy taunt targets so as to increase the synergy within the deck.

-The card that really made demonlock possible back during Naxxarams. Similarly to Molten Giant, Voidcaller can be a game changer. It does not have the best stats for a 4-drop so it’s important to play it in the correct situation

– Including at minimum 3 area of effect removal options is required.

With a lot of testing, I have found 2 shadowflame to be far more flexible than 2 hellfire.

There are a variety of reasons for this:

1. the synergies with killing a minion
2. the possibility of higher damage
3. No damage dealt to your hero

The only drawback is the requirement of a minion on board, but this is very minimal in a late game situation and early game both Hellfire and Shadowflame are fairly weak due to the new cards added to GvsG having more than 3 health or deathrattles. (Spider Tank, Piloted Shredder, Annoy-o-Tron

Mech is not a competitively viable playstyle for demonlock and I’m yet to find/see a decent  mechlock either. The reason it is not good comes down to the very slow direction Blizzard decided to take mechs. Although they can technically be “cheated” into play via Mechwarper they have no synergies between one another and rely mostly on sheer board presence to work well. (Other classes do have synergy such as Screwjank Clunker and Iron Sensei but us warlocks do not have any mech buffing abilities). Demonlock can often be very passive when draws are subpar; it therefore requires cards that quickly change the state of the board which is something mechs do not achieve.

Handock with demons is a viable playstyle for demonlock, but, for ladder climbing, hand-demon-lock is not as competitive as straight Handlock. In a 30 card deck every card has to pull its weight, in a deck such as Handlock although it gain from cheating out demons, the playstyle works far better with the current setup as there is already an emphasis on synergy with large hand sizes and by including demons you are liable to cluttering up the valuable hand space.

Not a full hand-demon-lock, but a nice hybrid which works with the guide as a GvsG example: 

One of my favourite ways of playing Demonlock. The already present taunt instigators give you the devastating ability to taunt up minions that the opponent does not want to kill. The fact Voidcaller is in the deck helps with the possible synergies. The real problem with deathrattle demonlock is that it can have very inconsistent draws due to the varying mana curve. I’d put this as semi-viable for laddering. Given enough luck you could draw perfectly and steamroll most opponents getting a long win-streak. However there is also the possibility of getting a long lose-streak from poor draws.

GvsG example: 

They’ll be more on demons later but as an overall theme: This has a similar problem to deathrattle but it is slightly weaker as deathrattles can still remain relevant late game. The fact that Voidcaller can pull them out of your hand is a very useful tempo gain and also allowed forVoidcaller to be played more easily. That’s about the only thing that is better than deathrattle sadly. Early game demons are great for the early game, but usually terrible late game draws. Flame Imp’s drawback is can be the difference between life and death when it gets near to fatigue turns and Voidwalker is a weaker version of Annoy-o-Tron when you have 10 mana to spend. If you’re really keen to include as many demons as possible then you are not trying to play demonlock competitively. Demonlock, similar to most control decks in Hearthstone which require every card to fulfil a role. Early game demons do not have the card text to back up their good stats.

For the first season of GvsG, I have found this style to be the most powerful form of demonlock. Unlike most of the other themes, it sacrifices any early game push potential in favour of stalling to turns where it can pump out value minions. This sort of deck contains a lot of one off cards and this is why it is so important that the deck is custom built to your specifications. This is the most competitively viable style of demonlock currently and the one I will be going into most detail on.

Pitlock, it seems like a good idea but the playstyle doesn't work for me:

-Warlocks do not have any ways to deal 1 damage, this is a nice way to achieve it and also helps to thin out the deck. Currently I find that there are too many good cards worth having in the deck over including a deck thinning mechanic but one copy may prove useful to your playstyle.

–A great removal option which can have plenty of synergies with deathrattle and Shadowflame. Including more than 1 copy could lead to a very poor hand of cards but in the right style of deck 2 could be viable. If you are intending to use Void Terror and plenty of deathrattles, this is a great pick.

