MUA: C’Thun Warrior vs N’Zoth Warrior

Control Warrior matchups are quite difficult to handle and there are plenty of complex turns and strategies that need to be kept in mind when playing with cthun and nzoth-the-corruptor as win conditions in Control Warrior. Both archetypes have their own benefits and slight differences in winrate against a lot of decks, however when it comes to facing each other in an Old God versus Old God battle, even though C’thun Warrior is heavily favored, you need to pilot it correctly to tip the matchup in your favor.

With the right tools to out-value your opponent, C’thun Warrior is more likely to win the matchup by a long shot but it does not mean you get to lay back and take the matchup too casually despite having the upper hand. One of the newer builds of N’zoth Warrior by Fibonacci, the most decorated Control Warrior player in the game, includes two copies of Twilight Summoner. It makes a massive difference in the matchup and the 5/5s out of the Deathrattle can generate some crazy value. Managing your removals efficiently is a must and you do not want to get beaten down by your opponent in a favorable matchup.

Mulligans

High Priority

• cthuns-chosen
• Beckoner of Evil
• Fiery War Axe

Medium Priority

• Emperor Thaurissan
• Justicar Trueheart

Tips and Strategy

• The Coin is one of the most important elements in the matchup. If you manage to get the coin, then you have a lot more to think about and it also opens up various facets to seal the game. One of the most important uses of The Coin is the ability to get double the Battlecry damage out of C’thun when you drop him with Brann Bronzebeard. If you manage to pressure the N’zoth Warrior enough, you will be able to end the game on the spot.

If they do manage to get out of your burst range, you can also use the Coin to combo Brann with Doomcaller and get 2 copies of C’thun back into your deck. It is one of the best ways to counter fatigue in the matchup since you have the ability to have thirty-two cards in your deck this way while Elise Starseeker is the only way they can get a one card fatigue advantage. While the one count of fatigue damage might not seem much at first glance, it can mean the difference between a win and a loss in such matchups.

• Sylvanas Windrunner is the biggest threat to your game plan and the only way to counter the Doomcaller plan is if your opponent manages to steal it or transform it in any way. Make sure that you consider a Sylvanas Windrunner and Shield Slam combo to steal your C’thun when you play C’thun. Since you have access to Sylvanas and Shield Slam yourself too, you might consider keeping a backup plan to get C’thun back in case it’s stolen and you can’t do much to avoid it.

Tinkmaster Overspark is run in fringe cases as well and it’s necessary to get a read on your opponent, but the likelihood of getting your C’thun transformed is not too likely since Tinkmaster is not particularly popular at the moment and it’s often used as a tech card in tournament play for the most part.

• Since keeping Sylvanas and Shield Slam for yourself to steal back your C’thun in the event your Old God is stolen is not particularly feasible and too situational, you should opt in for the a C’thun and Shield Slam play with an Emperor Thaurissan discount, allowing you to play both the cards in one turn. This guarantees that you can get 2 copies of your C’thun back no matter what once you play Brann and Doomcaller.

• Negating your opponent’s N’zoth value is something you should look forward to. As I mentioned earlier, the Coin is extremely valuable and you can either choose to use Sylvanas for stealing enemy deathrattle minions and stealing them to deny N’zoth from getting the maximum battlecry value. But you can also choose to play Sylvanas and Brawl in the same turn to shut down their board presence in the lategame. Due to the popularity of Twilight Summoner in current Warrior decks, the value of this play has diminished a bit since they will be able to retain some board presence. Nonetheless, countering N’zoth and Sylvanas are extremely crucial to your victory.

• Use the first copy of your Brawl very wisely and you should use it only when you are heavily pressured. Saving both copies of the AoE is very much possible since they generally develop one threat at a time and your spot removals should be able to deal with them quite efficiently. If you manage to save both copies of Brawl then dealing  with N’zoth becomes a lot easier in the matchup since you can just play both Brawls and they lose almost all  of their board and the deathrattles get dealt with efficiently as well.

• Drawing in the matchup should be minimized as much as possible unless you desperately need removal for threats that you can’t answer efficiently with your current hand. Fatigue is one of the major factors in the matchup and ordering your cards like Slam or efficient usage of cards like Shield Block is a must.

One tip you can pick up from pros is saving your Acolyte of Pain and forcing Sylvanas Windrunner to steal it to force some fatigue damage. You should do this only when you know it’s going to make a big enough impact. Since Acolyte of Pain is most likely going to be a dead card in your deck and you won’t play unless you absolutely need to, feeding it to the enemy is one of the considerations you can have at the back of your head.

Conclusion

Hope you guys find the tips useful and do better in the matchup. It is one of the easier matchups for C’thun Warrior but playing it correctly is quite difficult. Justicar Trueheart is a key card in the matchup and you want to maximize on the armor gain to ensure you do not end up losing in fatigue due to poor armor gain. Plan your turns and try to identify your win condition to get the most out the matchup. If you’d like to offer any insight on anything I missed out, feel free to let me know in the comments below!