*Now Triple* Double Legend Reno Warrior
- Last updated Jan 22, 2016 (Explorers)
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Wild
- 20 Minions
- 7 Spells
- 3 Weapons
- Deck Type: Ranked Deck
- Deck Archetype: Unknown
- Crafting Cost: 13200
- Dust Needed: Loading Collection
- Created: 12/30/2015 (Explorers)
- SongOfSaya
- Registered User
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- 5
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- 18
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Good late 2015, Hearthpwn. This is going to be my first write-up....Ever. So please, be gentle! or don't.
First, little bit of background. I've been playing since early closed beta, have hit legend around 10-12 times before and have roughly 5.6k or so hearthstone wins under my belt, most of which are on Control Warrior. Recently, League Of Explorers came out, and it contains a couple of very interesting cards with extremely powerful yet conditional effects. I'm referring to Elise Starseeker and, of course, Reno Jackson.
After much trial and error, I've come up with a list I'm extremely confident with and that I piloted to legend with relative ease. After sharing it with a friend of mine, he too had a rather easy climb into legend. I'm fairly convinced of it's ladder viability and it's reliability in completely crushing aggressive decks. Without further ado....
VODs of the deck against famous players(Played by a friend of mine):
AsmodaiTV
Zalae
Zalae 2
Hotform
Dog
Proof of Legend
Friend has hit legend with it again in the January 2016 season
Card choices:
Execute: Prime removal, allows for huge tempo swings by dropping a threat in addition to executing theirs.
Shield Slam: Prime removal number 2. Excellent for tempo swings and removing large and small threats alike, depending on the matchup.
Zombie Chow: An unusual choice in warrior, but due to the nature of the deck, we're only running the one copy of Fiery War Axe; this card is here to pick up the slack and can be converted to a random legendary by Elise Starseeker.
Fiery War Axe: Excellent weapon due to its ability to completely dominate the early stages of the game while still staying relevant later on. Absolutely a must run; this is one of the cards I once considered running 2 of.
Revenge: Sometimes this card will just be a more expensive Whirlwind. However, sometimes it will let you come back in games you had no business winning by giving you a 2 mana, non self damaging Hellfire for a powerful board wipe. Both effects are obviously extremely powerful in a metagame so infested with Secret Paladin.
Slam: Good for cycling to find your key cards and also useful for picking off minions behind taunt.
Armorsmith: Very strong defensive minion, especially since this deck runs a fair amount of taunt to protect it. One of your many, many life gain cards.
Cruel Taskmaster: Very versatile that proves useful at all stages of the game. Combos well with: Armorsmith, Acolyte of Pain, Big Game Hunter and Grommash Hellscream.
Ironbeak Owl: Silence is something warriors always wanted, but always had trouble fitting in. Our little friend here is the best source you could ask for, since it allows for you to counter early aggression efficiently, trading one for one with even Shielded Minibot and Mad Scientist in faster matchups. It's also good for removing devastating card texts in the slower ones, such as Sylvanas Windrunner.
Jeweled Scarab: This little gem of a card often acts as a wonderful curve filler early game. More often than not offering great warrior 3 drops, both proactive and defensive, such as Bash and Frothing Berserker. However, it can also act as a wonderful toolbox, giving plenty of powerful situational cards that could get you out of a bad situation, such as Mind Control Tech.
Bash: Strong removal and life gain that prolongs the game. What's not to like?
Shield Block: Gets you armor and cycles through your deck to find important cards and serves to enable Shield Slam.
Acolyte of Pain: Another source of card draw. Synergy with all the whirlwind effects in the deck make him a soft taunt and a high priority target for your opponent.
Big Game Hunter: Staple 3 drop in most control decks. Plenty of juicy targets for it to hit and can combo with Cruel Taskmaster to take out 5 attack minions for free.
Fierce Monkey: Similarily to Zombie Chow, this card is here to pick up the slack should you not find your weapons. However, he also has the added bonus of providing you with taunt in the later stages of the game.
