Hearthpwn

This is Nam Ogel, self-proclaimed deck architect, back with a unique deck that is dominating the ranked ladder this season. I reached Rank 5 by day 7, which is a personal best for me. During that time, I was on a non-stop win streak from Rank 15 to Rank 9.

I know this is not the first N'Zoth and Secret hybrid Paladin deck ever made, but it is probably the best! Try it out, and show the ladder that Uther still has what it takes to be tier 1!

 

Deck Update (11/7/16):

I am already Rank 6 this season with the current deck list. This continues to be a very flexible deck. Once you get used to piloting the deck, there are only two situations where you typically lose: You are either playing an aggro deck that has a fantastic start (such as Secret Hunter or Shaman), or you have a slow start against a Malygos Druid deck, and they are able to burst you down from high health.

Here are screenshots of me beating Brian Kibler to reach Rank 6 today:

Deck Update (10/21/16):

Since I reached Rank 5 early in the season, I spent most of the last two weeks experimenting with new deck ideas on the ranked ladder. Nothing was panning out as well as I'd like, so I am now focusing on refining this deck as much as I can. I quickly climbed from Rank 8 to Rank 4, and I will update everyone on how well I do by the end of the season. I also plan to get a matchup guide posted this weekend.

-1 Harvest Golem +1 Argent Horserider = Havest Golem is not really something we want to bring back with N'Zoth, and Argent Horserider is better for defending against aggro decks, or combining with Blessing of Kings for unexpected burst damage or a favorable trade. Plus, he is still a great minion for Redemption to bring back

-1 Aldor Peacekeeper +1 Wild Pyromancer = With all of the Shamans on ladder, I am finding that another board clear tool is more valuable than neutralizing a single big threat. Plus, this latest deck list almost guarantees great value from Barnes (worst minions to pull are Mysterious Challenger or n'Zoth).

Deck Update (10/20/16):

-1 Jeweled Scarab = never seemed to be that valuable, and wasn't really a card you wanted to hold in your starting hand against Aggro decks. Plus, removing him helps make Barnes more impactful.

-1 Aldor Peacekeeper = I think he was better before the Yogg nerf, when I saw more Flamewreathed Faceless and Midrange Hunters. Plus, removing him improves Barnes.

-1 Competitive Spirit = I never got a lot of value from this secret, as it would rarely trigger on more than 1 or 2 minions.

+1 Repentance = creates more tempo-swinging opportunities than Competitive Spirit

+1 Equality = helps keep the board clear and answer your opponent's big health minions.

+1 Cairne Bloodhoof = Helps control matchups and improves Barnes

Special thanks goes to Kalecio for inspiring my recent changes!

Card Choices

Redemption = basically the MVP of this deck. A solid turn 1 card if you can follow it up with Loot Hoarder or Harvest Golem. And if it triggers on one of your deathrattle minions, that will give your N'Zoth turn even more power. It is not unheard of to have a N'Zoth turn that brings back two copies of Tirion or Sylvanus. My main piece of advice is to avoid having it trigger on Silver Hand Recruits or Defender. Sometimes that may mean not using your hero power with your leftover mana.

Sacred Trial = this secret has worked so much better than I expected, as almost no one thinks to play around it. It's true that it may be a dead card against other control decks, but it helps against the board flooding aggro decks like Shaman and Zoo, which are some of your less favorable match-ups.

Jeweled Scarab = I used A Light in the Darkness in place of this card for quite a while, and I'm not sure which one I prefer. A Light in the Darkness can be very random, but also flexible to fill in our mana curve or provide a late game threat. Jeweled Scarab can give you a turn 3 card if played on turn 2, since you don't have many other 3 mana cards, but it also makes Barnes slightly worse.

Blessing of Kings = a very flexible card. You can buff one of your taunts to create a defensive wall for your opponent, you can buff one of your minions to give you unexpected lethal, or you can just use it to create a favorable trade on the board.

Psych-o-Tron = Overall, not am amazing card, which is why you rarely see him in constructed. I include him because he is great for redemption to trigger on, and you often need another strong defenisive card to help you survive the early and mid-game against aggro decks. He is also a strong minion for Barnes to pull.

Mysterious Challenger = not much to say about this card that hasn't already been said. It is probably OP, and will no doubt keep Paladins from getting any more good secrets in the next expansion. Don't be afraid to hold onto him in your mulligan if you know you are playing against a slow control deck. In control match-ups, he is key for creating mid-game pressure and cleaning up your future deck draws.

Noteworthy Exclusions

Secretkeeper = I see a lot of secret paladin decks that include this card as way to allow very aggressive opening turns. But in my experience, even if you get a strong opener with it, you will run into card draw problems if the game gets drawn out. Plus, the card is very weak in the mid to late game. Secret Paladin decks work best in the current standard meta if they have more of a slow midrange or control feel, and that doesn't align with how Secretkeeper is used.

Mulligan

Only play Redemption on turn 1 if you can follow it up with a Loot Hoarder or Harvest Golem

Against Aggro = Noble Sacrifice is a good card to play on turn 1

Against Zoo and Shaman = you might want to hold onto a Consecration

Against Control = Keep Mysterious Challenger, as you will want him to establish mid-game pressure and draw your remaining secrets out of your deck. If you have the coin and can save it to play Mysterious Challenger on turn 5, do it.

Match-ups

I will try to get a more detailed match-up guide up in the future. Honestly, the only deck type I lost to on a regular basis was Shaman, when I would get overpowered in the first few turns. And that shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone, as they are the overall strongest aggressive deck type right now. You probably couldn't create a deck that won most of its games against Shamans, and was also viable against the other ladder meta decks. This seems to be one of the most flexible Paladin decks I have played in a long time, and there seems to be very few bad match-ups.

Proof