Scalise’s Sessions: Dragon Warrior

Introduction

Welcome back to the classroom. While I took a brief hiatus for the release of Mean Streets, I wanted to once again revive Scalise’s Sessions now that the new meta is a little more settled (if not ever-shifting). There are quite a few popular decks running around the ladder right now, and almost all of them have a lot of potential. There are many different cores I could have broken down this week, but one of the most interesting to me is the new Dragon Warrior. This is because the deck is a hybrid that sits between midrange and aggro, which means it is not easy to play and gives many interesting choices. In addition, it is also one of the best lists for the current ladder because of how well it fights the spread.

The Deck

There are a ton of Dragon Warrior lists out there right now, but my favorite of the ones I have seen is the list Arancor recently took to the orange diamond. This is because the choices seem very tight, and it works as a nice blend of extreme aggro and solid midrange. You have enough early game and burst cards to punish people for awkward draws, but you also have enough mid and late game punch that you aren’t just dead if something goes wrong early on. A big issue of Dragon Warrior is a lack of comeback cards, and I think this version fixes that quite well.

Building Dragon Warrior is not easy because there are so many options at your disposal. While the pirate package is always going to be there, I believe that you still want to pack the high-end of the curve. Aggro is very popular these days, but there are also a lot of slower decks that will decimate your fast openings in various ways. Going all-in is just not the way to play right now, and this deck has enough of a spread to make it on ladder. While you can tweak those numbers (as outlined later on) I believe balancing your fast and slow elements is essential right now.

Early Game

As you can imagine, the start of this game is very important. Not just because you are going to need priority to fight aggressive decks, but also because you need to get your curve going as soon as possible. While you have your share of late-game punch, you are still an aggressive deck at heart. That means damage (or at least the threat of damage) is going to be key. Do your best to pressure your opponent here. If facing aggro that means controlling the board, and against control it means going face.

Understand how to use your early threats. The pirate package is very good at putting on pressure, but it can also be a great way to pace the early turns and set up your mid-game. The same goes with both Faerie Dragon and Alexstrasza’s Champion. As a result, if you have a slower hand you should use those minions to pace the game, and if you have damage you should try and just go the aggro route.

Turn three is perhaps going to be your most important because both Fierce Monkey and Frothing Berserker can let your steal the board and take priority from your opponent. These are the two cards you want to work hard to play into, especially if you open with pirates. While each of these are lackluster when you’re behind, they can steal one if you’re ahead.

Note that Fiery War Axe is almost always going to be used for board control, but it also can do some serious damage. Six damage for three is nothing to scoff at, and if you have other weapons at your disposal do not be afraid to hack away at your opponent’s face.

Middle Game

The middle of this game is the most important because it is where your deck transitions to your real minions. Your whole game plan is built around being able to bridge the gap between early aggression and strong end-game, and this is where that happens. Try your best to control the board and then use that control to get in hits. Damage is going to be there, but you are the style of deck that values being able to gain priority. Once you have it you don’t want to let it go.

On the other hand, if you start out with blinding speed, you can also use these turns to try and end the game. Cards like Kor’kron Elite and Arcanite Reaper can stack up pressure, especially when your early minions get in damage. Always read your hand and count up possible ways to lethal.

Do not be afraid to play cards for bodies rather than value. This is something that I preach all the time, but there are many games and many situations where playing a threat is just better than saving a minion. That goes double in a deck like this because pressure is so important. Holding back something can be a good way to lose games, especially if you are in control.

Another big part of these turns is getting your opponent to fifteen. A 9/9 Drakonid Crusher will likely eat hard removal (if not your opponent’s board) and that sets up your end game extremely well.

Late Game

This part of the game is going to be all about the finishers. Despite some key differences, this deck largely operates in the same vein of the old Dragon Warrior builds. As such, any game where you start out slow or your opponent answers your threats you need to play hard to your legendaries and big-bodied threats.

Most of the time, if you make it to these turns your opponent is going to be at low amounts of health. This means you need to really strive to get damage anyway that you possibly can. It is also important to understand that your opponent is going to be scared of your burst. Take advantage of that by hitting them hard, which will then make them worry about the board. This is especially useful against midrange decks.

Deathwing is perhaps one of your best end-game cards when played into the right situation. Understand your opponent’s removal and count every way they can possibly answer the dragon. You only want to pull the trigger on the 12/12 if you are either an immense amount of pressure, or if your opponent absolutely cannot answer it. The game is almost always going to end a turn or two after the

Matchups

A breakdown of the most popular matchups in the game.

