The New Standard: Tempo Warrior

Introduction

Well, you all knew this was coming. I am a proud advocate of Tempo Warrior, and it is the deck I was the most excited about come KFT. Now that the Frozen Throne is here, I have been doing a ton of testing with the build. This week’s list is the one I have found the most success with, and I believe it is the one that best does what Tempo Warrior wants to do. Of course, there are still some tweaks that can be made here and there, but for the most part I think this is where you want to be. Tempo Warrior has not seen too much play out of the gates, but I suspect it is going to be very strong in the coming months. Here’s the first crack at getting it there.

Key Cards

This section will explain certain cards that are important to the overall build.

Battle Rage

In order to pilot this deck optimally you need to always think about Battle Rage. The two mana draw spell is one of the best pound-for-pound value cards in the game, and it is important to get value off it if you want to keep pace with slower control or midrange decks. This list has a lot of early game control, some light mid-game, and an insane top-end. This cards helps bridge the gap between those two sections and smooths out some of your weaker draws. For those reasons, you should treat this in the same that you would Divine Favor. That is to say, you want to start thinking about how to get value from it a few turns before you pull the trigger.

There are many Whirlwind effects in this build. That is important to note because it makes it so you can always get value of off Battle Rage. Unless you absolutely need a card, you don’t have to get impatient and pull the trigger on this. Sometimes you are going to want to make your hand better, but most of the time you want to try to wait until you have a trigger and some minions. While you don’t want to go out of your way too much to get the draws here, you typically want to make sure you get at least two cards. It can feel odd to “only” get two, but a pair of draws for two mana is insane. Anything past that is gravy.

Execute

Though everyone knows what Execute does, it is important to discuss here because you are mostly going to use it as a tempo play rather than a control tool. That is to say, think of the spell as more of a Vilespine Slayer than Siphon Soul. Of course, it doesn’t come with a body, but you get the idea. In the past, Execute was used by tempo as a fail safe for any big bodies that could challenge their board. It would be your last resort, the way you go toe-to-toe with other slow finishers. Now, you can be much less greedy with the card. The slant is much aggressive in tone, and it is quite easy to do damage. The two mana spell complements that style by allowing you to kill midrange threats to protect your board and push damage. Do not save it because a threat is “too weak.” If the play helps you keep your minions, it is likely right.

There is only one exception to the above rule: taunts. There are quite a few big taunts in the meta right now (The Lich King, Obsidian Statue) and you have to be ready for them if you are moving into the late game. As noted, you are largely an aggressively-slanted build that seeks to kill your opponent quickly once your bigger threats come down. This is not a deck where you want to try to out-value your opponent. Rather, you want to pressure around turn four or five and never stop until you hit thirty. Grommash Hellscream and your weapons are great for that, but they can also get shut down. If you have solid control of the board and are setting up damage from your hand, it is better to save your Execute for a big taunt than for the current board state. Even if you’re going to lose minions.

Blood Razor

Just as good as advertised, Blood Razor makes this entire deck work. Honestly, I am not sure Tempo Warrior could exist without it. This card does everything you want a card to do. It triggers Armorsmith, Acolyte of Pain, Battle Rage, King Mosh…the list goes on and on and on. Not only that, but it also allows you to control the board and push for damage at the same time. One of the biggest faults of weapons is that you have to choose whether or not to push for face or to try and control the board. Being able to proc your minions and take out small bodies while also attacking for two comes in handy quite a bit. Do not be afraid to just hit face the turn this comes out. You almost always want the deathrattle ready to go.

A very important thing to note about Blood Razor is that its deathrattle triggers both Grommash Hellscream and King Mosh for “free” (without you needing to play another card from your hand). This is exceptionally important, and that interaction is the number one reason why I put Mosh into this deck. You must remember that the deathrattle is worth a lot with the Razor because it costs no mana to use (whereas the battlecry is four). The zero mana Whirlwind is the best tool you have, and it can be used in all sorts of interesting ways. Don’t burn it just to burn it. Plan ahead, think about what type of value you could get as the game goes on. If you need cards, wait for acolyte, if you need a finisher, use it with Gromm, ect.

