Weekly Legends: Devolve Control Shaman

Introduction

With the exception of this month, I play a lot of Hearthstone. So much that I have a very good idea of how to play every class and just about every single top meta deck. However, while that means I understand the meta and am able to provide the quality content I give to all of you, it also means I can be a bit scattered at times. I’ll spend a lot of time testing and going over a deck, understanding how to play with it, learning its ins and outs, and then I move on. This is a pretty standard pattern that moves me through each week. That being said, every once in a while there is a list or archetype I like so much and that I find so fun I will go back to it over and over again. That also changes from month to month, but since Mean Streets it has been Control Shaman.

Besides the list that I championed in The New Standard, there have been quite a few Legend Control Shaman decks in the past two months. Some run a lot of heavy finishers, some focus on N’zoth interactions (my personal favorite) and some, as we are going to see this week, care about Jade Golems. This weeks list, created by Paradox, is one of the most interesting Control Shaman builds I have come across. The reason is that you have some interesting less-played cards here that allow the deck to play in two different modes. You can go very slow and grind your opponent down, but you can also go hard into the jade plan and overrun your opponent. This week’s deck works a lot like Jade Aggro, except instead of being able to play fast or midrange, you can play midrange or slow, grindy control.

Key Cards

Devolve

There are many staple AOE and removal cards run in Control Shaman (as we’ll see later on) but Devolve is not one of them. In fact, I would say this card is by far the strangest inclusion to this list. Devolve is a very interesting card because it doesn’t really do all that much on its own. Yes, there is a chance you can absolutely cripple your opponent by turning their scary threat into a much-less-scary threat, but most of the time a body is still going to be a body. For instance, making Ragnaros the Firelord and an Azure Drake into a War Golem and Chillwind Yeti doesn’t do that much to stop pressure or prevent damage. That’s simply not what this card is for, and it is important to recognize that.

Rather, the reason Devolve makes the cut is because it makes your other AOE a lot better. Though changing a minion’s mana cost does not do much in the way of taking away damage, it does a great job of lowering their health. This sets them up for things like Lightning Storm and Elemental Destruction without needing to use too many resources. It also helps you limit the pressure of overstatted cards like Twilight Drake or Flamewreathed Faceless without having to use a valuable Hex. While a body is a body, I’d rather face a Mind Control Tech than a 7/7 any day. In addition, the card also does a very good job at limiting deathrattle value, and that should be its primary use. Being able to take away Sylvanas Windrunner, White Eyes, Cairne Bloodhoof can be very powerful and help keep the board clean for your Jade Golems.

Note: If you have absolutely no outs and your opponent has a three drop do not be afraid to try and Devolve their board to turn it into a Doomsayer.

Brann Bronzebeard

While always solid, Brann Bronzebeard is absolutely amazing in this list. Being able to get two Jade Golem triggers (even if it’s only going to happen once) is so strong that it will completely take over the board in any situation (especially because Brann has to be killed immediately). It can even outright win you the game in some scenarios. The dwarf has always been good with any battlecry, and this deck’s battlecries are extremely important to the overall win condition. With Jade Golems you just want to use the three drop to get one trigger (and set up any tempo if you can). You don’t really need to worry about anything beyond that. That being said, you do want to try to get two big golems if you can. Brann is going to be your trump card, and getting a 2/2 and a 3/3 is not going to be able to put the finishing touches like a 5/5 and a 6/6. The only exception to that is going to be when you absolutely need to challenge a strong play by your opponent. Also, brann does a very good job of baiting out AOE before you flood again with Aya Blackpaw or Jade Chieftain.

Note: Remember this works with Jade Claws to give you two totem triggers.

Elemental Destruction

While you are a Jade deck (which is inherently midrange by nature) you are a control deck. This is something that is very easy to forget, but you never want to find yourself slipping into a classic midrange battle only to top deck AOE or Healing Wave on the turn where you thought you were going to get a big threat to upkeep your tempo. You will win the long game, and Elemental Destruction is a big part of that plan. While the three cost spell has its drawbacks, one of the biggest advantages of going the Jade route is that you don’t care about your minions because there is always going to be more. As such, being able to nuke a board for three mana is an incredible swing.

Elemental Destruction is a very interesting card because it is very hard to balance. Yes, it has an incredible effect against many popular decks, but it also has that choking five overload that can really set you back (or sometimes lose you the game). If you have Lava Shock you can use it with little to no fear. However, if you don’t have access to shock you only want to pull the trigger when you have three or more mana the next turn (unless of course you’re going to die without a clear). Three is the magic is the number here because that allows you to save yourself from whatever your opponent has next with things like Hex or Healing Wave. Another important aspect of Ele is waiting a turn to pull the trigger. This kills just about every relevant minion in the game, so if you have a good amount of health or healing you shouldn’t be afraid to take one extra hit to catch more things in the blast.

