DRAGODIN - Dragon-Ramp Control Paladin
- Last updated Apr 24, 2015 (Blackrock Launch)
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Wild
- 22 Minions
- 6 Spells
- 2 Weapons
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 4260
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 3/27/2015 (Undertaker Nerf)
- Serology
- Registered User
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- 9
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- 34
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
2046
Intro
Thanks to FailCraft for this great preview of the deck, check out his great work on YouTube
Paladin is a class that has always excelled in late game domination and value trades. Until BRM, expansions in Hearthstone have basically served to make the late game harder and harder to reach and undermine trading. BRM looks to change that through rewarding the Paladin for keeping high cost control cards in it's hand by giving low and mid-cost minions buffs and battlecries.
Dragodin is a control Paladin that takes advantage of the particularly strong Dragon synergies available to the class. It is also a ramp deck that brings some powerful high cost control cards out earlier in the game. The aim is to control the board and survive into the mid-game before overwhelming your opponent with undercosted mid and late game minions like Volcanic Drake, Chromaggus and Ysera.
Strategy
This is a control deck that centres around two major synergies; minion/token deaths and dragon tribal synergies.
Muster for Battle is one of the central cards of the deck and rather than looking to buff your recruits with Quartermaster you are using them to liberally clear your opponents board with or without the use of Equality in order to reduce the cost of Volcanic Drake and Solemn Vigil.
In terms of Dragon synergy, Paladin is perhaps the class with the most of it. The second card this deck centres around is Dragon Consort, a classic specific Mechwarper for some of the most powerful cards in the game, further reducing the cost of Volcanic Drake, giving you a 2 mana Hungry Dragon and 7 mana Dragon aspects like Ysera. Note Chromaggus is also a Dragon. In addition to this, these higher cost Dragon cards likely to be sitting in your hand for some time will enable your Blackwing Technician and (Blackwing Corruptor) should you choose to run one.
Key Plays
1) The "dream start"
>>/
2) Board clear into cheap/free minions/card draw
+/>/
3) Dragon ramp into the late game
+>//
4) Chromaggus card draw plays
>
Sideboard
• If you're facing a lot of control then Big Game Hunter may be switched out for Rend Blackhand who is like to be significantly underrated in Dragon decks and may be invaluable in dealing with Ysera, Emperor Thaurissan etc.
• Ysera is typically the most valuable 9 drop Dragon and in a deck that benefits from Dragons in the hand and can play them for 2 or 3 mana less, there is likely room for two of them. There is more choice in the second 9 drop with Nefarian, Alexstrasza and Onyxia being reasonable choices depending on your choice of other sideboards.
• Tirion Fordring is notable by his absence and can likely be swapped back in from any other high cost minion without hurting the deck too much, but running 2 of Dragon Consort makes him less than necessary in comparison to the strong 8 drop inChromaggus
• A single Blackwing Corruptor may fit in this deck in place of a mid-range minion like Volcanic Drake or even a Consecration if you're facing mainly control decks
• One of the Solemn Vigils can be subbed for Harrison Jones if you're facing many weapon classes
Onyxia - Whenever you draw a card, deal 2 damage to ALL characters.
lol.
I don't have any legendary dragons outside of BRM - are there any good substitutions for Ysera in this deck? (I know that it's not optimal but what can I do eh)
Having a lot of fun with the deck regardless! (used Rend for BGH, and it didn't work out horribly! actually got som value when he took out Dr. Boom on an almost empty board. Also exchanged Alex for Nefarian of course)
Maybe Tirion if you have him? Rend really depends though, if you are against a rogue or face hunter then it's not that good, but then again BGH is bad in these situations too, the point of BGH is to eliminate big threats at very low cost, so you can establish board control at the same time. Anyway Tirion would probably be a good sub here, if not Loatheb is really good for midrange too, or even a second beltcher would be nice as well (this deck doesn't have enough taunts when you need it IMO).
So there is no quartermaster in the deck list... so the point of muster is?
The dream is muster > Hungry Dragon
Almost always guarantees you'll kill any minion summoned by the hungry dragon.
Also muster > Volcanic Drake!
When it happens it is insane!
it's more like draGODin
I don't see a need for mustard at all.. I replaced both with x1 Harvest Golem and second Equality
I felt myself getting overwhelmed by the opponent filling their board with nothing I can do about it, Giving an even draw between a Consecration and Equality is a good idea. And the Harvest Golem just to add to the curve.
Having tokens you can sack is one of the core mechanics of this deck and of BRM as a whole, plus Muster is a staple anti-aggro card and one of the few cards Paladin has to deal with Zoo/Mech Mage in the early game.
Sorry, but this deck is garbage. Against any aggro deck you get face rolled. Its so dependent on having the right cards in your hand to get the most out of each card that it rarely gives you optimum plays.
The tempo also needs to be in your favor. Vigil is useless if your not the one doing the minion killing and muster, chromagus rarely pay off in draws.
TLDR; its a deck designed to use dragons, not go through rank or deal with the current meta.
Blackwing technician and zombie chow are the best minions against aggro right now. along with a minibot and consecration... and don't forget true silver!
You're wrong.
No, I am not. After a few dozen attempts with this deck, its real clear that face hunters, mech mages, and zoo decks face roll this deck. Unless you get an optimum draw on the opening, by turn 6, when this deck actually starts to shine, your already down half or more HP.
This is a control deck, which means you MUST survive to mid game to have a chance. With not heals and one taunt, good luck making it there.
This deck is bad~~~10% win rate~not enough car draw no taunt easy counter over all its bad
Right now, I'm playing the deck without Alexstrasza or Ysera, since I don't have them. I use +1 Volcanic Drake and Nefarian instead. I won my first 3 games (and still going on...) and never had a problem with not having enough cards. Value your Hero Power; use the card synergies; trade efficiently; try to think ahead; try to figure out enemy secrets, based on the situation, and how to play around them. If you do, you should do fine.
Good luck and have fun!
I have Alexstrasza but I don't have Ysera. Can I replace Ysera for Tirion Fordring?
You can, just be careful as you replace Dragons that you don't end up with unactivated Technicians/Corruptors and get less value from Consorts. Ysera on turn 7 is stronger than Tirion on turn 8. But yeah it's not a bad substitution.
-1 alexstraza +1 Tirion
Agreed. It's crazy to not run Tirion and to run Alex. Alex is a dragon, that's it. Tirion or Lay on Hands are obviously better choices.
Lay on Hands is not a better choice by a long long long way. The card is only run because Paladin lacked unconditional card draw, and now we have Solemn Vigil.
Run Tirion instead if you want, but it's not crazy to run Alex, it's as much of a win condition as Tirion ie. "kind of of a win condition".
Set up the beta version with Azure Drake swap for Solemn Vigil, Rend Blackhand swap for Blackwing Corruptor, and Malygos for Volcanic Drake. Will definitely be giving it a whirl, report back soon! Just the sort of Pally-Dragon goodness I was looking for!