The New Standard: Handbuff Paladin

Introduction

I love Paladin. Always have, always will. And what better way to celebrate my brand new Young Arthas (patent pending) portrait than to play some Handbuff here on The New Standard. This is a deck I have wanted to get into for the past few weeks, and now we finally have a solid legend-worthy list we can craft off of. The version we look at this week comes from the dragon master himself, Brian Kibler. Though he did not pilot the list to legend, HidaHayabusa took it all the way to the top with great success. This deck has always been fringe, but I wanted to break it down because I think the new set brought it a great amount of potential. Druid is the most popular class on ladder right now, and the class hates nothing more than endless streams of big guys. For that reason alone, this archetype is worth looking at.

Key Cards

This section will explain certain cards that are key to the list as a whole.

Prince Keleseth

This is going to be yet another week where we team up with royalty. Prince Keleseth has proven to be a real player in many decks across the game right now, and for good reason. The 2/2 has a huge upside that is so strong this deck doesn’t even run Grimestreet Outfitter. That may seem like a big setback, but the change is absolutely worth it. Being able to get a free buff to your entire deck goes a long way, and missing your two slot is not as bad as you would initially assume it to be. There are some low cost cards that you can build into your curve, and you have so many three drops that when you go second you can almost always coin something out on turn two.  Buffs are the name of this game. In fact, every single minion in the deck is fantastic with just one extra 1/1 buff (and they get insane with more). As a result, being able to get everything up for the price of one small body is a great deal. Yes, there is nothing you can abuse like Doppelgangster or Saronite Chain Gang, but you have so many strong options that doesn’t matter. The prince is going to be good at any point of the game, and you should try to play him as soon as you get him into your hand.

Aldor Peacekeeper

Aldor Peacekeeper, while an oldie, is one of the most important cards in Handbuff because it is a fantastic tempo play that helps you freely switch modes depending on what you need. As with traditional Paladin, there are going to be many times where you just slam down the three drop as a way to limit a big threat and keep pressure off of your face. Against aggro, just using this on turn three to get a body can be more than enough to stem the tide, and against control it can buy you much needed time in the later stages of the game. Minion combat is extremely important when playing with this deck, and the less you have to worry about pressure or health, the more you can focus on your buffs. You want your opponent to react to your big threats, and this card is one of the best ways to make that happen.

The reason that Aldor Peacekeeper is so strong here is because it enabled you to make some incredible trades. Handbuff is a strong deck because of how quickly it builds on the board and how much pressure it generates. Removal helps against it here and there, but mostly decks fight against your cards on the board. Being able to turn a 5/5 into a 1/5 and then trade into it is a great way to advance your gameplan, as is shutting down a big threat and pushing pressure at your opponent’s face. It is easy to try and only save Aldor on big bodies, but that is rarely where you are going to use it. Rather, it is going to generate tempo. For example, let’s say it is turn four or five and you have a 4/4 body against your opponent’s 4/3. If you put down a 4/4 peacekeeper and then trade in your 4/4 to kill the now 1/3, you have full control of the board. Those type of plays drastically swing the game and you should constantly be on the lookout for them when you have the 3/3 in hand.

Chillblade Champion

In my opinion, Chillblade Champion is one of the most important cards in this deck. In Handbuff, your cards are going to get big, and it does not take much to make this card good. A 3/2 charge/lifesteal for four is a decent deal on its own, but even one buff makes this card stronger than a Kor’kron Elite. Two or three and things really start to get out of control. When looking at how to use this card you always want to think about how much damage you need to push. Since this has charge, it can always come out on later turn than other “slow” minions. As a result, you can typically afford to hold it back to get more buffs while you play your cards that need to wait to attack. Also note that most people will assume you do not have charge in your deck. There are going to be many games where you just need small window to close things out. If you can lull your opponent into a false sense of security they will often give you an opportunity where you can hit them hard.

Note that, not only is Chillblade Champion fast damage, but it is healing as well. Health is a vital resource, and here it can both help you in races and get you out of some very tight spots. I’ve had more than a few games where my opponent had to slow down and take this out in order to keep me in lethal range. That then gave me the board and control of the pace. If you find yourself getting low do not be afraid to simply use this as healing. Chillblade gives you repeated value the more it stays on the field. As such, you should always try your best to trade into smaller minions and look for ways to keep it alive.