Mana Tide Totem

Tempo. Tempo, tempo, tempo. It is easy to see while Mana Tide Totem is so good in control. The three health is surprisingly hard to take down and it is a body that both stalls and draws you cards. That’s an ace if there ever was one and, though it may seem odd, the three drop is going to be a trump card in a lot of situations because it has no cap. There are many games where you clear the board, grind your opponent out of cards, and then slam this to drown your opponent in value. More Jade Golems is always going to be your finisher, and this is one of the ways you make that happen. It also helps you find that extra heal or removal you need to stay ahead.

The other important part of Mana Tide Totem is that it is also an extremely powerful tempo play, and you need to play it as such. I have said it many times in the past, but the strongest part of this card is the fact that your opponent must absolutely react to it. While they could ignore it, you aren’t going to find very many decks out there that allow you to get more than one card a turn. As a result, you should work hard to play this into situations where it is going to lock down your opponent’s next turn. For example, if you play this against a Druid who has no minions they are going to have to use at least two mana to Wrath it (and possibly four for a Swipe). Look for those openings and do not worry about running this into them. It may just get you one draw, but tying up an opponent’s turn is very strong.

Jinyu Waterspeaker

I have long been an advocate of this card, and for very good reason. Jinyu Waterspeaker has a great effect that is always going to get you value in one way or another. In aggro matchups the extra health is critical to staying alive long enough to actually play your cards, while in control or midrange matchups it can help you keep a minion alive. Both modes do a lot depending on different situations, and that versatility is key in this game. When facing aggro (both Shaman and Pirate) you just need to heal your face. That goes double for Pirate because their weapons really help them put together a strong front against anything that doesn’t have taunt. The only exception to this is when you have a board against Shaman and you want to protect a threat from a burn spell of AOE.

However, when going up against control or midrange this card has various uses. Beyond aggro, the meta largely consists of Miracle Rogue, Renolock, Reno Mage and Jade Druid. All of those decks have burst, but they also don’t like decks that can string together a wide number of threats. As a result, you need to read when you are going to need health and when you just want to advance your board. This is an interesting balance to reach, but something you should always think about. Know the amount of burst your opponent has at any given time and then note if you need to heal up. In addition, it is also important to know that in slower games you can just run this out to get a body onto the board because the health isn’t likely to come into play.

Matchups

The five decks that I see the most when playing ladder.

Miracle Rogue

It’s finally happened. After enough time and enough grinding, Miracle Rogue has reached the top of my list. I see this deck far more than any other archetype in the game, and so it gets the number one slot. When facing down Rogue you want to make sure they can never get a board and that you can properly react to their threats. That may seem pretty obvious, but it is hyper-important against Valeera because the only real burst she has is Leeroy Jenkins, Eviscerate and Cold Blood. Most of the time their Eviscerates are going to be spent on the board, which means if they don’t have minions they are going to have a very hard time killing you from over twenty health. Understand this, and always keep track of their damage potential when figuring out when and how to heal. Do not ever slip into their “could have it” threshold because even if they don’t have lethal, they can usually figure out a way to draw to it.

The other two things to worry about in this game are saving AOE for Conceal and making sure you save your Hex or Devolve for a big threat. Unlike most decks, there are a lot of minions that Rogue runs that get hit extremely hard by being changed into something else. Using Devolve to take away a giant Questing Adventurer or Edwin Vancleef can be destroy their damage, while changing a Tomb Pillager or Gadgetzan Auctioneer wrecks their value. Those small plays will really hurt their overall gameplan, so it is very important to have a set plan for each removal spell in your hand. Hex can also be used on Tomb Pillager to limit coin value. Beyond the spot removal, you want to save Elemental Destruction or Devolve for Conceal at all costs. Pretty much everything your opponent plays can be killed by your other cards, but if you don’t have a plan for stealth you will die.

Aggro Shaman

While things can be tricky if Shaman starts out blazing fast, this is a matchup you should be able to win. To adapt to the new meta, Shaman has become much more minion dependent. While their threats are no doubt incredibly strong, that also makes them quite weak to AOE. Like Rogue, this is a game where you want to work to make sure your opponent never keeps any of their bodies around for more than one turn. Almost all of Shaman’s damage is tied up in their minions (with the exception of a few burn spells) so if you can keep them off the board, you should be able to run away this one. In addition, you also want to work hard to get ahead on board. As Shaman centers around minions, if you can ever put out some solid Jade threats ahead of their curve (or after a clear) you can double them as removal and conserve your other cards.

