Introduction
Ah, Murloc Paladin, how we missed you. Continuing my trend of old-decks-made-new, this week we are going to look at Thijs’ most recent version of Murloc Paly that he used to climb up the aggro-infested ladder. Despite its recent hiatus, Paladin has some of the best ways to stall out and stay alive in Hearthstone. Not only that, but Murloc Paladin in particular has some extremely good ways to deal with both Shaman and Pirate. As such, I think it makes one of the best decks to play if you’re looking to break the mold and get another deck under your wing. While most people are busy saying “Paladin sucks,” the deck has all of the necessary tools to be good in a fast meta. Not only do you have access to a lot of very strong opening cards, such as Doomsayer and Acolyte of Pain, but you also have solid healing and some incredible finishers. While the core here is the same it has always been, the deck itself is very unique and plays in a way that is different from anything else. That’s at least worth a look in my book.
Key Cards
Equality
Equality is far and away the most important card in this deck. So much so that there are going to be many games (almost all of them) where you will die if you do not use it properly. Being able to instantly take out any board of minions for two cards is one of the strongest plays in Hearthstone, but only if it comes at the right time. This is a card that you either need to pull immediately (in cases where you’re just dying) or one where you want to wait on. Equality on its own is not going to win you the game against most players. This is because people will hold back their cards and try to play around it. However, if you can wait a turn or two and take some extra damage you should be able to bait out more minions and destroy your opponent. This is not an easy read to make, but if you can successfully weigh your own health versus your opponent’s damage potential you can put them into some tricky situations.
The way you make good use of Equality is by taking advantage of your clock. As an Murloc Paladin, you are eventually going to win just about every game that goes long because your finisher is an OTK. That means your opponent is going to have a very hard time holding back and playing around AOE because they need to kill you before Anyfin comes down. Understand this. You are never going to be pressed in games. Rather, you will usually sit back and make your opponent do something before you react. This is important to remember because you only want to use Equality as your last resource. Always use your other removal spells and things like Doomsayer before pulling the final trigger.
Bluegill Warrior
As a Murloc Paladin you don’t care if minions live or die. In fact, you kind of encourage it. You are going to spend almost all of your game just removing threats and keeping the board clear until you reach your finishers. That plan is very strong, but it means you want to treat your murlocs like removal spells more than anything else. Bluegill Warrior is just two damage on top of a murloc, but you don’t need more than that. In fact, it is much better to see this as a two mana Arcane Shot that also builds towards your finishing combo. Two damage is not a lot in the face of things like Tunnel Trogg, but is does a nice job of killing other early game cards like Small-Time Buccaneer or teaming up with a Truesilver Champion to end midrange bodies. Also remember that Murloc Warleader makes the 2/1 into a 4/3 charger. Playing both in tandem can be a strong way to get the board and kill something like a Tomb Pillager or Azure Drake.
Acolyte of Pain
If you tuned in last week (which you most definitely should have) you would have seen my discussion on the tempo potential of Mana Tide Totem. The reason the card is so strong is because it makes a fantastic “kill this now” minion that can shut down your opponent’s progress and force them to use removal when they want to do something else. That is the exact same reason that Acolyte of Pain is so good in this list. As usual, the 1/3 is powerful because of how it has to be killed. Your opponent is going to do what it takes to finish it off in one blow, which often eats burn or a weapon charge. Being able to save that damage is very important because it both digs you through your deck and advances your life. You shouldn’t worry about this dying if you just need to eat damage.
The 1/3 is a good card on its own, but it is also a huge problem for a lot of popular decks right now. Rogue, Shaman and Warrior all have trouble dealing three damage in one hit early on (especially Valeera). If you can get this into an empty board it is often going to create a lot of problems. Every extra turn you live is going to matter because it puts you one step closer to combo. Using this as a way to immediately lock down your opponent and force their hand is very strong and you should not be afraid to use it in that way. Also note that if your opponent has no immediate removal they will usually try and challenge the three drop by playing a bigger body. If you have an Aldor Peacekeeper in hand it can be good to hold it and then use it on the bigger minion to instantly get an extra card draw.
