Scalise’s Sessions: Aggro Shaman

Ah, to be young and in love with the elements. As you have guessed by the title, winter break has officially come to an end and we are back in class for good (well for the week until I decide to shift gears back to The New Standard, but that’s besides the point). This week on Scalise’s Sessions I thought I’d break down an easy-to-play-hard-to-master list in Aggro Shaman. That is because, while the deck seems quite straightforward in many ways, there are many subtleties to it that can make or break a game. Not only do you have the classic face package, but (in this version at least) you also have the Jade Golem route that allows you to go long in games should you need it. In that way, this deck is a lot like three different lists in one (Face, Midrange and Jade Golem) and understanding all of them is key to success.

The Deck

What I like about this version is how strong the top-end curve is. In fact, if you squint your eyes hard enough it does a pretty good midrange impression. That means you won’t just die to a few anti-aggro spells and you have many ways to climb back into a game. In fact, there have been many times where I would have normally conceded with classic aggro and I actually came back to win. You never want to get caught being one-dimensional in today’s meta, and this version really plays the best of both worlds quite well.

Early Game

Something that has always fascinated me about Aggro Shaman is that it is an aggressive deck that desperately wants to take over the early board. In fact, I would argue that the first two turns are more important for this deck than for any other list in the game. Your whole goal here is to try and make sure you are ahead going into turns three and four, where you can leverage some of your bigger minions and powerful swing cards. Use all the resources you can to make sure you have minions on the board and your opponent does not.

One of the best ways to control the first turns is through your weapons. Spirit Claws and Jade Claws both help you pick off threats and can keep early minions like Patches the Pirate and Small-Time Buccaneer in check. While your weapons can also go face quite well, you typically want to use them for board control early on and only shift later in the game.

Another big part of the early turns is going to be playing to your hand. That is because if you have a solid curve you can afford to be a bit slower and take your time setting up the board, but if you have a good amount of damage backed up by some large threats you need to stack on early pressure. A lot of playing Shaman is about knocking your opponent down early so you can leverage that life loss later on. If you have the opportunity to push right out of the gates you should do so.

Middle Game

The middle turns of the game are really your late game because this is ideally where you want to wrap things up. You pressure early and then have one or two big threats that simply lock it up before your opponent can get set. This is not an easy line to see, but most games are going to end here, whether you actually have lethal or not. The only exception are when you have enough punch that you can switch to the midrange variant. For example, if you have minimal pressure but a lot of Jade Golem cards in hand you should try and go in on that plan instead.

It is important to understand that your big threats are great tempo plays that can help you get ahead in the game. This is because anything big threat, from Flamewreathed Faceless to Azure Drake, is going to demand an immediate answer for fear of your burst. This is one of the best ways to climb back into a game that is slipping away. Just playing a solid body can force your opponent’s hand and tie up their turn, which you can then use to climb up your curve or get out of overload.

These turns you also want to weigh your burst potential against how much you need to clear the board. While control is important in the early game, it gets a lot more tricky later on. When trying to decide how to spend something like Lava Burst you need to see how important it is to kill a threat on board, and then see if that is going to help you win more than just pointing five damage at your opponent’s face. If you need to get through a taunt, stave off lethal, or protect your board then killing a minion is good, but if your opponent is low or your only chance is to burn them out you have to go to the dome.

Late Game

If you do make it to the late game, the way you play is going to depend on your opponent’s health. If they have a lot of health or too much to bust down you should want to get down as many big threats as you possibly can and then back that up with a solid string of damage. However, if they are low on life you just need to use everything you have to push hard and fast to take them out before they find a way to comeback.

Your biggest advantage here is going to be how many ways you can take back a board. Always be on the lookout for ways to kill your opponent’s threats and then re-fill on big minions. Things like Feral Spirit, Jade Golem, and even Azure Drake can help you get ahead in card advantage and put you back in control of a game. If you are in a topdecking battle you always want look for those small ways to get ahead because you can leverage damage better than anyone.

By far your best chance to win at this part of the game is through your Jade Golems, which you want to combine with the constant threat of damage. That means making turns where you Jade Lightning your opponent’s face and then play Jade Claws and hit them for two. Those type of plays make your opponent worry about their health (a good form of tempo) and also put a solid threat down that needs to be dealt with.