It is very important to always count your opponent’s spells and weapons to understand the amount of damage they can do at any one time. This is a matchup where you often want to flirt with danger, only using your big heals or large clears on turns where you can get the most value. However, to be able to do that you need to be aware that you won’t randomly die while you have a Healing Wave or Jinyu Waterspeaker in hand. Shaman’s burn is Lightning Storm, Lava Burst and Jade Lightning. However, they can also get some extra burst from Jade Claws and Spirit Claws in additon to spell power buffs from Bloodmage Thalnos and Azure Drake. Track all of those cards throughout the game and know that if you ever fall into burst range you need to heal immediately.

Pirate Warrior

It dies down, then it comes back and back and back. Pirate Warrior is the little deck that won’t die, and it is one of the reasons to run such a big “all-in” control list like this one. While threats and AOE can be useful, the only way you can realistically take down Pirate Warrior is through healing or taunts. That means you need to try and use both Healing Wave and Jinyu Waterspeaker to live long enough until you can put down a Jade Chieftain or Thing from Below. One of the strongest parts of Pirate is that their weapons and Upgrade buffs make them very resistant to healing. While some extra health can be valuable, you really need to play to the taunts if you want to live. Know this, and always prioritize your walls for the turns before a weapon comes down.

A big part of this matchup is identifying which build you are up against. Currently, there are two popular versions of Pirate. One uses the classic burst package of Mortal Strike and Leeroy Jenkins, and the other is chock full of Pirates like Dread Corsair, Naga Corsair and Southsea Captain. When facing down the burn heavy version (which will tip you off by not running any of the aforementioned Pirates) you need to really press for taunts or pressure to race them before they can kill you. However, when going against the Pirate-heavy one you should try your best to make sure they never keep anything around to stop their buffs. Either way, it is always important to kill early Pirates to limit value from Bloodsail Corsair, and you should not be afraid of Hexing midrange threats because they don’t run big minions.

Renolock

You like attrition? The way to beat Renolock is by using your Jade Golems to grind your opponent out of all of their resources and cards. Renolock has a good amount of removal and clears, but those can only last them for so long. You just want to work hard to play out as many minions as possible, making sure to up your jade count whenever you can. This will put a strain on your opponent and really break down their various clears until they have nothing. It is also very important to make sure you never give them priority if you can afford it. Renolock’s threats range from large to extremely large, and dealing with them while behind is going to tie up your mana and keep you off of the board.

It should also be noted that this is another matchup where Devolve gets a ton of value. In fact, it may be your best AOE because there is no health cap. Things like Faceless Shambler and Twilight Drake get hammered by the one mana discount, and you should never be afraid to pull the trigger on just one body. Though many Renolock’s are more honest these days, there are still a lot that play the Leeroy/Faceless combo for a quick 20 damage. As such, limiting damage or any big hits is very important, especially if your opponent has already played Emperor Thaurissan.

Dragon Priest

While much rarer than the above decks, Dragon Priest is one of your hardest matchups. It takes a long time for you to get going, and they just have a very strong curve that is very difficult to keep up with if you don’t start out fast. You win this matchup by using your value plays and strong clears to slowly grind your opponent out of cards. To do this you need to leverage your Jade Golems to get Priest to flood the board, and then blow that board up with a big clear. While some people will run out their hand, better players will only leave themselves open if you force them to. This is very important because Priest has very little in the way or burst. This means you can often take a few extra hits against them to make them think you don’t have anything in hand. Devolve is also very good in this game because, like Renolock, Dragon has a lot of minions that have good stats for their cost. Using the two mana card to make an AOE spell better is often a very good play, especially when facing down things Drakonid Operative or Twilight Guardian.

Mulligan Guide

When mulliganing with this deck you need to hard look for early removal and throw just about everything else back. While you have no hard must keep, you do want to mulligan in one strong way depending on what you’re facing. Against aggro you need to look for Jade Claws, Lava Shock, Maelstrom Portal and Lightning Storm. Healing Wave and Jinyu Waterspeaker are also very strong, especially if you have an early clear spell to go with them.

On the other hand, when facing control you should just look for your minion package. That means Jade Claws, Mana Tide Totem, Jade Lightning and Jade Spirit. Beyond that, you want to keep Hex against Shaman and Druid, and Elemental Destruction is very good with Lava Shock against any deck that isn’t Pirate. Devolve is a strong keep against Rogue, Druid and Renolock, while Mana Tide Totem should always be kept against Druid.

Conclusion

Aggro Shaman? Borin-zzzzzzzz. Midrange? Been there, done tha-zzzzzzzz. Control? Now that’s what I’m talking about. Thrall has some of the most fun and most interesting slow game cards in the game. I love blowing up the board, and the Jade Golem thing is a lot of fun once you start getting into the middle turns of the game. While it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, it is always nice to see an aggro class get the control treatment for once instead of the other way around. Until next week, may your storms always roll high.

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