Hi guys I'm Spark and Shaman is one of my favorite classes, I just love the overload cards and the general gameplay of this class. I feel that it is pretty good against many situations and you often have good answers to your opponents play.
This is a Midrange deck, an archetype that I find pretty effective to climb so ladder because of its versatility. This one has a really good control on the board thanks to all the Shaman spells as well as a good finishing burst potential with Al'Akir the Windlord or Doomhammer combined with Rockbiter Weapon or Flametongue Totem in case of Al'Akir. I do not run the spell Windfury as those gives more consistancy to the deck when it comes to controlling the board. It is pretty effective against other Midrange decks, especially Druid, and is pretty painful for many aggro decks with the good draws ;) Be careful about Hunters and Warrior as they are your primaries counters ^^
Hi guys I'm Spark and Hunter is probably my favorite class, I just love the background of this class (sound, design etc..) and it's the first class that I brought to lvl 60. The deck that I want to present you is my Midrange deck which seems to gain in popularity recently. This Modern Hunter build, as I like to call it, makes use of all the valuable Hunter cards to threaten the opponent life while not allowing him to get out of control.
April 13th, 2014 : I made 3rd place in the EU Managrind Open 25 Tournament using this deck.
As you can see, the deck is not based around rushing the opponent's face all day long, and instead focus more and controling the tempo of the game and the opponent's board. The standard comboStarving Buzzard into Unleash the Hounds allows you to punish the opponent for overextending, while other threats and the very nature of Hunter doesn't allow him to slowplay the game. Savannah Highmane is certainly one of my favorite card in the game and is used pretty efficiently in this deck. The deck is pretty consistent since you have many draws to ensure you can pull off the combos you want and the late game power increase the flexibility of the deck against slow match ups compared to the rushdown variant. The climbing may not be as fast as with a rushdown deck but the deck is more enjoyable to play and as the advantage of being really flexible against a lot of Match ups, so i definitely recommand you to try it ;)
As you can see there are some legendaries involved in it but many of them can be replaced ;) I only consider Leeroy Jenkins mandatory but you can still play without him if you don't own him ;) The Black Knight and King Mukla can be replaced with some sort of control like Kill Command, Hunter's Mark or Ironbeak Owl. The one of Snake Trap is also not necessary to make the deck works, so you can put in your Scavenging Hyena or something like that ;)
Legendaries are not mandatory to win in this game ... Plus you can easily get a daily pack by playing a bit every day So really, no the game is not pay to win
You can make legend by using a deck costing 1720 dust with no legendary or epic in it, example below :
Yeah i could see use of that, in fact, I already saw some run some in it last season. The thing is that you already have 6 3-drop which is really enough, plus the divine shield of your minions is always going to help you trading (and Scarlet Crusader becomes pretty useless after the shield gets popped). Anyway, if you really mind on playing a Blood Knight in this one, I would definitely recommand switching out one Shattered Sun Cleric for this purpose ;)
Hi guys, I'm Spark and I wanted to share you the decks that I used this season to get to Legend =) Here, I'll explain briefly my choices and present you the decklists. I highly recommand you to check the links to get to the deck descriptions, read my write up and understand why I used those cards. Don't forget to rate it up and feel free to ask any question in the comment section or in this thread ;) I'll also link you the specific thread associated with each deck for those who want to interact on a specific class. I'll suggest some card replacements for people lacking some cards and would also be pleased to hear about your feedback.
Hunter : Beasty Tactics (Mid Range)
Hunter is probably my favorite class, I just love the background of this class (sound, design etc..) and it's the first class that I brought to lvl 60. So I used a rushdown deck a bit to climb some ranks faster, but the one that I want to present you is my Midrange deck which seems to gain in popularity recently. This Modern Hunter build, as I like to call it, makes use of all the valuable Hunter cards to threaten the opponent life while not allowing him to get out of control.
