Weekly Legends: Tempo Warrior

Introduction

Any time Tempo Warrior hits legend I pay attention. The archetype is not one of the most popular in the game, but it has seen some pretty serious play in past metas. And it is really fun. For those that don’t know, the deck is a hybrid build that blends aggressive early game with solid midrange threats that get bigger and bigger. This then allows you to play various styles and adapt to different each opponent. I have talked to death about versatility being strong on a card, but it gets even better when it permeates through this whole deck. There are several ways to create Tempo Warrior, and the one we cover this week (created by Zaulhk) makes some wonderful choices that build a very cohesive machine.

Key Cards

The Pirates

One of the most interesting aspects of this list is the Pirate package. Typically, most Tempo Warriors begin the game with Acolyte of Pains and Armorsmiths to get the ball rolling. However, in the current age of board control and minion combat, it is essential to try to get out ahead of your opponent rather than play for value. N’zoth’s First Mate into Patches the Pirate is still the best turn one tempo play in the game. It allows you to control the early board and can be combined with things like Blood to Ichor to break your opponent’s opening fairly well. You then rapidly build from there. Starting early is essential with this deck, and now that early minions are weaker, being able to Blood to Ichor/Rusty Hook your opponent’s turn one Enchanted Raven can give you priority for the whole game.

The deck also runs one copy of Bloodsail Cultist, which enables you to go wide with your weapons and stack up some real damage. Though you are not an aggressive list at heart, there are going to be quite a few times where you need to get in damage. Not only that, but an Upgrade on a 3/4 body (as anyone who has faced Pirate knows) is a fantastic amount of tempo. While you do not want to save your weapons for the buff, if you have cultist in hand it can be right to try and wait for one of your pirates before playing her down. The three drop also lets you do a very strong pirate impression, which can be very relevant against other fast or midrange decks. I have played numerous games where my opponent has burned key removal early only to die so some beefier mid-game threats.

Blood to Ichor/Cruel Taskmaster

As these cards are roughly the same, a cheap 2/2 that does one damage, I have lumped them together. Cruel Taskmaster gets some extra power because it comes with an attack buff, but Blood to Ichor is bit more flexible due to its mana cost. There are a ton of uses for each of these cards, ranging from early board control to proccing Execute to activating enrage, and you want to try to fit them around your other plays. Taskmaster is also interesting because of how well it enables you to play the tempo game. Not only can it ping down one health minions, but it is a great way to trade up. Do not hesitate to play the two drop on one of your own threats as a way to take down a big minion or clear the board. Every body you have matters, and even a 2/2 on an empty board keeps you in control of priority.

Don’t be afraid to use Blood to Ichor just to get a slime. It is easy to try and hold off on the card to get some extra value or save it for a specific purpose, but sometimes you just need a body. Yes, it is great when you use it on your Bloodhoof Brave to kill a 4/4 and keep two things around, but it is also very strong when you hit an early Bloodsail Corsair, Enchanted Raven or Mana Wyrm. That gives you a one drop to play with and presents a threat your opponent needs to react to. Present bodies and challenge your opponent’s threats at every stage of every game. Even if they can easily deal with the slime, it will typically eat a removal spell (like Frostbolt) that would normally be used on something like Frothing Berserker or Kor’kron Elite.

Bloodhoof Brave

One of the best things about Tempo Warrior is its ability to switch styles. Sometimes you are going to be extremely fast, and sometimes you are going to slowly make your way up the curve. Knowing which route you need to take is very important, as is the ability to move back and forth depending on the situation. Bloodhoof Brave is one of the best cards for this because it is an inherently defensive card that does a very good job of pushing massive amounts of damage. Sometimes you can use it to survive against faster decks, and other times you just ping it to start slamming for five a turn. That makes brave a very real threat, another important aspect because it often eats removal. Tempo Warrior is one of those decks that gets stronger and stronger each turn, and if you can use your four drop to bait out a key spell it is only going to make your later turns that much stronger.

The best use for this card is protecting your other minions. Six health is not easy to get through, so setting this up in front of a Frothing Berserker or Kor’kron Elite can really cause your opponent some problems. You should always try to place the brave in a way where your opponent either has to deal with it right away or make a choice between killing it or using a spell to take out whatever its protecting. The board is extremely important to this deck, and if your opponent needs to spend their turn using a spell they aren’t adding minions to their side. That then gives you an open turn five. Also remember that most of your opponent’s aren’t going to expect this card when calculating trades, so you can blow them out if they suddenly have no easy way to get to that berserker they were planning on trading down.