Pirate Warrior

You are favored in this match, but only slightly so. While you come equipped with both taunts and strong late game minions, Pirate can win the early board over you. In addition, they also have a ton of out-of-hand burst damage that can overwhelm you if you aren’t careful. Warrior is a deck that wants to largely ignore the board, and you want to work to make them care about it. A lot of this game is also going to happen during the first two turns. The patches package is equally strong on both sides (as are the weapons) but all that matters is who has something down come turn three. Work very hard to get the board and use whatever resources you have to clear.

The two most important elements of this matchup are pressure and taunts. If you can ever make pirate blink (force them to worry more about their own health than killing you) you should be able to coast into your big threats. In that same vein, if you get into a tight race and then slam down The Curator, a Twilight Guardian or Fierce Monkey out of nowhere it will largely end this one. Like Zoo, you are a fast deck that has an advantage in the aggro mirrors because of your taunts. Take advantage of that, and always do your best to put up a wall the turn before your opponent plays an on-curve charge minion or equips an Arcanite Reaper.

Note: Be aware of when you put your opponent to twelve health. There is no reason to give them six burn damage unless you really need to stack up pressure.

Aggro Shaman

This is a matchup where your whole focus should be to win the board (which then allows you to pack in damage). Today’s Aggro Shaman loves to play big minions, which it uses to gain priority and tempo their opponent out of the game. Not only do they have the usual suspects of Totem Golem and Tunnel Trogg, but they also run Flamewreathed Faceless and the Jade Golem package. That is a lot of cheap, over-statted minions that take large chunks out of your life. To fight this, it is important to push hard against Thrall and never allow him to get comfortable. Shaman can control the board for a while, but they will rapidly fall behind (even with Jade Golems) if you keep supplying a constant stream of threats.

Treat this game like a race. While it is ok to sit back and play slow against many classes, Shaman can get out of hand much too quickly. Not only do they have the ability to flood the board out of nowhere, but one or two of their minions can instantly turn into eight or ten damage in the blink of an eye. As such, you want to be very aggressive with your plays and only spend time clearing big minions that can value trade into your own. This then forces Shaman to use burn out your board, which is a position they never want to be in. As when playing pirate, you also want to try to make use of your taunts and set them up against any weapons you might find.

Dragon Priest

I would say this is probably going to be your most 50/50 matchup out there. Priest, like you, is a deck that largely depends on over-statted midrange threats to win the game. However, where they have a ton of health and removal spells, you have damage. The way to play this game is to control the board and prepare to go long. There are going to be times where you can simply rush your opponent down, but this is usually going to be slow. That may not always be good, but it often works in your favor because your end game is usually better than Priests. Your whole plan should be to slowly grind your opponent down on threats and steadily run them out of cards. It is also important to play around AOE. Most Dragon Priests have cut Dragonfire Potion, but you should still respect it if possible. Never overextend when you’re already ahead on board.

As strong Priest’s minions are, the current versions have very few ways to deal with big threats. This means if you get them low early and then begin to slam giant minion after giant minion they should crumble. Deathwing can be a great surprise if they are out of Shadow Word: Deaths (count them throughout the game) but even an unanswered Drakonid Crusher can wrap things up. Also note that Priest has no good way of dealing with The Curator, so playing out the 4/6 puts them in a very tricky situation. Finally, try and see Ragnaros the Firelord as a removal spell more than a threat. He is almost always going to die, but if he kills something first than that is fine.

Miracle Rogue

As tempo oriented as your cards lend themselves to be, when you are facing Rogue you need to be as aggressive as possible. This matchup is favored, but only if you can constantly keep Rogue on their heels and make it so they never have a chance to breathe. You are never going to beat their combo. However, you can fight that by taking them off of their curve and forcing them play spells instead of minions. Almost all of Rogue’s mid-game threats are strong, but your deck threatens much more damage. That, compiled with the fact that Valeera has no healing and no taunts, means you are almost always going to be in the driver’s seat. Use that to your advantage and don’t be afraid to bluff damage in order to force your opponent into a bad play.

If the game goes long and you have Deathwing in this matchup your goal should be to just survive until turn ten. Rogue can do almost nothing about the 12/12, and it will likely end the game on the spot if you have enough health to live through their next-turn burst. On that note, it is also important to constantly watch out for your opponent’s burst. Rogue does not have many ways to get in hits, but if they do get a minion to stick they can really put the hurt on with Cold Blood into burn damage. Never underestimate your hero power, which can help you stay above Rogue’s damage cap, and always try to put up taunts when you think your opponent won’t have an answer. Even something as simple as Fierce Monkey can make your opponent work to set up Leeroy Jenkins, which then buys you extra time to pressure.