April 13th, 2014 : I made 3rd place in the EU Managrind Open 25 Tournament using this deck
As you can see, the deck is not based around rushing the opponent's face all day long, and instead focus more and controling the tempo of the game and the opponent's board. The standard combo [card]Starving Buzzard[/card] into Unleash the Hounds allows you to punish the opponent for overextending, while other threats and the very nature of Hunter doesn't allow him to slowplay the game. Savannah Highmane is certainly one of my favorite card in the game and is used pretty efficiently here. This deck is pretty consistent since you have many draws to ensure you can pull off the combos you want and the late game power increases the flexibility of the deck against slow match ups compared to the rushdown variant. The climbing may not be as fast as with a rushdown deck but this deck is definitely more enjoyable to play and have the advantage of being really flexible against a lot of Match ups, so i definitely recommand you to try it ;)
My second favorite is Shaman, I just love the overload cards and the general gameplay of this class. I feel that it is pretty good against many situations and you often have good answers to your opponents play.
Again this is a Midrange deck, an archetype that I find pretty effective to climb so ladder because of its versatility. This one has a really good control on the board thanks to all the Shaman spells as well as a good finishing burst potential with Al'Akir the Windlord or Doomhammer combined with Rockbiter Weapon or Flametongue Totem in case of Al'Akir. I do not run the spell Windfury as those gives more consistancy to the deck when it comes to controlling the board. It is pretty effective against other Midrange decks, especially Druid, and is pretty painful for many aggro decks with the good draws ;) Be careful about Hunters and Warrior as they are your primaries counters.
Rogue is one of the first classes that I used, and I've been working on this deck since a really long time. I finally found the tweaks that I like for this deck and definitely recommand you to check it for its niche choices.
April 6th, 2014 : I made 3rd place in the EU Managrind Open 24 Tournament using this deck, see details in the related Thread (link below)
The advantage of this one is that you have the edge over other midrange decks that focuses more on early/mid game thanks to your mid/late game threats, so you'll often win the mirror match if the opponent is playing a standard list ;) It is really good against aggro rushdown decks thanks to our early control plus board presence, but can find some issues against big controls decks if they make it to very late game dealing with all of your threats. However, you'll generally beat them before that happen. It is really versatile and I often find myself playing it when I don't really know about what i'll be facing in the day's meta ;)
This one is at the top of the meta right know, this is the most controlish deck that you can find and it is really good against Midrange and aggro decks, and many of the others control decks.
As you can see, the list is pretty standard and i especially recommand it for higher rank, since people are more enclined to play slower decks ;) The deck is teched to do well against Aggro decks as there is many Zoo but you can try your own iterations for a slower and more late game oriented version.
For our final deck, we got the cheapest, but still pretty efficient, aggro deck around : Zoo Warlock. I made some tweaks to the popular version of this deck to adjust to my preferences.
The funny thing about this deck is that it is pretty cheap and still can climb the ladder at a huge speed for you, Blood Knight can be replaced easily if your working on a low budget (see the related Thread for some cards consideration). Don't get fooled by the archetype tho, the goal is not to get to the face constantly but instead using your early board presence to control the board and makes the trade that are favorable to you while burning the opponent down ;) Really great and fast at all ranks.
That's it for my choices this season, I hope it will help you to get to legend too ;) I insist on the fact the you should read the writeups that I made to help you understand the mechanics of the decks, especially for the decks that are kinda niche. I'll also keep updating them as the season goes on if any changes are needed and maybe improve the description with card choice and match up sections. Don't forget to rate it up if you liked and also don't hesitate to post on the comment section if you have anything to ask or say about it ;) Thanks for reading =)
I don't really recommand playing a "naked" Leeroy in this deck as it's often a dead draw. Maybe try out an Argent Commander or even a Lava Burst if you want a great finisher (1 less damage but go through taunt and can also serves to remove) or Earth Elemental if you have one ^^
You actualy find yourself the "perfect" replacement for it. Just on a side note, you'll lack some mid game consistancy (Cairne is really solid and thalnos allows for some smooth Lightning Storm), however your burst potential will go crazy. I used to play Leeroy plus windfury in this deck before getting al'akir and doomhammer and that was not rare to burst at 24 damage or more xD I also recommand you to switch out the Doomhammer for a Stormforged Axe as you have enough win condition with your version and that will makes up for the lack of Thalnos and helps you removing early threats ;) You can also replace a Mana Tide for a Gadgetzan Auctioneer to help with the mid game and the lack of Cairne.
