Weekly Legends: Tempo Control Warrior

Introduction

Dare to be different. I find that often in Hearthstone people will not take chances with their decks, especially when it comes to deck building. Most of this is due to ladder anxiety and the fear of losing stars, but what is interesting is that most people who have that fear aren’t reliably climbing anyway. As a result, if you’re stuck it is always a good idea to try something new. This week, we see this process in an extremely cool deck that took the idea of classic Control Warrior and pumped it with more and more minions until it became a strong tempo shell.

Though Control Warrior has been getting outpaced as of late, the deck still has a strong core. To fix the weaknesses, Pandadude3000 turned the idea of Control Warrior on its head by giving it a very powerful curve. While most Warriors today have taken up a more minion-heavy plan and stronger end-game to deal with the faster decks in the meta, this list spins that around and goes full tempo. This list is a lot like the heavy-hitting Warrior decks that were very popular during the early days of Whispers, but it comes with some very key control elements that really help it stand out. You can play two modes with this list, and that versatility is what makes it so special.

Key Cards

Whirlwind

Welcome to adaptation in an aggressive world. Whirlwind may not be the first card that comes to mind when putting together a control deck, but it fills a very important role in this list. Doing one damage to an entire board not only helps activate cards like Acolyte of Pain and Armorsmith, but it also very strong against aggro. When building a deck it is easy to overlook simple cards like this one because they “don’t do enough” but when a combo card has as many interactions as Whirlwind does it is often worth the inclusion. Beyond the above mentioned interactions, this also does a very good job of activating both Grommash Hellscream and Bloodhoof Brave, giving you ways to trigger Execute, and enabling some cheap clears in combination with things like Cruel Taskmaster and Ravaging Ghoul. When this card is in your hand you always want to think about how your are going to use it in the current matchup. Sometimes you need it for the clear, but many times there are other ways to get extra value.

Cruel Taskmaster

It has been years since Cruel Taskmaster was good enough for contstructed, but it works brilliantly in a deck like this. This is because, like so many of the gel cards, it is really good at playing both the tempo game and the control game. The main reason this card is in the list is to fight back against aggro decks that are quite popular on ladder. Not only does this card hit Patches the Pirate (one of the main offenders), but it also works very well in tandem with other small damage spells and Execute. The one thing I would say about the 2/2 is that there are going to be many times where you simply want to play it out as a tempo play. Do not try and only get value from this card, know when you just need to get a body onto the board against aggro or midrange. Even if it gets removed right away you are still costing your opponent resources to kill it.

When playing this card against slower decks you want to try to get any value out of it you can. This is going to mean different things in every game, but it usually means a play like shooting an Acolyte of Pain to get two bodies and a card or hitting a big minion to set up Execute. Also remember that this card can help pour on damage with plays like Bloodhoof Brave, Alley Armorsmith, or Grommash Hellscream. Each of those cards is a nightmare to deal with on their own, and that gets even worse when they are dealing two extra damage (or more) a hit. Cruel Taskmaster is one of the cards that helps you get aggressive early, and the ability to build your own threat often forces out removal that would normally be saved for your bigger minions.

Alley Armorsmith

Most of the cards in this deck either serve one purpose. That is to say, they are mainly going to be played as a tempo card or they are going to serve control purposes. However, Alley Armorsmith plays a very unique role because it can go either way. A 2/7 taunt card on turn five that inherently gains you armor is a gigantic wall that can just obliterate aggro and really set back all sorts of midrange. In fact, setting it up at the right time against such decks will almost always give you enough health and time to take the game down. On the other hand, the five drop also can just be run out as a part of a strong curve because of how big the body is. A deck like this loves to have minions of any kind on the board, and this really furthers that goal while also inherently giving you free health.

You should try to get as much armor out of Alley Armorsmith as you possibly can. This may seem self-explanatory, but it really accentuates just how important armor is in today’s game. If this card is easily removed right away when you are under pressure it will most likely lead to a loss (unless it takes out multiple burn spells). You want to always try your best to play this into favorable boards to get the most value out of it. This is because it’s ability is so strong that your opponent’s will almost always work hard to get rid of it before your other threats. That helps you build out your curve and enables you to really slam down your late game punch. Even if your opponent does ignore it, you get free armor each turn it lives.

Don Han’cho

Probably one of the most unique inclusions to the deck, Don Han’cho is a very strong mid-to-late game card that really helps you bring some extra punch to the table. This card helps you play two cards in one, which is an invaluable ability for a list like this one. A 5/6 for seven is quite slow in a vacuum, but because your deck has so many strong minion and control tools, you should be able to make up any tempo loss that you might see from it. Even a 5/6 is not going to be the easiest card to deal with. Your opponent is likely going to have to work to kill it, which is very good because the gang leader is almost always going to be followed by another large body.