Renolock

Renolock is another matchup where you are favored only if you are aggressive. There is no deck in the game (with the exception of Reno Mage) that can stand up to Renolock in the later stages of the game, so you generally want them to be in a Reno-or-bust situation come turn six. If not that, then you want them to fall into Twisting Nether or bust by turn eight. The reason you are so favored in this game is that Renolock depends on a lot of strong AOE and spot removal to take down their opponents. However, not only do your threats actively resist AOE (try running Hellfire into a Frothing Berserker) but you pack so many large creatures that they won’t be able to do much if they have to spend a lot of resources dealing with your mid-game curve. This game is all about damage, and you need to allocate all of your resources towards going face. Renolock loves to tap, and if you can start to work that system to your advantage this should be over quickly. Do not try to go long here, mulligan for low drops and make your opponent answer your threats.

Tip and Tricks

Unless you are specifically looking for a way to quickly set up lethal, you should always take Lifetap with Sir Finley Mrrgglton. Warlock’s hero power does a lot for a deck like this one because it gives you a way to smooth out your curve or any awkward draws. Damage is going to be king sometimes, but it just isn’t as valuable here.

Do not be afraid to make strange or sub-par trades in order to set up a giant Frothing Berserker. The three drop is one of your best early threats, and if can hit hard removal you should almost always be able to take the end game.

Be careful about tipping your opponent off to whether or not you have a dragon in your hand. For instance, putting down your Twilight Guardian after your Azure Drake. That shows your opponent you have another dragon (and minion) at your disposal. Just reverse the order of play.

Keep a constant eye on putting your opponent to fifteen health. That is very easy to see when you have Drakonid Crusher in hand, but you can forget about it when the six drop isn’t available. Sometimes it can also be a good idea to keep a Reno deck above fifteen so they won’t heal until you’ve already triggered and played the 9/9.

If you have Ragnaros the Firelord in hand it is often a good idea to play to him. The 8/8 is one of the strongest game-enders around, especially for a deck that can play both aggressive and midrange variants. If you are ahead when you play him the game is almost always going to be over. Run out threats and liberally use removal to get an empty board by turn eight, especially if your opponent is low on health.

When playing Deathwing you want to do it when you can best catch your opponent off guard. The 12/12 is game-ending in a lot of situations, but there are many cases where he can easily be dealt with. Strive hard to force out any removal your opponent might come up with if you think you’re going to need the world destroyer.

Mulligan Guide

As with any curve-based list, you need to work hard to set up your early game. Look for all of your low cost cards first, and then try to keep slower ones based on how they slot into the game plan. If you manage to get started on turn one and two you will be fine, but if you get caught with slow minions you will usually just get run over.

Must Keeps:

N’zoth’s First Mate Sir Finley Mrrgglton Small-Time Buccaneer Alexstrasza’s Champion Faerie Dragon Fiery War Axe

Situational Keeps:

Fierce Monkey and Frothing Berserker can both be kept with the coin or a solid opening.

Kor’kron Elite is a good keep against a slower deck when you have the curve and the coin.

Twilight Guardian should always be kept on curve.

Replacements

As tight as I believe this deck is, there are a few tweaks you can make to it to better fit your play style. One of the biggest is cutting some of the one-of’s to mold more into one style. For instance, cutting The Curator for Leeroy Jenkins or taking out Arcanite Reaper for another big threat.

Fierce Monkey is a card that can be exchanged for any tech card you might want access to. The 3/4 is very good on-curve, but it exists to counter aggro and that is not always as needed as certain silver bullets (i.e Acidic Swamp Ooze).

There is also probably room to go down to one Faerie Dragon if you feel like you need more proactive cards. The 3/2 is strong, but there are other strong cards that you can include if you want to up the curve.

In terms of end-game finishers, you can freely alter them to fight against whatever you are currently seeing. I believe that Ragnaros, the Firelord is essential, but Deathwing can be changed quite freely. You usually want some type of late-game value dragon in his spot, so things like Nefarian and Ysera work quite well. Grommash Hellscream can work too if you need some extra burst.

Conclusion

Well, we’re back in class a little early than most, but that’s ok. Though it is not quite as popular as other lists right now, I believe that Dragon Warrior is absolutely one of the best decks around. Aggro has always had a strong hold in the meta, and aggro-midrange is even better because it can actively fight back against slower decks. This feels good to play and is a lot of fun to pilot. I hope you enjoyed the session. Give me feedback and, until next time, may you always have a wonderful year.

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