Hearthpwn

So how do you guys respond to turn 1 UT + leper gnome or turn 1 mechwarper?

I completely misunderstood Bolvar, but after giving him some time in the deck he is an excellent minion for Paladin. 

Quote from LaCaipirinha »

So how do you guys respond to turn 1 UT + leper gnome or turn 1 mechwarper?

Turn 1 Zombie Chow turn 2 Shielded Minibot is ideal. If you don't have any 2 or 3 drops (Aldor Peacekeeper might be able to stall out long enough) or force them to spend mana or attacks on muster army you probably lost the game but unless you are running something as consistent as mech mage or zoo that's what happens in a card game when you don't get the draws. If the worst case happens, you stabilize with consecrate or equality + consecrate (don't be afraid to use equality to take out a high threat minion or two btw if you dont draw into the combo) and start throwing down bigger minions. That's why I named my deck 'guile' because 90%+ of the time when I win, Guile's theme should be blasting in the background :)

That's the nature of a control deck though. Try to stabilize early with some minions that are sticky and trade up followed by a board clear and then you start taking over.

Given the consistency of the deck I am personally running (or my luck, haha) I haven't found aggro matchups to be that bad. Versus Hunter, I am over 70% & vs Mage I am slightly above 50% with an overall win rate JUST above 60% which is pretty good for me. I can post stats for a week or something if you want to take a look.

Edit: assuming you have the coin in your scenario, I think you have the advantage - turn 1 Shielded Minibot followed by dude into Muster for Battle or coin into Truesilver Champion into a board clear. It's really not that bad but when it happens it feels really frustrating because those decks steamroll when they win.

Quote from LaCaipirinha »

I think if it wasn't for Undertaker and Mechwarper then yes, Paladin would be strong. But not being able to reliably remove these two minions in the early game means that we remain toward the bottom of the pile, due to hunter and mech mage making up the majority of the current meta.

I haven't had problems with Hunter or Mage at all, it's the plague of locks that have been doing me in (the only class I'm under .500 WP against). Anyone have any tips/strats to share vs. locks? (especially the new GvG zoo, haven't beaten a single one, they're just too damn fast for me)

Zoo is easy, Handlock is tough but win-able. If you run Zombie Chow, Shielded Minibot, Knife Juggler, Muster for Battle and Consecration, then you are already fully packed against them. My list ran 2 Sludge Belchers also and had not problem with Zoo. I only lost one game from 16 to legend and that was against double Doomguard and a topdecked Owl for my Tirion.

Handlock is a different story altogether. You are the aggressor and you want to get him down fast enough, but always keep track of the amount of Molten Giants he can drop with Argus. Usually going face until 15 is rather easy, but it gets tricky when you get hit by the first reset. You need to make the most out of equality, Aldors and Big game hunter. 

Quote from Grumhul »

Zoo is easy, Handlock is tough but win-able. If you run Zombie Chow, Shielded Minibot, Knife Juggler, Muster for Battle and Consecration, then you are already fully packed against them. My list ran 2 Sludge Belchers also and had not problem with Zoo. I only lost one game from 16 to legend and that was against double Doomguard and a topdecked Owl for my Tirion.

Handlock is a different story altogether. You are the aggressor and you want to get him down fast enough, but always keep track of the amount of Molten Giants he can drop with Argus. Usually going face until 15 is rather easy, but it gets tricky when you get hit by the first reset. You need to make the most out of equality, Aldors and Big game hunter. 

Thanks. Can you post or link the list you used for "easy" wins against zoo?

Here it is:

Quote from Paly_Noob »

Quote from LaCaipirinha »

I think if it wasn't for Undertaker and Mechwarper then yes, Paladin would be strong. But not being able to reliably remove these two minions in the early game means that we remain toward the bottom of the pile, due to hunter and mech mage making up the majority of the current meta.

I haven't had problems with Hunter or Mage at all, it's the plague of locks that have been doing me in (the only class I'm under .500 WP against). Anyone have any tips/strats to share vs. locks? (especially the new GvG zoo, haven't beaten a single one, they're just too damn fast for me)

If you have the full catalog of cards to work with, I would recommend a strong control Paladin - there are many viable decks running around and I've already posted my style/deck. The one thing I can say is get more valuable minions. Throw down the sticky 2 and 4 and 5/6 drops you have while healing and combined with board clear, you should be good. Against aggro (zoo, deathrattle hunter/priest) you really have to be conscious of the cards being played and think of their potential threats. Once you get to the big dudes (or if you can get off a Quartermaster on 2 or more dudes early enough) you have this in the bag.

