Top4Paladin
- Last updated Sep 14, 2015 (TGT Launch)
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Wild
- 16 Minions
- 14 Spells
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 2360
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 8/28/2015 (TGT Launch)
- muirhead01
- Registered User
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- 5
- 7
- 14
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Battle Tag:
N/A
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Region:
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Total Deck Rating
930
Hi I'm Muirhead who previously wrote a Top8Patron guide.
Here is my take on the recently popular secret paladin, which I piloted to rank 4 NA legend:
Proof:
I then proceeded to win five games in a row at rank 4 and then lose one all while staying at rank 4! I've never lost a game and maintained the same rank before.
I don't have anything as refined to say about this deck as I did for my patron list, because I only have 63 games recorded with this exact list! However, a few comments are in order.
Mulligans: Keep 1 and 2 mana minion drops and the mysterious challenger. Throw away all secrets, even if you have secret keeper. Keep divine favor only if you strongly suspect you are playing handlock or freeze mage. When playing against rogue, toss juggler in favor of a more sticky 2 drop. Depending on the MU and hand it is often good to keep muster as well.
This deck is very aggressive but has almost no reach, so it plays a lot like demonzoo. At some point you will have to try to rush face, usually after playing the 6 drop. Like demonzoo, when ahead on board it is important to play sticky minions against potential board clears.
The game plan is to flood the board in the early turns and get in some damage. If you draw shredder you can win just from this early aggression, but most of the time you will need to draw a divine favor or mysterious challenger by turn 6 or 7. Either of these cards will draw an immense amount of value, giving the reach you need to finish the game.
The challenger is both amazingly strong and it thins the bad draws from your deck. If possible, try to engineer maximum draw when you play the challenger: don't have a secret in play already that you can draw the second copy of from your deck.
The most unvaforable MU for the deck is face hunter with double explosive trap, which races you aggressively. Other unfavorable MUs include freeze mage and patron warrior. In my small sample size and testing I have a very good winrate vs all other decks.
Repentance is very key to play carefully in certain matchups. It is your #1 tool vs handlock and patron. On turns 5 and 6 patron might want to make a set of 4 patrons on an empty board to crush you, but he cannot play patron when repentance is up. Against handlock, if you set them below 10 HP when repentance is up they cannot play molten giant.
Edit: After a lot of playing and watching people play this deck I have some gameplay tips. I saw a lot of people losing against other paladins to consecration. Most of them were playing far too aggressively and not trading enough. Most paladins have no reach, so board control is much much more important than face damage in the matchup. My other tip is that a naked mysterious challenger is much weaker than a mysterious challenger supported by minions. If you have the choice between flooding the board effectively (i.e. using all your mana on sticky minions) and playing challenger it is sometimes correct to hold off on the challenger for one turn.
Possible tech choices: To improve the matchup against aggro and weaken it vs control, switch leper gnomes for squires. An early game leper gnome against a control deck often translates into about 4 more damage than an early game squire, and it's a much better topdeck late game vs control. However, in the mirror squires are better.
If you feel you are suffering for late game reach with this deck, consider switching one copy of competitive spirit for truesilver champion, a buff, or a big minion. The two weaker secrets in this style of deck are competitive spirit and redemption. If you do decide to run kings, squires become better.
My current version of the deck runs one less leper gnome, repentance, redemption, and competitive spirit. In their place I use coghammer, Loatheb, and 2x blessing of kings.
By request I've linked to some amazingly well-produced video guides to the deck. Not all of them showcase perfect play but they'll give good ideas of how the general gameplan works!
-1 competitive spirit, redemption, repentance, leper gnome
+1 coghammer, loatheb
+2x kings
I'm now pretty sure 2x kings is a must for this kind of deck and makes the patron MU much more winnable. It's also good in the control and midrange matchups letting you safely cut a repentance. I'm sure the deck will continue to be refined by many people.
Hi Muirhead!
In the Mulligan guild, you said that we should keep Mysterious Challenger. Is this still true with these card replacement? Would it be better if we only keep 1 or 2 drops minions? Thanks!
Always keep challenger still
lol
I feel bad for playing this deck, I shouldn't be doing so well...
I feel dirty playing this deck. I average about a 75-80% win rate. The only issues are hunters and other ebola paladins. Dragon priests can be an issue and there are a lot of them, regardless this deck finds a way on top. It destroys patron and control warriors.
Agreed, this deck beats everything except itself (probability dictates a 50% win rate against the same deck), some hunters who can kill me faster than I can kill them, and Dragon Priests who actually have dragons in their hands, I'd say a 60% win rate against them for me after facing maybe 20.
Anything slower than this deck other than Dragon Priest basically dies though, and that's why I feel bad for using this deck.
Don't feel bad for playing this deck.
It's blizzard's fault they care more about money than they do about game balance. They would have seen this deck coming if they had actually cared.
Abuse it while it lasts, because it's here to stay.
Nice Deck!! its a good variety of my Control Decks
killing spree from 16 to 11 so far, 0 loses xD
Thank you for the deck. Made it to 18 so far and have not lost yet. Also faced a few other Paladins and it wasn't even close. You say to throw the secrets away to start the game, however I have found that having Avenge proc in the 2nd round it a huge advantage. If you have 2 - 1 cost minions and avenge it seems that would be a perfect start.
Keeping can secrets can be OK in a few very specific situations, like if you have knife juggler in hand and no other turn 1 play besides noble sacrifice. Another situation might be the one you suggest, but it's still a little weaker than just playing minions out most of the time. I would never keep secrets going 2nd in the mirror because the enemy could play secretkeeper.
This deck is amazing. Went from level 18 to 14 in 1 hour.
@Muirhead01, thanks for this amazing deck! Do you have any tips for priest MU?
the deck is still very good
I am literally 10-1 with this deck against warriors at rank 5-3... patron and control alike
The mirror matchup is all about trading aggressively for board control. Usually whoever gets muster or challenger has an advantage.
The matchup vs patron is very tough. You just have to hope to rush them down, scare away patrons with repentances, and hope they don't draw enough whirlwind effects to repeatedly kill your board. Kings and loatheb are both pretty strong in the MU if you are looking to add tech cards, but it will never be a favorable matchup.
You play Patron once you get to less than rank 5.
I have notice this im at rank 15. and playing patrol is just bad. they are 100% Agroo on the ladder and they just rush you down before turn 5.
Great deck, thank you. Have been playing it, and playing around with it for a while now.
How important is secret keeper? After about 30 games whenever I draw it's like eh... secretkeeper. She kinda forces your secrets out when you should be playing them more strategically and at your leisure. She also never gets to be much of a threat.
Sludge belcher I will try next, he seems a very good play just before challenger. Do you find Loatheb worth it? I assume he is setting up for your T6 drop...
Doesn't redemption on the noble sacrifice just annoy you? I'm like yes ping the knife jug.... ah nevermind... Is there a possibility for cutting one of the two secrets? Or cut them down so there is a possibility of having one in your hand thereby adding value to both secrets?