The Curator Package

One of the most important new additions to this build is The Curator package. As the game has dipped in power level, the 4/6 has become incredibly strong. Not only does it have a solid body, but taunt is very relevant to buy time against faster decks like Pirate Warrior and Aggro Druid. That, combined with the fact that there are many good beasts and dragons running around, makes this a value machine akin to the old Ancient of Lore. The seven drop is a card that really has no downside, but you want to try hard to play it while you’re ahead. The machine is always strong, but getting two cards and a body while you have the board is almost always going to be game-ending. You’re deck is all about swings, and that is one of the biggest.

There are several ways you can build out The Curator package, but I am a huge fan of the “silver bullet” style where you only put in one or two targets from each tribe. The two beasts in this one are Bittertide Hydra and Direhorn Hatchling, and the dragon is Deathwing. Each of those cards are important because they help you get extra gas during the later stages of the game. Hatchling helps you put up a wall, Hydra gives you a big body, and Deathwing is one of your primary finishers (as explained below). While there are a few different options you can run with (such as Primordial Drake) you just want to make sure the 4/6 gets you threats that help you keep up pressure.

Note: Remember that Direhorn Matron is a beast, and trying to get her to chain taunts can be a good way to put up a finisher against aggro.

Deathwing

Though he can be replaced by things like Primordial Drake, I believe that Deathwing is one of the most important cards in this deck. The 12/12 has always been a staple of these type of Warrior builds, and it serves the same purpose here as it once did in Dragon Warrior. Whether you move up your curve or get aggressive early, your opponent is going to be at a low life total during the later stages of the game. Not only that, but they are typically going to spend most of their spells dealing with things like Bittertide Hydra and Grommash Hellscream. That means you are going to have many opportunities to slam Deathwing down unopposed (which always wins you the game). Just be aware of what your opponent could have when you play the death-bringer. There is no reason to run the dragon out into a Shadow Word: Death or Sunkeeper Tarim and immediately lose the game. You only want to drop him when you have no chance of getting back the board or when you are going to die and have no other out. The one exception to that rule is against Rogue, where you should almost always pull the trigger right away (Sap just lets you wing again the next turn).

Matchups

The classes I have seen the most while playing up the ladder.

Pirate Warrior

Still number one. Pirate Warrior is perhaps the deck you are going to encounter the most, and that popularity works for you quite well. Not only does your pirate package allow you to directly counter their opening plays, but as they get big you get bigger. Pirate Warrior has always been good, but it tends to struggle against other board-based aggressive decks that go big during the middle of the game. This is because they only have a finite amount of damage at their disposal, and they do not want to spend that controlling the board. This means they typically will ignore your threats and hammer you as hard as they can. If you have the board and push through more and more pressure you should be able to race them. Things like Bittertide Hydra are what put you in control of this one and you need to get out your big bodies as fast as you can.

Taunts are essential in this game, but you do not need to run them out as soon as you get them. While that can work if they challenge the board or fit into your curve, you want to get a handle on controlling your opponent’s minions before you start to set up your walls. Today’s Pirate builds tend towards tempo, building up a large board and then pushing with things like Southsea Captain or Naga Corsair. If you just run out your Bloodhoof Brave as soon as possible they may be able to easily kill it, which then takes away your advantage. However, if you trade in with your Kor’kron Elite and pace the game with things like Southsea Deckhand or N’zoth’s First Mate you will be able to match up your brave against Arcanite Reaper, making it much more effective.

Midrange Murloc Paladin

Though Aggro Murloc is putting up bigger numbers, I see much more Midrange Paladin on my climbs. The slower list has a ton of powerful plays and it does a very good job of locking their opponent out before they can get properly rolling. This game is going to be played in two stages. In the first you need to fight against the Murloc opening, which means doing anything you can to cement some type of board presence. Today’s Paladin’s love to build up their early board with the fish-creatures and then use that to rapidly chain out huge threats. You have to pace the game by looking for efficient trades and making sure your opponent never gets minions to stick. Paladin has a lot of strong cards that need other minions to work (Gentle Megasaur, Sunkeeper Tarim, Spikeridged Steed) and if you keep their board clear it is going to greatly cripple their gameplan.

The second stage of this game is going to be about the middle turns, which is where the match is typically won or lost. You have to get a hold of turn five and make sure your opponent doesn’t get a body for Spikeridged Steed (which you have no clean answer to). In that same vein, always be aware of Ragnaros, Lightlord and Tirion Fordring. While you can fight through the legendaries if you have the board, there is no way you can come back from them if you are behind. Play to the board hard between turns five and seven and do whatever it takes to have one or two solid bodies against an empty field. This will keep Paly on the back foot and make it so they cannot accurately pressure you. From there, you simply remove their big threats and stack up as much damage as possible.

