Hearthpwn

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*Disclaimer*

I would rank this as probably one of the most difficult decks to play and pilot to a higher rank, and if you are new to Hearthstone, I would not advise playing this deck because you will probably not have much success. If you're trying to get to Legend and have not got there before, I would suggest playing another deck such as Secret Paladin, Mid-Range Druid or Zoo. However, if you are sick of the current meta like myself, have been around for a long time and know a lot of the cards and how the game works, this is definitely the deck for you. It's fun, dynamic and it's powerful if you know how to maneuver around certain arch-types and can win versus virtually any deck if you are both lucky and skilled. This deck relies on knowing what people will lay, what cards are popular, and how to counter them and play around them cleverly. You will also need a basic knowledge of milling and how it works and how you can win by utilizing this mechanic. I will briefly explain it here for those who may not know.

By forcing your opponent to draw extra cards you can take them into "fatigue," "fatigue," is when they can no longer draw cards from their deck because they do not have any left. For each time they are suppose to draw a card they instead take 1 damage more than they did last time. So it goes, 1 damage, 2 damage, 3 damage, 4 damage. Over 4 draws they will take 10 damage, 15 for 5, 21 for 6, 28 for 7. As you can see, it does a lot of damage after a while.

Another way to mill your opponent in a detrimental way for them is to force them to draw cards while their hand is full. A full hand is 10 cards. If a play draws cards when their hand is full, those cards are destroyed. You can really damage a person's ability to win by destroying their cards like this. For any minions, it's like actually killing them.

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Table of Contents:

Introduction (1.00)
Why Mill Druid Works (0.98)
Alternate Card Selections (0.99)
Card Selections and Reasoning (1.01)
Mulligan (1.02)
Overall Strategy and Play (1.03)

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Introduction (1.00)

Hey! It's me kaym0 from kaym0's Indepth Guide to Mid-Range Druid! As many of you know from previous Guide I'm a multiple time Legend player. I've played this deck at all sorts of ranks. I've played it at Legend last season and I've played it on the way to Legend this season and even at the start of the season. So I've played it everywhere and I've had a lot of success with it. Of course the success does not go without taking the time to think about my plays and plan ahead. That's one of the most important things you can do playing Hearthstone itself, whether it's Mill Druid or something like Control Priest or Zoo Warlock, it's the most important part of the game. Thinking.

This time I'm going to teach you how to play Mill Druid on a competitive level. No joke, this really works. Of course there are weaknesses like excessively aggressive decks but there is a lot of heal-abilities and taunts to help prevent that along with high damage spells.

I've been working on this deck for a while with a few friends of mine that also play decks like Mill Rogue, Mill Druid, and this is the most refined version of the deck that I have to date.

The idea of the deck is to survive the entire game through healing and removal while slowly wittling away at your opponents HP. Every little bit counts, and in the end, you can sometimes kill them through milling. The deck runs SEVEN duplicates to help enable the use of Reno Jackson, which could be difficult in most decks, but considering the draw and mutual milling, you will get to use him in almost every game, if not, he's an OK minion. I would recommend waiting until you can use him for his effect through stalling using other healing spells. There are A LOT of them.

The deck is packed full of removal upon removal. There are 10 removal combinations within the deck that should keep you safe. You should hopefully use Naturalize on the strongest minions. Although it's better to use it when their hand is full to destroy additional cards because there are many other spells and combos that can be used to help clear the board again along with many healing spells to keep you alive.

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Why Does Mill Druid Work? (0.98)

Mill Druid works because it has a  lot of utility for healing and Milling. Not as much as Rogue, but it has a lot better removal and also more board clearing options.

A lot of decks in the current meta use a lot fo draw utility and this only further helps Mill Druid win. Decks like Warlock (All), Priest (Control), Warrior (Control, Patron) and much more have a heavy amount of draw-ability and will actually HELP you to win versus them. It's REALLY fun to watch them draw cards and then punish them for it by destroying their cards because of their hand-size and then fatigue.

I think my hardest match-up is Secret Paladin and Face Hunter because of the sheer speed and aggression of the decks. I do win versus them a lot of the time though, too.

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Alternate Card Selections (0.99)

Earthen Ring Farseer: Great minion for early game healing and trades. Synergy with Brann Bronzebeard can be really good.

Tournament Medic: Great synergy with Justicar Trueheart and a the hero power you will be using frequently anyways. Considering healing is very important in mill-druid, the synergy with improved hero power means you will gain 4 health back every turn (2Armor/2Health)

Starfall: The 2nd AOE that is often not used by Druid's. It could be very effective to add into the deck alongside all of the removal that's already included.

Dr. Boom: Great card for gaining back board control, but considering that's not a HUGE issue with this deck, I haven't included him. If you don't have a card or are having trouble with another card and would like to swap him in, he's always a good choice in any deck.

Big Game Hunter: Hard removal for big minions.

Dancing Swords: An additional mill card that is also a very good value for it's cost. This is one of the only decks that it works in besides Mill rogue.

Ancient of War: Great card for delaying game and protecting your health. I would almost always opt to use the +Taunt/+5 Health option.

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Card Selections and Reasoning (1.01)

Innervate: This is obvious and I need not explain why it's in the deck. This is one of the best cards in the game and it always will be. I usually try to save it for later in the game versus most classes because having 12 mana on a turn randomly can flip the game once it becomes an even battle (if it does). Although versus aggressive classes it's great to use it right away. Either way, you always keep this card during mulligan!

