Hello hearthpwners, I decided to keep working on these deck templates because they saw some use and I wanted to archive them in a post for future reference. Today, I'll be showcasing a deceptively strong Druid control deck, considering its cost. This deck is a perfect segue into crafting your own Druid control deck, just look towards replacing a few generally strong cards and craft your own strategy around it. With that said, lets highlight some of the strengths of the deck: - High early game presence with Wrath, Claw, two pairs of two 3/2 cards that also offer value later game - Good transition into mid game with Harvest and Shattered Sun being some of the best value cards in the game - Amazing mid to late game with Argus, Yeti, Keepers, Argent, and Druid - Some board clear and direct damage spells with Starfire, Starfall, and Swipe along with a little spell damage supplied by Azure
So, we have a strong early game that transitions well into an amazing mid game and enough direct damage to close out the game or win solely by board control. Our minions all have high value, some versatility, provide unexpected buffs for our minions on the board to trade better, cheap control options to get rid of a few cards, and a respectable amount of card draw between Drakes, Wrath, and Starfire.
The basic fundamentals of deck building are all you need to start off with on the right foot. A standard deck with no "real" synergy/comboability and a bunch of individually great cards can hold on its own quite well. There's no epics, no legendaries, and a combination of 6 splashable rares. Simply put that's about it, test out the deck a bit, you probably have all the cards! You won't be disappointed.
Changing Fairy Dragon for Youthful Brewmaster would give this deck a lot more mileage I pressume, given you have all but 2 Yetis bounceable for big value. Power of the Wild is a versatile 3/2 that can be used as a finisher or give you more board control in the mid game. It's debatable which one is better between this and the Ooze (I'm guessing right now the Ooze is better due to Paladins and Rogues).
Hehe, you're close conceptually I'm sure. It's by no means a starting point, but a stepping stone, something to work towards:
Craft Azure as there is no substitute, Argus -> Dark Iron Dwarf or Senjin, Keeper -> Spellbreaker, craft Argent next and use any strong mid game in the mean time like Sunwalker or Stormwind since most other 6 mana minions suck. There you go!
@Banderita: Between Ooze and Faerie, I always have trouble deciding at times. Panda is decent, but he can be stuck in a rough spot sometimes due to the forced battle cry and you lose much pressure. Power of the Wild isn't bad either, it's versatile as any other Druid card, if you can make room it's decent. Nowadays, I would not give up Ooze for anything, too much potential value with SoJ decks running rampant. Faerie is wholly replaceable by another 2 drop, there's a good amount of leeway with 2 mana 3/2's. Faerie and Ooze cover all bases in terms of openers, so that's my choice.
This Deck is really good, for such an inexpensive deck, it got me into rank 11 at highest, but there i hit a wall where good synergy legandary's and stuff like that kicked my ass.
Would recommend this deck, it's great vs most opponents
I'm really loving this deck. Some suggestions I would make for people that have the cards are add in a Rag and some nourishes I feel like nourish is too good to keep out of a deck if you have it. Other than that this deck is awesome.
LOL i just fought someone with this exact deck. I was literally thinking, "no way he cannot possibly have the same exact cards." Well got the game all the way down to 5 cards left to draw, and I'm just astonished.
I've been playing this deck for several days now, and I'm enjoying it. I do seem to be stuck at Rank 18. I'm not a very experienced CCG player though, so I couldn't tell you how much that has to do with my own skill level vs the merits of this deck.
Since I'm a relative newbie, I have some questions.
First, I'm not really sure that I'm playing right. What I tend to do is try to keep as many minions out as possible, and try to kill my opponents minions as quickly as possible (preferably using spells rather than sacrificing my own minions). I always prioritize killing minions if any are up, and only attack the enemy hero when he has no minions, or when his remaining health is low enough that it doesn't matter (and occasionally in situations where his remaining minion is really weak and I know I can take it out on the next turn). I try not to use spells against the enemy hero even when he has no minions up, since I may need them to clear minions later on. Does this sound more or less OK? Any tips or pointers?
Second, is this deck affected by the upcoming slight nerf to Defender of Argus? My guess is no, because the battlecry wasn't changed, but I wanted to check with the experts ;).