Burn Mage

Mage is one of the strongest classes right now, and all of the popular lists revolve around the tempo-burn package. While not quite an snowbally as they once were (especially because some lists have cut Mana Wyrm) the deck can get you from thirty to zero extremely quickly. This is a matchup where you want to be aggressive when you can and do everything in your power to threaten their Ice Blocks. Though they are not Freeze, Discover Mage operates in a very similar way. Know that you will not win the end game if they have their secret to protect them. You have to find ways to push here and pop their blocks. In addition, it is important that your opponent cannot comfortably hit you with an Alexstrasza. Fit in your hero power when possible and try your best to stack up the board on turn eight.

This game is all about board control. It is very easy to see Mage and only worry about preserving your life total, but they get a huge boost from their early tempo. In fact, losing that board is one of the ways they lose the game. You need to work to kill everything your opponent plays early on to make sure you are one step ahead during turns fix and six. That then gives you a chance to play your bigger minions, which forces your opponent to use their spells on your board. Absorbing that burn is key, and gives you ways to play the longer game. If you keep up the pressure should be able to break them down. Just make sure to save charge minions if you can. That will help you hit them even if they discover a freeze spell.

Midrange Hunter

While slipping in popularity, Midrange Hunter is still a very good deck for storming the ladder. This is another matchup where you are favored. However, it is also extremely easy to lose. You and your opponent are both using minions to control the board. That leaves very little room for spells. As a result, once somebody gets ahead it is going to be very hard for the other player to come back. Know this, and pace yourself in a way where you can start to leverage damage. Board control is important for the first two or three turns, but you do not want to get too caught up in it unless you have a specific minion you want to keep alive. Rather, you should just hit your opponent with damage backed up by more damage. This will force them to make weak plays (like Kill Commanding a Kor’kron Elite) which really lets you leverage your haymakers ahead of theirs.

Turns three and five are the two most important turns in this game. The reason for this is because they come right before Houndmaster and Savannah Highmane, which are the two minions that will beat you if you let them. Houndmaster/trade is the best way for Hunter to lock you out of the game and press damage, while the lion is unbeatable once you are behind. To combat these threats you need to stay ahead of your opponent at all costs. Always try to clear out beasts on turn three and stack up pressure on turn five. Bittertide Hydra is very good to this end because it threatens a massive amount of damage should your opponent try and run out their highmane. Just be wary about running the 8/8 into a board of tokens or Unleash the Hounds.

Miracle Rogue

Oh how the mighty have fallen. While Rogue is still very popular, the quest version has taken quite the nosedive since it first exploded onto the ladder. Miracle is the more popular version now, and that’s what you have to be ready for. Today’s lists, while still raised on the back of Gadgetzan Auctioneer, play more like tempo than true Miracle. That is important to understand because it helps you know the way you are going to pace your plays. You should work to keep your opponent off the board and never give them a chance to get ahead of you. Rogue has no healing or taunts, which gives you the opportunity to push damage whenever you can. However, if you don’t have the initial damage you need, of if they answer your threats, you need to switch your gameplan and focus on your big minions. As mentioned, Rogue has no real answer toDeathwing. If you can get to the 12/12 this game is going to be yours. In addition, getting things like The Curator, Malkorok, or Grommash Hellscream onto their own board should be enough pressure to keep Rogue out of the game Even if your opponent has an answer, it is likely going to cost them spells, which buys you time to run out other strong bodies.

Mulligan Guide

As with most tempo decks, the mulliganing is very simple. You want to keep early pirates or board control and throw everything else back. N’zoth’s First Mate, Southsea Deckhand and Fiery War Axe are all must keeps. You want to keep to Blood to Ichor with the coin against any early deck and Cruel Taskmaster when you’re facing aggro. Slam should be kept with any opening minions, while Frothing Berserker and Bloodsail Cultist are both great with the coin and a curve. Ravaging Ghoul is a solid keep against aggressive decks, and you should always keep both Bloodhoof Brave and Kor’kron Elite with the coin and a curve.

Conclusion

Man, Tempo Warrior is such a cool archetype. Garrosh has seen many different decks over the years, but none of them speak to me like this. I have always enjoyed pacing a game with a good board, and very little builds do it as well as this one. This deck has good matchups against many popular builds, and if you like true interaction there is nothing like midrange vs. midrange. I hope you guys enjoy the deck and, as always, I hope you’re having a great time wherever you are. Until next week, Lok’tar Ogar!

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