Introduction
Heeeaaallliinnnggg. Today on Weekly Legends, we are going back to the beginning. Hearthstone has gone through a ton of different permutations over the years, but Control Paladin is one of the builds that has stuck around since day one. This week’s list is a cool take on the archetype because it goes all-in. Many people have tried to adapt control decks to the current game by blending them or creating hybrid builds with lower curves. However, in a board-centric world you need to have a plan and stick to it. This deck aims to do two things: remove and heal. Every card in this one works towards those goals. There is not too much subtly going on here. When your opponent plays a minion, you need to kill it and move on.
Key Cards
Doomsayer
I will never understate the importance of Doomsayer. So many people only perceive the 0/7 as a Mage combo card, but the truth is that it has a ton of possibilities in a slow control deck. Playing this card on turn two can be a wonderful way to shut down aggro, and putting it out after a clear is the best way you have to keep priority. Unless you’re facing a hyper-aggressive deck with a blazing fast start, Doomsayer is almost always going to come down on an empty board. There are very few silences in the current game, and most decks will simply have to pass their turn if you make that move. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. A lot of lists these days, ranging from Aggro Druid to Tempo Rogue to Zoo, cannot handle losing the board. If you can get them to pass the turn, even if you don’t have a strong follow up play, you should be able to get a huge amount of extra time to draw into your finishers and heals.
Doomsayer also does a great job of buying time. This deck is built in a trump card type of way, where you want to clear and clear until you slam down a gigantic threat your opponent is not properly equipped to answer. It is easy to lose the early board, and often times you need to get to a certain turn to get back into the game. Sometimes that is turn six for Equality/Consecration, and sometimes it is turn eight for Ragnaros, Lightlord. Either way, you have to buy time at all different stages. Know this, and understand that there are going to be times where you want to play Doomsayer into a board where your opponent can kill it. This may sound counter intuitive, but sometimes it works when you have no other options. Not only does it eat seven damage, but it also gets you that all important extra turn.
Equality
Every control deck has a certain card that makes it tick, and for Control Paladin that is Equality. The two mana spell is incredibly powerful. So powerful that it often acts as a win condition. Your goal with this card is not to just clear the board (though sometimes you have to in order to win) your goal is to blow your opponent out. Nothing clears like Equality, and you want to try to set it up to be as big as possible. What makes that tricky is, like Brawl, your opponent is going to see it coming. That means you have to force them to overextend. Liberally use your removal spells, set their minions to one attack, and always heal up. If your opponent isn’t putting you under pressure, then they are going to need more threats. Once they play a good amount of minions (or use most of their hand) you pull the trigger.
You only get two chances with Equality, which means you need to use them wisely. It does not matter how you’re clearing with this card (Wild Pyromancer, Primordial Drake, Consecration), so much as it matters that you’re using it at the right time. The spell should always be your last resort. You do not want to lead with this right away. For example, if you’re up against a couple of midrange threats it is often better to play Tirion Fordring than to go for a full clear. Then, once your opponent fights through the legendary and commits most of their board, you can remove everything. Holding back is key here.
Aldor Peacekeeper
Realistically, the entire goal of this deck is to stay alive. Nothing helps you do that better than Aldor Peacekeeper. The 3/3 is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal because it is basically a removal spell. There are some decks that want to constantly clear the board, but for this list you just want to limit the amount of damage you’re taking each turn. As a result, setting a big body to one attack is the same thing as a hard clear. It may not always give you the same feeling, but you should treat them in the same way. In addition, Aldor also gives you some board presence, which can be used to push back against faster decks. That is not the primary mode, but do not underestimate how much removal and a body can buy you time.
You do not always need to save this for a big swing. Card potential is great but, as I’ve said many times, it is not everything. You may want to hold back Aldor Peacekeeper for that gigantic Doomguard or Bittertide Hydra for that sweet value, but often times that isn’t going to win you the game. For example, against Zoo, turn five plus isn’t going to matter if you can’t control the board for the first three turns. Yes, it may not be your first instinct to run out the 3/3 on a Flame Imp, but that both limits early damage and gives you board presence (which is extremely important against Warlock). Remember, there is no point to holding onto a card for a turn that may never come.