Yeah off course, I used to play Ragnaros before crafting Al'Akir, that is prefectly fine ( Al'Akir allows you for some better finish out of nowhere and benefits from both Rockbiter and Flametongue ). I'd prefer Rag over Ysera tho ;) The only thing is that you won't benefit that much of the insane burst potential of shaman running only Doomhammer + rockbiter =/ But I think that it is still fine as the deck is control oriented, Rag is always good in those decks ;) You may as well try a version including the spell Windfury for those fancy finish although it is a bit outdated compare to this version i guess ^^
I used to play Wild Pyro + Hunter's Mark as well in an older version, but it was a bit more agressive variant of the deck and i felt that it kinda lock too much slot for the thing that I was trying to achieve. But yeah, that's definitely a good alternative, I think i'd get rid of The Black Knight and a deadly shot or two in this regard but you also have to side out a few other card that I really like (maybe Snake Trap/Mukla) ^^
As for the legendaries, I think that only Leeroy is a must have for the deck and cannot find a decent enough replacement (I guess Abomination should do fine). I added Mukla very recently after getting him in a pack and felt great about throwing him down in the mid game with board control or just freezing trap (to ensure bananas are not a downside anymore). The Black Knight was my final addition to the deck as I felt the deck was almost always going mid/late game and big taunts are kinda meta right now, but adding Hunter's Mark/Kill Command/Ironbeak Owl should really do fine as well ;)
As i explained in the write up, this deck doesnt intend to be fast, actually you are more "controlling" the board and go for big mid-late game threats more like a Shaman would do. The hero power is used to do constant damage and is especially painful in the late game as you take out a bigger percentage of their remaining health (because they have less you know ^^) The removal which you are talking about are more suited for a rushdown playstyle where you just pressure the opponent constantly, but in this one you are more of a mid range deck so using two cards (hunter's mark + wild boar) to get rid of a taunt doesnt feel great as you will lose on card advantage (don't get me wrong, it is really ok for the aggro style of hunter, but not much for this one). For the same reason, the owl doesnt achieve much as it doesnt actually remove the minions, in this deck, you are as much concerned by a simple 5/5 and a 5/5 taunt. So The Black Knight kills that creature while also giving you a great body. The deadly shots are really especially helpful vs druid (how many druid of the claw i've killed with this xD) or decks that just plays big minions turn after turn, not to mention that the freezing trap and your constant working on removing small threats helps ensuring that it remains only the big minion on the board. As for Kill Command vs the Tiger, just put it that way : Kill command is always going to do maximum 5 damage (or even less if you can't keep a beast on the board), Tiger is going to do at least 5 and often more because it is a creature so it stays on board after hitting if not dealt with (moreover, his stealth ensure that you can use it and that you have a target for houndmaster). To conclude I'll try the explain you the difference between those hunter archetypes : Hearthstone is a game where you care about 3 ressources basically : Health (as you win by reducing the opponent health to 0), Card Advantage (that's what Controls deck try to achieve), and Tempo (usualy Mid Range deck are focused around that). The Rushdown hunter only focus on the health aspect, while this deck care more about the whole thing (and especialy Tempo, because your hero power kinda makes up for a card advantage or health loss).
So, no the deck isnt that fast (although i sometimes pulled off some nasty kill on turn 6 or 7 with good draws and no good answers from my opponent) but that doesnt prevent it from winning as it is not its concern ;) I hope i've helped you understand the mechanic of the deck, as it is not the common playstyle of hunter ^^
0
Hi guys I'm Spark and Shaman is one of my favorite classes, I just love the overload cards and the general gameplay of this class. I feel that it is pretty good against many situations and you often have good answers to your opponents play.
This is a Midrange deck, an archetype that I find pretty effective to climb so ladder because of its versatility. This one has a really good control on the board thanks to all the Shaman spells as well as a good finishing burst potential with Al'Akir the Windlord or Doomhammer combined with Rockbiter Weapon or Flametongue Totem in case of Al'Akir. I do not run the spell Windfury as those gives more consistancy to the deck when it comes to controlling the board.
It is pretty effective against other Midrange decks, especially Druid, and is pretty painful for many aggro decks with the good draws ;) Be careful about Hunters and Warrior as they are your primaries counters ^^
Here are some cards that could find use in the deck with some adjustments (especially if you don't own Al'Akir the Windlord and Doomhammer) : Argent Squire, Windfury, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Argent Commander
I highly recommand to check the writeup that I made for the deck to understand my choices.