Though it may seem odd, this card plays similar to Elise Starseeker. That is to say, he can make a bad card in any given matchup into a really strong one. A 5/5 buff to any minion is going to matter, but turning a Cruel Taskmaster into a 7/7 for two, or a Ravaging Ghoul into an 8/8 for three on top of your 5/6 is an extremely powerful swing. He also can be amazing against aggressive decks by buffing a Bloodhoof Brave to a 7/10 or an Alley Armorsmith to a 5/12. GG aggro. Just be careful about playing the Don into something you don’t want to hit. The two targets you want to avoid are Ragnaros the Firelord and Sylvanas Windrunner because Rag’s body doesn’t matter as much and you want Sylvia to die.

Varian Wrynn

Varian Wrynn is another great end-game card that can instantly take over a board and lock up a game. In the past, this card was not good enough because it drew you into fatigue against slow decks and did nothing to halt aggro. Even so, it still saw a role in Tempo Warrior because it is so strong when you’re ahead. That, combined with the fact that the meta has slowed down a bit, really gives the 7/7 an opportunity to shine. This is your big finisher and way to come back into games that are slipping away. If you have Varian in your hand you should really do everything can to mitigate on board minions before you play him. There are a ton of strong minions in this deck, and most of the time Varian will be able to pump out multiple big bodies. That didn’t matter a long time ago, but these days if your opponent is low on cards this will usually get a quick concession.

When playing Varian you usually want to have one or two targets in your head. Just running this out as a tempo play into an empty board will usually end the game against a lot of lists, but there are going to many times where you are putting him down onto a certain board state. In those cases, you need to think about what cards you’ve played, which ones you might have, and your odds of getting them. For example, playing this to get either Bloodhoof Brave or Alley Armorsmith against aggro can be really good if you have a lot of taunts left in a small deck, but if you still have over half it may be better to take another route. It is also smart to hold this back until your Renolock opponent has burned their Twisting Nether. Be smart when choosing to go with the 7/7. Think about what might happen, your other lines of play, and if you even want to play him all.

Matchups

The five decks I’ve seen most so far.

Pirate Warrior

Unless you get a very unlucky or slow draw you should be able to win this matchup quite easily. Not only do you have the classic control armor gain, but you also come equipped with many small AOE effects that really put the hurt on Pirate. Everything, from an Armorsmith to Alley Armorsmith to Bloodhoof Brave, is going to cause them numerous problems and can downright win the game on its own. Pirate Warrior is a deck that likes to operate with extremely little resistance, so your goal should be to throw as many wrenches into their game plan as you can. Remove all of their minions and never miss an opportunity to gain health via armor or a big taunt. Every turn you live is another turn you get to hero power, which is invaluable here.

When playing this game you want to be hyper-aware of your opponent’s possible damage. It is very easy to get caught up in your own board and forget about your opponent’s cards, but Pirate Warrior has many ways to hit you from out of hand. This entire match should be spent playing towards your taunts. If you ever have the board or priority when you drop Bloodhoof Brave or Alley Armorsmith Pirate is going to immediately crumble. They only have one burn card, which means they are not equipped to take down a big wall. Even if they do remove your minion with a big weapon swing, that means they are losing damage as the game goes on. Be patient here and always prioritize the safe plays. If the match goes long enough you will end up on top.

Aggro Shaman

Just like with Warrior, this is a game you should be able to take down barring an all-legendary opener. While you have to worry about a little more here because Shaman has much bigger threats, the plan is largely going to be the same. You just want to remove everything your opponent puts down and then work very hard to conserve armor. Alley Armorsmith and Bloodhoof Brave can both lock this matchup down on the spot, especially if you have control when you get to run them out. The trick to that is just making sure you are pacing the game when you set them up. The biggest threat to that plan is going to be Flamewreathed Faceless. Always save your early Executes or Shield Slams for the 7/7 if you can. In addition, remember that Shaman has a lot of direct damage in their deck. If you are low on life it can sometimes be right to gain armor instead of playing a taunt when facing an empty board.

The overall goal is to play as many minions as you can early on to tie up their curve and keep them focused on the board. Despite your control potential, you have a ton of finishers and big threats in this list. Getting to them is not going to be easy (especially against a deck like Shaman) but if you can just stall out you can quickly overwhelm Thrall. A big part of this is conserving your AOE. Shaman has various ways to flood the board and you never want to pull the Whirlwind trigger too early just to get blown out on the following turn. This is not always going to be an easy balance to find, but you typically want to pull the trigger until the last minute. That usually means waiting one extra turn to clear right before you think you should. Shaman is not a deck that can afford to hold back too many cards, so they will usually overextend if given the chance.

