Hearthpwn

So you want to play Quest Rogue...

But you don't have the Preparations or the Patches the Pirate? Well worry not because I got your back. Those cards enable Rogues to take greater risks because they can quickly swing the board back with said cards. Without them we'll need some more defensive cards that work even before we play the quest. But first...

HELP!!! I'M DIRT POOR AND I JUST OPENED THE CAVERNS BELOW IN A PACK... I don't have enough dust even for this

It's fine, I have even cheaper alternatives

Wisp x2 -> Backstab x2
Glacial Shard x2 -> Voodoo Doctor x2
Southsea Deckhand x2 -> Bluegill Warrior x2
Bilefin Tidehunter x2 -> Murloc Tidehunter x2
Tar Creeper x2 -> Razorfen Hunter x2
Tol'vir Stoneshaper x2 -> Elven Archer

This brings the cost of the deck down from 2920 -> 2320 or 720 if you already have The Caverns Below.

The rest of the cards are irreplaceable. NOTE: Only replace the cheaper cards two at a time. This deck relies heavily on having two-of each bouncable minion.

So what cards have been replaced?

Classic Quest Rogue - The Control Killer

Preparation x2 -> Wisp x2
Without the Preparations we run the very real risk of getting run over even by the slowest of decks. Wisp helps counter balance that by speeding up quest completion or being easy to play when we play the quest.

Patches the Pirate x1, Vanish x1 -> Tar Creeper x2
Without the Preparations, Vanish just isn't quite as good. It can still save us sometimes but that's why we only run a one instead. Losing the Patches makes the deck a lot slower so we put in the Tar creepers to help stall.

Coldlight Oracle x2 -> Tol'vir Stoneshaper
I run the coldlights in my normal version of the deck to punish control decks even harder. Other people would run 2 wisps in this spot. For the cheap version, we put in the Tol'vir Stoneshaper to help stave off aggression further. There are 8 elementals in this deck and they're all cheaper than the Stoneshaper!

THE ELEMENTAL CAVERNS - CRUSH THE AGGRO

After playing around with this deck a bit, I see potential for an elemental caverns deck. It targets aggressive decks much harder while also letting you beat midrange decks. Control matchups become harder but you generally win those anyway.

Preparation x2 -> Wisp x2
Same as Old version

Patches the Pirate x1, Vanish x1 -> Bilefin Tidehunter x2
The lack of the prepartations and the extra charger makes it really dangerous to play this deck. We add the extra taunters in Bilefin to comeback a little, just in case.

CARD EXPLANATIONS

Quest Accepted - The Cards that help you complete the quest

The Caverns Below - The lynchpin of the deck. Without the deck kinda falls apart. We run some pretty weak cards that become terrifying when they become 5/5s. What more can I say about this card. Play it on turn 1 unless you need to play fire fly or coin hero power to help contest the board.

Youthful Brewmaster, Gadgetzan Ferryman and Shadowstep - These cards help you complete your quest by playing a minion and then sending it back to your hand to be played again. You'll pretty much always want these in your hand, unless you suspect your opponent is super aggressive and you need an elemental to activate your Stoneshaper.

Later on in the game these cards should be used to bounce useful battlecries. Bounce your Bilefin Tidehunter if you need to stay alive; your Novice Engineers/Fire flies if you need more fuel; and your chargers if you want to kill your opponent/ clear your opponent's board. Take note, the bounce minions can represent 3 mana burst damage when paired with a charge minion if you're already going for lethal.

Mimic Pod - Card draw for a really draw dependent deck and the replication even helps your complete your quest! What's not to love? Well it is a 3-mana card that does nothing to help you stay alive. Keep against slower decks and toss against more aggressive ones.

PARTY UP! 

THE TANKS

Bilefin Tidehunter - While 1/1 taunts are nothing for most decks, they can do wonders against Weapon-based decks. Oftentimes bouncing the tidehunter against a weapon-heavy Pirate warrior will buy you enough time to complete your quest and flood with taunts. Where this card truly shines however is after you've played your Crystal Core. A sea of 5/5 taunts, when combined with Bouncers will shut down most decks.

Tar Creeper - It's a 3/5 taunt on your opponent's turn. What more can you ask for from a stall card? This card will often trade for 2 of your opponent's minions or even dissuade him completely from attacking!

Tol'vir Stoneshaper - It's a 3/5 taunt with divine shield! That's even better than the Tar Creeper! The only downside is that you need to change the way you play to accommodate its condition. This card will cause even more awkward situations than the Tar Creeper.

THE SUPPORTS

Glacial Shard - a 1-mana card that freezes an opponent's minion. This card can be understood as 1-mana heal yourself for the amount of attack of the frozen minion. One of the best cards to bounce against aggressive decks.

Novice Engineer - Draws you a card, allowing you to refill your hand. It's also great for drawing into your bouncers to help complete the quest. Against aggressive decks, you shouldn't try to bounce this card unless you've already drawn both copies/it was hit by a mimic pod. Often times daggering up is a better play on turn 2 than this card.

Igneous Elemental - Think of this card like Finja, the Flying Star. You drop it down and your opponent really wants to avoid killing it. Sometimes it'll even dissuade your opponent from playing a minion with 3 or more attack JUST TO DENY the flame elementals!

The Flame elementals it gives you are especially good for completing the quest, and even if they're only vanilla minions it's often worth it to bounce them. The flame elemental card Igneous elemental gives is the same card that fire fly gives you, which makes it even better for Quest completion.

Vanish - Great card for resetting the board. Without the preparation it isn't quite as good but it's still playable. Amazing to pair with Wisp and Fire fly, giving you an immediate strong board presence.

THE DPSs/ ATTACKERS

Wisp - 0 Mana 5/5. Turns your Crystal Core from a 5 - mana spell that "does nothing" to a 5 - mana 5/5 with the same effect + Discard a card. You'll often find yourself at the brink of defeat as you're about to play your quest and this card goes a long way to helping you destroy the opponent's board before he can kill you.

Against aggressive decks this card can also be 1/1 for 0 mana. Sometimes you're forced to make such desperate plays.

Fire Fly - Great target for completing the quest. Against aggressive decks you'll want to play this card on turn 1 rather than play the Quest. The Flame elemental it gives you is also a good quest complete target so you won't lose anything other than value. This card will carry both the control and the aggro matchup which makes this card a must have.

Stonetusk Boar, Southsea Deckhand - Charge minions that help you wrestle for board control or kill your opponent. Pretty bad to get before quest completion but can be used to contest the board early if need be.

If you want to see some gameplay, you can watch my play this deck in Rank 5 on my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvYBA7C-Al8f7JInECOfqIA

Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5m0WAxQDBU&index=4&t=18s&list=PLSGiRomc3XbkRQtzUwvMkg6HeZH38PWrv