Hearthpwn

TONIGHT!  A TALE OF THE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY OF NELTHARION, THE EARTH WARDER, WHO'S CORRUPTION BY THE WHISPERS OF THE OLD GODS NEARLY DESTROYED ALL OF AZEROTH!

This is my Dragon (sort of) N'Zoth deck that I piloted from Rank 20 all the way up to Rank 5.  This is a deck that runs a lot of draw (Slam, Acolyte of Pain, Shield Block, Curator) as well as some thinning with N'Zoth's First Mate pulling Patches.  We are generally able to cycle through our deck at a brisk pace, drawing cards that we need when we need them.  Our win conditions are N'Zoth, Ysera, Deathwing, and Elise.  While we don't have a lot of early game, we do run arguably the strongest early game at the moment with First Mate & Patches as well as War Axe.  Below is a run down of card choices.

Card Choices:

N'Zoth's First Mate:  Equips a 1/3 weapon (great for early board control) and pulls out Patches, which increases the quality of our later on.

Patches the Pirate:  Patches is just good.  Synergizes with First Mate.  Gives us a ridiculously strong turn 1.

Execute: Great for removing big things.

Fiery War Axe: It's called Win Axe for a reason.

Slam:  Can be used for removing minions, but it's generally best used for card draw.

Acolyte of Pain:  Card draw, pure and simple. 

Gluttonous Ooze:  Tech choice!  I was running Harrison at first, but I wanted something a bit earlier, and with the amount of draw we already have, we risk fatigue/over drawing.  Ooze is also a bit faster too.  Can always be subbed with Acidic Swamp Ooze.

Ravaging Ghoul: Execute/Acolyte activator, great for removing small minions as well.

Shield Block:  Card draw and armor.  The armor is great for combating mages.

Stonehill Defender:  Value!  I generally hope to discover a Direhorn Hatchling from it for extra N'Zoth value.

Barnes:  I wanted at least one 4 drop, and for whatever reason, I just love Barnes.  While there is a good chance of pulling just a plain 1/1, there is always a chance for pulling a 1/1 taunt, another acolyte, Ysera, or some deathrattle.  

Brawl:  I made it up to rank 6 without Brawl, but I had to add it in.  Way too many Shaman/Aggro Druid players out there.  In the event your mulligan goes wrong, brawl is what can get you caught back up.

Direhorn Hatchling:  Curator, N'Zoth, and Barnes synergy.  Gives us a bigger taunt for later in the game.  This card is crucial to making this deck work.

Elise the Trailblazer:  Stats are fine, and some extra value never hurts.  We run enough card draw that we can almost always pull the Un'Goro pack.  A great way to reload the hand.

Cairne Bloodhoof: Barnes and N'Zoth synergy.  Feels silly running a N'Zoth deck without him.

The Curator:  Late game defense.  Can almost always draw 2 cards.  

Primordial Drake:  Such a good card.  Some AoE, dragon synergy, and a big 4/8 body with taunt.  Curator and Deathwing synergy.

Alexstrasza:  I wasn't planning on including Alex at first, and my first few games didn't include her.  I cut Twilight Summoner for her to shore up on health in the late game and she's been a fantastic addition.  Curator and Deathwing synergy.

Ysera:  Win condition.  Great synergy with Barnes, Curator and Deathwing.  Extra value.  The idea is to get her pulled with Deathwing's deathrattle.

Deathwing, Dragonlord:  2 different Win conditions, 12/12 can be devastating if left unchecked (obviously), or the Dragon Army attack (pulling Ysera, Alex, and Prim. Drakes for free with it's deathrattle). N'Zoth synergy.

N'Zoth, the Corruptor:  Win condition.  Can give us back multiple Direhorn's, Cairne, and of course, Deathwing.  Even better if you have Dream from Ysera as you can play it more than once.

TIPS/OBSERVATIONS:

• Did Barnes pull Deathwing, Cairne, or a Direhorn Hatchling?  Awesome!  Are you playing against a Priest?  Hopefully not!  If so, find a way to kill your 1/1 quickly before you lose it to Potion of Madness.
• Remember that Alexstrasza's & Primordial Drake's battlecry will not occur if pulled with Deathwing.  If you don't need the battle cry, great!  If so, use your brain.
• Against aggro decks, you are mainly looking to build a wall and control the board.  Face is not the place.
• Control Paladin is very beatable, but you need to play against it the proper way.  Be assertive and aggressive.  Force the Pyro/Equality combo if you can before your N'Zoth comes out.  Best to do it before they even understand what's being played (once Cairne is dropped, everyone knows that N'Zoth is coming).
• When facing Mage, more often than not its best to use Alexstrasza defensively, and its usually best to lose  any other spell to Counter Spell instead of Shield Block.  Shield Block is so vital to hold up against their burn. 
• I mentioned it once already, but its typically best to take Direhorn Hatchling from StoneHill Defender (unless you need a BIG taunt and am presented with one).  An extra Hatchling (especially before N'Zoth is played) can generate an additional 2 cards into your deck, incredibly helpful when in a fatigue fight.

Rank 4 Proof!