–Most people’s pick after the nerf to Soulfire. Due to its weaker damage it is pretty mandatory to pick two if you go for this option. Darkbomb is certainly a great option to deal with aggro. Personally I find it too weak as there are now many 3-drops with 4 health and most zoo decks are currently running Dark Iron Dwarf

–My preferred Soulfire replacement. On paper it seems much weaker than Darkbomb as it can only target minions and the higher cost is not mana efficient. However, I find it works perfectly for my playstyle and is much stronger if matches go into the later game.

–Although including one Siphon Soul should be mandatory, I did not include as part of the core cards list as it is not the end of the world if you do not have one yet and there are games where I end up not using it. Including 2x Siphon Soul is incredibly risky and currently a weak choice. In combination with the other removal options the deck will be able to remove threats fine with just 1 Siphon Soul.

–If you like silence then Ironbeak Owl is the best option for demonlock. It is a solid pick to include 2 if you’re going for Ancient Watchers and/or Zombie Chows.

–In the current meta Big Game Hunter is a must have removal option. It helps us deal with the slower match ups and strengthens some of our 50/50 match ups to 60/40 tidily

A very resilient 1-drop with a deathrattle effect that is not very relevant at the time it pops, benefiting the demonlock. Arguably the strongest early game for demonlock right now, it synergises even better if double Silence is being run in your deck.

An incredibly slow 2-drop minion. I find it too slow for the current meta, as it does not do anything for the first 2 turns it is in play but it is still worth considering if you’re looking to run Void Terror and/or Ancient Watcher.

This card is really powerful, but only ever in combination with other cards. It can synergise with a ton of other cards in your deck: Shadowflame, Silence, Taunt. Again, I am finding it too slow for the current meta but it should definitely be considered when constructing a demonlock deck.

This demon is a choice if you have weak or no early game. This means no proper 1 or 2-drop minions ( Ancient Watchers, Zombie Chow, Nerubian Egg). Mistress of Pain is great at slowing the game down early on, although it does not kill enemy minions, you will on average get 2 attacks with it gaining a bit of life and taking the damage from enemy attacks instead of to your face, which is usually a net 4-6 health saved. This minion works incredibly well for me and is good if you like to stall. 

I think Mal'Ganis is a superb addition to the demon selection. To me, it fulfils a very similar role as Tirion Fordring. It has to be killed or silenced or morphed in order to deal damage to the warlock’s face. Mal'Ganis has a better body for 1 mana, but no deathrattle, although he will technically heal any demons on board if he gets silenced and they lose his buff. At the same time he is not necessary to building a viable demonlock for laddering. There are plenty of replacement options in the form of big legendaries, or another, smaller, demon. Some people may prefer Ragnaros the Firelord over Mal'Ganis for the immediate 8 damage dealt.

This legendary is far more integral to demonlock, being pulled out by Voidcaller should be avoided when it comes to Jaraxxus. His power lies in being able to heal for 14 but also win fatigue battles through the new hero power. You do not need this legendary to play demonlock, but you will lose games that you could’ve won without this card.

A lot of people do not seem to include Dread Infernal in their decks, but I find this card to be one of the stronger demons to include in demonlock because it’s a win-win situation. The battle-cry is incredibly useful in certain situations (dealing 1 damage is not a warlock’s strongpoint) but it also has a nice beefy body if it gets pulled out early. Including 2 is too much, however, as it can be a very dead draw and there are often better, less mana efficient plays, on turn 6.

This was a clear substitute for Doomguard when switching from Naxxarams demonlock. This demon can very quickly become your opponent’s nightmare but to reach that point your opponent must be unable to deal with it initially which requires pressure earlier. The 4/4 body is not terrible in a pinch. It can definitely out-run a hunter in a face-race but it often ends up a winmore card

Although Floating Watcher is better in the current state of the game for certain decks I think Doomguard may still earn a slot. Doomguard is able to burst if an opponent is low and usually attracts expensive removal which will not be used on your other big hitters such as Molten Giants. The current iterations of demonlock are most effective at a slow pace, but if they begin to speed up Doomguard will be a good choice, possibly in combination with Demonheart and Faceless Manipulator.

