Joseph’s Brew – The Grand Tournament Aggro Warlock

Hello, once again. Joseph Scalise here, jumping over from Weekly Legends to deliver you another article relating to the constructed side of The Grand Tournament (which I am absolutely crazy excited for). While my first pass was aimed at analyzing the most powerful constructed cards in the set, this time around I will be focused […]

Introduction

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Hello, once again. Joseph Scalise here, jumping over from Weekly Legends to deliver you another article relating to the constructed side of The Grand Tournament (which I am absolutely crazy excited for). While my first pass was aimed at analyzing the most powerful constructed cards in the set, this time around I will be focused on decks and deck construction. Anyone who has seen my series or watched me play knows that I am a brewer at heart. Hitting legend is fine, but I always strive to find the most interesting or creative ways to reach the orange diamond. Brewing is my favorite part of card games, and despite what some certain rope-loving streamers think, this set is certainly going to shake up the meta. Not only was this desperately needed, but it also means that many new decks will rise from the chaos that will surely come in the next few weeks. New cards have two purposes in cards games: to either strengthen existing decks or create entirely new ones.

One thing I should make clear before we begin is that the lists are first takes. They are by no means refined, which would be impossible due to the cards not being in the game yet, but they are shells that will serve as a great place to start brewing. When I (or anyone) builds a deck you just start with a shell, play test that shell and see what needs to be tweaked or improved. Not every card in the set is going to give birth to a new deck, and not every deck you theorycraft is going to end up being good. However, this article is not just for the decks laid out below, it is also to show exactly how you want to think when you begin brewing. There is no way to know exactly what will come from the Grand Tournament, but the decks below are ones that I am excited to try, and I will most likely be playing all of them at some point next week.

Aggro Warlock

Throughout the years, we have seen almost every possible iteration of Warlock there is, ranging from Demonlock to Malylock to Handlock to Zoo. Each of these showcases a different part of the class, and all of them are good because Gul’dan always has access to a never-ending stream of cards. However, we have yet to see a hyper-aggro beat down list, and that is exactly what I think could be next. Out of all of the decks on the list, this has the highest chances of failing, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying it. Demon synergy, similar to beast synergy, just keeps getting stronger with each set. However, while Voidcaller and Imp-losion push a more midrange variant, Wrathguard, which we got in TGT, goes in the opposite direction. This list takes the core low-cost demons, and then backs them up with all sorts of burst, such as Arcane Golem, Power Overwhelming and Soulfire. This is a list that wants to end games as quickly as possible, and it might just have the cards to do that.

I want to start the discussion with Demonfire, a card that has seen just about zero play. Yes, Demonfuse does more damage, but I still think the drawback and lack of versatility (can’t target minions) makes it much worse in the long run. Demonfire can buff a lot of your early minions, and getting a 3/5 Voidwalker or a 5/4 Flame Imp can be huge in a deck that just wants to push damage through. Darkbomb and Hellfire are both here for damage, but can also be used as removal if desperately needed. Beyond that, Tiny Knight of Evil is a very plain card, but that does not make it bad by any means. A 3/2 for two is perfectly reasonable in an aggresive deck, and the fact that is sometimes (if rarely) can get better makes it a solid choice. There are not many early game demons with aggressive stats, and I actually think the two drops is one of the reasons this deck could work.

A lot of people don’t like Fist of Jaraxxus, but this is the kind of card this deck will want. Four free damage is very powerful, and while you only have two triggers, it gives a lot of extra burst. Not only that, but you will almost always have a low hand count, meaning that you can more easily control how and when you discard it.  I even considered running Succubus to give another huge beater that also works with discard, and she may make the final cut. While this deck may seem a lot like Zoo, it is not Zoo and plays nothing like it. You care about face, and only need to trade board when you are going to die. Ironbeak Owl is an auto-include for this reason, since you don’t need pesky taunts stopping your attack, and Argent Horserider is just another solid charge minion that I think will be better than Wolfrider due to its ability to trade. Overall, this seems like a really, really rough version of this deck, but I think there is so much aggro demon-centric potential that it is hard not to imagine something like this in the coming weeks.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. Speculation, speculation and speculation. I am so ready for Monday it isn’t even the least bit funny, and I am going to crack my packs ASAP and get crafting. Be sure to check out my other brews:

All of these builds excite me, and I’m not sure which one I am going to bring to the ladder first. I am most intrigued by Demon Aggro, Token Druid and Tempo Mage, but Dragon Priest and Maly-Shaman also look so fun. I will return to Weekly Legends next week, where I will start to actually play the new decks, and I cannot wait for that as well. Hope you guys enjoyed this and my “top ten” article, and I hope you are as ready as I am. Remember, you never know what to expect on the new ladder, so have fun, get testing, and play what you love. Until next time, may all of your Legendaries be golden!


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