Stampeding Kodo
The other half of the above card, Stampeding Kodo is an incredibly useful tool for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest setbacks of Aldor Peacekeeper is that, while it restricts damage, it also does not actually kill something. It is great against things like Bittertide Hydra, but it can be lacking against things like Ysera, Bonemare, or The Lich King. Kodo perfectly fills in that gap by giving you a way to instantly take down a big body. You get a 3/3, a 3/5, and a removal spell all for the price of two cards and eight mana. That is a pretty good deal, and serves as a great tempo push. It is hard to see tempo as a useful control tool, but being able to get the board at any point during the game (even if you aren’t going to do anything with it) means that your opponent is on the back foot. From there, they need to climb back into the game, which gives you opportunity to heal up and draw cards. Kodo is one of the best ways to do this. Yes, you have potential to hit a small minion here and there, but mostly the card is for the peacekeeper combo. The beast is great against strong midrange threats, but you typically want to save the full combo for bigger finishers.
Uther of the Ebon Blade
This deck has a ton of finishers, but none of them come close to Uther of the Ebon Blade. We have seen the power of all the death knights over the past few months, and there is no doubt the nine drop packs a huge punch. You get removal, healing, and a win condition all built into one card. This is not a card that you’re going to use to literally close out games (though, that can happen), but it will almost always lead to a victory if you have it up for even a few turns. Not only does your hammer give you access to a ton of life, but it helps you put on a ton of pressure as well. If you have the nine drop, you should play to it as best as you can.
Try your best to run out Uther of the Ebon Blade at the point where your opponent is nearly out of resources. Any time you can put the nine drop down without resistance you should, but it is best to set up a time where the hero power is going to matter. The 2/2’s do have a finality to them, and they can win you the game if you use them right. What matters with the DK is, not that you actually end things with the four horseman, but that you threaten to end things with the four horsemen. As long as you can make your opponent constantly answer the 2/2’s, you should be able to control the pace of the game. Once your opponent focuses on the board, it will give you plenty of time to power out your other finishers. You then just want to wear your opponent down from there.
Deck Code
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Matchups
These are the decks I see the most while playing on ladder.
Tempo Rogue
At this point, I’m not sure if Valeera or Anduin rules the meta. However, I see more Rogues, so that’s what’s going first. This game is going to be your toughest simply because of the way Tempo Rogue matches up against Control Paladin. You are a deck that wants to react. Your opponent puts something down, you get rid of it, they put something down, you get rid of it, and so on and so forth. However, it is hard to get Rogue to extend into a board because they can do a lot with a little. Minions like Bonemare and Cobalt Scalebane can instantly put on a ton of pressure without using too many resources. That creates problems for you. To offset those plays, you have to work hard to get ahead in this one. It may not be your inclination to race ahead of your opponent, but playing the tempo mode throughout the middle turns is going to limit a lot of damage and help you get your finishers ahead of your opponent.
Healing is vitally important in this one. Rogue can do a lot of work right out of hand. That can be problematic because your clears and mass removal plays are going to leave you exposed from time to time. Yes, you may have just cleared the entire board with Consecration/Equality, but you now have no taunt up for the Leeroy Jenkins/Cold Blood in your opponent’s hand. Clear first in this matchup. Rogue likes to build and you need to limit that. Then, once you’ve got a good hold on the board, you should do everything in your power to get your health up above any burst. You may have taunts, but those will likely just fall to Vilespine Slayer. Health is much more important.
Kazakus Priest
Let’s just call this what it is. Priest has now become a pure combo deck. Sometimes they clear, sometimes they draw, but most of the time they just stall as much as they can until they go off. Today’s decks all pack their free hero power combined with Prophet Velen and Mind Blast. That means, should the game go long enough, you are looking at roughly a twenty point damage hit. You have to stay above that at all costs. Always assume your opponent has their full damage potential and heal accordingly. You are a slow deck that is going to take all of its games slow. While that isn’t bad, it does mean Priest is almost always going to get to a point where they can play both Raza the Chained and Shadowreaper Anduin. The only way you can fully play around the combo is by either constantly getting out ahead of your opponent’s pressure, or by making your opponent run out of cards. Priest has very little minions, and they do not depend on the board. For that reason, you should do always run out bodies as they come. Your abilities are not going to matter all that much in this one. A 3/3 is three damage a turn. Nothing less, and really nothing more.
