Weekly Legends: Elise Control Warrior

Introduction

We continue out delving into the past this week by analyzing a recent Elise Control Warrior list that VLPS took to top 10 legend. I have often wondered over the past two months just how good Control Warrior would be in this meta because of how strong it is against aggro and how well it can hold its own against other slow decks. While this deck is nothing new, it definitely got some interesting tools from Mean Streets that really help against some of the more popular ladder decks. Your plan here is going to be the same that it always has been, but, as usual, the devil is in the details. And understanding those details is important to making everything come together.

You simply cannot take an old deck and bring it card-for-card into a new meta. This is something I constantly preach, but you have to able to make certain reads on the meta when putting list together, no matter how familiar it is. The two most significant changes for this version of Control Warrior is a tweak to the finishers (going back to Elise Starseeker) and an overall lowering of the curve. Despite the core being the same, there have been a few distinct types of Control Warrior over the years. Going back to the full “all-removal” package is a very important choice that really takes this deck up a notch.

Key Cards

Dirty Rat

I won’t take credit for championing Dirty Rat (even though I did), but I will say it is by far the best control card around. For those of you who have already read my Control Shaman article this may seem like a bit of re-hash, but the two drop is one of the most important parts of correctly piloting a deck like this one. The rat is not just good at stopping combo cards, it is also fantastic at taking away abilities or any powerful battlecry. This hits everything from Gadgetzan Auctioneer to Reno Jackson to Kazakus to Leeroy Jenkins to Ancient of War. And the list just keeps going on and on. A ton of minions in the current meta are only strong when played into certain situations, and if you can throw that off you should be able to really hit your opponent where it hurts.

There are two situations where you want to run out Dirty Rat. The first is when you have the AOE (playing it with Brawl is one of the strongest combos in your deck) or removal to stop whatever threat might jump from your opponent’s hand. This is key because you never want to be caught staring down more than you can handle. The other situation is when you are specifically trying to stop a combo card (think Reno) that you suspect your opponent has in hand. While it may be tempting, this is not a minion you want to play early against any deck. Even if you don’t hit some large threat (of which there are many) most decks, aggro or otherwise, are going to be able to kill it with damage out of hand. That means you just gave your opponent a free minion, and that is not going to be ok.

Acolyte of Pain

Though card draw was once removed from all Warrior lists due to the prevalence of fatigue matchups on ladder, the meta has gotten quite a bit faster since then. And that means you have to be able to draw cards (or at least threaten to draw cards). And nothing is better for that than Acolyte of Pain. The three drop is very strong for two key reasons. One, it allows you to draw cards. Self-explanatory maybe, but tearing through your deck is very important when facing any non-control list because you need to get both armor and removal. Try to work hard to put this into situations where you can get immediate value from it in one way or another. Sometimes that just means a small board, and sometimes that means instant draw. Using the pain-lover with Ravaging Ghoul or Revenge can be a great way to refill your hand and put something down that your opponent has to deal with.

The other part of this card is that works as a wonderful tempo play against both midrange and aggro. Unlike most cards, Acolyte of Pain has a very unique ability where it needs to be killed in one clean hit to limit value. That means it will often bait out removal or absorb a solid minion attack. This is important to understand because you want to try and run the three drop into situations where your opponent won’t be able to kill it off easily. For instance, putting this down against a Rogue with no board is very good because Valeera has very few ways to do damage outside of a premium removal spell like Eviscerate. The three drop is also a great way to make aggro stop and think, which sometimes is all you need. I have had multiple games where I played this as a psuedo-taunt or as a way to eat some burn.

Elise Starseeker

Ah, good ol’ Elise Starseeker. I bring her into this article, not to talk about her ability (which we all know well by now) but to discuss how her inclusion changes the deck. Elise has always been strong because she acts as a catch-all finisher. No more raising the curve, no more risking auto losing to aggro with a bad mulligan. While she is not the only finisher in this list (see below) she is going to be the way you stand against control decks. Having her as a “maybe I switch to my anti-control package” option really opens up your play style and enables you to pack the deck with a ton of anti-aggro cards. When facing down control you typically only want to use the monkey towards the end of the game when you have a huge hand full of junk. That will greatly increase her value and give you a lot of options to draw something good (there are a lot of weak legendaries running around these days). However, I would almost say you never want to play the monkey when facing aggro unless they have no board and you desperately need a taunt. You have a ton of strong cards in your deck that you need in those matchups, and you do not want to leave yourself open to damage by taking away armor or AOE. One of the best ways to lose a game against aggro is by playing the monkey too early, and a good way to lose against control is by playing it too late.

