Hey, buddy. Wanna steal some stuff? This time around on Weekly Legends we are going to break away from the norm and see what life look like from the other side of the table. By that, I of course mean we are going to analyze a legend Burgle Rogue list that looks to steal all of your opponent’s class cards and then use them (with a discount) against them. This awesome list comes from gregregregreg who piloted it to legend during the middle of last season. While it still has some shades of Miracle (as all Rogues do) it works much more like a Tempo Rogue deck that seeks to get insane amounts of value from its minions and then use that value to take over games. This deck is three distinct parts that all come together to build a very strong, cohesive whole. You have your early game pirate package, your cheap, efficient spells, and a whole slew of midrange threats that look to lock out the game. It’s a pretty combination that works very well.
Key Cards
Preparation
As intuitive as Preparation might be, this deck is not Miracle. I say that because this card is going to be used as a tempo play in this build much more than a go-big draw with Gadgetzan Auctioneer (though sometimes it will be). You will notice that all of your spells cost three or less, and that means they all are going to be free with Preparation. As a result, just look at this card as saying “your next removal/tempo spell is free.” That ability mixed with a big minion or board flood is quite strong. Being able to play a Tomb Pillager or any other solid threat while also taking something out is one of those game-breaking moves that takes a good deck and makes it great.
There are a lot of combos you can pull off with Preparation, and you should always think about them while this is in your hand. This is not just a card you play because you can. Rather, you want to have a purpose in mind. For example, playing this with Burgle on turn five with Ethereal Peddler is a good way to get instant discounts, while just using this with Burgle early on to keep to your curve or trigger combo can be a good way to fill your hand and fight for priority at the same time. That being said, there are times where you are going to want to save this for Gadgetzan Auctioneer (especially if you choose to run two). If you are running low on cards or need some extra action, don’t be afraid to hold it for the goblin.
Sap
Sap is a very important card for this tempo-style deck because it is just better than any removal spell you can play. There are two reasons for that. The first is that it does not have to be triggered by combo (such as Eviscerate) and has no inherent drawback like Backstab or Shadow Strike. A lot of the times you are going to want to move the game in a way very similar to Tempo Mage where you have one or two threats and then you use all of your various removal and stall spells to pace your opponent right out of the game. Sap does a wonderful job at that, especially against aggro decks that have a lot of turns to get ready. Being able to send back a Frothing Berserker, Tomb Pillager or Totem Golem can just ruin curves and knock your opponent’s plan out of whack.
The other reason Sap is so strong is because it is not limited by health and does not trigger deathrattle. Sylvanas Windrunner? Gone. A giant four mana 7/7? Back to the hand. Some random 3000/3000? Gone. No questions asked. Yes, your opponent can then replay the card the next turn, but forcing them to waste all of that mana over again is the type of play you want to make in a deck like this. For that reason, always try to use your other removal spells before pulling the trigger on this one. Eviscerate can double as damage, and while that may come up now and then, you should only prioritize the two mana spell if your opponent is low on life. Otherwise, it is right just to use it and save the Sap.
Edwin Vancleef
Once again, note that when playing this list it is very easy to forget that you aren’t Miracle. That comes up again and again, but it is important to know that you don’t need a giant Edwin Vancleef to win games. The three mana 2/2 has some of the most upside potential in all of Hearthstone, and that means he really suffers from “go big” syndrome where people only want to use him when he is a 6/6 or higher. This deck cares much more about bodies that it does about dream scenarios, and being able to run out a 4/4 for three is more than fine against a lot of decks. In fact, if I have this with the coin on turn two I will often just coin him out. That play beats Totem Golem, Small-Time Buccaneer and Tunnel Trogg while also challenging things like Frothing Berserker and Wyrmrest Agent. In that same vein, even if you can make a big Edwin doesn’t mean you should. Just going all-in on this card is often not going to be worth the resources that it takes because you don’t have the inherent catch-up that Miracle does. If you don’t have to work too hard to go big you should, but never jump through too many hoops.