Finally, does anybody have any suggestions for how to upgrade this deck as I come into possession of more rare cards? If possible, when suggesting adding a new card, please clarify what you'd remove to make room for it. Also, let me know if there's any special strategy to using the suggested card besides the obvious. As I said, I'm new to the genre.
Thanks! Again, I've really enjoyed this deck so far.
Yes, you need to rely on making favorable trades with your cards. Wrath does this, Starfall does this, Swipe, your Hero Power. You want to remove minions as efficiently as possible. You have a viable amount of direct damage and charges so your game-ending power is strong. I personally play it safe and seldom overplay my hand and try to push for the huge win. If the opponent has an empty board and I have 3 minions on the field, I don't push the envelope. I make sure the second that AoE hits, I have three more minions lined up to keep the pressure on the opponent as much as possible. Druids have some pretty frightening late game and the more you play into that, the better off you may be. The key to beating counter-tempo board wipes is to bait it out and not play too hard into it. They more often than not take up their entire turn doing it, if you can get a strong minion out alongside one or two of your weaker ones, you'll close out the game.
The nerf to Defender of Argus didn't devalue his buffs, but his attack is a bit dismal now. In my opinion prior to testing, the nerf of Argus under a class with a 1 damage hero power and plenty of cheap removal isn't going to merit his removal.
Your first choices to upgrade your arsenal are going to be Ancient of War and Ancient of Lore. These two cards seal the deal for the opponent more often than not, as they create a strong board presence and keep you going into later rounds. I would in turn, look to remove two Starfire first. The single target damage is very hefty for the price and only provide game-ending presence for a weaker deck. The stronger your deck's minion pool gets, the better off you play without Starfire. The next cards you may want to remove are Chillwind Yeti, which follow the same reasoning that Starfire does, the better minions you have, the worse a vanilla monster like Chillwind Yeti can be. It is without a doubt, an amazing card, but with your strong set of spells and early game, Chillwind Yeti can go for better late game.
For rares, you have a good amount of them in the deck. You can try to mess around with a single Nourish or add more late game and use the card Innervate. My two preferred legendaries are: Sylvanas Windrunner, Ragnaros the Firelord. They offer fun and strong presence. If you have a strong enough minion pool and you want more support-orientated legendaries to round out your collection, Tinkmaster Overspark and The Black Knight are the two you want. Bloodmage Thalnos is a good one if you like your spell damage decks.
You can easily find enough removal to deal with Warlocks, Druids tend to be one of the best between Wrath, Starfall, Swipe and Claw. Most classes would kill for those cards. Try a different approach and mulligan more aggressively is all I can say.
The Ancients are pretty core to the deck, I'd rather grab those first.
Ysera is fine to close out the game, it has different counterplay compared to Ragnaros and different strengths. It's not necessarily bad, but I prefer the instant pressure of Ragnaros and the stronger reach he has on a cleared board.
I recently got lucky enough to get Sylvanas from a card pack. Since she is worth a full 1600 disenchanted right now, I'm considering trading her in for Ragnaros, but I'm not sure. So far I have two Ancient of War, no Lore.
I've been trying this deck, but replaced several cards cause I don't really have all.
I'm missing
x1 Argent
x1 Azure Drake
x1 Defender of Argus
x1 Farie Dragon
And I've replaced these with Power of the Wild, Dark Iron Dwarf, Faceless Manipulator, and Sunwalker.
What I wanted to ask is, how to you treat your starting hand? which cards do you automatically keep, which ones do you seldom keep, and which cards are just a strict "hell no" when you see them in the beginning of the game?
And also, how do you usually go about using your mana coin(if you have one) ? I find that both of these issues are absolutely vital to a game and can mean a win or a loss, so I'd love to have some pointers in regards to this deck.
Is there any video of you playing this specific deck online for tutorial references?