Naturalize: This is one of the staple cards in the deck. I would recommend saving it to use on the strongest minions in whatever deck you're playing against. Cards like Alexstrasza, Tirion Fordring, Mal'Ganis, Archmage Antonidas. Basically you want to remove whichever cards are their best cards.

I would prioritize milling cards when their hands are maxed over this because it will destroy those cards and they can't be played.

Grove Tender: Another staple to the Mill Druid arch-type. It's often best to select that both players draw a card because that will assist you in milling your opponent. You can save her for later when you max their hand out or use her right away to gain board advantage early game. I usually try to keep her if I have her during mulligan.

Explosive Sheep: This is among the top cards in the deck. Simply because of the synergy with Poison Seeds. You lay this card and then play Poison Seeds and everything dies. Even minions with Divine Shield and Sludge Belcher's additional minion dies too. It's BETTER than Equality+Consecration or Wild Pyromancer because it kills DIVINE SHIELD and also additional spawned minions due to the timings. This is one of the most important combos to note and I have probably never used Explosive Sheep in this deck without also using Poison Seeds to nuke the board.

Unstable Ghoul: This guy is just an annoy taunt that can help clear the board as well. Great versus Paladin's, Warlock's and any weak minions. It's basically a taunt to help with early game battles and push you into the later game. You can replace it with Deathlord if you would prefer that.

Savage Roar: Everybody's least favorite card. This is in the deck for the Force of Nature combo, and of course, you can use it if it will put you into lethal with your already established board as well. I usually save it for lethal if possible, or putting them into lethal range while fatigued.

Brann Bronzebeard: Another one of the most important cards to the deck. Without Brann, this would likely be impossible. Your goal with Brann is to try and get out BOTH Coldlight Oracle during his life time. That's usually one turn. So that same turn, let's say. That's 9 mana but you will mill 8 cards from both you and your opponent. I like to try not to destroy my own cards and so I usually won't mill all 8 if I will have one of the cards destroyed unless I know I have already won or I will do a irreparable amount of damage through milling to them such as milling and destroying 8 of their cards while only 2-4 of mine get destroyed.

Deathlord: This is self explanatory I believe. He's a great early taunt and he is also destroyer of battlecry and also technically mills your opponent as well.

Coldlight Oracle: One of the most important cards here. It mills your opponent and should be used when their hand is full and/or in combination with Brann Bronzebeard to achieve even stronger mill effects!

Poison Seeds: Again, it has synergy with Explosive Sheep and will destroy everything on the board. It's the most powerful combo in the game right now and should always be used in combination with either Explosive Sheep or Abomination because it will trigger the same effects as well. I just prefer to keep Abomination for actual board presence and further AOE later in the game, but if you are desperate, go for it.

Swipe: One of Druid's only AOE's. This is for AOE damage to your opponents or late game damage to their face. Save at the start of the game against Warlock's and Paladin's for those pesky 1/1 minions.

Nourish: Optional card. This is great for drawing cards which some people may think is bad considering the mill premise of the deck. Although I have never once had the problem of dying to my own mill. It happened a few times while playing Mill Rogue, but not Druid. It's good for refilling your hand and enabling more combo's, especially when you are fighting to stay alive.

Abomination: Great taunt card that also helps clear the board. Can also be used with Poison Seeds to clear the board but if you can use Explosive Sheep instead, I would use that. He's a strong board presence and can help you can in some face damage or good trades before exploding and hurting everybody!

Antique Healbot: The life saver. This wins match's. Never waste your heal as it's the most important part of Mill Druid. Especially when the actual mill begins, it can win you games, and almost always is the only reason you win.

Sludge Belcher: The delayer. He will delay your opponents pesky plans. Great against people like Combo Druid who use the Combo to lethal and other annoying classes like Secret Paladin or Zoolock. Try not to lay him and then use your Poison Seed combo as it's a huge waste of his viability. He pushes the game on a few more turns which is usually enough to help you win.

Force of Nature: Part of the original Druid combo. Use with Savage Roar to get somebody within lethal range or kill them.

Starfire: Great for face damage and clearing larger minions. Draws a card as well which is pretty useful.

Justicar Trueheart: Optional. Trade for healing card if you don't want to use him.

Justicar is undervalued in the Druid community. I wouldn't say he's really THAT great in anything but Mill Druid though. That 2 damage and 2 armor every turn can really go a long way in Mill Druid. Try him out.

Reno Jackson: Why is Reno Jackson in a deck with a bunch of duplicates? 'Cause you are constantly drawing cards, milling cards, and you will get to use him WAYYY more than you ever thought. He's the late game Heal buff you've always wanted. And honestly. He works great in Control Warrior as well because of the usual long games.

Ancient of Lore: He's great for draws and great for heals. I actually found myself using the Heal quite often in Mill Druid!

Tree of Life: Heals everybody. Especially good versus classes like MalyLock, Freeze Mage, Burst Shaman, Maly Rogue. WIll. Win. You. Games.

Alexstrasza: It's great for killing your opponent and great for healing yourself. Depending on where you are when you draw her or need her, you can use her accordingly. Sometimes dropping her and recovering yourself to 15 and then playing some heal-bots the following turn can win you game. Sometimes you may be doing pretty well and take your opponent down to 15 and use your FoN Combo to lethal. A great card none-the-less.

I'll be writing more on this later depending on the approval of the public on this one. I'll write mulligan and class guides and whatever. Toss me an upvote if you have had fun playing this deck because it's seriously SO fun to play. Also, don't forget to tell your friends!

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Mulligan (1.02)

Coming Soon!

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Overall Strategy and Play (1.03)

Coming Soon!

 

 

Updates coming on 4/6/2016