I have not spent much time testing this card, but, in a heal heavy deck, Pit Lord could earn its in enabling Molten Giants and it is still a good Voidcaller target. It would require a lot of skill/knowledge of the opponent’s deck to know when you could play Pitlord. For ladder climbing I would say other options are more consistent, but it is still a possible competitive option with enough skill.

This card requires a demon where you can get a lot of value from the first use or else it becomes a straight up winmore card. If you are not running Mistress of Pain or Doomguard this is a very weak pick as it will only get good value as a 5 damage removal as loading all your damage on to one minion can be easily countered by a taunt. In my deck, I find it works well as a 5 damage removal, but it also performs miracles with a Voidcaller’ed Mistress of Pain.

I do not own this card yet so I can’t comment much but he is cited as the legendary to have in a later game oriented deck and many people are choosing to play him over Sylvanas.

She combo’s well with Shadowflame, Power Overwhelming and Void Terror for instant popping. Copying her with a Faceless Manipulator can win a game if your opponent chooses to ignore her. Dr. Boom does not have these synergies but I still think it’s a choice between one or the other as you do not want to overcrowd the top of your curve.

I findLoatheb to still be a great 5-drop, a good taunt target, and it’s another minion people loathe to deal with the turn he is played. Finding space for another 5-cost minion is always an issue though.

Works well, for copying any of your big minions, or the enemies. Works well in close matches to create that last threat that they can’t deal with. If you’re on the back foot this card offers little help.

A serious removal card, a possible choice in the right hands

With enough big minions and the possibility of early game large demons, this card could create some great tempo and is still a fairly decent 2 drop if in need.

Possible choice if lacking Sylvanas Windrunner and/or Dr. Boom.

Above all the combo’s have been mentioned. I’d only play this card if you really know the decks you’re against. It’s very easy to misplay this demon so it’s often easier to build a deck which doesn’t include it.

I have not found much success with this card, but I’ve seen some people playing this card with success. It’s a good early game taunt against the aggressive much ups which are guaranteed to have deathrattle. In other match ups it’s a good stall as it comes with taunt.

Demonlock can often have a full hand at the beginning of the game, this card seems like a logical choice. Highly vulnerable to silence and not the best in an aggressive much up though.

This card is a life-saver. I would always consider running one, but it’s not integral. It slows down the game which benefits warlock’s hero power, allowing you to stall and hopefully draw into your answers.

Could be considered a removal option. It’s a card that fits certain people’s play styles, the issue is finding space to include one.

Healing is great for demonlock. It can be used before or after Lord Jaraxxus to great effect unlike Antique Healbot. I have included 2 in my deck as I find it the best 3 drop for my playstyle.

A sticky deathrattle, a very good card. Quite weak against aggro with only 2 attack, but not a terrible pick.

A 4/4 at 3 mana looks very good on paper but in reality I found it to not play out that well. It can be removed by a ton of removal, Crackle, Soulfire, Truesilver Champion, Death’s Bite, Swipe. As it usually lands on the opponents turn 3 or 4 it therefore lands on a turn where they can deal with it if they have the coin or they are going first. For demonlock, I think a minion requires more than just decent stats, but other people may play differently. A good taunt target later in the game when more than one minion can be played at a time.

Similar to Ogre Brute minus the drawback. Still a good taunt target, but not much else.

A sticky deathrattle and an upgraded harvest golem in two ways. It has higher stats, but the added random minion effect forces trickier plays for your opponent.

Really powerful heal, with a decent body. I’d try including some form of healing in the deck, 2 heal cards for the current meta and this certainly fits the bill.

An unconventional choice, but with so many taunt instigators in the deck I think it could earn a place for some and was worth mentioning.