I often mulligan aggressively. It's hard to explain since there are a huge number of possibilities, but here are some guidelines that should in no way, shape or form, be set in stone:
- Anything 5 or more mana goes unless playing swarm, then Starfall is a decent choice with other early game - Starting first + no Coin + have opening play = often drop 4 mana card - Swipe and Keeper = keep against classes that often play rush, buffs, or other silence worthy combos - vs Paladin, Warrior, Hunter - mulligan more aggressively for Ooze - vs Priest, Rogue - mulligan more aggressively for Faerie and beefy minions - Claw, Wrath, Faerie, Ooze, SSC are your goals early game. If you have even two of those, you are free to mulligan for mid game spells or minions
Using coin? It depends on match up as well. Sometimes I coin out a minion to bait an early weapon if I have Ooze. Sometimes it's to drop an SSC + Claw on turn 3 for massive pressure. Other times, I save my hand and hero power until I can bait a large board from my opening to Swipe or Starfall. Coin Azure Drake is also a favorite, since it pays back. If I were to have general advice with the coin, 9 out of 10 times, trying to push an advantage with the coin means you are pushing too far: never overplay your hand even with coin. I prefer to use my coin as a rebound mechanic off of clear or responding to large threats, this is what snowballs the game to a victory because of your higher than average amount of direct damage (Starfire, Argent, Swipe, Claw, Hero Power).
There should be some videos lying around in my youtube channel, I can upload a few new ones if there's interest.
My Deck Threads Index
Warlock Low Mana Rush
Warlock Suicide Jaraxxus Control
Warlock Zergrush
Warrior Beatdown
Warrior Molten Giant OTK
Paladin Slowroll
Paladin Kodo & Friends
Druid Slash & Burn
Druid Force of Murloc
Druid Midrange *new!*
Rogue Knives & Magic
Not an OTK Hunter Deck
Template Decks
Warlock Aggro Template Deck
Rogue Template Deck
Paladin Template Deck
Druid Template Deck
Shaman Template Deck
Hello hearthpwners, I decided to keep working on these deck templates because they saw some use and I wanted to archive them in a post for future reference. Today, I'll be showcasing a deceptively strong Druid control deck, considering its cost. This deck is a perfect segue into crafting your own Druid control deck, just look towards replacing a few generally strong cards and craft your own strategy around it. With that said, lets highlight some of the strengths of the deck:
- High early game presence with Wrath, Claw, two pairs of two 3/2 cards that also offer value later game
- Good transition into mid game with Harvest and Shattered Sun being some of the best value cards in the game
- Amazing mid to late game with Argus, Yeti, Keepers, Argent, and Druid
- Some board clear and direct damage spells with Starfire, Starfall, and Swipe along with a little spell damage supplied by Azure
So, we have a strong early game that transitions well into an amazing mid game and enough direct damage to close out the game or win solely by board control. Our minions all have high value, some versatility, provide unexpected buffs for our minions on the board to trade better, cheap control options to get rid of a few cards, and a respectable amount of card draw between Drakes, Wrath, and Starfire.
The basic fundamentals of deck building are all you need to start off with on the right foot. A standard deck with no "real" synergy/comboability and a bunch of individually great cards can hold on its own quite well. There's no epics, no legendaries, and a combination of 6 splashable rares. Simply put that's about it, test out the deck a bit, you probably have all the cards! You won't be disappointed.
Any questions and suggestions, feel free to ask. My tag is Aishi#1473.
My stream is at http://www.twitch.tv/aishi_ Live Every so often around EST Evenings
My youtube channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi - All my videos are there!
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
Changing Fairy Dragon for Youthful Brewmaster would give this deck a lot more mileage I pressume, given you have all but 2 Yetis bounceable for big value.
Power of the Wild is a versatile 3/2 that can be used as a finisher or give you more board control in the mid game. It's debatable which one is better between this and the Ooze (I'm guessing right now the Ooze is better due to Paladins and Rogues).
