Introduction
Hi! I’m Asmodeus, Hearthstone coach and author of The Complete Guide for Hearthstone Player. Today we’re going to take a look at an exceptional adventurer, gentleman and a true paragon of virtue –Â sir-finley-mrrgglton!
The little murloc that could, made a bit of splash after his release from the third wing in League of Explorers adventure. People have tried playing him in many decks, some to a great success and some with fairly disappointing results, but there is certainly a great potential in this card.
In this analysis I’m going to first review the basics of the card, talk about the possible synergies and new combinations that it unlocks as well as explain which decks he’s good in and which decks should he stay away from.
Let us then jump straight into the analysis of this sophisticated gentleman and an accomplished scholar, who also happens to be a murloc.
Card overview
sir-finley-mrrgglton is obtained by completing The Ruined City wing in League of Explorers adventure. It’s currently the only 1 mana legendary card in the game. It grants the player an ability to Discover any basic hero power apart from their own. This means that under normal circumstances your chances to discover any specific ability will be roughly 37%. If you’re interested in one of two specific hero powers you will have 64% chance to discover it and 82% if you’re interested in three hero abilities.
Changing your hero power means that, as long as you have the mana, you can use your hero ability, play sir-finley-mrrgglton and then use your new hero ability. All in the same turn.
The stats on this card are good for a 1-drop. It will trade favorably against many other 1-drops and provides you with a little bit of additional damage on your next turn. This means that it’s not a waste of mana when you play him and you don’t have to rely on your Discover being successful every time. Because of the low cost it’s also easy to fit into your turns whenever it is convenient for you to change the hero power.
Card synergies
A deck that wants to play sir-finley-mrrgglton will often care a great deal about their hero power. If that’s the case then playing justicar-trueheart might be an excellent idea. Playing justicar-trueheart will give you an upgraded version of the hero power you currently have, regardless if it’s your starting ability or not (The text on justicar-trueheart is inaccurate). This means that when you pick a specific ability to deal with your current matchup justicar-trueheart will amplify the effectiveness of your choice. For example if you’re dealing with an Aggro deck or a Freeze Mage, you can pick the armor-up and then upgrade it to gain 4 armor each turn, swinging the matchup heavily in your favor instead of just giving you an edge.
Remember that if you play sir-finley-mrrgglton after justicar-trueheart you will not be able to get an upgraded hero power and you will not be able to return to your original one so make sure sir-finley-mrrgglton goes first or not at all.
If you happen to have brann-bronzebeard on the board, your Battlecry will go off twice and you will have two chances to Discover. Make sure to pick the hero power you don’t want first, to increase your chances at something good when the second set of choices appears.
Some classes will gain new synergies with unusual hero abilities. One notable interaction is getting a shapeshift or even an upgraded version – Dire Shapeshift in a shaman deck with a doomhammer. Gaining attack on your hero adds to the attack value of your weapon, which means that with an upgraded Druid hero power you can deal 8 damage each turn as a Shaman with doomhammer
When to include
There are few different ways to utilize sir-finley-mrrgglton.  First of them is to simply put him in a deck that isn’t in line with the natural class hero power. For example an aggressive warrior deck would be much better with a hero ability that can be used offensively and adding sir-finley-mrrgglton would benefit the deck.
He’s also a natural choice for Murloc decks. Outside of having great stats for a Murloc type minion he provides the deck with a reliable draw or added damage, both of which can be excellent.
You can add sir-finley-mrrgglton to decks that don’t require their normal hero power but could use a little more reach or card draw. Those are typically aggressive decks such as Aggro Shaman or Aggro Druid. With those decks you will aim to get either steady-shot or life-tap and you have a decent chance to get one of them. If you don’t then at least you’ll get something equally good to your regular hero ability, which means that you’re not sacrificing much by playing sir-finley-mrrgglton in place of another 1-drop.
Other decks that can benefit from discovering a new hero power are control decks which are not based around their natural hero ability. Priest and Warrior are very much tied to their hero powers, so it’s not a good idea to use sir-finley-mrrgglton in a standard control deck in these classes. Shaman on the other hand will welcome the ability to have something reliable to answer the strategy of his opponent. Slower Shaman decks like Control Shaman or Reno Shaman can use  sir-finley-mrrgglton very effectively. The added adaptability lets the player decide what’s best for him rather than simply relying on totemic-call randomness.
Avoid putting sir-finley-mrrgglton in decks that depend on their hero ability to secure the game. For example Reno Paladin, which I’ve recently covered in a series of guides, relies heavily on reinforce and it’s upgraded version to win many of the control matchups and while sometimes you might get a good deal out of sir-finley-mrrgglton it’s not worth it to destroy your win condition or force yourself to keep a dead card in your hand. This card is supposed to increase the consistency of your deck, not reduce it.
Closing words
Overall sir-finley-mrrgglton is a great addition to the game. It enables new decks to be created, breaks some of the class boundaries and adds another element of decision making to the game, which good players will always welcome. It is very satisfying to win the game because of a great choice which you’ve made earlier during the game and sir-finley-mrrgglton provides that opportunity for you. I’ve definitely enjoyed playing this card, especially in conjunction with justicar-trueheart and I hope this card helps Hearthstone community to come up with even more deck ideas in the future.
Let me know what you think. Share your opinions and post your questions in the comments, I’m always happy to answer them.
You can also find more of me through my social media:
I’m available for Hearthstone coaching – you’ll find all the info you need here: Coaching with Asmodeus
