[S21] Sigma's Midrange Zoo Streak to Legend! (G...
- Last updated Dec 17, 2015 (Explorers)
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Wild
- 26 Minions
- 4 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 5940
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 4/30/2015 (Blackrock Launch)
- user-19363554
- Deck Architect
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- 13
- 25
- 60
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Battle Tag:
sigma#2284
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Region:
EU
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Total Deck Rating
5631
If you would like to ask me any questions directly and live, or be one step ahead of the meta check out my stream at http://www.twitch.tv/sigmasrb at 6 PM CEST almost every day (at random times during the holidays) and follow the feed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sigmasrb for all news! I will try to stream at this time in between 3-5 days a week where I will be playing all of my decks posted here plus some other ones.
Hey guys Sigma here and this is my Midrange Zoo deck that got me to Legend. I have always loved the concept behind zoo, and was pretty sad when it went out of the meta as the mechs came around. Luckily, the Devs at Blizz heard our prayers and introduced the Imp Gang Boss which synergizes perfectly into the one of the already heavily synergized decks of Hearthstone (The other one being our retarded brother the Face Hunter).
I got to Legend in S13 using ONLY this deck from rank 5 so telling me it doesn't work is purely futile. Also, I am aware that are a shitton of all kinds of zoo decks around, I just wanted to share what worked for me. I had a 10-0 streak on rank 3 and a 4-0 streak on rank 1. The deck also works in the Legend ranks, and I went up to rank 500 Legend without a lot of effort. I didn't take the Prt Scr for the top 500 but the Legend proof is right here:
Unfortunately this deck is highly underrated and usually thought of as very low-skilled-throw-all-out-RAWR-GO-FACE, while it is entirely the complete opposite. The Midrange zoo deck requires a player to pay attention to the curve and plan out 2 or 3 turns in front. One of the main things that require skill in this game is setting up just the perfect swing with the Voidcaller to get that sweet sweet Doomguard out, prefferably on your turn. More importantly, positioning is very important as you have to be aware where to place the Defender of Argus and especially the Void Terror. If this deck gets 20 likes, I will do my best to write out a detailed guide with mulligan, match ups, card choices and replacements. You can find the guide underneath! (I check Hearthpwn almost every day as I have another deck which is defining the current meta
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Minion (17)
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Ability (13)
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The Goal has been reached! First of all I would like to thank all of you who checked out, upvoted, and shared my deck! With your awesomeness we managed to get this deck into the Warlock Hot page! A BIG THANK YOU!
EDIT:From the 5.5. this deck is also on the main Hot page of Hearthstone! Thank you very much for all of your views, upvotes, comments and shares! I was actually thinking of starting a stream and this is actually pushing me in this direction! You guys are awesome!
INTRODUCTION
Before I start getting into the deep shit I want to make one note that most of the people don't seem to understand; It will be quite hard for you to go from Rank 20 to Legend with this deck and without any changes as the meta swings or as you progress up the ranks (I will include what changes you can make in order to counter the meta in the guide below). You can expect a lot more aggro decks like the mech mage, face hunter and, aggro mage or even those weird face paladins in between ranks 20 and 5. Note that I played this deck FROM Rank 5 to Legend, where the meta is more stabile and controlled and not only RAWR FACE RAWR STEADY SHOT.
Most of the guide will be put in spoilers so that you don't have to scroll for ages to reach the comments. Tip on what's in the spoiler will be shown with the title above.
"Now lay back and get ready cause imma drop some real-hard-wisdom shit yo." - Confucius
MULLIGAN
GENERAL MULLIGAN (Gen. Mul. for future reference)
In order to make it situation-based, I will write a normal mulligan and after it based on the two kind of decks that are currently going around. This is what you generally want to go for:
(With or without coin it's the same) Look aggresively for cheap minions like Voidwalker, Flame Imp, Knife Juggler, Dark Peddler.
Combos that should ALWAYS be left with the coin are Nerubian Egg + Abusive Sergeant/Power Overwhelming + Void Terror or in other case stick to the Gen. Mul.