Ethereal Peddler
The card that makes the whole deck worthwhile, Ethereal Peddler is a very chunky midrange threat that can absolutely blow your opponent out of the water if you are able to curve into it. A 5/6 body (as anyone who as ever faced off against Drakonid Operative knows) is extremely powerful for five mana, and when that comes with an inherent discount it gets insane. You should try and use all of resources to set this card up. You can do that by either clearing the board (which is the most usual use of this) or by just putting on a lot of pressure. While you are not an aggro deck, you have a lot of ways pile on early damage thanks to your early threats and the pirate package. Be aware of this, and don’t be afraid to leverage the 5/6 as lethal (or perceived lethal) when you need to.
Also note how the cards you discount with Ethereal Peddler are going to change the game. If you have a lot of big threats you should try to wear your opponent out, but if you have access to AOE it is ok to try and go longer (this goes for healing as well). In addition, as mentioned above, you can also go the aggressive route. Shaman, Druid and Rogue (for Lotus Agents) all have a large number of burn spells at their disposal, and that can combine with your own burn to create a very damage-heavy hand. If you have a lot of such spells don’t be afraid to push because with the discount you can kill people out of nowhere.
Lotus Agents
As skeptical as I was of Lotus Agents when I first saw it in the original thirty, the more I played this deck the more I loved this card. Yes, the stat line seems very weak, but it is actually the exact same one as Ethereal Conjurer. Not only that, but you get a lot more flexibility than the mage rare. With the 5/3’s you are going to have access to Shaman, Druid, and Rogue cards. That is a very strong mix because of how well it allows you to adapt to different situations. Rogue’s two biggest weaknesses are their lack of AOE and defensive cards. Shaman and Druid fill that very nicely because Druid comes with both some healing options and a whole mess of taunts, while Shaman has some healing and a lot of AOE. Choosing what spell you want for each specific situation is not going to be easy, but it is always important to plan a few turns ahead. This of course is going to change from game to game, but based on the current meta taking defensive options is going to be good when facing aggro, and looking for any big body is the best choice for control.
Matchups
The five decks I see the most while grinding up the ladder.
Aggro Shaman
Aggro Shaman remains the most popular deck on the ladder because of both its quick games and various versions. While it may seem difficult at first glance due to your lack of healing and taunts, this is one of your better matchups. In order to adapt to the slower decks in the game, Shaman has raised their curve ceiling to run things like Azure Drake, Flamewreathed Faceless, and Aya Blackpaw. That is very good news for you because you can pace them during the early game and then challenge their bigger bodies with efficient removal and strong minions. You have some of the most efficient removal in Hearthstone, so it is important you use it to control the first three or four turns of the game. If Shaman pulls ahead there you probably won’t be able to come back.
From a tempo standpoint, your two best cards here are Shadow Strike and Sap. Sap is particularly strong because it demolishes Flamewreathed Faceless and also can be a good way to completely nullify a Jade Golem (playing a 5/5 for five is much less impressive than getting one for free). As always, the rule for this game is to just work to get ahead on board. Damage and pressure are mostly going to be secondary. That is because as you continue to pressure your opponent they will naturally use burn on the board and take pressure away from your face. Beyond Jade Lightning, that means they are going to be wasting turns playing no minions and tying up there mana from overload. From there you should be able to race them down.
Miracle Rogue
Just behind Shaman, Miracle Rogue has gained an overwhelming amount of popularity over the past month and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. As odd as it may be, a huge part of this game is going to happen during the first turns. As Rogue cannot regain health, whoever can leverage early damage and push with their pirates should be able to control the board. You want to just get bodies down when you can and then force your opponent to come up with answers. Do not be afraid to just run out any minions you have (such as SI:7 Agent without combo) and use Preparation to set up strong tempo turns. Your opponent will almost try and save theirs for Auctioneer, so if you can get a minion and kill something you will be able to pull ahead early.
Note two key things. One, your Ethereal Peddlers are going to get very little value since you are largely going to be stealing Rogue cards (making them Pit Fighters), and two, you cannot play afraid. While it may be a bit of an over-exaggeration, this game is largely going to be over as soon as it hits turn six. You cannot comeback from a Gadgetzan Auctioneer, and your opponent will simply run you over if they have priority at that time. As such, you should view yourself as the aggressor where you work hard to just get in as much damage. This may not always mean you are going to be able to kill them in five turns, but if you make it uncomfortable for them to combo you may be able to stall them. And sometimes that’s all you need.