Matchups

A breakdown of the most popular matchups in the game.

Aggro Shaman

If you want to play this deck you better get ready for the mirror match. Aggro Shaman is one of the most popular decks in the game (which is why we are covering it in the first place) and it is going to be an absolute slugfest. This whole game is going to come down to the turns one through three because whoever has position at that point can just curve up and push for damage. If you ever get ahead it is key to strike your opponent as hard as possible. This is a very swingy match, and if you don’t take the opportunity to get in hits when you can you can suddenly find yourself locked out of the game. It is also important to work to conserve your burn, especially if you are in a tight race and you start to fall behind. It is easy to use it up on the board, but most of the time you want to save it for a finishing blow.

Another important part of this matchup is getting out your big minions before your opponent can get out theirs. Shamans no longer run Hex, so curving into a Flamewreathed Faceless (or just playing one on an empty board) is going to create a mess of problems for your opponent. Sometimes it can just end the game on the spot. Anytime you have a big threat, from a Jade Golem to Azure Drake to Aya Blackpaw, you should work to protect it. That is one of the only times where all of your burn should be used to clear.

Miracle Rogue

The ever-popular Miracle Rogue is one of the best reasons to run aggro right now. This is because, for all of their power and consistency, they have no healing and no taunts. That puts you in a very good position where you can simply work to pressure them as much as you can and take them down before they can mount a proper attack. This is a game where you just want to be as aggressive as possible and hit your opponent with everything you have. Some games you want to pace and work to your bigger threats, but here you need to try and kill Rogue (or get them to very low health) before they move into turn six. Gadgetzan Auctioneer is usually just too hard to combat.

You need to be very careful in this game about knowing when and how to overload yourself. Rogue not only has Preparation (which they can use to great affect to clear your board) but they also have Sap (which crushes Flamewreathed Faceless and Jade Golems). Know that, and never get too greedy by going all in into situations where you won’t be able to do anything the following turn. You need to constantly run out threats, but you only want to do in a very meticulous way. The best way to do this is to simply map out the next two or three turns and then play to the best scenario you can come up with.

Pirate Warrior

Another extremely popular list, Pirate Warrior is a matchup that plays out very similar to Aggro Shaman. That is, your goal here is to get ahead as early as possible and then push for damage. However, there is an important distinction here where Warrior has much more fast damage than Shaman and as soon as they lose the board they will simply bash your face in as hard as they can. To stop that you need to leverage your threats to make your opponent care about your board. Pirate loves to ignore minions and just go face, but they will respect burst. As a result, if you have a big enough threat you may be able to soak up some damage.

Taunts in aggro mirrors are always incredibly strong, and Feral Spirit is by far your best card in this game. So much so that you usually want to use in situations that are going to cut off your opponent’s next play. For example, playing it on turn four to stop a turn five Arcanite Reaper, or using it late game to halt a potential Leeroy Jenkins. Just putting it out is fine, but you typically want to set it up into situations where your opponent won’t be able to easily handle the wolves. In addition, always kill off early pirates to try and limit any value your opponent can get from Bloodsail Cultist.

Renolock

Still holding on by its slimy, corrupted fingertips, Renolock is a very good match for you. Similar to Rogue, they simply don’t have enough ways to combat early game. However, unlike Rogue, they have access to both AOE and some of the best heals in Standard. As a result, you want to play this one by just running out as much as you can while also being careful to note how your opponent is going to respond to it. For example, play your Flamewreathed Faceless on turn four because it’s early enough in the game where your opponent isn’t going to have a hard answer like Siphon Soul. You have to be one step ahead of your opponent, so always try to play minions the turn before they have the proper AOE or removal to kill them.

The goal of this game is to kill your opponent before turn six. Reno Jackson isn’t going to be game over, but it is going to make the matchup very, very difficult. As a result, you have to come at Renolock with everything you can. The overall plan is to keep pressing damage and then finish them off with burst before they can play out their taunts. While they can play scary minions here and there, you should largely ignore them. This is not a game where you need to fight for priority. It is also important to be aware of a potential Doomsayer. The 0/7 will annihilate your curve if you aren’t ready for it, so never run too many things out on turn one unless you can do seven damage on turn two.