Leave the Power Overwhelming with the Nerubian Egg ONLY if you have the Coin. If you don't, mulligan them for something better/more stabile.
Without the coin just try to get a curve in your hand aka a card for every turn, in best case (let's say for all classes) it would be something like T1 Flame Imp, T2 Nerubian Egg T3 Void Terror T4 Voidcaller. Anything else with these values is also fine.
I will split the other mulligans based on control or aggro decks:
Control/Midrange Decks (Control Warrior, Dragon Paladin, Tempo Mage, Midrange Hunter, Control Priest, Oil Rogue, Combo Druid, Freeze Mage, Handlock): if you get Gen. Mul. perfect, if not also keep a Nerubian Egg, Haunted Creeper, Abusive Sergeant, Knife Juggler, Imp Gang Boss.
If you have the Coin you can keep the Haunted Creeper and a Knife Juggler as play T1 Coin + Creeper, turn two Knife Juggler if you can feel that he will get something strong out that can kill the creeper if you hit it. Dead Creeper with a Juggler on the board = 2 free damage.
Aggro decks (Face Hunter, Mech Mage/Warlock/Shaman, Face/Ebola Paladin, Zoo Warlock): Aggresive Mulligan for Gen. Mul. especially forVoidwalker, a very crucial card against an aggro deck.
If you can feel it's a Face Hunter, you can keep the Haunted Creeper as well. 3 easy damage to those charging motherfuckers. If you have a coin you can keep the Defender of Argus as well!
STRATEGY
This Midrange Zoo deck has very high potency, and if played out properly, can crush any kind of deck. If you have ever played a Zoo deck you know approximately how it works, try to overflood the board as soon as possible and that is the most important thing for this deck, even though it doesn't have that low of a curve as a regular zoo deck. The point with this deck is to try and use every single mana point to put out as much as you can. One more very important notice is to know where you are planting your cards on the board as you can always expect a Defender of Argus or Void Terror incoming. I like to keep my Deathrattle on the right side and then put a Defender of Argus in between.
Staying on the curve with this deck is extremely important, and it can bring you some sick plays, like a Voidcaller suicide/remove into a free Doomguard/Mal'Ganis or a Knife Juggler into an Imp-losion or a Voidcaller on the board removing a minion then eating the Voidcaller with Void Terror and getting a free Doomguard out e.g. Your early game will be just like any other Zoo deck, try to get at least one creep out, NEVER tap over playing ANY of the minions, even if you are missing one card for an amazing combo! Your Tap will slow your game a lot and will put your opponent ahead, especially if it's an aggro deck. Even though some minions like Flame Imp and Voidwalkerhave an advantage early game (especially versus aggro), try to get out the Nerubian Egg as soon as possible, as there are enough boosters in the deck to get that early Nerubianout.
Always count how much HP and Attack a Void Terror will have as you can expect it being a high priority threat in the next turn. If you are playing against a warrior that is holding a Death's Bite, make sure that you grab something else with it than the egg only as it will stay out of range for the warrior to kill. When you are playing against a priest, try to connect it with one imp and the egg so that it has 4 damage and out of the range for any Shadow Word. If you have a Sylvanas WindrunnerCard Name on the board, you can eat her with the Void Terror to get something sweet from the other opponent. Try to clear his board from any useless minions beforehand of course.
In the Midgame the Imp Gang Boss, Voidcaller and Sylvanas Windrunner are probably the most important cards, and should be played on turn 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively.
By the time late game comes around the opponent should be on low hp and close to conceding, as your late game isn't extremely strong. At the end it's the point to "keep the enemy at bay" and to, if possible use a surprise Power Overwhelming + Doomguard combo. Make sure you use the Power Overwhelming first or else it will be discarded with the Doomguard's Battlecry. If this combo doesn't come, our phat badasses Mal'Ganis and Dr.Boom should be enough to seal the deal.
CARD EXPLANATIONS
I think that the cards like Nerubian Egg,Voidwalker, Doomguard, Power Overwhelming, Abusive Sergeant, Ironbeak Owl, Defender of Argus require no explanation as they are a part of a normal Zoo deck. Dr. Boom requires no further explanation cuz OP.