Quote from Grumhul »

Here it is:

Legend Quarter Midrange Unknown Deck by Grumhul - Dec 29, 2014 View Deck String Export to BBCode Export to Cockatrice Export to MarkDown Export to Html Clone this deck
Minion (21) 1x Bolvar Fordragon 1x Dr. Boom 1x Harrison Jones 1x Tirion Fordring 1x Big Game Hunter 2x Quartermaster 2x Aldor Peacekeeper 1x Bomb Lobber 2x Knife Juggler 2x Sludge Belcher 1x Ironbeak Owl 2x Piloted Shredder 2x Shielded Minibot 2x Zombie Chow	Ability (7) 1x Lay on Hands 2x Equality 2x Muster for Battle 2x Consecration	Weapon (2) 2x Truesilver Champion
Loading Collection

With so much early game presence, have you tried running a Cult Master? I do think Lay on Hands comes a bit too late and by then you are running ... 'short' on answers, but I may be wrong - decks always play out differently on paper.

Cult Master was in during my trip from 10 to 5. Not bad, but not amazing also. The thing is that card draw isn't the only way to generate card advantage in this game, so I focused on controlling the board with less cards than my opponent. It paid off, at least for me and my run on the ladder.

Quote from saadatorama »

Quote from Paly_Noob »

Quote from LaCaipirinha »

I think if it wasn't for Undertaker and Mechwarper then yes, Paladin would be strong. But not being able to reliably remove these two minions in the early game means that we remain toward the bottom of the pile, due to hunter and mech mage making up the majority of the current meta.

I haven't had problems with Hunter or Mage at all, it's the plague of locks that have been doing me in (the only class I'm under .500 WP against). Anyone have any tips/strats to share vs. locks? (especially the new GvG zoo, haven't beaten a single one, they're just too damn fast for me)

If you have the full catalog of cards to work with, I would recommend a strong control Paladin - there are many viable decks running around and I've already posted my style/deck. The one thing I can say is get more valuable minions. Throw down the sticky 2 and 4 and 5/6 drops you have while healing and combined with board clear, you should be good. Against aggro (zoo, deathrattle hunter/priest) you really have to be conscious of the cards being played and think of their potential threats. Once you get to the big dudes (or if you can get off a Quartermaster on 2 or more dudes early enough) you have this in the bag.

Quote from Grumhul »

Here it is:

Legend Quarter Midrange Unknown Deck by Grumhul - Dec 29, 2014 View Deck String Export to BBCode Export to Cockatrice Export to MarkDown Export to Html Clone this deck
Minion (21) 1x Bolvar Fordragon 1x Dr. Boom 1x Harrison Jones 1x Tirion Fordring 1x Big Game Hunter 2x Quartermaster 2x Aldor Peacekeeper 1x Bomb Lobber 2x Knife Juggler 2x Sludge Belcher 1x Ironbeak Owl 2x Piloted Shredder 2x Shielded Minibot 2x Zombie Chow	Ability (7) 1x Lay on Hands 2x Equality 2x Muster for Battle 2x Consecration	Weapon (2) 2x Truesilver Champion
Loading Collection

With so much early game presence, have you tried running a Cult Master? I do think Lay on Hands comes a bit too late and by then you are running ... 'short' on answers, but I may be wrong - decks always play out differently on paper.

Unfort I don't have the full catalog of cards to work with (I'm FTP). From your list I'm missing Quartermaster x 2, Lay on Hands x 1, Big Game Hunter x 1, Harrison Jones, Piloted Sky Golem x 1. Suggestions for replacement for those? Right now I'm running Ooze x 1 for weapon hate, GoK x 2 for heals, Cult Master x 1 for draw. Thanks.

I think that you can't replace Quartermasters in here. Lay on Hands, Big Game Hunter and Harisson can be replaced with other cards but the effect that Quartermaster has in your game is really unique.

its pretty much staple at this point for paladin to run atleast 1 quatermaster simply for the muster for battle combo.

as far as cards to put in, you could try

1 Seal of Light heals for 4 and +2 attack that turn. combined with true silver, that allows you to hit for 6 which is pretty nice as well as gain 6 health is total.
1 Antique Healbot for mid-game heal. i like it a little better then guardian of kings mainly due to it being usable 2 turns ahead of gok and i can still play other cards that turn.
a Defender of Argus can help as well with stat buffing and giving taunts. can be somewhat helpful against aggro decks if you need some quick taunts.

Loatheb is also a strong card so that could be put in.

hell, you could try Sen'jin Shieldmasta for a slightly early game taunt with good stats.

Quote from Grumhul »

I think that you can't replace Quartermasters in here. Lay on Hands, Big Game Hunter and Harisson can be replaced with other cards but the effect that Quartermaster has in your game is really unique.

Yes, I figured as much. I was tempted to not craft Boom and craft QM x 2 instead, but I'm glad I went with Boom, he's the real deal. QM will be my next craft as soon as I save 400 dust (unless I luck out and get one or two in a pack before then :-)

Quote from Zekana »

its pretty much staple at this point for paladin to run atleast 1 quatermaster simply for the muster for battle combo.

as far as cards to put in, you could try

1 Seal of Light heals for 4 and +2 attack that turn. combined with true silver, that allows you to hit for 6 which is pretty nice as well as gain 6 health is total.
1 Antique Healbot for mid-game heal. i like it a little better then guardian of kings mainly due to it being usable 2 turns ahead of gok and i can still play other cards that turn.
a Defender of Argus can help as well with stat buffing and giving taunts. can be somewhat helpful against aggro decks if you need some quick taunts.