Solemn Vigil
Card draw. Card draw, card draw, card draw. Combo decks, no matter what they do or how they play, absolutely love to draw cards. In fact, it’s kind of a necessity. That is especially true in Murloc Paladin because you have so many small two-card combos that you need to put together. Anyfin Can Happen needs murlocs to be useful, Equality does nothing without damage, etc. That means you need to do whatever you can to draw through your deck as quickly as possible. Setting up Solemn Vigil is a big part of that, and you always want to think about how and when to get value from the five cost spell.
The two best ways to trigger Solemn Vigil‘s ability are with Doomsayer and Equality[/card]. A turn two (or one with the coin) sayer against two minions (say Patches and a pirate) is perhaps the best because you can immediately draw early on. This will help you get through a chunk of your deck and ensure you have some of your midrange answers for the middle turns. Beyond that, you should always be aware when the card is in your hand and always try to work for it if possible. While you shouldn’t force a discount by making sub-optimal plays, trading in a Bluegill Warrior to an opposing minion along with some Silver Hand Recruits can be good way to instantly dig for a specific answer you need.
Finja, the Flying Star
The star of the show (haha, get it?) and the most important murloc around, Finja is an absolute beast of a minion that gets better and better each time you play it. While the 2/5 does make your combo worse, the ability is so strong it is absolutely worth it. Being able to thin your deck and get murloc immediately onto the board is such a powerful play that it can instantly end games. While you may not win that turn, it will often be the beginning of the end. Not only does the swing instantly give you the board, but it usually gives you instant-four attack (two Bluegills, or a Warleader and Bluegill) which you can then use to clear something out. Because of that, you need to work to trigger this ability.
On that note, your opponent’s are going to be absolutely terrified of Finja (as they should be). This is important for two reasons. One, you need to be aware that if they have a way to kill it they will, and two, they are going to work very, very hard to stop it from getting value. As when dealing with Acolyte of Pain, people will play big hard-to-kill threats to stop Finja if they lack removal. You can take advantage of that by appearing like you cannot kill any of your opponent’s minions (he only has two attack after all) and then putting out a Truesilver Champion or Equality you’ve been slow rolling. Just remember, you actually need to kill something to get value here. This can be easy to forget, but the five drop only triggers when it kills things, not just when it attacks.
Matchups
The five decks I see the most while grinding up the ladder.
Aggro Shaman
I think this is probably the best matchup for this deck, and for good reason. Not only do you have solid AOE (one of Shaman’s biggest weaknesses) but you also come equipped with Doomsayer, Aldor Peacekeeper, and healing. Shaman has slowed way down during the past few months in order to make their minions matter. That works very well against most decks because they have a ton of small value creatures that can quickly stack up damage and take over a game. However, almost all of your strong cards interact quite well with minions. You just need to keep your health up, and do whatever it takes to keep your opponent’s threats off the board.
This whole game comes down to controlling the board and properly setting up AOE. In their minion-fueled quest, Shaman has also lost just about all of their card draw. If you manage to successfully answer their first push they will almost always fall behind. For that reason, you win this game by understanding what each removal card you have is for. Aldor Peacekeeper can be used early on a Totem Golem, but you typically want it for either Flamewreathed Faceless or Aya Blackpaw. In addition, Equality should only be pulled when your opponent really commits and you should always use Doomsayer early to challenge a one drop. Keeping such things in mind will help you plan your turns appropriately.
Miracle Rogue
After Shaman, things get a little more tricky. Miracle Rogue is a hard matchup because the deck is just so darn un-interactive. There are a few versions of Miracle right now, and all of them come with some type of go-big minion they use to leverage into finishing burst. The way you beat that plan is through constant tempo plays and staggering your removal to make sure they never get a threat to stick. Going off of that, you need to work to save your AOE for either Conceal or a packed board. Many Rogues today are playing the one cost spell, and it can really hurt you if you don’t have an answer. This is so key that it is often right to save Equality for specifically that scenario.
As this game goes you want to work really hard to set up Doomsayer. Normally, the two drop is going to do nothing against minions because of how removal Rogue has. However, if you can put this down a turn ahead of when they normally want to curve-out (such as turn six) you can stall them, which then gives you a chance to either take the board or get closer to your combo. Always look for chances to get control of the board and use it to push back. Beyond that, you need to heal as soon as you can. If you can manage Rogue’s minions you should be able to keep their damage in check, but always be aware they will always be able to do between 14 to 18 from hand. Stay above that at all costs.
