On the Climb: Whirling Weapons Shaman

Hey there, this is llVoltagell and today I am bringing you a new deck to try out. I haven’t seen much like this deck on the ladder, but I have found it to be quite effective. The main components of this deck are weapons as well as mechs. This has been a great combo for playing aggro as well as mid-range to keep the tempo going. I call this deck Whirling Weapons because when I began to create it, I utilized the whirling-zap-o-matic for offense as well as powermace to buff the Mech minions. There are plenty of defensive spells with a high number of attack boosts through things such as rockbiter-weapon and flametongue-totem. First, let’s break down some pretty important cards in this deck step by step.

Attack Power

There is so much potential for damage in this deck it can actually be quite funny. whirling-zap-o-matic has been such a huge hit for damage. 6 attack for each turn based just on the windfury buff is enough to make some opponents quit if you get it off successfully on the first or second turn. The weapons are great too: powermace and doomhammer. powermace is similar to eaglehorn-bow with a twist. Instead of being fueled by secrets, the death-rattle is great since it pairs well with all of the Mech minions that are included. doomhammer is a beast! 10 damage when you hit twice with rockbiter-weapon makes this such a great addition for this deck. When you are looking for a big minion later in the game, fire-elemental is a great fit. With a battle-cry that deals 3 damage to anything on the board(including the opposing hero), it makes for a great combo for only 6 mana.

Defense

earth-shock– This card is so great in so many ways. For only 1 mana you can remove taunt, unbuff a minion, make a minion target-able, and stop a death-rattle from really slowing you down. I have tried with 2 in the deck and if you are playing a lot of Handlocks or Taunt heavy decks at your rank, then perhaps this would benefit you more.

crackle– 3-6 damage for only 2 mana is awesome. Better yet, you can use this card on any minion or hero depending on your current target. I have used this to clear taunts, finish off big threats, and even going for the win when the cards line up right. It has a 1 mana overload, but not enough to deter using it when needed.

annoy-o-tron– The name says it all. This GvG addition is definitely annoying to deal with and great when you have it on your side. It may not be the strongest minion, but the divine shield makes it better than a goldshire-footman. When you have the opportunity to buff the minion with the powermace death-rattle, it make for an even greater annoyance.

feral-spirit– A staple in almost all Shaman decks because of its defensive aspect. It’s pretty much like a super-buffed mirror-image which we have probably all been annoyed by at some point or another. For only 3 mana it builds a small wall to be dealt with. The overload is 2 mana the following turn, so make sure that you are set up for the next turn before you play these wolves.

hex– Another great shaman classic. Turning that sludge-belcher or molten-giant into a small taunt is a great feeling. Remember the frog has taunt so be ready to deal with it the next turn or else  it could slow down your tempo that you’ve been trying to maintain.

lightning-storm– Removal at its finest for this type of deck. Combined with a wrath-of-air-totem it can potentially become a 3 mana flamestrike. Great for when those aggro/zoo type decks start popping up everywhere. This card also has a 2 mana overload, so again I  want to stress the importance of being able to follow-up on the next turn.

big-game-hunter– This card has been hunting powerful attack minions since it first came out. With most decks having at least 1 or 2 targets for his battle-cry, you almost always get to see value with him. Even if you just want another minion on board, BGH is never a bad card to have.

arcane-nullifier-x-21– One of my favorite cards for a few reasons. Taunt. Unable to be targeted by spells or hero powers. And it’s a mech. Combo with the powermace death-rattle and you make a pretty big threat for the opponent to deal with. I mean a 4/7 taunt that can’t be take down with a spell can make for some pretty angry opponents.

antique-healbot– Thrall loves this card. Your hero may go through some damage trying to build a decent board and this card is great for that little health boost. 8 HP for only 5 mana with a 3/3 minion on the board is great. And being a mech makes him even greater. This card has saved me a few games in the past and continues to amaze me in pretty much every deck I use it.

the-black-knight– This card saw a lot of use back when Druids liked to use every taunt in the game. He had a little sit down for a while, but I dusted him off and threw him into the mix. You ever destroy a sunwalker with TBK? I highly recommend it if you are having a bad day. Anyways, this card will help remove that pesky taunt when you only need to hit 10 more damage for the win. Besides his ability, he also is a 4/5 minion on board. At 6 mana I find that it’s a great fit for what this deck is trying to accomplish.

Card Draw

Over the past 2-3 weeks of playing and fine-tuning this deck, I haven’t noticed the need for more card draw besides the one jeeves that I’ve included. If you feel that you need more card draw then I would probably suggest adding a second jeeves or a gnomish-inventor to fill the void. Since this deck is meant to be played as a tempo deck, just be careful not to lay down all your cards too quick and the card draw should not be an issue.

Mulligans

This deck is relatively simple to use and learn. It has varying ways of playing through so I don’t feel that trying to differentiate a specific strategy would be very useful. The mulligan is simple in that you want to start with 3 and less mana. If you start with the coin then try to pick up a mechwarper or a whirling-zap-o-matic. If  not, then no worries. I NEVER keep anything in my starting hand that is above 3 mana unless it is an arcane-nullifier-x-21 for defensive reasons. Seeing as how there are 21 cards in your deck that are 3 mana and below, it’s pretty easy to start building a board presence or taking care of the opponent’s board. Don’t be afraid to take some damage to build your board.

Against the current Meta

The meta has changed so much since I made my original draft of this deck. I’ve seen weapon rogue, pirate warrior, druid mill, combolock, facehunter, mech mage, and all kinds of other decks. In my opinion, this deck has the ability to build quickly and take the win before your opponent can defend properly. The highest rank I was able to achieve was rank 6 with this deck, but I was working with a few other decks which brought me back to my current rank 15. At my current rank I have a seen a lot of midrange paladin, zoo, and mage decks of all sorts. I am continuing to solely play this deck until the end of this season to see how high I can get. I believe it is worthy of hitting at least rank 3 through the current meta after talking to a few other players that I chat with regularly. I don’t have any specific stats for this deck, but I would say it has an approximate winrate of 60-70 percent. It all depends on the exact meta of each rank you can achieve with this deck. This deck shows a lot of promise to continue through to the next season of play as well.

Wrapping Up

Thanks to everyone who reads this article. I hope that you have found it informational and unique. If you enjoy this post you should check out my last one: Druid Mill. Please feel free to share if you have any questions or comments about this deck or anything you would like to see in the future. Also, if I get enough upvotes, I will make a video that shows the deck in action and proves its true potential. I am going to try to make this a weekly series so share the love if you want to see more guides by me with new and different decks each week.