Loatheb is also a strong card so that could be put in.

hell, you could try Sen'jin Shieldmasta for a slightly early game taunt with good stats.

Yes, I'm currently running AHB x 1, DoA x 1 and Lotheb. I haven't tried SoL yet, thanks for the rec. Just have to figure out what to take out for it :-)

In Paladin specifically, Quartermaster is higher crafting priority than Dr.Boom in my opinion. The whole trend with Boom is that he fills a slot where no legendary, save Geddon in warrior, was good. I really think that most decks could perform without Dr.Boom. However GvG Paladin can't perform without Quartermaster.

I disagree. I did not even put two in my deck! Sure it is a great card, but you will never in a serious game be able to have great value out of the two qurtermasters. People are too psychoed by the silver hand recruit you won't be able to keep them for more than one turn. And that is awesome, players use spells only to kill poor 1/1's, which is amazing cuz I don't even have the quarter master in hand. I sometimes think about removing the other one, really his psychologic effect is amazing, but apart from turn 8, with the combo (in before brawl or auchenai circle), or in a game where you have the advantage from the very beginning,  it doesn't do enough to justify taking a spot. People will assume you rely on those cards, play around it, when you actually have none but other cards that will crush them. At least that is what happens in legend, where the quartermaster is often a dead card in my hand. Maybe for lower ranks it might be a crafting priority, but since it is an epic I would priorize other cards.

Quote from Magiicguy »

I disagree. I did not even put two in my deck! Sure it is a great card, but you will never in a serious game be able to have great value out of the two qurtermasters. People are too psychoed by the silver hand recruit you won't be able to keep them for more than one turn. And that is awesome, players use spells only to kill poor 1/1's, which is amazing cuz I don't even have the quarter master in hand. I sometimes think about removing the other one, really his psychologic effect is amazing, but apart from turn 8, with the combo (in before brawl or auchenai circle), or in a game where you have the advantage from the very beginning,  it doesn't do enough to justify taking a spot. People will assume you rely on those cards, play around it, when you actually have none but other cards that will crush them. At least that is what happens in legend, where the quartermaster is often a dead card in my hand. Maybe for lower ranks it might be a crafting priority, but since it is an epic I would priorize other cards.

i agree with you for the most part.  the greatest thing about quatermaster is the impact it had on the mentality of players, making them actually going after your 1/1's just so they can't be buffed.  i've had a few games where i intentionally muster for battle just to bait out an aoe like swipe or other things like that so i can have a safe turn 4 or 5 play.  however, i still think its worth running atleast 1 quartermaster just so you can buff up your silverhands, but again, it does depend on who you are up against.

I am sorry, but the threat of a quartermaster is too strong. It is what makes control Paladin so viable - as it's been said, the opponent now MUST deal with your 1/1 dudes because if they don't you have an ARMY of 3/3's. In late game, being able to cast 2 back to back on just 2 recruits is great because suddenly, you have 2 6/6s. Quartermaster AND Muster for Battle are auto=includes in Paladin decks. 

I am toying with the idea of possibly just running 1 but the card is too good. Hell, even if you buff 1 recruit, the card still pays for itself I think and is a great addition to the class as a whole. I agree that for Paladin, a Quartermaster is higher priority than a Dr. Boom... higher priority than even a Tirion Fordring - you gotta have at least 1 and it opens up so many doors (you can add it in any Paladin deck: aggro, control, midrange). Lastly, it gives Paladin a sort of 'reach' they've never had before as well - end game muster + hero power into Quartermaster is damn intimidating.

Quote from Grumhul »

In Paladin specifically, Quartermaster is higher crafting priority than Dr.Boom in my opinion. The whole trend with Boom is that he fills a slot where no legendary, save Geddon in warrior, was good. I really think that most decks could perform without Dr.Boom. However GvG Paladin can't perform without Quartermaster.

Yes, I considered QM x2 instead of Boom, but 1. I don't solely play Paly (if I did I prob would have gone that route) and 2. I've heard from many players here to NEVER craft non-legends when there are still good legends that you don't have/need to craft (however, I'll be going against that as soon as I have 400 dust :-) And like I wrote earlier, I still have zero buyer's-remorse crafting Boom, he's been nothing but money for me in all my decks.

What do you guys think about this custom card I made for Paladin?

The main idea behind this card is to make the 1 cost Paladin spells see more play without them having to actually cost a card slot. You would see more Blessing of Mights, Blessing of Wisdoms, Hand of Protections, and all of the not-so-good Paladin secrets. 

If you compare this card to Arcane Intellect. I believe they are on the same power level. Arcane Intellect pulls from your deck to get the cards you are hoping to get from your deck. Boundless Conviction DOESN'T pull from your deck like Webspinner. However, you get 3 cards instead of 2, you do not thin your deck, and finally the cards are not as useful as the cards from Arcane Intellect. 

I think this could potentially make Gazlowe viable. This will be a staple in both aggro, and giants decks. As you are able to get your Mountain Giant way faster than before.