Scourgelord Garrosh

I have noted a lot of people hating on Scourgelord Garrosh, but the eight mana Death Knight has proved exceptional in this build. Yes, he is not a control tool, but he knows how to tempo. A big part of tempo is being able to control the board in the way that you want, and three Flamestrikes on the weapon are solid. That goes double when you can pair them with the two mana Whirlwind you get each turn. We have already noted how good the mass ping is with your cards, and always having it at your disposal is extremely powerful. Garrosh can help you sculpt the board to whatever state you need, and always makes your opponent double think of their plays. Also note that the eight drop represents a whopping twelve damage over three turns. That is not going to always close things out (mainly because your opponent will see it coming) but don’t be afraid to hit face and “lose” the weapon’s ability. Your ultimate goal is to kill your opponent, not the board.

The Curator/King Mosh/Deathwing

This deck is chock full of big finishers, and these three represent the biggest of them all. Being able to play The Curator to go fetch two of your curve-toppers is fantastic and really helps you against decks like Druid that do not run a ton of big removal. Both Deathwing and King Mosh are largely the same thing: big cards that clear the board. I believe that is important for Tempo Warrior to have options like that because there are going to be a wide range of games where you just need one more body to close things out. If you can drop it uncontested, that’s even better. Some of you may question Mosh because he was bad in the past. However, now that you get a free Whirlwind from Blood Razor and more reliable damage from Scourgelord Garrosh, he has proven to be essential.

I am a big fan of this package, but if you want to go another route you can. The way I see it, if you do not want to go this big (or you simply do not have the legendaries) there are two strong replacements. The first is cutting The Curator and Deathwing for two Bonemares. The undead horses are amazing, and they can both protect your face and push damage. I would do this if you’re seeing a lot of aggro. The other route is to exchange DW for either Onyxia (if you’re facing midrange and control) or Primordial Drake (if you’re seeing aggro). Notice that in both scenarios I would keep King Mosh. The dinosaur is fantastic right now and one of the best tempo plays around.

Matchups

The four decks I’ve seen most in the early days of KFT.

Jade Druid

While the jury is going to be out for a while, Jade Druid appears to the be the deck you need to prepare for while heading out to the ladder. The deck is everywhere, and it is, in my opinion, the best reason to play Tempo Warrior. Druid has never dealt well with other midrange decks, and you have an extra advantage because of how aggressive this list is. You should look at the current Druid builds as combo lists more than anything else. Yes, they do not strictly win with a combo, but almost all of their plays, from a huge Spreading Plague turn to a bunch of Jade Golems to Ultimate Infestation, are predicated on combo-like synergies. For that reason, the more damage you can do and the more pressure you can cause, the better you will disrupt their plays. Do not sit back and wait for them to act. If you do that you will die in a flurry of blood and jade.

This is a game where you always want to have something on the board. Forcing Druid to react is one of the best ways to beat them, especially if your minions are uncontested. Druid plans on being ahead, which they then use to leverage their threats. However, if they are behind, things get a bit more uncomfortable. Try your best to set up a big body against your opponent. It does not matter what that body is, it just matters that you get it down onto the board. It is going to take your opponent quite a bit of removal to deal with a large threat, and then you can move up your curve to the next stage. The most important part of this is going to be turn six. That is not only where you can start pushing some real damage through, but it is where Aya Blackpaw drops. You cannot afford to fall behind the panda.

Murloc Paladin

Somebody remembered that Murloc Midrange Paladin was good, and then they reminded everyone else. This deck is back in a big way, and it is one of the most annoying to deal with in the game. I would say this is the closest thing you are going to see to a mirror match on the ladder. That is because you and your opponent are both trying to control the early board and then build that into big threats. However, they like to snowball their curve with small synergies, and you like to build up by killing things. That duality makes this a very tricky game where one dead turn or misplay can rapidly change the tide. Paladin has gotten some powerful board-centric plays with the new set, so keeping their minions in check is more important than ever. This game is going to be like Druid, except it is even more important to get control in the midgame. Do not let them build into Spikeridged Steed.