Spellbreaker

As it is typically a tech-card, Spellbreaker may seem like an odd two of here. However, this card is exactly what Handbuff needs to succeed in this meta. The biggest reason for that is because the 4/3 takes down taunts. There are quite a few walls running around these days, and you need to get rid of those if you want to push through damage. You do a good job of building your board, but rarely are you going to be able to quickly close out games. Rather, you are going to steadily go up and up each turn. Your opponent will fight against that by putting up taunt minions to shut out big attacks. Being able to instantly remove a blocker can open up many paths to lethal. In fact, moving aside a taunt is one of the most common ways to win a game. If you control the board well it will eventually force your opponent to rely on a big wall, which you can then punish with Spellbreaker. This card isn’t great taking down a small 2/3 on a wide board, but it is fantastic when removing your opponent’s only line of defense.

Always have a target in mind when you have Spellbreaker in hand. This card is going to have a wide variety of strong minions it can hit, ranging from Tirion Fordring to Frothing Berserker to anything equipped with Spikeridged Steed. For those reasons, it is also important to know when you are going to need to push through a wall and when you need to hit a strong ability. Taking down Frothing Berserker can do a great job of giving you tempo against Pirate Warrior, while locking out a Scavenging Hyena or Murloc Warleader can cripple your opponent’s curve. There is no one use for Spellbreaker. Sometimes it is the only way you can get through for lethal, and sometimes you can use it as a tempo play. Recognize the difference between those situations and adapt accordingly.

Grimestreet Enforcer

The big baddie himself, Grimestreet Enforcer is your gas card that you need to protect or set up as well as you possibly can. There are going to be many games where you just push this out, get some value, and it dies. However, you want to work hard to break that mold and set this card up so it can live for as long as possible. This is not going to be an easy task to do, but you should always try and plan a few turns ahead when the 4/4 is in your hand. Taking the extra time to kill off your opponent’s board is going to be worth it when you get an extra trigger here. Treat this card like Mana Tide Totem, and know that every single turn it lives is going to dig your opponent into a deeper and deeper hole.

You typically want to get Grimstreet Enforcer to live two turns. Anything that comes after that is going to be a bonus. Grimestreet Enforcer is also a strong tempo play that will instantly force your opponent’s hand. Handbuff is a slower midrange deck that can take a while to get going. For that reason, there are going to be many situations where your opponent can simply sit back and take their time to answer different threats. However, that path does not work against Grimestreet Enforcer. This is important because if you are afraid of your opponent taking a certain play or if you want to take your opponent off their curve you can drop the 4/4 down to bait out a spell. While you want this to live, even if it dies right away you are going to get value no matter what. Do not be afraid to use the enforcer to take back control of the game.

Matchups

Some of the most common matchups I see while playing the ladder.

Jade Druid

There are certain inalienable truths in this world, and one of them is that you cannot go to the ladder without seeing Jade Druid. Malfurion (as noted below) has become the strongest hero around. That spells trouble, but, as noted above, it is good news for you. Druid is a class that does not deal well with big threats. Rather, they hope to play their own giant minions down onto the board and let their opponent answer them. Whenever that script gets flipped, it puts them into a whole mess of trouble. As such, your whole goal is to push out as many giant bodies as you possibly can. You never want to skip a turn putting something down onto the board. While it can be tempting to try and get buffs to set up future turns, that isn’t how you’re going to win this one. You win this by just slamming as many minions as possible.

Treat this game as if it has a time limit (because it kind of does). While you can muscle through Ultimate Infestation, Jade Druid is eventually going to hit a threshold that you cannot come back from. To beat that you need to be able to have full control of the board by turn five or six. If Druid cannot remove anything with infestation it is going to make it a largely dead card that does nothing to stop your push. Not only that, but you should also note that Druid’s big jades don’t have taunt. Once you get the board you need to just push for damage as hard as you can and make it so they can never get properly set. Druid wants to make Jades, but that won’t matter if they can’t keep with your pressure.

Aggro Druid

Right behind its Jade counterpart, Aggro Druid is another well-oiled machine that looks to quickly take down anything in its path. This game is a tough affair that’s often going to be sorted out in the first three turns. Either you get a set board and make it so your opponent is playing from behind, or you falter and everything slips away. Note that, outside of your weapons, you have very little ways to come back with this deck. While you might be able to rebuild against some slower midrange decks, you simply don’t have the tools to climb when your opponent is building towards Savage Roar. For those reasons, you need to work hard to combat your opponent’s minions and make sure they can never fully build. Yes, turn five is going to be a problem, but you need to get a handle on things before you start worrying about a board of 2/2’s.