That said, seems solid, good work!
http://www.hearthlog.com/u/BanderitaUSA
i like this deck, very playable for me
That moment when you realise that even the "Inexpensive" decks are too expensive for you... :(
Missing:
1x Argent Commander
1x Azure Drake
2x Defender of Argus
1x Keeper of the Grove
You know, just all the rares....that cost 100 dust each to craft....and I only have 170 dust.... :(
Hehe, you're close conceptually I'm sure. It's by no means a starting point, but a stepping stone, something to work towards:
Craft Azure as there is no substitute, Argus -> Dark Iron Dwarf or Senjin, Keeper -> Spellbreaker, craft Argent next and use any strong mid game in the mean time like Sunwalker or Stormwind since most other 6 mana minions suck. There you go!
@Banderita: Between Ooze and Faerie, I always have trouble deciding at times. Panda is decent, but he can be stuck in a rough spot sometimes due to the forced battle cry and you lose much pressure. Power of the Wild isn't bad either, it's versatile as any other Druid card, if you can make room it's decent. Nowadays, I would not give up Ooze for anything, too much potential value with SoJ decks running rampant. Faerie is wholly replaceable by another 2 drop, there's a good amount of leeway with 2 mana 3/2's. Faerie and Ooze cover all bases in terms of openers, so that's my choice.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
This Deck is really good, for such an inexpensive deck, it got me into rank 11 at highest, but there i hit a wall where good synergy legandary's and stuff like that kicked my ass.
Would recommend this deck, it's great vs most opponents
I'm really loving this deck. Some suggestions I would make for people that have the cards are add in a Rag and some nourishes I feel like nourish is too good to keep out of a deck if you have it. Other than that this deck is awesome.
Feel free to post your own version of the deck, I'd love to see the variations!
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
LOL i just fought someone with this exact deck. I was literally thinking, "no way he cannot possibly have the same exact cards." Well got the game all the way down to 5 cards left to draw, and I'm just astonished.
I've been playing this deck for several days now, and I'm enjoying it. I do seem to be stuck at Rank 18. I'm not a very experienced CCG player though, so I couldn't tell you how much that has to do with my own skill level vs the merits of this deck.
Since I'm a relative newbie, I have some questions.
First, I'm not really sure that I'm playing right. What I tend to do is try to keep as many minions out as possible, and try to kill my opponents minions as quickly as possible (preferably using spells rather than sacrificing my own minions). I always prioritize killing minions if any are up, and only attack the enemy hero when he has no minions, or when his remaining health is low enough that it doesn't matter (and occasionally in situations where his remaining minion is really weak and I know I can take it out on the next turn). I try not to use spells against the enemy hero even when he has no minions up, since I may need them to clear minions later on. Does this sound more or less OK? Any tips or pointers?
Second, is this deck affected by the upcoming slight nerf to Defender of Argus? My guess is no, because the battlecry wasn't changed, but I wanted to check with the experts ;).
Finally, does anybody have any suggestions for how to upgrade this deck as I come into possession of more rare cards? If possible, when suggesting adding a new card, please clarify what you'd remove to make room for it. Also, let me know if there's any special strategy to using the suggested card besides the obvious. As I said, I'm new to the genre.
Thanks! Again, I've really enjoyed this deck so far.
Yes, you need to rely on making favorable trades with your cards. Wrath does this, Starfall does this, Swipe, your Hero Power. You want to remove minions as efficiently as possible. You have a viable amount of direct damage and charges so your game-ending power is strong. I personally play it safe and seldom overplay my hand and try to push for the huge win. If the opponent has an empty board and I have 3 minions on the field, I don't push the envelope. I make sure the second that AoE hits, I have three more minions lined up to keep the pressure on the opponent as much as possible. Druids have some pretty frightening late game and the more you play into that, the better off you may be. The key to beating counter-tempo board wipes is to bait it out and not play too hard into it. They more often than not take up their entire turn doing it, if you can get a strong minion out alongside one or two of your weaker ones, you'll close out the game.
The nerf to Defender of Argus didn't devalue his buffs, but his attack is a bit dismal now. In my opinion prior to testing, the nerf of Argus under a class with a 1 damage hero power and plenty of cheap removal isn't going to merit his removal.