Dragon Priest

Call it the sands of time, call it one of the best cores in the game, but Dragon Priest is back in a big, big way. This is not the best news for you, as Anduin (or Tyrande) is most certainly going to be your hardest matchup. Priest just can pump out a ton of powerful minions, most of which will control your board and kill off minions at the same time. To fight this, you need to work very hard to get ahead of your opponent early on. Priest can pump out threat after threat after threat and their curve gets better and better the more you climb. However, if you manage to play a solid threat when you have priority Priest will then need to tie up their mana in hard removal, giving you a way to play your next big minion. Owning the board will also help you control the trades and dictate what needs to die and what needs to live. That is essential for going the distance.

Focus all of your energy here on keeping Priest on the back foot until you can start playing big threats. The modern versions of dragon run no Entombs, and most have also cut Dragonfire Potion. This means that they have very (very) few ways of killing off multiple large bodies outside of using their board to trade. The way you win this game is by slamming big minion after big minion until your opponent stops coming up with answers. They’ll be able to take out the first one, and after that they will have to commit so many resources to taking down anything else the game just is going to slip out of their grasp. If you can you should run out Don Han’cho before any other big minion because he is always to get some sort of value before death. In addition, prioritize both Sylvanas Windrunner and Ysera. Without Entomb, Dragon Priest almost has no answer for them.

Miracle Rogue

Miracle Rogue plus Pirates continues to equal success, and it has made this deck one of the most prevalent on the current ladder. This is a match where you really want to stress the tempo half of your deck. Rogue will almost always be able to out-threat you if they easily curve into turn six, so you need to really leverage your threats and work hard to get in damage where you can. Any big minion is going to instantly force out a Sap, and if they don’t have access to the spell it is going to tie up their entire turn to kill it. This is the one matchup where you never want to worry about holding anything back. Just run out as many threats as you possibly can while prioritizing Ragnaros the Firelord, Ysera and Varian Wrynn because of their natural ability. If you can catch Rogue in this cycle they will almost always crumble due to their inherent lack of being able to kill large minions.

However, even if you do get control of the board you need to be aware of your opponent’s damage. The most important rule of this game is to kill everything your opponent plays. Many new versions of Rogue have forgone burst in order to pack in more minions. While this helps them against more aggressive decks, it also leaves them more vulnerable to control. If you keep pace with their threats and never allow them to stick down a solid body you should force them to make some very bad plays. In that same vein, work to gain armor. The new version of Rogue only has so much damage at their disposal, and their burst is always going to hover right around 20 at all times. If you can just keep up your health and force out Sap before playing down taunts you can simply run your opponent into fatigue, where they will quickly die.

Renolock

As much as I hate to admit it, Kazakus‘ time in the sun may be rapidly fading. Renolock, once everywhere, has all-but disappeared from the ladder (at least at the higher ranks). If you do square off with Gul’dan you want to take your time and, like when facing Priest, work hard to run them out of removal. Renolock is a deck that only has a few hard removal cards, and it is not going to be easy for them to keep killing big body after big body. The three cards you need to count are Siphon Soul (which will come first), Blastcrystal Potion (which comes second) and Twisting Nether (which comes last). Just play out your lowest-priority threats first and then steadily build up to Ysera. Also, try to bait out Sylvanas Windrunner onto a sma. You never want to run out a strong minion into Power Overwhelming if you can help it. This is a match that is usually going to be won on the back of Grommash Hellscream. Work hard to slowly break down your opponent’s defenses and then finish them off when they get too liberal with their tapping.

Mulligan Guide

Despite the control nature of this list, you are going to mulligan more for tempo plays than anything else. That is because there are a ton of matches where you need a strong opening to be able to operate in the way you want to. Armorsmith, Fiery War Axe are your only must-keeps, but Acolyte of Pain should always be kept with any type of opening or the coin. When facing aggro you also want to keep Whirlwind, Cruel Taskmaster and Ravaging Ghoul.

Bloodhoof Brave should be kept with the coin and the curve, and Alley Armorsmith is good against aggro with the coin, a curve, and an insanely strong opening. When playing midrange it is a good idea to keep the Shield Block/Shield Slam combo if you have both, and you should always keep Execute when going up against a slower deck or Shaman to deal with Flamewreathed. Finally, you can also keep Brawl against a strong midrange deck (Dragon Priest) or Shaman if you have the coin and a very powerful opening, but don’t keep it on its own.

Conclusion

You know what’s more fun than Control Warrior? Tempo Control Warrior. There are just so many fun, flashy cards in this deck that I love, and just about all of them are in a very good spot right now. This is a very good balance between two worlds, and is a very good learning curve for people who want to open themselves up to a new style of deck. It has anti-aggro, anti-midrange, and anti-control all packed into one deck, and that’s pretty cool. Plus, I never miss a chance to break out Varian. Until next week, happy new year!

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