Don't forget to rate it up if you liked and don't hesitate to post on this thread or in the comment section of the deck if you have any question ;)
Thread about my decks : http://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/general-deck-building/8726-sparks-road-to-legend-decks-dissection
My other decks : http://www.hearthpwn.com/members/Sparkaz/decks
0
Hi guys I'm Spark and Hunter is probably my favorite class, I just love the background of this class (sound, design etc..) and it's the first class that I brought to lvl 60. The deck that I want to present you is my Midrange deck which seems to gain in popularity recently. This Modern Hunter build, as I like to call it, makes use of all the valuable Hunter cards to threaten the opponent life while not allowing him to get out of control.
As you can see, the deck is not based around rushing the opponent's face all day long, and instead focus more and controling the tempo of the game and the opponent's board.
The standard combo Starving Buzzard into Unleash the Hounds allows you to punish the opponent for overextending, while other threats and the very nature of Hunter doesn't allow him to slowplay the game. Savannah Highmane is certainly one of my favorite card in the game and is used pretty efficiently in this deck.
The deck is pretty consistent since you have many draws to ensure you can pull off the combos you want and the late game power increase the flexibility of the deck against slow match ups compared to the rushdown variant.
The climbing may not be as fast as with a rushdown deck but the deck is more enjoyable to play and as the advantage of being really flexible against a lot of Match ups, so i definitely recommand you to try it ;)
Leeroy Jenkins is kind of unique for the Hunter (mainly for its synergy with Unleash the Hounds) but is not really mandatory even tho I think it increases the winrate slightly, you can probably use an Eaglehorn Bow, Stampeding Kodo, Tundra Rhino or Stranglethorn Tiger while working on it.
I highly recommand to check the writeup that I made to understand the mechanics of the deck.
Don't forget to rate it up if you liked and don't hesitate to post on this thread or in the comment section of the deck if you have any question ;)
Thread about my decks : http://www.hearthpwn.com/forums/hearthstone-general/general-deck-building/8726-sparks-road-to-legend-decks-dissection
My other decks : http://www.hearthpwn.com/members/Sparkaz/decks
0
My favorites decks to deal with those Handlock :
You generaly can get rid of their taunt easily while bursting them with one of your combo
Those four giants are not gonna be a problem with this one =)
And the last one : any rushdown hunter that runs Hunter's Mark x2 and Ironbeak Owl x1-2
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I'll just link you my Midrange hunter build here
As you can see there are some legendaries involved in it but many of them can be replaced ;)
I only consider Leeroy Jenkins mandatory but you can still play without him if you don't own him ;)
The Black Knight and King Mukla can be replaced with some sort of control like Kill Command, Hunter's Mark or Ironbeak Owl.
The one of Snake Trap is also not necessary to make the deck works, so you can put in your Scavenging Hyena or something like that ;)
0
Legendaries are not mandatory to win in this game ... Plus you can easily get a daily pack by playing a bit every day
So really, no the game is not pay to win
You can make legend by using a deck costing 1720 dust with no legendary or epic in it, example below :
You should really reconsider the way you are playing hearthstone if you think it is pay to win ;)
0
Yeah i could see use of that, in fact, I already saw some run some in it last season.
The thing is that you already have 6 3-drop which is really enough, plus the divine shield of your minions is always going to help you trading (and Scarlet Crusader becomes pretty useless after the shield gets popped). Anyway, if you really mind on playing a Blood Knight in this one, I would definitely recommand switching out one Shattered Sun Cleric for this purpose ;)
0
Ahah glad you enjoy this one bro ;)
1
Introduction
Hi guys, I'm Spark and I wanted to share you the decks that I used this season to get to Legend =)
Here, I'll explain briefly my choices and present you the decklists. I highly recommand you to check the links to get to the deck descriptions, read my write up and understand why I used those cards. Don't forget to rate it up and feel free to ask any question in the comment section or in this thread ;)
I'll also link you the specific thread associated with each deck for those who want to interact on a specific class. I'll suggest some card replacements for people lacking some cards and would also be pleased to hear about your feedback.