Pirate Warrior
When I started this month Pirate Warrior was in pretty steady decline, but the deck has been battling back over the past week. This is a game where you want to be pure tempo, working hard to set up your own threats while taking out your opponents. Like Shaman, Pirate does not do well once you take control of the board or gain priority. However, instead of tying up their damage on your minions they will simply start to go face hard if they ever fall behind. Pirate Warriors love to buff up their weapons, and they can easily start doing eight to ten damage out of nowhere. Because of that, it is important that you know how much health you have and always understand how close you are to dying.
Counting your opponent’s damage potential is one of the most important parts of this game. You are going to spend a lot of time working to leverage damage and pressure Pirate. While this will not turn the tide like it will against Rogue, this makes it so you can race your opponent down before they simply draw enough damage to kill you. However, in order for that to happen you need to know when you can trade and when you can just go face. Always calculate the nightmare scenario (including Leeroy Jenkins/double Heroic Strike) because unless you’re dead without attacking it’s not worth the risk to ignore a minion.
Renolock
Though it become rarer and rarer with each passing day, there is no denying that Renolock isn’t ready to die. The Control Warlock deck still has some juice in the tank, and you are going to see it at various times in the ladder. This is the only matchup where you really need to work in damage and do everything you can to find ways to pressure your opponent. Renolock simply has too many tools and too many powerful interactions to lose the long game. In fact, this match gets harder and harder with every turn that goes by. You just want to leverage your card steals as much as you possibly can and play out threat after threat. This, similar to when facing Rogue, will tie up your opponent’s mana and keep you in control. Just keep coming up with questions until your opponent runs out of answers.
This is another game where Sap is extremely important. Barring a Doomsayer opening, Renolock is a deck that is going to lean heavily on their turn four. They usually just tap for the first few turns and then hope some large threat can bring them back. If you can send that back to the hand for two mana and play some extra threats they simply aren’t going to have the firepower they need to keep up. Beyond that, you just want to keep your minion’s health up to keep ahead of AOE and try your best to conserve burn to burst them down in one hit. Warlock won’t be sure of the damage you have, so if you can hoard it all you may be able to catch them off guard.
Dragon Priest
As rare as it has become, I still see a good amount of Dragon Priest on my climbs. The deck still has an incredibly strong core and enough power to overwhelm just about any opponent it faces. This is one of your worse matchups because of the fact that they simply just have much bigger threats than you do. While traditional Rogue is good against Priest, you lack the combo potential of Miracle. As a result, this is going to come down to minions vs. minions, which isn’t great news. The way you win this is by starting out extremely fast and using your curve to just control the board. Damage is important, but you need to make sure you are in the game before you start to worry about health. Play your game here and then force your opponent to adapt to it rather then making yourself adapt to them. Doing it the other way around will never work because Priest’s end game is much (much, much) stronger than yours. Look to leverage any solid minions you can find, and search for AOE with Lotus Agents if you’re behind, but look for big bodies if you’re tied or ahead.
Mulligan Guide
When mulliganing with this deck you just want to look for all of your early cards. While you have many bells and whistles, this list is largely a tempo shell and you should play as such. Backstab, Small-Time Buccaneer, Swashburglar and Undercity Huckster are your must keeps, while you always want to look for SI:7 Agent if you have the coin or a good curve. Eviscerate is strong against aggro if you have early minions and Sap is very good when fighting Renolock, Rogue and Shaman if you also have a solid opening. Tomb Pillager is really good with a curve and the coin, but you never want to keep Preparation or Patches the Pirate. Burgle is too slow against anything except control.
Conclusion
I love strange decks, especially ones that take advantage of little-played interactions. Burgle Rogue has been around for quite sometime, but it never quite had the punch (or the pirates) that this one does. This deck really feels like a solid tempo build, and that is definitely a good thing. There are many interesting cards here, and who doesn’t love that? Plus, the burgle aspect makes every game different and fresh, which is also awesome. Thanks for reading and, until next time, may you always steal what you need.
Published: Jan 17, 2017 01:37 am