Hearthpwn

New legendaries Genn Greymane and Baku the Mooneater have encouraged players to think about deck-building in entirely new ways, admittedly more than I expected. Odd and Even lists of aggressive and midrange Paladin have shined in the new meta, though Warlock’s steadfast dominance keeps that meta from shifting to something altogether new. Control Warrior and Face Hunter — some of the oldest archetypes in Hearthstone — have even returned to our collective consciousness. Odd Taunt Warrior really happened.

The meta seems to be settling a bit around these and a few more familiar decks, but new archetypes constantly threaten to upend our understanding of ladder dynamics. The meta often constitutes a rock-paper-scissor game skewed toward Paladin one day, changing to reflect a similar standoff the next. Warlock, of course, holds its own through most combinations of thirty cards. A few have threatened Guldan's reign on ladder. We have seen Shudderwock Shaman rise and fall from grace and Face Hunter race through the early days of The Witchwood, while Quest Rogue now seems a sure-fire pick to wade through an ocean of Warlocks. As these decks challenge Cubelock, and others challenge them, the ladder once again feels like a game of chance.

Destroy the Tokens!

Kibler assessed the meta over last weekend and brought to play Monday an archetype we all theorized about but haven’t seen much since the rotation: Rush Warrior. Veteran players will recall a time when Dragon Warrior dominated the meta. The tempo deck was a close cousin to Rush Warrior, using powerful (now Wild-only) Dragon tribal synergies to trigger cards like Alexstrasza’s Champion to operate like The Witchwood’s Rush minions. The idea that sparked Rush Warrior (in general, not necessarily Kibler’s list) is to use Rush minions in a Tempo Warrior shell that dictates trades immediately. In this way, it’s good against aggressive decks, which rely on squeezing value out of low-cost minions with buffs and the like. Denying that provides a huge advantage, but the biggest appeal is Blood Razor versus a meta full of Paladins. Destroying the Odd variant's tokens four turns throughout the game helps stifle pressure, steal tempo, and develop an overwhelming board.

Most versions of Rush Warrior use the entire suite of Warrior cards with the new mechanic. Curving out with Town Crier, Woodcutter's Axe, and either Rabid Worgen or Redband Wasp will be ideal, but curve or not you have plenty of early game, and the Rush mechanic makes losing initial tempo not so bad. Darius Crowley stands out, operating first to provide efficient trades, but quickly becoming a threat to the opponent’s life total if left unchecked. Don’t try to find a substitute for him, nor the Frothing Berserkers, which coupled with Blood Razor in this meta can win games early. Matched against Warlock, mulligan hard for Spellbreaker (and cross your fingers).

There's One for Everybody

With Rush Warrior, Kibler targeted the aggressive Paladin and Rogue decks that populate the high ranks before Legend and, well, it worked. He achieved a high legend rank with a downright ridiculous 80 percent win-rate, but noted frequently that the list wasn’t optimized. Countess Ashmore performed favorably against control decks, but another Spellbreaker would benefit you in the Warlock matchup. The idea of Tempo Warrior using Rush cards to more quickly interact with the board was also an idea that secured an appointment with the Deck Doctor himself: Firebat.

He took the archetype a few different directions with good results. One noteworthy if polarizing experiment: he cut the low-cost spells, added Lesser Mithril Spellstones, and jammed Spiteful Summoner in there. Mind Control Tech made up for the loss of Whirlwind and Slam.

It’s a testament to the flexibility of the archetype and the power of the Rush mechanic in this meta that so many variations found success. As with all tempo decks, of course, curving out is good. But an armory's-worth of weapons coupled with Rush minions' penchant for stealing tempo translates to a gameplay experience that feels smoother than others. As long as these aggressive decks remain in the meta, expect a safe counter in Rush Warrior.