Hunter : Beasty Tactics (Mid Range)
Hunter is probably my favorite class, I just love the background of this class (sound, design etc..) and it's the first class that I brought to lvl 60. So I used a rushdown deck a bit to climb some ranks faster, but the one that I want to present you is my Midrange deck which seems to gain in popularity recently. This Modern Hunter build, as I like to call it, makes use of all the valuable Hunter cards to threaten the opponent life while not allowing him to get out of control.
As you can see, the deck is not based around rushing the opponent's face all day long, and instead focus more and controling the tempo of the game and the opponent's board.
The standard combo [card]Starving Buzzard[/card] into Unleash the Hounds allows you to punish the opponent for overextending, while other threats and the very nature of Hunter doesn't allow him to slowplay the game. Savannah Highmane is certainly one of my favorite card in the game and is used pretty efficiently here.
This deck is pretty consistent since you have many draws to ensure you can pull off the combos you want and the late game power increases the flexibility of the deck against slow match ups compared to the rushdown variant.
The climbing may not be as fast as with a rushdown deck but this deck is definitely more enjoyable to play and have the advantage of being really flexible against a lot of Match ups, so i definitely recommand you to try it ;)
Shaman : Naya Overload (Mid Range)
My second favorite is Shaman, I just love the overload cards and the general gameplay of this class. I feel that it is pretty good against many situations and you often have good answers to your opponents play.
Again this is a Midrange deck, an archetype that I find pretty effective to climb so ladder because of its versatility. This one has a really good control on the board thanks to all the Shaman spells as well as a good finishing burst potential with Al'Akir the Windlord or Doomhammer combined with Rockbiter Weapon or Flametongue Totem in case of Al'Akir. I do not run the spell Windfury as those gives more consistancy to the deck when it comes to controlling the board.
It is pretty effective against other Midrange decks, especially Druid, and is pretty painful for many aggro decks with the good draws ;) Be careful about Hunters and Warrior as they are your primaries counters.
Rogue : Tempo Rogue (Mid Range)
Rogue is one of the first classes that I used, and I've been working on this deck since a really long time. I finally found the tweaks that I like for this deck and definitely recommand you to check it for its niche choices.
The advantage of this one is that you have the edge over other midrange decks that focuses more on early/mid game thanks to your mid/late game threats, so you'll often win the mirror match if the opponent is playing a standard list ;)
It is really good against aggro rushdown decks thanks to our early control plus board presence, but can find some issues against big controls decks if they make it to very late game dealing with all of your threats. However, you'll generally beat them before that happen. It is really versatile and I often find myself playing it when I don't really know about what i'll be facing in the day's meta ;)
Warrior : Legendary Control (Control)
This one is at the top of the meta right know, this is the most controlish deck that you can find and it is really good against Midrange and aggro decks, and many of the others control decks.
As you can see, the list is pretty standard and i especially recommand it for higher rank, since people are more enclined to play slower decks ;)
The deck is teched to do well against Aggro decks as there is many Zoo but you can try your own iterations for a slower and more late game oriented version.
Warlock : Demonic Zoo (Aggro)
For our final deck, we got the cheapest, but still pretty efficient, aggro deck around : Zoo Warlock. I made some tweaks to the popular version of this deck to adjust to my preferences.
The funny thing about this deck is that it is pretty cheap and still can climb the ladder at a huge speed for you, Blood Knight can be replaced easily if your working on a low budget (see the related Thread for some cards consideration). Don't get fooled by the archetype tho, the goal is not to get to the face constantly but instead using your early board presence to control the board and makes the trade that are favorable to you while burning the opponent down ;) Really great and fast at all ranks.
Conclusion
That's it for my choices this season, I hope it will help you to get to legend too ;)
I insist on the fact the you should read the writeups that I made to help you understand the mechanics of the decks, especially for the decks that are kinda niche. I'll also keep updating them as the season goes on if any changes are needed and maybe improve the description with card choice and match up sections.