Death's Bite: Best weapon in the game, bar none. Provides immense clearing power in both the mid and late game and serves as an excellent activator for Grommash Hellscream. This is the card I ran 2 of for a very long time until i finally decided against it in order to guarantee Reno Jackson activates.
Elise Starseeker: Your win condition against control decks. Sporting a good body to fend off aggro decks, she's not completely dead in those matchups either. All around a solid card that will win games on its own.
Sen'jin Shieldmasta: This deck is defensive at its core, therefore Tazdingo got the nod over Piloted Shredder in this particular deck.
Brawl: Possibly the strongest AOE card in the game for its mana cost outside of maybe Hellfire, especially combined with weapons. Following this card up with Reno Jackson will usually result in victory due to both the board and your health being stabilized over two turns.
This and Revenge are your primary ways of dealing with overzealous aggression.
Harrison Jones: This card serves two very important roles: reducing damage output while fishing for your Reno Jackson against aggro, and applying pressure and fishing for Elise Starseeker against control. Invaluable in a meta where Doomhammer is so popular, not to mention all the paladins running around.
Sludge Belcher: One of the absolute strongest defensive cards in the game, delays the game and trades down fantastically.
Justicar Trueheart: Core card in slower warrior decks. The raw longevity that this card can provide in a control matchup is through the roof. It also helps get out of reach against any combo deck. This is a power card and generally wants to be played before Golden Monkey.
Reno Jackson: The reason the deck is built the way it is. The destroyer of aggro. Salvation incarnate. Gorehowl's partner in crime. Not only is this card a humongous powerhouse against fast decks, it lets you alter the way you play against slower ones, allowing you to be downright reckless with the amount of damage you take. This has two advantages. Firstly, you get to cash in your weapons much more than you might normally be able to. Secondly, no one expects Reno Warrior, and i mean no one. So, they tend to be a lot more willing to go all in to try to finish you off, at which point they get punished and you can easily close out the game from there.
Shieldmaiden: Decent body paired with a burst of armor to activate Shield Slam and get out of reach. Just a very solid warrior card.
Sylvanas Windrunner: Extremely powerful effect that'll likely give your opponent a headache when she hits the board. Her value potential is insane, and she wipes the board clean with Brawl.
Gorehowl: This is the third and final piece of your control killing lineup. This card brings insane value and has unbelievable synergy with Reno Jackson, easily going 5 for 1 against the more midrange decks as well as taking out multiple multiple large threats at virtually no cost with the right setup.
This card alone can win you the game if you space out your healing properly.
Baron Geddon: A very high pressure board clearing beast that has the incredible side effect of taking out the Big Game Hunter that was just used to take out your Dr. Boom in order to take back the tempo. This card is absolutely necessary for this deck because it provides an additional AOE effect that a slow control deck such as this one desperately needs.
Dr. Boom: This card is already monstrous in most decks. It has some added synergy in a deck like this that has difficulties building a board and dealing with lots of small minions. The good doctor is a true powerhouse that everyone should own in their collection, bringing both a ton of value and pressure to the table.
Grommash Hellscream: The deck's main and almost only source of burst damage. He ends up being used as removal to setup 2 turn lethals a lot more often than one might think, as he only has a handful of activators in this deck. That being said, his synergy with Ysera is incredible due to her spells being both able to increase his reach, bypass taunts, or even both at the same time.
The knowledge that Grommash Hellscream is in your deck makes your opponent have to play with only 20 health, which gives you a huge edge against a lot of matchups.
Ysera: A different kind of finisher, Ysera is here to both generate value and end the game in a timely manner, preferably along with Grommash Hellscream for 15+ burst damage from the hand. If anyone is unfamiliar, the dream cards are Laughing Sister, Emerald Drake, Dream, Nightmare and Ysera Awakens.
Armor>Health. Always.
What do i mean by this exactly? I mean that unless your life total would hit 0, you should always value Armor over Health. That means you want to try to gain Armor after you take damage, rather than the other way around. But why? Why would you want Armor over Health?
There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, Shield Slam is a card.