Pirate Warrior
Pirate Warrior is a game that may seem like it would be in your favor, but that is unfortunately not the case. This game is probably a 50/50 but Pirate has the advantage more often than not. The reason is that you have no way to properly interact with weapons, and they will usually have a 6/3 Arcanite Reaper or some other huge threat pointed directly at your face. The way you combat that push is by healing as much as possible and doing everything possible to get to either Tirion Fordring or Ragnaros, Lightlord (both of which should be able to end the game). Turn eight is your goal here and you need to use all of resources to get there. This is the one match where you don’t need to be conservative with cards.
Kill everything you see in this one and never be afraid to heal up. Ivory Knight is one of your most important cards in this game because it bridges your middle game to your ending threats and gives you something you can trade with. It is very important to count your opponent’s cards and understand how easily they can get you to zero. This will help you know if you need to get your health up or if you can try to push some board presence or card draw. Forbidden Healing is a card that you should not be afraid to use just to get a few life. Yes, it may be tempting to Reno yourself on turn ten, but that won’t matter if you die with the card in hand. Every life point matters in this one and you need to play like it.
Renolock
Freeeee winnnssss. Get you free wins here! Though there is no doubt you can lose against Renolock, that is going to be very hard to do. The reason being that Renolock only has a few threats (that are all cleaned up by Equality and Aldor Peacekeeper) and is extremely weak to burst combos like yours. This is a game where you just need to play out Murlocs when you see them, limit any damage potential your opponent might have, and then kill them in a large fiery burst as soon as you can. Play to your curve and react to your opponent accordingly, using Aldor Peacekeeper on their midrange minions and using Doomsayer to cut them off. The longer the game goes, the better chance you have of putting things away.
It is worth noting that the only real way you could lose this game is if you dip too low in life and your opponent has the combo. While Leeroy/Faceless is not as common as it once was, it still exists. Heal yourself up over twenty if you are in the later parts of the game and your opponent has played Emperor Thaurissan. Beyond that, you should also work to save Equality for any big taunts you might see. Renolock does not have the taunt potential that Handlock once had, but they still have enough walls to shut you out (or at least slow you down). Do not get caught off guard when you are planning on putting down the finishing blow.
Dragon Priest
While rarer and rarer these days, Dragon Priest still has its hold on the edge of the meta. This game should fall in your favor but you can become overwhelmed by their high-health minions if you aren’t careful. Equality is going to be the way best way to slow your opponent’s progress and shut down early damage, but the cards that win this game are going to be stall cards like Aldor Peacekeeper and Doomsayer. Using a turn two sayer against a one or a one and a two drop is very strong because Priest’s only out is Shadow Word: Pain. As with Rogue, putting down the 0/7 onto an empty board is also a fantastic way to keep your opponent off of the board. Priest has many strong minions, but they have very few ways to string together quick damage or burst. Take advantage of that by not playing afraid. You can go to lower life totals in this match and really stretch your limits before using a clear or removal spell. The only thing to be wary of is that your opponent may discover Anyfin off of Drakonid Operative. For this reason, if they have played the 5/6, you want to be at high health when you play your first ten mana spell.
Note: Priests do not run Entomb anymore, which means you can play Murloc Warleader without worrying about them being stolen. The same goes for Tirion Fordring.
Mulligan Guide
Get your early cards. For the love of God, get early cards. This deck is one of the best engines in the game, but an engine is nothing without gas. Your must keeps here are going to be Doomsayer, Bluegill Warrior, Acolyte of Pain and Wickerflame Burnbristle. Everything beyond those is going to change. Wild Pyromancer can be kept with the coin against aggro, or alongside Equality against any non-control list. Murloc Warleader is solid if you have a curve or if you’re playing against a slower control deck, while Aldor Peacekeeper should always be kept against Renolock (to beat their four drops) and on curve against Shaman to handle their overstatted minions. Consecration is good against aggro if you have the curve or the coin, Truesilver Champion should always be kept on curve, and Barnes is very good with the curve and the coin. He also should be kept when facing slow control.
Conclusion
It has been a long time since Anyfin could happen, but it has not lost any of its fun factor. This deck is just such a blast to play, and it really hits a lot of the popular decks where it hurts. I am not going to say it is easy to pilot, but it makes a very good choice for laddering once you know how to use it. This list has some very interesting interactions and will make you better at the game by playing. There are some very good lessons here if you know where to find them. Until next time, mrrglglglg!
Published: Feb 6, 2017 12:26 pm