Your first choices to upgrade your arsenal are going to be Ancient of War and Ancient of Lore. These two cards seal the deal for the opponent more often than not, as they create a strong board presence and keep you going into later rounds. I would in turn, look to remove two Starfire first. The single target damage is very hefty for the price and only provide game-ending presence for a weaker deck. The stronger your deck's minion pool gets, the better off you play without Starfire. The next cards you may want to remove are Chillwind Yeti, which follow the same reasoning that Starfire does, the better minions you have, the worse a vanilla monster like Chillwind Yeti can be. It is without a doubt, an amazing card, but with your strong set of spells and early game, Chillwind Yeti can go for better late game.
For rares, you have a good amount of them in the deck. You can try to mess around with a single Nourish or add more late game and use the card Innervate. My two preferred legendaries are: Sylvanas Windrunner, Ragnaros the Firelord. They offer fun and strong presence. If you have a strong enough minion pool and you want more support-orientated legendaries to round out your collection, Tinkmaster Overspark and The Black Knight are the two you want. Bloodmage Thalnos is a good one if you like your spell damage decks.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
Thanks for the advice, Aishi!
Aishi, for the legendaries you put in there what would you swap out for Rag and Sylvanas? And the nerf to Sylv does it make her less viable?
Is it possible to beat Warlock/murloc decks using this one? So far I think I lose 100% against those guys.
You can easily find enough removal to deal with Warlocks, Druids tend to be one of the best between Wrath, Starfall, Swipe and Claw. Most classes would kill for those cards. Try a different approach and mulligan more aggressively is all I can say.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
The Ancients are pretty core to the deck, I'd rather grab those first.
Ysera is fine to close out the game, it has different counterplay compared to Ragnaros and different strengths. It's not necessarily bad, but I prefer the instant pressure of Ragnaros and the stronger reach he has on a cleared board.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
I recently got lucky enough to get Sylvanas from a card pack. Since she is worth a full 1600 disenchanted right now, I'm considering trading her in for Ragnaros, but I'm not sure. So far I have two Ancient of War, no Lore.
I've been trying this deck, but replaced several cards cause I don't really have all.
I'm missing
x1 Argent
x1 Azure Drake
x1 Defender of Argus
x1 Farie Dragon
And I've replaced these with Power of the Wild, Dark Iron Dwarf, Faceless Manipulator, and Sunwalker.
What I wanted to ask is, how to you treat your starting hand? which cards do you automatically keep, which ones do you seldom keep, and which cards are just a strict "hell no" when you see them in the beginning of the game?
And also, how do you usually go about using your mana coin(if you have one) ? I find that both of these issues are absolutely vital to a game and can mean a win or a loss, so I'd love to have some pointers in regards to this deck.
Is there any video of you playing this specific deck online for tutorial references?
I often mulligan aggressively. It's hard to explain since there are a huge number of possibilities, but here are some guidelines that should in no way, shape or form, be set in stone:
- Anything 5 or more mana goes unless playing swarm, then Starfall is a decent choice with other early game
- Starting first + no Coin + have opening play = often drop 4 mana card
- Swipe and Keeper = keep against classes that often play rush, buffs, or other silence worthy combos
- vs Paladin, Warrior, Hunter - mulligan more aggressively for Ooze
- vs Priest, Rogue - mulligan more aggressively for Faerie and beefy minions
- Claw, Wrath, Faerie, Ooze, SSC are your goals early game. If you have even two of those, you are free to mulligan for mid game spells or minions
Using coin? It depends on match up as well. Sometimes I coin out a minion to bait an early weapon if I have Ooze. Sometimes it's to drop an SSC + Claw on turn 3 for massive pressure. Other times, I save my hand and hero power until I can bait a large board from my opening to Swipe or Starfall. Coin Azure Drake is also a favorite, since it pays back. If I were to have general advice with the coin, 9 out of 10 times, trying to push an advantage with the coin means you are pushing too far: never overplay your hand even with coin. I prefer to use my coin as a rebound mechanic off of clear or responding to large threats, this is what snowballs the game to a victory because of your higher than average amount of direct damage (Starfire, Argent, Swipe, Claw, Hero Power).
There should be some videos lying around in my youtube channel, I can upload a few new ones if there's interest.
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtxaishi
You're not going crazy, I edit 2~3 times each post
That's awesome mate, cheers for the well thought of response !