Secondly, no cards can ''Adjust'' your Armor like they can your health. In this deck specifically, you run Reno Jackson, so it's to your advantage to be low on Health and high on Armor. It also plays around your opponent's Alexstrasza.
Matchup and mulligan guide.
Druid
Keep: Zombie Chow, Fiery War Axe, Slam, Jeweled Scarab, Bash, Fierce Monkey, Sen'jin Shieldmasta, Death's Bite and Reno Jackson.
Aggro Druid 3/10 (Easy)
Fairly easy matchup due to their lack of draw, and your amount of lifegain is usually sufficient to carry you, especially with all your taunts. Try to prepare a hard removal for a turn 5 Fel Reaver as much as possible.
Midrange Druid 8/10 (Very Hard)
This matchup has always been extremely painful for Warrior, and even though Reno Jackson helps, this is still a rough one. You want to try to keep their board as controlled as possible while trying your best to stay out of the infamous Force of Nature Savage Roar range. This is tricky to say the least, but not unwinnable by any means. This matchup gets much easier if they don't run Harrison Jones or draw their Ancient of Lore too late.
Hunter
Keep: Zombie Chow, Fiery War Axe, Slam, Armorsmith, Ironbeak Owl, Cruel Taskmaster, Bash, Death's Bite and Reno Jackson.
Face Hunter: 2/10 (Very Easy)
You run a large amount of healing, so your primary goal is to grab control of the board so he has to rely on burn to kill you. Once that's done, you can very easily out heal their direct damage. Don't give them Eaglehorn Bow charges unless you have to or are holding Harrison Jones.
Hybrid Hunter: 5/10 (Medium)
Similar strategy to Face Hunter, but you definitely want to try to hold on to some removal to be able to answer their mid game threats. Try to control the board before healing as much as possible.
Midrange Hunter: 4/10 (Easy/Medium)
Similar to Hybrid hunter, but much less punishing early on. A lot of them run taunts, so don't get greedy for face damage, and try to prepare as best you can for a turn 6 Savannah Highmane.
Mage
Keep:Zombie Chow, Ironbeak Owl, Fiery War Axe, Slam, Jeweled Scarab, Armorsmith, Bash, Fierce Monkey and Death's Bite.
Freeze Mage: 0/10 (Heh, Greetings.)
Armor up. Every turn. Save a way to kill Emperor Thaurissan, Alexstrasza and Archmage Antonidas, and you literally can't lose.
Tempo Mage 5/10 (Medium)
This matchup is very slightly in your favor, but can easily go downhill if they draw well. Killing Flamewaker should be a top priority and holding on to an answer forArchmage Antonidas is always good. Once again, try to seize control of the board before spending your healing unless necessary.
Reno/Grinder Mage 3/10 (Easy)
This matchup is a walk in the park as long as you follow two simple rules: firstly, don't get overzealous. A lot of them run Molten Giant and Echo of Medivh, and a wall of giants could easily lose you the game. Secondly, don't give them good Duplicate value. It's really quite simple, but also extremely important.
Paladin:
Keep:Zombie Chow, Slam, Armorsmith, Fiery War Axe, Ironbeak Owl, Jeweled Scarab, Acolyte of Pain, Death's Bite, Brawl and Harrison Jones.
Secret Paladin 5/10 (Medium/Easy)
Fight aggressively for board control and do your best not to give them a good Redemption or an Avenge you can't immediately answer. Try to think a few turns ahead as much as possible and try to put yourself in a good position to deal with Mysterious Challenger, either by keeping his board clear or by letting him overextend into a Brawl.
One more tip which is good against all paladins: they have little to no burst. Their highest damage card is Blessing of Kings, which is easy to play around. This makes it really easy to bait them into going all in, then swinging it back with a well timed Reno Jackson.
Midrange Paladin 8/10 (Reporting for duty)
This is the most difficult matchup for this deck by a fair margin. The innate value from their hero power against yours makes it really difficult to fatigue them unless they draw a lot with their tech cards. Ideally, you want to try and keep their recruits to a minimum without using up your good board clears until they use up Quartermaster. You generally want to close out the game with Grommash Hellscream combined with a Ysera card since they can only run so much healing.