Zoo
Zoo has skyrocketed in popularity over the past month, and it continues to climb with each passing day. This is going to be a very interesting game that is very easy to lose if you don’t pace in the correct way. Your goal here should be to get a handle on the early board, clear, heal up, and, once your opponent drops Bloodreaver Gul’dan, clear again. This is going to be a long game, which means you need to make good use of your removal. Unless your opponent comes out blazingly fast, you should save Aldorpeackeepers for big threats like Bonemare or Doomguard, and always hold back AOE until you get a good board to hit. It is very easy to get Zoo to overextend because they need to constantly stack up pressure. Waiting that one extra turn can make all the difference. Even if you have to take some extra damage.
This is another game where watching damage potential is vitally important. Zoo does not have too much burst, but they do pack Doomguard and Soulfire. Both of those cards can kill you out of nowhere, and you want to be aware of that when deciding what to do at the end of the game. Also note that Bloodreaver Gul’dan will bring back Doomguard, giving the DK instant burst damage. You are going to win this one by getting your opponent out of cards. As with Rogue, this is not going to be an easy task, but you want to get Warlock to start lifetapping as much as possible. Not only will that limit their mana (taking the top off of their curve) but it will also stop their instant buffs and help you build up your hand. Be liberal with Doomsayer in this one as well. Even playing the 0/7 against one minion can be right just to take Zoo off of their curve and help you get the board.
Midrange Hunter
Hunter has fallen in popularity, but just because you’re down doesn’t mean you’re out. The fast class is as fast as ever, and now they come equipped with both deathrattle and un-targetable beasts. The way you win this one is through a balance. You need to aggressively clear the board to stop your opponent from curving out or hitting big Houndmaster or Crackling Razormaw plays. However, a lot of that is going to come from things like Truesilver Champion, and you need to make sure you don’t fall into lethal range. Once Hunter knows you’re in control, they are going to push with as much damage as they can muster.
Your best tool here is Aldor Peacekeeper. Not only does a lot of your removal do nothing against deathrattle threats, but the three drop makes for a great way to inhibit minions you cannot touch like Savannah Highmane or a buffed Bearshark. While you do want to get onto the board early, the 3/3 should almost always be saved for the lion. Highmane is just too much too handle (not to mention it dodges AOE) and if you don’t have a way to set its attack to one you are likely going to lose. Beyond that, simply clear, clear, and clear. You will eventually get to a point in the game where you can make a big heal and wrap things up. However, getting there is not going to be easy. Most of this battle is going to happen between turns four and seven. If you can make it out of there with a little bit of health (or a large taunt) you should be able to coast.
Mulligan Guide
As with so many slow control builds, this deck has a lot (a lot) of dead draws. You need to know this when looking at your opening hand and make sure you don’t give away fringe cards. Chucking back a slow weapon only to end up with a hand full of eight drops is going to be game over every time. You want to always look for Hydrologist and Doomsayer. However, Wild Pyromancer is great when you have the coin against aggro, as is Aldor Peacekeeper. Equality should be kept against any swarm or midrange deck if you have an activator to go with it. Wickerflame Burnbristle and Stonehill Defender should both be kept with the coin or a curve, Consecration is great against any swarm deck, and you always want to keep Truesilver Champion if you can curve into it.
Conclusion
There’s control, and then there’s real control. Control Paladin is one of the most lock-down decks ever created, and it shows here. Your cards are all built towards removal and finishers. While there have been metas where that strategy has come up a bit short, it works like a charm in the current day and age. Just about every non-Priest deck is hyper focused on controlling and building up the board. If you can take that away from them, they will crumble. Until next week, may you always bring about the apocalypse.
Published: Nov 6, 2017 08:01 pm