What makes Paladin so strong is their ability to suddenly take over a game. All it takes is one Murloc Warleader, Sunkeeper Tarim, or Gentle Megasaur for them to instantly have the board out of nowhere. Know this, and be proactive with your pacing. You do not want to wait and let your opponent make the decisions. You need to use your removal and weapons to make sure you dictate the game. Once you lose the board or let your opponent get a minion ahead of you it is going to be very hard to climb back. One more note is that you need to have the board before turn eight. Tirion Fordring is often going to be the death of you. Being able to kill him quickly and turn his weapon into damage is the best route to take.

Evolve Shaman

Shaman is still popular, which is great news because this is easily one of your best (if not your best) matchups. Token is a deck that has a very set plan. They flood the board, and then Bloodlust or Evolve. If they get cleared, they try to rebound and do it again. That works very well against a lot of decks, but it also means they are susceptible to clears. Scourgelord Garrosh is going to be game over almost all of the time, and if he is in your hand you should play safe just to get to him as quickly as you can. However, things like Blood Razor, Fiery War Axe, and Ravaging Ghoul all help you steadily chip away at your opponent’s board as well. Don’t get comfortable and do not worry about doing damage. You will out-value your opponent eventually.

The goal here is to just limit everything your opponent plays. You win this game by never letting anything stick. Anything. Priority is an amazingly important part of this match, and the whole thing is going to be based on it. I would say turn four is the turn where the tide starts to shift. Either you run out of gas and your opponent builds to one of their large combos, or you get a strong Blood Razor like play and just decimate anything your opponent has. Whoever controls that turn is likely going to be able to come out on top. This is important to remember because it will help you structure your turns in the correct way. Taking value is not as important as removal, and you should just focus on getting as much AOE as you possibly can.

Kazakus Priest

Priest is a deck that seems to get more and more popular each day, and I think there are many good reasons for that. While it can struggle against some of Druid’s more explosive combo turns, Shadowreaper Anduin/Raza the Chained is the best one-two punch in the game. That is not good news because this is going to be a very difficult game that largely depends on your opponent’s curve. Kazakus Priest is a deck of one-ofs, which typically means it has some slow or awkward starts. When that happens you want to just go at their face hard and hope you can finish them off on turns nine or ten. Their Death Knight is very hard to deal with, and it is hard to damage through The Lich King and Obsidian Statue. Save your hard removal for those cards when pushing for removal. In contrast, when your opponent has the cards they need you want to do what you can to tempo them hard. The end-game plan is going to be the same, but make sure they can never trade into your minions. Force them to use or have the spells they need to stay alive and prevent them from getting easy outs.

Mulligan Guide

When mulliganing with this deck you want to look for your opening cards, with special focus on any interactions that you might be able to take advantage of. The must keeps are Armorsmith, Fiery War Axe and Forge of Souls.Blood to Ichor should only be kept if you have the coin and you’re facing a board-focused deck, and you want Frothing Berserker, Acolyte of Pain, and Ravaging Ghoul with the coin or a good curve. Finally, Blood Razor should be kept against any aggro deck if you have a good curve, and Bloodhood Brave is great against aggro with the coin and one drop before it.

Conclusion

Finally. I have been looking forward to covering this style of Tempo Warrior for sometimes, and the tools it got from KFT are fantastic. There are still some things that need to be properly tested, but overall, it seems like this is in the space where it wants to be. Rather than trying to go long and out-value your opponent, you just need to focus on pressure and damage. There are a ton of ways to build that here, and all of them are pretty darn good. Hope you enjoy the deck as much as I do, and, until next time, may you always rage into battle.

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