Don't forget to rate it up if you liked and also don't hesitate to post on the comment section if you have anything to ask or say about it ;)
Thanks for reading =)
0
I don't really recommand playing a "naked" Leeroy in this deck as it's often a dead draw. Maybe try out an Argent Commander or even a Lava Burst if you want a great finisher (1 less damage but go through taunt and can also serves to remove) or Earth Elemental if you have one ^^
0
You actualy find yourself the "perfect" replacement for it. Just on a side note, you'll lack some mid game consistancy (Cairne is really solid and thalnos allows for some smooth Lightning Storm), however your burst potential will go crazy. I used to play Leeroy plus windfury in this deck before getting al'akir and doomhammer and that was not rare to burst at 24 damage or more xD
I also recommand you to switch out the Doomhammer for a Stormforged Axe as you have enough win condition with your version and that will makes up for the lack of Thalnos and helps you removing early threats ;)
You can also replace a Mana Tide for a Gadgetzan Auctioneer to help with the mid game and the lack of Cairne.
0
Yeah off course, I used to play Ragnaros before crafting Al'Akir, that is prefectly fine ( Al'Akir allows you for some better finish out of nowhere and benefits from both Rockbiter and Flametongue ). I'd prefer Rag over Ysera tho ;)
The only thing is that you won't benefit that much of the insane burst potential of shaman running only Doomhammer + rockbiter =/ But I think that it is still fine as the deck is control oriented, Rag is always good in those decks ;) You may as well try a version including the spell Windfury for those fancy finish although it is a bit outdated compare to this version i guess ^^
0
Yeah xD One of my most effective deck for a ridiculous crafting cost (and no use of Legendaries or Epics so eligible for limited also ^^)
0
I used to play Wild Pyro + Hunter's Mark as well in an older version, but it was a bit more agressive variant of the deck and i felt that it kinda lock too much slot for the thing that I was trying to achieve. But yeah, that's definitely a good alternative, I think i'd get rid of The Black Knight and a deadly shot or two in this regard but you also have to side out a few other card that I really like (maybe Snake Trap/Mukla) ^^
As for the legendaries, I think that only Leeroy is a must have for the deck and cannot find a decent enough replacement (I guess Abomination should do fine). I added Mukla very recently after getting him in a pack and felt great about throwing him down in the mid game with board control or just freezing trap (to ensure bananas are not a downside anymore). The Black Knight was my final addition to the deck as I felt the deck was almost always going mid/late game and big taunts are kinda meta right now, but adding Hunter's Mark/Kill Command/Ironbeak Owl should really do fine as well ;)
0
As i explained in the write up, this deck doesnt intend to be fast, actually you are more "controlling" the board and go for big mid-late game threats more like a Shaman would do. The hero power is used to do constant damage and is especially painful in the late game as you take out a bigger percentage of their remaining health (because they have less you know ^^)
The removal which you are talking about are more suited for a rushdown playstyle where you just pressure the opponent constantly, but in this one you are more of a mid range deck so using two cards (hunter's mark + wild boar) to get rid of a taunt doesnt feel great as you will lose on card advantage (don't get me wrong, it is really ok for the aggro style of hunter, but not much for this one). For the same reason, the owl doesnt achieve much as it doesnt actually remove the minions, in this deck, you are as much concerned by a simple 5/5 and a 5/5 taunt. So The Black Knight kills that creature while also giving you a great body. The deadly shots are really especially helpful vs druid (how many druid of the claw i've killed with this xD) or decks that just plays big minions turn after turn, not to mention that the freezing trap and your constant working on removing small threats helps ensuring that it remains only the big minion on the board.
As for Kill Command vs the Tiger, just put it that way : Kill command is always going to do maximum 5 damage (or even less if you can't keep a beast on the board), Tiger is going to do at least 5 and often more because it is a creature so it stays on board after hitting if not dealt with (moreover, his stealth ensure that you can use it and that you have a target for houndmaster).
To conclude I'll try the explain you the difference between those hunter archetypes : Hearthstone is a game where you care about 3 ressources basically : Health (as you win by reducing the opponent health to 0), Card Advantage (that's what Controls deck try to achieve), and Tempo (usualy Mid Range deck are focused around that). The Rushdown hunter only focus on the health aspect, while this deck care more about the whole thing (and especialy Tempo, because your hero power kinda makes up for a card advantage or health loss).
So, no the deck isnt that fast (although i sometimes pulled off some nasty kill on turn 6 or 7 with good draws and no good answers from my opponent) but that doesnt prevent it from winning as it is not its concern ;)
I hope i've helped you understand the mechanic of the deck, as it is not the common playstyle of hunter ^^