Dragon Priest

Your roughest matchup, Dragon Priest does a very good job of keeping pace with you while also healing up and playing taunts. That is a very bad combination that is going to make this an uphill climb. Unless you get a blistering fast start (and I mean blistering fast) you want to treat this much more like a midrange battle than anything else. Your golems and late game threats can wear Priest down over time, but only if you manage to pace them through the first part of the game. It is also important to kill early minions. You have to have priority in order to win this game, but you are not going to be able to do much if Priest keeps their early game around. Power Word: Shield and Kabal Talonpriest can both absolutely blow you out of the water, so try your best to mitigate their potential targets.

Tip and Tricks

Never underestimate the power of having a weapon equipped. While most of the time you are going to burn your charges for board or your opponent’s face, keeping one around will enable Small-Time Buccaneer and help you trigger topdecked Southsea Deckhands. In that same vein, do not be afraid to hold onto Spirit Claws for many turns in order to wait for spell damage to come along.

Using Flametongue Totem on one of your opponent’s dead turns is one of the best ways to bring pressure. Do not be afraid to play the 0/3 just as a way to force out removal and get in some hits. If you can push them into a tight corner where they have to kill the totem and ignore your other early minions you can really put on pressure.

Always conserve and have a plan for Feral Spirit. The wolves are very strong because they are good against aggro as well as control. Being able to shut down your opponent during a race is important, but so is having a way to instantly re-fill the board alongside a Tunnel Trogg or Flametongue Totem.

Set up Flamewreathed Faceless as best that you can. The 7/7 is as strong as it has ever been, and if you can get it down while your opponent has very little health or has no board it is going to be game over in many cases. While the faceless is strong against control, it actually shines the most against aggro because they need to jump through the most hoops to remove it. Don’t be afraid to trade for the first couple of turns and then use the four drop as a trump card.

Mulligan Guide

Not only are you an aggressive deck, but early board control is also vital to your gameplan. As such, you need to aggressively look for one drops. So much so that you want to throw just about everything else back that isn’t a turn one or two body. Curves are important, but they are no good if you can’t begin on turn one.

Must Keeps:

Southsea Deckhand Tunnel Trogg Small-Time Buccaneer Spirit Claws Totem Golem

Situational Keeps:

Lightning Bolt is solid if you have other early minions to play with it.

Bloodmage Thalnos should only be kept alongside Maelstrom Portal against aggro or when you have an early Spirit Claws against a board-centric opponent.

Flametongue Totem is a very good keep with a strong opening, but is too slow on its own.

Jade Claws can be kept if you have a powerful curve.

Maelstrom Portal is a solid keep against aggro, especially if you also have early minions.

Feral Spirit can be kept with a good curve or the coin.

Flamewreathed Faceless is a solid keep if you have a good opening curve against Druid and Shaman.

Replacements

While I don’t think there are very many replacements for this version of the deck, there are more than a few ways you can tune this build. You can drop the top end to lower the curve and go more in with aggro, but you can also curve the top and bottom to play some more midrange possibilities. The choice is up to you. Just try and tweak it to the style of aggro you best know how to play.

There is room to slide in Sir Finley Mrrgglton if you want access to some other hero powers. I would look to cutting one of the portals or even perhaps the Southsea Deckhand to make the change.

One of the Maelstrom Portals (maybe even both) can be replaced if you are not seeing a lot of aggro with other aggressive bodies such as a second Southsea Deckhand or possibly even Loot Hoarders.

You can also cut the Azure Drakes. If you cut them you can replace them with more early game, more burn, or simply just with other different midrange threats.

Aya Blackpaw can also be replaced with another aggro option like Leeroy Jenkins. However, if you want to make that change I would also cut down the whole curve.

Conclusion

Though not everyone likes aggro, I would say this build is the most interesting aggressive deck in the meta. You get to play the literal aggro version, but you also get to load up with some other play styles as well. This is a very good lesson in damage conservation, and also teaches you how to value burn as both control and aggression. Thanks for reading, and let me know what else you guys want lessons on. Until next time, may the elements be with you, always.

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