Alley Armorsmith

Dirty Rat is one of the cards that makes this deck possible. The other is Alley Armorsmith. The 2/7 taunter is an armor-making machine that both decimates aggro and allows you some breathing room against combo or midrange decks. Armor gain is always extremely important for slow Warrior decks, especially when it comes with a body. The gigantic smith is interesting because it is not a card that you need to work for, it is going to get value on its own. If you have it turn five you are almost always going to run it out when facing aggro. Just try to set it up into situations where your opponent won’t be able to kill it with removal. You want to make sure the card is going to do damage before it dies, and trading is often the way that happens.

I would view this card as your Reno Jackson. That is to say, if it is in your hand you want to work hard to live until you can play it. This card isn’t always going to be game over against things like Shaman and Warrior, but there are many instances where it will be. For example, stacking this up against an Arcanite Reaper not only allows you to absorb the five damage from the weapon, but you get two armor as well. A seven health swing will often give them absolute fits. If your opponent using something else to trade in with the axe, you get two more. For that reason, the five drop is also a good trump card that ends matches where your opponent is trying to find ways to finish you off. Though fringe, also look for situations where you can pair the taunter up with a Cruel Taskmaster. That allows you to get four armor a hit and pushes you out of range of almost all burst around.

Grommash Hellscream

As many games as Elise Starseeker will win you, Grommash Hellscream will probably win you more. The charging orc has been a part of Control Warrior since the early days of the meta, and even without Alexstrasza it is still a great way to put things away. Your opponent will often drop to low levels against you, and the 4/10 will punish them for it. The two common ways you can enrage this card are with Revenge for ten damage or with Cruel Taskmaster for twelve. However, another way you can get the eight drop to ten attack is by using Shield Slam when you only have a little bit of armor. This isn’t going to come up a lot, but it is always important to understand your options.

It is important to remember that Grommash does not need to go face. Yes, he makes a wonderful way to get lethal out of nowhere (especially with Cruel Taskmaster) but you can also use him as a removal spell that forces your opponent’s hand the following turn. A 10 damage anything needs to be dealt with. As a result, killing a small minion usually ties up some of your opponent’s mana on their next turn and builds your board. That type of tempo play can buy you time in tight games, and you should always look for it if your opponent has a lot of health. The only exception to this is when playing Renolock, where you are most likely going to need the surprise damage to win.

Matchups

The five decks I see the most while grinding on ladder.

Aggro Shaman

Shaman. Shaman everywhere. Despite its hiatus during the opening days of Mean Streets, the class has once again risen to the top. This matchup (and Pirate outlined below) is one of the reasons to run Control Warrior these days. Shaman thrives off of the ability to come out with fast damage and then end the game during the middle turns with some strong burn and large minions. While there are some games where you may stumble and be overrun, you are actually very well equipped to handle that line of play. The goal is this game is to simply survive in anyway that you can. That means getting armor, killing threats and going all in with your removal. Never let Shaman’s minions live if you can afford it. They generate most of their pressure through the board, so don’t be afraid to use Brawl or Revenge just to take down a couple small bodies.

A big part of this game is understanding Shaman’s burst. They have largely cut down on their burn package in order to carve out a deck that is jam-packed with large minions. As a result, you have a lot more leeway than you might think you do. If you can manage to wear down their hand it is going to be very hard for Shaman to put together enough damage to finish you off. Set up any minion that you can, and always play to Alley Amorsmith. It is also important to realize what you are going to need your removal for. Execute should almost always be saved for Flamewreathed Faceless. However, if they don’t have one they you can use it to take down anything from Tunnel Trogg to Azure Drake. Shield Slams, which are conditional, should be used first and you should burn AOE anytime you start to feel too much heat.

Miracle Rogue

Rogue is still going forward with a full head of steam and, as tough as this match can be, you are going to be favored anytime you draw Dirty Rat. In fact, this is the only matchup where you should consider keeping the two drop in a mulligan because it has so many back-breaking targets. While you still only want to play it on turn five forward (so you don’t pull out a SI:7 Agent or a Tomb Pillager), if this card hits Edwin Vancleef, Gadgetzan Auctioneer, Questing Adventurer or Leeroy Jenkins you are going to absolutely cripple your opponent’s damage and limit their overall gameplan. Your goal here should be to gain as much armor as humanly possible, and stopping on of your opponent’s combo pieces is a great way to do that.