I decided to go for two Power Overwhelmings (Ive seen some decks with one) as I think that it can't ever really be a dead card, except in some cases. Just try to mulligan it if you can as it's more or less dead early game.
Voidcaller - this card is the cherry on the top of this deck which is one of the best tempo swings that I can find in the Warlock's arsenal. That mini-jizz after you get a free Doomguard on your turn 5 is just amazing. Nuff said. Free Flame Imps and Imp Gang Bosses are never a bad thing. It actually works splendid with the Void Terror, as you can eat it and summon an instant Doomguard. Just be careful not to get the Void Terror pulled out after a Voidcaller dies.
Dark Peddler - The newest addition to the deck, a just sick card that can get you incredible buffs and minions the zoo really needed to be even more OP.
Imp Gang Boss - A lot of people are judging this card as it didn't really live up to the expectations of the Hearthstone community and still has some "bugs" (DAMN YOU DRUID AND YOUR SWIPE), but I see it as an amazing addition to the zoo's arsenal. Very sticky, spawns more demons, synergizes with Knife Juggler. I don't need more to include it in my secret formula.
And last but not least, my latest crafted cards and welcome guests of this deck, Mal'Ganis and Sylvanas Windrunner.
Mal'Ganis - This card just has so much value in this deck, it goes perfect with Voidcaller, it goes perfect with any kind of demon as it serves as a jacked Stormwind Champion to them, and makes you immune at the same time? I'll take it. Perfect play is after a good Imp-losion.
Sylvanas Windrunner - The sovereign leader of Undercity and the Undead. Use her with caution. Make sure you clear useless minions from his board before crashing her into something and killing her. Use her with Void Terror at will as the Void Terror will get incredibly buffed, and you will get a sweet minion from his part of the board out of it. You can even use them one after another on turn 9, as long as you will be getting something awesome from it.
CARD REPLACEMENTS
I can't mention this enough, always try to modify the deck you play to the current meta accordingly. If you are facing a lot of aggro decks, putting one Mortal Coil in or a Shadowflame for the Flame Imp!
If you are facing Freeze Mages or Face Hunters, get a Kezan Mystic in. Use it ONLY if you are sure it's an Ice Block. Big Game Hunter for heavy decks like Control Warrior.
Some card replacements that some people might not have (I will leave out Common Non-adventure cards):
Voidcaller -> Piloted Shredder
Imp Gang Boss -> Harvest Golem
Dark Peddler -> Dire Wolf Alpha
Dr. Boom -> Dread Infernal/Sea Giant
Mortal Coil -> Void Terror
Sylvanas Windrunner -> Loatheb/Sea Giant
Mal'Ganis -> Mortal Coil
Note: Don't think to expect such good results if you swap out many cards out of this deck.
You can also get an Enhance-o Mechano instead of the Flame Imp, and you can get a Bane of Doom instead of Sylvanas Windrunner if you really want to get some RNG going! Or if you just want to keep it safe, just get a Sea Giant in.
EDIT: Finally crafted Mal'Ganis in my last stream! From this moment on he will be included in the deck, as he synergizes splendidly with all demons, and makes the Imp-losion even more badass than it already is! EDIT 2: I took out the infamous Mortal Coil out of the deck and put the Loatheb back in as I do believe it is a very vital and irreplacable card to the deck. EDIT 3: I got a golden Gruul from the packs I opened today so crafted Sylvanas and added her to the deck!
EDIT 4 - TGT: Gormok the Impaler is in, one Void Terror out. Gormok's Battlecry is just too good to miss out on.
EDIT 5 - LOE: Gormok and Bane of Doom are out, two Dark Peddlers in! Make way for the Soulfire Train!
This guide took quite a bit of time to write so I hope you like it!
If you managed to reach Legend with this deck, please post a screenshot of your Legend rank in my mailbox or in the comments and I will gladly use it in the description of the deck with your name attached! (The win/loss rate from a tracker is more than welcome, but optional).