Murloc Paladin 5/10 (Medium)
This matchup is similar to freeze mage in the way that you want to try to get as high on life as humanly possible. The only issue is they run a decent amount of minions themselves, which makes it a lot easier for them to chip away at your armor. Secondly, you need to save up a strong aoe to deal with their Anyfin Can Happen.
It's all a learning curve. Ive only played this game for almost 3 months and I never got past rank 15. It was frustrating until I started playing this deck. I played it for 3 weeks straight (about 10-15 games a day) and lost terribly most of the time. But after awhile you start understanding the pieces of the deck and should come to you naturally on what you need to do to maximize your play. For the 1st time ever I got past ranked 15 and I am now rank 11. No matter how frustrating it might be, keep playing and practicing. Accept the bad beats and move on. When you lose a game try to think of what you might have done differently. Reading the guide is key for each match up. Before I start the match, I reread the matchups to remind myself and ask myself why that is the optimal play. Keep playing man. It'll pay off.
Thanks for the pep-talk, Guy (not sarcastic!).
I've been playing for a while (6 months?) and have made rank 11 before with my own version of a mid-range Paladin Deck, and can usually get Rank 13 with Hunter, Mage and Rogue.
I don't play control decks very often. I may just be having a string of bad luck compounded by making sub-optimal plays here and there. I only have time for about 3 games / day with this deck - the average game time is 15-25 minutes with this deck instead of 5-10 for most of my other decks. I guess that is the life of control warriors?
Making the jump from relatively simple proactive decks to a harder version of a reactive one is rough. It'll take getting used to, learn how to manage your ressources, Instead of asking yourself 'What if i drew ___' ask yourself how could i have avoided being in this horrible situation in the first place. It's important to focus on the way you play your hand out to learn a deck, not immediately start blaming the way you drew, else you don't learn anything.
I have played quite a few games with this deck, so I don't think I am immediately blaming how I draw.
I think what I am trying to say is that I often find myself desperately needing Brawl and getting, say Baron Geddon. Sure, Geddon is AoE but that doesn't help vs a board full of creatures with 3 health.
Same thing often happens with Reno... if you don't have him when you need him, then what?
Another one is the decision to use shield slam or execute...
I am doing slightly better atm, got into rank 13 today.
When would you play the Golden Monkey?
Don't get in a position where you need one exact card to win. Not all games are winnable, for sure, but you should have absolutely no trouble getting out of rank 13 if you're playing well. Try to think back on your play every game you lose.
I play the Golden Monkey in long drawn out match-up's after i've used up all my useful cards and only have 5-6 useless tech cards in hand to go for the final push against my opponent, or whenever I'm cornered and i really need to play it. I don't play it unless i have to or iIlose nothing from playing it.
Wow, man, rank 11, so cool! Return here when u hit rank 5 at least.
Hi Song - So I only had time for 3 more games before the season ended - all losses to warlocks playing zoo variants. Finished at rank 14.
Going to play this deck again for the next season.
Try your best not to draw any cards and milk your Gorehowl + Justicar Trueheart combo.
Seems greedy, but whatever works for you!
Awesome, my other control warrior was getting out of date and Elise makes it very fun. Thanks for sharing!
are u climbing allright?
Yeah im climbing great, don't have much time to play but I went from 14 to 10 in a couple days with barely playing. Very fun deck.
Replacement for Fierce Monkey and Elise Starseeker ?
Elise is irreplaceable unless you want to lose to control.
Mind Control Tech and Piloted Shredder.
Winrate will suffer.
Hey, Im looking for peoples opinions on what would be best things to replace Geddon and Gorehowl ? These are the two cards I do not have
Avoid playing this deck, both cards are way too important.
Any suggestions on how to beat Control Priest. The matchup seems impossible. Are there any cards you would replace (and with what) if all you face is that deck?
Milk your Gorehowl and don't play anything huge into Entomb unless you REALLY have to. Make them have to be proactive, Justicar Trueheart and Gorehowl force them to try to kill you. Don't draw any cards unless you have to.