This game is tricky because you have the clear, but you also need to get in a lot of damage before you’re overwhelmed by Living Mana. To balance this one you need to trade effectively on the board, and then use those trades to push through damage. You need to pressure as much as possible without leaving yourself too exposed. One buff often won’t matter, but two or three could be a problem. The way you weight trades is by looking at the damage in your hand, and then leveraging that against your opponent’s potential. If you think you can win a race, take that route. However, don’t get foolish and let your opponent ever get a chance at taking the board. Also note that Chillblade Champion is an all-star in this one. Play to the card and try to set it up while you’re ahead.

Kazakus Priest

While Druid lives at the top of the ladder, Priest (surprisingly) lurks right below it. Kazakus Priest is a strong combo deck that relies on Raza the Chained to close out games. Everything else is going to be removal or support cards. To beat that you need to be able to stick some bodies and push hard. This is going to be an aggressive game where you do your best to put together damage. Abilities are strong here, but getting things that Priest must answer is much more important. Also take special note that Grimestreet Enforcer is a 4/4. If you play the dwarf against an empty board, Priest is going to have a very hard time dealing with it. That card alone can force out AOE, which then clears a path for your to swarm.

You are going to win this game by going the pure tempo route. The way to beat Priest is to play a body turn after turn. In fact, there are many similarities between this game and Jade Druid. Not only do you need to push out a string of threats, but you are also on a clock. Letting Priest get to their DK combo is how you lose this one. As such, you almost always want to end this on turn six or seven. That is not going to be the easiest task, but Kazakus Priest has a lot of dead or awkward draws. That means they are rarely going to be able to adequately fight for the board. Think about their potential removal options, resist AOE as much as possible, and always drop down bodies they can’t answer. Buffing things to four attack is a great way to close this one out.

Pirate Warrior

Pirate Warrior continues to do what it has always done, and it does it quite well. This game is going to play out very similar to Aggro Druid, where you are going to be on the back foot coming out of the gates. You need to heavily lean on all of your anti-aggro tools and work hard to get out ahead of your opponent. Your taunts and Chillblade Champion are the way you win this game. However, those swings won’t matter if your opponent can easily maneuver around them and keep going at your face. This game happens in two distinct stages. First, you want to stop the push and trade out onto the board. Then, you put up a wall against a weapon to protect yourself. Spikeridged Steed, Sunkeeper Tarim, and Tirion Fordring are your three win conditions here. Each of those cards is usually going to lock your opponent out, with steed being the strongest of the three. If you’re still fighting come turn five you want to work hard to get as many bodies down as you can. This gives you a higher chance to stick the buff, and makes it so that your opponent runs out of gas. One taunt typically won’t be enough, but two or three will be more than adequate.

Midrange Paladin

Ah, the mirror match. While you and Midrange Paladin are distinctly different, there is no doubt there are a ton of similarities here. Your opponent is going to try to beat you to death with their murloc curve, and you are going to try to take the board by turn four or five. This is not a game where you want to lean on damage. Rather, simply wear your opponent out of resources by constantly killing their board. Tempo plays matter more than anything here, and you should always look for ways to make good trades. Things like Bonemare and Spikeridged Steed are the explosive ways you get ahead of your opponent. However, even something as simple as a strong Aldor Peacekeeper or buffed Corpsetaker can be all you need to put your opponent permanently on the back foot. Spellbreaker is also a fantastic tool in this matchup. Not only does it stop Bonemare buffs, but it also invalidates Tirion Fordring and Spikeridged Steed. Try to save the card for prime targets.

Mulligan Guide

There are a lot of bells and whistles here, but you are a midrange list at the end of the day. That means you want to build up as quickly as possible. Paladin has always relied on its curve, and that doesn’t change here. Righteous Defender, Prince Keleseth are the only two must-keeps in this game. Past that, Smuggler’s Run is great if you have minions to go with it, but I wouldn’t keep it on its own. In terms of three drops, Aldor Peacekeeper is great when you have a curve against other midrange or aggro decks, while Rallying Blade, Wickerflame Burnbristle, Tar Creeper and Stonehill Defender should all be kept with a curve or the coin. Finally, Corpsetaker and Chillblade Champion are great with a strong curve, and that goes double when you have the coin.

Conclusion

Handbuff is a deck I’ve been interested in for almost a year, and this list is one of the coolest takes I’ve seen. Yes, it seems pretty unassuming. However, there is a lot of power packed into these cards if you know where to find it. Not only do you have a ton of anti-aggro tools to combat faster lists, but there is a lot of strength that some classes (*cough* Druid *cough*) simply cannot handle. Handbuff’s biggest weakness has always been the meta around it, and things may be in a position for it to do some real damage. I am not sure all the numbers here are finalized (you could probably throw in some extra card draw), but they are pretty close to be where this one wants to be. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Until next week, may you always prince on turn two.

---