As strong as they are, Rogue really only has a few ways to do damage. And almost all of them are predicated on having minions. Because anything can wear a Cold Blood you have to kill every single threat your opponent runs out. This is not a game where you want to conserve cards because even taking one extra hit from a Tomb Pillager or Small-Time Buccaneer can be the difference between winning and losing. As with Shaman, it is important to try and save one of your hard removal spells if you can. Once Rogue realizes you’re control they will work to build up their threats, often going big with either Edwin Vancleef or Questing Adventurer. Be ready for those swings, because if you don’t have an answer you will quickly die. Beyond that, take every dead turn they have to just hit your hero power and gain as armor as possible. This one is likely going to go to fatigue and you should prepare accordingly.

Pirate Warrior

While Shaman is going to feel easy, Pirate is not. That is because, unlike their aggro counterpart, they are much less reliant on their board. Rather, they have a ton of weapons, weapon buffs, and charge minions they will gladly point at your face. While you still want to do what you can to kill off their threats, most of Warrior’s damage comes out of hand. Keeping track of that damage potential is going to help you properly structure your turns. Arcanite Reaper will often be there on turn five, and they are almost always going to have some Upgrade type effect for the first half of the game. That, combined with Kor’kron Elite, Leeroy Jenkins, Mortal Strike and Heroic Strike gives them a ton of ways to pour on damage without minions. Understand this, watch how long they’ve been holding onto cards, and try to climb out of their burst range.

You want to work really hard here to get any armor wherever you can. It does not matter if that means using an early Shield Block or Bashing your opponent’s face, but even one extra hero power can be the difference between winning and losing. As such, work hard to gain health over getting ahead on board once you start to shift to the middle game. Of course, if you can drop a minion here and there you should, but most of Pirate’s late game damage is going to be in the form of burn. That extra Shield Block or Bash is often going to be worth a lot more than being able to play a tempo Acolyte of Pain or Ravaging Ghoul.

Renolock

Renolock is one of the trickier matchups. You want to prepare to go long, and you are going to try to win with burst. Grommash Hellscream is vital in this game because of your opponent’s taps and their largely reckless playstyle. They will almost always fall into the lower health ranges, but only for a few turns before they run back to thirty with Reno Jackson. That means you either have to kill them in that window (Gorehowl is also good at getting surprise damage), or work hard to wear them back down after they have used their legendary explorer. This is a tricky place to be in, but you want to make a read on what your gameplan is going to be based on your damage and the way your opponent is acting. Never go all-in if you can’t end the game right away.

If you are unable to wear your opponent down (or you simply don’t have Gromm) then you want to mainly rely on the Golden Monkey plan. Now, it is very important to note that you do not want this game to go to fatigue. This is because Renolock will usually have double Kazakus spells by that point in addition to Lord Jaraxxus. That is simply a battle you cannot win. Rather, you have to try to draw as much as possible and dig until you can turn everything you have into a legendary. That may seem very unintuitive, but you can wear your opponent down if you have enough big threats. Sitting back and waiting is never going to work against Warlock. You have to be driving the game, whether it’s through burst or quests.

Reno Priest

While Priest has gone up in the past week, it is mainly Reno Priests that I see over the classic Dragon ones. This matchup, much like Renolock, is going to be a slow, grindy one where you need to be very careful and work hard to get to the Golden Monkey. You are going to play this one exactly like when going against Warlock, but Priest’s healing means you usually cannot rely on burst. For that reason, draw, draw, and draw some more. Beyond that, you should look for ways to get use out of Dirty Rat. Reno Priest has a ton of impact cards, and if you can strip some key ones (such as Raza) then you should be able to cripple their long game. One of your strongest cards here is Gorehowl. You need removal to keep up with your opponent, and a repeated source is just what the doctor ordered. Always try and bait out weapon removal on your Fiery War Axes before equipping the 7/1. Even if that means holding one out as bait for multiple turns.

Mulligan Guide

The mulligan for this one is simple because it’s the same it has always been. You are looking for all of your early anti-aggro cards and throwing anything that even resembles a finisher back. Fiery War Axe and Slam are your two must keeps, but Bash and Acolyte of Pain are also very good with the coin or a strong curve. Execute is good if you have an early activator, but only keep Shield Slam if you also have Shield Block to go along with it.

When facing aggro you should keep both Cruel Taskmaster and Ravaging Ghoul. Alley Armorsmith can also work there if your have the coin and a hand full of cheap removal. Never keep Dirty Rat (unless you have a great opening and you’re playing Rogue) and keep Brawl against Shaman and Dragon Priest if you have a strong curve. Finally, keep Elise Starseeker against any slow deck.

Conclusion

While there are many who do not like Control Warrior, I think the meta is quite primed for the build. This list is particularly strong and definitely worth a couple extra looks. It is always interesting to see how you can take an old deck and shift just a few cards to really make it feel fresh. This isn’t going to shake the world, but if you’re looking to climb in the face of aggro, there is no better way to go. Until next time, may you always play dirty.

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