The Hall of Fame:
Season 15 Legend Badasses:
Shadire - Rank 502 Legend
Season 14 Legend Top Guns:
Bloopy13 - Rank 50 Legend
Zer0x - Rank 165 Legend
Alminz - Rank 374 Legend
Kreekakons - Rank 1124 Legend
NaveChia - Rank 1269 Legend
TheLucky1UA - Rank 3396 Legend
If you have anything else that you would like me to add please let me know in the comments! Look through the comments for my battle tag as well if you are interested in adding me. I am always up for a chat! I also coach if you guys are interested. :)
Cheers,
Sig
If you like playing zoo, I'd suggest playing a bit faster version, without demon package (voidcaller, mal'ganis) and with more early drops. It's more consistent and IMO better on ladder right now. If you don't like that version then this version is fine, it's still very good and probably more fun than the other one :)
Thanks man!
Great deck! I took out Sylvanas for Sea Giant because I find him more playable. I was playing control priest and cancer paladin but I couldnt get past rank 2. This deck took me to legend from rank 3 with a 24-11 record. Works best against druid, priest, other warlocks. Tough luck against patron warrior and freze mage (not too common), winnable against cancer paladin though.
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12507441_1021242501252194_3204999245459707383_n.jpg?oh=fc81582673f3397a451399595fe6ca0a&oe=57034D14
This is just my legend photo ^
Can i replace malganis to Ysera ?
Good deck, but after 15 rank impossible to win.
Cool deck, fun to play, thanks.
A little problem I have - I find zoo decks, such as this, very hard to play without Loatheb. In particular, you often will get your board wiped (even if you expect a big removal coming and keep some reserve cards at hand), or playing VS. freezemage can be pain in the ass. What do you think? And what card should be replaced, if I really want that Loatheb in?
I replaced Mal'ganis with Loatheb and It's working
Nice Deck ;)
I just have a deep seeded hatred forFlame Imp, so I still run Gormok the Impaler.
I still struggle against most Reno decks though.
Great deck, but might leper gnome be a better 1 drop dmg than abusive sgt. as the stats are same but 2 dmg is guaranteed independently
Any strategy tips vs. renolock?
Also any hope vs. priest? I control their early board and get them low but then they turn the game around with back to back board clears then entomb. :(
Thanks.
This very fun deck to play and has nice quick board control for the very easy kill if you play this right.
I have a lot of fun with this deck although I replaced sylvanas with a Loatheb as I feel its more consistent and helps set up lethal
This deck is Insane!!!!! Well done man! +1
Hey, I just want to say thank you so much. I spent a lot of money on packs with my Christmas money, and was eager to try out some new decks. Sadly, I went on a horrible losing streak and dropped down to rank 18, and no matter what deck I played, I kept losing. Out of frustration I looked for what seemed like a solid deck. I used the last of my dust on Mal'Ganis and gave this deck a try. Now I am back at rank 15 where I started this morning after like 25 minutes.
The deck its self is not the sole reason I am thankful, nor the sole reason I have been winning. But instead, the depth you went into for the deck, I was able to play with confidence, and when I didn't know what to do as a play, I just jumped back to your advice. So thank you so, so much!
Is Haunted Creeper mandatory in this deck? I have this exact deck except for x2 dark peddler and I replaced them with a sea giant and bane of doom. However, I feel like haunted creeper isn't very good and have been planning to replace them with maybe a gormok or perhaps a second sea giant. Any opinions?
so i tried Illidan Stormrage instead of one Doomguard. 9-0 so far
Hello Guys!! I'm fighting with this deck, but i made some changes, because of the ladder, and some really strong decks.
1x Big Game Hunter + 1x Sea Giant + 1x Brann Bronzebeard
- 1x Doomguard - 1x Haunted Creeper -1x Sylvanas Windrunner
And the deck still running pretty amazing! Thanks for all help Sigma's
Card Nameit`s a good idea but i think you should keep the Doomguard and dont put a Brann Bronzebeard
Hi, what do u think about adding 1x Big Game Hunter and 1x Sea Giant, instead of 2x Dark Peddler?
Will replacing Mal'Ganis ruin this deck?